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| Our photo of the Blood Moon on July 27, 2018, was taken from our garden in Marloth Park, South Africa. |
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| That night, there was a total eclipse of the moon. |
We recalled meeting this couple and were excited to post their message, leaving out their names and location for their privacy, as always.
Each day, we receive messages similar to this from couples we’ve met on cruises or our site, which may be newer or long-term readers. Each message means so much to us when I know, as a lurker myself, writing to other bloggers isn’t necessarily on the top of my priority list when I already spend so much time writing and responding to our valued readers.
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| It was exciting to watch the progression of the eclipse of the moon. |
The rare appearance of the ‘blood moon” and a total eclipse of the moon are clearly (weather providing) visible in South Africa.
Here is the message:
“Hi, Jess & Tom,
Your 126th day of lockdown, whew!
We enjoyed our visits with y’all on Celebrity ‘around the horn’ South America cruise. That cruise, beginning in Fort Lauderdale and through the Panama Canal, was excellent.
Is the India hotel providing any financial incentive/discount considering you were mandatorily imprisoned?
Since March 2020, we have had to terminate/transfer five cruises scheduled in 2020. Have one cruise out of Galveston first week of Oct 2020 still on the books that will probably be canceled….we are waiting for word from Royal Caribbean.
COVID certainly presents us with a strange new world to live in. At least we get out of the house for grocery shopping and essentials compared to your lockdown. This sheltering-in-place is terrible……hoping for a vaccine soon.
Regards,”
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| Almost complete. |
This couple is from the South in the USA when even their adorable writing reflects commonly used terms and expressions spoken by Southerners.
Friendly and lighthearted messages such as this mean the world to us, especially now in this long period of lockdown in Mumbai, India.
They posed an interesting question we’ve yet to address in prior posts, “Is the India hotel providing any financial incentive/discount considering you were mandatorily imprisoned?”
As members of Marriott’s Bonvoy Club, we receive a 30% discount on our meals, saving us a considerable sum over these many months. If we booked our room directly through them each month, we’d receive additional credits toward future rooms.
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| It was a beautiful clear night. |
However, booking through Hotels.com on our site has proven to be more cost-effective when for every ten nights we pay, we receive a credit for one free night at a comparable amount.
When comparing the prices directly through Marriott’s site and Hotels.com, we’re ahead of the game in room rates and savings. However, we still receive the food discount of 30%.
At this point, we’ve accumulated 15 free nights, which we’ll use in September, in the event we’re allowed to fly away by the end of that month. Our nightly rates are approximately INR 7252, US $97 plus considerable taxes, plus the cost of our dinners each evening. Breakfast is included.
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| We were grateful for the experience. |
The only other costs we incur while here are miscellaneous supplies we may order from Amazon India, such as toiletries, my three prescriptions requiring refills from local pharmacies, and cash tips.
Fortunately, we’ve had enough rupees on hand to pay for tips when we’d stopped at an ATM between our last hotel stay and this hotel stay. We have enough cash to last for several more months. With the virus on the rise here, it wouldn’t be wise to go to an ATM at this point.
Thanks again to our thoughtful “cruise friends” for taking the time to say hello and for all of our readers who continue to stay with us during this mundane and uneventful period.
Stay healthy!
Photo from one year ago today, July 28, 2019:
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| Late-blooming Bird of Paradise, aptly named. For more photos from one year ago today, please click here. |