Lazy dayz at sea.

We have just turned the corner – now between Sri Lanka and India heading North towards Cochin. We arrive there tomorrow morning early and spend the day. Many passengers will tour Cochin then be transported to New Delhi, then Agra (to see the Taj Mahal) and then on to Mumbai where they will meet up once again with the ship.

We have a plan to take a ‘tuk-tuk’ – a scooter tricycle – and be driven around to see the sights. Cochin has variously been a Portuguese and Dutch enclave in India and is/was home to a congregation of Portuguese / Indian Jews. So among the places we will visit will be places of Dutch origin, Portuguese origin and the Synagogue and cemetery!! Ironically the shul is on Jew Street and that is also where the shopping is so Merle has multiple reasons to spend time there. I on the other hand……………

Last night we celebrated a tablemates 78^th Birthday – we went to a cabin before dinner for drinks then repaired to the dining room where (as is usual) the crew sang happy birthday, the head steward (Vasco) made a fuss of him, and we enjoyed Black Forest Cake.

There are a million reasons on a cruise like this to gain weight and very few to show restraint – we always find a way to augment caloric intake!!

Today had the Piracy drill and learned that in addition to whatever actions the crew take there are patrolling navy craft of the Australian Navy and the USN – apparently submarines. So, as we sit in our darkened cabins with the door open waiting for crew instructions we can rest assured our underside is well protected!!!!