Day 61 – Sail the Timor Sea

For the next two days, we will be sailing the Timor Sea on our way to Komodo National Park in Indonesia. The Timor Sea is a relatively shallow sea in the Indian Ocean, and it is a nursery for cyclones and tsunamis. Luckily, despite our cloudy day with showers, no extreme weather is in the forecast for us.

While Tim was up early and attended two lectures this morning, I was lazy and just made it to breakfast in time to wolf down a sesame seed bagel from the special NY Bagel Station in the World Café.

The special events continued at lunch with a Cupcake Station. I feasted on the many offerings with my eyes until I finally selected a carrot cake cupcake with a yummy cream cheese frosting.

Cupcake Station

In the afternoon, I branched out in my choice of lecture topics to one focused on nature. Guest Lecturer George Sranko introduced us to “Alfred Russell Wallace: Brilliant Naturalist.” Wallace was a contemporary of Charles Darwin, and these two men exchanged knowledge and stimulated each other’s ideas and theories. Wallace documented much of the natural history of the Pacific Islands that we will be visiting. It was here that he first developed his theories of species distribution and pioneered the field of biogeography.

Alfred Russell Wallace - Changed the Way We See the World

For a change, Tim and I had dinner at Manfredi’s Italian Restaurant, and it made me wonder why we don’t go there more often. We both started with Insalata Caprese, one of my favorites. For a second course, I had a small portion of the pasta of the day, Blackened Linguine with Shrimp and Calamari in a Garlic Tomato Sauce. This was one of the best pasta dishes I’ve tasted, and I could have made it my main course. For my main course, I had the fish of the day, a Grilled Red Bream with Asparagus, Edamame, and Mussels in a Butter Sauce, which I also enjoyed. Tim had the Parmigiana di Pollo.

My Dinner at Manfredi's

It was a lovely dinner, and I enjoyed being waited on for a change! I just wish the portions, even the small portions, were even smaller. We both love the World Café, but a sit-down dinner is a nice treat.