January 26, 2013. Sea Day

Dad went to his Jewish class this morning. I went walking. My ankles are hurting so I didn't get in as many laps as I wanted.

We met Pat and Wiley for lunch at the Pinnacle Grill. Their treat. Before we were completely finished with our dessert I had to leave. I went to the Art of Towel Folding that our room steward, Abdul, and another co-worker were doing the demonstration. These towels are the creations that are left on our bed each night.

We went to Showtime tonight. It had the group ABBAFAB back on.

I finished another book--Princess of the Silver Woods by Jessica Day George. Dad has read two books and killed a lot of zombies.

With all the moving back of our clocks this week, we are now three hours behind Utah time.

 

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January 25,2013. Sea Day

Can you believe that it has been a month since Christmas?! It seems longer.

Not much going on today. I did a couple of batches of laundry. There are a few things that I won't let the ship's laundry service do for me.

I met up with Dennis for lunch. It was really really hot and humid.

Our room steward told us that he would show Dennis and I how to get my photo card to work in the picture frame that Holland American had given us. Abdul came back about 8:30 pm with his picture frame. We got to see his family and what he looks like when not in uniform. He got our frame to work too. We all sat and watched for about an hour.

We had to tell him that he was scheduled to help do the Towel Folding Class the next day according to our Explorer paper. He didn't know.

 

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January 24, 2013. Pitcairn Island

I went walking this morning but had to give it up because so many passengers were standing on the deck waiting for their first glimpse of the Pitcairn Island.

In 1790, the mutineers of the HMAV Bounty, and their Tahitian companions settled the Pitcairn Island and set fire to the Bounty. There are fewer than 60 people, from nine families, that still live there. The island is too small for us to go to them so they were suppose to come to us. In 2011, almost the whole population came by two long boats to sell their souvenirs.

Because of the flu outbreak on their island, we just sailed around the island. They did send a boat out to our ship and received supplies that we had for them. There was another small boat just off their coast. It was a boat that was visiting all the Polynesian islands on a 8 1/2 month trip. We finished looking at the island and headed for Tahiti.

We went down to the dinning room for dinner. The dinning room crew were dressed up like officers and some like pirates. It was the worst meal that we have had on the ship.

We went down to Showtime featuring Nick Page. He had a good voice but the music and the singing was way too loud.

 

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January 23, 2013. Sea Day

Dad went to class that Dr. Sam Calian was teaching today. The lesson was called Sharing Our Biblical Passports. I went walking laps. Not too much else going on for the day.

The captain just came on the overhead speaker and told everyone that we are not going to let the people from Pitcairn Island come aboard tomorrow. It seems that two weeks ago they went to another ship and now about 1/3 of the less than 60 people have the American Flu. First many passengers missed going to Easter Island and now they wouldn't get to meet the people from Pitcairn. We did meet them on the 2011 cruise.

Good news---dad signed us up for another cruise for 2014. We are going on the Grand South America and Antarctic 68 day cruise. It leaves on the same day in January that the World Cruise leaves on.

 

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January 22, 2013. Sea Day

Dad has gone to his Jewish People class. I went to do laps around the deck.

We met for lunch up on the Lido Deck by the grill. The ship was serving a Mongolian lunch but we stuck with our grilled chicken. We shared a table with Dr. Sam Calian and his wife. Dr. Sam, as we call him, was the President and Professor Emeritus at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary for 25 years. Of course he wanted to talk religion. Dennis promised to go to one of his early morning classes here on the ship. I told dad that Dr. Sam felt more like a used car salesman...pushy, pushy, pushy!

 

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CELEBRITY GUEST ENTERTAIN JOHN AMOS

Day 6/At Sea     Thursday, January 10, 2013/Smart Casual

Crossing the Equator

John Amos was born in Newark, New Jersey, December 27, 1939.  He graduated from East Orange High School and then attended Long Beach City College in Long Beach, California where he acquired an AA in Liberal Arts.  After taking additional courses at Bronx Community College, Mr. Amos the transferred to Colorado State University where he majored in sociology.  He then returned to New York and he took a position as an amicus curiae (a friend of the court) for the Vera Institute of Justice in Manhattan.  While developing his career in social work Mr. Amos would continue his love for football and signed as a free agent with assortment of professional football teams.  After retiring from professional athletics Mr. Amos embarked on an illustrious career in the entertainment industry.  He began his experience in the advertising industry as an Account Executive trainee at Doyle Dane Bernbach, writing copy for such prestigious companies as American Airlines and Volkswagen.  As a comedy writer, Mr. Amos combined both professions at once, working during the day as an advertising copywriter for Chiat Day Advertising and moonlighting as a comedy writer for the Lohman Barkley Radio Show on KFI Los Angeles.  His efforts would win the show two Emmy awards which subsequently launched the careers of Academy Award winning director Barry Levinson and actor Craig T. Nelson.  Mr. Amos then accepted a position as CBS’ first African-American comedy staff writer on the Leslie Uggams’ Show.  He would go on to star in numerous commercials and won the Andy Award for Best Actor in a commercial for Midas Muffler.  In 1971, Mr. Amos made his theatrical stage debut in the L.A. production of the comedy “Norman, Is That You?”  Earning him a Los Angeles Drama Critics nomination for Best Actor.  Broadway theater goers would soon find later Mr. Amos’ talents to be worthy of a standing ovation when he opened in “Tough To Get Help” opposite the late Jack Cassidy.  In 1973, Mr. Amos would star as Coach Sam Archer in the Disney hit “The World’s Greatest Athlete”.  His many theatrical accomplishments would include critically acclaimed performance in August Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean” and “Fences”.  Mr. Amos also performed in Joe Papp’s Shakespeare’s Festival in New York City.  Though he performed in numerous other theatrical productions, none would hold as much personal regard for Mr. Amos as his own one man show, Halley’s Comet, written in 1990.  While Mr. Amos’ television credits are too numerous to list in detail, his work includes “Good Times”, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, and “West Wing”, and his Emmy award nomination for Best Actor in the iconic mini-series “Roots”.  Mr. Amos’ other accomplishments include the development of the Cean-Brown Center Stage in Plainfield, New Jersey and his philanthropic work has been recognized by such organizations as Brazil’s Legion of Goodwill who named him their Ambassador of Goodwill at an official ceremony at the United Nations.

 

 

WELCOME TO THE PANAMA CANAL

Day 5/Panama Canal      Wednesday, January 9, 2013/Dress Code: Smart Casual

The Panama Canal, a masterpiece of engineering, is considered to be the Eighth Wonder of the Modern World and has shortened the trip around the continent of South America by 7,000 miles.  The Canal itself was first perceived by King Charles V of Spain who, in 1523, prompted by Balboa and Cortez, decided to make a survey of the Canal area.  The survey was completed in 1524, but the enormity of the task disillusioned the Spanish and discouraged any attempts at construction.  In 1894, the Gold Rush brought about both the completion of the Panama Railroad across the Isthmus and the development of the West Coast of the United States.  After Panama’s independence from Colombia in 1903, Panama and the United States signed a treaty authorizing the construction of the Panama Canal.  The United States guaranteed Panama’s independence and, for the sum of $10,000,000, Panama granted the United States power and authority within the then ‘Canal Zone’.  In addition, the United States agreed to pay an annuity of $250,000 beginning nine years after the ratification of the treaty.  This annuity was increased to $430,000 in 1936 and to $1,930,000 in 1955.  On May 4, 1904, the United States purchased the rights and properties of the Canal construction from the French Canal Company for $40,000,000.  Ten years later, after the loss of over 6,000 lives from Yellow Fever and Cholera, the Panama Canal was completed at a cost of $387,000,000.  In 1999, the government of Panama was granted full authority of the enterprise.

#2 POST–CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA

WELCOME TO CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA

Day 4/Cartagena, Colombia        Tuesday, January 8, 2013/ Mostly Sunny 90* F/32* C

Dress Code: Smart Casual

Founded in 1533, Cartagena de Indias gained fame after the mid-16th century when great fleets stopped annually to take on gold and other products of northern South America for convoy to Spain.  The city became a center for the Inquisition and a major slave market.  In 1811, the province declared its independence from Spain and years of fighting followed.  After falling into Spanish hands from 1815 to 1821, the city was recaptured by patriot forces.  In the early national period, Cartagena continued as Colombia’s leading port, but it was handicapped by inadequate connections with the interior.  By the 1840’s it had declined in population and commerce.  In the 20th century it experienced renewed growth and is now Colombia’s fifth largest city.  Probably the most significant factor in Cartagena’s revitalization was the opening of petroleum fields in the Rio Magdalena Valley after 1917.  Today Cartagena is a sprawling city of 850,000 inhabitants, a bustling maritime and industrial center.  Yet visitors find themselves transported back in history as they wander along the twisting streets of the old city with its imposing architecture.  Just outside the city walls lies the fortress of Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, rising 135 feet above sea level.