We set off at last on the Ryndam for sunny Mexican ports 洪恩在线 -> 轻松英语 -> 外教专栏
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We set off at last on the Ryndam for sunny Mexican ports
来源：洪恩论坛 Canuck's Comments
日期：2005-12-9
作者：maryk
阅读：1075 次
At last it was November 17th 2005, a Thursday. All packing and planning were done. Yesterday we left our little Volkswagen Rabbit at the Kelowna Airport and after a thorough security check were allowed to enter the boarding lounge and then a little Dash-8 propeller plane for Vancouver. We went through security again
in Vancouver to transfer to a much larger Air Alaska jet to the city of San Diego, USA.
Ben made internet reservations for our overnight stay in a hotel we had chosen for the purpose the last time. Next morning we left about noon by cab for the dock. Many cabbies are from the Middle East. Ours was a Sikh. I always talk with
the cabbies to find out something about them and their lives and how they like
where they are. This man felt that San Diego is the best city in the USA.
I like it a lot myself. Especially wonderful Balboa Park which is right next to
the famous San Diego Zoo. But Ben and I like the park best. It's filled with
all kinds of interesting architecture that was once part of a world exposition held there. The buildings are now filled with museums, galleries, restaurants and all kinds of interesting things. The gardens are sweeping and wonderful and there is interesting sculpture.
We arrived at the dock area which is well guarded and extremely efficiently organized. What a lot of controlled hulabaloo there was there! There were two ships
awaiting passengers so it was busy. Ours was there, looking like a ship, and a
Carnival Line cruise ship that held many more people was also loading, and looked more like a floating wedding cake.
In a huge white tent maintained by Holland America Line people in red jacket uniforms there was lining up, more checking of passports, tickets and being photographed for passes needed to return to the ship from ports of call; and then we boarded at 1 pm.
It's a delightful free and heady feeling as you walk up the open gangplank and enter upon your adventure on the beautiful and elegant ship. Photographers are there taking your picture as you board, in the hope that you'll check for it later among the thousands displayed on many standing racks in a special area for the
purpose. Photographers take pictures of tablemates, at special events, and they also take photos of activities aboard to make a video of the cruise. You go to that area to view, and if you like what you see, to buy a memory.
There was security again at the top of the gangplank before entering. Then you
tread the red carpet and are greeted by officers in white uniforms, and various
levels of crew in their varying uniforms. We were hungry and had been advised
that our stateroom wasn't ready yet, but would be by 3. We decided in advance that we would to go to lunch in the Lido Restaurant, and of course, take a table
overlooking the water, the pier and the city. It is a wonderful feeling to finally be aboard and able to do whatever you want to do -- and what we wanted was to choose from the delights on display in the long buffet.
There are servers all along on the opposite side who fill your plate with whatever you wish from the many foods on offer. Iced tea and coffee or herbal teas or
water were available, and so were desserts. Yum Yum. I decided then and there
not to eat much bread or butter so that I could have dessert! They have sugar-
free desserts, too. I often chose those. If you want you can even have your flavour of choice in an ice-cream cone. The cones, of course are those delicious
crisp ones that have been bent to form a cone shape.
Whenever you enter the ship, or any eating place on the ship you must use a dispenser that dispenses a solution into your hands that is said to kill 99% of common illness causing organisms. Health of passengers and crew is a high priority
on Holland America Line ships.
By three our stateroom was ready and our bags awaited us there. We met our room
steward, who wished to be called T. He was a pleasant young Indonesian, unpacked and soon it was time for the ship's safety drill. This involves loud announcements throughout the ship to make clear that all would be expected at their safety stations when the ship's whistle blew its distress signal at about 4 pm
The emergency whistle sounded and we dutifully and correctly donned warm clothing and the life jackets found in our closets exactly as instructed, and went to muster station 9, our place to be. Overhead was the 100 passenger covered boat that would take us away from the ship if an emergency occurred during the trip.
It is stocked with rations and other necessities.
"Women in children in front. Men behind." Ben and I were separated. Stateroom
numbers were on each life jacket, and as names and numbers were called people acknowledged with an "here!" and their attendance was marked. Suddenly I heard a
sort of crash behind me and turned to see that an elderly man had collapsed on
the deck. He was out cold, and there was clear green stuff running from his mouth. Everyone who could see what had happened or was told about it was concerned
. A little boy beside me, about four years old, was standing stiffly, distressed. His mother tried to comfort him and I placed myself squarely in his line of
sight so he couldn't look at the old man and I too began to reassure him every
time the man showed some sign of recovery. Finally he was conscious, then managed to sit up, and reached to clean his glasses.
By then the green stuff had flowed clear across the deck and into the little ditch-like runway along the outside rail. Nurse and attendants ascertained that the man could be moved by wheelchair and he was taken to the ship's infirmary.
They have several nurses and two physicians aboard. The little boy and everyone
else was relieved, and enumeration and checking that life jackets had been put
on correctly began again. New people had moved into the space cleared for the old gentleman and hadn't even noticed the stuff on the deck. One young girl was
standing right in it with her little sandals so I advised her to be sure to wash
them as soon as she could. Next morning all decks had been thoroughly swabbed
and the teak gleamed weather grey and clean as a whistle again. I heard that the man had been taken to a hospital ashore. A crew member also had been taken ashore with some heart problem and later at another port rejoined the ship.
At last the muster roll was finished and we were released to return to our staterooms to remove life-jackets. We were to wear them until we got there because otherwise we, or someone might trip on their long, dangling traces. The jackets
are orangey red and stiff and bulky, so it was had not to bump into people in the long, narrow ship's corridors. Each life jacket has a whistle and a light and
is shaped to turn you over and hold your head out of the water.
Part Two will be posted
