(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

(Backup) Day 72, Saturday, March 17, 2018 Phuket, Thailand and St Patrick’s day

What a day we had today,,,, some good some not so good.  The good was the tour to ride the elephant and the St Patrick’s day party, the not good was Ed broke/cracked his front tooth, and now we need to figure out how to get it fixed. I tried to do a temporary fix with some super glue, but it didn’t hold, as I couldn’t keep it dry enough, long enough. So that is on the agenda first thing when he wakes up, it is just 7:08 AM here. So I will skip, watercolor class, as today is Sunday and Ed doesn’t have Thi Chi, so we will go see what the ship can do. Ed is down at the clinic now, so I will try to post some pictures of the day. 

 

These were taken at the park, they are better in person, but it will give you some idea.  I will post more later when I know more info. Right now I need to get the cabin made pretty and organized for the cabin crawl our cruise critic group is doing. There all going to see our cabin! 

Day 70 Singapore, Singapore, day 2, Thursday, March 15, 2018

We awoke, tired and sore from yesterday’s 15,000 steps, and the heat. Boy when you aren’t used to this kind of heat, this close to the equator, it can really get to you. And today was no exception, we didn’t stay hydrated, like we should have, and it has really hit Ed. He is paying for it today. 

We once again walked around China town looking for silly things we didn’t find and could have done without anyway. We took a taxi from the Millenia walk shopping center, where the shuttle dropped us off. Not knowing the name of the mall in China Town we needed to go to,,,, that was inside and had AC we just went to China Town, which was all tourist stuff, not where the locals shopped! Oh well live and learn. We came back to the ship about three, exhausted and dehydrated, not good. Ed now is fighting a cold. Luckily tomorrow is a Sea day, we’ll see how it goes. 

 

Streets were crowded,,, and check out the sign in this shop. 

  

This was the kind of stuff they had. The nex picture is of the food street, too hot to eat at 95F 

 

Needless to say I’m not Chinese size. 

 

This was a temple at the intrance of Chinatown, we didn’t go in as we both had shorts on. I hope you can make the picture bigger, to see the statues on the temple they are quite extraordinary.   This is the year of the dog, so there were lots of statues of dogs. 

So we went to dinner, and there were only 5 of us, Cathy was missing, as the day was too much for her too. Tomorrow’s a sea day. 

Quote:  “Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may become friends.”    - Maya Angelou 

Day 69 Wednesday, March 14, 2018 Singapore, Singapore weather 89 F partly cloudy

We awoke about 7:30 AM which will be our normal 6:30 when we turn the clock back in Thailand, but who knows, we really don’t know what time is any way, we just have to know what the ships time is,,,, that’s all that matters. 

So we got up and had a bit of breakfast, Ed had oatmeal and I had a bowl of bluberrys. Held us over until our late lunch, in Chinatown, but I get ahead of my self. 

We went down to the shuttle bus that took us to the Millenia Mall, it took about 20 minuets to get there. Then we bought tickets for the MRT / subway to take us to Little India.  Wow what a place, the fabrics were unbelievably beautiful, I could go nuts, and almost did, poor Ed he was a real pack horse today. After much searching, I found a Saree, to wear on March 19 for the Formal night that is the Indian theam. If I can learn how to do it between now and then. LOL. If not,,,,, oh well. 

 

These are all flowers on this elephant. Some stalls that selling everything. 

 

 

Then it was on to Chinatown and lunch 

  

 

The beer is easy to tell you what it is, the rest was wonderful, but all in Chinese, was delicious. We didn’t stay in Chinatown long after eating, as we were hot, tired and sweaty, and there were two Singapore slings waiting for us. 

      

The lights from the city were wonderful and the piano player from the piano bar was playing, it was a magical night, and had been a good day. 

  


Quote: “ A ship in harbor is safe....... But that’s NOT why ships are built.”  - John A. She’d