Wednesday, February 24, 2016, at sea en
route to Darwin, Australia.
Dear reader,
Forgive the delay in writing this blog.
As I have said, repeatedly, the days and evenings are so full, that
I have little time to write this blog. We are rarely in out cabin
since the day begins for us at 8 am, and we tumble into bed after
midnight. The time is passing way too quickly and we are enjoying
and savoring every moment!
Cyclone Winston has been in the news
all over the world. It decimated a great deal of Fiji. Our hearts go
out to the people of Fiji, those we met and those we did not. Homes
and commercial buildings were flattened. There were many injuries
and 20 deaths. Our prayers for the families of those who lost their
lives and for those who were injured or lost their homes or
businesses. We hope that recovery is quick and complete and that the
residents can return safely to their lives. We missed the cyclone by
about two days. Our thanks to Captain Vorland for being vigilant and
guiding us to safe waters.
Before I proceed, I need to thank a
very special person for making this journey possible. Without our
West Coast Associate, Chuck Conine, there is no way that we could
continue our travel agency business and take a world cruise. Chuck's
help has been invaluable! He is handling all the details that we
cannot do. With the challenge of the major time difference, he's the
one making all the phone calls to clients and cruise lines. Although
email is a boon to us and enables us to chat with clients and cruise
lines, many times a personal phone call is necessary. There have
been complicated situations that he has managed professionally and
proactively. We so appreciate his integrity and conscientiousness and
all the time he has devoted to our clients and the excellent care he
has provided them. Thank you, Chuck, from the bottom of our hearts!
I need to backtrack a bit to tell you
how our time has been spent since my last post.
February 18th was the disembarkation
for those guests leaving in Sydney, and embarkation for about 300
guests. So far, the number of guests leaving the ship has been close
to the number of those coming on board. Our friends, Terry and Kerry
Carter, were leaving in Sydney, their home town, but invited us to
come home with them and then take a tour of the suburbs of Sydney and
the Blue Mountains. It was so kind of them to make this offer, and we
were able to enjoy their company and their beautiful home.
Disembarkation was a bit of a mess.
Since the Serenity was docked in Sydney Harbor, ferries were used to
off load luggage during the night, and departing and in-transit
guests in the morning. Two ferries were in use, one for those going
into Sydney for the day—the in-transit guests, and a second to
deliver the departing guests to White Bay Terminal. The ferries
worked great on our first day in Sydney and were a pleasant ride to
the mainland. However, the ferries on disembarkation day were a
major issue. Guests were filtered to either side of the midship
stairway—those in-transit on the left side, those disembarking to
the right. The ferries were very delayed, and we waited for over an
hour for a ferry to White Bay Terminal with Terry and Kerry.
In-transit guests who were doing a Crystal sponsored overland trip to
Ayre's Rock were really the losers. They missed both flights and
their tours did not go. Of course, their money, approximately $5000
pp, was refunded, but they were very disappointed.
Terry's friend picked us up and drove
us about 45 minutes to the lovely Carter family home. We got to meet
their adorable, kissing dogs: Prince and Ranger, who welcomed us
warmly. After a few minutes, we piled in the car to take our
“Independent Shore Excursion.” Special thanks to Terry and Kerry
for doing this. In addition to seeing a beautiful part of Australia,
we spent an extra day with them, when they probably would have been
happy to get a start on unpacking and laundry, grocery shopping and
going through the mail.
Our first stop was Woolworths. Those
who grew up in the US might remember the 5 & 10 cent stores
called Woolworths. This is a totally different company and is a
supermarket. David and I love to visit supermarkets when we are in
foreign countries. We enjoy seeing unfamiliar food or familiar
products that are packaged very differently. We were very impressed
with Woolworths! The first thing that greeted us was a child height
display of shiny apples and bright bananas. These are free for
children, so much better than the cookies that are offered free in US
supermarkets. Prices were higher than we have, but the produce was
incredible looking! Fresh, colorful and in great condition. Lots of
options for all foods, especially cheese, butter and milk. Not
surprising with all the sheep farms. Also, as expected, lamb was
displayed in lots of different cuts.
After touring the suburbs and seeing
some beautiful homes, we headed up to the Blue Mountains. They
actually appear blue because of the haze from the eucalyptus trees.
The ride took us about two hours, and our first stop was for tea at
the Botanical Gardens. The view was mesmerizing from our table on
the veranda. Lots of bright plants and trees in bloom, too. Driving
up the mountains, we passed charming little towns that were used as
weekend and vacation homes. The architecture was somewhere between
English cottages and chalets. We did also witness a pretty dramatic
accident just a few cars ahead of us. A tanker truck rear ended the
car in front of them, sending the car careening into the opposite
lane where it was hit by a car going the opposite direction. The
entire left rear passenger side of the car was ripped off.
Fortunately and amazingly, nobody seemed to be injured. Our goal was
The Three Sisters, a huge rock formation (see the photos below.)
Wow! What a dramatic view from the overlook! It reminded me of the
Grand Canyon, but green and lush. What a country of contrasts! We
hightailed it back to the city in time to make a 7 pm ferry back to
the ship. Our goodbyes were difficult, because in the over three
weeks of the first segment, we have become close with the Carters and
are so grateful for their friendship. Terry and Kerry invited us to
return to Sydney and stay with them, and we, in turn, have invited
them to stay with us in Sarasota. I feel confident that this will
happen!
Sail away from Sydney was spectacular!
The lights over the water from the bridge and the buildings were
dramatic. It was an especially balmy evening, so that made it even
nice to stand on deck and wave goodbye.
Some take-aways from our visit to
Sydney:
The architecture is interesting and
captivating and we saw many homes and condos lining the harbor that
we could easily move into.
People are very friendly and helpful,
and it truly is a cosmopolitan city with many languages and cultures
represented.
A submarine, hopefully Australian,
circled the ship several times on both days.
People are into fitness and health,
with lots of free recreational activities.
It is definitely a city we could live
in---if they would have us!
We had a sea day on our way to
Brisbane. It was filled with the usual activities and socialization.
We have moved to Hubert, the Hotel Director's table. When he saw us
on embarkation day, he invited us for the second segment and
apologized for not seeing our name on the manifest. We have sat with
Hubert many times and he is a gracious and entertaining host.
I am taking Joe Kita's Memoir Writing
Class this segment. He's a great teacher and I'm learning a lot.
Joe has been doing writing classes on Crystal World Cruises for the
past 15 years. His wife, Maria, assisted by Joe, teaches the yoga
classes.
After the first segment doing mat
Pilates and the Reformer, I have switched to yoga. Ilene—you were
right—a very special class!
Brisbane was our next port—and what a
terrific port it was! Another beautiful Australian city—with
outstanding outdoor recreation areas. Whether you enjoy playing a
sport, swimming, boating or just walking through welcoming
parks—Brisbane has it! One of the loveliest spots was the long
bougainvillea covered walkway that extended for over a mile. Again,
free activities for the residents. I saw free aqua aerobics, free
yoga, free walking groups advertised. A river divides Brisbane in
half, and, indeed, our trip up the river to Brisbane took about 5
hours for Serenity. They have ferries that criss-cross the river or
go point to point and can be used instead of city buses. Water taxis
are also available. We took a tour of the the Lone Pine Koala
Sanctuary and I held a koala and fed a kangaroo. I looked more
frightened than the koala when I held him. He was surprisingly heavy
and had one paw with long claws digging into my neck and the other
paw strategically placed on my chest! They feel delicious! The
kangaroos were very gentle when they took the food and nuzzled my
hand like a dog.
I must say something about the food and
the options! The food has never been better on Crystal, much to the
dismay of my waistline! This is our 22nd Crystal cruise,
and I think I am a fair judge of food—it has been outstanding. The
myriad of choices in the Lido at breakfast and lunch, the great
selections in Tastes both at lunch and dinner (speaking of which, we
have been invited to dinner in Tastes tonight by Stacey Huston, the
World Cruise Hostess. We are really looking forward to it, because
Stacey is one of our favorite people on board!) The Main Dining Room
has had excellent food and our Head Waiter, Bojan, is a master at
making both beef tartare and tuna tartare! The best! Of course, The
Bistro is our go-to destination for that cup of cappuccino or a
latte. I have become hooked on iced cappuccinos, which are so
refreshing on the hot, hot days we have! Service has been superb!
After Brisbane, we sailed to Hamilton
Island, one of 74 islands that make up the Whitsunday chain. It is
located between the Great Barrier Reef and the Queensland Coast.
Hamilton Island has a Disneyland feel about it. Everyone travels
between resorts and vacation homes primarily via golf carts. It is
lush and expensive, but has beautiful beaches. There were local
shuttle buses to take us around the island with commentary and stops
at beaches and resorts. We had dinner in Tastes with the rabbi and
his wife—Morry and Geri. They are such interesting company and we
really enjoyed our dinner. Amazingly, the last time we sailed with
them was the Grand South America Voyage in 2008 and 2009. Geri
remembered that we had dinner in Silk Road that time.
Monday, February 22 was supposed to be
the date of a very special shore excursion—a visit to the Great
Barrier Reef. We had booked this a long time ago and were really
looking forward to it. However, the weather was iffy with rain and
thunder storms and 24-30 mph winds predicted. We spoke to the Shorex
personnel who discouraged us from going. The trip did go, and once
out to the reef, a two hour boat ride each way, the folks enjoyed it.
However, it was extremely rough coming back, with many people
seasick. One woman in the elevator said she thought she was going to
die on the way back. While we are sorry to have missed it, we are
content with our decision. That evening, we were invited for
cocktails to the Captain's Quarters. Captain Birger Vorland is
charming and seems to enjoy these guests to his abode, unlike other
captains who aren't very social. He did show us a printout of the
track of Cyclone Winston, the storm that hit Fiji. It has actually
been around for two weeks. It went east to Samoa and then circled
back to Fiji, and is now headed to Vanuatu and New Caledonia. We
have been so fortunate to be out of harms way.
Tuesday was supposed to be a half day
stop on Thursday Island. Unfortunately, the seas were too high and
current to strong to use the tenders. The local catamarans were to
be used to transfer guests to the island, but after an hour of trying
to tie up on the tender platform and failure due to the seas, Captain
Vorland canceled the stop. Amazingly, there were disgruntled guests!
It was so obvious by looking out the window or from the open areas
on the ship, that the waves were much too high. The Captain speaks
for me, and whatever his decision re: safety—I'm OK with it!
We had dinner last night in Silk Road
with new friends, Ken and Sharon Henry from Ft. Worth. They were at
the Doctor's table with us first segment and are now at Hubert's
table, too. Silk Road! My favorite restaurant land or sea! Sigi
always takes such good care of us and brings us specials not on the
menu. We had Albert as our waiter, as usual. He is the best! After
dinner, we went to the show to see Jimmy Travis. He does a
combination of music and humor and was entertaining.
Ken Rees has been doing a series of
destination lectures and he delivers the material so well with great
tongue in cheek humor. Also entertaining is John Stainton, who was
Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter's, producer. The clips that he
shows are captivating and not a little anxiety producing when he gets
bitten on the shoe by a Komodo dragon. We will be doing the Komodo
Dragon walk on Komodo Island. Hopefully, I won't appeal to any of
them!
Today, we went to a performance by
Chris Capehart, a Master Magician. We have seen Chris perform before
and he is simply amazing!!David and I were “victims” for several
of his tricks. I had to hold the ends of a small cloth covering a
table as it levitated. I can't figure out how he did it!! A
magician never tells!
All for now. Sending our love to our
family and friends all over the world. The only thing better than
this World Cruise would be if you were traveling with us!
