Mauritius ,Indian Ocean. Almost there..

Almost There….

On our 8th day at sea, had some trepidation about this part of the journey, need not have been at all concerned, it’s been simply great, and we could go on ,happily.
Our days are full to the brim, in fact need a list sometimes..so much to enjoy, and yet at times, evenings especially, in the warm spaces, on deck, starry nights and almost nobody else ,often passers by stop for a chat, including the Captain, last night, to point out the Southern Cross, and confirm we are completely alone out here, no other ships in our days, it’s a lonely ocean, as he put it. A friendly chap ,with a happy ship. We are constantly amazed at all that is offered. The entertainment is outstanding and surprising at times, a Harmonica Player…humm, I thought, how could that be, a tiny Malaysian girl, who played variations of this instrument, and made music like you could not believe.! Our Will Martin is the talk of the ship, he has performed again, and this evening will be in the Atrium for an early evening show, he sings unaccompanied at times, so will do it well, though they have the Piano .
The Food is hard to comprehend,wonderful, evening Buffets of all kinds, Vietnamese , German lunch ,along with many other nationalities. Last night Indonesian, set up on the outer, aft deck, under the stars, the sea is so calm, for many days now ,in the Doldrums ,so sometimes a shower ,early morning ,and hot sunny days . Mirror calm..
We swim, I have braved the depths, the Infinity Pool Aft, is divine ,only us ,sometimes… it’s a little hard to access, steep steps ,so I think quite a large bracket may struggle with that..
Our Craft Group is going from strength to strength ,and it is so informative, very nice Frances ,lived in Sth Africa for 25 years, British, since living in Australia, may have mentioned, tells me everything about the state of the Nation, and such a lot we have no idea about, the real South Africa, some is tragic of course ,and seems un fixable ,so a huge learning curve ahead. We have our Assistant Purser ,Roderico, who has joined to learn, he is gorgeous and so dedicated, proudly displaying his work to the noon gathering of Officers ,on the Pool deck, without a hint of embarrassment, I said, [in group,] you may even be able to knit a hat soon, he beamed and said in in such seriousness, I so hope I can…! So do I…! The Staff, from the cleaning group ,to the Officers, are a delightful bunch of people.
There are Art Classes, I have a fancy to dabble in, but fitting that in is a challenge..some of the work produced is very good..
Yesterdays Port Talk on Mauritius ,fills us with great anticipation ,so really this is the part we have come for, though we have loved every day…so far. Other lectures, some on the Geology of the region, we have both so enjoyed, something to learn every day.!
Walking on deck, on the ship, is an experience, you are close to the sea ,Deck 2, hearing it and feeling the power as we surge ahead, there are rules, like all traffic goes one way, in the past that is not the case ,and someone here.. always going against the flow, but all this works well , often not many out there. No deck chairs ,there are plenty of other places for that. Schools of flying fish, sometimes, flying like little flocks of birds ,over the waves..and our wake streaming behind, quite exhilarating .!
Sunrises and sunsets ,cloud formations, unique to this ocean, as we head due west ,are very pretty ,rainbows brighter than we have ever seen, in the mornings sometimes , the crew taking great delight in these. Each Ocean has its own special “look” I think..
Enjoyed the Movie ,Green Book, very much, reading and enjoying recently, Amanda Prowse, Anna and Theo ,separate books, finished A Little Love, sounded not great, but was ,going now for Cry The Beloved Country, read long ago ,but a refresher ,and Disappointment ,a recent insight into today’s Sth Africa.
Off to breakfast and onward for all today has to offer..
Hope Mum is well, and reading along ,by now cards should have filled this gap, hopefully.
Love from us, Faye and Sam.
Sorry the Map is stuck on Spain..??
A PS from today/yesterday..
Will Martin performed in the evening, in our Atrium , packed to the rafters,[it is many levels high ], every vantage point, to capacity , he had the Steinway Piano, and that was all. His performance once again, amazing ,and simply stood and sang ,unaccompanied at the start…
More of an insight into his life, and growing up in NZ ,looking like he is 16 ,and stories to tell of what happens in that case…amusing..actually 34..He told how every boys dream is becoming an All Black ,and he fervently hoped for that ,but no,, however, he did end up at their games singing the National Anthem, and that he sang, in Maori ,the first verse… At the end he spoke of his nervousness, it still shows, and TV especially makes him anxious ,interviews ..in Christchurch ,he had an important one, with people he had come to know well, the Producer ,and interviewer, he enjoyed ,made him very comfortable, and he felt so pleased with himself, on completion, said his good byes, then met his friend for lunch at a Café nearby , 40 minutes later the Earthquake struck ,and they were killed, in the CTV building .. He then spoke ,just eluding to our recent tragedy, and sang The Dream Is Over… It was a performance to make us very proud to be New Zealanders, we met him ,and told him so, even more proud than the All Blacks I said .! What an ambassador for our Country…!Read more