Sea Day

It was the final day of the cruise, a sea day, and we each slipped into our own preferred version of onboard relaxation. With no ports to chase and no schedules to keep, it was very much a choose-your-own-adventure kind of day. I’ll spare you the details.

The undisputed highlight was flag trivia.

This is where the well-tutored children of Singapore demonstrated exactly what they excel at: things that can be meticulously rote-learned. After a rapid-fire round of naming twenty flags, five finalists remained. Four children...and Mal.

The knockout questions followed. Mal was understandably nervous. Losing to adults is one thing. Being beaten by children is quite another.

One contestant attempted to lip-read his parents as they mouthed the answer to “Who led India to independence?”
Nice try. Also… no. The answer is not "Handy".

In the end, the children were undone by a movie question — presumably content their parents don’t allow. Three were knocked out in a single round, leaving Mal standing victorious.

Champion.

And just like that, it was time to pack and prepare for disembarkation the next morning. The cruise chapter was closing, but fortunately, the second leg of our trip was waiting in the wings.

Day 5 - No Ports, No Plans, One Clear Winner

Morning routine of coffee orders

French toast for breakfast, because it was too much hassle to make at home

Mal vs kids

Longans and dragonfruit! 

Let's smother our fruit in chocolate because otherwise it would be too healthy