While the subject of this entry might make a good title for a book or movie, the subjects are not related, except for Isolde and Arnold. We received a lovely email from a woman in Los Angeles named Rashmi. She has been following our blog and asked if we have met her boyfriend, Jay, who is a "tall, dark and handsome Indian" who works on the Pacific Princess. Of course, we know Jay! He's terrific! He was one of the five Indian cruise members who served in a panel discussion on the ship before we docked in Mumbai. His advice was to "please go to Mumbai as a traveler and experience it with an open mind," which was very good advice. In the Princess Patter, it stated that Jay was to be the groom in an arranged marriage. However, he told us that he was very much in love with his fiance, Rashmi, but the arrangement part of the deal was that both sets of parents had to agree to the marriage. His parents concurred that Rashmi was a good choice for him because he needed a mature woman to take care of a "spoiled-rotten brat." (Jay was quoting his mother, who probably did her fair share of spoiling him. But Jay is a really nice guy.
Isolde and Arnold Schwartzman, the Academy Award winning producer who spoke during the second segment of our trip, also sent a very nice email stating that they have been following our blog since they debarked in Sydney and have been enjoying the world cruise vicariously. They are now on a trip to London and Paris, where Arnold is taking photographs of Art Nouveau architecture in Paris for a new book and possible future cruise talk. That man is busy constantly. We hope you are enjoying your adventure, Isolde and Arnold!
As for the Pirate Drill, we received a letter in our cabins from Captain Carlo Servillo on the evening of April 28 making us aware that there has been sporadic pirate activity in the Gulf of Aden. While the ship did not anticipate any problems, we should know the guidelines to follow in the unlikely event that the ship was approached by suspicious craft. The next morning at 9:45 a.m., the crew would carry out a Piracy Drill for all passengers and crew. On hearing the alarm bells or the ship's whistle, we should proceed immediately to our stateroom, prop open our door and follow all instructions.
So on Thursday morning before 9:45 a.m, we all acted nonchalant as if nothing was going to happen and returned from wherever we were to our staterooms before we heard the ship's whistle. Once the drill started, we were asked to close our draperies and stay away from exterior walls, windows and balconies. It seemed like the bathroom in the stateroom was the best place to be. Vilma, our room stewardess, peaked her head inside the room and called our names so that she could check us off her list. Then we heard the cabin number of our friends, Mary and Ed, announced over the public address system with a request for them to dial 00. It seems as if they had been inadvertently overlooked by their cabin steward. But within 14 minutes, our captain made the announcement that all passengers and crew members had been accounted for, which he proclaimed as a very good time. Vilma came back in our room to close the door. She was wearing a bright orange life vest over her burgundy uniform. While it was not a good color combination, she looked so cute! Now we have passengers who want to be on Pirate Watch. So the next week as we travel to Egypt and through the Suez Canal should be very interesting. Not spotting pirates would be a good thing! We also have noticed that our ship has picked up speed.
On Monday, May 3, our captain came on the public address system to announce that we had passed around the tip of Yemen and had entered the Red Sea. We hope that this means that we are out of the pirates' way. The only boats we have seen are freighters and personal boats of local citizens who waved gaily at us. Having a real pirate sighting was not on our list of must-sees!
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