Our last day in Perth

Sunday March 21, 2010 our last day in Perth.
Today we are taking a wine tasting cruise on the Swan River with Captain Cook Cruises. We were up early and in the lobby waiting for our ride to the jetty by 9 am. Our cruise began at 9:45 and our captain was a lady. As we were sailing away from Perth we were offered coffee and muffins and by 10:30 they began serving samples of white wine followed by red wine from the vineyards we will be visiting. The Swan River Region is very picturesque with lovely homes and vineyards all the wide riverbank. We travelled for about an hour before we stopped at “Sandalford Winery” for our first tasting well...not our first taste of the day but our first tasting at the winery. This is a fairly large winery and they have more vineyards in the Margaret River area The wines were pared with various cheeses and combined with the heat from outside, I believe I had a buzz going. Once we were back on the boat more wine was served but I had to pass...I’ve had enough for a while....Who in their right mind passes up free wine????Me I guess at least for ½ hour. We stopped again around 2 pm at “Water’s Edge Winery” Where we were served lunch...there were three choices of fish, chicken or pasta plus salads, rolls and dessert and of course wine. After lunch the tastings began again. Needless to say we were a cheerful bunch of cruisers on the way back to the city. The wine continued to flow like water until we docked. Everyone was singing and dancing on the deck. I almost felt 25 again. After docking, we hired a taxi to the Hilton. . Tonight I must organize our suitcases and pack up everything. Tomorrow we fly to Sydney and we are staying overnight before making the long trek home. This has been a dream vacation. We have sampled a bit of this wonderful country and its’ people. I don’t think I have ever met such a friendly bunch of people. They don’t seem to lead the fast paced lifestyle that we seem to live even in the cities. We have just touched the tip of the iceberg of this amazing diverse land. We have seen the beaches, the cities, a portion of the desert areas and we have encountered the native animals up close. Now it is time to mentally prepare for our normal routines. Sheldon is anxious to get back to hockey and start golf and I am just anxious!!! It has been fun doing this blog of our travels and sharing some of our pictures. Until we travel again. Will see most of you in a few days
Toddie

A Day in Perth

Saturday march 20, 2010 A Day in Perth
We had a wonderful sleep last night. The first order of business was to dispose of the rental car...it was far easier than we thought it would be. The hotel concierge called Avis and requested on our behalf that the Perth office come pick up the vehicle and they agreed with no charges involved for a different drop off location. We then checked out of our room and immediately checked into our suite for the next 2 days. Our balcony is much larger. We then set out for Kings Park. We caught a city bus which are all free which dropped us off at the far western part of the park. It seemed like we walked for miles but was in fact about 2 kilometres to get to the top of the park where the visitors centre is. The views of the city were fabulous. The park covers over 400 hectares and is split up in sections i.e. botanical which did not have any flowers in bloom as it is the beginning of the winter season, bush lands, synergy is a large play area for children. There are also many large open areas for picnics. We spent about 2 hours here wandering around. We then caught a Double Decker explorer bus to do a tour of the city. The ride felt great as there was a wind blowing and it didn’t make the heat of the day seem so bad. We saw lots of areas such as Burswood which is where the casino & tennis dome is located, Northridge which is the older part of the city, and the Riverside area where the swan bells are located. We also got an overview of the inner city streets and where the eateries and shopping areas are located. We finally hopped off the bus at the waterfront area and wandered around for a while before heading back to the hotel which was about 1 ½ kilometres away and mostly up hill. By the time we got back to the hotel, I was having excruciating pain in both knees and my feet were throbbing. You would think after 5 weeks of a lot of walking I would be more used to it but that is not the case. I couldn’t find my Aleve so I had to substitute with a stiff drink of rum & coke. After putting my feet up for a while, I felt much better. We were served chocolates in our room. This was a lovely touch. Later we set out again to have a late supper. I’m so tired of walking today that I wasn’t very hungry but Sheldon needed his vittles. I was so glad to get back to the room and I’m not leaving until the morning. We booked a cruise on the Swan River and wine tasting for tomorrow. I can hardly wait.

In perth

Thursday March 18, 2010 A Day at Jill’s
We had a late start to today because I overslept...shame on me. After lunch Jill & I set out for some girl only shopping in Margaret River then in Augusta. I bought some wonderful treasures. Sheldon spent the afternoon with Greg at Greg’s work site. The evening was quiet with a lot of reminiscing of our school days. Oh what laughs we’ve had. I packed all our clothes as we are leaving in the morning.
Friday march 19.2010
We were up around 7 am . I hate saying goodbye especially when I know I’ll probably not see Jill again. We had a few tears actually a lot of tears on my part. What a great visit we have had. Sheldon & Greg hit it off as if they’ve always known us. What wonderful hosts they have been. Anyway we were on the road by 8 am heading south. Jill had given us maps and suggested a sort cut with a beautiful drive though a majestic forest of Karri trees which eventually brought us to Pemberton and we then followed a road thru farmlands of sheep before we finally hit the southern town of Walpole. We stopped at the visitor centre and bought our tickets of the Tree top Walk at the “Valley of the giants”. This is a wonderful walk 40 meters high among the giant tingle trees some of which are over 400 years old. Words cannot express their beauty. We spent over an hour here before we left for the town of Demark about 50 km away. Here we saw the world’s largest barometer which was brought over from Europe when the owner moved here. We then had a late lunch at a street side cafe before we continued on our journey toward the bustling seaside town of Albany. The town is known for its whaling industry in the past but is now a busy shipping port .We decided not to stop in the town as is was well after 3 pm. We then began heading north on the Albany to Perth highway with full intentions of stopping for the night at Mount Barker which is a beautiful town that looks out for the Sterling Mountain Range. We stopped at the visitor centre, gassed up the car and decided to carry on for a while longer as we would still have over 400 km to do in the morning before dropping off our car in Freemantle. The drive was through more farm country. We saw a lot of dead Kangaroos along the way and we saw the sweetest pure white kangaroo. We truly planned to stop along the way but we only saw what looked like flea bitten run down hotels and in no way was I laying my head down in one of these dumps. So I programmed the GPS for the Hilton Parmelia in Perth where I already have a reservation for tomorrow, & Sunday night. We finally arrived in the city after being on the road for over 13 hours. Dun said he was stressed...poor bugger. The only reason we were given a room is because we already have reservations for tomorrow & Sunday nights and because I’m an elite Hilton Honors member. The hotel is completely booked and the only room available was one with twin beds. We don’t care...I’d sleep in the basement at this point. Tomorrow we will need to change rooms to our suite. We ordered room service for supper and after eating we’ll hit the sack. Good night.

A Day with Jill

Wednesday March 17, 2010 Touring with Jill
What a wonderful night’s sleep we had. Sheldon & I were only up at 7:30. Jill had been up since 6 am and was just finishing the morning work in the barns and Greg was getting ready to go to work. After showering we left to go see the area. We began our drive leaving Augusta and driving through the Leeuwin Naturalist Forest where we saw huge Karri trees then we went to Hamlin Bay where there is the most beautiful beach I have ever seen then on to Boranup Forest to the look out. I think this is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. From here we headed north through more wine country heading to the Margaret River surfing masters where the surfing competitions are being held. This is one of the world circuit stops for surfing and security is tight. The surf was high today and we could see the surfers out in the water. From here we headed to Yallingup and stopped at the wool shed where they shear sheep and there is a wonderful wool shop. I splurged and bought myself a wonderful sheep skin hat . Yallingup is a wonderful seaside town and Jill’s daughter Kate lives here. We then stopped in Dunsborough for lunch....wonderful Australian meat pies and then we went to Yallingup Ugg boats where I then bought myself a pair of wonderful brown soft winter boots. Dun is a bit distressed wondering where I’m going to pack this stuff. We made a quick stop in Busselton before taking the back roads back to Jill’s. Wonderful day we have had. Tonight we are going out with Jill & Greg. We visited the Augusta social club for the weekly lawn bowling competition. They have 2 large bowling grounds and there were about 200 people there. Dun got in on the action. They had tubs of beer and sausages on the grill. It was a really nice evening. It was fairly late when we got back to the farm so it wasn’t long before we called it a night

manudrah March 15,2010

Monday March 15, 2010 our cruise is over
Last evening found us rather reluctant to go to bed. At dinner the chefs and dining room wait staff sang a farewell song. Sentimental fool that I am cried...oh well, nothing new for me so I will have to get used to it. We then went to our regular haunt on the 11th deck with Eve, Jean, Les and Avril for our evening drinks before attending the farewell show. After shedding a few more tears we said our goodbyes with the best of intentions of keeping in touch. We have an open invitation to stay in Eve’s flat in London or to visit Les & Avril if we are ever in Queensland again. Les has mentioned that we should do a house swap for vacations at some point and we have not ruled this out for sometime in the future. The other night we tried Kangaroo for dinner. It was grilled. I thought it was terrible and I almost gagged. How do you daintily spit it out when at a formal dinner??? Well I chewed like a cow with its cud, and gulped a lot of wine until it went down...The remainder was left on my plate. The waiter graciously brought me lamb chops so I therefore did not go hungry.
This morning I was awake at 5 am and enjoying my morning coffee while we quietly slipped into the port of Freemantle. This is a bustling port with many container ships and other cargo ships. The passengers were all given departing color codes to put on their luggage last night. Our departing time was 9:40 so we had plenty of time to have breakfast before leaving the ship. This was the easiest we have ever found our luggage. Australian customs was quick. We then got in the queue for a taxi and the wait was about an hour. We now have an Avis rent a car. We are both very nervous driving on the opposite side of the road. We did manage to get out of the city with no problems but a few close calls and soon we were heading along the coast. Thankfully we have a GPS which tells us well in advance where to turn off and we follow the other cars when in a “round about”. We finally cut off in Mandurah and after going in circles for about ½ hour we found the “Sebel Mandurah”. It is a wonderful new hotel. We are on the 4th floor and our room has a nice balcony with wooden furniture overlooking a canal. There is a nice boardwalk with many restaurants. After checking in, we decided the first order of business was to find a laundry mat to wash our mounting pile of dirty clothes. Mission accomplished with only one minor mishap along the way but Sheldon forbid me to put on here what it was ha ha so I will obey! We later set out for a trek along the boardwalk and we ended up walking along the canal towards the centre of the city. The wind was strong so the air felt much more comfortable than we have had thus far on this trip. On the way back, we stopped at Cicerello’s for our dinner. Their claim to fame is the best fish & chips in Western Australia. We each ordered the senior’s meal which consisted of a cup of seafood chowder ( which was very thick and seemed to have more of a gravy base), two fillets of deep fried hokie (a new Zealand white fish) with French fries, black forest cake & coffee . It was a great meal and very tasty. We met a couple fishing for octopus. Dolphins are also plentiful in the canal but we haven’t seen any. It’s a beautiful evening sitting on the balcony. In the morning we head toward Bunbury, Busselton & Cape Naturaliste along the coastal highway before heading south to Jill’s.

Our last day at Sea

March 14, 2010 Our Last Day At Sea
I was awake very early this morning...5:30 am to be exact. There is nothing better than morning coffee, sitting on the balcony with just my thoughts and gazing out at the clear turquoise waters. After a late breakfast I decided that some shopping was in order as my cash is beginning to burn a hole in my pocket. I ended up purchasing an Australian opal necklace and matching earrings. Now I feel much better. Later I attended a napkin folding demonstration where we were shown how the cute towel animals are made (that are left in our staterooms each night) as well as dining room napkins. While this was interesting to watch, it will never be in my repertoire of talents. Sheldon went for his usual morning walk on the upper deck. I have most of our things packed up so I can now relax for the remainder of time on board. Tomorrow we depart the ship at 9:30. What a wonderful experience we have had. Our tablemates are wonderful folks who we have spent time with during the evenings and on excursions. We hope to meet again sometime down the road. We have exchanged e-mail addresses, snail mail addresses and phone numbers. My next post will be from on the road south of Perth.

Exmouth

Saturday march 13, 2010 Exmouth
This morning we dropped anchor at 5:30 am and I was sitting outside on our balcony with my first coffee of the day watching the sun slowly rise. This is a tender port and it was interesting watching the crew slowly lower the tenders into the water. Exmouth is a small, remote, isolated seaside town with a permanent population of appx 2500. It sits at the tip of North West Cape about 800 from Perth. It was established as a communications base for submarines. It is also known for its raw natural beauty, with Outback ranges, red rock canyons with over 700 caves. We left on our safari tour at 8 am in a 4WD vehicle heading directly to Caper Range. We began climbing up over a rough red dirt road. There are no trees due to lack of water and what shrubbery there is, it is low to the ground. It is very dry & dusty and soon we began to feel the dust on our lips. We stopped along the long windy road to see the wild kangaroos and emu’s. The canyon is a bright red which reminds me of Sedona Arizona and there are many caves that we can see along the way. The view of the Ningaloo coastline with many miles of white sandy beaches is spectacular after driving along the top of the range we began to slowly meander back down to drive through the town. All the buildings are made of cement to protect against cyclones as the town was completely demolished a few years ago. It is a quaint, neat little town and our guide told us that the emu’s come into town at night for water which the residents leave out for them. After leaving town we headed to the beach. The swim in the Indian Ocean was so refreshing. I am very buoyant and float like a harbour buoy. I could have stayed here for hours but alas, I must haul my weary body out of the water. While we were relaxing in the warm ocean water, our guide was boiling the “billy” for morning tea and homemade fruitcake. To be polite, I had the tea but I soon guzzled about 3 cups of water. It is very hot and the humidity is high. I now know why Australia is known as as hottest, driest continent on earth. Before returning to the ship, we visited the Ningaloo lighthouse, situated high on a cliff with a 360 degree view of the rough, rugged area. I will always remember the beauty of this place. We arrived back at the dock around 12:30. I was too hot to even go back into the town for any shopping. I have done no shopping yet. This trip has been about the adventure of seeing a new land. Can you believe that I am too hot to eat lunch? I headed directly for the pool where I remained for a couple hours before heading back to our balcony which thankfully is a bit shaded. Dun is having a nap and dreaming about playing golf in Pubnico. Tomorrow is another sea day and the last day of this wonderful cruise and I must waste part of the day packing up our clothes.

A Sea Day In TheTorees Strait

Thursday march 12, 2010 At Sea
Today was so hot, you could smell the heat. We got up rather late today and after breakfast we went directly to the pool to cool off. It was too hot to stay in the direct sun. Dun went to a session given by the staff on lifestyles at sea while I sat and listened to music. This afternoon we went to a movie. It was a very uneventful day. Tomorrow we are in Exmouth and our tour leaves at 7:15 so we will be in bed early tonight.

Broome

Thursday march 11, 2010 Broome
Last night an elderly gentleman had a stroke. The captain made an announcement that there was a medical emergency but the person had stabilized but he was speeding up so that we could get to Broome to get him to a hospital. Around midnight, a pilot boat came along side and they off loaded the patient. It is so sad that this happened on a vacation. This morning we awoke to clear skies and extreme heat. We docked around 7 am and do to government regulations we are not allowed to walk off the ship along the jetty. All passengers must take a shuttle bus into town and they are supplied complimentary by the ship. We can only disembark at 9:30. Dun went to pickup our shuttle tickets and we are on shuttle # 27. Figure this out. They have 7 shuttle buses that hold appx 46 passengers each and it is 20 minutes into town and there are 2000 passengers that are getting off the ship. We were told that our wait would be about an hour which didn’t add up. Our first tour is scheduled at 1 pm with pick up time at 12 :15. Our chances were slim. At 11 am I went to the pursers’ desk to ask them to call a taxi, but was told that the port does not allow taxi’s onto the jetty unless they are booked several days in advance. I was starting to get really disappointed. Finally, we were ashore at 12:45 and at the visitors centre at 1 pm. I spoke to a wonderful lady and asked her to call the tour company of our situation and guess what...they held the tour for us to arrive and the manager of the visitors centre took us to the location. Is this service or what!!!!This was a hovercraft tour and it was truly an awesome experience. It took off from the sand out into Roebuck Bay. We followed the coast until we came to a small inlet where we went ashore and were shown dinosaur tracks in the rocks. The coastline is a sight to behold...red cliffs with mango trees growing up through the white sand. After the tour, they delivered us back to the ship just in time to take our next tour which was an orientation tour of the city. Broome is a small city of about 20,000 people and it is the gateway to the Kimberlies and the outback. The prime industry is pearling followed by cattle industry and then tourism. Our first stop was to the Japanese cemetery which is the final resting place for many thousand pearlers who perished. Our next stop was Cable Beach with it’s 20 miles of pure white sand. It is listed as one of the top 10 beaches in the world. As it is late in the day we head back to the ship. We are supposed to go now for the camel ride but the skies have suddenly turned black and we are seeing the most amazing lightening show I have ever seen. The sky has opened and the rains are pouring down. I am disappointed about not riding the camels but I did see them and they looked ugly but wonderful. Maybe I’ll get to ride them on some other vacation. We are worn out tonight. The heat has been oppressive and it zaps what strength we have. Tomorrow is a sea day which will give us time to regroup again. We skipped the diningroom tonight and just went to the buffet for supper. Bedtime will come early

Another Sea Day

Wednesday March 10, 2010
Today we only awoke around 9:30 and after breakfast we decided we needed a short nap and that’s exactly what we did. That is the beauty of vacation isn’t...you can do exactly what you want when you want. I spent most of the remainder of the day on our balcony watching the world slide by. There is nothing to see but miles and miles of ocean and I never tire of gazing at the vastness of it. Dun wandered around the ship a bit and walked his daily mile. Before leaving the room for dinner, Dun decided that we needed to make a stuffed dummy to put in our bed for our stateroom attendant Francisco. We made the legs of pools towels, the body from a pillow, arms from regular towels and the head we rolled from a regular towel that we then wrapped in a black tea shirt. We used cut up band aids to make a mouth and nose and then we put sunglasses and a hat we left a note saying “do not disturb, Francisco is sleeping” He thought it was really funny. Tonight was our 3rd and last formal night for the cruise and we had a delightful surprise... we were invited to have dinner at the Hotel Director and manager of Guest Relation’s table. The Hotel Director, Rodney Darwin is responsible for everything on the ship which is non marine related and he is second in command. He hails from Toronto and he and Sheldon had quite a conversation about the Maple Leafs. After dinner we again retired to the lounge for wine and champagne. I think Sheldon has acquired a taste of white wine..he had 3 glasses at dinner and 1 glass in the concierge lounge..but then maybe it’s because it is free lol. All in all another great day

Sailing the Timor Sea

Tuesday March 9, 2010 Sailing the Timor Sea
This morning we awoke to another beautiful day. The sea is calm and with the sunshine it looks like tiny diamonds bouncing on the waters. There is not a cloud in the sky. I went to the pool at 10 am. Dun decided to explore around the ship. At 2 pm the captain held a “walk a mile” for the Make a wish Foundation. Most cruisers donated the $10 and received a T-shirt. It was amazing to see so many with the white T-shirts walking the upper deck. We have two new T-shirts. Can you believe it; I burnt the bottom of my feet walking across the deck at noon. How stupid could a person be? I was in a hurry to get in line to purchase the t shirts for the walk. I burnt my nose today too and I look like Rudolph. Tonight we are attending The Australian Phantom of the Opera. It has definitely been a laid- back lazy day and tomorrow will be more of the same.

Darwin

Monday March 8, 2010 Darwin
What a beautiful day to visit Australia’s capital of the Northern Territory. Darwin is located midway along Australia’s northern coast and it is situated on a peninsula surrounded by crystal clear turquoise waters. It’s culture is a melting pot of several nationalities as it is the gateway for several Southeast Asian countries. The city was completely ruined during WW11 and then again in 1974 by a cyclone. As we left the dock for today’s adventure, we saw several pearling boats. They look like our draggers. 65 % of the worlds’ pearls come from these waters. We left this vibrant city behind, following the Stuart Highway south toward Litchfield National Park. Along the way, we saw several road trains used to haul cattle. They are taken to holding pens before being loading on boats for Indonesia. Remember the movie “Australia”, these holding pens look like they did in the movie. Our drive was about 2 hours to the park. Along the way we also saw four WW11 airstrips that were used by the allies. Darwin also has the longest airport runway in the world. It is an emergency runway for the space shuttle and the US stealth bombers also land here. When we reached the park, our first stop was the termite mounds. They are found everywhere in the park and what an amazing site they are. Some are cathedral mounds which are the largest and some are magnetic and these are lined up facing the poles north to south. I was totally fascinated by them and I could not stop snapping pictures. We then visited two different falls. Florence Falls and Wangi falls. Wangi Falls was the largest and was a sight to behold. We had planned a swim in the pools beneath the falls but swimming was closed due to the high waters and strong currents. It sure would have felt good though. It was 97.5 degrees and 80 percent humidity. My glasses kept steaming up. While at Wangi Falls. It started pouring. The heavens opened and within 5 minutes we were completely drenched and then suddenly it was over and within minutes we were completely dry again. We saw more flying foxes in the trees hear. They are larger here than they were in Sydney. What an ugly creature they are. We finally left the park and arrived back to the ship just in time. Within minutes we were sailing away. Tonight I am exhausted and after our evening meal, I think I will call it a night. No wine tonight. The next 2 days are sea days. Good night.

Sailing the Indian Ocean

Sunday march 7 2010 A Day Sailing the Indian Ocean
This morning I was up at 6 am enjoying a cup of coffee on the balcony enjoying the world drift by. Sheldon only got up at 9 am and shortly after we headed for the top deck. It is another beautiful day in paradise. I suddenly had the need to visit the ships shops. I really want to purchase an opal necklace. I found the perfect necklace and they had a discount of 30 percent. My heart was pounding and when I tried it on it was the perfect one until I asked the price... $3.800.00. I could feel my heart drop to my feet. Needless to say the beautiful necklace is still in the shop as I still want to be married! Oh well, the dream was good while it lasted. I spent the rest of the morning relaxing on the lounge chair on our balcony. This afternoon we attended an information session put on by Captain Rick. What a terrific sense of humour he has. He told us that he has been at sea for 35 years, first with cargo ships and different freighters traveling around the world. He began as captain with Royal Caribbean 10 years ago. He said he works 10 weeks on the ship and then he has 10 weeks of vacation. He also told us about various situations he has faced and the most challenging places he has sailed. What an interesting life he has had. Before our evening meal, we were invited another reception for Platinum, Diamond and Diamond Plus members. The captain told us that there are 5 million Crown & Anchor society members worldwide among other statics that I can’t remember. It must be the champagne, I’m losing my memory. After, supper we went to the Diamond lounge for more champagne before heading to the evening show. At 11 pm we attend a pool barbecue and watched line dancing before retiring for the night.

A Sea Day In TheTorees Strait

Saturday march 6, 2010 A Sea Day
Today was a sea day. I think I am finally in relaxation mode with no cares in the world. This doesn’t happen often with me and it feels awesome. We only woke up at 9:30 this morning and that is a far cry from my normal of 6 am. We had a late breakfast and then we hit the upper deck to see the wonderful view as we sailed through the Torres Strait and the Prince of Wales Sound before entering the Indian Ocean. We only had 3 meters of water under the keel. The water was calm with clear blue skies. We could not have asked for better weather. Today was hot at 95 degrees but thankfully there was no humidity. We spent a lazy afternoon beside the pool or I should say Sheldon did. He went swimming once while I spent over 3 hours in the pool. I must have drifted off to sleep while relaxing in the lounge chair because I woke myself up snoring around 4 pm. Funny no one else was around me. Hum...wonder if I drove them away? Supper tonight was lobster tails and steak. Delicious. After we went to diamond lounge which is exclusive to elite Royal Caribbean past cruisers. We met up with Evelyn Jean, Les & Averill (our tablemates) and shared a few drinks of wine before heading to the evening show. Did I say how relaxed I am??? Wonder if it’s the wine??Time is flying by much too quickly. I think I could handle this life style on a permanent basis. Where is my maid and butler?? Tomorrow is another sea day. Wonder if I’ll sleep as sound again tonight? Time will tell

A few Pictures of Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea

Friday March 5, 2010 Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Yesterday was a sea day, so I didn’t do a blog post. We had a rather lazy day only getting up at 9 am. It was beautiful, hot & sunny and I spent the afternoon beside the pool while Dun had a nap on our balcony. I’m as red as a cooked lobster. It was formal night again so we donned our best clothes to head out for the evening. I’m afraid I relented and deposited $40 at the ship’s casino. We hit the sack rather early as tomorrow is a long day in port.
We pulled into port around 5 am and it was 7:30 before customs cleared the ship. It was overcast with fine rain, hot & steamy .From the water, all you can see are hills and lots of old boats are in the harbour. Papua New Guinea is located at the equator and is north of Australia. English is widely spoken although the region has many dialects. Today’s tour was independent from the ship and was organized by Marilyn Friedman from Scotland who is part of our cruise critic group. There were only 15 of us registered which made for a great individualized tour. Before leaving the ship we coated ourselves with insect repellent. We decided to forego the Malaria pills due to the side effects. Hopefully we won’t regret this decision. We left the ship around 8 am to total mayhem and disorganization by the harbour authority. Tour buses were lined up for several miles and only a few were allowed near the ship at a time. It was about 9:30 before we got underway but the wait was well worth it. All the places we visited were outside the city but the drive there was a real eye-opener. There was squalor and garbage everywhere. The smell of stench with the heat is not good for a weak stomach. Dozens of people were packed on the backs of trucks and tent markets along the side of the road were plentiful with everything from live chickens to dope. To me it appeared like thousands of umbrellas with nothing but people and garbage beneath them. People had no shoes and were walking in their bare feet and many children were naked. Oh how we complain, we should all see how some people live and then count our blessings. How fortunate we really are. We traveled along the water’s edge to see the stilt villages where appx 10,000 people live in little huts built on stilts. Our first stop was Bomana War Cemetery which is about 20 minutes outside the city. What a site to see. The cemetery is maintained by the Australian government. There are about 3900 graves in total of which about 600 are unknown soldiers from the UK, Canada, Australia & USA from WW 11. All the headstones face west where the sun sets. There is a hero buried in every grave. Our next stop was at a local primary school. Unbeknownst to our tour guide, the school headmistress had arranged for all 1500 students to be dressed in their school uniforms and students from different regions of Papua were dressed in traditional dress and the later performed dances. A stage was set up under the trees and we were all given chairs to watch the performance. We were then asked to introduce ourselves to the students and tell them where we were from and describe where we lived.. When the children returned to class we were invited to visit the class rooms. They were many buildings of classes, with no glass windows. The children sat on the floor (no individual desks) and they were barefoot with their sandals lined across the wall. The teacher had a small desk but no chair. The average class was 45 to 50 students. What a wonderful visit we had. We showed the kids on an atlas where we lived. From here we visited the parliament house. It was a beautiful building and the surrounding gardens were lush with flowers and tropical trees.. We were unable to go inside as parliament was currently in session. From here we stopped at Schwimmer Drome, which was an unsealed American bomber aerodrome during WW2. After the war it was forgotten and became overgrown until a local villager started digging up weaponry and other war paraphernalia which is now displayed for others to see. It remains in an overgrown forest area where the local villagers live. When we arrived, we were treated to traditional native dancers and then we were given fresh coconuts of which we drank the juice, fresh mangos, pineapples and bananas before we left for our next place of visit. This turned out to be the botanical gardens where there are thousands of orchids. We didn’t stay here long as it was getting late in the day but what a memorable day this has been. Tonight as we were eating our evening meal we left port and we will be sailing the Strait of Torres. We will be a sea for the next two days before arriving in Darwin. Sheldon has begun drinking green tea. This is no joke; he was drinking it tonight from a wine glass!!!Wonder who he was trying to fool. Well we are off to the evening show before calling it a night.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010 Cairns, Australia
Last night in the night, we had a beautiful lightening display but no one was up to watch it with me so I only stayed on the balcony about ½ hour before returning to bed. This morning I was awake around 5:30 and went on the balcony to enjoy my morning ritual of coffee as we began our entry in Cairns Harbour. Cairns is located in northern Queensland and is referred to as the tropical capital. One of the main industries is sugar plantations. After docking at Trinity wharf which is right in the heart of town, it didn’t take the crew long to have the gangway ready for us to depart for the day. We got off the ship and began walking for about ¼ mile to pick up a taxi to go to the train station. It is a pretty city, with wide streets, delicate ferns and tropical shrubs at every turn. Originally, this was supposed to be a tender port so the train tickets I had purchased on line were for a different train station but the ticket agent had no problem changing them for us. While waiting in line we met a couple from Berwick, NS and a couple from Miramichi. The 1 ½ hour train ride up to Karaunda village was absolutely breathtaking with waterfalls, and lush tropical plants. Once we arrived to the village high in the mountains, we strolled around and visited the shops and even purchased a few items. The weather was so hot, that I thought I was going to collapse. It was well over 95 degrees, sunny with humidity levels over 80. I think sweat was pouring out of every pore of my body. No man would ever want to pick me up because I’m sure I didn’t smell very good. I drank more water today than I have in the past year. Around 2 pm we left the village and began the cable car ride back to Cairns. I think the ride down was more beautiful than the ride to the top. We then purchased tickets for a bus ride back to the ship. By now I was really hot and getting cranky. There were several passengers on the bus and there was this really obnoxious fellow that kept making comments about the Canadian fans at the Olympic gold hockey game. And then he started in about “Sid the Kid” After about 10 minutes of this crap, I was cranky enough that I loudly said....Yeah Canada...I’m Canadian and proud of it and everyone started clapping. The obnoxious fellow never said another word. This evening we had to fill out our immigration papers for Papua New Guinea, take our passports and meet with Immigration officials. This will expedite the process and we will be able to get off the boat immediately upon docking the day after tomorrow. Enough for tonight. Tomorrow is a Sea Day and I plan to spend a good part of it in the pool.

Airlie Beach, Whitsunday Islands

Tuesday March 2, 2010 Airlie Beach Three Island Tour
Early this morning it was cloudy and very windy. We have been sailing inside the Great Barrier Reef all night. Due to all the winds and the extra ordinary high tides, we are not expecting to see a lot of fish today. This was a tender port which means the tour boats come directly to the ship. We finally got away at 9 am. Our first stop was to Hook Island which was a 20 minute ride on the high speed catamaran, which was very rough. Once off the boat, we began by walking up many steps which I thought would never end. My legs were burning and I was panting and it wasn’t from excitement! Finally we reached the top and we began the journey down the other side to the beach area where we donned stinger suits as this is the season for stinger jellyfish. Oh my, I sure do not look like a goddess or a mermaid in this outfit. Into the water we went, with the snorkels. It wasn’t long before we began seeing many beautiful fish of all different colors. The water was murky and we didn’t see any coral but the swim was worth the walk. We stayed in the water for more than an hour before beginning the trek back up the side of the hill. The catamaran then sailed along Whitehaven beach. We were supposed to have stopped here, as this is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Due to the extraordinary high seas we were unable to dock and you could hardly see the beach. We then stopped to Daydream Island. The name suites it well. By the time we arrived the sun was out & very hot. We were met at the dock by drivers with golf carts to take us to the resort. We spent an hour or so swimming in the pool and browsing the property. I could see myself staying here. We then left for the return trip back to the ship and it was a really rough ride. Back on the ship by 4:15 pm. I talked to the fellow in the suite next to us who had gone to the outer reef and he was very disappointed because the weather and poor visibility. He said more than half of the people were sick. He also told us about a gentlemen who had a heart attack while snorkelling and was unable to be revived. That is so sad. At supper tonight, I commented on Kelly’s (a tablemate) beautiful necklace and she said she has never really liked it and when we all left the table; she slipped her necklace off and gave it to me. I was so shocked and never expected this generous gift. I will always treasure this thoughtful gift and it will forever be a memory of this trip. Tonight we will call it an early night. My knees are cracking and legs are still burning.

Another Sea Day

Monday March 1, 2010 Another Sea Day
Sorry about the spelling and grammar in Sunday’s post. I will correct when I get back on internet. Today we spent the day doing the usual cruise things of eating, relaxing & swimming at the pool. We did get our dining time changed to the early seating and we attended a lecture on the Great Barrier Reef which was put on by the port pilot for the region. This was really interesting. Weather is hot but cloudy today. At 5 pm we attended a welcome back party hosted by the Cruise Director. This is for all returning guests that are loyal to Royal Caribbean. There are over 600 of us on this cruise and special crystal sculptures were given to a couple who had over 200 cruises and another couple who had over 100 cruises with this cruise line. Lots of goodies were served and the champagne was flowing freely. I sampled a few and I’m sure I have acquired a taste. The Captain told us there were 35 nations represented among the guests and 56 nations represented by crew and that everyone gets along better than the United Nations. The dinner theme tonight was Italian and it went well with my New Zealand white wine. All the dining room staff then sang in Italian. Two of the ladies at our table from outside London are elite cruisers with Royal Caribbean and (we had previous met them at our cruise critic meeting) they among other elite cruisers have a special lounge that is open only to them from 5:30 to 8:30 daily for wine and champagne where they can mingle. They also have other perks available such as reserved seating at events. They invited Sheldon & I to join them this evening which we were very happy to do. Another couple glasses of champagne. I think I’m getting addicted and the atmosphere in the lounge was great. We then sat with them at the evening show in the reserved section. I can hardly wait until we reach this status. We only need a few more cruises of 12 days or more to qualify. The evening show was “Piano Man” which was a great production. We went to bed shortly after as tomorrow we have a long day ahead.

A Day At sea

Sunday February 28, 2010 Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital of Queensland. We were supposed to dock at 7 am. But shortly before the Captain made an announcement that due to the earthquake in Chile and the tsunami warning for the entire Pacific basin we are not permitted to go ashore and that we will be staying at sea until at least noon. We currently have 100 ft. Of water beneath us. I received an e-mail from John Donaldson, the private guide I had hired for the day for our trip up the sunshine coast and to the Glass Mountains expressing his regrets that we would not be spending the day together. He also sent me his family name relatives in Scotland to see if we may be related. I will have to check this out when we return home and get back to him. After breakfast, we spent the morning relaxing on our balcony and watching all the tankers in Moerton’s Bay which is a huge bay with the estuary flowing into Brisbane. At noon the captain gave the update that the tsunami warning was still in place and that the Australian Government had closed the port of Brisbane until at least 3 pm at which time he would make another announcement. We spent the afternoon at the pool. It was hot and sunny and I ended up burning despite the sunscreen. At 4:15 we got the all clear, and began the 3 ½ hr journey into city but this will be a bunkering for fuel only and we are expected to leave port around midnight.. What a beautiful port this would have been. The sand beaches along the sail in were absolutely beautiful and it is a shame we never got to see them up close and personal and unfortunately we will probably never travel these waters again. We changed our dining times today so that we will eat our late meal at 6 pm instead of 8:30. The last 2 nights we haven’t finished eating until after 10 pm and that is much too late for us. Our tablesmates are Aussie and British and what a jolly bunch they are.

A Day At Sea

Saturday, February 27, 2010 A Day At Sea
There was a bit of swell during the night and it rocked me to sleep at least for a while. I was wide awake around 3 am so I went out on the balcony. The night sky was clear and the stars glittered like diamonds but I didn’t recognize any. All of a sudden this big arc appeared like a rainbow only white and it started and ended in the water. It appeared to come closer to the ship and it got brighter and then suddenly it began to rain. It lasted maybe 10 minutes then faded and the stars came out again. It was strange and I have never seen anything like it before. I went for a walk this morning on the walking track. I really felt invorigated. Maybe I’ll come home in shape ha ha.. After exploring around the ship a bit I went to connect my computer to wifi and it’s going to be rather pricey doing the blog over the internet so I’ll do it in a word document and there probably won’t be as many pictures as it takes too long to load. Our cruise critic group got together this morning for about an hour for a “meet and mingle”. It was nice to chat with those I had been chatting with online for the last year and put faces to a name. Most are from England, Scotland & Australia. What a small world we really live in. Royal Caribbean hosted the event for us and provided drinks and finger foods. The afternoon was spent by the pool sunning and swimming. Even Dun went for a dip. I spent the remainder of the afternoon relaxing on the balcony, reading, finishing off my bottle of wine from last night while Dun had a nap. I am thankful for how lucky I really am to be able to do this great trip. There really is no words to describe the feeling of sitting on the balcony watching the waves in total quiet with no worries in the world ( at least for a while). Linda you would enjoy the total relaxation and some day we will do a trip. Formal Night tonight and the Captain’s welcome aboard reception Time to get all gussied up. We had the great privilege of meeting and having our picture taken with the Master of the “Rhapsody of Seas” Rick Sullivan who is Canadian and hails from the shores of Great Lakes. He told us he was recently in PEI for his nephew’s wedding and he knows the Atlantic Provinces well. He is a jolly chap with a great sense of humour. Later in the evening we attended the Front Liner show, had drinks with some Aussies before retiring for the night. All in all it was a great day at sea.

Our Cruise begins

Friday February 26, 2010 Sydney, Australia
We arrived at the cruise terminal at 11 am by taxi and it would have been much quicker walking but with four pieces of luggage we opted for the taxi. There was a long line up and everyone seemed to be confused. If only they would read the signs. We got priority boarding status because of our number of cruises with Royal Caribbean and we were on board within an hour. There was more paper work this time because of the Visa’s required for Papua New Guinea and the health statements for Swine Flu. By noon we were having lunch at the Windjammer Buffet and as always there was more than plenty to choose from and as we are not fussy eaters it all tasted wonderful. After lunch, I went to the wine desk to purchase my wine package for the cruise. It is the first time for me doing this, but when priced out, it is much cheaper than purchasing at the table and you can bring the bottle back to your room which I will enjoy while sitting on our balcony at sunset looking out over the water. Yeah, I know romantic thoughts. The rooms opened up at 1 pm and we got to see our suite. Love it, love it. Deck 8, Aft. Suite # 8580. We have bathrobes in the suite and a big bathroom. Our Platinum Coupon Books are in our room. We are having a passing shower outside but I don’t really care. We are on the ship that I booked over 1 ½ years ago. I think I need to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming. Luggage arrived an hour later and I began the task of unpacking. I’m tired of dealing with clothes. This is the 2nd time today. After the first suitcase, I sort of had a mild meltdown. Dun was stretched out on the couch resting (he needed it because he hauled the luggage from the taxi to the porters). I asked him to store the suitcase under the bed & he thought he’d do it after a rest. I lost it & stomped out to the balcony & told him in no uncertain terms he could finish the unpacking and not to leave a mess. After a smoke, I relaxed, went back in and sure enough the suitcase was under the bed so I finished the unpacking. We’re friends again! Muster Drill was at 5 pm and sail away at 6:30. Sailing out Sydney Harbour was nostalgic. I fell in love with this city . All the sail boats in the harbour were so scenic. It took an hour to get to open water. We are now on our way. We wandered around the ship a bit but spent most of the evening sitting on our balcony. There is nothing like the sound of the ocean and the quietness. We are late seating for dinner (8:30) so by the time we were through eating it was 10 pm. Our tablemates are 2 ladies from Melburne and one of them looks exactly like my cousin Sandra Cook. The other couple are oldies from Sydney and the first impression was that they were very stuffy but the gentleman actually ended up being a case. We came back to the room shortly after and sit on the balcony for a while before heading to bed. The couples on each side of us are Canadians...one couple from Vancouver and the other couple from Burlington Ontario.

Today is the Day

Last night we spent our last evening in this beautiful city. I wonderful why time flies when you're having fun? We strolled through the "Rocks" area and ended up at a small cafe called "Old Vintage Cafe". Soft music was playing and it was so romantic. Yes I am a romantic at heart. This "old girl" still has it. The meal was wonderful. I will never forget this beautiful city. It is one of the best places we have ever traveled and I feel so fortunate to have been able to come here. Travelers are generally friendly and we have not met a rude person all week. The hotel staff have been more than helpful and one morning while we were waiting for our tour guide, a tour company pulled up outside the lobby area which I thought was ours and when I asked the driver he told me we were not on his tour and then he asked if I had the companies phone # and then proceeded to call them on his cell. How kind & thoughtful is that. We have had this type of help all week from total strangers.It is this type of of thing that you remember about a place. These people know how to give great service and we could learn a few thing from them. Now it is time to pack up our suitcases. We will board the ship around noon today (Friday)and we leave port at 6 pm. We will be at sea all day tomorrow and our first port of call will be Brisbane. Not sure of the internet service while at sea but will post when I can. Have a great evening Mates in NS, and my family in US

A Day in the Royal Botanical Gardens

We had a beautiful morning for a stroll in the gardens. It was 24 degrees when we left the hotel as we strolled the streets to get to the gardens. It is located just beyond the Opera House and covers a large area. It was a relaxing morning. I thought there would be more flowers but perhaps it's because it is the beginning of fall here. There were lots of statues and huge open spaces and large trees. We exited the park near the entrance to the Harbor Bridge and continued to the waterfront where we had a late lunch before heading back to the hotel. Dun needed a nap and wanted to watch the hockey game. I wonder if I'm tiring him out? I was getting antsy, so headed out on my own to do some shopping. Bought some shirts for Lucas, Hannah, Jack & Josh and a few other trinkets and on the way back I stopped at a street cafe for a beer to cool off. What a beautiful, vibrant city. We have only touched the surface and there are many things we didn't get to see. I would have liked to visit Bondi & Manly Beaches as well as the Sydney Aquarium but there just isn't enough time. tonight I want to stroll the "Rocks" area which is the old part of the city and near where we board the cruise tomorrow.

A Day of Sweet Delight

Woke up this morning to overcast skies. The Hunter Valley is a two hour drive from Sydney so we had to leave here at 7:45 am. The disappointing part of the day was that our driver was a young kid and to him it was just a job...the guide makes all the difference in the world to an enjoyable day..and our van was worse than economy class on a plane . This is the first private tour I have booked in all our time traveling that didn't meet our expectations. The wineries themselves were wonderful. We did 4 boutique wineries and Lindeman's/Rosemount. At each winery we tasted with 3 samples of white wines, 3 of red, a port wine and dessert wine. Oh my, I was rather tipsy and must say it didn't feel too bad. I bought a special bottle at Lindemans.A show Reserve McLaren Vale GSM Trophy Gold Medal. It had a wonderful taste in the sipping so will crack it open tomorrow night. We also did some cheese tasting which would have been better had it been paired with the wine. I'm afraid Dun didn't really enjoy the day. He hates wine but bless his heart he didn't complain and we were gone from 8 am til 6:30. Needless to say, he had a Rum & coke as soon as we came back to the hotel. I'm rather mellow right now so will go rest a bit before we head out on the waterfront.

Remembrance and Celebration

Today I remember. It was three years ago today that Mom passed away.Although the pain does not go away, the memories seem to become more vivid and precious. It is on a day like today that I need to celebrate her life not her passing. For my friends that have last their Mom, they will know what I mean. I am fortunate to have inherited two very obvious traits. Everyday when I look in the mirror, it is her face I see looking back at me. The other is her love of travel.She often told me "I was born with a wheel up my ass" and thank you Mom...that came from you. Words alone cannot express my sadness, so today I am going to celebrate her life and the woman that she was in my own way by visiting the special vineyards of Eastern Australia and testing a bit of the sweet nectar. With each sip it will be in tribute to her and all that she did for us. Although she probably would not approve of me doing this I can hear her loud laugh and hear her say "Oh Toddie". My only regret is not being with Gil today. My heart & love is with him. I love you Dad, and I am thinking of you not only on this day but each day we are away. I have chosen well in the man I love and who walks beside me on this journey through life. Today will be a tribute to you all

A Day on the Waterfront

This morning we started out with no definite plans. We began strolling along the waterfront as far as the Overseas Passenger Terminal. This is where we will board the "Rhapsody of Seas" on Friday. We then began walking in the opposite direction and we stopped to watch an Aborigine performing with a didgeridoo. We then booked a harbor lunch cruise with" Majestic Cruises" which was leaving within 15 minutes. The cruise around the harbor gives a different perspective of the city. It was windy, blowing 40 mph and the temperature was 25 degrees with 60% humidity which Lunch was tasty with lots of shrimp, oysters, salads, fruit and other desserts. We then walked to the Opera House to pick up our tickets for tonight's performance "A Man in Black"before heading back to the Marriott for a rest before heading out for the evening. I love having my laptop with me and being able to keep in contact with family and friends. Miss you Gil and we're having a wonderful time in one of the world's most beautiful cities.

Boomerangs

Yesterday on our tour our guide Steve told us about Boomerangs. He said there were some for left handed and some for right handed people. He also said some were made to come back while others weren't. He also told us what to look for when purchasing one. We then went to a big field where he did a demonstration on the proper way to hold it. It has to do with the wind and the angle. I always wondered if they really came back and they sure do. Will have to practice when we get home.

Blue Mountains

Last evening we walked along Circular Quay and over to the opera house. What a beautiful place this is. We had an early start today for our tour to the Blue Mountains.This is the Grand Canyon of Australia although not quite as grand. We were picked up at 7:45 and our first stop along the way was Featherdale Wildlife Park. I'm not normally a fan of wildlife parks as they are usually over rated and you can't get close to the animals but this one was fantastic. We got up close to the kangaroos, Wallabies and Wombats and we got to pet the Koalas. Took lots of pictures. We even saw a couple Kangaroos with the Joey in the pouch. From here we went to Wentworth Falls where you could walk down 240 steps & do a bush walk up close to the falls. No I didn't do this but Dun did and he said his legs were a bit sore after.From here we stopped at the small town of Leura better known as Garden Village for lunch. They sure don't give the food away. Over $32 for French toast and water and this was the cheapest on the menu. We were now in the heart of the mountains Next stop was the Three Sisters rock formation at Echo Point followed by a scenic Sky tram across a deep gorge with waterfalls. We then took a steep railway tour straight down into the mountain and we walked along the rainforest floor before taking a cablecar back to the top of the mountain On our way back to the city we stopped at the site of the Sydney Olympics and from here we took the rivercat along the Parammeta River traveling under the Sydney Harbour Bridge ending at Circular Quay around 6 pm. This was a fun packed busy day and not one I will soon forget. We later walked down along the waterfront for supper at an outside cafe where we were joined by a couple from Ontario. One thing I have noticed is how friendly the Aussies are. They go out of their way to assist total strangers on the street. Well it's time to call it a night. got to get rested for tomorrows activities.

Exploring Sydney

We left for a few hours to do some exploring of this beautiful city and we just scratched the surface. We caught the "Sydney Explorer" hop on hop off bus to give us an overview. A few of the stops we made was at Mrs. Macquarie's chair where you can see a beautiful picture of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, Chinatown, and a stop at Paddy's market. bought a hat, sunglasses and a few boomerangs (wonder who they be for?. We then continued to the "Rocks" and the Sydney Fish Market. No haddock here...but lots of Prawns, Oysters, Rock Lobsters & Salmon.. We just came back to the hotel to rest a bit & cool off. It's 30 degrees outside & my body needs to adjust from being cold to being hot. That shouldn't be to0 hard but I don't want to overdue it too much at first.

The Eagle has landed

I'm all mixed up in time but it doesn't really matter because we're on vacation. I'm so hyper and wish my body could keep up with my mind. We left the Hilton last night around 7 pm. We spent our time at the airport in the Red Carpet Lounge of United Airlines because we are flying Business Class. How awesome...free drinks and snacks and no crowds. Don't think I'll be able to fly regular class again. We were on the plane and taxing down the runway around 9 pm. We were on a big doubledecker bird. After settling in we were served more drinks followed by a huge meal and nice Australian red wine for me and of course rum & coke for Dun. Slept the entire night and woke up for breakfast. Shortest 14 hr flight ever.United are giving us Aeroplan Points for the delayed flight and lose of a day. The heat sure felt great when we left the airport. Got a shuttle bus to the Marriott on the waterfront much cheaper than a taxi. At checkin I was told because we lost our first night here, I could upgrade to a suite for $100 Au...no problem on this decision. Going to unpack a few things, have a shower then head out to explore the city. Were really excited after 1 1/2 years of planning...GDay Mates.

Not Quite in Oz

We left home around 6 am and got to the airport shortly after 9 am.Thanks to Renee we don't have to leave our car in Halifax. Uneventful flights to Chicago and LA. Flying Business class is awesome especially with the better seats and real meals. We were scheduled for a 5 hr wait in LA which extended to another hour delay due to something wrong with the computers that give the fuel readings. They eventually started loading the 374 passengers and those in Business class were first. Wow what comfort. We were in little enclosures and the seats lay flat. We were given little packets with comfy socks and eye masks, large pillows and blankets. Our TV's have remote controls. After settling in we were served champagne, orange juice and water.Traveling economy class will never be the same again because now I know how the other side lives. Now we are all set for the 14 hr flight....except the Captain came on and told us the problem with the computers was back so we were gong to be staying in LA until the following night.The plane with our luggage is being sent to San Fransisco to be repaired,so off we go back to the terminal. They separated us in different groups (I think by ticket class but not sure) and we were sent by shuttles to hotels for the night with late checkout at 7 pm the following day. We were also given food vouchers for breakfast and dinner. We're at the Hilton. Don't mind it at all as I was really tired from not sleeping the night before and I had been awake for over 24 hours.I did place a call to the Marriott in Sydney to advise them we would be a day late arriving as this was booked by priceline and if we did not show up by the scheduled the entire 6 night stay would be cancelled.They assured me we would be ok. I sure hope so.Had a great night's sleep & now I'm raring to go again. Til later mates

4 More Sleeps

Almost ready to go. The packing is done. Tonight a haircut and streaks are on the agenda. Tomorrow night new fingernails, pedicure and facial.All the plans are in place. I just need to get on the plane & relax. I have been planning for 1 1/2 years and at times I thought I might have to cancel but now it is so so close and I am so hyper and excited.I'm sure I won't sleep much between now & Thursday. It's a good thing I have the Olympics to watch late at night. My next post will be from Oz. Sydney is 15 hrs ahead of us so it will be Feb 20th down under but Feb 19th here. Until then my friends.

My Lucky Day

I started our the day really good and it got better as the day moved along. Two weeks from today and we will be settled into our room at the Marriott Circular Quay. I did a lot of the cumbersome but necessary things today....I called MasterCard and advised them of my travel dates so the card won't be blocked for out of country purchases.I notified the Canadian consulate for travel abroad so we are now registered with them. Our clothes are all sorted. I'll iron and do some packing tomorrow.The best thing happened today. I was looking at the Royal Caribbean International Website at our reservation to see what their wine packages looked like when I noticed our reservation had changed. We got a complimentary upgrade from our D1 balcony cabin to a Junior suite. I thought something must be wrong so I called and sure enough we definitely got upgraded. The cabin will be a lot bigger especially the bathroom area. The only thing I didn't care for was the location which is mid ship.It's not a bad location but I prefer the aft balcony as there's more of a view. I did a dummy booking, there was one Junior suite left and it is an aft corner suite so I called back and the RCI travel planner changed me to the aft junior suite. I am so excited now. I've been looking at web shots all evening for a picture to post here but so far I can't locate one . I'll surely have sweet dreams tonight. I can't believe my luck. I can now picture myself laying on the lounger, relaxing with a good book and a "tall one" Bring it on!

I'm so cold

Today I am so cold but the temps "down under" give me a nice warm feeling. Brisbane is 79 & Sydney is 73 and these are mid morning temps.Did some reading on the Virtual Tourist site. I collect Christmas tree ornaments from the places I travel and I found a nice shop in Sydney. They are easy & light weight to pack and when I look at my Christmas tree each year it brings back all the wonderful memories of where I've traveled. It is recommended that you where a hat when outside. I was planning on getting one in Los Angeles airport but I've now changed my mind. I'm going to purchase an "Aussie hat" at Paddy's Market in Haymarket the day we land. Still not packed but I still 17 days. I usually procrastinate and do this chore about 2 nights before. I do have my packing list complete so that is the hardest part. Good night Mates

Broome Hovercraft

This is the baby we'll have a ride on

Getting it all together

Today was a busy day.I picked up Sheldon's suit and the three dress shirts at the dry cleaners.No ironing of dress shirts yeah.Found a couple bottles of Deep Woods Off with 25% Deet. Along with the Malaria Pills we should be all set. I managed to put all our confirmed tours in a binder organized by date& time. I did bump up the time of the tours by 1/2 hour so I can get Sheldon to the places on time. He likes to be the last one to arrive anywhere and he thinks that organized times are for anyone but him. This totally annoys me as I like being early so I fooled him this time, I hope ha ha. I booked a Hovercraft tour in Broome. By the looks of the things we have booked, I think I might need a vacation to rest from the vacation. Oh well...only going this way once. Today I worked at the admission desk at the Ladies Winterlude. I managed to take in a lecture on Travel Tips.Sorry to say, I didn't hear anything I didn't already know. Now I'll try to post a picture of the Hovercraft. Til later mates

I Am So Impressed

I always knew the Nakile staff were awesome and now I am so impressed. I just checked my followers list and they have added Gil to the list. He will be able to follow us on this once of a lifetime trip. What a thoughtful thing to do. Thank you so much. I am sure this will ease his mind wondering what we are doing. Can hardly wait to tease him about learning to be a computer nerd ha ha

Getting there

I am slowly getting things organized. I have finally settled the delima about the voltage converter with my laptop.I contacted Acer support and after several e-mails they told me the currency converts auto. I'll save these e-mails just in case. I have a 3 year warranty and if they are incorrect guess who will replace my computer. Not me. Sunday I'll start the actual packing. I am slowly getting the extra's purchased that I need. Only 20 days left now.

A Wee bit lazy

We love formal nights on the cruise. It is our one time of the year to get really dressed up. We never used to like dressing up and that was one of the reason why we thought we would not like cruising. After our first cruise we found that if you didn't want to dress formal you didn't have to go to the main dining room on formal night, but you could go to the windjammer venue and have the same meal as in the dining room but you could be in casual dress.We have never opted for this however and have always taken our formal wear. On the 12 night cruises there were three formal nights. On this 17 night cruise I don't know how many formal nights there will be but we will go to them all. However, for anyone that knows me well, knows I hate to iron and will avoid it at all costs. Yesterday I took Sheldon's suit to the cleaners. To avoid the ironing, I took his three dress shirts along. I could just as easily have washed and ironed them but I decided not to. Now that chore is finished. Just have to pick them up next week and pack them. How nice is that!

One Happy Traveler

Today I am happy. United Airline posted on their web site that travelers going to the US can now have one carry on bag per person. That sure makes life a lot easier. We had our appointment with VON travel and we have decided that we will not need the Japanese Encephalitis vaccine as we will not be traveling to the inland area of Paupa New Guinea and the chances of contacting this disease is 1 in a million. We also do not need Yellow Fever as we are not coming from a country that has yellow fever. This saves us $2,160 so now I can buy a trinket or two. We've had 2 of our Twinrix shots and we only have one more to go. We do need Malaria pills that we have to start taking just before we leave. It's only 28 days to go. I had previously bought a voltage converter but it is too powerful and would blow my computer. Can't find the size I need in Yarmouth so hopefully Renee can get the size required in Halifax on the weekend. I need to take my camera battery charger to Sky Tech to see if it has a built in converter. After this is settled, I'm pretty well set to go. Time is going by fast now and can't come to soon.

Bring On The Sun

After today's snow, I am really looking forward to the warm weather . It's now 31 days and counting. Our ship will be docked at the Overseas Passenger Terminal which is located between the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House. Our hotel "The Marriott at Circular Quay" is also located within a block or so of the Opera House. We'll be in the thick of all the action and walking distance to the pubs.

A Few Thoughts

I have been thinking a lot about this trip down under. A few years ago when we were much younger our trips seemed to revolve around beaches and having fun. Fun is still important, but the last few trips we have done is about meeting people from other cultures and experiencing new things. We have met and kept in touch with a lot of wonderful people from all walks of life during our travels to Hawaii, Alaska and Europe.Mind you, I still love snorkeling and doing touristy things. Sheldon is a pretty cool traveler and is game for anything but he would never plan ahead and would just go with the flow. I like researching and planning and he laughs at that but I like to know about the places we will be visiting and any obstacles we might run into. Maybe I do go a bit overboard but to me it is fun. We probably won't do everything on our list but at least we have guidelines and options and a general plan. All is pretty well in place now and we have started on our inoculations. On Tuesday we have a consultation with VON Travel.Today I will start a "To do" of things I need to set aside and things I need to purchase. I am going to try and travel light as United Airlines charges for each checked in bag

Sydney

I wonder if anyone would notice if I start living on Sydney time for the next 5 weeks. I'd be working when no one else is but I would be prepared for when I get there with no jet lag ha ha. Good idea. 5 weeks from now we'll winging our way across the USA

Another Day Closer

It's only 35 days now and I'll be on my way.There is still much to prepare. Packing will be a big issue and I will soon be making my list of essentials items. The clothes are the easiest.It's the other things.

Australia words

Today I found some new words like Daks (pants), durry (outside bathroom), Plonk (cheap wine), cozzie( bathing suit). Wonder if I'll remember then when I get to OZ. doubt it but how about this... After having some Plonk I visited the durry to change my daks with a cozzie. sounds weird to me.

Expensive Day

Wow. Today was an expensive venture.Talked with VON travel regarding inoculations required for Northern Australia & Paupa New Guinea. We will need Yellow Fever & Japanese encephalitis. Yellow fever is one shot, Japanese encephalitis is 3 shots each and they charge per shot as well as a consultation visit each time total cost of this will be. then I talked with our doctors office about Twinrix and that's 3 shots each plus a fee for each visit here too. Total cost for protection will be $2,160.00. Hadn't expected this. Oh well, we'll never need them again and now I will be covered for South America and Africa. they only other shot we may need in the future is Malaria..