Shipboard life is finally settled enough that I could work in an early morning (7:00) walk. The prominod around deck 2 is exactly 1/4 mile so 12 quick laps and I was ready for Breakfast. Cheryl decided that walking later was much preferable so as I was leaving room service showed up with ‘first breakfast’ for her.

Walk completed we headed up to Mamsen’s for breakfast. Mamsen was the family name for the matriarch of the Hagen family. They feature dishes taken from her favorite recipes including amazing waffles, tasty pastries, insidious cakes and (in the evening) her famous split pea soup.

We boarded a (thankfully) small van and were shuttled across the island (to the running commentary of the driver).

We arrived (in one piece) at the site of an old sugar plantation (once owned by one of Thomas Jefferson’s ancestors) that has remade itself into a batik studio that caters to the island’s new cash crop (us).

After a welcome by the owner and short history lesson we met the production manager who gave us an introduction to this art form.

We then moved to the next room where we had the chance to prepare our own piece.

Note Cheryl’s tank top. Following the dying exercise we were given the opportunity to visit the gift shop.

Returning to the ship we grabbed a bit of lunch and retreated to our stateroom where we read (Cheryl) and battled the WiFi trying to upload videos (Randy).

Later we attended a lecture on the history of pirates and piracy. Lectures are held in the theatre, which is in very close proximity to the theatre bar, which is a good thing since they are generally scheduled at Gin o’clock (Randy) and Rum o’clock (Cheryl). This afternoon we found ourselves sitting next to and chatting with a nice couple from Norman.

After the lecture it was time for dinner (where we ended up sitting next to and chatting with the couple in the next cabin. They’re from Colorado Springs. Nice couple. He’s a retired anesthesiologist. More on her later), then back to the cabin to post, read, sleep and prepare for…