Picto Diary - 27 Aril 2017 - At Sea... Direction Persian Gulf

Day At sea. Direction Persian Gulf. Arabian Sea. Seven Seas Voyager.

Typical at sea day.

We've traveled these sea lanes before... two southbound cruises. This is the first time we go this way, north bound.

As early as 5:00 AM, I go to 11th deck to the auto coffee machine and get a cup of Americano.

I'd take the coffee to the observation lounge to update my diary. The lounge was dark. Never anyone there. Once and a while an employee comes in and says hi.

About 7:30 AM I move aft to the 11th deck dining area (it has a name, but, I forget) and start breakfast. TIMDT joins me shortly after I arrive. We've pre-arranged the meeting place and time... or, if not, we'll call or text one another.

After breakfast, I'll go to our cabin to read. TIMDT goes to the library to read or knit. Or, she goes to the spa for a manicure or a massage.

Between 10 AM and 11 AM I'll attend the ship's lectures. The lecturers on board are pretty good. Clive Leatherdale, a Brit, and Andy Jampoler, a retired Navy Captain from suburban Virginia. The lectures, brief summaries of which I've included in my diary, are, for the most part topical to the areas we are visiting on this voyage.

There are other things organized by the ship... bridge, sari wrapping, needle work, dance classes... but, other than the lectures, neither TIMDT or Mwah (sic) participate.

TIMDT and Mwah (sic) join for lunch, either outside by the pool, or aft 11th deck. No complaints about the food. Lunch and breakfast are buffet style... you can order eggs to specification.

After lunch, we'll go back to the cabin. TIMDT goes out to the cabin deck and reads/snoozes. I read my self into a nap in bed.

At 3:30 PM I walk the deck five to the Seger beat for an hour. About three miles.

At 4:30 PM, I return to the cabin, read while cooling off for fifteen minutes, and then jump into the shower.

I go to the 11th deck observation lounge at cocktail hour (5:15 PM) and try to get one of four seats facing forward... the same view as the captain has from the bridge, one deck below. TIMDT joins me within 20 minutes of my arrival.

The above is also my pattern on excursion days... so the bartenders know me and bring my drink without first asking what I want.

Someone usually sits down and we start jabbering.

.... Retired guy from Vancouver, traveling alone, who, coincidentally rides BMW motorcycles.

...Retired couple from Miami, who met while employed with Eastern Airlines. This is their 15th Regent Cruise. They never get off the ship. The guy had read ten books by the time we were sailing from Mumbai to the person gulf. People travel for different reasons, I guess. I wouldn't go on a cruise unless I could spend some time visiting something unique... exotic... interesting... along the way.

.... Couple from Omak, WA. He's a retired doctor. She a retired school teacher. I asked them where they were from. "Eastern Washington," the school teacher said. "Well, where exactly?" I asked. "Well, you wouldn't know it, if we told you," said School Teacher. "Well try me," I said. "I know Eastern Washington pretty well. You could be from Walla Walla in the south east, or from Spokane in the northeast, or from the Palouse area south of Spokane... or, even from Omak." School teacher reacts with surprise! "Omak! We're from Omak!" she said. We didn't think anybody knew about Omak." I said I motorcycled that way quite a bit, usually I'm on my way to or from BC. "What?" says School Teacher. "We're motorcyclists too. We don't ride touring bikes... we ride crotch rockets!" And the conversation moves along....

Around 7:00 PM we go to dinner, usually at the main dining room, "Compass Rose." There are two specialty restaurants where you have to reserve, a steak house and a French restaurant... we went to each one once... they were fine... but, the food was equally good in the main dining area, Compass Rose.... so we tended to default to that.

Often we'd hear from the Maitre d'... can I pair you up with another couple. We said no... we were content to enjoy one another's company at dinner.

The after dinner shows started at 9:30 PM. We only went to a couple of them... one a very good ventriloquist and the other a Las Vegas Gala kind of review show. Both were good... but it was just too late. I got up really early and enjoyed my writing periods in the lounge... so I was eager to get back to bed after dinner.

On two occasions, after dinner, I started a movie on the room's entertainment link, but, I fell asleep. I finished one movie... not memorable... I can't recollect the title as I write this. Never turned on the TV news... they had live CNN, Fox, MSNBC, CNBC, BBC etc... but, I did keep up on my handheld... Drudge, WSJ, BBC, FT...periodically throughout the day. List junkie and Facebook junkie that I am, I managed to keep up with email and Facebook. Internet service on the ship wasn't bad, but you'd have to sign on every day. Listening around, a lot of people seemed to be complaining about internet service. It definitely worked better later at night or early in the AM when there weren't many users. The ship's cohort is geezers and our cohort, generally speaking, are not great users of the internet. The ship still passes around hard copy news summaries which seem to be widely used.

I enjoyed at sea days... there were six or seven at sea days on the 25 day cruise.

Above: Richard Burton quote.

Burton. 19th century explorer of of Arabia. Topic today of shipboard lecturer, Clive Leatherdale.

Seven Seas Voyager, as we ply, direction NW, the Arabian Sea, direction Muscat, Oman.

This particular quote not for today's snowflake males.

Above: On boat ship lecturer, Andy Jampoler, discusses the impact disease has had on history.
Napoleon abandoned his effort to conquer Egypt because of Bubonic plague found there.
Indigenous South American civilizations were undone by disease brought by the Spanish conquistadors.
Slides show three of many examples cited.

Above: Bishop. Seger Time. Deck Five. Seven Seas Voyager. 27 April 2017.

I'm usually alone when walking this deck. Aft, there are some smoking chairs where you find a few people. The ship promotes walking around the smaller circumference 12th deck above the pool. But, this is better... longer... and besides, the contrarian in me pulls.

SEGER TIME, Arabian Gulf

"Sunspot Baby"

She packed up her bags and she took off down the road
Left me here stranded with the bills she owed
She gave me a false address
Took off with my American Express
Sunspot Baby
She sure had me way outguessed

She left me here stranded like a dog out in the yard
Charged up a fortune on my credit card
She used my address and my name
Man that was sure unkind
Sunspot Baby
She sure has a real good time

I looked in Miami
I looked in Negril
The closest I came was a month old bill
I checked the Bahamas and they said she was gone
I can't understand why she did me so wrong

But she packed up her bags
And she took off down the road
Said she was going to visit sister Flo
She used my address and my name
And man that was sure unkind
Sunspot Baby
I'm gonna catch up sometime
Sure had a real good time

Above: TIMDT. Observation Lounge. Seven Seas Voyager. 27 April 2017.

Hot companion. Wearing one of her new Christina tops.

Addendum

Hey Phin,

Congratulations!! You have been selected to receive any cymbal of your choice.

Your submission was our favorite because we could see how much effort you put into it! And we hope you will keep putting in that same effort playing the drums.

Please let me know what cymbal you want, as well as your mailing address and I will send it out to you.

Best,
Ian

Ian Ho
Zildjian Company