Sharm El Sheik, Egypt
Boy was it bright this morning! I woke up to hear Ed’s quiet snoring. I was good; I stayed in bed long after it was clear I wasn’t going to be able to go back to sleep. When Ed did rouse, I asked him to decide whether he was going to the gym. If not, then I wanted to get out early (while it’s cool and you have more time). He made a remark about walking in the afternoon when we got back to the ship but I knew when he said it that it wouldn’t happen. Still, he did get ready while I went to do the internet stuff. When I got back, we eventually left.
The pier here is huge. The weather was clearly warm and the sun is blistering but the breezes are also brisk so it was livable. We had to carry our passport and be ready to show the page with the Egyptian visa along with our cruise card to move around. So we memorized the page ID so we could find it easily among the multitude of pages in our passports.
There were three tours today but none rang a bell with us. Too much money for something that isn’t unique to this place. Glass bottom boats have lost their luster for us.
We walked the several blocks to the gate of the pier (I can’t really think of it as a port despite the size of the pier) where there was a van with several other folks waiting to go. It is Friday and the shops and such close at noon in this Muslim country. It was $3 per person, one way. The van probably should have held no more than nine. Forget that in these countries: I lost count of how many people they crammed in there before they would finally agree to leave. Need I remind you that nothing like this is air conditioned around here. That would cost you a double fee likely for the short trip. Think of those trucks in India and the Middle East where people are hanging off of everything on the vehicle and you wonder how the driver can see the road to navigate! Among the other passengers on this van was a native Egyptian and he reminded everyone, including the driver and his buddy, that we’d all be happy to pay him AFTER we were dropped off. It’s possible they sometimes get ripped off too, but the more likely scenario is that the passengers get dumped very quickly or blackmailed (only this if you’re lucky) into paying lots more.
Alas, we were dropped off at the Old Market. I enjoyed this area but Ed (these are his words) was “uncomfortable” so we walked to another, more modern area. Eventually, we found our way across the roads to the beaches on the other side. It is one long bay with cabanas, thatched umbrellas and such dotted with people of all sizes, shapes, ages, nationalities, and colors of skin. And some of these folks should NOT wear skimpy bathing suits. Most offensive were the men in speedos that wouldn’t fit their 7 y/o grandsons; their butt crack showing above the back and I don’t have to describe the looks of the front. Jeesh.
There were lots of families with little kids running around playing in the sand and the water. One little girl, perhaps 3-4 y/o, was buck naked and dark skinned all over in an even color. I thought it was cute except the thought of pedophiles also entered my mind.
I began to tell Ed that we needed to find a place for lunch. Neither of us had had much fluid and he needs to eat regularly. It’s also self defense on my part. Finally, he agreed to go back to the ship since we couldn’t identify a place to eat that appealed to him. Speaking only for myself, I’m adventurous in these places but I’m careful about food sources. The upscale resorts would have been OK with me but these were not that reliable. So we found an old Egyptian guy who needed to find a younger one to translate so we were sure about the amount we were going to pay. The price started out too high. Eventually it came down to $5 but I think this was a mistake on the driver’s part as Arabic and English were, by this time, flying between 5 of us. We told him we’d pay him $6 for the two of us and that’s what we did. It wasn’t a long drive but we had no idea how far it was. His cab was comparatively new, certainly MUCH more recent than the morning’s van! And when he put his seat belt on, something we rarely see anywhere on this trip, I felt much better. We both put ours on as well and they had all the requisite parts, also a major find on this trip!
Ed is watching the TV as I write and mumbling about the fact that we STILL do not have CNN!
Istanbul perhaps?
We had lunch on the ship and there was conversation with others about Athens and the fact that we likely will not be going there given the unrest there. So someone said they’d heard a rumor (where does all this speculation originate?) that we’d instead go to Istanbul. I’d be delighted if we did. It isn’t easy for the cruise line to make such a thing happen. There’s the issue of pier space, visas, and those are just the beginning. But I’d be tickled pink if that turned out. OR I’d recommend another visit to Ephesus. Hee Hee
Afternoon Movie Matinee: Sunshine Cleaning
A lady at our luncheon table had seen this movie and recommended it so both Ed and I decided to go. I cannot imagine what she saw in this movie except the actors all of whom I liked. I would have left after a few minutes but felt I owed it to Ed to remain. When it was over, Ed volunteered that he almost left too. Now you KNOW it’s a bad movie for Ed to feel like leaving!
I’m knocking out all these books I’ve been reading so I’m on my last 100 pages of the memoir by Madeline Albright, secretary of State under Clinton. I could live with a lot of the fill in the narrative but I’m loving the behind the scenes analysis of the various countries, cultures, politics, strategic interests and such.
I was on the balcony as the ship left the pier. I’m amazed at how smoothly, silently, and swiftly these ships leave ports. The Egyptian policeman who sat under the tent at the bottom of the gangway blasting Arabic music and sitting in a broken down chair, sat in the middle of this huge pier for a long time and then began dragging that bedraggled chair across the pier to some destination I couldn’t identify. There was nothing there but concrete bunkers—all open air—and two huge tanks with god knows what in them.
As the ship was backing into the main area, there were at least 20 smaller vessels who played chicken with it. This amazed me. Some tooted their horns as if to be smiling at this large ship. We are going south for a ways as the sun is shining on the aft starboard side from the west and it’s nearing sunset. We should start going north pretty soon to Aqaba and Petra tomorrow.
Tonite’s Entertainment
Kyle Esplin is a Jerry Lee Lewis type of piano player and boy did I love this show. We saw him 2 yrs ago on the world cruise. He is only 28 at this point and has played for 3 of The Killer’s birthday bashes. He was a real hit with the audience. He’s Scottish and self taught. Wow.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Now in Sharm Al Sheik
Safaga, Egypt
Ed got up around 8 and later went to the gym. Over 300 passengers went on tour to the Valley of the Kings, Luxor and Karnak. A few others went snorkeling and swimming nearby. Ed and I have been to the Nile area twice before and decided against going this time. It is a long drive, 3.5 hours each way, and the expense is not minor though certainly worth it if you’ve not been there before. So we decided to just stay in Safaga.
During the morning we asked around concerning what there was to do in Safaga. The concensus was: nothing. Further, the ship/port/pier is not close to the town itself so it requires a taxi ride both ways. There is a mall apparently, but why would we care?
So we stayed on the ship. We had lunch in the Panorama Buffet and sat on the back of the ship and enjoyed the brisk breezes and temperate (at least for this part of the world) weather. It was glorious. The contrast between the dark blue of the water and the creamy color of the sands is almost amusing. There is a large ship berthed next to us but instead of being alongside the pier, it has it’s backside straight up to the pier. It is apparent that you can drive onto it this way.
The port clearly transships grains as there is a huge grain elevator in view and these long conveyers to bring it to a transport. Other than the construction going on everywhere, there is nothing else in this port area. The ship has several Egyptian police near the side. I met some Egyptian officials on the ship as I was going down the stairs at one point today. In many if not most of these ports, the “officials” come onboard to eat here as the meals are very good. In India it was a huge joke as we estimated there were over 20 here mostly to eat.
Games
I love to play board games so I talked Ed into going to the game room with me. We played a round of Scrabble and he beat me sooooo bad that I didn’t even smell his smoke I was so far behind. Then we tried Junior Trivial Pursuit as we had played it once before with lots of howls. This version on the ship was waaayyy too simple. I started first and I got all of the answers right very quickly, so we abandoned the game room. As we left, there were two old guys in there playing chess. I would have been a great painting.
We read and watched TV until it was time to go to dinner. It was open seating since there are so few people on the ship (comparatively) so we sat at a window on the port side and watched dolphins of all sizes cavorting in the harbor area. It was fun to watch. The surface of the water was very flat and then the wind came up and rippled it in places where it turned very dark in contrast to the very light blue of the surface.
I finished reading the interviews with Gerald Ford and I really enjoyed reading his candor about the various people and events before and after his unexpected Presidency. He always struck me as a decent fellow and the interviews seemed to bear this out even considering that it was bound to be a puff piece.
Ed had me try his Kindle today and it has it’s plusses but the minuses are still considerable for me at this point. It wasn’t converted frankly.
We spent some time on the patio and the weather really wasn’t bad. The sun however, is blasting and will burn you very quickly. As dusk came, we could hear the iman singing the call to prayers from a minaret nearby. Earlier in the day, the Egyptian taxi drivers had their radios blasting Arabic music. I hope they didn’t think that was a draw for customers because the impact reminded me of the Manuel Noreiga school of harassment where you blast an area with hated music to get folks to surrender.
Pireaus, Greece
There’s some question about whether we’ll make this port, which is the one for Athens, because of all the unrest there. It’s a week yet before we’re there. It wouldn’t break my heart to miss it. I was disappointed in Athens as was Ed. I’m glad we got to see the Acropolis, Olympic stadium and the archeological museum, but other than picking up another Greek fisherman’s cap for Ed, there’s not much there that interests us.
Egyptian folklorico show
This was something Princess arranged for those of us who remained on the ship. Thus the audience wasn’t as robust as it otherwise would have been. But the ethnic dances were terrific, the belly dancer was outstanding, and the whirling dervish was a special treat for us. We’ve seen whirling dervishes before but this guy had lights on his costume toward the end and they turned off the lights. Now that was spectacular. And I still can’t get over the endurance of these guys who seem to twirl non stop for interminable periods of time.
As the dancers were leaving the ship, the overland busses were returning. We stopped counting at 11 since some were peeling off as others arrived. But what struck me was the length of the line of passengers waiting to board the ship. It seemed to fill the whole pier. We left a little late because of the tardiness of the busses but given the distances and the number of people, they weren’t that late and the ship can make up 30 min. or so easily.
Ed got up around 8 and later went to the gym. Over 300 passengers went on tour to the Valley of the Kings, Luxor and Karnak. A few others went snorkeling and swimming nearby. Ed and I have been to the Nile area twice before and decided against going this time. It is a long drive, 3.5 hours each way, and the expense is not minor though certainly worth it if you’ve not been there before. So we decided to just stay in Safaga.
During the morning we asked around concerning what there was to do in Safaga. The concensus was: nothing. Further, the ship/port/pier is not close to the town itself so it requires a taxi ride both ways. There is a mall apparently, but why would we care?
So we stayed on the ship. We had lunch in the Panorama Buffet and sat on the back of the ship and enjoyed the brisk breezes and temperate (at least for this part of the world) weather. It was glorious. The contrast between the dark blue of the water and the creamy color of the sands is almost amusing. There is a large ship berthed next to us but instead of being alongside the pier, it has it’s backside straight up to the pier. It is apparent that you can drive onto it this way.
The port clearly transships grains as there is a huge grain elevator in view and these long conveyers to bring it to a transport. Other than the construction going on everywhere, there is nothing else in this port area. The ship has several Egyptian police near the side. I met some Egyptian officials on the ship as I was going down the stairs at one point today. In many if not most of these ports, the “officials” come onboard to eat here as the meals are very good. In India it was a huge joke as we estimated there were over 20 here mostly to eat.
Games
I love to play board games so I talked Ed into going to the game room with me. We played a round of Scrabble and he beat me sooooo bad that I didn’t even smell his smoke I was so far behind. Then we tried Junior Trivial Pursuit as we had played it once before with lots of howls. This version on the ship was waaayyy too simple. I started first and I got all of the answers right very quickly, so we abandoned the game room. As we left, there were two old guys in there playing chess. I would have been a great painting.
We read and watched TV until it was time to go to dinner. It was open seating since there are so few people on the ship (comparatively) so we sat at a window on the port side and watched dolphins of all sizes cavorting in the harbor area. It was fun to watch. The surface of the water was very flat and then the wind came up and rippled it in places where it turned very dark in contrast to the very light blue of the surface.
I finished reading the interviews with Gerald Ford and I really enjoyed reading his candor about the various people and events before and after his unexpected Presidency. He always struck me as a decent fellow and the interviews seemed to bear this out even considering that it was bound to be a puff piece.
Ed had me try his Kindle today and it has it’s plusses but the minuses are still considerable for me at this point. It wasn’t converted frankly.
We spent some time on the patio and the weather really wasn’t bad. The sun however, is blasting and will burn you very quickly. As dusk came, we could hear the iman singing the call to prayers from a minaret nearby. Earlier in the day, the Egyptian taxi drivers had their radios blasting Arabic music. I hope they didn’t think that was a draw for customers because the impact reminded me of the Manuel Noreiga school of harassment where you blast an area with hated music to get folks to surrender.
Pireaus, Greece
There’s some question about whether we’ll make this port, which is the one for Athens, because of all the unrest there. It’s a week yet before we’re there. It wouldn’t break my heart to miss it. I was disappointed in Athens as was Ed. I’m glad we got to see the Acropolis, Olympic stadium and the archeological museum, but other than picking up another Greek fisherman’s cap for Ed, there’s not much there that interests us.
Egyptian folklorico show
This was something Princess arranged for those of us who remained on the ship. Thus the audience wasn’t as robust as it otherwise would have been. But the ethnic dances were terrific, the belly dancer was outstanding, and the whirling dervish was a special treat for us. We’ve seen whirling dervishes before but this guy had lights on his costume toward the end and they turned off the lights. Now that was spectacular. And I still can’t get over the endurance of these guys who seem to twirl non stop for interminable periods of time.
As the dancers were leaving the ship, the overland busses were returning. We stopped counting at 11 since some were peeling off as others arrived. But what struck me was the length of the line of passengers waiting to board the ship. It seemed to fill the whole pier. We left a little late because of the tardiness of the busses but given the distances and the number of people, they weren’t that late and the ship can make up 30 min. or so easily.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Alternate blog site
Just in case I can't use this one at some point:
bfaherty.spaces.live.com
Thanks!
bfaherty.spaces.live.com
Thanks!
Well go figure
We are in the port of Safaga Egypt at the moment and will go out later as I'm hoping for a camel ride at a minimum. If we're fortunate, we'll find a souk.
In the meantime, I had no problem at all getting onto the blog site this time. Perhaps they were doing repairs yesterday? It also occurred to me that I'm using up a lot of space with this blog. In any event, I'll post yesterday's blog and also create a new site just in cast. I'll hopefully put that new address into this site as well when it's established.
Cinco de Mayo
The sun was BRIGHT as it came through the drapes this morning. Still we didn’t get up until after 8 am. I got ready and left to do internet stuff in the Cabaret Lounge and Ed came in sometime during the demonstration.
Spectacular Culinary Demonstration
Commendatore did his usual phenomenal job of making the preparation of quiche, Tequila shrimp with rice, and other side dishes look deceptively easy. I do learn a lot of new tidbits about foods and equipment but I doubt I can retain it long enough to put any of it into practice.
Trivia
Since this was done by another passenger, the man who spoke on King Tut the other day, we were ambivalent about showing up. We decided we owed it to our team to show up. There were the core 4 of us. We thought this time, it might be different with a passenger doing the trivia but after about half the questions, it began to get deep. And when the answers were read, this became an opportunity to wax on and on about various thing Egyptian. By the time the answers come along, we all just want to know the answers and get on to lunch. In the afternoon, there were 5 of us. In each instance, our team scored one point below that of the winning team.
Cinco de Mayo Luncheon Buffet
Everything was delicious. I’m just sorry I couldn’t afford the calories to try every thing. We sat on the back of the ship outside where the weather was so pleasant. I just hope it lasts through our next ports! We were joined by the Aussie couple who teach the Bridge classes. We enjoy their company and spent time talking about the financial crisis all over the world and the housing “bubble” in the US.
Computer—audit
Ed joined two other folks to take this class which I audited. I used some videos on our computer to do the various tasks since it is done in Windows MovieMaker. I was actually able to remember more about how to do this than I expected.
At 2 pm Estelle Harris who played George’s mother on Seinfeld was speaking again. We aren’t that crazy about these kinds of programs but I was really put off by her use of foul language repeatedly (never matter that she was quoting others) even when JJ indicated he didn’t want that on tape. She is in her 80s and while I know she thinks it’s cute, it was very unattractive and off putting.
So Ed sat on the patio and watched the ocean float by. His neck is bothering him but he did say he forgot to take his arthritis medication this morning. I kept reading the interviews with President Ford.
Princess Grapevine
There were a few new wines today but the speaker drones on and on and we simply want the core information and to try out the wines and get out on time. At a little after 4 p, I left to meet our trivia team and Ed followed a little bit later. This is the last wine tasting of the cruise.
Two Stories, two histories: a profile of Egypt in contrast to it’s neighbor Israel
We were at the wine tasting when this was given so we watched it on the TV between 5 and 6. This was kind’ve a stretch in terms of the theme but I could see her point though I thought it was simplistic and really doesn’t comprehensively explain all the problems in the region from an anthropological perspective.
Dinner
We had made arrangements to meet Chuck at Sabatini’s for supper so we could visit. He was also on the 2008 cruise and lives in LA. We know many of the same public figures and he’s just a very nice fellow and a good conversationalist. Our discussions range widely including discussions of folks we know in common, some of the ship’s gossip, and talk about our waning years and how we plan to situate ourselves so we are intellectually stimulated but not a burden to our family. We opened up the restaurant and when we left at 10:30 pm, there were only 2 people left there and they had arrived much later compared to us. Besides the air conditioning had gotten to Chuck and he was pretty congested and needed to go out on deck to see if that helped his lungs.
Yippee! We get another hour back tonite. We always look forward to that.
In the meantime, I had no problem at all getting onto the blog site this time. Perhaps they were doing repairs yesterday? It also occurred to me that I'm using up a lot of space with this blog. In any event, I'll post yesterday's blog and also create a new site just in cast. I'll hopefully put that new address into this site as well when it's established.
Cinco de Mayo
The sun was BRIGHT as it came through the drapes this morning. Still we didn’t get up until after 8 am. I got ready and left to do internet stuff in the Cabaret Lounge and Ed came in sometime during the demonstration.
Spectacular Culinary Demonstration
Commendatore did his usual phenomenal job of making the preparation of quiche, Tequila shrimp with rice, and other side dishes look deceptively easy. I do learn a lot of new tidbits about foods and equipment but I doubt I can retain it long enough to put any of it into practice.
Trivia
Since this was done by another passenger, the man who spoke on King Tut the other day, we were ambivalent about showing up. We decided we owed it to our team to show up. There were the core 4 of us. We thought this time, it might be different with a passenger doing the trivia but after about half the questions, it began to get deep. And when the answers were read, this became an opportunity to wax on and on about various thing Egyptian. By the time the answers come along, we all just want to know the answers and get on to lunch. In the afternoon, there were 5 of us. In each instance, our team scored one point below that of the winning team.
Cinco de Mayo Luncheon Buffet
Everything was delicious. I’m just sorry I couldn’t afford the calories to try every thing. We sat on the back of the ship outside where the weather was so pleasant. I just hope it lasts through our next ports! We were joined by the Aussie couple who teach the Bridge classes. We enjoy their company and spent time talking about the financial crisis all over the world and the housing “bubble” in the US.
Computer—audit
Ed joined two other folks to take this class which I audited. I used some videos on our computer to do the various tasks since it is done in Windows MovieMaker. I was actually able to remember more about how to do this than I expected.
At 2 pm Estelle Harris who played George’s mother on Seinfeld was speaking again. We aren’t that crazy about these kinds of programs but I was really put off by her use of foul language repeatedly (never matter that she was quoting others) even when JJ indicated he didn’t want that on tape. She is in her 80s and while I know she thinks it’s cute, it was very unattractive and off putting.
So Ed sat on the patio and watched the ocean float by. His neck is bothering him but he did say he forgot to take his arthritis medication this morning. I kept reading the interviews with President Ford.
Princess Grapevine
There were a few new wines today but the speaker drones on and on and we simply want the core information and to try out the wines and get out on time. At a little after 4 p, I left to meet our trivia team and Ed followed a little bit later. This is the last wine tasting of the cruise.
Two Stories, two histories: a profile of Egypt in contrast to it’s neighbor Israel
We were at the wine tasting when this was given so we watched it on the TV between 5 and 6. This was kind’ve a stretch in terms of the theme but I could see her point though I thought it was simplistic and really doesn’t comprehensively explain all the problems in the region from an anthropological perspective.
Dinner
We had made arrangements to meet Chuck at Sabatini’s for supper so we could visit. He was also on the 2008 cruise and lives in LA. We know many of the same public figures and he’s just a very nice fellow and a good conversationalist. Our discussions range widely including discussions of folks we know in common, some of the ship’s gossip, and talk about our waning years and how we plan to situate ourselves so we are intellectually stimulated but not a burden to our family. We opened up the restaurant and when we left at 10:30 pm, there were only 2 people left there and they had arrived much later compared to us. Besides the air conditioning had gotten to Chuck and he was pretty congested and needed to go out on deck to see if that helped his lungs.
Yippee! We get another hour back tonite. We always look forward to that.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
ooops
For some reason I'm being blocked from this site and I'm not sure why so this may be the last blog fromthis site. I have an idea for another site so folks may need to share information.
Happy Birthday, Ed!
Yep, the old man has a 68th birthday today. He got up after 7 and went to the gym. What a great way to begin today! (Never mind about me and exercise, please). I made my usual trek to the library to do the computer related stuff.
Port Talk: Aqaba
This was really interesting since we had seen the bio on Queen Noor the other night and Aqaba was their favorite place to relax. I also did not realize that it is directly across from Eliat: one can practically throw a stone from one across the water to the other. The tours that are offered are snorkeling, swimming, SCUBA, of course. And one to the Wadi Rum: you go a long ways in a bus and then switch to 4x4s for a trek through the desert including visits to bedouin tents. (Some folks laughed that they probably leave their apartments in Aqaba each morning to go to the tents to receive visitors and then return to town in the evening.)
The one we’ve been excited about the whole cruise is to go to Petra. This is an old city cut into limestone mountains. It is a very long bus ride there and then you walk 3-5 miles to see the better things to see there. My concern is the heat but some folks say the weather is predicted to be high 70s to mid 80s. This sounds too good to be true but I hope it is the case as I don’t mind the walking but I absolutely dread the heat! And I’m glad we’re doing it while we’re “younger” because I don’t plan to do this again this way.
Trivia
We didn’t win this morning but we didn’t shame ourselves either. But this afternoon, we tied for first place with another team and the staff member didn’t have a tie breaker question so she just gave us all tokens. This was a good start to what followed—see later in this entry.
Lunch
They had a French buffet today so Ed and I went there and tried out odds and ends. I love the Brie cheese though Lord help me, I don’t need the calories. Ed went to do some stuff on the computer while I went to audit another computer class. But before the class started, I managed to take some monkey photos Ed had taken on Elephanta Island near Mombai and seat the monkeys around Ed on the couch as if they were actually in the cabin. I need to do a lot of clean up work for it to be a good job but I was so excited to be able to do that even crudely. Even Ed was impressed and the computer instructor who is about the same age as my oldest daughter, was smiling broadly.
In the Land of the Pharaohs: The Egyptian Quest for Immortality
This is the lady I’ve described before with the soporific voice but terrific content. This time her husband, who is a professional journalist, did a good part of the presentation and talked about Alexander the Great. He declared himself a Pharaoh of Egypt when he conquered it. He really was astonishing since he conquered all those lands before he died at the age of 32! He apparently had a serious drinking problem along the way though.
Egyptian travel slides 1968-1989
This was an impromptu slide show by a man who was born in Egypt, went to Berkeley, taught at the University of Cairo and has many other credentials. It was fun to hear his version of his native country and see it through relatively older slides.
Celebrating Ed’s 68th b’day
When we left the cabin this morning, there were three balloons of different colors with Happy Birthday attached to our “mail box”. So now everyone who knows your cabin, knows you’re celebration.
We took a bottle of Port I had purchased in Ensenada (yes, there ,and terrific!), dark chocolate, and dates so that we could celebrate with our trivia team and two spouses after we played trivia. We had such a good time just having fun and celebrating in this funny way. I had washed up all the little appertif glasses we get each time we go to a wine tasting, Ed had purchased the dark chocolate at two different ports, and the dates were from Muscat. We put everything on a tray, laid out the cocktail napkins from our room and just had fun toasting and visiting.
Supper
All present and we had Sunil, the junior waiter, served the remainder of the port to our table mates while we passed around more of the dark chocolate. Again more toasts and fun. But that wasn’t all: Princess always brings a special cake and birthday card to the table and the wait staff sings Happy Birthday so that was a nice touch as well.
Earlier in the day we had found the formal photographs from the other night including the two Carlos took of me with my Middle Eastern headdress on. I thought it was pretty dorky but they are kind’ve cute and we’ll see if they make the final cut when we decide on our final set of photos. We have been having the photogs save our favorites as we’ve gone along.
The ocean view today
Gorgeous. Lovely. Blue, nice seas, smooth ride. A few ships in the distance here and there. Not one mention of pirates. Yippee!
The Pacific Princess Crew Karaoke Pop Superstar Spectacular!
This was many crew members from various departments: Purser, Maitre’D, computer instructor, hair stylist, quartermaster, waiter, stewards, cook. All of them were fantastic entertainers. All but two were Filipinos and on all of our cruises, they are the majority of those who are in the crew shows. They entertain families from an early age. There was only one woman in the show. We were supposed to vote on a winner but the audience simply didn’t want to decide so we toasted all of them as winners. I tell you the talent and the potential is amazing. And I was glad to see that the Lounge was filled and the audience was wild in their support.
One of the photographers (I love them all and they are the age of my g’kids!) was there to take some fantastic photos of the performers. Really outstanding photos. We were teasing him (this one is from Brazil) that half of his photos are of the sole woman in the show. It turns out, they are an “item.” I had to laugh at my naivete. And Ed took two photos of Carlos and I together and Carlos had me nose to nose for one of them. He is so adorable. And JC, the other one, is also so much fun.
Thought for today
From a blog written by a cousin of Trudy who is travelling in SE Asia, now with a group of students from Evergreen University where he teaches:
In 1963 Thich Quang Duc got in his car, drove to Saigon, and lit himself on fire. How does one do that? Were his actions positive or negative?
There is a story in the bible: when the Jews escaped Egypt and wandered in the desert for 40 years, they came upon the land of Moab. The King of Moab feared them, and ordered is priest to go to the Jews’ camp and curse them. The priest went to their camp, but instead of cursing them, he blessed them.
My rabbi explains the important lesson here: at every moment, you have the choice – to curse or to bless. Every event is a blessing, even the painful ones, for they are often the most important lessons.
I heard a story about the Dalai Lama, the God-King of Tibet, who fled the Chinese to India in 1959, and has been a refugee ever since. Depending on your sources, one to four million Tibetans have died due to the Chinese occupation of Tibet. The Dalai Lama, believed by the Tibetans to be the reincarnation of Chenrezi, the God of compassion, was asked about the Chinese government. And he said that this had been one of his most important lessons, for it is easy to feel compassion for those similar to you or for those that you love, but to feel compassion for the Chinese government has been a challenge for him.
Sometimes you feel anger, jealousy, pain, or frustration
All those feelings are inside of us
No one is doing anything to you, or making you feel a certain way
No one else is responsible for your feelings
Each one of us is responsible for our own thoughts and feelings
Things happen. You have no control over that. But you do have control over how you respond.
Maybe the only power we ever really have is how we respond.”
Reminds me of Viktor Frankle’s “Man’s Search for Meaning”, the second half.
Happy Birthday, Ed!
Yep, the old man has a 68th birthday today. He got up after 7 and went to the gym. What a great way to begin today! (Never mind about me and exercise, please). I made my usual trek to the library to do the computer related stuff.
Port Talk: Aqaba
This was really interesting since we had seen the bio on Queen Noor the other night and Aqaba was their favorite place to relax. I also did not realize that it is directly across from Eliat: one can practically throw a stone from one across the water to the other. The tours that are offered are snorkeling, swimming, SCUBA, of course. And one to the Wadi Rum: you go a long ways in a bus and then switch to 4x4s for a trek through the desert including visits to bedouin tents. (Some folks laughed that they probably leave their apartments in Aqaba each morning to go to the tents to receive visitors and then return to town in the evening.)
The one we’ve been excited about the whole cruise is to go to Petra. This is an old city cut into limestone mountains. It is a very long bus ride there and then you walk 3-5 miles to see the better things to see there. My concern is the heat but some folks say the weather is predicted to be high 70s to mid 80s. This sounds too good to be true but I hope it is the case as I don’t mind the walking but I absolutely dread the heat! And I’m glad we’re doing it while we’re “younger” because I don’t plan to do this again this way.
Trivia
We didn’t win this morning but we didn’t shame ourselves either. But this afternoon, we tied for first place with another team and the staff member didn’t have a tie breaker question so she just gave us all tokens. This was a good start to what followed—see later in this entry.
Lunch
They had a French buffet today so Ed and I went there and tried out odds and ends. I love the Brie cheese though Lord help me, I don’t need the calories. Ed went to do some stuff on the computer while I went to audit another computer class. But before the class started, I managed to take some monkey photos Ed had taken on Elephanta Island near Mombai and seat the monkeys around Ed on the couch as if they were actually in the cabin. I need to do a lot of clean up work for it to be a good job but I was so excited to be able to do that even crudely. Even Ed was impressed and the computer instructor who is about the same age as my oldest daughter, was smiling broadly.
In the Land of the Pharaohs: The Egyptian Quest for Immortality
This is the lady I’ve described before with the soporific voice but terrific content. This time her husband, who is a professional journalist, did a good part of the presentation and talked about Alexander the Great. He declared himself a Pharaoh of Egypt when he conquered it. He really was astonishing since he conquered all those lands before he died at the age of 32! He apparently had a serious drinking problem along the way though.
Egyptian travel slides 1968-1989
This was an impromptu slide show by a man who was born in Egypt, went to Berkeley, taught at the University of Cairo and has many other credentials. It was fun to hear his version of his native country and see it through relatively older slides.
Celebrating Ed’s 68th b’day
When we left the cabin this morning, there were three balloons of different colors with Happy Birthday attached to our “mail box”. So now everyone who knows your cabin, knows you’re celebration.
We took a bottle of Port I had purchased in Ensenada (yes, there ,and terrific!), dark chocolate, and dates so that we could celebrate with our trivia team and two spouses after we played trivia. We had such a good time just having fun and celebrating in this funny way. I had washed up all the little appertif glasses we get each time we go to a wine tasting, Ed had purchased the dark chocolate at two different ports, and the dates were from Muscat. We put everything on a tray, laid out the cocktail napkins from our room and just had fun toasting and visiting.
Supper
All present and we had Sunil, the junior waiter, served the remainder of the port to our table mates while we passed around more of the dark chocolate. Again more toasts and fun. But that wasn’t all: Princess always brings a special cake and birthday card to the table and the wait staff sings Happy Birthday so that was a nice touch as well.
Earlier in the day we had found the formal photographs from the other night including the two Carlos took of me with my Middle Eastern headdress on. I thought it was pretty dorky but they are kind’ve cute and we’ll see if they make the final cut when we decide on our final set of photos. We have been having the photogs save our favorites as we’ve gone along.
The ocean view today
Gorgeous. Lovely. Blue, nice seas, smooth ride. A few ships in the distance here and there. Not one mention of pirates. Yippee!
The Pacific Princess Crew Karaoke Pop Superstar Spectacular!
This was many crew members from various departments: Purser, Maitre’D, computer instructor, hair stylist, quartermaster, waiter, stewards, cook. All of them were fantastic entertainers. All but two were Filipinos and on all of our cruises, they are the majority of those who are in the crew shows. They entertain families from an early age. There was only one woman in the show. We were supposed to vote on a winner but the audience simply didn’t want to decide so we toasted all of them as winners. I tell you the talent and the potential is amazing. And I was glad to see that the Lounge was filled and the audience was wild in their support.
One of the photographers (I love them all and they are the age of my g’kids!) was there to take some fantastic photos of the performers. Really outstanding photos. We were teasing him (this one is from Brazil) that half of his photos are of the sole woman in the show. It turns out, they are an “item.” I had to laugh at my naivete. And Ed took two photos of Carlos and I together and Carlos had me nose to nose for one of them. He is so adorable. And JC, the other one, is also so much fun.
Thought for today
From a blog written by a cousin of Trudy who is travelling in SE Asia, now with a group of students from Evergreen University where he teaches:
In 1963 Thich Quang Duc got in his car, drove to Saigon, and lit himself on fire. How does one do that? Were his actions positive or negative?
There is a story in the bible: when the Jews escaped Egypt and wandered in the desert for 40 years, they came upon the land of Moab. The King of Moab feared them, and ordered is priest to go to the Jews’ camp and curse them. The priest went to their camp, but instead of cursing them, he blessed them.
My rabbi explains the important lesson here: at every moment, you have the choice – to curse or to bless. Every event is a blessing, even the painful ones, for they are often the most important lessons.
I heard a story about the Dalai Lama, the God-King of Tibet, who fled the Chinese to India in 1959, and has been a refugee ever since. Depending on your sources, one to four million Tibetans have died due to the Chinese occupation of Tibet. The Dalai Lama, believed by the Tibetans to be the reincarnation of Chenrezi, the God of compassion, was asked about the Chinese government. And he said that this had been one of his most important lessons, for it is easy to feel compassion for those similar to you or for those that you love, but to feel compassion for the Chinese government has been a challenge for him.
Sometimes you feel anger, jealousy, pain, or frustration
All those feelings are inside of us
No one is doing anything to you, or making you feel a certain way
No one else is responsible for your feelings
Each one of us is responsible for our own thoughts and feelings
Things happen. You have no control over that. But you do have control over how you respond.
Maybe the only power we ever really have is how we respond.”
Reminds me of Viktor Frankle’s “Man’s Search for Meaning”, the second half.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Happy Birthday, Neal
In Gulf of Aden
Each of us woke up several times before and after dawn but we kept still and tried to get more sleep. Eventually Ed got up a little before 9 and I followed him. We wanted the morning show for the details about the Crew’s upcoming show which will be great fun. They did an advertising type video where they went to the work site or cabins of the participants to interview them. One poor fellow works at night and there was a “night worker” sign on his cabin door. He has the upper bunk and still had his cafeteria hat on. I was glad to see they have curtains around their bunks so they have some privacy. Of course all of this was arranged in advance but it is still cute and we are all interested in how they actually live in those rabbit warrens downstairs.
Computer audit: nobody showed up to take the class though there was another woman there to audit it along with me so I went to the lecture.
Port talk: Sharm El Sheik
This is a new place for us and the only way I know anything about it is because of the terrorist bombing there a while ago. Just think of the selling points: visit all the places where terrorists have set off bombs! This place appears to be mostly a snorkel and SCUBA site but they do have a few restaurants and it looks like, souks. The trip we’d like to take, to see Mt. Catherine, is too far away and too long to do on this brief port stop. Darn.
Trivia
We didn’t think we’d done well at all but we wound up in a tie breaker with another team. Since we both got the correct answer to the tie breaker question, the staff simply gave all 12 of us a ticket. In the afternoon, we came in second. Well, that is if you only count the 3 teams that tied as #1. Ha!
Lunch
Nothing scintillating at the luncheon table, at least nothing I can recall.
Repacking
Since we’re going to celebrate Ed’s 68th b’day tomorrow by treating our trivia team pals to port wine and dark chocolate, I needed to get out all those appertif glasses we’ve been getting at the wine tastings and wash them for tomorrow. Ed had wanted to pack at least one suitcase during these sea days anyway, so he packed the harder sided luggage and it weighed at 55 lbs. Since he can get up to 70 lbs on overseas, he still has some leeway for 15 more pounds.
Tutankhamun, Ancient Egypt’s boy king
This was a pleasant lecture by a professor of archeology from the University of New Orleans. Some of it we knew of course, and it was fun to see many of the photos of what Carter found when he first opened the tomb, but the lineages and names of those pharaohs eludes me. He debunked some of the stories the guides may tell you and added a little juicy historical gossip to the pot. He had the latest findings of the study of the body of the boy king to bring us up to date. The Egyptians are skittish about DNA testing I gather or there would be more ooohhs and aaaahhhs to report.
Dinner
JoAnn will be using one of the trekker sticks when they go to Luxor so we are still adjusting the height and such. Some days her ankle is better than others.
Tonite’s entertainment: Comedy Magician
We are all getting weary of this kind of entertainment so this guy has his job cut out for him. This was a guy we had seen before I think on the first leg of this cruise. They must have had a problem getting entertainers for this leg as they’ve been improvising in some creative ways. He was still enjoyable but so much of the show was predictable as the tricks are pretty standard.
Upcoming events
Riz, the librarian, was looking for a headpiece similar to the one I wore last evening so I lent her one of mine.
Ed’s 68th birthday
Is tomorrow and I can’t believe I’m married to such an OLD man. I’m sure there will be several fun things that we can arrange to make it a special event. I already have the tray with the chocolate and port ready for our post-trivia celebration tomorrow.
Convoys and such
First an update on the reaction to the banner on the side of the ship warning folks to stay 50 meters away from the ship. I haven’t actually been able to see the lettering since it is large and faces out from the ship. Folks are musing about whether or not the Somalis can read English. And why is it only on one side of the ship. I find all this hilarious.
We are travelling in a large convoy of ships. The coast of Somalia is 20 miles to our port side; Yemen is 60 miles to our port side when we first begin the transit into Bab El Mandeb Strait. The Captain came on to explain that the little boats (with oars ostensibly) we see around the ship (at some distance but still close enough to see the occupants) are merely fishing boats. Some folks are saying: Yeah, sure. Yesterday, we had helicopters around the ship for a while. Today we are followed by a warship which I can’t see because of my eyes but which folks tell me is out there. Many of us view this as a great adventure. I howl every time someone says: “now tell me, you know for sure these Somalis read English?” Others clearly are nervous including, I sometimes suspect, some of the staff.
In Memoriam
I have received news that my children’s father passed away last Friday after a long battle with two kinds of cancer. In those final weeks, the kids were able to see the good in their Dad through the eyes of his wife and her children. Nancy did yoeman’s work bringing his affairs into some semblance of order, and Lisa followed up by getting the proper papers signed and notarized. Pat, Sylvia and even Teddy, drove to Santa Fe to spend several days with Fred while he could still appreciate their presence and serve as a comfort to the family.
I am so proud of my children and their love and initiative in such trying times. Each made significant sacrifices to provide comfort, their talents, and support to their Dad and his family.
And may Alfredo Roberto Montoya finally rest in peace after all these years of suffering.
Each of us woke up several times before and after dawn but we kept still and tried to get more sleep. Eventually Ed got up a little before 9 and I followed him. We wanted the morning show for the details about the Crew’s upcoming show which will be great fun. They did an advertising type video where they went to the work site or cabins of the participants to interview them. One poor fellow works at night and there was a “night worker” sign on his cabin door. He has the upper bunk and still had his cafeteria hat on. I was glad to see they have curtains around their bunks so they have some privacy. Of course all of this was arranged in advance but it is still cute and we are all interested in how they actually live in those rabbit warrens downstairs.
Computer audit: nobody showed up to take the class though there was another woman there to audit it along with me so I went to the lecture.
Port talk: Sharm El Sheik
This is a new place for us and the only way I know anything about it is because of the terrorist bombing there a while ago. Just think of the selling points: visit all the places where terrorists have set off bombs! This place appears to be mostly a snorkel and SCUBA site but they do have a few restaurants and it looks like, souks. The trip we’d like to take, to see Mt. Catherine, is too far away and too long to do on this brief port stop. Darn.
Trivia
We didn’t think we’d done well at all but we wound up in a tie breaker with another team. Since we both got the correct answer to the tie breaker question, the staff simply gave all 12 of us a ticket. In the afternoon, we came in second. Well, that is if you only count the 3 teams that tied as #1. Ha!
Lunch
Nothing scintillating at the luncheon table, at least nothing I can recall.
Repacking
Since we’re going to celebrate Ed’s 68th b’day tomorrow by treating our trivia team pals to port wine and dark chocolate, I needed to get out all those appertif glasses we’ve been getting at the wine tastings and wash them for tomorrow. Ed had wanted to pack at least one suitcase during these sea days anyway, so he packed the harder sided luggage and it weighed at 55 lbs. Since he can get up to 70 lbs on overseas, he still has some leeway for 15 more pounds.
Tutankhamun, Ancient Egypt’s boy king
This was a pleasant lecture by a professor of archeology from the University of New Orleans. Some of it we knew of course, and it was fun to see many of the photos of what Carter found when he first opened the tomb, but the lineages and names of those pharaohs eludes me. He debunked some of the stories the guides may tell you and added a little juicy historical gossip to the pot. He had the latest findings of the study of the body of the boy king to bring us up to date. The Egyptians are skittish about DNA testing I gather or there would be more ooohhs and aaaahhhs to report.
Dinner
JoAnn will be using one of the trekker sticks when they go to Luxor so we are still adjusting the height and such. Some days her ankle is better than others.
Tonite’s entertainment: Comedy Magician
We are all getting weary of this kind of entertainment so this guy has his job cut out for him. This was a guy we had seen before I think on the first leg of this cruise. They must have had a problem getting entertainers for this leg as they’ve been improvising in some creative ways. He was still enjoyable but so much of the show was predictable as the tricks are pretty standard.
Upcoming events
Riz, the librarian, was looking for a headpiece similar to the one I wore last evening so I lent her one of mine.
Ed’s 68th birthday
Is tomorrow and I can’t believe I’m married to such an OLD man. I’m sure there will be several fun things that we can arrange to make it a special event. I already have the tray with the chocolate and port ready for our post-trivia celebration tomorrow.
Convoys and such
First an update on the reaction to the banner on the side of the ship warning folks to stay 50 meters away from the ship. I haven’t actually been able to see the lettering since it is large and faces out from the ship. Folks are musing about whether or not the Somalis can read English. And why is it only on one side of the ship. I find all this hilarious.
We are travelling in a large convoy of ships. The coast of Somalia is 20 miles to our port side; Yemen is 60 miles to our port side when we first begin the transit into Bab El Mandeb Strait. The Captain came on to explain that the little boats (with oars ostensibly) we see around the ship (at some distance but still close enough to see the occupants) are merely fishing boats. Some folks are saying: Yeah, sure. Yesterday, we had helicopters around the ship for a while. Today we are followed by a warship which I can’t see because of my eyes but which folks tell me is out there. Many of us view this as a great adventure. I howl every time someone says: “now tell me, you know for sure these Somalis read English?” Others clearly are nervous including, I sometimes suspect, some of the staff.
In Memoriam
I have received news that my children’s father passed away last Friday after a long battle with two kinds of cancer. In those final weeks, the kids were able to see the good in their Dad through the eyes of his wife and her children. Nancy did yoeman’s work bringing his affairs into some semblance of order, and Lisa followed up by getting the proper papers signed and notarized. Pat, Sylvia and even Teddy, drove to Santa Fe to spend several days with Fred while he could still appreciate their presence and serve as a comfort to the family.
I am so proud of my children and their love and initiative in such trying times. Each made significant sacrifices to provide comfort, their talents, and support to their Dad and his family.
And may Alfredo Roberto Montoya finally rest in peace after all these years of suffering.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
In the Gulf of Aden
May 2 2010
I woke up before dawn as did Ed but we both worked on going back to sleep. Eventually I heard him getting ready for the gym and after he left, I think I was asleep because I remember some vivid dreams. Eventually I got out and got rolling after 8 am. On the ship’s morning show, JJ showed where someone had ripped out certain pages from one of the travel books. Further, they had highlighted many sections. This was a brand new book on a port in Egypt we won’t be visiting this trip so I presume it was from last year’s cruise. These particular books must be checked out for a day at a time. I wonder if that is why. I had told you before about those pages out of the book on Einstein.
Library
Same fellow, same chair, snoozing away for the whole time I was in the library. From there I went to the computer class area to audit a class but the instructor wasn’t there and while another lady came to take the class, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen since none of the computers had been set up. So I left after a few minutes and went to the lecture. At 11 when I came back, that lady and the instructor were working on a class and so the next class also went and I could audit that.
Port talk: Safaga
Unless you go to Luxor, Karnak and the Valley of the Kings, which is a 11.5 hour tour which we’ve done twice before, there’s not much to do but stay on the ship. If you snorkel or skin dive, you can go to a beach nearby. And the Holiday Inn for $15 USD will let you use their beach and pool. But the speaker did mention one place that might have camel rides, so I may check into that. It is such a weird experience.
Sunday Brunch
Each sea day that falls on a Sunday means that they outdo themselves on a lavish buffet with everything imaginable. I found a great tomato and feta cheese salad and lots of veggies, plus some shrimp cocktail so I was happy.
Then we went back to the cabin to read. Ed took the computer to do some research. At 2 pm I headed up to audit a class again but there weren’t any students so I came back to read some more. I have three books going now. The latest is interviews with Gerald Ford which could not be published until after his death. Then there’s the Madeline Albright book, which is interesting but not compelling reading, and a novel that was on the NY Times bestseller list. The latter two are large print. The first I must read only in the daytime as it’s print is too small otherwise.
Quest for cloves and ivory: the story of Oman and Tanzania
The content is interesting but she has such a soporific speaking style. I looked down the row of folks next to me during her lecture and everyone was asleep. Honest. And her husband (I presume) gets up to introduce her each time. This is a little too much. For the most part, our guest speakers simply get up there and give a brief introduction about themselves and move on. And she could tell the story in half the time.
Trivia
My team didn’t win this morning and we certainly weren’t any threat this afternoon. Some very tough questions this afternoon. The team with the Brits on it won; there were a large number of British oriented questions. That’s fair as most of them are more USA oriented in focus.
Hor d’oevres: we had ordered “tuxedo strawberries” as a part of our Elite package on formal nights. The white chocolate one looked like a tuxedo front very cute and of course they were delicious.
Formal night
We got gussied up. I wore one of the glittery headpieces with coins around the edge as it matched my red dress and JoAnn and I had agreed to wear them tonite. It turns out another lady wore a silver one. Ed and I went to have our photos taken before I donned the head piece and then of course the photographer wanted a few shots after I had it on. Oh Lordy. I can hardly wait to see those!
Captain’s Circle Cocktail Party
There are only 12 people on board who are not members because this is their first cruise so you can imagine. The drinks are not the reason you go to these events. You drop your invitation into a bucket and later, the Captain draws three of them for a bottle of (cheap) champagne.
Dinner
Rhia and Dave had won a bottle of champagne at the party, the second time they’ve won, so we shared it at supper for dessert. Tom came in a tuxedo with an Arab kifeah (think Arafat’s top) and JoAnn wore her head covering with the bangles of coins which we had agreed in advance to do. JoAnn is in a cast now for some peculiar problem that hasn’t actually gotten a label yet but the MD put her in a soft walking cast. She decorated it by swathing it in a silver shawl. It is a riot! And while she was mumbling about having to wear that cast, she wore it last night and said she felt so much better today. She even offered to give Nikolas a kiss in thanks but he said it would interfere with their professional relationship. Ha. We are such a small community on the ship that this is funny to us.
Dancers and show
Tonite was “Words and Music”, and as always, the kids did it up right. I have been taking the binoculars and they help me a lot in being able to see them. Especially, I like being able to check out the costumes. My contacts were bothering me so I wore my spectacles and it’s a little more challenging to see things this way but better than going without anything!
The headpiece with the matching glitter dress were a great hit. I was told I had to wear the headpiece for Egyptian nite which will come after Safaga. I’ll see about wearing that with my Arabian belly dance costume. Of course I’ll probably be wearing a totally black outfit underneath it all as I don’t have a body suit with me.
When we got back to the room, I had Ed unzip the back of the dress. The dress fits comfortably but not tight when it’s zipped up, so I was troubled when I couldn’t get it over my hips. Of course, you automatically think of how loose I’ve been with my eating lately and then a mild panic when I consider what I’d do if I can’t get out of the dress. Then I discovered he hadn’t unzipped it all the way. Thank you, Lord.
Local color
We saw a huge oil tanker parallel to us today and at dinner they said it was shooting off it’s water cannons as an exercise I guess since it was only us in the vicinity that anyone knew. Some folks are obviously anxious about the coming transit but most of us are pretty blasé about it. One more piece of excitement to anticipate.
I woke up before dawn as did Ed but we both worked on going back to sleep. Eventually I heard him getting ready for the gym and after he left, I think I was asleep because I remember some vivid dreams. Eventually I got out and got rolling after 8 am. On the ship’s morning show, JJ showed where someone had ripped out certain pages from one of the travel books. Further, they had highlighted many sections. This was a brand new book on a port in Egypt we won’t be visiting this trip so I presume it was from last year’s cruise. These particular books must be checked out for a day at a time. I wonder if that is why. I had told you before about those pages out of the book on Einstein.
Library
Same fellow, same chair, snoozing away for the whole time I was in the library. From there I went to the computer class area to audit a class but the instructor wasn’t there and while another lady came to take the class, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen since none of the computers had been set up. So I left after a few minutes and went to the lecture. At 11 when I came back, that lady and the instructor were working on a class and so the next class also went and I could audit that.
Port talk: Safaga
Unless you go to Luxor, Karnak and the Valley of the Kings, which is a 11.5 hour tour which we’ve done twice before, there’s not much to do but stay on the ship. If you snorkel or skin dive, you can go to a beach nearby. And the Holiday Inn for $15 USD will let you use their beach and pool. But the speaker did mention one place that might have camel rides, so I may check into that. It is such a weird experience.
Sunday Brunch
Each sea day that falls on a Sunday means that they outdo themselves on a lavish buffet with everything imaginable. I found a great tomato and feta cheese salad and lots of veggies, plus some shrimp cocktail so I was happy.
Then we went back to the cabin to read. Ed took the computer to do some research. At 2 pm I headed up to audit a class again but there weren’t any students so I came back to read some more. I have three books going now. The latest is interviews with Gerald Ford which could not be published until after his death. Then there’s the Madeline Albright book, which is interesting but not compelling reading, and a novel that was on the NY Times bestseller list. The latter two are large print. The first I must read only in the daytime as it’s print is too small otherwise.
Quest for cloves and ivory: the story of Oman and Tanzania
The content is interesting but she has such a soporific speaking style. I looked down the row of folks next to me during her lecture and everyone was asleep. Honest. And her husband (I presume) gets up to introduce her each time. This is a little too much. For the most part, our guest speakers simply get up there and give a brief introduction about themselves and move on. And she could tell the story in half the time.
Trivia
My team didn’t win this morning and we certainly weren’t any threat this afternoon. Some very tough questions this afternoon. The team with the Brits on it won; there were a large number of British oriented questions. That’s fair as most of them are more USA oriented in focus.
Hor d’oevres: we had ordered “tuxedo strawberries” as a part of our Elite package on formal nights. The white chocolate one looked like a tuxedo front very cute and of course they were delicious.
Formal night
We got gussied up. I wore one of the glittery headpieces with coins around the edge as it matched my red dress and JoAnn and I had agreed to wear them tonite. It turns out another lady wore a silver one. Ed and I went to have our photos taken before I donned the head piece and then of course the photographer wanted a few shots after I had it on. Oh Lordy. I can hardly wait to see those!
Captain’s Circle Cocktail Party
There are only 12 people on board who are not members because this is their first cruise so you can imagine. The drinks are not the reason you go to these events. You drop your invitation into a bucket and later, the Captain draws three of them for a bottle of (cheap) champagne.
Dinner
Rhia and Dave had won a bottle of champagne at the party, the second time they’ve won, so we shared it at supper for dessert. Tom came in a tuxedo with an Arab kifeah (think Arafat’s top) and JoAnn wore her head covering with the bangles of coins which we had agreed in advance to do. JoAnn is in a cast now for some peculiar problem that hasn’t actually gotten a label yet but the MD put her in a soft walking cast. She decorated it by swathing it in a silver shawl. It is a riot! And while she was mumbling about having to wear that cast, she wore it last night and said she felt so much better today. She even offered to give Nikolas a kiss in thanks but he said it would interfere with their professional relationship. Ha. We are such a small community on the ship that this is funny to us.
Dancers and show
Tonite was “Words and Music”, and as always, the kids did it up right. I have been taking the binoculars and they help me a lot in being able to see them. Especially, I like being able to check out the costumes. My contacts were bothering me so I wore my spectacles and it’s a little more challenging to see things this way but better than going without anything!
The headpiece with the matching glitter dress were a great hit. I was told I had to wear the headpiece for Egyptian nite which will come after Safaga. I’ll see about wearing that with my Arabian belly dance costume. Of course I’ll probably be wearing a totally black outfit underneath it all as I don’t have a body suit with me.
When we got back to the room, I had Ed unzip the back of the dress. The dress fits comfortably but not tight when it’s zipped up, so I was troubled when I couldn’t get it over my hips. Of course, you automatically think of how loose I’ve been with my eating lately and then a mild panic when I consider what I’d do if I can’t get out of the dress. Then I discovered he hadn’t unzipped it all the way. Thank you, Lord.
Local color
We saw a huge oil tanker parallel to us today and at dinner they said it was shooting off it’s water cannons as an exercise I guess since it was only us in the vicinity that anyone knew. Some folks are obviously anxious about the coming transit but most of us are pretty blasé about it. One more piece of excitement to anticipate.
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