WCB

Report #110 Thursday April 18, 2024 Day #2 Of 3 In Cape Town, South Africa Docked Port Side To Pier Overnight Till 11pm On April 19, 2024 Fog Clearing To Sunny Skies 68 Degrees Part #1 Of 6......62 Pictures--Dressy Night Looking out the window early this morning, we could not see a thing beyond the railing. Yep, the fog had come in thicker than yesterday. You would never know that Table Mountain or Signal Hill were there, let alone the city towers. And the ship had not moved to the closer berth at 6am as expected. Our guess is that the port had shut down again, and perhaps the Virgin cruise ship never left the slip at berth E. By 10am, the fog thinned out and we coud see the mountains again. It happened to be a special day for one of us…another birthday to celebrate. There was a Happy Birthday note on our door, compliments of the folks at Guest Services. Also a blue balloon was taped on the mail slot. After breakfast, there were more surprises in our room such as a four-tiered towel and colored napkin cake, made by our clever room stewards Putu and Dedi. Along with several cards, there was a gift from Shiv, our Head of Housekeeping which was much appreciated. Arriving next was a decorated chocolate cupcake and a card from Captain Friso. As if this was not enough, later in the day, two small gifts were delivered…..one from the Technical Team and the other from the Nautical Team. If you all recall, these were gifts from the first birthday back in January. The tech team sent a hand-made plaque with Happy Birthday on it, and the nautical team sent a woven black bracelet and the noon’s ship’s coordinates of Latitude 33 degrees 55’ S and Longitude 018degrees and 26’ E. The nautical team sent a message saying may your year ahead be filled with exciting adventures, smooth seas, and thrilling discoveries. And the tech team said may your day be as smooth as our engines, as thrilling as our propellers, and as unforgettable as the open sea. Here’s to setting sail on another incredible year. Yes, the beginning of another year was off to a good start. Thanks to all. At 9:30am there was a different type of ship drill. This was a test of the room speakers as well as the veranda speakers. The TV feed was stopped for one full hour as music was filtered through all of the ship’s speakers. It was soft music that was rather pleasant as we caught up on some computer work and reports. Our room steward came and checked to see if our speakers were all working. We thanked him and Dedi for doing such a great job with the “towel cake”. It was no sense going off of the ship too early since the V & A Marketplace would not open until later. We left the ship around 10:30am and caught a shuttle which was running on the half hour. In fact, today there were several shuttles, not just two. They were nice and roomy too. The ride to the mall complex took perhaps 15 minutes. The V & A Marketplace is one of the city’s biggest attractions. There are 500 retail stores, 80 eateries, 22 heritage sights, a food market, and live entertainment. Some of the shops on the outside of the mall are the Watershed, where arts, crafts, and African clothing are plentiful. From this complex, you can access the ferry to Robben Island where Mandela spent 18 years incarcerated. Or you can visit the Aquarium for 235 rand or make a visit to the museum for 250 rand. The Flywheel was 250 rand as well and was running all day. We have been to this complex several times over the years, but every time we visit, it is an easy place to get lost. This time we went to the info desk and got a nice printout of the two levels of the mall. There are five entrances on the ground level and all head in different directions. One of us is still trying hard to find a replacement pair of black sandals to wear at dinnertime. It has become almost impossible task to find such a simple item. We did look at just about every shoe shop and found nothing that would work. If you cannot find it here, you’ll never find it anywhere. So we might as well wait until we go home and shop locally. Or online. Honestly, we are not huge fans of malls, but there was a reward at the end of the tunnel. And that was lunch. Doing some research, we located a wood-fired pizza restaurant right here in the mall. It was located on level two and the name was Col’Cacchio. We did inquire first about what type of credit cards they accepted. Am Ex was one of them. If not, we would go to a money changer and buy some rand, which we did anyway before we left. Arriving at 12:30pm, we were lucky to get a nice patio table for two on the railing overlooking the bay beyond the parking lot. We could hear several foghorns sounding from many ships that were still buried in the pea soup fog offshore. And here we were, sitting in the sun which was so nice. We ordered two Castle light draft beers to begin, and then put together a cheesy Margherita pizza with toppings of pepperoni, mushrooms, and onions. Minced fresh jalapeno peppers, garlic, and extra cheese were added to our table. And it did add some heat to the pizza. Wood-fired makes all the difference between a good pizza or a fantastic one. Today’s pizza was close to perfect. Afterwards, we ordered two desserts. One was a warm brownie with vanilla ice cream, and the second one was a caramel sauced plates of three crepes sprinkled with slivered almonds. We shared and liked both of them equally. Now the good part. With three large beers, pizza, and dessert, the bill came to a little under $30 USD and that was with an extra tip. Unbelievable, but nice. It was close to 3pm, so we decided to head back to the ship. We could save the rest of this complex for tomorrow. We wondered if the ship had moved in the time we were gone. Both of us guessed “no”. And we were correct. Captain Friso came on the speakers and said that he would move the ship when the Virgin Resilient Lady leaves the harbor. He moved the Zuiderdam by 5:15pm and docked at Berth E by 5:45pm. The same seal from yesterday, we assume, swam around the azipod section of the aft while we pushed away from the pier. The gangway was set up, and many guests who had been waiting at this pier came back onboard. This location will work better for us because we do not need to depend on taking the shuttles. We can walk since it is a safe place these days. Directly across from our veranda was the Cape Town Cruise Terminal. On the second level of the building was a restaurant by the name of Beluga Wine Restaurant where many folks were watching the ship being docked. Some of the guests were people we know that like this venue. It is an open-air restaurant, and we could still smell the aroma of something foul in the air. We had noticed the smell ever since we had docked two days ago and discovered the culprit was the cargo of a commercial ship nearby. It sure smelled like dried fish, which eventually permeated the ship via the gangway. It could also be a type of fertilizer too. Whatever the source, we will not be free of it until we leave late tonight unfortunately. Dinnertime arrived and this evening was a “dressy” one. Why? Because it was the anniversary of HAL’s 151st Anniversary. Compared to last year’s extravaganza, it was low-key this time. Most folks did dress for the occasion, but many still showed up in t-shirts and jeans. Oh well, it is a port day and it would have been a casual night any other time. The menu had several different choices, but we had the basic shrimp cocktails, salads and the rack of lamb, which was excellent. We had hoped that the birthday boy had escaped the song and cake, but we were wrong. The waiters gathered and sang a loud song and then served a large multi-layered cake smothered with whipped cream. We asked for a small slice, then donated the rest to our waiters. It was a nice and very sweet way to end the special day. One more full day in Cape Town, and we will be on our way to Namibia. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #109 Wednesday April 17, 2024 Cape Town, South Africa Day #1 Of 3 Docked Port Side To Pier 2pm Today Till 11pm On April 19,2024 Dense Fog And Wind Delayed Our Arrival Part #1 Of 2.....66 Pictures--Casual Dress It seemed that not everything went as planned today. Beginning with the weather for instance. When we went to breakfast, it was overcast, but we could see blue skies above the clouds. It was chilly, but it appeared the sun would come out. Well, by the time we got back to our room, we saw the visibility was getting less and less. There was supposed to be a sail-in commentary at 11am by Kimberly and it was to be heard in the Crow’s Nest as well as all outside decks. And as always, it would be broadcasted on the Bow Channel on TV. Even the Bow was going to be opened as early as 9am, but that was the first activity cancelled due to dense fog and high winds. The fog was so thick it was like a light shower. Sure reminded us of San Francisco where the fog can be described as “pea soup” - mostly in the summertime. The fog horn needed to be sounded every few minutes. It was eerie to hear horns coming from several nearby vessels, and even scarier since we could not see them at all. It was decided not to have the commentary on the outside decks, since no one was going outside in this weather anyway. The TV feed did not happen, but we understand if you went to the Crow’s Nest, you would hear Kimberly’s commentary. There was an advertised wine and complimentary cheese selection in the Crow’s Nest at the same time. By accident? We highly doubt that, because it was an opportunity to sell wine, even if was only 11am. It’s 5 o’clock somewhere, right? The next thing to go wrong happened to be the fact that due to the dangerous conditions, the Zuiderdam had to stop outside the harbor and wait until the fog lifted. The port had been closed to ship traffic. We do know from past experiences that the wind can cause the port to shut down, so this did not surprise us. It was just yesterday that Captain Friso had mentioned he was going to try and get docked an hour earlier. At that time, there was no prediction of blinding dense fog. This weather situation in this area can turn on a dime. So we waited. Our scheduled docking was 12pm, so when the tug appeared at the aft of the ship, we knew we might be on our way. And we were but it was more like 1:15pm by then. Now the funny thing was once we got out of the fog bank, it was perfectly clear in the harbor and the city. Even Table Mountain and Signal Peak were visible, with only some fog laying in the canyon between them. Now if it stays this way all day, we will be most lucky. We were eventually docked at the Cape Town Cruise Terminal Berth L, which was quite a long way from the actual terminal. Tomorrow morning, we will move closer to Berth E, where we always dock. There was another cruise ship, The Virgin, who was scheduled to have a turn-around cruise from here today. We expected them to be in the berth already, but they must have come in after we did. The ship was cleared upon arrival, and the tour groups went off first. Their buses were lined up and waiting. However, another snafu of the day were the complimentary shuttles that were supposed to be there as well. They arrived at 3pm, although the line of guests were out there waiting for an hour, despite the fact it was announced not to be in a hurry to get off. We watched as several people left the line and went to seek out a taxi or van to town. We decided to stay onboard and not wait in the long line for the shuttle. After the ship moves tomorrow, we can walk to the Victoria and Albert Waterfront Complex and forget the bus. So here’s a bit of info on Cape Town, one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Flat-topped and aptly named, Table Mountain dominates the city with its cable car and walking trails. There are beaches (watch for the great whites), wine estates, and the V&A Waterfront Complex with a modern mall. Cape Town has undergone an urban renewal and has added world class restaurants, modern food markets, and arcades for all ages. This has replaced a once industrial neighborhood near the harbor. Hard to believe that 5 million people live here surrounded by 17th century buildings from the Dutch and British. In Kimberly’s talk, she separated the different areas to see. There is the immediate area, which we will see tomorrow and the following day, the Central Business District, the Bo-Kaap district, and the Cape of Good Hope. All of these are too far to walk, so she suggested public transportation or taxis and Ubers. Ship excursions were numerous beginning with Chapman’s Peak Scenic Drive for 3 hours and $80 or Stellenbosch Winery with wine tasting for 4 ½ hours at $110. A trip up Table Mountain was 3 ½ hours for $130, or for the same price were the Ostrich Farm and Wine for 4 ¾ hours. Another one at the same price was Streetwires and Old Biscuit Mill for 4 ½ hours. Sundowners on Signal Hill was $150 for 2 ½ hours and High Tea at Mt. Nelson Hotel was $160 for 3 hours. Cape Town Apartheid and Robben Island was $190 for 8 ¾ hours, while the Winelands was $200 for 8 hours. Penguins and Kalk Bay was $260 for 4 ¼ hours and Amazing Aquila (a day safari) was 9 hours for $370. Last was a romantic dinner for two at a fancy restaurant was $589 for 5 ¼ hours which included two drinks. Most of these tours would be offered the next two days too. There was an invitation in our mail slot for an exclusive private kitchen tour on April 29th at 10:30am. Mini-health forms have to be filled out declaring we are disease-free. When we sailed on the Volendam’s Tales of the South Pacific last fall, the entire guest population was invited without any health forms. Guess things have changed since then which is a good thing. This evening there was an activity called “Once Upon A Time”, which sure sounded like fairy tales we heard when we were kids. Well, it turned out to be close to that. When making a trip to the Dive-In Grill we saw all of the lounges gone and “beds” replacing them. Not really beds, but wicker lounges with blankets and large pillows. Really? There were three story-telling times with different themes. They guaranteed mystical sounds, smokey sights, and bedroom settings in the Lido Pool area. And for a special touch, there would be freshly-baked cookies, popcorn, adult hot beverages, or something stronger. Sleepwear was encouraged - what are they thinking? Well whatever works, we are sure some folks will love it. The younger group of kids certainly will. The event began at 7pm and ran until 10:30pm. By the way, that was the entertainment tonight. We expected most of the diners around us at dinnertime would be off of the ship, but only two couples were missing. Starting with salads and a starter of chicken skewers, one of us ordered the Club Orange short ribs and the other had the favorite Bolognese spaghetti. It was so good and hot as could be. One scoop of chocolate chip ice cream was just enough, as was one cup of coffee. There were two “vintage” canvas tote bags with the HAL’s 150th Anniversary printed on them. Perhaps no one will notice that this year is the 151st. Regardless, they are useful in many ways. Tomorrow we shall go exploring. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #108 Tuesday April 16, 2024 Day At Sea Enroute To Cape Town, South Africa Sunny With Clouds 70 Degrees 87% Humidity 28mph Following Winds 6' Swell Rolling Motion....Part #1 Of 1.....27 Pictures Today started differently than any other day on this cruise so far. That’s because we had full muster drill, something we have not had to do for several years now. Captain Friso had forewarned us yesterday that a full-scale guest muster drill was being mandated by the powers to be in Seattle. So at 10am, we had an announcement to assemble on deck three where the general emergency alarm was sounded. We were directed to our muster stations where we had our room keys scanned. No life jackets were required. So the drill proceeded just like it used to with all of us standing at attention for about 15 minutes or more. What was different was the fact the ship was moving and it was difficult to stand for very long. This is a new safety requirement mandated for periodic implementation. After Captain Friso read his instructions, the group dispersed. We always used to wait until the thundering herd was gone, and that’s what we did today. It was a good time to chat with friends and discussing the last couple of ports and what we all did. Anyway, now that we have done this drill, we sure hope we don’t have to do it again. From what we understand these drills have to occur once a month, and we do not have a month left. Where has the time gone??? Kimberly delivered her talk on Cape Town, which we shall watch tomorrow morning. We do not arrive to Cape Town until after noontime, and the nice thing is we will have a scenic sail into the port. It has been years since we have been on the ship to sail this part of South Africa. So it is a treat to be doing it, especially since this part of the cruise was not planned. The weather has been cooperating with fairly smooth seas, some swell, like 6 feet, and pretty clear skies. Early in the morning and the early evening, it has been actually chilly. Today’s temperatures were in the 70’s and we did enjoy some pool time around noon. There were a few more sun lovers out there as well as folks eating lunch in the fresh air. We kept an eye for birds and flying fish during our walk, but only saw some gannets. These birds behave differently here, since they do not seem to dive for the fish. It is possible they catch their food like small squid and other small fish from the crests of the waves. Instead of coming close to the decks of the ship, they stayed a good distance away from us. Hoping for a sighting of dolphins, we were disappointed not to see any. This evening we got some shots of a speedy sunset before 6pm. The clouds that we had while traveling in the area of the Equator have disappeared. Tonight we had mostly clear skies, and nothing for the sunset to light up. The sun simply went down rapidly and was gone. A little after-color remained, but that was all. There was a “Braai”, a South African grill-dinner in the Lido Restaurant from the usual time of 5:30 to 8pm. They served sausages and skewers of cooked meats along with other African-themed goodies. Our dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill for their regular dinner. No pop-ups tonight. We ordered our favorite wedge salads with extra dressings. We always save some of the garlicky dressing for dipping French fries. Both of us had two strips of clothesline bacon right on our plates. Our mains were the same – grilled lamb chops on a plate without the sides of parsnip swipes and whatever. We added one order of skinny fires and a bowl of sauteed mushrooms. We said no to the chocolate candy, but did order one Almost Baked Alaska to share. It was more than enough. No room for a cup of coffee. By the way, we got a report that most of the coffee machines are broken. There are only a few places to get the specialty coffees until the machines are fixed. There was a tribute to Tina Turner in the World Stage this evening. It was a special performance by entertainer N’Dygo and the band. She celebrated the music of the Queen of Rock and Roll. A half day at sea will take us to Cape Town, a most wonderful city to visit. Bill & Mary Ann

Greetings fellow readers! No sign of the "pool clip" lady. Perhaps they have moved to the Lido Pool where she can impress more folks. What a lovely poem.....many thanks for the kind thoughts. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #107 Monday April 15, 2024 Durban, South Africa Docked Port Side To Pier 7am-5pm Overcast With Showers And Some Sun 20mph Wind 79% Humidity 75 Degrees Part #1 Of 3....66 Pictures---Casual Dress PC Dinner One of us woke up to a powerful lightning and thunder display around 2am last night. Even with the drapes closed tight, the bright flash of the lightning lit up our room. Of course, one of us had to crack the drapes open more and watch it , until it put me to sleep. Since we seldom have that kind of storm where we live, it was rather exciting. And it wasn’t long afterwards, that the pilot came onboard from a helicopter drop around 4am. We slept through that one. By the time we woke up, we were already docked portside across from the Nelson Mandela Cruise Terminal. The warnings about walking out of this terminal area were numerous. Kimberly mentioned the dangers of walking out of this port in her talk a few days ago, and it was announced several times today. Looking at the surrounding buildings, we could not imagine it was that dangerous. But we do recall some folks that had been attacked and robbed here several years ago. We would follow the advice and stick to the shuttle transfer. We went to breakfast as usual until it was time to go through the passport inspection and stamping which began after 7am. This was done in the terminal by deck numbers beginning with decks 8 and 10. By 9am, our deck was called where we joined the Disneyland line of folks waiting to see the officials. The line moved slowly, but picked up when Captain Friso showed up. We got the distinct impression that there were some grumpy guests that were complaining. We remember the feeling of anxiety when you have a taxi waiting for you to go to the airport for an overland safari. And here you are, stuck in a long line. Part of the hold-up was due to the fact that the crew members were being filtered into the line. In order to get the guests cleared quicker, Captain Friso had the crew held back, letting the guests get to their tours. Once our passports were scanned and stamped, we went back onboard and waited to get off after 10am. Another drill was in progress by then, and we were tired of hearing the horn blown and the loud announcements occurring every few minutes. The shuttles were waiting outside the terminal exit, and we were on our way to uShaka Marine World, which turned out to be a 10 minute ride for 1.7 miles. We assumed this was a water park, but we were pleasantly surprised to find it was also a semi-outdoor mall with unique shops and plenty of eateries. We had run into Jacques, who was also here and recommended a restaurant that was located in an old ship called the Cargo Hold. What none of us knew was that all of the waterpark including the ship restaurant were closed on Monday. But there were plenty of other options and dozens of shops and boutiques to check out. We found that most of the venues took Visa or Mastercard, but not all took American Express. And because the ship did not sell African rand, we had no cash to spend. There were two or more ATM’s in this complex, but had heard stories of guests losing their cards in them. No way would we chance that. One of the shop owners suggested we visit the tobacco shop where they were selling rand. A long line was outside that store, so we passed on the idea. There was nothing we really needed except lunch. We did do window shopping and found the prices of the local souvenirs were reasonable. There were no high end stores, but many local shops selling African products and clothing. We guess that half of the stores and restaurants did take American Express. One exception where Am Ex was not taken was a nicer place that served pizza. When we found the Cargo Hold closed, we ended up at John Dory’s and found their food to be just fine. Seated at a table by the window facing the beach, we ordered two local beers of Castle Light. One of us had the hake and calamari plate and the other had a BBQ chicken breast - both of which came with chips (fries). We added a shared dessert of cheesecake, a layered chocolate cake, a custard and a bit of ice cream. With a tip, the bill came to $28.00 or 531.00 rand. Once again, reasonable like in Maputo. Where else in the world can you get a pint of draft beer for the equivalent of $2.60? We had the view of the Golden Mile, a beachfront with several high end hotels. We could see a wide paved walkway for the entire length of the beach, but once you left the uShaka property, you were game for all of the vendors that chase you with things to buy. We did notice when some of these vendors came too close to the exit of uShaka, cops were there to send them on their way. It would have been a good walk, but decided against it. The wind was blowing and we would have been blasted with sand. Going back the way we came, we checked out more shops and did stop at the info center to pick up local maps and brochures with all sorts of helpful information. The shuttle bus came on the ½ hour, and arrived shortly after we got there. Many crew members had come here too, so they filled ½ of the bus. On the way back, we did see some buildings that were in shambles, and also spotted some homeless-like guys hiding behind the walls. This is where guests could be blind-sided and get attacked. Oddly enough, there were no local people out and about on any street near the terminal. We got back to the ship in 7 minutes and in our room by 2pm. So what did a lot of people do today? The ship’s tours all went out of town except for three of them – the scenes of Durban for 3 ½ hours for $100 , or Arts and Spice for 3 hours and $80. A panoramic drive around Durban was 3 ½ hours for $70. Two tours for $140 were the Nelson Mandela capture site and Howick Falls for 5 hours. The Valley of 1000 Hills was 4 hours for $140 and Monkeyland Sanctuary was $130 for 5 hours. A popular day safari (one of which we have done) was to Tala Game Reserve for 5 hours and $220. Four overlands went from Durban one of which was to Kapama Karula for 3 nights four days for $5400. Another chance to see Victoria Falls, Botswana and Chobe for 4 nights and 5 days was $6800. Leopard Mountain Lodge for 3 nights and 4 days was $3200, and Phinda Lodge for 3 nights and four days was $4500. All of these prices were per person. Ouch! And all of these overlands were sold out on day one. Here’s a tidbit of info on South Africa. The population is 54 million and there are three capitals: Pretoria, Cape Town and Bloemfontein. There are numerous official languages which include Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, English, Swati, Tsonga, South Sotho, North Sotho, Tswana, Venda, and Ndebele. And probably there are more. This is a country of astounding diversities with two oceans, black-maned lions, desert dunes, powdery beaches, star-studded skies and lush mountains. It is a wonderful place to visit. If you wish to see the Big 5 (lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and Cape buffalo) then South Africa is for you. The best safari destination that we would highly recommend has to be any one of the cool safari camps in and around Kruger National Park. It is 217 miles long and over 37 miles wide with 19,485 square kilometers – a staggering size. The winelands have become like a religion here due to the perfect growing conditions. World class vines are produced in this region. The holy trinity of wineries is Stellenbosch, Francschoek, and Paarl. To understand this country is to learn the history of apartheid and civil war and Nelson Mandela. Currently we have speakers onboard that have covered these subjects in depth. If nothing else, if the mistakes of the past are remembered, then perhaps they will not be repeated. Famous words that apply from the past and into the future we hope. All aboard was 4:30pm, but as always, some folks were late coming back from tours, and we did not leave until closer to 5pm. Captain Friso sounded concerned about the winds, which were blowing from 25 to 30 knots or more. The swells were expected at 6 feet with waves being the same. We could tell the wind was having an effect on the ship as it was pulled away from the pier. Once the bow was lined up with the exit, it was the pedal to the metal. Now the exciting thing was we had a pilot who was taken off of the Seaview Pool deck, and the most exciting fact was our local pilot was a woman. We watched as the copter circled the ship several times before dropping the rope with the sling to pull her up. At the party, Bob showed us video he took as the lift was happening. What a job to have…..we all gave her credit for being brave doing a job like that. Of course we were all thinking how glad we were not to have that type of career. Once we cleared the opening, we were off heading towards to Cape Town 840 nautical miles away. We did have a few brief passing showers, but nothing bad. We had an invite to a President’s Club Vintage Dinner at the Pinnacle Grill with the officers and staff. Cocktails started off the occasion in the Pinnacle Bar at 5:30pm. Usually these affairs begin at 6:30pm, but for some reason, it was earlier. It worked out perfectly because we did not miss the sail away, which we have not done for many years. We always fly from Durban for a safari. Captain Friso was a no-show for cocktails and dinner, but he did send the Staff Captain, Babek, to join the group. He had joined the two of us and Martha and Bob at a stand-up table for cocktails, then he was seated with us and five others at the table for 8 in the Pinnacle Grill. He is a very nice young fellow, still in his forties, like Captain Friso. We did enjoy his company and we hope he liked the seven of us “old-timers”. Captain Friso was supposed to host us, but he was obviously driving the ship and never appeared. The menu was agreeable to most everyone, especially the allergy-prone one of us. We had a choice of a shrimp cocktail or a chef’s salad. We chose the salad with our own favorite dressings and it was quite good for a change. French onion soup followed, then there was a choice of mains with Dover sole or filet steak Diane. We both chose the steak, as did our tablemates Colette and Serge from Montreal. From seeing the bones some folks encountered with the sole, we knew we made the better choice. Dessert was a choice of crepes suzette or the long-gone volcano cake. Most all of us ordered the volcano. Fine wines were served throughout the meal, although we did not drink as always. The gathering ended about 8:30pm, although some of the folks stayed until 10pm chatting the night away, even after their hosts had departed. The singing group from Africa, Shades of Africa” put on a show with traditional music in the World Stage, but we were so beat from the long day in town, we turned in early. Tomorrow will be a day at sea before arriving to Cape Town at 1pm the following day. Looking forward to the 2 ½ day visit there. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #106 Sunday April 14, 2024 Sea Day Enroute To Durban, South Africa Clouds With Rain Showers Some Sun 75 Degrees 71% Humidity 20mph Wind Rough Seas 12' Swell Part #1 Of 1......... No Pictures---Casual Dress We had a much needed day at sea to kick back and relax. There were only four of us in the Pinnacle Grill for breakfast when the doors opened. Most folks slept in later, or they were on one of the overland trips. Now one would think the service would be excellent, but that’s not always the case. The waiters and waitresses that work in here alternate between here and the Neptune Lounge. When the two girls are not here, things do not seem to go as smoothly. For instance, we can give our order to one waiter who takes notes. When the breakfast arrives, another waiter serves it, not knowing what you had ordered. They never hang around long enough for us to tell them the English muffins were missing, like this morning. We did eventually get them, but only after we had eaten most of our meal. No explanation, because the muffins were brought to us by another waiter who was new. Yes, we know it is a fine point and the world won’t stop, but we think their method of serving needs some attention. We keep hearing that the decision to operate in this fashion is a corporate thing and probably will not change, even if it is questioned by the Hotel Director. We had a day’s worth of photos to process and reports to be composed, so that kept us busy off and on most of the day. We took the time for a morning walk, and found that there was another awards meeting with the waiters and cooks was being held in the upper dining room after 10am. We do know that the positive comments made by the guests regarding service in every dining venue is rewarded somehow. And when we leave a message regarding service from our room stewards and waiters, we are thanked within hours of submitting the remarks. So someone is listening. The motion of the ship has become a problem. Not only are we pitching and bobbing like a cork in a tub, but we are experiencing vibration from waves getting under the ship when it raises out of the water. It makes one heck of a racket too. We watched during our walk as the deep swells reached the ship and caused the shuddering. Reminds us of an earthquake. We all had one job to do this morning and that was picking up our passports on each passenger deck. We went at 9:45am and the line moved quickly. We will need these tomorrow when we get checked by the locals in the cruise terminal. It is not a zero-clearance day, so that means we will be able to go back on the ship and get off when we wish. Those who will be going on over lands will need to take them when they leave for their tour. It was a very overcast and dreary day, until the sun began peeking through. We did get some time at the Seaview Pool, and were joined for a while by Greg. We had to laugh because it appeared he was scanning the decks looking for the strange couple before coming back to us. None of us wants a repeat performance or confrontation from the lady. Captain Friso came on for his noon talk, reminding us of the procedure that would happen tomorrow with docking and customs and immigrations. The pilot will be dropped from a helicopter on the aft deck sometime around 4 or 5am. It goes without saying that no one will be allowed back there, and we are banned from using cameras and flash lights to see the happenings. These can be blinding for the pilot, which most people do not know. Lunch was two Dive In burgers with fries after 2pm. There is seldom a line of folks waiting there, and the service is swift. This has worked out well and we use the Dive In at least twice a week for lunch. Today the noise overhead from the closed retractable cover was making an awful racket. Thinking the roof would fall down, most all of the folks in the lounges and chairs and tables never flinched. And for the first time, we noticed that one side of this pool area has one row of lounges, while the opposite side is filled with tables and chairs. There was also one row of lounges behind the two Jacuzzis. This was also a good time to do some Durban research after seeing where the shuttle drops us tomorrow. It has been so long since we stayed in this city, we do not recall seeing any of the malls. This has always been the drop-off for safaris to Kruger for us and many others. Tomorrow it will be just another port to explore and will be fine with us. We went to take some sunset pictures at our later walk, but the sun was gone. No sign of it setting. The timing was off due to the fact we have been dropping south rapidly. Besides being rough and difficult to walk, it was also getting dark. Time to get ready for dinner. One of us made a run to the front desk to see about buying some South African Rand. However, they were not selling it. We recalled that they only sold Japanese Yen and the Singapore dollars. We had hoped that Rand was available, but the only other currency was Euro. They said that they did not deal with Bank of America anymore for the money exchange. Good to know if anyone is planning on coming on a long voyage, and you don’t want to search for money exchangers on shore. There was not a lot to choose from this evening, so we had our usual salads and shrimp cocktails with extra red sauce. One of us had the alternate chicken while the other had the alternate lasagna. One of the chefs as well as some of his cooks have been entering the dining room to chat with guests. Hari, the chef, asked if our dinners have been served hot and was pleased when we said yes…very hot. We sure hope the seas calm down tonight as we get closer to Durban, South Africa. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #105 Saturday April 13, 2024 Maputo, Mozambique Docked Starboard Side To Pier 8am-4:30pm Sunny With Clouds 75 Degrees 68% Humidity 5mph Wind ....Part #1 Of 6......... 66 Pictures---Casual Dress The Zuiderdam arrived to the bay outside of Maputo, Mozambique early this morning, but had to wait for the pilot who was running late. We ended up docking shortly after 8am, starboard side to the pier. We had the much better view by not looking at the dilapidated pier and nearby buildings. The skies were very overcast and it sure felt like rain. Captain Friso mentioned that heavy rains had been falling here two days ago, so the forecast today was for sun and blue skies. Eventually the clouds parted and it warmed up to the high 70’s. It was surprisingly comfortable and far less humid. And no rain all day. After breakfast we went out on deck three to watch the anxious groups of folks going overland on safaris. Some of those tours were Lukimbi Safari Lodge for 4 nights, five days for $6839 per person. A longer tour for 5 nights and 6 days went to Kruger Shalati and the Train Lodge for $5900 per person. A very fun one that we have done was Victoria Falls, Botswana and Chobe for 4 nights and 5 days was $6200 per person. These tours were offered shortly after the itinerary changed, and they were sold out the same day. Anyway, we heard that about 71 guests took these overlands. More will go off in Durban. Here are a few facts about this country in Africa. Mozambique has a population of 25.3 million people that speak mostly Portuguese and some English. The capital is Maputo, our port of call today. Mozambique is a country of beaches, swaying palms, and unique traditions and culture. But it is also a third world country, where you have the very wealthy and the very poor. The city itself has a mix of Mediterranean-style architecture with wide avenues lined with jacarandas and flame trees. The city has a population of 1.1 million folks. There was a civil war in 1992 and ever since the economy has grown quickly. Their money is called Mozambique Metical and as of today, the rate was 64.16 to the US $1. Not all credit cards are accepted. The one that is widely used is Visa. Forget the Am Ex. It is customary to include a 10% tip. And taxis can be tricky as some are metered, and some are not. They accept cash only. And they do take the US dollars just about everywhere. During her talk, Kimberly warned us of possible pickpockets at the bus line outside the Central Railway Station. One of the cruise ships that was here recently had some problems with street crime. In our opinion, this is not the place to go off walking on your own. We used to do it, but these days are different. This is also a country that believe in spirit mediums, diviners, and witch doctors with animist beliefs. This group is an important part of society as much as regular doctors we read. Their food leans more towards the Portuguese cuisine, with piri-piri, a chili pepper spice. Coconut milk is in everything as well as served fresh. A staple called xima or upshwa is a starch made from corn or cassava flour. It is served with beans, veggies, or fish. Grilled chicken is cheap and easy to find served with chips or rice. Matapa is stuffed cassava leaves with peanut sauce and prawns. Other shorter excursions were offered today such as Maputo city and sun with lunch for $220 and 5 ½ hours. Discover Maputo was 5 hours for $180, while a taste of Maputo was 2 ½ hours for $140. Maputo sights was 3 hours for $100 and a walk though Maputo was 2 ½ hours for $60. One good thing was that we had complimentary shuttles to the Feima Market, a 3 mile ride from the pier. We left the ship about halfway through the crew safety drill around 10am. It was quite a long walk from the gangway to the terminal building, which was nothing more than a large pass-through shopping opportunity. There was mostly art work, waxed fabrics, some clothing and trinkets. On our way into this building, we passed by a lady and her husband who were already on their way back to the ship with one of the vendors on their heels. They had admired a painting, and the vendor chased them outside trying to persuade them to buy it. We guessed they had changed their minds, and ended up running back to the ship at a fast rate. We would have to remember this when we come back and not touch or point to anything we were not interested in buying. There were four small buses running every ½ hour to the Feima Market. The drive could take up to 20 minutes if there was heavy traffic. This morning, it took maybe 15 minutes. This market is located in the fairgrounds and is quite large. It was not a food market, but more arts and crafts. There were dozens of woven bowls and even more handbags made with the heavy batik prints. Paintings were hanging on the fencing – one stall after another with similar scenes. One of our buddies said she bought one a few years ago, and it cost her plenty to have it framed. There were all sorts of clever trinkets, all hand made here. We did negotiate a price for three sets of African earrings made with wood and batik fabric. We spent as much time browsing as we did chatting with people we knew. One happened to be Christel who was out and about on her own. Having had the job of Guest Relations Manager for many years, she is loving the freedom she has now that she is a wife onboard. She was all excited about going as an escort on HAL’s overland from Durban to Victoria Falls, Chobe, and Botswana. A first time for her, she will enjoy every minute. We know we did when we went there in 2009. Too bad husband Henk cannot go as well. Maybe when he retires….. We crossed paths with Greg and his tablemates also exploring the marketplace. Ginni was in “shopper’s heaven”, so the group was there to stay for a while. Two of the fellows went for beer at the central café, while the other two roamed around trying to recall where Ginni saw some trinkets she wanted. Truthfully, most all of the stalls looked identical. Greg had mentioned a fabulous hotel near this market, and knowing us well, he suggested we make a visit there. Martha had also told us she and Bob had eaten lunch there a few years ago. After thoroughly walking the market, we wandered down the side street to the Polana Serena Hotel, a blast from the past, much like Raffles in Singapore. Doing some research online, we figured this was the only place we would try for lunch, even though an HAL tour group was stopping there for a buffet lunch. And we were pleasantly surprised to see such a nice colonial hotel as we were welcomed into the lobby by a doorman. Passing through the marble-clad lobby, we entered the garden area with a stunning view of the coastline. Their spacious swimming pool was right in the center of the garden. We did walk to the wall where we could look down and see the terraced rooftops of the high-end part of town. The more we thought about it, we realized we could have been here briefly while on a tour many years ago. We noticed that it appeared there was a wedding pending sometime today. Turned out it was right after noon time. Following the signs and Martha’s directions, we located the patio of the garden restaurant Aquarius. It was almost hidden to the left of the hotel looking from the garden and water side. We asked the wait staff if they took credit cards, and they said yes, but not American Express. Then we added would they accept US dollars and the answer was yes. This was good news, so we took a seat in a corner, and noticed Bob and Martha were already there in the other corner. Eventually all of the tables filled with guests. We ordered two local draft beers called Mac Mahan and one cheeseburger with fries to share. The beer was really good and ice cold as well. It was plenty, but we did add a dessert of three custards and a brownie. Sitting and taking in the view was the best part. By the time we decided to move on, the wedding party had arrived and were congregating under the pergola that faced the ocean. What a stunning scene with all of the ladies and bride dressed fancy for the occasion. There were white-covered chairs assembled under the pergola so we suspected the ceremony would take place there. Then we saw two waiters bringing a three-layer wedding cake down the stairs towards the pool. We noticed the table was tipping, then we saw a chunk of frosted cake with a decoration fall off the top. Oh no….none of the wedding party had seen it, and the hotel staff quickly picked it up. How they hid the missing piece was a mystery to us. Anyway, it was a wonderful place to visit and enjoy a 5 star meal. The ship’s tour group was just arriving when we left, and they were directed to the buffet which was served inside one of the hotel restaurants. It was a short walk up the side street where we joined a waiting shuttle. There were two seats left, but they were in the front of the van. This is where we realized having long legs can be problematic. One of us easily climbed into the shotgun seat across from the driver. The other one of us took the seat behind, but it was not easy getting into it. Once seated, I was more nervous as to how I was going to gracefully get out of it. I had about 15 minutes to figure it out by the time we arrived back at the pier. Letting most of the guests get off first, we both made it out of those seats, but not without some wiggling and squeezing. No wonder we hate taking buses…… Passing through the terminal building was just as we expected. The vendors were putting pressure on all of the returning guests, and we made a mistake looking too long at their beaded sandals. Asking the price of one pair, we were told $50. No way….we just paid $15 for the same type of sandals in Zanzibar. We said no thanks (I really did not want them), but the vendors chased us outside and said give us your best price. We said $10, and they walked away. We arrived to our room before 3pm. All aboard time was 4:30pm, and it came about quickly as we listened to the Captain’s talk. We have 342 nautical miles to reach Durban, South Africa, at a speed of 10 knots. The swells would increase to 6 feet later in the evening. Arrival to Durban would be quite early, but it depends on the speed the pilot can arrive by helicopter. Can you imagine this port is so large the pilots get on ships by a helicopter drop? Customs and immigrations officials will inspect all of us in the cruise terminal. The sail away was nice, since the ship had to turn around, giving us a perfect view of the Maputo- Katambe Bridge with the sun setting. Just beautiful. It was dark by the time we exited the area. And time for dinner. We ordered salads, a soup, a shrimp cocktail and mains of Peruvian chicken and a stew-like beef bourgeon. Desserts were a sliced banana with hot fudge sauce and one tres leches pudding. A sweet way to end a fun day. Looking forward to one day at sea. Wish it was more. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #104 Friday April 12, 2024 Sea Day #3 Of 3 Enroute To Maputo, Mozambique Sunny With Clouds 77 Degrees 59% Humidity 24mph Wind Sea State: Rough 25' Swell ....Part #1 Of 1......... 46 Pictures---Casual Dress Day three at sea found much cooler temperatures, less humidity, but far rougher seas. The spray from the waves hitting the portside of the ship sent sprinkles all the way to our veranda early this morning. We figured that Captain Friso had been over-cautious when talking about deteriorating weather conditions, but we see now he was right on with his warnings. We have traveled far enough south of the Equator to notice a drop of perhaps 10 degrees in the temps. During the course of the day, we estimate that the swells had increased to over 25 feet, and as Captain Friso said, there are “white horses” out there, referring to the white caps on the wave tops. When we went for our morning stroll, very few people were outside. Perhaps that’s partly due to the fact that the teak lounges were still folded and tied up. Last night when they were lashing them down, we figured they expected some rough weather. The winds had picked up significantly too. When we walked around the bow of the promenade deck, the winds hit us as we rounded the corner. Later in the evening, all of the outside decks were roped off because it was not safe. Truthfully, this trip has had very little in the way of rough seas, so we guess we were due for some motion of the ocean. We are sure that the World Stage was full during the talks in there all day. Besides the scheduled area speakers, the Captain and the future cruise consultants spoke about the 2025 Grand World Voyage and the recent itinerary update. Changes were made a week or more ago regarding the itinerary which had included a trip through the Suez Canal. Much of that was cancelled and we were re-routed up the West coast of Africa. Better safe than sorry. Flyers with the new itinerary were delivered to our rooms, but they still did not write a day-by-day itinerary. We suppose by now, HAL has the complete trip including dates and sea days online. Once again, we had a meeting with Greg at the Seaview Pool, but today we were under cloudy skies and windy decks. All of us wondered if the strange couple would appear back here like yesterday. Strange does not begin the describe this newly-boarded couple that went swimming in the pool yesterday. Difficult to describe them nicely, let’s just say they were not the typical cruisers….not by a long shot. The elderly man seemed normal, but the not-so-young woman had to be under the influence of something. She came near us and began clicking two large clothes pins in our faces, that are used to hold the towels in the lounges. Trying to ignore this, she said she had other uses for these clips, but could not say what in front of the crowd. We did not want to know, as we tried our best to ignore her. We silently wished she would put her bathrobe back on, since she was scantily dressed. Then she went and confronted some folks at the side tables because they were staring. She also engaged Greg, who remained as polite as he could be, but was just as uncomfortable as we were. That’s when it began to rain (thank goodness), and they donned the robes and left. They never appeared today as the weather was not a good one for swimming. The Captain talked after the noon whistle, saying we will be docking tomorrow, which is good. However, he did say the seas would start giving us more trouble later this evening. He stressed for everyone to be careful outside and in the stairwells. Don’t have to tell us twice. Dinnertime came quickly as always. We ordered shrimp cocktails and one salad and one antipasti plate. Nice for a change. Both of us had the prime rib, but ordered it cooked differently. One of us likes it cooked more, like medium, while the other likes it medium-rare. Both came the same - mostly rare. Our waiter had disappeared and we did not want to wait forever to replace the one dish. So we shared the better parts of the most cooked meat, but had to leave the rawest. When Yanwar finally appeared, he was not happy that we had not spoken up so he could bring us the correct meat. He did offer to replace it, but we were full by then. A dessert of date pudding and a glass of sliced bananas were just enough to finish our meal. From here on out, we asked for the meat to be at least on the medium side and he agreed to pay more attention when he serves it. Deal. The country singer, Chris Bannister, was the entertainer this evening. Tonight he sang music from the artists of the 70’s such as Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot, Paul Simon, and Jim Croce. He really did a fine job. Tomorrow we shall be in Mozambique, another interesting African country. Bill & Mary Ann

This cruise does not seem to have the regular amount of sunbathers. However, there are stacks of lounges on the sides to add more. At the Seaview Pool, there are many tables and chairs, and most of those are full of guests. The Lido Pool area has many lounges, not always full either. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #103 Thursday April 11, 2024 Sea Day #2 Of 3 Enroute To Maputo, Mozambique Cloudy And Rainy 86 Degrees 76% Humidity 24mph Wind Sea State: Rough ....Part #1 Of 1......... 21 Pictures---Formal Dress Day number two at sea on the way to Mozambique started much the same as every day. The sun was shining through a lot of clouds and the temperature was up in the 80’s by 8am. Still humid, it may be a little less than it has been. We have been traveling due south and getting further away from the Equator. That’s good news since we expect more temperate weather in the days to come. Finally being caught up with reports and photos, we headed off for our morning walk earlier. Once again, there was a lecture happening delivered by our very own entertainment director, Philip. He was covering My Fair Lady to Camelot. We have heard that his talks are excellent. Following him, was a new lecturer by the name of Kate Ross. She spoke about China’s influence in Africa. Finally at 1pm, Daniel Silke talked about South Africa, where we are headed very soon. The history is complicated to say the least, so he will be educating everyone well before our arrival. It appeared that the clouds were becoming heavier, and it sure did look like rain at the Seaview Pool. Normally the navigation team can miss the big clouds, but it was not so by noontime. Greg had stopped by for a visit just after the noon horn was sounded. Captain Friso came on the speakers and did go on about a sudden change in the seas and skies. He predicted that rain would begin (which it did) and the seas were going to get rougher by this evening. He was correct on both counts. It is possible that he mentioned something regarding our next port of Maputo, but we had difficulty hearing it with noise at the aft pool. Not sure if he said we may be moored and tendering? Tonight was a formal one and dubbed “The Grand Masquerade”. You may ask what this was all about? We weren’t even sure. But the daily newsletter explained it was a night to sneak between music clubs in disguise. They asked the folks to wear their own masks if they had brought them along. We remember the days when we were gifted elaborate masks at dinnertime. Those days are gone, which for the most part, we are glad. On our way to the dining room, the first crowd we ran into was in the Ocean Bar at 7:45pm. That’s when it began as a wandering party from venue to venue. Each music venue participated in this event. Naturally, the bottom line was selling beverages while listening to the music. It would last until 11pm or until the bars closed. Formal dinner was good tonight, although we stuck to the tried- and- true shrimp cocktails and Caesar salads. Mains were one rigatoni dish with ham and cheese, and one rack of lamb which won the prize. The lamb was Pinnacle Grill quality this evening. We shared a small slice of a chocolate brownie, which was not a brownie but a creamy pudding. Good, but not a brownie. It was nice to see most folks had dressed for the occasion. Due to the masquerade event, there was no show in the World Stage, but a musical venue with the Grand Voyage Band. Early this evening while going for the PM walk, we happened by the dance crew practicing for another show. Kind of fun to see what goes on behind the scenes. By the time we arrived back to the room, we were rocking and rolling quite a bit. It may get worse during the evening. But the good news was we put the clocks back another hour tonight. Always welcomed. And the quote for the day was : Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. -R.W. Emerson- Bill & Mary Ann

Report #102 Wednesday April 10, 2024 Sea Day #1 Of 3 Enroute To Maputo, Mozambique Sunny With Clouds 86 Degrees 76% Humidity 10mph Wind Sea State: Flat ....Part #1 Of 1......... No Pictures---Casual Dress The first day at sea on the way to Mozambique was another hot and sticky one. At the very least, there was a breeze created with ship’s speed. Once again, most everyone was in the World Stage at 10am listening to Kimberly talk about the next two ports of Maputo and Durban. Very few guests ventured outside. We thought we may have seen some dolphins when we went to breakfast, but they were gone in a flash. Other than that, there were no flying fish in the wake or birds in the sky today. Just a whole lot of water, which was behaving today. It was not as rough as we had been told, but that may change in a day or so. The skies were cloudy and we did see showers on every horizon. It never rained here. We had visitors today at the Seaview Pool. Oddly enough, we had mentioned that we have not seen Henk M, the hotel manager or Shiv, the head of housekeeping recently. We no sooner said that, and here came Henk. He was headed off by some other guests, but eventually ended up sitting with us for quite awhile. He admitted to seeing us on the TV screen from the camera mounted back there. It was nice to catch up on cruise news in general and what’s happening with the 2025 World Cruise. We do think Henk will do one more grand world, but after that, he is thinking of retiring. It was time for his lunch, so when he left, Greg appeared. Good timing, we caught up on his escapades in Zanzibar. He had been there 20 years ago, and thought it had grown a lot in population. We had all heard that fewer cruise ships are stopping in Zanzibar these days. Perhaps Covid had something to do with the drop of ships coming here, but from the looks of the idle men in the towns and pier area, it is obvious there is a big unemployment problem. Like in the range of 40% or more. Greg said he heard of many islanders that were without power and water to their remote homes. The resorts must be keeping the tourism alive here. And the cost of food, which is really reasonable. Especially in the nicer restaurants. It would help immensely if there was an effort to clean up the trash. In the towns and in the waters. It begins with educating the younger kids. While we were chatting with Greg, along came Shiv, our favorite head of housekeeping. The offices of the big bosses happen to be on deck one and not convenient to an outside deck. On the Amsterdam, they were on the walking deck and went outside frequently for fresh air. Here, it’s not so easy. By the time we all had several glasses of ice water, it was time to go back inside to cool off. We waited until the Captain’s long noon talk was over. He discussed some events that have taken place in Mozambique the last few days such as a sinking of a local ferry. Some false rumors had been flying around, and he put those to rest. He also went over the conditions we encountered last year in this area….namely a typhoon that had caused damage in Madacasgar. That port had to be cancelled. This area of the Indian Ocean is subject to extremes and Captain Friso has been concerned about it. The best he could tell us was that we may have some rough seas and some rain. We will know by tonight for sure. Our passage across this vast ocean has been relatively smooth, which was lucky. Hope the calmer seas last. While working on the computer, we had burgers and fries from the Dive-In. We had forgotten that there was a cake extravaganza at 3pm in the Lido Market. It was labeled “For Cake’s Sake” and featured fancy decorated cakes and other sweets that the chefs whipped up. It may have been good for photos, but for eating? Maybe not so great. The last time they had this display, both Greg and Heo remarked about fancy cakes being just that…fancy. The cake was almost inedible, and the bulk of the offerings were frosting full. These days we figure we don’t need the extra calories. But then, we are among the few that feel that way. Greg and Heo said the displays were demolished within minutes the last time they went there. We did have an invite to a cocktail party at 6:30pm, but as we were still busy emailing, we did not attend. The internet was cutting in and out…taking more time than usual. Up to now, the connection has been OK. We were glad we had not gone to the Pinnacle Grill tonight, because the veal chop was on the Club Orange menu. Starting with salad and soup, we both ordered the grilled veal steaks. They were cooked perfectly and were tender and tasty. We shared a baked potato and found it to be more than enough. No dessert tonight, just one coffee. The show tonight was called “Shades of Africa – Under African Skies”. It was described as enchanting music featuring Africa’s ancient myths and mysteries. We are not sure if this is a group from Africa, or our regular singers. Greg will know as he goes to most every venue. Two more sea days to relax. Sounds good to us. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #101 Tuesday April 9, 2024 Zanzibar, United Republic Of Tanzania Anchored Port Side Facing The Town Leaving 5pm Today Cloudy With Rain 82 Degrees 86% Humidity 10mph Wind ....Part #1 Of 6......... 65 Pictures---Casual Dress The second day in Zanzibar began with the tours going off early. Yesterday was so busy, we forgot to mention what was available to do and see here. There was a Stone Town walking tour for $100 for 4 hours or a trip to the Jozani Forest Reserve to see the red colobus monkeys for $140 for 3 ½ hours. For the same amount and time, you could see the Palace remains and a spice plantation. A Stone Town evening walk tour with drinks was $200 for 3 hours, while A boat ride to Prison Island was $210 for 4 ½ hours. A sunset dhow cruise for $220 was 2 ½ hours and another evening panoramic drive with dinner was $300 for 4 hours. Last but not least, was a sultan’s dhow adventure for $400 and 5 ½ hours which included lunch. Today another excursion was added to Diwengwa Beach for $380 and 2 ½ hours. We may have mentioned this before, but there were some guidelines suggested to all of us regarding dress and behavior in Zanzibar. This all came from Kimberly’s talk where we were reminded that we were in a very Islamic country where short shorts or sleeveless tops for the ladies were not acceptable in public. Leave the thong swimsuits on the ship please. Use bug spray and do not wear yellow or black as these colors tend to attract the insects. Leave your valuables on the ship and ask before taking photos of the locals. Taking pictures of the police or military folks was prohibited. Pickpockets were rampant in the Darajani Souk and Marketplace as well in the narrow alleyways. Do not bring large bags and put the backpacks around the front of you. And there was to be no hand-holding or any sign of affection displayed in public. Lastly, be careful with the taxi drivers and negotiate a definite price before getting into the vehicle. And be sure to bring TP with you just in case you need it. What a fun place to visit…maybe not? And these warning doubled at night time. Unless you went in a group, do not go over alone in the evening….especially if you are female. OK, with all that in mind, we left the ship by 10am. The skies were heavily overcast and it sure looked like rain. When we boarded the tender boat, it did start to rain lightly. It did not let up much until noontime. And guess what we saw on the tenderboat? Most folks, including crew members, dressed in shorts like us. Not short-shorts but conservative, and no one locally seemed to care. We also spotted some guests going to a beach somewhere dressed with just cover-ups….sleeveless. Again, it was not a problem that we could see. The ferry terminal was just as crowded as yesterday…. like a beehive. We made our way quickly to the waiting shuttle and got the last two seats. We could have walked to the Serena Hotel, but we did not wish to run the gamut of taxi drivers and guides. From the bus stop, we went back again to get some more photos of what we missed yesterday….namely the Forohani Park, the Palace Museum, the Old Fort, and the floating restaurant. At the park, we saw a load of cats again, but today someone was about to feed them. A local fellow opened a packet of dry kibble and spread it among the 30 cats that live there. We do hope these semi-feral cats are neutered or else there will be 90 cats soon. Surely they keep this area rat-free and that’s the reason they are kept fed and healthy. We continued back walking past the Freddie Mercury House and Museum, which could be visited for $10 we think. We had already seen enough of the place on Kimberly’s video, so did not feel the need to go inside. The next big building was the post office and a nice bank. This street had the most Stone Town shops, tanzanite jewelry stores, clothing and workshops. The largest store was called Memories and had about everything you could want to purchase. A souvenir emporium, it was filled with tour people from the walking excursion. Some were shopping, but most were sitting while waiting for their bus to return. We had hoped to find our way to see St. Joesph’s Cathedral, one of the two Catholic churches in the old city. However, we could not locate the steeples since they were hidden behind the many buildings. Also there was a renovation ongoing with a nearby structure and the side streets were closed off. The same thing happened with the Anglican Church and Old Slave Market. It turned out to be too far to walk. Following their map was good, but none of the streets were marked. It was time to head back since it was lunchtime. On the way, we crossed paths with Greg and his entourage of three. They had just been dropped off by their guide of the morning to navigate their way through the shopping area. They had just made a sweep through the Darajani Souk and Marketplace, and had mixed opinions of what they saw. Greg, who is always on the positive side, found it to be very interesting. After the melee we witnessed yesterday, we had no desire to mix in with the frantic scene. We had a repeat lunch at 12:30pm at the Beach House where we were welcomed back with a big smile from our waitress. We ordered the Safari pint beers again and a Margherita pizza with diced onions. When it arrived, the onions were missing, but we said nothing. Once again, the pizza was excellent. Each of us ordered a dessert. One was an espresso semifreddo with peanuts on the top and the other was a Sunday Sundae, ice cream with mashed berries, nuts, and whipped cream. Our meal came to 84,000 Tanzanian shillings, a scary amount for sure, which computed to $32.60. It was inclusive of taxes and tip as well. How about that? In most all of our previous ports, we would have paid at least that much for a few small beers only. It seems that inflation has not hit this part of the world yet. By the way, on our way into the restaurant, a vendor came by with some nice sarongs. They were hard to resist at 2 for $10….unheard of elsewhere. He made an easy sale. We got the last seats on the shuttle back. The route they took was the same as yesterday as they drove around the perimeter of the Stone Town. Once again we got in the middle of horrible traffic and hordes of shoppers. We agreed we had made the best decision not to visit this place, and the bus was so slow, we still got good photos along the way. This ride took up to 45 minutes due to the traffic jams, which we could have walked in 20 minutes tops. The boat ride back was much smoother than yesterday. The rain had let up and the sun was actually out. We were back home in our cool room by 3:30pm working on pictures and documenting our day’s activities. Everyone must have gotten onboard by 4:30pm, the departing time. Captain Friso came on the speakers saying he hoped we had all enjoyed our 2 day stay here. He added that the Zuiderdam was the largest cruise ship to come here today and also last fall while on the Grand Africa trip. Now we will head south to Maputo, Mozambique with three days at sea to go 1440 nautical miles. He expected the weather to be better than he had predicted. Sometimes that area of the Mozambique Channel can be very rough and many people (like him) get seasick. We can expect to miss that, thank goodness. We slowly made our way past the island while enjoying another sunset , even though it was on the starboard side, we got the opposite cloud color. Even saw a partial rainbow up high. We are so glad we decided to go to Zanzibar and explore on our own. Many of our buddies had stayed onboard and did not have to pay the visa fee of $100. For us, it was worth it since we have never made it here before. Dinner time had some favorites such as appetizers of spring rolls and a beet tataki with cauliflower. Different, but tasty. A squash soup substituted for a salad, while one of us had the stand-by of a Caesar salad. Mains were one chicken parmigiana with spaghetti and the other had the Club Orange short ribs with mashed potatoes. A half of a sliced banana was one dessert and coffee was sufficient for the other one of us. By the way, there was a pop-up Italian Cellar Master Dinner in the Pinnacle Grill this evening. Unusual for a port day, but many folks we know have not missed one pop-up since day one. There is no shame to admit we were tired after two long warm and humid days in Zanzibar, so we missed the show of Brendon Peel, a mentalist with magic and humor….guaranteed to be an award winning performance. Now we have three sea days to kick back and relax. We all appreciate that. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #100 Monday April 8, 2024 Zanzibar, United Republic Of Tanzania Anchored Port Side Facing The Town 7am-Overnight Cloudy With Rain 82 Degrees 86% Humidity 10mph Wind ....Part #1 Of 5......... 65 Pictures---Casual Dress Zanzibar, Tanzania was our port of call for today as well as tomorrow. Located 22 ½ miles off of the coast of Tanzania, the archipelago of Zanzibar consists of 50 islands. A total of 1.9 million people live on these islands, the largest being Zanzibar. This island is located 6 degrees below the Equator making it warm and tropical year round. Originally occupied by explorers, traders, and settlers from Persia, Arabia, and Europeans, this island has a mixed population. Included in the mix are the descendants from the slaves that worked the plantations. It also coincided with the notorious slave trade. Here’s a snippet of info on Tanzania. The capital is Dodoma and the population is a total of 52.5 million people. The official language is Swahili and English. This country is home to major sites like the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Mt. Kilimanjaro and most impressive amounts of wildlife. Tanzania is THE land of safaris to see the plains animals which include the wildebeests, zebra, hippos, elephants, and lions. There are crocodiles, chimpanzees and monkeys. Hordes of people from all over the world come here to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro to boast the thrill of standing at the top of Africa. Oddly enough, overland safaris have not been offered here on a regular world cruise. Perhaps they are available on the Grand Africa cruise which just happened last fall. Their food consists of “ugali”, which is a maize (corn) mixed with cassava flour and used to coat much of their fried foods. There is a varied cuisine of African, Indian, and Chinese food. We happen to be visiting during their low season (March through May) where it tends to rain a lot, keeping the landscapes very green. Actually, checking the original itinerary, we should have been in Muscat, Oman today. In the desert. So the morning began with a “no show” from the pilot, according to Captain Friso. So he came into the harbor area by himself, and dropped anchor off shore. Eventually, the pilot arrived. The weather was not looking good and the waters were choppy with some swell going on. It was heavily overcast at 6:30am with temperatures in the low 80’s, but very high humidity. By 8:30am, we watched as shower after shower dumped rain on the entire island. All of us regulars at breakfast asked, “Why are we here”? When a tender landing spot was decided for us, the tours went off first. At one point, the Captain suspended the tendering due to difficulty boarding the guests into the small boats. It did not last long, but we still decided to wait until 10:30am to leave the ship. By then open tenders were announced, which really doesn’t matter to us as we can get off any time we wish with no tender tickets. We are seldom the first ones off. The tenders were bouncing around pretty good, but with lots of helping hands, everyone made it safely. Arriving at the more protected ferry landing, we walked to the terminal and did find a small tourist info spot. Going inside, we found a very nice local lady who gave us a map and pointed out the main sites to see. Most folks did not see this glass enclosure and never got the useful map. Outside on the street, we found the waiting shuttles that would take us to the upscale Serena Hotel, a 10 minute drive from the terminal. Good thing these buses were there, because we faced the same situation we had in Colombo Sri Lanka. The taxi and tuk-tuk drivers chased everyone trying to sell tours for cheap. Jumping in the shuttle ended that. At least until the last stop. The narrow streets were loaded with motor scooters, small cars, and vans. This part of town is called Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. There are about 1000 coral stone buildings built in the 18th and 19th centuries. There are also 200 wooden-carved doors. Many of the buildings have been converted to souvenir and jewelry shops, where you can find a deal on tanzanite stones and jewelry. We had passed some of the historical spots on the way to the Serena Hotel such as the Old Dispensary, Customs House, Palace museum, the Old Fort, St. Joseph’s Cathedral, and the gardens along the waterfront. At the end of the shuttle ride, we encountered a repeat of the tour guides that we had at the terminal. All of us filed out of the bus and into the lobby of the Serena Hotel just to escape them. Once again, saying “no thanks” was not enough. We guess it is just a way of life for these locals. Now we wonder how many folks will actually hire some of them. Like 50% perhaps? Many of the people we know will not book an expensive ship excursion, and go with whoever looks reliable. We are not so trusting getting into a stranger’s car going somewhere or anywhere in some of these countries. Walking to the patio of the Serena hotel, we did run into one of the ship’s tour groups enjoying a beverage at the end of their tour. Too bad it was raining as the view of the beach and ocean was nice from here. From here, we back-tracked the way the shuttle had come. We had passed by many important structures that we wanted to photograph. On the way to the main street, we passed the Park Hyatt Hotel and the Tempo House….also nice properties. On the seawall, we saw the Cape Town Fish Market, which turned out to be a high end restaurant. We came upon Fodorhari Gardens, a small park where a night time street food market is set up. Among the lawns, fountains, and tables, there were at least one dozen happy lazy cats. The coastline was full of small boats that looked like covered wagons from the Old West in the USA. Maybe they were water taxis. Traditional dhows sailed back and forth as well. By now, we realized we had almost walked back to the ferry terminal. It was time for lunch, so we turned around and went back to the hotels where the shuttle had left us off. Doing some homework, we had found that the Beach House, a Hyatt property, served among other things - all types of pizza. We found it a little further past the Serena Hotel, and were welcomed inside across the wood boardwalk to the restaurant. We happened to be the first guests of the day for lunch. The only problem was that it was still raining, and we did want to sit outside on the patio. Our waitress found a table for two that was dry, so we took it. The view overlooking the ocean was nice, however we know that if the sun was out, the view would be stunning. Without the sun, there was little color to the water. All of the blues and azure shades turn to grey with the heavy clouds. We ordered the local beer Kilimanjaro, but they were out, so we substituted Safari beer, which was good and cold too. Our choice of pizza was the Margherita with chicken (hold the chili flakes). When it arrived we noticed the chicken was tinted yellow, and decided it had to be the turmeric. It was quite good and we ate every single bite. We even added a shared dessert of Nutella cheesecake with a scoop of mocha ice cream. When the bill arrived, it came to a whopping 68,000 Tanzania shillings. Sounded bad, but it wasn’t. Turned out it was equal to $26.39. Now that’s a deal especially with the two pint bottles of beer as well as a very large size pizza. Eventually, the tables around us filled up, and it was time to move on. By the way, they did take all credit cards here as well as US cash we suspect. Before we joined a shuttle, we stopped at a nearby row of souvenir shops near the Beach House. We bargained for a pair of beaded leather flip-flops at one shop and a beaded African necklace at another one. It just happened to match a set of earrings we bought last year in Banjul, Gambia. Then we walked back to the shuttle stop and took a different way back. One of the places we passed was the Freddie Mercury Museum, a singer and composer from not long ago. We never did follow his music, but do remember some of the famous songs he wrote. His story is portrayed in the movie Bohemian Rhapsody. Then we must have joined a major artery around the perimeter of Stone Town. We passed by some gardens and a few schools and that[s when we noticed the sign for the Darajani Souk and Market. It was about then that the traffic came to a stop. This area was jammed with every car and motor scooter on the island it seemed. We had figured this was a place to save for tomorrow, but after seeing hordes of local shoppers and the traffic jam, we might reconsider. Now this might be the place where Kimberly had warned people to be cautious and not wear flashy jewelry, watches, or big handbags. She suggested putting backpacks around your front, so they don’t get slashed. She suggested people from the ship, especially single women, should travel in groups. What a fun place to visit….maybe not? Eventually we reached the end of the melee, and arrived back at the ferry terminal. It was still a zoo there with locals working the dock and more guys offering tours. We glanced at the tables of treasures as we went back through the terminal and to the waiting tender boat. The rain had stopped briefly, but the waves were still giving folks a rough ride. We were back to our room before 3pm. At least the rains had kept the temperature down a lot and we drank only two sodas and not four. We kept busy with photos and report writing until dinnertime arrived. Sitting outside, we heard the call for prayer at 3:45pm. We read there are 50 mosques in the Stone Town alone and all were chanting from the minarets. The sound traveled all the way to the ship. Tomorrow ends the Ramadan fasting period, so we suspect there will be a big celebration. Dinner had one of the best appetizers with smoked chicken on a bed of coleslaw and bleached raisins. So good. Salads were next followed with mains of the alternate chicken dinner and a vegetarian plate of parmesan-coated eggplant with spaghetti and marinara sauce. That’s the first time I tried it, and it was rally good…meatless for a change. A special dessert called Zanzibar “donut” (forgot the actual name) was good dipped in a chocolate sauce. We shared just one. There was a local group called Tanzanian Boys Circus in the World Stage this evening. They came from the streets of Dar es Salaam and attended a school to learn a dazzling display of daring skill and strength, speed and balance to the rhythm and beat of African music. Sounds like a gymnastic show. We were so beat, we had eaten our dinner and were finished well before 9pm. Time to rest up for another day of exploration. And if we are lucky, it will not rain. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #99 Sunday April 7, 2024 Sea Day #2 Of 2 Enroute To Zanzibar, Tanzania Partly Cloudy With Sun 86 Degrees 70% Humidity 4mph Wind Sea State: Rolling Motion....Part #1 Of 1......... 20 Pictures---Casual Dress After breakfast this morning, we had to fill out and sign arrival and departure forms for Tanzania. They needed to be turned in between 9 and 10am in each elevator lobby. This sure saves a lot of time for the guests, and lot of headaches for the front desk folks. Today a lady in the front of the line on deck six was concerned that there was an error on these official papers, and insisted that our front desk fellow check it out. The line of folks waiting got longer and longer, because they must have put our fellow on hold for a while. Impatient people asked this lady what her concern was, and she insisted that these are binding legal forms we are signing, and she was not about to put her name on something incorrect. The couple behind us in line offered to sign her papers for her, which was not taken as a joke. Finally she was told not to worry, the info printed was fine. She signed it and was gone in a flash, leaving a dozen grumbling guests in line. Never a dull moment here. We went out for our morning walk at the same time Captain Friso had a Q&A session on the World Stage. He did this often last year and has continued this year. He does have some interesting stories to share and people are not shy about asking many questions. In general, and personal questions – he handles them well. Due to the warm and humid weather this morning, the room was full of guests staying cool. There was another Sunday Brunch Sampler in the lower dining room from 11am to 1pm. Reservations were required and dietary requests had to be made the day before. There was a menu for this brunch posted on TV, so we looked it over. The meal consisted of starters, mains both cold and hot, and dessert. There was nothing that would have appealed to us as they were tiny servings of so much food, it was off-putting . We have gone to a few of these back in 2020, but found that there were many items one of us could not eat due to allergies. There were no substitutes. It was plenty warm at the Seaview Pool, and today the bartender brought over two glasses of ice water each. There was one sunbather on a lounge, leaving the rest totally empty. This has to be the first world cruise we have been on where so few folks are back here. At most, there were three swimmers in the pool and two couples using the Jacuzzis. Perhaps it is so empty because there is a much smaller amount of passengers this time. We did spot some “newbies” that joined the cruise on day two in the Seychelles. We’re not totally sure, but we think there are no more segments. And we did not have another block party yesterday as was printed in the new itinerary’s activities. We caught up with Kimberly’s talk on our next port of Zanzibar, Tanzania. She was full of info about what we expect to see there, but did add some precautions at the very end of her speech. Tanzania is a very Islamic society, and we are asked to respect their dress codes. Pretty difficult when this island is surrounded by dozens of beaches with resorts and hotels that are the big attraction for worldwide tourists. Once again, the fasting of Ramadan is still in effect until April 9th. So we have been asked not to eat or drink in front of the locals. And it sounded dangerous since Kimberly added to leave our valuables on the ship and don’t carry large bags. Since the stop here and the Maldives was never scheduled, our timing for the visit was not convenient for all of us. Everything changed when the Suez Canal was cancelled. On a different subject, we discovered a $250 per person credit made to our shipboard account with refunds on port and tax charges. That amount was added to the “cash” side of our account. There was no further explanation of where these refunds came from, but this is something we need to ask. Inquiring minds want to know….. We also had an invite to a bridge tour with the navigation team, with the choice of going on one of several port days. They scheduled the time at 2pm, but we will surely be off somewhere else in these ports. It’s nice idea for those who seldom leave the ship. On the Tales of the South Pacific, we had two tours of the bridge - one privately with the Captain and one with the President’s Club group. Can’t get any better than that. Then on April 10th, we have an invitation with our travel group for cocktails in the Gallery Bar at 6:30pm. They are always a nice gathering, and we will probably attend. Two of our hosts had to leave in Hong Kong, and they are truly missed by all. Now a younger couple has taken the reigns to host the group. Lunch was Dive-In grub, which was fine. One hot dog on a brioche bun and a back-flip chicken sandwich was just enough. We shared a fresh apple for dessert. And we are proud to say, we have not eaten one cookie so far this entire trip. You cannot eat just one. So we choose to eat none. We witnessed another tropical sunset but occurring a bit later due to last night’s time change. The clouds won out over the sun setting on the horizon, but the colors were just as nice as they reflected on the overhead clouds. The cloud formations are different every night. By the way, the weather has remained very warm and humid as we head basically west towards Africa. We are still quite close to the Equator, so need to be careful not to sunburn. At dinner, we were welcomed back by our waiter Yanwar. He did miss us last night (or so he says) and we told him if we don’t show up, we will be in the Pinnacle Grill. We still have six more dinners each to use up our complimentary dinners. In addition, we can swap some of those freebies for the pop-up of Tamarind. Although the menu for Tamarind does not have the favorite items we had come to like, there is enough to put together a good meal. We shall not go hungry that’s for sure. Tonight’s entertainer was a fellow by the name of Chris Bannister performing the music of John Denver. We happened to be passing by the show lounge doors when he was having a practice session. We slipped into the back of the seating area, and listened. We liked what we heard. That’s our kind of music – country western. And he sang very nicely with songs we remember well. We are sure the audience will agree later on. Looking forward to tomorrow’s port, since it is a new one for us and many others. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #98 Saturday April 6, 2024 Sea Day #1 Of 2 Enroute To Zanzibar, Tanzania Partly Cloudy With Sun 86 Degrees 71% Humidity 6mph Wind Sea State: Calm....Part #1 Of 1 No Pictures---Casual Dress We had two big jobs today. One was filling out visa requests for both Tanzania and Mozambique. Our 2 day visit to Zanzibar, Tanzania, will cost each of us $100. And the country of Mozambique lists the USA citizens as exempt. That’s a first since we have always paid to stop there. When we left Maputo several years ago to fly to South Africa and Kruger, we had to pay a lot for a special visa, even though we were just passing through. Now if we choose to go ashore, we will be charged $10.50 per person for an administrative fee. In both countries, we were given the option of staying onboard and not getting visas. Since we have never made it to Zanzibar, we decided to go with the visas. After all, we were all given $500 credit each towards buying these unexpected visas. We had decided not to get off in Maputo, but at the small price they asked, if we do or do not, it will be a small loss. These forms had to be submitted to the front desk folks on each passenger deck between 9 and 10am. Then the second job was easier….an hour time change backwards this evening. That is always helpful for everyone. On our way to the promenade deck for a walk, we rode the elevator with the new Staff Captain who came onboard with Captain Friso. His name is Babak and he mentioned that he was on the Grand Africa cruise last November. He admitted it was every bit as hot as our last two days there, but much more humid, if that is possible. He was most happy for the breeze today which was only 6.5mph. Checking the temperature, it was already 86 degrees and 72% humidity at 10am. Since Kimberly was talking about our next port of Zanzibar, most folks were enjoying the coolness of the show lounge. Few were walking outside but we took our walk. Then we did our usual visit to the aft pool where there was not one single person on the lounges. Guess they were still in recovery mode from the last two steamy days in the Seychelles. Jerome from the Seaview Bar brought us mugs filled with ice cold water. Sure was good. Captain Friso came on the speakers shortly after the officer of the watch announced a possible whale sighting on the port side. We went directly to the railing and eventually spotted a pod of lazy-swimming dolphins. Not whales, but that would have been nice to see. The Captain mentioned that we were running slightly behind due to strong currents and he would need to increase the speed. He said that usually there are much wetter conditions in this area of the Indian Ocean, so we are lucky to have only a few scattered showers. We don’t know why, but we feel things will change on the way to Mozambique. In addition to that info, Friso said that the lights outside will be turned off and we need to exercise caution while walking outside tonight. He may have mentioned something about birds that are attracted to the lights in the dark, and also we should be able to see the stars better with the lights off. By the way, he welcomed the new guests that boarded yesterday. There may be around 60 we believe. And all of us had to run the muster safety drill on our TV’s before we left the port in Victoria. The remainder of the afternoon was spent working on hundreds of photos from yesterday. It’s nice to have a sea day to take our time with this job. Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill at 8pm, where every waiter came to say hi. Since day one, we have not missed a day there for breakfast, and we have gotten to know them all well. So for starters, we had the wedge salads with clothesline bacon directly on our plates. Warm bread went with it as always. Both of us ordered the filet mignon with a small baked potato….with all of the toppings naturally. A small side of mushrooms was plenty to fill our plates. Dessert was a shared Key lime pie, which was a good way to end a rich dinner. We seldom munch on the chocolates, so we said not to bring them. We were the last guests to leave the restaurant tonight. Lucky for us, the early diners were here and gone, leaving us the best service. One more day at sea to relax, then we will be in the first African country of Tanzania. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #97 Friday April 5, 2024 Day #2 In Victoria On Mahe Island, Seychelles Docked Starboard Side To Pier Leaving Today At 5:30pm Sunny With Clouds 90 Degrees 7mph Wind 88% Humidity Part #1 Of 6......66 Pictures---Dress—Casual If you don’t like high heat and humidity or white sandy beaches (65 of them on Mahe), then the Seychelles are not for you. We heard from so many people that were here for the first time that they never experienced such temperatures or sticky humidity. Refusing to walk anywhere, most of them took taxis. The message on the front of our newsletter said it would take a 20 minute walk to the town center, but we think that was way off. In this heat (even early in the morning) we estimate the walk was double that. Some of our older friends turned around and went back to the ship when they reached halfway. Like we said, these islands are not for everyone. We left the ship before 10am and it was already over 80 degrees outside. Our destination was the National Botanic Gardens, a 100 year old property of 5 acres. This garden was located not too far from the pier, and we guess it took about 45 minutes to walk there. Of course, we did stop along the way to chat with friends. A funny thing, we had researched this park online, as well as visited here often in the past and discovered the entrance fee was 100 Seychellois rupee. When we arrived at the entrance gate, the fee was 250 SCR. We wonder if these prices are current, or do they change depending on if a cruise ship is in port? We have no way of knowing unless anyone reading this has visited here recently, like on a Grand Africa voyage. If this is part of a tour from the ship, the fee is incorporated in the excursion price. Anyway, there were many folks from the ship just like us, doing this on our own. We all lined up to sign in on their guest book, then went to the office to pay for tickets. No one checks these tickets, but they could at any time. We had intended on using our credit card, since we did not get any local rupee. The card we used did not work after trying it three times. So we were allowed to pay in US dollars. The fee was $15 each, which when we figured the math, we got a deal as it should have been a bit more. Oh well, we were happy to get in and do the hike which is mostly uphill. We headed for the tortoise enclosure which has been expanded from the old one. We used to go into a recessed pit area with several of the large tortoises and feed them. If you were not careful, you could trip over the tortoises who got aggressive for more leaves to eat. Now there are many sizes of tortoises but they have much more space and a pond in a much larger enclosure. Several folks made their way here, and even a group with two young girls that are on the ship. They had fun feeding the branches of leaves to each tortoise. And like before, when they downed the leaves, they came looking for more. From here, we went uphill little at a time to other sections of the garden. Trails led past many indigenous plantings like palm trees and forest type trees. The pandanus tree is here, which is the one that produces the odd-looking fruit we saw in the Maldives. Another more famous palm tree here is the one that produces the coco de mer, the world’s largest nut. These trees can grow to 30 meters tall and live hundreds of years. It takes 20 years before it is ready to produce the first fruit. Now a days, these coco de mer nuts are the cultural symbol of the islands. There are many benches along the paths and we took advantage of those in the shade. One group of guests from the ship came down a hillside of lawn leaving the lily pond. Seeing the extra large fan I had brought with me, they asked if it was for sale. On days like this one, I never leave home without it. It was most useful today for sure. Then we headed up the grassy hill to the lily pond which was so full of blooming plants, you could barely see the pond. There were many dragonflies, so that told us there was a lot of flying insects. Some of which were biting bugs. We did not linger very long here. There was a grove of durian trees, although we could not find the picture of the actual tree. There was a sign along the road that said watch for falling durian. They are large enough to kill a person, like a coconut, and if that doesn’t work, the smell will do it. We kept thinking we were smelling something dead, but now we know we were smelling the durian fruit. It is so offensive that it is forbidden for the crew to bring them onboard. For those from Indonesian, durian is a fruit they like and had grown up with. The guys always say it is really good if you don’t smell it while eating it. We will pass….thanks. We took our sweet time going deeper into the dense jungle of tropical trees, ferns, and bamboos. The crowd thinned out the higher we got. We could hear birds, but did not see most of them. There were many common mynahs, and pigeons. But the best sighting had to be a few tropic birds, the graceful white and black birds that trail two long tail feathers behind them. Also in the canopy were several fruit bats, although not as many as we used to see. We made it up as high as the Chinese garden and the helicopter landing spot. There were few people up in this corner. Turning left, we made our way along the granite cliffs to a small creek that flowed from the top of the mountain. This happened to be where the restrooms are located, so it was a busy spot. From here, it was downhill all of the way. In every opening of the canopy, we stopped and watched for the tropic birds to come back. They did, but there were few here today and it was probably too hot for them to fly. After over an hour of exploring here, we were in dire need of something wet and cold. Like a beer perhaps? So we headed back to town, and had a repeat lunch like we had yesterday at the Coco Blu Bar and Restaurant. Today it was much more crowded, but we lucked out and got the same table that we had yesterday. Many of the guests from the ship had done tours yesterday, but went to downtown today. Several of them were here like us, enjoying the breeze and the beers. Once again, we ordered our favorite Hawaiian pizza and more than one Eku beer. It is another local brew like Seybrew, but harder to find we heard. Dessert was three scoops of vanilla, chocolate and caramel ice cream in a glass. We shared of course. Time to move on, we took a different street back to the main road, and followed the marina taking a short cut through a park. Back onboard by 3pm, we still had some time before the all aboard time at 5:30pm. It was so nice to cool down and have ice cold sodas, followed by more ice water. The heat had done a number on us and we needed to re-hydrate. Today we did not have any cooling rain, so it remained warm and sticky until the sun set. We left the port right near 5:30pm, since everyone must have been onboard. The sun set behind small islands and dark clouds by 6:20pm as we sailed out of the Seychelles. We now have 1085 nautical miles to reach Zanzibar, Tanzania two days from now. And according to Captain Friso, we may have showers on the way. He said the weather conditions near Maputo, Mozambique are not looking so good, so we do not now what to expect there. Sometimes the swells are too high and we cannot safely dock there. Time will tell. Dinnertime had some nice items. It was Caesar salads for both of us followed by one short rib entrée and a chef’s burger on a bun. Yes, one of us had a hamburger with fries. So much fun…simple and very good. The burger must have been ½ pound. Dessert was a sliced banana with hot fudge sauce. Most folks left the dining room early. We suspect the two days of heat and touring took a toll on most folks. Tina from the Pinnacle Grill passed by us and stopped to chat. Usually she never leaves her restaurant, but she admitted that she had one table all evening. That’s a record. A comedian, Jim David, was the entertainer this evening in the World Stage. Titled “for immature adults only”, he promised a laugh-filled evening with this new show. That is if the audience had the strength to laugh this late. Back in the room we had forms to fill out for both Tanzania and Mozambique visas. We do have the option of not going ashore in either country, and we would not need to buy the visas. That is most fair we think. Looking forward to two days at sea to recuperate. Bill & Mary Ann Catch Of The Day Gannet Catching A Flying Fish

Report #96 Thursday April 4, 2024 Victoria On Mahe Island, Seychelles Docked Starboard Side To Pier 8am-Overnight Sunny With Clouds 90 Degrees 3mph Wind 84% Humidity Part #1 Of 6......66 Pictures---Dress—Casual We forgot to mention a communication we got yesterday from the hotel manager, Henk. It was a health reminder regarding “huffing and puffing and sneezing and wheezing”. Henk sure has a way with words. He has come to the conclusion that a bug is circulating among the passengers and probably the crew and the reason is we have become too relaxed with precautions. Assuming it is a common cold, we are grateful it is not Covid or some other terrible virus that attack ship guests and crew. Perhaps the funniest comment was to seriously reduce or better yet cease hugging. We used to hear refrain from shaking hands….which we still do. And of course, as Greg would say, washy-washy-washy your hands often. Message received. Between our research and Kimberly’s talk, we gathered some basic info on this port of Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles. And we have been here several times over the years, and much of it we remember. The Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands scattered in the Indian Ocean. The largest of those islands is Mahe, where the capital of Victoria is located. It has the notoriety of being the world’s smallest capital. The population of all of the islands is 93,200 people that speak Creole, English, and French and a mix of all three. The total land mass is only 455 square kilometers. What do these islands offer to tourists? For starters, there are talcum powder beaches (over 65 of them), topaz waters, lush hills, a true tropical paradise. Diving and snorkeling is number one here. One of the highlights of Victoria has to be the Botanical Gardens, a 5 acre hillside treasure with 200 species of indigenous plants and trees. One of those rare trees is the coco de mer with the largest nut in the plant kingdom. Due to its shape, it has brought a lot of attention to the tree over the years. Within this park is an enclosure of giant tortoises, some of which exceed 100 years old. We may pay a visit to this garden tomorrow, depending on the heat factor. What kind of food is served here? One of the local delicacies is called bat curry. Yep, real fruit bats in a curry. And you wonder why we like pizza….hold the bat curry - topping please. One of their favorite beverages is Seybrew, the local beer. Other favorites are fish and rice, shark, parrotfish, grouper, and tuna. Local fruit consists of mangoes, bananas, breadfruit, papaya, coconuts, grapefruit, and pineapple. All types of fruit juice are sold as well as coconut water, which is number one. First and foremost, we have to mention that the temperature was in the 90’s and the humidity factor was almost as high. With very little breeze, the heat was nearly unbearable. We set out to walk the town, and hopefully, go out to lunch. When we got off the gangplank, we were not sure we were in the same dock we normally use. Kimberly had mentioned that maps were available, but we had to purchase them. Really? That turned out to be incorrect as they were available on our way out to the souvenir stands and the street. Nice maps of both Victoria, the island of Mahe, and a separate map of Praslin, a nearby island. An so we can remember, the local currency was Seychellois rupee with 13.65 rupee to the $1. USD. Euro is widely accepted at the rate of 14.57 rupee to the Euro 1. Many items are priced in Euro here. But before we begin, we have to mention the tours that were sold on the ship for today and tomorrow. The least expensive was a scenic mountain drive for 3 ½ hours for $150. Two excursions for $160 were the north island and Botanic Gardens for 4 hours, and a sparkling wine sunset cruise for 3 ½ hours this evening. A coral cruise for 4 hours was $170, while cruise and spice was $180 for 4 hours. A day on Silhouette Island was 9 ¼ hours for $240, and Mahe discovery was 8 hours for $250. Both of these had lunches. Last but not least was a day on Praslin Island and a visit to Vallee de Mai for 7 hours with lunch. The cost was $400. Turning the wrong way once we went through their xray which was next to the souvenir stands, we eventually reached where we needed to be. At least the road we took was lined with big shade trees which did help somewhat. We came to the large roundabout with the Unity Monument in the center. From there we did remember the way to town. It had been printed in the Daily News letter that this walk was about 20 minutes, but we would say ……no way. Try 30 to 40 minutes in this heat. Of course, many taxis were there at the gate to offer rides to town. Some tours were offered as well, but a simple “no thanks” was accepted without quarrel. Nothing like what we experienced in Sri Lanka and even Male, in the Maldives. We strolled up the waterfront road passing the yacht club and the marine charter. A seaside park and pond is located here too. We reached the Bicentennial Monument and the Peace Park with the tall flagpole displaying the Seychelles flag. We did want to see the cathedral, so we walked past Gordon Square field, passing the Natural History Museum and the Post Office. Across the busy street was a church, which we thought was the cathedral, but turned out to be St. Paul’s Protestant Church. Pulling out the map, we continued to Sir Selwyn Clarke Market, which housed the produce and fish market. The produce was fine, but the fish display was more flies than fish. Whew….. there were even small egrets on the cutting tables looking for scraps. We did not linger very long due to the smell and flies. Upstairs facing the center market, were stalls of souvenirs and clothing. We did manage to take the stairs (one of us under protest) and checked our their offerings. There were nice swimming sarongs, dresses, tops and many beach type bags. We were not tempted because we have so much of the same at home….and only use it while on vacation for the most part. Still searching for a pair of black sandals, we found many of them but in small sizes. And most of them were more like flip flops. We passed a Hindu Temple as well as a convent across the street. Passing what appeared to be a real “mall”, we went inside to find only a few stores were in there. Going up an escalator, we saw a few more shops and many more that were not finished yet. We finally located the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception at the end of a street and what looked like a very British church built next to it. That church also turned out to be Catholic. Hoping it was cooler inside the church, we walked up the steep driveway, trying to avoid the cars and people, and went inside. Nope, it was not cool at all, but dark with ceiling fans that were not operating. Staying a few minutes, we continued on our way. We were close to Albert Street, one of the main drags and located the Clock Tower which was installed in 1903 when the Seychelles became a British Colony. We think the name of the clock tower is Little Ben. Right on the corner of Albert and Independence Avenue was a restaurant called Coco Blu, a place we had gotten pizza several years ago. By now, it was almost 1pm, and we were in desperate need of something wet and cold. Seybrew beers sounded the best. Of course, located on the top level, we had to climb stairs too access the restaurant, but it was worth it. Not crowded, we were seated at the coolest spot on the railing where were ordered two pints of Seybrew beer and one Hawaiian pizza. Relaxing out of the piercing sun was the best. At least we had a breeze up here and the view of the center of town with the clocktower. The pizza was excellent and we added a glass of strawberry and chocolate ice cream to share. Reluctantly, we left around 2:30pm….back out into the heat and the now-crowded streets. We stayed on Albert Street until it turned into Rue Pierre de Possession, where we passed a row of souvenir tents called Esplanade Craft Village. Everything Seychellois was sold here, most all of it for the ladies. We passed by the National Library, a modern building, and the Kenwyn House across the street. We are not sure what this house was, but it was colonial and set in and among beautiful gardens and fountains. Perhaps tomorrow we will investigate a little more. Arriving at the roundabout with the Unity Monument, we turned left, carefully crossed the street, and headed back down towards the pier. This was the correct street to use to come downtown, and all of it was looking much more familiar. On one side of the road were trucking facilities and the other had the Seychelles Fire and Rescue Services. On the way, it began to sprinkle. What a pleasant surprise actually, as it cooled things off a little. Unfortunately it did not last very long, but we did get wet the closer we got to the pier gate. That’s where the covered walkway started. We went through their xray and back on the ship, instantly feeling the coolness of the air-conditioning. Back in our room, we discovered we had no power. Now that could be bad, but within a few minutes, it came back on. We cooled down further with ice cold sodas and the use of our tower fan. Luckily we are on the waterside and had no sun shining on the veranda. We were able to spend some time outside watching the boat traffic. The rest of the time was used to do photo work and report writing as always. Dinnertime came quickly and we were nicely surprised to find the Club Orange special was the veal cutlet or veal chop. We added salads and the entrees and that was perfect. Our waiter will probably go to town with some buddies and look for Chinese food. He recalled that he was here on another cruise not long ago and found good eats in downtown. It was still warm outside, like in the 80’s, but there did not seem to be any rain. At this point, we would welcome it. Tomorrow, we shall continue our roamings. Heat or no heat, we hope to visit the gardens. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #95 Wednesday April 3, 2024 Sea Day #3 Of 3 Enroute To Victoria On Mahe Island, Seychelles Sunny With Clouds 86 Degrees 7mph Wind Sea State: Calm Part #1 Of 1......79 Pictures---Dress—Casual Our third day at sea was even nicer than yesterday. The unbearable heat let up a bit and there was a much stronger breeze. The partly cloudy sky was just that….no rain. Our big treat after breakfast was seeing tons more flying fish. And out of the blue, we spotted two birds. Where they came from is a mystery because they were gannets. They have possibly hitched a ride from our last stop or even Sri Lanka. According to the research we read, they are out of area. Whatever the reason, the one larger white bird did most of the hunting. We believe the second smaller bird is a juvenile, probably related to each other. There were so many small flying fish, they appeared as a cloud of white. The flying only lasted a few seconds, then they were gone. All the bird had to do was wait for the school to come out of the waves. Bingo….the bird caught them in the air. It took a lot of patience and time before we got some good shots of the hunt. Oh want fun we have. It appeared to us that the younger juvenile was learning from the older one. And it’s possible that the Seychelles will be their new home. We are about as relaxed as we can be for tomorrow’s 2 day visit to the city of Victoria on the island of Mahe, Seychelles. We have been here several times over the years, and have taken each and every tour as well. So we plan to hike to our favorite spots such as the Botanic Garden and the nearby city. Lunch may be a possibility here, and we do recall they have beer. Ice cold beer. At noon, the Captain said we had 399 nautical miles to go to reach the islands. And for some odd reason, he had to pick up our speed since we were falling behind in time. Then he addressed the area of the Indian Ocean that we will be crossing to get to the coast of Africa. He explained that the weather in South Africa can be dicey this time of year, and he would keep us advised as to the conditions we will be facing as far as swells and rough seas are concerned, not to mention rain. This reminded us of another world cruise a few years back while in this same area. If we recall, some of the ports had to be cancelled. Zanzibar, Tanzania was one of them as was the stop in Madagascar. We would be disappointed if that happened again, since we have never been to Zanzibar. It sounds so exotic. We did cross the Equator yesterday around 2:45pm. The Captain said he hoped King Neptune will forgive the snub, since there would be no ceremony this time. For those of us that are sailing up the west coast, there will be an opportunity to become Emerald Shellbacks, but more about that when it happens. We planned our pm walk around 6pm to catch a possible sunset. And we were not disappointed with another tropical display, even better than last night’s. Many people at the first dinner come out to take phone pictures along with many of the waiters and cooks. Dinner was as light as we could keep it. Lunch had been filling. We had a tataki appetizer and one bowl of chicken spaghetti soup. It is the room service staple, but no where near as good as it used to be. Then we had one veal piccata plate and one Peruvian chicken, which was so big, it took up the entire plate. It happens to be one of the Club Orange entrees and it very good. But it needs to be shared, which we did this evening. We wrapped it up with pineapple and coffee. The Grand Voyage Band put on a performance with “Notes from the Great American Songbook”. We happened to be passing by the door of the show lounge when they were practicing and listened for a bit. It’s nice for a change to have just music to enjoy. No comedians, balloon blowers, dancers, or singers. Just good simple music we all know and love. Back in our room, we had the next sticker for our travel booklet. This segment was short….from Singapore to the Seychelles. Some folks will be leaving tomorrow and new ones will be coming. We do not believe the numbers are very big this time. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #94 Tuesday April 2, 2024 Sea Day #2 Of 3 Enroute To Victoria On Mahe Island, Seychelles Partly Cloudy With Sun 86 Degrees 7mph Wind Sea State: Calm Part #1 Of 1......67 Pictures---Dress—Casual Another day finds us crossing the Equator and getting closer to the Seychelles. At noontime, we had over 600 nautical miles to reach Victoria, Mahe on Thursday. Waking up this morning, we noticed the seas were smooth as silk, something we rarely see. There was no wind although we are experiencing some swells. The Captain mentioned in his talk that this open area of the Indian Ocean is subject to swells from systems that come from Antarctica up the east coast of Africa. Even though the weather has been cooperating with us, he says that may change. There are some storms in the Seychelles and we may pick up some of those on the way there. Our day was laid back and relaxing. The morning walk was easy since most everyone was in the World Stage listening to the talk on the next port. And as expected, it was warm and sticky. There was a slight breeze that did nothing at all for comfort. Going to the Seaview Pool was interesting. We could see some fierce-looking clouds coming up, and did appreciate the shade for a while. Then it got darker, and it began to sprinkle. Lightly at first, then the sky opened up and the water pelted down like gangbusters. The wind created by the cloud had a power of its own. We can always tell when the rain will start when that wind picks up. And there is a coolness in that breeze, which is the rain. In minutes, the deck cleared of sunbathers who took shelter under the tented area. And in minutes, the decking was flooded. Actually, it was pretty exciting for a change. And the ship got a free washing on top of it. Eventually, the shower let up, and the sun re-appeared. And it never rained again until after the sun went down. We can live with that just fine. Kimberly gave her talk on the Seychelles, which we will check out later or tomorrow. It takes hours before it appears on our room TV, which we don’t really understand. We have been to the Seychelles several times over the years, but we always like any new info we can gather. Lunch was Dive-In cuisine from the very friendly waiter and chef. It is the best way to get it hot by getting it yourself. And we are not tempted by the massive amount of food in the Lido lunch buffet. Between reading and internet work, the day evaporated as they all seem to do much quicker these days. We took the time to go for the second walk around the time the sun set. Although we never actually saw the sun, it did put out some nice colors on the most interesting clouds formations. Enjoying a quick cocktail, we were off to dinner. A mixed seafood cocktail and a crostini plate were the starters, followed by salads. Our mains were the same – chicken cordon bleu with a pile of peas and mixed grilled veggies. Sometimes, it is feast or famine with the way they serve the entrees. They can be skimpy or over-flowing. Tried as we could, we did not clean our plates. Except for a small sliced banana, dessert was not an option. Only a cup of hot coffee was plenty. The entertainer tonight was Rebecca Kelly, a vocal comedian with soulful classics, toe-tapping tunes, and some songs she actually wrote. Greg never misses a live show, so he can tell us all about it. It amazes us how tired one can get doing practically nothing all day. We call it re-charging our batteries. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #93 Monday April 1, 2024 April Fool's Day Sea Day #1 Of 3 Enroute To Victoria On Mahe Island, Seychelles Partly Cloudy With Sun 88 Degrees 9mph Wind Sea State: Calm Part #1 Of 1......No Pictures---Dress--Birthday Suit Our first day at sea heading towards the Seychelles was a most pleasant one. The temperatures remained in the high 80’s and it was still humid, but with the ship moving, there was a nice breeze. That always makes a difference. It was also April Fool’s Day and the staff had fun with The Daily newsletter. Our location was listed as “lost at sea” and tonight’s dress suggestion was “birthday suit”. We do hope no one takes that literally. Other April Fool’s Day activities would include a costume party in the Rolling Stone’s Lounge at 8:30pm. There would be a winner to crown the ultimate “fool”. Not sure what this was about, but we will miss it. That’s our dinner time. There was also a bar hop for $25 at 8pm. Also dinner time. Other silly things were walk 1000 miles (it seems like that most hot days), coloring for fools, get jiggy with the Zuiderdam dancers, or doodle your designs. Hey, whatever floats your boat, we say. Our day was spent doing photos from yesterday. It takes time to pick the best of the best, and it is a good way of staying cool in our room. Taking our “1000 mile” walk, we noticed very few people were out and about. It could be they were in the show lounge with a new speaker, Lyn, lecturing on the summer of ’69 – a year of cultural achievements and milestones. Turtles of the Indian Ocean was the subject for the second speaker, Lauren. We still wish these talks would be televised for watching later in our rooms. We did our usual walk to the Seaview Pool and found a table with the most breeze. Greg surprised us and came by for a visit. It is always fun catching up with him and what his port activities were. He and some friends did a couple of resort tours while in the Maldives. It is always interesting talking to those who have done it and hearing the pros and cons. Talking to another friend this morning, we learned that one of the same tours that they did here, was half the price if booked independently. Same resort, same food and drinks, and even two extra hours to stay there. It seems to work better when the stay is over night. That way if something happens, you still have another day to get back to the ship before it leaves. Lunch was two chicken Caesar salads and a shared sandwich. Checking the dinner menu, we found that it had today’s theme of April Fools Day. Some of the items were strange, such as breakfast for dinner. Was it a joke or for real? We found out when we went to dinner that it was for real. And we heard a lot of people ordered the full English breakfast as well as appetizers of a poached egg on a half English muffin. Well, that’s different….why not? We chose the split pea soup, which tasted good, but was not hot. Maybe warm at the best. Ever since our assistant waiter Alfred left, the new guy never got the memo that we liked hot food. We did mention it to him after the fact, telling him it was no big deal, but next time we order soup, it needs to be hot. During our meal, we had a visit from Hari, one of the chefs. He happened to remember our request for hot food, and he asked how it was going. Well, we mentioned the soup, and he promised to make sure it came out hot from now on. Like we said, it wasn’t a big deal, but he wants everyone happy. We had one shrimp cocktail and a salad followed by lasagna and beef tenderloin. Sometimes, the beef entrees are hit and miss. Tonight’s tenderloin was excellent. Hope that continues going forward. Dessert was the usual pineapple slices. By the way, we were served green brioche rolls. Green? We still cannot figure that one out. As we head southwest, we should be crossing the Equator once again. The Captain did not mention that yet, and we know there will not be another King Neptune Ceremony. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #92 Easter Sunday March 31, 2024 Male' Maldives Anchored Overnight Using Our Tenders Leave At 5pm Today Scattered Clouds And Very Hot 92 Degrees 74% Humidity 12mph Wind Part #1 Of 5......66 Pictures-- Dressy Night First and foremost, Happy Easter Greetings to all! The only sign of Easter on the ship was an Easter Egg Hunt at 9am at the Seaview Pool. They had better be quick with their game or the chocolate eggs will certainly melt. That’s if they use chocolate and not real hard boiled eggs. We did receive a cute Easter card from our most favorite travel agent – always a nice touch knowing that she is thinking of us (via our hosts). We had hoped that today would be a little cooler, but that was wrong. If anything, it was hotter with temps in the 90’s with that sticky humidity….and it was only 9am. We went off of the ship by 9:30am well after the tour groups left. Last night after dinner, we chatted with one of our buddies who had gone on the 7 hour private resort with lunch yesterday. He said it was OK, but the resort they used was on the older side and showed its age. On the plus side, there was an open bar for drinks – both virgin and alcoholic. Another nice fellow traveler also said she did the same tour and at $281 she thought it was pricey, but she had never been here before and wanted to see it and experience the snorkeling and swimming. We had heard stories about sting ray feeding off of the pier wall, but did not see them yesterday. Bob mentioned that people told him that they saw them later in the afternoon. Kimberly had mentioned this in her talk, but failed to inform us that this feeding by the fishermen is done at 5pm when the Fish Market closes. We found this out when we asked a local policeman about the rays. He pointed the way to the spot, but said it happens at 5pm. Never taking anyone’s word for it, we walked past the veggie tents and onto the bulkhead where we got lucky. It took some waiting, but while we were watching schools of tropical fish, here came a tawny-colored stingray about 3 feet in diameter. It came close to the black rocks below where we were standing, and we did take some photos. Getting good pictures of them underwater was challenging or next to impossible. But you have to take a chance and give it a try. Or sometimes you have to enjoy it while it’s happening and store it in your memory. Three more came along and now more people were standing next to us watching the show. It was better than snorkeling to see the colorful tropical fish right below us. Time to move on, we made one more stop at the Fish Market, which was just as busy today as it was yesterday. Many fishermen were loading the plastic buckets with assorted sizes of yellowfin tuna. We wonder if there is a limit to how many they catch in a day? From here we made our way past the Grand Friday Mosque, the National Museum, and past a string of souvenir shops. At least they were opened for business, unlike every eatery in town, which was closed until sunset. Even the ice cream shops – not one was opened according to the Muslim law. Working our way towards the island’s center, we found one of the main cross streets filled with more modern shops, hardware stores, boutiques, and even some malls. It felt like all 100,000 locals were out and about today. The only saving aspect in this intense heat were the old-growth trees that spanned the two-lane traffic creating a leafy canopy of shade. The most shopping we did was window-shopping, as nothing really caught our eye. And do we really need more stuff? Probably not. On the way down this street we passed by a huge stadium surrounded with many dining options….all closed of course. Even a big advertisement showed a family style pizza ready to go at a nearby pizzeria. Good luck trying to find any pizza café here as the streets are chock-a-block jammed together as are the narrow side streets. We happened to run into another couple from the ship who had just come back from the Artificial Beach and another modern mosque. They pointed the way which turned out to be closer than we thought. Artificial Beach is just that – manmade. It was a cozy small crescent-shaped beach with imported white sand. Benches lined the beach and there were some trees for shade. Most every bench in the shade was occupied by locals. The food shack was closed as were the restrooms. Only one lady from our ship waded up to her knees in the warm waters with shorts on. No local women go swimming, and if they do, they will NOT wear a swimsuit. In other strict Muslim countries, such as Mozambique, we have seen the ladies go in the surf fully dressed in their flowing black robes and headscarves. No kidding. Right next to this beach was a blue – tiled mosque….very modern with four dark granite minarets resembling obelisks for lack of a better word. There were men with young sons going inside since it was close to noontime. Our friends that gave us directions had wanted to go inside, but only the husband was allowed. She had not wished to take her shoes off, so she was not allowed in. Even in this day in age, this is a man’s world. By 12:15pm, the call for prayer rang out from the city’s minarets. And to be honest, we never felt the warm and fuzzy feeling of being totally welcomed here. We were not alone in our thinking, since many of our buddies said the same thing. We were tolerated in town, but considered more of a nuisance. Now if we had never seen the capital of Male and had gone straight to a private luxury resort, the feeling of being welcomed would be a far different experience. Ignoring some of those impressions, we still enjoyed roaming around and tried staying out of the locals way, especially at the produce and fish markets. This is their livelihood and from what we saw, they are hard workers. We continued walking past the jetties in the marina until we reached the HAL tent and the tenderboat landing. We had consumed every drop of our ice water, and appreciated the cups of cold water that were discreetly handed to us in the covered tent. We were back onboard by 1pm. Cooling off was the first priority and ice cold sodas helped. Lunch was Dive-In with a chicken sandwich and a hot dog on a brioche bun. Finally figured out how to avoid those tiny black seeds on the hot dog buns. Going between the room and the veranda became impossible as the sun was shining on our side, and the heat was intense. Captain Friso came on the speakers at 4:30pm and admitted how happy the crew and passengers were to visit here….a first for many, even us. Friso said he was most happy to stop here as it was a first for him as well. Pulling up the anchors and competing the remaining customs and immigration details with the officials was all that was needed before we left the lagoon. The Captain said he intended on circling the island slowly, then heading southwest towards our next port of the Seychelles in four days from now. He mentioned that we have 1254 nautical miles to reach our next port, which will take three sea days. That’s great….we all need the rest and a chance to re-hydrate after two unbelievably hot days in Male. Unfortunately, the direction the Captain took put the island’s view on the starboard side. However, we did get close to an outer island with a nice resort with over-the-water huts and a large lagoon. This island would be reachable by local ferries, which we read that are quite cheap. That’s about all that is cheap here, we think. We had expected some Easter decorations in the dining room tonight. In fact it was a “dressy” night, so we thought the entrees would be top-notch. So the decorations were balloon figures of the Easter bunny at the entrance surrounded with colored lights. We ordered salads, a soup, and the every day shrimp cocktail. Club Orange had the best entrée with roasted lamb, white beans, and spinach. The meat was tasty, but not quite as hot as we like it, nor was it really tender. Since we finally sampled the Lido pizza at lunch, we were not all that hungry anyway. Dessert for one of us was sliced pineapple….so refreshing. There were no exciting desserts nor where there any chocolate Easter eggs or chocolate bunnies anywhere to be seen. We always get something chocolate for Easter, but not this time. In our room, we had the formal candies, another towel animal, and that was that. Is it possible that every little extra touch will be stopped, due to the fact from here on out, the itinerary has changed? Sometimes there is a method to their madness when it comes to saving money. Little things add up. Looking forward to some lazy days at sea. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #91 Saturday March 30, 2024 Male' Maldives Anchored Using Our Tenders 7am-Overnight Scattered Clouds And Very Hot 92 Degrees 74% Humidity 12mph Wind Part #1 Of 5......66 Pictures---Casual Dress The Zuiderdam sailed into the lagoon of the main island, Male, early just after sunrise. There must have been some small boats in our way because the Captain blew the horn more than once as he approached the anchorage spot. Or perhaps the pilots tooted the horn. The capital of the Maldives is Male with 1/3 of the population living there. The total population is 393,000 people that speak Dhivehi, a close relation to Sri Lankan language. Three factors associated with the Maldives is unrivalled luxury, gorgeous white sand beaches, and an overwhelming underwater world. It is advertised as a guaranteed choice for a vacation of a lifetime. There are 1200 islands here, many of which are natural atolls. Private luxury resorts are situated on these outlying islands, some are only reachable by a floatplane. Over one million visitors come here in a year to enjoy this Indian Ocean paradise. The big draw at these resorts are the diving and snorkeling opportunities. There are dazzling corals, tropical fish, manta rays, turtles, not to mention hammerhead sharks. The world’s largest fish is here….the whale shark. Despite their massive size, they dine on plankton. Male is the best place to get to mix with the locals, although this is not the best weekend to be here. For most of us, it is Easter weekend, but locally, it is Ramadan, a time of Muslim fasting. It will last until April 9th. Many shops and cafes will be closed until sunset. And forget about drinking beer or any other alcoholic drink, as it is not served here in town. You would have to go to the airport or to a resort to enjoy alcoholic drinks. The anchors were dropped giving the port side the view of part of the city, a connecting bridge, and the ever-so-busy international airport. For such a remote part of the world, we never saw so many airplanes landing. There were commercial jets, twin Otter seaplanes and helicopters. The ship was cleared by the local authorities by 8:15am. Due to tendering, most everyone had to get tickets. Shortly before the thundering herd went off, Kimberly announced that there were steep cement stairs to access the landing so those with mobility problems had to be able to do these stairs. Furthermore, she said that no one should be seen in public sipping our water bottles , since it was considered impolite due to the fact that all of the locals were still fasting during Ramadan. We would never go off without water for safety reasons, but we would be discreet drinking it. Being in a Muslim country, we knew to dress conservatively. Not everyone from the ship got that message. We joined the tenderboat about the same time “open” tenders were announced. Many folks had booked tours, but just as many had not. Here is what was offered for the two day stay here. The least expensive was the snorkel excursion for 2 ¼ hours for $100. Two tours that were $160 were Bandoss Island Resort for 4 hours or a 2 hour ride in a submarine. A dinner and beach party for 4 hours went for $240, while a trip to a remote resort for 7 hours was $281. An over night stay at the Maldives Full Moon Resort was $630. The ride to the ferry landing took about 15 minutes. Turning right, we walked past the fishing boats crowded next to each other to unload their catch of the day. The first market we entered was the produce section. Most everything sold here must be imported from elsewhere. For instance, the oranges came from Egypt, the fresh berries were from Turkey, the wheat flour was from India, and Sri Lanka provided the tea and coffee. We have to mention here that what we saw in town was far from the idealistic paradise described in the tour books. This waterfront area was littered with trash discarded in piles on broken sidewalks and uneven cobblestoned streets. Tons of motor scooters filled every inch of the street and side alleys. To say that it was crowded is an understatement. On the other hand, the busy fruit and veggie markets were bustling with locals shopping for the weekend. Their fish market had the biggest and plumpest snapper we have ever seen. There were barracudas, wahoo, swordfish and tuna and more. In fact, they catch up to 100,000 pounds of tuna annually. It was all fresh, and there was little smell. Sometimes these types of markets will knock you over with the smell, but not today. A string of butchers were skillfully chopping and fileting some of the largest tunas we have seen. They seemed to enjoy having their pictures taken. Sometimes they don’t. Continuing on up this street, we passed a few hardware stores, but it became difficult dodging the many parked scooters blocking the sidewalk. Taxis and trucks were also weaving their way through the traffic. Time to turn back, we went down a narrow side alley to the back street. There were fewer cars here, and also a few cafes. But they were all closed until later. Truthfully, there was not one place that we would even consider going to. Some of the local favorite foods are called “short eats”. One is called karaubu, a small deep-fried dough ball with tuna, mashed potatoes, peppers and lime. Other finger foods are fish pieces coated with chili, and another is a fried dough ball with fish and spices. They like spicy fishcakes rolled in batter and fried. Doing some online research, we did locate several pizza places and international cuisine too. Useless info now that most everything is closed. And there was no way we would desire to come back after dark. The crew will come over in groups for sure tonight. And they will be happy to find there is a KFC in town. The ferry landing was already full of folks ready to go back either from short tours or just exploring like us. Good thing that the HAL tent had some hidden containers of ice water to serve because most of them were “melting” from the high heat and humidity. We decided to walk into the center of the island to see some of the sights. Across the busy road was a square with tall shade trees and a place to sit for a while. We could see the minaret of the Grand Friday Mosque and went in that direction to see it. It has an impressive golden dome and is made with white marble. A symbol of the city, it is the largest mosque in the country. It happened to be a non-praying time, but the surrounding patio was chained off for people to get closer. Some tourists were clueless as they went up on the marble stairs to pose for photos. Located in this square was the Victory Monument, a tribute to a war fought with the Tamils not too long ago. There was a nice garden beyond the mosque, but it closed just as we got there at 11:30am. We found a small park with benches under some huge old trees and sat for a spell. Locals were out and about shopping. There was more to see, but we found it way to hot to explore further. We have another day here tomorrow, so we shall save the other side of this city for then. The tender ride was easy, and we were back to the coolness of our room by 12:30pm. We found that our every two- week delivery of Coke Zeros were on our coffee table. Just in time as we were running low. Working online and doing research took the rest of the afternoon. Lunch was room service salads and sandwiches. We did have a good exposure on our veranda with no direct sun and somewhat of a breeze. And we had a great view of the lagoon and the boat traffic as well as the airplane activity. Before we knew it, the time had come for dinner. We enjoyed appetizers of a Thai salad and one arancini with marinara sauce. Salads for both, then one honey mustard chicken and one Club Orange short rib dinner. Both were excellent. Dessert was a sliced banana with a little chocolate sauce of course. One coffee and we were ready to go. There was no live show tonight, but a movie, Oppenheimer. We do need to watch it, but we think it is also on the TV movie grid. Tonight we would fall asleep in the middle of it. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #90 Good Friday March 29, 2024 Sea Day Enroute To Male', Maldives Sunny And Warm 79% Humidity 8mph Wind 86 Degrees Sea State: Flat Part #1 Of 1.......No Pictures---Casual Dress We woke up to fairly clear skies and smooth seas, a low swell, and gentle breezes. After yesterday’s exciting thunder and lightning storm, it was a surprise that system had not followed us. This morning at breakfast, they served hot cross buns with bleached raisins. A clear indication that Easter is approaching soon. In fact today is Good Friday and as always, Mass was celebrated at 8am. Also at 7pm, there was an interdenominational service in the Hudson Room. While Kimberly was delivering her talk on the Maldives, we took our walk on the promenade deck. There were only a handful of people out there because it was too darned hot. We are rapidly approaching the Equator once again and we are feeling the effects of the heat and humidity. We expect the stop in the Maldives will be a warm and sticky one. The only sea life we have seen are flying fish, and very few of them. Still hoping for dolphins sightings, but so far….nothing. The day was spent working on photos and reports from yesterday, and doing some research on Male, Maldives. This stop has been on our itinerary a few times in the past, but we have never made it there. Perhaps the tides were wrong, or we got bumped by another ship, it was cancelled each time. So during Captain Friso’s noon talk, he shared some basic info about tomorrow’s stop. Since this is the first time for him to visit this island country, he is unsure as to the immigration process with the locals. He is expecting things to be slow. He sort of relayed that he is nervous of navigating the many islands of this archipelago, but reassured us all that there will be a pilot onboard. The ship will be at anchor, and tender boats will be used to go ashore. It has been some time since we needed these. By the way, we will have a two day stay there. Today while at the Seaview Pool, we asked the bartender, Gerald, if he went into Colombo yesterday. Previously, he had asked us about the conditions there and we were perfectly frank with him. We told him of our experiences there, and he decided it was best not to go anywhere. So what he and other friends of his did was make a collection of money that they gave to other buddies who went to the KFC not far from the port gate. He said it was the best $5 he spent and enjoyed the chicken immensely. Then he added that his friends told him the same type of stories about the tuk-tuk guys and taxi drivers and figured he made the right choice. We did watch the Maldive talk and got more information about where we are going. We have been told that nothing is there and there is no place to walk. However, looking at the photos of Male, the capital, it is a small city, but there are things to see and do there. This evening before dinner, we were invited to a President’s Club Samosa Cocktail Party in the Gallery Bar hosted by the Captain and Henk M, and other officers and staff. There happened to be another pop-up dinner in the Pinnacle Grill at the same time, an Indian-Themed Dinner, so there were fewer of our group present. The officers circulate among the guests so everyone has a chance to meet Friso, since he recently boarded after Captain Frank departed. We had been chatting with the Assistant Accountant, who is in charge or ordering supplies and food for the ship. He is the money man next to the purser, or whatever they call them these days. It could be Finance Manager. He was very interesting explaining what goes on behind the scenes. Then Captain Friso came along and the conversation continued. He filled us in with the whereabouts of many Captains we have known over the years. Friso had been staff captain under several of the best and keeps in touch with most of them. Then it was his turn to move along and we had Mila, Henk’s assistant. By the time the hour was up, we barely had time to finish our drinks. The waiters served some nice, but elaborate appetizers, but we still had to go to dinner, so we passed on the treats. Last but not least, Henk came along and we had a fun time with him as always. We congratulated him on his recent memos he sent out regarding the new shore excursion process as well as the rescinding of the peanut shell mess on the carpets. It is not often he has to pull rank like that, but we commend him for his efforts in keeping the peace. Time for dinner, we ordered salads and the shrimp cocktails. Always good. The only really appealing item on the menu was the jerked pork tenderloin which really would have been better with some applesauce. It was more spicy than we are used to, but still tasty. Dessert? In a word….pineapple of course. And coffee. Entertainment was a repeat performance by Sharene, the female harmonica soloist. Her songs were those you love played in ways we will not believe. Ready, set….Male – here we come. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #89 Thursday March 28, 2024 Colombo, Sri Lanka 8am-11pm Docked Port Side To Pier Hot And Humid-84% Humidity Sunny With Afternoon Thunder Storms Part #1 Of 6.......66 Pictures---Casual Dress The Zuiderdam arrived to the port of Colombo, Sri Lanka around 7am, but was docked by 8am. Nothing looked familiar to us since we were in a different area of this very expansive port. It has been a few years since we have visited here, so perhaps the other dock cannot accommodate a ship of this size. The good news is that there were shuttles provided to take us on a 20 minute ride to the port gate. But which gate, we did not know. The country of Sri Lanka has a population of 22.2 million people that speak Sinhala and Tamil, as well as some English. The capital is right here in Colombo with 750,000 living in the city. One quote says it all: “There are endless beaches, timeless ruins, welcoming people (not quite all of them), oodles of elephants, rolling surf, cheap prices, fun trains (not always), famous tea, and flavorful food.” This best describes this teardrop-shaped island off of the coast of India. Once known as Ceylon, it is one of the most desired destinations for many vacationing Europeans. And cruise ships too. With all of the good stuff said, there have been years of war, tsunamis, train accidents, and interior unrest. Despite that, the people are resilient. Many UNESCO World Heritage Sites are here such as the world’s oldest living tree at Anuradhapura or witnessing hundreds of Asian elephants bathing in a river in Minneriya. And it was our pleasure to have stayed in Yala National Park out of Hambantota several years ago. We had a 6 day stay there to witness the world’s highest concentration of leopards – an unforgettable experience. The only downside at the time was an untimely deadly heatwave that struck the country. That made “roughing it” take on a whole new meaning while staying in not quite so much semi-luxurious tents with ceiling fans….no air-conditioning. This safari camp did not have a swimming pool, but did have a nearby pond where one could take a quick dip. However, there were wild buffalo there as well as crocodiles. Sometimes. No thanks, we will stick to a cool shower in the bathroom of our tent. What an adventure we had while sitting on our raised veranda watching for the procession of the Sri Lankan waiters coming down the hillside with our meals. Dinnertime was the best…magical, as they came down in the dark with flashlights. The highlight of this safari were the sightings of leopards every day we were there. On the drive back to Colombo, we spent a night in Galle Fort another UNESCO site. Perhaps some day, we will do it again if the ship stops on the east coast of the island. There was an overland tour from here to India. It was 4 days and 3 nights with visits to the Taj Mahal and Pink City of Jaipur. At least that was the original plan, so this may have been amended when the world cruise itinerary changed. After the tour, they will fly to the Maldives and re-join the ship. The price was $4000 per person. The other fun excursion was a long 3 hour bus trip one way to see Pinnawela elephants. That was 9 hours for $160 with lunch. A long drive to Galle with lunch was 10 ½ hours for $160. Shorter tours were Holy Colombo and Panoramic Colombo 4 ¼ hours for $55, and 2 hours for $50. We have done all of these over the years, so no buses for us today. There was a big show of Sri Lankan dancers and drummers on the pier when we arrived. They danced their hearts out for over an hour as the guests joined their buses. Not sure of the temperature today, but we guarantee it was hot even more steamy. However, that would change later in the early evening. We went off the ship after obtaining a nice map that was available in the Explorer’s Lounge. The information ladies said the port gate was # 8, and insisted it was the only gate. That would work for us because we know our way to town from there. The ride was 20 minutes, and the buses were leaving on the ½ hour. From the port gate, we were inundated with the most persistent tuk-tuk drivers and taxi guys. They were all offering incredibly cheap tours, and we knew not to fall for it. As usual, we were out for a walk with no desire to get into a car let alone one of the really unsafe tuk-tuks. We hate to admit it, but some of these guys lie about who they are and what they will provide as far as tours go. And have you ever heard of “touts”? They are well-dressed men, usually carrying a nice leather briefcase, and offering to get you a taxi to some kind of special event happening. It could be an elephant parade or like today, a Ramadan faire. Some of our buddies have fallen for that and had a ride to anywhere but an event. Usually a very expensive jewelry store. We were followed by several guys who did not know the meaning of “no thanks”, even saying it politely. This just goes with the territory, and we are well aware of the practice. But today we heard a new approach. One fellow behind us said he recognized us from the pool on the ship, saying he worked there as a bartender or a deck hand. Yeah….sure. He said he was on his way to see his family in town. Again, yeah, sure. We waited for him to suggest selling us something, but when we got to the crosswalk, we turned around and he was headed back to the gate. We made our way through the Fort area, passing the old Cargill Building, the Clock Tower, and finally, The Kingsbury Hotel. Great, we could duck into this lovely hotel to cool off and ditch the remaining tuk-tuk drivers who were stopping and offering us tours. We laughed and said we need to have T-shirts printed with “NO THANKS” on the front and back. Once inside the lobby, we had to pass through an xray portal. This was new to us. We have always had to do this precaution in Mumbai at the famous Taj Hotel, but never here. Funny thing – it did beep when we passed through, but nothing was said and we were greeted nicely. We checked out their dining options, but we were too early for the buffet or the outdoor pool dining. Continuing on, we located Marine Drive, and followed the seaside walkway passing the Colonial Government Building, the Beira Lake, and the Galle Face Green with many towering luxury hotels facing the Indian Ocean here. Besides crows and pigeons, we spot a few pelicans and white egrets. Thank goodness for the breeze coming off of the water with the pounding waves about hitting the seawall. It is one long walk, but it is far away from the road, and no one bothers you for rides here. The strip of the Galle Face Green used to serve as a race track in the old days. Now we could see some stands of hawkers selling beach toys for little kids. There are a few food stands that are mostly opened on weekends. Located at the far end of the Green is the Galle Face Hotel, a Sri Lanka icon and where we always go for lunch. We heard rumors that after Covid, the high- end hotels limited access to their properties to registered guests only. It would be very disappointing if that were still true. However, upon arriving to the front entrance, the doors were opened and we welcomed inside. Of course, there was another xray check upon entering. And again, the buzzer went off but no one double-checked either of us. We went right to the outside patio, and took seats under a working fan on the side veranda. Usually there are small squirrels that will search for crumbs on this patio, but it appears that they have been eliminated. Ordering Lion draft beers, we followed up with a burger with fries and one plate of Bolognese spaghetti. The nice aspect of dining here, besides the colonial atmosphere all around us, is the fact they never rush you. The Lion beer never tasted so good, and their cuisine was excellent. Some of the common foods here include a type of sambol, a condiment with spicy chili powder. Hoppers are bowl-shaped pancakes made with rice flour. If a fried egg is added, then it is called an egg hopper, which they top off with sambol. A national dish with spicy fish or meat is called rice and curry. Pani pol is a small pancake with sugary cardamom and cinnamon. Tea, of course, is popular with everyone, and they like it with lots of sugar and hot milk. The menu at this hotel did have some of these typical meals. Close by this veranda was a full buffet which began at noontime. We knew that one of the travel groups was on its way here at the end of their 4 hour tour. We have done it dining in both the inside convention hall as well as outdoors on this patio. As long as the breeze continued, being outside was the best option. We had spent almost 1 ½ hours relaxing here while finishing our meal with a shared tiramisu and caramelized banana dessert. Perfect ending for a hot afternoon. Time to leave, we went into the side bar and lounge to pay our bill. There were many photos of famous folks that had stayed here in the past. One was of Gregory Peck, another of Emperor Hirohito, and also President Nixon to name just a few. Many world leaders had graced these verandas as well as famous actresses of the day like Jean Simmons, Ursula Andress, and singer Sade and even Harrison Ford, who may have starred in a movie here. Back outside, we strolled down the stairway to the swimming pool and discovered some of our neighboring dinner mates on the ship were here. Four of them were enjoying the strong breezes of the India Ocean while sipping pints of cold beer. It is really the best place to spend an afternoon we think. Asking how we got here, we told them we walked, which they did not believe at first. Yes, it was hot, but taking our time was the trick. Taking a taxi here, they had avoided all of the “fun” dodging the tuk-tuk group. We were heading back into the melee as we walked back. Actually , it was better going back as most of the drivers did not bother us much. Only when we got to the port gate, they stuck their tour offers in our faces. And guess what? The price had dropped to half as much, if we could believe that. While waiting for the shuttle bus, one elderly man was being harassed by a taxi fellow, and seemed quite perturbed. He said this is the reason we should have never stopped here in this port. When one is a single elderly person carrying a cane, they pester you more. The 20 minute ride went quickly and we were back home to the wonderful air-conditioned ship by 3pm. Other than going out on our veranda, we never left the ship again. By 5:30pm, we noticed that the string of tented vendors on the pier began covering their outside tables of treasures with sheets of heavy plastic. In fact, they worked frantically because in the distance we could see black clouds dropping rain coming quickly our way. Then we saw the lightning and heard the thunder. The sunny and partly cloudy skies we had all day had turned on a dime and a good heavy rain was imminent. And that it did by 6pm…..heavy driving rain which had the vendors piling racks of clothing and other items into the waiting vans. Not everything was packed away, since there were still people coming back from tours and the shuttles to buy stuff. Even with the pier almost flooded, the guests and crew continued to shop. From out of the 12 to 15 tents, about 4 of them stayed open until 10:30pm when the all aboard time was in effect. Dinner had some nice Sri Lanka items, but we stuck to what we know best. One appetizer was fried calamari and another was a very tasty tomato-veggie soup. Our mains were the same – prime rib (half-size) with baked potatoes. It was plenty filling, so no dessert was needed. Only coffee. The ship finally left the pier after 11pm with the rain mostly gone by then. Now we are heading to new territory for us – the Maldives. Should be interesting. Glad we have some sea days getting there. The clocks went back another ½ our tonight. Not a bad idea….we need it. Bill & Mary Ann

Report #88 Wednesday March 27, 2024 Sea Day #3 Of 3 Heading West Transiting The Andaman Sea Enroute To Colombo, Sri Lanka At 18 Knots Rain And Clouds 12mph Wind 84 Degrees 77% Humidity Part #1 Of 1.......No Pictures--Casual Dress Today we woke up to heavily-overcast skies, so much so, that it seemed dark at 7am. Of course, we did have that time change, so that may have been part of the later rising of the sun. As the day advanced, we would have thunder, lightning, and rain. Not a lot of rain but passing showers. As we watched more commercial ships sail past us, we could see they were under the clouds and getting wet. Sometimes showers can be avoided by sailing around them. We forgot to mention that we spotted dolphins yesterday morning around 10am. By the time we took the camera out on the veranda, the dolphins were about gone, and the camera immediately fogged up. Today while we were at the Seaview Pool, Captain Friso said there were a few pods we were cutting through. It is possible we caught a picture of one jumping. Once again, they were gone as fast as we saw them. Appearing to be smaller dolphins, they skim the surface, but don’t jump like the larger ones. Better than nothing, we were happy to see some sea life. The best we have witnessed on the way across this sea have been flying fish. They are lucky since we have not seen a sea bird for weeks now. The usual sea day activities keep the folks busy. The most attended ones are the lectures. The Hidden Life of Trees was a talk given by Lauren and Merge, who has been onboard for a long time now, spoke about the Indian Ocean. Lunch for us was salads and sandwiches. Then at 4pm, there was another Block Party, which was scheduled for yesterday, but did not happen. The theme was “Zling & Nuts Block Party”. The rules were bring your own glass and a sort-of Singapore Sling beverage would be poured. The nuts we assume were peanuts in the shells, where we could drop the shells on the carpets in the hallways. What??? No way would we do that. Even while dining in Raffles Long Bar where it is acceptable, we did not do it. So there was a note given to everyone with a change of plans. Since some folks are highly allergic to peanuts, we were asked to refrain from disposing of them on the carpet. We have no idea where this idea originated, but the note came from the hotel manager, Henk. We cannot imagine Captain Friso and Chantal briskly walking down each hallway avoiding the shells. The sprinkles stopped long enough to get in the late afternoon walk. We have noticed more people we have not seen before, so these are probably the newbies that joined in Singapore. In the old days, these folks would be teased and called “segment people” in good humor. Sometimes it is difficult to come onto a ship that has been sailing for a couple of months where people have formed groups with the games, in the bars, and at dinnertime. Dinnertime had a few new items. The salads are getting more creative and new items such as Shanghai ribs were on the appetizer menu. We both went for the sweet and sour duck with what we thought were sauteed egg noodles. They turned out to be ramen noodles. This has to be the third or fourth time ordering a noodle dish that sounded different, but it turned out to be the ramen noodles. They were good with the sweet and sour sauce. Dessert was fruit – pineapple and a cup of coffee, which our waiter Yanwar insists is not dessert. He did remind us to put our clocks back ½ hour, which we knew was coming. It is one of those few places where we do the ½ hour, and once we leave Sri Lanka, we will put the clocks back another ½ hour. There is another place in the world we have done this, but we cannot seem to recall where that was. Tomorrow will be Colombo and now we are wondering what the weather will be like? Bill & Mary Ann