Day 85,86, March 30/31 And day 87, Easter April, 1, 2018

It has been a very busy few day, some I didn’t list as they were sea days, with the things you’ve heard befor. Painting and making jewelry can get pretty intense, especially when the instructor really through’s you big challenges you weren’t expecting. Then add a couple good lectures and the test kitchen and befor you know it, it’s time to get ready for dinner!  Ed and I were discussing this, and we likened a world cruise to a semester in collage. Everything is planed out, you can’t go home,,,,,, etc. Which brings up one of the things that took up the afternoon and much discussion that evening and, we are all still discussing it. 

On Good Friday, Orlando Ashford, the CEO of Holland America had a presentation on what was going on for HAL in the future. And then people were allowed to ask questions, most of those were pretty lame. But the big news was the 2020 world cruise itinerary which looks interesting if it stays the way they have it right now, and  it is 128 days!  Sorry the map is not more readable, I had to take it from the TV. 

Yesterday we went in to Maputo, Mozambique 🇲🇿,  very interesting place, once again we see evidence of the Chinese take over. This is a very poor country, that has been abused by the Portuguese and the British, and now it is the Chinese, who are in the night buying the land, from unknowning farmers, and clear cutting the old forests, and sending the wood to China! They are building a big bridge in town to connect the town to the town across the river, and we found out that the Chinese were doing the construction, and rather than hiring the locals they have imported Chinese labor.  Now one could argue that the imported labor is more skilled, but how hard is to teach people, to mix cement?

 

The bridge, not finished yet, craft village, nice stuff, but we didn’t bring the right money. They would not take one roller bills, seems the bank has been taken over by the Chinese and they rip off the people on the exchange rate, of a one dollar bill! 

 

Our guide and me, ed in the natural history museum, they had the largest cole toon of elephant fetuses, I’ll spare you. 

 

The Queens pet lion. And more evidence of the Chinese taking over. 

 

The train station. They have a train to Cape Town once a week. 

Happy Easter! 🐣 

We have a full day today, first it was the Easter Sunday brunch, at 11: am, actually, the day started with sun rise service, we didn’t go. We did go to brunch, it was very nice. 

 

All decorated for Easter, and good company makes for a good time. 

 

 

Menu:

Tonight we have the  Mariner’s appreciation day cocktail party, and then a big Gala night dinner, and we already received our Easter candy this morning, when our room Stewart cleaned the room and made the bed. All very nice, but we wish we were with the kids and grand kids. 

So more tomorrow, another sea day. 

Quotes: “ TRAVEL is FATAL to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”  - Mark Twin

              “ TRAVEL is about the GEORGEOUS feeling of teetering in the unknown.”  - Anonymous 

Day 82, Tuesday, March 27, 2018 La Possession, Reunion

Today is the second of three sea days, between Reunion Island and Mapoto, so I guess I better catch y’all up on the going’s on and what we did on Reunion, which was wonderful, by the way. 

We found that everything that was missing on the Seychelles was here on Reunion, the beauty of the island, and the care the people have for their island. You can tell the influences of the EU. Not a big tourist island, but there working on it,,,, working, is the optimum word here, everyone was working and it was evident by all the work on the infrastructure, and we had one of the best meals we have had on the whole cruise.  Do you think we liked it? 

The tour we took, took us all the way around the island. We started in La Possession a tiny port on the north side of Reunion, was originally settled in the 1600s, the British used it as an entry point when they took over the island in 1810. Today it is known as the gateway to the Cirque de Mafate, the  ‘caldera’ ( collapse cone of a volcano) that was once a refuage for runaway slaves, and is now a mecca for hikers. One of the worlds most active volcanos, it last erupted in 2006. Lucky we didn’t see an eruption, but we did see a lot of the island. 

We went to a beautiful botanical garden, and this time I loved it, it was like what one migh have imagined the garden of Eaden might have been like, so serene and beautiful, not groomed and manicured, like the one on the Seychelles. 

 

Our guide, we had two, the one from the bus, who spoke English and the one from the garden who only spoke French, showed us what uncut looked like a small peach, but when you cut it, you have a nutmeg. We also saw the orchid that you get vanilla beans from, but they are not in season right

  

This was the most groomed path, the orchid that grows vanilla is way up in this tree

 

This was called a black widow orchid, not sure why, we never, heard the reason, I guess I will look it up when I have WiFi. 

Anyway then it was on to the volcano. 

 
It is hard to show the scope of the lava flow, it was a lot! 

Then on to lunch, and a beautiful place by the sea to eat. 

 

This was the back yard of the restaurant Etoile De Mer where we ate

  

This was our afternoon rest stop. 

 We arrived back at the ship in time for the sail away party, that the CEO of Holland America through for the whole ship, nothing like free drinks and live music to bring out the best in people, we all had a great time, reminded Ed and I of the New Years Cruise we took. 

Quote:  “ The gladdest moment in human life, methinks, is a departure into unknown lands.”  - Sir Richard Francis Burton

(Backup) Day 79, Saturday, March 24, 2018 Victoria, Mahe Seychelles 🇸🇨

We arrived a bit ahead of schedule this morning, but that was still much later then our normal port arrivals, it was 9:30 AM when they cleared the ship. We met the others that had signed up for the tour, in the Queens lounge at 10, and by 10:30 we were meeting the bus. We were on bus #4, there were eight buses for this tour all carrying about 17 people each. It was air conditioned and we were all very happy about that, as the temp was already getting very warm, 86* and would get hotter, and the humidity was about 80%. 

The Seychelles is composed of 115 islands and Victoria on the island of Mahe’ is there capital: among the smallest national capitals in the world. France colonized the islands in the 1700s, then Great Britain controlled them until their independence in 1976. There is a very strong Creole influence this is because of the,  Africans, Indians, and Chinese that were brought in to work on the, spice, sugar, and cotton plantations, and their language and music, and foods are still very much of today. 

So first stop was the botanical gardens, which was beautiful, but a lot of walking up hill!  Now if it was cooler, it wouldn’t have been bad, but in this heat, it was a killer for most of us. 

First stop was to see the coconut this island is famous for. More then just a novelty, the oil is supposed to be very good for your skin and hair, himm we’ll see. It is the Coco de Mer, it is the only native coconut to the Seychelles, and very provocative to say the least. 

If you look at the right on the shelf and you can see the long flower stem that hangs between the crease in the coconut, didn’t I say it was provocative? 

There were also huge tortoises in this garden, well protected, so we couldn’t get very close. 

   

 

Some of the flowers in the garden. 

 

After leaving the gardens, totally exhausted, the picture doesn’t show it well, but it was all uphill, we head into town, to see the market. 

 

 

 

These shells were so pretty, we bought one. 

Now we traveled over to the other side of the island, and it reminded me of Tahiti. 

 

 

Then there was the lunch and beach stop at a Hilton double tree, that was fun, but after walking in the Indean Ocean, it was very clear, and warm.  I have now put my feet in all the oceans on the globe, how about that!

We returned to the ship a bit late, but since we weren’t sailing until 10:30 PM it didn’t matter.  We were both so hot and tired, we showered, and Ed went up to the Lido and brought it back to the room. They were having a shellfish extravaganza. 

In the upper left is the chocolates they gave us in the apology for the water in the room, and a bottle of wine. We had them in the fridge, and after the 10,573steps, in the oppressive heat we could indulge a bit. 

Quote:  “ To travel is to take a JOURNY into yourself.”  - Danny Kay

Day 76, 77, and 78 At Sea March 21, 22, 23, 2018 on our way to Victoria, Seychelles 🇸🇨

Reunion Island is our next port, we have been at sea for the last two days, today being our third day, and I have caught a cold.  Not fun, but not a surprise as Ed has had it for about a week, I was bound to get it in these close quarters. 

Our seas here on the Indean ocean, have been very calm, and we are doing about 17-18 kts and it doesn’t even feel like we are moving. Does that mean, I’m getting to be a sailor?  The captain said it rained hard last night, but we didn’t know it.  It is 84 F 75% humidity and we have traveled 22,473 miles, thus far. 

So what do Sea days consist of? Lots of activity’s Ed does thi chi at eight, I go to watercolor class, then we meet for a lecture about an upcoming port, then the test kitchen, lecture, with a visiting chef, lunch, and arts and crafts, then maybe a nap, it rest time read,,, or you might want to go to one of the afternoon lectures, then dress for dinner and happy hour. Then a show, then pour yourself in bed! 

Two days ago I did a class to learn how to wear a Sari, and then an Indean women I met on the cruise helped me wear mine. 

We had an special Indian Dinner, lots of the ladies and men dressed up for the occasion. These are our head waiters in all there regalia. 

  

This was the practic night, but Janusse did not like this top, and it was too hot, but this photo, shows off the Sari better. 

So tomorrow we will be in and we are taking an all day tour, 7 1/2 hours here is a preview of where we are going, and I will try to post the next day with our photos. 

Enjoy an excellent introduction to the Seychelles. Golden beaches stretch beneath spectacular granite peaks covered in dense tropical vegetation from which there are dazzling views over turquoise seas.

Your tour begins with a guided visit to Victoria, the world's smallest capital city. From the antique clock tower to the modern National Library Building and the bustling market, Victoria holds a very special charm.

You will then proceed to the Botanic Gardens to see the colony of giant land tortoises, fruit bats, the unique coco de mer palms, and other endemic flora and fauna.

Continue along the winding Sans Souci road to the historic Mission Lodge and the ruins of a school for the children of freed slaves. Moving on past the neat rows of tea bushes on the slopes, you'll stop at a hotel for a refreshing beverage.

Return to the coast for lunch -- the island's flavors will tempt your palate as you enjoy a variety of Creole dishes at a local restaurant. Time will be allocated for a swim before you commence your final scenic drive back to Victoria.

A stop at the Craft Village allows you to observe traditional artisans displaying their skills. Paintings, coconut crafts, model boats and local jewelry are made and sold in a traditional setting. La Marine makes and sells replicas of the old-style frigates and galleons that once plied the waters around Seychelles Islands. Each model is made by hand and great care is taken to scrupulously reproduce each vessel.

Notes:

Wear your swimsuit under your clothing; bring a towel, sunscreen and a hat.

Quotes “Take a CHANCE you get in life, because some things only happen ONCE.”  - Karen Gibbs

             “ Travel is REBELLION in its purest form.”  -Anonymous 

Day 75, Tuesday, March 20, 2018 Colombo, Sri Lanka 🇱🇰

Big day today!  We didn’t see any of the tourist sites, but we did meet a very nice man, our escort, and a wonderful dentist, and he fixed Ed up, with a temporary crown, that we hope will hold until we get home, it should if he is a good boy, and doesn’t try to open nuts with his teeth, or hold on to hangers in his mouth/habit. He matched the teeth so well it’s hard to tell which is the crown, and which is the real tooth. Ed was so happy, and rightfully so. Seems this tooth had a route canal in the past, and it had calsafied, which made it prone to breaking. If all goes perfict, our dentist should be able to put permanent glue on it and that will be all it takes. They don’t do that now as you never know if there might be infection around the tooth, but it looked clean so we can hope. 

I took some pictures you won’t believe, so I will post them below. 

 

This was our escort Ritla.          Ed with the dentist Dr. Kasun

  

Dentist putting on new tooth, man that crafted the crown,, all done. Cost 20, 000 Rupee, which works out to abou $129.87! That is still hard for me to believe, ed was in the chair off and on from ten to one, and that was a crown, anesthesia, and X-ray!  I think we could come to Sri Lanka, and get dental work, and it would pay for the flight, almost!

So now on to the fun stuff, here are pictures of the dancers this morning at the pier. 

PS this was our pillow gift last nigh for Formal night.

Quote:  “Now more than ever do I realize that I will never be content with a sedentary life, that I will always be haunted by thoughts of a sun-drenched elsewhere.”  -Isabelle Eberhart

 

Day 73/74 At Sea March 18/19, 2018 On our way to Colombo, Sel Lanka

Well here we are again with the time, we set our clocks back a half hour last night, so as I write this it is 6:44 AM  on the 19th, and on the east coast it is 8:14 PM on the 18th, and we have 373 mile to go to Sri Lanka 🇱🇰, Sri Lanka,,,, that is a place I read about in books, not one I ever thought I might visit. 

And it is already 81 F, so once again the heat will be a factor in the day even at sea.  There seems to be a problem wit the AC in different areas on the ship, we all thought we would melt, yesterday up in the Lido doing our craft class, and then we had a cabin crawl, getting a chance to see 7 other cabins, including ours, but all that walking around the ship, really made us milt. So it was rush back to shower, and get ready for the evening, and they say sea days are relaxing!

We are still waiting to hear if the ship has been able to arrange something for Ed, luckily he is not in pain, the tooth, I think had a root canal in the distant past, but he doesn’t remember. 

So I will post some more pictures from Phuket and our time at the Island Safari. 

   

Ed feeding the baby elephant bananas and not fast enough, LOL I already gave this one all the bananas I had and he thinks he can find more. 

 

 

They did a cooking demonstration, these are eggplant and she is now putting in lemon grass and scallions. This wok is holding the dish we ate. 

It was good, but they put in too much hot pepper for me, Ed loved it. 

  

A little Singh’s beer to go along. 

 

On the way to lunch, not our buss but couldn’t resist taking a picture. 

How about this for an electrical grid? 

Back on the ship it was St Patrick’s day. Aby, from the Test Kitchen and I. 

Quotes:  “Once a year GO SOMEPLACE you’ve never been before.”-    -  Dalai Lama

“It is in all of us to defy expectations to go into the world and to be brave and to want, to need to hunger for ADVENTURE to embrace change and chance and to risk, so that we may breath and know what it is to be FREE.”  - Mae Chevrollo