Talofa! Hello in Western Samoa!

Sorry that it has taken me so long to write this installment of our blog, but the time goes so quickly!

Today is Friday, January 5 on board the ship and Saturday, January 6 in Apia, Samoa. We crossed the International Dateline today, so Saturday does not exist for us.

When last I posted, we had gone ashore in Fanning Island and since that time, there have been a lot of activities on the ship.

After we showered and changed from the heat of Fanning Island, we met our Aussie friends, Terry and Kerry for drinks in The Cove and then went up to Tastes for dinner. Tastes is casual dining on the Lido Deck. It is open for lunch with multiple Asian specialties like Asian Chicken Salad, Pot Stickers, Stir-fry Noodles, plus other selections such as Caesar Salad with Shrimp, Ruben Sandwich, Burgers, etc. At night it is transformed into a romantic restaurant with the feel of an Italian or Spanish sidewalk cafe. The menu is eclectic offering inspired by Sapphire Restaurant in Laguna Beach, California.

The dishes are small servings meant for sharing, and this is what Terry, Kerry, David and I selected:

Duo of Mediterranean Dips: Muhammara, Spinach Hummus, and Za'Tar Lavosh

Ahi Tuna “Jar Jar:” Green Olives, Chives, Toast (similar to a tuna tartare)

Greek Octopus Salad with Basil-Oregano Vinaigrette

Singapore Chicken Curry Noodles with Cabbage, Crushed Peanuts and Cilantro

Gambas a la Plancha: Prawns in Paprika-Lemon Butter, Grilled Baguette

Lamb Kibbeh: Lamb Patties with Fattoush Salad, Eggplant Puree and Feta

Sapphire's Steamed Kobe Sliders with Havarti, Chili Aioli on a Brioche Bun

We passed on dessert despite the superlicious selection!

We finished off the evening with more conversation with Terry and Kerry and after dinner drinks in The Cove.

Wednesday, February 3 was a big day in competition in the World Cruise Games. I played Free Cell and came in near the bottom of the deck (bad pun intended!) But I did much better in Backgammon and saved the family honor with a Silver Medal! The award ceremonies will be later in the week for these games.

Because of my competition in Backgammon, and the need to proceed with multiple games for the playoff, I missed the Equator Crossing Ceremony in the Palm Court, but David went to grab a few photos. It is no longer performed around the pool, because it took so long to clean the pool afterwards. We did it in 2008 when we circumnavigated South America. At that time, King Neptune judged each Polliwog (one who has not crossed the Equator, yet) guilty of a sin. Punishment was kissing a very large, very dead fish and being covered with multi-colored frosting and being forced to jump in the pool. I'm certain the Captain was pleased with the change in venue, because frequently he gets tossed into the “deep.”

We met Gaylord and Gina for drinks before dinner in the Avenue Saloon. Afterwards, we went to dinner in the Main Dining Room. The food has been consistently excellent in all the dining venues—much to our dismay! We also seem to be breaking some kind of record with the number of cappuccinos and latte's we are consuming each day. We skipped the evening show and called it a relatively early night after finishing dinner around 10:15.

Yesterday, was another sea day with two great lectures: Samoa and Fiji Culture and History by Ken Rees and Religions of the Middle East by Lt. Col Francona. Both were worthwhile and interesting. Finally, I have an understanding of the difference between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. Lt Col Francona was cautiously optimistic about the possibility of peace in the Middle East, but maybe not for a long time. Such a sad situation.

We met a new friend, Marietta, for lunch in the Main Dining Room. Marietta is from Switzerland. It is one of the best parts about the World Cruise to meet new friends from all over the world. So far we have met people from: Switzerland, Australia, the UK, Japan, China, Egypt, Germany, Denmark, Canada and Mexico.

After my rock carving class, David and I met Gaylord and Gina for our first lessons in Shuffleboard. It is harder than it looks and Gina and Gaylord were very patient with us.

Tonight is a special World Cruise Themed Evening—and from the décor all around the ship, it's Elvis Night! Tonight's show features West End star Simon Bowman in evening of Elvis hits.

I forgot, perhaps on purpose, to mention our lack of success in Trivia. We have the misfortune of having a couple as part of our team who are absolutely certain of the right answer---and absolutely wrong! They are aggressive in their answers and have caused us to lose many points. It becomes awkward, because you can't just ask someone to move along to another team. Consequently, when the scoring for this cluster of games was announced, Lost at Sea did the “Walk of Shame.”

More in a day or two!