The Banda Sea

 

Sunday, December 4, 2022

At sea in the Banda Sea

 Today was a day at sea, with lectures, so I’ll use the time to describe the ship and life aboard.  The staff is uniformly lovely, and we are accompanied by numerous National Geographic specialists, from ornithologists to deep sea specialists, to photographers, and so on.  They are readily available to answer questions, and to join us on our adventures as we break into small groups, whether snorkeling or on a Zodiac tour of an area or ashore.  Today we had three formal lectures during the day, one on photography by one of the National Geographic photographers, one on the Komodo dragons and their place in zoology by a naturalist, and one on coral reefs by an undersea specialist.  All were remarkable.

 Also aboard with us is Lawrence Blair, one of the two brothers who produced Ring of Fire, a documentary on their adventures in Indonesia, fifty years ago.  After dinner he gave a short talk and part one (of five) of his newly remastered film was shown.  We had seen it a couple of months ago, having borrowed it from the library.

 During the day we slowed for a while as we came across a very large pod of pilot whales:

 



Breakfasts and lunches are extensive buffets, with many choices, loads of fresh fruit, and too tasty desserts.  Dinners are sit-down and served, with lovely menus.  Samples:

 


 


At the 6:00 PM recap and cocktail hour in the lounge, wines and mixed drinks with hors d’oeuvres  are served to you while staff members go over the day and show their (remarkable) photos.  Wines are served with dinner, and they pour as if it’s at a wedding.  You have to be careful—they just keep filling the glasses.

 So, that’s life aboard the ship.

 More tomorrow.

 Victor

Comments

  1. Ralph P. LockeDecember 6, 2022 at 2:51 AM

    "Flat white" reached our local Starbucks some five years ago (from Australia, we were told). "Long black" is new to me. What lovely menus, all such attractive, tasty, and varied choices--with an emphasis on healthful eating (relatively low-fat, featuring fresh produce...). Fun to see "summer vegetables" when up here in the north there's frost on the roofs and bridges in the morning.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rwa442December 6, 2022 at 4:57 AM

    I was imagining first class shipboard amenities and your description fits that picture. Sounds lovely, amazing menu's. Pilot whale photo shows calm seas! Great trip.

    ReplyDelete

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