After closing up my story in Chapter 4, it came sharply to my mind that there were some missing events or experiences which were quite interesting and should be added to the story for friends and family to share.
10 Years older
Mishaps do happen sometime. On one of the evenings at the end of Supper, Annette asked to be excused and went off to the Ladies Room. Kim and I waited at our table, chatting and sipping whatever was remaining in our cups. Quite a long while passed, but there was no sign of Annette returning. We began to worry. Kim went twice to check at the Ladies Room . Annette wasn’t there ! O where ??? whee can she be.? ! Our anxiety rising ! I said she might be in our stateroom looking for something. Kim went running and came back panting to say Annette wasn’t there ! Now the waiters joined in the search ! And at the height of our panic, Annette suddenly reappeared, very much like stepping out from a magic box of the Magician ! I asked, in tears, what happened ??? Realizing the panic she put us into, she sighed, Aye aye aye !!! … Aye aye aye !!! Kim was unable to utter a single word ! Propping his head with his arms on the table with eyes closed .., finally picking up his breaths again, he shook his head and said, he was 10 years older !!!
Countless years Younger
Nothing heals and rejuvenates our Body and Spirit faster and more completely than taking a trip on a cruise boat. Coming back from my cruise to Alaska, I did feel like a snake shedding off its old skin and living a new Life in a new body ! My health ! my strength ! … they came back to me quicker than riding on a Bullet Train ! I felt years and years younger – I was so happy I I soared like a Skylark !
New Friends
We made many new friends onboard. First to come on the stage was our stateroom Butler. He looked after all our foods and comfort onboard. He was a very polite and intelligent person. Besides being attentive to our needs in great details, he wanted us to feel that his services to us are first class. He indeed spoiled us ! He brought to us, the first night we came aboard, a bottle of Champagne chilled in ice in a small tub, with compliments from our Ship, Celebrity infinity. From that night on, we used to joke with him when he asked what we like to drink, I always said, “Champagne” , and we all laughed !
Next came the team of waiters at our elegant Dining Parlor. These waiters were very formally dressed in their black suits with white shirts and smart neckties to match. This formal dressing is meant to show their respect and to give importance to their honored guests who were in their smart casuals (which is in the Ship’s terminology, a nice clean smart shirt and pants, with or without neck-ties.), This informal dressing is meant to give maximum ease and comfort to the guests.. To further enhance this friendly and cozy atmosphere, these waiters were witty and capable of cracking jokes and talking with humors. They would come up to call me papa or young man ! This made all the people around laugh !
This simple sincere warm heart moving friendship binds itself together like a Snow Ball ! growing in size every minute ! rolling out from our dining parlor to the whole ship, soaking all crew and passengers in a huge snowball of friendship joy and cheer ! Henceforth we would be meeting Smile after Smile on all the decks, praising the Lord for His Love of Infinity !!!
A touch of romance
In movies, TV and books we had watched and read so much about shipboard Romances ! And on-board celebrity Infinity, there must have been infinite novel-like romances drifting around like
leaves in Autumn ! gold red yellow and green ! thrilling and awesome !
Me too ! I happened to pick up a leaf which I called a touch of romance ! which really happened ! Not imagination !
There were Two Malaysian young ladies ! they dined most evenings at a dining table two rows across from ours. We (I mean the 2 ladies and I) we greeted each other with smiles ! and once or twice by raising our cups of drinks to wish our best of wishes of health and joy ! … and to me, this was a little Piece of Romance ! worthy of our Shakespeare’s writing a story on ! And if this was Not romantic enough ?! we still had our (Annette Kim and me, and the two ladies) dining together at one table on the last night’s Dinner. Kim was presiding at the end of the table with Annette and me sitting on his left side and the 2 Malaysian ladies siting on his right side, which means Annette and me, we were sitting face to face with the young ladies, who had, in the course of eating and chatting, proved themselves to be warm, friendly and sociable ! I was listening with interest and nodding a little to show my appreciation of their chats . The night was drifting away fast (too soon for us), we had to say farewell nevertheless. The 2 ladies came across the table to give me a big warm farewell hug (I thought they hug me out of their own wish, but Annette said I asked for it). Alast ! the little Magnetism left in me was Not enough to magnetize the ladies to come to me on their own ! Aye aye aye !!!!
Homeward bound through the Inside Passage
Leaving Ketchikan, our Ship sailed South, passing through the Inside Passage, toward Vancouver, our home port. This waterway holds a special fondness for us. First of all it is picturesque ! No photographic art can do justice to its snow capped mountains with their innumerable cute peaks like dancing fairies ! Dotting here and there in this stretch of water are numerous pretty little islands that we see also in Japan and in Hong Kong.
All these breathtaking sceneries and views we saw when our ship started off for Alaska, greeting us welcome, and again on our journey south to Vancouver bidding us Farewell and inviting us to come again !!!
An escapade (by the Taxi driver)
To end my Story with some more excitement, there was this false escapade by the Taxi driver !
It happened when, after our disembarkation from the Ship at the Canada Place Pier, Kim, Annette and me, we took a Taxi to go pick up Kim’s car at their home in North Van. On reaching home, the Taxi driver helped in unloading our luggage and then came forward to drive off with poor me still siting in his car ! I was quite unaware that the Taxi was leaving. It was only when Kim came running after the Taxi and calling the driver to stop that I realize I was alone with the Taxi driver, who gave Kim and Annette the FEAR that he was trying to kidnap me ! The driver stopped his car and explained that he was under the mistaken thought that he was taking me to my own home close by ! Kim and Annette took a deep breath, realizing that it was a false alarm !!!