Thoughts to Share

It’s Saturday, Feb 20 as we head towards Sydney, Australia. It’s Friday in the United States.
Tomorrow is the last day of this 12 day cruise from Auckland, NZ to Sydney, Australia. Mark and I are two of the only 142 of 2700 Diamond Princess passengers who will not be disembarking in Sydney. Instead, we are doing another segment of 20 days which will take us to Bangkok, Thailand. This itinerary will take us back for a day each in Melbourne and Hobart and then up the southern and western coasts of Australia to Adelaide, Perth and Geraldton. After four days at sea, we will reach Singapore where we will spend a day and then one day each in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam; Sihanoukville, Cambodia; and then Bangkok. We will stay overnight in Bangkok, fly to Tokyo, Japan and stay overnight there and then will fly from Tokyo to Los Angeles and on to Seattle on March 15.

Some thoughts in no particular order. Every single Australian and New Zealander we’ve met both on and off the ship have been unfailingly friendly, warm and open. I’ve concluded that “down under” is a great part of the world and I’m so happy to have experienced some of it.

The weather has been warm and sunny and the seas have been calm and slight for the most part.

I’ve won $24 in the casino.

Mark and I have taken more dance lessons from the very funny dance teacher on board, Tyson. In addition to the private lessons we took before leaving home, we’ve learned the meringue, rhumba, waltz, cha-cha (again) and the New York swing…all of which are ballroom dances. I’m so pleased that Mark has enthusiastically participated both before and during the cruise even when it’s been frustrating for him. We’ve been wanting to do this for a long time…or at least said we waned to and we finally did it!

One of the best parts of travelling is learning from the people you meet and this cruise has been no exception. We learn about the politics of other countries, how others see America, how they live their lives and in general, we become less insulated and more tolerant.

Mark and I love seeing the countryside of the places we visit. We so enjoy the unique animals and birds that are found only in this part of the world such as the kangaroo, koala, emu, albatross, platypus, wallaby, yellow-eyed penguin and many others. I love sending you photos of these animals.

We didn’t do any ceramics on this trip as we have done quite a bit during 2009.

Before each port, an on board lecturer gives a presentation of the city and where we can go and what to see. It’s very informative.

Although we have fixed seating at 6:00 PM with a set group of table mates, we don’t always go. Instead we will sometimes eat with friends at one of the other dining venues or go up to the Horizon Court buffet. No matter where we eat, the food is always terrific.

The shows at night in the two floor Princess Theater are excellent. The singers and dancers are all professional caliber and a joy to watch. There are also a number of other clubs and lounges where there are bands, comedians and any number of programs going on all the time. There is also a well stocked library, internet café and board games room, etc. You can do all or none of these activities as you desire.

In our cabin, there is wireless internet where I do all my blogging and uploading of photos which I have e-mailed you the link to. I hope you’ve enjoyed looking at the pictures half as much as I’ve enjoyed taking and sending them to you.

Another great part of cruising is buying gifts and souvenirs for family and friends and this time has been no exception. And the buying is not over yet!
I really look forward to hearing from you all. As you can see, I like to keep in touch and I hope you will do so with Mark and me.
Best way is to e-mail me at: jkarla@fairpoint.net