DAY 90---MALE, MALDIVES

 

We dropped anchor at 2:35pm a couple miles off the coast in front of Male.  It is partly cloudy and 87 degrees.  I was out on our balcony watching the immigration officials get off their boat.  A gentleman passenger with a serious lungs issue will be transferred to a hospital here.

Historical/Background Info:

        We were also here in 2010. The Maldives is a country where 99% of its total area is ocean. There are over 1000 tiny islands and Male is the country’s capital. Male is only one square mile in size and the whole island is a city. The country has 253,000 citizens and half live in Male. Eighty-seven of the small islands have been transformed into luxurious and intimate resorts. The resorts have beautiful beaches and some of the world’s best diving can be found here. Tourism is by far their source of income here. They have some fishing but for use locally not exported. Almost everything else has to be imported as the islands are too small for agriculture. House boats carry the imported goods from Male markets to the country’s other islands. The waters here have beautiful colors of blue depending on the depth of the ocean. Alcohol and nudity are forbidden so no nightlife.  Tourists can only have fun at the resorts. The temperature is fairly constant here year-round as it is close to the Equator.

LAST EVENING

                                                                Happy hour in our suite.         

                                        

Sette Mari appetizers

                                                     This wine was too lite and not good.

 

My chicken parmesan was good but no pasta that I ordered and Rebecca  not happy with her pasta,  I had enough to eat so was ok.

"Broadway in Concert" photos

                  Show featuring the production cast singers.  VERY talented group of singers.

TODAY

        During the Captain's noon PA he said we would be arriving an hour earlier than the planned 4pm arrival.  We have a medical emergency on board so we are at maximum speed for the ship at nearly 22 knots.

        Lunch in Compass Rose again today.  I had a burger and fries.  It was very good but took too long for the kitchen to get it out.  I told Joseph I was about to leave the dining room when it showed up.  35 minutes was tooooo long.

     As we sail in to our anchorage we passed by some bungalows along the water on a small island 

                                               Tender to take the sick passenger to shore.

        Getting use to having cocktail hour in our suite.  We have requested jalapeno cream cheese balls for this evening.

        Dinner tonight will be back in Compass Rose.  We have a new headliner entertainer in the theater at 9:30.  Isabel Commandeur is a vocalist from the Netherlands.  We will be going.

        We are overnighting here at anchorage in Male.  Last tender back to the ship is to be at midnight.  In the meantime we can hear the tender engine as the gangway is on our side forward.

DAY 89---COLOMBO, SRI LANKA

 

We docked in Colombo at 7am but it was about 7:30 before the officials cleared the ship so the tours could depart.  It is a partly cloudy day and 90 degrees at noon. 

Historical/Background Info:

        We were here in 2013 & 2017. Colombo is the capital and largest city on the island nation of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka lies just 30 miles southeast of mainland India. The island has a total population of 22 million, and of that, 5.6 million live in and around Colombo. It is the financial center and a popular tourist destination on the island. Because of its large harbor and strategic location on the East-West sea trade routes, ancient traders (Greek, Romans, Persians, Arabs, and Chinese) were using it over 2000 years ago. Portuguese explorers arrived here in 1505 and established a trading post in Colombo. In 1638 the Dutch arrived and finally defeated the Portuguese in 1656. Then the British showed up here in 1796 and was ceded to the British Empire in 1815. The Colonial rein ended in 1948 when they gained their independence. Still today you can see the Portuguese, Dutch, and British influence in their architecture, foods, clothing, language, and attitudes. There are many canals in the city. Today there are high-rise office buildings, condos, and shopping malls. There are many temples in Sri Lanka as 70% are Buddhists, 12% Hindus, 10% Muslims, 7% Catholics, and 1 % Christian. Most US clothing brands have factories here, ie, Lands End and other name designers. The workers in the textile factories make about $700 per month.

LAST EVENING

             The past couple days at sea we have seen quite a few cargo vessels out here with us.

                          The fried calamari we had requested for our appetizer was very good.

      I asked for some cajun seasoning on my ribeye.  Not good so just ate my baked potato.

                                                                Murphy with my merlot.

Bernalyn is our waitress now after Dara left on vacation.  Unfortunately, the crew has to wear masks now.

TODAY

This is the Colombo Lotus Tower, a 1168 feet tall communications tower.  There are 6 floors in the base and another 7 floors in the "flower" (bulb near the top).  It was under construction when we were here in 2017 but not completed until 2019.  It opened in September on 2022.

                                                    Shopping available on the pier today.

                                                               This is a Buddhist temple.

After our treadmill time we went out to check out the shops on the pier.  Mostly cheaply made stuff.

I had a cup of tomato soup followed by this chili & honey glazed salmon with fried rice for lunch.

        The ship's internet is being interfered with today by the cargo cranes.  Getting it now by not on my phone.  Not sure why I can't get it so will have to wait until 4pm when the internet manager returns.  I am using my laptop as a mobile hotspot and phone is connected to it right now.

        Good news!  I had gained 5 pounds so have been cutting back on food.  I weighed again this morning and had lost it.

        This afternoon Rebecca did some laundry in the laundrette.  There are a few things we do not let the ship's laundry do.  I am watching a silly movie.  We will be sailing again at 4pm for Male, Maldives.  It is a long way from here so not arriving until 4pm tomorrow.

        Some of the initial covid people were released from isolation today.  Our friends Richard & Harvey will be released tomorrow.  I think the numbers are going down now.

This is the Compass Rose menu for tonight but we will be going up to Sette Mari after our cocktails in the suite.  Room Service will be delivering some pigs in a blanket at 5:30.

In case you are interested in some photos of Colombo, I am attaching the link to my blog post here back in 2013.  You will have to cut & paste it to your browser.

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/5238249282069659538/5597118077724155420

DAY 88---CRUISE THE INDIAN OCEAN (DAY 2)

 

        This is our position at noon today.  This evening we will be going around the southern tip of Sri Lanka.  Depth of the ocean here is 13,000 feet.  It is 87 degrees this afternoon and still very smooth sailing.  The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the 5 world's oceans.  It contains 20% of the earth's surface water.

LAST EVENING

                                                            Greek salads as our starters.

I asked for a small piece of the miso glazed seabass and a filet.  They gave me the bigger seabass and Rebecca the small one so we traded.  She had regular rice instead of the sticky rice.I 

          I had a baked potato with mine.  The filet was not medium rare so I did not eat it.

               Without doubt this show was one of the very best we have seen on a Regent ship.

                                                   Great singing as well as tap dancing.

TODAY

        Same routine this morning with Rebecca doing the treadmill and me walking out on deck 6 promenade.  She streamed her soaps this morning.  Lunch in Compass Rose.  I had a piece of grilled fresh snapper. Good diet food.

        After lunch we watched a movie, "Pilot", on tv.  It was pretty good but as a retired pilot it was not too realistic.  I then watched the taping of this morning's lecture titled, "India, Tomorrow's Superpower?"  

        At lunch I asked Rey, a head waiter, to have room service deliver some fried jalapeno cream cheese balls for our cocktail time in the suite again at 5:30 this evening.  I also asked for some fried calamari as our appetizer at dinner in Compass Rose.

                       Tonight's menu.  There is a Passover Seder Dinner in Sette Mari this evening.

        We will be docking in Colombo, Sri Lanka, by 7am tomorrow.  We will not be taking any tours tomorrow as we do not want to be on a bus or in buildings when covid is still being reported.  At noon Paul said the cases are falling however.

DAY 87---SAILING IN THE INDIAN OCEAN

 

        Our position at noon is sailing in the Indian Ocean.  The water is very calm as there is no wind today but there are some long swells.  Still we are getting a smooth ride.  It is 85 degrees under mostly cloudy skies.  During his noon update the Captain said we are getting an extra 2 knots due to the ocean current pushing us.  So we are running at nearly 21 knots speed today.

LAST NIGHT

        After I had a Manhattan and Rebecca enjoyed a glass of La Crema chardonnay in the suite we went down to Compass Rose for dinner.  After getting Rebecca seated at the table I went to the Mariner Lounge (just outside of CR) to tell our "girls" that we were ok but just avoiding the bar scene for a few days until the covid issue had eased.

This baked vegetable enchilada was on the vegetarian entree menu but I like it so had it as my appetizer.  I just ate half of it however as not diet friendly.

             Rebecca had the shrimp cocktail but added some tabasco to the cocktail sauce.

                                                           I enjoy this California merlot.

                            We both chose the Thai barbeque pork rack with fried rice.

TODAY

                   The Indian Ocean is pond-like this morning but there are some long swells.

                                         Our door is now ready for Easter next Sunday.

        I did my hour fast walk out on the deck 6 promenade this morning.  It was mid 80's so my shirt was soaked when I finished.  Rebecca did the treadmill.

        For lunch I had a Caesar salad with extra anchovies and some grilled shrimp.  Dressing on the side so I could add tabasco to it.

        After lunch we watched the newest Top Gun movie,"Top Gun Maverick".  We loved it.  The first of every month the ship gets new movies and we got this one April 1st.  The ship is showing the NCAA March Madness games.  It airs here at 7am our time but we did not watch it.  We also watched some taped lectures on our suite tv.

        We will have our cocktail hour in the suite again this evening.  I asked that they send up some pigs-in-a-blanket from room service at 5:30.  This evening the dress code is "formal optional". Normally I would don the tuxedo but we decided not to get all dolled up tonight since we were only going from our suite direct to Compass Rose and enter from the rear entrance.

        "The Tap Pack" is back in the theater at 9:30 for their second show.  We loved their first show and will be going to this one also.  We will wear our masks through the theater but probably remove them for the show.

        Tonight we will be turning our clocks back 30 minutes (yep half hour) so as to be on the Sri Lanka's time.  Weird!  Another sea day tomorrow.