I’m watching my step more carefully now

Day 7, Grand Asia 2017

Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017 – At Sea

 

And just like that, my friend Joyce missed the last step on the staircase today and ended up with two sprained ankles and in a wheelchair. It can happen to anyone, as I found last week when I slipped and hurt my knee the day before I left for this cruise.

I met Joyce when we were both on a 45-day cruise in 2011. We haven’t seen each other since, although we stay in touch on Facebook. When she heard I had booked this cruise, she decided to do the same. Knowing someone else going made it a lot easier to travel alone.

Fortunately for Joyce, there is a medical office on board with a doctor, nurses and even an x-ray machine. They determined she hadn’t broken anything, wrapped her ankles in Ace bandages and instructed her to come back in two days, staying off her feet in the meantime. Holland America provided her with a wheelchair. I’ll help provide the pushing.

I’ve made a couple of visits to the medical office over the years, but never for something serious. My mother got a bad cold on a 45-cruise to the Mediterranean. She was glad to stay in bed for a couple of days. On the same cruise I got an antibiotic for a urinary track infection. The year before, Mom needed to have a couple of small stitches removed, but we handled that in the cabin with a manicure set. No need to pay $60 for an office visit, we thought. But it’s nice to know there is help when you need it. And if you have travel insurance, you can eventually get reimbursed for your expenses.

Speaking of travel insurance, it’s something I always buy now. I never did when I first started cruising. I could generally afford to lose the money if I had to cancel. But I eventually started buying it for one reason: medical evacuation. Twice I’ve seen passengers evacuated by helicopter while we were at sea. And with as many foreign ports as I visit on cruises now, I want to know I can get the best care and get home without emptying my retirement fund. It’s worth shopping around for a policy. A good travel agent or a couple of hours on the internet can help. And if you have a pre-existing medical condition, you generally want to buy the insurance when you first book the trip so it will be covered.

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About Day 7: Today was the day we were supposed to dock in Dutch Harbor. Instead, we had a typical sea day. By the end of the day, the swells had lessened and our voyage was much smoother. I went for a healthy breakfast of oatmeal and yogurt, followed by my morning watercolor class. America’s Test Kitchen focused on cooking with chilies. I got my laundry back, with my underwear neatly folded and wrapped in tissue paper!

We’ve lost all signals from all the cable news and sports channels, so TV is limited to four movies on repeat. I don’t watch it a lot, but it is nice to have something on while getting ready for dinner. The ship has more than 1,000 DVDs, so I picked up a couple (Lost in Translation and Deadpool). Then I discovered my DVD player doesn’t work. By bedtime it hadn’t been fixed, so when I wake up at 3:30 in the morning, I’ll have to find something else to do.

When you are this far north in the Pacific Ocean, the time zones change about every night. It sounds good to get another hour of sleep, but I seem to just keep waking up another hour earlier. We won’t even have a Monday, as we will “lose” it when we cross the International Date Line. When we’re in Japan, I’ll be 14 hours ahead instead of several hours behind Central Daylight Time. We’ll gain the “lost” day on the return in December.

Signs went up today alerting us that we are sailing on the edge of the satellite internet signal and reception will be spotty until we get to Japan on Friday, Oct. 13. So don’t be surprised if I post a blog or two late.