Nagasaki, Japan

We had such a lovely day in Japan! When we awakened Monday morning the sun was just rising and it was so big and red - just beautiful. The sky was clear and it was a crisp 7 degrees. It stayed sunny and clear all day, and the temperature only rose to 14 degrees, so mum and I were right at home! When we got to the pier in Nagasaki an ambulance came roaring up, and about 30 minutes later they removed one of the passengers and took him to the hospital – poor guy. Anyway, that put us all behind as they wouldn't let anybody else off the ship until the ambulance had departed. We were on one of the early tours so we got to disembark relatively quickly which was great because the lineup for immigration stretched the length of the ship by the time we got inside to be fingerprinted and photographed. All in all, it was fairly painless. After one false start where we had to return to the pier to pick up one passenger who had been left behind, we hit the road and headed for Shimabara Peninsula. We had to drive through a series of tunnels to get out of Nagasaki, and then we just sat back and enjoyed the beautiful architecture and scenery. The cherry blossoms had just bloomed, and they were so gorgeous! Almost two hours later we arrived at Shimabara and headed for a samurai village located near the castle. It was such a beautiful walk to the village. The street was gravel and cobblestone with a trench full of clear water running down the centre, like a step back in time – just lovely! After we toured around, we headed to Shimabara Castle which was surrounded by cherry trees in full bloom – very romantic looking. The castle was full of artifacts from the days of the samurai, and mum and I climbed to the top for a magnificent view. The grounds were also covered in many interesting statues, some of them very creepy looking. We then traveled to a nearby hotel where we were given a Japanese boxed lunch which consisted of a large container divided into many small compartments, each containing a different delicacy – rice, seafood, vegetables, and some unknown substances! As we were leaving after lunch, the hotel staff came out into the parking lot to wave goodbye. Our final stop was at the small village of Mizunashihonjin which was buried during the 1991 eruption of Mt. Fugen. Some of the houses were only partially buried or had been partially excavated but others you could only see the very tops of the roofs. It was kind of eerie! After we had been given some time to look around it was time to return to the ship. We were a little bit late returning so they hustled us back on board pretty quickly. As we were crossing the pier there was a brass band from one of the local high schools playing music, and they continued to play until we sailed away – such a nice send off!

Guam, U.S. Territory

Our day in Guam was both good and bad. Let's start with the bad, shall we? Those darn Americans are so uptight about security they make it so annoying to visit even for a few hours! We started at 7:00 in the morning, lining up as far as the eye could see (not quite literally!) to meet with customs officials before we could disembark. They held the ship up during docking procedures, and as a result, the officials were late getting on board. Thankfully we were near the front of the line, so once they were onboard it didn't take too long to receive clearance – a good thing, since we were on the first tour leaving the port. After our tour, we were held up again right across from the dock while the officials flexed their muscles and pretended that it was a safety issue. Never mind that they only glanced briefly at our cruise cards – I bet I could have held up one of my credit cards and nobody would have noticed! It didn't stop them from making us sit there for 30 minutes though, so close and yet so far. Oh, and they had all the tour buses drive in and out of the secure area with their luggage compartments open to prevent any stowaways. Now none of this seems like a big deal, I grant you, but the U.S. ports have been the only ones to make such a big deal about procedure. I'm not saying that a little security isn't a good thing, but it seems to be more about putting on a big show about security than about actually making sure everything is secure. Now that that is off my chest, on to Guam! It is another beautiful little island. We had the most elaborate welcome from the people of Guam – as we disembarked we were met by Miss Guam, a band, singers and dancers, and every passenger had a lovely shell necklace draped around their necks. Our tour was mostly about seeing the views at various points on the island. We stopped briefly at a cultural village where not much was happening, but it was right on the water and the view was lovely – there was also a wonderful wind blowing which kept it from being too hot. Next they took us to a tourist trap called Jeff's Pirates Cove. I'll admit right now that I love cheesy pirate stuff and I did make some purchases! We then headed to the Japanese WWII war memorial which gave us a wonderful view down over Hagatna and the ocean. Our last stop was at Two Lovers Point which has a very romantic Romeo & Juliet style story about it and a truly amazing view! The water was so many colours from that spot – it was gorgeous! Finally we drove down into Hagatna and dropped off the shoppers at one of the hotels before the rest of us drove back to the ship. Later that afternoon we had the Chamorro Cultural Dance Group come on board and perform traditional songs and dances. The dancing was all done by children of various ages, the youngest of whom couldn't have been more than 4 years old – too cute! They put on a wonderful show, and as the ship was pulling away, they continued to sing and dance on the pier.

Rabaul, Papua New Guinea & Chuuk, Micronesia

We have a new “Hottest Spot” winner – Rabaul, Papua New Guinea takes the prize! I'm not kidding you, everybody was sweating like crazy! What an amazing stop though. When we awakened on Sunday morning, we looked outside and we were sailing right beside a volcano that had smoke billowing out the top! Now that is a sight to see. The second I stepped outside, my glasses fogged up and I knew we were in for a scorcher. Since most of Rabaul was destroyed in a volcanic eruption in 1994 we were driving on the ash on top of what used to be the town. Our first stop took us toward the volcanos to a partially rebuilt village. Everybody was so nice and friendly! Everywhere we went people were waving at us and shouting hello. The children ran down to the road and were so excited to see us – it was very lovely! At the village a group of children sang Sunday school songs and we had a wonderful view across to the volcanos. Next we went to see the remains of a Japanese WWII plane that had been dug out of the ash. We then drove to the hot springs, and just when I didn't think it could get any hotter, it did! The water was 80 degrees celsius, and man could you feel it as you approached! Our guide told us that people bring their food down to the hot springs and cook it in the water, and I can see why. We made our way back across the ash plain to the vans, and at that point I ran out of water (boo hoo). Our final stop took us back through the relatively undamaged part of Rabaul and up to the Rabaul Volcano Observatory which gave us magnificent views down over the town, the harbour and the volcanos. Rabaul was a truly great stop, and our guide was lovely. She and I exchanged addresses and hugs before mum and I got back onboard the ship.

On Tuesday we arrived in Chuuk, Micronesia which turned out to be just as hot as Rabaul – not surprising since both places are so close to the equator. There were no tours offered in Chuuk, and there really wasn't that much to see. I understand that it is a wonderful place to go diving because there are so many sunken Japanese planes and ships in the waters surrounding Chuuk, but since I find all things submerged to be really creepy, it wasn't to be. Nevertheless, mum and I got off the ship and wandered around the town. Parts of the street were flooded and it was quite muddy. The local post office was doing a brisk business as our fellow passengers went rushing by us with boxes to load up and mail back home! After we'd had our fill, we went back to the port and browsed through the stalls selling souvenirs. Mum was keen to pick up some “love sticks” and was quite pleased when she found them. I will leave you to find out what a “love stick” is, or you can wait until we get home and we can show you! As for myself, I bought a wonderful carved turtle – I just love him. I only hope I can get him back to Canada in one piece!

More Pictures From Australia!

Australian Overland Adventure

We had such an amazing overland trip in Australia – a truly worthwhile side trip! We sailed into Sydney Harbour early on the morning of March 13^th and docked between the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge – the perfect spot to dock considering that is pretty much all we got to see of Sydney! I was a little nervous because I had been told there were 13 people going on the trip, flying on March 13^th to Ayers Rock, and when we checked in at the airport we discovered that our flight was leaving from.....gate 13!!! Happily a head count revealed that we were a group of 15 plus our guide, Anne. Whew! As we were landing at the airport near Ayers Rock we got some fabulous views of The Olgas (Kata Tjuta) and of the Rock (Uluru) itself. Our guide told us that the first thing we were going to want to do at the hotel complex would be to buy ourselves a fly net, and we discovered why within two minutes of deplaning.....the flies in Australia's interior are insane! They are literally everywhere, and without the fly net you would go absolutely bonkers. Our hotel rooms weren't ready when we arrived, so we headed off immediately for a tour out to Kata Tjuta, and then to Ayers Rock. We caught a break with overcast skies, so we didn't bake to death...yay! The scenery was stunning and the rock formations very impressive – everything was so red! Ayers Rock was constantly changing colours, even without the sun beating down on it. Because of the threatening rain our buffet dinner under the stars out at Ayers Rock was cancelled, but we ended up going to a local restaurant where we got to try kangaroo and crocodile. The crocodile was delicious, and honestly actually does taste very much like chicken! We were also very thrilled with our hotel room – so much space after being cooped up on the ship for the last two 7 weeks! We almost didn't know what to do with ourselves!

Day 2 found us back out at the Rock for a talk given by one of the local aboriginal women. Her husband then demonstrated how to use a spear thrower, and we were given time to tour the cultural centre and to shop for some souvenirs. We then hit the road for the drive to Alice Springs where we got to view the ever-changing scenery. We saw some wild camels running alongside the road and stopped at a camel farm where we got to see an emu, a dingo and some wallabies – so cute! We also watched a very interesting documentary about a grouping of kangaroos which then led to tears (on my part) when one of the young ones was killed by dingos. Too sad for my vacation! We checked into another very lovely hotel and then dined at The Overlanders Steakhouse where we were forced to act as part of the evening's entertainment by using wobble boards and singing Australian songs, complete with hand actions – great fun was had by all!

Day 3 we got to sleep in – Happy Birthday to me! After a leisurely morning we headed to the Alice Springs Desert Park where we were set loose to wander. The sun finally came out today, so we were sweating it out, coated in suntan lotion. Now THIS was how I had imagined Australia to be! We were able to see some kangaroos and all kinds of interesting creatures in the nocturnal house, including the thorny devil, my new favourite kind of lizard. Our next stop was at the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, which reminded me so much of what I do back home I almost felt like I was back at work! Finally if was off to the airport where we said goodbye to our bus driver Adam and caught our flight to Cairns. Our hotel in Cairns was lovely, situated right on the waterfront, and the view from our balcony was wonderful. We had dinner in the hotel restaurant, and despite the unbelievably slow service (3 hours for dinner!) the food was fantastic. The group surprised me with a candle in my dessert, a birthday card and a gift, and they sang Happy Birthday to me – so sweet!

Day 4 was a lot of fun. Despite news of an approaching cyclone we were given the go-ahead to venture out to the Great Barrier Reef. Mum decided she had best stay behind as the trip out was supposed to be quite rough – good choice on her part! At least half of the boat was sick on the trip out to the pontoon, including several people who claim to never get seasick. I felt perfectly fine and I sat up top getting soaked by the spray and by passing showers. It was rough when we first got out to the pontoon, but it quieted down some after lunch. The sun came out and I took a ride in the semi-sub to get a better look at the reef. I then spent most of the afternoon swimming and snorkeling, which was amazing! There was so much to see and the fish were so bright and so close. I even saw some jellyfish. Truly an excellent way to spend the day! The trip back in was almost as rough, and I was soaked from head to toe by the time we arrived back at the harbour, but I didn't care! After a wardrobe change back at the hotel our group walked down to a restaurant on the waterfront. Mum spent her day shopping in Cairns and doing some clothes ironing of all things – not exactly my idea of fun, but she enjoyed herself!

Day 5 was another truly excellent day. We took the train from Cairns up into the rainforest to the town of Kuranda. The train ride up was a lot of fun, and the views were spectacular. We saw several waterfalls (which I love!) and got some great views down over Cairns. We spent some time shopping in the village and just looking around. I bought some gorgeous coasters that I hope will make it back to Canada in one piece! On our walk to the skyrail station for our trip back down we got caught in a downpour – I never really imagined Australia as being so wet! We then took cable cars back down the mountain, stopping at a couple of different stations for a nature walk and a view of Barron Falls. I saw some GIANT spiders that looked like the rubber spiders we used to play with as children....gives me the shivers just to think about them! Once again we had amazing views over the rainforest and down into Cairns. When we were all safely back on the ground we proceeded to Tjapukai Cultural Centre where we had lunch and then met our guide, Colin. After Colin painted our faces we walked across the bridge into the cultural village where he told us how to make a didgeridoo and then played one for us. An aboriginal girl then talked to us about traditional medicine. We were then taken to another area where we were shown how to throw boomerangs and spears. It turns out that I am awesome at throwing a boomerang – far better than anybody else in our group! I was invited to join the tribe based on my amazing skill – luckily the invitation was issued before I tried to throw a spear because I confess I am not great at that! With that our visit was pretty much done, and it was back across the bridge (where we saw a bunch of turtles sticking their heads out of the water!) for a video presentation and a stop in their gift shop, and then we drove back to the hotel. As soon as we entered the lobby we ran into our friend Ted Curtis who traveled up to Cairns from Sydney to see us – so good to see a familiar face! We had coffee and made plans to spend some time together the next day. After dinner at a restaurant specializing in aboriginal cuisine mum and I accompanied another group member to the night market to help him find the perfect boomerang. He eventually found one that satisfied him, and then it was back to the hotel.

Day 6 we were basically free to do what we wanted. The ship sailed into Cairns at about 7:00 am. We had breakfast at the hotel with Ted and then our group was taken to the ship so we could drop off all of our luggage. This also meant that it was time to say goodbye to our guide Anne, who was truly wonderful. She took such good care of us, and she knew everything about everything. We found out we had the same taste in movies and music, so she gave me a list of Australian movies to watch and I gave her the names of some bands for her to listen to. This whole trip turned out to be so much fun, and all of our group members were so nice and got along so well. Really it was a wonderful break from the ship – it was nice to just have our small little group, much more intimate. After dropping our stuff in the cabin, we walked back to the infinity pool on the Esplanade to meet Ted. We walked up into the main shopping district and had lunch at a wonderful Greek restaurant, and then did a bit of shopping at the mall. After a final coffee we made our way back to the ship where we said our fond farewells, and then it was back to our home away from home. It's a little sad to be leaving Australia behind, but what a wonderful trip!

Picton, New Zealand

Tuesday we had our last stop in New Zealand, the lovely town of Picton on the south island. Our original tour to the sheep farm was cancelled, much to mum's dismay, and our second choice was already full by the time we were notified of the cancellation, so we ended up on our third choice tour of two wineries in the Marlborough region. As we got off the ship we were met by a couple of ladies from the tourist bureau who presented us with a corsage of local flowers. After a short bus ride we arrived at Montana Winery where we were given a tour of the facility and participated in a wine tasting session. Unfortunately we arrived just a couple of days before they were to start harvesting the grapes for this years vintage, but it was interesting nonetheless. Our next stop was at Forrest Winery where we were given a lesson on the various pruning techniques used in the vineyard. And then – more wine tasting! For two non-drinkers, it was a lot of alcohol first thing in the day! Mum is pleased to now have some idea of what kind of wine to buy for her book club meetings!!! We decided that since we have a long way left to travel and only limited luggage space we couldn't bring any wine back with us, but I will definitely be on the lookout for these two labels back in Canada. Our final stop was at a small shopping centre where you could purchase woolen goods, books and souvenirs, and then it was back to the port where we staggered back on board and had a little nap – I wish I was kidding, but I'm not! We awakened in time to sit on our balcony and enjoy our departure through the lovely Queen Charlotte Sound and out into the Cook Straight. We were very sad to say goodbye to New Zealand – it has been our favourite place so far. The waters have been surprisingly calm for the most part as we sail toward Australia. Tomorrow morning we begin our overland adventure to Ayer's Rock, Alice Springs and Cairns. Mum is looking forward to being on solid ground for a few days! Unfortunately I do not have a proper adapter for my computer, so I'm not sure how much computer access I will have in Australia. We rejoin the ship on March 18^th (our time) which would be St. Patrick's Day for you, so Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Bay of Islands & Auckland, New Zealand

I am absolutely, 100% in love with New Zealand! Honestly, the ship could leave me behind and I would be perfectly happy to stay here forever – at least until the GNWT stopped paying me! Saturday was a wonderful day. We arrived in the Bay of Islands early in the morning and were accompanied into the harbour by some dolphins. Mum and I decided to take different tours, so she headed off at 9:00 to visit a Kauri forest and then trek through a glow worm grotto, finishing up with a hike up and down a big hill and through the woods. She came back raving about the tour, and she even managed to take some pretty decent photos which is a minor miracle considering her hatred of all things technological! I stayed onboard for the morning and enjoyed some time by myself. Good thing too, because that meant that I didn't get caught in the huge downpour that so many other passengers were soaked in! After lunch I caught the tender to shore and joined my group for a ride on a catamaran out to the “Hole in the Rock”. The rain clouds had moved on by that point and we had a wonderful cruise around some of the islands in the bay and then out to the rock. Unfortunately it was too rough to actually go through the hole, but we sailed right up beside it and I got some great pictures. We then sailed back into the bay and stopped on one of the islands where we were given time to explore. I found some lovely shells on the beach and waded out into the beautiful blue water, enjoying the sunshine. Then it was back onboard and we sailed back to town where we caught our tender back to the ship. This has been my favourite day so far – no offence mum!

Sunday we arrived in Auckland after a very rough night at sea. We were awakened in the middle of the night as our drink tray went crashing off the desk, smashing one of the glasses all over the floor, so it was a bit of a restless night. Our tour left at 8:00 and this time we were off to the Waitomo Glow Worm Cave. It was so cool! The cave was huge, and we climbed way down into the ground. After touring the caves we arrived at the underground river where we climbed into boats and went through the Glow Worm Grotto, where the only light is from the glow worms. It was unbelievable - truly worth the 2.5 hour drive from Auckland. After we climbed back up to our bus our driver took us to a nearby farm in Otorohanga for lunch, which was absolutely delicious. The house was surrounded by a beautiful garden which we strolled through after the meal. Then it was off to the Otorohanga Kiwi House and Native Bird Park to view the protected kiwi bird, which is nocturnal and tailless – and quite strange looking! They also had geckos, falcons, owls, ducks, harriers, wekas, kingfishers and other birds. We then drove back to Auckland and to the ship, and the scenery was gorgeous. Before we set sail the captain informed us that the route we were supposed to take to Picton was going to be really rough, so he was going to backtrack to Bay of Islands and come down the other side of New Zealand, but that we should still arrive in Picton on time. Sunday night they were showing South Pacific in the Cabaret Lounge, and even though we were both tired we had promised we would go, so we did. I had never seen it before, and I loved it – the only downside is that I haven't been able to get the songs out of my head since then! I wonder how long it will take me to be free from the soundtrack!

Port Vila, Vanuatu & Noumea, New Caledonia

Another day, another gorgeous island in the south seas. Tuesday we arrived in Port Vila, Vanuatu and it was HOT. We got off to an early start and our tour took us to the Ekasup Cultural Village. As we followed a trail into the rainforest we began to hear rustling noises and voices in the trees, and before we knew it we were surrounded by warriors aiming weapons at us – very exciting! Once we arrived in the village our guide took us to various centres and told us about Vanuatu, their way of life, what kinds of traditional medicines they used, how they hunted and fished, and best of all, tales of cannibalism! It was all very interesting, although there was a demonstration involving a HUGE spider that I wasn't too fond of. Needless to say, I did not get very close to it! We got to see some of the women preparing food and weaving baskets. After stopping for a refreshment some of the men played music and sang and danced for us. We had a marvellous time! When we got back to the ship there was a marketplace set up just outside the secure area, so we stopped and did some shopping and I got my hair braided by one of the women - gotta try to keep cool somehow!

Wednesday morning I stepped out onto the balcony and saw a pod of dolphins leaping through the water right beside the ship. They were so small and adorable – just the best way to greet the day! We spent the morning sailing along the coast of New Caledonia and the views were amazing. There was a wonderful breeze blowing, so we just sat out on the balcony and watched it all go by. The water is so many different colours and there were all kinds of little beaches and coves that looked very inviting. We arrived in Noumea just before noon and took a little sightseeing tour around the town and to some awesome viewpoints. It's a very cute little city. The vegetation was quite different than on Fiji or Vanuatu so it was a nice change. I could definitely see spending a week or two there enjoying the beaches and the french restaurants! Tomorrow we arrive in New Zealand and I am very excited – mum and I are going on separate day trips, so we should have lots to talk about tomorrow night!