May 14 - At Sea somewhere in the Gulf of Aden

Here we are on another hot, sunny day moving along at 17 knots through the Gulf of Aden. We have been blessed with very calm seas; in fact, we would enjoy just a little motion but many people don’t so it’s  better for them.  On our starboard side we are roughly off the border between Oman and Yemen.  On the port side we are approaching the Horn of Africa and the lovely country of Somalia.  When I look out from our veranda I see not a single ship nor speck of land.  I know there are other ships nearby because on the Marine Traffic website I can see them.

Yesterday evening at 6 PM we had a Block Party.  People step out into the corridor and meet their neighbors.  Staff members come around with champagne and canapés and the Captain and some of his officers pass through the corridors greeting everyone.  It’s perhaps a little cheesy but you do get to meet your next-door neighbor. 

Today we don’t have lot planned.  At noon it’s time for trivia.  This afternoon we’re going to a lecture about Iran.  Seabourn does a nice job having lecturers on relevant subjects.  This afternoon’s speaker is a specialist in Middle Eastern affairs, especially religion.  When we did this cruise in the reverse several years ago one of the speakers was Tony Mendes.  If any of you saw the movie Argo, he was the man who formulated the plan and brought the 6 US diplomats out of Tehran when the embassy was overrun.

There’s not a lot to report about on lazy sea days, so I thought I’d mention a little more about Omani culture.  The average Omani family has five children.  Compare that to western societies which for the most part have less than two.  The  status of foreign workers is very poor.  Essentially they have no rights and are paid subsistence level salaries at best.  Oman was one of the last countries to abolish slavery in 1970.  Despite abolishing it there are still some 25,000 slaves in the country.  If an Omani wants to marry a foreigner, he must get permission from the government.  If he doesn’t he can be thrown in jail.  In other words, many of the things we take for granted are unheard of in countries like Oman and other places in this part of the world.

We had lunch with some of our trivia teammates today, a lovely couple from New Zealand. Ken told us that  he has seen several young, very fit men dressed in the same black jeans and shirts about on the open decks so we have in all probability picked up some extra security people  for our transit through these waters. They aren’t obvious but it’s nice knowing they are around.

That’s about all for today.  Tomorrow I’ll try to wander around taking some photos of the ship.  It’s quite an elegant vessel; I think I like the décor better than the smaller ones we’ve been on before.