The calm seas and the pleasant weather has remained with us as we sail in a southwesterly direction down the coast of Yemen. Even though we will not be making any stops along the way to Jordan, we feel it appropriate to include some info with the countries that are in this area. Perhaps most everyone will recognize the names of these Middle Eastern countries, since they have been in the news for many years as most dangerous. And that is putting it lightly.
The country we are passing by now is Yemen with a population of over 24 million people. Their capital, San’a, is 2500 years old and happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Yemen has been dubbed the Arabian Peninsula’s poor cousin since it has none of the oil wealth of its nearest neighbors. Unless something has changed since 2012, their most precious commodity was frankincense. The history here is biblical because Noah reportedly launched his ark from here, and the Queen of Sheba once ruled the land. Today, you can find fortified villages made with stone walls or mud villages. Or visit Aden, Yemen’s most modern city with some of the finest beach resorts.
Their favorite food is a meat stew with lentils, beans, and coriander. Tea scented with cardamom or coffee with ginger are their traditional beverages.
In recent years, modern Yemen has had much internal conflict when the country was divided into two countries – South and North Yemen until 1990. Conflicts continue, even when we passed this area a few years ago. For safety reasons, we have stayed clear of these shores.
During our morning walk, we did see some tiny flying fish. Sightings of these little creatures have been few and far between this trip. Although, like we always say, if you don’t stop long enough and watch, you can miss a lot of things. This is always the best excuse one of us uses to stop at the railing and take a break while on the lower promenade deck. Maybe we will see more later in the day. Yesterday, there were several boobys flying alongside the ship, even right at the Seaview pool railings. They stayed all day, then were gone by the morning.
Around 2pm, Barb paid us a visit at the aft pool, and she brought some good luck with her. While we were chatting, a school of fish began jumping in the wake several yards behind us. They were not quite big enough to be dolphins, but could have been tuna. Once again, we have seen few sightings of these performers on this cruise as well. Barb needs to visit more often since she brings the luck with her.
We had a note on our mail slot with the announcement of a special event for the Grand Voyage Mariners (everyone onboard) for an evening at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Holland on April 26th. It will be an opportunity for a private tour of the highlights in the museum which will include all of the works of Rembrandt. We will see as many as 22 paintings, 60 drawings, and 300 engravings, as well as his most celebrated masterpiece – the Night Watch.
As President’s Club members, we will be transferred ahead of the crowd at 6:30pm, with exclusive early access in the Gallery of Honour. The main event will be from 7 to 10pm with complimentary drinks and dessert. Of course, shuttles will be provided for all. And we suppose dinner for the late seating guests will have to be much earlier than 6:30pm that night. No RSVP needed unless we decline. If this affair is anything like the cistern gathering in Istanbul in 2008, or the Ephesus party in Turkey in 2015, we think, it should really be special.
Lunch in the Lido found a change, and a good one we hope will continue. Instead of the “noisy” side of the Lido being opened for sandwiches and salads, the opposite side (starboard), was opened instead. This way, we avoided the increasingly noisy Arts and Crafts class in progress. The loud speakers and the “artists” in there have been so loud that the servers cannot even hear the orders for sandwiches or salads. On the opposite side, we cannot hear any of the class instructions or the chatter of 100 or more people who participate. Much better.
Tonight’s theme for the evening was Speakeasy in both the dining room and the Crow’s Nest later. All would be invited to let the good times roll from the depths of the Prohibition Era. Not that we remember these times in America’s history, but we sure recall the clothing of that time. So we went to the Ocean Bar around 6pm just to see how the folks were dressed. A few of the ladies wore flapper-type dresses and feathers in their hair, while the fellows wore what they always do. The staff were the ones that dressed for the occasion. When we began to see some of the early diners coming to the show lounge, we did notice that some of the ladies were wearing black felt hats with a felt flower, and the men wore a typical black-striped hat from that era. Also, the women had strings of pearls around their necks and white long gloves. Obviously, these had been handed out during the dinner service.
Although this was not a gala evening, the waiters were dressed nicely with dark gray vests and white top hats at dinner in the dining room. They seem to like the changes of the outfits, except for the hats, which tend to be quite warm. The menu was not too exciting, but the spring rolls were very good. One of us pre-ordered the room service chicken “noodle” soup except without the spaghetti in it. Recently, we found out that all of the pasta is made onsite with a real pasta-making machine. So all it took was asking Slam if the chef can substitute linguine, and the answer was a definite yes. And it was so good. Both of us had turkey salads with a tasting of the Korean kalbi ribs. Barb had the fish entrée, but also tried the ribs and liked them much better. A small dessert of one scoop of rocky road ice cream with a small plate of cookies finished our meal.
The Crow’s Nest Speakeasy Soiree Party had begun at 8:45pm, not convenient to our late seating time of 8pm. Guess the majority rules when it comes to these evening events. The roaring 20’s music would go on for quite a while, but the $2 drinks would cease by 9:45pm.
Taking a walk outside was once again eerie, as it was dark with all of the curtains drawn tight in the cabins. But that gave us an opportunity to gaze at the bright stars in the night sky….a real treat indeed. Barb mentioned that her group went to the Seaview Pool late last night, and sat talking back there also taking in the star show.
Bill & Mary Ann
