We enjoyed another wonderful sleep last night as we are cruising towards Phuket, which is our third and final stop in Thailand.
Today we posted two pictures; one from this evenings formal night and the other is a picture of the sun setting that we took during dinner this evening. It is amazing to watch the sun as it sets.
We are traveling the Strait of Malacca. The Strait of Malacca connects the Andaman Sea of the Indian Ocean with the South China Sea of the Pacific Ocean. It provides the shortest sea route between India, China and Indonesia, which are the greatest populations of all worldwide countries. This is a very busy sea route with over 500,000 vessels passing through this Strait annually. To put this into perspective, 50% of the oil shipped around the world passes through this Strait and in just one single day eleven million barrels of oil are transported along this waterway. Overall, it is estimated that approximately 20-25% of all world sea trade passes through this strait. Clearly, this is a very strategic waterway. More on this later.
Since today, is a sea day so there are lots of activities taking place throughout the morning, afternoon, and evening hours.
Yes, we did begin our day with our morning workout. During the first portion of our workout it was still dark outside and we could see the lights of vessels as we traveled along the Strait. While Keith worked out on the Elliptical Machine he spoke with Mary and another fellow passenger who had boarded the ship in Singapore. We enjoyed a great conversation. Anne Marie enjoyed her workout. We saw Captain Otto working out in the Center as well. Some of the guests who arrived in Singapore are still trying to get over their jet lag. The good news for those passengers is that we do turn the clocks back one hour this evening.
We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast after our workout and then we got ready for today’s activities.
During Captain Glenn’s morning report from the bridge he noted that we are traveling at speeds between 10.7 and 12.3 knots per hour and we are on schedule to be in port on time tomorrow. The temperature in the morning was 86 degrees Fahrenheit. The Captain did not have a thought of the day today.
We attended the Rap With The Rabbi session. There was lots of good discussion in today’s session and it was very well attended.
Afterwards, we attended two lectures.
Dr. Jay Wolff gave the first lecture and the topic of his presentation was “Anna and the King of Siam – The True Story.” His presentation was the true story of an intriguing woman and a remarkable king. As usual, the presentation was quite enlightening.
Dr. Harm de Blij gave the second presentation which was “Eurasia of the Four Corners: Geopolitical Dilemmas for the United States.” He is certainly a dynamic speaker and today was no exception.
He touched on the problems occurring on the border of Malaysia and Thailand where Buddhism meets Muslim and the fact that about 3,000 civilians have been killed in the past year.
He also talked about other key areas known as the four corners and the changes taking place in India, China, Thailand, and Laos. For example, the population of Mumbai, India alone is expected to grow to 50 million people within the next twenty-five years. Further, by next year its population will be larger than that of Australia. Within ten years the population of India is projected to be the largest in the entire world; even larger than the population of China.
He also mentioned that China is spending $2 billion dollars for the construction of a pipeline through Myanmar which will bring oil directly from the Middle East to China in order to avid the Srait of Malacca and the strategic importance that Myanmar plays in this effort.
In between the presentations Anne Marie picked up her Needlepoint hand-out which is given out one day on each segment of the cruise.
We enjoyed a wonderful lunch in the Main Dining Room. We each pre-ordered our lunch. Keith enjoyed a Salad Entrée of deliciously prepared Ginger-Crusted Salmon served with a variety of salad items and Anne Marie enjoyed a wonderfully prepared Chefs Salad.
Before dinner this evening we attended the Captain’s Welcome Reception for this segment of the World Cruise. This evening was the first of the three formal nights on this segment and as usual it was nice to see everyone dressed in formal attire.
After the reception, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the Main Dining Room. We each has a wonderful salad, followed by Broiled Fresh Main Lobster for Anne Marie served with Asparagus and Truffle Risotto and Broiled Fresh Halibut served with sautéed spinach, and potato balls served with champagne beurre blanc for Keith. We each had a nice bowl of fruit for dessert.
Formal nights feature a variety of items. We thought we’d highlight several of them for you.
Appetizers. There were four choices; Caviar, Pate de Foie Gras, Freshly Opened Oysters or Exotic Fruits presented in a Papaya Boat.
Soup and Salad. There were four choices; Mousseline of Potato Soup, Clear Oxtail Soup or Captain’s Salad
There was also a Pasta Special featuring Homemade Artichoke and Mascarpone Ravioli as well as a Salad Entrée featuring Surf & Turf Salad.
There were four main fare entrees; Broiled Fresh Main Lobster, Broiled Fresh Halibut “Viennese”, Chateaubriand, or Stuffed Marinate Baked Qual.
In addition, two other entrees were available in addition to the four from the main fares; Grilled New York Sirloin Steak or Plain Grilled Salmon Fillet.
Lots of other side orders are available from vegetables to pasta.
There are also Vegetarian Selections as well as items on the lighter side to choose from.
Are you still hungry? If the answer is yet then there is the Sweet Finale.
There were sugar-free desserts such as Mocha Cream Puff or a Low-Carb Rice Pudding.
Then there were several other dessert items. Two were selected for this evening by the Executive Pastry Chef which were Sugar Mill which is Butterscotch Pudding with Orange Shortbread as well as Delice Aux Chocolate which is White Chocolate Truffle Cake, Chocolate Hazelnut Napoleon, and Raspberry Cocktail.
Still there were several other Classic Desserts available. They were Tahitian Vanilla Crème Brulee with Fresh Fruit, Chocolate Ooze Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream, Apple Crumble Tartlet with Almond Praline Ice Cream, Various Ice Cream including Vanilla, Pistachio and Chocolate Chip, Freshly Frozen Nonfat Banana or Strawberry Yogurt, Refreshing Passion Fruit Champagne Sherbet or Petits Fours & Truffles or Seasonal Fruit.
Of course, there is another alternative which is the Cheese Trolley which featured Double Brie, Tasmanian True Blue, Crottin de Chevre, Robiola, St. Aubin or Manchego cheese. This is served with crackers, biscuits, walnut baguette, Finn bread and condiments.
If there is something else you want you can normally have it and if you provide twenty-four hours notice you can get just about anything prepared within reason.
Today was another very memorable day as we sail to our next port of call. It is amazing to think of the places that we have already visited during our journey and there are many more places to see over the coming weeks.
Keith & Anne Marie
