day 61 – hong kong, first day (he’s here!)

i know it looks like a green screen, but he's really on deck 3 in front of hong kong!

day breaking in gray layers over hong kong

i was too excited to be able to sleep in… i was up for sail in at 6am, and the sun wasn’t up yet… it was dark, and various shades of grey as the day broke… nice and cool, 50’s and 60’s… it felt like being home!  i was antsy, knowing that bob was mere steps away at a shore side hotel in the large shopping and hotel complex across from where we were docking… he told me later that when he looked out his hotel window at 6:30 in the morning, he could see our ship just there… i knew the ship wouldn’t be cleared by customs and immigration right away, and that i had to wait a bit before he would embark; that couple of hours seemed like days… i waited by the lower gangway and watched guests leave for their outgoing tours between 8 and 9 knowing bob was coming sometime in between then, and the photographer just outside yelled, “do you think he might come on the upstairs gangway?”  and i was like, “UPstairs gangway?!?!”  i didn’t know they set up two today… i raced up to deck two, and there he was, having his suitcase emptied out by security so they could examine the hard drive in the bottom of his bag…

yay!!!!  he is finally here!!!  i can now concentrate better, sleep better and feel all around happier and more normal now that he is here, and it will be like having at least part of my home and family near… it will also make the time fly ‘til i can see the rest of my family… i am glad i can function independently, and tho it is difficult, i handle it 95% of the time very well… BUT… i must say, i am much happier when i am with my family than when i am not!  i am so blessed to have the best family in the world, and wouldn’t trade places with anyone i know! 

this picture hardly looks real to me, but i like it!

i had traded ipm with a friend so that i could stay here with bob to get settled in on his first day here, and it was great to be with him in person… we called home to let papa and nino know he had arrived safe and sound and say hello.  there was time to unpack, spend some quality time together and just be grateful.  it was now time to get ready for work, and bob had an early cocktail set, 4:40 – 5:30. i got ready and was able to go see him play, and of course, he fit right in and was wonderful – i could tell the two guys in the trio were happy with the new hand they got dealt (the other guy before bob was good, but he’s no bob neale!)… we both have 5:30 – 7 off together for a supper break or hanging out, we both play 7-8 and break from 8 to 8:45… we went to see the hong kong light show on the city skyline… then we were both on the gig til about 11:30 last night and wrapped up at the same time… the scheduling couldn’t be better, really!

night falling, lights coming on

happy hong kong!  -di

day 60 – at sea (and pictures of phillipines)

beautiful drag queens of manila

look in the background and see the
ubiquitous starbucks...

blurry manila mall food court

colorful jeepneys jockey for position

the rain begins...
traffic signals and lane lines are mere suggestions here

monument to dr. jose rizal,
national hero who was executed campaigning
for freedom from spain

many sidewalk vendors

manila ferry and part of cityscape from upper deck

my friend, vanessa, far right with her mother, baby daughter and cousin

my awesome piano bar bartender, don, and his wife, paz

my bar manager, willie and his wife and son

moody manila harbor pic

the pile of what looks like debris beyond containers
is actually the rooftops of many shack style structures
where people live in rough conditions

finally here are the manilla pics from the last coupla days!

one more day til we get to hong kong and then bob will be here!!!  the days go by so slowly as we get closer to hong kong, and i know that once he is here, they will fly by!  absence not only makes the heart grow fonder, it makes you a little nuts… some moments it’s difficult to concentrate!  it is hard to feel like people can really know me without also knowing my family… i am still the same person, but we are definitely greater together than the sum of our parts, or however that expression goes… you know what i’m saying! 

anyway, tonight in the piano bar we did an open mic night starring the guests.  that means that we also do an 11 am prep session during the day to get ready, go over songs, pick out keys, work out intros and endings, etc.  we also have people doing skits, playing the piano, the accordion, even a flute player!  we had a filipino crew show at 10, so i had to call the show over a little short and tell the rest of the participants we would do part 2 the sea day after hong kong… i just didn’t want the last few people to get up to do their thing and have the room walk out to go get a seat for the crew show… i think that was the right call, and i hope no one will be miffed because they were there and didn’t get their turn… i’d rather have everyone get equal attention.

the place was packed, and we also had a great filipino crew show.  i always take an unprecedented break for those, because they knock themselves out in the wee hours, after working very long days, to put those shows together, and it’s a one night thing only, whereas i am there every night… i did go back and do a final short set afterwards for my few late night diehards… some of them didn’t come because hong kong is tomorrow and early!!!  cheers, di

day 59 – manila, philippines, second day

still having difficulty uploading manila pics... will try again in awhile.... someone who doesn't know better is probably downloading movies or music and slowing everything on our tiny bandwidth down... 


today i willingly woke up early to be ready to volunteer at 8am to help check in crew family visitors for a second day of family visits on board. though i am technically on ipm, they let me get off the ship to go to the end of where we are docked to a large gymnasium shoreside where the visitors were bringing their id’s to exchange for visitor passes. i worked there for awhile in the morning til the next person came to relieve me, and was obliged to go back to the ship. today was quite rainy, so it was a good thing we had yesterday (only a few scattered sprinkles compared to the steady rain of today) to go out as well…

i am glad i held off packing everything for my room change right away as i received official notification that my move-in time is not going to take place until after manila, another sea day, and two days in hong kong… the sea day after hong kong between 9am and noon bob and i can move into our new digs… bob will be living out of a suitcase for a couple of days, so i probably will at least pre-pack everything i know i don’t need for the next several days to make some room… i am sooooooo excited he is almost here! he was very smart to book an extra day to travel early to hong kong to adjust a little and unwind after a 16 hour flight without having to go straight to work that night… i was able to call him at his hotel after the gig tonight and it was great knowing he got there safe and sound and that he will have some time to adjust!

i called johnny and nino to find out how they are faring as bachelors on their first night, and they are fine, though i know they will miss bob (and his casseroles and his housekeeping!)… i was also so proud to hear that in addition to the newspaper staff for his senior year, one of nino’s teachers is also tapping him to join the yearbook staff… both these activities would not only be fun, but would also be a great addition to his high school art and media portfolio as he gets ready to do college prep this summer and into next year… i think it will also balance the force between fun stuff and required stuff, a necessary balance to find! i’m so proud of you, bean! you rock! can’t wait to see you when i get home and make plans for some adventures together this summer!

the gig tonight went well – my theme tonight was “bette and barry,” featuring the music of musical pals bette midler and barry manilow… i chose some of their bigger hits and a few standards they each covered as well… i was aware as i worked that my crew pals just went through quite the emotional roller coaster; there was the anticipation of manila, the excitement of having an extra day added, the drama and hassles bureaucratically in doing all the paperwork required to get family on, the joy of seeing their loved ones, the frustration of still having to work and not getting a day off, and the sadness of saying goodbye so soon… i tried putting myself in their shoes, and i think that would be an awful lot to handle… it would almost, in my thinking, be easier not to go at all for the frustration of just getting a wink at everyone, basically, but i guess you’d take the few hugs or a few free hours over not seeing them at all… bittersweet, for sure, and there were a few long faces in the halls below deck, though they would never show it upstairs in front of our guests, and a very quiet and empty crew mess after hours last night…  ciao for now! -di

day 58 – manila, philippines, first day

pictures coming soon... very slow to upload today, for some reason... will post pics tonite or early tomorrow...

had to wake up to report by 5 am for temperature screening to get shore leave granted – if you have a fever, you have to stay on board – so much for two sleep-in days in a row!  there’s usually something to prevent it!  i did go back to sleep for a little bit, then got up and out of here for the day… manila is a pretty big-deal-day here, since many of our crew are from here and want to have family visit on board – naturally, there is a lot of paperwork, and lines for them… in addition to crew and fam comings and goings (some joining and some disembarking here as well), to greet us shoreside there was a high school band, a group of very pretty drag queens, a dj with a special decorated jeepney, (the long jeep-y, funky bus-like vehicles they use for public transportation around here), some information booths and arts and crafts vendors… a long walk down the pier to where the shuttle buses into town are, and i opted for the free shuttle to a large shopping mall where i knew i could find decent coffee, do some walking and window shopping, as well as get a few souvenirs and find a filipino restaurant for lunch to try the local fare…

we rode through interesting neighborhoods, some colorful, some full of trash, literally, and then into a hotel and shopping district.  we got off the bus at the robinson mall, and it was huge… like a small planet… there is every type of store imaginable as well as a major department store, movie theater, many many restaurants, tons of coffee places (hooray!) and more.  i think i got lost twice… the exchange rate here was good, and the dollar goes much further here than in australia, let me tell you!  dried mangoes are a bit pricey in the states, but over here they are cheap and plentiful… got a nice big bag of those!  also, some amazing fuji apples from japan that are so beautiful they don’t even look real… beats the ‘crapples’ on the ship!  got some seasoning mixes like you buy taco seasoning in the states, but for some of the tasty national filipino dishes, like adobo… a few postcards and some instant soup for on the ship… for lunch i ate in a Filipino restaurant called dencio’s, and had a dish called sigsig (meat, onions, fried together, brought to table on a red hot cast iron plate where they then crack a raw egg over it and stir it to cook at the table… i also had some asparagus with garlic and lime iced tea… nice!

the thing that freaked me out the most about the shops and stores, in the health and beauty products section, there are hundreds of products, almost every lotion, soap, bodywash or skincare product, all designed to lighten the skin.  i was like, what, what, what!?!?  even brand names that are popular in america, and here they are hucking everything for people to try and look white and not be ok with who they are… i found that really strange and sad… isn’t that a self-hating sort of cultural norm?  that to be white or fairer is to somehow be better here, and in a restaurant, it is not abnormal for the fairest skinned people to be waited on first, i was told… that, excuse my language, is just kind of f@$#ed up.  the filipino people are very exotic and beautiful just the way they are, i think, and what is it that all the white people want to get really tan and all these tan people want to be really white?  people are crazy everywhere, i guess, and every culture is full of victims of marketing and media telling you what you should be… that sucks…

on a happier note, seeing some of my friends on board with their loved ones was the highlight of the day… my bartender, don, brought his wife, paz, to the piano bar, and willie, the bar manager had his wife and son on board (giant smile on his face), and vanessa, a bar server (who also sings very well!), had her little toddler daughter on with her mother and siblings… i can’t imagine having to be away from your little girl for 10 months of the year like that, go home for two months and then go do it again… heart rending, but some of these folks don’t have many other opportunities to provide a good life for their kids with any hope of higher education, or, for some, health care for their elderly parents… another waiter brought his kids in and we did a few songs from disney movies…

being an overnight port, i didn’t think we’d go too late, and i wanted to close on time so my bar staff could make it off before midnight to go to their homes in town, because they would not let crew off after midnight… we had a much busier cocktail set than i thought we would, and a pretty good night in general.  we ended up actually being dead before my usual closing time, though, since many folks had a busy day and have early tours lined up for tomorrow, so i was able to let the fellas get out of here in plenty of time, and i know they were glad about that!  my theme tonight was ‘easy listening favorites’ which was just mellow stuff… everything from eric clapton to englebert humperdinck. 

one of the crew office guys told me not to go out at night because the dock areas are not safe after daylight… i hadn’t planned on it, but was glad that they are looking out for us enough to tell us!  a few guests, even tho well-warned in advance, had items stolen (purses cut open without them even feeling it, etc.) in town… in any large city, tourists are easy to spot, thus, easy prey for thieves… i remember in paris, the first question they ask when you go in the police station is “combien?” as in, “how much did they take?”  my general rule of thumb is to dress in a crappy t-shirt and sweats, not my nicest clothes, and i leave all my jewelry, even my wedding ring, behind locked on the ship… anything i can’t tuck into my bra or my shoe is held in my hands or a small bag under my shirt that can’t be cut or yanked off my shoulder… you just can’t be too careful when traveling, because no matter how travel savvy you might be, you will usually stand out in a crowd in a foreign country.

i am so excited that bob is on his way in the wee hours of the morning to the airport with my dad to get on a plane and hurtle himself around the world to come and save me!  i need his bodyguard skills; can you believe that even in the middle of a market in manila, someone from the ship came up behind me, clapped me on the shoulder and says “hey, look who’s here!”  i swear to god, i almost punched him… more soon!  cheers, di

day 57 – at sea

one more day til we hit land!  day after tomorrow would have been the day i’d get to see bob if they hadn’t bumped him to hong kong instead, but i guess logistically and bureaucratically, hong kong is less of a hassle, so we still have a few more days to wait… i finally had the uber sleep-in i have needed and feel very refreshed… no alarms, no drills, no pa announcements, no gangway set-up next to my room, none of the usual culprits that wake you up – aaaaah!  that felt great… i did attend the writing group to tell them that it has been lots of fun, but i will be sporadic at best in my attendance for the second half… they were very understanding, and the teacher, pat, says she’ll be happy to keep me up to date and filled in over a coffee here and there… so nice!  once bob is on board, since we both work every night, we will be spending our daytimes together catching up and making the most of the almost 8 weeks we’ll have here together… after i leave this voyage, he will still be on board through the beginning of august, and i will only see him once every other week when he is in seattle during that time… priorities!  i absolutely can’t wait for him to be here and sharing these adventures… it will make them so much more fun, and it will make the time fly by as i look forward to spending some high quality mama/nino time when i get back! 

it was formal night tonight, and i played for the captain’s private cocktail party.  that was swanky, and i got to model about $3000 worth of jewelry, with ruby and pearl necklace, earrings and bracelet by the australian jewelry designer gogoanna… ooo la la!  my cocktail hour was packed, too!  formal night tonight had a royal theme, so my themed set in the piano bar was ‘crown jewels.’  i included anything with a jewelry reference (‘diamonds are a girl’s best friend,’ ‘fields of gold,’) as well as anything with a jewel or royalty reference, such as, well, the singer, jewel, anything by neil diamond, the king (elvis), nat king cole, the band queen, a couple of non-controversial prince tunes, as well as a few by sir elton john, sir paul mccartney and sir andrew lloyd webber… an extensive set that lasted pretty much the rest of the night.

we went back another hour in time, which always prompts at least one guest to suggest that i should stay an extra hour in the piano bar… i gently remind them that the hour back does not occur til 2am, after the bar is closed, and that if i push myself more than 4-5 hours a night for so many nights, i will risk having to miss a few of those nights, and i really don’t want to do that!  i am already extended several weeks beyond my normal contract length, and am trying my best to pace myself so i don’t wreck my voice… i love my gig and my guests, and i am happy with my employer, but i don’t want to ruin my voice for them!

i have to think about getting ready to move to a new cabin, tho they haven’t officially rolled out the moving date; i would hate to get all packed and have them defer it to 2 weeks from now… i hope they will give the official word, and soon, so we can be ready to go without it constituting a last minute hassle… so instead of packing tonight, they had a wedding shower for a crew couple on board at the officer’s bar, so i went to congratulate them and hang out socially for at least a little while… since i didn’t go to the crew party lasst night, i figured i would make the smaller hang just so people don’t think i am too stand-offish… frankly, the filipino parties are the ones you really want to go to; they all sing and bring food and drinks to share… it’s a little more family style – just bring something and you are welcome… anxious to get to manila tomorrow!  can’t wait to get off the ship for a bit and just be on land and see a new place.  ciao for now!

day 56 – at sea

today would’ve been the day we went to koror, palau if we had gone… there are a few people who persist in grumbling about not getting to go… if i had the choice between going there or my colleagues who are 10 months at sea at a time getting to go home and see their babies for an extra day, no contest… take me to manila!  i’m not sure if some of the grumblers have empathy… i know how much i miss my almost grown son while doing this, i would never have been able to stand it for a minute if i had to be out here when he was a baby or toddler or even very young child… a lot of the kids of our staff are being raised by their grandparents, and they all do it so they can have a better life than their folks did, and that their kids can go to college… my bartender is so proud to have put his two kids through college, which a generation ago in his family would not have been possible… my own dad was in the navy when my oldest brother and sister were born and had to miss out on a lot, but i think parents do whatever they have to do so their kids can have a good life… and it ain’t easy all the time!  our extended family at large probably thought my folks were completely nuts when they moved us all up to alaska to grow up, but i think that was a good choice… you just do the best you can and you have to follow your gut and hope that it all turns out for the good of all concerned, and it has and it does…

i was victorious today in that i got all my laundry done… hooray!  no small task with a community washing center where there’s usually at least one or to machines out of eight that don’t work… i stayed kind of on the down low today, snuck upstairs for the earliest lunch possible (skipped breakfast) when it wouldn’t be too crowded, sat waaaaaay in the back and took my magazine (magic shield of oprah) to protect me from having to speak… i am not trying to be antisocial (well, maybe a little), i am trying to rest my voice for a day!  singing 7 nights a week is hell on your pipes if you don’t take a proactive approach, which for me, means trying to get at least one day a week where i don’t speak unless i have to… it’s like a day off, even tho it’s not exactly a complete day… i escaped with minimal schmoozing and took the nearest crew exit out and back down below to fold my clothes and stay below ‘til i had to go to work.

got a call from musical director asking to come over and chat… i was like, ‘oh crap, what have i done?’  then i was annoyed with myself for thinking this way because i haven’t done anything!  he was actually there to inform me that the department is switching some berthing assignments, the news is coming from seattle, not on the ship, and that he wanted to give me a heads up.  the change will occur on hong kong day, which is convenient since bob will be moving in that day – now we can move in together!  i found out i’ll be getting a cabin usually used for guest entertainers or clergy way up on the sports deck (top floor) by the crow’s nest.  i went up to look at the room, and it has a huge window, and is actually a couple of square feet smaller than my current room, but is quite nice.  it has a double bed, a little more shelf space than my current room also… the only thing i am worried about is the light in the room – i may have to make a blackout cardboard contraption for the window; i hate daylight in my bedroom, even at home… also the heat on a sunny day might be a factor, so i will definitely get a fan when i am in manila… i will miss my cave, but i am considering this move an upgrade, however, so i’ll have to thank my boss back home… no more gangway noise early in the morning!  no more loud “meeeep meeeep meeeep!!!” when they open or close the watertight door next to my cabin!  and, it will be quite a bit swoopier up there; the higher you go, the more you feel the ocean, so i will have a nice ride the second half!  cool!!!

there was a crew party tonight – i think it’s nice that they have them, so everyone can have a good time, cut loose, have some free beer, snacks, dance, etc., but every time i have gone to one, i feel like it really is for the younger folks here, so i usually say hello, goodbye and split after a short lap or two to say hi to my pals.  if i were 20 years younger and trying to hook up, i’m sure the crew party would seem like a lot of fun… i certainly feel i am at a different station in life, tho… my idea of a party now is fun people, but not too many, like 12-20 would be absolutely enough, and maybe doing a pot luck or hors d’ouevres with some nice cocktails… the new year’s party we went to with my son’s friends folks was a perfect example of a great party – the kids did their own thing peripherally, yet close by, the adults (not more than 10) had cocktails (we all live walking distance from each other), great party food, and played ipod name that tune and had a fabulous, somewhat silly and fun time… i haven’t laughed so hard at a get together in a long time… bob had to drag me away… or the ladies cosmo and cookie party we had before christmas last year… fun, fun, fun!  i never feel that way about crew parties… they seem like they are definitely for the 20 to young 30-something set because that’s most of our staff… that’s ok – i will have a party when bob gets here!  i already got a bottle of new zealand bubbly from the day i did the wine tour, and we will celebrate with just ourselves!

i am happy that they have upgraded our tv news on the ship… it used to be that we only got cnn… then for awhile we only got fox… that’s like, ‘do you want crappy news or would you rather have crappy news?’  they now have cnn, fox, cnn international (a bit better) and now bbc world news, which i find to have more actual news without as much editorial garbage… they do have editorial shows, but those are separated from the actual news a bit better, and the celebrity crap is contained to a minimum compared to american news… just the facts, ma’am… and what a weird and wacky world it seems right now… or maybe i am just paying more attention now, because i know it’s always been weird and wacky (cause people are crazy and selfish with occasional good and even great ones scattered throughout), but wow!  these are definitely interesting times, and it will be especially interesting to see where in the world we get to go right now…  i’ll keep you posted!  ciao for now, di

day 55 – at sea – halfway through grand world voyage

wow… it is already/finally the halfway point!  it always feels like it goes fast yet takes forever at the same time… i know that doesn’t sound like it makes any sense, and it doesn’t feel like it makes sense either… it is always such a mixed bag of feelings one carries around while at sea… the primary emotion that runs like an undercurrent to everything is missing my family.  i can realize with my head that this is the best opportunity for me to provide what is needed and still feel in my heart very conflicted about being away… i try to focus on the other aspects of the experience, the interesting highlights and ever-changing, mostly beautiful backdrop of travels and foreign lands, playing music and writing each day, and being as fully present for the guests as i can be, not only to do a good job, but to have a clear point of focus in order to cope well while away…

i do enjoy my job more than any other job i’ve had (maybe tied with summer camp, where i also had to miss my family), and do feel that getting to focus fully on that while i am here allows me to do, what i feel, is the very best job i can do… and the beautiful flip side of that is getting to feel that when i do go home, i can be as fully at home and plugged completely into being there… the hidden gift of the high price tag of being away is surely the deep level of appreciation of home and family that i now have, and the quality of life and relationship that not taking each other for granted affords us all… i also know that with bob arriving in less than a week, i will instantly feel more grounded and more at home even though i am away, and it will make it sooooo much easier having him here; i will still be keeping a vigilant countdown to getting home to nino… being on the downhill side helps, and planning upcoming summer adventures with him is also giving me a lot to look forward to and keeps my spirits quite high just thinking about it… as my folks gear up towards getting a second home in the middle of nowhere, colorado, i will also be trying to maximize the time i have with them when i am home not knowing how long they will be nearby… i think they are planning to spend at least part of the year in the northwest, but they won’t be 5 minutes away all the time anymore… i am certainly grateful each day for the modern conveniences of satellite telephones and the internet so that i can stay close to everyone at home as best as i can and can let everyone know what i am up to… technology is truly magic!  missing everyone at home loads, and looking forward to the second half of this journey with bob!  it will amp up the enjoyment level of these experiences to the stratosphere and i will feel much more centered!

had lunch with a friend from alaskan cruise who is here… she is a dear lady and is already booked for the fall on the grand voyage bob and i are doing then, and i am glad… her name is sharon goldsmith, and she is delightful.  she had her 80^th birthday with all her kids on the ship with me this past summer and even includes me on her family and friends mailing list… i think i mentioned her before, when she sang on open mic night; she sings like a bird, and i am hoping she will do the next open mic show on the night  before we arrive in hong kong.  i feel bad for her as she suffered a horrible accident before she and i even met (hit by a car, broken pelvis, other injuries) and is in a lot of pain most of the time… she gets around on a walker quite well, and doesn’t seem to let it affect her cheerful attitude… she comes in to the piano bar regularly, sometimes even quite late, and we have been trying to have lunch together once a week on a sea day… fascinating lady – she is the widow of famed film composer jerry goldsmith (‘patton’ and many more), has traveled a lot and has many stories, and lives in new england near bob’s old stomping grounds.  if i make it to camp in 2012, i will certainly go visit her there if she’s not globe trotting somewhere…

i was excited to negotiate some in-port manning trades with friends to stay on in hong kong (since bob is arriving then and will be stuck a couple of days here before he can get a ship i.d. card and get out) and get both days of singapore off… i watched the anthony bourdain ‘no reservations’ show episode about singapore, also read about it while on the plane to florida, and apparently it is the ‘it’ spot in asia right now on many fronts… arts, clubs, fusion cuisine… glad we’ll be overnight there, and having a couple of exciting days and a late night there with bob is something cool to look forward to…

we have still not heard any final verdict on our middle east itinerary… with so much going on in many of the places we are slated to go (egypt, oman, jordan), they are leaving many decisions ‘til the final moments before we go – naturally they are developing a ‘plan b,’ but most folks, including our ceo, are fairly certain that we will at least be allowed to push through the suez canal and into the mediterranean even if we can’t stop in some of those spots… i hope we do get at least one of our three projected egyptian ports, but it is still anyone’s guess… my prediction is that we will still make most of our ports of call and will just have amped up security escorts and that the maritime security level may be bumped from a 1 to a 2 or 3… that’s my guess… we’ll have to wait and see, i guess! 

cocktail hour was a little subdued, and hardly anyone at the beginning of happy hour – i was just wondering aloud where folks might be and they started coming in until we were quite full, and i even kept a fairly good late night crowd… my theme tonight was “come rain or come shine,” which was, of course, songs about weather.  i came up with about 55 main themes and a few special ones (st. patty’s, mardi gras, etc.) for specific dates, so some of the core themes will now get their second run.  if any of you ever have a cool theme idea you haven’t seen here, please feel free to let me know – i am always looking for new ideas!  cheers, di (mama)