John and Diane Hope to Finally Sail Away from Perth

[StLouisCruisers]

18 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

Whittaker's, sssht, that's a secret, from Wellington New Zealand, delicious chocolate, hard to find.

 

 

I concur.  We bought Whittakers candy bars and handed them out to all the crew members who helped us on a daily basis.  They love chocolate bars!

[tennisbeforewine]

Monday, February 6, 2023 - Day 32

At Sea en route to Sydney, Australia

 

Boy, is it rocking and rolling!  We’re between New Zealand and Australia in the Tasman Sea, which has a reputation for rough water and it is certainly living up to its reputation.  Although we woke up to sunny blue skies, the ship was pitching and rolling and the wind was high.  In fact, during the captain’s noontime announcements, he mentioned that we were at near gale-force winds with ten-foot swells.  If you have any hints of seasickness, this weather would not be for you.  This afternoon the skies have clouded over and the wind has gone down a bit, but the seas have become a bit rougher than earlier.  It was great for a nap, though, since it was like being rocked to sleep.

 

The afternoon’s main excitement was “Let Them Eat Cake,” a dessert extravaganza in the Lido.  There were “luxury cakes, gateaux, croquembouche, eclairs, and other patisserie delights,”  according to today’s program.  It was a tea-time treat for everyone, and it was incredibly well-attended.  We took a round trip to look at the treats and saw almost every seat in the Lido occupied by passengers and their treats.  Some had chosen one thing and others had plates overflowing with the bounty.  You’ll be shocked to know that we passed by all the choices, but we loved the classical trio playing during the afternoon event.  We’re trying to avoid eating between meals; sometimes we’re successful and sometimes we aren’t.

 

One of the recurrent comments about Holland America Lines is the quality of the staff and crew.  That is absolutely one of our favorite things about HAL, especially on the world cruise, since this length of time allows us to get to know so many more people.  We have two wonderful room stewards, Ronnie and Gilah (pronounced “Golly”), and they can’t do enough for us.  They knew we’re up early and off to the gym and then the Lido for breakfast, so our cabin is the first one they tend to.  They keep our frig full of Diet Coke and Sprite and fresh bath towels appear almost every day.  They’re both always smiling, and are  happy to be back at work after the pandemic.

 

Our dining room stewards are really quite wonderful too.  We’ve known Tomo, our main waiter, since 2015 when he was at a friend’s table where we would eat on formal nights.  He has a sharp sense of humor and he seems to know what everyone wants even before he’s told.  We’ve told him that in our final evaluation we will recommend that he be moved up to either the Pinnacle Grill or Canaletto, the next steps toward becoming an assistant maitre d’.  He’d be great in that position.  His assistant waiter is Sinar, who is quietly efficient and who hopes to move up to Tomo’s job as the main waiter at a dining room table.

 

John has over a hundred tee shirts at home, but he enjoys wearing two on the ship.  One is a red shirt advertising San Miguel beer, the most popular beer in the Philippines.  Whenever he wears it, it gets a great response from the Filipino crew and they always end up having a chat about their homes and other favorite beers.  The other shirt, a blue one, was purchased on an outing we took to Borobudur,  a Buddhist temple in Indonesia.  This one always begins conversations with Indonesian crew members, some of whom have told us they live very near the temple and ask us if we climbed it and touched Buddha’s finger to make a wish.  The answers to both are “yes,” but they’ve told us that climbing is prohibited now because the stone was beginning to wear away.  It’s amazing how much we learn about the crew members and their home countries.

 

This is the first of three sea days before Sydney and, as always, we’re looking forward to them.  Unfortunately today was just too windy and rocky for pickle ball or paddle tennis, but there’s always hope for tomorrow.

 

P. S.  I just looked and found that some dark chocolate/orange bars we bought were Whittakers.  Delicious!

[tennisbeforewine]

Wednesday, February 8, 2023 - Day 33

Final Day at sea en route to Sydney

 

Thankfully, for al those affected by rough seas, the crossing between New Zealand and Australia has smoothed out, with some rolling but not nearly what it was before.  The weather has also improved, and there are blue skies with a few clouds on the horizon.  The captain commented on Mother Nature’s improvements in his noontime announcement today, but warned us that tomorrow in Sydney has rain forecast for at least part of the day.  At least our second day there has only sunshine predicted, so we’re looking forward to that.

 

Today was one of those days that make us feel good.  It was “On Deck for the Cause”, in which I imagine some of you have participated.  This is a fundraising event for various causes.  At first, it was for breast cancer research, and then for cancer research in general.  However, for the last eight months, all monies raised ($400,000 so far) are going to medical supplies for Ukranian refuges.  As usual, we were happy to join in, both the fund-raising and the walk on deck.

 

Each passenger is asked if they will  contribute $25.00 toward this event.  That amount entitles one to a (really nice looking) tee shirt with the “On Deck” logo.  Then those who wish to further participate meet up at 9:00 AM for the pep talk about the cause, followed by a 5K walk around the deck.  Since three laps around the Zuiderdam’s deck is a mile walked, our assignment was to walk 9-1/2 laps.  This part, of course, was optional, but about fifty passengers began it.  Many people did one lap or even a mile, but when John and I finished our nine and a half laps,

there was only a handful of us left.  Regardless, however, it felt good not only to have achieved our 5K goal, but to have contributed to such a good cause.

 

* * * * *

 

Tonight’s Mainstge show is a return visit of the singing (and occasionally dancing) group Cantare.  We’ve seen them on previous cruises and have always been extremely impressed.  The group is made up of four young men who sing, harmonize, and share some funny stories with the audience.  When they introduced themselves at the first show, we found that there were two Americans, one Brit, and a young man from Ukraine, who was given a very loud round of applause.

 

* * * * *

 

Today was the third Seaday Brunch, but we took a pass on this one.  As I’ve mentioned before, the servings are really small, but there are so many of them that the overall effect is a really, really filling lunch.  After our last brunch, we even decided to skip dinner because we were still  full from our mid-day meal.

 

* * * * *

 

We always look forward to Sydney, and an added benefit of this visit is that we’re spending time with hometown church friends.  Dave is a physics professor at Cal Poly and is currently on sabbatical in New Zealand, and he, his wife Kristyn and their daughter Irene have all been friends for many years.  We’re going to start with lunch tomorrow and then decide what we want to do thereafter.  I don’t understand why, even though we see people at home all the time, it’s so much more satisfying to see them halfway around the world.  Regardless, we’re still looking forward to it.

 

[oakridger]

I'm enjoying following your reports.  I love Sydney and hope to get back there again.  Have fun!

 

~Nancy

[tennisbeforewine]

Thursday, February 9, 2023 - Day 34

Sydney, Australia

 

Sydney has one of the most wonderful sail-ins in the world.  The ship comes into the harbor, sails past the iconic opera house and then under Harbour Bridge, finally coming to dock somewhere beyond, in this case, White Bay.  Unfortunately, our sail-in, narrated by Cruise Director Ian, began at 5:00 AM, so we slept right through it.  In the past, we’ve docked at Circular Quay, the classic place for seeing many of Sydney’s sights.  Then, for one trip, we were at Darling Harbour (don’t you just love that name?), but for the last several trips it’s been White Bay.  The bad part is that there’s really nothing around it; the good part is that we are shuttled to Darling Harbour, site of the aquarium, many of the ferries, and dozens upon dozens of restaurants.

 

We had filled out our visitor cards and were scheduled for Group 8.  Australia has always required a face to passport inspection, which means that we must meet with an immigration official and have him or her look at our passport to make sure that we do, indeed, look like our photo.  While this inspection used to take place on board, it’s now off the ship.  Also required is a “zero count” which means that all passengers on board must exit the ship and then not return until every passenger has had his or her inspection.  We had two options:  stay in the terminal or take the shuttle to Darling Harbour - not much of a choice, and we were on the bus in a split second.

 

Darling Harbour is really a lovely place to visit.  It has no historical or cultural attractions, but if you want to shop or eat, this is the place.  We wandered past the aquarium, Madame Tussaud’s wax museum, and a “wild animal” exhibit which promises Australia’s Big 5, including a kangaroo, a koala, and a crocodile.  We were on the hunt for Tequila Daisy, the restaurant where we’re meeting our friends tomorrow, and it took us forever.  The newest extension of the harbor is Barangaroo, a strip of dozens of restaurants.  The only problem is that their names are not prominently displayed, so we walked and walked and walked until someone on an adjoining street was kind enough to point it out.

 

Barangaroo, an Aboriginal word for the indigenous community which occupied this point, is somewhat controversial.  A few years ago, the 75-story Crown Tower was built right on the waterfront, displacing the proposed foreshore open space.  The building is all glass and mirrors and reaches into the sky somewhat like a vertical cucumber.  Now there are even more massive skyscrapers being built nearby.

 

The nicest thing is the walking trail from Barangaroo to The Rocks and Circular Quay.  It’s beautifully landscaped with huge stones leading down to the water and a botanic garden of native plants.  We walked and walked (6.7 miles today), under the Harbour Bridge, through The Rocks, and to Circular Quay with its gorgeous view of the Sydney Opera House.  It’s really difficult to imagine what this area was like from 1788 to 1868, during which time 160,000 convicts were transported from England, some just to be removed from the home country and others required to be indentured workers.  The Rocks was a living area inhabited by many of these prisoners as well as Aboriginal people who had lived there for thousands of years.

 

After finding an ATM, a postcard, and a post office, we were off for some lunch.  Tucked into a large building was a food court which tempted visitors with everything from sandwiches to fruit plates to Asian delights to Mexican food.  The place was jammed and seating was at a premium, so we settled for Mad Mex (which offered seating), a place that operated like Chipotle, where customers chose what they wanted and moved along, choosing ingredients.  We opted for small (!?) burritos which were almost more than we could eat.  The combo of beans, rice, pork, salsa and guacamole made for a delicious mid-day meal.

 

Then it was time to head back to Darling Harbour for the shuttle back to the ship.  We had managed all of our errands, walked our little feet off, and were ready for a nap.  Just as we descended from the bus, a bright flash of lightning went off above us, followed almost immediately by a deafening clap of thunder.  I ran the rest of the way into the terminal, where we watched more of the electrical storm.  The rain pounded down, so I finally had to open the umbrella and race to the ship.  It was a dramatic ending to a great day.

 

 

 

 

[Duck Creek]

Hi John and Diane

Webcam of you leaving Sydney. Hope you had a nice time in our lovely city!

[oakridger]

I love this picture @Babsjo!

 

~Nancy

[tennisbeforewine]

Saturday, February 11, 2023 - Day 36

At Sea en route to Port Arthur, Tasmania

 

After the meteorological excitement of our first day in Sydney with thunder, lightning, rain, and cold temperatures, our second day was absolutely perfect.  The sky was blue, the high temperature was 82, and everyone headed out with short sleeves and no umbrellas.

 

Our goal was a wander through Chinatown, a haircut, and then to meet with friends at Darling Harbour.  It was a lovely walk toward town, and after only a few questions from shopkeepers about directions, we found ourselves surrounded by Chinese writing and ads for products which we didn’t recognize.  As we walked along we saw delicious looking food in windows and, if we hadn’t had lunch plans, we would have sampled along the way.  I always think that the perfect way to experience a city is to go on a tasting tour, and Sydney’s Chinatown would be the perfect way to start.

 

We thought we’d take a tram to Circular Quay, but we just couldn’t seem to find a place to buy tickets, so we just walked even more.  Finally we were in sight of the water and the ferries, so we knew we were close to that haircut.  On our first day, as we walked through the food court, we noticed an old-fashioned looking barber shop with two chairs and a couple of very young and trendy barbers.  Since John was in need of a trim, we returned there and he had his trim, making him good for another four or five weeks.

 

We had decided that the best way to return to Darling Harbour was by ferry, and since we were getting close to our 12:30 lunch date, it seemed more efficient for me to head across the street, buy tickets, and find out which pier was ours.  As soon as John was done, we took our tickets and ran to  Pier 5, where the sign told us we had 14 minutes to wait for the ferry to Barangaroo.

By the way, I found out by some more reading that Barangaroo was not the name of a tribe, but of the female chief of the aboriginal group in that area.  She was so important in the history of the aboriginal people that she is still revered as a great leader.

 

We were only five minutes late for our lunch date at Tequila Daisy, which, luckily,  was right across from our ferry stop.  We met our friends the Mitchells, whom we’ve known for ages.  At one time John and I were the leaders of our church’s college ministry, but since we had planned our 2008 world cruise, we needed someone to take over that responsibility.  Just then, Dave and Kristyn moved from Seattle to San Luis Obispo for Dave’s job teaching physics and astronomy at Cal Poly, and, having recently been members of their Methodist church’s college group there, were happy to take over for us.  A couple of years later Irene was born, and it was a delight to meet up with all three of them during Dave’s sabbatical.

 

Some tacos and margaritas later, Kristyn led us to an outstanding gelato shop before sharing hugs and kisses and agreeing to meet back in San Luis in May.

 

By then it was time to hop on the shuttle back to the ship and John decided that a nap was called for (while I did my Duolingo French lessons).  Afterward, however, one of the highlights of our visit was the sailaway from  Sydney.  The Zuiderdam made its way under Sydney Harbour Bridge, past the opera house, and then we were surrounded by dozens of sailboats as we said goodbye to this wonderful city. We were soooo lucky to have our balcony on the starboard side so that we could watch everything as we left.  As the sun was going down and dusk was falling, John took a spectacular photo of Sydney with sailboats.  If you’d like to take a look, it’s on our Facebook page at JohnandDiane St John (spaces after Diane and St)

John’s photos just get better and better.

 

As usual, we met our friends in the Ocean Bar at 7:00 and then to dinner at 7:30.  If we’d been less tired we would have gone afterward to see Hyperion Knight, a pianist whom we’ve enjoyed several times before.  Instead we just took a lap around the deck and had an early night.

 

What a wonderful two days in Sydney.  There are so many more things we’d like to do, so maybe sometime we’ll just fly down under and enjoy even more of Australia.

 

Babsjo - Thank you for the great photo.  We couldn't have had a better sailaway. 

[oakridger]

Regarding the Sydney Chinatown area.....the family that owns the local Chinese restaurant that I have patronized for 10+ years went on vacation to Sydney about 4 years ago.  When I asked her about her favorite activities there she immediately said, "Eating in Chinatown!!".  She thinks the food there is the best!   Go figure.

 

~Nancy

[tennisbeforewine]

Monday, February 12, 2023 - Day 36

Port Arthur, Tasmania

 

As we approached Port Arthur, we saw the lush green countryside - so much like England.  We even saw a beautiful brick country house.  When we went ashore, however, we found out that the “country house” was actually the Port Arthur Penitentiary for English convicts.  I think when most people consider English prisoner ships (if they ever do), they only think about Sydney, then called Botany Bay.  However, there were convict settlements in both Tasmania (then called Van Diemen’s Land) and Perth, beginning in 1787 and continuing until 1868, with one in seven prisoners being female.

 

English citizens could be sentenced to transportation for 19 different crimes, including theft, larceny, or even “impersonating an Egyptian.”  Grand theft was for stealing anything worth one shilling or more (the equivalent of a day’s wages).  Larceny was theft of less than a shilling. Often, the poor would be transported for stealing bread, and if the convict was a mother, she usually took her children with her.

 

After sentencing, both male and female convicts would be imprisoned in Newgate for about six months before the prison ships were ready for them.  The crossing itself, taking more than 100 days, was incredibly dangerous, with almost 25% of prisoners dying en route.  Those who arrived were immediately put to work for whatever period of time they had been sentenced.  Seven years was usually the minimum, but time periods could be up to a lifetime.

 

Of the 164,000 prisoners sent to Australia, about 25,000 were women, half in Sydney and half in Tasmania.  In Hobart, it’s still possible to visit the Cascades Female Factory, a World Heritage Site.

 

When their sentences were served, most chose to remain in Australia and make a good life of it.  Today’s statistics show that about 22% of modern Australians are descended from at least one convict, something that was considered shameful for most of the 20th Century but has now become a matter of pride.  In fact, although the Tasmanian convict records are very complete, those in Sydney have been almost all destroyed.  The original reason given for this was that no one thought they were important, but a more modern explanation is that many people in the early 20th Century did not want any evidence that they may have convict ancestors.

 

After our tour of the Port Arthur historical sites, we simply wandered the lovely gardens and through the ruins of buildings that were destroyed in the 1895 bushfire, a dangerous fact of life in Australia to this day.

 

The all-aboard was 3:30, and at 4:00 the tenders had been pulled up along with the anchor, and we began our four-hour sail to Hobart.  En route, we sailed past Cape Raoul which has the tallest sea cliffs in Australia.  They appear like hundreds of stone shafts jutting up from the Tasman Sea.  It really was a spectacular sight.

 

We arrived in Hobart, the largest city and capital of Tasmania, at about 8:00.  We hurried to finish dinner by 9:30, because fireworks were scheduled for that time.  Some of our friends with port-side cabins went ashore to watch, but we’re lucky enough to be starboard, so we just sat on our balcony watching the whole show.  Then, if that weren’t enough, there was a local band playing by the Lido pool, and we sat and enjoyed the music, which we thought would have been familiar in an Irish pub.  It was great fun, but then it was time for  bed.

 

Tomorrow will be a full day in Hobart and we’re really looking forward to it.

 

[tennisbeforewine]

Monday, February 13, 2023 - Day 38

Hobart, Tasmania

 

I love the word “serendipity.”  Especially when traveling, it’s great fun to find things or events that are unexpected (in a good way).  That’s what happened on our visit to Hobart.  For three days each year, Hobart hosts the Australian Wooden Boat Festival, and this year it happened to be on February 10-13, so we were just lucky enough to happen across the tail end of the festival.  There were dozens and dozens of wooden boats of all ages and sizes, as well as two and three masted schooners sailing across the bay.  If you love seeing boats sailing across the water, you would have loved this.

 

We wandered through the displays, seeing early steam engines started up and running as well as some very old boats.  One, in fact, had a placard that said it was built in the 1600’s, but I’m rather skeptical about that.  There was also entertainment everywhere, our favorite being the group of men who get together to sing sea shanties.  We stayed for a couple of the shanties and even got some video of one which I posted on Facebook.

 

Whenever there’s a festival, there’s always food, so our next stop was for a mid-morning snack.

John loves scallops, and there was a stand with scallop and sweet potato skewers, and we  shared one of those.  One of my favorites is lemon crepes, so that was “dessert” on our snack tour.

 

Since we wanted to see downtown Hobart, we headed up the hill, enjoying the local sights, including some historic buildings.  We found our postcard and then the post office, so are now up to date on that one.  Our goal was Woolworths (here known as “Woolies”), and found that it’s primarily a grocery store.  Some 45 minutes later with everything from chips to chocolate to toothpaste for one of our favorite waiters (he’s almost out), we checked out and headed back down the hill to the festival.  The groceries were heavy, however, so it was back to the ship for us.

 

After a light lunch and a short nap, John played some pickle ball until it began raining.  I spent time trying to get further along in my latest book.  It’s called Tombland and is C. J. Sansom’s latest Shardlake novel.  It’s 800 pages, and I’m finally past page 500, so I think I may finish it before we leave Australia.

 

Last evening we had the pleasure of joining our friends Dee and Wells Wescott in celebrating their 42nd anniversary in The Pinnacle.  There were 12 of us altogether, and we had a great time, with lots of chat and laughter.  We knew almost everyone there but were fortunate to meet two new friends, Ross and Jean from Canada.  It’s always a happy occasion to help friends celebrate a milestone.

 

As we were leaving The Pinnacle, we noticed our friend (and Cellar Master) Jacques across the hall in the Pinnacle Bar, along with a couple of our other friends.  Jacques was trying out some new red wines that had been brought aboard in Sydney and are intended for The Sommelier Suite, or list of wines that can be ordered onboard.  Naturally, as such good friends, we were more than happy to help him with the tasting and promised to come back on Tuesday at 5:00 to try out the whites.  What good friends we are!

 

It was a great day, and even the rocking and rolling as we left the harbor didn’t discourage us.

Tomorrow’s a sea day, Valentine’s Day and a formal night, so it should be a good one.

[tennisbeforewine]

Tuesday, February 14, 2023 - Day 39

At Sea en route to Adelaide, Australia

 

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!  On board the Zuiderdam, everything was red and white and flowers and love.  Even the various venues around the ship were renamed in honor of the day.  The Rolling Stone Lounge was the “Love Lounge,” and the Crow’s Nest was “The Love Nest.”

Well, some people found it amusing.  Since the evening was formal, there were a lot of red dresses, sequins and red bow ties to be seen.

 

The day began with our room stewards bringing us a long-stemmed rose and a box of Jacques Torres chocolates.  We’ve been very good and haven’t opened them yet, although the temptation is strong.  After our evening turn-down, we found a tiny box with just two of the JT chocolates, and those are still in the box.  I’m sure when we begin they won’t last long, and they’re so pretty that we just want to admire them for a bit longer.

 

The day’s activities were also keyed toward Valentine’s Day.  A morning activity was making Valentine’s paper flowers, an afternoon activity was Valentine’s painting and wine, and the 7:00 World Stage show was “The Couples Game Show.”  Late in the evening we jumped into the activities with an after-dinner visit to the Rolling Stone (whoops - Love) Lounge for some good old rock and roll dancing.  Indigo does a great job with “Proud Mary.”  The dance floor was full, the Zuiderdam singers and dancers joining us on the dance floor made us all look like amateurs, and I think everyone had a good time.  I danced so much that the sole of one of my silver slippers separated and I’m going to have to find some shoe glue for it!

 

It really is nice to be able to set our clocks back an hour about every four days, but I really don’t like the half hour changes, and we had one last night.  At least with the full hour I don’t have to mess with the minutes, but with last night’s change, I had to get to the correct hour and then the minutes.  I don’t remember this many half hour changes in the past.  The main one I DO remember is for India, which is exactly 12-1/2 hours ahead of California.

 

Tomorrow is a 2:00 arrival in Adelaide, one of the prettiest cities in Australia.  We love the zoo and will probably go again.  There are a lot of choices, including beautiful parks and since we will actually have a day and a half here, we’ll try to do as much as possible.  If you get a chance, and you’re “down under,” Adelaide is a great destination.

[tennisbeforewine]

Valentine’s Day - Continued

 

I forgot to mention that, since last night was formal, we had an officer who hosted our table.  He was Darren, the Security Chief, and we learned lots and lots about the rules and regulations about security on board.  Darren’s background includes 30 years as a police officer in England, so he labels his HAL job as his “retirement job.”  It was great to have him - and he provided the wine.  It was a win-win situation.

[tennisbeforewine]

Wednesday/Thursday, February 15, 16

Adelaide, Australia

 

Again, a beautiful Australian city.  On Wednesday, we weren’t scheduled to arrive until 2:00, so the morning was just part of another sea day.  We began as usual, in the gym and on the Lido, watching the ocean go by.  There was a lot of reading going on for us and I finally finished reading Tombland.  John was off to play pickle ball at about 11:00 while I worked on Duolingo for my French lessons.

 

Finally it was 2:00 and we docked at what’s called “Outer Harbour,” about 40 minutes away from town.  Fortunately there’s a train just across the parking lot, so by 3:30 we had purchased our two-day tickets (with a special price for cruise passengers) and were on our way to town.

When we arrived we were almost knocked over by people who had just finished their workday and were anxious to take the train home.

 

Adelaide is the fifth largest city in Australia, with 1.4 million inhabitants.  The train station where we arrived is in the middle of a well-laid-out city and again we looked but couldn’t find any litter.  There is a great deal of public art, much of it commemorating people and places and events in local history.  Adelaide is the capital of South Australia, one of the country’s seven states, and still uses the original stone statehouse with its impressive pillars in front.

 

A block from the train station is Rundle Mall, a pedestrians-only shopping street of about three city blocks.  The shopping is excellent, with everything from H & M to Target to dozens of small independent stores.  Restaurants offered us a great variety too, and we saw another “Betty’s Burgers,” but managed to ignore the temptation.

 

When our stomachs told us that it was time for dinner, we found a cute little row of restaurants on Peel Street (more of a little alleyway) and spent about a half hour peeking inside, looking at menus and talking to street side diners.  The amazing part was that when we looked up four or five of them on Tripadvisor, they all had 4.4, 4.5, or 4.6 ratings.  That made it difficult, but we decided on a small, family-run Italian restaurant called Bambini.  The hostess was the owner’s wife, the owner was the chef, and our waiter was their son.  The father was from Abbruzzi, Italy, and he cooked just like his mama did.  We’ve always found that family-run restaurants are the best.

 

Each of us had a hard time deciding on what to order, so we just decided to order three dishes, have them all brought at the same time,  and to share them.  The first one they brought out was arancini, a meat, cheese, and rice “meatball” which has been rolled in bread crumbs and deep-fried.  John had read a recommendation for the gnocchi, so that was a must-have, and we topped it off with a simple (but perfect) salad.  We ate and drank and watched diners at other street-side restaurants as well as pedestrians who were just trying to figure out where to eat.  We couldn’t have chosen a better restaurant and when asked by people who wandered by, we told them that this was the best.

 

By the time we headed to our ship-bound train, it was getting dark and there were very few passengers.  I was even able to find a quiet corner seat to complete a couple of French lessons.  We were followed off the train by Captain Friso and his parter Chantal, and when the grouchy land security lady was insisting on seeing their ship ID, I told her, “You have to let him on - he’s the captain!”  After that, she couldn’t have been nicer to them.  It was an amusing end of a lovely day.

 

* * * * *

 

Today was a full day in Adelaide and boy, was it hot!  By 8:00 this morning it was over 90 degrees, and by the time we arrived at the train station in the city the temperature had risen to 97 - then 98 - then 99.  We didn’t let that intimidate us, however, and simply headed out for the one-mile walk to the Adelaide Zoo.  We’d visited this zoo on a previous visit about five or six years ago and were so impressed that we just had to go back.  Our best memories from that visit were of the Giant Pandas, and on this visit they didn’t disappoint.  Unfortunately, the female panda (Fu Ni) was “in seclusion,” but the male, Wang Wang was out and having a great time.  He was wandering through the bamboo “forest” and then climbed into a huge vat of water to cool off.

 

We continued through the zoo, checking out the giraffes, kangaroos, dingos, koalas, lemurs, meerkats (they were soooo cute), red panda, tapirs, and their newest addition, a Komodo dragon.  By the time we got to the sea lions, it was so hot (at 100 by now) that we just wanted to jump into their pool.

 

It was getting toward lunchtime by then, so we stopped by the zoo shop to pick up a postcard and headed toward Rundall Mall, where we found a post office inside a shopping mall.  How convenient is that?  Then began the “where shall we eat” discussion, and we unexpectedly ended up in a restaurant that advertised “healthy burgers” (as if that’s not an oxymoron).  We did try to make them as healthy as possible by ordering grilled chicken burgers on whole wheat buns and skipped the fries.

 

Afterward, the temperature had escalated to about 104, with more humidity than we’re used to, so our next walk was back to the train station to head on “home.”  That was another adventure, because after about three or four stops, the train became a school bus, and dozens of kids from various schools hopped on and then, a couple of stops later, hopped off.  It was easy to tell their schools, because Australia, like New Zealand and England, require uniforms and the regulation backpacks had the names of the schools.  As with any group of students, some were very quiet, some were extremely loud, and a few were just giggly junior high school girls.  By the time the last students exited the train, the noise level fell remarkably.

 

It was a wonderful day in a wonderful city that we’d come back to in a heartbeat.  After our (required) naps, we decided that lunch had really been “it,” so we’re just now headed up to the Lido for something like a small salad.  I think after our 104 degrees and 7 miles of walking that we’ll sleep well tonight.

 

 

 

[tennisbeforewine]

Friday, February 17, 2023

Kangaroo Island, Australia

 

Well, we went to Kangaroo Island, but we didn’t see a single kangaroo.  We were told by locals that since kangaroos were primarily  nocturnal animals, they wouldn’t be out and about until near dusk, so we pretty much gave that up.

 

We sailed into a lovely calm bay at about 6:00 this morning, and by 8:00 the tenders had been lowered, the dock ashore had been equipped, and anyone who wanted to go ashore could begin to line up.  We knew that the early tenders would be chock full of anxious passengers, so we just sat up on the Lido having our breakfast (which for me was a cappuccino) and watched people board the tenders.

 

We always try to be away from our cabin between about 7:15 and 7:45 so that our wonderful cabin stewards, Gillah (pronounced Golly) and Ronny, can do what they need to do to spoil us by taking care of our cabin.  By the time we returned, it was time for showers and clothes that would be waaaay different from yesterday.  We went from 104 degrees yesterday in Adelaide to about 75 degrees here in Penneshaw.  What a delight!

 

Before we left, we had a nice chat with our daughter in Auburn (near Sacramento).  We always set up our next phone call with day and time, and it’s a good thing that our laptop keeps home day and time so when she says that 3:00 would be a good time to call, we can check with our MacBook Air to see when that should be.

 

We finally hopped on a tender about 9:30 and headed to the island.  Last time we were here there was a shuttle bus to take us to Kingscote, the largest town, but this time there was just a little bus to take us from the dock to the middle of Penneshaw.  Being the contrary folks that we are, we set off in the opposite direction, not having any idea where we were going.  We passed the penguin sanctuary (which was closed to visitors today) and then to a hike up the hill through the sculpture garden.  That was a real treat, since the sculptures were really varied, from a 12-foot  modern sculpture made of stainless steel and bronze to several small rectangles of rusted steel into which had been carved words of haiku.  It was about a mile and a half in length, and worth every step. Along the way we met Elaine and Barry, Aussies who have been to the island many times, but this time have flown halfway around the world to take the Zuiderdam world  cruise to see it again.  It was great to chat for awhile and then we continued on our walk.

 

Then we walked back the other way to the town proper, where we found a really nice supermarket (but resisted the call to buy snacks), the post office for postcards and to send one to Jessica (with a photo of two kangaroos boxing), and finally to the Hotel Penneshaw, a wonderful stop for lunch.  Since we’ve been here last, they have extended the outdoor patio and added a roof over it, and that’s where we parked.  We shared fish and chips (wonderful fries) and enjoyed some (hard) cider.  A few other ship passengers  straggled in, enjoying the shade (it was fairly warm by now) and the food.  Aart and Ellen were at the next table, and we reminisced about what the place was like several years ago when we were here last.

 

Then it was time to return to the tender, thence to the ship, and then I think three days of ports caught up with us and said, “It’s nap time.”  Later, John went up to the pickle ball court, but no one was there, so he came back down and began more French lessons.

 

We just read and watched the ocean until it was time to shower, dress and head to the Ocean Bar for cocktails with our friends, some of whom are under the weather.  Dinner was good, but it was just Leslie, Handler, and John and I.  I was still full from the fish and chips, so it was just a shrimp cocktail and Caesar salad for me, but John started with mussels and then moved on to a main course of mixed Australian Grill, including steak, sausage, chicken, and sliced pork.  As soon as it arrived, John knew he had literally, bitten off more than he could chew.  He did his best though, and really enjoyed what he had.

 

Although it was fairly early when we finished, one lap around the deck was enough, and then it was time to find our cabin.  Tonight we get the second half hour back, and now that I’ve done that, I guess it’s time to sleep.

[tennisbeforewine]

Saturday, February 18, 2023

At Sea en route to Fremantle (for Perth), Australia

 

After three port days in a row, it’s now three sea days.  Ahhhhh!  The sea is (fairly) smooth, the sky is blue and the weather is warm.  What more could a cruiser want?  So, although there wasn’t s port for us to explore, there was plenty to do on the ship.

 

For those who need a little “waking up” in the morning (and there seem to be a lot of them), there’s a 7:00 “Sunrise Stretch” class.  They’re usually out there next to the Lido pool while I’m in the gym running nowhere on the treadmill.  What I think is pretty funny is that I’ve awakened early and headed to the gym a few minutes after 6:00 and there are folks putting down their yoga mats covered with the HAL beach towels.  I guess everyone has a favorite spot!

 

Every sea day there’s “Coffee with Ian,” held in the Rolling Stone Lounge, where Ian interviews someone new every day.  It might be an officer, an entertainer, or today’s chat was called “A Rabbi, a Priest, and a Minister go on a cruise ship.”  I didn’t read about it in time, but I wish I had gone.

 

Following Ian’s coffee chat, the Rolling Stone Lounge hosted a dance class.  It wasn’t just any dance class; it was “Learn to Dance with your Zuiderdam Dancers.”  Having watched them during the South Pacific cruise and this one, I am amazed at their dancing talent.  The group is made up of four singers and four dancers, but Cole, one of the singers, is also a “killer” dancer.

Devon is a dancer who could even be a gymnast, since he’s so talented at moves that I didn’t know a human body could perform.    

 

Trivia is every sea day at 1:00, and our team, including Tony, Bill, Patty and yours truly, have a good time trying to win.  We did win once last week, but today we only came in about 3rd or 4th.  My favorite question (because I was able to figure out the right answer) was “What musical group started out as Carl and the Passions before they changed their name?”  The only Carl I could think of in a musical group was Carl Wilson, so it must be The Beach Boys.

Bingo!  Bill, as a scientist, gets correct answers when I don’t even understand the question, and Patty and I fill in on literature.  We both came up with “Rosalind” today as Romeo’s

ex-girlfriend but we missed the first product in a spray can (insecticide, not hairspray as we guessed).

 

John was off to pickle ball at 1:30, and when I saw him again at 3:30, he looked like he’d been running around the ship backwards for days.  Ice for the feet and ibuprofen for the aches, and now he’s doing better.  He has about an hour and a half to get better, since it’s just us for dinner.  There’s a President’s Club dinner for Leslie and Handler, and Rich and Ginni are eating somewhere else.  The baby back ribs on the menu look good, though.

 

The singers and dancers are on the World Stage (formerly the MainStage) this evening, so we’re looking forward to that.  Afterwards it will be off to bed, even though the $450,000 Paradise Lotto Jackpot Drawing is at 11:00.  I’m afraid we’ll have to miss it.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

You're getting closer to Perth!!!

[tennisbeforewine]

Sunday, Monday, February 19, 20, 2023

At Sea en route to Fremantle

 

Everyone seems to be pretty relaxed around the ship, and the fact that we’ve had two nights in which we turned the clocks back an hour each makes sure that everyone gets enough sleep.

Unfortunately, some of our table mates and other friends have been under the weather, so our table for six has been a table for two for both of the last two nights.

 

Our tablemates are all Texans.  Rich and Ginni live in Georgetown, outside of Austen, and Leslie and Handler are from San Marcos in the Texas hill country of LBJ.  We didn’t meet Rich and Ginni until 2015, since they were doing odd numbered years and we were doing evens, beginning in 2008.  Rich is a retired Delta Airlines captain and he and Ginni met b because she was a Delta Airlines flight attendant.  We’ve become good friends, visiting them in Texas and they’ve been to our place in California.

 

We’d heard our friend Jeff talk about Leslie and Handler a lot, but they also were odd-numbered year world cruisers.  Handler, before retiring, was in real estate development and Leslie was in restaurant operations, inventing and holding patents on a couple of pieces of restaurant signage.

 

 

* * * * *

Of course, being sea days, there were plenty of choices for activities, from Sunrise Stretch to watercolor class to Morning Devotions to Sit & Knit for Project Linus, to Learn Origami, to Trivia to all the different kinds of music on the Music Walk in the evening including  The Ocean Bar, The Explorer’s Lounge, Billboard on Board (dueling pianos) and The Rolling Stone Lounge (our favorite).

 

The best activity of the last two days from my point of view was today’s presentation in the World Stage.  Everyone who was on the 2020 world cruise and had to leave from Perth was invited. Glasses of champagne were offered on arrival and Ian, our Cruise Director, introduced the program by chatting with Henk, the Hotel Manager, about his experiences during the passenger departure, at home, and then returning to service.  Then began the really good part.  There was a video in which various 2020 crew members and officers were interviewed cold.  They were asked to answer four questions:  What do you remember about the day passengers had to leave the ship, what did you do during the pandemic, what did you miss most about not being on the ship, and how did you feel when you were called back.

 

The responses were really entertaining.  They ranged from “I became a full-time mom and I love it” to “I watched YouTube and learned how to make pizzas and then I began a business” to “I must have sent out about 400 job applications.”  Many of the departure memories had to do with helping people get air reservations, and some crew members even volunteered to accompany some passengers home if there was a concern about their ability to do so alone.  The almost unanimous response to “what did you miss most?” had to do with missing the world cruise “family,” including regular passengers and workmates.  Every single one of the approximately 25 people interviewed said that they were “happy,” “excited,” or “thrilled” to receive an email or a phone call asking them to come back to work.

 

There were tears in the audience and a standing ovation when all of them were called out on stage.  A toast was given and I think everyone left the room feeling better.  It was a wonderful presentation.

 

* * * * *

 

Tomorrow’s Fremantle/Perth for two days.  We’re planning to go into Perth via one of the Swan River boats the first day (and probably train back) and then stay in Fremantle the second day.

We like both of them and, besides, it’s time to get my toes done.

 

 

 

[tennisbeforewine]

Tuesday/Wednesday, February 21, 22, 2023

Fremantle (for Perth), Australia

 

We’ve been to Fremantle several times on cruises and always taken the train or the Swan River ferry to Perth.  In 2020 we travelled to Perth to spend two nights before heading for Sydney and then home.  However, on this trip, we simply stayed in Fremantle.

 

This really is one of our favorite cruise destinations, and I think both of us would be happy to fly in and spend a couple of weeks here.  Fremantle, as John describes it, is a “funky” historical town with a great deal of personality.  The population is about 32,000, somewhat smaller than our San Luis Obispo, but truly reminiscent of home.  Many of the buildings in the center of town date from the late 1800’s, and almost all of the businesses are independently owned and operated.  You have to really search for anything that screams “chain store.”  There are a couple, though, including Target, which is primarily a clothing/household goods/toy store.

 

Yesterday we decided to walk into town, having missed any mention of the shuttle to the center of the city.  Since the train track divides the harbor from the town, we had to walk about a half mile to a railroad crossing.   We’d been given a map from the nice information folks in the terminal, so we were able to get to the center of the city easily.  We weren’t looking for anything in particular, but wandered into the supermarket and picked up all kinds of things, including Tim Tams for our room and dining stewards and some salty snacks for us.

 

Then we continued through town, eventually ending up at Bathers’ Bay and Beach, where we stayed off the sand after reading the various warning signs.  None of them affected us until we got to the last one:  “Snakes in the Dunes.”  That really kept us off the beach!

 

We finally walked back to the ship (for a total of about six miles) for lunch and a break.  In the afternoon, however, we’d discovered the shuttle, so headed back into town just for a bit of a further walk around.

 

* * * * *

 

Since yesterday was Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras), there was a bit of a celebration onboard.  It seemed poor timing to celebrate it on the overnight of a two-day port, but we did our best.  Dinner included such New Orleans dishes as shrimp and grits, jambalaya and king cake, and then the music venues took up the challenge.  The best place to be was the Rolling Stone Lounge, where passengers and crew members dressed in the green, gold and purple of Mardi Gras danced and just had an all-around good time.  A king of Mardi Gras was crowned (Pete from “Inside Cabin blog) and the queen was a really cute young lady of eleven years who was dressed for the occasion.  The Rolling Stone Band was as good as always, and they had nearly everyone singing and putting up their hands for “Shout.”

 

* * * * *

 

Today was our second day and while we discussed going into Perth, we decided to skip it and just explore Fremantle some more.  The first priority, however, was getting my toes done.  Yesterday I’d found a nice nail salon about 200 yards from the shuttle stop, and I made sure to arrive this morning at 9:00, their opening time.  Pedicures are such an indulgence and I enjoyed the entire hour of mine, after which John and I met up and continued our walk into parts of the city we’d missed yesterday.  After checking out some cute stores and cafes, we settled on Grill’d, an Australian group of restaurants whose advertisement is “healthy burgers.”  Is that an oxymoron?  We’d eaten there in Adelaide, and this one was just as good.  Their Chicken Caesar “burger” was delicious, and it was washed down with some local cider.

 

Then it was time to head back to the shuttle and off to the ship.  It will be a nice quiet evening but we’ll have almost all our friends (barring a couple of sick ones)  back on board for cocktails and dinner.  After lots of sun and walking and sightseeing, it will be nice to relax.  Tomorrow is the first of our seven sea days en route to Port Louis, Mauritius and we’re hoping for calm seas and sunny weather.

[RuthC]

Finally! Finally! You made it!
You have sailed away from Perth! Congratulations. Enjoy the rest of the trip. 

 

[tennisbeforewine]

Thursday, February 23, 2023

Happy Birthday, John

At Sea en route to Mauritius

 

Here we are, striking out into the Indian Ocean, with seven days of sailing ahead of us before arriving at  Port Louis, Mauritius on (our) March 2.  After all of our wonderful New Zealand and Australian ports, it’s nice to just have a few days to kick back and relax.

 

For a sea day, it was pretty busy.  Folks were getting back into their “sea day routines,” with everyone back at Coffee with Ian or Tai Chi or Trivia or whatever.  The highlight of the day for 245 of us was the World Cruise 2020/2023 Fremantle Reunion.  Pete, who organized it, did an amazing job of contacting everyone he could who was on the 2020 WC and had to disembark in Fremantle and were on this WC.    According to the ship’s records, there were about 480 2020 passengers on this cruise, and Pete managed to contact most of them. Everyone who wanted to participate chipped in $10.00.  For that princely sum, each of us received a really nice Fremantle WC 2020/2023 Reunion luggage tag as well as champagne and hot hors d’oeuvres.

 

The fun started when Pete introduced three competition categories:  traveled farthest from Perth to home, received their luggage the latest, and traveled the longest time to get home.

It was fun watching people get out their phones to show that they HAD traveled the farthest.  A large banner had been made to put in front of a long table, and people were lined up to have their photos taken, either with other friends, a significant other, or one of the many officers in attendance.  It was a great party, and we owe Pete a round of applause for organizing it.

 

Since it’s John’s birthday, he’s been the recipient of cards, gifts, and goodies all day.  Our room stewards added three “Happy Birthday” balloons to our door, and every time we came back to the room there were more cards in our mailbox.  The captain send a birthday cupcake (which he does for everyone, I’m sure), and our friends Rey and Michelle sent some really tasty little chocolates.  When we had breakfast in The Pinnacle this morning they even brought him a plate with a pastry and fruit that had “Happy Birthday” written on the plate.  It’s really been a memorable birthday.

 

This evening is called “A Night of Music.”  Each of the music venues will have special collaborations among the Music Walk performers.  A trio from the Rolling Stone Lounge rock and roll band will play in the ocean bar, classical musicians will be in the Explorer’s Lounge, and Billboard Onboard will be rocking out.  The Dance Band ,which usually plays in the Ocean Bar, is doing a full-fledged performance in the World Stage called “Jazzed Up Beatles.”

 

It’s been a great day so far, and to celebrate John’s birthday with a “date night,” we’ll be in The Pinnacle for their pop-up Tamarind dinner.  We could really get used to meals in The Pinnacle, but I think it’s best for special occasions.

 

Now I have to work on my “to do” list for the next six days.

[tennisbeforewine]

Sunday, February 26, 2023

(Still) At Sea en route to Port Louis, Mauritius

 

First, I must apologize for skipping a couple of days of my blog.  I’ve been fighting a cold/cough for about three days and my energy level has been low.  I’ve tested twice for Covid with negative results.  Isn’t it funny that positive people want to be negative now?  I think I’m on the mend, except for about a half hour of coughing in the middle of the night which, of course, keeps both of us awake

 

As I mentioned earlier, the 23rd was John’s birthday, and by the end of it he was exhausted, so we didn’t stay up very late.  That was a shame, however, since “A Night of Music” was incredibly popular.  We stayed long enough to hear Colton from The Rolling Stone Lounge singing a ballad in the Dueling Pianos lounge.  Before that, the Rolling Stone drummer played a solo there, and I’ve never seen that area so crowded.  It really was SRO and it was even difficult to stand in an area where there was a good view.

 

After Colton’s song, the huge group moved en masse to the Explorer’s Lounge to hear another musical collaboration.  Apparently all of the musicians on board, from classical to Rolling Stone, get along really well and decided a night of mixed music would be a good idea.  It certainly was popular and the next morning I heard many passengers wondering how long it would be before another such event was planned.  When it happens, we’ll be right there.

 

Yesterday was my “teacher day.”  Our friends Debra and her daughter Megan from Cayucos (about 15 miles from us) have been really good about keeping Megan on track with her eighth grade studies.  She has another passenger who works with her on Algebra 1 and I volunteered to provide any assistance in the English area.  Debra told me that Megan’s next English assignment is to read Animal Farm, and she is NOT thrilled, even though the book is only 139 pages long.  Since I’ve read it and taught it, I told her I’d be happy to help.  Yesterday we met in the Neptune Lounge and first spent a half hour talking about the Russian Revolution.  She knew nothing about it, and since her “Animal Farm Learning Packet” didn’t even mention it, she really needed some background, since Animal Farm is an allegory and satire about that event.

 

After she was grounded in that era of Russian history (she especially was interested that Trotsky was assassinated by getting an ice pick to the back of his head), we went on to the main characters in the book and their relationships to historical figures.  We even did a bit of discussion about how AF can be used in discussing Putin and his invasion of Ukraine.  It’s fun to be a teacher again.

 

Our Trivia team did really well yesterday, but not well enough to win.  We did come in second, with 18 points out of 22.  Our neighboring table had 20, so we weren’t that close.  Bill, Patty, Tony and I make a pretty good team, but more importantly, we have a lot of fun.  Patty even knew that the animal that attacked Jimmy Carter when he was fishing was a rabbit.  Anyone else remember that?

 

Last night the singers and dancers performed again in a show called “Classique.”  I think it’s my favorite of their shows so far.  They sang in several different languages for everything from “Nessun Dorma”  to “Granada,” and finished with a great rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

I could watch that show again.

 

Every day the seas get a bit calmer, but we still know that we’re on a ship.  The weather has been pretty mixed, with occasional rain the the morning and then warming up enough in the afternoon for the “Pickle Ball Boys” to play either PB (if there’s not too much wind) or Paddle Tennis if the wind gets too strong.

 

Although we’ve been the only ones at our table for a few nights due to others being under the weather, last night our table for six was up to five, with hopes for six tonight.  It seems like the Covid numbers are down, but we really have no way of knowing that.  Someone did mention to me that this blasted cough seems to be making the rounds, but with almost 1500 passengers on board, it  would probably be unrealistic to think that there wouldn’t be something going around.  At least it’s not Norovirus, which we’ve had on ships in the past, although luckily we’ve never had it.

 

 

 

 

 

[tennisbeforewine]

I stand corrected:  it was not an ice pick that did in Trotsky; it was an ice ax.  Add that to your stockpile of trivial facts.

[alibabacruisers]

Thank you for sharing your experiences on your cruise!  I did not know you were as teacher, but felt, through your writing, how great of a teacher you are!  

[tennisbeforewine]

Monday, February 27, 2023

At Sea en route to Mauritius

 

It is a perfect day to be at sea.  We’re sailing at about 16 knots under blue, sunny skies ringed by puffy white clouds.  It’s about 80 degrees and passengers are out and about everywhere.

After reading for about ten minutes on the balcony, I had to either find some shade or continue my book inside.  What a day!

 

Last evening there was a cocktail party waaaay up on Deck 11 in “The Retreat” for President’s Club members and Neptune Suite passengers.  The invitation said that if the weather was inclement it would be held around the midships Lido pool.  Fortunately, it was just perfect, complete with a beautiful sunset.  Since we’ve never been in a Neptune Suite before, it was a new experience.  There were a couple hundred people with one of the most well-stocked bars I’ve seen.  They even had a large punchbowl full of Sangria.  If you didn’t feel like bellying up to the bar, servers were everywhere, often bringing a refill even before the first drink was finished.  Almost every officer we knew was there, along with many that we didn’t know.

 

Among the officers, when we see one who seems to be about 16 years old and has a thin single stripe on his shoulder, it indicates a cadet.  There are usually about a half dozen of them on board at a time and I swear that one we saw last evening looked like he could have been a student in my eighth grade classroom!  We met one young man named Rainier (as in Grace Kelly’s husband) who filled us in on the program.  Apparently there are a couple of mariner schools in Holland and students begin at about high school level.  They study for several years and occasionally serve as cadets on board.  Depending upon how far along they are in their studies, they may be on for only a few weeks or, like Rainier, be on for several months.  When we saw him at lunch today, he said he doesn’t disembark until early July in Rotterdam.  It’s fun to watch them progress in their studies and be mentored by ship’s officers.  It’s certainly practical training.

 

Since everyone at our table was at the party, when it was over at 7:30, we just headed to dinner.  For the first time in several days, all of us were actually there.  Of course, after a few glasses of Sangria and some appetizers, we weren’t very hungry.  A jumbo shrimp cocktail and a bowl of chowder was it for me,  Rich, however, opted for sliced tri-tip steak, so we used the opportunity to tell him how tri-tip as a cut of beef began in Santa Maria, California.  Although we live in San Luis Obispo, we taught in Santa Maria, and there were very few parties or fund raisers that didn’t feature tri-tip.  On the Central Coast, the menu is always the same:  tri-tip rolled in salt and then barbecued, chili beans, fresh salsa, and garlic bread.  I always loved watching them prepare the bread.  A loaf of French bread was sliced longways, each side dipped in melted garlic butter, and then cooked, butter side down, on the grill.  It makes me salivate just thinking about it.

 

We’re not usually much on comedians, but Ian had highly recommended this one, so we decided we would give him a try (from the back row, i. e., “the getaway seats.”)  We lasted about ten minutes watching him do yo-yo tricks and then used our location to make a slick exit.  Tonight’s entertainer is Elijah Rock, described as a “Classic Crooner.”  Might give him a try,

 

On the way back to our cabin, we noticed that the Rolling Stone Lounge was just getting going, and this show was called “Legends of Rock.”  Sure enough, they sang some great old rock and roll songs for us to dance to and finished with a great rendition of “Proud Mary.”  Indigo, one of the three singers, really makes that song her own.

 

For the second night in a row, we turned our clocks back an hour.  It’s nice to get an extra hour’s sleep, but after a few days of that, sometimes we don’t know if we’re coming or going.  At least it fills up the Lido for an early breakfast!  Hopefully there won’t be another clock change tonight, but I think we’re due one more before landing in Mauritius.

P. S.  Thanks for the teacher compliment, alibabacruisers