Around the World. Week 18 Wrap Up

I swear I just posted Week 17 Wrap Up yesterday. I’m told as we finish the journey (yes, there are still 54 days to go…) That time will feel exponentially faster! So buckle up.

Schedule

• Day 120 / May 6: At Sea

• Day 121 / May 7: At Sea

• Day 122 / May 8: Mahé, Seychelles

• Day 123 / May 9: At Sea

• Day 124 / May 10: Nosy Be, Madagascar

• Day 125 / May 11: Mayotte, French Comoros

• Day 126 / May 12: At Sea

  
  

Day 120 / May 6: At Sea

King Neptune and his royal court graced us with their presence again today as we crossed the Equator for the 5th time on this trip! Today’s Crossing Ceremony was a bit different than the others we’ve had. Instead of everyone lining up to kiss a fish and get doused in ice water, it was more of a play for a trial for those who had committed crimes against King Neptune, such as impersonating a Ship Officer. For those found guilty, they were subjected to the Barbers, which meant they had cranberry juice, chocolate sauce, jello, and other messy foods dumped on their heads. There were five (5) “criminals”: two (2) from the Entertainment team, two (2) from the Restaurant Crew, and one (1) passenger. Once their punishments were completed, the rest of the ship was blessed by the King and any remaining Polliwogs onboard were officially initiated into the Shellbacks Society. I’m curious how many passengers were still Polliwogs at this point… Because of the itinerary changes, we have a whole lot fewer passengers onboard and the majority is now the World Cruisers.

We have one more crossing planned when we head back north on the other side of Africa.There’s a chance on that crossing that we will be near the Prime Meridian, and therefore, cross around 0°00’00.0”N and 0°00’00.0”E. Then, I’ll stay north of the Equator for the rest of the year! Crazy!

I finished another book today. This is my second book in three days. I go in cycles of reading and only reading and then not reading for a while. And then listening to audio books vs reading hard covers vs reading on my Kindle.

Today’s book is called Dead in Venice by Fiona Leitch. Now, keeping in mind that I read the entire The Cornish Murder Series by the same author, I was hopeful that this would be a good read that lead to wanting to read more from the series. Unfortunately, that was not the case. This book, while also a murder mystery, centered around two main characters trying to solve suspicious deaths and then [spoiler alert] both ended up being murders themselves. It was a very odd ending, so I will not be continuing on with this series.

Unfortunately, my plans for the evening, which included hosted dinner with two of the Entertainment team ended up having to be postponed as I developed another head cold. More on that tomorrow.

Day 121 / May 7: At Sea

Being sick at sea, in the tropics, with the hot temperatures while the sun is shining is very odd. Normally colds are associated with winter as the changing temperatures drive your immune system wonky. However, on the ship, we get some of the same sensations as we explore the outdoors and then return to the frigid air conditioning onboard. Also doesn’t help that there have been the same germs being passed around the ship, seemingly, since Rio de Janeiro; no matter how many times we’ve washed our hands or used the readily available hand sanitizer. So I hibernated in my room all day.

Luckily some time between the last time I had a cold and now, they added a lot of new movies on the cabin TVs. Semi-interesting, yet very mundane observation, on the TVs, there is no way to search for a movie and there is not an “All Movies” category. Also, quite of the few movies are categorized in ways that I don’t quite understand, such as Pride and Prejudice being classified as both a Comedy and Drama. Anyway, it just makes making a selection a bit more time consuming as you scroll through all twelve (12) categories. Ultimately, I landed on Equalizer, Equalizer 2, and Equalizer 3. Yes all three. Keep in mind, I have tons computer projects I could be working, but just needed some mind numbing media that allowed me to nap on and off throughout the series. With that said, the movies were actually really good. I don’t know why I’m surprised since Denzel Washington is a phenomenal actor. Definitely recommend these movies over the Dead in Venice book.

Back to being sick… there is a bit of World News right now about illnesses on Cruise Ships. The first being the Hantavirus on the MV Hondius and the second being the Norovirus on the Princess Cruise ship. (Side note: Oceania and NCL both score in the high 90s on average for Cleanliness according to the New York Post. Yes, I understand the irony of typing that while snot spews from my nostrils.)

Given that I had ample time to reflect, in between the naps and the gruesome scenes on my TV, my final thoughts are that I will still continue to cruise. (Like there was ever really an alternate thought…) However, my main reasonings are that I could contract any illness on any of my travels, but with the ship, you have room service. (Although, they still don’t offer Chicken Noodle Soup, even though I wrote about that in my Cruise Feedback form.) Other positives are having plenty of outdoor areas to escape to when you need a change of scenery but don’t want to risk infecting others and there is a medical center on board if you end up needing more drugs than the typical cold pills.

Day 122 / May 8: Mahé, Seychelles

After great debate, I decided to keep my excursion today. Per the description, we were to board a catamaran, have some time in a semi-submersible boat, and then snorkel. I figured I could keep my distance from everyone and after all the cold meds / rest, I was feeling better.

The catamaran ride really ended up being very short as the coral and reefs were not too far from the port. The boat itself was massive compared to the other catamarans I had been on thus far on the trip. There were two decks for shaded seating and the whole front and bench seats and the netted areas.

Once we were out of the port, they explained that we would be split into two groups for the semi-submersible boat portion. Given that I have conditional claustrophobia where I’m not so fond of enclosed spaces, especially under water, my nerves were going a bit berserk, so I was the last one on, assuming that meant I would be the first one off or the closest to the exit. That helped with the mental war raging my my brain in the moment. However, once seated, all fears subsided as they kept the hatch open and we really just climbed down into the belly of the boat, but the boat itself did not go underwater. I’m really glad I went because we were cruising among the coral with tons of fishes coming up to the windows. The guide named all the species we saw, but I really like the ones he called Bat fish. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to hearing “Na na na na na na na na Bat Fish” in my mind’s ear every time one passed by.

Back on the catamaran, we slowly circled the harbor, waiting for the second group to finish their turn on the semi-sub.

Then, we had a choice to make - snorkel or beach. They explained that we could snorkel in the same area that we just saw or take a small boat to the beach that was on the island nearby. I chose to snorkel, figuring I could get some clearer video of the Bat Fish than I did through the boat windows. However, the benefit of the semi-sub was that we were 6 ft under the water surface whereas snorkeling was at the surface, so the fishes were much further away. While the water was pretty clear, it was tough to get better video than we did on the other boat. It was still nice to be in the warm water and float around.

After returning to the port, I had a mission - more cold meds, so off I went to find the pharmacy. Luckily, there was one only a few blocks away. On my way, I may have gotten turned around a time or two, BUT on one of my detours, I found a place with Blue Slushies! My day exponentially improved with that discovery. After procuring one, I happily did the slushy dance while waiting out another rain shower. There’s a high chance that I was very, very close to getting another, but decided it was time to make a break for it between rain bursts back to the ship for a nap.

The evening entertainment was Anchor Inn, which is one of the shows the Production Cast puts on. It’s my second favorite of the four, with Our World being the top choice. However, the thing I like about this show is all the drama that is portrayed throughout. In addition to it being entertaining, it give me ample opportunity to capture the expressions and fun happening on stage. This was the first time that I actually took photos during the show though because normally they say cameras are prohibited. However, the entire cast confirmed that it was okay for me, so I clicked away!

Given that I hadn’t posted much on Instagram for a few days, I decided to post those photos and tag the team. To date, that post has my highest views and while I don’t really post for the clicks, it’s crazy to think that over 1,200 people have seen those photos now. (For comparison, most of my other videos average around 200 views).

Day 123 / May 9: At Sea

Another sea day; another book - The Last days of Night by Graham Moore. It’s about the legal battle between Edison and Westinghouse over the Light Bulb patent. Although it’s dramatized for entertainment, it was full of interesting history behind motivations of the great inventors of that day. The story was told from the perspective of Westinghouse’s lawyer, so very much biased against Edison, who is still credited with the invention to this day. I recommend it if you are interested in Historical Fiction, but it is a bit of a slower read than most of the other books I’ve finished recently.

The pre-dinner show today was a comedian, Paul Adams, which I typically avoid on this ship because, as previously explained, I’m not normally part of the target demographic. However, there wasn’t much else going on so I headed to the show. He was fantastic! Most of the jokes were about cruising or the audience response to his jokes. Very relatable and I plan to go back to his second show.

Day 124 / May 10: Nosy Be, Madagascar

The excursion description included a distillery, Lemuria Land, market, beach resort, local house tour, and a few more. All in 4.5 hours, so I mentally prepared for a chaotic day, thinking it was an odd, or maybe the best, decision to start off at the distillery.

Turns out, it was a perfume distillery; not alcohol. Here they processed the scents that use the Ylang Ylang flower that is used in many luxury fragrance brands, such as Chanel and Dior.

On the same property is the Lemuria Land. True to the name, there were tons of Lemurs around! They are curious little creatures so they would come down from the trees when our group passed through the areas. I was able to get tons of model shots of the funny little creatures. They also had Chameleons, Tortoises, Turtles, and Crocodiles. My favorite part was to watch the lemurs jump from branch to branch like little monkeys.

Next stop was a market. Here we were able to see the types of produce and products that the locals typically use. One interesting tidbit of information we learned is that with the crabs, they keep them covered in mud, which allows them to live longer. If they cleaned them off, they only last about 2 days, so they had baskets of mud covered crabs. The other impressive sight was all the colorful spices they offered. We didn’t stay at this stand long enough for me to understand what they all were, but I took a photo because I thought it looked really cool!

On the bus, we learned about the typical life of the Madagascar people, including their schooling, farming, and family practices. If you recall back when I explained about Whale Teeth in Tahiti being the dowery, you may notice similarities here but with Bulls. Apparently the more bulls offered from the man to the women’s family, the more impressed they are. He also explained that in three of the tribes, to become a man, you are expected to steal a bull and if you haven’t, you are not considered marriage material. Another interesting fact is the dowery is paid to the mother’s brother (or closest male relative) because the mother and father could separate at any time, so this tradition guarantees the dowery stays with the future wife. There was a lot of other information shared, some very unique, but I don’t recall enough of the details to repeat it here.

Eventually we made it to the beach resort, where they fed us bull. Literally, bull skewers. Not bull sh*t, in case your mind went that way. They also had samosas, dried fish, and some other local delicacies, including their local Beer (THB) which they are proudly boast has won many significant international awards. We were only there for about 30 minutes, so not enough time to get into the water, but long enough to walk and dip my toes in.

On the ride back, the guide continued to tell us of life on the island. This time, he explained their funeral traditions and the beliefs about three worlds. It was interesting that, while the island supports all religions, the burial is rooted in one Madagascar tradition and did not rely on religious beliefs. But even with that, their cemeteries are separated by religion. When asked, he said that the Madagascar superstitions are stronger than their religious beliefs.

Back on the ship, the evening entertainment was two sisters who play the violin. Their show included traditional classical songs as well as rock music. They were fantastic!

Day 125 / May 11: Mayotte, French Comoros

Originally, I did not book an excursion in French Comoros. Mostly because the one I wanted was full, so I had planned on just wandering about. However, last minute, I decided to take the one to the beach. Being completely underprepared for this day is an understatement.

To start - I stayed up way too late the night prior and was shocked awake when my alarm started blaring. Convincing myself that I only needed about 20 minutes to get ready, I instantly hit the snooze button. Eventually, I had to get moving, throwing on a bathing suit and dashing to the theater to catch the tender. No coffee. But at least I filled my water bottle on the way out the door.

Our tender ride started off well, but the ending resulted in us bobbing in the water for about 15 minutes, waiting for the dock to be cleared. Normally, my patience level is okay with this, but in those lifeboats, there is no air circulation and it was very warm. My stomach started mild protests, but luckily, before anything more like a drastic riot, we were offloaded.

Hoping just to get onto the bus for a nap, I was a bit disappointed when our guide said we were to stay at the port side, listening to the locals play music and watching their dances. I’m normally a very happy and optimistic person, but in this moment, I just wanted to sit and sleep. Instead, my eardrums were bursting due to the volume of the drums.

Finally, we were allowed to board the bus! Hooray!

That celebration was very short lived as we all realized that the bus did not have air conditioning and was as hot as a greenhouse in the middle of summer. Even opening the windows did not provide any relief, but we crossed our fingers that once the bus moved, maybe the wind would help. However, as we boarded, the guide continued to reiterate that it was a long ride to the beach and now was the time to use the toilet. I’ll admit to thinking that the time to use the toilet had passed as they were available while we were listening to the music. However, someone took him up on the offer, delaying our departure a bit longer. Once they were back on board, the bus moved about 20 feet, only to stop again. Since I was in the back of the bus, I didn’t quite see why we were stopped until a van being pushed came into view on my side. Given we were in a small alley, the van must have broken down in the way of the bus and they had to move it before we could continue. In order to “help” the situation, both the bus driver and our guide jumped out to help push the van further. Although, many of us would argue that the van was already out of the way by then since it was next to the bus. Oh well, at least we were moving!

Somehow, I chose the best seat, which was next to the open window, but it was also in the direct sunlight. Along with being very warm, the bus driver had a tendency to hit the gas only to hit the break each time he came to a speed hump, which was very often. Then once in a more highway area, he gunned it around the curves only to immediately break when there was a narrow zone. Needless to say, there was no napping in these conditions. Also, did not help with the stomach riots that were continuing to threaten revolution.

Somehow, after 75 grueling minutes (yes, I counted down each one), we got to the beach. But we didn’t really get to the beach, we got to the top of a steep road that lead to the beach. To add to this disappointment, our guide said we only had an hour to enjoy. While my stomach silently threatened violence, the passengers vocally threatened revolt if we weren’t able to stay the promised 2.5 hours. The guides got on the phone and eventually agreed that we could stay 2 hours. No one was really happy, but the beach was so close, so we pressed on, down the hill. Already realizing that we would need to climb it back after beach time…

Once we made it to the resort, the guide showed us to the Restaurant, surprising us with a “buffet”. I put buffet in quotations because there were pastries and orange juice. We were not allowed to sit in the restaurant, but instead, had a food table and some chairs set out in the driveway. At this point, given the time constraints, most of us just wanted to know how to get to the water, so the guide dutifully showed us where the toilets were. Again, I’m normally the optimistic one, but almost all of my patience dissipated by this point. We didn’t get to my last straw, but the second to last straw was when they brought out bottles of water, I asked the guide to fill my reusable bottle that I could take to the beach instead of the little glass cups they had available and he only poured about 2-inches of water. I continued to stand there until he filled the rest of the little glass cups, still having water left in the bottles and no one actually taking the cups to drink, and then he walked away. So I filled my own bottle.

I already admitted to being underprepared for this excursion and the key thing was bringing snorkel gear or reading the description to know there was a dive shop on property that I could rent it. Apparently this beach housed dozens of sea turtles! But like normal sea turtles, they spent most of the time at the bottom of the sea, only to surface once in a while to breathe. Oh well, I was still in the water, enjoying the sun and breeze and slightly cooler than air water temperatures, desperately trying to look for those positives and change my mood.

Now for possibly the only highlight of the day, as I got out of the water, I met up with one of the other groups from the ship (who took a taxi… cue massive jealousy) and knew about the dive shop to rent snorkel gear and still had some time left on their rental where I was able to use it for a while. Woo hoo! Back into the water I went, this time properly outfitted with goggles and a breathing tube!

The turtles ended up being pretty far out from the shore, but they were plentiful. Also, most of them had a sucker fish attached to their backs that made it look like they had white tales.

After returning the gear, I gathered back with some of the other bus passengers to relax in the shade and dry off. They came equipped with a full beach kit, consisting of chairs, blanket, music, sodas, and more. I came equipped with a towel and a water bottle. (Again, drastically underprepared.)

Finally, it was time to start the trudge back up to the bus, knowing we had another 75 minutes to roast until we got back to the port. The way back to the ship was very similar to the way to the beach in terms of bus temperature and driving techniques, so again, no possibility of a nap, but we got there!

Normally, I’d use this extra time to explore the nearby town, but in the moment, all I really wanted was Mint Chocolate Ice Cream, a cold shower, and a nap. Now, we have been told that there is a rotation of ice cream flavors as they move between the Terrace Cafe, Main Dining Room, and Waves Grill. Today should have been Mint Chocolate Chip day in Waves, so I was on a mission! Only to get there and find no Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, adding to the mounting disappointment for the day. I grudgingly selected Mango instead, hoping the cold treat helped my mood, but it didn’t. What ultimately did the trick was a cold shower and a long nap.

After dinner, I realized that there was still two hours until the evening show, so my plans pivoted to include doing laundry. With all the machines unusually empty, I cleared my closet to refresh my entire wardrobe, as well as sending many of the dresses off for service. I’m happy to report that for at least another couple weeks, my clothes should all be clean the first time I wear them!

Closing the night, I went back to the Comedian show. This is the same guy from a few days prior and he was just as fun to watch as before with jokes relating to cultures, cruising, and the audience.

Day 126 / May 12: At Sea

Sea Day - Time to sleep in! However, I went to bed early and we got another hour back, resulting in being wide awake at 5am. So I played games on my phone (currently on Level 13,622) until Baristas opened. Returning to “my office” for the first time in a week, I was able to catch up on this Weekly Wrap Up just in time to post it!

For lunch, the Around the World passengers were treated to a customized menu at the specialty restaurants. They divided us all up into Toscana and Polo Grill over two days because there are so many onboard. I was assigned Toscana on Day 1 (today). Given that there are only two elevators at the back of the ship and that almost everyone was going to be going to Floor 14 at the same time, I elected to wait until almost noon to start my way up. Apparently, everyone else had the same plan and many of us found ourselves earning our dessert by making the trek upwards from Floor 7. But we survived the hike and got in the queue to be seated. Upon entry, we realized it was assigned tables with fancy name cards at each place. While a lot of us were seated near our neighbors, not everyone was and believe it or not, there are still some people on this ship that I have not met! Including a few at my table.

Once seated, the menu was already waiting on our plates, giving us options for each course. As we chatted away and started on the bread basket, the wait staff came around with wine and to take our orders. Additionally, the officers were making their rounds to welcome everyone, which was a nice touch. The meal was fantastic! Each course better than the previous and finished with a Madagascar Vanilla Tart. Amazing!

Thinking I would be in a food coma the rest of the afternoon, I headed to the pool. While I did not finish another book, I got well into one about a women in her mid-50s that had recently had a lot of life changes, so she escaped to Paris to write a book. Definitely not self-reflective…. (Sarcasm)

Next up was the Oceania Club party after which a few of the solo traveler women decided to have a bit of a girls night and headed together to the Grand Dining Room. The conversation was hilarious and lively, lasting for a few hours. Surprisingly, we were able to eat after the big lunch. And finished the evening at the late show, who was a singer, Jennifer Tierney.

I still can’t believe we’re within two months of returning back to the States already, but here we go… into Week 19!