Monday
Dear Elsie,
Today was another quiet day at sea. Because it’s Monday, I had to try to work, so I got up quite early and went to the gym. I did a good hour and a half – first on the treadmill and then I walked on the deck. There was another reason: I completely overate last night. I just couldn’t face too much food today, so after the walking, a rest and a shower, I had fruit for breakfast and some more for lunch. That will tide me over to dinner and tonight I will show some restraint.
The day has been very overcast. We sat for a while in the Pasha Lounge on the top floor where I like to sit…
As the internet was really bad, we came back to the cabin for a couple of hours and then I went downstairs to a better connectivity place in the hope of being able to attend my Monday meeting. That didn’t work. The internet was terrible. It’s the one thing I need to bear in mind if we do this again. Between Reunion and Durban there is very weak internet connectivity.
We went to the deck and I lay on the sunbed for about 10 minutes. I don’t want to burn. There are many guests who make this their entire day activity and at this stage of the cruise some of them look like they are a complete different colour.
There are lots of interesting people on board. This afternoon I sat and chatted to an Irish couple. Jemma was the one who slipped on rocks in the Seychelles and broke her right wrist. When that little event happened, her husband suggested her leave her in hospital being treated, go back to the ship, get their luggage and fly back to Ireland immediately. She was absolutely adamant to complete the cruise, so that’s what they have done. They get off in Durban tomorrow, spend a few days in the city and fly back to Ireland on Saturday.
Then there’s the couple who sit next to us at dinner. We have separate tables but from time to time have conversations. They are an Afrikaans couple – this is their 4th cruise. They live in Pringle Bay. The other day when we were leaving Reunion, I spoke to another South African pair who live at Silvermine Village. They have also done several cruises and mentioned doing a northbound cruise in 2016 which went Cape Town to Italy via St Helena Island. When they told me that, I immediately said the couple at our table were on that one. When I said they lived in Pringle Bay & were Afrikaans, they said they remembered them & that the gentleman is Johan. They even knew their surname, but they couldn’t remember her name. Johan is very outgoing and polite – we guessed he could have been a bank manager. I Googled him and found out he was a Dominee for 40 years. I also found out the name of his wife and all the retirement activities he does. Such a nice couple and lots of stories to tell.
Finally, there is Suzanne who is staying in the cabin next to us. She is as quiet as a mouse and only really appears when we are arriving at or departing from a port. Then she stands and watches from her balcony as we do from ours. We learned she was born in Zimbabwe, but left when she was quite young. She studied in the UK and is a scientist. She is travelling alone.
The biggest complaint on the ship has been the lack of TV signal. The World Cup has been on and for some of the most important games, there has been no coverage. Not the ship’s fault but the football crazy guests have been less than impressed.
Tomorrow, loads of people are getting off and it will be interesting to see who takes their place. We have been told we have to get off the ship in Durban just to go through passport control before getting back on. Maybe, we’ll visit some shops.
My main activity when walking in the gym is listening to the Bible. I’ve just about finished it for the year. I’ve finished the New Testament, Psalms & Proverbs and am now up to Zephaniah in the Old Testament. 4 more books to go. When I read the Bible or in this instance, hear its powerful words read to me; when I stand on the ship balcony in the dead of night and stare in awe at the heavens and see the mass of stars, the moon and the vast expanse of inky sky, I hear and I see the hand of God. It stirs my soul.
Nehemiah 9:6
“You alone are the Lord. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You.”
The best is yet to come – we are only passing through.
Keep the smile going.
God bless you.
In His Grip,
Gran, xx 🙂