Popular Pete?

The title of this blog entry refers to a nickname my friend Tracy gave to me. She says that everywhere I go I see people I know. Not much chance of that on a cruise ship with fewer than 600 passengers literally on the other side of the world from where I live.

But it has been almost humorous…

1. When I walked from my taxi to check into the pier, the first crew member recognized me from one of my previous cruises on another cruise line. Some of you reading this were with me when I led a group on Oceania down the Dalmatian Coast and into Greece. The restaurant manager was a man name Paolo. He was the man greeting me on the Mumbai pier.

2. Paolo promptly told me that a man named Enzo was on board as well…he knew that Enzo and I had cruised together several times. Enzo always makes it a point to take good care of my groups when I am on Oceania or Regent Seven Seas. I saw him briefly and we planned to talk later in the cruise but I heard that he was called away to another ship today. He is a great credit to any cruise ship that has him on board. Was sorry not to get a photo with Enzo before he left. I did, however, manage to get a photo with Paolo.

3. On the first night of the cruise I was talking with the cruise director. Immediately we got on the subject of PAC-10 football. (What a surprise!) She mentioned that she went to the University of Arizona. I told her that my brother played baseball there. She asked, “Do you know who is on board as one of our guest lecturers?” I was pleased to find out that it was Jerry Kindall, my brother’s coach, a family friend and the coach at U of A for some 25 years. I’m pictured here with Jerry and his wife, Diane, at dinner on the second night of the cruise.

4. Earlier that day I was in the gym. I looked at the person next to me as I got on the cardiovascular machine…it was the wife of a couple with whom I had sailed on Silversea Cruises in Australia and New Zealand two years prior. I will be having dinner with them later in the cruise.

5. Last night I had dinner with some new friends, but they are friends of my guide from Mumbai. They called on the phone to tell me my guide, Ragini, had told them that I would be on board. They are from London. So now I have some more new friends on board to see at some future date.

And on it goes….small world indeed.