Hot and humid weather has returned as we sail toward the equator once again, towards Brazil where we will have two ports of call: Fortaleza and Belem. We have really been enjoying the current speaker Howard Walker, who is a retired U.S. Ambassador and has given 5 excellent lectures. He is witty, informative, and so knowledgeable about world affairs, and has taught us all about the role of an Ambassador, what the hot buttons will be going forward, which countries will be leading the solutions, and how they will try and solve the complex issues that this planet faces.
I am nearing the end of a knitting project I have had on the go as well, in spite of the fact that I rarely get a chance to knit. I feel like Madam Lafarge from Tale of Two Cities as I sit knitting in all the lectures. The Linus Project ladies have made over 180 blankets this cruise.
On Thursday evening we were invited to join Sandy and Grace, Jonathan and Karen at the Pinnacle to celebrate Grace's birthday, which was actually the same day as mine, and this was the only day that we could get a table. They were on the cruise last year as well, and live in Los Angeles. Sandy has a cane collection that numbers over 2500 and he collects them at every port of call. We had a great evening sharing lots of travel stories and getting to know them better. It was really nice to eat at the late sitting too, which meant that we had a leisurely time on the Lower Promenade before dinner, just enjoying the beautiful evening light.
Friday's highlight was the last Formal Ball, which was held at 10 pm. in the Queen's Lounge, with a Carnival theme. The hardest part was staying awake between the time we finished dinner at 7 pm. and the start of the dance, but Max, Mal, Barry and I managed to laugh our way through the 3 hours in the Ocean Bar, watching the dance hosts dance with all the single ladies. Karen and Jonathan kicked off the event with a dance, and we stayed till 11:30, enjoying the party, which is also attended by lots of the crew who like to dress up for the evening too.
Saturday's main event was the Indonesian Crew Party. I must say that I am not sure what kind of vacation one could have where the staff would spend 3 weeks, rehearsing on their off hours which is from midnight till 2 or 3 in the morning, to put on a fantastic hour long show of singing, dancing and music showcasing their country. The Queen's Lounge literally didn't have any seats left a good 30 minutes prior to showtime, and we were all sitting or standing in awkward spots, to see this popular show in the afternoon. One of our dining room stewards, Eko had a stage hand role, and Ellie, our smiling fantastic server in the Lido had a fantastic part in a complicated performance of synchronized hand movements and music.
I am really in panic mode about packing as the reality of what lies ahead has sunk in, and I started to put things in suitcases after the show. The only problem is that the cabin will now be even smaller for the last 10 days as we start the difficult task of fitting all the new purchases into new bags, and the things we brought into the 5 bags we brought, and figure out where to stack them once they are out from under our beds. It hit me today that in the last year we have lived on this ship for 8 months - isn't that ridiculous? Time to get back to our home, our family, and our friends. We are all dreading the fact that we will have to get groceries, cook, clean and do laundry, so spoiled are we after 4 months of pampered living.
Tomorrow we arrive in Fortaleza, where the temperature will be about 90F, and we are only there till 3 pm, because we have to sail at a high clip to get from there to Belem on time. Not much to do there but go to the markets, which are only open till noon, so we will see what we can squeeze in at this port. I must confess my heart is now not so much on the ports of call, as much as it is on the getting off the ship, and picking up our life.
We have also been glued to the TV on the horror that unfolded in Boston, and in Texas this past week, and since we were out of satellite range for a few days, we were only able to get Fox News. This terrorism, has been the topic of many lectures on our ship this past few months, and it is the opinion of several of the experts we have heard from, that this will be a central part of our world, and that it will likely replace wars between nations. I can't bare to think of that.
No comments:
Post a Comment