John and Diane are at it Again!

[gbolton]

What a great voice!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2WnyGyzUjs

[Johnny B]

Friday, January 10

At Sea en route to Manta, Ecuador

 

Ahhhh, another sea day. It’s almost as good as dinner last night. We had signed up for the Sommelier Dinner in the Pinnacle Restaurant, after

which one of our table mates asked, “Why would you want to go to Somalia?”

 

The dinner is one where many small courses are served, each accompanied by a carefully matched wine. It gave us a chance to talk to Jacques, the Cellar Master, about the wine choices for each course. The dinner is fairly expensive ($79 each), but we enjoy doing it once or twice each cruise.

 

We were seated promptly at 6:45 and immediately given a flute of Dom Perignon Champagne. How can any meal be bad when it begins with Dom? That glass was refilled with the serving of the first course, tuna and salmon poke. Now we spend a lot of time in Hawaii, where poke (pronounced po - kay) is one of the most popular local foods. We’ve never been raw fish fans, so we’ve always avoided it, but there it was in front of us and it was delicious! There wasn’t very much of it, but we cleaned our plates.

 

The next course was seared foie gras, served with brandy-soaked figs. We both like pate, and the figs were a lovely accompaniment. The wine with this course was a white made by Conundrum, an excellent California cellar. Next was a roast garlic and leek soup, and as a soup fan, I gave this one three thumbs up. We had refills of the Conundrum with the soup.

 

The fish course was pan-roasted halibut on a bed of crushed crab - yummm! I don’t know whether I liked the halibut or the crab better, but together they were delicious. The wine was Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, which was a tad sweet for me, but still quite good.

 

Now it was time for the palate to be cleansed, so we were presented with a tomato and basil granite, rather like a mini snow cone. It didn’t seem to be a crowd favorite, based on the amount left in the little glasses. I liked it, but I’d prefer lemon any day.

 

Now came the main course, and it was exquisite: grilled saddle of lamb. Even those who didn’t like lamb loved it. It was served medium rare, incredibly tender, and on a bed of parsnip puree and apple coulis. I was getting full, but I sacrificed and finished it.

The wine was a Leonetti Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington State and it was perfect for the lamb. I’m a real lightweight drinker, so halfway through this course I poured my wine into John’s glass. Oh well.

 

If that wasn’t enough, next came dessert. It was called “Chocolate Tower with white chocolate ganache.” It looked like a hollow chocolate tube filled with creamy white chocolate. I’m not a white chocolate fan, but I did like the chocolate outside. Its wine was a Chilean late harvest sauvignon blanc - waaay too sweet for me.

 

Overall, it was a wonderful dinner and we can hardly wait until the next one.

[jbhcw]

What a great description of your dinner with the wine pairings!! I "agreed" lol with all the wines except the dessert wine...I have a hard time there, but am usually wined out by then:). Thanks again!!

[innlady1]

You're making me hungry, Diane. Very hungry. ;)

[alibabacruisers]

We don't drink much wine and have no idea about such things or for that matter about all the food choices. We aren't that adventuresome when it comes to food. But while reading your description of both the wine and the food, I might be willing to give it a try!:)

[snookymom]

Your feast sounds fabulous. Can't wait until "we" go again:eek:

[mijello]

Indeed, it was a wonderful dinner, I, too, can't wait for your next dinner at the Pinnacle. You are so good with words and recollections that I thoroughly enjoyed every sip and every bite of your meal. Thanks again for writing such detailed blog.

[Johnny B]

January 11, 2014 - Day 8

Manta, Ecuador

 

Here we are, sitting almost exactly on the equator (a bit to the southern side, actually) and it feels just like being in the Northern Hemisphere, but rather hotter and more humid. We docked in Manta at about 8:00 this morning and the most noticeable things were the fishing boats. They are everywhere and they are huge. You see, this is the world capital of tuna fishing, and most of those little cans you open contain fish caught and processed right here. The chef, the dining room manager, and several other people went out as soon as we arrived to bargain for tuna. I don’t know if it will be on the menu tonight, but it will be soon. Yum!

 

We had signed up with “those specialists” for a tour of Manta and Montecristi. You probably knew this, but I didn’t: Panama hats are NOT made in Panama. They come from Ecuador, and more specifically, from Montecristi, about 30 minutes from Manta. They are called “Panama” hats because they were originally shipped from there. There is a huge variation in the hats, and apparently the quality depends on the thickness of the material - the thinner the hat material, the higher the quality and the more expensive the hat. It’s possible to buy a Panama hat in Montecristi for as little as $15.00, or as much as $1,000. That’s quite a range. However, our friend Tom Mullens, one of the “Specialist” escorts, said that he walked into a Panama hat store in Honolulu in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center and saw a hat for $6,000. Whoa, that’s some kind of profit margin. Our guide said that she has heard of some hats sold in Europe for almost $15,000. Needless to say, the hat we bought was closer to the lower end.

 

The other thing I didn’t know was that when you buy a hat (unless you want to wear it out of the store), they fold and roll it and put it in a long, thin balsa wood box for transporting it home. I wondered how we’d get ours home in good shape, but that’s the point: they retain their shape, even when folded and rolled. How cool is that?

 

We also visited a museum in Manta which illustrated the pre-Incan civilization of this area. It was a fascinating museum, with dozens of well-preserved artifacts. The people were short, with black hair and quite prominent noses, and the weather allowed them to wear very little. The two most important people in each village were the chief and the shaman, the latter of which interceded between the people and the gods. He did this by going into a trance (sometimes assisted by chewing or eating coca leaves) and then told people what the gods wanted of them. Great job, if you can get it.

 

After returning to the ship for lunch, we took the ship’s shuttle back into the center of town, to the main plaza. One of the great things about the world cruise is that the ship always provides free shuttles to the center of wherever we’re supposed to be, since the dock areas are not usually in the middle of town, Papeete and Hong Kong being exceptions. There was a market set up in the square, and we had been told by people who had been here before (last time here, we headed directly to the airport and flew to Quito and then to Machu Picchu) that it was absolutely the BEST place to buy things. OK, here’s the list: enameled silver earrings for our daughter for a wonderful price, a water color that we had been looking for ($11.00), and a hand-carved (really) and painted 7-piece wooden creche, consisting of Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, the three wise men and an angel (each about 6” tall) for $20.00. That was the deal of the day! John wanted a tee-shirt, but he couldn’t find one in a design and color and size that he wanted, so maybe somewhere else.

 

After a walk up to a very modern church, we took the shuttle back to the ship, bought and sent a postcard to our granddaughter (as we do from each port), and decided to take the rest of the day off. We don’t sail until 11:00 tonight, but of course there’s a sailaway party with drinks and hot hors d’oeuvres at 11:30. Great timing; I always like my hors d’oeuvres after dinner!

 

It’s been a long hot day, but someone had to get through it. I think now I deserve a nap.

[cruz chic]

You are bringing up great memories. I remember that market well. They also have some great markets in Lima. Also remember watching all those tuna boats. Thanks so much for your latest update.

[Lauranne]

Thank you for the shopping tips. We will be in Quito in April prior to our Galapagos Cruise. We will check both the hats and market.

[t60]

snip...Panama hats are NOT made in Panama. They come from Ecuador, and more specifically, from Montecristi, about 30 minutes from Manta.snip...

The other thing I didn’t know was that when you buy a hat (unless you want to wear it out of the store), they fold and roll it and put it in a long, thin balsa wood box for transporting it home. I wondered how we’d get ours home in good shape, but that’s the point: they retain their shape, even when folded and rolled. How cool is that? snip.....

 

In 2012 we visited Monticristi and I bought a panama in its own box, ..grest purchse and the box iss so useful when travelling. We are flying into Chile in a few weeks to pick up a cruise, but bringing in¨wood¨ into the country is on the prohibited list...I´m in a quandry now about packing my Panama.....any advice anyone?

 

Sandy in Spain

[Tampa Girl]

Roll it up and pack it in your suitcase.

[Johnny B]

Sunday, January 12 - Day 9

At Sea en route to Callao (for Lima), Peru

 

We didn’t sail last night until 11:00, but because we weren’t too interested in the “mind-reader” at the show, we went to the Piano Bar to listen to Debby Bacon. She is incredibly talented, singing like an angel and playing the piano, flute, clarinet, and two types of saxophones - whew, it makes me tired (and jealous) just writing that!

 

Afterwards, we headed up to Deck 8 for the 10:30 sailaway party, but it was empty except for a couple of deck hands re-arranging the furniture. We decided the announced party must have been around the Lido pool, but we struck out there, too. I guess the party wasn’t held after all. The alternative was to return to our cabin, where we watched the sailaway from our balcony. It was dark and starry and just wonderful to watch us pull away from the dock, back up, and then pass the breakwater and head out into the open ocean. We’ve done it so many times, but we never get tired of the magical feeling of it.

 

Last night everyone at our table was at dinner, for the first time in about three nights. Between Pinnacle dinners and sharing meals with friends at other tables, sometimes it’s hard to get all nine of us together. Our table is a good combination of people and personalities. I’ll be mentioning them over the next four months, so I’d better tell you about them.

 

First is Barbie, our very favorite. We’ve been sharing tables with her since 2007 and just really enjoy spending time with her. Barbie, who lives just outside of Washington, D.C., was trained in the sciences at university, and then later in life worked for the IRS, heading the group that developed on-line filing. After retiring from the IRS, she worked as a contract employee for a company that did business with the IRS, and since 2000, she’s traveled on the world cruise every year. In 2010, Barbie was inducted into the President’s Club, for which travelers need 1400 days at sea. Her favorite activity is dancing, and she is just graceful and wonderful at it.

 

You probably know Bill and Mary Ann from Mary Ann’s blog, which was the first one we ever read during their 2007 world cruise. They live about four hours from us in Northern California and we’ve also known them since 2007. Bill is the king of Hawaiian shirts (on non-formal nights) and Mary Ann has a wonderful collection of jewelry that she’s bought along the way. Last night at dinner she wore a necklace, earrings and bracelet made from the tagua nuts we saw yesterday - they look so much like ivory, but can be dyed in various colors.

 

Coincidentally, we have another Bill and Mary Ann at our table, first-time world cruisers. They’ve got enough days on shorter cruises to put them in the 5-star category, though. They live on Long Island and both have great senses of humor. Even though we had never met them before, we really enjoy their company at dinner. I guess when I mention a “Bill and/or Mary Ann,” I’ll have to be more specific.

 

The last couple at our table is Margaret and Keith. When Barbie told us they’d be sitting with us, I asked who they were and she assured me that I DID know them. They were one of the couples on board on previous cruises that I knew by sight but not by name. Interestingly enough, Margaret and I had taken cooking classes together for a few years, so I really did know her, although I’m awful with names, so I couldn’t place her. Keith was described by someone else as “that very quiet man,” but I guess that person had never sat next to him at dinner. Keith is very funny and a good conversationalist. They live in the Midwest and really enjoy being out of the weather for the first four months of this year.

 

So there you have the nine of us. We’re a very sociable bunch, however, so there are often others invited to join us. Tonight is a formal night (Black and Silver night), so we’ll have an officer (or at least free wine), and tomorrow night we have Frank, the on-board comedian coming to join us for dinner. You’ll be reading a lot about our table mates through the end of April, so you’d better pay attention - there may be a quiz!

 

P. S. Pastor Florence will be on for the entire world cruise.

[cruz chic]

What is the prize for the quiz:D;)? Love reading your thread everyday. Thx.

[innlady1]

As always, loving your reports, Diane. :)

[rafinmd]

Sunday, January 12 - Day 9

At Sea en route to Callao (for Lima), Peru

 

 

P. S. Pastor Florence will be on for the entire world cruise.

 

Thank you. I look forward to meeting her (and listening to Debbie) on the final segment.

 

Roy

[shrimp56]

I am enjoying following all of you.

[macmarsue]

Thanks for your wonderful reports. I've been following your cruise blogs since your first World Cruise. It sounds like another fabulous adventure.

[orangenemo]

Sunday, January 12 - Day 9

At Sea en route to Callao (for Lima), Peru

 

We didn’t sail last night until 11:00, but because we weren’t too interested in the “mind-reader” at the show, we went to the Piano Bar to listen to Debby Bacon. She is incredibly talented, singing like an angel and playing the piano, flute, clarinet, and two types of saxophones - whew, it makes me tired (and jealous) just writing that!

 

Afterwards, we headed up to Deck 8 for the 10:30 sailaway party, but it was empty except for a couple of deck hands re-arranging the furniture. We decided the announced party must have been around the Lido pool, but we struck out there, too. I guess the party wasn’t held after all. The alternative was to return to our cabin, where we watched the sailaway from our balcony. It was dark and starry and just wonderful to watch us pull away from the dock, back up, and then pass the breakwater and head out into the open ocean. We’ve done it so many times, but we never get tired of the magical feeling of it.

 

Last night everyone at our table was at dinner, for the first time in about three nights. Between Pinnacle dinners and sharing meals with friends at other tables, sometimes it’s hard to get all nine of us together. Our table is a good combination of people and personalities. I’ll be mentioning them over the next four months, so I’d better tell you about them.

 

First is Barbie, our very favorite. We’ve been sharing tables with her since 2007 and just really enjoy spending time with her. Barbie, who lives just outside of Washington, D.C., was trained in the sciences at university, and then later in life worked for the IRS, heading the group that developed on-line filing. After retiring from the IRS, she worked as a contract employee for a company that did business with the IRS, and since 2000, she’s traveled on the world cruise every year. In 2010, Barbie was inducted into the President’s Club, for which travelers need 1400 days at sea. Her favorite activity is dancing, and she is just graceful and wonderful at it.

 

You probably know Bill and Mary Ann from Mary Ann’s blog, which was the first one we ever read during their 2007 world cruise. They live about four hours from us in Northern California and we’ve also known them since 2007. Bill is the king of Hawaiian shirts (on non-formal nights) and Mary Ann has a wonderful collection of jewelry that she’s bought along the way. Last night at dinner she wore a necklace, earrings and bracelet made from the tagua nuts we saw yesterday - they look so much like ivory, but can be dyed in various colors.

 

Coincidentally, we have another Bill and Mary Ann at our table, first-time world cruisers. They’ve got enough days on shorter cruises to put them in the 5-star category, though. They live on Long Island and both have great senses of humor. Even though we had never met them before, we really enjoy their company at dinner. I guess when I mention a “Bill and/or Mary Ann,” I’ll have to be more specific.

 

The last couple at our table is Margaret and Keith. When Barbie told us they’d be sitting with us, I asked who they were and she assured me that I DID know them. They were one of the couples on board on previous cruises that I knew by sight but not by name. Interestingly enough, Margaret and I had taken cooking classes together for a few years, so I really did know her, although I’m awful with names, so I couldn’t place her. Keith was described by someone else as “that very quiet man,” but I guess that person had never sat next to him at dinner. Keith is very funny and a good conversationalist. They live in the Midwest and really enjoy being out of the weather for the first four months of this year.

 

So there you have the nine of us. We’re a very sociable bunch, however, so there are often others invited to join us. Tonight is a formal night (Black and Silver night), so we’ll have an officer (or at least free wine), and tomorrow night we have Frank, the on-board comedian coming to join us for dinner. You’ll be reading a lot about our table mates through the end of April, so you’d better pay attention - there may be a quiz!

 

P. S. Pastor Florence will be on for the entire world cruise.

 

Quiz? hh

Why don't you post one or two questions from daily trivia and post answers on your next blog? You know how much I loved ship's trivia even though you two are the ones who come up with answers..Heo

[NMLady]

In 2012 we visited Monticristi and I bought a panama in its own box, ..grest purchse and the box iss so useful when travelling. We are flying into Chile in a few weeks to pick up a cruise, but bringing in¨wood¨ into the country is on the prohibited list...I´m in a quandry now about packing my Panama.....any advice anyone?

 

Sandy in Spain

 

If you do not take the box off the ship you are not bringing it into the country.

[Lovely other]

loving your engaging writing style . As a fellow "mind reader" my Husband was wandering who the one is onboard your ship ?

 

Look forward to travelling vicariously through you for a while longer ...

[Johnny B]

Monday, January 13 - Day 10

At Sea en route to Callao, Peru

 

Boy, when there’s a formal event on a world cruise, they go all out. Last evening was a “black and silver” formal event, including a ball in the Queen’s Lounge. It was all quite wonderful, too. I forgot that one of my zipper bags contained a formal black and silver ensemble, so I wore a black evening gown with silver jewelry and shoes. John wore his tuxedo with a silver waistcoat and bow tie; he was so elegant!

 

Dinner was great - as are all the meals on board ship. Barbie was a little disappointed in the lack of caviar on the menu, but she made do with escargot, as did a few other people at the table. I don’t mind it, but it’s not my favorite. Keith and Margaret were at the Captain’s Dinner, which all full world cruisers will enjoy at sometime during the cruise. Because all the main officers are at that dinner, there’s a dearth of them for tables in the dining room. The Dining Room Manager, whom we refer to as “Tom Terrific” knows that we don’t care so much about the actual officer as we do about the wine, so we had the wine and skipped the officer.

 

The ship was decorated beautifully throughout, with black and silver hanging decorations as well as tiny little shiny black and silver confetti all over the floor in the main areas and thickly upon the floor in the Queen’s Lounge. Individual bits of it will no doubt be found until the end of the cruise. After dinner, we headed to the Queen’s Lounge for dancing and general frivolity. There was a large crowd, and everyone seemed to be dressed beautifully. I saw a woman wearing my black and silver dress and suddenly remembered that I had left it hanging in its garment bag. Oh well - there are 20 more formal nights, and besides, who wants to wear exactly what someone else is wearing.

 

One big difference between last night’s formal ball and the New Year’s Eve “formal” ball on the holiday cruise was that last night, men had at least suits, but most had tuxedos, and women had either long or short evening dresses. On New Year’s Eve, we saw people wearing jeans, shorts, and tee-shirts - definitely NOT formal wear.

 

We danced until the orchestra stopped at 10:30 and then headed up to the after party in the Crow’s Nest, where the music was faster and much more fun to dance to. It was pretty busy up there, too, and we danced for over an hour. One addition to HAL’s Grand Cruises is the dance hosts. They are men who are accomplished dancers whose job on board the ship is to eat dinner early in the Lido and then be available to dance with single ladies before and after both dinner seatings. In the past there have been six of them on the WC, but on this one there are only four. However, the male half of the dance teachers fills in too, and his wife even dances with the few men who are either on their own or who have wives who don’t like to dance.

 

It was a great day and evening, and even though we were up waaay past our normal bedtime, we were up this morning in time to get to the gym at a decent hour.

 

Tomorrow we dock at Callao, the port for Lima. Last time we were in Lima it was only to fly in and rejoin the ship after traveling to Machu Picchu, so this time we hope to actually see a lot of the city, since we’re there for 2-1/2 days to allow for overland tours. We’ll have a free shuttle to Miraflores, and then take a taxi into the center of the city. We’re really looking forward to seeing somewhere new.

 

P. S. The excitement this afternoon began when the captain came over the PA system to announce that there was a small fishing boat (with about 7 or 8 fishermen) on which the occupants were waving their lifejackets. We couldn’t reach them by radio, so we slowed and circled around to find out what their problem was. After our tender (lifeboat) reach them, we found out that their propeller wasn’t working, they had no radio, and they had been floating for three days. In addition, they were in need of food and water. The tender came back to the ship, loaded up the food and water, and returned to the fishing vessel, whose occupants just wanted us to radio their position so that a larger boat could come to tow them in. They didn’t want to board our ship and leave their boat unattended. So, having provided all the help we could, the tender was raised to its original position and off we went, leaving a happy group of fishermen. You just never know what new and exciting situations will occur at sea.

 

P. P. S. OK, Heo, here's today's question: In Hebrew, what word means "so be it."

(We came in third today)

[cccole]

Your daily posts are just fabulous. The descriptions of life on board a world voyage make we want to sign on the dotted line. Even though you have been on a zillion other cruises (including several world voyages) your reports reflect anticipation, excitement, and appreciation for your experiences. Thank you sooooooo much!!!! Cherie p.s. no cork forking?

[hotzej]

Amen

[cruz chic]

Cool story about the little boat. Have fun in Lima. I loved it. I did a Hal shorex ex to a mansion one of the evenings. That was wonderful.