Day two at sea after leaving Hong Kong found us sailing in smooth waters with temperatures and humidity soaring towards hot and sticky. It was to be expected as we are heading south towards the Equator once again. Time for lots of sunscreen once again. Good time as any for another Safety of Life at Sea, a fire drill for the crew only. It seems like these have been happening less and less, so it probably depends on our location as to their frequency. Speaking of safety, we have been wondering if the Amsterdam will get razorwire when we get into possibly dangerous waters. Just because we have not heard news of pirate attacks, it does not mean that it has not been occuring. We will have to be patient and wait to see.
The turbulent times of Thailand was the subject discussed by Mr. Foster at todays lecture. Our one and only stop in Thailand will be Phuket once again. We have not visited Bangkok for several years now, and we doubt we will anytime soon. The country has been having some major political problems followed with violence, so that has slowed the tourism industry for sure. And the South China Sea was the subject of the afternoon talk by Mr. Stoddart.
We are happy to try and find the talk that Barbara gave on the upcoming port of Singapore. Everytime, without fail, we turn on the TV, we happen to miss her talk. It alternates with the guest speakers lectures from the day before. Since we plan on taking the MRT, the underground transit system, we are planning our routes for both days we will be in Singapore. We hope to take in the Gardens by the Bay, which is located near the impressive Marina Bay Sand complex. That should take care of a whole day in itself. Another place we always make it a point to explore is the National Orchid Gardens within the Botanical Gardens.
The Red Lantern Dinner was held in the dining room this evening. It was formal, and everyone was encouraged to don their Chinese clothing that matched the waiters and the red lantern decorations. It is one of our favorite formals, along with the Asian-type menu for dnner. The crunchy spring rolls were tasty, as was the vegetarian noddle and veggie entree we shared. One of us had the lobster and steak entree, while the other, not trusting the Chinese fare may contain oyster or clam sauce, created an entree of caesar salad with a grilled chicken breast. Excellent.
The entertainment in the showlounge was a group of four young fellows called Metro. Their music embraced pop, doo-wop, rock, R&B, Broadway and jazz. Will report on it tomorrow.
During the late hours of the night, many fishing boats could be sighted from our window. They lit up the horizon as they use a bright light to fish in the dark.
