Settling in for the long haul

It is day 6 of the 14 day cruise and we are settling into a routine. We sleep in until 8:30 or so (eat your heart out fellow old people that have trouble sleeping), shower in our tiny stall and go off to breakfast. For variety we alternate between eating at a large table where we are waited on and sit with whoever turns up for the meal, with the more intimate table for two amidst the crowds of the buffet line. Each of course, has it virtues. You can choose between food that comes served on thousands of little plates with coffee poured for you as soon as you finish a sip but you take your chances with table mates. Today we had an English speaking table of three couples. With us in the middle, we conversed with an older couple of Norwegians who have lived all over the world and currently reside in Malmo, Sweden and a couple of middle-aged newlywed Canadians from Ontario. Chatty folks. We ended up shutting down the dining room and being asked politely to leave. Lucky for us, the Canadians were happy to continue the discussion outside the dining room until finally, after Mike feared that we had heard so much about her children and schools that we might be forced to talk about other compelling topics such as her garden or washing her car, he excused us. Yesterday we ate breakfast at the buffet, where you are able to select your own food including a custom made omelet, serve it up all on one plate, and sit at a table for two. Unfortunately sometimes the table has not been cleaned up after the previous tenants, but it is more intimate. I vaguely recollect days in which we had a tray to load up with food, but now it is a single plate. We probably are eating more appropriately for people now, whereas the tray did encourage eating appropriately for large mammals such as gorillas or elephants.

After breakfast we usually tuck away somewhere to read. Today we went to a deserted bar on the highest floor and sat facing the pool. From our high level perch we watched the bikini-clad women and speedo clad men compete in some contest which was narrated entirely inb Portuguese. Mike paid more attention than I did, periodically telling me the highlights such as, "the first team is completely finished with the race before the first woman on the other team even got in gear." Today I ventured out during reading time for a few laps of the track. After a mile and a quarter I was so hot (noon at the Equator is just not the time to walk!) I retreated back to the look-out perch to spy on the other sweaty people walking around the track in their bikinis.

After lunch (again involving the deicision: to buffet or not to buffet) it is laundry time. Mike has polished is ingenious skills at hanging a line for drying our clothes that meets multiple goals: 1) drying clothes don't drip on, or ruin carpets, 2) the lines don't risk our lives when we get up in the dark to use the bathroom, and 3) they don't jeopardize the goodwill of the cabin attendant who has to enter our quarters every day to make the bed and clean up after us. The fancy arrangement he has sorted out for us in this room has about six feet of line available in total, made up of a high and low line across the formica surfaced desk. Socks, the bane of in-room laundry because they can take days to dry, fit across the bottom line with shirts and pants on hangers hanging above them. Traveling cheaply isn't so bad....

Roderick, our dinner waiter takes good care of us when we show up for dinner. He has strong recommendations about the menu, providing subtle movements such as a pursing of his lips and a slight shake of his head when you start to order something he does not recommend. In this trial and error method, I am able to start with what I think I want, and end up with what Roderick thinks I will like. In this way, I have enjoyed the things he brings me, and wondered about the things I was dissuaded from ordering such as the crab cake which I thought I wanted until the pursed lips and quick intake of breath like a backward sigh assured me I didn't want to go near this "gluey in the center" attempt at crab cake. If you ignore the facial tics that signal a bad choice not all is lost. Roderick brings the substandard dish you ordered, but he accompanies it with a "better" dish. In this way, we have enjoyed a table for two with food for three. The third dish has allowed us to enjoy such things as cheesecake, ravioli, etc.

Entertainment begins at 9:30. Helvis has been the best act so far. Although not viewed as comedy, it would get my vote.

Tomorrow is Megan's and Dana's birthday. It is also Mike and Dana's anniversary. Furthermore, it is the day Megan and Matt move their family into their new home. Our love to you all. We are thinking of you. Mike and Dana will we "staycationing" in our Seattle house this week while Mike is off between quarters and Dana takes a reprieve from a very busy office. We hope they enjoy themselves.

Love, Deanne