Day three at sea found us waking up to thunder and lightning in the wee hours of the morning, but the worst of the rain was over. The skies remained mostly cloudy, however, the day was not as dreary as the last couple of days. Once again, the scenery was water-water-water everywhere we looked. Gone are the islands, passing ships, and coastal views as we head towards Darwin.
Our biggest job of the day was turning in our passports after 10am. It was done the same as before with collection tables set up on each passenger deck. The note we got stressed the fact that our passports will be kept safely locked away and they were taking the upmost care in safeguarding them. We have never doubted that, but perhaps some folks are not so trusting. And like before, we were handed a receipt to fill out and keep when we retrieve the passports whenever that occurs.
Captain Friso reported that he was very happy with the conditions of the slight seas and less rain during his noontime talk. There had been some confusing arrival times concerning our next port of Darwin, but it ended up that our arrival time will be 7am. Not that it matters to us, because we never wish to go off that early anyway. Been there…..done that with doing tours over the years. We looked back to our last stop in Darwin, which was in March of 2019. We took off on a "walkabout" as the Aussies say. And we did cover a lot of territory around the city. So as long as the temperature doesn't exceed 90 degrees or more, we will try to re-trace our steps.
All the usual activities kept the guests busy. There were three sessions of trivia - always popular and a pool party was added at 2pm. Not sure what that was about, we read that something took place not at the Lido Pool, but the Sea View Pool. There was music to create a lively atmosphere as well as a $19.50 Pina Colada drink served in a fresh pineapple.
Lecturers gave their talks - one at 11am with Rob Quintell speaking about WWII and Darwin's involvement. The lecture at 1pm was delivered by Merge Gupta-Sunderji all about myths and legends of Indonesia. We still wish these talks could be televised, but it does not happen anymore.
We took two long walks today, and finally began to see some flying fish. There was one bird that must be perched on the bow, since we only saw it briefly. Other than that, there were no birds to be seen anywhere.
Henk, the hotel manager, sent out a word about Kimberly, who has not been visible ever since we were in Cairns. Henk said she is temporarily off duty due to a momentary vocal cord disfunction. She sent out her thanks for all of the well-wishers hoping for her return soon. In the meantime, the Entertainment Director, Erika, has been taking her place.
Dinner was "dressy" although only for some folks. The pattern seems to be when the weather turns warm and humid, less and less guests feel like dressing up. Especially the fellows that wear a jacket or a suit. One thing really has been apparent is the air-conditioning distribution. We noticed that our room on deck six was getting warmer all day. But at 7pm, it was almost 78 degrees. Good thing we have a tower fan….it really helps. Going down to deck three, we always pass through the Ocean Bar and Photo department. Tonight these areas were quite cool. The dining room was also comfortable. It seems that when the ship is in these hotter and humid areas of the world, it really puts stress on the system.
And the evening ended about the same way it began…..with thunder and lightning flashing in the dining room. There were some people walking outside, so we think there wasn't any rain. That might be a good thing if there was rain because it tends to cool the air down. The lightning storm continued through the night.
Anyway, our meals were identical from the Caesar salads to the prime rib entrée. The meat was served pink (not rare) and it was tender and tasty. Both of us ordered the Boshe Ball, the Dutch version of a chocolate éclair. We were just about ready to leave the room, when we noticed that a guest went down by their table. The medical staff arrived quickly and were in the process of treating this person. We sure hope they are OK. That led to some stories from our waiter Kadek who told us about a few times he had to use the Heimlich maneuver for choking guests. Guess this happens more often than we know.
The entertainment this evening was a return of the Foenander Brothers with songs they love to sing. We are sure the guests love to hear them.
Hope we have a good day in Darwin and it isn't too hot.
Bill & Mary Ann
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