Soaking up the sun

Another beautiful day at sea. It's sunny and in the mid-80s. A huge difference from only a few days ago. I slept in this morning and then snagged a spot by the pool. I was a good girl and slathered 50 spf sunscreen all over, but of course, I am still a little red. It was just nice to relax in the warmth of the sun. Much better than those sea days last week where it was cold, windy and cloudy. I just got back from the final round of BINGO where the jackpot was $11,000. Sadly, but not surprisingly, I did not win the jackpot. Three of us even went in together and agreed that if one of us won we'd share it. Yeah, that didn't happen either. Oh well. I'm sure that if Eric or Michael had been there, they would have won it.

My reflexology appt last night was great b/c it was actually reflexology. Plus, after the long day, it was nice to relax. Last night, instead of the dining room, we had dinner upstairs at the buffet. Nice thing about it is we were done early and also got to watch the sunset. Afterwards, we gathered in one of the clubs and watched (and sang along with) one of the performers on the ship. This guy, David Mendelsohn, is a solo guitarist who has a ton of songs to choose from and then sing along with him. Our organizers managed to get him into this club area instead of in the cafe which is around the atrium. We hung out there and got him to play until 12:30 or so. It was a lot of fun. I could probably just hang out and watch him every night. He sings everything from American Pie to REM to Led Zeppelin to the Dead. Tonight we are trying to get him to come watch us at karaoke.

It's been pretty windy today, but not as rocky as it was on the Pacific the first few days. However, due to the winds and the forecast tomorrow in Punta del Este, the captain made an announcement a little while ago that we won't be going there b/c it would be too dangerous to tender ashore. Instead, he is taking us directly to Montevideo where we will spend 2 days. Punta del Este is a beach town, also known as the riviera of South America, so I'm ok w/ not going there. Now I'll have a chance to see more of Montevideo since my original plan was to spend the day doing the Jewish highlights tour. They are sending folks out to PdE (an hour or 2 away by car), but not sure if our group might try to rework it that way. We'll soon find out. I had originally planned to visit the art museum and Casapueblo and am fine with missing out on them altogether if need be. I've heard that you can get some great shoes in Uruaguay, so I might have to check that out. Also, it's even cheaper there than Buenos Aires, so I might find better deals.

I also found out today what I'll be doing for the post cruise. Up until today, I just knew I'd be in Buenos Aires on Sunday and then Iguazu on Monday and Tuesday. Now we have our itinerary and I'm getting excited. We have city highlights tour on Sunday in Buenos Aires and then some free time to walk around and shop. I have some recommendations for leather shops where I can go and get a jacket custom tailored. We then will do dinner on our own and then a tango show. Monday, we'll board a plane to Iguazu and once we check into our hotel, immediately turn around and head out for a tour of the Argentine side of the falls. The next day, we'll do a jungle tour in a jeep and then an inflatable boat ride up to the falls. It's supposed to be really exciting, but also very wet. Good thing I brought 2 waterproof cameras. We've been told that at dusk and dawn, right outside our hotel, toucans (think Fruit Loops) can be seen in the trees. On the jeep ride, we'll see various fauna and wildlife and possibly jaguars. That afternoon, some of us will be heading over to the Brazilian side for a different view of the falls. There are 15 folks going on the trip and of that, only 6 of us are heading over to the Brazilian side of the falls. On Weds. we get back to Buenos Aires around 2, so we'll have time again to walk around before we are taken to the airport.

Although we just had one, tonight is our last formal night. They are also having the grand midnight buffet tonight. Normally, the ships I've been on have always done a midnight buffet, but this one has "gourmet bites" at midnight (which I don't think I'd eat, even if I was hungry then). They are opening the buffet up early so folks can take pictures of it. Seriously people, are you that desperate for pictures? I know I'm not. I think the penguins, sea lion, elephant seals, mountains, lakes, falls and people are quite sufficient for me, thanks!