the missing post

This is out of order but here it is...

We are on sea day #6. We hit land tomorrow. The weather was perfect for five of the days - sunshine and 20 -24 degrees. Today we have a little drizzle, it's 15 degrees and there are bigger swells in the ocean. We haven't seen any ocean wildlife yet and there are no birds out here. The area around the Azores is supposed to be a playground for whales, dolphins and other marine wildlife so I hope we see some.

This morning the ship was listing heavily to one side and it didn't come back down for some time. We saw a bunch of crew in their yellow rain gear run through the crow's nest outside. I guess they were working on the stabilizers. We eventually stabled out.

So, what does one do at sea? You can be as busy or un-busy as you want! We love walking the deck and do at least 5 km of deck walking a day (except today because the decks are closed because of the waves). We go to port talks, the spa, watch chef wars - ship officers are paired with chefs and have 30 minutes to create a dish with mystery ingredients, read, sit outside, nap, watch shows, try new drinks and eat. It is really wonderful!

I look forward to the captains updates everyday. After all the nautical talk (we are travelling at 90 knots) he gives some obscure facts. They have been about the importance of the compass, sea creatures (mythical and real), Equinox... Today was about seasickness. Basically the body likes to be upright and you find your balance in relation to the objects around you. So if your brain can't fix on a stationary spot and has trouble adjusting for the movement you may feel seasick. It can last for a few days. After being at sea for a while the opposite can happen on solid ground - land sickness.

I made it to bookclub meeting #1 even though I was two chapters short of the assigned homework. I don't think bookclub is my thing. I skipped meeting #2, I think I'll just keep reading at my own pace and discuss the book in my head. It is a good book and easy to read.

James is sunburned, I am not. I used 30 sun protection and he did not. Refer to my earlier post where I mention that I am a 6 in the Enneagram - I plan and I don't want to burn nor age prematurely so I wear sunscreen. I am amazed at the people (not James) who bake their skin. It's shocking.

The other night we had a Travel with Alan cocktail party. There was an open bar for an hour. That's unheard of on a cruise ship. There are 150 people in the Travel with Alan group. Nansea is our rep on board and she is lots of fun. She keeps a board by the front desk with updates and she is available an hour everyday if we have questions. I recommend booking the deals through Travel with Alan - great price and great service!

We've been to the Tamarind restaurant twice - we love it! Another Travel with Alan perk is free saki both times we had dinner there.

I am looking forward to hitting land tomorrow in Ponta Delgada - well hopefully docking safely as opposed to hitting. Internet is slow and expensive on the ship so we will look for wifi. James has some video to post.

James mentioned in his blog that we each have two colours that we are photographing. My colours are teal/turquoise and orange. I thought the orange sunset fit the bill nicely.