Village

In the village we went to a central area where there were vendors for us to get souvenirs. I bought the carved volcanic head that the lady is holding in the center of picture 1. Everyone was very friendly and easy to talk to throughout the entire day. The guides were not forthcoming with information but happily answered questions and it was easy to engage the vendors and other people standing around in conversation. Most seemed to speak English well or have someone in the group who spoke English.

Our guide lived in this village and her daughter caught sight of her as we drove away and was so excited to see her mommy. Her nephew also ran along side the caravan, everyone waving and smiling.

From there we went to a WWII plane crash site (pic. 2). There were more vendors here so we did a little more shopping.

Back at the ship I headed out to the gate of the port to visit some more vendors. Some of these vendors had wonderful high quality carved wood object and the prices were very reasonable. The Queen Victoria visited this port yesterday which made me wonder what treasures they had picked up as everything we saw was hand made and unique, not mass produced.

On the tour I did not have to wear my dust mask because we seemed to be upwind of the ash. However, back at the ship I wore my mask to and from the shopping area as the air quality in this area was poor. Some ship's personnel were also wearing them so I did not feel too out of place.

The day was hot and humid. Everyone was glad to get back on board and into the air conditioning.

The city of Rabaul was completely destroyed in a volcanic eruption in 1994 which buried the city in 2 meters of ash. We saw the remains of a few buildings (very few). The buildings were not rebuilt but instead the offices moved to other cities that were further away from the volcano and thus a better investment. As a result of Rabaul's proximity to the volcano the structures that have been erected are generally of poor quality and look patched together out of salvaged material.

Another calm day on the Coral Sea

Today we sailed on calm glass-like water. It was a wonderful ride! It was again hot and humid. Every time a door opened to the outside it felt like a blast from a furnace.

Tomorrow we stop in Rabaul, Papa New Guinea. This is a very exotic stop. So much so that many on board have been cutting it down. As a result, everyone has very low expectations. I am very much looking forward to it. I prefer the more exotic stops to those that have USA-like shopping malls.

Currently Rabaul has an active volcano. It has been acting up recently and the airports are currently shut down due to the ash in the air. However, we are told that we will be able to make our scheduled stop. Some of the entertainers were scheduled to get off here and be replaced by a new batch. However due to the flights being canceled they are not getting off until Guam. I'm scheduled to go on a tour that includes the Volcanological Observatory, see a bubbling beach where underwater vents heat seawater to boiling and stop at a local village.

Smooth sailing on the Coral Sea

I'm pleased to report that when we exited the area shielded by the Great Barrier Reef we encountered smooth seas. Yesterday and today we have had the smoothest sailing that we have had to date on this cruise. It is wonderful!

We had two lectures yesterday that I caught parts of on TV, 'Art Deco Architectural Landmarks' and 'Japanese Weddings, Is It Love or a Suitable Arrangement'. From what I saw, both were interesting.

It is so incredibly hot and humid out that I didn't even want to go out to get in the pool. It is the same today. There is condensed water on my window just from the muggy conditions. However, get in the pool I did and it was refreshing!

Great Barrier Reef - So close, yet so far

I'm disappointed to report that I did not go to the Great Barrier Reef. We pulled into port to rain and an overcast sky with dark clouds all around. We called our helicopter company to see what the expected weather would be for the afternoon when we needed to come back from the Great Barrier Reef. They did not have a favorable prediction and as a result we decided to go to Kuranda, a rain forest area instead. It was a horrible mistake as the weather cleared up and we could have done the full tour. We made the decision with the best information we had and I am heart broken that I didn't decide to chance it and go. One of our tour members correctly pointed out that the risk would have been worth it if we had a nearby town for our next port but our next one is Rabaul in Papa New Guinea. The ship's tour went and in this case I lost big by planning my own tour. Everyone I talked to had a great time.

Moving on to what I did do. I had a very pleasant relaxed day. We took a cab to the Kuranda Village in the World Heritage Rainforest. We had a great cab driver who gave us a nice tour on the way up. I took the first pic. at a scenic overlook that we stopped at. We could have taken the train but decided to drive up and train or sky rail down. In the town, the shopping was good with reasonable prices. There were many attractions. One of the first I stopped at was a bat rescue. The injured bats are rehabilitated and released back into the wild. This picture of a sleeping back who was free flighted but came back to the cage for a nap reminded me of Count Dracula with the way his wings were wrapped around him.

Birdworld

I went to the Birdworld which was interesting but I don't recommend it as the birds did not look to be in as good of shape as I would like to see for this type of thing. Perhaps it is too damp and dark in the environment that they have the birds in. However the birds were friendly. Immediately a parrot hopped onto my shoulder, made its way down to my water bottle and proceeded to put a hole in the lid.

Skyrail

I then had lunch at a nice Sri Lankan restaurant where I enjoyed two curry dishes. After lunch I headed over to the Skyrail for my trip back to Cairns. This was a very nice ride. At the first stop there were nice paths through the rain forest with 3 overlook points for a fabulous waterfall. There has been alot of rain recently so it was really flowing.

Rainforest

At the next stop there was a short tour of the rainforest with explanation plaques to explain the features of a rain forest. The first pic. is of a canopy tree. These types of trees have no leaves down near the base and spread out at the very top where they can reach light. The rain forest generally is very dark with many plants competing for the available light. The second pic. is of a basket fern on a tree. The basket fern is growing on the other tree using it as a host. There were many examples of plants growing on other plants. The third picture was taken of the rainforest canopy as seen from the Skyrail. The views were wonderful and it was very relaxing.

At the bottom I hopped a bus back into town and stopped at a visitor center to try and book an afternoon helicopter or seaplane tour of the Great Barrier Reef. I was out of luck as none were available. I hope I get back some day and get to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef.

40 days

Today is day 40 of the cruise. It seems like a long time to be on a ship but it also seems hard to believe we have been sailing for 40 days. I hate to admit it but my formal dress last night was a little more fitted than it was the last time I wore it at the beginning of the cruise. This means I've gained weight. We've only had 10 ports over the 40 days so lots of ship time with little activity.

Today I saw a lecture titled "Captain William Bligh from a Seafarer's Perspective". It was very interesting, addressing the events that lead up to Captain Bligh's somewhat not very complimentary reputation. I also saw the beginning and end of the 2009 Academy Awards. One of our lecturers is the graphic artist who designed the posters and other material for the Academy Awards.

The book club started today. Somehow I missed the meeting announcement in the Patter. I'm going to have to read it more carefully.

Even though it was overcast and rainy I still got my water exercises in as it is hot and muggy outdoors.

Tomorrow is Cairns where I have reserved a cruise out to the Great Barrier Reef, a day of snorkeling and then a helicopter flight back. Hopefully the weather will be favorable and it won't get canceled.

Sailing within the Great Barrier Reef

Today we are sailing within the Great Barrier Reef. We had a reef pilot come on board to assist us with navigating the waters. He also gave a talk on the history of European sailors around Australia and the Great Barrier Reef area. In two days we will have the opportunity to see it up close when we dock in Cairns. In the mean time, we are enjoying the extremely calm water that is found within the reef. No swells and as a result no rocking of the boat. Before we get to Cairns we sail outside the reef to dump waste water and then come back in to dock. The ship holds on to all it's waste within the Great Barrier Reef to assist in preserving the Great Barrier Reef.

We had two other lectures, Designing for the Oscars and the Voyages of Captain James Cook. I will have to try and catch them on TV.

Tonight is our first formal of this segment.

Brisbane

Princess provided a $10 shuttle to Brisbane from the ship. There was a nice welcome from the Brisbane visitor staff with brochures and such to take and look at to decide what to do in Brisbane. I got off the ship not quite decided what I wanted to do. There was a hop-on/hop-off bus $25. The Botanic gardens offered free tours at 11 and 1. The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary looked attractive because I did not learn as much as I should have at the other sanctuary and it had some attractive additions. So I went to the visitor center to get the info on how to get there. I ended up taking a city bus out and back. There is also a ferry option which left the city at 10 a.m. and got there at 11:30 a.m. The ship's tour which drove to the Koala Sanctuary took this same ferry back. All 3 transportation options had pros and cons in terms of what shows you could make at the sanctuary. Many liked the ferry ride.

I got to the sanctuary in time to catch the end of the lory feeding (pic. 1). The Lories are free flighted in the trees and come down to feed when food is put out for them. I then went to the sheep dog show and got to see some wonderful border collies demonstrate working some sheep (pic. 2). One border collie kept creeping up to get a head start on the other one which was cute. Then they swapped in a Queensland Heeler. The dogs then jumped on the backs of the sheep and walked across them. I'm not sure of the purpose of the back walking part but it sure was interesting. Before the show the Border Collies were out with the crowd and then afterwards the Queensland Heeler got to socialize.