After sharing my letter to Jim in Delray Beach--finally a place I can share with the former Coloradan that is colder than where I am now--it occurred to me that I hadn't reported on the once per cruise "Pool BBQ and Folkloric Show" last evening before we departed Bali. The on-deck buffet of every kind of meat available including venison and suckling pig was beautifully put out, the dining arrangements are deck were most elegant, the guests were bedecked in Hawaiian shirts (although a few wore shorts, the few who should NEVER wear shorts), and the feeding frenzy was a sight to behold. So was the mad dash after dessert was served when it started to rain.
Fortunately, we chose to eat in the ship's most elegant dining room. We both had ribeye steaks bigger than our heads. It was probably the best steak dinner I have had in 10 years. Actually forty of us chose the dining room alternative to the food queues four decks above, and what we lost in fellowship we gained in all so many ways. One of these ways was that the folks upstairs were THE MOST UNFRIENDLY BUNCH OF CRUISE GUESTS I HAVE EVER SAILED WITH. The mix of oddly uncharacteristic Australians, very quiet and somewhat elderly Britains, and a handful of mostly German speaking Europeans plus a dozen or so American couples almost all stare into blank space and return eye contact with continuing to stare into blank space. The only on deck conversations among the Americans appear to be the reading of any mention of President Obama from the ship's newsletter by starting with a comment such as, "Obama wants to nationalize Coca Cola" or something like that. An Australian widower we met during the first few days of the cruise said that he was hesitant booking this cruise line because "so many pushy Americans might be on board." (He did say that we were ok, though, "not like those others.")
We kind of felt that perhaps we were being painted with the broad brush, but lately I've noticed that the crew are coming to Barbara and me to share anecdotes, asking quite frequently about our happiness and comfort (including if our shoes are shined to perfection or need more polishing), and to just stand next to us while mumbling good tidings. It occurred to me this morning that this somewhat overly solicitousness is quite consistent with the crew finding that they are being stared through, not being answered in their (required by ship's law apparently frequent greetings of "good morning" or whatever), and are feeling that somehow they are being shunned as well. They are talking lovingly of the changeover of guests in Singapore where only a handful of the current cruise participants will stay on to Hong Kong with us. As with each of every offering of my classes at DU and CU over the years, every cruise segment is very different in so many ways. Perhaps most especially by the change of guests and their moods. I will report after Singapore on this, of course. Meanwhile I attempt to make eye contact and smile but am beginning to think I'm invisible or perhaps look very distasteful. I've taken to trimming my nose hairs more frequently to avoid any tonsorial faux pas.
At any rate after the BBQ and the fantastic ribeye in the dining room, we went to the hastily moved indoor Balinese dance performance in the main lounge auditorium, called the Viennese Lounge oddly enough on this Italian themed ship. A 20 piece local orchestra provided Phillip Glass like traditional music--using ball peen hammers on various instruments including some flutes apparently--to a troupe of spectacularly costumed dancers who performed the very stylized apparently very authentic dances for which Bali is famous. Sometimes just hand movements are more choreographed than most Broadway show routines. My favorite dance was "Two Birds of Paradise Making Love" (most unusually it seems) and something called, "A Warrior Temple Dance". Warriors in the old days in Bali apparently didn't move much but batted their eyes a lot. I kept awake and actually enjoyed a most unusual show and now feel that I don't have to do this again. I usually avoid the ship's shows preferring to awake early to watch the ocean, but this was worth staying up for as was the beautiful sailout from Bali. Today I've been watching outrageously painted fishing boats bobbing like corks full of puking fisherman. I'll try to get a picture of the boats, if not the fishermen, and post it when I can.
Tomorrow will be an all day excursion to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Borobudur, a 1150 year old Buddhist monument, the world's largest. I will post my journal as soon after returning that I can look at and edit the 1150 photos I intend to take.
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