LESSONS FROM THE LONG ROAD

An extended cruise from Vancouver to Tokyo proves that to go further and deeper, you sometimes have to slow down.

- AUDREY PHOON

Somewhere in the middle of afternoon tea, between a caramel pudding and my second scone, I realised I didn't have my phone with me. The thought spread like the warm toffee oozing over the pudding: placidly and unhurriedly. That's when I knew that I—someone who hadn't been able to abandon emails and social media for more than a few minutes since the pandemic—had truly left the fast life behind.

How had this happened? Three days ago, I'd boarded the Regent Seven Seas Explorer in Vancouver along with 745 other passengers. We were bound for Tokyo, on a route that would cover 4,936 nautical miles and take us around Alaska and across the Pacific Ocean. For reference, flying from Vancouver to Tokyo takes about 10 hours. In comparison, our journey would take 19 days, of which six were to be spent at sea, with nothing but waves on the horizon. This, clearly, was an expedition to be savoured, not gulped; an education in enjoying the moment and restraining from barrelling towards the next. Arriving in the Japanese capital would merely be an eventuality, not the goal.

A DIFFERENT DIMENSION

In that respect, lively Vancouver was the perfect starting point. The city is Canada's biggest by population, with the number of metro residents projected to cross three million for the first time this year. On Robson Street, the main shopping belt, the pavement teemed with people, designer boutiques and hip cafes selling sourdough doughnuts and lattes. The city's famous Chinatown was equally busy—getting lunch at a no-reservations dim sum restaurant involved standing in an hour-long queue for a table.