Well, today was supposed to be a stop in Corinto, a small commercial port in the Central American country of Nicaragua. However, as you all know, due to the unstable political situation that has been ongoing for months now, this stop was cancelled by the head office in Seattle. To be perfectly honest, this port was really not the destination, but a way to go to colonial Leon, a long drive out of the port. Not that Corinto doesn’t have its charms, once you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it. The vendors that set up their stalls for the cruise ship passengers are always happy to bargain with everyone for the best deals. And we have had luck finding some very nice and unique carved wood items, much like we can find in Costa Rica. Only better prices. This is one place that when we purchase things, you feel like you have really helped them out. Anyway, it wasn’t to be this time, so we spent a nice , lazy day at sea instead.
Thinking it may be a little cooler outside as we head northwest, we found that it was still steamy and warm. And there was scarcely a breeze blowing. More like a following wind. At least we had some boobys following the ship, and diving in the wake for fish. Always a pleasure to watch them in action. We kept an eye out for possible turtle sightings, but so far, had no luck seeing any.
One of us had an appointment at 9:30am for a haircut. Leanni, the only girl hairdresser was still onboard, so the appointment was made with her. She is of Indian descent, but has lived her whole life in Durban, South Africa. And once again, she did a very nice job with the haircut, and it only took her about 15 minutes.
Going to our usual spots at the Seaview Pool, we were surprised to find that it was not crowded back there. Usually on this re-positioning cruise, there are few places to find lounges. Not so on this particular voyage. Perhaps it was too hot for most smart people to lay in the burning sun. Even though rain was in the forecast, it never did happen while we were out there.
Every so often, we could hear the auxiliary engine start up, which sounded like a volcano about to erupt. Then we could spot the billowing black smoke coming from the stack. From paying attention to the wake behind the ship, we could see that an arc had been made for the smoke to carry at an angle away from the ship. That way if there was any residue, as there often is, it would fall into the water, and not all over the decks. We would learn more about this process later on.
There was no problem filling the day’s itinerary with many activities for the folks. There was barely a mention of disappointment that we had to abandon the port today. We do know that the dining room was busy at breakfast, and the Lido was jammed with more hungry folks during lunch time. Proving the point, that if there is nothing else to do, you can always find something to eat and drink.
That was our next move after leaving the pool. Picking up two burgers at the Dive In Grill fit our needs. Not wanting to over-do it, since we had reservations for Sel de Mer this evening.
Taking our afternoon deck walk, we noticed that some of the new lanai rooms are occupied. There does not seem to be any problem with anyone sitting in the teak lounges outside these rooms – those that should not be there, we mean. And we cannot see that the lounges are marked with room numbers either. In time, they will have to do that, or there may be conflicts. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why so many new cameras have been installed on this deck., although they are not hooked up as of yet. Another thing we learn more about later on.
Around 6pm, we went to listen to the piano man Joel again. For some reason, the camera department has had this area set with staging for photos about every afternoon now. Guess they are having luck with people wanting photos. Today, the back drop was the solid green sheet, where they put a pretend scene in the back-round. We did a shoot like that years ago, and it appears that we are standing on the navigation deck of a ship.
We almost made it to the South Sea Tahitian Pearl Showcase in the shops, but we needed to take some time to get ready for dinner. Instead of just the two of us, we would have company, as we had been invited to dine with Brook and Captain Fred. Since this was the first Sel de Mer on this cruise, they were anxious to try it. So nice of them to share the evening with us.
They were all impressed with the starter muse of the blue-plated scallop, although one of us with the shellfish allergy had a slice of smoked chicken with avocado. All were happy. The little loaves of French bread are the best, eaten with a tray of assorted tapanades. Entrees were rack of lamb, steak, and two Dover sole, expertly de-boned by the staff. Last but not least, we had desserts of profiteroles, a cheese platter, and a fruity dessert.
The conversation did provide some info on the ship’s progress with the new additions and fixes during dry docking. We did ask Captain Fred about the engines being tested, and he informed us that they were addressed during the 12 day work plan. They needed to be fired up and blown out before the ship reaches the area in Alaska. There are strict rules up there as far as emissions and the type of fuel used.
The evening lasted beyond 10pm, and we had a fine time visiting with both of them. Too late to go to the doubles show of Mike Robinson and Shirley Dominguez, we called it a night with a walk around the outside deck, or as they call it, the walkaround deck. It was still warm outside, but there were many more stars visible in the sky. Bet tomorrow in Guatemala is another hot one.
And once again, when we got back to our room, a plate of chocolates was waiting for us, with another postcard and recipe from the Sel de Mer.
Bill & Mary Ann
