Subject: Report # 59 Sailing Towards Hong Kong February 28, 2016 Sunday Partly cloudy & 89 degrees
Report # 59 Sailing Towards Hong Kong February 28, 2016 Sunday Partly cloudy & 89 degrees
If it is Sunday, and we are at sea, it must be Sunday Brunch Day. This seems to be the pattern for brunches now, even though it has to be more work for the crew. Guess it is a trade-off since fewer people go to breakfast in the dining room, but will come at 11am to 1pm for the special brunch. Barb usually goes to this lunch and seems to always find something she likes. The only big difference is that she cannot sit at her regular table with waiters that she knows and be served. See how spoiled we get after eight weeks on the ship?
The seas continued to be rough with winds at gale force 7 during the day. You know when it is getting bad when the white bags come out at every elevator landing. Sometimes the suggestion of seasickness actually brings the malady on. During our morning walk, we noticed many folks laying on the teak lounges looking a tad bit green around the gills. Lucky for us, we are not bothered by the motion very much. It just makes it difficult to walk a straight line with the ship pitching and rolling. Watching the waves hit the sides of the ship is most impressive. If the swells are right, the waves will come up as far as deck three and be thrown several yards from the bow.
While we were outside enjoying the forces of nature, Barbara H was talking all about things to do and see while in Hong Kong. We will be there for three full days, which is nice, because last year, we did not stop here at all. First time on a world cruise that we can remember that we missed Hong Kong.
To add to our knowledge, guest speaker Dr. Ping-Wing Kam discussed the current issues that Hong Kong is facing dealing with mainland China. Mel Foster lectured on the time when ocean liners actually went to war during World War 2.
We had a gardening job this morning. Our little window garden was overdue for cleaning, and today was as good as any to tackle the job. It's surprising how dusty things can get in these cabins. So while the plants were cleared from the window, we soaked them one at a time, in the sink until they were saturated. We cannot believe how well the sunflowers and the lilies have done. Flowers are set, and will probably be blooming within the next couple of weeks. At least that part of the room is spotless now. We need to follow up on getting the air filters replaced in the ceiling duct. Those get dirty quickly, and we have no idea when it was replaced last. Usually we ask for them to be done when we get onboard, but this year, we forgot.
The clouds cleared long enough for us to get some sun at the aft pool. The pool itself was in motion, with the ship rolling so much. It was entertaining watching the pool water flow out both ends. Good thing no one was in it. The deck crew was busy trying to sweep the water down the gutters, because the sitting puddles were dangerous with people coming outside to eat lunch and/or smoke on the starboard side of the deck.
Lunch for us was one hamburger and a hot dog from the Dive In Grill for a change. We ordered them "fry-less", since we really don't care for the double-coated fries they serve there. Too greasy, we're afraid. Anyway, we packed them down to our room, and watched a movie while dining "at home". The movie was one of the recent Hobbit movies, that was incredibly violent. No snoozing during that flick.
We made a visit to the Princeton Tailors, who are onboard to take orders for custom made clothing. They make it so easy to get beautifully made clothing, and although it may be a bit more expensive than ordering the clothing while in Hong Kong, it saves you the time and two or three trips to the tailor's while in Hong Kong. One of us was looking for a tux vest and bowtie in a shade of blue. With all of his color swatches, it was easy to find a silk pattern we liked. The measurements are in their computer already, but just to make sure, the tailor took new measurements anyway. We had a tux with two jackets and several vests and bowties made on previous trips, so we know their work and trust their quality. And to make life easier, the charge is added to our shipboard account, which will not be due until we get back home after the entire trip.
We went to deck nine for the sunset, only to find that there barely was one. With the time change one hour forward last night, the sunset was at 6:57pm. What we did do, was almost blow overboard with the strong winds. Even on the promenade deck, the lounge cushions had been picked up and stored early in the day. Bet many of these could be lost overboard. More than a few passenger's hats have gone that route.
Today we got two notices that are more than unnerving. They deal with avian influenza and the new virus, zika. The avian flu notice went into great detail about what it is, and how it can be dangerous to one's health, especially if you are elderly. Obviously, this applies to lots of folks on this ship. This virus has hit Asian worse than most other places in the world. So this advisory was a mandatory one as dictated from the Hong Kong government. The notice tells us how to avoid transmission, and a reminder of the need to practice good hand washing techniques.
The zika health advisory dealt with the transfer of the disease by mosquitoes, and how to avoid getting bit. Not enough is known of the possible future effects of this malady, so some precaution on our end is necessary. It was stressed that using insecticide was a good idea. We brought plenty with as , as well as getting more from our gift packages in the beginning of the trip. This will be essential when we go overland in Sri Lanka next month.
Dinner was fun with a full table tonight. We had guests…..Eddy and Calista, our trusty florists onboard. They are really great kids, and we lucked out by having them host our table twice this cruise. Actually, they admitted that they were relieved to find out the dining room manager had assigned them to us. They never know who they are going to join, so our table is full of folks they know. Lucky for us too, as they will be leaving the ship in Singapore, to join the new Koningsdam a week later. It is a step up for them to be chosen to train the florists on the new ship, but they promised they will be back to the Amsterdam next September. Sure hope it works out for them.
Two more sea days, and we will be in fabulous Hong Kong. Hope they are not rough and rainy.
Bill & Mary Ann
