Around South America in 80 Days

January 5, 2019

At Sea

This blog post is coming to you from my iPad. I spoke with the Microsoft host and he was as flummoxed as I am. He is going to e-mail a friend in Washington to check on any possible fixes. When I use my iPad I have to upload pictures to a hosting site (I use flickr) then download to my blog. On my Surface Pro I can upload from the computer directly to the blog. This saves a lot of time considering how slow ship internet is. At least I came prepared with a backup! I am going to wait a few days to see if the problem can be corrected and, if not, I will retype yesterday’s post on my iPad. On to nicer things....

This was a busy but enjoyable day at sea. At 10 we had our Cruise Critic Meet and Greet. It was well attended and the Cruise Director and Hotel Manager came and welcomed us. At 11 I attended the Music Trivia which was on songs of The Beach Boys. I am terrible at Name That Tune but enjoy playing it. We did not win but had a good time.

Then time for lunch in the Lido. Unlike the larger HAL ships, the salad bar is still make it yourself rather than instructing the server what you want. There also is no made to order sandwich bar although a small selection of meats, cheeses, and bread are available to make your own.

Afternoon trivia was at 1 and I played with three other members of the roll call and two other ladies. We had 10 out of 18 correct and two teams tied with 14 points. Just as on the world cruise, everyone who plays gets an Amazon certificate. Since it has been awhile for trivia I will post a few extra questions.

Which came first - Rudolph or Frosty?
A “googol” is 1 plus how many zeroes?
Roy Scherer is the real name of which star of romantic comedy movies and a TV show mainly in the 60s?
Which country is second in soybean production?
Introduced in 1925, pinotage red wine is the signature wine of which country?
Which came first - the Eiffel Tower or the Washington Monument
Bonus - Which three countries border both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea?

Arts and Crafts is a whole different thing from the World Cruise. It was a small crowd and you did not have to arrive at least an hour in advance. The lady who is the instructor is named Sirage (although I am not sure how it is actually spelled - she said it rhymes with “mirage”). She shipped a box of supplies but they have not found where they are on board. She had thrown some things in her suitcase so we made a simple stretchy beaded bracelet.

It was such a beautiful day that I decided a swim was in order. I decided to try the larger pool on my deck (9). Was I ever surprised to find that it is a saltwater pool. I have not seen one of those on a ship in decades. I only swam about a quarter of a mile (half my usual) and then sat in the sun before heading off to talk with John the Microsoft host.

Tonight was our first Gala Night. After showering and dressing I headed for evening trivia. None of my teammates were there so I played with others whose teams also had not shown up. We had 11 out of 17 correct with the winners having 15.

In the original “Alfie” movie, who played Alfie?
In 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in which city?
The Charge of the Light Brigade took place in which war?
What direction was usually at the top of a map when many believed the Earth was Flat?
Who was the pupil of Socrates and the teacher of Aristotle?
What is the most abundant element?

Once trivia was over I went to the Showroom to Captain Schuchmann’s Welcome Toast (which included free champagne). The heads of departments were also introduced.

All seven of us were present for a delicious Gala dinner. I was pleased to see that most still dressed like the Formal Nights of old. I had a jumbo shrimp cocktail, a salad, tenderloin with grilled shrimp, and Strawberries Romanoff for dessert.

Paul Pappas, a pianist, was the entertainer. He played a variety of music including TV themes, movie songs, ragtime, classical, and pop. I enjoyed the show.

When I returned to my cabin I had been visited by the pillow gift fairy and the laundry fairy. I had sent out a bag of laundry this morning and it was already back (in a fancy wrapper). We received not one but three pillow gifts - a Moleskin journal, a messenger bag, and a neck wallet.

Another sea day tomorrow.