20/3/2016 - Malacca, but on board

20/3/2016  So today, after a very pleasing uninterrupted night time sleep :) we became more familiar with our new home. We stayed resolved to stay on board rather than have to queue for tenders over to Malacca, and I think we made the right choice. It is really hot, so slow-moving is where it's at.  It's also very peaceful on board as about 1000 people have made the decision to explore the land. We started with a late breakfast, 10 a.m is late for us.  I'm sure Khachik is eating for two, (ha!) that's easy to achieve.  Meal times don't really exist as there's a continuous flow of any kind of food and drink that takes your fancy. Breakfast supposedly ends at 11:30, and lunch begins at 12:00.  Lunch ends at 2:30 and afternoon tea begins at 3.  Afternoon tea ends at 5:30 and dinner begins at 6.  You can also always find a place to snack between meals too! like poolside snacks, and of course you can have room service if you choose not to venture out.

Our post-breakfast exercise was to try out the hot tub (me) and the gym (Khachik). The hot tub never disappoints, it is a good place for stretching. Afterwards I decided to try walking laps in the swimming pool (something recommended on the arthritis care website as a way of maintaining muscle strength when the joints are fecked).  This will probably become my alternative to deck walking, which I am glad to say removes some of my current frustration. It is also accompanied by a selection of easy listening old music from Dolly Parton to Diana Ross, to which I can silently reminisce, in the sun under  blue skies, ....sorry.

 


We have already accidentally bumped into and chatted to a very cheerful, savvy and eccentric serial cruiser called Ian, whom we met and quickly remembered from Arcadia last year, and another couple whose names we didn't find out (yet), even though we recognised them immediately from last years dance classes, and have often chatted together. They completed the world cruise last year and have done it all again this year. They look really well and happy.  They were telling us that the ship couldn't get into Shanghai, having been delayed I think because of bad weather and delayed so much that Taiwan was taken off the itinerary.  It made me realise how lucky we are to be on here, and on time.

Tonight we have exchanged our hugely sought after drinks vouchers from our loyalty tier for champagne (K) and elderflower presse (me)! Very enjoyable too, along with a second visit to the hot tub and a very interesting chat with a couple from Cardiff, one those chats where you cover a lot of ground in just a few minutes.  They are cruising from  Singapore like us but only to Cape Town and flying home. They look similar in age to us, and seem very active and leading full lives <3.

We also dined with another very friendly couple from near Northwich, Chris and Keith. Chris also enjoys watercolour painting, so we will probably meet again tomorrow when the art classes start.  The art teacher up to Cape Town is called Tony Westmore, I am really looking forward to learning with him.

From the word on the deck there was indeed some frustration from the excursioners when trying to get back on the ship's tenders, and it would appear that quite a number of passengers had never experienced the phenomenon of the open sewer  before today.

As we make our way to Sri Lanka we have three days at sea, the Indian Ocean, coming up.  In terms of keeping in touch, we have limited satellite wi-fi @ £15 per hour (!), so we will not be able to browse/respond to much. I will be typing up the blog off line and posting it up super-quick though, until we reach Columbo, hopefully we will find wi-fi there.

Bye for now! x