The first day at sea on the way to Mozambique was another hot and sticky one. At the very least, there was a breeze created with ship's speed. Once again, most everyone was in the World Stage at 10am listening to Kimberly talk about the next two ports of Maputo and Durban. Very few guests ventured outside. We thought we may have seen some dolphins when we went to breakfast, but they were gone in a flash. Other than that, there were no flying fish in the wake or birds in the sky today. Just a whole lot of water, which was behaving today. It was not as rough as we had been told, but that may change in a day or so. The skies were cloudy and we did see showers on every horizon. It never rained here.
We had visitors today at the Seaview Pool. Oddly enough, we had mentioned that we have not seen Henk M, the hotel manager or Shiv, the head of housekeeping recently. We no sooner said that, and here came Henk. He was headed off by some other guests, but eventually ended up sitting with us for quite awhile. He admitted to seeing us on the TV screen from the camera mounted back there. It was nice to catch up on cruise news in general and what's happening with the 2025 World Cruise. We do think Henk will do one more grand world, but after that, he is thinking of retiring. It was time for his lunch, so when he left, Greg appeared. Good timing, we caught up on his escapades in Zanzibar. He had been there 20 years ago, and thought it had grown a lot in population. We had all heard that fewer cruise ships are stopping in Zanzibar these days. Perhaps Covid had something to do with the drop of ships coming here, but from the looks of the idle men in the towns and pier area, it is obvious there is a big unemployment problem. Like in the range of 40% or more. Greg said he heard of many islanders that were without power and water to their remote homes. The resorts must be keeping the tourism alive here. And the cost of food, which is really reasonable. Especially in the nicer restaurants. It would help immensely if there was an effort to clean up the trash. In the towns and in the waters. It begins with educating the younger kids.
While we were chatting with Greg, along came Shiv, our favorite head of housekeeping. The offices of the big bosses happen to be on deck one and not convenient to an outside deck. On the Amsterdam, they were on the walking deck and went outside frequently for fresh air. Here, it's not so easy. By the time we all had several glasses of ice water, it was time to go back inside to cool off.
We waited until the Captain's long noon talk was over. He discussed some events that have taken place in Mozambique the last few days such as a sinking of a local ferry. Some false rumors had been flying around, and he put those to rest. He also went over the conditions we encountered last year in this area….namely a typhoon that had caused damage in Madacasgar. That port had to be cancelled. This area of the Indian Ocean is subject to extremes and Captain Friso has been concerned about it. The best he could tell us was that we may have some rough seas and some rain. We will know by tonight for sure. Our passage across this vast ocean has been relatively smooth, which was lucky. Hope the calmer seas last.
While working on the computer, we had burgers and fries from the Dive-In. We had forgotten that there was a cake extravaganza at 3pm in the Lido Market. It was labeled "For Cake's Sake" and featured fancy decorated cakes and other sweets that the chefs whipped up. It may have been good for photos, but for eating? Maybe not so great. The last time they had this display, both Greg and Heo remarked about fancy cakes being just that…fancy. The cake was almost inedible, and the bulk of the offerings were frosting full. These days we figure we don't need the extra calories. But then, we are among the few that feel that way. Greg and Heo said the displays were demolished within minutes the last time they went there.
We did have an invite to a cocktail party at 6:30pm, but as we were still busy emailing, we did not attend. The internet was cutting in and out…taking more time than usual. Up to now, the connection has been OK. We were glad we had not gone to the Pinnacle Grill tonight, because the veal chop was on the Club Orange menu. Starting with salad and soup, we both ordered the grilled veal steaks. They were cooked perfectly and were tender and tasty. We shared a baked potato and found it to be more than enough. No dessert tonight, just one coffee.
The show tonight was called "Shades of Africa – Under African Skies". It was described as enchanting music featuring Africa's ancient myths and mysteries. We are not sure if this is a group from Africa, or our regular singers. Greg will know as he goes to most every venue.
Two more sea days to relax. Sounds good to us.
Bill & Mary Ann
No Pictures
