WEDNESDAY, FEB 17TH, AT SEA

We are enjoying another smooth day of sailing in the Tumor Sea which is located between Australia and Indonesia. Today is mostly sunny and 85F with the ever present high humidity. Tomorrow we will be making a stop at Komodo Island, Indonesia. This morning I tried calling my mother to wish her a happy birthday but they were not home so left a birthday message. We then went to a lecture by Sandra Bowern entitled, “The History and Culture of Indonesia”. It was VERY good and will help us understand the four ports we will be visiting in Indonesia. Then at 11am we attended a “Celebrity Lecture” presented by Wink Martindale and his wife Sandy. Wink has hosted over 20 tv game shows and has another premiering on The Game Show Network on March 4th. He discussed his career that started in radio and continues now in the tv world. His wife Sandy told about her life both before and after meeting Wink. Most interesting was her story of dating Elvis Presley for 6 years. Wink and Sandy knew Elvis very well and gave us a lot of insight into his life. Sandy was also best friends with Brenda Lee and the agent for Barbara Mandrell, Dolly Parton, and other country singers. Rebecca and I are very fortunate to be having dinner tonight with the Martindale’s and the LA couple they are traveling with. This afternoon I am going to enter a Bocce, Italian bowling, tournament at 2pm and a shuffle golf tournament at 3pm. Ship’s internet is down now and I was beat in first round of Bocce. Ok, since I cannot post this as internet is down, let me tell you a few facts about Indonesia. Indonesia is comprised of over 13,000 islands and is the 4th most populous country in the world. 90% of Indonesians are of the Muslim religion, however the island of Bali is 95% Hindu. As I said tomorrow we will be on Komodo Island mainly to visit the Komodo National Park and see the rare dinosaur-like reptile called the Komodo Dragon. This giant reptile often measures up to 11 feet long and weighs over 300 pounds which makes them the largest lizards on Earth. They can be very dangerous so we will be guided by an park ranger. Since they live in the wild, sightings are not guaranteed. Hopefully we will, so I can get some pictures.