As the Amsterdam travels further north up the coast of India, it felt like some of that heavy humidity let up somewhat. Still quite warm, there was a wonderful breeze blowing across the decks all day. Few people knew this because there were only a couple of walkers on the promenade deck this morning. There would be no people using the lounges because most all of them were all folded up due to deck work about to happen. On both sides, it appeared that painting the blue lines at the base was about to begin. Some guests defied this, and set up their lounges anyway. They would endure the terrible smell of paint, because this is where they spend their day. The feeling we get is that the work will continue until enough passengers complain, then the ones that order this busy work will react with an alternate plan. Remember, this is a “grand” voyage like no other….not an ongoing construction zone.
There were new signs posted in the bow and aft sections saying please respect the crew and other guests by not throwing anything overboard. And please use the trash bins that are placed in the front and the back. Hard to believe that the folks would even do this, but there are many more cameras now, where everything that occurs can be seen and recorded by security. There have been more than a few times that we witnessed some passenger throwing ice cubes with lemon slices over the aft deck of the Seaview pool. Don’t they know that the discarded ice will end up on deck three, and possibly on someone’s head? Same goes with the guests in the veranda rooms. Sometimes people throw trash from their balconies, and it ends up coming into another balcony halfway down the ship. Now we are going to watch to see if these new signs will be effective.
Lectures on India continued with hints on what to see and do while in Mumbai. We will spend two days there, so there will be ample time to see everything the city has to offer.
There was a repeated class on how to wear a sari, just in time for Sari Night this evening at dinner. These “drapes” worn by typical Indian ladies look great on them, since they know the art of securing them. However, it is not an easy thing to figure out. It takes a lot of safety pins to keep these in place correctly, or one can be “unraveled” during the course of the evening. The two piece Panjabi outfits with the matching scarves is a much better idea. In previous years, this dress night was always a formal evening. That way the nicely-dressed ladies matched the formalwear of their partners or other diners. Now it is happening on a casual night, so it will be interesting how many ladies will dress the part.
Spending a few hours sunbathing at the Seaview Pool should have been relaxing, since the weather was perfect for it. It was not to be. Due to a few crew workers using power tools (compressor and chipping guns) to remove paint on the walls of deck nine, it sounded like another major construction zone. This began after 9am, and continued for hours. Usually this type of work is done with hand tools and sandpaper. This was ongoing right over the smoking section of the Seaview Bar, where a number of folks gather daily to chat and smoke. They could not hear each other over this loud noise. No one around this entire deck could take it much longer. Neither would the people in the cabins below this deck, especially deck seven suites. You better believe they would be calling the Neptune desk with complaints. This disturbance continued for about 30 minutes, until people began calling the front desk for help. That prompted one of us to ask the fellows if they could do this work at a time that no one was out there, like when the ship is in port for instance. Knowing they were disturbing passengers, they apologized by said they had orders to do this until noontime. It was only 11:30 at this point. Bottom line – enough folks spoke up, and they ceased the work within 10 minutes, moving around the side towards the basketball court area. Everyone understands that the cosmetic painting has to be continuous, but there has to be better times to do it such as when the heat of the day is less for the workers doing it, or most guests are off of the ship in a port. Anyway, the work resumed after 1pm, but the fellows were using grinders instead. Was not the greatest day to use the back deck for anyone.
The fellow artists of the watercolor and arts and crafts classes had their day to put their very best items up for auction in the Ocean Bar today. There was a silent auction where guests bid donations for the exchange of enrichment classes, a ship tour, spa packages, and more. The money donated will go to Vision Rescue, a charity in India. It will add to the $3550 that was made at the poolside splash party a few days ago.
And to get the folks in the mood for more of India, the movie, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was shown in the Wajang Theater. Even though we have seen it a few times, we will probably watch it again on TV sometime tomorrow evening.
Our entire table was invited to share an evening with a couple we all know….Leslie and Handler. Six of their tablemates are on overland excursions, so the five of us and Don McD filled their table of eight. The menu was almost entirely Indian cuisine, except for a few appetizers and entrees. Earlier in the day, we had asked Shiv, who is from New Delhi, what he recommended for a good Indian entrée. He admitted that nothing that was served in the dining room was close to what real Indian food is like. The heat and the spices they use here is on the light side, to appeal to the majority. Less is more.
To follow the theme for the night, the napkins and chair covers were a mix of colors, and the waiters were dressed in a mix of long Indian tunics. Very nice. Then Leslie showed us her table’s “tool” for getting the salt and pepper shakers. It was a metal extendable back scratcher with a claw. That’s the problem with a large table, nothing is within easy reach, as we well remembered. Of course, all of the guys picked up the back scratcher, and used it for the intended purpose of scratching their backs, drawing laughs from everyone around us. Leslie and Handler also chuckled, saying we were like herding cats, and there would be no controlling any of us. Oh what fun we have.
Just as we sat down, our waiter Slam, brought our usual plates of hearts of palm and assorted veggies. What a guy…he always worries that we won’t have enough to eat. We ordered one turkey soup and a tataki beef appetizer. Entrees were peanut cilantro chicken salads with dressings on the side. Greg ordered some extra pappadams (large rolled crackers), and shared them with all of us. Leslie had ordered a peanut butter silk pie, which most of us had for dessert. It was tasty and smooth as silk. Then the waiters brought us two plates of the fancy chocolate surprises, which had been served at 8:45pm throughout deck five and the Crow’s Nest. It was a nice way to end the meal as we lingered sharing stories of places we have been and people we all know.
There may have been time for Barb to get to the Crow’s Nest for a Bollywood Night, even though it might just be the type of music the band was playing. The entertainer this evening was Kenny Martyn with his clarinet show, so that was also an option.
Tomorrow, the Seabourn Ovation will be docked astern of us. We have friends from home traveling on that new ship, so we hope to be able to meet up with them at some point in the day. There was talk that Captain Mercer contacted the captain on the Ovation, requesting permission to have the guests visit each other’s ships. Since they are owned by the same parent company, Carnival, perhaps it will be possible. Time will tell. In the “old days”, these types of visits happened all the time. Not so much anymore due to strict security measures.
Bill & Mary Ann
