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.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
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
Friday, March 5, 2010
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.
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
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.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
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.
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.
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