Circumnavigate The Globe in 123 days with Bill & Mary Ann - 2011 World Cruise

[rafinmd]

Just out of curiosity, who gets invited to Mariner Appreciation Day events? How many stars? Other selection criteria?

 

Thanks

Roy

[kazu]

Report # 49 Part 2 February 21, 2011 Monday Sydney....the Sailaway Day 2

 

There was a complimentary sailaway planned on the aft deck, as usual. What was different was the fact that complimentary champagne and wines flowed freely, along with "formal evening style" hors d'oeuvres served copiously. Do you know how many people that drew to this sailaway? You guessed it......there was barely standing room back there. Many of these guests were new to us, obviously the passengers who embarked the ship today. Usually these parties last 45 minutes, but not this one. What made this special was the addition of a small sailing vessel that was going to accompany us out of the harbor. It was a replica of a 16th century Dutch ship, The Duyfken (Little Dove), that sailed from Indonesia in search of gold and the spice trade. It was not gold they found, but the northern coast of Australia, making them the first Europeans to see and chart this part of the continent. The original ship had been destroyed by sea worms in 1608, so in 1997, funds were made available to rebuild a replica of the Duyfken at the cost of $3.7 million. And we had the distinct pleasure of watching her young crew hoist the sails and lead the way out of the long harbor. It was hard to imagine what it would have been like to experience sailing the seven seas in such a small vessel built out of oak and pine back in 1606.

 

Dinnertime was interesting tonight with the addition of two ladies that joined the ship today. They were Pamela and Ivana, the Go-Go Jewelry experts that will be traveling with us until Hong Kong. Since they had thoroughly enjoyed the sailaway party, they were in top form during dinner with us. They were not shy when it came to having a good time with story-telling for two hours. Too bad Wayne and Pat weren't here.....they would have really liked them. By now, 8pm, we are sure they have made it home safely, and would be thinking of us as we were missing them!

 

And more excitement.......The CEO of Holland America, Stein Kruse and his wife have joined the ship for two days of Mariner Appreciation. But that news will follow tomorrow.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

What a nice sail a way - no wonder - with the CEO on board. Everything should be perfect for the next two days :):)

[Northern Light]

Report # 50 February 22, 2011 Tuesday Day at Sea Mariner Appreciation Day One

 

 

A very serious news flash shocked every one of us....the destructive earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. We want to extend our heartfelt wishes in their time of distress. Having just visited there less than 2 weeks ago, we cannot believe what we are seeing on the news. This same area had been hit by another larger quake less than 6 months ago, and they were still in the process of restoring many sites. Coming from San Francisco, we know there is no perfect way to detect these catastropies ahead of time.

 

 

My sister and BIL were onboard from LA to Auckland where they disembarked to begin a month long tour of NZ. It was their second day of a five night stay in Christchurch when the quake hit. Fortunately, for them they were on a day tour so were out of the city. Unfortunately, their hotel was right next to the cathedral that collapsed and guests were not allowed back into the hotel which meant my sister didn't have access to meds. Thankfully, meds were quickly authorized and replaced by emergency personnel. The night of the quake they ended up in a private residence and I had a 30 sec phone call from them to say they were okay and that was the last I heard until last night. The military took them to a hotel in Wellington. This is the Canadian consulate is for them to arrange for emergency passports. Their time in NZ was arranged by GoWay Travel who book tours for that part of the world. The company has been wonderful and my sister and BIL are now on their way back home carrying only what they had with them that day. I'm sorry that they missed the last half of their trip as NZ is supposed to be a very beautiful country but they will arrive home safe and sound and that is all that matters. No doubt they will have some very interesting stories to tell about their experience including over 30 aftershocks they felt.

 

It is a terrible tragedy that has happened in Christchurch and my heart goes out to all of those whose lives are forever changed by this event.

 

Sandy

[WCB]

Report # 52 February 24, 2011 Thursday Cairns, Australia

 

The city of Cairns was our destination port this morning. It is located on the northeast coast of Australia in Trinity Bay. Many attractions are outside the city limits like the Kuranda Scenic Rail, a train that takes visitors to the Barren Gorge and National Park and the rainforest. Skyrail carries tourists in gondolas above the rainforest, which houses possums and tree kangaroos.

 

But the most important and famous site to see is the Great Barrier Reef. A thousand miles long, these living reef can be seen from outer space, not that we'll ever have the chance to do that. Specifically, the reef is comprised of over 2500 separate reefs, supporting more than 30,000 species. It is a snorkelers and divers paradise.

 

Another reason for Cairns being famous, is the fact that Pat, our former tablemate, lives here! He has written and said he would be on the pier to greet some fellow passengers as well as crew members. Hopefully, he will be able to join us for dinner this evening.

 

Wish we could say that the weather was sunny and perfect today. Nope, just the opposite........it rained from the time we got here to the time we left at 2am. Rain is not the right word to use........torrential showers is more like it. It didn't matter much to us, because we have toured this area on four previous visits. Today, we planned on walking from one end of the city to the other, something we never had the chance to do, because we were on all day tours. We bet that the HAL shore excursions run into problems, due to this unusual high volume of precipitation. We would find out later just how bad it was.

 

After we had breakfast, we armed ourselves with a city map and guide book and headed into town. The helpful gal at the information desk in the cruise terminal suggested we go to the Cairns Central Shopping Centre, located at the Cairns Railway Station. This mall houses over 180 specialty stores, that includes tow department stores as well as two supermarkets. It also offers a 6 screen cinema, banks, beauty services, internet, medical centers, and a huge food court. We were looking for a place to eat lunch, but not as casual as a food court. Besides, it was noon and all of the places were full to capacity. We just spent our time leisurely walking each level of the mall, checking out prices and watching the locals go about their business. There were many aboriginal families out and about today too. If memory serves us right, there are more native people living in the northern parts of the country. One thing we noticed was that the price of everything was much higher than on our last visit to Australia two years ago. Perhaps it is due to the fact that their dollar is equal to ours now.

 

We passed through a small park full of tall trees and palms. We could hear screeching from birds high up in the canopy, but realized as we got closer, the noise was coming from large fruit bats. Most of them were just hanging around, literally. Hanging upside down to be more precise. The pelting rain was disturbing their daylight sleep, and some were taking flight. For us, it was an eerie sight to see right in the center of town. Of course, these bats are harmless to humans as far as we know. They only dine on sweet ripe fruit, and hopefully, do not carry rabies.

 

Making our way back towards the pier, we ducked in and out of cafes and restaurants, checking out the menus. Pizza was on our minds, but we had a hard time finding that on most of the menus. There was a considerable amount of Asian and Indian restaurants too. Many of these establishments were suitable for dining and drinking later at night. So our search continued.

 

We thought the rain had let up for awhile, only to have it start up with a vengence over and over again. Sidewalks were flooded and gutters were overflowing. Without umbrellas and waterproof shoes, we would have been drowned. Lucky for us all, it was not too windy, or we would have been soaked to the bone. One good thing was that it was warm rain, not cold. We would survive!

 

Once we were back near the ship, we headed the opposite direction, which took us towards the Marina and nice hotels. There was a nice boardwalk that followed the harbor here. Needless to say it was not crowded. We did run into Martha with her friend Ron, who were being escorted by two locals taking them through town, we believe. The guides told us to keep walking past the Marina where the ferries leave for the reef, and we would find more restaurants.

 

What we did find first, was the Esplanade which led past the swimming lagoon on Trinity Bay. It's an ulta-modern pool that is created to look like a white sandy beach at the shallow end. Bet it is a very pretty site on a sunny day. There were a few kids in the water, but we suspect that the usual crowds were not there today. This area beyond the esplanade began to look familiar with streets lined with more high end shops and souvenier stores. Since we had seen so much of that already, we found our way back to the wharf to look for the right restaurant for lunch.

 

And we found it.......a place built right on the boardwalk facing the marina called Olano's. We dined on the best margarita pizzas that we have tasted so far on this trip. They were thin-crusted, cooked perfectly where the bottom crust was well done, but the cheeses and sauce remained creamy and hot. Yep, we were in pizza heaven! And besides that, it was great to sit down for an hour, listening to the driving rain sound like it was going to come through the corrigated fiberglass roof. Guess we are not used to seeing this type of torrential showers in northern California, so it was exciting.

 

We took a detour walking back to check out the souvenier stores and the Pulman Reef Hotel and Casino. Not interested in gambling, we just wanted to see the inside of the place, since it looked interesting on the outside. The building had a huge, ornate dome with all of the gaming tables and slot machines under it. There were quite a few people in the casino, considering that it was a weekday. Bet there were many guests from the Amsterdam too, hoping the odds here were better than on the ship. Good luck with that one.

 

One place we were going to visit was the Night Market. But since it did not open until 4:30pm, we decided to skip it. Since we have the same type of market coming up in Hong Kong, we'll wait for that one.

 

We were all happy to welcome Aussie buddy, Pat, back to our table tonight. The ladies at our table have missed his usual comment that they all looked "scrumptious" on formal evenings. Anyway, it was a great way for him to end his day, which was busy with entertaining friends from the ship. We think that most of the group he had lined up for the reef tours did not go because of the rain. Doing this tour independant from the ship had more options. If you chose not to go, you did not pay. Very simple. Now with the ship's tour, you had to back out 2 days ago, and would have been charged a 10% penalty. If you changed your mind today for instance, there was a 100% penalty. From what we heard, the tour went out to the reef as planned, but many people got seasick, and the waters were murky from the rain. You just never know. We have done that tour twice in past years, and had smooth seas and good weather. No sense pushing our luck.

 

Some of the other tours ran into problems, such as a shut-down train ride, and blocked highways due to falling trees. Some tour buses were delayed as much as 2 hours. We know how fabulous those tours can be, since we also took them on nice days. Too bad, but we expected that somewhere along the line, we would encounter some bad weather. Hope it will be brief and not carry on through the next week.

 

Forgot to add that last night, we were gifted with two wine tasting glasses with the 2011 world cruise logo printed on them, compliments of the Yalumba Winery. Also left for us, was a 6 x 8 photo of our luncheon group at the Mariner Appreciation affair in the Crows Nest two days ago....a nice reminder of a nice lunch.

 

We wanted to add some information about the kids onboard for the entire world cruise. We have four kids, ranging in age from 7,8,9, and 16. The youngest three are girls, while the oldest is a teenage boy. Club HAL provides two hours every day for fun activities for the group, while the parents have to provide their daily schooling. It is an impressive opportunity for these kids to see the world, but we wonder at times how much they miss their friends at home.

 

The next two days will be at sea, and we are looking forward to them.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[windsor26]

Report # 52 February 24, 2011 Thursday Cairns, Australia

 

T

 

 

 

We passed through a small park full of tall trees and palms. We could hear screeching from birds high up in the canopy, but realized as we got closer, the noise was coming from large fruit bats. Most of them were just hanging around, literally. Hanging upside down to be more precise. The pelting rain was disturbing their daylight sleep, and some were taking flight. For us, it was an eerie sight to see right in the center of town. Of course, these bats are harmless to humans as far as we know. They only dine on sweet ripe fruit, and hopefully, do not carry rabies.

 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

No rabies in Australia at all you are very safe:eek::)

[CairnsGuyCruiser]

Report # 52 February 24, 2011 Thursday Cairns, Australia

 

 

 

"We were all happy to welcome Aussie buddy, Pat, back to our table tonight. The ladies at our table have missed his usual comment that they all looked "scrumptious" on formal evenings. Anyway, it was a great way for him to end his day, which was busy with entertaining friends from the ship. We think that most of the group he had lined up for the reef tours did not go because of the rain."

 

 

G'Day Mary Ann & Bill

 

It was fantastic to go back on board as a visitor and rejoin the table for dinner. We sure did have a fun table. The only regret I had was Wayne was not sitting in his empty chair. (Wayne left the ship in Sydney with me.)

 

I was treated like a long lost friend by the the crew and fellow guests and I had only left the cruise 3 days before.

 

I had the pleasure and honour of hosting a BBQ for some of the hard working crew at my house. We had so much fun and for most of them it was the first time they had eaten Kangaroo. (Yummy)

 

Boy oh boy Cairns turned on the rain. Cairns has had over 15 inches in the past 48 hours.

 

Many thanks to my friends on board and the crew who made my visit to the ship so great.

 

Pat

[Aussie Gal]

Report # 52 February 24, 2011 Thursday Cairns, Australia

 

 

After we had breakfast, we armed ourselves with a city map and guide book and headed into town. The helpful gal at the information desk in the cruise terminal suggested we go to the Cairns Central Shopping Centre, located at the Cairns Railway Station. This mall houses over 180 specialty stores, that includes tow department stores as well as two supermarkets. It also offers a 6 screen cinema, banks, beauty services, internet, medical centers, and a huge food court. We were looking for a place to eat lunch, but not as casual as a food court. Besides, it was noon and all of the places were full to capacity. We just spent our time leisurely walking each level of the mall, checking out prices and watching the locals go about their business. There were many aboriginal families out and about today too. If memory serves us right, there are more native people living in the northern parts of the country. One thing we noticed was that the price of everything was much higher than on our last visit to Australia two years ago. Perhaps it is due to the fact that their dollar is equal to ours now.

 

The next two days will be at sea, and we are looking forward to them.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

We haven't had an increase of prices regarding most things except food and that has been due to the massive floods we have had throughout our country. The dollar in fact being high, has brought a lot of things down in price including electrical goods and cars. Anything that has been imported.

 

Unfortunately, you will be getting rain as there is a cyclone of sorts over Darwin and that has been producing the rain over the top end for the past week or so. That is the one of the reasons we don't travel at this time of year up north, as it is indeed the wet season up there. The best time to go is after April but of course that doesn't tie in with the cruises, as they come down here from the U.S. to escape winter.

 

Jennie

[WCB]

Report # 53 February 25, 2011 Friday Day at Sea

 

The driving rain never let up last night, even by the time we left the port of Cairns at around 2am. We are now on our way to Papua New Guinea, a new destination for many of us. We truely enjoyed every city we toured in Australia, and hope to be able to visit again in the future.

 

The worst of the storm seemed to be left behind us. But even during breakfast, we noticed it was still cloudy and drizzling outside. It was also warmer and more humid as we sail north towards the Equator once again. It didn't take long to work up a sweat while walking around the promenade deck. We bet that many guests prefer to use the exercise equipment in the air-conditioned gym on days like these.

 

Two talks were given in the Queens Lounge today. The first one was given by Robert, the Tai Chi instructor. Actually, it was more of a story time where Aussie-born Robert told amusing tales about the Land Down Under. Jay Taylor, the new explorations speaker, lectured on the great rivalry between the United States and China......a hot subject these days.

 

We attended the second Cruise Critic meeting in the Explorers Lounge at 11am. This meeting had to be re-scheduled from the 22nd to today, due to the special events onboard with the CEO and his gang. There were only about half of the group in attendance, because we think the new invitations did not get delivered to everyone on time. What was nice, however, were the champagne and mimosas served to each of us. That was a first for us. Most all of the gatherings have had a table full of coffee, tea, juice, and water. Sandwiches, pastries, and cookies are always present, but never champagne. Susan, our leader, thought it may have been given to apologize for having the meeting moved. Whatever the reason, we thought it was a nice touch, and and really good way to welcome our newly-boarded guests.

 

What was missing was a visit from the staff, such as our Hotel Director, the Cruise Director, the Captain, or any of his officers. We can say that while on the Prinsendam's South America/Antarctica cruise last year, the Captain and Cruise Director never missed a meeting, even if it was a very short visit. In all fairness, they must have all been busy today.

 

During the course of the gathering, members offered some good stories of their great tours in Australia, and also some funny explanations as where or how they got their Cruise Critic names. Susan gave us all the chance to forms groups, if needed, to discuss future shore excursions that were being formed independantly. In the past, we noticed that the majority of passengers used the Cruise Critic meetings to get travel groups together. That did not seem to be happening today.

 

After noontime, we headed for some sunshine at the back pool, or so we thought. We got there just in time to watch the deck fellows clearing the tables and chairs and pulling them out of the rain. No....we were not going to leave. We'd just wait it out, knowing it was only a passing cloud. We had received an email from Pat, who informed us that Cairns had recorded a whopping 9 1/2 inches of rain in 24 hours. We figured that should be enough rain to last us for the rest of this cruise! Yeah, we know, that is wishful thinking. Lucky for us, it did stop, and we spent some nice, restful few hours back there. The skies did remain mostly cloudy, but when the sun did peek out, it was quite hot.

 

Tonight, Ellen invited Ann Marie, one of the guests from our travel group, to join us for dinner. Since her friend left a few weeks ago, she has been sitting alone most evenings at her railing table. Pat and Wayne's seats have remained unassigned so far, because there have been no good substitutes for them. Frankly, there never will be. We'll make do by inviting guests to fill the void for now. Our meals were good, savoring the New York steaks once again, but what was the best, was the dessert bowl of strawberry rhubarb filling with a crispy topping. It has a special name that escapes us right now.

 

The entertainer tonight was Tim Ellis, Australian's favorite magician. Will give you the lowdown tomorrow.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 54 February 26, 2011 Saturday Day at Sea

 

Well, today was another nice and warm day at sea. And guess what? No rain, at least not yet. On CNN this morning, we saw that a cyclone was heading across Palau and the Phillipines. Since we are just a few days away from that area, we sure hope it will have moved on.

 

Explorations speaker, Jay Taylor, spoke about the history of the past of Borneo and Papua New Guinea. Jay is a veteran of the American Foreign Service, as well as a former Marine naval aviator. His career has found him living and working in every part of the world, in particular, this part of Asia and Southeast Asia. His talks have been very informative.

 

The Princeton Tailors are on the ship, selling custom made clothing from Hong Kong. Many passengers take advantage of this service, since most of the measuring work can be done ahead, and sent directly to the tailors. When we arrive to Hong Kong, their clothing will be ready for a fitting, then delivered to the ship before we leave. We have heard that they are pricey, but will guarantee satisfaction. On the plus side, you do not have to use all of your limited time while in Hong Kong picking out fabrics and styles. Several years ago, we had a formal vest made from one of the nearby tailors on the pier. Since we were docked there two nights, the vest was finished and delivered to the ship right before we left. It was well-made with a high quality silk, but half the price of the onboard tailors. In that case, we took a chance, and it worked out well.

 

We had an unexpected scenic sailing between the dozens of islands surrounding Papua New Guinea, which we enjoyed from the chaise lounges at the aft pool. The low-lying islands were densely overgrown with a low jungle terrain. There was also few, if any, people living on these islands that we could see. Heavy rain clouds hung over the hilltops, clinging to the peaks like magnets. We could see evidence of rain all around us, but somehow the ship was steered in between them. As a result, we got a little toasted, as in sunburn. Even with good sunscreen, the sun's rays are very strong in this part of the world. The smart people were laying around the promenade deck, where the lounge chairs are much more comfortable with added cushions.

 

Tonight's dress code called for formalwear. We had been informed that there were no free officers to join us, so we invited another couple to share our table .We believe this was their first world cruise, and they did have many questions about little details. There is a wealth of knowledge with our group, so we think they left happy. We left happy, because we had ordered the parmesan-crusted chicken breasts, which were extremely good. The usual offerings of caviar and escargots made Barie happy, along with her entree of rack of lamb. There were also a lobster pie, filet mignon, 2 types of fish, and a vegetarian entree. We never go hungry on this ship!

 

Can't forget the formal night presents. When we first walked into our room, we saw nothing, and thought our room stewards forgot us. Are we spoiled or what? But right on the bed, were two lapel pins with the 2011 world cruise logo stamped on them. They got added to our platinum medal ribbons, along with the dozen we already have.

 

We're all looking forward to tomorrow's port in Papua New Guinea, a first time stop for many of us. Wonder if head-hunters still live here???

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[kazu]

another great posting Bill & Mary Ann - thanks so much:)

[WCB]

Report # 55 February 27, 2011 Sunday Madang, Papua New Guinea

 

There was plenty of time to have a good breakfast this morning before the closing time of 9am in the dining room. Serving times there are also a half hour earlier than on port days. If you miss the time, you must go to the Lido, which is not as easy as you might think. Up until about 2 years ago, you could fill a tray with your breakfast items, and find a seat to enjoy the meal. Now, the trays are gone, and you must wait in different lines to get your food items one plate at a time. Some old timers think this is a way for the cruise line to save money, because people can't carry much at one time. And there is much less wasting of the food, like when your eyes are too big for your stomach. They may have a point there. That's why we love the dining room breakfast....the servings are conservative, and it is worth the wait.

 

We didn't arrive to the port of Madang, Papua New Guinea until noontime today. All morning it had been raining steadily, so we resigned ourselves to the fact it was going to rain all day. However, the weather gods were on our side today, and it actually stopped raining right after we docked. From what we saw sailing into the harbor, this place is almost as primitive as the Amazon. The tour we took would confirm that suspicion.

 

What a welcome we had on the pier. A ten member group of musicians greeted us with their guitars, ukeleles, and an interesting set of drums called kundu drums. The drums were really hollowed out bamboo logs, cut in different lengths to creat different notes. They were bundled like a raft, and the drummer sat on top of them, beating the end with a paddle. The sound carried for a mile away, and was quite pleasant-sounding. One of the longshoremen was dancing to the beat of the drums when we were being tied down. He earned much clapping from the watching passengers.

 

But first, a little history must be discussed. Part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire", Madang is located on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. It's a jungle here, literally, green thick, lush forests of palms, bananas, pineapples, mangoes, and papayas all embedded between bamboo and breadfruit trees to name a few. Most of the highest volcanic peaks in Papua New Guinea surround this area, and some of them are very active. The natives that occupy this province, numbering 240,000, come from tribes from the Yabon and Bilbil people. Simbai tribes live in the foothills, while Hagahai people occupy the mountainous regions. These are the tribes that came into contact with the modern world in the 20th century for the first time. How shocking that must have been for them.

 

World War Two had a huge impact here, with the occupation of the Japanese, until the area was recaptured ay allied forces in 1944. There are areas where the wreckage of Japanese barges and wrcked fighter planes lay rusting since then. And scuba divers can swim among the coral reefs mixed with shipwrecks from that era.

 

The HAL tour we chose was called Madang Highlights. We were supposed to visit the market, but it was Sunday, so it was closed. OK, so we were going to visit a butterfly farm, but it had been damaged by a mudslide, so that was off. So was the German cemetery. No one saw the sulfer creek we were promised to cross or been served the coconut drink in the village. But we did see a Bilbil village, located about 30 minutes out of town. The town we drove through was not a place any one of us would have walked if we had chosen not to take a tour. It was muddy and not so nice, with the locals sitting around waving to us as we passed by. Remember, it was Sunday, so most everyone, including the kids, were out and about for the day. We got the feeling that cruise ships do not visit here often.

 

While at this village for 45 minutes, we witnessed the process of clay pot making. The craft is done by the local women, who use clay and fine sand to form the pots. These pots are then put over a fire to harden them. We did buy a small one that was meant to be used as a luminary with a tea candle.

 

We walked around the buildings built on stilts. They were almost the same type of house that we saw in the Amazon, and are used mostly to sleep in. A community fire pit with cooking utensils was in the center with groups of houses around it. Clothing hung from trees to dry. What we did notice, was that most of the natives did not wash often, if at all. Bars of soap probably would be an extravagance here. Needless the say, the aromas were not exactly pleasant. A family of a mother and her children were standing in the surf waist deep, fishing for small fish. They are able to grow many vegetables along with taro root for flour. Chickens were scarce, and there was no sign of any domestic animals for food. We did see some dogs, but they sure were not friendly, since they were busy searching for tidbits of food constantly.

 

The highlight of this visit was the traditional dance performed by several natives. The men were dress in cloth skirts with highly-decorated head dresses made of colorful feathers. The women were dressed in grass skirts, but most wore only a neck-decoration of straw. Some wore tops, some did not. They danced in tight circles to the rhythym of the drums, while singing a high-pitched song that would scare anyone within hearing distance.

 

A substitute make-shift butterfly display was set up for all of us to view the large moths native to this area. Certain shrubs and plants were planted here to draw the large butterflies here to feed and breed. By all of us, we are referring to the 10 mini-buses of 18 guests per bus. We thought it may have been better to split this group in two, and flip-flop the tour route. It soon became apparent that we were less than half of the total group of 23 buses and vans!

 

After leaving the butterfly melee, we were held up on the partly flooded road, because the way was blocked by oncoming buses. We later learned that one of their buses had a flat tire, and the entire group of 13 buses had to wait 45 minutes for that tire to be changed. Do you have any idea how hot it was in those non-air-conditioned vans? People were literally "melting", and did not think to bring water. That got us to wondering why we had to convoy with guards as back up in the rear. We hoped not to find out why.

 

Two more stops were left to see. The first one was at The Madang Museum and Cultural Center near town. The biggest attraction here were the large trees that housed the hundreds of fruit bats, or flying foxes as they call them. Most were hanging upside down, sleeping with their large wings wrapped around their bodies. Those that were in flight were noisily screeching for landing spots in the limbs. What an eerie feeling to see these creatures making their home right in the middle of a bustling town.

 

The museum was not even mentioned by our guide. Actually, nothing was ever mentioned by our guide, because she never talked at all. We had been forwarned that we may or may not have a local person with knowledge of the region. Some did have students from the local college, we obviously did not. So we bypassed visiting the tiny museum, and watched the cultural dance being performed by the native men and women once again . Souveniers were also being sold by the local artists. We did purchase some items, such as an ax, a mask, and some beaded jewelry. We did not notice that some of the items had a peculiar nasty odor until we got back to the ship. They will have to go inside the plastic bags we have saved.

 

The final stop was at the Coastwatchers Memorial Lighthouse, a post WW2 tribute to the brave citizens and soldiers who risked their lives to report about Japanese troop and ship movement. Surrounding this coastal spot, were the parks, lily-padded lagoons, a golf course, a botanical garden, and the only hotel we spotted.

 

We arrived back at the ship by 4:30pm after driving by numerous vendors selling the same things we just saw and bought at the cultural center. No need to go back to check out the treasures, we stayed on the ship and went for a quick sandwich in the Lido. It felt good just getting back into the much cooler ship.

 

To kill some time, we walked around the promenade deck to take the last of the pictures. We discovered a group of kids that had paddled out to the ship in their dugout boats, similar to those seen in Bali. They were begging for treats such as apples, oranges, and pillow candies. Passengers from decks 6 and 7 were throwing t-shirts and any clothing they did not want anymore. We even saw the blue beach towels going overboard to the very happy kids below. On prior trips, the Captain announced rather sternly to stop throwing objects to them, since these innocent things can take an eye out. However, nothing was said from the navigation deck. Perhaps they were out to dinner!

 

An American BBQ was ready to start in the Lido pool area. Waiters were dressed in red white and blue flag shirts and seemed to love it. The menu offered all of the usual entrees of fish, pork, chicken, and beef, just BBQ'd. We chose to eat in the dining room, as did all of our tablemates. All of us were exhausted from the long day and the heat and humidity. So the dessert of the chocolate bombe of mocha ice cream was a nice way to end dinner.

 

Two more days at sea will bring us to the tiny island of Palau.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[windsor26]

Bill and Mary What a shame you did not see the best of Papua New Guinea but unfortunately we have seen that poor situationfrom cruise ship tours. When we visited PNG I organised a private tour on the internet before we arrived for 12 of the cruise critic members. We had a great day. We had a private farm showing for a private museum which we could see was a work of art for the farmer. We were greeted with Liei and drinks (closed bottles if we wanted or the coconut if not) We saw his home and family and heard about their life

Some dancers had come - the journey of about 3.5 hours to this farm in order to dance for us. The local children all came so they could see as well. The dancing as you mention was good but hypnotic. We had an air conditioned coach and we had two assistant guides as well as the english speaking one in case of car trouble. and they assisted everyone over poor country land.

We had cold water from a cool box in the coach. We were taken to the airport for a bathroom break as the guide said nowhere else was fit for us. We should have goene to the market but it was Saturday and ther gujide explained that it was so crowded and so rife with pick pockets it was not safe and we chose not to leave the coach. We went tot the Australian cemetery where sadly 50% of the graves are 'known only to god' and spent a peaceful half hour there. We were back at the ship in time for another dance and music show on the docks and had a great day

The ships tours were with 6th form school children as guides,. no bathroom stop no air conditioning and not refreshments This is one country where it pays to go private. ALSO we did not have to pay any money up front and gladly paid the small charge at the end plus a large tip for the excellent guide and driver:)

[WCB]

Report # 56 February 28, 2011 Monday Day at Sea

 

Today was special, because we would be celebrating the Crossing of the Equator. Yes, we already crossed it in the beginning weeks of the cruise, but for some reason, we did not recognize it with the celebration. So today, we will cross the magic line (no, you cannot actually see it) sometime this evening.

 

At 10am, under blistering sunshine, Captain Olaf blew the ship's horn, and King Neptune, the chief of the water dieties, mysteriously boarded the vessel with his Mermaid Queen. He is here to grant safe passage for all the passengers and crew by sacrificing some of the ship's staff. According to Greek mythology, King Neptune had the power to create or calm storms at sea by using his trident, the 3 prong spear. In order to assure safe passage, some crew members were chosen to be initiated from pollywogs( first time crossers of the Equator) to shellbacks (christened sailors).

 

The process begins with each "prisoner" doused with blue and pink tinted whipped egg whites, then plastered with cooked spaghetti. With each dousing, the pollywogs are condemned to "kiss the fish", which happened to be a large, fresh, ugly fish. Most were tossed in the pool. It is silly fun, but necessary for a continued smooth voyage. Hope it works. This was held in the Lido pool, so it had to be drained and cleaned before it could be used again. What a mess!

 

We held off going to the aft pool, since it was so darned hot outside. It was really crowded by the time we got there, because the people that usually used the Lido pool were back there. The ship was rolling and pitching pretty good all day, so the pool water was swirling to the point it overflowed repeatedly. We felt like we were in a washing machine trying to swim in it. But it didn't stop us, because it really helped cool us off.

 

Late this afternoon, Captain Olaf interrupted with an announcement that took us all by surprise.....we were not going to be able to drop anchor in Palau tomorrow. His explanation was a bit vague for the reasons why it had been cancelled, but it had something to do with their inability to accommodate us now. This port has been on the itinerary for over 2 years, so it did not make sense. It had been decided that we would spend an extra day in Manila instead. This made some of the crew estatic. Well that's OK since we have never been there before either. We hoped to find out more later.

 

This is not the first time a port has been cancelled on a world cruise. For instance, in 2007, we were supposed to stop in Morocco, but it was called off when terrorists threatened to blow up cruise ships if they went there. The final substituted port was in the Azores. The last cancelled ports on the 2009 world cruise, were Tuvalu, Madagascar, and Comoros off the east coast of Africa. Extra days were added in Mombasa and Richards Bay. So you never know what lies ahead. We still have had no decision on the stops in Egypt as of yet.

 

Our travel agency hosted another lively cocktail party for our large group this evening in the Crows Nest. These gatherings are always fun seeing many of our good friends together for a rowdy hour. And even better, some of the officers were invited, including Captain Olaf. We inquired about the reason behind the abrupt change in itinerary, and he said it was more political than anything else. He added that negotiations had been going on for two weeks between the Palau officials and HAL to be able to make the port available to all of us. Guess they could not come to an agreement, so we'll bring our business elsewhere.

 

We had guests tonight to share dinner with us. Pamela, from the Go-Goanna Jewelry, was there with a new friend of Ellen and Barb's. His name was Alex, who is a young fellow traveling on this trip that was gifted to him by his grandmother. He seemed to enjoy himself, as did Pam. But he really came alive when we introduced him to cork-forking. He was a quick learner, and landed the darned thing in the bowl with his first try. We even challenged Yamtana, our waiter, who also landed it on the second try. We think he has been secretly practicing in his spare time! We didn't seem to bother too many people with our singing with each bullseye. In fact, one couple asked if they can be invited to our table sometime, because we were having the most fun. Sure, we said, anytime.

 

The last couple of nights had good entertainers we heard. The first was a young lady pianist by the name of Tomono Kawamura, and last night's performer was Glenn Hirsh, a new comedian. We heard passengers sharing his jokes with other guests today, so he must have been amusing.

 

Well, we now have three more days at sea on our way to Manila.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 57 March 1, 2011 Tuesday Day at Sea

 

Last night, we set the clocks back once again and got that extra hour of sleep we always need and appreciate. We have noticed that the crew seems more rested as well. It really does help keep us all healthy, although, it seems that a very contagious cold has been going around. And one of us had gotten it. We have brought a mountain of cold meds with us, so we hope that it will help it go away soon. It has to, because when we arrive in Hong Kong, and are still noticably sick, the officials will not let us off the ship. Hopefully, grandma's chicken soup will be on the menu very soon. It really does help.

 

The weather was not good today. Heavy rain clouds lined the entire horizon, and occassionally dropped rain off and on. The seas have gotten rougher with higher waves and winds to match. But it was still warm and humid. We spent some time at the aft pool despite the cloudy overcast. Few people were back there and fewer were swimming.

 

The shore excursion gals gave a talk on tours from Manila to Sharm El Sheikh this morning. Now, Sharm El Sheikh and Safaga are in Egypt, so maybe we are going there. Why else would they promote tours at this point if we weren't going to Egypt? A new excursion was added for our unexpected extra day in Manila on March 4th. It is Charms of Old Manila, which also runs on day 2. Most people we know are stilled bummed about the cancellation of Palau. We have heard five different explanations why we are not welcome there. Political reasons sounds like the most believable excuse, as the Captain suggested. The other reason was the fact that a cyclone was there, and left a lot of damage. We heard that they did not have the facilities to take disabled folks, even those with walkers and canes, since we have to tender to shore. The new one we heard this morning was that the government wanted an extra charge of $15 per person for a "green" fee. Since we were already forking out $40 per person for a day visa, more fees seems to be rude. Well, at least we will be credited for the visa charge. Maybe we will never know the REAL reason why Palau was scrapped.

 

At 2pm, speaker Jay Taylor gave a talk about Micronesia and an island that time forgot. Perhaps he spoke about the island we really are going to forget....Palau!

 

At 3pm, the florists onboard, Eddy and Callista, gave a class on flower arranging for $25. per person. We heard from someone that attended a previous class that they had hands on arranging, and were able to keep the flower creations they made. That's not a bad deal. We hope to have this team of talented artists join our table one evening for dinner. We think that they are about the youngest of the staff members working on the ship.

 

Culinary demos have been going on during this cruise as well. Today the Pinnacle Grill Chef Das created a halibut dish and a Canaletto salad. We think these are shown on TV too. Occassionally, they offer a hands on cooking class in the Wajang Theater for a nominal fee. What is cooked, is eaten by the group in the Pinnacle Grill Restaurant for lunch with wine, of course.

 

The best part of our day was dinner, since we had special friends, Leta and Bill, join the table. We have sailed on two previous cruises where we were "neighbors", and got to know them well. They always have a table for two, so we weren't sure they would feel comfortable at a table for 10. But since we were all from the same travel group, they knew us all but our two ladies. By the end of the evening, we were cork-forking and having a great time.

 

Most of us ordered the shrimp and veggie tempura with rice and soy sauce. Bill had the French-Canadian meat pie, which resembled shepard's pie. He said it was excellent. We both had the mocha almond ice cream which was really good. We have noticed (and appreciated) the extra creamy, good quality ice cream that is served on this Grand Voyage. Undoubtedly, there is a better quality of food items served on these longer cruises. They have spoiled us!

 

Two more days at sea, and we will be in the Philippines.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 58 March 2, 2011 Wednesday Day at Sea

 

Well, the Amsterdam should have been anchored off the coast of Palau this morning. But as you know, that did not happen. We are now heading northwesterly towards the Philippines, getting assistance from the north equatorial current.

 

The weather seemed a bit more tolerable this morning, but one of us was feeling under the weather so to speak. We had slept later than usual, missing the dining room breakfast. But that did give us the opportunity to have lunch in La Fontaine for just the second time this cruise. There is always an array of appetizers, salads, soups, and entrees for lunch. The meal is always served on the lower level, like breakfast, and today, the room was full.

 

At his talk this afternoon, Captain Olaf mentioned that the world cruise has reached the halfway mark. For us, that will be in six more days, since we will be sailing onward for 13 more days. He also said that we have been given 10 hours back since we crossed the International Dateline, and he still owes us 14 more hours to make up for the day we "lost".

 

There was another talk delivered by Jay Taylor on the subject of China, their big achievements and big problems. Even though we are not going to any Chinese ports on this trip, the subject matter is always of interest.

 

Another kitchen tour took place, where you could see where 6000 meals are prepared everyday. And while we're on the subject of food, a culinary demo was given by Chef Bernie, who was making his favorite chicken and pork adobo,

 

We spent the afternoon watching movies in our stateroom. There is the option of getting DVD's in the library, which is nice if the movies on TV are too old. So far, we have only checked out books from the library, no DVD's yet.

 

A formal letter explaining the itinerary revision with Palau was in the mail tonight. It simply stated that due to difficulties with the availability of our scheduled tender port, along with failed attempts to secure a safe and satisfactory facility, we are unable to make our port of call. And as a gesture of goodwill, please enjoy complimentary wine or soft drinks with your dinner this evening. That was that.

 

As it turned out, we would miss the free drinks because we chose not to attend dinner due to illness. Ordering room service dinner sounded like a better deal for us tonight. As we went to inform our room steward that we were staying in, he greeted us with two bags of gifts they were passing out to the full world cruisers. Funny, it was not a formal night, so we were surprised to see these pretty boxes. They were a gifts designed by Tiffany and Company.......a porcelain keepsake covered dish which was enameled in a shade of tiffany blue, trimmed with gold detailing, and containing the 2011 Grand World Cruise Itinerary. The note inside read: Please continue to enjoy each day to the fullest and savor all that life has to offer. With thanks and gratitude, Captain Olaf and Henk Mensink, Hotel Manager.

 

One more sea day, and one more day to get well before we reach Manila.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[Aussie Gal]

Mary Ann & Bill,

 

I do hope that the "sickie" is soon feeling better and that you enjoy your time in busy Manilla. We were last there back in 1976 and it was very busy then so I expect it to be even worse now. That was back in the days of President Marcos and we had a curfew that commenced at 9pm each night! I wondered what we had come to when we left the plane. It was a completely different world to what we were used to. Men with rifles surrounding the airport and people looking through barbed wire fences at the new arrivals.

 

Jennie

[seafun]

Mary Ann and Bill,

Strong wishes for a speedy recovery from the hopefully temporary malady.

Thank You, once again (from all of your faithful readers), for all the time, effort, and expense put into your glorious reports! The joys of experiencing, vicariously, your trip is really, really, great. :)

I don't think I need to remind you how welcome and intensely savored your reports are!

Of course we wish you a speedy recovery. And I've still got my fingers crossed for your stop in Egypt as planned. I enjoyed my 15 day trip to Egypt more than ... well... almost as much as I enjoy bacon for breakfast! :D

As one of your many fans reading your adventures here on Cruise Critic... I thank you, and consider myself a friend. Thank you for all your reports, and we all are in debt to you that you are gracious enough to share this experience with us!

Speedy recovery and all my best wishes!

Tom

[kazu]

Wishing you a VERY speedy recovery. Enjoying your posts very much and do hope you are well to continue your wonderful world cruise.

 

hope you got to keep your flowers from the arrangement :)

[Georgiane]

Hoping for a speedy recovery and hoping that its not past on to the other person in your room:eek:.

 

Love your stories.....

[WCB]

Report # 59 March 3, 2011 Thursday Day at Sea

 

All day the Amsterdam has been traveling through the Philippine archipelago, which consists of over 7100 islands. So it was scenic cruising all day as we zigzagged around small and large islands, making our way to the west coast of the Philippines. It would have been nicer had the sun been out, but it remained cloudy all day. Brief periods of light sprinkles did not amount to much, so it was still warm and comfortable sitting on the aft deck. It was definitely quiet back there with only about 10 of us in the lounge chairs. The small showers actually felt good.

 

During our walk this morning, we ran into friends that had some grumblings about "special" parties given onboard for a certain select group.......mainly the 80 Dutch citizens. They did not feel that it was politically correct to entertain one group, and not extend the invitation to all groups, such as the Germans, Canadians, the Spaniards, or the US citizens. As far as we know, this was their second special cocktail party. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that this is a Dutch ship, even though the majority of passengers come from elsewhere. Personally, we do not take offense, but only laugh at the saying....if you are not Dutch, you are not much!

 

There were no exploration talks today, just presentations of all of the interesting things to do and see while in Hong Kong for two days. Barbara Haenni is always available for further details at her desk by the Explorations Cafe. She has helped us in the past with city maps and public transportation options. In most large cities, these maps are available on the pier, but you waste a lot of time trying to figure it out. Barbara has been there and done that in all of the larger cities, so her directions are right on. If she is not sure, she will use her stash of reference books she always buys.

 

The watercolor class had a silent auction where the passengers can bid for their pieces of art. The money goes to a charity, which this year happens to be the Hospicio de San Jose in Manila. It is the first social welfare agency established to care for poor and unwanted children, physically and mentally challenged, and aging people in Manila. This would have been the charity the knitters and crocheters on the ship would have donated their handiwork with the yarn provided by the social hostess. That no longer happens, which is too bad. It was nice to see the large group of ladies working ferverishly to finish their clothing and blankets on time for the presentation.

 

It was another good day to watch an afternoon movie. The one being shown in the Wajang Theater was US Marshalls. We have seen that several times, so we watched the one on our room TV, Wrestling Ernest Hemingway, instead.

 

This evening was formal and was decorated for the Royalty Ball. Purple and red were the colors of the drapings and balloons in the dining room. The dining room staff was dressed for the occassion either with red robes or crowns made of velvet. Bet that was warm for the waiters. These fellows are good about the dress-up nights, complaining very little. Some seem to really enjoy it.

 

We had gifts waiting for us tonight, even though we got gifts last night too. They were rain ponchos, navy blue, with the 2011 world cruise logo on them. Somewhere along the line, we think we heard that carrying the logo shoulder bag, and using the neckpurse would give us away as cruisers??? Could be.......Supposedly, that marks us for easy targets to rob.

 

Anyway, we have been requested to show up for a temperature check beginning at 6:30am tomorrow morning. Our number is 6, but if we miss the call, we can go at the end of the last number called. And they are calling the numbers out of sequence, so it is anybody's guess. Since we have not booked a tour, we don't need to get off of the ship early. Our estimated arrival time is 8am, so we will be ready to go to the check before that.

 

The good thing is that we do get another hour back on the clock tonight. That will help.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[kazu]

thanks Mary Ann & Bill. I have never heard of a temperature check before. Is this due to the illness? or is it something else to do with the world cruise? enjoying your posts as always:)

[cruiseman111111]

Very soo they will do noro checks every day...And thats in addition to counting your T.P. usage, a dirty job but someone has to do it.

 

thanks Mary Ann & Bill. I have never heard of a temperature check before. Is this due to the illness? or is it something else to do with the world cruise? enjoying your posts as always:)

[Aussie Gal]

Mary Ann and Bill,

 

We had temperature checks the day before we reached Tunis in November, 2009 when we were on the Prinsendam. That was the first time we had ever heard of them except when one leaves an aircraft in Singapore, where there are unseen checks of each passenger as they go up the ramp to the transit lounges or immigration. If you are running a temperature, then you are stopped.

 

Jennie

[WCB]

Report # 60 March 4, 2011 Friday Manila, Philippines

 

The Amsterdam sailed into the port of Manila early this morning well before 8am. Last night, we had a letter delivered to our staterooms requesting our presence at a mandatory temperature check given by the Philippine Quarantine Officials. The bad part was this check was scheduled to begin at 6:30am. We had already decided that we would attend this exercise after all of the numbers were called, since we had # 6, and would probably be summoned very early. Well.......sometime after 6am, it was announced quite loudly throughout the entire ship that the mandatory temperature check was cancelled. Why didn't that announcement come last night? We are sure that many passengers will ask the very same question.

 

Since there was no rush to join a tour, we watched from the promenade deck the two bands of musicians on the pier performing for us. Their percussion and drum group could probably be heard in a five mile radius around the ship. They were good. Colorfully clad dancers paraded around Chef Bernie's decorated jeepney. We believe a jeepney is a vehicle created out of leftover WW2 jeeps that have been elongated into a mini bus to be used as a taxi. A series of large tents had been erected to house tables and chairs for 1000 crew members and their families tomorrow. Behind these tents, was another set of stands selling souveniers. But, first, we ate breakfast, then headed out by 10:30am.

 

There was a strange shroud of smokey smog hovering over the city. It was so thick in the morning, you could barely see the water or the buildings on shore. It reminded us of cities like Mumbai or even Cairo, where you never see the blue skies. A major port of the Philippines, Manila is the capitol of the country. The total population of the Philippines is 96 million. Manila's population is 15 million people, who are predominantly Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, or Buddhists. The Filipinos are basically of Malay descent, along with a sprinkling of Chinese, Spanish, American, and Arab. Their currency is the piso, and the language spoken here is obviously Filipino, English, and Tagalog. We are here during the hot and dry season, instead of rainy June through October. November to February is cool. Today, it was warm, humid, with a little rain, and not much of a breeze. It would turn out to be the better of our two day visit here.

 

When we exited the ship via deck A, an official was seated by the staircase and was taking temperatures with a device in a box. You never knew it happened, nor we did not see any possible sick guests being separated from the group. There were several buses assigned for the complimentary shuttle to take us to Robinson's Place Shopping Mall. This massive complex had four levels of stores, cafes, markets, beauty services, boutiques, shops, restaurants, and everything under the sun you can imagine. And we understand that this isn't even the biggest mall in Manila.

 

When entering this megamall, we all had to pass through the xray and bag check. This is the first time we have ever done that to go into a shopping mall. Another thing we did not expect was the obvious presence of police men and women who were standing guard at every large store inside the mall. They also roamed each level of the sprawling complex. Now we didn't know whether to feel safe or not so safe. All the warnings that our travel guide, Barbara, gave us came to our minds. Guess she was not exaggerating. Despite all of that, we did enjoy our meanderings on every level. The only questionable store was one that was more like a flea market. It was divided into separate small stalls, where the vendors offered costume jewelry, knock-off watches, and faux designer purses. It was so crowded in there and the sales people so persistant, that we literally ran out as soon as we could. If there was a place that our pockets could be picked, it was in there.

 

It also occurred to us that no one would accept US dollars in this mall, so we found a money changer booth to purchase some pisos. It looked like we had a ton of money when it was counted out, but the reason was that it was 44 pisos to the dollar. One good thing was that we got a better rate exchanging money here as compared to the ship's exchange. The only item we really needed was a bottle of antiseptic handsoap for our room. Well that, and a unique necklace and earring set we found in a tiny kiosk called Cleopatra.

 

The best stop was at TGIFriday's, where we shared an appetizer plate and Cokes. It felt so good to finally sit down for a while. That was one strange thing we noticed in this huge mall....there were few places to sit. There was plenty of room for benches, but the spaces were left empty. We concluded that when people got tired, they would find resting places in the dozens of restaurants on each floor and spend more money. From the looks of it, it was working, because by noon, all of the cafes and restaurants were full to capacity.

 

Do you know how some malls have live demonstrations for certain products? Well, we saw one really interesting demo with a portable 2 burner cooktop. What made this different was the fact that a pot of water could be brought to a boil in one minute. Not only that, but the cooktop never got hot, and the salesgirl actually put her hand on the cooktop after taking the pot away. To add to the magic, she placed a pot holder, as well as a book on the burner, then placed the pot with the water on top of that. It still came to a boil in one minute. Go figure? It sold for around $1800, and if we bought one today, we would get a free flat screen TV as a bonus. She really laughed when we told her we were from a cruise ship, and probably would not need a unit for our room.

 

 

After we finished lunch, we decided it was time to go back to the ship. While waiting at the bus stop in the front of the mall, we wondered over to the street. At least three street vendors snuck over to us offering pearl sets and high-end watches, all fake, of course. Just as we were starting to bargain with one fellow, the policemen came along and began pushing the guys back. Sensing that we were ready to retreat to the bus stop, one fellow met our low price, and we ended up with six designer watches for $30. And yes, they were all working. At home, we couldn't even buy watch batteries for $5. each, so we were happy. We were going to wait until we got to Vietnam, but the port where we are docking at has nothing there. It is just a dropoff point for trips into Ho Chi Mihn.

 

Back at the pier, there were a few souvenier stalls set up with treasures. We had heard that everytime the world cruise visits Manila, clever vendors have t-shirts with the full world cruise itinerary printed on them for us to buy. Strange enough, the ship's store did not have those in stock for this cruise. So, of course, the sales were good, because the shirts were good quality and the the price was right at $12. We also purchased a shotglass (first one on this trip) and a country pin to add to our collection. We still had tomorrow to check out souveniers on our tour, so we did not buy anything else.

 

Most everyone was tired at dinner, so we were all glad when we finished by 9:30pm. Many folks had gone out to dinner, so the dining room was not full. One of our tablemates reported having a bad experience by getting some money lifted out of her bag by a slick robber. Another reminder to stay alert and aware of who surrounds us. Tomorrow would be a busy day, so we called it a night.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[kazu]

thanks for your report. strange they cancelled the temperature check - you're right it would have been nice if you'd known the night before.

 

Too bad about the fellow cruiser - hope they didin't lose too much - you always do have to stay alert no matter where you are travelling.