Sabang, Indonesia, Thursday, February 23 – After another wonderful day at sea, we have arrived on the most northwestern tip of Indonesia, an island called Sabang. We were greeted at 7 am at the pier by school children dressed in traditional Indonesian costumes, music, and dancing. The local dignitaries officially greeted the ship and our officers with flower leis and speeches. They really are trying to build this as a tourist destination which features its beaches and forests. We were really celebrities in this community. We walked through the small town to get a feel for the daily life of these people. Lots of motor bikes. A large covered central market for selling the fruits, peppers, vegetables, chickens and other food items. The tsunami of 2004 really created damage loss of life here and at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. There is still evidence in the harbors and towns of reconstruction of damaged properties which appears to proceed slowly. We are very near the epicenter of that earthquake. We are hoping that it does not strike twice in the same area. Following our self guided tour, we returned to the ship for our routine of lunch and an afternoon of reading and maintaining the blog. Tonight, as we depart, we will have cocktails, an elegant dinner either in the main dining room or up on deck, followed by entertainment if we can stay awake long enough. Tough life on board the Seabourn Pride. Tomorrow a relaxing day at sea. Margie warns me that there will be no "sea days" in Seattle. .
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