Cruise 4

McLeods Cruising.com

Su's notes: These were missed in the previous page - I'll update the page once you all have read them.

Port Said.
Before coming into Port Said of course we transited the Suez Canal. Cars tooting from the road, kids shouting and waving , whistles little tiny boats ringing bells etc. Even the big red dredges were waggling their buckets at the ship. All in all it was like royalty floating down the Nile. We passed under the tallest suspension bridge in the world of course, which appeared magically out of the shimmering desert on one side of the canal and vanished mysterious miles away into the haze on the other. We were on deck for hours looking at tiny mosques in the middle of nowhere, monuments to the war etc. people washing and bathing and swimming living it seemed on the bank.

Egypt - Sahara (apparently Sahara means desert in Arabic) Rod has mentioned that we did some cross desert 4wd-ing out to see some of the oldest pyramids and mounds. The step pyramid is at Saqqara and the Red Pyramid etc. at Djoser don't use these facts in an exam please! There are temple remains massive colonnades out there and hundreds of small pyramids. There's also a huge stone sphinx like that at Giza. We had a ship's photographer on board and both Rod's arm and my shoulder figure splendidly in the bouncing scenes of the desert. I'm thinking of getting work as a shoulder model for older women, hardly a wrinkle. Apart from the damage done to Rod's recovering back problem we had the best tour, and few people, about 30.

Rod missed Ephesus and spent the day lying on the cabin floor, or so he says. I walked about six or seven kms up and down hills and steps and steep alleyways and received for this a blessing of strength from Hercules. I can't imagine how I would have survived without it. It was only about 40 C that day which seemed mild compared to the Sahara.

A fabulous place. So many gods, so much history, and the excavation of the terrace houses above the town ... frescoes, mosaics indoor plumbing .. they are all under the hill .. running out of superlatives! Have some great shots (from my phone) of storks in huge nests on light posts broken columns anything tall and skinny it seems. The chicks are enormous. If it didn't take so long and cost a weeks wage we would post them on web but maybe when we get to England land. Of course I pointed and shot all day without really knowing what was in frame. Rod was quite impressed with the result.
Maybe I'll get work as a photographer, but not on a ship. Too many people!!

Piraeus: was searching for an internet cafe, coffee and a wonderful greek salad with a beer. Very important too, great loos!! Five mile wander around the port. We didn't go into Athens this time. We have seen most of it before and sometimes it's nice to talk to real people and watch the world go by. There were four other ships in port with us and the thought of queuing with 8000 people all trying to get to the same places was not at all appealing. This doesn't include those visitors not from the ships.

Istanbul - Here we elected to keep away from the maddings and wander slowly .. yet another four big ships in port with us. We had a breezy sail up and down the Bospheros all locals aboard for a wonder and the views were postcardy perfect as you will see if ever any of my cards arrive. We found good food and wine under one of the bridges, an internet cafe for Rod's sanity, he downloaded the Economist and did some much needed banking and caught the tram home. .... Insert superlatives here .... Home for a beautiful sailaway from Istanbul and all those magical minarets and domes.

Santorini

Who would come here in season? Five ships in port today. Really picturesque island with villages rimming the caldera of the volcano. Everywhere little alleys with stone walls overhung with magenta bougainvillea. Stunning views over the houses stepped down the cliffs to the sea. Blinding white buildings broken only by that clear greek blue on windows, doors and of course the domes of the churches. We ran away again found what we wanted in the back streets. Eventually a little bar up high, overlooking the terraced houses, water, red geraniums and a greek beer of course. Joy .. Rod found tonic water for our illegal cocktail hour.

Great 150 year old family winery (with loo) tastings, incomprehensible discussion about the modalities of the grape or some such very difficult accent, and a delicious lunch under the bouganvilla pergolas. The vines grow close to the ground in interwoven basket shapes. This stops the continuous winds from damaging them and keeps the dew and negligible rainfall from evaporating so quickly. The vines are not watered because all water is shipped to the island. I'm not a connoisseur, but all the resulting wines , even the sweet ones are thin tasting to me. We had one (Rog and Jane) very like, in intention, the 'plum pudding' liqueur we drank in Melbourne. Have to ask you when we get home. Maybe its the soil although the olives and tomatoes and aubergines etc. were full of flavour. Maybe just the style? (of wine)

After an hour and a half wait in the very hot for the cable car home we felt like we had done a good days work. We'd walked quite a few kms. Again only about 38 C. The alternative was walking down 632 steps alongside mad donkeys toting tourists up the hill. . The entire route was covered in donkey droppings, very slippery. Several people were knocked down the steps by donkeys heading home. No humans are involved in this endeavour. Makes the spectacular cable car ride seem very sweet. Not lazy .. just safety conscious.   ..... mmmmmmm ...

.Have used too many parentheses to know if this makes sense. Off to hear some Dixie now. Tomorrow Venice and a friend of 24 years, Su Boyle. She has magnanimously travelled to Venice and is staying overnight so we can see her for longer. Looking forward to the jazz club. love for now suz xx

Thu Jul 1             Venice, Italy venice

Su and I had been to Venice many times when we lived in Italy. Everyone who visited us wanted to go, so we inevitably accompanied them to the water city. After the couple of visits, and after the novelty had worn off, I had grown to loath Venice, which I thought of as grossly overpriced, with nothing on offer but surly shopkeepers and expensive tourist junk.

So I wasn't really looking forward to Venice.

I hadn't realised that we would sail right through the middle of it! We sailed right past St Marks Square on the starboard side - could see the people milling in the square and we could watch the gondaliers tied up at the multicoloured posts all bobbing in the ship's wake.

Because the ship was staying overnight, Su Boyle had arranged a hotel for the night, rather than us having to go back to the ship.

We disembarcked and met Su on the Dock. She had brought our liquid presents in her wheeled valise and the weight had broken the handle mechanism. We struggled off the dock, found a bar where we had a few cold beers and caught up on the immediate past, then marched onwards to the canals where we caught a Vaporetto (water bus) which dropped us right near our hotel.

We checked in and set off to explore Venice. Found a pharmacia and bought some paracetamol to counter the growing flu symptoms both Su and I were starting to display. There is something going around the ship.

With the recent appreciation of the Aussie Dollar, combined with the weakening of the Euro, Venice has now a reasonably priced city. Things were looking up! Then I found an Internet cafe where I managed to download the latest Economist Audio Magazine, and started to feel even happier.

The girls went 'window licking' as teh Italians say. They were happy. All god's chillun' were happy.

Lunched at a pizzaria, and enjoyed Venice for a change.

Dined that night at an Israeli restaurant, when at about 11.00 pm, I realised that I had omitted to bring along the power adaptor for my CPAP machine.

Bugger! Can't sleep without it, especially with the cold symptoms that block my breathing passages (the machine helps to keep the airways open, especially with a cold).

The last shuttle to the boat leaves St Marks square at midnight. Better rush. We were some way from St Marks, but I caught a vaporetto that got me to the square with 10 minutes to spare. No Shuttle.... Hmmm. By this time, all the vaporettos had finished business for the night. Carumba! What to do? Either I sleep outside in St Marks square, or negotiate an outrageously expensive water taxi to take me to the ship. I chose the latter. 60 Euros later, I was back to the cabin.

Fri Jul 2           Venice, Italy

Next morning retraced my earlier steps and rejoined Su and Su for breakfast. Another Vaporetto to St Marks, then we farewelled Su and headed back to the ship, and sailed away.

It was terrific to see Su again - she made a terrific effort to take time off work, and come to Venice. She also made sterling efforts to ensure that we had sufficient lubrication for the coming weeks.

There is a magic charm about Italy... it's going to be really difficult to make that firm decision to go live in South America, rather than just head back to the old, familiar and loved territory.

Terrific to see Suzy Q in Venice. Gave up two days of work, loaded up the Sprite and Iced tea bottles and got us a room at the inn walking distance to everything and no crowds. Bridge, canal, geraniums, masses of petunias in window boxes, cafes, not smelly at all !!

Delicious Israeli meal across the canal .. a stroll at one the town still jumping. Lots of chit chat and late night dangling of legs over the canal until the water taxis started getting us with their wake. excellent sleep. The vaporettos are more sedate. Next morning brioche and coffee at a bar and slow walk to Piazza San Marco to catch the tender back to the boat. I had woken up with a terrible sore throat and could barely speak. I've already gone through this twice on the trip so far. Sorry to say goodbye but happy to head for the cabin.

Sat Jul 3rd                 Dubrovnic, Croatia dubrovnic

Sailed into Dubrovnic - a lovely harbour with white houses and terracotta tiled roofs basking in hot mediterranean sun. Islands dot the harbour. A big suspension bridge spans two headlands.

Su is quite sick with the flu. Luckily, we had made no tour arrangements for Dubrovnic - we had decided to just go explore on our own.

We grab a shuttle bus, had a quick tour of teh old medieval town but Su is not feeling well, so I send her back to the ship, finish doing internet stuff, and rejoin her on board.

We can always come back here....

Saw the step outside the internet cafe and the shuttle bus back to ship. Took less than an hour. Desperately disappointed because I had heard so much about the old walled city. (don't know if Stew and Chrissy saw it when they were in Croatia) Anyway ... was too ill to care. Rod's not well.

Sun Jul 4        At Sea   HCIMP

How Cheap Is My Princess!?!

At a lecture on navigation recently, the Ship's Officer tells us that a ship's size is defined by a calculated ratio called "Gross Volume"

This takes into account volume, dead weight, weight of fittings etc etc and is quite complicated.

Another measure is "passenger density". This calculates the amount of space available and divides it by the number of passengers. The bigger the number, the more space each passenger has.

The biggest ship in the pricess line (can't remember the name) has a passenger density of around 56. The bigger "Monarch of the Seas", owned and operated by a competitor, has a passenger density of only 47!

"They pack you in like sardines on that ship", crows the officer.

What is the passenger density of this ship, the Dawn Princess??

"Oh... it is 39".

Oh, you lucky sardines!

How cheap is that Princess!

Mon Jul 5            Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy rome

This is the jumping off point for cruise tours to Rome and the Vatican. There are 10 large cruise ships in harbour. I can image the queues at the Vatican and the coliseum when around 10,000 people descend on it. The Dawn Princess Tours desk claim that cruise tours get preferential entrance over non-cruise tours. How do you successfully allocate preferential access to all 10,000 people??

Su stays on board... her flu is getting worse. I wander off into the Port of Civitaveccia town to buy a few supplies, more paracetamol, a corkscrew and some internet time.

Returnees from tours in Rome are complaining about long queues and little time to see things properly.

Day and a half in bed. Got dressed had half a piece of bread and realised that I was going back to bed. Oh well it was just a wander around port day for us so Rod could get his internet fix and more paracetamol. He's happy.

Tues Jul 6th              Livorno, Toscano, Italy   livorno

This is the jumping off point for cruise tours to Florence and Pisa. Some tours just do Pisa, some just do Florence, some do both cities. "Run you bastards, run!"

Again, Su and I have been to Pisa and Florence many times. Too many times to want to cope with the 10,000.

We meet up with my brother David and Colene, who came down from their B&B in Piedmonte (see www.cascinavalgranocchio.com/) A great place to stay if you are in the north west of Italy.

We begin with a few drinks...

When we lived in Follonica, I used to take my empty wine flagon to a little shop in the town centre that had two 500 gallon plastic vats - one filled with white wine, one filled with red wine. It used to cost $1.00 AUD per litre. The wine was called Morellino Di Scansano. It was really good.

The house wine of the little bar we were at, was... Morellino Di Scansano!! Fancy that! What a great way to start the day!

A browse throught the shops, a local lunch, and a few more drinks. But not for Su, who is still feeling poorly. We have to get her to a doctor tomorrow for some antibiotics.

David and Col wave us off, gifting us with a beautiful magnum of Piedmonte wine "Buffo" Many thanks, David and Col! It was great to catch up!

Off to see Rod's brother David and his wife Col. Really looking forward to this!! They are intrepid travellers, from safaris to Morocco to the back of beyond in India and lots more I can't remember. I was feeling pretty rough but never mind. Lunch where I had a piece of bread, which I carelessly lost, so I had to go back to their hotel to bed. Managed an hour with them out in a lovely green garden then walked back to shuttle. Seemed an eternity standing in the sun before it came. Back to bed where I have been ever since.

Wed Jul 7         Cannes France       cannes

We stay on board. Su is worse, I don't feel the best either. Bloody Flu!

Sadly bed and a diet of pills for me!!

Thu Jul 8        Barcelona         barcelona

Spain beat Germany last night at football. The place is draped in flags.

Su goes to the Ship's doctor, is given medication and retires to bed.

This is a real shame, as I was looking forward to her using her newly acquired Spanish skills to get me about the place without hassle.

Undaunted, after making sure she wants for nothing, I go ashore to explore.

I get on a "Hop on, Hop off" Bus and go see the Gaudi cathedral. What a monstrosity.

Gaudi is famous for his beautiful and unusual architectural designs, several of which are in Barcelona.

Construction of his cathedral started in the late 1800's, but when he was killed in a train accident in 1926, his successors went overboard.

Construction still continues (and is expected to continue for some decades yet), as more and more tastless themes are added. It is a nightmare of kitsch.

Check it out on the web.

After the cathedral, I hopped on a local bus, worked my way to a metro station, managed to get back to the port and went ashore.

Fri Jul 9             At Sea

Finally, a day off! I write up these notes.... Su is still resting... Hopefully, she will be well enough to go ashore at Gibralta tomorrow.

Today at sea, rattling around hoping I'll feel well enough to get off in Gibraltar tomorrow. I've never slept so much in all my life! Averaging about 16-17 hours a day. In fact it's sleepy time right now. Hope to have proper news next time.xxx

Sat Jul 10         Gibraltar        gibraltar

Had a day at sea resting for Gib. Got up on deck, lasted about 20 minutes and had what can only be described as an asthma attack like nothing I've ever had before. I had been to doctor on Barcelona day and was diagnosed with an acute respiritory infection and was taking anti-bios. But the extreme humidity etc. undid me. Thank goodness I had ventolin in my bag. Staggered back to bed. Rod got off later for a wander etc. and paracetamol. He had to miss the tour.

Having settled Su down in the cabin, I went for a walk into Gibraltar. A strange feeling - a little piece of England transplanted into the heart of Europe - policemen looking like extras straight off the set of "The Bill" , postbox red postboxes, red telephone booths, and a mixture of Spanish and English spoken languages.

Sun Jul 11             At Sea

Drugs good .. started to feel as though I would live a few days later. Lost about 4 kilos and all my stair stamina but am starting to fight back. Two sea days.

Mon Jul 12             At Sea

Tue Jul 13           Le Havre (Paris)       paris

Off we set at a sedate pace after shuttle leaves us in the dead centre of this port. I know it's the day before Bastille Day but not a scrap of bunting or flag or an open shop for that matter! A quick trip to supermarket, coffee overlooking the park and my big day out is over. Can't walk anymore. Back to sleep, after a disappointing visit.

Nevertheless was feeling that I would definitely get to see Joanna and Mike the next day in Southampton.

Wed Jul 14         London (Southampton), England southampton

End of the Second Sector of the World Cruise

Lost quite a few of our regular playmates today. Some off to travel others to fly home to winter. I'm sure we'll meet some again.

From the hot sunny Med to England - cold, wet and windy. Who would have thought? Only had a short walk from the pier to find "the oldest pub in Britain" established in 1167 or something. Was like a little church with enormously high ceiling and all English oak beams and balustrades and really tiny. Exactly what we needed for a cosy reunion.

Mike and Joanna arrived from about and hour and a half away and we settled in. Had lunch there which was impressive in size at least. The boys enjoyed a steak and ale pie good enough for Mrs Miggins. It was terrific to catch up and we will now take updated images etc. to Sheila in New York who was with us on another ship. What a way to spend a blustery day in port. Thanks for coming to see us Joanna and Mike!!

On the way back to the ship Rod found another little pub full of history and beams. On deck was the Festival Brass Band or five members of .. playing beautifully arranged songs. Such a shame they weren't inside where it wasn't so cold and where they could be heard against the wind! Early night for us both.

Thu Jul 15             At Sea

15th a day at sea and then Dublin. Again we haven't booked a tour but this time may be spending the day with our tablemates and helping Ian celebrate his 70th birthday. He and Pat are ex-farmers from down on the Mornington Peninsula. They are travelling with a great Canadian couple on their way home. Lots of fun. Off to dinner tonight for the first time in over a week and it is a formal night. Rod's fave. We don't do too many. I have had a big middle of the day sleep to get me ready.

Day Date / Port

Fri May 21 Sydney, Australia departs 5:00pm

Left the B&B (www.bbsydneyharbour.com.au) with our 2 suitcase, three hand luggages and my guitar, and headed for Dock 8, Darling Harbour.

A very smooth checkin with about 20 desks processing the 2000 passengers.

We quickly found our cabin - C720 - a 4m x 8m cabin with twin queen sized single beds and a nice external balcony with two seats and a small table, where we can sit and drink our gin tonics, which we didn't have because we couldn't fit anything else into our suitcases, let alone smuggled bottles of grog. We will try to restock in Darwin.

Had a good sailaway party on deck that evening, as we squeezed under the Harbour bridge, with 2 metres to spare...

Met up with two different couples, one guy is a guitarist/song writer who has brought his guitar on board, so we have threatened to get together sometime and have a jam session...

Sat May 22             At Sea

Morning spent sorting out details of possible day trips for the coming few weeks and getting to know our way about the ship, changing our dining session time from early (5:30pm) to late (8:00pm)... Had an acupuncture session to try and relieve the lower back pain I've been experiencing since the apartment clearout, but to little lasting effect. Reverted to lying on the floor in the cabin, doing physiotherapy exercises.

Sun May 23   top         At Sea

Investigated the internet facilities - very expensive. For casual use, the costs are $0.75 a minute, but you can buy a package of 1000 minutes for $250 ($0.25/min), or 500 minutes for $175 ($0.35/min). Elected for the 500 minutes, which should give me around 5 minutes a day. Our first formal dining evening this evening.

Met our new dinner table partners - a cordial group of retired farmers, shopkeepers and business people. A fun group.

Mon May 24             At Sea

Cruising off the Queensland coast around Gladstone. Activities: more of the same - Su studying Spanish, me lying around the cabin floor. Managed to get a mobile signal for part of the day and made a few calls whilst we could.

Went along to the Kara lounge this evening... enough said. Stayed on for the late night Nightclub/Disco - but surprise - not "doof doof" music, but good old 60's and 70's stuff. Good fun.

Tue May 25             At Sea

Passing around the top of Australia today, weather getting pretty hot. Passing lots and lots of islands... Interesting lectures on Magellan, Columbus, discoveries of the Americas etc etc.

Dining in the Pizza parlour this evening - getting a bit sick of three course dinners.

An expensive ship this - cheapest wines are $7.00 a glass, bottles of wine around $35 - $40 each. Must stock up in Darwin.

No cash on board - we use our swipe cards to buy drinks and the costs get sent to an on-board account. It soon mounts up!

Princess sent round a notice yesterday, of their intention to automatically debit everyone's on-board account with a $10 per person per day gratuity surcharge for distribution to the various service staff - waiters, cabin attendants, serving staff. A lot of grumbling from the passengers, so they have permitted us to 'opt out' of this charge and handle the gratuities ourselves. I was at the head of the queue to sign the form cancelling the charge. Princess can get stuffed!

Wed May 26             At Sea

We heard a rumour that, if there was enough interest, the ship might try to secure rights to broadcast tonight's State of Origin Rugby League match between NSW and Queensland.

We signed up, Princess got the rights and a good night was had watching Queensland (full of Melbourne Storm players), defeat NSW.

Thu May 27   top         Darwin darwin

Hot, humid, expensive, but plenty of grog shops.

Went ashore and bought a day old Financial Review (today's paper doesn't arrive till 4.00pm)

Same bad news as last week - stockmarket down, Labor and the Miners at odds over the great big new tax, the Coalition still bumbling around. But front page news - Malcolm Fraser has resigned from the Liberal Party. Ho hum - who cares? Guess I don't really care about these things much anymore. Whatever will be, will be.

Smuggled our booze back on the boat and settle back into routine.

Fri May 28   top         At Sea - Music music

Went to see the evening show in the big 500 seater lounge this evening. There is a big, theatrical type splashy show, every evening.

The musicians are good, but are playing along with pre-recorded backing tracks of guitars and vocalists. This makes the music sound all a bit too mechanical and stiff, although nobody really notices - they are all too busy looking at the dancers.

There is plenty of opportunity to listen to live/pre-recorded music -
there are two major theatrettes for song and dance, a wheelhouse bar with a band, and the three floor atrium at the centre of the ship where they have two areas with baby grand pianos.

The upper deck often has a band playing along as we sail off from ports.

So, musically we have:

* an orchestra (three brass, piano, bass drums) augmented by backing tracks,

* a reasonably good 4 piece pop band,

* a string quartet playing classics,

* and two (count 'em, two!) duo's.

One of the duo's is imaginatively named "Alan and Alana" - he plays guitar along with backing tracks and she sings.

The other duo, is confusingly named "Allan and Ladonna" - he plays piano along with backing tracks and she sings.

No need to say any more about the duo's!

Overall, and disappointingly, the standard of entertainment is nowhere near as good as we have seen on other ships.

Sat May 29    top         At Sea

Met up with a fellow passenger who has brought his guitar along with him and we have had a good jam session. Kim is pretty good. We reckon we could steal the audiences from the duos if we put a mind to it. But sounds like a lot of hard work, and I'm not sure I'm ready for that...

Sun May 30   top         Padang (Bali), Indonesia bali

According to the tourist literature, Bali is "The Land of the gods" and "The closest thing to Heaven on Earth"

Went ashore at Benoa Bay at Bali, tendering on and off the ship in small boats because P&O is too cheap to pay port fees at the main Bali port. I am thinking that P&O doesn't stand for "Pacific and Orient", but "Profiteers and Overchargers"

Getting out from the disembarkation jetty was a nightmare.

We were literally mobbed by street vendors thrusting toys, postcards, beads, bangles, etc, etc into our faces, shouting at us to buy their stuff.

Managed to escape and went in a guided taxi to Kuta beach. What was probably a lovely place once, has been ruined by commercialism, end of year football trips, and just too many people. Did find a shoe big enough for Steve Hill. (pictures later)

Although we did not ask for this, the taxi driver took us along the several crowded laneways and obligingly told us that this was where the bombings took place in 2002. Just what we wanted to know!

On the return to the jetty, I had about $2 in Bali money left over - I put it into my pocket ready to give to our guide.

At he entrance to the jetty, the street vendor mobs were worse - they knew that once we escaped across the security line, they had lost all hope of a sale.

We were crushed by people; yelling, thrusting babies in our faces, waving junk at us.... I felt a hand sliding into my shorts pocket.... one of these lovely, peaceful, gentle Balinese people, had picked my pocket.

Bali was dreadful!! I can't imagine why people go to Kuta etc. It's been destroyed by tourists and cheap rubbish. Rod did have a good fish soup on the beach though... Su

Mon May 31   top         At Sea lectures

Lectures - we have a couple of good lecturers on board. Andrew Stuart, a retired UK ambassador, gives history lectures on the places we are about to visit. His talks are really informative, colourfully anecdoted with a lot of dry, unstated British humour. The 500 seat theatre is packed out every time.

We also have Gloeta Massic, a young (30-ish) American biologist who is giving talks on all things Marine. She is also very good - funny, entertaining, with a brain the size of a small planet. We find out tonight that she also sings good Karaoke.

Ahh... Karaoke. We went to the Karaoke night, after the Captain's Formal Cocktail Party for returning Princess' Cruisers like us.

Managed to overcome my natural instinct to avoid making a fool of myself in public performances and overdid it a bit on the karaoke floor. Too many Jo Cocker impersonations. Met a few of the Staff, including the aforesaid biologist, who sings really well. Also met up with Julie James, the ship's Art Director, damn good jazz singer and friend of my old mate - drummer Steve Hill from Tassie. The best night we have had so far. And our wedding anniversary - 39 years.

Celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary on Monday with bubbles and a late night watching friends at the Karaoke lounge. Got to meet some of the guest lecturers and a singer who comes from Tasmania and knows mutual friends and etc. a fun night. We've been enjoying talks by a marine biologist with a great sense of humour (www.gloitamassey.com), and an ex-ambassador, Andrew Stuart, from England with a droll delivery and a tendency to say exactly what he thinks. Su

Tue Jun 1   top         At Sea   Junejune

The old back is hurting a bit today. Felt like I'd been doing the limbo or something strenuous last night.

Lunchtime the crew and selected passengers celebrated the crossing of the Equator in the usual manner.... us experienced "crusty shellbacks", did not attend, and left it to the "pollywogs".

Quiet day today. Girding our loins for a day in Singapore tomorrow.

Wed Jun 2   top         Singapore singapore

Went on an organised tour - "the Battlefields of Singpore"

My father flew Australian POW's out of Changie prison camps after WW II ended, and I wanted to learn a bit more about the history and try to see some of what he must have experienced.

We went to the Changie War Museum which features a replica of the chapel that the Japanese allowed the prisoners to build. There were many photos and stories of the prison conditions, including a mockup of the prison cells, and many survivors' stories of the brutal treatment at the hands of the invaders. I have a better understanding of the hatred felt by my parent's generation towards the Japanese.

Also went into the "Battle Box" - the underground bunker in Singapore where the war against the advancing Japanese forces was planned (and lost).

Visited the Kranji War Memorial and the thousands of gravestones commemorating the three Services' dead. So young! A very moving day.

We are back on board after a long hot day in and around the battlefields and cemeteries of Singapore. I didn't realise how little I knew of this history. We had an excellent guide, an historian, who has lived here for twenty something years and who also lectures at various military colleges etc. I've got a lot of reading to do on this.

I'm glad to be away from such brutality!

Today we ate at a local stall which was a nice change. Tomorrow we meet Wendy Hew in K.L.for a catch up. Su

Thu Jun 3   top         Kuala Lumpur (Port Kelang), Malaysia kualalumpur

Caught the shuttle bus into Kuala Lumpur from Port Klang, about 90 minute drive. Malaysia doesn't seem to have changed much in the outskirts, but the city itself has been transformed with new flyovers and freeways. Caught up with our friend Wendy, had lunch and spent a very pleasant afternoon with her.

It was fantastic to catch up with Wendy Hew in Kuala Lumpur. We started off with a short tour and views from tall places, a trip on the monorail and then Wendy met us half way through and we went off with her for lunch and a nostalgic trip through the chinatown markets - and then a beer because it was so hot everyone was complaining, especially the locals. It was sad to leave her. Su

Fri Jun 4   top         Langkawi, Malaysia langkawi

Lovely island this is.... caught the shuttle bus into town, spent a happy afternoon at a lovely beach bar, having a few drinks and soaking up the sun. Managed to leave my camera behind in the bar. Lucky it was just a cheapie. I'll buy another in Dubai duty free.

This evening, had another Karaoke night to celebrate one of our fellow passenger's birthday (Ralph, 71 yo) and I managed to control myself and not get up and sing!

Sat Jun 5             At Sea

We pass around the Nicobar Islands. The place to go when you want to give up smoking??

Seas getting rough as we head into the Bay of Bengal, and the tail end of the Monsoon season whips up the wind and the sea. A ship's speed of 20 knots and a wind speed of 35 knots gives a combined apparent wind speed of 55 knots. We avoid the open decks and move between the corridors, under cover.

My new (6 week old) Fisher and Paykel CPAP (Controlled Positive Air Pressure) machine gave up the ghost last night. Via a breathing mask, this machine provides a continuous, positive air pressure column of air to my throat and stops me snoring. It is the second time it has failed. Lucky I bought along the old one. Shame the hose pipe has different fittings. I must jury rig something for tomorrow night so I can use the old one.

Sun Jun 6   top         At Sea

No 1 Priority today - fix the CPAP machine. I wrap some elastoplast sticky plaster around the output spigot and manage to form a good air tight seal. Temporary solution to hand. I email the distributor and request a new machine to be delivered to the ship. This will test the system!!

Had another jam session tonight with Kim. We had an audience this time... they seemed to enjoy it.

My back is a lot better these days - lying on the floor waggling my legs in the air may not be the most gracious way of spending one's time, but it seems to be working.

Mon Jun 7             At Sea

Rounding Sri Lankar, heading north for Cochin. Quite a lot of rain and wind, as the Monsoon continues to effect the weather conditions.

The F&P people have requested the details of the Shipping agents and they will try to get a new CPAP machine to me in India. My level of confidence is not high.

Indian Visas. We did not have time in Melbourne to finalise our Indian Visas for entry to both Cochin tomorrow and Mombai on Thursday. Normally, a cruise ship does not need special visas to disembark at a port.

However, after the terrorist attacks on Mumbai last year, India has tightened up on its issuing of visas. Obviously, a cruise ship of elderly, overweight Australian tourists, armed with knobbly walking sticks and large handbags, could be considered highly dangerous, and India is determined not to let any baddies slip past.

Even though we do not have visas, we still have to line up in front of the Indian Immigration authorities, show our passports and get our names ticked off their list. We will not get off the ship now until Muscat on June 13th.

We are reasonably happy to stay on the ship - I have been to India many times when I worked for Tioxide, and Su is not so keen to put herself through another phalanx of poverty stricken street vendors, so we are not anxious about missing India. I didn't want to visit their silly country anyway!

Karaoke tonight. Can I again resist making a fool of myself? Hmmmm.   top

Tue Jun 8   top         Cochin, India cochin

I did manage to resist.

Old salts reckon you could smell India well out to sea - before you could see the land. You still can. As we approach Cochine, the smell of spices drifts across from the land.

Tropical, humid, lush - this is old familiar territory for me. When working for Tioxide, I spent time in and around Kerala State looking for a suitable sites to build a factory. No matter how hard I tried in the old days, no matter how many precautions I took - avoiding ice cubes, drinking only from sealed cans and bottles, eating in high quality resturants, every time I went to India, I ended up with food poisioning. HA HA, won't get me this time!!

Wed Jun 9             At Sea

Hell's Bells! Woke up in the middle of the night with a bad case of Cochin Cramp! And I hadn't even gone ashore! Spent most of today close to a toilet, didn't eat anything and had an alcohol free day.

Thu Jun 10   top         Bombay (Mumbai), India mumbai

Feeling better today. Got a call from the Indian Fisher and Paykel people to tell me that their reps were at the foot of the gangplank with my replacement breathing machine. Ripper! So, how to get off the ship and onto the wharf without a visa??

Easy, just tell the security people that I had to pick up a package, and walked off. No swiping our ship's security card (normally we must swipe off when leaving the ship and then swipe back on when returning), just wandered down the gangplank and along the wharf till I found the F&P reps. No challenges from the many ferocious looking soldiers armed with AK47's, no ship security people asking me where my visa was, I just walked off.

A bit more difficult getting back on. I had come off the disembarking gangplank, and the whark security wanted me to go back up on the embarking gangplank. That's what passengers do - they leave the ship on one gangplank and return up the other.

I knew this would cause trouble; the security guard at the disembarking gangplank was waiting for me to return up his gangplank. He wouldn't like it if I didn't come back.

That caused some confusion when I barged up the wrong plank. Then I swiped back on, because that's standard procedure. That's going to mess up their system - I came on board the ship without ever going off it. HA HA HA. That'll teach them not to grant me a visa!!

Anyway, excellent service from F&P.

Fri Jun 11             At Sea

Formal night tonight and later, Karaoke.

Also, a concert from the Ship's staff of Philipinas, Indians and Eastern Europeans.

Sat Jun 12             At Sea

Sun Jun 13   top         Muscat, Oman (Mina Qaboos) muscat

We take a tour of the Grand Mosque; designed, fabricated and built by foreigners about 5 years ago. The Omanies just had to pay for it. It is a monument to oil money.

As you can imagine, the opulence of the men's prayer room is breathtaking - marble floors, crystal chandeliers, beautiful, intricately woven carpets, lofty ceilings, laced stonework.

The women's prayer room, is a small, drab room with little to speak of. Su, as do all the other women, has to cover her head, arms and legs to go in. Clothing police check that there is no offending flesh.

fter the mosque, a trip to the local market or "souk". It's hot, damn hot - 42 Centigrade. The usual stuff, fabrics, tourist shitling, most of it made in India. We take a risk, and try a local pastry - vegetable, spicy, lovely.

Then a trip to see the Sultan's palace. More opulence. But interesting.

We would like to spend more time in Oman - the south is supposed to be very different...

Mon Jun 14   top         Dubai, United Arab Emirates dubai

Incredible place. Have to see this to believe it. 80,000 tower buildings our guide tels us. (More like 800, surely? "Don't call me Shirley!")

Fabulous Dubai!! What a place. It could be a sci-fi set. We had a great tour through districts which had been desert five years ago and now had extraordinary buildings (in number and design). Then other areas where four years ago there was only the Arabian sea! More beautiful towers. The most fascinating being the Burj Khalifa. We weren't disappointed. It was so much better than could possibly be imagined. The walk to the lifts was a history of the construction in massive curved glass walls.

The ride to the viewing platform was 124 floors in one minute with video screens showing the view from outside (like being in a space shuttle). Couldn't feel any movement just in the ears. The souks (markets) and pools and gardens surrounding the tower are all low rise and amazing to look down on from on high.

Next was being collected from here by Adrian and driven out to the edge of the desert to their lovely villa where Emirates housetheir pilots and other staff. Laura organized a magnificent Lebanese feast while Adrian whipped up fabulous cocktails. We sat outside and reminisced and caught up on the goss until we had to get a taxi back to the ship. Brilliant hosts and of course deep and meaningful discussion fueled by the tireless belt-master. We are definitely going to return here and also Oman.

The history of these places is fascinating. Now we have five days at sea then we go back to Luxor and Valley of the Kings. Heard some jazz tonight on deck. There were about six of us because it was still about 40? degrees. People were exhausted from the heat and wouldn't come outside. Okay, enough for now love, to all and thanks again to Laura, Adrian, Alex and Seb (two terrific young men) for a wonderful day.

Tue Jun 15     top              At Sea    washing

We fight our way into the laundry and take up defensive positions. The laundry has 2 washing machines and 2 dryers for 200 passengers on our deck - Deck 9. There have been a considerable number of quarrels and disputes over washing. People put their washing in, leave the laundry and forget to come back in time to remove it. Irate people, waiting for the machine, have taken washing out of the tub and dumped the newly washed laundry into bags or on the floor, sparking off fights and arguements. The Captain has decreed that it is permissable to remove washing after it is completed and if the owner does not come and reclaim it.    pirates

We are rounding Oman now and are about to enter the "pirate zone", where Somalie pirates have have considerable success in capturing ships and
extracting ransoms from the ship's owners.

We are taken through "pirate evasive action" drills. We go back to our cabins, lock the balcony doors, pull closed the drapes so pirates cannot see in, stand in our cabins by the open cabin door to receive instructions, all the time holding on firmly in case the ship takes evasive action.

Water cannon are set up on the Promenade deck, and large red banners are draped on either side of the ship "Restricted Zone - keep 50 metres away" Hope these Somalies speak English!

Afternoon, and we are in the cabin recovering from lunch.   breakdown

Suddenly, the ship lurches over to starboard and I can feel everything listing alarmingly. Glasses on the desk start to shudder and clink. Are we going to roll over and have our very own, real live, "Poisedon Adventure"? I dash to the balcony to check. I can see from the wake that we have made a very sharp turn to port.

Maybe it's Pirates? Maybe we're taking evasive action? No announcements. But we are slowing down. Slowly the ship stops and we are dead in the water. Still no announcements. After about two hours comes an announcement that the ship has an electrical fault with the starboard motor distribution system. After about three hours, we get underway again. But only 11 knots - not our normal cruising speed of 18 knots. Hmmm.

That night at dinner, I start a rumour that undercover pirates came aboard at Dubai and have sabotaged the ship to allow their fellow pirates ashore to overtake a crippled ship.

I can see one of our dinner table companions is taking me seriously. I wonder how long it will be 'till the rumour comes back?

Wed Jun 16     top              At Sea

Ship's speed is still reduced to about 11 knots... bland announcements about "Technical problems are being sorted out. There is no danger to passengers or crew. Enjoy your wonderful Princess Cruise"

Thu Jun 17    top     At Sea

About 1.00am this morning we are woken by a terrible shuddering of engines... then slowly, the ship stops, sloshing around at sea, with only the thrusters to keep the bow into the wind and waves... something badly wrong with this ship!! Hope they've got a good mechanical engineer on board. We restart about two hours later at the slow speed of 10 knots.

We go back to sleep, wondering.

Fri Jun 18   top         At Sea

The Safaga Port stop is now definitely cancelled, says Captain Speaking.

At lunch, our dinner companion asks me if the story I told about the Pirates coming aboard in Dubai was true? I have to confess.

Sorry Chrissy I forgot to add birthday greetings to the last bulletin. Happy Birthday now!! Also remembered Jez's but couldn't get online for a while, Happy Birthday for the 28th May Jez!!

Since we left Dubai it's been fun and games re the ship's engines. Big problems the other afternoon as we did a sharp left hand turn when the starboard engine stopped suddenly. We drifted around for an hour or more then chugged along at about 2 knots for a very long time. It was very rough and I actually got seasick. We are travelling at reduced speed now. The next night we were woken up by incredible vibrations (our cabin is aft so we waddle a bit as well) ship stopped again more drifting, more stern thrusters to keep us vaguely pointing in the right directon.

The result of all this lost time is that we will miss the port of Safaga in Egypt and the Valley of the Kings and the temples of Luxor and Karnak. This is not so bad for Rod and I because we've been there before but of course we're not telling people that. Hopefully we can get to Port Said for repairs which means we can do our desert tour of the red pyramid and the oldest stepped one which are out in the desertat Sakhara. We are going in a 4wd.

The biggest problem is our allotted time for transiting the Suez Canal. Can't afford to miss that. Maybe we'll limp all the way to Southampton.

Did I mention pirates?? The morning of the first big wobble we had a security drill in case we were attacked by pirates. Since then there's been heightened security on board because of our mechanical problems means we have less manoeuvering capability. Big banners hanging all round the decks warning shipping that there is an exclusion zone in effect and don't come close or we'll beat you up with our zimmer frames and walking sticks!!

Plenty of warships in the vicinity for all eventualities! I'm certain Rod would love a stoush with pirates!! Bad time and place to have engine failures though. We're heading to the Red Sea and I promise to apprise you all of any change of colour when it happens.

I think that's all for now .. love suz xx

Sat Jun 19    top         At Sea

Sun Jun 20             Luxor (Safaga), Egypt
Mon Jun 21             At Sea
Tue Jun 22             Suez Canal, Egypt
Wed Jun 23             Cairo (Port Said), Egypt
Thu Jun 24             At Sea
Fri Jun 25             Ephesus / Kusadasi, Turkey
Sat Jun 26   top         Istanbul, Turkey

Will catch up with friends Ralph and Helen for Lunch today.

Sun Jun 27             Anzac Cove, Turkey
Mon Jun 28             Santorini, Greece
Tue Jun 29             Athens, Greece
Wed Jun 30             At Sea
Thu Jul 1   top         Venice, Italy     july

Will catch up with friend Su Boyle today.

Fri Jul 2   top         Venice, Italy
Sat Jul 3             Dubrovnik, Croatia
Sun Jul 4             At Sea
Mon Jul 5             Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
Tue Jul 6   top         Florence / Pisa (Livorno), Italy

Will catch up with brother David and Coleen today.

Wed Jul 7             Cannes, France
Thu Jul 8             Barcelona, Spain
Fri Jul 9             At Sea
Sat Jul 10             Gibraltar, UK Territory
Sun Jul 11             At Sea
Mon Jul 12             At Sea
Tue Jul 13             Paris (Le Havre), France
Wed Jul 14             London (Southampton), England

Will catch up with friends Alan and WaiChing today.

Thu Jul 15             At Sea
Fri Jul 16             Dublin, Ireland
Sat Jul 17             At Sea
Sun Jul 18             At Sea
Mon Jul 19             At Sea
Tue Jul 20             At Sea
Wed Jul 21             At Sea
Thu Jul 22             At Sea
Fri Jul 23             Boston, MA

Will catch up with friends Ron and Jackie today?

Sat Jul 24             Newport, RI
Sun Jul 25             New York (Manhattan), NY
Mon Jul 26             At Sea
Tue Jul 27             At Sea
Wed Jul 28             At Sea
Thu Jul 29             Antigua
Fri Jul 30             Barbados
Sat Jul 31             At Sea
Sun Aug 1   top         Curacao, Netherlands Antilles august

Mon Aug 2             At Sea
Tue Aug 3             Panama Canal (Full Transit)
Wed Aug 4             At Sea
Thu Aug 5             At Sea
Fri Aug 6             At Sea
Sat Aug 7             Acapulco, Mexico
Sun Aug 8             Manzanillo, Mexico
Mon Aug 9             At Sea
Tue Aug 10             At Sea
Wed Aug 11             Los Angeles, CA
Thu Aug 12             At Sea
Fri Aug 13             At Sea
Sat Aug 14             At Sea
Sun Aug 15             At Sea
Mon Aug 16             Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Tue Aug 17             At Sea
Wed Aug 18             At Sea
Thu Aug 19             At Sea
Fri Aug 20             At Sea
Sat Aug 21             At Sea
Sun Aug 22             Papeete, Tahiti, Society Islands
Mon Aug 23             Papeete, Tahiti, Society Islands
Mon Aug 23             Moorea, Society Islands
Tue Aug 24             At Sea
Wed Aug 25             At Sea
Thu Aug 26             Pago Pago, American Samoa
Fri Aug 27             At Sea
Sat Aug 28             Cross International Dateline
Mon Aug 30             At Sea
Tue Aug 31             Auckland, New Zealand

Will catch up with friends in Auckland today?

Wed Sep 1   top         At Sea september

Thu Sep 2             At Sea
Fri Sep 3             Sydney, Australia

Then, this is the current thinking:

September 2010: time in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne

October 2010: Kalgoorlie/Perth, then South Africa for Safari

November 2010 until June 2011 (?): To South America - Santiago? Lima? Buenos Aries? Rio?

Northern Hemisphere summer: Spain?, Italy? To be decided.

Last Update: Friday July 9th 2010

Darwin music lectures Bali Singapore Kuala Lumpur Langkawi

Cochin Mumbai Muscat Dubai Washing Day Pirates Breakdown HCIMP

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Cochin Mumbai Muscat Dubai Washing Day Pirates Breakdown HCIMP

Links: Rod-Stuff Mobius Band Olive Grange Dinner

Contact me at my usual email address, or use my rubbish email: dunvegan3000@yahoo.com.au