Day 8: Black and Silver Ball

Travel Diary:  Amsterdam Asia Pacific Cruise 2012

Day 8, Saturday (9/29/2012) At sea

This evening was the Black and Silver Ball.  I didn’t go, but dinner was formal dress and we had a ship’s officer at our table.  Actually, we had one officer, Graham the Manager of Engineering originally from Scotland, and his fiancée, Rebecca, a young woman from the Seattle area who works with shore excursions.  We had a wonderful dinner with them and got to ask them all kinds of questions about their lives working and living on a cruise ship.   Their lives are definitely an enviable form of international living.  After New Year, they will be celebrating their marriage at the Chihuly glass garden at the foot of the Space Needle and will be making their ashore home in Seattle.  It is so great to see young people following their dreams in this way.  Apparently, it is possible for couples to live aboard and even raise their children in the cruise ship environment until they become of school age.  Holland America Line certainly seems to be an enlightened employer in this way. 

Today I applied for my visas to visit Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia and Papua New Guinea.  I won’t need visas for Japan, New Zealand, Fiji or Samoa—and definitely not Hawai’i.  I also got a cash advance from my HAL Visa card and bought some yen for shopping in Japan.  We will arrive there on Monday and the whole time we are in Japan we will not be able to use the internet from the ship.  The Japanese government prefers that everyone in the country use the central internet provider so if we want to get online, I’ll have to bring my laptop ashore to somewhere where I can catch a signal.  That will be another adventure.

Day 7: Busy day with Whale spotting

Travel Diary:  Amsterdam Asia Pacific Cruise 2012

Day 7, Friday (9/28/2012) At sea

Today I am grateful for a wonderful night’s sleep and an early start on the day.  By 7 a.m. I had got up, showered, dressed, posted my blog from yesterday and watched the movie I missed last night.  I like starting my day early like that so that when I am ready to go out and about I have spent quality time by myself.  Early morning is my favorite time because the day is fresh and new and so am I.

It turns out that I never came back to my cabin again until after dinner.  This was the busiest day yet.  I had breakfast on the sunny side of the ship with a lovely couple from Austin, TX and talked about history and shared our stories.  I sat and knitted with our needlework group and saw two whales spouting as they swam along side.  Lunch came too soon, but I went down to the Lido pool and lined up for a special Mongolian barbeque.  Because I was looking too wobbly for the long line, one of the crew dragged me out of the end of the line and took me up to the front where my plate of food was cooked with my choice of seasonings and oil.  It was just like home cooking comfort food for me after a week of gourmet dining. That left me with more time to spend visiting with Phil and Florrie, a couple of retired physicians from Seattle who looked to be on the last of a long lifetime of cruises.  They had raised three children in View Ridge and after 50 years of living there had moved into assisted living closer to downtown.  They shared their insights and experiences travelling the world in their long lives.  They were eating guacamole, corn chips and Hawai’ian pizza, but after a while went inside to get some dessert.

After a while I went inside myself and got a sugarless fruit mousse.  It was fresh and tasty.  I found a seat in the sun and had a cup of green tea while waiting for the arts and crafts class to start and was joined by a woman from Florida who was originally from Vietnam until she married her American husband in 1965.  She told me her story and I told her part of mine and when the class started, we each made a water bottle harness with 48 other people.  Then I wandered off to a bar where a trivia contest was underway.  I listened to the end when the correct answers were given out and the winner determined.  The questions were really hard.  I wouldn’t have been a winner if I’d been playing alone, that’s for sure.  I may give it another try one of these days.

The next item on my agenda today was the first meeting of HAL Chorale.  We met in a piano bar where Music Director Matt took suggestions for musical numbers, accompanied us on the piano, and led us in rehearsing three pieces.  I haven’t sung with a group in more than eight years and I’m really out of shape vocally, so I sang with the basses.  I must say that I didn’t sound too bad.  Maybe by the end of the cruise I will have extended my range up to alto.  This could be the beginning of a good thing.

By the time we finished, there was only half an hour till dinner, so I sat by the window and read some more out of  “Factory Girls”.  I’m just about finished.  I’ve been just about finished for the last week, but soon it will happen.  At dinner, it was revealed that Scott had also read “1491” and loved it, had been a history major and studied law but never practiced.  We confessed our shared admiration for the works of James Michener, Leon Uris and Clive Cussler.  And it’s only Day 7.  I can’t imagine what further revelations will appear in the next 68 days.

I see by my clock and computer that it is 3:49 a.m. Friday morning in Seattle while it is 9:49 p.m. Friday onboard the Amsterdam as we head south from the Aleutians heading toward Japan.  I just finished watching the movie “Elizabethtown” with Orlando Bloom and Kirstin Dunst while writing this.  It has been quite a day and it’s time to sleep again.  Tomorrow we’ll be setting the clock back another hour.  I am grateful for that extra hour.

Day 6: International Date Line crossed: No Wednesday this week

Travel Diary:  Amsterdam Asia Pacific Cruise 2012

Day 6, Thursday (9/27/2012)

That was no typo.  There was no Wednesday this week—no September 26 at all.  We crossed the International Date Line this morning.  This is how it was explained to us on the personalized certificate prepared for each of us individually:

“The International Date Line is the imaginary line on the Earth that separates two consecutive calendar days.  That is the date in the Eastern hemisphere, to the left of the line, which is always one day ahead of the date in the Western hemisphere.  It has been recognized as a matter of convenience and has no force in international law.

Without the International Date Line travelers going westward would discover that when they returned home, one day more than they thought had passed, even though they had kept careful tally of the days.  This first happened to Magellan’s crew after the first circumnavigation of the globe.  Likewise, a person traveling eastward would find that one few days had elapsed than he had recorded, as happened to Phileas Fogg in ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’ by Jules Verne.

The International Date Line can be anywhere on the globe.  But it is most convenient to be 180 degrees away from the defining meridian that goes through Greenwich, England.  It also is fortunate that this area is covered, mainly, by empty ocean.  However, there have always been zigs and zags in it to allow for local circumstances.  Over the years, the position of the International Date Line has changed several times.  The most recent change in the line was in 1995 when Kiribati moved a large segment of it to the east, so that the entire nation would be on the same side of the International Date Line.  As with all other changes in the International Date Line, the change was made by a government with local interests.  As a result, the line is as far East as 150 degrees, farther east than Honolulu.  The position given on most maps is the line drawn by the British Admiralty in 1921.”

So it is a week, now since we left Seattle, although we have not been travelling more than six days.  Our first visit ashore will be in four more days, on October 1 and I think I will be ready.  I am grateful for all this time and attention to adjust.  Today I took it easy again, walking around the ship more easily with the calmer seas.  I made healthy choices again for meals, attended a lecture on Russia, started a new scarf in the stitching group, made an omiyage bag in arts and crafts, caught up with my friend Roberta, passed on dessert at dinner, and got to know several new friends onboard the Amsterdam.  “Snow White and the Huntsman” is playing in the Wajang Theater tonight, but I think I will turn in early and try for an early start tomorrow.

One more interesting thing happened today:  While I was in the lecture this morning our ship passed almost over an earthquake.  It was something like 6.8 on the Richter scale, but because we were on water, we only experienced a vibration through the water.  We were very safe.  We had been experiencing Rock and Roll to one degree or another for a few days, so most of us didn’t notice, but experienced sailors noticed the difference.  Those who feared tsunami were reassured that on the water was absolutely the safest place to be in an earthquake. 

Oh, and the sun was out and there were rainbows in the spray from the waves.

Day 5: Finished UFO

Travel Diary:  Amsterdam Asia Pacific Cruise 2012

Day 5, Tuesday (9/24/2012)

Today was a better day.  Of course, it is always tempting at the slightest sign of feeling well, to jump right in and overdo so I am ever conscious of finding my balance.  Today I awoke after a good night’s sleep, dressed, tidied my cabin, and set out for breakfast.  I stuck to my menu of the previous day except I added another apricot and a couple of slices of turkey bacon.  The Lido stewards are trying to get to know all of us while memorizing our names and preferences.  They are a very earnest group of young people.  They are from all over Indonesia:  Bali, Jakarta, Sulawesi, Java.  We passengers also get to know them and something about their country.  When they see me lurching around with my walking stick, they leap right in to help.  I usually don’t like hovering, but I appreciate help after I have chosen my meal from the buffet and it’s nice to be served water and tea when I’ve been seated at a table near a window looking out at the ocean.

We are continuing to follow the curve of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.  Today we were fifteen miles south of Dutch Harbor.  Because we aren’t out in the middle of the ocean, we often see various kinds of sea birds from the ship.  The water is a beautiful blue-green color with spray blowing off the tops of the whitecaps.  I am always surprised how different the color of the ocean is from place to place.  Here it is a dark teal.

The stitching group was glad to see me on my return.  One thing about being in a little group that meets regularly, it is like being at home and seeing friends in your club.  Some people have cruised together before and it is fun to see them again and hear what has been going on with them since the last time we cruised together.  Some have moved to another state, gained or lost family members, retired or found new work.  There’s always some news to catch up with.  And with new friends just meeting for the first time, there are the various degrees of connection to be explored:  Friends in common, cities shared, countries traveled.  Today I finished the scarf in icy colors that I had started sailing the Antarctic last year and started another in pink yarn purchased in Ushuaia on the same trip.

There are two men in our stitching group.  One is an older man who is doing needlepoint, I think.  The other is one of the dancers in the show cast:  a young man from Ireland who is knitting a potato chip scarf in a soft, multicolored yarn that looks like it might be Noro.  Tonight was the first night the dancers performed and it was fun to go to the show and cheer our friend and meet his partner and talk about their costumes.  There were several quick changes of costume, so they had to be easy to manage.  The final ones were a Venetian carnival theme designed by Bob Mackie.  They looked heavy from a distance, but the dancers said they were surprisingly light to dance in.

Today was a good day.  I went to all my meals in person, attended all the events I wanted to and met several new friends.   After a good sleep during a night that is predicted to be a little stormy, I will be ready for a new day tomorrow.

Day 4: Out and about again

Travel Diary:  Amsterdam Asia Pacific Cruise 2012

Day 4 (9/24/2012)

Today I am grateful for the freedom to do little.  I slept better last night and because we set back the clock yet another hour, there was an extra hour to do it in.  I still wasn’t feeling up to snuff, but I went up to a Lido breakfast and had some bread and cheese and yogurt and an apricot and some tea.  That was just right.  Then I went back to my room and watched lectures and movies until lunch.  This time I decided to take lunch in the Renaissance Dining Room with seven new people at a table for eight at the stern window.  That was a good place to be for lack of Rock and Roll and I had a healthy lunch of cold banana soup, chicken salad, and a baked, sugarless custard with fruit for dessert.  And tea.  As a matter of fact, it was enough for me completely.  The people at lunch were very interesting and conversation was lively. The last couple to leave were from Los Alamos, NM—a retired scientist and his wife. They were politically compatible with me, so we did let our hair down a bit together. I went back to my cabin and read and wound the rest of my yarn and watched movies and lectures and slept and did laundry in my bathroom sink.  I didn’t go out again for anything else—including meals—and intend to sleep early and long and hope for an even better day tomorrow.  I’ve missed knitting with friends and two days of arts and crafts, but I intend to enjoy the whole of this cruise and I think that sleep will be the means to that end for me.

Day 3: Rock and Roll

Travel Diary:  Amsterdam Asia Pacific Cruise 2012

Day 3 (9/23/2012)

Today started nicely enough.  We got an extra hour of sleep last night and I slept well hooked up to my CPAP machine.  My motivation to get up and out was high and I set out for my first breakfast on board.  I didn’t realize that today was an official Rock and Roll day sponsored by Mother Nature.  Living on dry land in a storm involves staying warm and dry and out of the wind.  At sea it is more of a challenge.   Walking anywhere is a lot like waiting for the wave to surf to shore.  Getting to the dining room was not easy and once I got there, getting my food to the table required the assistance one young and nimble young woman who asked me to call her DJ or Gelato when she is serving at the alternative Italian restaurant.  I thought I was pretty restrained in my choices for a healthy breakfast, but I was not ready for the Rock and Roll to come.

Today was the first day of the activity billed as Sit and Knit.  It was held after breakfast in the Crow’s Nest, which is on Deck 9 at the front of the ship—where the Rock and Roll was the most apparent.  It was great to meet old friends again from the Prinsendam cruise around South America last year.  We did some catching up for an hour and a couple of friends helped me wind a skein of yarn that I had purchased in Ushuaia.  Something about that activity and the location really didn’t set well with me and I felt much better after I had emptied my breakfast out into a paper bag that was unequal to the task.  Luckily just about everyone had already left by then, so I didn’t have to embarrass myself even more.  The crew came and cleaned up and after a while I wended my way back to my cabin where I have spent the rest of the day watching television and drinking cola beverages.  So much for healthy breakfast choices and the power of Rock and Roll.

I see by the map on the television screen that we are about half way between Seattle the Aleutian Islands.  We are not headed directly west across the Pacific, but more on a great circle following the Aleutian chain down toward Japan.  I have sailed before on rough seas but this time is the first time I’ve had to get seasick medicine from the infirmary.  My room steward, Holis, just brought me enough for six days, so I will be back in business in the morning.  Today was not as much of a loss as it could have been because all of the lectures that I missed in person were recorded and played back on our in-room television.  There’s other television entertainment available with Turner Classic Movies, TNT, Cartoon Network, selected recent films that are also shown in the Wajang Theater three times a day, CNN and Fox News the main cable channels picked up from satellite.  I don’t like to stay in my room all day usually, but it was nice that I didn’t miss anything by staying in today.  And tonight we’ll be setting the clocks back yet another hour.  I like that.

Day 2: Waking up at sea

Travel Diary:  Amsterdam Asia Pacific Cruise 2012

Day 2 (9/22/2012):  Today was actually our first day waking up at sea.  Because yesterday was so intense, and because I wasn’t able to use my CPAP last night, I didn’t do very well today.  I didn’t get out of my cabin or eat anything until lunch.  I did spend the morning putting things away and now I am completely unpacked and sorted out.  I spent the afternoon wandering around, perching here and there to read a while and trying to get my bearings on an unfamiliar ship.  The Amsterdam is a lot bigger than the Prinsendam and has about three times the passenger capacity, so there is a lot of space to cover.  The crew is very helpful and I have to let them do a few things for me, but mostly I have my little orange backpack and my walking stick and I just keep trudging along, sometimes using the handrails.  Of course, there are a lot of other people doing the same thing, so I don’t feel so conspicuous—just old.

The daily schedule comes out every evening and it is so hard to figure out how to organize my day because there are so many things to do and sometimes events that I want to attend are scheduled at the same time.  Luckily, some of the lectures are recorded and played back on the ship’s television channel, so I can watch while I’m resting in my room.  There is a marine biologist giving a series of lectures and also another speaker who is a social scientist speaking on globalization.  I think he was one of the lecturers in Antarctica last year, too.  Every night there is a live show and I went to the introductory one last night.  Usually I don’t like to stay out that late and tonight I am passing on the magician.  The films play three times a day in the Wajang Theater/culinary arts center and I would have liked to have seen the one they showed the first night but our dinner ran too late.  Tonight was the “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” which we already saw, so I skipped that, too.  Tomorrow is “Sherlock Holmes:  Game of Shadows”, so I think I’ll try to fit that in sometime.  We are trying to get our servers to move a little faster with our dinner because it is taking two hours to eat dinner and although we enjoy each other’s company very much, it is making it hard to do everything we want to do.  And we already are having trouble making those decisions.

Tomorrow the arts and crafts classes start in the afternoon and the knitting group is in the morning, so I’ll have to get up and about just to do those activities.  Nancy, the arts and crafts instructor says she has 43 projects for us this time, so I guess that means we have that many sea days out of our total of 73 that we have left.  Some of the projects will be similar to ones we did before, but I’m happy that we will be doing the fish purse again because I missed that one the first time around last year.

Already I am being overwhelmed with the food.  Luckily my dinner partners are very health-conscious, so we are getting a lot of tips from them for making healthy choices from the menu.  At lunch I made very good choices, but dinner was not so good for me.  I think I will have to strategize more for that meal because it is later than I am used to—even with early seating.   One thing that I have been consistent about and that is not choosing anything from the dinner roll basket..  That is very difficult because HAL dinner rolls are very tasty, especially the whole grain ones.  Luckily my taste memory is very good, so I can try something once and I don’t have to have it again unless it is very healthy. Already several other foods have been eliminated.  Also requesting small portions is very helpful.

I have purchased 1000 minutes of internet time and it is very easy to use it up fast.  I try to just skim my emails and answer individuals directly and I am trying to cut and paste from a word document for general distribution.  I hope it works.  No pictures yet, but I plan to figure out my new camera tomorrow and get started shooting around the ship before we get to Japan in another week.