Wednesday, February 28, 2018
March 1, 2018: Sea Days after Perth to Bali and beyond...
OK, it's really Feb. 28 for all of you, but we are showing Thursday, March 1 here in our elevators…so that's today.
A lot to go over since I last updated this blog, so this one will just be writing, then I'll add photos on another page to follow.
Perth and Fremantle were our very favorite of our Australia ports. All of them were wonderful places to visit with so much to see…and made easy with their transportation system (free). Lots of beautiful gardens everywhere. The coast, where I went, was lovely, though the "local" I spoke to said she wouldn't swim there…too many sharks, etc. It didn't seem to be bothering many folks!
Once we left Perth and Fremantle we had 3 sea days that were pretty calm…nothing like we had had before. Somehow the days went by quickly with knitting, readying, learning, visiting, and of course…eating. One day was Gala Night, so we got dressed up in our finest…only MY photo will appear here, since our excellent portraits won't be given to us, along with every photo taken of us during this cruise, until the end. We bought a package that included every photo taken given to us on a thumb drive at the end.
Now the fun port…Bali! Wow…we were lucky to spend 2 days there. First, I must say that many of our stewards on this ship are from Bali (or next door Java), so they are allowed to have their families visit them on the ship for a few hours. To do that, we all asked for no service to our cabins for 2 days, although, as usual, they seemed to find time to do it anyway…that's just how they are. We missed seeing their families since we were off the ship by 8 AM and didn't return until 7 or so the first day. We, and another couple, met up with Suweca, our guide and took off to various temples and rice fields that first day. Wow…what amazing views. We found there are over 20,000 Hindu temples (Bali is 97% Hindu) on Bali and we only saw 4 that first day. Families have their own temples in their family compound, which we could just glimpse over the tops of their walls. Beautiful architecture. We visited two batik factories and were able to watch as they carefully placed the wax on the designs…quite labor-intensive for the most intricate designs. We had such limited time in the shops I wasn't able to make any choices…so I made none. It was like our Yarn Crawl in Perth…too much sensory overload!
By the time we ended the day, we were thoroughly exhausted…by the heat and humidity, and all we saw. A quick light dinner and shower, and then to bed…pickup was to be at 7 AM the next morning!
Wed. morning (Feb. 27) Suweca met us and took us right away to one of my favorite places…the Bat Cave Temple. Yes, it's a temple at the mouth of a bat cave…with the bats fully in evidence. It's the one temple where we had to don their sarongs since we were entering the highest temple (previously we had only entered 2 of the three levels of temple) and there was a ceremony going on. The quick explanation of this temple, was that it was the entrance to the cave that went into the volcano of Mount Agung, their holy mountain. The ocean is nearby and their ancestors' spirits are going from the ocean (where their cremated remains are) into the volcano and on to heaven. It's a bit more complicated than that, but it's all I can translate here. We also visited 2 palace gardens…each different from the other, but equally beautiful. We were the first ones at one garden, so had the view (for a few minutes) to ourselves. It was hot and humid and I began to not feel well…fortunately we had a lunch stop next which was picturesque, but I only ate fried rice and coke. With me not feeling great, and it hot, and all of us tired, Suweca picked up on it and decided to eliminate the next two temples (they all are lovely, but do begin to look similar) and get us back to the ship…as it was, it was after 4 when we returned….just enough time to do some quick shopping at the market stalls outside the ship…Chris got a nice shirt (cheap, but will be fine for the next few weeks), and I got the same batik print my friend had bought the first day in the batik shop…mine was $5 less! :-) We didn't stay long, since it was one of those kinds of markets where they grab you physically and try to take you to buy their pearls, watches, jewelry, batiks, etc. and don't take "no" for an answer. Instead of browsing more (when we might have bought more) we just escaped! Yes, Bali is beautiful, but not initially…in Denpasar and around the towns, it's incredibly crowded with motorbikes and cars. It took over an hour to get from the port to the other side of the city…all the while dodging motorbikes and cars. Our guide was a great driver and did it all with ease. (Our friends who had set this tour up had had Suweca last year on a visit to Bali, so had reserved him for this time. We will reserve him for our visit next year, if it looks like we will take the cruise next year.) On the second day we were out in the country more (it was visiting the NE part of Bali) where there were small villages and rice fields everywhere. It was more the scenery I liked…no crowds, few tourists, etc. The country is poor, but the people are delightful. Our dollar went a long way…$100 per day for Chris and me to take this tour which included lunch and all entrance fees, the car, guide, and everything! The only extra was beer and Cokes. I felt terrible when I had to keep declining to buy sarongs everywhere…our guide said to not feel badly about it.
By Wed. night I was definitely ill…whether it was something I ate that first day, or whether I was due to get it from someone on the ship or whatever, I am still (as of today) cabin-bound and not eating much. I'm calling it the "Get Rid of Extra Cruise Pounds Illness"…and welcome it! (HA!) We will be half way tomorrow which is our third sea day after Bali, en route to the Philippines.
The first sea day (yesterday) the Captain held a "Pirate Attack Drill"…we are sailing now in "pirate waters" where they try to attack ships for their "stuff"…not money or people. We have water and sound canons at the ready, and were given directions as to what to do immediately upon being given the signal we are under attack and what the captain will be doing with the ship when that happens. Suffice it to say, nobody will get away with anything from this ship…we can deal with them quite nicely. It was quite comforting to hear what this ship is capable of doing!
Tomorrow everyone on the ship has to have their temperature taken before we get to Puerto Princesa (the Philippines)…That's the first time that particular requirement has risen. In Australia they are VERY clear on your visa as to how long you can stay and what will happen if you overstay…and don't even think about bringing food off the ship…instant $400 fine! (And yet some folks still did it!…but got fined…they have sniffer dogs.) I'm not sure what will happen to those who fail the temp test tomorrow, but will probably not be allowed off the ship…I'm fine. No temp. And..we aren't planning to get off the ship…not much in this port.
Almost half way now…hard to believe we'll be counting down from here on to the end of the cruise. I'm glad we've taken it and are enjoying many of the ports we've not seen before. Since Hobart, they've all been new to us and we are looking forward to Singapore, Hong Kong, Viet Nam, Thailand, and of course seeing Angkor Wat! So many good ones to come!
The next post will have photos from Bali in no particular order probably…just some representative ones.
A lot to go over since I last updated this blog, so this one will just be writing, then I'll add photos on another page to follow.
Perth and Fremantle were our very favorite of our Australia ports. All of them were wonderful places to visit with so much to see…and made easy with their transportation system (free). Lots of beautiful gardens everywhere. The coast, where I went, was lovely, though the "local" I spoke to said she wouldn't swim there…too many sharks, etc. It didn't seem to be bothering many folks!
Once we left Perth and Fremantle we had 3 sea days that were pretty calm…nothing like we had had before. Somehow the days went by quickly with knitting, readying, learning, visiting, and of course…eating. One day was Gala Night, so we got dressed up in our finest…only MY photo will appear here, since our excellent portraits won't be given to us, along with every photo taken of us during this cruise, until the end. We bought a package that included every photo taken given to us on a thumb drive at the end.
Now the fun port…Bali! Wow…we were lucky to spend 2 days there. First, I must say that many of our stewards on this ship are from Bali (or next door Java), so they are allowed to have their families visit them on the ship for a few hours. To do that, we all asked for no service to our cabins for 2 days, although, as usual, they seemed to find time to do it anyway…that's just how they are. We missed seeing their families since we were off the ship by 8 AM and didn't return until 7 or so the first day. We, and another couple, met up with Suweca, our guide and took off to various temples and rice fields that first day. Wow…what amazing views. We found there are over 20,000 Hindu temples (Bali is 97% Hindu) on Bali and we only saw 4 that first day. Families have their own temples in their family compound, which we could just glimpse over the tops of their walls. Beautiful architecture. We visited two batik factories and were able to watch as they carefully placed the wax on the designs…quite labor-intensive for the most intricate designs. We had such limited time in the shops I wasn't able to make any choices…so I made none. It was like our Yarn Crawl in Perth…too much sensory overload!
By the time we ended the day, we were thoroughly exhausted…by the heat and humidity, and all we saw. A quick light dinner and shower, and then to bed…pickup was to be at 7 AM the next morning!
Wed. morning (Feb. 27) Suweca met us and took us right away to one of my favorite places…the Bat Cave Temple. Yes, it's a temple at the mouth of a bat cave…with the bats fully in evidence. It's the one temple where we had to don their sarongs since we were entering the highest temple (previously we had only entered 2 of the three levels of temple) and there was a ceremony going on. The quick explanation of this temple, was that it was the entrance to the cave that went into the volcano of Mount Agung, their holy mountain. The ocean is nearby and their ancestors' spirits are going from the ocean (where their cremated remains are) into the volcano and on to heaven. It's a bit more complicated than that, but it's all I can translate here. We also visited 2 palace gardens…each different from the other, but equally beautiful. We were the first ones at one garden, so had the view (for a few minutes) to ourselves. It was hot and humid and I began to not feel well…fortunately we had a lunch stop next which was picturesque, but I only ate fried rice and coke. With me not feeling great, and it hot, and all of us tired, Suweca picked up on it and decided to eliminate the next two temples (they all are lovely, but do begin to look similar) and get us back to the ship…as it was, it was after 4 when we returned….just enough time to do some quick shopping at the market stalls outside the ship…Chris got a nice shirt (cheap, but will be fine for the next few weeks), and I got the same batik print my friend had bought the first day in the batik shop…mine was $5 less! :-) We didn't stay long, since it was one of those kinds of markets where they grab you physically and try to take you to buy their pearls, watches, jewelry, batiks, etc. and don't take "no" for an answer. Instead of browsing more (when we might have bought more) we just escaped! Yes, Bali is beautiful, but not initially…in Denpasar and around the towns, it's incredibly crowded with motorbikes and cars. It took over an hour to get from the port to the other side of the city…all the while dodging motorbikes and cars. Our guide was a great driver and did it all with ease. (Our friends who had set this tour up had had Suweca last year on a visit to Bali, so had reserved him for this time. We will reserve him for our visit next year, if it looks like we will take the cruise next year.) On the second day we were out in the country more (it was visiting the NE part of Bali) where there were small villages and rice fields everywhere. It was more the scenery I liked…no crowds, few tourists, etc. The country is poor, but the people are delightful. Our dollar went a long way…$100 per day for Chris and me to take this tour which included lunch and all entrance fees, the car, guide, and everything! The only extra was beer and Cokes. I felt terrible when I had to keep declining to buy sarongs everywhere…our guide said to not feel badly about it.
By Wed. night I was definitely ill…whether it was something I ate that first day, or whether I was due to get it from someone on the ship or whatever, I am still (as of today) cabin-bound and not eating much. I'm calling it the "Get Rid of Extra Cruise Pounds Illness"…and welcome it! (HA!) We will be half way tomorrow which is our third sea day after Bali, en route to the Philippines.
The first sea day (yesterday) the Captain held a "Pirate Attack Drill"…we are sailing now in "pirate waters" where they try to attack ships for their "stuff"…not money or people. We have water and sound canons at the ready, and were given directions as to what to do immediately upon being given the signal we are under attack and what the captain will be doing with the ship when that happens. Suffice it to say, nobody will get away with anything from this ship…we can deal with them quite nicely. It was quite comforting to hear what this ship is capable of doing!
Tomorrow everyone on the ship has to have their temperature taken before we get to Puerto Princesa (the Philippines)…That's the first time that particular requirement has risen. In Australia they are VERY clear on your visa as to how long you can stay and what will happen if you overstay…and don't even think about bringing food off the ship…instant $400 fine! (And yet some folks still did it!…but got fined…they have sniffer dogs.) I'm not sure what will happen to those who fail the temp test tomorrow, but will probably not be allowed off the ship…I'm fine. No temp. And..we aren't planning to get off the ship…not much in this port.
Almost half way now…hard to believe we'll be counting down from here on to the end of the cruise. I'm glad we've taken it and are enjoying many of the ports we've not seen before. Since Hobart, they've all been new to us and we are looking forward to Singapore, Hong Kong, Viet Nam, Thailand, and of course seeing Angkor Wat! So many good ones to come!
The next post will have photos from Bali in no particular order probably…just some representative ones.
Thursday, February 22, 2018
February 22: Fremantle and Perth...Fantastic!
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
February 19 and 20: At Sea and Albany, Australia
It's 6:30 AM on Tuesday, Feb. 20 (at least it's Tuesday according to our rugs in the elevators)...elsewhere, where y'all are, it's still Monday. We just keep setting the clocks back and back and...Two and a half hours in 3 days is a lot of "back"...body hasn't adjusted!
We're approaching Albany (pronounced with the "a" as in Pal) where we'll be docked for the day before we go around the southwest corner of Australia for our last AU stop tomorrow in Fremantle/Perth. It's cloudy, with southerly winds blowing between 25 to 30 knots which apparently is quite common for this area. Lots of large swells, but we'll soon leave those as we come into the bay. Temperatures are 61 with high of 65 expected, so not a great day, but we plan to go ashore, take the short shuttle "up the hill" to the town which sounds quaint.
Yesterday was rainy/foggy and was a good day to do what we did...just worked on photos, videos, finished a book, almost finished the last sock for Miles, and visited. We have friends from Toronto who will be getting off in just 2 1/2 weeks in Hong Kong, so always nice to talk with them. Also sat with people at dinner whose kids live in Carlsbad, too, and they have lived in many places we have...overlapped a lot! They live in Bend, OR now which is one of our favorite places and where we almost retired to (except they have WINTER!). They gave us lots of info on places coming up that they've been to...always helpful!
More later when I return...and still have internet access, I hope!
I'm back...and it's Wednesday, the 21st and we are on our way to Fremantle which we will dock in by 3:30 PM this afternoon according to the captain.
Yesterday was lovely, well not weatherwise, but it was a nice day to explore a small town. Albany was settled in the early 1800's and has a well-restored convict gaol and an excellent replica of the old Brig "Amity." We explored both and found them very interesting. The town itself is on a hill, so we took the shuttle offered and walked a bit of town...to their grocery store to get some grapes (for some reason, the ship hasn't had a big supply) and get a birthday card for our granddaughter who turns 18 next month. The town had set up some craft shops where we bought some aboriginal souvenirs, then headed down the hill to see the ship and gaol. Chris walked back to our ship via a scenic route to see some more historic buildings, but I had had enough walking, so walked straight back along the shore...we did 10,900 steps! (Too many for me!)
When we left port we could see many of the exports being loaded onto ships: wheat, silica (that will be made into Toyota windshields), and lumber for paper mills in Japan. For a small town, it seemed very active!
Sent from my iPad
We're approaching Albany (pronounced with the "a" as in Pal) where we'll be docked for the day before we go around the southwest corner of Australia for our last AU stop tomorrow in Fremantle/Perth. It's cloudy, with southerly winds blowing between 25 to 30 knots which apparently is quite common for this area. Lots of large swells, but we'll soon leave those as we come into the bay. Temperatures are 61 with high of 65 expected, so not a great day, but we plan to go ashore, take the short shuttle "up the hill" to the town which sounds quaint.
Yesterday was rainy/foggy and was a good day to do what we did...just worked on photos, videos, finished a book, almost finished the last sock for Miles, and visited. We have friends from Toronto who will be getting off in just 2 1/2 weeks in Hong Kong, so always nice to talk with them. Also sat with people at dinner whose kids live in Carlsbad, too, and they have lived in many places we have...overlapped a lot! They live in Bend, OR now which is one of our favorite places and where we almost retired to (except they have WINTER!). They gave us lots of info on places coming up that they've been to...always helpful!
More later when I return...and still have internet access, I hope!
I'm back...and it's Wednesday, the 21st and we are on our way to Fremantle which we will dock in by 3:30 PM this afternoon according to the captain.
Yesterday was lovely, well not weatherwise, but it was a nice day to explore a small town. Albany was settled in the early 1800's and has a well-restored convict gaol and an excellent replica of the old Brig "Amity." We explored both and found them very interesting. The town itself is on a hill, so we took the shuttle offered and walked a bit of town...to their grocery store to get some grapes (for some reason, the ship hasn't had a big supply) and get a birthday card for our granddaughter who turns 18 next month. The town had set up some craft shops where we bought some aboriginal souvenirs, then headed down the hill to see the ship and gaol. Chris walked back to our ship via a scenic route to see some more historic buildings, but I had had enough walking, so walked straight back along the shore...we did 10,900 steps! (Too many for me!)
When we left port we could see many of the exports being loaded onto ships: wheat, silica (that will be made into Toyota windshields), and lumber for paper mills in Japan. For a small town, it seemed very active!
Sent from my iPad
Saturday, February 17, 2018
Feb. 17: Adelaide, Australia
Adelaide: What a beautiful city! Unfortunately, we had scheduled a tour to a wildlife park north of the city to see the obligatory kangaroos, koalas, etc. Our tour bus took us all around and through the city though (a necessity to get where we were going), so we did get to see the downtown and some of the housing areas, their new hospital, parks, and university. The Cleland Wildlife Park was very nice but the koalas were in their artificial habitats because of recent heat that bothers them. That worked out OK since we got a good look at them. Our visit was during the heat of the day, so the kangaroos were all napping soundly. Even food wasn't much of an inducement out of their slumbers! Emus were active as were some animals we didn't know of: Potoroos and Bettongs in particular. (In photo, the Potoroos is the small marsupial about the size of a large rat, the Bettong is the one that looks like a kangaroo but is about the size of a cat.) We enjoyed the park, but friends had spent the day in Adelaide and had a much better time…oh, well…there's only so much we can see in these ports!
Today (Feb. 18…Sunday) is a Sea Day, as is tomorrow. So far, the sea is calm with a few "rollers" to let us know we are on a ship. (Temperatures in high 60's.) We arrive in Albany, Western Australia on Tuesday. We have no plans, but look forward to walking the small town after learning about it this morning from our Port Lecturer, Barbara, who is a gem! This afternoon we heard a lecture on this whole state of Western Australia which comprises 1/3 of the whole country of Australia. It's quite diverse with vineyards on the southwest, resorts along the shores, and lots of various mining inland in the deserts. We will only "round the southwest corner" of it and see Perth/Freemantle a few days after Albany and then we will leave Australia and head to Indonesia…first stop there is Bali!
Today they also put out the potential World Cruise itineraries for 2020 for us to all vote on and give our input on various ports, etc. I can see why people get in this habit of cruising, since two of the four itineraries were quite interesting to me! (One revisits Antarctica and another Africa, China, and Japan. Two itineraries include stops in San Diego and HI) It will be interesting to see what the final choice is! We feel fortunate to be able to do this one, but can easily see why so many do it year after year (as long as money and health hold out!)
We are thoroughly enjoying our new friends on board…both staff and cruisers. Facebook seems to be the favorite way of keeping in touch for the future. We have "adopted" several new grandchildren on this ship…they, in turn, look on us as their grandparents on this journey. Our cabin steward is having his family come on board in Bali to see him for a day, so perhaps we'll get to see them, but we have a tour already set up. One friend has knitted a blanket for her cabin steward's new baby she'll get to see in Bali. So Bali will be busy since quite a few of the staff are from there and are allowed to have their families come on board and visit. Usually, signs are placed on cabin doors saying "No Service Today" so that the stewards can have more time with their families. Alas, a few will also leave since their contract (9 months) is up and others will take their place. One of our favorites is leaving…but we may see him again on another Dam ship. Enjoy the photos!
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
February 14....and 15th ...STORM!
The Captain had warned us yesterday when we left Hobart, Tasmania, that today and tomorrow were going to be rough...well, he came on a few minutes ago (10:30 am) and said to batten down the hatches and that about 12:30 we would really be in the teeth of it...as of now, we are getting 70+ knot winds and he's had to slow down to 11 knots since our "apparent wind" is over 90 knots...seas are messy with large swells. He's ducking in closer to Tasmania as we prepare to swing around it's northern side, where we will be in the midst of the worst of the storm. Barometer is still falling at 995 so far. Not going to be a good afternoon. Definitely not planning on "Gala Night" tonight...stocked up on fruit and crackers this morning. Decided to prophylactically take a whole Meclizine...who cares if I sleep all afternoon! If you can believe, someone was complaining to our group leader for our travel agency about missing the port today! (Always someone!) Too bad...I guess they wouldn't have minded the 24' seas the Captain was trying to avoid! (And has.)
11 am update: Captain said 75 mph winds...he's moving ballast around before we turn the corner of northern Tasmania to try to even out our "heel" as we turn (wind will be on our right side then...right now we are heading into it)..slowed to 10 knots to make it more comfortable, but the forecast is for this to last until tomorrow afternoon. I wouldn't be surprised if he postponed Valentines Day Gala Night to tomorrow night...we're definitely not planning to go (DR is aft and will sway a lot!)
Interesting: 4:45 Captain came on and said we are "hove to" in sailing parlance (for all our sailing buddies) i.e. He's heading into the wind and slowing down to just maintain way on to keep her heading into the wind...easier ride..we noticed several waves breaking up to our cabin on the 6th deck! Waves are definitely 24' and over... Nasty...but it's also beautiful since the sun is out periodically. Chris has been videoing off and on, but they won't show how it really is. I'm on our bed reading and watching the tv that has all our nautical information and bow camera...been fun to see all the wind and speed info. We are only at 1.7 knots right now as he heads into the wind and will ride this out a bit. Nice that we are NOT in an "apartment of the seas" as some folks refer to those "high rise" cruise ships. At least ours is built for the seas! Earlier, the captain had cancelled the Gala Night festivities, which works fine since I had already cancelled "ours." Not hitting the shower tonight!
7:30 Back from dinner in the Lido...not many there...doubt many in the DR either. Lots of less able folks should stay in their cabins and order room service...safer. Heard somebody fell this morning and broke a shoulder...not good. Probably more broken bones than that. Clocks go back another 30 minutes tonight. It'll be interesting to hear if our call at Kangaroo Island the day after tomorrow will be impacted by this storm.
Feb. 15th...noon...Captain was doing under 3 knots all night...about 6 am he picked it up to 11 and is now at 17 knots and still OK...definitely rocky, but doable. Winds are still in the 50 knot and up range, swells are getting more and more. They reached 26' yesterday and 2 broke over the bow (those are the two that hit our verandah.)He's still hoping to make Kangaroo Island tomorrow, but it'll be at noon instead of 8...we'll see. We have nothing planned and instead are planning to see a nature park in Adelaide. Shall try to send this after lunch.
Sent from my iPad
Sent from my iPad
11 am update: Captain said 75 mph winds...he's moving ballast around before we turn the corner of northern Tasmania to try to even out our "heel" as we turn (wind will be on our right side then...right now we are heading into it)..slowed to 10 knots to make it more comfortable, but the forecast is for this to last until tomorrow afternoon. I wouldn't be surprised if he postponed Valentines Day Gala Night to tomorrow night...we're definitely not planning to go (DR is aft and will sway a lot!)
Interesting: 4:45 Captain came on and said we are "hove to" in sailing parlance (for all our sailing buddies) i.e. He's heading into the wind and slowing down to just maintain way on to keep her heading into the wind...easier ride..we noticed several waves breaking up to our cabin on the 6th deck! Waves are definitely 24' and over... Nasty...but it's also beautiful since the sun is out periodically. Chris has been videoing off and on, but they won't show how it really is. I'm on our bed reading and watching the tv that has all our nautical information and bow camera...been fun to see all the wind and speed info. We are only at 1.7 knots right now as he heads into the wind and will ride this out a bit. Nice that we are NOT in an "apartment of the seas" as some folks refer to those "high rise" cruise ships. At least ours is built for the seas! Earlier, the captain had cancelled the Gala Night festivities, which works fine since I had already cancelled "ours." Not hitting the shower tonight!
7:30 Back from dinner in the Lido...not many there...doubt many in the DR either. Lots of less able folks should stay in their cabins and order room service...safer. Heard somebody fell this morning and broke a shoulder...not good. Probably more broken bones than that. Clocks go back another 30 minutes tonight. It'll be interesting to hear if our call at Kangaroo Island the day after tomorrow will be impacted by this storm.
Feb. 15th...noon...Captain was doing under 3 knots all night...about 6 am he picked it up to 11 and is now at 17 knots and still OK...definitely rocky, but doable. Winds are still in the 50 knot and up range, swells are getting more and more. They reached 26' yesterday and 2 broke over the bow (those are the two that hit our verandah.)He's still hoping to make Kangaroo Island tomorrow, but it'll be at noon instead of 8...we'll see. We have nothing planned and instead are planning to see a nature park in Adelaide. Shall try to send this after lunch.
Sent from my iPad
Sent from my iPad
Monday, February 12, 2018
Jan. 17 Wednesday (NOTE DATE of LAST MONTH)
The other night we received the two games for pillow gifts...well, someone had opened it up to see what kind of game it was...it's Monopoly for cruisers...so won't be a total waste. IF we can find a way of packing them in our luggage along with all the other stuff we've been given...and that's before we've really done any shopping in any ports!
Chris got his hair cut this morning...short...but with the hot weather coming up, it'll be fine.
February 10 Photos, etc. : Sydney, Australia
Today is a sea day en route to Hobart, Tasmania which we will reach tomorrow. It's been a bit rocky today, typical of the Tasman Sea. But...this afternoon the Captain announced we would shorten our stay in Hobart tomorrow and eliminate our following port of Port Arthur (a UNESCO Heritage Site) which we were looking forward to seeing (a former penal colony.) There is a large storm headed our way, so he wants to go around the eastern side of Tasmania and head towards the Australia coast. Forecast of 40+ knot winds and seas of 24 feet which he'd like to avoid. We will still have a pretty rocky couple of days, but he thinks this will limit our exposure. We're on our way to Kangaroo Island off of Adelaide which we will also visit the day after Kangaroo Island. So...three more sea days after Hobart until we reach Kangaroo Island. Stay tuned.
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