Wednesday - March 28, 2018

Wednesday – March 28, 2018

This is a well-received sea day. We continue to sail with light breezes and a very gentle swell. The ship’s motion is a slight rolling from side to side. I walked 4 miles on deck and had no trouble keeping a straight line, except to pass. This would be great, if we could turn off the humidity. Do you think all of this water around us is the culprit?

Breakfast was served in the dining room on deck 5 today. Normally this is closed for breakfast, which is served on deck 4. Today deck 4 is being set up for a luncheon for passengers with 900 to 1,400 cruising days. Lunch for the rest of us will be on deck 5.

Alice attended some computer classes. I went to the second in a series of lectures about Indian Ocean traders. Then I spent some time updating the blog text and transferring photos to my laptop. I was going to upload these posts, but we are on the very edge of connectivity and the connection is slow and breaking up. I will wait for a better signal.

Dinner was a fun affair with Roger and Sandy at their table. This is our Wednesday night date. In an attempt to make up for our late arrival on Sari Night last week we arrived early and ordered wine from our package before Sandy and Roger arrived. They were coming from a farewell cocktail party thrown for the 300 or so passengers who will leave in Maputo for overland safaris. They will rejoin the ship in Cape Town.

Since the president of Holland America is aboard, there are many lunches, dinners and parties scheduled between now and Cape Town. This farewell party was added to make up for the festivities that the safari folks will miss. Roger and Sandy enjoyed it, and they were grateful for the consideration.

We had been to 2 ports since last week, so we spent a lot of time catching up on what we all had done. Conversation inevitably turned to the “antics” of other cruisers. The most outstanding story was of two ladies who had gone on the waterfalls tour. They complained to shore excursions because clouds had settled over the mountaintops and obscured the tops of some waterfalls. We had not heard this before, and were glad that these people were not on our coach.

Our guide had warned that the prevailing weather might cause the clouds to settle as they dropped rain.  We found it to be beautiful as the clouds settled and rose again. Sometimes we could even see the peaks sticking up above the clouds. There were no waterfalls obscured from top to bottom. And all of this was taking place across the valley. We were dry.

Tonight’s entertainment was a group of 4 ladies, The Muses, from Johannesburg. They played electronic string instruments, 2 violins, 1 viola and 1 cello. These were all modern looking and made by the same company. The repertoire was varied and upbeat with a mix of classical and pop. Their colorful garb prepared us for Africa. Their enthusiasm was contagious.

We took a walk around the deck to admire the moon on starboard side and the stars in the dark on port side. The clouds were low on the horizon, so the night sky sparkled. We were now ready for bed.