We then had some formal photos taken of us by Neil the Manager of the Photo Shop. He's been trying to change some things around in terms of places to take photos around the ship, and last evening he had a photo shoot at the Lido Cafe which is a unique spot for such photos. When we receive them on the thumb drive at the end of this segment we will post some of them on the blog as we've been doing from time-to-tie.
Afterwards, we had dinner at Silk Road with Crew Officer Nina and IT Officer Steve.
We have known Nina since the 2007 World Cruise when she worked at the Reception Desk on board Serenity. She has been with Crystal for eleven years and started as a Stewardess. We have watched her assume increasing levels of responsibilities on both Symphony and Serenity including Chief Concierge before assuming her current duties as Crew Officer. We have worked with her on a few events since she has been in that position. We met Steve a few years ago through Nina as at the time they were going out with one another. Nina is from Sweden and Steve is from South Africa. Nina and Steve were married this past January a few weeks after we had seen them on the first two voyages that we took upon boarding Serenity on December 21. They both returned back to Serenity a few weeks ago.
We had caught up with Nina a few times about her wedding and other items, since she and Steve returned to Serenity but this was the first time we had a chance to speak with Steve. They are a darling couple and we are very happy for them. Steve shared with us a video from their wedding and it was absolutely beautiful. We look forward to seeing photos when they are available.
As usual, dinner at Silk Road was wonderful. Waiter Anthony took outstanding care for us. He had pre-ordered some items for us that he know we enjoy and we ordered sushi/sashimi and then we picked whatever additional items they desired such as an entree.
The Silk Road menu is rarely updated and any revisions must occur in conjunction with Nobu who has several restaurants on land featuring his name. The other day a couple of changes were made to the menu including the addition of a Chilean Sea Base entree to replace a Salmon entree. A new appetizer was also added to the menu.
Nina, Anne Marie and Keith tried the new entree and we thought it was a wonderful addition to the menu. Se like Chilean Sea Bass and it is a moist fish and with the combination of other ingredients which is what Nobu is famous for it really had a nice taste to the entire entree. This is certainly an entree that we will order in the future.
Last night was also a Crystal Society Reception and following the reception there were two shows featuring a first time vocalist to Crystal.
We slept very well last evening on our sail towards Ambodifototra, Madagascar. The seas were relatively calm and we continued to sail at only around 11 knots per hour.
As usual, Keith was up early and it was especially easy for him to wake up since we set the clock back by one hour last night as we are sailing into yet another new time zone. He enjoyed a nice workout at the Fitness Center and then had coffee at the Lido Cafe where he also read and wrote.
Shortly after Anne Marie awoke, she walked for an hour and then we enjoyed breakfast in our room thanks to Rao.
Ambodifotatra has a population of less than 12, 000 residents. Its official language is French. This is an island that is part of Madagascar and is off Madagascar's northeastern coast.
We did not book a tour for today. There were one or two tours offered as there is not a lot of local tourist infrastructure in place and the major emphasis was on resorts with beaches which is terrific for many people but one that we have very little if any interest in.
Prior to our arrival in the talk given by the shore excursion team they did note that this is the rainy season for this island and no matter what the weather looked like to bring a rain coat because it would likely rain. When we anchored off the island the visibility was good but within 30 minutes it started to rain. After we had breakfast we were still going to take the tender over even though it was raining and we could still see the island. However, a few minutes later it was pouring and the visibility was so bad you couldn't even see the island.
Finally, it cleared enough that Keith ended up going over and Anne Marie stayed back to begin packing for our upcoming three night/four day safari. Keith ended up riding over with dear friend John and also friend David. Keith walked the town with them for awhile but then ended up walking on his own.
The people were very friendly. If they said Taxi and you said no thanks they were fine. If you went into a little shop and they showed you something and you said no thank you they too were fine. Some spoke English and others didn't. The streets of the town were muddy because of the rain but Keith just walked around the puddles. There was no electricity in the stores that Keith walked into so in some cases depending on where the merchandise was displayed and how much light came in ones eyes had to adjust from the light outside to the darker interiors.
Some people were barefooted but the majority were in beach types of shoes such as thongs. Often you would see them just walk through the muddy puddles.
There were several restaurants, some hotels, some homes, some stores, a butcher, a market for produce, and a place selling items for automobiles and even a tourism bureau.
It was a Monday and many children were out of all ages and many adults out. There were some people who appeared to be tourists who must be staying at the local hotels.
Today, was an example of travel and discovery. If you like to travel then you welcome visiting areas that you might not want to call home but learn a lot from seeing through your own eyes. If you do not care to see these type of places than maybe it's just better to stay home.
Keith did make a couple of small purchases and he likened this to a donation. He did not negotiate price because the amounts are small and it really does help out the local economy.
These are some photos from Keith's walk around town.
There are a lot of fishing boats.
The leftovers from a Whale.
A store selling spices.
This is what some of the side roads looked like off of the main street.
There was even a Pizza Restaurant.
Automotive repair items.
Children and some adults were playing a game.
Keith said hello to these two boys.
We know of three members on the Crystal Serenity who are celebrating Birthday's today; Glenn (former Lido Deck Steward and a Member of the Night Team who keep the ship looking sparkling), Butler Jijo and Natalia who has recently returned back to Crystal Cruises after taking sometime off at home as a Concierge and will also become the swing Chief Concierge when Chief Concierge Sergio goes on Vacation.
Keith saw Jijo and Natalia and wished them each a Happy Birthday and Anne Marie saw Glen and wished him a Happy Birthday. When Keith saw Natalia it was while he was walking in town today.
Happy Birthday Natalia.
Shortly after Keith returned back to the ship, we had lunch at the Lido Cafe where we had our usual lunch of a salad entree.
We spent the afternoon the way we always do. After one of the members of the crew dried off the Paddle Tennis Courts from the earlier rain, Keith played Paddle Tennis for a couple of hours. Anne Marie walked outside for an hour and continued work on the pair of socks she is making.
This evening we will be back in the Crystal Dining Room with two special guests joining us.
TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY...........
"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware." - Martin Buber
Keith & Anne Marie
great photos. I'm sure you have it down to a science but thanks for taking the time to post them! Rob
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