Manila Hotel

Mark in Hot Manila with hat and beads provided by the local tourism office

St. Agustin Church

March 9, 2013  Manila, Philippines

Similar to our greeting in Puerto Princesa, school children were waiting for us at the pier and danced and played music for our arrival in port. Colorful woven straw hats and strands of beads were given to guests as they disembarked the ship. The weather was hot and humid.

With over 19 million inhabitants, Manila is an incredibly large city with skyscrapers, traffic and people everywhere. Manila is the capital of the Philippines. Spain controlled the Philippine Islands for over three centuries from 1565 to 1898 when the U.S. occupied and controlled the city and the Philippine archipelago until 1946. The Japanese occupied the Philippines at the outbreak of World War II for the most of three years. During World War II, much of the city was destroyed and it was not until 1975 that the Metropolitan Manila region was enacted as an independent entity. The name Manila is from the phrase may nilad, Tagalog for “there is nilad”, in reference to the flowering mangrove plant that grew on the marshy shores of the bay, used to produce soap for regional trade. There are currently 1.7 million births a year in Manila so you can see how the city has grown so quickly.

Our tour here was called “The Charms of Old Manila” which took us to the old areas of the city nearby the port. Our first stop was a visit to Rizal Park with a monument to commemorate Dr. Jose Rizal, a national hero. Ultraconservative zealots attempted to eradicate local religious ceremonies during the Spanish reign. Filipinos retaliated, but no revolt was more violent than the uprising sparked by Dr. Rizal’s sham trial and execution in 1896. Devoted to peace, the scholar openly opposed Madrid and encouraged Filipinos to fight for their independence.  He was considered a traitor by Spain and was executed.

Across from the park is a huge outdoor amphitheater where Manila made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest gathering to see Pope John Paul II. A crowd of five million gathered here to try and get a glimpse of the pope, which shows you what a Catholic country this is.

Next we visited the “Intramuros” or old walled city, which was a Chinese settlement before the Spaniards fortified it. Political prisoners, including Dr. Rizal, were locked away here for safekeeping. Today the walled city is a beautiful lushly landscaped park with a variety of historical buildings including Fort Santiago, which served as headquarters for the Spanish, American and Japanese colonizers until its destruction in 1945. Parts have been restored while other parts remain in ruins.

The Manila Cathedral was next on the tour. Unfortunately it is currently closed for repairs, so we were only able to visit the exterior and take photos from the lovely park in front. In this area there are many horse drawn carriages, which take visitors around the city for about $9.00 per thirty minutes. The horses they use are quite small in stature in comparison to our horses.

Casa Manila was our next stop. Here we were able to visit a reconstructed 19^th century Spanish Colonial style mansion. The home would have been owned by a wealthy family and  the man would have had his offices here, as well as rooms for entertaining. As least twenty servants would have been employed to tend to the family. High ceilings, hardwood floors, hand painted walls, and luxury furnishings abound. It even had an indoor bathroom with two different sized tubs and a two-seater toilet. The house was quite beautiful even by today’s standards.

San Augustin Church, the oldest structure in the Philippines dating back to 1571 was our next stop. Here we not only saw the church, but also an attached museum of elaborate religious statues. Many of these figures were made of metals and ornate dresses, some standing life size.

During all these religious visitations, Jenn, our friend, had to confess that she had been dreaming of having sex with Jesus….only Jesus was Black.  She called him SBJ, or Sexy Black Jesus.  Way to go, Jenn.

On our way back to the ship we were driven through parts of Manila where we saw a little bit of everything. Beautiful skyscrapers next to shantytowns, overcrowded streets where few cars seemed to follow any type of rules of the road and jeeps leftover from World War II have been converted into Jeep-Knees, which are buses that hold about 20 passengers. Each of the buses has been elaborately decorated with decals, applied figurines or anything you can imagine.  They are called Jeep-Knees because the passengers’ knees touch in the vehicle.

After a bite to eat onboard the ship we walked a short distance to the Manila Hotel, which is a 100-year old historic hotel. Here we asked to be shown the archive room where you can view a photographic history of the hotel including General MacArthur’s suite, famous U.S. presidents and many famous people from around the world who have visited. The hotel also has a beautiful pool area and a high-end restaurant called the Champagne Room, which is very elegant.

Next we took the ship;s shuttle to the local area mall called Robinson Mall where we found an enormous American-style shopping mall. We found many familiar chain restaurants like TGIFridays, Starbucks, McDonalds, Burger King, as well as most of the same brand names that we find at home. Some people thought that the mall had more stores than the Mall of America.

The evening’s entertainment was by Hilary O’Neil who had performed a week or so ago.

March 8, 2013  Sea Day

Good Morning Amsterdam featured two of the security officers who look after us when we are in port, as well as when we are out at sea. Our travel guide, Barbara, lectured on things to do and see in Nha Trang, Vietnam.

Adrian Cooper lectured on Myths and Mountains of South East Asia. The mountains of South East Asia have inspired incredible legends of heroes and wisdom since the dawn of civilization in this part of the world. Adrian shared with us some of the art, sculpture and literature from this part of he world which all includes mountains including the mythical mountain of Meru.

Eight of us had lunch in the Pinnacle Grill, the upscale restaurant that charges an additional fee for lunch. The atmosphere is a change of pace but the food was not particularly better than we would find in the dining room or Lido buffet.

Aileen Bridgewater lectured on her adventures in the Philippines including a faith healer with mystical powers and the personal pilot of Imelda Marcos.

Entertainment this evening was an actor/singer from London’s West End by the name of Mark Adams.

Mark and his Penal Colony Friends

Cashew Fruits and Nuts

Ship Side Entertainment

More Ship Side Entertainment

March 7, 2013  Puerto Princesa (Palawan), Philippines

Puerto Princesa is a city located in east-central Palawan, Philippines. It is an important port on a sheltered inlet of the Sulu Sea, south of Honda Bay. Today it is the capital of the island province of Palawan, one of the 1,700 islands that make up the Philippines. The island is 263 miles in length although it is quite narrow and has 235,000 residents. The town of Puerto Princesa was named after Princess Eulalia of Spain, born in 1864 to Queen Isabella II ad her consort Dr. Francisco de Asis. When the princess suffered an untimely death, the Queen changed the name to Puerto de la Princesa, which was later reduced to Puerto Princesa. The city is extremely clean as they have very strict anti-litter and no smoking in public laws. Most all of the signage is in English and most everyone we came across spoke English.

Our highlights tour took us to a wide variety of interesting spots beginning with the Palawan Special Battalion World War II Memorial Museum. The museum features five galleries highlighting the major countries that participated during World War II; namely the USA, Japan, Germany, Great Britain and Russia. Each room featured a collection of relics, weapons, aircraft carrier and bomber plane models, uniforms, bayonets and photos.

Our next stop was the former City Hall building now a cultural heritage museum where we were treated to some local folkloric dances. We saw a film about the entire Palawan Island and its famous forest, underground river and beaches. The museum included fossils found at the Tabon Caves of Quezon, believed to be the first Filipino dating back as far as 22,000 BC.

Our next stop was the Plaza Cuartel, which was the site of a Japanese garrison and now a memorial park to honor local heroes. This site also honors the site where 135 American Soldiers were set on fire and killed by the Japanese inside a tunnel during World War II. Next door to the park is the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, a beautiful old wooden church with two bell towers, which can be seen all around the city.

We then headed about 15 miles out of town to the Iwahig Penal Colony, known as the prison without walls. Iwahig is a modern farm where prisoner’s toil the farms unguarded and are encouraged to promote self-sufficiency. Criminals are sent to this very large compound where they are educated, taught skills such as farming, including cultivating rice, coconuts, and fishing They are expected to practice their own religion. It was started in 1904 and is still in existence today. Some of the prisoners performed a few folk dances for us and they were selling some handicraft items.

We then visited the Palawan Wildlife and Crocodile Farming Institute where they aim to preserve and conduct research studies into endangered species of crocodiles. They also have a hospital for sick and disabled crocodiles. You could even have your photo taken with a small crocodile over your shoulder if you chose to. No thanks!

Next we stopped at the Rancho Santa Monica viewing deck for a panoramic view out over the Honda Bay and some of the surrounding islands. This lookout area is located in an area called millionaire’s row where very large view homes are located. Not surprisingly, wealthy politicians own many of the homes.  We also were able to get a look at a cashew tree, which I had never seen before. They are quite large trees, which flower and produce a fruit about the size of a fig. From the bottom of the fruit grows a single cashew nut encased in a hard shell.  Evidently you can store a cashew nut in the shell for two years and it will still be good.

Our last stop was a handicraft market where we could purchase such items as cashews, dried fish, carved wooden masks and sculptures, t-shirts and a variety of other items. The prices were extremely reasonable although the quality was not as appealing.

Both upon our arrival in port in the morning and our departure in the afternoon we were entertained by local school children of all ages who came down to the port. There was group of children who played violins, singers and dancers of all ages. We were really pleased with the warm welcome and the friendliness of all the local people.

Back onboard we were entertained by a mandolin player by the name of Radim Zenkl from the Czech Republic who also played the flute and did a bit of a comedy routine.

March 6, 2013  Sea Day

Christopher, who is one of the librarian’s onboard, was the guest this morning at the Good Morning, Amsterdam show. Chris is a 23 year old third generation Floridian from Tampa. He is on his first contract with the cruise line and was transferred from another ship in the fleet to work on the world cruise. He has a twin brother, with whom he enlisted in the military. However, Chris had braces on his teeth and this disqualified him from passing the medical entrance exam. He made an appointment to get the braces off but when the dentists office called his home to confirm his appointment, his mother found out that he was going to have his braces off prematurely and but a stop to that. She said that if he would reimburse her for the $4,000 she spent on the braces he could get them taken off.

Chris and his brother left home the same week, one to boot camp and one to work on the ship. His brother has completed boot camp and is currently serving in Afghanistan. Chris was honored as employee of the month for his exemplary service to a woman and her son who traveled with us from Lima to Auckland. The son was celebrating his 18^th birthday although he was wheelchair bound, crippled up and unable to speak from the ravages of a physically debilitating disease. Chris would entertain him in the library and play games with him.  He could communicate only by lifting one arm to answer yes. Chris is an incredible young man and does an excellent job with helping guests with most anything they may need onboard.

Barbara, our travel guide, lectured this morning on things to do and see in Hong Kong, while the afternoon featured Adrian Cooper who lectured on Diving in the Deep. Adrian spoke about the amazing creatures that live in the deepest parts of the oceans.

Water temperature/Idioms—During his daily sailing announcements, our ship’s captain mentioned the sea’s water temperature.  It has been gradually increasing and is now 84 degrees.  Not quite like San Diego.  He also shares with us various idioms, which come from sailing, like “toe the line, between the devil and the deep blue sea, hand over fist, as the crow flies,” etc.  We are surprised that so many of our idioms and expressions come from sailing ships at sea.

We took in the afternoon movie titled: One for the Money with Katherine Heigl, Debbie Reynolds and John Leguizamo.

The evening’s entertainer was an English comedian by the name of Kevin Devane. He had some interesting one-liners but the guests are getting tired of so many comedians.

King Neptune Ceremony

March 5, 2013  Sea Day

Today we crossed the equator and thus another reason to celebrate. King Neptune or Poseidon in Greek mythology is believed to oversee the equator. In order that we might secure safe passage for the ship over the equator we had a special ceremony. Making an appearance was the cruise director, Bruce, as King Neptune and the cruise hostess, Adele, as a mermaid. They officiated a ceremony where crewmembers from different departments were brought before a panel of the captain and his officers for judgment for a variety of fictional crimes. Each set of crewmembers was then covered in slime and thrown in the swimming pool. The Amsterdam orchestra was dressed as pirates and Equator Sling drinks were served and everyone had a fun time.

Aileen Bridgewater lectured on her interviews with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, Sylvester Stallone and Princess Diana. She seems to always be at the right place at the right time to get the interviews.

In the afternoon we went to the Wajang Theater to see the movie “The Five-Year Engagement” with Emily Blunt, Jason Segel and Chris Pratt.

Dinner was another formal affair followed by the King Neptune Under the Sea Ball in the Queen’s Lounge. We had dinner with friends Peter, Peter and Brian from Toronto, Canada, at their table in the dining room.  Wild and crazy recently retired guys! They boarded the ship in Sydney and will be disembarking in Hong Kong. The dining room was beautifully and colorfully decorated with all things under the sea. Brightly colored Mylar streamers with colorful fish attached were hanging everywhere. Mylar helium balloons of fish, turtles, lobster and octopus floated above every table. The waiters were all wearing white shirts with light blue vests and bow ties plus hats of brightly colored fish.

After dinner there was a Gala Ball in the Queen’s Lounge, which was also decorated extensively with all things related to the sea. The orchestra played dance music and the ships uniformed officers were on hand to dance with the passengers. The cruise director and the hostess were seated on thrones, up on the stage dresses as King Neptune and a mermaid.

Girl at the Makassar Market

Fish laid out to dry

Fishing boat in Makassar Harbor

Model of Indonesian Homes and Rice Storage

Makassar Outdoor Market

March 4, 2013  Ujung Pandang (Makassar), Indonesia

Prior to the arrival of Islam in the 16^th century, this area of South Sulawesi (Celebes) was governed by a number of small states divided between two related ethnic groups, the Makassarese and the Buginese. In about 1530 the Makassarese state of Gowas emerged as the most powerful state, and the ruler of Gowa adopted Islam in 1605.  The Dutch established a trading post at Makassar in 1609. The British occupied the area between 1810-1816, during the Napoleonic Wars, and the Makassarese attacked the British in 1814 and again in 1816. The Dutch eventually emerged victorious during 1858-1860 and extended rule over the whole of the region. The Japanese occupied Celebes during World War II. Clashes occurred between the Dutch and Indonesian troops in Makassar in 1950, and with the defeat of the Dutch, Celebes became part of the Republic of Indonesia.

Today the population is engaged in growing rice, corn, coconuts, coffee, spices, vegetable oil, sugar cane, soybeans, and sweet potatoes. Teak and rattan grow here as well. Deep sea fishing is also important. The manufacturing of cement, milled rice, beverages, chemicals, rubber goods, processes coffee, palm oil, woven cotton and silks, paper, metal ware, carved wood, and baskets.

With temperatures in the 90’s and the humidity to match, we ventured out on a tour of the town. Our first stop was the fishing port called Paotere Harbour where we saw Buginese sailing boats unloading fish. The boats are in poor condition and the water is swelling with litter although the fish drying on the ground around the port do not smell too bad.

The traffic in town is extremely hectic and the traffic lights appear to be only a suggestion as not too many drivers pay them much attention. Motorcycles outnumber the automobiles, and there is not much of a sidewalk to walk on so most of the pedestrians wander through the streets crossing with great difficulty. Three wheeled bicycles with a seat wide enough to carry one large or two small people are most everywhere and the drivers are most aggressive in wanting to take you somewhere.

We visited a large open-air market where mostly fruits, vegetables, fish and chicken were being sold. The chickens were being sold live or dead and whole, with the feathers removed and stacked on a table. It was not a very clean place but the locals were happy to see us and either wanted to take our picture or wanted us to take photos of them. One little girl was busy chewing on a chicken’s claw, I suppose as a snack.

Next we visited Fort Rotterdam originally built in 1545 of clay by the 9^th King of Gowa. During the reign of the 14^th King Sultan Alauddin, the fort was rebuilt of stone taken from the Karst Mountains. The fortress is shaped like a turtle because a turtle can live on land and in the sea as the kingdom of Gowa triumphed on land and at sea. During the Dutch occupation the fort was renamed Fort Rotterdam and used as central storage for spices from Eastern Indonesia. Today the fort contains a wonderful museum with a collection of artifacts, ethnic costumes, ceramics, manuscripts, coins and other historical items of the region.

Waist extenders—Kent found out about an interesting and helpful item from a fellow bus tour passenger.  It appears that the waist extender can be used to enlarge your pants around your increased waist—in case you need it, of course.  You can still zip your pants (only leaves a small gap) but it will add a needed two inches to your pants so you don’t have to buy new ones.  It just buttons in and then you can breath and continue eating at the buffets!  Great invention…now, where to get them?

Next we visited what was called a handicraft market called Jalan Somba Opu, but was more of a street lined with shops on either side. Unfortunately the vast majority of the shops were jewelry shops with locally made Kendari filigree rings, bracelets and chains of gold.

The afternoon found us wandering the streets in search of an Internet café or someplace where we could use the Internet cheaply. We finally found a local hotel, which allowed us to use the wi-fi in the lobby although it was not very quick.

The entertainment this evening was another performance by Steve Stevens who had performed several days ago. He plays the trumpet, sings and told a variety of jokes.

March 3, 2013  Sea Day

The Good Morning Amsterdam show featured Tina, one of the young ladies who works in the Pinnacle restaurant. Tina is from Indonesia and prepared all of the meals for guest who ate in the Indonesian restaurant last night. She also acts as chef for several special dinners in the Pinnacle restaurant when they feature Indonesian dinners.

Barbara, our Travel Guide, discussed things to do and see in the upcoming port of Puerto Princesa and Manila in the Philippines.

A new lecturer by the name of Dr. Aidan Cooper is onboard and lectured about life on coral reefs today. Aidan is an Associate Research Fellow in the Department of Geography at the Birkbeck College, London University as well as a Consultant to the BBC Natural History Unit. His principal interests are in oceanography, island eco-systems and tropical rainforests in South East Asia. He discussed all aspects of a coral reed as well he showed some wonderful slides of coral animals and fish.

Aileen Bridgewater shared her interview with the Dalai Lama and what a fascinating man she found him to be. She says that there is still controversy today in Hong Kong when discussing matters of the Dalai Lama and Tibet.

Kent had quite an interesting visit with one of our gay Japanese friends on board.  He is an older “chubby chaser” and was interested in sharing some of his personal videos.  Kent learned a lot!  Nothing more to say!

The entertainer on this evening was a woman by the name of Hilary O’Neil who is a comedian and vocalist from England. She was quite entertaining including her impersonation of Dame Edna.

Bali Sculpture

Largest temple in Bali

Onboard Mariner Party

Hall of Justice

Rice Fields

Bali Temples

Mark, Peter, Peter and Brian

March 2, 2013  Benoa, Indonesia (Bali)

Benoa is a port city located near Bali’s southernmost tip and is the gateway to the Nusa Dua beach resort. Indonesia has 13,500 islands of which over 6,000 have occupants on them. Indonesians are predominately Muslim, however, Balinese belief is based in Hinduism and Bali is known for its interesting temples. The temples are generally dedicated to the Hindu Trimurti:Brahma or creator of the universe, Vishnu the Preserver and Shiva the destroyer. Balinese Hinduism differs from the Indian version, however the Balinese people recognize not only the Hindu Gods, but a special set of deities all their own.

The temperature was over 90 degrees and extremely humid not to mention that it rained from time to time throughout the day. Sometimes the rain would only be a light shower while other times it would pour buckets and there would be an electrical storm as well.

Our tour today took us first to the Besakih Temple complex (it is comprised of 23 separate, but related temples) located about a two-hour drive from the port. This is the most revered temple among Bali’s many shrines and differs from others because it belongs to everyone rather than just one village. It is located on mount Gunung Agung rising about 3,000 feet above sea level. The temple is believed to have begun more than 1,000 years ago with additions and modifications continuing to this day. The Pura Penataran Agung temple is the largest and most impressive with six-tiers terraced up the side of the mountain. A grand staircase leads up the front of the temple to a large gated courtyard with multiple structures, each ornately decorated. The stone is local volcanic rock, mostly black in color and ornately carved.

Locals were being bussed to the site to make offerings of fruits, trays of flower petals and incense. Most of the men wore white headscarves and white shirts to the temple while the women wore colorful sarongs. Both the men and the women  had their shoulders and legs covered.

From the temple we winded our way a short distance to a restaurant called Mahagiri, which offered a dramatic panoramic view over a valley of terraced rice fields. The open-air restaurant served a wonderful buffet lunch of local dishes including chicken, tofu, rice, noodles, chicken satay, salad and vegetables. For dessert they served banana fritters with a dark brown sugar sauce and fresh fruit.

Our next stop was to Puri Agung Karangasem, built in the 19^th century by the first king of the Karangasem Kingdom located in the town of Amlapura along the far eastern shore of Bali. This once royal palace combined three different architectural styles. Balinese influences can be seen in the carvings of the Hindu statues and the reliefs on the walls of the building while European influence is seen in the architecture of the main residence with its large veranda. Chinese architecture is seen in the style of the windows, doors and other ornamentation. There is no longer a royal family and so this residence is more of a museum with some of the rooms in the residence under restoration. The grounds include a beautiful lily pond surrounded by several outdoor pavilions with unique pottery urns planted with local shrubs and flowering plants. Unfortunately age and the weather are taking a toll on the residence and it has lost some of its glory.

Our last stop of the day was to Klungkung Kertagosa, a complex built in 1710 by some of the finest artisans in the country at the time. The complex contains the Bale Kambang floating pavilion and the Kertagosa or Royal Court of Justice. Each of these structures is a raised open-air pavilion with richly painted murals on the interior peaked ceilings. The originals are now housed in a museum but have been replaced with replicas. The Court of Justice contains a large table and chairs where criminals would be seated across from a judge to plead their case before being punished for whatever crime they were charged with. The murals above are explicit, colored murals depicting several rows of acts for which you would be punished and suffer the fate of hell while the upper tiers of the mural reflect good behaviors for which you would be rewarded eternal life in paradise. The site is very well preserved and contains beautifully landscaped gardens.

In general the island is very lush and green with all sorts of vegetation from ferns to banana trees, rice fields to plumeria. The denseness of the vegetation reminds me of the lush vegetation you find in Costa Rica. Most houses as you drive by have a small temple of sorts out in front of the house and are usually freestanding. Some are quite small in size; maybe one-foot square while others are much larger with a grass style roof peaked like a mountain.  Each of these temples has some type of fruits or flowers or a combination of the two as an offering. Then within the fence or wall surrounding the house you can see many more of these temples one right next to the other, all with fruits and flowers. Most homes have five or more of these small temples standing five or six feet tall. It makes me think that this is a very religious region of the world.

Back onboard the ship after more than nine hours of touring, we were treated to the last of the mariner appreciation events. Once during each world cruise a special event, a year in the planning and at a reported cost of $500,000 takes place. This year Bali was chosen as the theme for this special mariner event. The entire main pool area and Lido Restaurant had been transformed over the last 24 hours into a premier party event. It was titled Pasar Malam Indonesia, or night market. The pool had been transformed into a pond surrounded by live rice fields. The entire pool area was screened into many private dining areas and bars with the use of bamboo screens. Bandstands were created with bamboo of various sizes and a bamboo hut was now standing where the pool once was. Potted palm trees, sago palms and orchids were placed throughout to create the look of a rainforest. Local crafts were for sale including batik clothing, woodcarvings, stick puppets, leather goods, paintings, jewelry and more. A local Gamelan band, a Wajang shadow puppet show, a Sinden Singer and Suling flute player, Jaipong dancers and a Angklung orchestra performed. A Becak-Becak or three-wheeled cycle taxi was giving rides around the deck in exchange for a donation to a local charity. Everywhere you looked there was something going on that was colorful, festive and entertaining.

Not only was there entertainment and things to buy but, there were tons of food and an open bar for over four hours. The Lido was filled with local foods including roasted pigs, fish wrapped in leaves, noodle dishes, rice, fresh cut coconuts for drinking the coconut water with a straw and a huge assortment of unusual local desserts. The Canaletto restaurant was transformed into an Indonesian restaurant for the night and was part of the fundraising efforts for the Rainbow Foundation.

The Rainbow Foundation is a medical shelter for children from all over Indonesia and is located in Bekasi near Jakarta. The foundations helps parents with limited funds pay for their sick children’s medical treatments and provides housing for them during their recuperation. They also house about forty children who do not have parents or relatives to take care of them. Guest who ate in the specialty restaurant this evening made a donation of $25 to the charity, while others contributed as well.

Many of the dining room stewards, cabin stewards and crew members come from Indonesia so many of them were able to have their families come onboard the ship for a short visit today. Most of the guests put notes on their cabin doors asking that they not have their cabins cleaned on this day and for the stewards to spend time with their families and friends instead.

Although we weren’t too hungry after our big lunch, we decided to sample a few of the many Indonesian dishes on board for the party.  There were Indonesian dishes we didn’t know, fruits, desserts, roasted pigs, etc.  After filling our plates with “samples” of almost everything, we joined Peter, Peter and Bryan on the Lido deck by the back pool to eat it all.  Free drinks and wine were being served.  We shared lots of info and gossip with these Toronto boys.  Good times!

March 1, 2013  Sea Day

Barbara, our travel guide, presented things to see and do in Ujung Padang, Indonesia. Later in the morning Aileen Bridgewater shared stories of her interviews with Prime Ministers Indira Ghandi in New Delhi and Rajiv Ghandi who took over the Premiership after her assignation and was soon after assassinated himself.

Mr. Kruse, the CEO and President of Holland America who is also responsible for the Seabourn brand, (which is also owned by Carnival), held a presentation along with the head of the Mariner Society to let people know about future things coming down the line with Holland America. Holland America is building a new 2,600-passenger ship while Seabourn is outfitting the Quest with Zodiac boats to make five landings in Antartica on future voyages. The presentation and question and answer period lasted about 90 minutes.

Today we had lunch with Mary and Gordon, from San Diego.  We have been on tours and attend Good Morning, Amsterdam with them.  It was great to learn a little more about them and to share some of our stories with them.

The entertainment on this evening was an Australian gentleman by the name of Phoenix and is called a Real-Life Mentalist. This show was very unusual in that he claimed he was not a medium but seemed to be able to read peoples minds? People wrote numbers and random words on sheets of paper, sealed them in envelopes and placed them in a locked box. Not only was Phoenix able to guess the numbers and words written on the slips of paper but, he knew what city in the world the people lived in and more. In one case he told an older lady that she was close to an American President’s family. He asked her if she knew JFK and if she had a photo of herself taken with Jackie Kennedy. When she answered yes, he continued to tell her that in the photo she was wearing a black dress of which she had pinned a black feather onto it. She said yes!

February 28, 2013   Sea Day

Stein Kruse, the CEO and President of Holland America Lines was onboard for several days to celebrate Mariner Appreciation Days. With that, today is one of the quietest days onboard that we have had because many of the cruise staff were busy with special events.

Prior to dinner Mr. Kruse hosted a cocktail party with an open bar to honor a few crewmembers who had served the company for 20 to 48 years of service. They received rings, mantle clocks and special gifts.

A formal gala dinner was served in the dining room with escargots, lobster, shrimp and all of the guests’ favorite foods. Following dinner we attended a show in the Queen’s Lounge by a group called Rockapella. They performed mostly Motown and soul hits. This vocal group of five men uses no instruments, but instead, relies on their voices alone to create the music. One of the five does nothing but create drum like sounds, while the additional four, each with a different range, sings and adds additional sounds. It was a very interest experience.

Once we arrived back at our cabin we found a special gift on our pillows from Mr. Stein and his wife. The gift was a Tiffany crystal bowl perfectly wrapped in the hopefully familiar blue box with white ribbon and placed in the matching blue bag with white cord handles.