We just realized that we are near the halfway mark for this world cruise. We sure don't know where the time has gone, but we still have half to go, and will enjoy every minute of it. We had a very relaxing day catching up with photos from yesterday . The skies remained mostly cloudy all day with a chance of rain that never materialized. The Captain sounded the ship's whistle at exactly noontime, a maritime tradition. Not all of the captains will do this, so we appreciate keeping up the tradition.
We are now heading due west towards Sri Lanka in the Andaman Sea. We have traveled 257 nautical miles and have even more than that to go. The ocean conditions are in our favor with low swells up to four feet, a light breeze, and temperatures in the mid 80's. As he always does, the Captain delivers an anomaly regarding the seas and oceans of the world. Today he described waves that develop in patterns that can be seen from far away. It has to do with the winds, currents, and the depth of the water, and right now we are in an area that is famous for it. For some reason, Captain Frank's talks are not coming into the rooms, so if we are close enough to open our door, we can hear what he is saying.
Have you ever had an experience that you felt it was once in a lifetime happening? Well that occurred with us the first time we began crossing this very same sea about 20 or more years ago. Out of the blue, a large pod of spinner dolphins began jumping and splashing as we passed them while on the aft pool deck. At the time, we were sailing on the Seabourn Sun, and did not have a camera with us, of course. It was a special moment never to be forgotten. And never to be repeated. As many times that we have traversed this very same spot, we now realize that this display was truly a once in a lifetime happening. With high hopes, we kept watch all day, but saw nothing but water. Darn….
Another thing we had hoped for was getting the port talk on Colombo on our TV. It still is not working, although a few times last week, we were able to watch a couple of the talks. Tomorrow we will try to see if this can be fixed. At the times the talks are done, we are busy with other things and do not wish to attend a crowded main stage.
A light lunch was in the Lido as always on sea days. For the first time this cruise, we tried the pizza but were disappointed with the lack of sauce and the rather tasteless crust. We will stick to custom-made sandwiches that we know are always good.
Taking a late walk outside, we had hoped for a nice sunset. Once again, it fizzled with the sun dipping into the hazy skyline. It must be the area we are sailing that retains that veil of smog or fog. A good strong wind would help clear it away. But we have to be careful what we wish for, since this is cyclone territory.
Dinnertime had some good appetizers with Thai beef salad and udon noodle soup (excellent). We ordered one shrimp taco, then our entrees were one halibut dish and a chicken scallopini plate. Both were served piping hot and very tasty. We always make our waiters happy when they see our plates so clean. Once again, dessert was one scoop of vanilla ice cream and one scoop of mango sorbet. Vocalist Georgia Fordyce was the entertainer of the evening with a tribute to Ireland.
We have not addressed the "pillow chocolates" that we receive every evening. Back in December, we received the quarterly newsletter designed for the President's Club members, compliments of Gus Antorcha, the president of HAL. This issue described a new joint venture with HAL and Lindt or Lindor Chocolatiers. New items appeared on the menus on the Legendary Tales of the South Pacific Cruise last fall. Also, we got the round chocolate balls made by Lindt. Now here we are on the Grand World Cruise, and it seems that most of these specialties on the menu have been forgotten. We get a square chocolate candy from Astor in various flavors as well as the older square light and dark chocolate squares we have always received. Once in a blue moon, we get the "formal" chocolates that are from Lindt. So where is the big promise of the higher quality of chocolate? It sure isn't here on the Zuiderdam.
Finally, the clocks went back that ½ hour we see in a few places in the world. There is probably another hour back coming before we reach Sri Lanka.
Two more sea days to come.
Bill & Mary Ann
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