If you're still checking...

hooray! Here's a link to my pictures. The six of us will get together soon and swap...which should be great fun. Joe and I ended up with over 650 pics. I had to edit down to 250 for Shutterfly...talk about some hard choices.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8BbsmThy4cv-g

Anyway -- we've now been home for a week, and we're finally getting back to normal. All the laundry's been done, but I still have little piles of stuff...like the daily event calendars from the ship and all our little receipts. Still need to go through all that...I'll get to it someday. Soon. Really.

Thanks everyone for reading. We heard from lots of you, and it was great fun chronicling the trip and getting feedback from home.

"I have wandered all my life, and I have also traveled; the difference between the two being this, that we wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment." -Hilaire Belloc

Happy travels. Cheers, Mates!
t

Back Home

During our last day at sea, we got to see several small islands. One of them is an active, albeit very lightly active, volcano called White Island. You could see the steam escaping from the vents. Then we saw the "Hole In The Wall" and Mercury islands. Just the kind of thing you can only see from a boat.

They had a guest talent show on the boat. You might be shocked to hear this, but Tracy made an appearance in the show. She was the last act, and appropriately, the best act! Actually, everybody who got up on stage had something to offer. One lady, who sounded like she was totally from Georgia, did a stand up comedy act. Not great, but she had some funny stuff. Later, we saw her and found out it was the very first time she did any stand up comedy. Knowing that made her show all the more impressive. Another woman got up and read poetry. Not my bag, but it was her own published works. So, again, how many of us have had any books published? Not me!

The last stop of this cruise for the Statendam was Auckland. We were off the boat at about 8:30 AM and luckily our tour group was already waiting for us. They took us by the Langham hotel and luck would have it, we got to check into our rooms. So after dropping off the carry on bags and a little freshening up, we were off to tour Auckland. We went to the War Memorial Museum to see a local Maori exhibit which also included a live song and dance act. Pretty impressive and quite the spectacle. After the museum, we went to Mount Eden, a dormant volcano. At the top, you can see the crater. It is a great view point for Auckland. Quite the photo opportunity. Next stop was the home of John, the guy who put together our private tours. He put on a nice spread and we sat on the back patio under a lush canopy of trees and ate and drank. After a couple of hours, we bid our host adieu and went out to the wineries. On the way, our driver, another John (married to one of our tour guides Francis), stopped at their house and got some more wine. The first (and only) winery we went to was a combination brewery and winery. I am pretty sure most of the group would have happily spent the rest of time there. I had a paddle of their beers (5 beers) and then a paddle of their wines (4 wines). When we headed back to the hotel, I was feeling NO pain. I was supposed to meet Joe in the lobby a scant 15 minutes after we arrived at the hotel, but once I got to the room and sat down, I pretty much passed out. I guess that was all I had in me for that day! Just a note, this will be my first February 2nd.

So, Sunday morning, we are met by our driver and we head off to the airport at 7 AM Auckland time. We have a 5 1/2 hour flight leaving at 10 AM and will land in Papeete, Tahiti where we will have about a 6 hour layover. There is a 2 hour time change and you cross the international date line. So, we took off on Sunday and land on Saturday. The only sad part about stopping in Tahiti, is that you have to collect your bags and then wait until they open the gates to check in. Where you get to check in again (we were checked all the way through supposedly). They took the barcodes off the luggage and put on a new set. This is just the way it is done in Tahiti. Anywho, we take off about 10 PM on Saturday night and will fly for 8 1/2 hours to land in LA at about 8:40 on Sunday morning. Luckily, I was totally sober on my second February 2nd :)

Once we landed in LA, I went to the American Airlines counter and was able to get on an earlier direct flight to Dallas. Our group spent our last time together and took off for our flights home. My flight was delayed about 2o minutes, but since we had a tail wind, we landed about the scheduled time. So, I wait for my bags to come off the conveyor belt and eventually I realize all the bags left are from a later flight. I go to the luggage counter and found out my bags had come in an earlier flight and were now at a different terminal. Luckily, they were there at the airport and I only had to go claim them elsewhere.

So, after about 30 plus hours, I was back in Dallas and even got to see the 2nd half of the Super Bowl. Well, lucky for me and not the Patriots. Oh well.

As much as I loved my long vacation, it was good to be home, see my roommate and sleep in my own bed.

Don't worry, I will soon get my pictures uploaded and I will post a link.

It's All Over but the Cryin'

It's Saturday. We're off the ship and back at the hotel after touring the day in Auckland. Let's back up a bit.



Did we talk about Napier? Yes, we did. And our next port wasn't Raratonga, it was Tauranga (or Rotarua), but we actually docked in Mount Mauganui. A beautiful port. Very much like Dana Point. Surf shops, seaside cafes, cute dress shops. Just beautiful. But we weren't here for long...we had a tour to Longbridge Park. A kiwifruit farm, a sheepsmilk farm, a tree nursery and a jetboat ride park. And while all the other attributes of this park were interesting and important to the local economy: it was the jetboats we were there for.

They loaded in the boats and ran us up a river at about 40 miles an hour. And while that doesn't seem like much...you really feel it on the 360s! What a ride. Yeah we got wet! Yeah we got crushed in the corners! Yeah we had a ball. Well, maybe the blue hairs in the back of the boat didn't...didn't they read the brochure??? It was a great time! Aside from the ride, the guide showed us some of the local flora and fauna...truly prehistoric looking. Very pristine. Very protected.

Soapbox warning!!!

One thing I've noticed about New Zealand, and Australia, for that matter, is the care the the people take of their land and resources. They are guardians of the land and they are proud of it. It's like they made a deal with the government: you take care of us, and we'll take care of the land and our resources. They don't waste anything. They wring every last use out of what's available. There are trees that are so protected that they can't be pruned without a permit...and they're not even in a forest. The water is so clean. The roads are so well maintained. The towns and cities are so clean. It's amazing...and I'm a little envious. I'm just sayin'.

Our last day was a day at sea as we cruised the bay of islands: all the little islands on the far north side of the North Island. Very volcanic, sheer cliffed, covered in foliage.

Today we disembarked. We had a tour guide pick us up and whisk us to the War Memorial Museum. We had tickets to the Maori cultural center and to a performance of Maori songs and dances. Wonderful songs, tricky pastime/games and the best part? A performance of the Haka...the Maori War Dance. Inspiring! I think Jon got some video of it, so I'm sure we'll get it posted before it's all said and done. We then went to the top of Mt. Eden...a dormant volcano. From there we could see the whole of Auckland harbor and surrounding environs. It was a sunny day, so it was just gorgeous. We then had lunch at our host's own home...more like a tree house! Nestled into the side of a hill, we had beer and wine, bread, fruits, pork pie, cheeses, tomatoes, sausages and mussels out on their patio. Absolutely wonderful! We left our treetop buffet and headed out to a local winery/brewery. I know, you're surprised aren't you. We finally returned to our hotel...a little plastered. Poor Joe had no one to party with!

I'm really sad that it's all over. I'm really sad that no one's going to be serving me breakfast, or making up my room, or bringing me new towels, or taking me on a new adventure tomorrow. No, I'm just going to get on a plane and travel for 31 hours. Oh! Goodie!

It's been a great trip. One I would highly recommend to anyone! G'Day Mates, Kia Ora, Cheers!

Surf & "Turf"

Well, OK, surf and turf might be a stretch. Last night for dinner I had: escargo (turf), shrimp cocktail (surf) and lobster tails (surf). I have only had escargo once before and liked it. This time I loved it. In fact, both Tracy and I were getting more bread to soak up the butter and garlicy goodness that was left after eating the snails. The shrimp cocktails have been fantastic each time and what can I say about the lobster. I wonder how many people DIDN'T order the lobster. I have heard of only one. Normally for dessert, they offer you a dessert menu from which to make your choice. That night, no choice! Baked Alaska was FORCED on us. Well, I choked it down ... greedily and happily :)

Tonight for dinner I had wild boar with sweet potatoes, broccoli and baked pear. It is a burden, but one I am willing to bear. Why do I feel like my roommate Michelle won't be offering me espresso each night?? I have come to be used to it. Oh well, we all knew real life would interrupt the fantasy ... eventually ... but not yet!!!

Last Excursion :(

Today was the last excursion stop of the cruise. We stopped in Tauranga. In order to bring us full circle on the trip, it was raining in the morning. We walked into town, did a little shopping and then came back to the boat for our final excursion. It was a trip to Longridge Fun Park. When we got there, we were shuttled from the bus to a truck with seating in the bed and a trailer with seating. We proceeded to go into a kiwi farm and learn about kiwi's. The kiwi branches will grow 4 feet a day. Dang, that is like kudzu in Georgia! They are developing another kiwi called golden kiwi. It is supposed to be sweeter and is golden colored inside. Sadly, all those are going to China for now, but perhaps in a couple of years, we might see them in the US. After a few more stops with information about trees we got to the fun part ... a jet boat ride. We broke into two groups and got into two jet boats. The trip was about 7 1/2 kilometers up the river. The boats were fast and the driver was fantastic. We were sluicing up the narrow river at about 40 MPH and would do some fast 360 degree turns. It was screaming fun and I wish we could have done it again. The only downside was the driver asked if we wanted to do the turns faster and the old people in the back of the boat said no. What the hell did they think was gonna happen on a jet boat??? Oh well, we had fun nonetheless. So, we are back on board the Statendam and soon we will be taking off for a day at sea before arriving in Auckland and that my friends will be the end of the cruise. Bitter sweet.

Which Title?

I could have titled this post either: 1) Meanest Bastard On The Boat or 2) Have You Made Your Wine Steward Cry Today?

The other night, Joe brought a bottle of wine to the table at dinner. The ship charges an uncorking fee when you bring your own bottle. They are proud of this service as they charge $15 to uncork your bottle for you. Another important piece of information is that the bottle of wine Joe brought to the table had a screw top and not a cork. So, when the steward came to the table and reminded us about the uncorking fee. I told him he shouldn't charge us for an uncorking fee as the bottle had no cork. I then asked if they perhaps have an un-screwing fee instead. He seemed flustered and said he would have to ask his supervisor and just disappeared. A while later, the dining room manager came by and let us know that I had made his steward cry. He told us that Michael was one of his very best stewards and just to be nice to him. Eventually, Michael came back to the table to finish pouring the one bottle of wine and then disappeared for the rest of the night. I felt a little bad that I made him cry, but honestly, if just a simple joke can bring that boy to tears, then he had better get another job. Seriously, I was never mean, I just asked questions in my sarcastic way. Luckily, they really do have a GREAT wine steward named Enricho. He is always smiling and is always very helpful. So, have you made your wine steward cry today???

Wellington and Napier

First I have to say thanks to all who are reading and writing in. It's really a treat to hear voices from home. Thanks for playing! Still can't get the pictures to upload. :-( Maybe when we get to Auckland and have a land-based connection...so sorry.

Wellington is the largest city we've been to in NZ. It has a beautiful harbor (especially viewed from atop the nearby hills we accessed via the only working cable car in the southern hemisphere) and a bustling downtown area. We didn't go on a tour, but armed with a city map and our adventurous spirit, we set out for the day. The first thing on our agenda was to find a post office and mail back all the souvenirs we've collected to date. Joe and i seem to do this every trip...we buy so many souvies, that we just don't have the room to bring back in our suitcases. So we mailed a boxload home (for half the price it cost us to mail from Europe last year!). A quick visit with a helpful security guy gave us the proper direction to find a pub. And darn it, if we didn't find one! Not only one but several! The first was The Dog and Bone. Run by a guy from Myrtle Beach, SC, who had a cajun from New Orlean for a chef...small world. He picked up on my, "How're y'all today?" and we made fast friends.

The next thing on the agenda was a haircut for Brett. Now, if you know Brett, I'm sure you're thinking, "Why in the hell does he need a haircut?" Believe me, we were thinking the same thing. But how many of you can say that you've had a haircut in NZ? One man's souvenir is...well...whatever.

We then headed for The Black Harp, a good Irish pub with great ambience and good food. Oh, and the beer wasn't bad, either! Directly across the street was a Scotish pub, The Feathers. It was kinda dead in there, but, then again, it was Tuesday afternoon. We did a bit of shopping and scampered back to the ship. Another good day!

At dinner, we opened the bottles of Savi Blanc we bought in Picton...delish!!! it's a shame we can't find a thing to drink down here!

Napier is a beautiful gem in the North Island's coast line. It's a little art deco beach town with a black pebble beach (Cindy, I found you a heart-shaped stone) and clear aqua blue waters. We had a really short time here...too short, but we managed to find Rosie O'Grady's and The Hogsbreath pubs...it's a gift.

Back on board, heading toward Roatonga (I'm sure I've misspelled that). It's hard to believe that this adventure is almost over. Let's not think about that today. I'll think about it tomorrow. Maybe.

Mega Post

Time flies when you are partying your ass off! I just realized how long it has been, so here is a mega post. One of our first dinners out of Tasmania they had kangaroo on the menu. It was quickly seared and served with a plum sauce and was really quite tender and good. It was dark like beef. I highly recommend it! Another night we had New Zealand eel. What the hell, how often do you get that choice and again, quite good. The food on the entire trip was been very good. No complaints in that department.

Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound & Duskey Sound
After 2 days at sea, we came to the sounds. If you know me, you know that I don't use superlatives often. So, when I say that the scenery was just AMAZING, you will know it was something to see. The sounds are on the southwest side of the south island of New Zealand. My pictures are nice, but NOT ONE OF THEM will impart the beauty of the sounds. Their shear sides and yet are covered in vegetation. Since Lord of the Rings was filmed in New Zealand, I kept expecting to see an army of orcs come rushing down the sides of the sounds. This area gets 20 FEET of rain a year, so all the literature says to expect some rain. The weather gods were very kind to us and we actually got to cruise Doubtful Sound as well. We didn't see a drop of rain. In the daily itinerary, there was a note about a polar bear swim in Dusky Sound. I got pretty excited about the idea of going into the sound. Well, it turns out they couldn't actually let us in the sound. So, we went to the unheated pool in the back of the ship. They threw a glass of water, supposedly from the sound itself into the pool along with a bucket of ice. It wasn't as cold as I had hoped for, but it was cold enough to make you breath fast and shallow. About the temperature of lake Michigan in May.

Dunedin
This was the first stop we made in New Zealand. It is a quaint little town on the south east side of New Zealand. We were out of the Tasman Sea and were in the Pacific Ocean. A point of note, just south west of Dunedin is Invercargill. That is where Burt Munroe, the worlds fastest Indian is from. We went on a Taste of Dunedin tour. This included a tour of the Cadbury Chocolate factory and Speights Brewery. Cadbury was quite the tasty tour. We got bits of chocolate pretty much through the tour. If you live in the USA, you have never REALLY had Cadbury chocolate. It is licensed to Hershey's in the USA. At the end of the tour we saw the largest and tallest chocolatefall in the WORLD! One ton of liquid chocolate was dropped and it rushed down a silo. We were at the top of the silo and it was quite the site and very loud. The only sad aspect of the tour was that it ran long and we were whisked away to Speights for beer. I only missed the gift shop, so if you wanted a Cadbury chocolate souvenir from me ... tough :) Speights was quite the fun tour. It is a gravity system of making beer. This means that there are 5 floors involved in the process of dumping product and water and gravity feeds it all along the system to the brewing vats. Chocolate and beer ... what a good day!

Timaru
This was the first stop EVER for the Statendam in Timaru. Sadly, we didn't see much of the town. Our tour here was to Mount Cook. We had tried to get the ship tour, but it had been sold out for some time and they excursion folks didn't know if we were going to get on. So, Joe worked his magic and we ended up with a private tour. So, 5 of us, minus Brett, took off in a van with Phillip and Scott to see Mount Cook. Turns out, this is about a 2 1/2 hour drive to get there. We were a bit late taking off, but the mini van could overtake each of the tour busses as we came across them. We had a quick look at Lake Pukaki. It was the most interesting color. Neon robin blue might work. Glacier blue would be accurate, but not terribly descriptive had you never seen such a color. After a short picture stop, we continued up to Mount Cook. WOW, what a sight. Big 'ol glacier and a statue of Edmund Hillary. Well, the statue wasn't much since I didn't make any effort to see it from the front, but the glacier and mountain were quite gorgeous. So, when we felt like the tour busses would be catching up, we took off to find some lunch. I don't remember the town, but we stopped and got some bread, cheese, pesto and jam. Pair that up with some incredible pinot noir and chardonnay wine and you have one hell of a lunch. I am glad I didn't have to drive back!

Picton
We didn't have any tours planned here, just to walk the town. We first came to The Flying Haggis, a Scottish pub. I had a pint of Mack's Black and ordered a lamb pie. I am glad we weren't any later as I got the very last one. That was one fine lamb pie. Went quite well with a pint of dark stout beer. We also an Irish bar and had more beer. Another nice day.

Wellington
This is the first town we visited on the north island. We didn't have any tours scheduled here either. The most interesting was basically a pub crawl for $80. I can find pubs for less! Joe and Tracy wanted to ship off souvenirs back home. They had a rolling bag full, about 22KG of stuff. At that point, we went and found our first pub, the Dog & Bone. After a pint, we were off to find the cable car. It is a small train that is pulled up the tracks by a cable and also slowed down on the descent by formerly mentioned cable. There are some nice views at the top along with a botanical garden. The garden was probably very nice, but we were hungry, so we rode back to the base and took off for yet another pub. As luck would have it we found The Black Harp. After ordering a round of pints, we ordered food. Most everyone ordered corn beef sandwiches, but I ordered a chicken sandwich. It was actually a nice sandwich, but I wish I had ordered the Guinness pie. Oh well, the sandwich was exactly what I needed rather than wanted. After we finished our food, it was time to find another pub and wouldn't you know, there was one across the street called The Feathers. We ordered another round of pints, but this pub was kind of dull, so we drank our brews and went back out to the street. We looked around town some more, but ultimately didn't find any more pubs to visit. We walked back to the ship and I think we all went to take a nap. Lots of walking, beer and sun can take it out of you. In the end, we visited one less pub than the tour, but we did the cable car and weren't rushed to get back in the bus and go to the next pub. So, in the end ... another very nice day.

Napier
This is a very small town and we were only scheduled for a few short hours. I think we headed out around 10 AM and we had to be back on board by 1 PM. You wouldn't think we would find much ... and yet we found a couple of pubs. SHOCKED? Probably not :) The very first place we saw as Lone Star Napier. Sadly, they didn't open until 5:30. After looking in some shops, we found Rosie O'Gradys Irish Pub. Had a local brew called Cutback. After that we headed out to find The Hogs Breath Saloon. It is named after the Hogs Breath in Key West, FL, but isn't affiliated. Had some local north island beer called Tui. We also had lunch. I had a cheese burger and it was quite good. Sadly, they didn't have any T-shirts that had New Zealand on them.

It is weird that we are coming close to the end of the cruise. At one point it seemed like there was lots of time ... and now we only have one more stop to make. But, that will be another post.

One Word: Pictures, Dammit!

Um...Cindy...uh, yeah, "pictures, dammit" is two words.

I'm having trouble uploading pictures, but I'm sure there's more than one way to skin a cat. We have kind of a slow day tomorrow, so I'll try to work it out.

Today we're in Picton. And for all my California readers, and the rest of you wine snobs out there, I just have to say a big ol' neener, neener! We toured two wineries today, with tastings at both, then we went to a place that had liqueur tastings and olive oil tastings...oh my!

New Zealand wines are very different than the wines I usually buy. Turns out their Savignon Blanc is one of the world's best (awarded to several of the more than forty vintners here). I'm a believer! The climate in the Marlborough region is cool and fairly dry - just right for these grapes. Reds need wetter, warmer temps, and most of the New Zealand reds reflect just that...they're just not that good. But the Savi Blanc...delish! We bought several bottles and hope to get them chilled so we can have them with dinner tomorrow night.

The weather was beautiful today, so before we did the wine tour, we walked around Picton, a quaint little town of about 4,000 people. We did a little shopping and then had lunch at The Flying Haggis (the food was way better than the name sounds). And guess what was on tap?!? Speights Gold Medal Ale. I love me some Gold Medal Ale.

I got an e-mail from my mother yesterday, and among other things she said she was a little concerned about all the beer and wine we were drinking (and glad I'd dieted prior to the cruise). I replied that, yes, we'll have to go big on the diet when we get back, but for now it's drink 'til we drop! Hey, we're not driving ;-)

Well, I'm off to play Broadway Team Trivia - although I can't imagine what they'll give me when we win...I already have every Holland America logo-ed thing they have!

I'll work on the picture problem...but I'm sure it has something to do with the ship's connectivity. After all, I could upload before we boarded. Hmmm...maybe Jon can wave his magic computer wand and figure this out.

Tomorrow: Wellington. No tours scheduled, but I can feel a pub crawl coming on.

What the Tour Books Don’t Tell You

Simply that Tasman Glacier, Mount Cook (Akori in Maori) and Lake Pukaki are magnificent! Well, I guess they do tell you that, but there’s no word for the blue that colors the lake. Day-Glo Robin’s Egg? Opal Blue? Royal Aqua? Hugh Laurie’s Eyes-Blue? Whatever you want to call it...its an amazing color. And I saw glaciers in Alaska, but they got nothin’ on Tasman Glacier: it’s massive and imposing. I felt almost as if it might slip down the side of the mountain from its perch and swallow us all. As for Mount Cook: fantastic...now I know why they call these the Southern Alps! Its two peaks rose above a cloud and blistered the blue sky with their frosted summits. Humbling.

Our private tour guide, Phillip Nordt (a longtime friend of Wally’s, whom Joe knows) expertly navigated the small town traffic and landed us at the foot of the mountains way ahead of the buses. Good job! Although I was feeling a little woozy from a) the night before, b) the early hour and c) he’s used to driving on the Autobahn. Beautiful scenery (or at least what I think was beautiful scenery...seriously, it went by so freakin’ fast) abounds in New Zealand: pastures filled with sheep, both shorn and unshorn, and grazing dairy cows; small farms and quaint towns; rolling hills and grassy plains. It looks very European. As it should! The ancestry moved here and made it look like home.

After walking around Mount Cook and surrounds, we headed back to the ship (too soon for my tastes, but the gang plank was scheduled to go up at 3pm), but not before stopping for some lunch in Geraldine. This cute little village is home to some of the best cheese makers in the world. We sampled brie, peppered Havarti, chevreton (sp?) goat’s cheese, Huntington Redwood and some kind of really strong bleu cheese, along with some jam, pesto, feta dip, fresh bread and several wines. One of the best lunches ever!

We hit the ship about 15 minutes before sailing, and I hit my pillow for a two hour nap. Not much going on this evening, and it’s a good thing, Tomorrow we are in Picton and the Marlborough Wine country. Yep, you guessed it...we’re going on a winery tour. Three of them, in fact. Can’t wait!

I’m Thinking of You...Honest!

Every day, every minute, every activity, I swear I'm thinking, "I'll put that in the blog." then I wake up and it's the next day and there is something else on our agenda. Hmmm... cruise life is a busy life!

Let's see, we went to Dunedin (doo-need-in), New Zealand's Scotland. The town is a shuttle ride away from the port, through the equally quaint Port Chalmers. Low slung, bungalow-style homes dot the hills, and acrrross the bay and verrry blue shipping channel (I'm rolling my Scotish Rs for you), are serene, sheep-dotted pastures, outlined by hedges and low trees.

You know how Scots find sheep in high grass? Verrry satisfyin'!

Anyway, Dunedin's town square is actually an octagon, all the streets radiating out from a beautiful little park, which today, has a tent market set up on it. Joe and I visit a couple of the shops close to, then decide to settle in a cafe and have a quick bite. We've got a tour later, and probably won't have much time to eat lunch. The beer we try is Montieth's: Joe has "Red" on tap, and I have Summer Ale in the bottle...delish! We buy some New Zealand kitsch and head back to the ship to catch our tour: the Cadbury Chocolate Factory and the Speight's Brewery. It's going to be a good day!

The Cadbury tour is good, and so is their chocolate, even though I'm more of a dark chocolate girl, myself. We get free samples and everyone on the tour is happy from breathing in the smells of chocolate...that is until we realize that we're late for the brewery tour! Now the real character of this bunch surfaces...no time for shopping...let's go sample some beer!

Speights has been around since the mid-1800s, and their beer is a testament to how practice makes perfect. I've never even heard of Speights (although they distribute Steinlager in the states). Their Gold Medal Ale is wonderful! And Keith, our tour guide is very proud of it...he should be. Please, sir, may I have another?

NZ is much like Australia in that everyone is friendly, open-armed and heading to the pub. These folks can't wait to share their heritage, their culture and their friendship and laughter with you. It's like the whole lot of them has good sense and a good sense of humor. Gotta love 'em!

Back at the ship we get ready to sail for Timaru. Tonight's festivities are particularly fun...Joe Jon and I play a game of Team Trivia with a few other folks (and win!), then we go to a show: The Ultimate Game Show, in which one of our Team Trivia teammates plays a round or two of Trivia against three other people in front of the crowd gathered in the Theater (and she wins), then we head up to the Crow's Nest where I am entered in the Statendam Superstar Singing Competition, an American Idol-style contest, (and I win)! All in all...a winning day!

The spoils of war are sweet! For all our efforts, we now have a complete collection of ship souvenirs we've won as prizes, including a bottle of champagne, which we'll crack some evening soon!

Tomorrow: Mount Cook

Fjordlands

And now for some purple prose:

Deep teal waters gently rock into the vertical shores of richly forested crags and crests that soar ever higher toward the sky. A glacier peeks out from a notch in the rocks. It glistens in the sun. The water is smooth; calm; a mirror. Tour boats dot the expanse, and I suspect that folks aboard them are having the very reaction I am, but Oh, My God! doesn't even come close. And just when I think I can't see anything more breathtaking, a sharp cliff pokes its nose into the air from out of a deep valley. Jutting, reaching, climbing, majestic, spectacular, mind-boggling, yet these giants are silent, still, content. Waterfalls, like strands of hair, tumble from their source high in the peaks. A small cloud clings close to the shaded side of the rock...a child sheltering from a chill. The sun slices into the crease and the cloud dissipates and rises into the warmth. A light mist hugs the water's surface and disguises the coming scenery - waiting to lift at just the right moment to surprise and delight its audience. New rule: we can no longer use the word "awesome" in everyday conversation, as in, "Your new car is awesome!" or "Awesome haircut, Tiffany." I have now seen the truly awesome. Words like dramatic, striking, stunning, incredible, fantabulous...meaningless. They say that on a clear day you can see forever. This day, I saw heaven on earth.

Day Two at Sea

I'm still working on getting the pics posted from the park in Tasmania -- Jon's helping, so I should have them soon or at least a link. Today was the second day at sea sailing between Tas and New Zealand. Yesterday we finally finished our laundry...ugh...who knew everyone on the ship would be trying to get laundry done on their vacation???


We also managed to be cleared by customs. Okay so here's the deal. We have a day at sea, we just changed time zones, and they decide to pull an immigration inspection on us. I mean, come on! It's 8:15 am and some mealy mouthed staff is telling me that the Immigration Inspectors are waiting for us in some part of the ship I've never even been to. Moreover, she's on the PA in the hallway and not in my cabin, so I can't hear her for all the money in the world. It's like Charlie Brown's teacher, or that drive in speaker at the Char-kel: All I hear is blah, blah, blah, blah, Immigration, blah, blah, Inspection, blah, blah, blah. For all I know, the dogs are coming down the hall and will soon be scratching on my door trying to ferret out the sea shell that came with the pearl earrings I bought in Tahiti. Man! There were several people who didn't make it to the inspectors at their appointed time...they kept announcing, "Cabin whatever, Mr. and Mrs. whoever, WILL YOU PLEASE JOIN THE IMMIGRATION INSPECTORS TO CLEAR CUSTOMS. I'm sure they were in their room eating their honey as fast as they could.

The seas have calmed a bit. The day before they were really rocking. It wasn't making me sick or anything, I just wanted to get off the ride for a bit. Finally, around dinnertime, they slowed down some. And speaking of dinnertime, the food on this cruise has been outstanding! And so has my intake of it ;-) I went to the gym, but the waves made it too hard to stay on the treadmill. I wish I could have that excuse at home...oh well.

The weather has cleared and it's warmed up nicely. We spent most of the day lounging around on the deck reading, napping and drinking. That's what you do on vacation, right? Well, we're definitely vacationing!

One of the excursions we signed up for in New Zealand was the trip to Mount Cook. It's the most popular tour on the ship, and we've been wait-listed for about three weeks. The crew was working to get another bus to accommodate everyone, but they hadn't confirmed anything. So we did what we always do...we turned to Joe's dad for some help. Wally was able to put us in touch with a friend of his who helped arrange a private tour to the mountains. Yippee! We're guaranteed! Not only for an excursion to one of THE SIGHTS TO SEE, but now we won't be fighting with Gen O and hundreds of other people vying for the same real estate...especially on the buses. Ironically enough, when we got back to our cabin last night we found that we'd been cleared to go on the excursion from the ship. No worries about canceling our tickets, though, there are still folks waiting to get on the tour...the crew was delighted that we were giving up our seats. I'm really looking forward to my own private, guided tour of this spectacular mountain and surrounding parklands.

Tomorrow: Milford, Doubtful and Dusky Sounds in the Fjordlands of New Zealand.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Tasmania

When we pulled into the port for Burnie, Tasmania, I rushed outside to take pictures. I looked on both sides of the ship for a great picture. Well, we had pulled into an industrial berth and there was nothing to see. So, I was starting to wonder just what kind of a day we were going to have.

I went to the room to find that Brett had overslept and was rushing to get ready. I ran up to the meeting point for the excursion to find I was on the right level, just the wrong end of the ship. Then to make matters worse, on level 7, you can't get from one end of the boat to the other. So, I dashed up the stairs to 8, across the ship, back down to level 7 and get my bus assignment. Sadly, Joe and Tracy had already checked in and were on another bus. Luckily, just a few minutes later, Brett showed up and he and I were on the same bus.

The excursion was called "A Taste of Tasmania". So, we get on the bus and take off for parts unknown in Tasmania. The tour guide was an older gentleman named Ken. He was a great spokesperson for Tasmania. The bus driver Peter would chime in when he had something to add and was yet another great spokesperson who obviously loved this island.

So, we headed off the Sheffield. Now, there isn't much in Sheffield, but they are known for their murals. Currently, there are 37 murals painted on buildings around the town to represent the town and its history. We didn't have enought time to see them all, so I opted just to walk around and look. One noteable citizen of Sheffield is an alpaca who has been shorn to represent a standard poodle. It didn't seem to mind.

So, 30 short minutes later we are back in the bus to head off to a honey store. The ironic twist is that you can't take honey into New Zealand (next destination on the cruise) so you can't buy any honey. Luckily, they also serve ice cream that has honey in it.

After 30 minutes or so at the honey farm, we are off to a wild animal park. The night before in our room, Brett and I watched a show about Tasmanian Devils and their rehabilitation and the breeding program. When we pulled into Truwanna, it sure looked familiar. When the manager of the park got on the bus, I was happily surprised to see it was Andrew Kelley who was the person depicted on the show. We got off the bus and had a BBQ lunch. It was quite good and I will be making lamb burgers when I get home! So then we got a tour of the park and of course, the hilight is the devils. I love those little creatures. Sure, they can be vicious, but they are so damned cute! After the guided tour we were cut loose to see the other animals. They have wallabies and kangaroos wandering and I went down to find them. Luckily, they are used to humans so if you move carefully you can pet the little buggers. As I headed back up to the main part of the park, I noticed that Joe & Tracy's bus had pulled in, so we had a short reunion. Turns out we were doing the same tour, only backwards, the only cross over at that point was the wildlife park.

So, after goodbye, we reboarded the bus and headed off to a chocolate shop. The Anvers Chocolate shop was amazing. They don't make the chocolate there. Rather, they take chocolate made to their specifications and make confectionaries from it. So, we had tea and chocolate ... Mmmmmmmm. Sadly, we had to leave eventually and made our way back to the port. I hated to leave Tasmania, but I assure you that I will be back!!

My Mania for Tasmania

Okay, I was wrong. Tasmania is not some windblown, tribe-inhabited, move-along-nothing-to-see-here, "Lost" kind of island. It is a beautiful, clean, friendly, delicious, wondrous place. It is at once city and rural, quirky and logical, well-maintained and wild. An Australian state that exports much of the Pacific Rim's supply of carrots, potatoes, strawberries and cherries, as well as a wide variety of chemicals (including opium), minerals, and wood and paper products and much of Holland's tulip bulbs. They have the world's largest lavender field, and they are the only producer of leatherwood honey in the world. Wow!

One thing about Tasmania, you can take just about anything off the island, but you can't bring anything on. It is a disease free place with the cleanest air and the purest water just about anywhere on the planet. And the sunrises are beautiful.

By way of a stray timing issue, we get separated from Jon and Brett (Charles and Elizabeth had signed up for the later "Caves" tour) and we ended up on different buses. Same tour, just in reverse. We take off from the dock with Barry, our tour guide, and head for the Anvers Chocolate Factory. Yum! Tea and cakes, a tasting shack and a quick trip down the chocolate timeline. The best part of the tour was the house that housed the factory. An old Craftsman-style bungalow, reminiscent of 1930's California, with a beautiful English-style garden. Lovely. The chocolate wasn't bad either!

Our next stop was more of a rest stop. Now, I know that I will someday get old and gray, but I have to tell you, I have never seen so many bluehairs tottering around in my life! And they all have to be somewhere today, but it takes them until tomorrow to get there. Yeah, I am not a patient person when I have to wait for granny to make her way down the aisle of the bus like she's testing for landmines, then finally get down the steps and outside. And when we got back on the bus, there were several who were not pleased that Joe and I chose a different seat (even though we were not assigned seats). I'm sure I made some smart remark, because I was ready to take grandma to the mat.

For lunch (and the highlight of the tour) we went to the Trowana Wildlife Park. Lunch was great, but let's get to the animals. Wombats, koalas, Tasmanian Devil babies and adults, baby kangaroos (joeys), teenage roos, ecidnas (a marsupial porcupine) a peacock, some lizards (eeewwwww)...all of them amazing animals. One of the Rangers there talked about each of them and then let us pet them.

First was Wizard the Wombat, a big baby. He was so relaxed, he just folded right over her arm while we mobbed him. Next was a cute koala. He was obviously thinking one thing: "Which leaf should I eat next." He sat in the crook of a tree and ate eucalyptus while we petted and patted...he couldn't have cared less. Next was a baby Tasmanian Devil in a cage, pacing. We didn't pet her, but we did get to pet her brother, who was nestled in our guide's arms. My biggest surprise was how soft a Tasmanian Devil is...soft, like a kitten soft. We visited a large enclosure of devils...and yes, Virginia, they were snarling and spitting; fighting over food (none of them were spinning around, though). You couldn't help but laugh at the noise they made. Although I'm sure if they were gnashing through my skin, bones and hair, I wouldn't be laughing. There was a joey named Ramona. Her mother had been killed, so the park adopted her. She was curled up in a backpack with her head sticking out. She had the softest ears and the sweetest face.

The whole park was just amazing. Almost prehistoric looking, with giant trees, lots of ground cover and the sound of wild devils wrestling for their supper.

I have lots of pictures, but for some reason they don't want to load today. Could be because I'm posting from my cabin (very far away from anything resembling a strong signal). I'll get them up soon, or at least send you a link to them.

We got back on the bus and sat in our proper places so as not to upset Gen O (old) and headed to Chudleigh and our Honey Farm visit. I personally think taking us here was mean. They have a free tasting of over 50 varieties of honey...but you can't take any of it into New Zealand. Bastards! There was a guessing game of how many painted cartoon bees were buzzing around the farm, and yours truly picked 108...right on the money...so I won a prize. Turns out Jon won the prize on his bus with a 107.

What a great day! Except I didn't get any honey. Pooh!

Let's Face it: Cruise Life is Busy

You thought I stayed in Sydney, didn't you!?! Well, I didn't...would have liked to, but we've got more fun ahead.

After a long line checking in for the ship, we made our way to our cabin...down a really long, narrow hallway. We're close to the back of the ship, which is good (you don't feel the waves quite as much as you do in the front), and bad (because it's such a long ass way to the front and all the activities!). The cabin is nice, functional and efficient. We have window, so no sensory deprivation issues like in Jon's last post.

First thing on the agenda after unpacking? Who can guess? Anyone? That's right, Cindy, we found a bar; A+ for you. It's the Explorer Bar, right next to the Internet cafe. Joe and I are so spoiled. I know you know that, but here's a whole new reason: we're not used to paying for our drinks on a cruise! They're a little spendy, here, and HAL (Holland America Lines) pushes a discount drink card for every kind of drink, except beer. Oh, and well drinks. Brett was confused as to why a Crown and coke didn't qualify as a signature drink when the poolside delight, "Suncicle," did. I, of course, explained that a Suncicle, by the very mention of its name made you snicker a little, and asking for a Crown and coke simply made you grin at your own evil-ness.

And let's talk for a moment about evil-ness...I mean, specifically, the combo that plays during happy hour in this bar. Fritzie, who sounds as if he's French/German/Asian, has got to be the cheesiest thing on the boat...and there's a lot of cheese on this boat. He's more like the Cheese Whiz on the boat. The combo is actually decent, until Fritzie chimes in. It's like Ishtar meets American Idol rehearsals. I'm serious. In fact, I just threw up a little in my mouth thinking about his rendition of "Ze Sunnieee Si ofda Sstreel" (That's the Sunny Side of the Street). He's awful!

Moving on. The second most awful thing on the ship is that the laundry rooms have been packed since we got here. Joe and I haven't seen the couch in our room yet due to the mounds of sorted laundry we haven't been able to do. Maybe we'll get it done over the next couple of days at sea. I hope so, I'm starting to run out of clothes!

Yesterday (our Monday) was a great day! We sailed into Melbourne with nothing on our agenda and ended up having a splendid time. We took a tram into the city center and started walking toward the shopping area. We did a little souvenir shopping, then Elizabeth and Charles took off for the Jail Museum (a pretty good tour, they said). The rest of us ducked into a pub...imagine that! But this was no ordinary pub. On the big screen was the NFC Championship game...live! Bonus! And, except for the f*&$#ing Giants winning (I so wanted to avenge my Cowboys, but sadly it was not to be), it was a good game. There were a couple of other Americans in the bar who were living in Melbourne, so we made friends with them. I made friends with the bartender.

I asked him for a taste of a draught called James Squire Amber Ale. Very good! It tasted a lot like Shiner's 98...but even a little smoother. That called for a pint! Or three! The next thing we knew, Mal, the bartender, was putting together a map of places we should visit while in downtown, including the brewing company that made the very beer we were enjoying. He gave us a few other tips and then gifted us with ballcaps and cozies bearing the name of the bar: The Oxford Scholar. I know, ironic, isn't it ;-)

Before we knew it, the Giants had won and it was time for us to head back to the ship and the Explorer Bar. Fritzie was waiting for us.

Later last night, I guess to shake off his "Eeet Hah tu vee Yooooo" (It Had to be You), I picked off contestants, one by one, in a round of Karaoke. I felt much better.

Today we're in Burnie, Tasmania. I fully expect to pet a kangaroo today. I'll let you know how that goes for me!

cheers!

Melbourne Es Muey Bueno

So, yesterdays stop was Melbourne. We didn't have any organized tours set up, so we did it on our own. They have a very nice tram system in town. You buy a one day pass at the end of the tram line and that is good for unlimited use that day. Once you get downtown, there are 2 different free trams to get you around.

I keep trying to think of a good way to compare and contrast Sydney to Melbourne. Melbourne has a great amount of new and old architecture readily available. There were lots of young people. I am sure that the fact that we saw the entrance to China town was a huge influence in this note, but I sure saw lots of sushi restaurants. What was kind of cool was that most had rolls (maki) that weren't already cut up. Made them "fast food". If I had been hungry, I might have bought one to try. The price was surely right. Most of the rolls were less than $3. I didn't see as much nigiri, but it might have been in the back and not usually sold as a take-a-way.

We just kind of bumbled along, doing the tourist gawking thing. Charles and Elizabeth wanted to see the Jail Museum. The rest of us magnanimously offered to sit in a pub and wait for them. What a great decision that was. We found The Oxford Scholar pub and hotel. They had a large screen TV that had just recently started playing the Giants Packers game. So, we sat, had a large quantity of Amber lager and made a lot of noise. Interestingly, there were 3 different small groups of Americans who live in Melbourne that came to talk to us ... small world. The proprietor of the pub came out at one time and gave us hats and koozies to remember the place by. I don't know about you, but great local beer, great food and a HUGE TV are memorable :)

All in all, it was a great day!

3rd Day At Sea

This morning starts the 3rd day at sea. We will be stopping in Melbourne in a few short hours.

My FUN for the day was finding out that one of my watches hadn't been set to the right time. Probably set it without the use of my reading glasses. I thought it was after 7:30 AM, so I get up, be very quiet not to wake up my cruise mate, take a shower and go up for some breakfast. When I noticed it was dark outside, I thought something might be wrong. Sure enough, I check the time on my camera and it was only 5:15 AM ... not the 8:15 AM my watch was showing. The watch is set correctly now and later I will be verifying the entire collection. Oh well, just some "bonus" time today.

The cruise has been nice. We have already done one formal night of the three scheduled. I wore a button down shirt and a tie and nobody kicked me out :) I might have been slightly under dressed when compared to the rest of the room.

They REALLY push the drink cards here. I have purchased 2 so far. That is good for 20 signature cocktails. After having a couple of high octane drinks yesterday afternoon, I might be seeking AA when I get home.

The ship is nice. Made out to be very opulent. I think they are trying to cater to a higher class of people other than me :) I actually help bring down the average age and I am sure the average income as well!! I am having a good time in spite of these "handicaps".

The Post I Owe You

Yesterday was a day of anticipation; of waiting for a cab, of standing in line, of "let's get this freakin' show on the road!" But the day before (our full day in Sydney) was amazing! Jon, Brett, Joe and I walked from the hotel and found a little breakfast place not too far away. Absolutely delicious...especially the coffee! Afterwards, we hooked up with Charles and Elizabeth and got ready to go on our Harbor lunchtime cruise. The weather was still being a little uncooperative (a few showers), but it was refreshing and the breeze felt great. We boarded at the Circular Quay and took off into the harbor.

Lunch was really good, and the views were fabulous. Thanks, Debbie!

After we finished eating, we went outside under an overhang (it was still raining), and took some more great pics. My favorite part was being outside as we glided under the bridge. At that moment, I felt like I was a part of the structure and a part of the water all at once. My heart soared, much like the iron gridwork above me. Looking back as we passed, we saw a troop of hearty souls climbing the bridge, waving from the topmost point.

When the cruise was over, we trekked just around the corner to the Opera Quay...a short walk to the Sydney Opera House (SOH).

Now, I haven't seen the great pyramids or Niagra Falls. I haven't seen the Taj Mahal or the Colosseum in Rome. I haven't seen Joe clean the pool, but I have seen the Opera House...one of the greatest wonders of the world, in my book!

The structure itself is art - simply art - much like the Eiffel Tower or the Golden Gate Bridge. But the fact is, the functionality of the space is equally amazing. There are five venues under the "sails": three smaller intimate venues, a narrow Opera House and a giant Concert Hall (holds about 1200 people). At any one time, they may be proffering five operas, one or two one man shows, the ballet and a giant concert. Incredible. The foyers and the outside promenades also are used for small concerts or festivals...it truly is an awesome place. Raw cement "ribs" intersect with beautiful rich woods and jewel-tone carpeting. The arcing ceilings took my breath away...it was almost like being in church.

Back along the Quay, we stopped at the Opera Bar for a beer...imagine that. I ducked into the ladies room and found one of the cleanest, most well kept public facilities I've ever seen. I know that may be a little too much information for many of you playing along, but there's not a public restroom in Dallas that I would even go into, much less award a good housekeeping seal of approval.

We finished up the day with a meal at a little bistro in the Rocks. Eating and drinking in Australia is a bit funny...most pubs/cafes are self-serve. You go up to the bar and order and pay, you go up to the grill and order and pay, then they bring it out to you, and when you're finished, they'll pick up. I kind of like it. You get what you want (you're not relying on some waitress to remember that you wanted the dressing on the side or the veggie, rather than the pasta). Every place we've been to eat and drink we all sit down and wait for a few minutes before we realize, "Oh! We need to go get!"

After dinner, we trudged back to the hotel, once again exhausted...but sated, a little buzzed and with a new love in our lives...Sydney.

For Jim Cuaderes

Who wants proof that the water goes down the drain counterclockwise south of the equator. Um, Jim, it turns out that they can plumb the drains to go any direction they want. Most of the toilets go straight down (they're air forced), but the sink in the bathroom at the Sydney Marriott gave me the proof I need. I wish I had some food coloring or something to make it easier to see, but you can tell...the water is, indeed, decending counterclockwise.

I have lots of pictures from yesterday's Harbor Cruise and Opera House tour, but I've got to pack and get ready to get on board this afternoon. I'll post later with a couple of funny stories and some great fotos. Cheers!

A Post From The Future

Each time I sit down to make a post, I see the time and date my PC thinks it is. It is still on Dallas time. So, as I start to compose this post, locally it is 9:33 PM on the 18th. However, my computer thinks it is 4:33 AM on the 18th. On Saturday morning, it will be the 19th here, but still the 18th at home.

We had another great day in Sydney. The only unfortunate part is that it was overcast all day and rained on and off. Well, mostly on. Luckily, we popped into a Woolrich store and picked up some little umbrellas for $6. We did a harbor lunch cruise with Captain Cook Cruises. The lunch cruise was nice, but they served food the entire time! The food was good, but you couldn't spend a lot of time just standing on the deck and taking pictures. Luckily, when you could pop out for a picture or two, there were some overhangs and you could keep the camera out of the rain. Next time, I would pick a snack cruise so I could see more of the landscape.

We then went and did a tour of the Sydney Opera House. That is a nice tour, and even better when all the outside choices will include rain. The SOH is definitely worth the tour. The one thing I really wanted to do in Sydney was the Harbor Bridge Climb. Sadly, tomorrow's forecast is more of the same. If I am going to climb the bridge, I really want to see a panoramic vista. So, sadly, I will put that off to the next time I come to Sydney and I will come back!

I have some friends who live across the street from me in Dallas. They have lived in New York & Sydney for a good number of years. Since they moved to Dallas, they haven't been happy with the food. I often wondered why. Well, I think I have a much better idea now. We have eaten at a variety of pubs and restaurants in our short stay and each place has had one or more fantastic food items. You also don't see as much fast food. The only down side, is that the price of food is higher, but after coming from Tahiti, it seems much more reasonable now!

Since we have been walking the last couple of days, I have had a chance to see a great variety of the population here in Sydney. What I have noticed is the ratio of overweight people to the normal sized people is SUPER low compared to the states. Also, the number of just beautiful women seems rather high. Sure makes for enjoyable people watching.

Airfare to Sydney: $1,850
Marriott Hotel Per Night: $125
Watching attractive long legged, short skirted Aussie Women: Priceless

A Whole Day In Sydney

After we get a very early check-in, we go to our rooms, unload our bags, freshen up and get ready to see Sydney. I looked outside my window and realized that just to the left is the American Express building. Now, big whoop to most people, but my friend Tamara and her husband used to live in Sydney and she works for Amex.

We headed down towards the Quay and Rocks area. Sydney is just a very beautiful city. New buildings and old buildings and lots of parks. Totally was the typical tourist walking down the street gawking at everything. When we got down to the Quay, we started looking for some food. One of the "to see" places on Joe's list was Lord Nelsons. So, we bumble around for a while, but find Lord Nelsons. It is famous for being the oldest pub in Sydney. They also make their own beer. I had the Admiral's blood, a porter style beer. Sadly, they ran out of that, so I went with the lighter Old Admiral beer. It was fantastic as well. As luck would have it, they also had a bar menu. Let me say the fish and chips were out of this world. They listed a wasabi mayo side. The mayo was the lightest of green, sadly, I didn't taste any wasabi though. The curry dish smelled fantastic too!

Eventually, after many beers, we head out to amble and look at the shops. Not surprisingly, we found another pub. Another one that claims to be the oldest pub, The Fortune Of War. The bartender, Jennie, was a stunner. Tracy's comment later was, "Hell, I would have done her!" She was quite fun to chat with. She explained to us the basics of cricket. When asked, one of her recommendations for dinner was the Lowenbrau. Luckily, we had passed that on the way, so we headed out to amble and look at yet more shops on the way. We had a great dinner there, but it became pretty obvious that the long flight for Brett and more time changes for the rest of us was catching up FAST! Somehow walking, drinking and eating can really take it out of a group of jet lagged folks!

Let me just say that the bit of walking I did in preparation for this vacation sure helped. My feet were killing me after walking all day. If I hadn't done that prep walking, I am sure I would have been reduced to tears.

We slowly made our way back to the hotel and I know I was down for the count by 9 PM. All in all, a great first day in Sydney.

Holy Crap! I Love Sydney!

We set out yesterday from our hotel to do a bit of exploring. Okay, we set out to find a pub. But on the way to finding one, we saw a couple of other things.

I asked a couple of people for directions for Lord Nelson

(the pub we were in search of), and in our pursuant conversation they asked where we were from. I told them we were from Texas; they replied with "Where everything is bigger, right?"

I said, "Well, y'all have some big things here, too."

You can tell it's cloudy here, with showers predicted, but it's warm and feels great! We walked up to the Circular Quay (pronounced Key) and then over to the "Rocks," one of the oldest sections of the city. It's part of the traditional home of the Aboriginal Cadigal people. It's also where First Fleet mariners stepped ashore and established a British settlement on January 26, 1788. Unfortunately, we'll miss the annual Australia Day Celebration coming up...it looks to be a ripper (good bash).

So on to the Lord Nelson. It's a restaurant, a small hotel, but most importantly, a brew house.

Great beer, great food, great fun. (Ryan if you're reading this...here I am tossing a few pints down to the pub. Bonzer!)

Of course, Brett and Joe had their share of beers. I think they had their shares, one of my shares, probably on of Jon's share...or maybe they're just not the big dogs we thought they were. Brett has an excuse (he's just come off of a 20-some-odd hour flight), but Joe...? well, those of you who know Joe...he's heading headlong toward that last hurdle of sobriety, and it's only mid-afternoon. Turns out, Charles is the biggest dog in the bunch - he put the rest of us puppies on the porch...but I don't have a picture of that.

Okay! Moving on. We shopped a bit and then found another pub where we spent an hour or so before trekking over to Sydney's version of the Barvarian Grill, the Lowenbrau. It probably would have been much better, if we were not already so tired, so drunk and so addle-minded from our long, strange journey, but we managed to down a few more beers and some schnitzel...hey, we had to!

I promise I'll get you proof that the water flows down the drain counterclockwise down under, but now it's time for coffee and a shower. Today, we have a lunchtime harbor cruise planned and a tour of the Opera House. Should have some great pics from that! See ya, Mates!

Special Burger In Paradise

On Monday night, we went to a little restaurant called Tipianers (sp?) down the road from our hotel. It was an Italian food restaurant, but with a polynesian flair. I had the seafood lasagne and it was fantastic! On Tuesday, we had to check out of the hotel in Moorea by 11 AM. Rather than pay the higher rates in the hotel, we walked back down the road to the Tipianers. The main restaurant wasn't open in the daytime, but they had a smaller place on the beach. They had all sorts of great lunch fair. What intrigued me was the Special Burger. It was a cheeseburger with bacon and a fried egg. Yes, you read that right ... a fried egg. Well, I HAD to try that and it was danged good. Might have to do that sometimes at home too!! So, we relaxed in the restaurant, enjoyed our food and knocked back more Hinano. Eventually, our transport came and we were shuttled back to the ferry for the ride back to Papeete on the main island of Tahiti. We went back to the Sofitel and got a room a the few hours before we had to get to the airport for the flight to Sydney. The flight was a 2:10 AM and crossed the international date line. This means, I only saw about 3 1/2 to 4 hours of Wednesday, January 16th. Other than that ... it didn't exist.

We have picked up another traveler in the group. Brett Geddes didn't make the Tahiti portion of the trip. So, now we number 6 people and we have a total of 18 bags. Well, 19 if you count my backpack. It was rather comical to watch the cab driver load all the stuff wondering when the bags were going to end. Even at the Marriott, the guys grabbing the luggage were shocked at the number of bags. They had to run get yet another carrier.

So, here we are in Sydney Australia, resting up in the hotel and will soon be walking around and sight seeing. I think our first hike will be down to the Opera House. It is only a mile away!! We will be here until the afternoon of the 19th when we make our way to the boat to start the cruise!

G'Day, Mate!

Tuesday/Wednesday was a long, brutal day -- traipsing back to Papeete and catching our flight to Sydney. Now I know why they call it "luggage," because all we did was lug it around. From the hotel in Moorea onto the transfer to the ferry dock, off the transfer and into the luggage bins bound for Papeete, out of the luggage bins to the transfer to the hotel, out of the transfer into the hotel, out of the hotel onto a transfer, off the transfer into the airport...geeeez...we're exhausted! But don't we look good? (That's at the hotel in Moorea) Toldja I'd figure out the camera thing!

We hooked up with Brett at the airport in Papeete at about 11:30pm and our flight finally left at 2:40am (Wednesday morning). Most of us slept at least a little during the flight to Sydney. But I was wide awake as we flew in over Sydney Harbor. It was cloudy and gray, but that didn't diminish the sight of the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House beyond. I just have one thing to say: "Holy Crap! I'm in Australia!! Below us we could see lots of houses and parks and marinas lined along the shoreline. Small boats unzipped the fabric of the water as they sped through S-curves toward the bay out for a morning fish, I suppose. It was beautiful.

We landed seven or so hours after takeoff, at 7:30am Thursday morning (messing with my mind already!). All the luggage made it (all of it...all...are you ready for this...19 pieces of it...there are six of us...OMG!), and we hailed a taxi whose driver managed to fit it in jigsaw-style into the back, sides and crannies of his car. And if you've never experienced it before, lemme tell you, driving on the left-hand side of the road is, well, pretty freaky, but our driver was great.

We were delivered to our Marriott home (for the next 2 days) to find that our rooms were ready, even this early. The hotel staff was friendly, service-oriented, funny and willing to spend a moment with us to find out where we'd been, where we're going, but most importantly, what we wanted to do while in Sydney. I, of course, asked where the pubs are...but only after I found out how far away we are from the Opera House (about a mile...I'll be touring that later).

So we're getting cleaned up now and plan to meet the rest of the gang in about an hour to get started on our walkabout. G'day, Mates!

If it's Tuesday, this must be Moorea

At least for part of the day. Today will be a strange, long day, but I'll get to that in a minute.

Yesterday was a lot of fun. While I was posting, a rain shower moved through. Very tropical, warm rain that lasted about five minutes. Throughout the day, we had about three more...very relaxing, and the breeze they brought with them was wonderful!

Instead of just laying around on the beach like a bunch of slugs, we called our island friend, Ron Hall, and one of his minions (a very pretty girl) came around to pick us up and take us to his wonderful pearl shop. Elizabeth bought earrings. Jon bought a small stud, and I bought earrings, too. Ron must love us. Those of you reading will just have to wait and see if I bought you anything.

From Ron's store, our pretty minion drove us to another little shopping area where we found a place for lunch and did a little souvenir shopping. We walked the short distance back to the hotel and then we lounged by the pool for happy hour. We're mighty happy people.

At 7pm, our ride for dinner came. Moorea doesn't really have taxis, well, it does, but they're pricey. Most big shops or restaurants have free service for pick up and delivery. You just have to call them and reserve your space. They're not on a time table, either...you can stay at the restaurant for as long as you like. So we did! We had a fabulous Italian/Polynesian dinner with a delicious Chianti, topped off with a Tahitian vanilla creme brulee...oh my! (Tahiti's main export is vanilla and they really know how to make a creme brulee!)

Back at the hotel it's time to think about leaving. Already?!? Oh yeah, we have a whole other part of the trip to get to!

Tuesday: we'll relax this morning, before a noon checkout. Our transfer back to the ferry that takes us back to Papeete is at 3:30, so we'll hang around the beach here, then utilize the hotel's changing rooms. Once back at Papeete, we'll check back into the Sofitel for the day. A nap is definitely on the agenda there, because at about 11pm, we head for the airport, hook up with Brett (finally) and fly for Sydney at 2:10 am Wednesday morning. Shortly after take off we'll cross the International Date Line and lose the rest of Wednesday...it will be Thursday by the time we reach Sydney. I hate it when they mess with the time space continuum.

I promise I'll figure out the camera...maybe on Wednesday!

More Moorea Please

We spent a relaxing morning at the Sofitel in Papeete. For me, sitting in the shade on a beach, listening to the water and reading is a great vacation. But, we were not destined to spend all day in Papeete. So, we packed our bags, made our way to the ferry and rode across to the island of Moorea. Tahiti Nui is strking, but Moorea is even more striking with the green mountains rugged mountains. Luckily, each step of the way, we have a van waiting for us so we don't have to move the onimous mound of luggage that is required for 5 people who are traveling for 3 weeks and have to dress for the beach, casual, smart casual and perhaps formal. Anywho, we arrive at the Intercontinental Hotel Moorea. All the facilities are open, so you can feel the breeze and see the beach or lush vegetation from almost everywhere.

Tahiti is beautiful, but pricey. I try not to spend much time converting from polynesian francs to US dollars. Oh well, how many times will I have this opportunity?

Off to enjoy another evening in paradise!

Next Stop: Moorea

Our morning in Papeete was wonderful. After a buffet breakfast with delicious fresh fruit and French cheeses, not to mention the croissants (this is, after all, French Polynesia), we all plopped on the beach and enjoyed a warm sunny day. Only a few clouds kept me (and Joe) from become red hot lobsters. Yep. Sunburnt the first day. Oh well...at least now I look like I've been on vacation, instead of looking like the Pilsbury Doughboy.

The best local beer here is Hinano. If you've studied the magnets on our fridge, you've seen the one we have of their logo (or at least the girl on their logo). It's a nice light beer that you can drink all day in the sun and not get too plastered...okay, maybe not all day. It's really very good, and Joe and I are hoping to find t-shirts to replace the ones we bought years ago and have worn to threads.

So after a nice lunch and a couple of beers, we checked out of the Sofitel and took a transfer to the dock to board the ferry for Moorea. It's a quick trip, like a commuter bus, only between islands.

Moorea is shaped like a three-toed duck's foot (don't fuss with me, I know there's no such thing as a three-toed duck...I'm just sayin'). The dock is on the southeast shore, our hotel is on the big toe (if, in fact, you were looking at the right-hand foot of said duck), near the deep bay you can see in the picture. The five of us were crammed in a van, along with another couple, who told us "You seem like a fun bunch" (seem is sooo subjective), and our 20-odd pieces of luggage and took off for the hotel.

We got settled just in time for happy hour and dinner. I'm going to try and figure out our new camera today, so I'll upload some fun pics tomorrow. We're all still recovering from the time difference. We hit the hay about 9:45 last night, but slept until about 7 this morning...we're getting used to it...we'll have a later night tonight. I feel sorry for Brett, who'll join us Wednesday as we take off for Sydney...he'll have no time to adjust. I'm kinda looking forward to torturing him. At least a little bit.

Well, internet connection here is available only in the lobby and in the bar. You can guess where I'm sitting. And it looks like they're open, so I'll close for now. I hear it's going to snow in Amarillo later this week. That's just awful.

Ahhh, Tahiti

I flew into LA on Friday and took a shuttle out to Joe's parents house (Wally & Linda). I met Joe's new brother bird named Sydney. Sadly, I just realized no pictures of Sydney. Joe and Tracy made it in just an hour or so later. We had a nice time chatting on Friday night. Before we went to bed, Wally told me the code to the alarm system. I thought to myself, I am not gonna leave the house, but good information to have. So, early Saturday morning when I could not sleep any longer, I get up. When I looked out the window, it was very foggy and the parking lot across the way looked so cool! After taking my picture, I open the door and tip toe VERY QUIETLY make my way downstairs to take a shower. After all, if I go downstairs, the noise I make shouldn't wake anybody up. Well, about halfway down the stairs, the alarm starts SCREAMING! I of course am bolting back up the stairs to find the panel. Luckily, Joe was awake and had heard me tip toeing down the hall and was just getting up in case I forgot about the alarm. That is one hell of a way to wake everybody up!!

With everybody WIDE AWAKE, we get packed and head to LAX. What a zoo! The only international flying I have ever done was to Mexico, so these procedures are new to me. We go to the ticket counter and get our boarding passes, then stand in another line to have your luggage x-rayed and checked by TSA. I was diverted to another line. Luckily, it moved fairly quickly ... eventually. I kept getting closer to the front of the line. But not because peoples bags were being processed. Rather they were leaving to find a different line. My patience paid off and I was ready to head to the gate. I found Joe & Tracy in the line I was originally going to stand in. We made our way slowly. A TSA agent came and said "Everybody behind this point follow me!" When questioned, she gave an emphatic and authoritative command, "FOLLOW ME" and she took off. I follow them to their next line and then head back to the previous line where our fellow travellers Charles & Elizabeth were at the end of the line. I let them know where we are going to meet and head up to the food court to wait. Joe & Tracy were there in fairly short order and apparently Charles & Elizabeth were stuck in LINE HELL! Eventually, they finally make it up and we head to the gate and make it through a very chaotic final security check.

As we board the plane, I am doing the mental check list of what I have to occupy my time for the next 8 1/2 hours till we get to our destination, Papeete Tahiti. Luckily, there was a very cool monitor on the seatback ahead that had videos, games and a monitor of the planes progress, speed and other conditions. I didn't even need my iPod or other items. Just read and watched movies and ate when they brought us food.

As we make our approach into Papeete, you can see the island of Tahiti Nui just as darkness is setting in. Very impressive. Lots of small mountiains. We make it off the planes, through customs and Joe, Tracy & I get our bags. We notice that Charles & Elizabeth aren't there yet. They had moved to the back of the plane to get more room and therefore made it off nearly last and more time in LINE HELL. Actually, it probably wasn't that bad, but sound better :)

We are shuttled off to the Sofitel hotel where we were going to spend Saturday night. We went to the rooms, changed and met out by the pool for some drinks. We enjoyed the local Hinano beer.

And thus ended the first day of the vacation ... Ahhhh Tahiti!

PS: I can't get my photos uploaded yet. The wired connection doesn't work in my room and the wireless is just flaky enough that uploading wasn't working. When I get a better connection, there will be pictures!!

Good Morning Papeete!

Okay, it's Sunday morning and I'm sitting on our balcony at the Sofitel in Papeete overlooking the garden, the pool, the bar and the beach. It's about 6am...yeah, I know, but I'm still on Dallas time (5 hours difference). The sun is just coming up over the tops of the hills. There are some tall, pink clouds in the distance. All the morning birds are calling, getting ready for a new day. Occasionally I think I hear a monkey, but it's either Joe singing while he's brushing his teeth or some strange bird I've never heard. It's about 70 degrees, no wind, just a little humidity. Someone just turned on some music down by the beach. It's Tahitian music, soft and rythmical...islandy...well, duh!

The ocean is lapping at the shore, there's no one in the pool yet...in fact I see only a few folks stirring below. I wish I had a bloody mary.

The flight in was fine, no weather, and not nearly full, so Jonathan, Charles and Elizabeth stretched out and took over whole rows of seats. (It was fine in business class, too!) We're here in Papeete just for the morning. At noon, we'll take a ferry to Moorea, about a 20 minute ride. In fact I can see Moorea from where I'm sitting. We'll stay in Moorea until Wednesday, when we'll fly over to Sydney...a nine hour flight. But I'll think about that on Wednesday. For now, I'm on a mission to find a bloody mary.

Bon Voyage, Happy Trails, Auf Wiedersehen, Arrivederci, Hooroo, Shalom, Aloha, Hasta la Vista, Baby!

We're off!

It's hard to believe it's finally here. And I know y'all will be happy to start reading about our adventures rather than our stress, anticipation and packing stories. So here we go...cameras in hand, eyes wide open, credit cards out...ready for some fun!

See you in Tahiti!

Only Hours Away

I have packed about 95% of everything I am taking. All that remains are the few items I have to use before the "final" pack in the morning. This will be the farthest I have ever ventured away from home. And as someone pointed out, I can't get much farther away!

In just hours, I will be getting on my flight to LAX to start the big vacation! WOOO!!

Oh! To be Streamlined

I am not a pack rat. I don't go to Costco and load up on paper towels and grape jelly. I don't keep twist ties from bread wrappers. I don't even really have a kitchen junk drawer. But for the life of me, I can't figure out how to streamline my clothing selections when packing.

I do everything the travel wizards say to do, and I travel for work all the time...I should be pretty good at this. I make lists, right down to the socks and underwear, for what I'll be wearing everyday. I choose two color palettes and add in neutrals that can mix and match. I take into consideration that I will have a chance to do some laundry. And still, my suitcases are buldging! I wake up in the middle of the night and think, "I should take [insert any reasonable item here]." It's getting out of hand.

I encouraged Joe to take a larger suitcase so that we'd have room for souvenirs...instead, I'm afraid I'm going to be the one taking up that extra space. I think I have seriously over packed. I'll be changing wardrobes as often as Stevie Nicks does during a concert just so I can justify bringing everything I've packed.

But I'm ready, dammit! Ready for anything: cool evenings, warm evenings, rainy evenings, cloudy days, chilly days, sandy beaches, rocky roads, chaise lounges, staying out late, getting up early, feeling queasy, feeling tired, feeling congested, aching muscles, aching feet, sunburn, bug bite, hole in my pocket, broken eyeglasses, want to read, want to journal, want to listen to music, want to work out -- wait a minute...how'd that get in there? -- um, anyway, you get the idea.

Maybe it's my former Girl Scout coming out. Maybe it's my OCD coming out. Maybe I take everything because there just might be the slimmest chance that I'll decide to stay. In that case, maybe I need the larger suitcase!

Don't be Scared Away by "Register for a gmail Account"

If you're reading along and decide you'd like to comment, don't let the "GMail Account" deter you. You can post a comment anonymously and just add your name to the end...that way we'll know who's commenting, and you won't have another account and password you have to keep up with!

Thanks for playing!

Slowly Coming Together

This is the last weekend before I leave. I bought some "business casual" clothes to wear after 5PM on the boat. I won't be banned to my room at night now! I have a couple of different power converters now. I am covered two different ways in Australia. I just hope I am covered in Tahiti too! I still have to track down another wheeled duffle. I have had an offer on one, but I haven't seen it yet.

Joe also has gotten all the details for Tahiti together. Let me just say that paradise ain't cheap! Perhaps that is why I don't usually travel to places during "the season". Oh well, it will be fun and beautiful nonetheless. It is good to break out of my comfort zone :)

A Week Away

So I'm awake at 4:00 o'clock this morning thinking about, well, you know what I'm thinking about. We leave in a week. A Week!



We finally got all our hotels squared away for our stays in Tahiti, Sydney and Auckland. Joe's dad, Wally, did a great job taking care of all our transfers and all the little details that go along with a trip like this. It's too bad he and Joe's mom, Linda aren't coming with us...I was looking forward to shopping with Linda and seeing Wally (see pic) do the Maori war dance again, but with the natives (yes, that's Joe in a Russian Cossack...the hat, glasses and beads are another story). We'll have to find a cool souvenir to bring back for them.