John and Diane are at it Again!

[localady]

Enjoy your sunny albeit cooler weather in Sydney.

 

Happy to report that the storm door has opened wide here in California and many parts have received 5+ inches in the last couple of days! We need the rain for sure, but not this quickly. ;)

 

Thanks for your delightful reports!

[cruz chic]

Thx for the update.

[Johnny B]

Monday, February 10, 2014 - Day 37

At Sea en route to Sydney, Australia

 

If you’ve always wanted to go on a world cruise but have not yet saved enough money or won the lottery, there is an alternate way to do it. All you have to do is find a skill that you could teach on board and, for a few hours a day in service, you’d be sailing the seven seas.

 

I’m admire the skills that some people have and can use to teach on board, but at the same time, I’m also amazed at the small amount of time that some of them must work to “join up.” There are a lot of cruise staff who are full time employees, like Gene, the cruise director, Barbara, the Location Guide, Jodie, the Lifestylist who teaches various classes throughout the day, and the shore excursion employees. The key is choosing something that doesn’t take a lot of time that you can teach others.

 

Our first exposure to this came in 2008, the first time we sat at dinner with Bill and Joan, the bridge teachers. They each lectured to a different group on sea days, Bill to the advanced players and Joan to the beginners, and then in the afternoon they organized duplicate and social bridge games. That was probably a maximum of four hours a day and they did it extremely well, but on port days, they were “off the hook.” There’s a tai chi teacher, but as far as I can tell, her duties are limited to 90 minutes a day, 30 minutes for advanced students and 60 for everyone else.

 

Our friend and trivia team member Maureen teaches Arts and Crafts, which requires a lot of preparation before sailing and some preparation for each (sea day) class, but it seems to be a good way to score a world cruise. We also know Brad and Gloria, who got very good reviews for the Arts and Crafts class on the Asia-Pacific cruise last fall. Craig, who was a member of the cruise staff in 2008, has since graduated in computer science and he’s onboard as the “Techspert” who teaches an hour class twice a day and provides “techspert time” two hours a day - again, only on sea days.

 

There are two watercolor teachers, Carolyn and Tom, who teach a one-hour class twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. We have dance instructors who teach a class once a day and act as “dance hosts” each evening, as well as the four gentlemen who are dance hosts. Their requirements are to be good dancers and to be able to clean up really well. They are in charge of making sure that single ladies have dance partners before and after each of the two dinner seatings, with two or three of them in the Crow’s Nest and the one or two others in the Ocean Bar.

 

There are also three religious leaders on board, a Catholic priest, a Jewish Rabbi, and a Protestant minister (no, this is not the opening line of a joke). They lead services on Sunday or Friday, as appropriate, and each does something else on each sea day: the priest offers mass, Pastor Florence has morning devotions, and Rabbi Gan has a class called “The Life and Times of the Jewish People.”

 

 

The other advantage to being teachers is that they often go on shore excursions as the person who holds up the number and makes sure that everyone gets on and off the bus but gets to see some fascinating places.

 

So . . . polish up your skills, contact HAL in Seattle, and you too could be sailing around the world sharing your skills.

[cruz chic]

Now I know how I can get on a world cruise. Enjoyed reading about it:).

[erewhon]

Thanks for your updates.

[Lauranne]

My routine is to read all the world travel blogs each evening. I will certainly miss this when the cruise is over. Thank you for taking time to blog.

Lauranne

[ozcruizer]

February 9, 2014 - Day 36

At Sea en route to Sydney, Australia

 

Change is in the air. It’s funny how the rhythm of a world cruise goes. At first everyone is in a high excitement phase, with some passengers trying to find their way around the ship and others spending time catching up with old friends. Then we get into the “everyday” aspect of the cruise, where we figure out what we want to do with sea days and look forward to ports and then look forward to sea days to recover from them. Soon however, too soon, we come to the end of a segment, in this case, Sydney. I spoke to our friend Peter, the ship’s purser, this morning, and he told us that we are losing about 150 of our 1000 passengers and gaining about 130 more. Included in this group is a lovely young mom and her three beautiful and incredibly well-behaved children who are joining Dad and their grandparents in Sydney. We’ll miss them.

 

Another change is the weather. We’ve become accustomed to the warm, humid weather of the South Pacific and today it’s been quite different. The humidity is way down and the temperature, at one point midday was 73 degrees - downright chilly compared to what we’re used to. Even though the temperatures were brutal in Melbourne during the Australian Open (tennis), and even though it is summer “down under,” the weather is definitely feeling a change.

 

A change that no one is looking forward to is our port in Sydney. We’ll be docking at White Harbor, a new ship terminal that the city has constructed. In 2008, we docked in Circular Quay, the “heaven” of ship’s docking areas, between the opera house and “The Rocks,” below the Sydney Bridge, and right in the middle of downtown. In 2012, we docked in Darling Harbour, which was only a ten-minute walk from Circular Quay, but the ship provided a free shuttle. This year’s new destination is waaaay out there, and the literature we’ve received so far says that it’s a 30-45 minute shuttle ride from Circular Quay. Yuck! Since only one ship can dock in Circular Quay, apparently that’s not us. I have a feeling that the docking fees are less at the new terminal, so that’s where we’ll be.

 

We’re very much looking forward to spending time with our friends Greg and Heo, who are Sydneysiders, as well as Martha, who lives in Boston but is spending a couple of weeks in Australia. We’ll meet the three of them at 9:30 on our first port day (of 2), do whatever they think we’d like the first day, and then all three are coming on board for dinner that evening. On Day 2, Greg and Heo are spending the day with Spa Renee, an old friend of all of us.

 

Yesterday we were talking to our friend Cheryl, who has cruised extensively but never on a world cruise, and she said, in exasperation, “This is going so much faster than I thought it would!” She’s right, and even though we’re only on day 36 (not including the Christmas cruise), we’re a third of the way along and afraid that the rest of it will slip by just as quickly.

 

P. S. Sorry to post late - couldn't get online until now

 

Very much enjoying your posts and hope you do enjoy Sydney, my home port. I think the main reason for not docking at Circular Quay is that it's now mainly used for larger ships that cannot pass under the Harbour Bridge. Shame for you as CQ is definitely the jewel in the crown as far as docking goes.

 

Ozcruizer

[MMDown Under]

I suspect cost may be a factor, in some cases, as the OPT was often empty, when I was in Sydney recently, whilst there was a ship at White Bay Cruise Terminal.

 

I agree big ships have no choice.

 

Your friends may take you to Balmain, a lovely old part of Sydney, which is close to the White Bay Cruise Terminal. If you enjoy seafood, The Sydney Fish Markets are also nearby, where you can enjoy the freshest seafood.

[silvercruiser]

The lecturers and teachers get their jobs through an agent, not the cruiseline itself. And agents are paid various amounts on a per diem basis.

[luvcruisn']

I was on a 26 night cruise to the Amazon in 2009 with two gentlemen hosts onboard. They had to work quite hard, as they were supposed to be "on duty" from 5pm to midnight every night, dancing and talking with the single and solo ladies on board. They did pay a per diem fee to an agency.

Edited February 10, 2014 by luvcruisn'

[Johnny B]

Tuesday, February 11, 2014 - Day 38

Sydney, Australia

 

I guess I should say “G’day, Mates,” but I’m not that much of an Aussie. I do enjoy a good round of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie - Oy, Oy, Oy” as much as the next person, though. Of course, Sydney is one of our favorite ports, so it was good to arrive here yet again, even if we did have to get up before 6:00 to really enjoy the sail - in. Sailing into Sydney is one of life’s great pleasures, because one comes into the bay and then past the iconic Sydney Opera House and then under Harbor Bridge (which we climbed in 2008). It really is worth getting up early to see.

 

We were met by our good friends Greg, Heo, and Martha in the new White’s Bay cruise terminal at 9:30, where we basically traded friends for the morning. Martha joined Aart and Ellen for a shuttle ride downtown, while Barbie, John and I joined the guys for a wonderful ride through many of Sydney’s most beautiful neighborhoods. Some of the houses are just gorgeous, with price tags to match. Greg and Heo told us that it’s difficult to find housing in Sydney, even in some of the run-down areas, for less than a million dollars, and that there is a house on the market now for more than one hundred million dollars. Give your realtor a call immediately!

 

At 1:00, we went to Sydney’s beautiful Centennial Park, where we were meeting Aart, Ellen, Martha, and Jan and Dick Yettke for lunch. The restaurant there has some of the best fish and chips I’ve ever eaten, but the portions are huge, so Barbie and I shared, just like we did in 2012. There was a great deal of laughing and silliness over lunch, which lasted until after 2:30. Then everyone but John, Heo, Greg and I called for a taxi van to take them back to the ship, while the four of us headed to Haverfield (sp?), the area of Sydney where the guys live. We have spent time with them in Sydney before but hadn’t been to their house, so we had a tour and a glass of wine while meeting their cute little Maltese doggie.

 

Back at the ship by 5:00, we had two hours before meeting everyone in the Crow’s Nest again before dinner, so we decided that a nap was called for. Unfortunately, just as we nodded off, the cruise director came over the intercom with a hearty welcome for those passengers who had just embarked the ship. So much for the nap.

 

This evening was great fun. Greg and Heo came back onboard, Martha had stayed onboard, and we needed two tables to accommodate everyone at dinner. Afterwards we headed up to the Crow’s Nest again, but really just to meet up and say goodnight, since visitors were required to exit the ship by 11:00. The guys and Martha will be back tomorrow morning again, but Greg and Heo will just collect Renee and Jeff for a Sydney outing, while Martha hangs out onboard.

 

We really don’t have any plans for tomorrow, since anything we do will depend on the weather, which turned very rainy this evening. If it’s clear tomorrow we may head to the zoo, since we loved it so much our first time there. In the morning, however, we’ll pick up a few more goodies (including kangaroo jerky for our son in law) and send the kids another “care package.” After that, we’ll play the rest of the day by ear and see where our adventures lead us. Sydney is such a wonderful city that the problem is that there are just too many things to do, and we have to decide among them.

[ozcruizer]

Tuesday, February 11, 2014 - Day 38

Sydney, Australia

 

I guess I should say “G’day, Mates,” but I’m not that much of an Aussie. I do enjoy a good round of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie - Oy, Oy, Oy” as much as the next person, though. Of course, Sydney is one of our favorite ports, so it was good to arrive here yet again, even if we did have to get up before 6:00 to really enjoy the sail - in. Sailing into Sydney is one of life’s great pleasures, because one comes into the bay and then past the iconic Sydney Opera House and then under Harbor Bridge (which we climbed in 2008). It really is worth getting up early to see.

 

We were met by our good friends Greg, Heo, and Martha in the new White’s Bay cruise terminal at 9:30, where we basically traded friends for the morning. Martha joined Aart and Ellen for a shuttle ride downtown, while Barbie, John and I joined the guys for a wonderful ride through many of Sydney’s most beautiful neighborhoods. Some of the houses are just gorgeous, with price tags to match. Greg and Heo told us that it’s difficult to find housing in Sydney, even in some of the run-down areas, for less than a million dollars, and that there is a house on the market now for more than one hundred million dollars. Give your realtor a call immediately!

 

At 1:00, we went to Sydney’s beautiful Centennial Park, where we were meeting Aart, Ellen, Martha, and Jan and Dick Yettke for lunch. The restaurant there has some of the best fish and chips I’ve ever eaten, but the portions are huge, so Barbie and I shared, just like we did in 2012. There was a great deal of laughing and silliness over lunch, which lasted until after 2:30. Then everyone but John, Heo, Greg and I called for a taxi van to take them back to the ship, while the four of us headed to Haverfield (sp?), the area of Sydney where the guys live. We have spent time with them in Sydney before but hadn’t been to their house, so we had a tour and a glass of wine while meeting their cute little Maltese doggie.

 

Back at the ship by 5:00, we had two hours before meeting everyone in the Crow’s Nest again before dinner, so we decided that a nap was called for. Unfortunately, just as we nodded off, the cruise director came over the intercom with a hearty welcome for those passengers who had just embarked the ship. So much for the nap.

 

This evening was great fun. Greg and Heo came back onboard, Martha had stayed onboard, and we needed two tables to accommodate everyone at dinner. Afterwards we headed up to the Crow’s Nest again, but really just to meet up and say goodnight, since visitors were required to exit the ship by 11:00. The guys and Martha will be back tomorrow morning again, but Greg and Heo will just collect Renee and Jeff for a Sydney outing, while Martha hangs out onboard.

 

We really don’t have any plans for tomorrow, since anything we do will depend on the weather, which turned very rainy this evening. If it’s clear tomorrow we may head to the zoo, since we loved it so much our first time there. In the morning, however, we’ll pick up a few more goodies (including kangaroo jerky for our son in law) and send the kids another “care package.” After that, we’ll play the rest of the day by ear and see where our adventures lead us. Sydney is such a wonderful city that the problem is that there are just too many things to do, and we have to decide among them.

 

Glad you're enjoying our Sydney! We think it's a great place to live if you discount the traffic. BTW, houses for under $1M are available but you have to go 30+km to find a good selection.

 

Ozcruizer (cruising again with HAL in April)

 

[Sulo]

Can anyone access John's blog with the photo's etc? If so where do I find it? I'd love to check it out. I took a quick look through all these screens but didn't find it.

Many thanks.

[Johnny B]

I think you mean Jeff's blog. It is referenced in the previous pages somewhere, but if you can't find it, then the "boards" section of Cruise Critic has a sticky referring to his blog. He is truly a gifted photographer and a good friend.

[gbolton]

Can anyone access John's blog with the photo's etc? If so where do I find it? I'd love to check it out. I took a quick look through all these screens but didn't find it.

Many thanks.

 

http://amazingvoyages2.blogspot.ca/

[MMDown Under]

Brisbane, Capital of Sunny Queensland, is going to put on warm weather for you, on Friday -

 

21c - 32c partly cloudy.

[Johnny B]

Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - Day 39

Sydney, Australia

 

One of the things I like best about the HAL world cruise is the large number of overnight port stops, including Sydney. When we sail this evening we will have had two very full days and an overnight to explore the delights of this city. I’m sure I could happily live here - if I could afford to!

 

We began the day with a 20-minute shuttle ride into Circular Quay, where John and I wandered through The Rocks and saw the huge Celebrity ship docked where I wish we were. Apparently the new rule is that Circular Quay is only for ships which are too big to fit under Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the one that was parked there certainly was huge. All ships that fit under the bridge now must dock at the new White Bay terminal.

 

Our first stop was to buy a postcard to send to our granddaughter, and then head to the post office for a stamp. This time, since we have three Australian ports, I was smart enough to buy three stamps, all of which were celebrating the christening of Prince George, with a photo of Will and Kate and their new baby.

 

Our friend Heo had told us that the Custom House, right smack dab across the street from Circular Quay, not only had lots of comfortable seating both downstairs and up, but it had free wifi, so that’s where we headed next. It is incredible how free wifi will attract people like bees to honey, but so it does. We did all our on-line chores, including posting photos with a short narrative on Facebook and then just spoiled ourselves by looking up all kinds of things that we’d never bother with at 25 cents a minute.

 

We had some goodies to buy for the kids, so that came next, although we decided to hold off on mailing the package until Brisbane or Cairns, since they’re smaller and it would just be an easier task. We continued into The Rocks, the wonderful site of Sydney’s original settlement by British convicts and soldiers. That’s where you can find such things as Sydney’s first pub and first hotel. The Rocks also has cute little shops and lots and lots of charming cafes. On weekends, there’s an extensive open market where I’ve found some great souvenirs of Sydney.

 

Greg had suggested that a lovely place for lunch was next to and below the Opera House, so that was our next destination. The restaurant was called The Opera Kitchen, a cafe with seating overlooking the harbor, the bridge, and in the shadow of the opera house. I had a salmon roll sandwich and John had the pie of the day, which today was beef. If you’re accustomed to English-style pies, they’re not the desserts with which we’re accustomed. They’re more like what we call a chicken pot pie, but with all different possibilities of fillings. A cute fast-food chain in Australia is called Pie Face, where they have hot, freshly made pies of all sorts. It’s a great place for a quick lunch.

 

After lunch we made another quick stop at the Custom House to re-check email, and then picked up some Tim Tams, deliciousl Australian cookies, and we got enough to have some of my favorites (dark chocolate), John’s favorite (caramel), and a box of the originals to send to the kids. Greg had given us a large package to take to our table, so that will be our dessert surprise tonight.

 

It was a wonderful day spent wandering around Circular Quay, with blue skies and warm weather. The only problem came when people returned to the ship, because there had been a seeming glitch in scheduling. The all-aboard time was 5:30, but the mandatory on-deck safety drill was at 4:45. As we lined up outside on Deck 3, we could see people getting off shuttle busses and racing up the gangway to try to be on time for the drill. As the drill finished at 5:15, we could still see a few people returning on the last bus. Don’t know who planned this schedule, but I hope no one gets in trouble over it.

 

We have absolutely loved our two days in Sydney, partly because it’s such a wonderful port but also because we got to spend time with our great friends Greg, Heo and Martha. They were wonderful company and wonderful hosts and we’re looking forward to spending even more time with Greg and Heo next January/February and with Martha this fall. We’re already checking online for tickets to the Australian Open next year, after which we would board the world cruise in Sydney. This fall I’m hoping we get to New England for the fall colors, which we’ve never experienced, and Martha’s been nagging us to come visit her in Boston and on Cape Cod for a very long time.

 

Right now, we’re just about to sail (hoping that the rain holds off), with a blissful sea day between here and Brisbane, where we’ve never visited. Australia is a perfect destination, and we’re so glad to be here.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

 

[MMDown Under]

http://www.portsidewharf.com.au/cruise-terminal/

 

This link will give you information on Portside Wharf, where Amsterdam will be docking in Brisbane.

 

If you click on location, you will see lots of transport options from the wharf, for independent travellers.

 

Bretts Wharf City Cat Stop is just 200 metres from Portside. From here you can catch a ferry across the river to Bulimba, where you can eat at the popular riverfront Jetty Restaurant, or walk up to the village with its cafes, book shops, theatre, etc. Otherwise you can catch a ferry along the Brisbane City into New Farm, the CBD, Southbank, West End or St Lucia (Queensland University) - all interesting destinations. Look out for the unique Queenslanders, our wonderful old wooden houses on stilts to catch the breeze in summer.

Edited February 12, 2014 by MMDown Under

[MMDown Under]

 

 

Great shot, David.

 

I know which ship I'd prefer to be on.

 

Weather looks gloomy for sailaway.

[Johnny B]

Thursday, February 13 - Day 40

At Sea en route to Brisbane, Australia

 

What a wonderful time everyone had in Sydney. Some people went to the opera to see Carmen, some took the ferry to Manley Beach, others wandered around downtown and some went out of the city for wine tasting. Everyone seemed to have a story last evening as we gathered on Deck 8 aft for sailaway. Later we showed up in the Crow’s Nest for a little pre-dinner libation, and sitting with our usual group was Henk, the Hotel Manager. He’s the officer in charge of everything on the ship that involves passengers: food, rooms, shops, etc. As we were getting ready to walk down to dinner, I said in passing, “Henk, why don’t you come and have dinner with us?” To my surprise, he said he’d love to. He’s a great guy and good company, so dinner was even more fun than usual.

 

One of the things that we especially enjoy about these cruises is the feeling of family that exists during our four months at sea. I clearly remember our first world cruise in 2008 when we were waiting to board and we noticed all these people greeting each other with comments like, “Oh, it’s so good to see you again,” and “We missed you so much last year.” We just sat there like two bumps on a log and wondered at the camaraderie among these people. Two years later, of course, we were doing the same thing, greeting people from 2008 like long-long friends, which of course they were. We had even spent time between cruises with particularly good shipboard friends.

 

It isn’t just the passengers who do this, either. Since the officers and crew tend to be the same for this four-month adventure of ours, there are many that we really look forward to seeing each trip. On boarding day, there are lots of hugs and greetings and we really do feel at home. We get along swimmingly with several of the officers, including Henk, the Hotel Manager, his wife Crystal, the Guest Relations Manager (a job I wouldn’t take for love nor money), Spa Renee, with whom we keep in touch on Facebook when we’re not on the cruise, Willie, the Beverage Manager, “Tom Terrific”, the Dining Room Manager, and several others. Crew members fit in this group, too. We were nearly tackled by Manny, our favorite bar server, when we got onboard. Every time we see him he greets us as “Uncle John” and “Auntie Diane,” honored titles in the Philippines. We always seem to have a very friendly relationship with our dining room stewards, this time Firman and Joseph, who take such good care of us at dinner.

 

The “family” atmosphere seems to extend to both old and new friends. For example, one of our onboard friends flew from Sydney to Cairns yesterday for a three day diving trip, leaving her (very understanding) husband on board. Unfortunately, he had a medical emergency, resulting in a need for hospital care after she had already left. Because they didn’t want him to be alone in the hospital, another couple left the ship before sailing yesterday and checked into a Sydney hotel so they could take turns staying with him until his wife could fly back from Cairns. They just didn’t want him to be alone in a foreign country (no matter that it seems like the U.S.) That sounds like true friendship to me.

 

We do like the ports we visit, the treatment we get is wonderful, but our friendships on board make this a wonderful four months and many times they also extend into the rest of the year.

 

P. S. Thanks for the tips on Brisbane. This is a first visit for us.

[Sulo]

I think you mean Jeff's blog. It is referenced in the previous pages somewhere, but if you can't find it, then the "boards" section of Cruise Critic has a sticky referring to his blog. He is truly a gifted photographer and a good friend.

 

http://amazingvoyages2.blogspot.ca/

 

 

A belated thank you to both for the info.

[Johnny B]

Friday, February 14, 2014 - Day 41

Brisbane, Australia

Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

What a wonderful place is Brisbane. We’ve been to Sydney a few times as well as some other Aussie cities, but this is our first time here and I’m sold. It’s much smaller than Sydney, incredibly clean, the people are just so nice (as they are in Sydney, too), and the housing is much more reasonably priced. I think I could live here.

 

When we woke up this morning about 6:00, we were sailing up the Brisbane River toward the city, but when we docked, we were still about four miles from the city proper. Because of that, HAL provided shuttle service downtown, but we didn’t take it. We both love being on the water, and since there was a “City Cat” catamaran which is like a river bus, we hopped on that with Jeff and were mid-city 20 minutes later.

 

The waterfront area of Brisbane is really beautiful, and it looks as though it has undergone a renovation fairly recently. One thing we noticed throughout the city was the preservation of very old buildings, including the Custom House on the river, complete with small barred rooms on the ground floor. Even the trees seem to be old, as one local told us that a huge tree in the middle of town has been preserved because it is 400 years old.

 

Downtown Brisbane is very walkable and we enjoyed going through shops and old buildings to see as much as we could. The City Hall is magnificent, and it has an auditorium that must hold over a thousand people, both on the floor and in the balconies. It really looks much more like a mega-church than a city hall.

 

One of the beauties of Brisbane is the Botanical Gardens, which we walked through and thoroughly appreciated. It’s really a public park with dozens of beautiful trees, flowers and plants and birds everywhere. We even saw a little water dragon (like an iguana) sunning itself next to one of the ponds.

 

By now it was time to eat, and when we saw the words “food court,” we headed upstairs and found several Asian fast food eateries. We availed ourselves of one of them and had some delicious fresh egg rolls (the non-fried kind) and a delicious Greek salad, made just like they do in Greece without any lettuce, but with lots of olives, onions, cucumbers, and feta. Next to the food court was that elusive (in the United States anyway) Woolworths store. This one was three floors high, selling groceries as well as all kinds of other department store items.

 

By then it was time to come back to the ship, so we hopped on the City Cat again and enjoyed the trip down the river. We did come back earlier than necessary, but I think we must have walked about four or five miles in the city, so decided that we deserved a rest (not a nap - not today, anyway).

 

This evening was Valentine’s Day formal night, and there was enough red to choke a horse. At our table we had Julie, the HR officer, who was really pleasant and good company. After dinner was the Valentine’s Day ball in the Queen’s Lounge, and I must say that the Amsterdam orchestra did itself proud. They even played “Old Time Rock and Roll,” which I think is the best dancing song ever.

 

When the ball ended at 11:00, our group headed up to the Crow’s Nest for more dancing, and we finally got back to our stateroom at about midnight. It was a wonderful evening, and I think we deserve a good sleep-in tomorrow.

[marysb]

Thanks so much for your detailed reports, Diane. It's almost like being there.

 

Since reading about Tim Tam's I have been dying to try them. Well, when buying groceries today - there they were, and on sale too! ($3.29 a pack for original and dark chocolate :D)

And, yes, very tasty!

 

Glad you are having fun! Love your positive writing.

[Himself]

Thank you for your frequent reports. You are a long way from the USA.