Galle, Sri Lanka - April 23

Last night the sea was rumblin’ stumblin’ and bumblin’! It wasn’t a surprise as the captain told us we would be looking at 2 meter swells as the night approached. I have to say I was a bit excited at the prospect of high seas (as high as 2 meters are.) I don’t know how high they ended up being, but things were pretty rocky all night long. This didn’t stop me from logging a full 11 hours of sleep! We were scheduled to anchor and to get to shore via to tender today at about 10 with our a excursion scheduled for noon. Just before 10 as I was in the shower the captain announced that the sea swells were just too rough to send the tenders in to port and therefore our call at Galle was cancelled. This of course was a disappointment, but not a huge one - Galle, Sri Lanka wasn’t even on this itinerary originally. We were supposed to be going on a river safari today which would be a change of pace for us, but instead we were forced to open a bottle of Champagne and hunker down.

The sea seemed roughish until we actually saw a tug boat and then a fishing boat trying to manoeuvre through the swells; it was then that we knew the captain knew what he was talking about. Not that we questioned him, but there is no way getting to shore in the little tender boats would have been pleasant at all. Life on the balcony with a glass of Champagne and a book was heavenly. The wind and light rain along with the swells made it delightful. The cool air coupled with the crashing waves against the ship certainly made for a different balcony experience. For what I think is the first time since arriving in Asia, I was cool outdoors!

The afternoon was filled with Malibu and pineapple juice, Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, naps and trying to get an internet signal.