The Indian Ocean and Tropical Cyclone Marcus certainly took their toll on us and the trusty Golden Princess ! We hugged the shore until the worst of it had past over the outer areas of the coast ie more than 12 miles off shore so the captain told us, but then there was no alternative but to turn sharp right and head out to the Indonesian Islands, Sumatra and Java. We rode on the rough swell of the tail of the cyclone which was bumpy and rocky throughout the long night ! Actually the reason I didn’t sleep a huge amount was due to the banging and clattering of things raging around on decks above, even though it seemed as though everything that was able to be tied down, most definitely was, and in cabins and corridors. I got up a couple of times to move or rearrange coat hangers, water bottles, balcony chairs and other bits and pieces which were positively doing the sea tango !
This morning was a lot less rough and with another 600 nautical miles to go to Benoa in Bali I suspect most folk are very thankful ! It has been a truly unusual cruise for me, for a start it feels as if we are cruising ‘upwards’ - I can’t explain why, but when I cruise in the Northern Hemisphere it feels much more flat, almost as if we are moving ‘sideways’ in different directions, but this has a definite feel of something else and is more alien ( and I don’t mean Star Treck !)........it is 83 degrees outside and that is with the sizeable breeze blowing in through the balcony doors. So pretty darned hot with 90% humidity !
The now calm sea and the sunset last night
Walk out the balcony door, immediately dripping - nice.
There is a nightclub at the very top of the ship on Deck 17 called Skywalkers, but during the day when the rock fans I assume are asleep, it becomes a haven of cool and quiet, filled with soft sofas and armchairs and large picture windows from which one can stare at the (now!) gentle blue sea all day ! I have finished two books so far, one of which was a very long one just incase that doesn’t seem impressive !
I am off for my coffee now, so down to deck 5 the Piazza for a well made and strong Cappucino. I may then take it all the way up to Deck 17 and enjoy it in the cool.
Cappuccino and Cool
This morning I watched a movie on my cabin TV, this was a cool luxury as I have a dinky little fan I brought with me which keeps the temperature just cool enough for comfort, and that is on top of the air conditioning being on full blast. I sat with my breakfast and watched Goodbye Christopher Robin, the story of A.A. Milne and his son. It is very moving and a wonderful period piece, such attention to detail. I had previously no idea how both Milne and Shepard, the artist who did all the illustrations, suffered so much from shell shock from their experiences in WW1. In a strange kind of way this horror in his life and thus a move from London to the Sussex countryside were the reason for birth of Winnie the Pooh and all the poems. Out of all that horror came something good, but at a terrible cost to the whole family and especially the child. Very well worth watching !
We were just told by the Captain that the port at Benoa, Bali is very shallow so there will be a long 30 minute tender to reach land ! I am going on my elephant safari trip tomorrow which is incredibly exciting, even though I must be up and waiting in the casino at 7.45am for said tender boat. We will be back onboard by 1pm as we leave at 3.30pm for Kuala Lumpur, and also it is much cooler in the morning - so my lovely Balinese steward tells me. She has permission to go ashore for the whole day so she can meet up with her family and ‘have a wonderful day’ quote ! Here’s hoping it is a tad cooler in the mornings. The sun block is essential, the hat is essential and some true grit from me I imagine !
Update tomorrow 🐘🐘🐘😂
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