We’re back to sailing on a lake. Final sea day for a while. Several of our new friends will be leaving in two days when we reach Aukland. And we will gain some new cruisers. We met a couple today that are getting off in Aukland and rejoining us in Tiawan.
I have to tell you about some very special friends we have. Tim sent me an email this morning explaining that he and David did a security check on our house yesterdY, and everything looked great, WOW, thanks. He went on to tell me that Kim had given David a key to our house, and he thought it would be a good idea to walk through the house and make sure we didn’t leave anything on. WOW another great idea, I thought. Well, they ended their security tour at my bourbon closet. They poured themselves a healthy pour of one of my top shelf bourbons and sat down to devise a plan for future security checks. After a couple more pours, they settled on a schedule of at least once a week on an afternoon, always a different day and time in case anyone was “casing the Joint”. They also said that it shouldn’t be just them each time, that they should bring others with them each time to do these security checks because they might see something Tim and David missed. David also checked our mailbox and brought in the mail for us. With the plan in place, they locked up our house and left. I responded and asked if they washed the glasses, to which the reply was no, we kept them as mementos. I am so lucky; most people don’t ever get great friends like I do. (the names have been changed to protect their real identities).
As you all know, we are coming home early because of the unrest in the Red Sea. A couple of days ago, we got an email that Seabourn had booked our return flights. We couldn’t open it. So yesterday we went to see Rosa who is in charge of the logistics. She pulled up our flights and we were booked on KLM. We were flying from Singapore to Amsterdam, then to PORTLAND. Kim immediately objected, saying why are they flying us all the way around the world to get home. And on top of that we weren’t flying until the third, but we get off the ship on the second and they made no hotel reservations stating that we would have to make our own reservations and pay for it. We showed Rosa that there was a Singapore Airlines flight that left Singapore at 9 AM on the second and flew straight to Seattle. That’s what we wanted booked on. When we got back to the room, I told Kim that they were never going to do that flight because it was twice as expensive as the one they chose. I sent an email to Bonnie at Great Escapes Travel explaining all of this to her. She called the Seattle Headquarters of Seabourn Monday morning and was somehow able to convince them to put us on that Singapore flight. We got the last two business class seats, so we are not sitting together, but it really doesn’t matter as once you get into your little “cocoon”, you are isolated from other passengers. BOOM, ZAP, WOW. We are very happy now.
I have pretty much established a daily routine (Kim calls it a habit). I get up at, oh I guess that doesn’t matter to you. Check my emails and respond to the ones that need a response, then sit out on our veranda. At noon, Kim heads for Trivia and I head to the pool. It’s always great people watching, and again, truth is always better than comedy. At the table next to me were 4 retired gay doctors. Two were Psychologists and I didn’t catch what the others were. Their stories from their careers were hilarious! One said he had a colleague that was a gynecologist and a psychiatrist. What an interesting combination. As one said he’s a comprehensive Doctor, he deals with your head and your tail. Funny guys for sure.
Tomorrow we are in Waitangi Warf, Bay of Islands , New Zealand. Today February 6 was celebrated as the signing of the Treaty of Waingi, between the Maori people and the British Crown in 1840, it’s their Independence Day, a national holiday.
We are tendering tomorrow, so ear plugs are a must.
Tonight’s photo was taken by me sitting on my bed looking out to the veranda and beyond.
Yep, we are rocking gently today. I can’t believe how many people are complaining. Really? It’s the Ocean, I love it.
I’m concerned that when we dock in Darwin, many of our guest may just disappear. If I need to explain, Charles Darwin developed the theory of evolution and survival of the fittest. I’m afraid that some of the guests may lose what little intelligence they have. I’m not being negative, but I really can’t believe what I am hearing from other passengers.
Bullseye! We went to the Thomas (not Helen) Keller grill tonight and I told the waiter that the only thing I wanted was to not have to send my steak back. When my steak came the entire restaurant staff gathered round as I cut into my steak. Drumroll please. It was perfect! Finally, a perfect steak. I asked the host for a pen and paper and wrote the Chef a thank you note. When my note was delivered, we heard a cheer from the kitchen. Simple things make life so much better. We don’t need to get all complicated when it comes to pleasing ourselves and others. It’s not complicated, It’s just a series of simple things that makes a happy world.
Today’s picture? The Captain asked if I would take a picture of us.
Unlike our last two stops in Samoa which were mountainous and Jungle, Tonga is flat and agricultural. Reminded us both of Cozumel. Quite the change from one to the other, Kim went on a 3-hour tour that took closer to 4.5 hours, she enjoyed it. I watched the water and ships. Perfect day!
I’ll be back in 30 seconds:
Kim here 😊 My tour included a trip to the other side of the island to view blow holes. The pounding surf comes in and bursts through various sizes of holes in the coral, making some amazing spouts. There are also musical tones created and it was fun to hear – like a whistling, but a low tone. On our drive back, we stopped at a large mango tree on a city street and got out to see a few of their “flying foxes”, which are actually fruit bats. They are very large and have heads that look like foxes. I caught one unfolding his wings on video – very fun.
You’re probably getting tired of me boasting about the crew, but something happened today that even blew me away. Apparently, I regularly grab an empty chair and turn it so I can rest my arm on it. Today I sat down and one of the servers brought me an extra chair for my arm. You have got to be kidding, they don’t miss anything. Kim asked for some potato chips one evening, so now every evening they deliver a bowl of chips to our room. Is that service or what? They have never told us that they cannot do that.
February 4, 2024
Day one of three consecutive days at sea. We got up this morning and immediately noticed the humidity had dropped. It was a very pleasant 80 degrees with little or no humidity. The sun is getting up earlier and going down later each day too. Just another day in paradise. The days just seem to zoom by and today Kim said she is enjoying sea days. What more could I ask for?
Before dinner tonight, they had a cocktail hour for world cruisers only. They spared no expense. Champagne, caviar, hors d’oeuvres, ships officers and the works. They spoil us. For dinner tonight we (I) chose a Japanese menu. All was fantastic, but the Lobster tempura was over the top!
In a half an hour we are going to a comedy show, I so hope he is funny. We’ll see. Well, he was funny, but our Cruise Director stole the show by telling us that sometimes the guests are funnier than anyone. He said he overheard a guest telling her friend that they were going to the Helen Keller Steakhouse that night. For background, all the food served on board is under the direction of the famous chef THOMAS Keller. Not Helen. Then he told us he got into a fairly crowded elevator and a man accidently brushed his elbow into a woman’s breast. He apologized and said if the rest of your body is as soft as your breast, I know you will find it your heart to forgive me. To which she replied I’m not sure about that, but if the rest of your body is as hard as your elbow, I’m in Cabin 429! Now that’s funny. Good Night.
Even rainy sea days are wonderful. We woke up to a blustery day, rain, wind and oh wait 82 degrees. It’s not like a rainy day we all picture.
We listened to Heidi, our astronaut, talk about her second trip to the space station, including how they pooped and peed. She told us that all waste including human wastes were turned into drinking water, and how they made their coffee out of it. I controlled my tongue, but I wanted to say “Oh, so when you say this coffee tastes like piss, you really know what you’re talking about?”
And then the General talked about West Point and its graduates. It was interesting also.
The afternoon turned dry and partly cloudy, so we enjoyed our usual day at the pool (in the shade). Every night there are 5 dinning venues, we chose the patio for tonight because of the menu. As soon as we sat down, the heavens opened up and we had another downpour. We were under cover so all was well.
I keep forgetting to tell you about the huge Starkest tuna processing plant that was across the bay from our dock in American Samoa and the gigantic fishing boats that were docked there. We eat home canned tuna, but next time you go to the market, check where starkest tuna is canned.
Tomorrow, Tonga. Will I post from there or not? Check in…..
