Well we did not think the weather would cool down, but as we sailed northwest towards Indonesia, we have picked up a breeze that saved the day. Yes, it is still warm and humid, but nothing like we experienced yesterday. One thing for sure, if you are not careful, that extreme heat can drain you. Good thing we have sea days to re-cooperate. It also helps to have the extra ½ hour of sleep we all got last night with the time change. As it turns out, we will also have another hour back tonight, putting us on the correct time for our first Indonesian port of Komodo.
Speaking of Komodo, we had decided that we would stay onboard that day, since we have been to see the dragons several times in the past. But then we figured we still have lots of shipboard credit that needs to be spent, and this might be a good way to do it. No bus will be involved because it is a tender port to a tiny island with few vehicles. And the tour is a walking one for only 2 hours. We do hope to get some good photos if we do in fact see the dragons. The good thing is that our tour time is 10am, and we will not have to get up super early.
We were so backed up with yesterday’s port photos and reports, that we spent some time today working on it. But first, we decided to check out the Seaview Pool to see if it was fixed. When we got there, the fellows were just starting to fill it. It did take an hour before we saw them add two buckets of chemicals to it. Heavens knows what those were, but maybe we don’t really want to know. So far, we have never had an adverse reaction to the treated water, although some folks are sensitive to it. Once the nets came off, we were the first to try it out. Expecting the water to be cool, it was warm, like 90 degrees. It still felt wonderful cooling off in there. We were joined by several others that had been waiting four days for the re-opening. Hope it does not leak ever again.
The guests have been most busy with their blankets that they either knitted or crocheted for the Linus Project. They had them displayed in the Explorer’s Lounge this morning. What a nice way to contribute their talents for a special cause.
A new guest speaker, Adele Thorne, lectured on statues of the deep, while George Friend spoke about World War II battles in Papua New Guinea.
The third movie screening for the Academy Awards was shown in the Wajang. It was A Star is Born. So far, we have not seen these movies hit the TV.
Dinner had some familiar entrees and appetizers for a change. Duck pot stickers, mac and cheese with lobster, and even Salisbury steak and calamari salad. The appetizers were good, but the steak was more like meatloaf, only in a different shape. Barb says she would love to contribute her recipes for these simple meals. And they sure would not include gravy on everything. All of us have learned to ask for the gravies on the side, just in case they are not what we expected. Slam tried to sell us dessert, but all of us declined.
Looking forward to another day at sea tomorrow, although when we walked the promenade deck after dinner, it was raining pretty heavily. We also came across a gull that must have flown on the deck in the dark. Sometimes they do this when the ship’s outside lights go on, attracting them. Hope it survives.
Instead of going to the show, a guitar virtuoso, Nils Klofver, we opted to continue the blog work instead.
Bill & Mary Ann
