3-10 Day 64 At Sea

Another good day – anticipating our arrival in India tomorrow!  Had my last bridge class for a few days.  Hope I don’t forget everything.

The same Indian man who spoke yesterday about the Hindu deities spoke again this morning about the caste system in both past and contemporary India.  It was most interesting.  While it has gotten better for the lower castes, they still have a ways to go.  It is more of a political system now than just a social one.  Also, the main area it still shows up strongly  for is for marriages.  It’s changing with the younger generation, but it is still an issue for the older generation.

The ship is getting us ready for India – had an Indian curry buffet lunch today that was very good – a bit spicy, but good.  They are whetting our appetite for some good Indian dishes in Mumbai. 

Set our clocks ahead just 30 min. today – kinda weird.  So, we are almost one half day ahead of eastern time in the USA (Doug just said it is 10 1/2 hours difference. 

I went to the passenger talent show for a while (we have some pretty talented passengers!) and then Doug and I went to the 4 p.m. movie to see Up in the Air with George Clooney.  We’ve seen more movies on the ship than we have at home recently! 

Had dinner on our own since we missed our early dining slot – which was just fine with us.  Met with another couple, so enjoyed their company for a while before the evening’s entertainment. 

Robin Hill, from London, was our guest classical guitarist.  Doug thought he might be our best musical performer so far.  He was very talented and played some difficult pieces. 

Two asides:  one of our dinner mates (whom we like a lot) won the Academy Award contest hosted by the ship.  She correctly chose 12 winners out of the 16 categories.  She sees lots  of movies, and has been our “movie guide” at dinner – helps us decide if we want to see the movie or the ship’s live entertainment!  She won lots of good prizes!!!

2nd aside:  After the movie, Doug and I walked out on deck for a while.  I saw my first flying fish.  They are so small and close to the water – I thought at first they were little tiny birds. 

Well, we are going to bed early so we are ready to hit Mumbai tomorrow.  We have been told there is heightened security alert for our ports in India, and we should do our best not to look like we are from a tourist ship.