Once again, we had an "At Sea" day while Viking Venus rounded the southernmost point of Indochina, Cape Ca Mau (just north of the Hon Khoai islands), and we entered the Gulf of Thailand. With no in-port activities possible, I took full advantage of the amenities onboard, with a good blend of exercising, relaxing, stimulating my brain and napping. My day began at 0630 with my regular reading, puzzles and Duolingo. At 0715, I went to breakfast (baguette sandwich, hard boiled egg, fruit, cereal) at the World Cafe - at 0800, Returning to my room (0800), I changed for a workout in the Fitness Center and then spent 20 minutes biking (7.25 miles). After another short break in my room, I went to the Nordic Spa (0900) and used the last jacuzzi tub I hadn’t tried - I also relaxed in the bubble pool again. Afterwards, I went walking on Deck 2 in an attempt to work on the rest of my 10K steps. It was windy outsides but I saw some ships passing. After completing three miles on foot, I went back to my stateroom and rested (reading, etc.) until 1145. At that point, I got dressed up and went to one of the Solo Traveler Lunches at The Restaurant. The menu included Ceasar salad, grilled salmon, chocolate “mousse” - all good. There were about 20 of us so it required two tables - this meant we didn't meet everyone. One really awesome thing about this meal was that we were joined by Hari and Georgia (performers from the Abba Tribute performance I'd attended earlier in the trip. There were other folks there that I knew (e.g., Pat the Vietnam Vet, Geraldine, Glenda) but I met new people (one of them looked like Mark Twain). While we were eating, Damian (Viking Venus Cruise Director) came by to say hello. We thanked him, since he was the force behind the meal in the first place (he had told me he liked encouraging single travelers to meet up since he was also one of us). As the ship approached the coast, I saw islands (I think they were the Hon Khoai). The meal lasted nearly two hours and continued for everyone else after I excused myself and returned to my room. At first, I thought I'd just read and work on my blog. Before long, though, I fell asleep in my comfy bed, accompanied by the Viking Venus rocking in the ocean swells (1430). When I awoke, a few hours later, I spent time cleaning up and watching movies. There was also time to prep for our upcoming Cambodia tours. At 1800, I got dressed up again and tried to see if I could squeeze into Manfredi’s or The Chef’s Table without a reservation. Sadly, I didn't have any luck. Wanting to wear more relaxing clothing, I returned to my room to change and then ate dinner (pizza, pasta, salad, cheese & crackers) at the World Cafe. At 1900, I went to Deck 2 and played some Mahjong (on a digital table) and worked on a puzzle (with other passengers) while listening to the violin-piano duet. I spent an hour there and felt like I'd really woken up my brain cells. Back in my room again, I watched the Port Talk for Sihanoukville. Strangely, I heard no mention of my excursion to Phnom Penh (only the overnight option, which I was not doing). Before bed, I watched Damian’s Musical Performance from the comfort of my bed (2100) - he was good but it wasn't my scene and I didn't want to be among a large crowd of people anyway... When that was finished, I watch a few movies on YouTube, which I'd just learned was not blocked by the ship. Bedtime was at 2330 - I was pleased to have had such a relaxing day Tomorrow: Cambodia!
