Another day at sea, and another morning of sleeping in. We can get used to this very easily.
The temperatures have climbed over the last couple of days, since the Amsterdam has been going north as much as heading west. Despite the daily newsletter stating that it will be mostly sunny today, it was mostly cloudy, with noticable rain on the horizon. The humidity has picked up significantly as well. Yes, we are going back into the Equatorial conditions....hot and sticky.
Caught up on some homework in our room this morning, but made it a point to quit and go to the pool at noontime. Even though there was heavy overcast, it was very nice out. Today they were having an African Sizzler BBQ on the aft deck. It seems like every time they have attempted this, it has rained. Looks like it may be OK today. Anyway, sizzling away on the grills were slices of crocodile, warthog, emu, and zebra. They all smelled good, and according to friends that tried it, they admitted it tasted a lot like chicken. With the right sauces, they all tasted fine we bet. Some of the sauces served today were Peroni brand, and the little sample we had of two of them, we judged them hot and hotter. Can imagine that basting the meat with the hot sauce while being BBQ'd would be really good.
Other stuff happening on the ship included chef Paulette speaking about the African markets, which we will not be visiting. Having seen these types of open-air markets, and seeing the gunney sacks of spices opened up on the ground, you may think twice about buying these items. In most markets, they sell the spices in small plastic bags that are sealed and weighed. With our vivid imaginations, we picture these markets at night, when the rats are out and about, running over these same gunney sacks. In fact, it has been reported to us that some of the passengers have seen these rats scurrying about even in the daytime. Buy the spices now? We think not.
John Palmisano spoke about penguins, while Dan B. hoped to treat passengers to star gazing at 9:15pm, and 11pm in the sports court on deck 10 forward. We know they did this on the Statendam last fall while we were on the Hawaii/Tahiti cruise, and it was most popular. All you need is a clear sky with no clouds. Moonless would even be better.
During the afternoon, we snacked on crackers and cheese while watching an old DVD , the Brothers Grimm. "Parkland" was playing in the Wajang Theater, one venue we have yet to take advantage of. We are missing out on the buttered popcorn there, but we really don't need the extra calories at this point.
Dinnertime had a few favorites of ours on the menu. Simple, but good, was the entree of spaghetti bolognese, which we ordered appetizer-size. We have had great success by being creative with the menu choices. Our waiter is very good about switching veggies and potatoes with the entrees, keeping us all happy sailors.
Really looking forward to Jamestown, St. Helena tomorrow. It is a delightful place to visit, even if we only "do" the town area.
