Books on Boats

 The stretch of 6 days at sea reduces the options for keeping yourself busy. You can always eat, but this is probably not a good idea. You can always spot those who invested in a drinks package as they spend a lot of time at the bar. I can drink a beer now and then and maybe a gin and tonic, but I have not conditioned myself to take advantage of the drinks package.

I have been reading a lot or exploring on my iPad. This means I have reverted back to my regular routine without the walks. I suppose I could walk too, but the weather has not been great. The longest track around a deck is a quarter mile so it would be pretty much like walking on a track. 

The sea days probably came at a good time because I have a respiratory issue of some type that results in a lot of coughing and fatigue. You can tell people are skittish around coughers so I have used a mask some and mostly stayed in our cabin. I and other family members seem to have encountered this illness in the last couple of years and if what I have is the same thing it can go on for weeks. I took a COVID test and then visited the ship’s clinic today. Another COVID test (all negative) and pretty much the diagnosis I keep getting. Evidently a virus that you just have to ignore if you can. The doc did give me a couple of things to treat the symptoms.

Anyway, you see lots of people reading, working Sudoku, and playing cards. I do read and I have been working on Mitchner’s Alaska. I started with Mitchner’s Hawaii when I was there and then downloaded Alaska for this trip. Mitchner’s book are very long. The audio version is 59 hours. I have 41 hours left and we have left Alaska so my motivation is slipping. I got to the point that the Russians were in charge so there was not anything about current issues. 

Viking claims a focus on education and they stock books for each trip using the advice of a book seller they work with. I don’t read paper, but I have glanced at the offerings and it is impressive. The collection changes depending on the destination and cultures explored on each trip. Pretty cool.