WILD ISLES Some lie on the horizon lumped and brown like basking tortoises. Others appear like sudden mountains thrusting up from the sea. And still others seem to weave the clouds down from the sky, shifting them like veils to create mirages—is the island snowcapped? on fire?—or to simply vanish. But whether they manifest as apparitions or invitations, islands are the ultimate reason to travel by ship. There is simply nothing like standing on deck, or on the Bridge, as an island materializes out of the blank vastness of the sea. The islomanes among us live for these moments, the sheer number of islands in the world a goad for their passion. For the rest of us, somewhere on the continuum between ‘have had’ the experience and ‘never have,’ the itineraries in this section hold unparalleled promise.
Islands of the Ryukyu Arc, Japan.
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