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 22^nd 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!