Karl’s Korner

Good morning friends and family,

Yes, we revisited Devil’s Island to get some pictures of our dolls escaping from that devilish place.

If you ever visit Devil’s Island, listen to my advice: Don’t follow everyone else as they turn to the left as you leave the jetty area. Instead, turn right over the grass until you come to a dirt road that leads you around past the first island you see to your right to see the real Devil’s Island. Yes, it’s that small isle off about 200 yards from the island you landed on.

The cable I mentioned before is now missing. I imagine some ingenious teens probably used it to get to the real island and got in trouble. Whatever, it is gone, but the view of the island from this walkway is magnificent and we saw a group of youngsters swimming where there are supposed to be sharks.

We also saw a rodent that looks like a cross between a large rat and a small pig, plus a pheasant of some sort. We were mostly by ourselves, as everyone just followed the cement brick road and went left instead of right. They missed the best part of the island.

Big waves were splashing against the side of the ship as we boarded the tender, which was bobbing up and down at least four feet. It was a chore to get aboard, but both Carol and I made it with no problem. Needless to say, it took some time to fill the tender with 60 souls. It was less violent at the dock.

Talk about hot and humid – we are both drenched. Our walk took us around the back of the island and then up several sets of stairs to a rock road that slopes up most of the way to the hotel until you reach other stairs at the end of your journey and a cold “Becks” beer for $3.00 for an 11.1 ounce can of cold liquid. Worth every penny by the time you get there.

We attempted to talk several people into joining us on the walk back the same way, but someone came by and told them it was a three mile walk (he was wrong), but they declined to accompany us. Their loss. We enjoyed the views again and took several more pictures to show them what they missed.

Now, we are back in our cabin, enjoying the air conditioning. We will change shirts at least after we cool down and go see what else we can find here.

We spent the afternoon walking around and getting addresses from all our new friends and still have many more to reach. We set sail about 2, having watched them raise the lifeboats up into their nests. Then we played a new game, “Celebrity Challenge”, which was neat.

Now we are attempting to get dressed for dinner and trivia before and the “Captain’s Circle Party” with free booze. This is where our tips to our waiter pay off.

Yep, three doubles in a row and one to take with us to dinner.
We had the same folks win prizes as the last cruise for the number of days at sea – 797 was tops. That’s a lot of cruises.

We are skipping the show tonight as we saw this gal before when she first came on the boat – she is okay, but sings way too loud for us. Just because it is loud doesn’t necessarily make it good!

So, we will sit and listen to Brad play his tunes on the piano for a couple of hours and drink a little more of our bottle of champagne. (They keep it for you overnight or for two or three days if you choose – they remember you).

We have truly made so many new friends on this cruise. I have 11 addresses already and am just getting started collecting them.

The entire show crew knows us by name and we have many of the waiters and buss people we chat with each day. I sing, “I just met a girl named Maria” to Maria every morning or when I see her; then there is Karolina in the morning who greets us at the door to the buffet in the morning. Miko and Ivy, (his wife) who are our best waiters (see above). Jesse who also waits on us, and the man behind the BBQ grill whose name I can’t recall now. I just say, “the usual” and he fixes what we want.

All the young people from so many foreign countries do their very best to assist all the passengers. They greet you with a smile and remember your name. It is really neat.

Speaking of the workers, our room stewards all meet just across the hall from our room in a sort of a kitchen affair ever morning. We all it the “gathering of our chattering magpies” as that is what it sounds like for about five minutes at 7:30 or so. It doesn’t bother us, as we are usually awake and thinking about getting up anyway.

We watched Brad play for about 30 minutes and then he took a break until 10:30 so Karaoke could take place. So, it’s up to the room to prepare our laundry list for tomorrow and hit the sack.

Today the weather Gods decided to look down on us with favor again, as they have every day of the cruise so far. It was lovely with bright sun and a few clouds. Devil’s Island was hot and humid as I said, but it wasn’t too bad on board.

Until tomorrow,

Via con Dais,

Karl & Carol

Good night, friends and family,

I held my talk about 3 pm after waiting for more people to show up – there were probably 20 at the most, as they scheduled me at the same time as the port talk on Devil’s Island, and most people went to that. I figure they thought I was probably halfway through my speech and didn’t want to interrupt me.

I still sold 8 more books and only have 8 left for the next book signing at poolside later on – probably day after tomorrow. We arrive at Devil’s Island at 8:30 and leave about 2 pm. We will probably tender in to get a picture of our doll on the island, but we’ve seen what little there is to really see.

I spoke about Devil’s Island while we were waiting, and several people were really disappointed to hear we wouldn’t really go on the island, and that there is no cliff. I don’t know what the port lecturer was telling them, but he said there were still some small huts the prisoners built – think about it – that was over a hundred years ago and the weather there is terrible. What huts might have been left (if there were any) would be long gone. We never saw anything like that.

Oh, well, enough of that. We’ll see for ourselves tomorrow if the weather cooperates.

We enjoyed turkey dinner tonight and then caught the magician/comedian act – it wasn’t much, but was okay, I guess. We sat in the casino lounge and listened to Brad Stevens play his magic on the piano while we enjoyed a bottle of champagne to celebrate Christmas. We also enjoyed the crew sing-along of Christmas Carols in the main lounge before dinner.

So, it was a great Christmas for Carol and me. Our son, Kris, called us while we happened to be in our cabin. I can’t wait to get the bill for that!! (Just joking, Kris – thanks for calling – we really enjoyed hearing from you.)

And, so, Christmas of 2009 is drawing to a close. Carol in her nightgown, and I in my cap are hitting the sack. (I’ve never worn a cap to bed before). Take care; hope you all had the best Christmas ever. Come back to visit often; and BUY THOSE BOOKS NOW while they are on sale for $14.75 plus $3.00 shipping.

Via con Dias,

Karl & Carol

MERRY CHRISTMAS, FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!!

Last night’s entertainment, a variety show featuring all the staff and dancers was superb – a standing ovation for the dancers and their waltzing – plus Irish dancing to boot.

We got our usual seats, down front, and Carol was able to see all the action. Afterward, we spent 45 minutes listening to our favorite piano key tickler, Brad Stevens – he is a nut! He has his own words to so many songs which make you laugh. He and I have become good friends, as he has a book he wants to publish on taking good pictures with your digital camera.

It’s another beautiful day, sun shining through a pretty thick cloud cover, but looks like a squall may be headed our way – it’s mighty dark ahead and I see rain over the horizon.

So, today is the day of our savior’s birth – a time to look back on the year and reflect on our blessings. We hope the New Year will bring Carol’s eyesight back to normal – we are going to work hard on that. We hope our grown children, their children, and their children will have a wonderful day and receive the gifts they want, but nothing can beat the most wonderful gift we all received 2009 years ago.

May the good Lord be with you and in your hearts as you celebrate Christmas with those you love.

We thank all my customers for your faith in me and my work. Your support is truly appreciated from the bottom of our hearts.

I have more novels planned for 2010 – the next in January – “Palmyra, Isle of Death”. I know you’ll enjoy this ribald tale of pirates, treasure hunters and adventure set in the south Pacific and Hawaii. It’s a different story than my previous ones – one which I consider my best effort so far. I hope you’ll purchase a copy and tell me I’m right.

My lecture is scheduled for 2:45 this afternoon. I hope to have a full audience in attendance and sell the remainder of my books on hand. We need the space in the suitcase! The extra clothes we had to buy will fill that small case in a hurry.

Today is another day at sea, followed by hopefully a visit to Devil’s Island – seems a strange place to spend the day after Christmas, doesn’t it? We probably won’t go ashore as we’ve been there before – it’s an hour’s walk around the island, hot and humid, and probably another hour to spend visiting the hotel, remains of the hospital, the graveyard and the “sweat box”.

Since I’m speaking of Devil’s Island, I’ll describe what you really see. You do NOT go to Devil’s Island. That is a small uninhabited island apart from the main island, which is not that big itself. You can throw a rock and possibly hit Devil’s Island, but that’s as close as you come.

Devil’s Island is only ten feet high at its highest point. There were no barracks as those depicted in the movie, Papillon; there isn’t enough space. The island you visit is the administrative headquarters, probably 50-75 feet high at the center, where the hotel sits above everything.

It’s not a steep climb. There are NO cliffs to jump off as the movie depicted Steve McQueen doing. There were also no small huts. The only communication device is a steel box hooked to a steel cable that runs through a pulley. The overseers used that to send over food to Devil’s Island – if they remembered to do so.

The movie was shot in the Caribbean. There is no river for them to travel on – again, liberties were taken. Like I said, you can walk around the complete admin island in an hour.

The only people buried in the cemetery there are people who worked on the island. The bodies of dead prisoners were fed to the sharks that circle the island. Not enough space to bury them.

Below the cemetery is a small cement building with no windows and a heavy steel door. It’s called the “sweat box” for unruly prisoners who spent many a day there. I was in it for five minutes and sweat was pouring off me. Not a happy place – you can almost feel the fear of ghosts of the past.

Walking is difficult, as there is only a bare path where coconuts and palm leaves lay where they’ve fallen. The surf is rough and a lot of ships are unable to visit because of that. We have several people who visited earlier and were unable to tender into shore. We hope our fellow passengers are luckier.

Sometimes, things are not what they are advertised to be.

Time to practice my lecture once more while Carol has her nails done.

Here’s another hint for cruising, one you should keep in mind:

Never think that you won’t gain a little weight on a cruise. Oh, yes, you will say, “I’m going to watch what I eat”! And, you will, watch everything you eat go down your throat.

There is no way to avoid eating. Food is everywhere on the ship. The buffet is open 24 hours a day with 40-50 or more inviting items at every meal. Breakfast: omelets made to order on one side; Belgium waffles on the other, and every breakfast item known to man in-between. Lunch and dinner are the same – food, food and more food. Then ice cream and cookies are served in the afternoon, or are available from a handy kiosk by the pool. The dining room serves three complete meals a day with many, many items to choose from, and there is always afternoon tea with scones.

Alongside the pool, there are hamburgers with a heaping plate of greasy fries, chicken sandwiches and hot dogs at one place, while another offers a wide variety of pizza with all the toppings you want, plus extra cheese.

Then, there are the special occasions on deck when you have a party with LOTS of tempting deserts, or a barbecue under the stars, or different theme nights where they serve food from various countries. You CANNOT avoid eating, believe me!

So, how do you help keep those pounds off?

You walk the stairs instead of riding the convenient elevators. You also walk the top deck circle track every morning or night. You swim every chance you get – that’s SWIM, not lay around soaking up the sun and eating something else.

Then there is the exercise area on the top deck. You can ride bikes in place, do the treadmill and several other muscle-straining devices to make you sweat off the pounds. The sauna helps too.

But walking is your best bet, or jogging or running on the top deck. Take your pick; and then pass the chocolate syrup for the ice cream, please!

One other short hint that I forgot to include when talking about laundry:

Bring along two or three rolls of quarters to feed the machines. They cost $1.00 each, as does the soap, bleach and the scented sheets for the dryer. They have a money changer in the laundry room, but it’s been known to run out and you have to run down to the pursers’ desk for more. (But, running there might burn off that ice cream we just ate)!

Hints keep coming to mind: I don’t think I told you how to remember where things are on a ship. All the entertainment is to the front and places to eat are to the rear. Bow and Aft would be more like it. Shops are usually located on Deck 5 in the center of the ship, but on larger ones, they can be on two or more decks.
The Pursers’ desk is usually in the center or the lower deck of the atrium; however, this ship, the Royal, has the reception desk to the rear on Deck 4.

Other very important items to locate are the public restrooms on each deck. Learn where they are as soon as possible, as you never know when the need will arise and it may be a long walk to your cabin – you do a lot of drinking on board, iced tea, coffee, coke, and mixed drinks, plus tons of water in the hotter areas of the world. Handicapped restrooms are usually at a premium. There are only two on this ship, one on Deck 4 and the other on Deck 9.

If you’ve never been on a cruise, you’ll have to get used to the loud noise the vacuum toilets make when you flush. Everyone makes up jokes about being caught on one when it flushes and you get sucked down and wedged in the seat. (It never happens – it’s just a joke). Imagine a huge elephant passing gas and you’ve got the idea!

This had turned into a longer blog entry than I intended, but I hope I haven’t bored you. We’ll post this and add to it after my lecture. Wish us luck. I already have at least 4 books sold to new friends.

Until then,

Via con Dias and Merry Christmas my friends and especially our family. We love you all!!

Karl & Carol

Happy Christmas Eve Day to all our friends and family,

We are cruising slowly down the mighty Amazon with densely foliated jungle on both sides. Occasionally, a cluster of huts or just a single wooden structure covered with palm leaves appears on shore. The seemingly mandatory carved log canoe is tied there, bobbing with the current or waves created as we pass. It is a scene out of National Geographic Magazine.

The water continues to be murky and muddy. I’d compare it to a coffee latte at Starbucks, heavy on the cream; but wouldn’t recommend drinking any of this!

The sun is high in the sky already and a few puffy white clouds are drifting by above as we sit on the fantail and enjoy our coffee and sweet roll. It’s difficult to equate this with any other Christmas Eves we’ve spent ashore or on other ships. The Amazon has been quite an experience; not exactly what we pictured, but, then, nothing is every exactly the way you might think.

It was sort of amazing to watch the ship make its way up and down the river, as there are very few buoys or channel markers beyond the first few miles – it is sort of a hit or miss situation, no pun intended. I suppose the Captain depends on the ship’s sonar to tell how deep the river is at any point, but we did sort of zig and zag here and there along the way of the murky stream.

There were a few surprises and disappointments, but overall the trip was well worth the price of the cruise. Think of it; traveling to four continents in such a short time!

We stopped at a place, (name slips my mind), where we put our pilot off and cleared customs. We are okay with Carol’s visa and passport, as I told you yesterday. I think it was more an effort on the part of the lady in charge to put me in my place for “damaging an official document”, as she put it. I kept apologizing and think that helped defuse the situation.

We were worried at first, but since we received no further info until yesterday, we figured “no news was good news”, and in reality, that’s how it turned out – but, if you did say a prayer for us – Thank You!

We’re back in the cabin to pick up two of our large bottles of Coke to give to Jade, one of the dancers, to share with some of her friends. We had to get Carol’s eyebrow pencil sharpened again in the boutique as I forgot to pack a sharpener. The little things you forget sometimes come back to bite you – LOL.

Instead of watching the nonsense connected with crossing the equator again, we worked on another puzzle in the library, as it is too hot to go out around the pool and it is packed there on a sea day and with people watching the ceremony of people being coated with all kinds of goop. These is also too much blubber on display for us - LOL

We received our invitations to a “wine tasting” this afternoon at 3:00 as another “perk” from being “elite” passengers. We’ll go to see what it’s all about. More later.

Wine tasting was fun, shared a table with another very nice couple from Florida. We received souvenir wine glasses with the emblem of the original “Royal” Princess on the side – very nice. The wines left a little to be desired, but I never did care for red wine. The two whites were a little dry, but the last was pretty good, except too sweet. But, I am no wine expert. Give me “Two Buck Chuck” or the Oak Leaf Brand from Wal Mart for $2.59 a bottle and we are in good shape.

We attended the art auction mainly to get free Champagne and won two more prints of famous paintings – one of sun flowers which we’ll send to our friends in Germany as Gerda loves sunflowers. The other is a beach scene of children playing in the sand – available to anyone who wants it and is willing to pay the postage. We have NO wall space left and have won more than 20 paintings on the many ships we’ve traveled on. (The old trick of bending the entry cards works every time – I only had three entries and two of them were drawn).

Off to trivia in a few minutes, then dinner and the Christmas show by the entire cast – hope the crewmembers sing carols like they’ve done in the past. So far Christmas songs have been few and far between except for the past two evenings in the main show lounge.

I’ve been wearing my Santa hat and a red shirt with all the friends of Charley Brown and Snoopy and snowmen, plus Carol has her fancy Christmas vest over a nice jean shirt with snowmen and Santa on the front. A lot of people brought decorations for the door to their cabin and it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas on the Amazon, if you can believe it! Happy Holidays!

Karl & Carol

Good evening, friends and family,

This will be short, as it is late and we are tired. Didn’t do much today, even though we were in Santare’m for the second time. We definitely didn’t want to go into town again. The day was beautiful though, hot, but with a nice breeze all day long. We are nearing the mouth of the Amazon and will leave Brazil behind tomorrow morning about noon.

We just bummed around the ship, talking with friends and walking to try to eliminate some of the extra weight. Don’t know if we did any good, but we tried.

This morning we got another call to report to the Pursers’ office about Carol’s visa. I got another slap on the wrist for cutting the visa out of the old passport and she suggested I might want to take it out of the new one before we entered the USA. I had planned to do that anyway. She said we avoided a fine or being offloaded. I learned a lesson.

We watched “It’s a wonderful life” for about the 50th time in the lounge, and it was fun. We still laughed and cried when we should. It’s hard to believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve.

Peter, the cruise director, stopped by as I was getting lunch to tell me my lecture would be Christmas Day in the Royal Lounge atop the ship on the 10th deck.

For some reason, this all sounds like I’ve typed it before. I didn’t see it on my blog, but I’ll check once more before I post it, just in case.

We dressed fancy tonight in case we could get into Sabatini’s but we couldn’t, but did get reservations for the 29th, which will work out well. We ate dinner in the dining room with our tablemates, who are working out well this time. Very little travel talk and lots of laughs.

After a half hour with Brad Steven’s music, we attended “Jeopardize” – a take-off on Jeopardy, and lost again, as usual, but had a lot of fun with the people we joined; and that’s what it is all about – having fun.

Got a lot of nice compliments on giving the kids all those toys. Several people took pictures of the event and will send them to us later, we hope.

So, that’s it for tonight. Happy Christmas Eve tomorrow. Hope Santa is good to all of you – did I mention my novels make GREAT Christmas presents??

Until tomorrow,

Via con Dias,

Karl & Carol