There seems to a "bug" going around the passengers in the way of a nasty cold with a bad cough to follow. No matter where we go, such as the dining room at breakfast, or the pool, or at the lectures, you can expect to hear coughing all around you. Unfortunately, one of us has had a bout with it this last week. Expect it to be gone soon. These things are almost unavoidable, no matter how many times you wash your hands or use sanitizer. It's in the air inside the entire ship.
We find the best place to be is outside in the fresh ocean breeze. That's why we spend the afternoon at the back pool. The weather was as close to perfect as it could be. You would expect the sun to be unbearable around the Equator, but today it was pleasant with a nice breeze. Still, we used copious amounts of sunscreen.
Forgot to mention that there was a special Chef's Table dinner in the kitchen with Executive Chef Petr. It is for a very small group, and there are only 4 seats left. Although we have never done it, our friends have and really enjoyed it. They raved about the multi-course meal with lots of wine. It does come with a hefty price of $135 per person.
Another special dinner in the Pinnacle Grill is called the Sommelier Dinner, again with many wines, for $85 per person. Sometimes these dinners are fully booked before the cruise even begins. Especially on the Grand Voyages.
While we are on the subject of food, we noticed that the entrée display at dinnertime in the Lido has disappeared. Now you have to read the menu to see what's for dinner. Got to admit, checking out the entrée display sometimes changed our minds on what we were going to order. Unless the plates were arranged artistically, the food did not looking too appealing.
A few of the upcoming ports are new areas for our location guide, Kainoa. He has not been to Savusavu or Lautoka, both in Fiji. Today during his talk, he got some help from Paki, one of the new location entertainers. He has been to Lautoka, and described it pretty well. Not a whole lot there, but a good place to explore on your own. We have not been to Savusavu, but it appears to be a tender port with a small town within walking distance. Beaches look beautiful there, so that may be an option for many folks.
Guest speaker Sadie Urbanowicz spoke all about Polynesian plants and their uses. In fact, as this is being written, the rerun of her lecture is running on the TV. Interesting to find out where pineapples, coconuts, and other tropical plants came from in this part of the world. Quite interesting for those of us that love gardening.
All of our tablemates were present this evening at dinnertime. We were sad to hear that none of them attempted to go to Fanning Island yesterday. With all of the warnings about the heat and humidity, and the possible long tender ride, they were scared off. No other port will be quite like this one.
We tried different entrees tonight. One of us had the vegetarian lasagna, and the other ordered sweet and sour shrimp. The long, narrow plate came with large panko coated shrimps. Very tasty. The food sure has been good this trip.
A new show featured Strings Alive, a duo of artists playing guitars, piano, violins, and vocals. High energy, we heard.
Tomorrow will be another day at sea.
Bill& Mary Ann
Enclosures for satellite internet – a new one on the right
Very cloudy skies this evening
Will it be a good sunset?
Ten minutes before the sunset
A strip of color
Getting brighter
Sure looked like rain
A hot sunset
Close to setting
Due to set at 6:42pm
Sunset below the Equator
Gone
That's all
Bill on deck nine
A lone frigate bird
He may be lost
Flying high
Disappearing
Darkness was nearing
Better color 20 minutes later
Interesting
The end.
