Saturday 10 December still at sea
The sea mist that boiled up yesterday afternoon is still here. We repeated an hour last night and I actually managed to hit the gym at 6.30 to watch the sun rise. After brekky we walked the deck for nearly an hour. It seems we are going to veer off and cruise through the Cape Verde islands this afternoon.
The morning activity programme was held on the pool deck, probably the first time it was pleasant out there. We narrowly missed getting soft basketballs in the hoop, which would have got us an MSC cap. The quiz consisted of guessing which animals made the noises being played through the PA. Not very highbrow but interesting. The winner was the very friendly late-20s girl (Susie from Argentina – who insists on talking to J in fast Spanish) who has apparently had 30 extra years (and we are not sure what else) surgically removed, and spends her time hanging out with the gay boys. We have pencilled her in as a Tranny Granny - as Jerry Seinfeld says “Not that there is anything wrong with that”. Also being mindful that our “surgeon” from the Victoria turned out to be a schoolteacher and the “Canadian housewife” was actually a US Ambassador.
This is the first ship that has not advertised social events for “friends of Dorothy” (code for gay lesbian trannies bi’s and several other unusual lifestyles). There are also “friends of Bill W” which is the Al Anon meetings. It would be wrong to infer that this reflects a lack of persons of alternative sexuality. Au contraire – there are numerous obvious G&L couples – our neighbours at dinner are apparently a 30ish German man with his parents and Asian male partner, which is an unusual ensemble. What we haven’t seen before is muscle-bound bodybuilders with big blonde hair, silicone, and not quite sure what else. They don’t molest anyone and it’s all part of the rich tapestry of life.
Finding somewhere to sit for the quiz was not easy and we had the choice between the port side with the smokers or starboard in the sun. Skin or lung cancer? Lunch as usual then we took advantage of the day’s free movie and watched Angels and Demons, which was very poignant for us because it was a high-speed chase round some of the great churches we had so admired in Rome. Back to gym for me, looking out for early signs of the forthcoming islands. Vet’s report: J has a tender fetlock and is not up to a gallop at the moment. She is presently lying on the bed listening to Spanish lessons (brain exercise).
We turned out for the afternoon quiz and WON!! One other team got full marks and we all won bandannas (yay). The questions were all about naming the female partner of famous people/characters. J got Shrek and Roger Rabbit which were the game breakers. This was a good outcome because we then got acceptance with the Poms who had won the airport and capital cities games (which will happen if you are retired flight crew). So more English speaking friends and possible team mates.
The navigation plan didn’t mention times and the promised islands did not appear until about 10pm. J reported that they appeared as clear jagged outlines showing eerily through mist – rather like the island where King Kong was discovered in the latest remake. We crossed the tropic of Cancer overnight so back in the tropics again. (It’s so nice having the balcony as I simply looked out my window and there it was, a small island shrouded in mist but visable in the moonlight)
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