DAY 81 - AT SEA - APRIL 18, 2010

IT IS NOT HARD TO LOSE TRACK OF TIME WHILE IN THE SHIP AND IT SLIPPED OUR MIND THAT TODAY IS SUNDAY. WE HEADED TO THE BUFFET FOR BREAKFAST AND FOUND VERY FEW PEOPLE SITTING AROUND EATING AND GABBING. ONE OF THE SERVERS ASK GEORGIA WHY SHE HADN’T GONE TO THE BRUNCH. “THIS IS SATURDAY” SHE REPLIED. THANKFULLY WE HAD NOT PLACED ANTHING ON OUR PLATES. WE HEADED FOR THE BRUNCH.

ALTHOUGH THERE WERE MANY DELECTABLE ITEMS TO CHOICE FROM, GEORGIA AND I BOTH CHOOSE ITEMS FROM THE GALLEY. FRESH BLUEBERRY PANCAKES AND EGGS BENEDICT, WHICH WE SPLIT. WHILE WAITING FOR OUR MEAL GEORGIA BROWSED THE DESSERT BAR AND DISCOVERED DARK CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES AND BANANAS ON A STICK DIPPED IN THE SME DARK CHOCOLATE. WE PUT SEVERAL ON OUR PLATE AND TOOK THEM BACK TO THE ROOM FOR ANOTHER TIME.

AFTER AN HOUR OR SO WE WENT TO THE GYM AND WALKING ON THE TREADMILL. WE WANTED TO GET EXERCISE EVEN THOUGH WE DID PLENTY OF WALKING YESTERDAY. WE NEVER CONSIDERED WALKING ON THE DECK, IT IS ABOUT 95 DEGREES, THE HUMIDITY IS HIGH AND IT ISN’T WORTH KILLING YOURSELF UNDER THOSE CONDITIONS WHEN YOU CAN DO IT ALL INDOORS.

THE BIG ATTRACTION TODAY WAS THE SHOWING OF “THE KING AND I.” THE MOVIE WAS VERY APPROPRIATE AS WE HAD JUST COME FROM THAILAND, FORMERLY KNOWN AS SIAM. ABOUT 60 PEOPLE ATTENTED THE BIG SCREEN SHOWING.

WE WERE NOT PLANNING ON GOING TO THE EVENING ENTERTAINMENT BUT AT THE LAST MINUTE CHANGED OUR MINDS. WHAT FLEXIBILITY WE HAVE! THE COMEDIAN, RIKKI JAY, WAS BILLED AS “FAST, FUNNY, AND CALORIE FREE.” IT WAS JUST ENOUGH TO LURE US IN.

NOT ONLY DID HE TALK NON-STOP FOR FIFTY MINUTES, HE NEVER STOOD STILL. HE MOVED ABOUT THE STAGE CONSTANTLY. HE MIGHT BE CALORIE FREE, BUT WATCHING HIM MOVE AROUND ONLY MADE US TIRED...I DON’T THINK WE LOST ANY CALORIES. SO MUCH FOR THAT TYPE OF EXERCISE.



DAY 82 - AT SEA - APRIL 19, 2010

TODAY WE DID MUCH OF NOTHING. WE CAUGHT UP ON OUR E-MAILS, READ SOME OF GLENN BECK’S BOOK.GEORGIA WAS ABLE TO GET INTO THE LAUNDRY AND WRITE MORE FOR HER BOOK.

WE HAVE BECOME VERY LAXED OVER THE WEEKS. FORMAL NIGHT CAME AND WENT AND WE DIDN’T CARE. WE CHOSE TO GO SWIMMING INSTEAD. RAMESH AND LOLITA ALSO SKIPPED, WE SAW THEM HEADING TO THE STEAM BATH. 

GEORGIA AND I WATCHED SOME OF THE NEWS, EVEN THAT HAS BECOME SOMETHING WE DON’T SEEM TO GET VERY INTERESTED IN ANY MORE. HOWEVER AS WE CAUGHT UP ON SOME OF THE REPERCUSSIONS OF THE ICELAND VOLCANO WE BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT ALL THE THINGS WE HAVE MISSED IN THE LAST TWELVE WEEKS.

THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL EARTHQUAKES IN THE LAST TWELVE WEEKS. WE WERE PUT ON WATCH BECAUSE OF THE TSUNAMI CAUSED BY THE CHILE QUAKE. YOU MAY RECALL OUR DOCKING IN SUVA, FIJI WAS DELAYED SEVERAL HOURS. SNOW STORMS HIT THE EAST COAST CAUSING DAMAGE AND DELAYS, 50 INCHES IN PGH. THERE WAS A CYCLONE IN THE PACIFIC, WHICH CREATED THIRTEEN DAYS OF ROUGH SEA, BUT WE DIDN’T ENCOUNTER ANY RAIN.

ALL OF OUR PORT CALLS WERE GREAT, NEVER A POOR WEATHER DAY. WE HAD REPORTS OF ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE WEATHER THE DAY BEFORE OUR ARRIVAL AND THE CALL FOR BAD THINGS ON THE DAY OF OUR PORT CALL. SEVERAL TIMES WE LEARNED THE WEATHER TURNED BAD AFTER OUR DEPARTURE OF A PORT. WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED. THE WORST WE HAVE HAD TO ENDURE WAS TEMPERATURES IN THE NINETY’S ON SOME OCCASIONS.

GINGER MENTIONED THAT GRANNY CALLED TO TELL HER THAT WE CALLED AFTER MIDNIGHT WHILE IN SINGAPORE. SOMEHOW GRANNY GOT THE IDEA GEORGIA WAS ALL GUN-HO ABOUT OUR TRIP AND I WAS READY TO THROW IN THE TOWEL. IT IS THE FURTHEST THING FROM MY MIND. BUT THEN AGAIN, GRANNY HEARS WHAT SHE WANTS TO HEAR AND TRANSLATES WHAT SHE HEARS INTO WHAT SHE WANTS TO BELIEVE THE SITUATION TO BE.

WE DO LOOK FORWARD TO RETURNING HOME NEXT MONTH BUT ARE VERY SADDEN ABOUT ENDING THE CRUISE. AS W. C.FIELDS ONCE SAID, “YOU HAVE TO GRAB THE BULL BY THE TAIL AND LOOK THE SITUATION STRAIGHT IN THE FACE.” IN OTHER WORDS TRANSLATED FOR US, WE WILL HAVE TO FACE REALITY IN TWENTY-FIVE DAYS.

WE WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR OUR MEALS, GAS, AND FOOD. THE GRASS WILL BE AS HIGH AS AN ELEPHANTS EYE, OKLAHOMA YOU KNOW, AND WEEDS WILL BE CREATING MORE WEEDS IN THE YARD, OR WORST YET IN THE NEIGHBORS YARD THEN MY YARD.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN, WE GET TO START THINKING ABOUT THE NEXT GREAT ADVENTURE, WHEREVER THAT MIGHT BE. THE BUCKET LIST IS LONG AND GETS LONGER EVERDAY AS WE TALK TO OTHERS ABOUT THEIR ADVENTURES. IT IS AN EXCITING JOURNEY IN FIRST HAND EDUCATION.

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT WAS ONCE ASKED OF WHICH OF HIS CREATIONS HE WAS MOST PROUD, THE NEXT ONE WAS HIS ANSWER. AND, SO IT IS WITH GEORGIA AND I, IT IS THE NEXT ONE THAT BRINGS NEW THRILLS IN THE PLANNING. I HAVE OFTEN SAID WE PLAN WAY MORE TRIPS THAN WE COULD EVER EXPECT TO ACCOMPLISH, BUT THE FUN IS IN THE PLANNING, AND PLANNING WE SHALL DO. WHAT THE HECK, IT DOESN’T CAST A DIME TO PLAN.

DAY 83 - AT SEA - APRIL 20, 2010

WE ARE ONE DAY AWAY FROM THE MALDIVES AND THREE DAYS FROM THE TAJ MAHAL. ALTHOUGH THE TRIP IS WINDING DOWN SOME OF THE BEST PORTS ARE YET TO COME. DUBAI AND THE MAN MADE ISLANDS, EGYPT AND THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS, ATHENS AND THE PANTHEON, SERRENTO AND THE ISLE OF CAPRI AND FINALLY ROME.

TODAY THE SEA IS CALM, THE SKY HAS AFEW PUFFY WHITE CLOUDS AND THE WATER IS BLUE AS CAN BE.

THERE IS NOT MUCH GOING ON TODAY, ALTHOUGH THE SHIP HAS PLENTY OF ACTIVITIES PLANNED. GEORGIA AND I, LIKE MOST OF THE WORLD CRUISERS ARE HAVING TO MUCH FUN DOING OUR OWN THING TO TAKE PART IN ALL THE GAMES. WE ARE RELAXED.