Picto Diary - 15 April 2017 - Andaman Sea

Above: Two images. Looking aft from 5th deck of Seven Seas Voyager. Apple I-tunes gizmo already 10 years obsolete. 15 April 2017.

Beyond the ship's wash, 600 miles to the south lies the island of Java. To the north about 250 miles lies Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma) our destination tomorrow morning.

Day at sea.

The Seven Seas Voyager is on some kind of Center for Disease Control (CDC) discipline. Apparently "some" crew members and guests have reported severe bouts of gastro enteritis.

Guests are advised to wash hands regularly and use hand disinfectant stationed at the doors of each of the restaurants. No more getting your own plate and food at the buffet. Now, we are served at the buffet station. The library is closed. Shuffling books around from hand to hand is represented as a risk. At fine dining, there are no place settings, empty wines or waters, salt, pepper, or sweetener boxes. You must be served each one of these things on request. The regular menus are unavailable. We are issued freshly printed 8 1/2 11 sheets as a substitute. All of this is required to heighten the ship's on board cleanliness.

Whatever is going on, the crew seems to be taking it very seriously. Crew members are posted at each sanitization station requesting that guests disinfect their hands. We have been asked to not shake the hands of fellow guests.

The day goes as normal but for the above precautions.

Whatever is going on is sufficient for the ship to action a CDC mandated procedure.

TIMDT and Mwah (sic) are fine as of this writing.


Lectures

There were a couple of lectures today. One on the traders and ships that plied these same seas three centuries ago. The other was on the lecturers experiences teaching in China during the mid-80's... chronicling the massive changes that have occurred there since Mao's passing in 1976.


Walking the Deck

On "at sea" days, I'm back to Bob Seger inspiring hour long, spirited, sprite like, sprints on deck five. The same album (Seger's Best Hits #2) that TIMDT put on the pictured gizmo ten years ago, played for me today. Listen to this rendition of "Sunspot Babe" and tell me that you don't want to get out and do a power walk to its beat.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRmgT3n1m8Y

As I walk, I also reflect on today's discussion about the early European traders plying these seas. I look into the distance and try to imagine a privateer. Those guys left home, went to far east trading ports and didn't return home until a year and half later. They lived without communications, navigated by the stars, and survived using their wits. These explorers and traders were the ultimate people who knew how to do stuff. When they succeeded in bringing back riches... silks, spices... from the east, usually in return for opium from Turkey, they themselves became very wealthy. The ultimate in risk taking. Not for millennials.


Assisted Living

It would not be hard to mistake this ship, 700 hundred passengers strong, for an assisted living facility. Are we that old (yes)? Right now, we don't feel old. We miss hanging out with younger people while aboard ship. There aren't any younger people on the Seven Seas Voyager, other than ship's staff. As is typical, ship's service people make up a veritable UN. Russia, PI, Croatia, India, France... on and on. These young people are hard working. US needs to open H-1B floodgates to attract people with work ethic displayed by these kids.

There are at least a half a dozen couples on board where Pa either walks with a cane or is in a wheel chair. Ma helps him around. It gets you to thinking.

Addendum:


David's nemesis was the LDS Mission President in Hong Kong when Karen lived there 65-67. She was without any support structure beyond a friend or two and I was in Vietnam except for a few days on infrequent trips to Hong Kong on Air America aircraft. She often visited their residence where she was welcomed with open arms and they made her feel at home including Thanksgiving. On one occasion they asked her to escort Governor George Romney's wife Lenore while he was taking a familiarization trip to Vietnam. Some thought him to be a credible Republican Presidential candidate at the time. The Mission President and his wife were not fond of Romney. Karen was also engaged by them to escort the wife of golfer Billy Casper while her husband visited American troops in Vietnam. Karen didn't have a clue who Billy Casper was but it was apparent the golfer's wife thought her husband was a big deal so Karen asked her what Billy did for a daytime job. Karen worked as Q's #2 at the CIA's Station located in the U.s. Consulate.

Spook,
Reston, VA

I hope you are keeping up with all your fantastic reminiscences... writing, updating, organizing, filing etc. You and Karen have truly lived a "life."