MUSCAT, OMAN

MUSCAT (MUTRAH), OMAN   27 MAR 11

Similar to Dubai, 85% of the population of Oman is imported to work for the other 15%, mostly from India, Pakistan, Philippines and Indonesia.  A land of little color other than sand, blazing sun and smiling shopkeepers, all imports.  This was our second visit in four months, making it much easier for us to decide what to do.  What else??? Shop!!!!!  Mutrah has the finest of all the souks we’ve visited and we ended up making two trips there during the course of the day.

It takes 2.6 American dollars to buy 1 Omani Rial but prices are still relatively inexpensive and dollars are accepted by most shopkeepers and restaurants.  Foreigners are not allowed to drive taxis, busses or be tour guides, only Omani citizens may hold these positions.  Information about living conditions is therefore best obtained from the shopkeepers who tell it like it is.  Sultan Qaboos bin Said pays for everything including health care and there are no taxes.  His yacht sits regally in the harbor, a constant reminder (to me and I suppose to his subjects) of his outrageous wealth.  Said came to power in 1970 in a bloodless coup against his father.  He has no heirs and is aging, so the future of the country’s politics is a little murky.  With all that has been going on in the area, one may wonder if Oman is next but the people really seem at ease.

We really enjoy the souk here as it has items not seen in other areas; perfumes, spices, silver, gold, fabric and jewelry of a creative nature.  But I did find one thing here that blew my socks off!  While Gina was eyeballing some necklaces in one of the smaller shops, I happened to glance at a turquoise T-Shirt with mystical words written across the top.  As I paid more heed the name James Randi appeared on the lower part of the shirt, magically, as if he were there.  JAMES RANDI.  Magician, skeptic, educator, debunker of falsehoods and most of all, a friend!  The Amazing Randi, here in Oman???  Just the fact that someone manufactured this shirt (in China) is a testimony to Randi’s omnipresence.   I purchased the shirt for $10.00 and may have it framed.

Off to another Omani port, Salalah, home of frankincense.

DUBAI

Dubai, UAE  24 – 26 MAR 11

It’s 5 AM and we’re sitting in the terminal building at the port of Dubai.  Why 5 AM?  Because it’s free internet here but once more than ten folks get on line at the same time, the service slows to a crawl.  And as I count, there are already 6 others out here with us.  It’s amazing how we’ve become addicted to something that we didn’t even know existed ten years ago!

Dubai is Dubai.  Plastic, Disney World and Vegas combined, sad and eclectic and just not one of my favorite places.  Ski slopes in malls, the biggest everything, you get the idea.  The only thing worse than a day in Dubai is two days in Dubai and we’re here for two days and a morning.  Day 1 we took it fairly easy and visited the local museum which cost under $1.00 for admission.  It was actually a very well done affair extolling the minimal local history along with some of the nature.  Lunch on the small river here called the Creek was also reasonable with great hummus.  We then stumbled upon a very nice souk which was cool and comfortable for shopping and even had some goods of a little higher quality than the tourist junk sold everywhere.  We took a cab back and of interest was that the cab fare doubled from the time we entered the port area to the time we reached the ship.  The distance from the port entry to the pier has to be at least two miles for what could be no more than ½ mile in a straight line.

Day two was a Friday which is the equivalent of a Sunday at home only more so.  Even the Metro doesn’t start running until 1:00 PM.  Speaking of the Metro, this is a well-run, modern, unmanned system with sleek new cars and excellent air conditioning.  We rode for about 1 ½ hours for the equivalent of $10 after lunch in an Indian restaurant.  The desire for Indian food was strong after not being able to find an Indian restaurant in Mumbai!  Views out the Metro window reminded me of Las Vegas away from the strip.  Pretty ugly and barren.

We’re off to Muscat, Salalah, Aqaba, Suez Canal and Ashdod.  Our itinerary has already been changed twice due to problems in Egypt and now they are lobbing rockets into Ashdod so who knows where we’ll be headed.  About 32 days to Fort Lauderdale.

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MUMBAI

Mumbai   21/22 Mar 11

You either love it or you hate it!  If you have no disposition for discomfort and chaos, perhaps there are better ports of call.  But if you’re willing to get down and dirty, the colors and smiles, even those of the beggars, can enchant you. 

Having not been here before, we opted for a ship’s tour called Marvels of Mumbai for our first venture into this land that we really did have some apprehension about visiting.  Most of what we’ve read and been told by other passengers was of a negative nature so we thought we’d get the lay of the land the easy way.  The one thing we like about tours offered by the ship is that the tour guides are usually excellent and this proved to be the case.  Seeing the movie Gandhi (3 hours) the night before helped us with the history of independence.  Visiting his home on the tour with a guide who used to visit this same house with her grandfather who was a friend of Gandhi was a bonus.  I must say after visiting and seeing pictures of Gandhi that Ben Kingsley was a spitting image.

The Prince of Wales Museum and Dobi Ghat (huge laundry facility) were also very interesting but the best part of the day was when we prematurely left the tour at the Gate of India and ventured out on our own to the caves of Elephanta Island.  We ventured forth on a boat that could only make the African Queen look like a luxury liner!  A wooden boat with no signs of life preservers and no boarding ramp, having a capacity of 125 in fair weather, 70 in foul.  I would assume the captain has a deal with some weatherman on questionable days.  After a one hour ordeal, we arrived at Elephanta Island.  The caves are quite some distance down a path lined with aggressive merchants but are well worth the hassle.  Their history is really unknown other than to say they were probably carved out in the 7^th century AD as places of worship.  The Main Cave made me think of the treasury building at Petra, smaller in scale but very similar in style which brings me to the one thing I learned today that will say with me.

There is a distinct crossover in cultures between the Middle East (for me, Egypt & Jordan) and India.  The architecture, sculptures and façade carvings would almost appear to be interchangeable.  The distance is not that far but the people are very different and the geographical barriers are great.  Something to research at a later time.

Day two was spent investigating the Taj Hotel and its environs.  Since the 2008 attack the hotel has been rebuilt and now requires a complete security check before entering.  A luxury hotel with all the amenities you’d expect.  From there we took a cab to the train station to witness the transfer of the Tiffen boxes, prepared foods brought in via train to be delivered to the offices of the addressees.  The only problem was that this occurred OUTSIDE the station while we were INSIDE looking for it.  Being hot and grimy, we took a cab back to the ship for lunch as we could not find a decent restaurant serving Indian food.  I’ll have to go over to Cambridge when we get home.

In total, I would like to go back to India with the knowledge I now have.  As I said, it’s not for the weak of heart, but it has much to offer.

KOCHI

Kochi, India 18Mar11

Our first visit to India was enhanced by a tour guide extraordinaire. His name was Chester and he absolutely helped wash away our (my) apprehensions of visiting India. An affable Canadian couple organized an off-the-ship tour via the internet and invited us along. Normally, this is something we would do ourselves but due to liability concerns as a result of our status representing Vacation.com, we are unable to do it on this trip.

We were a party of nine, 5 Aussies, 2 Canadians and us. First off the ship and onto a fifteen passenger minibus with excellent air conditioning. After a hair raising 2 hour ride over narrow two lane roads that were often treated as four lanes (reminded me of Egypt), we arrived at Kerala Backwaters, a series of freshwater canals that were formerly rice paddies. There we boarded a vessel that appeared to be hand built with thatch consisting of a living room, where we spent most of our time, two bedrooms, one bathroom and a kitchen. We cruised the canals for an hour and a half, being served a lovely meal of fried chicken, fried fish, yogurt, fresh pineapple, a whole coconut with straw, curried vegetables, rice, papadam, green beans and (for me) Kingfisher Beer. Tranquil serenity in an area of constant noise and motion. A very enjoyable experience.

From the houseboat we journeyed back toward the ship making several unscheduled stops including a once a year Hindi festival which involved fifteen elephants dressed in their Sunday best even though it was a Friday. We visited the Chinese fishing nets in Fort Cochin, ancient hand constructed fulcrum principled devices that are still in use today. But the best stop of all was a stop at Chester’s modest home in Fort Cochin where we were introduced to his mother and two of his sisters, who served us all coffee. This two room plus kitchen, corrugated tin roofed home was clean and well kept. Our reception by his family will remain with me for a long time. The living room was dominated by at least four different pictures of Jesus and a 24” HD TV with satellite reception.

This area having been dominated by the Portuguese for years before the British took over, Christianity still flourishes, at least in this part of India. Muslim and Hindu are the major players here, leaving me to wonder why Pakistan was ever created. Have to ask Ben Kingsley I guess.

Off to Mumbai for two days. I hope we have a similar Indian experience, but I’m not countind on it.

Joe Wagg

SINGAPORE

SINGAPORE   March 13/14, 2011

Civilized, motorized, amortized and homogenized, Singapore has it all. And it has it all with a classy façade which, perhaps, hides the really strict nature of their criminal laws and their real lack of democracy in the 21^st century.  Lovely to look at, delightful to know, a real cosmopolitan city.

Day one began with me trying to figure out how to send a text message on my international phone.  We have a friend here named Wui.  He was a shipmate on Amazing Adventure 6 (?) in March 2010.  We’ve kept in touch via facebook and when I let him know we would be in Singapore, he made sure he was available to see us and asked that we text him when we were ready to leave the ship.  Well, at least I was able to figure out how to call his cell phone.  Wui introduced us to the fantastic subway system of Singapore.  He had to attend his brother’s engagement party, so we went to Chinatown, an area of Singapore we hadn’t seen before.  We shopped for two hours, total purchases were $S15 for a beaded necklace.  Wui owns a bar on the riverfront, so we wandered the streets until 3 PM, having a lovely lunch on the riverfront until Wui opened his bar.  We spent some time with Wui, but it being St. Patrick’s weekend, it was really getting busy, so we found our way back to the ship.

After a well deserved rest and dinner in the Lido, we decided to go to the brand new Marina Bay Casino.  Set atop three skyscrapers and molded in the shape of a boat, the architecture really intrigued us more than the idea of going to a casino.  Well, the best laid plans, etc.  It took us 30 minutes to get through customs and immigration (required every time you leave the ship).  A day gambling ship, which just happened to be the old Song of Norway, had just let out and we were in the middle of a swarm of highrollers who, by their general demeanor, did not come home winners.  Finally getting to the street level we found the cab line with about 25 people in it and not a cab in sight.  At this point we decided to put the kybosh on our venture and just go veg out on the ship.  However, we did make one stop on the way back at a shop in the attached mall called “Massage Today”.  We each opted for a package called the Fish Spa.  Take off shoes and sox, wash feet in a ground level sink, roll up pants and sit around what could be described as a hot tub filled with ravenous little black fish.  Insert feet in said hot tub for 10 minutes and emerge with all the dead skin on your feet completely devoured by the denizens of the hot tub.  Oh that you could be here to run your fingers over my heels and feel the soft bottoms of my now tingling feet.  The evening saved by www.massagetoday.com.sg. 

Day two was a short one due to foolish Singapore immigration crap, so we basically wandered the new mall attached to the pier. Singapore prices appear to be somewhat lower than Hong Kong, with a lot of knockoff stuff including, seen here for the first time, Longchamp bags.  Many changes here since our last visit.  Will have to come back again.

SINGAPORE

PHU MY,VIETNAM

Phu My, Vietnam

Phu My is the name of a new container port that was built from fill in the Mekong Delta. This is where you take tours to Ho Chi Minh City or the beach area called Vungtau. We have been to Vietnam before in the mid 90’s and decided to just do the city transfer. It takes over 2 hours to get there, and we were on the bus from hell. The air conditioning worked poorly < temp. outside was 40 C, with oppressive humidity> and the bus driver had to stop because he had diarrhea.

Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon is a city of 7 million and difficult to navigate, as it is a city in transition. With the help of Chinese money, it is out with the old and in with the new. There are huge new apartment buildings and every high end store you can think off, all empty of shoppers, just like Shanghai.

What I will probably remember about this visit is the motor scooters. It makes Rome seen tame. To cross the very wide street you wait for a break in the traffic, step out, and walk in a slow deliberate pace and the traffic goes around you. Not for the faint of heart. We went  to an old beautifully restored hotel called the Majestic, on the Saigon River for a cold drink and a million dollar view. We also walked to the Ben Thanh market that has been there forever. By then the heat got to me and we headed back to our meeting place at the Rex hotel for lunch. This is the hotel the reporters used during the war. I would probably tell others to take one of the ship’s tour just for the comfort factor.

Update:

We have been told that there is a travel warning still in effect for Egypt so instead we will have an additional stop in Oman and then go on to Israel, This might revert back but I doubt it.

Gina Wagg

HONG KONG, SAR China Mar 7/8 2011

Modern skyscrapers backed by a towering mountain, anarchistic traffic patterns in the harbor, modern upscale shopping malls, ancient street markets, cars and people everywhere – this is Hong Kong today. There have been lots of changes since our last visit here just before the English handed over control to the Chinese, and they appear to have been positive ones.

We docked right next to the Star Ferry terminal in a cruise port that can only be described as transportation center meets shopping mall on steroids. The view out our stateroom window is of the Hong Kong skyline from Kowloon. A hotel room with this view would have to cost $600 a night. Getting out to the street from the ship takes at least twenty minutes of wandering through the shopping mall ( I guess that’s the idea). Marks & Spencer, Aquascutum, Burberry, Escada, Armani, etc. You get the picture. And the weird part is that all these stores are busy with customers! One good thing about the terminal was unlimited wi-fi for free.

We spent most of the first day shopping, buying nothing. Nathan Road is the main drag here having a very nice escape from the craziness of the city in an area called Kowloon Park. Set on a hill above the mayhem below, it offers a sometimes needed respite. We then walked forever to an area of town called Hung Hom in search of a guide book recommended dining establishment called Whampoa Gourmet Place. Well, we never found it even though we did find the Whampoa area. NOBODY spoke English and our Mandarin is non-existent. We had lunch with the locals in a small (16 seat) restaurant. Soup, a small salad and rice with chicken satay for two, one beer and one juice for around $10, tip included. The walk back to the ship took over an hour.

That evening we enjoyed the Hong Kong light and sound show from the ship looking across the harbor. Lasers from the tops of the skyscrapers and musically coordinated lights in each building display for 15 minutes. We could not hear the music which diminished the effect. All in all, I prefer Bellagio’s water show.

Day two we took the Star Ferry over to Hong Kong Island, walked to the bus terminal (poorly marked directions) and took a 45 minute bus ride to Stanley Market. The route passes homes of the rich and famous built into the sides of mountains overlooking bays and beaches. Stanley Market itself was one of the most civilized markets we’ve seen. One small street closed to traffic, maybe 50 yards long, with a small rabbit warren of alleys veering off to the left and right. We made some purchases and then sought out tranquility as a tour bus arrived with 40 or 50 ravenous cruise passengers descending upon the market. We stumbled upon a beachfront promenade lined with restaurants. While strolling the promenade, we happened upon a group of school children, maybe third graders. Their teacher asked us if we had a few minutes to be interviewed by the children who were learning English. How do you decline that invitation? The kids broke up into groups of 6 to eight, each having his/her own clipboard. In unison they asked questions from their list, recording the answers in listed categories on their paper. As an aside, these kids were dressed uniformly, bringing to mind the way our kids dress for school.

After a dissatisfying lunch at one of said restaurants (at three times the price of the local’s restaurant), we mosied over to the bus stop for the express bus home (no ferry). Now I know I shouldn’t say the following, but it is SO indicative of the passenger-type on this ship that it cannot go without mention. While waiting at the bus stop, one of our fellow passengers asked us, “ where were the bags for all our purchases?” He then proceeded to show us what he had purchased and dared us to guess how much he spent. He had four of those ubiquitous plastic bags, each filled with a very heavy woolen suit. The jacket was cut in the manner of a tuxedo with one button, the pants uncuffed and neither component lined. The one he showed us was a garish purple with a large green and orange embroidery on the back of the jacket. He admitted that none of his purchases would fit either he or his wife, but how could he pass up that value at $3.00 per suit?????? Oh my achin’ bacon! Keep in mind these have to fit in a suitcase to get home. I will make no more comments on my fellow travellers.

Joe Wagg

MANILA, PHILIPPINES 4/5 FEB 11
I’ve been looking at the past posts and find a pattern. My favorite part of each visit is the people who inhabit the area. No place could this be truer than Manila.

Why do we travel? I guess, initially, it’s a form of escape from the drudgery of everyday life, a chance to be somewhere warm when it’s cold at home or just a change from your dreary workplace. After a while, as you start to visit more and more destinations, it becomes a game of sorts to check off all the “places you’ve been”. Somewhere at home you’ve got the world map with pins in it or you’ve made your check off on Google places. Not only that, and this particularly applies to cruises, you have to visit every cathedral, museum or point of interest that your favorite guide book recommends.

I’ve progressed through all these stages and only over the last few years have come to see the light. The reason to visit places is to interact with the people and see what kind of life they lead. While it’s true that the majority of the people you interact with are in a service industry (shopkeeper, waiter, etc.), it is not difficult to observe how the rest of the folks are getting along.
No place epitomizes this more than Manila. We have a very good Filipina friend that Gina used to work with at Mass General. She invited us down to her parent’s home in New Jersey for a weekend. The whole family was the most hospitable, friendly, down to earth people we’ve ever met. What we’ve found from years on cruise ships is that they are not an anomaly. These people have an intangible quality not to be found anywhere else. Family comes first along with smiles. And, there are 240 of them working on this ship and visiting home the last two days. To get a job on a ship requires a college education, without regard to your occupation aboard. Our onboard friends tell us they do this work so their children can go to a better college or to private school. The time away from home allows them to live an upper middle class lifestyle, albeit without the father figure present. However, the grandfather figure is likely on the scene to make up for the father’s absence. And they are not all male.

Manila is best described as traffic clogged, air polluted, architecturally challenged with some of the worst living conditions you could imagine. We were originally scheduled for only one day here but when we were forced to skip Palau for nefarious reasons, the captain opted to head straight to Manila and spend two whole days here. This was real boon for the Filipinos onboard, some of whom got to sleep at home for the night. Keep in mind that these folks work ten month contracts with two months between contracts. To get to see your loved ones, even new children born since they left home, is an unbelievable bonus.

While in port the ship was opened up to family and the sounds of children laughing permeated the hallways. What a delight to see the wonder in the children’s eyes as they pondered a plate of hot dogs, French fries, cheeseburgers with an ice cream to follow. Of course sail away on the second day was a very emotional time, for both crew and passengers. Brass band playing on the dock as the ship wends its way into the harbor, relatives ashore talking on cell phones to their loved ones on board while waving. An experience I shall not forget.
As for Manila, on day one we took the free shuttle to the dropoff spot, which was a modern shopping mall. Free internet throughout the mall occupied our morning. A $2.00 cab ride took us to the Hotel Manila for lunch. Built in 1912, this classic hotel has aged well and is worth visiting just to look around. Day two was one of the tours we host for Vacation Vignettes. Visiting the old walled city, a couple of cathedrals and a lovely period home , Casa Manila, all went well although we all got soaked in a fairly heavy rain for some parts of the tour. We had 83 participants and received excellent feedback.

As we head to Hong Kong, the memories of the Filipino people remain strong. As we interact with those working on the ship, I won’t be able to get the image of them with their loved ones out of my mind. Others may go see the museums and cathedrals. Just leave me on a street corner watching life go by!

Joe Wagg

LIFE ONBOARD

SHIPBOARD LIFE

I thought I’d talk about shipboard life on days at sea. We’ve reached the halfway point of this cruise (day 55) and there have been no murders or even loud arguments in cabin 2689. In fact, and I can only speak for myself, I am feeling very content with our relationship. We generally arise around 6:15AM, pretty much the same as at home. However, at home, this is Gina’s veg-out time. She usually has her laptop out and her coffee ready and just surfs and generally kills time until 8:00AM. So, here, I get dressed in my exercise clothes, go up and get Gina coffee, then do my 45 minutes of brisk deck walking followed by breakfast. By the time I get back, usually 8:00AM, Gina has watched the news and headed for her own exercise regimen. I take my shower, head out to check email, then go to “Good Morning Amsterdam”, a unique show done live by the cruise director Bruce, wherein he interviews different members of the crew and talks about their jobs. Sounds boring but it really works. Gina usually meets me here.

After that we attend the lectures at 10 and 11. One is usually about upcoming ports of call, the other could be any geopolitical subject, depending on the area of the world in which we are currently sailing. Mornings at sea go by in a rush. We generally grab a deck chair and read until 1:00PM when we decide where to have lunch. The restaurant is nice but you can’t control your time as you are dependent on the waiter’s service. The Lido is quick but it is anything but relaxing and sometimes it is difficult to find a seat. Also, the ice cream bar is here and the temptation is overwhelming.

Our “office hours” at our desk on 3 deck are from 2 – 3 PM on even numbered days at sea. There is a movie at 1:30 if we are free (great popcorn). Otherwise there is another lecture or educational activity in the afternoon. I love to spend my time in one of those big, wooden lounge chairs on the promenade deck with my book. I’m not sure how much time I spend reading and how much time I spend snoozing, but I know I look forward to being there.

Drinking in the cabin begins around 6:30. Gina purchased a lot of wine in New Zealand just for this purpose. I had to lug jugs of bourbon from home wrapped up in my underwear. The bourbon is about ½ gone but I think Gina has oversubscribed on the wine. We watch whatever news we can get on the TV prior to going to dinner. We have been eating dinner at about a 3:1 ratio in the Lido as opposed to the restaurant. It’s faster, has about the same food and allows us to eat when we like. Unlike most cruises, Holland’s Grand Voyages have only 5:30 and 8:00 fixed dining, no “Anytime” option. We can go to the Lido at 7:00 and still make the 8:00 First Dining show in the showroom. Otherwise, we would have to wait until 10:00 for the show. There is also a movie option at 8:00 if we decide we can’t stand another comedian. Gina will take a few laps around the deck prior to bed, but I just head for my bed and book.
TV aboard is O.K. but we had serious problems crossing the Pacific. Of course TV satellites direct their signal to land masses, of which there are very few in the Pacific. The normal channels include CNN, Fox, Cartoon Channel, ESPN and Turner Classic Movies. CNN would be our choice but across the whole Pacific we could get only one channel – FOX! Please, if you don’t regularly watch the” fair and balanced” channel, give it ½ hour of your time. It is UNBELIEVABLE! Negativity reigns and the vitriol overflows. We can now get BBC which is better than both of the others. Later.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Madang, Papua New Guinea 27 FEB 11

Hot, humid, heavenly and happy is this small village on one of the most mysterious islands in the world. Today being my 67th birthday, I feel a certain entitlement. To look at this place from the upper deck of the ship as we arrived in the rain, one would have to ask why the ship would call at such a forlorn and barren place. The tallest building is a quonset hut having seen better days, the dock area is absolutely barren and the streets are dirt and completely potholed. However, there is more than meets the eye. Culturally rich but economically poor, what is lacking in infrastructure is more than made up for with personality. While the locals may not have much, their clothing, appearance and demeanor are positive. They are friendly, very respectful and always smile. Of course by smiling they reveal the red teeth that are the result of their diet of betel nuts.

Occupied by Japan in WWII, there are said to be the remains of 37 Japanese war ships in the local waters. The people are Melanesian, the darkest skinned of the three island groups including Micronesia and Polynesia. We arrived around noon and waited until 1:30 to debark as the rain was very heavy. We got off the ship, opened our supplied umbrellas, walked 20 yards and the rain stopped, never to return during our visit. We toured the whole town in about an hour, mostly looking for a grocery store but being a Sunday, none were open. The most impressive thing was the people. EVERYONE we passed said “Hello” and smiled. Gina brought off chocolates (our evening pillow gifts, never eaten but always saved for just such occasions) choosing carefully which young people to bestow the gift upon. Every single child , or their parent, said thank you! There was no begging and the vendors were not aggressive as in the West Africa ports of which we were reminded.

Papua New Guinea has always been a place to which I never thought I would travel. Only 15% of the population lives in the urban areas, which would describe Madang, even though by our standards it is only a village. The rest of the island, shared with Indonesia in a similar manner to Dominican Republic and Haiti, is defined by the tribes that live in the mountain communities, the river people who live in stilted villages and the deep-sea fisherman who live on the coastal islands.

The sailaway in the dark was particularly enjoyable as the local inhabitants did everything they could to “say goodbye” from singing , howling and flashing headlights to beeping horns. A thoroughly enjoyable day.

BTW – last three weigh-ins – 205.6, 206.3 and 207.0 I can only use the scale when we are in port as the motion of the ocean wreaks havoc with the proper numbers. I seem to have reached a plateau and it will probably be very difficult to lose more, even with my self-imposed ice cream for lunch ban.

PAPUA NEW GIUNEA

Cairns, Australia 24FEB11

I’m sitting in the cabin in my underwear (actually, less than that) to chronicle our first wipeout day of the cruise. It’s not monsoon season here, but it sure feels like it. We arrived this morning in a torrential downpour which pretty much kept up throughout the day. The rain comes in waves and at its heaviest slants across your body even though there is no real wind. The ship gives everyone an umbrella when they debark but you still get soaked. We’ve been here before so no Barrier Reef for us.
The plan was to deliver a package that one of our condo friends had asked us (we actually offered) to bring to her sister who is a nun in a convent in the area. After the mandatory internet stop at McDonald’s we ventured out in the maelstrom to find out just how to get to our destination. A cab driver told us it would be at least $20 in each direction. The people at the tourist information office gave us detailed bus instructions but when we went to board the bus, the driver told us it would be a very long uphill walk (in the rain) from the closest bus stop and suggested a cab was the best option. We waited out on the street a little while, but with the weather as it was, cab availability was minimal. We solved the problem by going to the post office. You know me, I really would have loved to visit the Sisters of Mercy but the obstacles were too much considering the weather.

After lunch on the ship, we ventured out again just for the exercise. The town is gateway to the Great Barrier Reef so it is really a tourist destination. Walking the streets I was reminded of South Beach in the 1960’s, before it became what it is today. The highlight of this walk was a visit to Woolworth’s, a combination supermarket/Kmart. We bought absolutely nothing and returned to the ship like drenched rats.

Just a word about what the ship offered last night. It was called “A Taste of Australia”. The entire Lido area including the covered swimming pool was transformed into an Aussie barbecue. Kangaroo, emu, venison and weird tropical fruits were displayed in a setting that defies description. The pool had been closed all afternoon. I can’t imagine how much work was involved. Complimentary Australian wines flowed freely but, sad to say, NO Australian beers! Kudos to the staff.

Joe Wagg