Ocean for Mauritius and Singapore. I want to leave the ship for a week at Cape Town to visit Kruger National Park, but Ginny insists that lions can open automobile doors-nevertheless, I want to make that motor trip and see lions, elephants, etc., in native habitat.
We leave the ship in Singapore and have booked no farther, I plan to visit Java and Bali at least and wind up at Darwin, Australia-we are trying to arrange booking for an island freighter now; if that doesn't work, we will visit the islands by airline and end up at Darwin anyway. Then we fly to Sydney, stay as long as we like in Australia, go to New Zealand, where we intend to visit both North and South Islands (there is an N.Z. airline that has a circle route), and eventually back home via the Fiji and Hawaiian Islands and San Francisco.
October 24, 1953: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
As you can see, this is my "strike-out" letter-even though I may write again. You will see, too, that I have (with fantastic ingenuity and smug planning) placed all the real dope on page two, which you can now stick up on your bulletin board, or something. We'll send you postcards of calabozos and hippos and things. If I don't return on time, just forward my personal effects to Tahiti, fourth beachcomber from the left.
Wups! I forgot something-money. Don't send me any checks after about 7 November; just hold for me whatever comes in. It is possible that, after I am cleaned out by a gang of international gamblers headed by a beautiful blonde in sable, that I may ask you to cable me some dough-but it seems most unlikely, as I am taking plenty.
April 3, 1954: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
We got home late Wednesday and spent Thursday and
F;riday unpacking and reading mail. I have answered none
<l the latter as yet and still can't find the top of my desknd about two dozen bread-and-butter notes to write consequent to the trip as well. We are both okay save for head colds picked up in New Zealand and still with us. The trip back was okay until we were within ten minutes of Colorado Springs, whereupon the damned plane caught fire in its heating system, filled the cabin with smoke, and caused the skipper to turn back and make an emergency landing. This when I had about softened up Ginny to the notion of traveling by air in the future --
TRAVEL BOOK
EDITOR 's NOTE: In 1953 and 1954, Robert and I took a six-month trip around the world. When we returned, I suggested that Robert write a book about the trip. He wrote half of the book and sent it off to Lurton, to see whether there was or was not a market for it.
It turned out that there was no market for it.
Everyone who read this book loved it, but no one wanted to publish it. Robert spent some months working on this book. It is too late to publish it now-it's considerably outdated.
August 30, 1954: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
I think you had better send the travel book manuscript back and let me finish it. I have spent the whole summer expecting it back in the next mail, frustrated by its half-finished condition, and unable to get to work on anything else. I'll never send out an incomplete ms. again-it is, for me, like having someone read over my shoulder; it keeps me from concentrating on the work in the machine.
A long string of houseguests helped to wash out the summer, too. The last of them are out of the house now and I should be able to finish the travel book quickly. I want to start on my next novel in a couple of weeks. I plan to do the next boys' book first, then an adult serial novel.
EUROPE
January 24, 1955: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
We have not yet been able to book our proposed trip, but we still hope to leave about the 1st of May. Don't worry about the trips I take cutting in on writing; in the long run they increase my output and enhance its quality. Anything I do always winds up in a story eventually -- and it is most unlikely that we will ever make another trip six months long.
May 10, 1955: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
We have luxurious quarters, the owner's cabin, about twice as big as the other passenger staterooms. I don't know how we got it as we did not ask for it, but it is very pleasant. For the first time in a ship I have room enough to write and a comfortable setup for it. I might even turn out a story...although this seems unlikely as my mind is comfortably blank.
July 16, 1955: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
How are you? Me, I'm a little confused. I've been in ten countries so far this trip, used nine languages, and thirteen sorts of money including U.S. MFC "funny money" in which $10 bills are printed in bright red and a nickel scrip looks like a cigar coupon. I've just finished calculating a trip into the Arctic Circle (which we start tomorrow morning) which involves marks, guilders, Belgian francs, and three sorts of kroner, all at different rates. I came out within about 10 percent of the right answer, which is better than I expected.
Ginny has been spending money with joyful frenzy and everything costs six times what it should. I think I have money enough with us to cover everything, but I am no longer sure. Could you please send me a thousand dollars in American
Express drafts (the only sort which is really easy to exchange everywhere) to the Heidelberg address above? Deus volent, I will still have them in my pocket when we reach New York, but I will feel easier if I have them. We will be back on the 6th of August; then we go to Bayreuth so that Ginny can sop up Wagner (the Ring Cycle) while I sop up beer-then home by easy stages. I estimate that we will be in New York about the 9th or 10th of September, but anything could happen between now and then.
LAS VEGAS
April 22, 1959: Robert A. Heinlein to Lurton Blassingame
We're back home and not quite broke-in fact, I didn't even manage to use up all of some traveller's cheques I bought in New York over a year ago, and now we have money running out of our ears, with all taxes paid. Ginny worked hard on the slot machines, did not manage to drop behind more than five dollars all week. I played the slots very little, craps one evening, and put a few chips on roulette en passant and broke about even-I wasn't there to gamble anyhow. One member of our party, a boy I went to Annapolis with, gambled all week, splurged on night clubs, etc., and returned to Colorado Springs with more money than he had started out with. I can't claim that, but I will say that they practically give you the joint free-provided you don't drop a lot of dough at the tables. Gourmet food is cheap, the most lavish night clubs in the entire world are very cheap, equivalent hotel rooms are about half what they would cost in New York. I understand that the taxis are expensive, but we hired a new Chevvie and never entered a taxi.
The Congress of Flight was almost the size of a World's Fair, with the most remarkable demonstrations and exhibits I have ever seen anywhere...The static exhibits included such things as the Atlas, Thor-Able, X-15, manned re-entry capsule for Project Mercury-and the
1911 Bleriot monoplane. The dynamic exhibits had everything, from several types of bombing to the most frightening precision flying I have ever seen-half a dozen nations each trying to bilge the others and the Chinese Nationalists stealing the show with a nine-plane diamond tight formation that did things I still don't believe. Nobody killed-although we in the audience almost had heart failure.
Las Vegas is sort of an organized nervous breakdown. We are exhausted, sunburned, and euphoric...But the three largest bookstores in town do not sell science fiction-I looked for some of my own to give to friends-no dice.