Today is our third day at sea, as we get closer to the island of Sri Lanka, located on the southern tip of India. The skies have remained mostly sunny with occasional clouds with only a few showers. Actually some rain might have been welcomed as it would have helped cool the air off. The heat and humidity have begun to affect the air-conditioning on the Amsterdam. Everyone has noticed that the public areas have been much warmer than usual. Especially in the Lido and the dining room. It always seems worse when we have a gala evening, and the guests are dressed in their finest. This group, for the most part, have adhered to the “suggested” dress code, even the fellows who have to wear the jackets. The only place that seems to stay cooler has to be the Mainstage, where it is not odd to see people wearing sweaters and jackets. And remember, heat rises, so the best deck for coolness is the Dolphin deck.
An activity onboard that many people like has to be the ship building sea finals. A week or so ago, it was announced that the materials to build a replica of a ship that will float were available to collect for those who wanted to compete. So at 1pm today, the contenders tested the waters of the Lido pool to see how well their vessels floated or not. If nothing else, it is always good for some laughs. Usually the contestants have had prior experience in this boat building, and know the secrets of using materials correctly. Back several years ago, or tablemates joined forces and duplicated the Amsterdam’s design, naming it the Dumpsterdam. Gloria, a talented water colorist, gave the design all the details, and it floated longer than the rest of the entries. Naturally, they won.
Ship sales were in full progress with the unveiling of sapphires, rubies, and emeralds. Just in time to entice passengers to buy these treasures before we arrive to Sri Lanka. You can also purchase these semi-precious stones in this country, but buyer beware…..you better know what you are doing. Much of it looks good, but if the price is cheap, it’s probably fake. That applies to the shore side shops as well, as nothing you buy there at these stalls will be guaranteed. Normally, these warnings are in the port lecture, so it is a good idea to go and listen to Ian, the expert.
Other lectures included tons of info on Sri Lanka….good to know before going on tours tomorrow. Now that we are getting into areas of the world that are heavily religious with certain rules to respect, it is much better to be up on proper clothing and behavior while visiting there. Helps to avoid embarrassing situations or awkward moments. Believe us, we have seen some good ones.
We had a very relaxing afternoon at the Seaview pool visiting with friends. There was a saving breeze blowing across the deck, otherwise, it was hot-hot-hot. Besides the jugs of Crystal Lite we bring, the bar staffers are bringing us and our buddies a 2 quart pitchers of ice water. Sure helps keeping us hydrated. During his PM talk, Captain Mercer warned again that the temperatures will be in the high 80’s tomorrow with an index of 15 for the UV rating. Sometimes we get late afternoon rains, but it was not in the forecast.
Dinner was fun tonight with our group of friends. Since we know so many folks between the five of us, conversation flows. And during the year, Greg and Heo keep track of our travels by reading the blog most days. They seem to remember more of what we have done than we do. Tonight we shared travel stories about the Disney cruise we did a few years ago, and the Disneyworld trip they took recently. Both experiences had a lot of humorous moments involved. The guys have also gone on different cruise lines, and we learned how differently Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Seabourn operate these days from embarkation to the cruise experience. They all have some good aspects as well as some negatives. Although Seabourn would have the least negatives with the one exception of the high price.
The entrees we ordered were pork piccata, and a teriyaki salmon salad. Both were very tasty, although Barb and Greg had something that was too full of garlic and undercooked pasta. This does not happen often. We shared one order of pineapple upside down cake with vanilla ice cream. The five of us lingered after the meal, but we soon noticed that many waiters were assembling on our lower level, setting up a buffet station. Seems they were going to have a party with Indonesian food around 10pm. Nothing fancy, it was rice noodles with meatballs, shrimp crackers, and a special jello/fruit salad for dessert. Sure is nice that they have these special gatherings, since it keeps up the morale among this very special group.
The variety show in the Mainstage featured the comedian, Glenn Hirsch and the singer/drummer, Sharon Calabro. With her photo in the newsletter, we would say she is more of a dead ringer for Cher instead of Karen Carpenter. Must be the long hair.
The Amsterdam should be docked in Colombo tomorrow by 6am, but we certainly will not be watching a sailing into the port at that time of day. Now if they were serving Sri Lanka rolls (aka Panama rolls), we might be enticed.
Bill & Mary Ann
