We are tracking pretty much due east, so we will be moving the clocks ahead by one hour tonight. This is the third Sea Day in a row, so Steve is making some progress on his posts. Today he writes the post on our first day in Bali, Indonesia and starts the second day in Bali post. The latter (April 27th) is not an easy one, because there is a great deal that we learned about this most interesting culture, so much of the day is taken up with that. Cathy reads, knits, reads, does needlepoint, and reads. She also researches Auckland as we are spending much more time there than originally scheduled.
Not to belabor the point, but we do learn more about the storms we dodged. Melbourne has gotten half a month’s rain in the past thirty-six hours, and Enrichment Lecturer David Plourd shows a 10-second video from Melbourne TV of a hailstorm that hit there.
Tasmania got it even worse with their storm. Five inches of rain has fallen in Hobart since 9am on May 10th, the fourth highest record accumulation in such a short time. 10,000 people are without power due to winds and flooding. What a miserable experience it would have been to be in either of these places.
So we don’t complain about the weather that Insignia is traveling through, even though the winds are at 46 mph, referred to officially as a “fresh gale.” So it is very windy, with dark clouds and a churning sea. There’s going to be an interesting lecture at 10:00, but Cathy doesn’t want to go to Insignia Lounge to see it due to the pitching of the ship.
Around 10, Steve is successful in talking her into attending. It is David Plourd discussing “Our Ocean’s Motions in the South Pacific – Tides, Red Tides, Rip Tides and Blue Skies.” It is very informative and entertaining at the same time.
Barbara O’Dell is also there, and we sit together. After the lecture, we meet Brian and Pat Watt and all have lunch in the Grand Dining Room.
That’s about it. Sometimes there are days like this. It’s pretty quiet, so we will end by telling you that we are using a picture of Cathy and Steve and one of our favorite staff members on board the ship. Her name is Lupka (pronounced Loopka), is a sommelier from Croatia and is married to Ryan who is the dining rooms manager. She is charming and delightful, and has added a great deal to our trip, so we very much wanted to have her picture taken with us before she and Ryan end their contract and return to their home in South Africa.
Pat Kohl
May 25, 2018What a blessing for you that you have encountered so many wonderful people, especially the staff on the ship who have made your trip so much more enjoyable.