Here, There and Everywhere

I’ve lived in South Carolina almost my entire life—going on 50 years now! I’ve lived in Savannah, Goose Creek, North Charleston, James Island and settled in the West Ashley area of Charleston.

Savannah is pretty much the same as Charleston... there are a lot of similarities—the people, the history, the buildings, but not really the food. We used to go to Carey Hilliard’s when I lived there.

I remember the house where I lived in Savannah. I liked the house a lot. We had a jacuzzi and pool. Kinda like here, but just different.

I get tired at work. I have a table where I put 5 pieces of bolts together. To relax, I like to travel and go on vacation.

I like to go places to see different things and see what’s exciting.

Travel is fun, exciting and unique. Sometimes it’s boring—the journey. I’m more of a destination traveler. It’s long and boring to get to the places sometimes... we have to stop for gas or use the restroom. And, sometimes you have to stop and eat. My fun time is being at the place—the destination.

When I leave Charleston, I like to go visit Florida (Orlando & The Keys), North Carolina (Lake Junaluska), Tennessee (Dollywood & Pigeon Forge), and sometimes Alabama (Bremen... to visit friends).

In North Carolina, I go to Lagoalinda Lodge in Lake Junaluska for a choral retreat—we sing, we go out to eat and just have fun. My favorite part is eating cheese grits.

In Tennessee, I go to Dollywood for fun—but we stay in Pigeon Forge. We go see different shows: sometimes rock n’ roll or 50’s music, but mostly gospel shows. It’s never the same show—there are a bunch of different people singing.

In Florida, I go to Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure—I love going to Halloween Horror Nights even though I don’t like scary things. It’s a lot of fun. I actually enjoy these scary things—the monsters in the haunted houses and scare zones on the way to the lines. I also enjoy riding the rides in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and in the Studios I love riding E.T.

When I’m in Orlando, I sometimes visit Disney World & Epcot—and see Mickey Mouse. Normally we go at Christmas for the Candlelight Processional; at that time we also make a trip to Universal to listen to Mannheim Steamroller. I like to ride rides and have fun. At Magic Kingdom I love to ride Small World, but in Epcot I have to visit Mexico and ride the Grand Fiesta Tour.

In Alabama, I go visit my friends Carol & Tommy (Chicken and Dunkin’ as I like to call them) on the lake in Bremen. I enjoy sitting in the rocking chair and looking down on the lake—it's both fun and relaxing.

If I have some extra time, I like to drive on (or have someone drive me) down to the Keys. I love the beach water—it's beautiful—it's clear. I love to put my feet in the sand and go swimming. Sometimes we bring out the snorkeling gear to see all the fish.

My idea of a perfect trip? I’d say a cruise. It’s a fun and different experience. There are all kinds of different things on a cruise ship--- one has gambling, another is a Disney cruise ship. Some have comedy and concerts and things to do on a cruise ship. And, karaoke-- that’s one of my favorite things to do.

You don’t have to buy the food, but you do have to pay for the drinks. You have to drink tea when you don’t buy the drink package. There are some things you can buy on a cruise ship that you can’t buy off of it—Duty Free Shopping, for instance. When I’m on the ship I like to shop for a couple things.

I enjoy the ports of call when we get to get off of the cruise ship. A different place that I’ve been on a cruise and one of my favorites is Jamaica. I love all of the colors. I enjoyed the country; it was exciting and fun. If I could say anything to someone from Jamaica—I'd ask them how it is to live there in Jamaica to learn a little bit more about their culture.

When I’m on the cruise ship, my most favorite thing is the water. I love just sitting and looking at the water. Sometimes when it gets too hot, I can go back to the room. When it’s nighttime I look at the moon—I love looking at the moon at nighttime on a cruise ship.

I have taken several cruises and have gotten to go to Mexico. We visited the Mayan Ruins and I got to eat Mexican food. The sites were beautiful and everything was very colorful. I’d like to return some day and spend some time there—a longer period of time.

Some places I’ve traveled on a Cruise are: Jamaica, Mexico, Bahamas, Key West.

But, I think I’d like to go back to Mexico for a longer stay.

My dream vacation? If money was no issue and I won a trip to anywhere in the world—I would choose Tahiti. In your mind you wanna go to Tahiti... different things are there. I picture a boat—a cruise ship. I’m looking at all kinds of things. Mom really wants to go there.

My advice to anyone traveling--

Be careful. Be safe. Don’t talk to sketchy strangers. It’s ok to talk to people and be nice, but be cautious. And be respectful of the people in that country you’re visiting.

~ John Joyner