Carole & Gerry's Lust for Travel - for our family and friends

Thursday, January 29, 2009 3:51 AM
We're off to the wide blue yonder!
Flight to SF slow--100 mile /hr headwinds--1 hour late but no real problem. Hotel adequate--Harold and Nili came and Helena and Alan and we went out for a Chinese new Year banquet in a nearby fancy restaurant--packed with the locals. the area was very ethnic . We were some of the few Caucasians--but had excellent meal. Slept well and got on plane at 12 noon front row bulkhead and emergency exit. Also pretty empty--so I had row behind Mum to myself 3 seats and slepr and ate for 12 hours. 200 movies 15 new releases and incredible tv and documentaries etc --millions of them even 6 full scale filmed Opera saw Madame Butterfly in anticipation of Sydney, and Il Trovatore from La Scala. Food excellent, service continuous--they even clean the loos and fold the paper into pointed bits like the good hotels. Plane quiet, smooth abit late, same head winds--but got to hotel at 7.30PM (added 12 hours to clock.) Hotel modern but not too fancy--huge room with steam sauna shower internet 2 huge tvs 2 queen beds and we were asleep by 930 PM Took a pill at 2:30 and slept t ill 7:30---no jet lag yet! Missed breakfast so went to airport Mooched around and had a lovely( high end the menu said--) lunch Kimchee, pickles, soup, porridge, grilled ribs, fish stew, all quite spicy, but excellent. Just checked in and then I had a long massage in the departure area --there is a small town you can get anything from drugs to bicycles Burberry to Dunkin Donuts. We leave for Singapore in about an hour, same seats--Barry got them for us. Probably a bit more crowded now New Year is over and people are flying back to jobs and homes. We'll see. We land in Singapore, have half a day to kill and then fly to Melbourne--land there 6.30 am Sat morning--today is Thursday we have lost a day somewhere over the Pacific. Hope the snow and ice aren't too bad for you--keep warm and drive carefully.

Thursday, January 29, 2009 4:25 AM
We've crossed a dateline so have no idea what day it is there. All's going brilliantly well. Hotel Incheon, and airport Korea are so high-tech it puts JFK and EWR to shame. The off-airport hotel room is a suite -- big -- two large TV's,(BBC & CNN included), computer, and every electronic gadget including 2 toilets with heated toilet seats, enormous tub, glass enclosed steam shower and sauna ... everything works from a hand-held remote control... even flushes the toilet from the bedroom (kidding!) Not bad for $93. Singapore Airlines was also great - Barry did his magic and we had front of cabin emergency exit row. Service is so impeccable. They clean the toilet every time it's used. You know because the toilet paper is folded pointy. The in-flight entertainment was - most amazing. Saw brilliant "Joseph..." ... must get the DVD for O&A. Donny Osmond, Joan Collins, Maria Friedman, Richard Attenborough -- spectarular terrific. Then a brilliantly sung modern-dress Cosi Fan Tutte from Unter den Linden. Daniel Barenboim was ravished in Act 2. It was fabulous and extremely sensuous. Mozart at his deliciously dirtiest. "Eat Love Pray" is good company for in-between times. No sleeping on plane. Too much to do. So far, so good. Feeling a bit spacey because I think it's tomorrow but I don't remember yesterday or today. Anyway, the free in-room internet is so slow, this might never reach you. Had lovely visit with Harold, Nili, Helena and Alan in SF - went for a Chinese banquet just up the road from the airport hotel. Great seeing them but all too short. Comfort Inn was perfectly fine -- waffles, etc. breakfast included. Now it's tomorrow (don't ask - I don't know what day) back at this awesomely modern, brand new airport ... had great "Special Executive Korean Menu" lunch and upper body massage (more like a stretch and strain workout with pumelling no extra charge) and and next stop Singapore, then Oz.

Friday, January 30, 2009 3:10 AM
Movin' right along .... Singapore Airlines flight from Incheon to here (Singapore) was packed to the gills, but on-time, comfortable, clean, quiet and efficient, so no complaints. Emergency exit seat as before (Barry could only request but not guarantee same seats for going home, but hey!). Arrived at 1:00 AM -- to our HORROR. We had goofed along the way and figured we were losing another day and our itinerary said we were arriving 1:PM. The prospect of a long night and a long day in the airport was a dreadful blow. Checked out all the options and bit the bullet for the airport hotel which turned out to be a magnificent Crowne Plaza. Took the "cheapest "room -- don't ask! (divine luxury) and had a brilliant night's sleep. Figured that was the price of making big itinerary mess-up. Got extension to 2 pm, slept in late, ate magnificent dim sum breakfast/lunch at the Jade Crystal (same chain as the one Jen and Ken took us to downtown last time we were here). Another moment or three of concern was that when we checked in for this evening's Quantas flight for Melbourne, they asked for $300 for the extra bags. Yikes!!!! Some charm, sweet-talk and a helpful check-in person who worked some charm with a Singapore Airlines official and they worked "outside the b ox", and broke the rules on account of the fact that we were really long-haul passengers so waived the charges. We are writing to his boss to say that he is the perfect example of "customer first" and should get a big promotion and raise. Now in the Ambassador Lounge, equipped with all you can eat Singapore style buffet, fruit, cookies, great choices of soft and hot drinks, gym, showers, nap rooms (private cabins with beds), hair, beauty, massage and attentive attendants. We were going to take a ride on the subway downtown but it's hot, dull, humid and steamy outside and we'll have time for all that on the return journey. So, there you are my lovelies. I've enjoyed spending time telling you all our news. Sorry to hear about the ice back east. On to our next adventure ... more later.

Sunday, February 01, 2009 1:14 AM
It's Sunday in Melbourne.
It's Sunday afternoon here -- Saturday in London and NYC. Writing this from old dentist friends' house in suburban Melbourne where their kids, grandkids and friends are in the pool and it could be backyard anywhere , USA. Oz is wonderful. Staying at lovely hotel just outside the CBD. . Richard & Susan are taking care of us real beaut -- took us to all the sights and hot spots yesterday, including a ride on an overhanging shelf 89 stories high on the Eureka building. Could've lived without that fright experience. Met our NJ air-conditioning service guy up there -- he was on a visit with ex-pat cousin and was so thrilled to see us, we got big hugs. He only came over to our house last month for a routine service. Now that's a small world story. Popped in to see Richard's practice - he's still working but only 3 days a week. He owns the Edwardian house it's in and has four or five surgeries and rents three of them out to a hygienist and other dentists. Showed us all his latest mod-con equipment. Glad we don't have to worry about all that any more. He is retirement age, but he's one of those guys who can't or won't give up.Had lunch at a funky beachfront cafe and dinner at an oceanside elegant restaurant (after a 2 hour jet-leg busting afternoon power nap.) Took in the Crown, which is Melbourne's answer to Las Vegas, right bang ing the middle of the city by the Yarra River. Dropped a few $AU on the pokies, queued up at a hot spot for delicious gelato and kept going till midnight, no worries. Up at crack of 8 am and off for more adventures today. S&J picked us up and we drove 1 1/2 hours out of town to the "bush" countryside and vineyard visits for winery lunch. Food and cal wine is delish, hospitality and warm friendliness are off the charts. Only thing is there's major heatwave and drought with bush fires causing power outtgaes and transport chaos but we're avoiding the miseries. They are all upset about their gardens and green spaces which are brown and parched. It's been a record heatwave. Tomorrow to the see duck-billed platypuses, kangas and wallabees and down a coupla tubes of TBDs. "No worries, Sport!" Qantas was horrendous - Gerry calls is Quite Appallingly Nasty, Terrible Abysmal S**t Airline, but I was glad it was on time and we arrived safely.

Monday, February 02, 2009 1:34 AM
Dateline, Monday in Melbourne
Had a fair dinkum day today in this friendly city. Our "senior concession" day tram pass ferried us door to door wherever we needed to be. Michael Bloomberg should check it out. Trecked the outback/bush at the zoo to see the weirdest of creatures at the "Platypusery" (sic) with their unique cloacae and viviparous-ness. They and one other creature that also lays eggs and suckles its young (can't remember the name) are a species by themselves. Up close and personal with Koalas, Joeys, wallabies, kookaburras, emus and other uniquely oddball creatures. (Only bad thing was the flies and forgot the extra strong Aussie insect repellant that the Mincs insisted we used.) The Museum of Immigration is very well done -- they made no attempt to hide the awful discriminatory policies they maintain to this day. The immigration experience was well done and an altogether interesting exhibit. Went walkabout from Federation Plaza in the CBD (Central Business District) to WallaWallaGooliesGong. Art museums closed on Mondays so will do that in Sydney. Tonight is dinner at the Mincs with friends and family., Richard taking us to airport for our 1 hr. 40 mins flight Sydney tomorrow in the a.m. No worries, sports.

Wednesday, February 04, 2009 2:18 AM
Sydney, Oz
Here in Sydney, a great city. Harbor view to knock your socks off. Definitely one of the best destinations in the world (so far). Crused the harbor, toured the Opera House, walked the Rocks and harbor side area, toured the city, Bondi beach and environs. Opera "Madama ButterflY' tonight. Bridge climb tomorrow. Great fish and chips (better than Lissom Grove) and greatest home-brewed beer ever. Lovely people. If only it wasn't so far away, we'd come more often and everyone would choose it over Florida!!

Thursday, February 05, 2009 11:44 PM
From Sydney, OZ
Spent great 3 days in Sydney. Did Opera House tour, saw Madama Butterfly, cruised the harbour, climbed the bridge. All awesome. Today, moved over to climb aboard Nautica which has been docked by our hotel since yesterday. Cabin lovely, got a nice welcome from some crew members who remembered us from last time., Delicious buffet "welcome" lunch on deck with views and now doing final email before we set sail. Party tonight for the sailing, with champagne and dancing. All is good except they cancelled Komodo because of the hurricanes. Hopefully when we get nearer, they'll figure out a way to get us there.

Sunday, February 08, 2009 10:23 PM
Dateline, Tasman Sea, Australia, Saturday, Feb. 7 2009
Shofar, shogood. Ship is (not so gently) listing or roiling as we speak but my trusty anti-nausea wristbands seem to be warding off the dreaded seasickness lurgy so far.… if you have time, dear family and friends, please read on as I fill in the details of our time in Sydney. When we get home, I will be able to archive all these travel notes and combine them with the great photos we’ve taken, so we can re-live it at leisure.Probably the highlights were the wonderful Madame Butterfly, but the opera house itself has many problems. Firstly, it’s a performance arts center, not dissimilar to the South Bank in London, with various performance spaces … experimental theatre in the studio space, the concert hall and the opera/ballet theatre. Unfortunately, when it was built, however spectacularly brilliant and innovative it appears from outside, the design didn’t take into account the fact that the audience would not stay young forever; there are no elevators or escalators and the outside climb to the entrances can be daunting for some, especially in the hot summer sun. There is one tiny elevator for wheelchairs to the backstage area. A plan is afoot to add elevators and escalators but it is presenting logistical and financial problems since there are no places to accommodate them. The acoustics of the opera house were extremely good but the décor is sadly lacking the quality and fineness of our beloved Met or Covent Garden. More Festival Hall council house era.The Bridge Climb was not nearly as daunting as we had expected. It starts with a challenging walk around the Rocks to find the entrance, by which time we had a really good work-out as it involved hills and climbing steps. Once inside, the check-in area showed photos of a host of celebs at the top of the bridge, such as Prince Harry, Robert DeNiro, Nicole Kidman. An orientation film gave us a sense of what to expect (see it on their website – google on Sydney Bridge Climb), we got an hour of “training” including simulating the ladder climb, togged out in special jump suit, put everything in lockers, including watches, cameras, hair ornaments. Radio phones were fitted to our heads (not inside the ears) and receivers on our backs, hats, eyeglasses holders and hankies were provided, and all clipped on and tucked in and off we went in a team of 9 people and a terrific guide, who took us through the journey with history, jokes, anecdotes and kept us amused and informed throughout. As luck would have it, we picked a picture-perfect day – light breeze, not hot, and maximum visibility, which made it all a terrific experience. Highly recommend it, although very pricey. The story is that the profit goes to subsidize the maintenance and restoration of the Bridge.Finished off the day with a visit to Chinatown for a great meal, and a walk around the nearby Paddy Markets – the best place for chuchkas in town.So that was Thursday. Yesterday, Friday, we checked out of the hotel after breakfast, took the 5 minute cab ride to the IPT (International Passenger Terminal), which was immediately below our hotel window, and checked in to the ship. Took it easy the rest of the day and today, enjoying the ship’s amenities.

Sunday, February 08, 2009 11:49 PM
Dateline, Coral Sea, Australia, Monday, Feb. 9 2009
The time is passing so quickly. It’s hard to believe we’ve been away for 2 whole weeks already and yet we know we’ve been, seen, experienced and enjoyed lots of new and wonderful things.Yesterday (Sunday) we were pleasantly surprised by Brisbane, Queensland. A prosperous city due to coal & other kinds of mining, sheep farming, shipping and tourism. Lots of backpackers choose this city as their arrival point for the Great Barrier Reef and you can get a bed for $20 AU a night. (A bed – not a room.)John Donaldson, tour guide was waiting as we got off the ship at 8:45 am and, in his luxury Toyota SUV (similar to Siena but slightly larger and differently named), he took us through the history of how sheepskins used to be traded vs the high-tech methods of today.John, a youthful 60 year old family man, with wife and two grown children, one of whom is working in London, worked as a shipping clerk for P&O in Brisbane for many years, and became a tour guide at the recommendation of American friends. He certainly knows his stuff and his warmth, personality, enthusiasm and knowledge of everything Australian knew no bounds. I don’t think he stopped for breath for the whole 8 hours of our visit and ended up giving me a big plonker – don’t ask me why.Toured the mega-million dollar homes near the harbour, to learn about the typical architecture and something about the business, lifestyle, politics, economics of the city and state. No signs of recession here (yet.) Stopped for coffee and people-watching (everywhere in Australia serves truly delicious Italian-style coffee) in the pedestrian shopping street known as Queens Mall, which prides itself as having one of the world’s finest arcades, comparable with or maybe better than, Burlington Arcade. I bought Aussie liquorice, to which I am now addicted. For lunch, ate bugs (a native shellfish – half crayfish, half crab) and spinach salad, washed down with local beer in on of Brisbane’s laid-back riverside restaurants. Visited the spectacular St. John’s Anglican Church and learned the history of its architecture and creation. John had the pleasure of escorting Patricia Routledge when she was in Brisbane and the Bishop called her Mrs. Bucket. A friend of John’s created one of the largest stained glass windows in the church and finished it just in time before he died (AIDS). Spent an hour or so at the Koala park, cuddling these soft and sweet creatures (I chose to decline this dubious pleasure), lying down with the scores of kangaroos lazing around on the lush native grasses – they are so tame and dumb but their (somewhat) unique biological and survival functions are an endless source of fascination. Of course, the usual wallabies, snakes, crocodiles, emus, and a host of spectacular parrots; watched them being fed a white liquid mixture of farina, honey, seeds and supplements. The climax of the tour took us to a lookout point high over the city with 360 degree views for miles of the gorgeous city and surrounds. Arrived back at the Nautica with very little time to spare before she slid gently out into the Tasman Sea again.We had some 8 – 10 foot swells the other day and I succumbed to the scopalomine patch after I watched my lunch disappear down the loo. The armbands didn’t work for me, I’m afraid. Anyway, Captain whatever his name is, today said we will soon be in the calm waters of the Reef. A pilot is on board to navigate these treacherous waters and at a lecture, which he characterized as more of a fireside chat), he showed slides of many a vessel being grounded by an invisible lump of reef. He is optimistic about the survival of the reef which he says is regenerating in certain areas. He does not blame the undermining of the reef on global warming. His view is that effluent from the north (Indonesia) has much to do with the water’s chemical imbalance.Onboard, the ship is super luxury and our bubbly, delightful cabin steward, Alanya, can’t do enough for our comfort. A bottle of champagne and a bottle of red awaited our arrival, so together with the vodka and martini we bought in Sydney, we enjoy our own happy hour and arrive at dinner in great shape. During the day, we go to some of the lectures; I just learned six new ways to fold napkins (dinner table type … not diapers) and plan to take a class on Adobe Photoshop Layering, if there’s nothing better to do. Gerry is at the gym but I prefer a speed walk around the deck. Tomorrow, we may get rain for our first stop at the Great Barrier Reef. We have been strongly advised not to snorkel as this season brings with it the deadly (and I mean deadly) box jellyfish. However, I think our tour takes us to a “caged off” underwater area where we can get the experience without the risk. (I’ll keep you posted.)We have been seated at dinner with some interesting folk. In particular, Joan and Tom Rothman who live in Irvington, NY and have friends who live in Kings Grant Way. Before retiring, Tom was a lawyer retained by the Rockefeller family. He must have done well because he and Joan take at least two 40 day+ cruises every year and have visited most of the world’s best (and worst) destinations. As is our wont, we’ve been coming first at team quizzes (Big Band Era Name That Tune, Team Trivia, Scattergories, etc.) Don’t laugh at us – it’s a lot of fun for old fogies like us. Everyone here is about our age (some look it and others don’t) but all are young at heart, so that’s what matters most. I would like to persuade Gerry to join me for the Line Dancing and Ballroom Dancing classes but if not, hey, there are always others to partner with.I just met a very nice German gentleman in the Library where I am typing this in Word off-line – I will then copy and paste it into my webmail browser page, which takes ages to upload and send. I bought a package of 110 minutes and it’s going fast due to the slowness of the system. So back to this old gentleman who asked for my help with sending his email …. he wanted to make a date for “high tea” to say thank you. (I graciously pleaded a prior engagement, of course.)

Thursday, February 12, 2009 11:25 PM
Dateline, Coral Sea, Australia, Friday, Feb. 13 2009
The last three days have been spent in the area of the Great Barrier Reef. Weather has been extremely hot and humid with occasional brief, tropical downpours. As a result, our big day on the reef Tuesday Feb. 10, was a great experience, but not as spectacular as it might have been because of the weather conditions.The Nautica (our ship) dropped anchor at 6:00 am (we got up and breakfasted at 5 am) and alongside was the catamaran that took us the 45 minutes journey out to the reef, where we alighted onto one of the many pontoons that exist for visitors to the reef. Ours was called “Reef World”. We could choose any or all of scuba diving, snorkeling, a semi-submersible submarine, and undersea viewing room. Gerry chose snorkeling and was required to don a “stinger suit”, made of Lycra in a wide variety of day-glo colors. The suit fits from head to toe, clings to all the body’s nooks and crannies; I called them Tele-Tubbies. This season brings with it the vicious box jellyfish (the Aussies call them “stingies”) that give a vicious venomous sting that can be fatal and are to be avoided at all costs. “No worries.”The snorkeling area is roped off but some foolish folk went further and had to be rescued, feeling rather shaken, scared and foolish. The undertow is enormously powerful and even the strongest swimmer cannot compete with it. The “guided snorkelin tour” was cancelled because even the instructor couldn’t handle it. Buffet lunch was provided on the catamaran during our voyage back to the ship, which by then had docked in the tiny Whitsunday Island. There are several small islands in the reef area, which are really coral atolls that have become covered in sand and vegetation and have evolved into islands We did a reccy of Whitsunday Island from the free hop-on-hop-off bus that took all of 15 minutes. It’s mainly a tourist resort island (one of many) with the usual flora and fauna trails, touristy shops and restaurants and one small hotel.Once again onboard our ship, we had “high tea” (tiny sandwiches & delicious pastries) accompanied by the 5 piece Palm Court string ensemble, and were joined by the couple from Irvington,NY, just one of several couples with whom we seem to have bonded. Wednesday Feb 11, TownsvilleAnother early starting day. This time, we walked around the harbour and made our way to meet our guide, a local named Alex, originally from Peru, with mini-bus for an “eco-tour” of Townsville. Joel joined us (another passenger – he and his “partner” are from Putnam County, NY.) and we saw, learned and experienced even more about this part of Australia. We were hoping to meet the koalas who live free in this area, but they were all sleeping. We saw plenty of wallabies (small kangaroos) and amazing birds in their natural habitat. Alex provided snacks and drinks along the way, which we enjoyed under the shade of a eucalyptus tree on one of the beaches. I wanted to paddle in the benign looking ocean but was strongly advised against it. (Not without a stingy suit.) At the end of the day, we visited the fabulous aquarium to see all the fish that were hard to see yesterday when we were under the reef and that was most impressive. Getting back to the ship which was due to sail off was quite a challenge as there were no taxis or buses available and the ship waits for no man (or woman). A government official person heard our plight and called for his mate to take us back, so we made it with little time to spare. Thank goodness for friendly, helpful Aussies.Thursday, February 12 Cairns. Another early start for our catamaran ride to Magnetic Island where we could swim, snorkel, and scuba but, based on yesterday’s experience, we chose the glass bottom boat, which gave us a delightful tour over the coral with commentary from the captain. At one point, he threw food overboard so we could see a brilliant show of fish, sea cucumbers, turtles, sting-rays, etc. under and around us. Now that was a pretty amazing experience.Of course, one excursion was not nearly enough for us, so we then proceeded to the “Sky Train” after lunching on good old English-style meat pie and sausage roll in the port. The Sky Train is a gondola/cable car that for 45 minutes took us on a 7 ½ kilometres ride over the awesome rainforest canopy in all its grandeur. There were two “hop-on-hop-off” opportunities en route at the end of the line at Karunda: the first was a short eco-tour walk on a board-walk with guide who demonstrated about the formation of rattan and informed us about the ecology of rain-forest evolution and survival; the other stop was at Barron Falls, a pretty amazing sight as we were right over it. These falls provide the power for much of the area.Once off the Sky Train, there wasn’t much to see at Karunda as everything had closed for the day, and our 1 ½ scenic train ride back to the bottom was about to depart. The train is ancient and was originally built to enable the gold-prospectors to get around. The ride was spectacular, twisting and turning along narrow cliffsides with sheer drops, over the Barron Falls again, through 5 little tunnels carved out of the mountain and the lushest of vegetation. The time was getting close to 5:30 pm when we had to be back at the boat, so we got a bit antsy. The cruise director always tells everybody to take a camera so that if you are late back you can take a picture of the ship leaving the dock. The helpful “train stewardesses” took it upon themselves to phone for a taxi to be waiting at the terminal when we arrive and if they couldn’t get through to the taxi service, they would drive us back to the boat themselves. When I say the Aussies are lovely people, I say what I mean.We are meeting some really interesting people during our travels. Every night we are seated with different people for dinner, or sharing tours, or playing organized Trivial Pursuit, Name that Tune, Scattergories, Pictionary and so on. We do pretty well at it and no doubt will be able to collect some useless prizes at the end of the cruise. Friday February 12. At Sea en route to Thursday IslandWeather is calm and I hear we are very lucky for that. Just got back from cooking demonstration in the main show-lounge where the chefs prepare dishes that we can order from the menu. Today it was grills scallops in a wine sauce, lobster Thermidor and Crepes Suzette. The chef likes butter, cream and plenty of salt, so not everything is to our liking. Tonight we dine in one of the up-scale restaurants but nowhere requires formal dress, which is nice. The cabaret artists every evening are pretty second-rate but mean well, so we give them a big hand.That’s my journal up to date. Don’t forget the “delete” button if you are fed up with my emails. CNN, Fox and a daily news sheet provide us with the main news stories and sometimes we’d rather not know.

Sunday, February 15, 2009 9:35 PM
Dateline Darwin Feb 16
Now in Australia's remote Northern Territory "Outback:" country. The season is "The Wet" and to prove the point, it's bucketing down outside this Internet Cafe and shows no sign of abating any time soon. This will be our last day in Australia before we head off on the Timor Sea for Indonesia so hope to get another dose of Aussie history and culture to round off our time in this wonderful country. All is well. Enjoying this leisurely life and looking forward to more new experiences in our next Port of Call.

Friday, February 20, 2009 4:27 AM
Java Sea, en route to Semarang, Indonesia
The saga continues …. Thursday Island last Saturday, Feb. 14 proved to be a small provincial outpost in the remote and under-populated Northern Territory of Australia, with very little new to commend itself for the culture and thrill-seeking tourist. Settled mainly as an outpost for sea traffic from Indonesia, we were told there are a few resort hotels and beaches on the island and very little else. From the pier, after the short tender ride, we walked the two hundred yards to the nearby shops to stock up with passion fruit juice (to mix with our nightly vodka, having run out of Martini Rossi), Aussie ginger beer and cream soda. Post office was closed for the day, so no luck with buying stamps or mailing postcards. It was “market day”, which consisted of 5 minutes spent in a covered shack where local vendors had the usual collection of chochkas on display. Again, there were no Aboriginal Australians (the currently acceptable “P.C.” way to reference them) in evidence on this visit; we hear over and over again that they choose not to integrate and their ancient spiritual “dream-time” philosophy doesn’t encourage motivation or interest to be educated or work in the mainstream of Australian society. So, for the most part, these folk remain marginalized, depressed, alcoholism-prone and sadly underprivileged. A really good didgeridoo rock band – I don’t think any of them were Aboriginal Australians, welcomed our ship at the pier, but finding no other reason to stay ashore, we took the next tender back to Nautica in time for the 1 pm sailing and another fun-filled afternoon on board. Talking about what’s to do on board, Gerry is taking all the bridge classes offered as well as sweating off the excellent cuisine working out in the gym and I am enjoying all the “enrichment” lectures on the history, geography and culture of our cruise destinations, attending the French and Italian Executive chefs’ cooking demonstrations with “tastings” of the dishes that are being served that evening, speed walking on the top deck and relaxing on the boat deck with current book … a new bestseller, “1778”, which I bought in Darwin, by author David Hill, Managing Director of the Australian Broadcasting Corp., and Chairman of the Australian Football Association. 1778 chronicles the horrors and brutal truth of the single overseas migration the world has ever seen – the settling of Australia. We are now part of a group of highly competitive fellow travelers for the two or three daily “Team Trivia” events and we’ve all accumulated enough “Big O” points to buy our own cruise line (or maybe a T-shirt, key ring and visor or two.) We did particularly well at last night’s “Broadway Trivia”. Since then, the rainy season has been true to its name. Cruising the Arafura Sea en route to Darwin under grey skies and occasional rain, with 12 to 18 foot swells, by lunchtime, I needed another dose of anti-seasickness meds, which thankfully speedily fixed the problem and have had no problems since then. Only minor annoyance is the weather. Darwin on Monday February 18 was marred by torrential, unrelenting rain, in a hot and steamy 90 degrees F with 100% humidity, making the day a complete wash-out for all of us. Again, not too much to see in this port of call. A friendly shuttle bus was laid on from the ship, which ferried us to an excellent outdoor, but mostly covered over, shopping mall with plentiful public phones, upscale shops, coffee bars and restaurants, and a handy internet café. The shuttle bus driver was an ex-pat Scot, as are many of the Aussies we have met working in the Northern Territories. Got back on board in time for afternoon tea, after drying sopping wet shoes and clothes on the handy clothesline in the bathroom. This graciously elegant event takes place in the Horizons Lounge with 180 degrees seaviews, to the accompaniment of classical music by the Arpeggione String Quartet. I sometimes skip lunch to enjoy dainty sandwiches, followed by warm scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam and a pot of Twining’s English Breakfast Tea comprise one of my favourite times of the day on this cruise. Lots of “small world” encounters, inevitably, on this cruise. We meet mostly Americans and Canadians, and Brits, with a smattering of Aussies and only a few from elsewhere. Most of those we’ve spoken to are retired professionals: docs, lawyers, academics -- college and school teachers. There are some octogenarians and a few nonagenarians bring the average age up to a young mid-70’s. Probably true to say the younger passengers are mainly trophy wives. A few brave and stalwart travelers beetle around in electric wheelchairs and don’t seem to miss out on much, and good luck to them. One woman fell off her chair and was flat out but resolutely refused to be hospitalized and made a rapid recovery.Met up with two couples who originate from Gerry’s part of London – East End boys, who went to Gerry’s Hebrew school and Basil Henriques Boys Club and knew all the same people. One of them was in the cab trade years ago and knew Mickey and Wally. They are now ex-pats living in UK Home Counties and Cyprus or Spain. You can tell them by their deep established sun tans, the women in strappy tops (they must suffer in the too-chilly a/c of most places on the ship) and they are mostly to be found lying prone on loungers round the pool, or immersed in the hot tub, whenever the rain stops. Chatted with someone from Winchmore Hill and others from various NW London suburbs and, of course, New York and New Jersey. Wednesday, Feb 18 should have been our day in Komodo but the Komodo National Park jetty that is the only access to see the “dragons” has been damaged irreparably and no-one knows when it will be fixed. At one of the “enrichment” lectures, we saw slideshow with pictures and facts about this giant reptile, but we will never again have the opportunity to see them in their natural environment. Ah well!So Thursday, Feb 19 was a full day in beautiful Bali. Again, torrential rain, dark clouds prevailed for the first 2/3 of the day but we enjoyed our tour of just a few of the many attractions of this tropical island just the same. Our tour guide, Putu, arrived a little late, having been to the wrong port, so we were relieved to see him. A 32 year old English teacher, he thought he could make more money as a tour guide, so started an internet blog, which is how Gerry, via Google, found him. In a comfortable, rented Toyota minivan, he is building his business tour by tour.Among the sights he took us to was the inevitable Batik factory, where we learned the techniques of batik, and watched them creating designs, weaving the fabrics, mixing the colors from natural materials, including avocados, fruit, spices, etc., applying the wax and so on. It was too tempting not to visit their enormous shop to see the plethora of dazzlingly designed silk batik shirts, sarongs, dresses, etc. Another stop was at the Monkey Forest where, for a small donation, we interacted with the 250 “sacred” monkeys who run free in a manicured rainforest environment. We chose not to feed them the bananas or other monkey food as we were warned they can get a bit too close and personal and even vicious if they feel like it.Next was a drive through an artists’ colony, where there are miles of back to back silver smiths, wood carvings, paintings, statuary, figurines, etc. Our guide explained that dealers come to this area to buy the artifacts for export around the world.A stop to view an amazing panorama of rice paddies, carved in undulating waves around the sides of lush, green hills provided a surprisingly dramatic and gorgeous vista that I hope to be able to capture from my photos in watercolor at home.The traffic at times was heavy in badly-rutted, narrow roads, so our journey across the island was slow at times. Lunch was timed to coincide with a stop at one of the several active volcanoes on Bali where we had a typical Balinese buffet lunch in a large, lofty and ornately decorated pagoda-style restaurant, overlooking the volcano, attended by many discreetly silent men and women waiters. Upon our arrival, the sky clouded over, it started to pelt with rain, rending the view from our table even more dramatic. The buffet meal consisted of an aromatic and tasty chicken and vegetable soup, followed by the inevitable assortment of white and saffron rice, chicken, beef, fish, vegetables, assorted satays, spring rolls, and salads, rounded off with black sweet rice pudding, fried bananas with a white sweet sauce and cut fruit or fruit salad. All for the princely sum of US$10 each (200,000,000 Indonesian Rupees – their currently is not the best in the world.)Putu said we would have coffee somewhere else, so we proceeded to one of the island’s coffee farms that have opened their doors to visitors. Umbrellas were available on our arrival for our walk through a maze of lush greenery of assorted bushes and trees bearing pods of coffee, vanilla, cinnamon, lemongrass, in various stages of ripeness. We smelled the aroma of coffee in advance of turning a corner, where we came upon an old woman sitting at a primitive stove, keeping a furnace stoked with wood while she stirred coffee beans in a frying pan, to “roast” them from white to dark brown. We were then invited to be seated on benches to sample four varieties of drinks, prepared at the table and served in glass cups and saucers: a smooth, rich and delicious milky coffee, a powerful, slightly sweetened black coffee, reminiscent of Turkish or Greek blends, a delicious hot (temperature) ginger tea and the best and richest hot chocolate I have ever tasted. One of Bali’s coffee specialties is the one that Jack Nicholson drinks every day in the excellent recent Hollywood movie “Bucket List”. An animal (we saw one there sleeping in a cage but I forget its name) eats the raw coffee beans, and when they are excreted, the beans are washed, roasted and sold; apparently, the finest coffee in the world, I was assured this particular type was not included in the samples we were given to taste. In the shop, we purchased pure vanilla and saffron, which we often acquire and enjoy at home as souvenirs of our travels. Also available for sale were every kind of herb and spice and all the varieties of Bali coffee.The inevitable Temple was included in our tour, but this was one with a difference. Hinduism is the religion of the majority of Balinese (versus Islam, which is Indonesia’s dominant religion) but it is practiced quite differently from that in India. The first part was a carp pond with hundreds of enormous goldfish. Most of the worshippers came for the “Holy Springs” whereby they were immersed in an enormous mikvah-like pool with spouting water under which they immersed their heads over and over again. The “personal belief”, as explained by Putu, is that the waters are purifying and healing and pilgrimages are made to them several times a year. The main plaza of the temple comprises several enormous and elaborately carved and decorated thrones raised on enormous daises, where the gods are seated and the worshippers sit below in obeisance. Although Hinduism recognizes only one supreme God, the paradox is that they are represented in many different formats. I’m sure it makes perfect sense to them.Leaving the temple was challenging since the route out was rather like Stew Leonard’s where you have to walk through what seems like miles of merchandise to get off the premises. The vendors touch your shoulders and arms and press their merchandise up into your face persistently with their cries of “only one dollar” for their wares. Most of which turn out to be five dollars but still cheap at the price. Putu tells us that there is relatively little crime in Bali and everywhere is safe. He is quite a shy man but did a nice job without overwhelming us with too much detailed information; after dropping us off at the ship at 6 pm, he went off to take one in his course of classes to upgrade his tourist guide license; we would recommend him. Didn’t get to see any of the renowned fabulous beach resorts that Richard and Susan frequent and I recall Lori and Neil enjoyed the beach life when they were here in the 1980’s. I did read that many of them are now unpleasantly overcrowded and littered but I would have liked to see a really gorgeous one but they were not on our one-day itinerary.Just got back from an interesting “enrichment” lecture by a retired Penn State University professor -- “Twists of Leadership”. Went to his earlier lecture on Aristotlean LogicThis evening, we have a dinner reservation in the Toscana Restaurant where we plan to celebrate all the good things we are enjoying on this wonderful vacation, followed by the nightly cabaret show, and Broadway sing-along in the lounge with the usual crowd. Fun, fun, fun!!As I write, in the quiet of the well-stocked ship’s library, we are on calm seas, in an overcast, humid and balmy 83 degrees F, traveling in a north westerly direction between Java, Borneo and Sumatra. Up early tomorrow for a full day in Semarang, Java, Indonesia.

Sunday, February 22, 2009 12:59 AM
Crossing the Equator in the Java Sea, between Indonesia and the Malay Straits
Crossing the Equator in the Java Sea, between Indonesia and the Malay StraitsBig day today with crossing the Equator. There was a ceremony around the pool for all the rookies called “Shellbacks”, (people who had never crossed the Equator before) which involved kissing a big raw red snapper and getting smeared with shaving cream in order not to get the wrath of King Neptune. Everybody (except us) who hadn’t done it before seemed to be eager to join in this initiation. The captain announced that because of the big turnout, we would have a safe passage (no further pirate attacks?) and only feel a small bump as we physically cross the line at latitude zero degrees!Hope all is going well with you and trust our newsy emails have been of interest and that the postcards and letters are arriving.Everything continues well with us. Our days in Bali and Java (Borobodur Temple) were fascinating, although too short and it rained some of the time. Last night’s “showtime” was a game show “Blankety Blank” and we were both picked to be panelists and got a lot of laughs and won prizes. Today, we have attained celebrity status around the ship. Neil – would you please be our agent? A day off the boat in Singapore tomorrow, then we get off in Bangkok for a couple of days at the ShangriLa before going back to Singapore and then on to Seoul before heading homeward.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009 1:02 AM
Tuesday, Feb. 24 2009. Cruise Day 19, Cruising South China sea, en route to Ko Samui, Thailand
Here we go again. Saturday Feb. 21 (cruise day 16) we arrived in Java, Indonesia, where the main attraction was a visit to the Buddhist Temple of Borobodur. Guide and driver, with ubiquitous Toyota minivan, were portside to meet us at 8 am. The 2 ½ hour journey to Borobodur took us through heavily-trafficked, pot-holed, rutted roads, with rubble-filled sidewalks, lined with primitive shops and markets selling local foods and wares. At one point, we came to a complete stand-still while hundreds of gaudily decorated coaches unloaded gaily-attired Buddhist pilgrims to an event at a temple on our route. Trey, our amusing guide, kept us informed about the religion, politics, art, culture and philosophy of the island of Java along the way and also regaled us with his extensive knowledge of western culture so the time went quickly. As it was Saturday, many children were dressed in their Boy Scout clothes and all the children looked well cared for and thriving. The children are taught English as a second language and it is clearly evident that this is a rapidly developing and emerging country. Our guide took pains to assure us they are a peaceful people.We climbed the five layers (total of 900 steps) of the very impressive Temple Borobodur to reach “Nirvana” to make sure to touch the toe of the hidden Buddha while making a wish. The comprises several Buddhas representing different elements of Buddhist belief. We stopped to visit another lesser but interesting enough temple on the way back to the boat.Yesterday was a lovely day in Singapore. We bought a day MRT ticket (like an Oyster or Metro card) and headed off on the subway to Orchard Road and hopped on a bus for a couple of stops, in glorious weather for a morning the Botanic Gardens and National Orchid Gardens -- a photographer’s delight. Lunch was not quite as planned as the skies opened up for our walk to the restaurant, and we got soaked through to the skin in buckets of rain. By the time we reached the restaurant, they were no longer serving till dinner time. We squelched into Takoshimaya (fabulous department store) and found a neat Chinese café in the basement food hall and had an excellent dim sum lunch after all. At sea today and tomorrow we arrive in Thailand.