Down Under & the South China Sea

Our next big adventure began today and we were very excited... except we had to wake up at 3 a.m. for the beginning. We showered and dressed, checked the house, grabbed our coffee, and were on our way. The drive to Charlotte was uneventful and we soon had our rental car turned in, our bags checked, and we were in the security line which we cleared easily. We found our gate with time enough to have our last southern breakfast for a while: Bojangles biscuits and another cup of coffee. Our flight boarded on time and we had priority boarding so we were soon in our seats and settled for the next 5½ hours. We sat and sat before they made the announcement that there was a slight mechanical problem and they would get back to us within 30 minutes. That 30 minutes passed and we were well into the next 30 when they announced that there was still a problem they were working on so please be patient. As patience throughout the plane was growing thin they announced that they were getting the needed part from another plane and the whole procedure should take 45 minutes. After 30 minutes they announced we were changing planes and gates. We got our things and made our way to the new gate in another terminal and before long we started the boarding process all over again. We finally took off well over 3 hours late and sat on the tarmac some waiting for clearance. Instead of landing in Los Angeles at 10:14 a.m. we landed at 2:30 p.m. and to make matters worse it was raining. After 3 years of drought they are being deluged with rain. Not an auspicious start to our trip but hopefully it will get better. One bright spot, our bags arrived with us. We made our way to the rental stand, claimed our car, and went straight to the Hilton.

We checked in, unloaded our bags, washed our faces, and decided to head out to the Queen Mary which was what we had planned. It was not raining but was very overcast and misty as we headed toward Long Beach. We got to see a part of LA that we had never seen before, including the Port of Los Angeles. We arrived at the Queen Mary late but were happy to find out it was open until 7. We turned in our vouchers and headed on board. This is a classic old ocean-liner that was launched in 1936. We had a snack on board before time for our tour. The Queen Mary was the fastest ship in the world for 14 years running until Cunard launched the Queen Elisabeth. This is a fine example of art-deco and was quite grand for her time. There were 3 levels of passage with the 1st class being in the center of the ship where the ride was the smoothest. There were no carpets as all areas were subject to getting wet. With no type of stabilization, the bow of the ship could go under water and the ship pitched and rolled. After our tour we went to visit the engine room on our own before we headed back to LA. We were fading fast so we made a quick stop at our favorite In and Out Burger for dinner. Back in the room we were in bed and fast asleep well before 9. It was an exhausting first day but I am sure things will look up tomorrow

After 12 great hours of sleep we got up and showered ready to start a fun filled day. Boy were we surprised when we open the drapes and saw the dreary picture outside. It is raining and quite cold for sunny southern California... 52 degrees. We decided to go ahead with our plans to visit the Orange Empire RR Museum in Perris about 2 hours away. We grabbed our coffee and headed out. We stopped at a wonderful diner for breakfast and the huevos rancheros and breakfast burritos were fabulous. Filled with delicious food and coffee we ventured forth arriving at the outdoor, yes, I said outdoor museum around lunchtime. The rain had stopped but the temp had not risen and the sun was no- where to be seen. We were the only car in the parking lot but there was a school bus with about 45 five-year-olds just getting back on. We found the entrance and made our way in and were told it was free and that there was a docent that would be happy to show us around. Who would have thought??? The docent was Randy Doss and he had a great love for RR history and for the next several hours we saw a fantastic collection of trains. This collection was started by a group of high school guys who were interested in trolleys and thought they needed to be preserved. The museum started in the 1950's and is still growing today. It was a great find and we needed Randy not only for his knowledge, keys to the buildings, but for his golf cart... this place is huge. We left with a great appreciation for the work that is being done on a volunteer basis to restore these wonderful old engines, trolleys, and railcars.

It was mid-afternoon when we made our trek back to LA and we decided to check-out the Farmers Market where our tour leaves tomorrow. We were not sure how much time we needed to get there. It took us a while but soon we were visiting the stands, shops, and stalls that make up the Farmers Market. We even took time to check out the stores next door in The Grove. It was dinner time and we had a great Greek meal by a roaring fire at Olympus. By the time we finished our meal our jet lag was catching up with us. We made our way back to the hotel and readied our things for our tour tomorrow. After I soaked in the tub, we looked at pictures and then it was off to sleep.

Another cold and rainy day in LA and it was very foggy also at 5 am when we got up. We dressed and made our way to the Farmers Market for our tour to Santa Barbara, Solvang, and the Hearst Castle. This is a long tour so we fortified ourselves with Chai and bagels before we boarded the bus. It was a slow start as we had to pick people up at 2 other locations but soon we were off. Our driver Jacob and guide Giovanni only had 5 of us to keep up with so it was very laid back and relaxed. After about an hour drive we arrived in Santa Barbara and were disappointed we could not see the mountains. Santa Barbara is tucked in a valley with the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other and is quite lovely. I am glad I have seen it in the sun. Our next stop was the Santa Barbara mission. We had time to explore and photograph and look at the laundry trough in the courtyard where the natives were supposed to wash their clothes. From there we made our way over the mountains to Solvang, a Danish settlement celebrating all things Danish. There were bakeries and restaurants everywhere as well as art galleries and cute shops. We had a great time just walking around and exploring. We were blessed that the rain stopped and we did not have to rush. We were surprised by our guide with some Danish cookies to share and they were a big hit with everyone.

We then embarked on a 2-hour drive to San Simeon and the Hearst castle. Giovanni told us stories about the building of the castle and about the family. George Hearst was the entrepreneur and made the money and after he died his wife took over the reins and did not let William, their only son, go ahead with his ideas. The land where the castle is located had been in the family but never developed as anything more than a family camping area. After his mom died William wanted a small vacation home built there. He worked with a woman architect, and using his ideas and her expertise they completed the little vacation home, all 144 rooms and 2 swimming pools. There are 3 cottages all together with the castle being the largest and grandest. These cottages were the setting of many grand parties and were visited by all the great movie stars and politicians of the time. In 1952 after his death it was transferred to California as a state park but the family retained the land. We did not get to enjoy the grand views due to the fog but the house is truly something. My favorite part were the 2 pools. The rest was very ornate and rather dark and stuffy. The setting is spectacular, setting high in the mountains with a sweeping view of the ocean. No cars are allowed and the visit is handled by buses and very regulated to preserve this wonderful piece of art.

To compensate for our missing out on the views, Giovanni surprised us with 2 extra stops on our way back. The first one was near San Simeon where we stopped to see the elephant seals along the beach. There were hundreds of them barking and shoving in the sand. Then we stopped at Morro Bay to see a natural wonder, the Morro Rock, in the bay. We had time to walk along the beach for a bit before the rain started back. We all felt sorry for Jacob because he had to drive in thick pea soup fog interspersed with rain for the next 2 hours. It was almost 10 when we arrived back at the Farmers Market and we were ready to get back to the hotel. We didn't even attempt to accomplish anything but went directly to bed and we did not pass go!!!!!

Today we awoke late as we did not have anything pressing to do. After showering we gathered our large duffels and took them to the car before heading to the Starbucks Bistro in the hotel for a bagel and coffee. Our friends Nancy and Jim called just as we were sitting down and said they would pick us up in 30 minutes. We ate quickly and went to the room to get our carry-ons ready to store. With everything stored in the car we met them in front of the hotel and as we drove off the conversation would not have led you to think we had not been together for over a year. We headed to a museum called the Nethercutt Collection. Neither Hugh nor I had heard of it but Nancy and Jim had visited once before and assured us we would be amazed and let me tell you we were. This is a collection owned by the family that owns Meryl Norman Cosmetics. It is a huge collection of priceless cars, mechanical musical instruments, and watches. There is also a truly grand pipe organ. The cars are the finest in the world and have won more awards than any other collection in the world. There are 2 huge building filled with automobiles but the most impressive one is decorated like an automobile showroom of the 20's and was grand enough to be a palace. Hugh was in heaven in the first building and was even more amazed when we went for our scheduled tour at 1:30. This was truly a highlight and we could not thank N&J enough for turning us on to this treasure. The museum is completely free, even parking, and they have 2 guided tours each day at 10 and 1:30.

From the museum we headed out to a fun restaurant for a great late lunch. After lunch Hugh and Jim had gelato and Nancy and I helped them with their excess. We sat and talked until it was time for us to get our car and head to the airport. We filled up the tank, and then turned in the car. The bus was crowded as we headed to the terminal but the driver was so helpful with everyone's bags that it was easy. We checked in quickly, got to love 1st class, and then breezed through security. We made our way to the United lounge and had snacks while I typed this lovely story. It is now 9:30pm and time for us to head to the gate. We got to the gate just in time to walk on the plane. We soon settled into our seats and they truly have upgraded first-class on United. We could hardly move for all the Saks Fifth Avenue duvets, day blankets, sleep mattresses, and pj's. They brought champagne and gave out our dinner and breakfast menus before we took off. Little did they know that we plan to sleep throughout this flight. Soon we were up in the air and in-flight service began. After taking our orders they served appetizers, wine, then salads, before the main course arrived. Dessert was my favorite ice cream cart... yum. Then it was wash face, brush teeth, don sleeping outfit and crash. My old body knows that it is way beyond my bed time. We woke up 2 hours out of Sydney and dressed, put on makeup, and had a great breakfast including hot cinnamon rolls. We landed on time.

We landed in Sydney on time and made our way to immigration. We were in the priority line and this went smoothly for me but they pulled Hugh's passport and it had to go through some extra testing. Shortly we were on our way never knowing what the snafu was. Our luggage arrived intact and we felt blessed to be on our way out of the airport. We made a stop to purchase SIM cards for our phones and then got a cab to the city.

We arrived at the hotel before lunchtime and were pleasantly surprised that our room was ready. We went up and showered and changed into cooler clothes. The temperature is supposed to be 102 today and it already feels like it. Once we were dressed for the heat we ventured out to the harbor area and had ice cream for lunch. We watched the dragon boat races on the harbor and then walked to the aquarium to catch the hop-on-hop-off bus. We rode around the whole city route and never got off. We have been here before and it was just fun to reacquaint ourselves with the city. Late afternoon we both were fading fast. Even though we slept on the flight, jet-lag has set in. We stopped for dinner before making our way back to the hotel. I took a soaker tub bath and Hugh showered again before we fell into bed.

This morning we woke up early excited about our tour to the Blue Mountains. We had breakfast in the room and headed to the lobby to wait for our tour group. The bus arrived right on time and Andy our guide got us settled for the day. We had pickups at several hotels and we soon knew we had a fun group to spend the day with. It was a bit tricky getting out of Sydney but Andy made the most of it and toured us around some of the main sights as we headed for the highway that takes us into the Blue Mountains. We heard a lot of history of this area and we got to see several of the cute little mountain villages. Our first stop was in Leura. We had tea with a choice of breads as our morning snack. We then had time to walk around the village before we boarded the bus to continue up the mountain. Our next stop for the morning was at Scenic World where the Katoomba mine used to be. We got our wrist bands and then took the cable car across Jamison Valley while Andy drove our bus to the other side. From here we had a great view of the 3 sisters, a rock formation, which is supposed to be the 3 daughters of a medicine man who turned them into stone to protect them. Andy met us here and we took a funicular down further into the valley. We hiked on some of the trails until we came to the steepest railroad in the world. It was so steep that our cars had us leaning backwards as we went up. At the top it put us out into a gift shop: can you imagine. I was feeling rather peaked and Hugh got us several bottles of water and once I was hydrated again I felt much better. The temp here is over 96 degrees and it is draining. Soon it was time to meet our group at the bus. We headed to the Conservation Hut where we had lunch. It was a lovely place with a great view. I had a goat cheese and tomato tart and Hugh had spaghetti Bolognese.

We took some pictures outside and then we were off to Featherdale Wildlife Park. We entered the park and were met by the cutest little wallaby. We were able to get up close and personal with him. The animals were well treated and this park was started by a family to rehabilitate and reintroduce. My favorite was all the koalas. They have the sweetest faces. We also enjoyed seeing several animals we had never seen before including echidna and the Tasmanian devil. We saw wombats and lots of wonderful birds. This was a great place to visit and everyone had a great time. Andy took us on a quick, 4 minute, stop at Wentworth Falls. He drove, illegally down to the 2nd view platform, dropped us off, and 4 minutes later circled back and picked us up. It reminded me of a Chinese fire drill. From here we headed down the mountain to the Olympic Village and stadium. This was a lovely area and it is still a venue for a lot of activities today. The Olympic village housing has been converted into apartments and the sporting venues into activities for the people of Sydney. Our next stop was at a small harbor on the Parramatta River where we boarded a catamaran and sailed into Sydney Harbor. It was extremely windy and the temp dropped about 20 degrees. The view of the Sydney Harbor bridge and the Opera House were fantastic. There were 2 stops, one at Circular Quay and the second at Darling Harbor which put us just blocks from our hotel. We stopped for dinner on our walk to the hotel and settled in for the evening once we made it back. What a great day!!!!!

This morning we were up at 5:45am and scurrying to dress and finish our last minute packing. Our taxi pickup was at 6:45 and he was running a bit late because of traffic. Once we were on our way we made good time and at the airport our driver stopped at the international terminal so we could store our large duffels for the next 11 days. Smarte Carte runs a great storage facility here and in no time we were back in the taxi heading for the domestic terminal and our Quantas flight to Hobart, Tasmania. We had time for a nice breakfast before we boarded our plane. It was a 2hour flight and right on time. We had no checked luggage so we were quickly out of the airport once we landed. We got a great taxi driver that took us straight to our hotel. We were surprised to see that there was a wooden ship exhibition and festival just across the street from our hotel. Now we knew what we were doing for the rest of the morning and early afternoon. We checked into the hotel but our room was not ready so we stored our bags and headed out. The weather is cloudy with periods of rain. We donned our raincoats and went straight over to the ships and smaller boats. We made a lot of pictures and I even bought a new hat. Once we had seen enough of the boats we headed in from the harbor and found a quaint area called Salamanca Square filled with historic old English building that are now restaurants and shops. We had meat pies at Banjo's and looked in to a lot of the shops before I got the call that our room was ready.

We got to our room just in time to change clothes and get ready for our bike descent of Mt. Wellington. It was raining and cold as we made our way to meet our group. We were not surprised that there was only one other person making the trek today. It took us 30 minutes in the van to get to the top and when we arrived the wind was around 30 km/h and it was sleeting. We made some pictures before donning our heavy jackets and gloves and heading down the mountain. We were shocked at how fast we flew down this first stretch and were very glad for well-maintained bikes and disc brakes. By the third stop my hands and feet were numb and I was afraid I would not be able to use the brakes. We continued down the mountain and finally made it back to the starting point in town. It took 2 hours and it was done in the rain, sleet, wind, and on slick roads. We were ready for a big high five and a very long hot shower. We limped back to the hotel on numb feet and in the room we were surprised that we had no dry clothes, shoes or socks. We stood in the hot shower for a long time before we climbed out, dressed, and headed for dinner. We were exhausted and decided to have pho for dinner and get warmed up. We found a great little Vietnamese restaurant and just sat back and enjoyed. We then headed back to the room, used their laundromat and crawled in bed. Wow what an adventure!

We awoke today to a cloudy, windy, and cold day in Hobart. We dressed and headed to breakfast. The breakfast at the hotel has excellent choices and great coffee. Fortified we added several layers and walked to Elizabeth pier to meet our tour. The tour guides are super-friendly and young (found out later why). We boarded our bus with 26 other hearty souls and started on the drive to Bruny Island. The first leg of our journey was about 45 minutes and we ended that leg at Kettering where we boarded the ferry to Bruny Island. During our drive our guide, Jeremy kept us entertained with information on the area, information on Bruny Island, and corny jokes. The ferry ride was about 15 minutes and very smooth.

We drove off the ferry and made our way onto Bruny and then to the neck that connects Bruny with South Bruny which is our destination. The neck that connects the two is very narrow and has a colony of "little penguins". We did not get to see them but we saw their burrows. They fish during the day! We climbed 287 steps for a lovely view down the neck and across South Bruny. From here we made our way to the restaurant and boat launch. The weather has not improved and it is still windy and cold when we arrive. We are served tea and muffins which were delish and then given our briefing. We walked to the boats and made our way on board. These yellow boats are nick named the 4-wd of the sea and have great maneuverability. We are given long (to my toes) rain jackets with hoods which were great for blocking the wind. Our captain was very knowledgeable and safety conscious. We took off and the wind and sea about did us in. The boat bounced and we were blown about. Hugh sat up toward the front and they had to even wear seat belts and he stated he could not have stayed in his seat without it. The boat could go in close and we had fabulous views of the 272m Jurassic Dolerite sea cliffs, formed 160 million years ago and among the tallest in the world. We drifted up close to "Breathing Rock", entered deep sea caves, passed through the narrow gap between the sheer cliffs and "The Monument", and felt the power of nature at the point where the Tasman Sea meets the might of the Southern Ocean.

Once in the Southern Ocean the wind was stronger, the waves higher, and our ride rougher. We made our way to the rock formation called the Friars where we saw rare nesting sea birds and hull-outs filled with thousands of Australian and New Zealand fur seals. The seals joined us in the water and played around the boat. We saw Shearwaters, Diving Gannets, Terns, Commorants, and Albatross but no Little Penguins. We then made our way back to the dock and there were a lot of people who were very happy to get their feet back on terre firma. We then walked back to the restaurant for a delicious lunch of hot soup and sandwiches (enough to feed an army). We then boarded our bus for the trip back to Hobart. Everyone was much quieter on the return although Jeremy was in rare form. He even stopped at the Oyster House for take-out if anyone wanted it. When we arrived back in Hobart, Hugh and I cleaned up and then spent the evening exploring shops along the harbor area and finishing our day with a seafood treat. Back in the room we had great plans to organize picture and journal but we were soon fast asleep.

Today we got to sleep in a little and it was a nice break from the fast-paced sightseeing we have been doing. We took our time at breakfast and then walked to the Elisabeth and Davey intersection to meet our tour. We boarded a reproduction trolley and headed for Battery Point. This area is very high end but not as old as some other areas due to a coal mishap in the 1800's. The area bought coal mined in a certain area of Tasmania and it was too high in oxygen bubbles and when heated it exploded blowing off the chimneys and sometimes burning the house. From here we made our way to the Cascades and stopped for a walk to the Cascades Brewery and through the gardens. Here we saw the cutest bunnies playing in the yard as well as wallabies. From here we drove a short distance to the Female Factory one of the many prisons in Tasmania. This one was just for women and children. This prison operated from 1828 to 1856 intended to reform female convicts, some as young as 11. More than 5000 female convicts are known to have spent time here. This is one of the 11 convict sites that together comprise the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage property.

From here we drove across the city past Government House where the female governor is housed. Our next stop was Rosny Point across the Derwent River. We traveled across the bridge that had fallen in 1975 which was the worst bridge disaster in Tasmanian history. Here we had a sweeping view of the city of Hobart. It was a short photo stop before we made our way to the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens. This garden was established in 1818 and is the 2nd oldest in Australia, after RBG Sydney. It is the premier cool climate gardens and has the world's only Subarctic Plant House. The grounds are beautiful and although we are wearing fleeces there are beautiful flowers everywhere. We had a lovely walk about. Once back in the city Hugh and I walked up Elizabeth street, visiting shops and eating gelato. We made our way back to the hotel by way of the ABC network building, the Hospital, and the Hobart Gas Company, a beautiful old building. We checked out restaurants for dinner before Hugh went to nap; he is suffering a bit from a cold. I walked back up town and had a pedicure, which I needed before we get to Uluru and sandal weather. When I arrived back at the hotel Hugh was still asleep so I read until he was ready to head out to dinner. We walked a good distance to the Royal Thai Restaurant and had a fabulous meal. We then walked back through town and the harbor area before retiring for the night.

Today we woke early and had time for a leisurely breakfast even though we had to meet our tour at 8. We were picked up at our hotel and began the 90 minute trip to Port Arthur on the Tasman Peninsula. Our driver/guide was the same gentleman we had for our city tour yesterday. He is a bit of a curmudgeon and is always complaining about Tassie drivers. Our trip was uneventful and before we knew it we were at Port Arthur Historic Site/World Heritage Site. Port Arthur Penal Settlement – named in honour of Lt-Governor George Arthur – began life in 1830 as a punishment-oriented timber station. With the progressive addition of further industries, tailored for heavy and light labour, Port Arthur held a key position within the colony's judicial system until its closure in 1877. It began with physical punishment but strayed into psychological punishment in the end using solitary confinement and sensory deprivation as a major means of punishment. The prisoners went crazy and had to be confined. In the end the people left were the elderly, the infirmed, and the crazy. The grounds are lovely and from the pictures the military personnel that ran this facility made it like home from the beginning. There are gardens and open spaces and the homes are charming with their picket fences and flower gardens. This was not at all what we were expecting. This penal colony was isolated and almost surrounded by water. Escape was not an option and to even take it on meant you had to be able to swim and most people of the time could not. We enjoyed a guided tour and plenty of time to explore all the buildings and ruins.

At one we had a catamaran tour of the harbor and saw the Point Puer Boys Prison, inmates as young as 9, and the Island of the Dead, cemetery for the inhabitants of the prison. At 3 our bus headed back to Hobart with 2 quick photo stops at Tasman Arch and Devil's Kitchen. These are 2 natural formations in the cliff along the coast. To get to these formations we passed through a strange little town named Doo Town. Each of the houses in the town had a name... Doo Drop Inn, Didgeridoo, We Doo, etc. When we arrived back in the city we dropped off cameras and Hugh discovered he had lost his Fitbit. We rushed to the last stop of our bus to see if it was left on the bus but we were too late. From there we headed to dinner and then to the hotel for showers, reading, and bed. Our wakeup call is at 3:30 am tomorrow.

Up before the crack of dawn today and off to the airport. Traveling with only roll- aboards is so easy and we were check in and at our gate with time to spare. We had coffee and muffins before it was time to board. They do not have zones here and you just line up and get on board. Everyone is very orderly and the planes handle our bags just fine. The flight was on time and uneventful and we were soon touching down in Melbourne. We had a little time to kill and it was coffee, computer charging, and email before we boarded our flight to Ayres Rock. Again the flight was on time and the only thing we did not like was there was no service on the flight unless you wanted to purchase something... not even water!!! We landed on time and walked outside and were immediately hit with the heat, over 104F. The bus to the resort was waiting and delivered us to the Desert Garden Inn post haste. Our room was not ready so we walked over to the town square and had lunch. The restaurant was a training facility for young aboriginals and the food was wonderful. We then browsed shops until we got the call that our room was ready. We spent some time unpacking, as we are here 4 days and will not need the cool weather clothes we have been using. We then had a nap.

When Hugh woke up we went for a walk to one of the overlooks and made some pictures of the rock. Beautiful views. We dropped off our cameras and went to dinner. It was pizza tonight and we enjoyed every bite. Now that the sun is down it is pleasant to walk around and we had fun exploring. We had ridden the shuttle around the resort earlier and knew some places we wanted to check out. On our way back we stopped and bought milk and cereal for breakfast so we don't have to get out early and can eat in our room. After washing out a few things we retired to journal and edit pictures. Good night all!

Today is our lazy day. No alarm set and we literally spent the morning in our room having coffee, cereal, and some much needed down time. We both did some computer work, journaling, paying bills, web pages, etc. It felt so luxurious and we do not have many down days on this trip. Our itinerary is very full. We walked to the town center and had a light lunch and the walked around the resort looking in the shops. We were in one shop and saw a tee shirt that Noah has to have... it has his horny devil on it.

We then made it back to the room in time to shower and dress for our Sounds of Silence dinner. We met our bus and were transported to our dinner site. When we arrived we were served champagne and appetizers up at a lookout. The view was wonderful in all directions and we enjoyed the sunset. We were then taken down to our white clothed tables and served a wonderful soup while we had a story accompanied by dance. We were then treated to a delicious buffet which included barramundi and kangaroo. The wine flowed and we were at a lively table with 2 young couples, one from Brisbane and the other from Sydney, and a couple from England that was about our age. It was fun talking to all of them and it was stargazing time before we knew it. They turned off all the lights and an astronomer took us through the southern sky. Very nice and relaxing. Then we were served dessert and our favorite was the cheesecake with lime and macadamia nuts. Long before we were ready it was time to head back to the resort. We were surprised that it was almost 11 before we got back. It was off to bed for us as we have a 4:20 wake-up call in the am.

4:20 a.m. alarm and we are up and moving! We had breakfast in our room before grabbing our cameras and heading to the bus. Our bus driver and guide, Sam and Nicholas, greeted us with "palya" which seems to be a word of many meanings, including hello, how are you, I am fine, and good bye. Soon we were at an overlook having coffee and waiting for the sunrise. We are told a lot of history but the most import thing was that the Anangu are the traditional owners of Uluru and Kata Tjuta and the surrounding land. For tens of thousands of years Anangu have cared for this land and to them this has always been a special place. For Anangu this isn't just a rock. It's a living place. Creation beings have left their marks everywhere; their stories are alive in the landscape. We watched as Uluru and Kata Tjuta transformed from grand grey silhouettes to masterpieces of rich red hues as the sunlight hit them. We made more pictures than we need but it was so lovely.

Our next stop was at Kata Tjuta, first a viewing point, and then upclose and personal. We had a 2 km walk and it was wonderful. Hugh made pictures of some large spiders and their webs and we both made a lot of pictures of the domes of Kata Tjuta. After our walk it was back to the Desert Garden for lunch and rest. We have a 3 pm Cultural Center, base walk and sunset. It is a very busy day. At 3 we headed out with Nicholas again for a base walk around Uluru. We made our first stop at the cultural Center where we could not make pictures. After we hit the exhibits Hugh and I walked out and made some pictures of the mountain. We then drove around the base of the mountain and Nicholas pointed out a lot of the sacred areas which we could not photograph. Our last stop was to see the chain that was placed to help climbers many decades ago. The Anangu allowed this to stay when they reclaimed the land in 1985. The actual rights to the rock as leased to the park service for 99 years.

Up at 7 and breakfast in the room. We were packed and ready ahead of time so we went to the museum here at our resort. It was a fun morning and at 10;45 our bus arrived to take us to the airport. The first real glitch of the trip was here. Our flight to Sydney was delayed an hour which meant we would miss our connection to Auckland. We fretted a bit as we made our way in line but as usual the Lord had it under control. The lovely flight manager said we have you booked in a hotel, here is $100 for food, and you will be on the first flight out in the morning; how easy was that. When our flight finally took off it was nice not to have to worry. We arrived in Sydney and transferred to the International Terminal and claimed the bags we had stored earlier in the trip. From there we found the Super Shuttle and soon arrived at our hotel, the Hotel Mercure. It was lovely, even though it was not in Auckland. We checked in and after washing up went down to the restaurant: dinner and wine on Virgin Australia. Then it was up to the room for a soak in the tub and some journaling before lights out.

Up early this morning so we can have breakfast before our 7 am shuttle to the airport. We have a wonderful breakfast buffet and had just enough time before the shuttle arrived to check out of the hotel. It was a short ride to the airport and we were soon in a zoo of people at the air New Zealand check-in. A flight was delayed and everyone was in a state of confusion. After many tries we were helped by a lovely lady who took it upon herself to make sure we were taken care of. Then it was off to security. Hugh had an issue with something triggering a search. After several trips through the x-ray his backpack was cleared. We had time to do some walking and shopping before we boarded. We had great seats and soon were settled in for the 3-hour flight. We had lunch, worked on pictures, and read and soon found ourselves in Auckland. Immigration was easy and our bags were on the turn style as we approached. We were happy campers as we boarded our super shuttle to the hotel.

This was door to door service and we even had a stop at someone's home. We got to see a lot of the city as the airport is a good distance away. When we arrived at the hotel we were surprised at what a grand one it was. We were on the club floor and had access to the Millennium Club: free drinks and appetizers that truly made a meal. We relaxed and enjoyed the view before we headed out to explore the city. We were in a great location and could even walk to the harbor. There we saw our ship berthed alongside the Queen Elizabeth, wow, did we look small. We stopped for yogurt before making our way back to the hotel about bedtime. A soak in the tub and it was off to sleep.

Today we slept in and then showered and dressed for breakfast in the Millennium Club. We had great eggs benedict with a fabulous view of the city. We then asked for a late check out and went in search of a camera store. Somewhere between the bus and our room at Desert Gardens I lost the hood for my camera lens. We tried to find one but no one had them in stock. We will keep looking in other cities although it is not a big deal. We then went back to the hotel and freshened up before checking out and getting a taxi to the Queens Wharf. We turned in all our luggage, did the paper work, and got our key cards. Soon we were on board having an ice cream for lunch. We then left the ship and spent the afternoon just walking and exploring the city.

We arrived back at 3 and were able to get to our cabin and behold, our luggage was there. We unpacked and then took everything that needed pressing up to the launderette, and Hugh even got coins to do the laundry. By the time we had the safety drill we were almost done with pressing and it was time for clothes to go to the dryer. A very efficient settling in. After the drill we finished up and went on top for sail-away. Then it was time to shower and dress for our dinner in the Polo Lounge. We had a great dinner and finished just in time to go to the showroom to meet the entertainment team. This cruise has a cruise director we have had before, Leslie Jon and also Steve and Tricia are the World Cruise host and hostess and they remembered us from our previous cruise. Then it was off to bed!

The night was long and rough. The ship rocked and rolled a lot but it was like being in a big cradle. I slept like a baby but Hugh had some trouble with the motion. We slept in and did a very non cruise thing... we skipped a meal. We showered and went on the walking deck and watched as we sailed into Gisborne. The seas stayed rough and this made the 20 min trip in the tender seem longer. Once on shore we found our group for our bike expedition and as soon as we had helmets and vests we started off. We learned a lot about the area from our guide: this is where Captain Cook came to shore the first time. It is where the sun shines first each day in NZ, and this is the friendliest port I can remember, they have 46 volunteers who serve shifts as greeters. Our ride was so much fun and we had a great stop at the museum where we saw a paddle that was used on the Endeavor, Cook's vessel. When the bike tour ended we rode the shuttle into town and walked around visiting the shops.

We walked back to the ship and took the tender on its wild ride. We had time to journal and shower before we headed to the Terrace for a lovely dinner looking out at the sea. We were hoping to see whales but we did not. After dinner we went to hear the string quartet and ended up sitting there enjoying the music until time to go to the 9:30 show. The entertainer tonight was Suzanne Prentice and she was wonderful. She told us that she started entertaining at 12 and does all sorts of music. She did a variety of music ending her show with How Great Thou Art and she got a standing ovation. We walked around the ship some and then went to the cabin to journal and soon found ourselves going to sleep.

This morning we got up and showered and dressed for a busy day in Wellington. We did not dock until 12 so we had a delicious breakfast in the main dining room before we went to the showroom for a lecture on the Politics of Australia, New Zealand, and the Western Alliance by a professor from Stanford. It was interesting he kept reiterating that he liked to talk all kinds of politics so stop him in the halls. After the lecture we went to the Horizons to watch the sail in to Wellington. It is very windy outside so we claimed a table with a view. This city is the capitol of NZ and is very large. It starts at the harbor and ends in beautiful mountains. We had a little time before our tour so we had a light lunch before meeting our group at 12:30.

We joined our driver/guide John and drove through the harbor area and out to state highway 2 to start our trip around the harbor and along the coast to Pencarrow Station. We drove until the highway ended and the road turned to gravel. This is an area for hikers, bikers, and such and the bus is traveling on a very narrow path where two autos cannot pass. John had a running commentary about the area but one of the things that stood out was that the weather was lousy; only 7 days of sunshine since Christmas and no two days in a row but the people love living here. It is the capitol of New Zealand and home to the NZ Opera, ballet and the symphony. It has lovely beaches and terrific mountains. Most of the homes are in the mountains and the price depends on whether there is road access to the house. Most people have to park on the street and walk up steps to the house. Some have cable cars that are private. We could see constant movement of ferries in the harbor and John told us that 2 companies run 3 boats each so there is always service. We were surprised that there is a massive public transit system here which includes electric buses, trains , and a cable car. Everyone uses public transit because there is no place to park. The town is in a valley between the sea and the mountains.

We made stops along the way to enjoy the views and it was about an hour before we made the turn into the steep climb up to Pencarrow Station, a family owned sheep and cattle ranch, lodge, and events operation. The view is amazing and the hospitality was great. They served tea and coffee with a wide assortment of savories and sweets. We were able to walk the property which is 3000 acres. On this land they have 3000 breeding ewes and 300 head of cattle. They have a vineyard, vegetable gardens and chickens. We had a demo of the use of dogs in herding the sheep. There was a dog that barked (the huntaway) and then there was the herder (Australian border collie) who was silent. They were controlled by whistles and did their job very well. We then boarded our buses to head back to town. We made a stop at the ruin of a steam trawler that had washed up during a storm. You could still see the steam engine and the tiller inside it although it was mostly a rusty hulk. We also stopped at the lighthouse on the beach which is solar powered. There is one on the top of the mountain that was used for a very long time but was often in the fog which is high up in this area thus the newer one being built on the beach. We made it back to the ship and some of the people got off the bus but a lot of stayed on to town. Hugh and I walked to the cable car and took it up the mountain. We visited the Cable Car Museum there and then walked back through the Botanical Gardens. We then strolled through the main shopping district before getting in line for the shuttle back to the ship. We had to wait a while as the first bus filled up before we made it on. We got back to the ship with just enough time to shower and dress for our dinner in the Polo restaurant. We were supposed to have a shared table but our dining companions cancelled because they were too tired from their day. We had a lovely dinner for 2 and finished in time to make it to the 9:30 show. The entertainer was Kristian Grey an Irish magician and comedian. He was very funny and his magic was amazing. A great time was had by all. It was off to the cabin for some journaling and sleep!

This morning we were up in time to have a nice breakfast before we headed off on our excursion. Today is especially good for Hugh as we see airplanes, taste beer, and eat chocolate (ok I confess the chocolate is good for me). We boarded our bus and we were off through the countryside to Marlborough. Our first stop was Omaka Aviation Heritage Center, home of Sir Peter Jackson's Knights of the Sky. This is one of the world's largest private collections of Great War aircraft and artifacts in dramatic displays created by Wingnut Films, with mannequins by WETA workshop. Some highlights were several planes that are the only one in existence and they still fly and memorabilia of the Red Baron himself! We made lots of pictures and our guide was very enthusiastic. The only sad part of the day was that we were not able to see the brand new WWII exhibit.

From here we drove a short distance to the MOA Brewery for a beer tasting. This brewery was founded in 2003 by Josh Scott, the son of renowned Marlborough winemaker Allan Scott, with a focus on brewing super premium handcrafted beers. MOA beers are brewed proudly using costly, inefficient, and labor intensive techniques. The name is pronounced "more" and the symbol is the Moa which has been hunted to extinction many years ago. The brewery was set in a vineyard and we enjoyed the large beanbag chairs and the corn hole game on the lawn. Our last stop was at the Makana Chocolate Factory. We were able to see the workers hand-dipping the chocolates. We also got to sample some of the products. The candy was fabulous but very pricey. We enjoyed the stop but did not partake of the wares. It was a pleasant trip back to the ship. We stayed on the bus and got off in town. We walked around and looked in the shops before catching a late shuttle to the ship. We were too late for lunch in the regular restaurants so we ate salad at WAVES and then went to the cabin and uploaded pictures. We rested some and then showered and dressed for the Captain's reception. We listened to the band and drank our wine before heading to the main dining room. We were seated with a lovely Canadian/American couple and had a lovely evening finishing just in time for the show. Tonight was the ship's production company in a production called Tuxedo. It was very entertaining and it is evident there are some very talented kids on board. It was then time for a stroll around the ship before we headed off to bed. These midnight endings are new to us.

Today we are anchored in Akaroa. We had breakfast and then proceeded to get the tender into town. We had a Viator tour of the harbor booked but it was not until 11 am. We walked up a hill close to the harbor to the original historic lighthouse that used to guard the harbor. It is now a museum. We slowly made our way back to the dock and stood in the queue to board. We found seats on the top open deck and added the layer of raincoats to help block the wind. It is cold and cloudy but we were excited for the tour. We met a couple from our ship and another couple from the Dawn Princess to talk to and share the sights. The harbor that we sailed in is the crater of an extinct volcano. One of the first things we saw was the location of an historical Maori village in which one of the oldest churches in the South island is found. The founding document of New Zealand was signed here. Our first animal encounter occurred shortly and we met a pod of Hector dolphins, the world's smallest species. Akaroa harbor is a safe haven for them because no set net fishing is allowed. They are about the size of a 5-year-old child and very playful. They are not always in groups and often travel away from the group. We spent a great deal of time making snappies before we headed over to the rocks were we saw seals and cormorants. On our way there we a lone white-flippered penguin swimming along the shore. The farther we traveled out of the harbor the rougher the seas. We went into some sheltered areas looking for the illusive yellow-eyed penguin and we only saw one sunning himself on the rocks. We had to stay away from the rocks as these little penguins are very shy and skittish. On our way back we saw a salmon farm and an abalone farm. Most of the product from these farms are shipped to countries all over the world.

Once we made our way back to the dock Hugh and I took our cameras and strolled all along the flower bordered streets and looked into all the little shops. In one of the wool shops Hugh was able to replace his beanie from our last trip to NZ. This time he was smart and bought 2 since we might not be back. We stopped for a late lunch at a cute little shop that served fresh off the boat fish and chips. It was delicious and we were so glad we found it. We walked back along the harbor and took one of the last tenders back to the ship. We took time to start pictures uploading before heading out for hot tea and a place to watch the sail out. We rested some and then showered and went to the Terrace for dinner. After dinner we went to the string quartet concert and played a hand of cards before it was time for the show. Tonight's entertainer was Suzanne Prentice, and she was excellent in this encore performance. We then strolled the ship before retiring.

Today we were up very early and had breakfast in the stateroom. We each had our own excursion; mine left at 7:20 and I was off to my "Nature's Wonders Wildlife Safari". We boarded our bus and our guide gave us the history of the city of Dunedin. The Māori were here and had established a complex settlement when the Scottish came in 1848. This group of Scottish settlers were led by Dr. Burns, a minister of the church that broke away from the traditional Presbyterian church of Scotland. He promised the people who came a church, education like they had in Scotland, and to make this area as close to home as possible. As we rode around the city we could see these influences in the building style, the flowers, and the street names. We drove around the harbor and then up the mountains on the other side to get to the wildlife. The road was curvy and sheep grazed on the hills. When we arrived we were surprised to see that the Argos that we were to ride in were small 8 wheeled vehicles that were open to the air. They issued us heavy slicker type jackets to wear and we soon found that this was to protect from dust as much as it was to provide warmth. I was amazed at how steep the climb down was. If you looked ahead, you could not see the end as it was so far below. It was a rough ride but the view was spectacular.

Our first stop was at an outcrop of rocks that was home to a colony of fur seals. There was also a huge elephant seal there and everyone was excited. I did not mention that we had seen a whole colony of them in California at the beginning of our trip. It was fun to see the calves playing and even swimming in the pools. The sun was very bright and I hope I got some usable pictures. Our next stop was at a beach that is home to the yellow-eyed penguin and the blue penguin. We had to walk down a covered wooden walkway and be very quiet. We saw the blue penguin but were not able to make pictures as the laser focus light of the cameras bothers the penguins, especially during the time they are molting (which they were doing at this time). We did not see any yellow-eyed penguins and that was sad. There was a sea lion up on the shore. This beach is pristine and no humans are allowed on it. We then got out of the Argos and into a bus for the trip back to our bus. We were dusty and a little disappointed as we headed back to town. We saw the albatross sanctuary but the birds were not flying. We were able to get off the bus in town and I spent the rest of the morning walking around town seeing the sights.

My first stop was the Dunedin Railway Station which is the most photographed building in New Zealand. It is now home to some museums and shops as well as the Dunedin Railroad which does excursion (the one Hugh is on today). I then wandered through the town square and up the hill to the 1st Presbyterian Church which is the oldest in the country. From there I went in some shops and eventually made it back to get the 1:30 shuttle. I arrived back on the ship just in time to get some lunch before they closed. I got my computer and did some journaling while I waited for Hugh to return. We worked on pictures, journaled, and rested until time for sail away at 4. We took our cameras up and ended up going to tea and just enjoying the view. We went back to the cabin to shower and dress for dinner. We took or time and had dinner with a lovely couple from Canada. After dinner we listened to the classical quartet and then went to the show. Tonight was a show by one of the ships cast. I was not expecting it to be special but he surprised me. It was a wonderful show with an excellent choice of music. After the show we shopped for a bit before heading to bed. The ship was rocking a bit so we ordered breakfast in the room tomorrow morning. The following is Hugh's story of his railroad excursion.

"Today I had a marvelous excursion train trip on the Taieri River Gorge Railway leaving from the wharf where the Insignia was berthed and returning to the exact same spot. We would be in an almost 100 year old passenger car pulled by two modern Japanese-built diesel engines. We first went through Dunedin, through Wingatui, over the Taieri Plain, through Salisbury, over the magnificent iron Wingatui Viaduct, into the gorge of the Taieri River, past the gold mines at Christmas Creek, past Deep Stream and Flat Stream and then to Pukerangi and back. The scenery was magnificent and my favorite part of the trip was a stop at the gingerbread house Dunedin Railway Station which is the most-photographed structure in New Zealand. The volunteers of the Otago Excursion Train Trust hosted a truly-memorible excrusion that I will remember always. Everyone knows how much I love trains!" /hugh

This morning we got up around 8 when they delivered our breakfast. We took our time enjoying our coffee and tea while editing pictures and journaling. We eventually dressed and went to the 10 am lecture on political affairs. The lecturer is a full professor at Stanford and a member of the Hoover group. He looks a bit like a leprechaun. We had our computers so we stayed and did some work in the showroom and even learned a new line dance in the process (we sat through the demonstration while we worked). We then grabbed our cameras and headed to lunch. Around 1 we were supposed to be in the Milford Sound, a beautiful fjord. We headed to the Horizons Lounge to get good seats and enjoyed the view, made photographs, and read until we stopped at the end of the fjord to pick up the people who had overlanded on an overnight excursion. We finally went to the cabin to read but went back up when we started the transit out. We went back to the cabin to shower and dress for dinner. We relaxed and took our time dining, ending with dessert and tea. We then went to hear the string quartet and then went to hear Jane Rutter, a world renown flutist. It was a great concert and afterwards we journaled and read because we set our clocks back 1 hour. Finally we are getting back some of the 3 hours we lost during the first part of our trip.

Today we awoke to a new month and a new attitude: fitness counts! We had breakfast and walked a mile before going to the gym for a strenuous workout. We had been using our excursions as our exercise but today we turned over a new leaf. After the gym we walked another mile to cool off before heading to the Horizons to do computer work (new month, new bills), edit pictures, and I started my blanket for Billy and Clare's baby-to-be. We worked until lunch time and then headed to Waves for sandwiches in the sunshine. We walked another half mile after lunch before the lecture. Today's lecture was on political views of China. The lecturer is good and gives a well balanced view on each topic. After the talk we headed to the cabin so Hugh could work on downloading a book he wants. Internet has been slow and it times out before it is through. I knitted and started a new book. We rested before showering for dinner. We had a quiet dinner in the Terrace and then went to listen to the string quartet. The show at 9:30 was very good, Latin and ballroom dancing performed by the world champions. It was off to the cabin to work on that pesky book and journal before sleep.

Today we awoke and dressed in our exercise clothes and headed to breakfast. We ate a good meal outside on the stern of the ship before heading out to walk. We did our first mile and then went to the gym. We did an hour of weights, floor exercises, and the bike. We then walked another mile and then grabbed our computer, kindle, and knitting and headed for the Horizons. It was a rather grey day but sharing it with a friendly crowd we did not even notice. We ate in the Terrace and tried hard not to overdo as we have reservations in Toscana, our favorite restaurant on board. We continued working with all our projects until time for us to have our face to face meeting with Australian Border Patrol. It went quickly and we had time to work a little more before the afternoon lectures. Hugh went to the lectures and I stayed in the room and colored my hair. I was amazingly blond/gray and needed this procedure. When my hair had processed I showered and dressed for dinner and Hugh came in and did the same. We had time for a stop in the library to look at the atlas before we headed to Toscana. When we arrived we were told our reservations were not until tomorrow but he seated us anyway and we had a wonderful meal. Can't wait to go back tomorrow... the menu is so large that it would take many visits to sample all the treats. We finished in time to listen to our favorite string quartet before heading to the show. Tonight it is Leslie, Steve and Tricia, and Konstantine. We have been looking forward to this performance since we found out these guys were on board. We have seen them before and they are wonderful. This show did not disappoint. Leslie did his Zero Mostel impression of "If I Were a Rich Man" and Steve and Tricia did their vaudeville act. Both superb!! It was late and this new exercise program has us sleepy by 11. Good night.

Up this morning at 7:30 as we were anchoring and we could hear the tenders being lowered. We dressed for the day and headed out to breakfast. It is a rainy bleak day and we took our time having our meal. We walked around the ship taking some pictures before we grabbed our raincoats and decided to head in. When we arrived at the tender we were surprised that the rain had stopped and there was a peek of blue sky. The trip was smooth and we were soon on the shuttle bus up the hill into town. The shuttle driver took us on a tour of the town and even out to see some kangaroos. This was much more than we expected, there was even a guide on the shuttle. Every port so far has been so friendly and filled with volunteers to help us plan our stay. We got off the shuttle at the town stop and then decided to take the nature walk that goes along the coast past Aslings Beach, which is the surfing beach. It was a wonderful 4 K walk and other than a strong wind the weather was great. We then walked through town stopping at the shops before heading to the Eden Killer Whale Museum. Eden's history is steeped in the tradition of the sea and this museum, established in 1931, records for posterity this incredible battle between men in rowboats, armed with hand harpoon, and the giants of the sea. The whale men were assisted by a pod of killer whales and the museum contains its unique story. The skeletal remains of the most famous of the killer whales, "Old Tom" is the only one in the southern hemisphere for public display. After the museum we walked back to the ship along a path that carried us down the hillside with lovely views of the harbor. Back at the harbor-side all the greeters from the town wanted to know if we had a good time and wished us well on our journey. The people and the town were great and we have fond memories of our time in Eden.

We boarded the tender for our trip back to the ship. It was much rougher than this morning and we were glad when we made it back. We went to the cabin long enough to deposit our bags and then went up for tea. We stayed up in horizons and on deck for the 5 pm sail out. The weather was getting gloomy and the wind was definitely pickup by the time we sailed out of Two Fold Bay and into the Tasman Sea. We showered and dressed for dinner and made our way up to Toscana for our 7:30 reservations. We were to share a table but the roughness of the sea had the other couple staying in. Our meal was served by the most adorable girl from Italy with an accent you could listen to all day. We enjoyed a wonderful meal and made it to the showroom just in time for the show. It was 2-parts, with Erica and Sean performing the first part and Brad doing his one man show the second part. It was not the strongest show we have seen but not terrible. It was off to bed as the ship is rocking and Hugh is coming down with his usual cruise ship cough.

We awoke early today after a rough night of the ship rolling and moaning, Hugh coughing, and me overheating. Today we have a wonderful sail in to Sydney harbor with commentary. We are to wear our robes and be on the upper decks for this event. We quickly washed our faces, brushed our teeth, and donned our robes and off we went. It was so much fun to see everyone dressed in white lining the rails and oohing and ahhing over the views. Our ship is small enough to sail under the Harbor Bridge and passed the Opera House; downside is we are docked at the new terminal away from the main part of town (shuttle buses provided). We got some pictures and then went to breakfast. As we were docking it started to rain so we went to the cabin to dress for the day. We decided not to fight the rush getting off as we were just here 3 weeks ago. After the rush we made our way to the shuttle and when we stopped it was in Darling Harbor. We knew our way from here so we took off walking. We had just made it to George Street, the main one downtown when the heavens opened up. We were close to the Queen Victoria Building so we ducked in and spent the next hour or so exploring this fascinating building. It is the old railway station and now it is an upscale shopping area but with all the old charm. It goes on for blocks and has 4 stories. The rain had not let up at lunch time so we had a great meal at a little noodle shop there.

We then took off exploring and enjoyed a walk to the Anzac Memorial. From there we strolled through Hyde Park to St. Mary's Cathedral where we saw 2 weddings and the loveliest antique Rolls, Bentley's, and even a Daimler waiting for the wedding parties. The weather was getting more grey as we headed back toward the harbor. We walked through the Westfield tower building before ending up back at Darling Harbor. We walked across the Pyrmont Bridge and explored the outside exhibits of the Maritime Museum. We saw the Tenacious, the world's largest wooden sailing ship still in service. We then walked around the aquarium and found our way back to the shuttle. We arrived back on the ship in time to shower and dress for dinner. Hugh is not feeling very well and we cancelled our reservations and decided to eat in the Terrace. We were sitting at dinner watching as we sailed out of Sydney. Very lovely and again the weather held. We decided to listen to the string quartet and play cards before the show. I was tired and getting sleepy and decided to go to the cabin and let Hugh enjoy the show. It was the Latin dancers and he said with the rolling and rocking of the ship it was short performance. Soon we were reading and catching up on our journaling and pictures. We gain another hour tonight so we were not in a hurry to turn out the lights.

Today we awoke to a sunny day and less motion of the ocean. We dressed and went to breakfast and were able to eat outside. After breakfast it was off to church. We had a great turnout and a lovely fellow traveler played the anthem, my favorite, How Great Thou Art. Leslie announced that he is going on vacation in Bali and we will be getting a new cruise director. We stayed in the Lounge for the Extended Journey's presentation. A lot of new cruises to consider. This was followed by a port lecture on Brisbane. We are looking forward to our excursion but also having some time in the city. Next thing we knew it was lunch time. Again we ate outside and were joined by a couple from Kansas. They were divers and Hugh enjoyed sharing experiences. We then went to the pool and relaxed before time for our next lecture on the battle of Gallipoli. When it was time for the lecture no one showed up and I heard Leslie ask, "Has anyone seen Harry?" the reply was no and time went on. Soon Leslie came to the front and announced a change in lecturers. The scheduled Harry does not get on the ship until Brisbane. What a laugh. Peter Croyle, the destination lecturer just happened to have a lecture on this subject and did a remarkable last minute job. Hugh was dragging so we went to the cabin for him to rest and me to knit, journal, and read. We showered and dressed for dinner and ate in the Terrace restaurant. We had to eat inside as there was a huge thunderstorm. Mother nature put on a grand display as we ate. We then went to the string quartet and played some cards. We did some shipboard credit shopping and I got a new watch. Lucky girl!!!! The show tonight was the flautist and she did a whole program dedicated to Paris, her adopted hometown. It was lovely. Then it was off to bed as Hugh still is not feeling his best.

Woke up early this morning and we were excited about our day. Hugh slept better last night but definitely is not feeling well. After showers and medicine, we headed up to the Terrace for breakfast. We called the children and gran before we headed to the lounge to trade in our tour tickets. By nine o'clock we were on the bus and were off to see the city of Brisbane. This city is the 3rd largest in Australia and has grown rapidly in recent years. It is the capital of Queensland and was used as a base for General Douglas MacArthur as he planned attacks on Japan. The city heart is all glass and steel with high-rises mixed in with colonial architecture. There is a less hurried pace here than Sydney and the area is filled with parks and botanical gardens. The houses are wooden with tin roofs and fancy woodwork. Our guide told us the main change that had been made to the houses is that people added decks so now they eat outside and toilet inside. There are colonial buildings made of local sandstone and others with iron work and balconies reminiscent of New Orleans. It is definitely a city with a population that likes to eat out. There are restaurants and bars everywhere you look. All nationalities of food seem to be available, even Mickey D's and KFC (Kentucky Fried Crocodile..). The Storey Bridge was designed by the same man that designed the Sydney Harbor Bridge and yes, you can climb this one also.

From the city we headed away from town and out to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. This is the first, built in 1927, and largest Koala sanctuary in the world. When we arrived there was a beeline to the koala cuddling area. We were the first bus and we wanted to avoid the lines; unfortunately, there was a group of Japanese students before us. The people at the sanctuary were very efficient in handling the line and we were soon cuddling a large koala and having our picture made. Please do not call them bears... they get very offended. They are marsupials! The koala has short thick hair and is much heavier than I expected. We made a lot of pictures of them up in their trees resting. They sleep almost 20 hours a day. We then went to the kangaroo feeding area and Hugh had purchased food so we had great luck in getting to pet the roos. We saw a lot of females with joeys in their pouches but they go in head first so we only saw tails and feet. We saw wombats resting in the shade, Tasmanian devils, emus, and many lizards of different types. We stopped for ice cream and then visited the platypus, the owls, the kookaburra, and the dingo dogs. We had over 2 hours to explore but we were still making pictures as we made our way back to the bus. What a great experience.

When we arrived back into the city we opted to get off in town and walk around and explore. It was very hot and sunny but we made the rounds of Queen Street and George Street, the Anzac memorial, and several lovely churches. By 3 we were ready to head back and after a wait we caught the shuttle. Back on board we had a small salad and then headed to the cabin so Hugh could rest. This cough and cold has just drained him. I journaled and read. Soon it was shower time and get dressed for dinner. This is something that we don't do at home and it amazes me how much time it takes. We are continuing to eat in the Terrace so Hugh can stay away from other cruisers. We decided to listen to the string quartet but Hugh did not feel like playing cards. Tonight's show is Erica and Sean in Broadway Baby. They are the performers from the ship and very entertaining in a Broadway theatrical way. On this trip we have enjoyed sipping tea at teatime, listening to string quartets, and Broadway music... how civilized!!!!! Off to bed and we have two sea days now and hopefully this will give Hugh plenty of time to recover!

Today was another sea day and Hugh had a good night's sleep but still did not feel very well. Breakfast was served in our stateroom and we spent the early morning catching up on news, journaling, and cleaning out the ever accumulating paper we get on board. At 10:15 we had a mandatory lifeboat drill and we sat with the same couple that we did at embarkation. Hugh then went to the pool area to relax and I went to a cooking demonstration. Chef Farid was his usual funny self and the pastry chef was a great counterpart. After the show I changed into shorts and went to the track to walk. After my mile I joined Hugh and got some knitting in. We had lunch by the pool and spent the time resting (Hugh), knitting (me), and getting something to drink as it is very warm today. Around 2 Hugh went to the room for a nap and I went to the gym. After a great workout I joined another Sue by the pool and knitted and chatted. I reacquainted myself with a lovely woman who was on our Beijing to Rome cruise 3 years ago. So sorry she is leaving the ship in Bali. At 4 I joined Hugh and we showered and dressed to meet friends for cocktails and magic in the Horizons. This was great fun and when it was over we went to the Terrace for dinner. Hugh still does not feel like talking or sharing a table with anyone. After dinner we listened to the string quartet and at 9:30 we went to the cabin and crashed. We are just not sleeping well.

Up this morning at 8 and off to breakfast in the dining room. It was lovely and we finished just in time to go to the port lecture at 9:45. We got some great info on Cairns and this reinforced our decision to go to the train and army duck tour. The next lecture followed shortly thereafter and it was a reef pilot talking about the Great Barrier Reef. He had great info but was very hard to understand and gave way too much information. We then went to have a light lunch and Hugh then went to rest. I decided to knit a while and then go to the photography lecture. Harry did a great job and presented his information in such an easy to understand way. I stayed by the pool until time to wake Hugh and get showered and dressed for the cocktail party for repeat cruisers on Oceania. We sat with a couple from NZ and actually closed the party down. We then went to dinner, listened to the string quartet, and then went to the show. The entertainment was a group called Black Tie and they were fabulous. They were all classically trained, sang for the Sydney Opera Company, played with the Sydney Orchestra, and sang at the Met. They did a cabaret show and the humor was great as well as the music and vocals. We then went to the cabin and a long night began. Hugh had talked too much and irritated his throat and he coughed all night. My hip hurt and between us we did not sleep!

Alarm went off at 8 and two very sleepy people struggled out of bed. We dressed for the day and went to breakfast. We are docked at the cruise terminal right in the heart of Cairns. After breakfast we decided to walk the esplanade and see the sights. It is about 3.7 miles and the heat and humidity really got to us. We got to see the inlet swimming area, the casino, all the exercise venues, and a lot of play areas of all types. We made it back to the ship just in time to drink milkshakes, shower and dress for our excursion at 12:25 shore side. Today is remarkably hot and humid and the a/c on the bus was nice. Our guide has a pleasant voice and is easy to understand. She immediately told us that the name of the city is 'Cans'... the r is silent. She also gave us a history lesson saying that the area was founded with logging, gold, agriculture as the main stays but now tourism and agriculture sustain the area. It is a city filled with board-shorts not briefcases and there are restaurants, hotels, and bars on almost every corner. The beauty of this city is in the doing not the city, with a lot of activities in the area, the reef being the number one drawing card. We arrived at our first stop The RainForestation Nature Park. We have a scheduled army duck tour but until then we had time to wander around the game park. We were able to see some very active Tasmanian devils and koala. Seeing the koalas move about freely was nice because on our visit to see them before it was so hot they were sluggish and sleepy. These were feeding and playing. We also saw a great display of monitors, lizards, and salt water crocs. We also were able to see the Southern Cassowary which in endangered. It is the 2nd heaviest bird in the world and it is estimated that only 2000 remain. The salt water croc and box jelly fish are prevalent in this area.

At 2 we boarded our duck with our guide Michael and he showed us all about the vegetation in the rainforest. This park is located in a World Heritage Rainforest that is the oldest in the world. It receives 100 inches of rain a year and houses tree ferns dating back 150 million years. It has more than 200 species of birds and almost 60% of Australia's butterflies. Michael told us about the stinging tree with its heart shaped leaves. Each leaf is covered in fine silica-tipped hairs which contain a neurotoxin that causes a very painful sting when it comes in contact with skin. The effect can last up to 6 months and if the hairs are left in the skin can heal over it and it becomes sensitive to hot or cold forever. One of the common treatments is duct tape or strips of hot wax. Our army duck is from WWII and still has the original engine. We enjoyed our drive on and off the path.

From the nature center we made our way to the Kuranda Scenic Railway. The Kuranda Scenic Railway travels on a narrow gauge which measures 3 ft 6 in. The carriages date back to the early 1900'a. Each carriage is made from Silky Oak timber. Our first stop was Barron Falls Station where we had a 10-minute stop to view the falls. We traveled through Barron George National Park made up of rugged mountains, ravines, waterfalls, magnificent rainforest and varied plant and animal species. Our final stop was Freshwater Station. This was the first point where fresh water could be obtained by the railway construction teams before heading up the Kuranda Range. It had been hot and stuffy on the open cars and we were happy to be back on our air-conditioned bus. We then traveled back to the port and soon we were in our cabin trying to cool off. We showered and dressed for dinner and after dinner we headed to the cabin for an early night. We were tired from heat and lack of sleep and soon were reading and editing pictures before falling asleep.

This morning we awoke to what we thought was the sound of tenders being launched for our trips to Cooktown. We were soon to find out that the tenders were being stowed as our port call had been cancelled due to heavy rain and wind. By the time we went to breakfast we were well on our way to Darwin. This was a disappointment mainly because I had only one-day left on my Australian SIM card and had plans to call all the family. We gathered our knitting and computers and went to the showroom for a talk on "Hollywood Scandals". This was a great lecture and may be a cruise favorite. From here we went to the main dining room for lunch. Might as well pass the time being waited on. So often our days are too busy for this. From lunch it was off to the showroom for a movie, complete with popcorn. It was an Australian production on the settlement of Australia. It was taken from a fictional historical novel and is acclaimed for its accuracy. We enjoyed this first half and look forward to the next installment. We had some time to kill before tea so we journaled and warmed up in our cabin which has been running a bit warm. We have complained twice but so far no improvement. We rested and read until time to dress for dinner. We had a light dinner and then played cards while we listened to the string quartet. We both won games which made it more fun. We checked on our room and it was very hot so we went to the desk and explained again what need to be done. We arrived at the showroom late for great seats but ours were not too bad. It is amazing how many people try to save whole rows. The entertainer was Danny Elliott and he was wonderful. A good voice and he played a multitude of instruments. After the show we were concerned about our room but were pleasantly surprised to find it very cool and perfect for a good night's sleep.

Both of us had a bad night. We got up just in time to shower and dress and make 8:45 church. It is a growing congregation and some wonderful speakers. We have a lovely lady who plays the piano and leads the singing and the old hymns have never sounded better. After church we went to grab some breakfast to take to the lecture and enjoy while we listened to the talk on Darwin. After that we changed into swimsuits and went to sit by the pool. We were able to get one of the Balinese beds and I knitted and Hugh coughed and watched videos. Hugh had a milkshake for lunch but I was not hungry. About 2 we were both hot and feeling bad so we went to the cabin and dosed up and took a long nap. We woke up and did not feel any better. We cancelled our dinner reservations and later in the evening we ordered room service. We read and knitted and slept until morning.

We woke up this morning in Darwin. I feel fine but Hugh is still coughing. We took our time dressing and having breakfast. We have the whole day here and no shore excursion. We left the ship around 9:15 and took the shuttle into town. We arrived just where we wanted to be, the Hop on, hop off bus terminal. We bought our tickets and planned to ride the complete loop before making any stops but soon decided to go to the Northern Territory Museum when we arrived at that stop. The museums for the most part are free and each one we have been seeing has been interesting and educational. This one had a wonderful display on the 1974 cyclone that almost destroyed the city of Darwin. Darwin has had 2 major catastrophes, the bombing by the Japanese in WWII and the 1974 cyclone. This makes Darwin look like a much younger city because all of the building are new. There is not much that survived both. While we were at the museum we had a coke while we waited on a later bus so we could get on the first trip of the day to the east end where the Military Museum is. This is something Hugh has wanted to do since we read about it.

The drive out is lovely as most of the area is park. There are wallabies playing everywhere and they are fun to watch. The Military Museum was great and even though we had a little shower while we were doing the outdoor exhibits we enjoyed it very much. We had no idea that the Japanese flew 84 raids over Darwin. We caught the last bus from the East end at 3 and made the complete loop this time. We ended up where we started with our driver telling us about the Parliament House next to our stop. It is called the wedding cake by locals because it is large, white, square, and filled with nuts and fruit mixed with alcohol. From the bus stop we walked all around town & made a stop at a local pharmacy to get some cough suppressant. With our purchase in hand we finished our walk through the town and caught a late shuttle back to the ship. We rested until time to shower and dress for our dinner in Toscana. We had a great dinner as always (our favorite on the ship) and then went to listen to the Four Seasons Strings. Hugh had so much trouble with his cough that we skipped the show and headed to our cabin. We stayed up late reading and watching videos. Hope everyone sleeps well tonight.

We slept in this morning and it was a better night for Hugh, less coughing & more sleeping. We dressed casually, it's a sea day, and headed for breakfast. We finished just in time to head to the lecture on The Search for Emelia Earhart. Harry always does such a great job we sat spellbound as he told us so much about her personal life and her personality. He has actually interviewed people who knew her well. We stayed in the lounge for Peter's lecture on Komodo at 11 and this only got us more excited about our upcoming port of call. We changed into exercise clothes and went to walk on the deck while we watched the sea-trials for the boats fellow cruisers have built. The pirate ship that won would make Cooper proud! After our walk we ate lunch by the pool and read until Hugh decided it was time for a nap. I stayed by the pool and knitted and went to the cabin to rest. We showered and dressed around 3:15 so we could go to the Gala Tea at 4. I went up early with my camera to get in line. It is nice to go in early and get a few shots of the deliciousness! I met a lovely couple from NC while I was in line and we ended up sitting with them and actually were some of the last stragglers to leave. They were big sailors and she had a book she had finished to give to Hugh so we stopped by their cabin. We took our books up to Horizons and read until time for dinner. We ate outside and enjoyed the temperature as inside the ship can be very cool. We then went to listen to our favorite strings group because we know that their time is growing short. Then it was off to the show and the entertainer was Mario D'Andrea, a singer and guitarist. We have seen him on other ships and enjoy his performance very much. We were not disappointed and the show was a new one. Then it was off to bed... we need to be rested to meet the dragons!

Today we awoke at 8 and dressed for the day. It is an exciting one as we arrive at Komodo Island around noon. After breakfast we went to a lecture on how to take better iPhone picture and it was very helpful. A lot of new information. We then stayed for the lecture on Bali which was also very good and gave us some insight into what we might do on our free day. The lecture ended and as we left the showroom we found that we were already anchoring at Komodo. We ran on deck with our new found knowledge and immediately took way more pictures than we needed. It is a beautiful island with a lot of peaks of different shapes and sizes. It is green and lush and the locals are surrounding the ship in their boats and some of the children are begging for money. Leslie made an announcement not to throw anything over to the kids as it is dangerous for them to get in the water around our ship at anchor. We went to the cabin and packed our backpack for our excursion and took our large cameras to lunch in case we did not have enough pictures or the light changed.

At noon we headed to our excursion excited to be able to see these prehistoric creatures is the wild. We are visiting the Komodo Island National Park and you have to be on an excursion and escorted by a ranger to visit. We waited for our tender number to be called and then boarded the tender and were soon on our way. Easy tendering! As we leave the tender we notice that the pier is very long and the heat is bothering some of the passengers. It is very high humidity. We find our guide for group #5 and he is young and named June. He speaks very good English and is very friendly. Once our group is together we are met by our other local guide named Mius and he is a gentleman with a very funny speaking cadence. Every other work is Yea or Yes, as in "do you see?" It is irritating at first but soon we overlooked it and just enjoyed the information. We met with a ranger who told us the hazards and we were off. We were trekking 3.5 km and June was at the front with his forked stick, Mius walked alongside, and we were followed by another gentleman with a forked stick who counted heads and kept everyone in line. He had the hardest job of all as Hugh and several others like to lag behind or inch away from the group. We had not walked a long way before we stopped to see the burrow of the dragon. They sleep in the burrows but only use them as hotels staying out during the day.

We walked on and Hugh spotted a small dragon walking in the path just ahead of us. June told us we could get pretty close and he was right... we just followed behind and he kept moving not even noticing his entourage. June said he was under 5 years old and still lived in the trees just coming down in search of food. He said it is very rare to see them on the ground as they are frightened of people. This was a real treat just seen by our group as he soon darted out into the jungle. We saw a palm that on grows here and just bears fruit one time and then dies and falls. The people living here use it for building homes, eating, and woodcarving. We came to a fork in the road and just ahead of us were some very large dragons. Everyone was shooting pictures rapidly but it was easy to see that it was rest time and the dragons were not going anywhere. We got some really great shots and some with us in them. There was one large dragon coming through the trees and it truly looked like a scene from Jurassic Park. They move well and are just so huge. They are the last of the dinosaurs and there are only 3300 left and 88% of them live on this island and the rest live on 2 neighboring islands. Such a rare experience. After we had our fill photographing, we were led back to the village and the little area with souvenirs. Hugh bargained for a small carved dragon and a tee shirt and was happy with his purchase. We were wet down to the skin and thirsty so we head back to the ship.

There is nothing you can do without a guide so there was not opportunity to explore on our own. Back at the tenders we were loaded and off without too much delay. On the ship we showered, drank coke, and uploaded our pictures. We appalled that we had taken over 500 pictures. Oh well, lots of editing to do after the show tonight. We rested a bit before it was sail away time and we went up to see the changing light as we were sailing into a rain storm. Lovely! We then got ready for dinner and we are still eating at the Terrace alone because Hugh's cough lingers. We may be searching for a doctor in Bali. After dinner we listened to the Four Seasons Strings and are sad that they are leaving us in Bali. They have been the best we have had on our many journeys. The show was a classical pianist and she was amazing. She started playing piano at the age of 13 months. What a day... from jungle and dragons to classical music! After the show we really did edit our pictures and went to sleep dreaming of our wonderful day. Well at least until Hugh woke up with his first coughing fit and had to go out on deck for a while before he could rest. This is really dragging my love down!

This morning we awoke excited about our day. We arriving in Bali by noon today and we truly love this place. We showered and went to breakfast at WAVES and the temp was warm but not too warm. After breakfast we were walking around deck when we realized that we could see our destination in the distance. We got our cameras and headed to Horizons to enjoy the view. As we sailed closer we could see a lot of small boats and the sky was filled with parasailers. It was a lovely sight. The small boats challenged us some and the captain had to continuously blow the horn. It was one of the most colorful sail-ins to date and we stayed for the show until we were almost at the dock. We went to the Terrace and had some lunch before we gathered our cameras and headed to the Lounge for our excursion. We are visiting a batik workshop and 3 temples today and 2 of them are on our bucket list! Our tour departed on time and as we left the ship for the bus we were entertained by a local group and the dancers were so lovely. We arrived at the bus and it had smaller aisles and some of the people were having a hard time. Once everyone was on, our guide, Widi, started his lecture on all things Balinese. He was excellent and included information on the Balinese Hindu culture. He explained that each home has a temple, each village has a temple, each sector has a temple, and then there are a tremendous number of public temples. He said that this is the reason Bali is known as the land of God. Bali is unique among the Indonesian islands in that the country is 88% Muslim and Bali is 92% Hindu. It was a long drive to the batik shop and traffic is congested. There are so many cars but many more motorbikes. Widi assured us that each family of 4 would have at least 3 bikes. Bali has grown so much since we were here in 2004. Over 1 million more people and so much more urbanization. We arrived at a small batik factory and the workers were working outdoors. Today they were adding wax to the designs and the work looked intricate and tedious. We also saw them weaving a design. We went to the shop to look at the products and they were lovely. There was a lot of purchasing within our group but the blouses and dresses did not fit this short girl and Hugh did not want a shirt.

From there we had a 45-minute drive to the Royal Temple. The countryside was lovely and we made a lot of pictures out the window of the rice terraces and some of the village temples. The Taman Ayun temple, Royal Temple, was built in the 17th century. It is a large complex with a wide moat, exquisite wooden shrines, and beautifully carved gates. Towering tiers from the temple shrines make up most of the profile of Taman Ayun and are a gesture of the people of Mengwi's reverence to their deified noble ancestors. This is considered the mother temple of the royal family. We had a wonderful time making pictures and enjoying the lovely grounds.

From Here we had another 30-minute drive to Tanah Lot temple. When we arrived here we had a bit of a walk from the parking area and it was crowded. This temple is the most photographed in this area and is also called the Sunset Temple. It is an impressive black lava creation built in the 16th century and situated on a rocky outcrop just offshore. It is not accessible at high tide. It is beautiful and there is a second temple high on a outcrop over a natural arch. There a lot of people and our time is limited but Hugh and I decided we had to walk to the actual temple and put our feet there so we could say we actually went to the temple & not just photographed it. Our guide was insistent that we could not make it back to the bus on time if we did this but he greatly underestimated our ability as we accomplished it, made pictures, and arrived back at the bus early. The trip back was through the countryside and we enjoyed seeing the people in their daily lives. Back at the ship it was after 6 and we showered and thought about going out but decided to stay on the ship for the cultural show. We were so happy we did as it was lovely and we were more tired than we expected. The show featured a Balinese band and a troupe of dancers. They told stories through their dance and as always the hand movements and grace of the dancers amazed us (also lovely girls and beautiful costumes). After the show it was late and we settled in for the night

We overnighted in Bali and today there is a mass disembarkation of over ¾ of the ship and of course the embarkation of the new group. We slept in and had breakfast in the dining room before heading into Kuta. We got a taxi driver that spoke good English and had a nice car and we were soon on our way. There is a taxi mafia here in that you have to go through a union rep but you can bargain with the drivers. They will also come back to pick you up. Once we were in Kuta we walked through the market area where there are a million of the same things and out to the beach. This beach is different from beaches in SC in that there are open air restaurants right on the sand, people selling t-shirts, braiding hair, renting sports equipment, etc. all there for the taking. The beach is separated from the road by a beautiful wall. We had a long walk and soon found that we were hot and sweaty. We then walked into a mall type area across from the beach in hopes of cooling off. It was filled with very high-end shops and restaurants and not what we expected at all. We walked through and when we were cooler we walked into the town area stopping in some shops and just people-watching. We saw a huge number of massage and spa shops and each offered specials. We decided to have some satay for lunch and then spend the afternoon getting foot massages.

We found the shop of our choice and there was a lovely restaurant several blocks away. We had our satay and several drinks and enjoyed this place very much. Tummies filled, we headed to the Hera Spa. We looked over their list of services and Hugh decided on 90-minute foot massage and I decided on an hour foot massage and a mani-pedi. Once our feet were washed Hugh's young man started his massage and Hugh was in heaven. I had a lovely girl doing my toes and one doing my hands... what could be better. Before my toes were polished I had my foot massage and after they were polished she finished up with a head, neck, and shoulder massage. Once I was all dry we gathered our stuff and settled our bill... a whopping $25. We tipped them generously and realized it was time for us to get a taxi and head back to the ship. We arrived with only a short time to spare before our mandatory lifeboat drill at 5:15. This drill took a while as it is the first one for a large group of people. After the drill it was back to the room for showers and then off to dinner. We had reservations in the Polo Grill and we were seated with two new arrivals from Canada. One of the ladies had travelled extensively and lived several places abroad. She was fascinating to talk to. After dinner we listened to the new string quartet and although they are not as wonderful as our last one they are enjoyable. We went to the show tonight only because so much of the crew has changed and we wanted to meet the new folks. Our new cruise director is Ray and he is nice but definitely not a pro like Leslie. After the show we headed off to our cabin and looked at our pictures from the last several days until the eyelids no longer would stay open.

Hugh had a rough night but did get some good sleep toward the end of the night. We got up in time to dress and go to the main dining room for breakfast. They had my favorite Huevos Rancheros. Hugh had pancakes and we just sat and enjoyed our coffee after our meal. So very civilized!! From breakfast we made our way to the Insignia Lounge for the enrichment lecture. Today it is a new lecturer and a great topic, The 7 Wonders of the World, Past and Present. The lecturer, John Friedman, is a retired physician who does work with National Geographic as a cultural expert. The talk was fabulous and gave us a lot of new places to think about visiting. We stayed in the lounge for the next lecture on Java and Indonesian history. I did some knitting during the talk but it was most intriguing. We decided to maintain our civil behavior and around 12:30 we went to the main dining room for lunch. Again we had a window seat and were able to just sit and enjoy our time. After lunch we changed into bathing suits and headed poolside. We claimed some Balinese day beds and I knitted and Hugh read his sailing book that one of our shipboard neighbors had given him. We had Arnold Palmers, read, knitted, and of course, Hugh rested his eyes a bit and soon we realized it was time to clean up for the Captain's Cocktail Party. We dressed and decided to forego the formal greeting of the captain as we did this on the last leg of the trip. We went to the party being held in the Horizons and just enjoyed the view while we sipped our free cocktails. The String Quartet was playing and we sat for an extended time just enjoying the people that joined us here. We went to dinner late and finished with a little time to listen to the quartet again before going to the show. Our show tonight was Van-Ahn Nguyen a wonderful classical pianist. After the show we went to the cabin to prepare for our excursion tomorrow. We leave the ship early for an all day trip.

The clock went off and we were up and going strong. We showered and dressed quickly and joined most of the ship for breakfast. Today is one of those days where most of the ship is involved in excursions and they all leave early. We got our cameras and backpack and were able to exchange our tickets for the first bus. Quite a coup with this group. On our excursion to Borobudur there were five buses and we had a police escort. It is a long drive, over 2 hours, and it was broken up with stops every hour. It is a Sunday but because this island is home to 160 million people, traffic was horrible. There was a lot of horn blowing and changing lanes even though we were on a 2 lane road. The scenery was lovely with the twin volcanoes, some other high mountains, rice fields, and villages. Our stop for the restrooms was for 30 minutes and they served local treats and coffee and tea at no charge. There was a lot of purchasing from street vendors selling puppets, tote bags, and backpacks. We left the rest area and continued for another hour to Borobudur.

The magnificent Borobudur temple is the world's biggest Buddhist monument, an ancient site widely considered to be one of the world's seven wonders. The temple sits majestically on a hilltop overlooking lush green fields and distant hills. Built in the 9th century during the reign of the Syailendra dynasty, the temple's design reflects India's influence on the region, yet there are enough indigenous scenes and elements incorporated to make Borobudur uniquely Indonesian. It covers an enormous area, measuring 123 x 123 meters. The monument is a marvel of design, decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. And it was built without using any kind of cement or mortar! The structure is like a set of massive interlocking Lego blocks held together without any glue. This site was abandoned in the 14th century when the Javanese people converted to Islam. The temple remained strong even through ten centuries of neglect. It was rediscovered by Sir Thomas Raffles in 1815, buried under volcanic ash. In the 1970's the Indonesian Government and UNESCO worked together to restore Borobudur to its former majesty. The restoration took eight years to complete and there were no carvings or heads of statues replaced. Everything is original or just a plain stone where needed to maintain integrity of the structure. Needless to say we made the trek to the top and will have way more photos than we need. The view with the twin volcanoes is stunning.

After our tour we had a wonderful lunch at a restaurant on the grounds. We were met with dancers and music, a delicious Indonesian buffet, and a killer view of Borobudur. Wow what a day!!!!! After lunch we boarded our bus for a short trip to the silver factory and store. People enjoyed looking but there was not a lot of purchasing. Then it was time for the trip back. Traffic was bad and we ended up not even stopping for a toilet break. We arrived back at the port 15 minutes before all-aboard. We had time to download our emails (their wi-fi was faster) and climb the gangway before they broke down everything and we were under sail. We showered and dressed quickly as we had church at 6:30. The turnout was less than last week but it was such a full day a lot of people were tired. Ray did a great job and we feel blessed to have this opportunity. After church we went to dinner and then sat in the bar area outside the main dining room and talked to a lovely British couple, knitted, and read until time for the show. It was Mario D'Andrea again and the show was fabulous. He did several encores and it was late when we made it to the cabin. Good night!

This morning we almost awoke with the clock. Only 2 snooze alarms later we were up and dressed to go for our walk on the track on deck 10. We had a great walk and even spent some time in the gym doing weights before we headed to the room to get our laundry. We decided to start the wash before breakfast. We met a fellow traveler that Hugh had ridden the train with earlier in our voyage and had a nice visit while we waited for a washer. Once we had our 2 loads going we headed to breakfast. We enjoy having a variety of things to choose from for breakfast because we usually eat oatmeal at home. We sipped our coffee and planned our day. Suddenly we noticed that our wash time was up and we ran to claim our dryers. No competition and while our clothes dried we showered and dressed for the day. Clothes dried, folded, and ironed, we ran them to the cabin before the 10 a.m. lecture. Now that was a productive morning! Our 10 am lecture was on Borneo and he talked about all the wonderful wildlife and flora on this the world's third largest island. Borneo is the only island that has 3 countries on it. The Indonesian part is the largest and Brunei the smallest. The Malaysian part is the one we are visiting first. After the lecture I am so much more excited about our first port and can't wait to see proboscis monkeys, orangutans, and maybe a rhinoceros horned-billed. After the lecture we went to Horizons to journal, edit pictures, and knit. We had a lovely view and got a lot of work done. We went to the main dining room for a quiet lunch and then decided to retire to the cabin to read, knit, or rest as the mood strikes. We had tea and continued to play with our pictures from yesterday as there was not anything going on that we felt the urge to participate in.

We set our clock for 8 and actually got up and we were up on the track walking our first mile by 8:20. We are trying to get back into a rhythm after the coughing episode. We then went to the gym and did our weight workout before heading to breakfast. After a very light breakfast we walked another mile and stayed on the track for the Crossing of the Equator and the initiation of the pollywogs. This was a messy affair for the crew who had not crossed before. The entertainment staff were all newbies and each one had eggs, oatmeal, cold spaghetti, and flour poured over their heads and then they had to kiss the fish before they were doused with ice and water. The first time cruisers only had to kiss the fish and get doused with the water and ice. It is always fun and funny to watch. We then showered and dressed a bit warmer to go to the 11 am lecture by Peter Croyle on Borneo. His lectures are always interesting and we try not to miss them. This one did not disappoint. After the lecture we went to the dining room for lunch and then stayed in the bar area and I knitted and Hugh proofed my story. Before we knew it, it was 3 and time for John Freedman's lecture on the history of Borneo. Again we try not to miss his lectures either. We decided today was a good tea day, so after the lecture we went to tea time.

It was lovely with a great view of a calm ocean with islands in the distance. It was also a good rest afternoon so we retired to the cabin where Hugh slept and I listened to the new Jonathan Kellerman book. Re-energized we went up to 10 and walked another mile before showering for dinner. Tonight we have reservations in Toscana at 9 but we were told we could be seated at 8:15... much better! We had time to listen to the string quartet before our reservations. Dinner was wonderful and I took my wine with me when we went to the show. Tonight's entertainers were the classical pianist and Mario D'Andrea encore performances. They both did an excellent job. Glad our dinner finished in time to see the show! Off to the cabin to prepare for tomorrows big adventure.

Up early this morning and it is the usual debate, what do your wear when it is so hot and humid. Clothed, sun screened, and bug sprayed we went to breakfast and then to the lounge to await departure of our tour. We were the second group called and soon we were on our bus. It is a highly decorated bus with excellent air conditioning. We were not sure what to expect. We had a short bus ride to the dock for the boats to Bako National Park. We had to wait for our turn as there are 3 busloads of us as well as the usual tourists. I decided to make a last minute bathroom stop and boy was I amazed to find squat toilets. I had forgotten that they are prevalent in Asia. We were in the last group to embark the boats and we soon found out that ours was the slowest one on the water. We were passed by all the other groups and the only saving grace was, we had the guide on our boat. As we left the dock we passed a small village but soon we were seeing a lot of mangroves.

As we neared the park the shoreline was all mangrove. We finally docked and everyone climbed off the boat and Joe our guide started our hike into the park. We had been hiking about 5 minutes when one of the group said, "we are missing 2 of our friends". There was a collective groan and poor Joe had to run back to the dock area and claim the missing 2 who were off talking and not paying attention. Finally, we were on our way and we had not gone too far before we saw our first proboscis monkeys. We had plenty of time to get some photos and this was great because they like to climb up high in the Bako trees. Their noses were just as big as we expected and so were their tummies. We continued on our way and there was a nice boardwalk raised above the floor of the jungle. It had some gaps and loose boards but it kept our feet dry and clean. Joe stopped often to point out trees, flowers, non-sting bees, and resin from one of the trees that is used for incense and other things such as candles. We saw cute but naughty Macaque monkeys. The ones we saw at first were small and seemed shy even though they have a reputation for grabbing things off tourist such as sunglasses. We also saw howler monkeys. Joe showed us huge palms that are used for food (inner core), building, and thatch. It was slow going and the temperature and humidity were high. The boardwalk ended and we had to negotiate some rough areas filled with roots and holes. We arrived at a small stream and saw a type of catfish. As we were preparing to start the journey back one of the guests got very dizzy and had to sit down. His conditioned worsened and Joe ran back to the ranger station to get help. Fortunately, there were 3 doctors in the group, an OB (guess who?), an orthopedist, and an internist. They monitored the patient as he tried to make his way back. We had made it to the boardwalk when they arrived with a stretcher. It was very slow going with 4 men carrying the stretcher. When we got to the flat area they had a rolling cart to put the stretcher on and it was much faster from that point on. On our way back to the ranger station we saw more Macaque monkeys; these much larger, and a Keel pit viper. At the ranger station they put the patient on a boat from the beach and the rest of us walked backed to the pier. We saw more proboscis monkeys as we were leaving and these were climbing around in pairs. We waited for our boats and this time we were on a twin engined one and were back at the pier in no time. We loaded the bus and to our delight our patient arrived looking much better.

Soon we were back at the ship and we arrived just at the end of the extended dining hours. We had some lunch and thought we would take the shuttle into town but we had missed the last shuttle. There was only limited service as the time into town which was about 30 minutes away. We decided to shower and edit our pictures while we sat in one of the coffee bars. Pictures done we decided to go to the cabin and read and listen to our books. We went up to deck 10 for the sail away. The coastline was unusual, one side of the ship was rugged coast and the other was mangroves. We saw the pilot transfer to the pilot boat and then went to the cabin to rest before dressing for a late dinner. We had great Malaysian food tonight and still had time to listen to the string quartet and play cards. The entertainment tonight was the ships production company in Tuxedo. We have seen the show before with the old cast but decided to see this one for comparison. Wow, we were blown away. This is a much stronger cast and the show seemed like an all new production. We congratulated the cast and headed to our room to look at our pictures. We really got some great shots of the animals.

This morning the clock went off at 7:30 and we slept until 8:30. Heat and humidity yesterday just tired us out and we had no great plans for the morning. We dressed and went for our first mile on the track and then had a light breakfast. We decided to walk some more but after ½ mile decided it was too hot to continue so we went to the gym. We did a major weight workout and also got in some floor work. Next it was off to shower and dress for the day. We went to the chefs' demonstration at 11 and the food looked good and smelled wonderful. I look forward to tonights dinner. We were not hungry so we found a spot in the coffee bar and I knitted and Hugh worked on web design. Around 1:00 we went for lunch and then changed into bathing suits and went to the pool. A little before 3 we headed to the cabin to shower and go to the lectures at 3 and 4. I knitted but listened intently as the China Sea geo-political situation was discussed. At 4 I enjoyed hearing about Brunei and our next port on the island of Borneo. More heat and humidity to deal with but also very lovey sights. We went back to our spot in the café and I journaled until my computer battery died and then I knitted while Hugh read his sailing book. We also talked to a lot of people as they came into the café, even a couple that was on our Miami to Cape Town cruise. We then dressed for dinner and had a nice assortment of small plates up in the Terrace. We then went to play cards and listen to the string quartet. We may have to change our card playing venue as this quartet has a very small repertoire. We are hoping they get off in Hong Kong. The show tonight is a Malaysian couple that play the harmonica. We did not have great expectations but they were just wonderful. They looked about 12 but were extremely talented. Then it was off to bed and journaling.

Today we were up early and out on the aft deck for breakfast so that we could see the port as we sailed into Muara, Brunei Darussalam. We have an all day tour and met our group in the showroom at 8:15. Our bus ride was about 45 minutes to get us to the jetty where we boarded a boat that travelled past the water village and deep into the rainforest. After about 50 minutes on the boat we docked and transferred to a small bus that took us even deeper into the rainforest where we boarded 4 person boats. This boat ride took us through some very shallow areas with rapids and we were surprised that we did not have to get out and push. We arrived at a rocky beach and then took a walk up a creek, through some rather deep water, across some slippery rocks and muddy areas to a waterfall. It was not a grand waterfall by any means but was surrounded by pristine rainforest. We waded into the water for pictures and the fish pecked at our feet and legs getting a funny response out of a lot of the cruisers. We then made the hike back and our fellow cruisers had several accidents along the way but only some bruised bottoms came from the falls. We had to wait in the sun for the boats to fill up as people were very picky about which boat they wanted. It was very hot and humid and by the time we headed back up the river we were sweaty and ready to get some air moving. Our boat on the way back was rounded on the bottom and even Hugh felt it was very unstable. Once we were moving we did fine but held on for most of the trip. We then were served a lovely buffet lunch which we shared with a couple from Texas. The time ran a little long and we wandered around and made some pictures while we waited for the bus drivers to finish with their prayer time. We are visiting on a Friday which is a holy day in this very Muslim country.

Soon we were back on the small buses and then the larger boat and on our way back to the city. We were finishing earlier than expected and Augustine, our guide, made the decision to take us on a city tour. Our first stop was at the gleaming white Mosque of the 28th Sultan of Brunei, whose son is the current sultan. The royal barge was there and this is one of the most photographed areas in Brunei. It is directly across from a very high end mall selling all the luxury that can be had. From there we drove to the Sultans Palace which is not open to the public. The entrance looks like the entrance to an amusement park but the extensive grounds are beautiful. This palace was opened in 1984 and is listed in Guinness as the world's largest residential palace at 2,152,782 square feet. It consists of 1788 rooms, 257 bathrooms, and a banquet hall that seats 5000. The 110 car garage and exhibition hall houses the custom made car collection. There are 65 Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Bentley's, 165 Rolls Royce's, and 37 Bugatti's. From there we drove by the hospital where we were told that health care is free for everyone and medicanes are $1. Our next stop was the Mosque of the 29th Sultan, who is in power today. It is very grand and different from the one he built for his father. We also saw the courthouse from British time. The country is now an absolute monarchy and now under the sharia law. Once evidence is obtained the penalty is exercised, often death. They do not dismember people such as cutting off a hand for theft, but our guide said this could come at any time. We made our way back to the ship felling very happy that we had the opportunity to see the town as well as the adventure of the Temburong. We showered and rested before going for our dinner in Toscana. The other couple that was to join us cancelled because they were so tired. We had a great window seat and enjoyed a long, relaxing dinner. We took our wine to the show which was Bevin Addinsall, an Australian singer. He did a great job but we were ready for sleep by the end. It was off to bed for us as we have another big day tomorrow.

Up early again today and off to another adventure. We again decided to forgo the city and visit the highest mountain in Malaysia, Mount Kinabalu. Our bus left on time and it was an almost 2-hour bus ride, most of which was up winding roads. The views were wonderful but there was an amazing amount of electrical cable and poles in each of the pictures. We had a cloud cover and were never able to get a picture with the top peak showing. The mountain is 13,435 feet and is protected as Mt. Kinabalu Park, a World Heritage site. When we arrived at the park we had a wonderful walk through the botanical gardens and we were able to see some of the orchids and rhododendron that are here. These plants were not in bloom but they have over 1200 species of orchids. We got to see some of the loveliest pitcher plants and we got great pictures. From this area we took a walk up a steep, muddy trail but at the end we arrived at our restaurant. We shared lunch with a couple from France and we had a great time. We finished early and took our time walking down the hill to the bus. Clouds are coming in and the trip down the mountain could get precarious!

Our next stop was to be a market but by the time we arrived it was raining and several people did not even get off the bus. There was nothing worth buying and we were soon on our way back to the dock. The trip was made in thick cloud cover and we were glad we were not driving. Back at the ship we had time to upload pictures and rest a bit before we showered for dinner. We ate in the Terrace and decided to skip the show and get some journaling and editing done. It was another great day!

Up early this morning and dressed for church before we head to breakfast. We are able to get an extra cup of coffee in before we head to the Showroom for our church service. The service today was excellent with 3 different messages from 3 different people. This is such a great way to start off another exciting week. We staying in our seats and I knitted and Hugh edited pictures until the 9:30 lecture on Magellan. John Freedman does such a great job. After this lecture we stayed put for the 10:30 lecture on Manilla, our next port of call. Peter does a good job of letting us know the not to be missed things in each port. We are happy with the excursion we have book and look for to tomorrow. Hugh went up to the top floor to watch the helicopter land for a medical evacuation, but it never happened. Not sure what is going on but we hope and pray the person is doing better. We went to the main dining room for the special gala brunch and everything was tasty but the desserts were extraordinary.

After lunch we settled in the coffee bar to journal and edit. At 1:15 we headed to Horizons to have our temperature checked by Manilla authorities. It was an easy procedure, check in, turn in card, walk past monitor, and return to your activity. I journaled until I caught up. Then I knitted until Hugh caught up and then it was off to the cabin for reading and resting. While Hugh read I did the color thing on my hair and look so much better now that the gray has gone away. We showered and dressed for a late dinner. When we finished dinner there was no string quartet to listen to so we worked on pictures and got some wine to take to the show. It was Liar's Club tonight and our cruise director, Ray, stole the show with his wild stories. The audience finished 4-1 over the liars. It was then back to the cabin for some reading and preparing for our time in Manila!

Today we are docking in Manila as we have our breakfast. We had planned on doing a Hop On Hop Off bus tour but were told because of the horrid traffic here they do not have any such thing. When we arrived there were bands and dancers waiting on the pier and we were presented beaded necklaces. We had booked a tour called Old and New Manila and by 8:30 we were on our bus with our guide Manu. As we left the port we could see what everyone was talking about, there were jeepneys, scooters, and autos everywhere. The jeepneys captured Hugh's attention. The original jeepneys were made from the jeeps left by the Americans after WWII. They are manufactured out of stainless steel and each owner decorates them to suit themselves including the name of the vehicle. They are colorful and Hugh was busy snapping photos of the different ones as we drove to our first stop. Our first stop was at a lechon restaurant area. This is a suckling pig dish that is highly prized in this area. We saw how they were cooked and even saw the Philippino form of chitterlings. We made a stop at The Chinese Cemetery next. The Chinese were the first traders here and established their own culture but were not allowed to be buried in the Catholic cemeteries. This cemetery is filled with elaborate mausoleums that look like houses. There is a lot of colorful design here. We had time to walk around some and there was a good view of the city. Our next stop was the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. It was a long drive and we got to see a lot of the colorful parts of town, the university district, and also we paid the tariff and got to drive through the ritzy area called the BGC. When we arrived we were awed by all the crosses and Stars of David. It is still maintained by the USA and it is immaculate. We made pictures and enjoyed the bell concert. From the memorial we drove back into the heart of the city and stopped for lunch at the Diamond Hotel, a Taiwanese 5-star hotel. The lunch buffet was most impressive with multiple types of cuisine. We sat with a couple from the Netherlands and it was so relaxing and delicious. The dessert buffet looked like the Gala Tea on the ship. The internet here was good so we spent the last few minutes looking at our emails.

Back on the bus Manu told us of the country's hero Jose Rezal. Our next stop was at his national memorial and the site of his execution. The statuary there was amazing. Next stop was a large handicrafts market and I actually purchased some napkin rings. From the shop we walked to Fort Santiago where Rezal was imprisoned. This was a nice walk and at the end we had cokes while we waited on the bus. Our last stop was at a World Heritage site and one of the very few building that survived the war, San Agustin Cathedral, a Catholic church of the Augustine order. The inside of the church is beautiful, but we were not able to explore as there was a wedding taking place. We were able to make pictures and even observe the Philipino custom of presenting gifts of food to the couple. From the church we made our way back to the port. We were hot and tired and only had a few minutes before sail away. We drank a coke and changed into walking clothes before going to deck 10. We heard band music as we opened the door and were surprised to find 2 marching bands on the pier playing as we sailed away. They had the flag girls and both bands marched down the pier playing until we were in open water. It was lovely. The people in Manila were so friendly and they loved to stop and wave at our bus. We showered and dressed for dinner. We walked around a bit before stopping to listen to the string quartet and playing cards. The show was the cute couple that played the harmonica and a short show called SHIMY by the production team. We enjoyed it very much but were happy to get in bed... tired from a wonderful day!

Although it was a sea day we got up early and headed to breakfast. We had our first lecture on Taiwan at 9 this morning. I took my knitting with me but did not get a lot done as the lecture was very interesting. We stayed in the lounge for the Future Cruise presentation and Jennifer did a fabulous job even though she did not choose our raffle number for the $250 shipboard credit. After her presentation we went to the coffee café and I knitted and helped Hugh with pictures until time for lunch. We ate in WAVES with the idea that we would walk and then go to the gym. By the time we finished our meal the wind had picked up to the point that you could not make it around the track. Shortly after that they closed the upper deck. We went to the gym and there were 3 other people there. The sea had gotten much rougher and the motion of the ocean was causing havoc all over the ship. I exercised a bit but decided to head to the cabin to journal and left Hugh in the gym. He rode the bike before joining me. We played games, read, listened to audio books and of course, slept. At 4 we got up and while Hugh showered I went to get in the line to talk to Jennifer about a cruise in 2018. Hugh joined me and eventually it was our turn. We talked about what we wanted and soon had a price. We then went to the lecture on Kaohsiung and Hong Kong. The lecture was good but by the time it finished a lot of the people including me were feeling a little nauseated. We went to the cabin and I played games and Hugh read and did computer work until it was time to dress for dinner. When we made our way to the Terrace we were surprised at how few people were out and about. No lines for food and the room service people were working hard. After dinner I did some ironing with Hugh's help and then I showered and Hugh, with about 30 to 40 others went to the show. The ship was rocking and shuttering when Hugh returned and we quickly climbed into bed and listened to audiobooks to drown out the noise. We both fell asleep without any problem.

Last night started out very rocky but we went to sleep with no problems and awoke to a smooth sail-in to Kaohsiung, Taiwan. We had our breakfast as the docking was completed and when I went to the lounge to exchange our tour tickets they were checking everyone in early. We had been to northern part of Taiwan but not to the southern tropical part like today. We were on the bus and out of the port area ahead of time which will be important later in the day! Our guide is Geoff and he speaks fairly good English although he is very quiet and we are in the back of the bus. He told us the history of Taiwan beginning with the indigenous people, the Dutch, the Japanese, and of course, the Chinese. It is overcast this morning and not nearly as hot as the last several ports. There is a modern feel to this city and it is a vertical city for living with many high-rises and many more being built. He told us there is a definite emphasis on education and sports. He was asked about cuisine and he commented that the Taiwanese eat anything that flies except planes and anything with 4 legs except tables and chairs. He also said that the Chinese influence was very strong. We made our way on modern excellent freeways to the top of the mountain and the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum complex. When we arrived we were impressed at the size of the complex. It is not historic but still one of the major places of worship and teaching in Taiwan for Buddhism. There are temples, conference centers, dorms, hotel rooms, a university, a huge library, and a tooth from the Buddha. The front hall which houses gift shops, ice cream stores and restaurants including a Starbucks. We quickly passed through this and into the Great Path area. This is flanked by 8 Chinese style pagodas. We then ascend the steps and into the Front Hall into the Buddha Museum. There are people everywhere to welcome us and we see monks, both men and women, in tan robes. One of our stops is the Jade Buddha and jade murals given to this facility by Myanmar. We then took the elevator up to the view area of the Great Golden Buddha. The platform is 108 meters high and the Buddha is 58 meters tall. It is quite impressive and a lovely view surrounded by 100's of small golden Buddhas. There are 4 Indian-style stupas on the 4 corners and they represent the 4 Noble Truths.

We then made our way back through the museum and along the walkways to the front hall and our vegetarian lunch. The lunch was served lazy Susan style (very Chinese) and the foods were unfamiliar. We tried everything and some were better than others. We finished and had time to look in the shops before it was time to board the bus. Everyone was on the bus but one gentleman and we waited 35 minutes for him to be located. He is very British and is writing a book but seems to have a little trouble with just basic things like telling time although he carries a smart phone. We then drove up the mountain a bit more and arrived at the Fo Guang Shan Main Shrine. We climbed the steps along a passageway lined with smiling white Buddha statues. The top of the building looked a lot like the Grand Imperial Palace in Beijing. We were allowed to go into the shrine without our shoes and no photography. We enjoyed seeing the three large Buddhas surrounded by over 1400 smaller ones.

We slowly made our way back to the bus and started our trip back to the port. We were told that the area is very fertile and that guava, mango, lychee, and pineapple were grown and exported here. We were able to see a lot of the city including the Lotus Lake and the Confucius Temple. Geoff told us that there are 6000 Seven Elevens in Taiwan and they sell everything. We actually made a qick stop at one so people could look in the store. We stayed on the bus!! We arrived back at the port with 10 minutes to spare and found they had very fast Wi-Fi. We uploaded the news and our emails to be read at a later time. Hugh started the pictures uploading to Apple Aperture and then we went to deck 10 for the sail-away. It was cool and the view was nice. We walked some and then went to our favorite coffee bar and I journaled and Hugh worked on pictures. After winnowing our pictures down to a reasonable amount and catching up with my journal we went to shower and dress for dinner. After a delicious dinner we went to the library to check out the atlas and see the distance we still have to travel. We then played cards and after I won three straight games it was time for wine and a show. The show tonight was the production cast in "Four on the Floor". It was a song and dance tribute to groups such as the 4 Tops, The Four Seasons, The Beatles... It was great! This is one of the strongest casts we have seen on a ship. It was the time for a walk and then off to bed. Tomorrow Hong Kong!!!!

Today we slept in a bit because we did not have anything to do until 10. We knew we would be up late because we are in Hong Kong. After showering and having breakfast we went to 2 lectures on this wonderful city. We decided to go to Horizons and knit and work on pictures as we sailed in. It is foggy and cloudy and not the ideal day to be on deck. I felt sorry for the first time visitors as this is a wonderful city to sail into with all the mountains and skyscrapers. While we were enjoying the view we finished our pictures up to today and I finished the baby blanket I was knitting for Claire and Billy. We went to lunch in the Terrace so we could continue our viewing. We docked at Harbor City at the tremendous mall with every known designer represented and this space allows us great internet also. I talked to Lori as we were finishing the docking procedure. As soon as the ship cleared we headed out. Our first stop was our favorite optician, Raymond Chan, at Tai Kwong Optical. We have been visiting him since the 90's and he does a great job. I ordered my glasses and we headed down Nathan Road. We stopped at a camera shop and looked at new cameras and almost decided to come back and get them (more on this later). As we were walking we realized that we both need haircuts badly. So as we journeyed on we looked out for the perfect place to get styled. We found a great little shop and went in. Hugh was the guinea pig and had his done first. It was great so I had him do mine. We both left happy and looking much younger and more fashionable than when we arrived. We continued our walk and eventually made our way to the Temple Street market. We did some fun shopping and slowly worked our way back to Ashley Road and had dinner at a lovely restaurant. We then decided to take the Star Ferry over to the island. We made a mistake and purchased our tokens for the lower deck. It was better than expected and we arrived on the island and took a walk on the elevated walk and along the waterfront. As we made our way back from the ferry, guess who we found... yep, it was Waldo! Where in the world is Waldo... right here in Hong Kong! It was getting close to midnight when we took the ferry back. The lights on the harbor were lovely to look at and we took our time getting to the ship. Another great day in Hong Kong. This was just a reminder of why this is one of our favorite cities.

Another day to sleep in a bit. There are a lot of tours leaving early so we let the rush subside before we headed to breakfast. We talked to our parents and to Trey before we had breakfast. It is raining hard but we decided not to let this deter us. We headed to the ferry and over to Central Pier on the island. We arrived safely on the other side; the Star Ferry has not had an accident since the 1880's. We took a long walk on the covered elevated walkways and stayed dry. We stopped into malls filled with every known high-end shop. We made our way to the terminal to Macau. We made our way slowly back stopping for coffee in a lovely little coffee shop. Back at the Star ferry we bought tokens for the upper deck and enjoyed a smooth ride across the harbor. We made our way back to the ship and had lunch overlooking the harbor. Around 1:30 we decided the rain was not subsiding so we donned our raincoats and drudged out into the downpour. We quickly made our way through Harbor City and the connecting malls trying desperately not to get wet. When we finally had to go outside we rushed along Haiphong Street to Nathan and down to Mody Road. My glasses were ready and Mr. Chan was gracious and said he looked forward to our next visit. We had researched buying cameras in Hong Kong and found too many warnings about scams that we passed up the chance to save over a thousand dollars from the US price.

We retraced our steps and arrived back at the ship cold and wet from head to toe. We changed our clothes, dried our hair, and went out into the tremendous mall attached to the port. We spent several hours wandering in and out of the shops. We found a great store filled with unusual toys and items and Hugh was in heaven as they had a whole sections of ducks. We found a puzzle game for the boys but they did not have it in stock. We made a picture of it and hope to find it on the web. We got back on the ship right at embarkation time and went to the cabin to rest before sailaway. It was foggy at sail time so we decided to rest some more but it was too enticing to be on deck so we went to 10 and had tea and watched the harbor disappear. The weather held out and we got some ok pictures. We headed to the cabin to shower and dress for dinner. We took our time and arrived at the Terrace about 8. We ate slowly and enjoyed just talking and listening to everyone's HK adventures. We have been surprised at how many people on this hip had not been to Hong Kong although they are world travelers. We enjoyed the string quartet before going to the show. We had a world class violinist playing popular tunes for the violin. He was fantastic and it was easy to see why he was an encore performer for the Royal family. After the show we worked on pictures and read before turning in. we gained a hour so we did not have to rush to get our rest.

The clock went off at 8 and we took our time getting dressed and heading to breakfast in the main dining room. Sea days are lazy and good catch up times so after breakfast we took our computers to the coffee café and I journaled and Hugh organized our pictures. At 10:15 we had a mandatory safety drill and that is always a time to talk to people we have not seen on board before. After the drill was complete we finished our tasks and changed into exercise clothes and headed to the gym. After a good workout we showered and went to the coffee café to journal and edit pictures. We had a late lunch and read until time for our afternoon lectures. We enjoyed both which covered the history and economics of Viet Nam up until 1975. These will be continued on our next sea days. We went back to the cabin to read before dressing and going for dinner in the main dining room. We had a great meal and wonderful conversation finishing just in time to head to the show. Our entertainment was Karen Beckett a singer from Australia. She was great and we look forward to her next show. Off to bed because we are getting up at 5:30 for the sail in to Halong Bay.

This morning the clock went off at 5:30 am and believe or not we got up. We dressed quickly and headed up to deck 10 with our cameras. We dressed for cool weather but were surprised that the temp was pleasant and there was no humidity. We spent the next hour just watching the scene unfold as we sailed into lovely Ha Long Bay. There are countless mystical islands rising from the emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin and the vision is one of breathtaking beauty. This is our 3rd trip here and the only one where the weather has cooperated. Our first trip was spent on a boat socked in by fog and then being turned away without going on the bay. Our second was spent out on the bay in pouring rain. Sunshine today... what a surprise! Another surprise was all the hotels and theme parks we see as we sail further into the bay. There has been a lot of commercialization in the past 4 years. We walked and photographed until the ship was anchoring then we headed to breakfast.

We then had to hurry to get ready for our junk cruise at 8:15. The junk came up to the ship where a loading platform had been erected. We walked off the Insignia and right onto a junk. Our first stop was at the Dong Thien Cung cave. We have been here before but the improvements they have made are astonishing. The last time we exited our boat onto a muddy hill and started our climb. This time there is a concrete dock and easy stairs to climb. Inside the cave there is now a concrete floor with steps. This is one of many karst caves with beautiful formations and very tasteful lighting. Very enjoyable!

From the cave we returned to our boat, Ha Long 10, and continued our journey through otherworldly limestone peaks that make up this wonderland. We saw the fighting cocks and from another view it looked like lovers kissing. Our guide told us that all the developments onshore have occurred in the last 3 years from foreign investment. He said it is a mixed blessing as people want to work in the city with all the modern conveniences and leave the farms. This has caused their production of rice to fall. After 4 delightful hours we returned to our ship.

We downloaded our pictures to Apple Aperture and headed to lunch. After lunch we decided to take the shuttle into the city. We got the tender to the pier and the shuttle was waiting. We arrived in the city thinking we would do a little shopping but the sight that met us was so interesting we ended up spending our time making pictures, talking to people, and walking to this huge structure we could see around the harbor that looked like a beached oversized orca. When we arrived at the structure it was the new convention center and very strange looking. It was worth the walk as we got unbelievable views of the bay and all the activity that goes on as people here go about their daily activities. It suddenly dawned on us that these picturesque boats were home to a staggering number of people. We made the walk back and just missed the 4 pm shuttle and had to wait for the 5:30 one, which was the last. We walked through the market and the new modern mall and still had to sit and wait. Back at the ship we were tired and hungry but we headed directly to the church service before we cleaned up a bit, uploaded over 500 pictures and headed to the Terrace for dinner. We walked around the ship before heading to the room, showering, and crawling into bed to read. It was a long and busy day but one we will not soon forget.

This morning we slept in until 8 as we knew the excursions would have left the ship by that time. Excursions had left to Hanoi very early. I showered while Hugh went to the laundry and put our clothes in to wash. After breakfast we put the clothes in the dryer and readied everything for our day. The clothes finished and we folded them and put them away before leaving the ship around 10. We had no real plan for our day except to enjoy street food so when the tender landed we turned left and started walking along the bay toward all the new construction we could see. We exchanged currency and bought coffee. We ended up walking to the end of the road... it was actually blocked off. We turned back and walked on the other side checking out some restaurants and shops. We were getting ready for lunch so we headed up a side street toward the market. There was nothing touristy about this area! We met Peter Croyle, a lecturer on board, and he walked with us and we sat and had a noodle dish and talked for a long while. Such a pleasant person to talk with and a nice way to spend some time. After lunch we parted ways. As we walked back to the main road we were invited into someone's house for tea. We declined with a smile and they grinned.

We continued our journey until it was nearly 3 and the cable car over the bay opened. We walked around SunWorld Ha Long Park until we saw the cable cars starting across. This area is 'Vietnam Disney' in decoration and we had fun exploring. We bought our tickets and it was amazing what we got for $24, not just the cable car rides but so many things on the other side. The car was smooth and had an upper and lower deck. We of course chose the upper. The view was terrific and when we arrived at Ba Deo mountain we were ushered into a modern arcade, then on to a wax museum called Fame Hall where we could get up close and personal with some stars. From there we rode the Sun Wheel, Vietnam's Eye. It was safe and we could see the whole area from the top. We were high above the cable car which had seemed high when we were on it. From the wheel we walked through the Zen Garden to the Samurai Slide, a very fast toboggan ride. We boarded our sled, got our instructions in halting English, and took off. It was great fun and in the end we even bought the photo ($3). We then went back to the cable car and made the return trip. We were the only people in the upper part and our operator was so cute and friendly. He tried to make our pictures using Hugh's camera but we found out later that he had not pushed the shutter button hard enough. It was getting near 5:30 and we were tired so we took the tender back to the ship. We got a cup of tea and spent some time working on pictures and journaling before showering and dressing for dinner. We had dinner in the main dining room with a lovely couple from Florida. We rushed to make the show and we were so glad we did. Corrine, Kyle, Adam, and Amanda did a fabulous job as did our dancers Paul and Cat. The show band and the string quartet combined again to form the Insignia Orchestra. This is one strong production cast. Off to bed after a wonderful fun filled day!

Up at bit before 8 and off to walk. After our walk we went for breakfast and barely made it to the lecture on Unusual Vietnam Customs. We went from the lounge to the cabin for bathing suits and ending up at poolside. We sat in the sun until time for lunch. We sat outside and had a light lunch. We went back outside for a while but I was soon hot and getting tired. We decided to go to the cabin and shower and cool off. We stayed in and read until time to dress for the Captain's cocktail party. We had a nice time and took our wine up to Horizons to play cards once the party broke up. We decided to eat in the Terrace and then went to hear the string quartet. We went to the show and were disappointed with the violin player. His first show was so much better. It was then time to head to the room and catch up on journaling.

We slept in this morning and then went for our walk. We had breakfast outside as we were hot. We grabbed our computers and headed to the lecture. This was a wonderful lecture on the Mekong and made us wish we were going there this trip. We had such a wonderful river cruise on the Mekong in the past. From the lecture we went to the gym and worked out hard. We decided to re-coop by the pool. I started a new audible book and Hugh continued listening to the new Alex Delaware mystery. We decided to eat lunch at WAVES and continue listening to our books. At 2 we went to shower and dress to go to the lecture on Saigon at 3. We are looking forward to more exploration of the city since we will be docking right downtown. From the lecture we went to our coffee café and I journaled and helped with choosing some special pictures from our trip. We had a relaxing afternoon and showered and dressed for a late dinner. After dinner we played cards and listened to our string quartet until they ended the evening. We then went to the showroom and sat near the back because we were not overly impressed with the singer at her first performance. It was Streisand tonight and that had the potential of being awful. We were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the show very much. It was late when we headed to bed!

Up this morning at 7:30 so we could go up to deck for the sail-in to Ho Chi Minh City. It was a sunny day and we were able to sit outside for breakfast and enjoy the view. We docked at 10 and we were soon off the ship and on the first shuttle into town. The shuttle let everyone out at Union Square and we were surprised that we remembered the area very well. We were directly across from the beautiful Opera House! We started walking and made our first stop at the Diamond Department store to cool off and check out what they had. They had every designer and even a Banana Republic store. We continued our walk and were soon at the post office and Notre Dame Cathedral. These are two of the highlights in the city. Our next highlight was the Reunification Palace where the famous picture of the tank going through the wrought iron fence was taken. The actual tank is on the grounds. We did not go inside as we have taken this tour before. We stopped for pho at the Ngon 38 restaurant. It was delicious and we needed lots of fluids to get us on our way. After lunch we made our way to the Ben Thanh Market and did some shopping. Hugh purchased 2 new small lightweight backpacks as his from the Silk Market in Beijing is wearing out. I bargained for a scarf that started out at $100 and I paid $5 when the deal was done. Hugh did some bargaining for a Dri-fit tee for me and we made another $5 purchase.

We decided to leave the market while we had money left and as we were walking a lovely young lady gave us a brochure for massages. She said they were ½ price today (it was a holiday) and we decided to try it out. She took us to the Yuri Spa, which was 3 levels and very professional. We had 70 minutes of hand, feet, neck, and shoulder massages and we left happy and relaxed. We continued our exploration of the city and ended up walking back to the ship. We found a walk along the river and it was easy... there was even a pedestrian bridge. Back on the ship we refreshed with diet coke and then went out to the dockside stalls and browsed. Nothing we needed so we headed back on board. Hugh uploaded pictures and did the wash while I showered. Once we were ready for dinner we ate a light dinner in the Terrace and then took some time to journal and edit pictures. We went to the folk show at 9. This was an excellent show with music and dance. The musician's used instruments dating back to the 15th century. The costumes were bright and colorful. Very fun evening!

Up at 7:30 and hoping to hear we have first-class seats on the way home. No such luck! Off to breakfast and then off the ship. Our day began with a taxi ride to the War Remnants Museum. The museum is heart-breaking and we were surprised at how quiet and reserved everyone was. This museum was not only about the Anti-American War (yes that is what it is called here) but goes much further back to all the wars in recent history. Man's inhumanity to man is definitely on display. We spent 2 hours here and then decided to walk downtown. Several blocks away I found an electric pole that had everyone's dove stickers from the museum. We continued our walk going in shops and soon found ourselves at the post office with a McDonalds right next door. We stopped for a coke and used the Wi-Fi but before we left we had ice cream sundaes. We knew we did not want much lunch as we have reservations in Toscana tonight and ice cream hit the spot. The rest of our time in the city was just spent exploring the different areas and checking out all the different kinds of shops. We hit dress stores, lacquer shops, and the Lucky Mall. We stopped to purchase coffee to take home and spent our last dongs on a tee for Hugh. We walked back to the ship and met 2 lovely Australian couples that wanted to know all about our cruise. When we made it back to the ship with an hour to spare before sail away, we uploaded pictures, drank cold beverages, and journaled in our nicely air conditioned cabin. We journaled, read, and rested until time to dress for dinner. We had a long, lovely, and delicious dinner in Toscana and still had time to play cards and listen to the strings quartet before the show. The show was a Scottish entertainer named Jimmy The Entertainer and he was ok. He played lots of instruments and sang. Then it was off to bed!

This morning we slept in until 7:45 and dressed for church and our day in Bangkok. Church was wonderful and there was a large turnout. We then went to breakfast and then off to the lecture on Buddhism. After the lecture we went out on deck to see the views and then to the café to journal until lunch time. We arrived at Bangkok at noon. We had a light early lunch and watched as the city came into view. We went to the cabin and packed our backpack and rushed to get off the ship so we could catch the first shuttle. Ray, the cruise director, made several announcements about not congregating in the 4 floor exit area but no one listened and when we went to our cabin after lunch the area was packed. We made it on the shuttle in the last 2 seats, not together. When we arrived at the drop off point in Ekamai we took some time looking around the mall area there. It is Sunday and the locals are out and fun to interact with. We then took the sky train to central station (Siam) and decided to explore this part of town. We were amazed at all the shopping areas here. It was like Hong Kong with elevated walkways and very exclusive shops. There were at least 4 multistory malls all connected. Some were like one big store with individuals stores inside them. We took our time walking around and being amazed. It was very hot outside, well over 90 and the air conditioning felt good. We walked between them on the walkways but also explored the markets at street level.

Close to 4 we caught the train to the river area and went to the Shangri La Hotel where we have stayed many times. We knew they had a boat shuttle to Asiatique and we signed up to take it. We had some time to kill and Hugh wanted to try to find the restaurant we had been to with our friend Chakritt. His directions are usually good but this time he was thwarted. We made it back to the hotel in time for the 5 pm shuttle and soon we were on the river chugging toward the market. This river is so busy; you see all sorts of boats doing their jobs. The water taxis are the busiest all day but this time of the evening there are a lot of dinner cruises out and some of the boats are brightly lit. We even saw a charter one with a wedding party. By the time we arrived at the dock we realized we were starved. We found a beautiful Thai restaurant, Baan Khanitha by the River, and had a fantastic meal. After we fished and rehydrated we walked around all the stalls and shops. When we were eating there was a lovely breeze but in the narrow passages it was still unbearably hot. Around 9ish we decided to get the boat back. We had to wait a bit but were soon on our way. From the hotel we made our way to the sky train and by 10 we were at the drop off point where we started. It was well past the time the boat shuttle had stopped running for the day so we found a taxi and negotiated our price with the dispatcher. Fortunately, we had the address of the port because our driver had no idea where he was going. He asked several motorcyclists for directions as we made our way back. I am not sure who was happier to see the ship, us or him. We reboarded and showered before bed. It was a great day in a great city!!!

This morning we dressed for a day of leisure. After breakfast we took the shuttle in and when we arrived we asked a taxi driver how much to Health Land Spa in Ekamai. We were surprised when he said we should walk. He pointed us in the right direction and in less than 30 minutes we were at one of our favorite places. We had our foot massage first, followed by tea. Then we were taken up stair, yes this place is 4 stories, and shown to our VIP room. The 2 massage therapists had us change into pj's and soon they were working their magic. This was 2 hours of torture and bliss. I am sure I will have some sore muscles tomorrow. She did my head and neck last and I was practically begging her not to stop. She did not take the hint and we had to dress. We were served more herbal tea with 9 medicinal ingredients. Soon we had to leave to walk back for the last shuttle. Today is a shorter day and the last shuttle from town is at 3. We made it and only had to wait a short time before we were off to the ship. It was almost a 40-minute trip because of traffic. We uploaded pictures and I used my iPhone hotspot to get some Kindle books. We then went to our favorite spot to journal and watch as we sailed. I had purchased some hair color because my hair was grey and blond and felt like straw. It was called cool blonde and when I put it on it turned my hair a medium ash brown. I look very different and was sure I would need to stay in the cabin until I could get some different color. Once it was dried and styled Hugh said it looked like my hair when I was much younger. I decided nobody on this ship matters enough for me to be embarrassed so off we went to dinner. After dinner we listened to the strings quartet and then went to a comedy and magic show. The lady was British and quite funny and also good with her tricks. She had some funny encounters with 2 gentlemen she asked to assist. Both stated afterwards that they could not figure out how she did the tricks. We walked a bit before heading to the cabin to read.

Today we had a lazy "stay in the cabin and read" kind of morning. Hugh had coffee delivered and he went for Danish. We got up and dressed just in time for a very early lunch. We arrived in Koh Samui at 10 and our excursion started at 11:50. We exchanged our tour tickets and boarded our tender for the ride to the port. We were using land based boats that were much larger than our ship tenders. We made the trip easily but encountered some rain as we neared the port. By the time we docked and were getting off it was sunny and even warmer. We found our bus, #17, and our guide Toto. As we drove away Toto told us about our itinerary and showed us a map of the island. He told us that the island was only 45 miles off the coast and that the ferry takes about 1 ½ hours. Our first stop, which was about 20 minutes away, was the Funny Day Safari, a training camp for baby elephants. We were able to pet a 4-year-old elephant named Christine. Christine was put through her routine for us and she sat, stood on her hind legs then on her front legs, hoola hooped and danced, and most impressive of all played soccer. This was very enjoyable and it was nice to see the elephants being taken care of. Most of the elephants in Thailand were used in the logging industry but since the natural resources have been depleted they were out of a job. The people took the elephants and gave them new jobs in the tourist industry where they have elephant safaris and shows.

From the elephant show we drove another 20 minutes to the Big Buddha Temple. This was a large complex with shopping but the main thing was the large Buddha image on a high platform. There were 87 steps up to the Buddha but the view was lovely. This is an active temple and there was a steady stream of locals coming for worship. We did some shopping before we left and used most of our Thai baht. I have new white pants and a cute top in Thai style and Hugh has 2 new tees. From there we drove to the Plai Leam temple which was so colorful. There was a strange mix of Indian Hindu, Buddhist, and even a smiling Happy Buddha from China. The main temple sitting on a lotus flower was quite lovely. The temples we saw on this island are relatively new, being built in the 1970s. They are well maintained and well used. On our way to the coconut plantation we made our 3rd stop at a restaurant for cold drinks and a happy room break. It had a lovely view out over the water but nothing else to see. From our refreshment stop we drove further south to a coconut plantation. Here we saw how they use monkeys to pick the coconuts. It is brilliant. They teach the monkeys from infancy to twist the coconuts to break the stem and then drop them down. A monkey can drop 900-1000 coconuts per day where a human would have trouble picking 150-200. They go up the tree on a rope, pick that tree, then jump to the next. We watched a demonstration and we had a rebellious teenage monkey who had to play a little while he was working. We were told he was in the middle of his training. They use short-tailed Macaques for this job because they train easily and are a good size. We also saw a demonstration of how a woman would take a coconut and make coconut milk for her cooking. They do not buy canned but make it fresh each day. From the plantation it was back to the port and good-bye to Toto and to Thailand. We caught the last tender and someone was late getting back so we were 45 minutes late leaving. When we arrived back at the ship we could see the officers on the bridge did not look happy. As soon as we were all on board we steamed away. We went to our cabin and cooled off and then showered. We were sweat soaked and all the clothes had to be washed. We went to dinner late and still had time to play cards and listen to music. We went to the show for Jimmy The Entertainer's second show but left shortly after it started. He was awful this time and we decided we would rather get in bed and edit our pictures from the day. We were very tired so that may have colored our view of the show but the lounge was clearing out pretty fast. It was a great day in hot and steamy Koh Samui.

Up at 8 with the arrival of our breakfast. We ate and read before dressing for the 9am lecture. This was Peter's lecture on Singapore and was followed at 10am by John and the history of the country. These lectures on our ports of call have been a real highlight of the trip. After the lecture we headed to the cabin to begin the heinous job of packing. We had it all done before 12:30 so we headed to the main dining room for lunch. We then went to the cabin to read and nap as we lost an hour sleep last night because of a time change. At 3:30 we dressed for the Gala Tea and joined a small crowd for the lovely event. The ship is very quiet today... everyone must be packing or resting up from our 3 hot and busy days in Thailand. After the tea we picked up our passports and were happy to see the new stamps. We told the staff that we had extra pages in them and suggested they ask us to stay on. We then took our computers to our favorite spot and journaled and read. It is so nice to be caught up on my journal. We had a quiet dinner and then listened to the strings quartet before going to the show. Our woman magician/humorist was back and we enjoyed the show. Since we are packed we headed off to bed with ideas for a day in Singapore in our heads.

We awoke in Singapore today! This is our 4th trip so we did not rush out with the early bird excursions. Around 9 after a good breakfast, we bought MRT (subway) tickets and headed over to the Marina Bay area. We have been here many times but never to the Gardens by the Bay. We purchased our tickets and decided to tour on our own. Our first adventure was through the Super Trees forest and the Skywalk through the grove. It was so interesting to see the manmade wonders and also the surrounding area from so high up.

From this adventure we went to explore the flower dome. We were expecting it to be hot and humid inside like a greenhouse but were very surprised to find it very cool and not humid at all. They had a wonderful tulip exhibition and this was so great as this is my favorite flower and we missed them at home this spring. This exhibit reminded us of the Keukenhof Gardens near Amsterdam on just a slightly smaller scale. There were all sorts of eco systems in here and plants from all over the world.

When we had explored each area and had freeing hands we walked outside along the children's garden until we warmed up. It did not take long and we were ready to go to the Cloud Dome. This was an area with a high waterfall and thousands of orchids, pitcher plants, and lush vegetation. It was cool also and we donned our raincoats for the waterfall. We walked the treetop adventure and had a great time making pictures. Our favorite area was the pitcher plants with Lego models placed among them.

After the Cloud dome we made our way into the mall at the Marina Sands area and decided to go back to the ship and eat a bite, charge our phones, and head to Sentosa Island for the rest of the afternoon. We did just that by taking the cable car. We made it to Sentosa and we were amazed at all the growth there had been in the 16 years since our last visit. Hotels, theme parks, water slide, gourmet restaurants, and even a casino now dot the landscape. We transferred to the Sentosa Line of cable car and ended up near the Hard Rock Resort and all the things around it. We walked through a mall area attached to the resort as a short cut and it could have been in any big city with all the designer brands represented.

We then decided to continue our cable car ride as the skies are dark and we are afraid they may halt the service if the weather worsens. This is a long ride and we eventually make our way back to our starting point but we did not get off. We continued to Faber Peak and stopped for wine and enjoyed the lovely view over the harbor. As darkness descended we did also and then walked through the Vivo City Mall area before making it back to the ship. We had a late dinner and an early bedtime. We had our bags out and our clock set for 4:30 am as we crawled under the covers.

Up way before the sun today and as we dressed they delivered our coffee. We decided against breakfast as neither of us could face eggs this early. We went to the taxi stand we had checked out he night before. We were assured that taxis were there 24-7 but guess what, not this morning. There were 3 couples waiting and each of us had to go and flag taxis at the street. The ride to the airport was quick but our driver took us to the wrong terminal. We asked him about this and he was so nice, he ran inside and found where we needed to be and took us there. We were so early we had to wait 30 minutes for the check in counter to open. This was Ok as I got to be first in line... this did me no good as the flight was full and there were no upgrades (I had paid and signed up for one over 8 months ago) and no way to get an empty seat beside me. Hugh got an aisle seat and yes, the short girl got to have the center seat. We had time for breakfast and a good walk before boarding started. The best thing about the process was that the girl next to me was thin, quiet, and an excellent traveler. It was 15 hours of no sleep, bad food, and no stop movies. I managed it much better than expected but do not want to do it again.

When we landed in San Francisco ahead of schedule I texted Lori and she arranged Uber to pick us up. With our Global Entry we were through the arrival process very quickly and outside waiting for our ride. We thought we were amazingly alert until we sat in the car to Lori's. Lori and Ron had the guest room all set up and everything was so lovely. Towels rolled and at the foot of the bed and a lovely tray of tea nd coffee things with a sweet note. Unfortunately, we were so tired we did not appreciate them fully until we awoke much later. We could not get our luggage inside, faces washed, and teeth brushed fast enough. We fell into bed before 10 and sept until 4:30. I was just out of the shower when Ron and Lori arrived. We sat and caught up for a while before we headed into town to Blue Pizza for dinner. The food and company was fabulous and we walked around talking until everyone was yawning. We took some time to look at some pictures from our trip before we all headed to bed.

Slept until 7:30 and we were wide awake. We decided to get up shower and dress while Lori and Ron slept in. By 8:30 everyone was up and we decided to eat breakfast in a diner in Palo Alto and then head into the city. Breakfast was delicious and soon we were on the road to the city by the bay. The kids have a parking pass and this made everything so easy. We parked and then strolled to the ferry terminal enjoying all the wonderful sights of this great city. Hugh was distracted by all the different antique trolleys and buses and I loved looking at the progress they have made in the area where Lori's old office was. We made it to the ferry in time to get our tickets and be one of the early boarders. The sun was out and we were dressed for the temperature so we sat up on top. We were able to see the Bay Bridge, Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate Bridge as we made the crossing to Sausalito.

When we arrived we just took our time looking around and walking from one end of the adorable town to the other. Our original plan was to visit the model of the bay exhibit but when we arrived there was a note that said due to unforeseen circumstances they would not be open. Oh well, there was plenty to see. We looked in shops and admired the houses and just enjoyed being together. At 5 we decided to take the ferry back to the city. The line was amazingly long and we were sure we would have to wait for the next ferry but when the boarding started we realized that this was a much larger ferry than the one we came over on. We had excellent seats and a wonderful ride back. There were a lot of boats out and we even sailed very close to Alcatraz. Back in the city we walked to a wonderful Mexican restaurant for an early dinner with plans to visit the SFMOMA. After dinner we walked to the museum only to find it closed also. We made the decision to head home as it had been a wonderful but busy day. Back at Ron and Lori's we watched an adventure series and then headed to bed. What a great day.

HAPPY EASTER!! HE IS RISEN, HE IS RISEN INDEED!!!
Woke up early this morning (3am) but fortunately we both were able to go back to sleep. We got up in time to shower and dress for church and have a lovely breakfast that R&L made for us. We went to the Mountain View campus of Menlo Presbyterian Church today and it was packed. The music was wonderful and the message from John Ortberg was perfect for Easter. We stayed and met some of their friends and then went home to change into casual clothes. It was raining and after some deliberation we went for a ride to the Stanford Mall and found that it was closed. We did the grocery shopping we needed for dinner and headed home. We took our time making from scratch banana pudding, gourmet deviled eggs, setting up trays of olives and cheese, and making something for R&L to have for lunch this coming week.

It was a great afternoon and at 6 we went next door to share a wonderful meal with 6 of their friends. It was such a fun evening and the food was delicious and plentiful. We were made to feel right at home and everyone loved the pudding and there was not even a spoonful left. We helped to clean up and then headed next door. We were all tired and knew we had a busy week so after we cleaned up the dishes we headed to bed. We have had such a wonderful time here but tomorrow we head home.

We got up this morning and stripped our bed and put the wash in before we showered and dressed. We munched our breakfast as we did the laundry, swiffered the floors, and emptied the dishwasher. We try to be good guests so we can come back soon. We had Lyft pick us up at 9:45 and the ride to the airport was quick. We had an easy trip through security and had time to get some brunch before we boarded our flight. . The flight to Texas went well until we got close to Houston. The pilot came on the intercom and said we would be circling for 30-45 minutes because of thunderstorms. At 45 minutes he came on and said we were diverting to Austin to refuel and wait out the storms. We sat and waited on the fuel truck for almost an hour then we sat on the tarmac for 1½ hours more before we were cleared to fly to Houston. In Houston we found out that our connecting flight was delayed also so we had time to go to the United Club and have dinner and wine. At boarding time, we got in line with other travelers and stood through 4 more delays. They were waiting on the cleaning crew. The flight crew finally cleaned the plane and we boarded 5 hours late. We landed in Charlotte at 3:30 am. We claimed our bags and called Hampton Inn to send their shuttle. By 4 am we were sound asleep and did not set an alarm (we had asked for late checkout).

We awoke at 11:30 and showered and repacked. I contacted Uber and soon we were on our way home. We arrived at 2 and started the unpacking, washing, and mail sorting that always signifies the end of a great trip! /susan

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”
― Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad/Roughing It