Funny thing….we got the directions for how to use the credit card holders we were gifted last night. Not that they were that complicated, but the directions described how it worked and how many cards it would hold. One of our buddies slipped her room key card in it, and got it stuck. Someone had to help her get it out of the slot using tweezers.
Wonder if anyone ever looks out the window before writing the daily forecast? Partly cloudy turned into torrential rain, although it stayed warm and balmy all day.
At 9:30am, there was another crew drill, which involved using part of deck three for the drill. We had walked a couple of laps, but then were stopped by the security guards, who kept the foot traffic out of the forward area. As the drills only last a short time, all of the dedicated walkers go the opposite direction.
Something we noticed with the security guards was the fact they were wearing safety vests. Like in bullet proof vests. We learned later on during the Captain’s talk that the ship would be sailing through a choke point in the current straits. Evidence of that was seeing numerous containers, freighters, and bulk carriers coming and going. And very close to us. We sure don’t remember having to take these precautions here, but things have changed globally with more incidences occurring with ship take-overs.
We also received green shore passes that we will have to carry with us tomorrow in port. These are in lieu of packing our passports. We will use these in Manila, and before we leave the city the following day, we will deposit them at the gangway.
Between 10am and noon, we were invited to mandatory temperature check in the Explorer’s Lounge. So right after breakfast, we headed that way even though we were 15 minutes early. The line was already moving, because the officials opened up well before 10am. Our room key cards were scanned, then we simply walked to the collector of our declarations saying we were sickness-free. A camera was set up which proved to be a double duty temperature taker. If one of us had a fever, an alarm would have gone off. As no alarm sounded, we considered ourselves fever-free. Painless.
Right before noon, an announcement was made that 130 people still needed to go to the check.
The sun was not out, but it was bright outside. So we headed to the pool, and did get to relax for an hour or so. The highlight of the morning was seeing some sperm whales, or that was what we were told by the officer of the watch when he announced their presence. Expecting to see a very large whale, we only saw what appeared to be over-sized dolphins. Guess we have never seen sperm whales before, although the blows were unmistakable. Barely breaking the surface, they appeared to resemble floating logs.
We all got settled back on the lounges, when the skies turned black as ever, and when the first raindrops fell, we picked up everything and took shelter. It came down quick and heavy, followed by thunder right overhead. We joined Barb who had gotten the table in the Lido by the sliding doors. She teased people coming in from the downpour that we should charged one dollar to get inside. She does have a wicked sense of humor.
The usual activities continued, probably fuller with guests today since the weather had turned so wet. We had a better activity – meet Bab, Susie and Woody for lunch in the dining room. All three of us ordered the southern fried chicken, which was a thinly-pounded chicken breast dipped in the best breading. Mashed potatoes and steamed veggies came on the side. Nice to have something other than a sandwich for a change. All of us commented to Philip, the manager, that we were pleased that the food was super-hot. He went on to explain that the plates are kept hot in a warmer, then the hot food is added right before serving. Sure makes a difference.
Having almost run out of our first internet package, we worked on sending the last of the emails we had. For some reason, we had trouble sending anything. For most of this trip, the internet has been working OK. Yes, not really fast, but acceptable. We started a new 1000 minute plan, and the emails still would not move. Maybe later, it will be better.
On our way to the Ocean Bar for listening to the music, we stopped by the library and had a chat with Courtney. She said the internet was being sluggish, not working too well today. Others around us said the same thing. Checking our account, she offered to refund some of the minutes we lost in trying to connect. We thanked her, and did discover that later in the day, we were able to connect to get off some important emails.
Tonight we were guests of Leta and Bill, longtime friends. They have a table for two, and like company sometimes. Always nice for us, because we could talk for hours, catching up on stuff. They shared what they did on their day in Bali and the tour they took. It was an all-day one where they went to see the highlands and the macaque monkeys. Leta said these monkeys were all over them, especially those who chose to feed them. They laughed when we told them the story of the tourists that lost their cell phones, when some monkeys stole them off of people’s selfie sticks. Imagine that? The guides had warned everyone about glasses, hats, or loose items, but not losing cell phones. One place we visited like this actually had kids that would climb the trees to retrieve stolen items. Of course, if returned, you would have to reward these kids. Made us wonder if these macaques are trained?
We stayed talking until all of the tables around us were empty. By then, the waiters were setting up for breakfast. None of us were interested in the show, which was a fellow by the name of Scott Harris. He was a comedian from Canada, just back from entertaining the troops.
Taking our final walk of the evening, we found that the lower promenade deck had gone “dark”. All of the light s had been turned off, and the 24 hour watch continued with the security guards. One passenger was chatting with the guards, while they scanned the surrounding waters with their night vision binoculars. Not a great idea, each of the guards stayed polite, but did not encourage the conversation. They had a job to do, and it should be respected.
Tomorrow, we shall be in another country – the Philippines.
Bill & Mary Ann
Looks like a floating log, but there is a whale in the center
It was blowing out of its spout
Clouds heavy with rain
A ship on the horizon
Rain was arriving any moment
No doubt in our minds
Other folks were leaving quickly
Security guard with vest
Tiny islets we passed today
Some were large and volcanic
A barge-like vessel
Lots of ship traffic
Passing us all morning
This one was very long
We are in a shipping lane
Low-laying islands
Good colors for a ship
Stayed with us for a while
Arrangement outside the Ocean Bar
Atrium flowers in the atrium, deck five
