At Sea

Dec. 17th , We walked Bay Street in Nassau... hasn't changed much, still kind of dirty but trying to selling jewelry,clothes and perfumes. The straw market is really a disaster! just mostly cheap "knock-offs". It is funny to see Christmas decorations in an island environment. So far just one Nativity Scene but plenty of Santa Clause. We see a lot of Rastafarians about the streets, so I wondered about their beliefs? This is what I discovered: Rastafarians are members of a Jamaican messianic movement dating back to the 1930s; in 1974 they were estimated to number 20,000 in Jamaica. According to Rastafarian belief the only true God is the late Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie (originally known as Ras Tafari), and Ethiopia is the true Zion. Rastafarians claim that white Christian preachers and missionaries have perverted the Scriptures to conceal the fact that Adam and Jesus were black.

We have chosen to relax onboard and enjoy the sunshine and cool breeze today. Check the photos as we have been joking about the Bahamian Navy ships(2) and there is a photo of one. A fellow passenger said the navy consists of 1 man and a phone with a direct line to USA and a recorded message "HELP"!!!

Here is more information on the Semester At Sea program: The University of Virginia is the Academic Sponsor but students come from all over to spend a semester travelling the world and earning a minimum of 9 credits. Spring semester 2009 is from January 19 to May 6 and goes around the world. Bahamas, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, India, Thailand, Viet nam, China, Japan, Hawaii, Costa Rica and finally Miami. The summer semeter is from June 16 to August 22 and covers one geographical area. In 2009 it is Spain, Italy, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Egypt, Morocco and ends in Charleston SC. For those of us who love learning there is a Lifelong Learning Program so we can study with the young people. We passengers at this time are just getting a sample of the semester

First Day at sea:The breeze has become a strong wind and the seas are very rough. We are not permitted outside on the bow because of the force of the wind. This is not very pleasant. We do remember when we passed this way, east of Cuba, on the way to the Panama Canal we also had rough seas, but not the wind. Classes today were: "Critters on Islands: Getting There is Only Half the Problem" Learning why certain creatures are on certain islands and how they adapt. "Environmental Issues of the Caribbean" The issues are almost exactly the same as our issues. "Dance of the Continents, with a Caribbean Rhumba" This one was Jack's. It was a overview of the plate tectonic theory and how it has influenced the developement of thCaribbean region. He told me from reading he was already aware of most of the facts. Silly me just went to a craft class and made a little "Bahama Mama" ornament. Critters plus the Environment were about all I could absorb this "rocky" morning. Don't get the worng idea, there are games, cards, yoga, socializing and the wellness center spa sure looks appealing for later maybe! There is plenty of exercise equiptment, which I am nonchalantly avoiding. LOL The computer center is never empty so I am glad we have our own and the free internet extends to our cabin which is where I am compiling this entry between sessions. I will finish and post it later.

We were told that the ship population ages from 2 years old to 94 years young. The 2 year old is one a family of 3 children but the parents brought the Nanny too so we hardly know they are about and the program includes activities for children.

The rocking has settled down this evening as we prepare for the Welcome Aboard party. We just remarked how nice it is to not have a photographer dogging our steps like on the "luxury cruises".

Long entry today but learning a lot.

Photos at http://community.webshots.com/user/pins4

MV Explorer

We have arrived on our new home for the next 3 weeks. The trip down was relatively smooth, just a glitch in Ft Lauderdale… our last leg of the flights was delayed 2 hours so we arrived later in Nassau and had to deal with a lot more people checking in, so that was long and slow. Finally lunch at 2:00 but it was worth waiting for, Yum!

Jack has made the rounds of the ship and already taken many photos. We have 3 of the hotel, LaQuinta, that we used in Atlanta. You can see photos, so far, on the website http://community.webshots.com/user/pins4

The ship is so much more than we expected. We were told not to expect a luxury ship but it sure is close to what we would call luxury. You will see in the photos. I'll keep adding photos to the webshots page as I get a chance. It is so nice sitting in the Faculty lounge with the large windows and working on the laptop. We also have free wireless internet from the desk in our room. Oh, our fellow senior citizen passengers are in the majority but we appear to be among the younger ones. What a nice feeling to be one of the kids!

D Day

Today is D-day, that’s departure day. We leave the house at 9:45 when Karen and Kelly take us to the “great” Myrtle Beach Airport so we can fly to Atlanta for overnight and catch our flight at 7:10 am Wednesday 12/17 to meet the ship in Nassau.

I have been asked about 3 times; “How many suitcases do you need for 3 weeks?” These folks do not know Jack the packing-king. We have 2 suitcases to check through and the computer case to carry on. Well, I also have a small tote for our travel documents and to stash my purse. Remember it is very warm at the Equator so we do not need bulky clothes; lots of shorts, light shirts and bathing suits with a few dress-up items.

We are spending the night on board the ship the 17th, as our hotel, so we have no stress trying to get to the ship before it sails. This will give us almost 2 full days in Nassau. Not really all that great as we have been there before and were not too thrilled with it. Perhaps time has made it nicer. We hope to spend the day just relaxing and learning the ship. Probably next time I log on we will be under way. The itinerary calls for Enrichment at Sea on 19th & 20th then next stop is St Barts on the 21st.