23/4/2016 First of three days to Southampton

We're at sea again!  Our coordinates are 37 degrees north and 13 degrees west, so we are still level with the Moroccan coast heading towards the coast of Portugal. All is flat and smooth, no swell no rain, and as expected the temperature has dropped to 16, so the roof is on the pool and the sunbathers on the sun deck above have all been driven indoors. It's ok though, an indoor swimming pool instead.  There is an air of coming to an end on the ship. People are exchanging contact details, starting to say goodbyes to staff, planning and booking next year's cruise and all that kind of thing.

So today we have done an art class, where we painted a misty Mount Teide in the clouds, using a number of our newly acquired water colour skills.










Our p.m. highlight was been to the Theatre for a ticket only concert with Collabro, 5 young men who sing songs form shows like Les Mis, Chess, Lion King, and were winners of BGT in 2014.  I didn't know, and today was the first time I had ever heard them. Not sure quite how they got the Aurora gig, but very glad they did.  They have lovely voices, and because they sang Circle of Life (links to a performance in Manchester's Bridgwater Hall) had me crying with the first high note, and then of course I couldn't stop and had to use my scarf to get rid of the snot and tears! Really wasn't expecting that.


But tonight we didn't get involved in any theatre entertainment, only our own.  Comedians can be so annoying! Anyway Brian Conley thankfully not just a comedian,  is on board and we spent so much time talking to our table mates tonight that we missed him. We will catch him next time, and before we do we can listen to what people said about him tonight.  Instead we have watched a bit of telly - an old episode of Ambassadors, done a crossword and a quick blog.

Until tomorrow, good night all xx

8/4/2016 Cape town Day 3

Today we went on an absolutely brilliant excursion to the top of Table Mountain by coach and cable car, with a fantastic, funny, caring and professional tour guide. We had a third clear sunny day with hardly any breeze, 30+C so we have been really really lucky today. This was made even sweeter because the tour guide saw that I was walking with a walking stick today and filtered me off into a group allowed to jump the one hour queue, go up in the lift to join the cable car with all the "gogos".  Khachik was allowed to come with me. Khachik did a phone video both up and down in the cable car, which incidentally rotates to give everyone a chance to see everything. There are about 60 people in each car, and 2 cars in operation. The organisation of the cars is fabulous and on the top of the mountain there are all sorts of facilities including internet cafes, bars and shops. So much to see up there - truly stunning and breathtaking views, very different terrain, three different types of stone I hear, unique wildlife (notably lots of little lizards, some pure black, some with turquoise heads), and the most beautiful birds I have never even seen pictures of.  Research required!

We stopped up there for about an hour for short walk, a coffee and a snack, and Khachik found internet to make contact home.  While we were doing that a couple who had already left the ship at Cape Town joined us. They said they were from Cheltenham, Warden Hill to be exact. I told them about my 11 years in Cheltenham, and mentioned Pate's Grammar School, of course they knew it.  They asked where we were from. When we said Glossop, they said they knew another couple on the same ship called Brian and Maria from Hadfield.   They have now also left the ship, without us getting to know them, which is a shame. Who knows we might meet up with them some time in the future.  However we might meet another of their contacts Tom Williams, apparently from our neck of the woods. Hope we recognise him from their description.

At departure time, the SA immigration team again found it necessary to take their time doing the face to face passport checks and stamping, which has resulted in almost 3 hours delay leaving Cape Town. The queues were bad, it was hot, bottles of water had to be given out in the queues to prevent dehydration. I think the best thing is to expect delays, and not rush out of the cabins to queue, but arrive at the tail end and pass through quickly.

Never mind, we've eaten now, met a lovely couple from New Zealand and are back in the cabin ready for a good night's rest.  Sea day tomorrow.  New art teacher! New sector.  Excited about Namibia on 10th April  Bye for now. xx

6/4/2016 Cape Town, sunshine and appetite back!

Thank goodness that storm has passed! We have felt hungry and eaten heartily this morning.   Last night during the storm we tried our best to behave normally (and not give in or lie down). We went to the theatre where Vince Earl "did a turn" as a comedian and cabaret singer, reminiscent of the working men's clubs I frequented in the 1970's whilst supporting  a couple of semi-professional rock bands. It was generally tolerable, but tarnished by quite a lot of outdated and offensive terminology and jokes about "the wife". All that unfortunately and embarrassingly belonged to decades ago in places like the Embassy Club. I tried hard to cut him a bit of slack because he must be in his 70's, although I appreciate that that's a poor excuse for racism and sexism. He probably cut his teeth on THAT Bernard Manning type of stuff. Also he was rolling about the stage with the stormy weather, so that can't be easy. On the plus side he told a couple of jokes about flatulence, some doctor/patient scenarios, and ageing which still managed to make me laugh. He definitely ought not to sing Willy Nelson and Elvis though, that's an absolute.  I would suggest retirement, asap.

Today is the extra day in Cape Town, because we were unable to dock in Port Elizabeth. We sailed in to Cape Town around 10 a.m. with the skies bright blue, and a flat sea. Table Mountain looks absolutely brilliant.  Several beautiful mobile phone pictures will soon be  available. As soon as immigration is done we are shuttling to the V&A Waterfront where we will potter and wander, and enjoy a bit of rest and relaxation, possibly with the assistance of a hop on hop off bus, but nothing too taxing.  Tomorrow and Friday we are still here, and these two days were already scheduled and we have with excursions booked for Table Mountain and Robben Island.



We are located at 33 degrees south and 18 degrees east today, temperature 20C.  That feels UK-normal for late spring to early summer, and very agreeable it is too.

At 11:30 there seemed to be a bit of a delay with immigration.  I couldn't say what or why, just that the announcements suggested it would be a long delay, and from our cabin balcony we could see hundreds of people coming back onto the ship, having failed to make it through immigration at all. I think it might be a good idea to paint table mountain while we wait.

Update:By 12 midday and our tannoy announcement suggested there'd been an administrative "issue" that hadn't been handled or communicated properly between the Port Elizabeth agent, the ship and immigration here in Cape Town. Ho hum. We might not be getting off until tea time. I am very happy we took our time this morning and have just been waiting quietly away from the understandable frustration and anger.  Instead we've been able to take in the views, do the crossword and watch a dcumentary about Emperor penguins on the telly.  I will post this now, and hopefully get the pictures uploaded when we get off the ship later and access decent wi-fi. So bye until later xx

5/4/2016 Impromtu extra day at sea :(

5/4/2016 Uh oh, no Port Elizabeth after all
At 6:30 this morning when we were scheduled to sail in to Port Elizabeth we were advised over the tannoy that the wind was too strong to get into the harbour and we were holding a position outside the port until further notice.  At around 8:30 came the news that even if the winds were to drop by lunchtime, it would be a logistical impossibility to fit in all the tours before sunset.

So that's that, we are on our way to Cape Town now on a fourth sea day, but this means an extra day arriving earlier than scheduled  in Cape Town, which is perfectly acceptable.  Hopefully we can get a safari there after all. Forecasts do say we will be able to dock tomorrow a.m.  The down side is that we don't get to visit the Eastern Cape and that we don't get to do our safari today. There's a lot of quick thinking and complaint aversion taking place by the entertainments team, and a whole new sea day programme has emerged is up and running allready, starting with art, where we were able to paint another yacht if we wanted, or in my case finish off a portrait. This afternoon is the exhibition, and there's an opportunity, should we wish to take it, to play Bingo. Did I mention that there's a casino on board? And a shopping deck for general provisions, fashion accessories, jewellery?  If people are short of something to do, there's always spending or gambling. A few entertainments have been brought forward - the art exhibition, the talent show and whatever else could be changed at short notice (dance classes, line dancing, tap dancing, crafting)

Along with the wind there's also heavy rain for the first time since we left home on 17/3/2016.  I realise we have been sailing between the tropics and around the equator until now, and that this unpredictable weather is what we are used to at home, but weren't really prepared for.  The sea sickness is not quite as bad, strangely.  In the self service restaurant at lunch time there was a "winter vegetable soup" on the menu, and a queue for it.  That's how it feels compared to the paradise islands.

Just so you know we are 34 degrees south and 24 degrees east and in the next 24 hours will be going round the Cape into the Atlantic Ocean.  The wind force has risen to 9, the swell is classed as moderate.  Outside decks are all closed, as are the pools. The temperature is now 19C but it feels colder becasue of the strong winds and impromptu rain.

I am going to accompanu Khachik to the gym shortly and work out a programme that doesn't worsen or cause any new pain.  I am going to have a look at the upper body weights machines and see what inspires me.

So I will say bye for now until tomrorrow when hopefully the storm has subsided and we are allowed off the ship into Cape town for the first of three port days and a taste of the Atlantic. xx

4/4/2016 Third sea day to Port Elizabeth

Last night I went for a light buffet dinner, but failed to regain my appetite.  A lovely passenger approached me and said I didn't look well, gave me two Stugerons and then disappeared. I think she must have been an angel!  I then went to bed for 12 hours. No entertainment necessary. Ughhh.

Today the sea state remained moderate to severe, and the winds were force 6-7. The swell has been reportedly 4 metres. Spray was still reaching our balcony on deck 10, the pools had to be shut as they were swishing over the decks excessively. Warnings are posted on the information screens. I have felt nauseous and had a headache like a pressure band for most of the day. This morning I tried the "try to ignore it" approach, this afternoon I gave in and spent 3 hours horizontal, an hour of that asleep. I have now bought Nelsons homeopathic travel sickness remedy (Nux Vomica). The weather  seems to be settling down a bit, and tomorrow will be a really welcome port day in any case.  Tonight it has been possible to enjoy Jimmy James second performance - much less singing along with him tonight, but nevertheless enjoyed every Smokey Robinson, Otis Reading, Four Tops, Barry White and Gladys Knight number he sang. What a lovely man.



We are still travelling south westerly, currently our co-ordinates are approximately 33 degrees south and 28 degrees east and our speed is roughly 20 nautical miles per hour.  That speed means we cover 400+ nautical miles in 24 hours. The average temperature has now dropped to 25C.  Cloud cover is classed as 7/8 (very cloudy)

Tomorrow I'll be back in South Africa, just one month after my last flying visit to Johannesburg with Lisa.  This time Khachik and I will be cruising in to Port Elizabeth and going out to an animal park for a 5 hour trip after breakfast. We're excited. Khachik's really looking forward to his first trip ever to South Africa.  Officialdom first with a face to face immigration stop in the ballroom at 8 a.m. and then a full day in Port Elizabeth, followed by one day at sea (including an art exhibition) and then 2 days in Cape Town, with excursions to Robben Island by coach and a small boat and Table Mountain by coach and Cable Car. Happy days.

Bye for now xxx

3/4/2016 Second sea day to Port Elizabeth

Clocks went back again last night so we're on GMT+3, but I think that's UK time +2 because of daylight saving.  Not sure though, because it doesn't make too much difference to our lazy way of life at the moment.  We worked out we're about the same latitude as Johannesburg today and so I'm feeling connected again to Lisa Ashton at Ilamula House, and still remembering and reflecting on my introduction to my more hands on side of the Winnie Mabaso Foundation through our health and well being training, the veggie gardens, the feeding programme and bra distribution programmes, and just one month ago. so some special thoughts today.

There's quite a breeze blowing through the decks today, and spray blowing up as far as our deck (deck 10) from the sea. On the bulletin now it says says the sea state is "rough", it looks choppy, there quite a lot of white froth, and the captain has advised us all to take care when walking around. Captain Philpott is his name by the way.  He says this swell should have gone by tomorrow lunch. The next stage I remember from last year is the appearance of the "motion discomfort bags".  I am feeling nauseous. The secret I have heard today is to keep busy, ignore it/pretend it's not happening

Although it has been sunny and still very warm outside, 27C, there seems to be a difference in the air. From the map it looks like we're crossing the Tropic of Capricorn today, so maybe that's why.  Our latitude is 28 south, longitude is roughly 40, wind - 8, and we're doin a speed of 19 nautical miles per hour.  All is well here, in spite of the swell. Another sea day tomorrow, then SA on 5/4/2016

This morning we went down to reception with our Yellow Fever Exemption Certificates.  Apparently P & O are reimbursing any expenses incurred by having to have either a vaccination or an exemption certificate.  Those who were vaccinated had to pay £50-£70, and those exempted like us had to pay £20 each for the consultation and exemption.  I guess this is because it was stipulated only for visiting the Gambia, which has now been cancelled. Good news, perhaps a Pandora charm for my bracelet from the on-board jewellers for me, or a bit mor gin for Khachik. Also this morning we completed a painting of yachts in the Solent.  I enjoyed it but somehow managed to lose (or maybe never find) any sense of movement of the yachts or effects of the wind on the sea in my painting.  Khachik's looks great, really lively. It seems, Khachik thinks, to have something to do with the inclination of the sail, and his lines in the water, but I also think his sky has a bit more of wild wind in it.



This afternoon we attended a talk by former Notts Forest and Leeds footballer Duncan McKenzie.  He played for Brian Clough and told tales which were first and foremost really funny, becasue he did all the voices and accents, but also interesting and quite informative for a non-football fan like me, as well as for Khachik.


Afterwards Khachik got to the gym for an hour of walking and I went to a craft class to make a multi -layered greeting card. I learned a lot by keeping my head down, listening to the gossip about Yellow Fever refunds and who didn't deserve them. I just chuckled quietly to myself, as I am on that list! This was where with my head down concentration I first noticed the nausea, so I am now rectifying this with a focus on the horizon between sentences.

Right now Khachik is watching the Manchester United v. Everton match, so we'll be having a late dinner to accommodate the habit of a lifetime!  The sun has set beautifully and the dark blue sky and purple clouds have taken over and the wind is whistling loudly round the balconies. I might give movement around the ship and entertainment a miss tonight and will say bye for now so I don't have to look down for too long. xxx

2/4/2016 First sea day from Reunion to Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Overnight there was slightly stronger wind, force 7, and the sea state is said to be "moderate" meaning that there are wavelets on the ocean and a bit more sway.  The sea also looks very dark today.  Once or twice I have felt that slight nausea that I recognise from rough seas, although it's not bad enough to make me feel I need to lie down.  Just for interest we are at 25 degrees south of the equator and 46.57 degrees longitude.  I think we are very close to the most southerly tip of Madagascar.

Here's a reminder of the cruise, flight to Singapore, cruise back round Africa.



Sea days mean lots of on board entertainment again, and today, apart from varied and interesting eating, bobbling around in the hot tub, we have attended art, (a watercolour painting of a beach hut and palm trees).



Later we went to a showing of the most recent production of Far from the Madding Crowd in the Playhouse, to which I was as riveted as I always have been with Thomas Hardy. He never seemed to favour a feel-good ending, but this was an exception.  Really enjoyed it, even though I knew exactly what was about to happen, minute by minute.

One of the four swimming pools is closed today.  Rumour has it that it sprang a leak, and flooded a cabin beneath. I heard a passenger talking about his wet carpet today - thought he was referring an episode of incontinence but now all is clear!  Just hope they hadn't recently watched Pirate Radio, or worse still Titanic.

Tonight we have received a bit of good news.  We have had the island Madeira added to the itinerary on 22/4/2016, and the three previous ports moved forward  to Cape Verde on 18/4, Tenerife on 20/4 and Gran Canaria 21/4.  Still tbc in a verbal announcement by the Captain but a letter explaining the situation has arrived so I think we can say it's pretty definite.  This means we can enjoy all the ports.  We were originally going to have to stay on board in Banjul, Gambia because we had both been issued exemption certificates for Yellow Fever vaccine.  We would have needed to have had the vaccine to get off the ship in Cape Verde after visiting the Gambia.  Interesting the way things work out.  Also we've never been to Madeira.

Now we are off to dinner and then the captain's cocktail party in Carmen's Ballroom for the loyalty club, raffles and complimentary drinks and nibbles.  So I will say bye for now, even though it's early, as there might not be time to blog later.

1/4/2016 Reunion Island

This morning we woke up already in the port, actually called Le Port on Reunion Island and what a beautiful place it is. It's east of Madagascar, south of Mauritius.  It's also hot, 30C and very sunny with clear blue skies, this is getting to be a bit of a habit!.  We had a lazy morning on the ship enjoying the mixture of very green and volcanic scenery, and the heat, then the afternoon excursion to St Denis, (including a packed lunch from "Grab and Go" on the Lido Deck.)

I loved this, especially the slightly whacky, alternative tour guide, Jean-Luc.  He told us he was born in Paris, worked originally for IBM, retired and moved to Reunion, and has never looked back. He was really friendly, but also very wise.  He welcomed us to Europe, and to France.  Some of us had already had texts from our phone providers with promises of cheap calls and texts at Eurpoean rates, so that bit wasn't much of a surprise. But just how "French" St Denis is really was a surprise.  Cafe's, Restaurants, shops, and the general look and feel of the streets, the offices and monuments were all very clearly European.  We had history, geography and politics lessons throughout the afternoon, all delivered with a lovely sense of humour, all in all one of the best shore tours we've ever had. The history included the plundering, destruction, and the slavery - the dutch the French and the British, but at this point he said very philosophically that we can't judge, only learn from the mistakes of the past to make a better future. I still do feel a sense of ancestral shame, Always will.  There was quite a lot of walking between the highlights - the picnic lunch stop, the museum, state buildings, craft market, slavery abolition monument, botanical gardens, canons and coach.

                 


So now we're taking it easy, watching Michael Caine film, Last Love on the telly after dinner and thinking about an early night.
Bye for now xx

29/3/2016 Sea day one: Seychelles to Mauritius

29/3/2016 Two sea days to go to Mauritius. in the night it was eerily windy, I woke at 1 with the sound of wind whistling really loudly.  So loud it was hard to sleep afterwards, so I spent the night watching films about Edward 8th and Wallace Simpson, it's ok though, it's always possible to nap during the day.  Today there have been cloudy skies but the temperature is still in the 30sC.  We've been able to sit outside for a little while, but mainly enjoying the entertainment, the naps and the air conditioning!

Today we've enjoyed 2 art classes focussing on portraits, learning a bit about perspective and shading. The first one was a copy of something Tony did in Vietnam before we joined the ship.  The second I decided to do a self portrait.  Both really enjoyable, much more so for me than landscapes.



Then after another black tie dinner this evening a really entertaining Freddie Mercury tribute act, by Dean Richardson,  made all the more enjoyable by the fact that he could very happily take the micky out of himself.  He had a lovely voice, and was wonderful with his audience, lots of Freddie's mannerisms, a few look-alike costumes, even though he didn't look a lot, I should say nothing at all like Freddie! But he performed all the memories, and that's what gave him the appeal, and the audience the feel-good factor.

28/3/2016 Easter Monday in the Seychelles

28/3/2016 Easter Monday in the Seychelles
We were up and about early enough to watch our morning sail in to Port Victoria on Mahe in the Seychelles. We had our breakfast out on the open deck, and were looked after again by the lovely waiter John, who sings and entertains everyone all the time. This was all at the same time as taking in the lush, green and misty tropical views.

It really is beautiful here.  At first it didn't seem that hot, but by the time we had made our short shuttle in to the town we felt like we were melting away. that will be the humidity then, and possibly the 34C.   We found a lovely cafe, as some of our friends and family will already be aware because we made use of the free wifi, uploading a weeks worth of cruise photos to Facebook, and catching up.

Waiting for the shuttle bus back to the ship gave us some time to sit in the shade and chat with some more passengers. More interesting lives, and things to make us smile, a teacher from Oxfordshire who doesn't like hot weather on a round Africa cruise.  It seems she taught maths, (not geography!)  Then in the evening we enjoyed a buffet meal up on deck 12 instead of our usual sit down meal on deck 6. It was a Mediterranean meal with lots of sea food. After dinner we went to Carmen's, the ballroom to a Bee Gees tribute act. It was quite enjoyable - I was pleasantly surprised - there was a bit of a slide show of the ban in the early days, and a commentary of their lives between the songs. The band was called Caravan (but not the alternative band also called Caravan from my twenties).  This one was made up of four Chinese men, and backed up by the ships resident orchestra. Now and again you could really hear the Bee Gees sound. It was fun, and I think endorphin stimulating.  Sometimes it's a bit of an effort to go to the entertainment when you've got comfortable in the cabin after dinner, so I think the secret is to dine around 7 and then go straight to the theatre.

Bye until our next sea day.

27/3/2016 Easter Sunday - one more day to the Seychelles

Well it's another really hot sunny day on the Indian Ocean and it's the third  and final sea day between Sri Lanka and the Seychelles. Piracy procedures are in place, curtains closed at night and no wandering around the open decks in the dark. To be honest I don't think there's anyone else on the sea.   We've heard the ships horn a few times, so there must be some sea traffic somewhere.

The sea is consistently flat and with very little swell its like walking around on dry land. We can't see any sea life either.  The sound of the ship cutting through the ocean is invigorating, and sunrises and sunsets are absolutely stunningly beautiful.






Considering there are 1800 passengers it's a pretty quiet place to be.  There are families with children of all ages on this one, with night nurseries and children's clubs that go on until midnight for all ages.  There's a dedicated family pool deck with children's pool, everyone seems to move around wherever they want and its all really peaceful.

   

I was bollocked this morning for taking someone's seat in art, but apart from that I've been behaving myself.  I was found guilty of sitting at an empty table, with an invisible reservation.  It appears that the art class elicits such institutionalised behaviour.  That will be me next year!   Anyway, art today was Buddha in meditation under a tree.



The next sea day we are having a portrait lesson, and I am really looking forward to that as I just love studying faces and could probably spend all my time having a go at painting only portraits.

Bye for now, more news from the Seychelles tomorrow

26/3/2016 Easter Saturday

Our second sea day towards the Seychelles, a lunch time barbeque and an evening black tie dinner with a Marco Pierre White menu again, all interspersed with art (a bit of a seascape with an eastern house on stilts), and one in the cabin of elephants



 Other diversions include hot tubs, swimming, gym (only Khachik), and a little bit of rest in the sun.   My resolve not to eat so much, as I can't move about to burn it all off, failed miserably last night.  I will just share my transgression!  Melon slices and mango sorbet, Shellfish Bisque, Pheasant wrapped in pancetta, Blueberry souffle with clotted cream and a fruit sauce, peppermint tea with chocolate covered Turkish delight.  Erm, i really did enjoy it, absolutely everything about it.  There's a smell of hot cross buns in the air too.

This cruise we haven't spent much time in the theatres at night, so perhaps we need to start looking at the evening entertainment as we enjoyed it so much last year.

We have been listening to the talks though.  Today we listened to the Port Victoria talk and decided that it would probably be best to just visit the town, rather than go on an excursion, as most of the excursions from the ship involve quite a lot (for me at the moment) of walking, or they are snorkelling or beach days, and we aren't really cut out for that much exposure to the sun.  We spend a few minutes a day in the direct sun and even that's with a factor 30, so it would be a bit risky I think.  So that's the plan, and if that doesn't work we will just enjoy the views from the port or from the ship.

We appear to have had a part refund for our elephant experience in Sri Lanka.  How strange, as we had no complaints, it was crowded, but we just put that down to it being popular.  However some of the other buses on the same trip had had poor experiences and they had complained, so we all received 40% refund  We returned to the cabin last night to find a letter of apology that the trip wasn't up to the usual standard!  We have, nevertheless, accepted said refund. We can within our budget find something in Cape Verde and the Canaries now :)

As homage to the elephants of Sri Lanka I have sketched something from one of our photos and hope to do that justice with some paint tomorrow.

Bye for now xx

25/3/2016 - Indian Ocean, passing the Maldives

25/3/2016 GOOD FRIDAY - passing by the Maldives

First sea day from Columbo Sri Lanka to Port Victoria in the Seychelles.  The sea is once again completely flat, like being on a pond, sun is shining, there's a very gently breeze.





After yesterday's action packed day it has been a joy to sit all day.  While Khachik spent an hour in the gym I have finshed painting his portrait, a bit out of proportion, brow too wide, but apart from that I'm happy with it.



Late afternoon we sailed past the Maldives, right in the distance and just as promised the highest points on the islands are very near the sea.
Photos coming later, bye for now.

24/3/2016 Columbo, Sri Lanka

24/3/2016 Thursday - Columbo, Sri Lanka
After 3 days of sea, sky and on board diversions, getting off in Columbo felt as though every sense was being reawakened - the very green tropical landscape, banana plantations, rice, coconut palms, busy streets and traffic jams, the sound of car and bus horns, school children in crisp looking, bright white uniforms asking us our names and cheekily saying "hiya" to everyone passing, beautiful traditional dress, three wheeler tuk tuks, shacks and palaces, and then the highlight of our excursion  - Pinawala Elephant Orphanage.  This is where we got up close and personal with several babies and were able to watch them, feed them bananas and see the younger babies being bottle fed formula. I have only ever been in a crowd once that ran forward at an event - it was at the 1976 Reading festival, and the reason for the stampede was in fact Hawkwind.

Today I was quite surprised to have a flashback to that great night when the space in front of us was filled by rows and rows of people who wanted to see the baby elephants as much as we did. We had been sitting really patiently before this, really believing we were on the front row in a first come first served sort of way!  Luckily I didn't need to climb on Khachik's shoulders, but did have to resort to standing up to get a look in!



                 





In between the elephant activities we had lunch, lots of choice, local food only, and the most spicy lunch ever. That's what you get when you mistake a chilli for a ladies finger. My mouth was on fire for some time. It was all lovely food though, and all freshly cooked.

Then we headed back to the ship in our coach and during the journey had an excellent Sri Lankan history and geography lesson from our tour guide. Things I've learned today:Sri Lanka is 75% Buddhist, and the other 25% roughly shared between Islamic, Christian and Hindu faiths. The Tamil minority, the Islamic faith and the Singalese majority are all recognised on the flag, as are the Buddhist 4 noble truths of kindness, compassion, happiness and equanimity (the 4 leaves on the flag)    History has a recurrent theme about spice and tea wars, Dutch and British colonies, majorities and minorities fighting with India and bloodshed right up until 2009. This makes me want to learn more about the history, and I'm sure I will.  We also learned not to refer to the two kinds of elephants as African and Indian, but African and Asian. We learned about the many uses and re-uses of the coconut tree and fruit, and that Sri Lankan coconuts are a distinctive orange colour. And oh yes, that Sri lanka's national sport is Volleyball.

We have another 3 sea days coming up, next stop Port Victoria in the Seychelles, so again I won't be able to put up any of the lovely photos Khachik has taken today or spend much time on line because of the restricted satellite wi-fi.  I promise to catch up properly in Port Victoria, wi-fi permitting. Bye for now xx

23/3/2016 Piracy Drill on the Indian Ocean

23/3/3016 Wednesday - 

As well as being our third and final sea day on the vast, and in our eyes completely empty, Indian Ocean, today is also the day for piracy drill.  We feel as though we might possibly be the only ship on the ocean, but have nevertheless been alerted to a small risk to our security in this region.

Today we can see the horizon as there's a contast between the pale blue and white sky and the deep bluey grey sea. And there's nothing between us, in any direction.  This view reminds me of the yoga nidra visualisation of the unconscious mind - that's "the endless restless sea, waves on the ocean, the endless restless sea".  I wish I could bottle these sounds. 

Since yesterday's blog we remained cocooned in our safe haven, have enjoyed a black tie dinner, sharing a table again with Chris and Keith, which is both relaxed and really good fun, and a welcome cocktail party with the captain. The dinner was one of the special Marco Pierre White menus that appear about once a week, this time with a really delicious lobster main, prosecco poached strawberries dessert, and a port soaked Stilton with cheese and biscuits. It did feel special.  In fact the whole day seemed like a pamper day. But because of the tv ads, I am really trying not to say "This is the life", but you know what, it really is. As the clocks went back again overnight we are now at GMT+6. 

Breakfast this morning was in the open air at the back of the ship. I adore these times, breakfasting together, in the peace and quiet.   

Piracy drill came reassuringly as scheduled at 10:30 a.m.  The arrangements were basically this: get away from the windows, keep the lights off and curtains shut, sit on the corridor if you have an outside cabin, and sit inside if you have an inside cabins. Cabin stewards have to keep a record of everyone present. As our cabin steward is aware of my joint situation he let me back into the cabin after about 5 minutes, but Khachik was able to carry on doing his crossword in the corridor!. I won't be so lucky if it ever becomes something more serious than an exercise. 

The rest of the day has been another beautiful sea day, nothing going on in the sea, but plenty to entertain us on board.

First there was an ice carving demonstration, followed by a beautiful salad lunch, then the port talk about Columbo including all the information we needed for our excursion to the elephant orphanage tomorrow. After that we had a bit of a lie down, because we can, before our art class of figure painting at 3:30, really enjoyable, and we're doing ok.  this one is two African women selling fruit in vibrant colours.

Hopefully there'll be some free wi-fi soon so I can upload photos of all these delights. Then a late afternoon swim and hot tub, and for Khachik an hour in the gym and finally dinner, another lovely five courser with Chris and Keith, the high spot of which for me was a meringue and chocolate swan on sticky toffee cream.

Tomorrow we are in Columbo, so it might be the next day before tomorrow's blog appears. 

Bye for now xx