Today as we sail north, we are traveling in the Strait of Malacca, full of ship traffic. We spent the major part of the day relaxing at the aft pool. It was warm, but also quite windy. Despite using tons of sunscreen, one of us either got sunburned or wind burned. Pretty much the same result……rosy cheeks. Oh well, reading a good book while outside was worth it. Never get the chance to do this at home. We lost count of the ships that passed us going in both directions.
Bill had taken a walk, while I was working on the computer. He had the pleasure of seeing a pod of energetic dolphins flying into the air in the distance. Figures….no camera. Just had to enjoy it while it lasted. Come to think of it, we have seen very little sea life this trip. The last big sighting was when we left Honolulu in January.
Lunch was room service around 3:30pm. Tried to keep it light, since dinner would be early this evening. Captain Jonathon and his staff had sent a reminder that dinner would be served in the Pinnacle Grill at 6pm for another set of full cruise passengers. We had the best table, because we arrange for our same group to dine with Peter, the purser, as we have done for several years now.
Upon entering the room, we paused for a few seconds to be greeted by the Captain, and have our photo taken with him. Then we were all seated at one of the window tables that seats up to five guests. This was perfect, because we all get to sit in the chairs, instead of the bench seating. If you have a bad back, it can become torture after sitting there too long. Even 10 minutes can be too long.
The meal began with a Snoqualmie Chardonnay from Washington State. We toasted to yet another world cruise spent together, then we were served the first course of a crab appetizer with caviar and crostini. One of us has a shellfish allergy, so a vegetarian appetizer was substituted.
A creamy green asparagus soup followed. It was sprinkled with the tiniest bits of prosciutto and drizzled with truffle oil. Quite delicious we may add. Instead of a green salad, we were served a tomato dish with sliced cherry tomatoes with goat cheese, wild rice, and basil. Again, very good.
The main was a beef tenderloin that had been rolled in herbs and pepper. It was a bit under cooked, but tasted fine. There was what we thought to be a potato stick, but it turned out to be deep-fried risotto with a creamy mozzarella on the inside. That was the best. The plate was smeared with green pea puree, and dotted with some tiny vegetables. A mushroom gravy was served over the meat.
Finally, dessert was served…a red velvet cake with raspberry ice cream and fruit leather. Tasty, and a good way to end the meal. But wait….it was not over yet. Tina delivered a "hat" box to each guest. It was a set of six appetizer plates with various paintings of HAL ships on them. They are not Delft, but are made in China. Peter said they were good porcelain china, and each plate had the 2017 World Cruise Logo and Date printed on the backs.
We were back to our room 10 minutes after 8pm, but it had not been turned down for the evening yet. We should have remembered to put the "service please" tag in the door, as our room steward did not know we were gone. So we took a walk on the lower promenade deck and discovered that the moon was about full tonight. Seems that the haze that has plagued us since getting into Beijing, China, has left us, as the skies were partly cloudy, but you could see stars. The moon was shining brightly in the water, just like the old time beer commercials we grew up with.
The only thing that could make tonight better was putting the clocks back another hour. With daylight savings time taking place in the USA, we figured were are only 11 hours ahead of Pacific time now.
Bill & Mary Ann
Captain's Dinner in the Pinnacle Grill – crab appetizer with caviar, avocado & crostini
Peter Wallis, the Purser and Don McD
Textures of tomato with goat cheese, wild rice, basil & aioli
The main – beef tenderloin with deep fried risotto and cheese, vegetables & mushroom gravy
Dessert – Red velvet cake chunks with raspberry ice cream, fruit leather, and whipped cream dots
Manny took good care of Barb with the merlot
Columbia Crest Merlot, also Snoqualmie Chardonnay both from Washington State
Collection of six plates
Design taken from HAL postcards and notes we were gifted in the past
Look familiar?
HAL ships from the past
Very useful gift
The old Statendam
Another DAM ship
