Day three at sea found the weather about the same as yesterday. Even though the temperature was listed as 79 degrees, we doubt it really was that at 8am in the morning. It was still humid at 85%, and the winds were 13.3 mph. Light rain was in the forecast, but the most moisture we saw was caused by the deep swells and waves hitting the portside of the ship. We feel that the Captain has downplayed the conditions we are experiencing compared to other captains such as Friso. With the rocking and rolling of the ship, he would have warned people about being careful inside the ship as well as going on the outside decks. We have been in worse seas for sure, but many of the passengers on this trip are elderly and need to be very careful with doing the stairs or going outside the outdoor areas. We had hoped that the seas would improve, but that doesn't look like that is going to happen. If there are heavy rainstorms in southern California like we are hearing on TV, then we will be rocking and rolling all the way back.
One thing for sure, we have been seeing a huge increase of flying fish….like gazillions of them. It is always fun to watch as they appear like popcorn in hot oil while we are doing our walks. So far, we have not spotted any birds because we are so far off of the coast. These lucky flying fish will survive unless something grabs them from below.
So it is a good time for another tidbit of Polynesian facts. Today we will address honey and vanilla. Because of the variety of tropical flowers, the honey produced in all of the islands is unique. Every island contributes to this product, and it is still done in small batches. Family run farms harvest the sweet honey ensuring a high quality. There are no chemicals involved and no mass production. However, expect to pay more for that quality.
Polynesian vanilla grows on a vine. The flowers have to be pollinated by hand to produce the vanilla bean. It is renowned worldwide for its fragrance and strong taste. It is also rich in oil giving it a shiny appearance. The islands of Huahine and Tahaa produce ¾ of the local product. Once again, the vanilla can be pricey, but what isn't in Polynesia?
Just for fun, we thought we would add a simple recipe for Tahitian Granola. Here are the basic ingredients:
9 ounces of rolled oats
3 ½ ounces of shredded coconut
3 ounces of chopped almonds or better yet….macadamia nuts
2 ounces of sunflower or pumpkin seeds
2 ounces of raisins or dried cranberries
Mix together:
4 tablespoons of honey
3 tablespoons of coconut oil
1 tsp of vanilla extract
A pinch of salt and 1 tsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 320 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Heat the honey with coconut oil, then add vanilla, salt and cinnamon
Combine the ingredients with the dry mix, stirring well
Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes
Add cranberries or raisins after baking
Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container
Tips: Add chocolate chips after cooling and serve with yogurt or fruit. Sounds good to us……
We spent the early morning working on photos trying to catch up. Then we decided to attend just the Mariner Recognition Event held in the World Stage at 11:30am. We did not plan on going to the lunch since we had our hearty breakfast at 8am and usual do not eat lunch until after 2pm. By the time we arrived at the portside entrance on deck four, the theater was filled with the 500 people that had been invited. We are not sure what the cut-off numbers were for this group, but there will be another lunch tomorrow for the remainder of the guests. The one and only ceremony happened today. The staff did it right by giving the medallions ahead of time so the recipients could wear them. That saves a lot of time when there were so many awardees as there were today taking photos with the Captain and Hotel Manager. We lost count with the silver, gold, and platinum medals awarded…..even more than what we see on the Grand Voyages. At the end of the medallion awards, each one of the President's Club members were announced with their days and invited to come up for a group photo. There was a problem. Where we were seated in a reserved section of the lounge, the couch was SO low to the floor one of us was really concerned on how to get up gracefully from it when our names were called. Kumar and Melanny arrived to help Nancy and Sally, then came to help me as I had not worn my back brace. I only trust my husband for this job and he did just fine saving me from total embarrassment. With the ship rocking and rolling, it did not help. The photographer had a difficult time getting us all in the frame. Even the Captain was losing patience. And truthfully, it did not matter since we doubt we receive these photos like we always have. We'll let you know.
On the way back to our room, our President's Club buddy Nancy said she would see us in a few minutes in the dining room. We were not aware that we had an assigned table and it would be hosted by Kumar and Melanny, the very sweet Guest Relations Manager. The other half of the PC group was hosted by the Hotel Manager. So we relented and decided to go, and were glad we did. We all had a fine lunch and good conversation. The menu choices were different than the usual Mariner lunch fare. Starters were a choice of a mixed salad, jumbo shrimp cocktail, or a soup we think. The mains were a tenderloin steak, seabass, and a veggie plate. Both of us had the shrimp, one of us had the fish, and the other a mystery veggie plate which turned out to be based on beets. Flutes of sparkling wine were served for the big toast. Missing were the rolls and butter although we did have the plates for them. Dessert was a trio of sweet decadent chocolate. Considering they were serving 500 people within an hour's time, they did a pretty good job. Kudos to the chefs, cooks, and wait staff. They outdid themselves.
The Captain came on the speakers late, almost near 1pm, but with the dining room noise, we could not hear much of what he said. He did say we were more than halfway to San Diego and about parallel to the Hawaiian Islands. The sea swells were expected to increase and there was a chance of rain in the upcoming days. Not exactly what we wanted to hear. It does make packing more difficult when bouncing off of the cabin walls, but it has to be done.
We still had some shipboard credit to spend or lose it, so we went to the Shops and easily found a very nice watch to purchase. The salespeople were much busier than we thought they would be, but then we only have three full days left to tie up loose ends. We'll have to check out the other stores tomorrow to spend the remainder of the credit. The cashable portion of our account will be credited back to an account we chose with the help of an email to come when we get home we understand. That is a first for us as it has always been available in cash. No more.
Hoping for a sunset, we were disappointed since there was a splotch of orange on the horizon, but nothing more. It just got dark.
After cocktails, we headed for dinner at 7:30pm. Once again, there were some different items on the menu. We had starters of shrimp cocktail, one skewered almost warm chicken tender, and a bowl of savory chicken noodle soup. Mains were the same – pork chops with garlic mashed potatoes and some broccoli. Dessert was one slice of strawberry meringue cake with nuts, and one scoop of Neapolitan ice cream. Stuffed again.
The entertainer of the evening was a comedian named Andrew Grose with An Idiots Guide to Marriage. If you're in one, want to be in one, or wondering what went wrong with the last one….you need to see this show. Top Gun was the Wajang movie at 8:30pm.
The clocks went forward one hour this evening putting us on Pacific time now.
Bill & Mary Ann
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