D19GV – HoHo Hobart

In my last post, D19GV – Snow White & the 8 Apostles, I described the two wonderful days we spent in Melbourne, Australia; and also the celebrations held on Christmas Day, and the pantomime shown on Boxing Day.

One thing that I forgot to add to that post was that Christmas Day was day 84 of our epic Grand Voyage – so what you might say? Well our Grand Voyage is for 168 nights, so that meant that Christmas Day also marked the halfway point of our cruise. I have heard and read comments from quite a few cruisers who only do short cruises that they could not possibly do a long cruise, and ask ‘don’t you get bored staying on so long and with all those sea days?’. Well for us, the answer is an emphatic no, we cannot believe how quickly the time has just flown by, which is a bit of a concern as usually the second half of a holiday passes even quicker than the first.

After leaving Melbourne we had one full day at sea sailing to our next port of call, Hobart, the capital of the state of Tasmania. This would be the first time that both Carol and I had visited Tasmania, and we were very much looking forward to seeing a new part of Australia.

When we looked through the tours brochure before we sailed, none of the tours offered in Hobart leapt out at us, so we decided to wait until we had heard the port talk onboard before deciding what we would like to do. We would have liked to see both some of the stunning scenery in Tasmania as well as seeing something of Hobart itself, but with just one day in port that was going to be very difficult. In the port talk the lecturer mentioned that there was a Hop On, Hop Off (HoHo) bus, and thinking that this would be our best option in the limited time available in port, we investigated online where the bus ran and where to catch it.

Looking at the HoHo bus website, we made a great discovery – you could buy a combination ticket which covered not only the HoHo bus that toured around the city, but also covered the Mount Wellington Explorer bus, which takes you to the very top of the 1,271 metre high mountain for spectacular views over Hobart and beyond – result! We decided to book online for this combination ticket, and to book the first Explorer bus up the mountain of the day which left the city at 9:30, planning to do the city HoHo bus on our return.

It was another very early sail-in into Hobart – by the time I got up onto the top deck with my camera around 5:50am we were already sailing into the River Derwent on our final approaches to the port. Although the weather forecast for the day was good, there was still quite a lot of cloud around, and it felt like Mount Wellington was playing a game of hide and seek with the low clouds – eventually it popped into view properly, and I could see just how high it was, and how it dominated over the surrounding area.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We had an early breakfast as we wanted to leave the ship as early as we were allowed so that we could have a wander around the harbour area before we needed to catch the Explorer bus knowing that this area would get very busy later – the annual Sydney to Hobart sailing race was finishing that day, and there was a Race Village set up on the quaysides, and in addition the Taste of Tasmania food festival was in full swing.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Tony, our driver/guide on our Explorer bus tour up Mount Wellington was excellent, with a great mix of facts, more general information and humour – my favourite comment was that when there is a drought, they save water in Hobart by only filling two of the lanes of the swimming pool!

He told us that the bus we were travelling on had been especially designed and chosen to run on the very narrow, steep and winding road up the mountain, and to cope with the snow and ice that is common in winter months – for example it was narrower than a usual bus, it had special low gearing that even meant it could drive back down without needing to use the brakes, and it had special tyres that could cope with up to 10 centimetres of snow (it carries snow chains for deeper snow).

The Explorer bus does operate as a HoHo – there are four stops on the way up the mountain where you could hop on or off, but everyone on board took the full journey to the top, and almost everyone caught the same one back down.

The great surprise was that the bus also made two photo-stops at viewpoints on the way up, and it also stopped so that we could see, and optionally taste the water from a mountain spring beside the road. One thing that was very evident as we climbed was how the vegetation changed – we started in forest, but the trees got shorter and more stunted, until by the top it was just low-lying alpine plants and lichens.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

When we reached the summit we had around 40 minutes before the bus started its return journey. There is a huge glass-fronted Observation Shelter which we went to first – regular readers will know that Carol is not great with heights, and this gave her a chance to catch breath and get a bit used to the height and the vast expansive views below. We then moved out to the first of two open air viewing platforms, where I started trying the pretty hopeless task of capturing the truly epic views we could see in a huge arc all around in front of us. I could try various adjectives – awesome, fabulous, breathtaking – but really nothing that a humble blog-writer like me could come up with would do those views justice!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

All too soon it was time to make our way back to the bus for the return journey down the mountain, which was just as great as our journey up – apart from the point at which we met two full-sized coaches making their way up the hill on a ship’s tour from Boudicca. Our driver said that they wanted to get such big coaches banned from the mountain road and we could clearly see why – he drove our bus as close to the edge of the road as he dared, and even then the big coaches only just somehow managed to squeeze by. Poor Carol was sitting by the window next to the edge of the road and the steep drop below, and went rather pale and quiet until we finally were able to continue on our way.

Near the bottom of the mountain road the driver pointed out the quaint little church, and told us that when the devastating bushfires raged through the area in 1967, the church was the only building in a wide area that survived untouched. Opposite the church there was a small stone bus shelter – the driver pointed out that there was an armchair, coffee table and bookshelf inside, and he also said that in winter someone puts a tea urn in there to warm any waiting passengers!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Returning to the harbour we decided to have our lunch before catching the second of our HoHo busses. In the port talk we had heard about the iconic punts selling fish & chips moored up in the harbour, with the tagline that the fish could not be fresher, so we thought that we should take our one and only chance to try this. The punt we chose had a bench along the back with a row of stools for customer use, and we thoroughly enjoyed our fare sitting there overlooking the harbour.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The second HoHo ride around the city was always going to be a little bit of an anticlimax after such a wonderful first ride up and down the mountain, but we did appreciate the chance to see more of the city, especially the lovely old houses, many with decorative balconies.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We alighted at the penuntimate stop as this was the one closest to the ship, and it was just a short walk back, although we did stop to explore the interesting local stalls set up in the terminal building. I asked one of the stallholders about the signs I had noticed in quite a few gardens saying no to a cable car – he told me that there was a proposal to build a cable car system to take people up to the top of the mountain to relieve the traffic on the narrow twisty and steep road, but quite a number of local people were objecting to this.

As always throughout our travels during the day we were on the lookout for anything quirky or unusual – apparently the minibus is to take people to the controversial Museum of Old and New Art (MONA).

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Shortly after we returned to the ship the local Tasmania Police Pipe Band (and some young dancers) gave a concert out on the aft decks.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I also went up onto the topmost deck to see and photograph the views from there – there were good views of the Tasman Bridge (infamous for the disaster in 1975 when a ship collided with the bridge killing 12 people), the huge quantities of timber which I understand is awaiting export to Japan to be made into paper), and of the sailing boats doing the Sydney to Hobart race still streaming in.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Around 5pm (an hour later than originally planned), we set sail for our next port of call – I returned to the topmost decks for a short while as we sailed, before the strong winds up there sent me back to the shelter of our cabin.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

When we returned to our cabin after dinner we looked out of the windows to see that we were sailing past some stunning islands, so I quickly grabbed my camera and rushed out onto our balcony to grab some shots in the fading light.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

A little while later an announcement from the officer of the watch on the bridge sent us out onto the balcony again – there was a huge pod of dolphins swimming and jumping out of the water very close to the ship. Carol and I stood there transfixed for quite a long time – we had never seen such a long or good show of dolphins on any of our cruises before. It was the perfect end to what had been a wonderful day exploring Hobart by HoHo busses.

Our next port of call is due to be iconic Sydney for the New Year celebrations, where we are due to stay for three days – our adventures there, and of course the effects of the terrible bushfires, are likely to be the subject of my next post.

 

Postscript 1

This morning there was another Oceans recognition event, this time in the Observatory for Diamond Elite and Platinum members. The Cruise Director, Future Cruise/Oceans Manager and Captain all gave short speeches, and we enjoyed the food and drinks on offer.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Postscript 2

Although the weather was bright and clear first thing this morning, it soon started to get more hazy, and there was a definite smell of wood smoke in the air – obviously blown on the wind from the horrendous bushfires on mainland Australia. By early afternoon it really got dark – almost like an early nightfall, but with a strange browny-orange glow to the sky.

It really made us think about how awful it must be on the mainland, especially for all those brave souls fighting the bushfires day after day after day, and those who have seen their homes and way of life disappear before their eyes.

We really don’t know what to expect when we get to Sydney – how bad the smoke and ash will be there, and how much that might impact what we can see and do – not least the New Years Eve fireworks. We are well aware of the debate as to whether the fireworks should go ahead – it seems almost certain that they will – and part of us will struggle to feel like celebrating when there is so much loss of life (human and animal) and destruction in so many parts of Australia.

This will be my last post not only this year, but also this decade, so I would like to wish everyone a very Happy and Peaceful New Year.

 

 

D19GV – Snow White & the 8 Apostles

In my last post, D19GV – Kangaroos & Wine, I described our visits to two ports of call on the southern coast of the vast continent and country of Australia – to Albany, and to Penneshaw, which is on Kangaroo Island.

Leaving Penneshaw, we had one full day at sea – which was Christmas Day (more on that later) – before we reached our next port of call, Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria State, where we would stay for two days. This would be the first time that both Carol and I would visit this city.

Day 1 (Boxing Day)

With grateful thanks to the kindness and generosity of our friends Rosemary and Steven, on our first day in Melbourne we were able to take their places on the ship’s tour called The Great Ocean Road (they told us they were going to be otherwise engaged watching someone with a long leg and a short leg trying to bowl a maiden over – or something like that!).

This was an epic tour – some 11 hours long, which goes along the famous Great Ocean Road to reach the Port Campbell National Park, where dramatic limestone stacks, known as the Twelve Apostles are found.

Needless to say such a long tour had an early start, so our focus first thing was to get ready and have a good breakfast. I did pop up onto the topmost deck briefly, and the city ahead looked very hazy – at that stage I did not know whether that was due to the early hour, the weather, or smoke from all the terrible bushfires that sadly are raging all around Australia right now.

I worked out ahead of time that we needed to be sat on the left hand side of the coach to get the sea views, so we made sure we were some of the first to board our coach so that we could secure a good seat for this epic drive.

As it was Boxing Day, a public holiday, the traffic was light and we soon made our way out of the city, and for the first hour and a half or so we just sped along the M1 motorway, which our local guide informed us goes all the way around the coast of Australia – now that really would be an epic, if rather tedious for much of the time, drive!

Eventually it was time to turn off the motorway, and before long we were at the start of the Great Coast Road itself. Our local guide told us that the drive would very much be in three parts – the first part would follow the coast itself, with lots of views of beaches and the coastline, the second part would be through rainforest, and the third part would be the Shipwreck Coast, where the 12 Apostles were to be found.

We had not been driving far along the coastline when we passed the Split Point lighthouse – our local guide told us that the lighthouse keeper who manned the lighthouse for many years loved his beer – so much that he spent most of his time in the local pub, keeping watch on the light from there and only returning to the lighthouse if the light went out!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Our first stop was a half-hour comfort break in the small town of Lorne. Here there were many brightly coloured buildings, a big campsite by the river, and a row of shops – many of which seemed to be bakeries – we bought a huge salad roll each in one, to eat later in the day. As we drove out of Lorne we could see a beautiful old hotel building opposite a long pier.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Our drive then continued along the coastline, the road twisting and turning as it made its way around the headlands and around the attractive bays. At one point we noticed that someone had been very creative making circular patterns on the sand right across the beach. After the very cloudy start to the day, by now the sun was coming and going, but unfortunately when we made a brief photo-stop it had gone for a while, so the views did not look as lovely as I am sure they would have done if blue sky had made the ocean blue too.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We stopped for our lunch at a hotel in Apollo Bay. We had pre-ordered our menu choices, which made the service much quicker, and for a larger hotel catering for a large number of people at once, the food was very good. We had time afterwards to make a short walk along the main street and across to view the beach. It was a very attractive little seaside town and beach – I was very amused to see a sign pointing out the Best Kept Street in 1994 – one wonders what has happened since then!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Very soon after leaving Apollo Bay the scenery changed as we drove into the rainforest section of the drive. Our local guide told us that this rainforest was very old, dating back to the time that Australia was joined to South America and Antarctica in one large supercontinent. While much of the rainforest is protected, the guide told us that local people do have rights to the timber in some areas, and indeed we passed some areas that had been clear-felled. The local guide also told us that koalas lived in the forest, and the presence of one by the roadside was given away by the large number of cars stopped and people staring upwards into the branches of one of the trees.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Eventually the forest gave way to open grassland, which heralded the start of the third and final area, the Shipwreck Coast, so named of course from the large number of shipwrecks that have occurred over the centuries on this treacherous coast.

As we approached the site of the 12 Apostles, the local guide explained how they were formed by the sea eroding the soft sandstone rock in this area, and also confessed that in fact the name is a misnomer for publicity purposes – in reality there are only eight of them!

The car park was a sea of cars and coaches, making it instantly obvious just how busy it was going to be there – indeed our local guide advised us to use the toilet facilities first before viewing the Apostles as the queues were likely to be so long!

The nearer we got walking down to the viewing platforms for the Apostles, the denser the crowds got, and the harder it was for Carol and I to make our way to somewhere where we could get a good clear view – and of course this was not helped by the huge percentage of the people there all taking “selfies” from all sorts of unlikely angles. At least by now the weather had really cleared away, the sun shone from a clear blue sky, and therefore the sea was also a lovely blue colour, making the scene before us look extra magical.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

All too soon it was time to fight our way through the crowds back to our coach, for the short drive to the second of the two stops we were making on the Shipwreck Coast, Loch Ard Gorge. Our guide told us that the gorge is named after the clipper ship Loch Ard, which ran aground in 1878 approaching the end of a three-month journey from England to Melbourne. There were only two survivors from the 54 passengers and crew, a 19 year old ship’s apprentice called Tom Pearce, and a 19 year old Irish woman called Eva Carmichael, who was emigrating with her family. The story goes that Tom was washed ashore, and after hearing cries for help returned to the water in order to rescue Eva.

The local guide pointed out the three different paths that we could take to view the gorge and nearby rock formations. The views of the eroded sandstone cliffs, pillars and islands, and a sandy beach were stunning, and my appreciation was only helped by the fact that the numbers of people there were not nearly as overwhelming as they had been at the 12 Apostles.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

As we reboarded our coach, the local guide told us that it would be a three hour journey – very soon after leaving the Gorge we would turn off from the Great Coast Road and head inland through farming country in order to pick up the M1 motorway back to Melbourne. There was one last glimpse of the coast to be seen through the windscreen of the coach, before the scenery changed to gently rolling farmland, with plenty of sheep and cattle, and also large round bales of straw, some wrapped in peppermint or black plastic (or were those ones tractor eggs??). We did pass through one small town called Colac, which was near to a very large lake – this was very much a farming town with most businesses involving tractors, mowers etc, and even one selling guns!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We did stop for one last short comfort break, and there flying around and in the trees there were lots of parakeets which gave a final bit of exercise for my shutter finger!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

On the last part of the epic journey Carol and I were glad to tuck into those huge salad rolls that we had bought earlier in the day in Larne – they really were like a meal in a roll! That meant that when we finally returned to our ship we did not need to go into dinner, and could go straight to the Neptune Lounge in order to get a good seat for that night’s show – more on that later.

So what was our verdict on this tour? It is a big investment, not only in the price of the tour, but also in the number of hours spent sitting on the coach. The scenery on the coastal part of the journey was lovely, and I am aware my photographs don’t really do it justice – it is very hard to get good photos from a moving coach with tinted windows that are also causing horrible reflections. The two stops on the Shipwreck coast were magical and breathtaking, it was just as shame about the vast numbers of people at the 12 Apostles – and yes I do appreciate that we were part of the problem. So on reflection it is a lovely tour, and when you eventually get there the two main stops are stunning – just be prepared for a long tiring day and for sitting for a long, long time on the coach.

Day 2

On our second and final day in Melbourne we decided to explore the city centre on our own. We took the shuttle bus from the terminal into the city, which dropped us in the South Bank area – to use this we first had to buy a myki card  (like the oyster card in London), which you tap on a screen when getting on and off the bus to pay for your fare. Alighting from the bus we were immediately struck by all the stunning buildings – both old and new – all around us, and paused for a while just to take it all in. Just like in Singapore, we were delighted to see that the big modern buildings were all different, rather than just the boring rectangular boxes that inhabit far to many modern cities these days.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This drop off point was ideal as it was just a short walk to our first intended destination of the day, the Eureka Skydeck 88 viewing platform, part of the massive Eureka Tower. When completed in 2006, the Tower was the highest residential building in the world, standing 297.3 metres (975 ft) in height, with 91 storeys above ground plus one basement level.

As you might expect from the name, the Skydeck 88 occupies the 88th floor of the tower, and is reached by the fastest lifts in the Southern Hemisphere, taking less than 40 seconds to reach there. One corner of the deck is open to the air (with a metal mesh screen), this is only open when wind levels are low, and it is accessed through an airlock. It also has a glass cube which projects 3 meters out of the building called The Edge, but you had to pay an additional fee to enter this and there was a wait, so we did not bother to do this – I will let you decide if you think these are the only reasons we did not enter the glass-bottomed cube!

As you might expect the views all across Melbourne were simply stunning from this great height. As well as all the other towers in the CBD (Central Business District) and the river, we could see our ship in the distance, the park with a big lake where the Formula 1 Grand Prix is held each year, other sports venues including the MCG cricket ground, and the huge Flinders Street railway station.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Leaving the Eureka Tower, it was the Flinders Street station that was our next target, which we reached via a footbridge over the river, decorated in a huge red ribbon and bow for Christmas. We had seen the station on railway travel programs back home, and knew how attractive it was from the outside, but we were not prepared for how huge it was, and we were also surprised at how clean the building was. Later when we saw the other end of the building, we got to see the iconic row of clocks, each one showing the time that the next train is due to leave on each line. The station, completed in 1909, has over 1500 trains and 110,000 commuters passing through each day, and has a platform which is 708 metres long – Australia’s longest platform, and the fourth longest railway platform in the world.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

From the station we then made our way around some of the shopping area close by – just window shopping though. From the top floor of the Myer department store I did snap quite a dramatic photo looking down at all the floors below.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

By then our stomachs were calling, so we made our way back to a burger cafe which claimed to sell healthy burgers (?!) that we had passed earlier, where we had seen some delicious looking burgers being served up. We ordered two burgers, plus a portion of chips to share, and it was simply delicious, so we have no hesitation in recommending the Grill’d cafe in the narrow Degraves Street, close to the station. The local sparrows also seemed to appreciate the fare, one flying backwards and forwards to the next table to ours to collect crumbs to feed its offspring.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We had two more targets in mind for our exploration that day, the first of which was St Paul’s Cathedral – no not the one back in London, but the one also close to Flinders Station. Having paid for a permit to take photographs, we went inside, and as usual Carol sat on one of the pews to take in the atmosphere, while I went around with my camera. While some of the building was fine, especially the stained glass doors at the main entrance, somehow the building did not grab me in the way so many other cathedrals and large churches do, and it was interesting that when I returned to Carol and asked her, she too said that she could not connect with this one.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Leaving the cathedral it was just a short walk to the tram station adjacent to the railway station, where we waited to catch the historic tram 35. This runs on a circular route around the city centre, and is free to ride. The downside of them being free is that they are very popular, and the inside of ours was crammed full for much of the way around – yes I know that once again Carol and I were part of the problem. The combination of the crowded carriage, and the rattles and noise of the old tram especially when it ran over other lines crossing ours made the experience not as special as we had hoped, but at least we did get to see glimpses of other parts of the city centre without using our tired feet any more.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Just before we completed the circuit we alighted so that we could make a connection with tram route 109, on which a modern tram would take us back to the ship. This time we needed to use our myki cards to pay for the ride. From the tram station it was a short walk to the cruise terminal, passing under a lovely old access building.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Despite the slight disappointment of the historic tram 35, we had thoroughly enjoyed our day looking around Melbourne, and we will both take away some lovely memories of our two days spent in this port.

We were due to set sail around 5pm, and before we did so we spent some time out on our balcony enjoying the view back to the nearby beach with the towers of the CBD behind. We could not help noticing three jetskis making a lot of noise screaming over the waves and jumping over the waves, and also buzzing around other boats. After a while I noticed a boat speeding towards them, and using the binoculars I could see the word Police across the front and side of the boat! The police on the boat had words with the jetski riders, and escorted them to the shore where a police car with flashing lights was waiting. Alas our ship sailed before we had the chance to see what happened next!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Sailing out of Melbourne we needed to cross Port Phillip Bay to reach the open sea – this bay is so large that it wasn’t until nearly 8pm that we passed through the narrow entrance to the bay – here we could clearly see the change from the calm waters inside the bay to the swirling water through the narrows and the rougher sea outside.

Leaving Melbourne we had just one full day at sea before we were due to reach our next port of call, Hobart on the island and state of Tasmania. Our adventures there are likely be to be the subject of my next post.

 

Postscript 1

As I said earlier, the day at sea between Penneshaw and Melbourne was Christmas Day. I had spent several Christmas Days on board in the past, but this was the first time for Carol.

Around 10:45 there was an unusual tannoy announcement – instead of the usual ‘Code Alpha‘ or heaven forbid  ‘Code Beta‘ emergency calls, it was a ‘Code Santa‘ repeated three times! This heralded the arrival of Santa himself onto the ship, and accompanied by the Captain and lots of elves (some of which busied themselves taking ‘elfies‘), who made their way right around the ship and down to poolside. Here lots of fun was had by one and all – drinks and mince pies were on hand, lots of people conga-ed around the pool, and the officers manned a reindeer race! Naturally most of the officers and some of the entertainment staff ended up being thrown in the pool, and a good time was had by all.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

At lunchtime there was another of the amazing Gala Buffets, and in the evening it was a gala formal dinner, with of course roast turkey and all the trimmings.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We both really enjoyed the day, but I think Carol struggled a bit by being so far away in distance and time zone to her family, and with not having the chance to cook her own Christmas dinner which she always enjoys doing.

Postscript 2

The special show in the evening of Boxing Day was the pantomime, ‘Snow White and Some Dwarves‘. We had seen a very similar one performed last year on Black Watch, and once again thoroughly enjoyed it. By chance there was a family with young children sat behind us, and it made it extra special to hear the children’s laughter and calling out to events on the stage – oh no it didn’t – oh yes it did! The cast, made up of the Show Company and the Entertainments team, all did really well – yes a few lines were forgotten or got muddled, but in a pantomime that only adds to the fun. The ‘12 days of Christmas‘ sequence, where the male members of the cast rushed around the stage trying to pick up the various objects in time to the music had everyone in stitches. Well done, one and all!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

D19GV – Kangaroos & Wine

My last post, D19GV – Freo for Quokkas, was a little different to usual, it just had lots of photographs taken during our week away from the cruise ship in the Perth / Fremantle area of Western Australia, together with some notes on how the places shown could be reached from a cruise ship.

Regular readers might well be pleased to hear that it is now back to business as usual – Carol and I are back on the lovely Boudicca, our cruise ship home for this epic Grand Voyage of nearly six months, and we have already visited a couple more ports of call.

After a week of blazing sunshine and blisteringly hot temperatures, it was rather ironic that the day that Boudicca came into Fremantle the weather completely changed – the temperatures were around 15 degrees cooler, and in the morning we had rain. Carol and I decided to stay on board ship for most of the day, and took advantage of an almost empty ship to catch up on our laundry – we didn’t even need our flak jackets and helmets to enter the passenger laundry room as it was empty!

Late in the afternoon we did go back ashore with our friends Alan and Sue, to show them around the town and to revisit Cicerello’s for more of their delicious fish and chips.

The ship did not set sail until around 8pm, when it was too dark to take photographs. One curiosity we did notice was that as well as releasing the mooring ropes as usual, they also appeared to be raising the anchor before we could set sail.

Carol and I were both rather sad to be leaving Fremantle, we both had experienced such a lovely time there, and of course for Carol there was the additional sadness of leaving her relations behind, not knowing for sure if and when she might see them again.

We then had one full day at sea, much of which was quite rough, before reaching our next port of call, Albany, also in Western Australia.

Albany

It was before 6am when we awoke on the morning we were due to sail into Albany, and pulling back the curtains I could see that we must already be approaching the port as there was land not that far to the side of the ship. Slipping on our dressing gowns we went out onto our balcony to watch our approach, and instantly had a surprise at how cool it was outside – such a contrast to the days we baked in the 40 degrees of Fremantle and Perth. Carol soon retreated back to the warmth of our bed, while I popped in and out to take my photographs of our approach.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

As we approached the quay I could see in the distance the replica of Amity, a brig used in several notable voyages of exploration and settlement in Australia in the early nineteenth century.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This was one of those ports where the ship docked early – the Cruise Director made his welcome tannoy announcement at around 7:40 – and was due to sail early – the ‘all-aboard’ time was 2:30 for a 3pm sailing.

As I have said before, even if we wanted to book tours in every port, we simply would not be able to afford to do so, and this was one of these ports where none of the tours on offer grabbed our attention enough to prioritise booking it, so we elected just to take the shuttle bus into the town and have a wander around.

Albany is the oldest colonial town in Western Australia, and was founded in 1826. Walking up and down the main street it still had an old-fashioned feel about it, and we both found it an interesting place to just have a wander for an hour or two, and of course I was happy to snap away at the older buildings and inside a church:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

As usual as we walked around I was also on the lookout for anything quirky or unusual:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Having explored both sides of the long main street, and made some good purchases of gifts and souvenirs, we were content to catch the shuttle bus back to the ship in time for an early lunch.

After such an early start we both nodded off for a little siesta after lunch, and were abruptly woken when the Captain made his pre-sailaway announcement over the tannoy.

I went up onto the topmost deck to watch our sailaway, but was almost blown over by the very strong winds up there, and soon had to retreat to the shelter of our cabin balcony.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We then had a further two full days at sea, before reaching our next port of call, the small village of Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island. Kangaroo Island is the third largest island in Australia, and lies some 112 km southwest of Adelaide. The island is 145 km long, and 54 km wide at its widest point.

Kangaroo Island

When we awoke early that third morning and pulled back our curtains there was no sign of land, so we snuggled back into bed for a while, before getting up ready for our breakfast. It was only as we walked down towards Poolside that we noticed that there was actually land quite close, and going out onto the main deck it was clear that we were close to Penneshaw, and about to drop anchor. I quickly took a few snaps before following Carol down to breakfast.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We could see that it was going to be a bit of a ride on the tender into the quayside, and we wondered how rough it might be. To start with there was a bit of ‘rock and roll’, but things soon calmed down and we had an uneventful run into the quayside. I managed to snap some of the birds roosting on the rocks as we passed, and also a couple more as we walked up the jetty to our waiting coaches.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Carol and I had originally booked a tour called ‘Kangaroo Island After Dark‘,  which would have taken us out to observe the Australian wildlife that comes out at twilight. However a few days ago we had a letter from the Tours Department to inform us that the timing of this tour had changed, and that it would now leave during the afternoon! Realising that would defeat the object of the tour, we looked through the tours brochure again and chose a different tour, one called ‘Cape Willoughby, Coastlines & Wines‘. The tour description promised to take us to visit South Australia’s first lighthouse, to admire the magnificent countryside and coastlines, and to stop at one of the local cellar doors for a wine tasting.

Leaving the quayside one one of the two small coaches doing this tour, we headed out of the village and into some lovely countryside. Our driver was also our guide, and he told us that his main job was as a school bus driver, and that each day he drives some 350 km from one end of the island to the other twice a day picking up schoolchildren from farm gates and delivering them to one of the three schools on the island and vice versa. He also told us that so far this season we were the 6th cruise ship scheduled to visit Kangaroo Island, but only the second to actually land its passengers on the island, due to high winds and/or rough seas.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Our first stop was at the Dudley Wines cellar doors, located at a prime spot close to Cuttlefish Bay. From the back of the building there was a stunning panoramic view out over the rolling countryside and the coast, and the owners told that normally you could clearly see the Australian mainland in the distance, but when we arrived nothing was visible due to all the smoke in the air from all the forest fires.

Going inside we were shown a short film about the winery, before being given five different wines to taste.

After the wine tasting I popped outside once more, and you could just about make out the mainland in the far distance through the haze.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Leaving the cellar doors we continued through the countryside, and at one point the driver braked hard as a large male kangaroo hopped across the road right in front of our bus! We continued to Antechamber Bay, a very low-lying area which our driver told us floods in winter, indeed there was a water depth gauge beside the road, which looked rather redundant as we passed it with everywhere looking so dried out and scorched. Our drive continued down quite a steep bumpy hill (most of the roads we travelled were quite rough) and then beside the Chapman River, where we could see people camping.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

As we approached the Cape Willoughby lighthouse, our driver pointed out the kangaroos resting in the shade of the trees running parallel to the road. At the peninsular we needed to pass through a small information centre to reach the lighthouse, around the back of which we were concerned to see the sign warning of snakes in the bushes!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Leaving the peninsular we headed back the same way as we came, past the resting kangaroos, along both tarmaced and very rough roads, until we returned to Penneshaw, where we could see our ship waiting out in the bay.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Most of the passengers on the bus opted to get out and explore the village, but we were content to be taken down to the quayside ready to catch the tender back to our ship, as our stomachs were telling us that lunch was due! I did pause long enough to snap the adjacent Hog Bay beach as we passed.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It had been a good, if not outstanding tour, which somehow did not quite live up to the description in the tours brochure.

At 8pm that evening, Christmas Eve, we were due to set sail for our next port of call, which is scheduled to be Melbourne, capital of the state of Victoria in Australia – after two days there we are due to visit Hobart in Tasmania for one day, before spending three days in Sydney for the New Year celebrations. Both Carol and I have been horrified and very much saddened by the tragic bushfires raging in these areas – the loss of lives, animals, homes and ways of life – our thoughts and prayers go out to all those who have been, and who continue to be affected. As a result of this disaster, who knows which of these places we will be able to visit, and if we do, what we will be able to see there – so your guess is as good as mine as to what will be the subject of my next post!

Postscript 1

With all the sunshine and very warm / hot weather we have been experiencing, both Carol and I are struggling to believe that Christmas is almost upon us – and this is despite the ship now being beautifully decorated in the new fire-safe decorations.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

These were added to yesterday when the competitors for the annual crew ‘Christmas lanterns made from recycled materials’ competition. It is several years since I last was onboard over Christmas, and I had forgotten just how clever and ingenious these lanterns always are.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Postscript 2

Sorry to be a bit of a stuck record, but Carol and I have enjoyed more lovely meals down at the Poolside restaurant (or the Grill as it is known in the evenings) – with Alexandra ‘the Great’ Newton, the wonderful Guest Relations Manager one lunchtime, and with our good friends Rosemary and Steven last evening. Sadly all of them will be leaving the ship early next month – Alexandra for a well-earned months leave, and Rosemary & Steven for good as the cruise part of their mammoth holiday is coming to an end in Cairns. We will very much miss them all.

Postscript 3

Carol and I would like to send season’s greetings to one and all, wherever you may be in the world.

D19GV – Freo for Quokkas

In my last post, D19GV – A Tale of Three Islands, I described our contrasting visits to ports on three islands in Indonesia – Semarang on Java, Lembar on Lombok, and Komodo Island. The afternoon after we left Komodo Island we arrived at the port of Benoa in Bali, where Carol and I left the ship for an 8 day break.

The plan was to fly down to Perth in Western Australia, where we would spend our time visiting Carol’s relations and sightseeing, rejoining the ship when she caught up with us in nearby Fremantle harbour. Carol already knew the Perth area well having visited her relations many times before, but it was to be my first visit to the area.

This post is going to be a little different to my usual posts, which give long descriptive texts about all that we see and do in one or more ports. As this was very much a private holiday away from the cruise ship, instead I am just going to give some basic notes about some of the more scenic or interesting places we saw that would be accessible to anyone visiting Fremantle on a cruise ship (or on holiday), with plenty of my photographs to show what we were lucky enough to see.

Our break – how did we arrange it?

Before I start I did have some enquiries as to how we arranged the break from the cruise, and how the logistics worked.

We did do a shorter break from our world cruise last year, which gave us the idea and the confidence to do this longer break. Last year we left the ship in Sydney, Australia, and flew ahead to Brisbane, giving us two days there instead of one to visit friends and relations. This time around we realised that by leaving the ship in Bali and flying ahead down to Perth we could have the 8 days in the Perth / Fremantle area before the ship caught up with us.

Like before, we were booked for the entire voyage, so that while we were off the ship the cabin was still ours, and most of our belongings remained in the cabin – we just used a flight bag each while we were away. We booked our flights and hotel accomodation, and then wrote to Fred. Olsen to inform them of our plans, and gave them the flight and hotel details, and my mobile number, so that they could contact us if needed while we were away from the ship. Things were slightly more complicated this time as we were leaving the ship in one country and joining it in another, but nothing that could not be sorted.

Hotel in Bali

As I mentioned in my last post, unexpectedly we found we needed to spend the night in Bali before flying down to Perth. We managed to get a very good deal to stay at the Hilton Garden Inn near Ngurah Rai Airport, and it was wonderful – we would thoroughly recommend it if you need to stay close to the airport before or after a flight to or from Bali.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Fremantle

Our base for our time in Australia was at a hotel in Fremantle (or Freo as the locals affectionately call it), the port for Perth located at the mouth of the Swan River.

We both loved Freo, especially all the lovely old buildings that were in such a good state of repair.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays there is a lively and very interesting market.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It only takes around 15 minutes to walk on the flat into the centre of Fremantle from the cruise terminal. There are also two free circular busses that go around Freo on different circular routes, for more information click here.

Perth

We spent a day visiting the centre of Perth, going first to Elizabeth Quay.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

There we caught the Hop On, Hop Off bus to see some of the sights of the city.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We got off the bus at King’s Park, where I was immediately struck by the beautiful War Memorial and stunning views across the river.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Walking slowly through the park due to the extreme heat that day, we went as far as the tree-top walkway before walking back.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We then got back on the Hop On, Hop Off bus to return to Elizabeth Quay.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We used the clean, fast and punctual trains to travel to and from Perth from Fremantle. The station in Fremantle is again a flat 15 minute walk from the cruise terminal, and the trains run around every 15 minutes. There is a journey planner for public transport in the Perth area here.

Rottnest Island

Another highlight of our stay was our day trip to Rottnest Island, home of the Quokka, a very cute marsupial around the size of a small cat.

The island is reached by a fast ferry, one of the places you can catch one from is just along the quay from the cruise terminal. Tickets can be booked ahead on the internet here, a good idea as our ferry back to the mainland was completely full. Our tickets cost us around AU$70 each. From Fremantle it takes around half and hour to reach the island.

Once on the island we caught a Hop On, Hop Off bus to explore the island, which cost us around AU$20 each. There are numerous beautiful white sand beaches with crystal clear turquoise water that can be seen from the bus, and the swimming and snorkelling from these is said to be very good – something we might try if we should make another visit.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We got off a the far end of the island in order to view the New Zealand Fur Seals basking in the warm clear water.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We used the bus to return to the main settlement, where we had some lovely close encounters with quokkas – you are told not to touch or feed them, but they are naturally very inquisitive and will come up very close to you.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour

Back in Fremantle, there is another attractive area to explore around the Fishing Boat Harbour. There is a short boardwark out over the water, and several bars and restaurants there, including Cicerello’s, a fabulous fish and chips restaurant – they claim to be the best in Western Australia and we were certainly impressed enough to eat there twice! There are also quite a few statues and other artwork to be seen, including those to the fishermen and to those who migrated to Australia.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We also saw a stunning sunset that evening.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Fremantle War Memorial

Also in Fremantle, there is another lovely War Memorial, high on the hillside giving views over the port. It would be a bit of a climb to walk there, but if you take the CAT Red free circular bus, if you get off at Stop 7 in Ord Street it would be a fairly level and short walk to the memorial.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Cottesloe

Cottesloe is a short train ride from Fremantle, and is perhaps most famous for it’s stunning white sand beach. We were on a shopping mission though, but Carol did take me to see the amazing Boatshed Market – the food there was so beautifully arranged that you felt you would not want to take any to disturb the display!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Conclusion

We both had a wonderful time during our break away from the ship, and should you be doing a longer voyager then it is something we would definitely recommend thinking about doing – we appreciated the change from the routine and the chance for example to dine in different places with different menus.

It also of course gave me a chance to meet up with more of Carol’s family – it was lovely to meet you all and get the chance to get to know you a little – we are already starting to think about if and how we could be back sometime in the not to distant future.

Now we are safely back on board, and today the ship is at sea sailing towards our next port of call, Albany, also in Western Australia, which we are due to reach early tomorrow morning. Our adventures there are likely to be a subject of my next post.

D19GV – A Tale of Three Islands

In my last post, D19GV – Free Time in Singapore, I described the wonderful two days we spent in hot and steamy Singapore, where we visited the Singapore Botanical Gardens and Haw Par Villa cultural park, both of which we really enjoyed and which had the bonus of free admission!

We left the dock in Singapore just before dinner, but only sailed out into the bay where we anchored up for the evening, so that the ship could take on more fuel. We finally set sail around 1am, and had two full days at sea, before we reached the first of three Indonesian islands that we would be visiting in a row – Java, and the port of Semarang.

Semarang, Java

I awoke around 5:30 the next morning, probably roused by the change in sound from the ship’s engines, and stepped out bleary-eyed onto our balcony to find that we were already sailing into the port – indeed almost immediately we began a 180 degree pirouette prior to doing a ‘reverse park’ against the quayside. It seemed quite misty, but I am not sure how much that was just the extremely high humidity, and how much was my camera lens instantly misting up!

I took a few snaps of the other ships in port, and of the scenery around and about, but I could instantly tell that this was not going to be one of the most scenic ports on this cruise.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Even at that very early hour I was very glad to retreat from the heat and humidity outside back into our cabin, and have another doze in the coolness before rising for breakfast a couple of hours later.

After breakfast Carol and I went for a walk around the main deck, and sure enough pretty much all we could see from the ship was other ships, containers, cranes and warehouses – another potential entry to that coffee-table book that Carol and I jokingly threaten to write featuring the ‘stunning’ commercial ports that Fred. has taken us to over the years!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Semarang was one of those ports where Carol and I had not booked a ship’s tour – with so many ports of call on this epic Grand Voyage we simply could not afford to do tours in every port, especially considering how much the tours seem to have gone up in recent years. We therefore planned just to take the shuttle bus into the town centre, and have an explore on foot from there.

There was a little bit of a walk from the ship around to the terminal building, and then from there to the shuttle bus, and even that was quite a challenge in the wall of heat and humidity that had greeted us as we walked down the gangplank. We had thought that Singapore was hot and humid, but this seemed to be on another level again, and we both knew that we would not want to walk very far at all.

The view from the shuttle bus as we took the 35 minute drive into the town centre I am sorry to say was not at all inspiring, and my normally busy camera shutter finger hardly got any exercise at all. We knew the drop-off point was adjacent to a small rectangular park, and after we had driven around the roundabout surrounding the park twice, sure enough the coach came to a stop and we were invited to alight.

Looking around, all we could see was a large shopping mall, which held little or no interest to us, so after a quick discussion about this and about the extra hot and humid conditions we were both of one mind – to simply stay on the bus and go straight back to the cool and comfort of our ship. Interestingly we were not alone in that decision – several other couples remained in their seats, while some others reboarded the bus after just a few minutes outside.

Knowing that we were not walking around or seeing anything else of significance, I did exercise my shutter finger a bit more on the return journey. Once again in places we were struck by the chaotic number of electric and telegraph wires besides the roads, and by the number of motor scooters on the roads, often with whole families on board – at least here all the adults wore crash helmets, but what about the poor children we also saw being carried? At one point we had to stop at a railway crossing, and when the gates opened there was was seemed almost like a biblical flood of scooters heading right towards our bus!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

One thing I did notice that I had not noticed before were the raised bus shelters beside the road.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Returning to the terminal building there was the inevitable tourist souvenir shop, but the moment we paused by any of the stalls we were immediately harassed so much by the stallholders that we just moved on quickly and returned to the more than welcome cool of the ship.

Around 4 in the afternoon the skies really darkened, and before long we were treated to another thunder and lightning show, although on nothing like the intensity of the one we experienced in Singapore. We went out onto our balcony to watch, and I tried my best to capture some of the lightning flashes on my camera.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Just before 6pm we set sail for our next port of call, Lembar on the Indonesian island of Lembok, which we were due to reach after a full day at sea.

After dinner we went back out onto our balcony, and as well as a string of fishing boats with bright lights to attract the fish, we could still see lightning in the far distance – the flashes seemed to be behind the clouds and illuminated them in an interesting way. I did try to photograph this, but without any success this time.

Lembar, Lombok

After the full day at sea, early the following morning we sailed into the second of the trio of Indonesian islands, Lombok. We were to dock in the small port of Lembar, on the west coast of the island.

When I pulled back the curtains just before 6am I was met by the warm glow of a freshly risen sun shining over the island, so I quickly grabbed my camera and stepped out onto the balcony in my PJs in order to grab a shot before the sun rose too far. So as not to shock any passing fellow passengers I then hastily got dressed, and applied plenty of sun cream as the sun was already feeling quite fierce. I took a few shots from balcony between making my lovely wife her morning cup of tea, before a little later going up onto the topmost deck to watch our final approach into the port.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

From on high I had a good view of all the ships and boats moored off, and of the nearby coastline. When I spotted a small elegant looking structure in the sea ahead I thought for just a moment it must be one of the MP’s duck houses, then realised my mistake! On the quayside I could see a half-completed terminal building, and assumed the tents alongside must house the current temporary facilities. Also on the quayside I could see a decorative awning with a welcome banner attached, and musicians waiting both under the awning and along a red carpet, so I wondered if this was to be another maiden call for Boudicca, but if it was then once again it had not been publicised to us passengers.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

When we received the set of maps for this particular cruise, the map for Lembar had just two features marked on it – a supermarket and a bridge! I realised that there would be no point in doing our own thing ashore with nothing of interest to see, so Carol and I went through the ship’s tours and booked the one we liked best.

The tour we had chosen was a four and a half hour one called Journey Through the Royal Park. This tour required us to check in by 8:15, so there was no time to worry about any welcome ceremonies going on, it was straight down to breakfast and then back to the cabin to get ready.

As we left the ship to board our coach, the musicians were standing either side of the red carpet to play for us, making us feel very welcome.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

To our surprise the coach set off across a muddy field, we assume this was all part of the port construction work going on. At this point our local guide started talking to us, quite loudly, and basically didn’t stop until we reached our first stop, an hour later. Regular readers will know that both Carol and I have a real problem with tour guides that never stop talking – we find that there is only so much information we can take in at any one time, before it starts to just go in one ear and come out of the other one without being registered in the meantime. If only the guides would pause for a few minutes silence every so often so that we could take in and process what has been said, before the attempt to pass on yet more information. It seems like they must think they are not doing their job properly if they are not talking the whole time.

Some of the few things he told us that I do remember is that the majority of people on the island are Muslim, but despite that the one day that the children do not go to school was Sunday, the day of the week that we were there. He also told us that the reason everywhere looked so clean and tidy was at on Fridays before people go to work they clean up the area around where they live – if only we had such a concept back home! He talked about the main crops on the island – the rice (white and black) is grown in two crops during the rainy season, as well as water spinach and many different fruits. I had already spotted bottles of a yellow liquid being sold by the roadside, later he told us that locals call this whiskey for their motor scooters, in reality it was fuel as filling stations were few and far between on the island.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Our first stop was at the Narmada Royal Park and Temple, which was built in 1727 by the King of Mataram Lombok. This 4.9 acre park is the holiday home of the royal family during the dry season, and also the site of the Pakelem Ceremony held every full moon during October and November.

We were given half an hour to view the Park, and while everyone else dutifully followed the local guide around, Carol and I elected to do our own thing and wander around by ourselves, very much enjoying the peace and tranquillity of the Park after the non-stop information overload during the hour-long journey to the Park.

The Park was beautiful, with lakes surrounded by attractive terraced gardens. They also overlooked a swimming pool, busy with local families.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

After wandering around we took shade from the beating sun in a large pavilion overlooking one of the lakes, until it was time to return to the coach. Well, we returned to the coach on time, then others returned in dribs and drabs, and it was a full half hour later before everyone was back on the coach and we could set off for the next stop on the tour.

At this point our local guide brought around very welcome chilled bottles of mineral water, even if they were plastic ones. While we had brought plenty of water of our own from the ship, the very chilled water went down a treat after the heat of the Park. Interestingly Carol thought the day was even hotter than it had been in Semarang two days earlier, whereas I thought it was the other way around.

It was about a twenty minute drive to our second stop, the Lingsar Temple, Lombok’s most important religious site. This Hindu shrine, built in 1714, also welcomes Buddhist and Muslim worshippers. The temple represents a blending of the Hindu tradition with Wetu Telu, a religion practised by the Sasak People, native to Lombok, and is famous for a pool of water which is sacred to the deity of Wisnu.

Stopping by the pool, the guides explained that for luck you can throw coins into the pool over your shoulder, in a similar manner to that done at the Trevi Fountain in Rome.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Just off the pool area we were led to where holy water continuously flows from four spouts. The local guides invited us to wash out hands and faces in the water, encouraging us by telling us that if you did so it would take 10 years off your appearance!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We then slowly made our way out of the temple, and as we did so we could see a Muslim mosque very close by – this and the fact that three religions can worship together at the temple was very encouraging, if only different religions could get on so harmoniously in the rest of the world.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It took around 15 minutes to drive to our third and final stop, billed as the Art Market of Sayang-Sayang.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The art market was built as a hub for the local artists and craftsmen to display and sell their wares. There was quite a range of articles on sale, and after some bargaining we went away with one of the wind chimes that has a nodding bird on top as a souvenir.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It took us the best part of an hour to drive back to the ship, but this was fine as the local guide left us in peace for nearly all the way, apart from pointing out a couple of landmarks which is fine – we could just sit back and relax and enjoy the scenery out of the window, and of course in my case take lots of snaps out of the window.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

One thing I never managed to get a decent shot of was a ‘one horsepower Ferrari‘ – the local name for a horse and cart, still a common form of transport in the countryside.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

As we made the long drive back to the ship I thought about the tour and what we had seen of the island – and I came to the conclusion that I very much liked what I had seen and experienced. Generally everywhere was clean and litter-free (with a few exceptions), the roads were very good and tree lined, and the people seemed very welcoming and friendly. It all seemed a complete contrast to our experiences in Semarang a couple of days ago.

Later that afternoon we set sail for our next Indonesian island, the iconic Komodo Island, home to the giant Komodo Lizard, which we would reach the next morning. As it was still so hot and humid, and I had taken so many photographs sailing into Lembar that morning, to be honest I did not bother to go outside to take any more photographs as we sailed away.

Komodo Island

Just as we were sat at our usual Poolside table with our friends Rosemary and Steven for breakfast, we started to sail into Komodo. I was not too bothered, as Carol and I are lucky enough to have been to this remote and special island twice before, on each of our world cruises, and I had taken lots of photographs of our sail-in on both occasions. However I did snap just a few pictures before my food arrived, and again after my breakfast was complete.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We also noticed that like before there were many local boats around the ship with children on board both begging and trying to sell souvenirs.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

On our first visit to Komodo Island, of course Carol and I did the ship’s tour that everyone wants to do, going to see the Komodo Dragons – documented in my post W1702 – Here really be dragons!. On our second visit we did the other tour, which is to spend time on the Pink Beach (which isn’t really very pink at all) – documented in my post W1801 – In the pink!. This time around, as it is quite expensive to go ashore on Komodo Island, we were not planning to do any tours, and just remain on the ship – until I spotted that they were going to run a RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) tour around the island!

Regular readers may remember that I first did a RIB tour in Madagascar, documented in my post D19GV – Lemur Ribs. I loved the experience, and given the chance to do it again, with the huge added bonus of the spectacular prehistoric looking scenery around Komodo Island, it was simply something I could not resist. Like last time Carol decided it was not for her, so once again I did the tour by myself.

In the briefing before we set sail on the RIBs we were told that the temperature was around 37 degrees outside, so I was glad I had plastered plenty of suncream on before I left our cabin.

Like last time I was on the first of the RIBs to be boarded, so we waited off the ship for the other one to be loaded, before the two RIBs sped off together. I was interested to see that the RIB crews were completely different to last time, and on the RIB that I was on, both the crew were ladies – but don’t worry, there will be no quips about lady drivers here – all of the RIB crews do an outstanding and very professional job.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We sped off and soon accelerated up to the RIB’s top speed of 30 knots – and after a short while we slowed down again while the crew checked that everyone was comfortable travelling at that speed. Last time we had to go slower due to the choppy conditions, so it was great to be able to experience the RIBs zipping along at their top speed – and of course being so close to the water it seems much faster.

Our first stop was off the Pink Beach, and like before they brought the two RIBs together, so that one of the crew could give a short talk about our stopping point to both boats. I was very interested to see that there was now a landing stage at the beach, when we were there on our tour we had to make a perilous transfer up and down a vertical ladder from the boat taking us to the beach to a tiny dingy, and then do a wet landing and launch from the beach itself.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We then whizzed around Komodo Island and a neighbouring island, stopping from time to time, and all the while I kept thinking I needed to pinch myself to believe that I really was there in this amazing remote place seeing the stark landscapes and deserted white beaches.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Eventually of course it was time to start the long high speed run back towards the ship, but we had not gone far when we suddenly slowed right down – the cry had gone up – dolphins! A pod of dolphins were leaping out of the water just metres from our RIB – we were all mesmerised! For once I managed to get some photos of them, my track record of spotting in time where they are leaping is not good. A perfect ending to what had already been a brilliant tour.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

After a few minutes the show was over, and so we resumed the long run back to Boudicca. As we got nearer to her, I could see the main village on Komodo Island on our port side.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I returned to the ship on such a high – the moment I stepped back into our cabin and Carol saw my face she knew that I had had a wonderful time. The RIBs are a great addition to the tour options provided by Fred. Olsen, and I would definitely recommend the experience to those able to get their leg over (the seat) and who meet the health requirements. If you should get the chance to do so in an iconic place such as Komodo Island then grab it with both hands!

We are due to return to Komodo Island on the second half of this epic Grand Voyage, but whether we will do so still remains uncertain. Earlier this year the Indonesian authorities were talking about closing the island to visitors for at least the whole of 2020, and possibly indefinitely. Then in early October they announced this would no longer be the case. However a week or so ago they announced that they were going to increase the charge for landing on the island to US$1000, this would be for a year long permit. The article I read said that they hoped to bring in 50,000 foreign visitors paying this “very cheap” US$1000 fee each year, bringing in US$50 million dollars a year. Personally I think this is bonkers, who wants to, or is able to keep coming back to the island throughout the year to see the dragons – surely it’s a one-off novelty thing – and how many people in reality would stump up such a high fee? So whether Carol and I will be back in Komodo on the 21st of January, or whether we will be elsewhere – watch this space!

 

Postscript 1

A couple of nights ago we had another dinner in The Grill, the fine dining restaurant down at Poolside – this time with our good friends Rosemary and Steven. As always the meal was outstanding – the very best steaks I have tasted anywhere, and everything so well presented and served. Yes there is a small supplementary charge of £20 per person, but no where could you get such a fabulous meal for anything like that price. If you have the chance to dine in one of Fred.’s Grill restaurants, then go for it!

Postscript 2

Regular readers will recall that Christmas on board has been a hit and miss affair so far – the Christmas decorations that we put up in all the public areas only to be taken down again a couple of days later due to safety concerns, eventually a few have gone backup in the restaurants.

Then the other evening we had Christmas already – well a full Christmas Dinner anyway, complete with crackers, turkey and all the trimmings, Christmas pud and mince pies! Do I now wish you all a Happy New Year??!!

Postscript 3

After leaving Komodo Island, we have one morning at sea, before arriving at our next port of call Benoa on the Indonesian island of Bali, where the ship will stay for two and a half days.

This is the next change-over port, where the next of the 11 back-to-back cruises that we are doing in this Grand Voyage starts. Here is a map of the next cruise, a longer one which takes us most of the way around Australia:

This will be my last post for a while as Carol and I are leaving the ship in Bali. Don’t panic, we are getting back on board to complete the Grand Voyage, but in Fremantle near Perth just over a week later. We will only miss one port of call, Broome in Australia, but hopefully we can sweep that under the table! Our plan was to fly down to Perth from Bali on the second day the ship was there, so that we can spend time with Carol’s relations there, as well as exploring the area.

However we had to revisit our plans, as the other night we received a letter to say that while the ship will be docked on the first half day and the third day, on the second day – the day we were due to leave it – it would be at anchor and tenders will be in use. We did not fancy the uncertainties of getting ashore by tender with our luggage on the day we are flying, so instead we hastily booked a room at an airport hotel the night before we fly, so that we can safely disembark onto dry land.

I won’t be doing any blog posts during our time ashore, but when we return to the ship I might do a short one to include some of the photographs I have taken while we were away, particularly if we get to Rottnest Island to see the quokkas. Until then, au revoir!

 

D19GV – Free Time in Singapore

In my last post, D19GV – Music and Dance, I described our visit to Sabang, on the island of Weh in Indonesia, where Carol and I took a ship’s tour on which we very much enjoyed the music and dancing put on by the friendly and welcoming local people there.

Leaving Sabang late that afternoon, we then had a full day at sea before we reached our next port of call, Singapore, where we were due to stay overnight. The original itinerary had us arriving in Singapore in the early afternoon, giving us just a day and a half in one of our very favourite ports of call. We were therefore delighted when the Captain announced that we would be arriving early in the morning, giving us the two full days there. We will also be returning to Singapore for a single day later on, during the return half of this epic voyage.

Singapore is a particularly special place for Carol, because she lived there for a time as a child – her father was stationed there in the Royal Air Force. The first time I visited Singapore was on the first world cruise, when we stayed for three days. I remember telling Carol before we arrived that I did not know why we were going to be there for three days, the longest stop on the entire world cruise, but it only took an hour ashore with Carol showing me around for me to totally get the place and understand why we were going to be there that long. You can read about our adventures there on that first world cruise in my posts W1702 – Rising to the challenge, W1702 – Bullock water-cart, W1702 – Supertrees and Domes, and W1702 – Going ape for breakfast.

Carol and I were back in Singapore on our second world cruise, but this time for reasons best known to Fred. Olsen, we were only there for a single day. This time we took a ship’s tour to see the Little India and the Bay areas of the city, described in my post W1801 – Electric Views.

Having done quite a few ship’s tours over the previous visits to the city, this time we decided just to do our own thing. We thought we had it all planned out before we got to the city, but first finding out that the evening show on the first day there was to be given by a local act – something we almost always very much enjoy, and then secondly the intervention of the weather, meant things did not go entirely to that original plan.

As you might expect by now, both Carol and I were up and dressed bright and early to watch the ship sail into this iconic port. When I got up on deck the sun had already put in an appearance, and it was casting a lovely light over the dozens of ships which are always moored off this ultra-busy port.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

As we sailed further in, the very familiar buildings started to come into view – one of the many things Carol and I love about the city is the architecture – most of the buildings are not just plain rectangular tower blocks, they have something different and some style to them. We passed a very smart motor yacht called the Queen Miri – later I looked her up on the internet and found that she can be charted by the week for around a mere two million Euros or so – I think Carol and I will be sticking to Fred. Olsen for now!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

As I have discussed before, the immigration rules and requirements vary considerably from port to port and country to country, while many are very relaxed, some require face-to-face meetings with immigration officials. In Singapore you have to queue up and be seen by an official every time you leave or board the ship, and if it’s busy – if for example there is another ship in at the same time – then the queues and delays can be quite long.

The ship’s tours can also delay things quite a bit, as of course they mean a lot of passengers are trying to get ashore or back on board at the same time. In this case, the ship’s tours were not until the afternoon, so we decided the best thing to do was get ashore bright and early in order to try and beat the queues.

Our plan worked, the queues were comparatively short, and soon we were into the huge shopping mall beyond the immigration checkpoint. We headed straight for the MRT station, and soon managed to buy tickets for our destination, the Singapore Botanical Gardens, from the machine. We had sussed out this metro, or underground railway system before on our previous visits and it is brilliant. There are more than 130 stations on five lines criss-crossing the city, and they are so fast, clean and efficient – such a great and convenient way to get around. Yes, travelling underground means you do not get to see the city as you travel, but on the other hand you do not get stuck in traffic, and it can work out much cheaper than going by taxi.

We could reach our destination with a single train – it was just 10 stops up the Circle Line. Leaving the MRT station we were literally outside one of the gates to the Botanical Gardens – perfect! What was not quite so perfect was the weather – the sun was out which was good, but the extremely high humidity was so draining. We therefore ambled very slowly around, with frequent stops to take on water. The gardens were lovely – lots of interesting and different plants and flowers, and even some wildlife. At one point I spotted a couple staring intently into what looked like an uninteresting patch of ground (as a photographer I am always watching out for other people noticing things), and when I looked carefully there was a large monitor lizard snuffling around in the bark chippings!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

At one point we stopped for a cool off and rest inside a large pavilion, then after carrying on with our exploring for a while, Carol made the wonderful, if obvious suggestion that we should stop for an ice-cream. I am sure the first couple of spoonfuls of my ice-cream turned to steam on the back of my throat long before they reached my stomach! Seriously the ice-creams did a wonderful job of cooling down and refreshing us.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

When we looked at the map of the gardens we realised that we had only seen but a small corner of them, and we know that in this heat and humidity there was no way we would be able to make it all the way around. We therefore decided to slowly make our way back towards the MRT station, and leave exploring the rest of the gardens until one of our next visits – we know we will be back in Singapore three more times in the next year or so. Oh and a great thing about the Botanical Gardens – they are free to enter!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Returning to the station it was lovely and cool inside, and we only had a few minutes to wait for the train that would take us directly back to the shopping mall close to the ship.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We went back on board for our lunch and a rest, before we headed back out again into the heat and humidity. Our plan was to take the cable car across to Sentosa Island mid to late afternoon in the daylight, have an early evening meal there, and return on the cable car in the dark, so that we got the views of the city and the island from the very high cable car both in the light and in the dark.

However this is where the weather intervened. As we rested in our cabin, the skies got darker and darker, and suddenly the heavens opened – to say the rain was torrential was an understatement. Our balcony has quite an overhang above it, so we were able to go out onto it to watch, and saw that the main deck below us was just like a river. There were also loud bangs of thunder and bright flashes of lightning, and then suddenly there was the loudest bang and brightest flash that either Carol or I had ever experienced! A huge lightning strike must have happened very, very close to the ship, and I swear we both leapt out of our skins for a second! We both scuttled back into the safety of the cabin and watched from there for a while until the storm eased. The snaps I took before the huge lightning strike really don’t do anything like justice to how dark and how wet it really was outside.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We waited a while, but the rain definitely looked like it was set in for the duration, so we decided a change of plan was in order. We decided to bring forward the shopping we planned to do in the two local shopping malls the next day, as we could do that without going outside in the rain. We would then return to the ship for our evening meal, and be in the Neptune Lounge in good time to get good seats for the local show that evening.

In such hot and sticky weather it seemed rather surreal to be walking around shops decorated with Christmas decorations, and with Christmas songs being played over the tannoy system. We managed to find most of what we were looking for, the remaining items we are sure we will be able to get once we get to Australia.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

After dinner we went to sit outside the Lido Lounge at the back of the ship, so that we could enjoy the lights of the city. It was still raining, albeit gently, which did not help my attempts at night photography.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The local evening show was great – it featured acts from the various communities which live in harmony in Singapore, and was very bright and colourful. We were both glad that we were not sat right at the very front, for when twice the acts asked for people to come on stage and join in their dancing, so few volunteered that they went into the audience to drag people out! The highspot had to be the Chinese Dragon Dance, although the whole show was very good and very entertaining.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

After the show I went up onto the topmost deck to have another try at capturing the night time city scenes – at least by then it had finally stopped raining.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The weather forecast for our second day in Singapore was not that promising – cloud to start with, then more rain by late morning for the rest of the day. We therefore made sure that once again we were out and about bright and early, and we were through immigration and back at the MRT station before 9am. This early the stations and trains were more busy, but we still got seats for our shorter 4-stop ride to that day’s destination, Haw Par Villa.

Leaving that MRT station, we just had to turn right and walk a few yards to reach our destination, the Haw Par Villa cultural park. This is Singapore’s largest outdoor art gallery, and is a treasure trove of Asian culture, history, philosophy and religion. It was the brainchild of Aw Boon Haw, a very successful local businessman, and was completed in 1937 at a cost of over one million dollars.

Carol had visited Haw Par Villa as a child, and was very interested to revisit the park and see if she could still recognise any of it, and we were delighted to find that it was so easy to get to from the ship.

We must have been some of the very first people to visit the park that day – it was wonderfully empty and we could therefore see all around with ease – we had seen pictures of it crowded with people at much busier times.

It really was a quite extraordinary and fascinating place. Yes, many of the exhibits were showing some signs of wear and tear, but given the age of the place that is entirely understandable, it is just wonderful that the place is still open and running after all this time. Many of the exhibits were very detailed – it was one of those places where the more you look the more you see. One or two were a little saucy, one or two others were rather gruesome.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It took quite a while to work our way around all the exhibits, especially as once again we were stopping to rest and take on water – despite the forecast the sun was going in and out from behind the clouds, and as ever in Singapore it was very humid. One thing that did seem rather odd was the choice of music that was being played over a tannoy system – it was very old (and scratchy) tunes which must have been from the 1930s and 40s, we can only assume they were to take you back to the era in which the park was first built.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Once again we managed to spot some wildlife, including another lizard, this time in the water.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Perhaps not surprisingly after a good few years, to her disappointment Carol did not find any of the scenes that she remembered seeing in her childhood. Nevertheless we both thoroughly enjoyed our visit, and we both cannot understand why the place receives so little publicity to tourists – I would not have known that the place existed if it was not for Carol’s childhood memories. Once again it was free entry too just to walk around the main exhibits – although you can pay to have a guided tour, and/or to visit a 10 Courts of Hell exhibit featuring even more gruesome sights.

By the time we made the short ride back to the shopping mall on the MRT the weather was still bright, so we decided to make the most of it and with a brief pause to photograph a Christmas tree outside the mall, we made our way over to the cable car station so that we could go over to Sentosa Island, albeit a day late.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We have done the cable car ride over to the island before, it starts with a ride up to the 15th floor in a glass walled external lift, and then has an amazing ariel ride over the water and the ships to reach the island. Regular readers will know that Carol is not comfortable with heights, last time we did this ride she hung onto my arm really tightly, but this time I am proud to say that she was much more relaxed and appeared to enjoy the ride. Like before it is fascinating to be able to look directly down onto the ship, and we did not know until we did this that Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is painted on the roof of the fitness centre on Boudicca.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Leaving the cable car station on the island we had a little wander around, and found some of those shaped mirrors that make you look really odd, and a peacock before we crossed to the second cable car station. Here we took another cable car down to Siloso Point, where we knew there to be a pizza restaurant, our target for lunch (while the food on board is great, one thing we do miss is a really good thin and crispy pizza). This time the cable car was swinging a bit in the strong wind, and Carol was not quite so happy to be there. After we alighted from the cable car the attendant pointed to where the lifts down to the ground floor were located, but we were a little miffed to see the sign above the lift doors – we assume we were thought to qualify on the middle category!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

After an excellent and delicious pizza each at Trapizza (being the perfect gentleman I helped my wife finish hers!), we walked along the boardwalk down to the beach for just a few minutes, before retracing our steps back to the cable car station. This time the car did not seem to sway so much, much to Carol’s relief.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We then walked across to the other cable car station to catch the cable car back to the mainland, once again enjoying the spectacular views of the island and the ships below.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We were delighted to make it all the way back to the ship in the dry – in fact despite the weather forecast the weather was dry, albeit very humid, all day.  We returned hot, sticky and tired, but very contented after two fabulous days in Singapore. Also of course, the two main places we visited – the Botanical Gardens on the first day and Haw Park Villa on the second day – were free to enter – a real bonus! We really did enjoy our free time in Singapore!!

Around 6pm we set sail, but only for a very short voyage. In his pre-departure talk the Captain announced that we would be sailing out into the bay, where we would anchor up for several hours in order to take on more fuel, before setting of for our next port of call, Semarang in Indonesia, which we will reach after two days at sea. Our adventures there are likely to be the subject of my next post.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Postscript 1

In my last post I reported the mystery of the Christmas decorations, which where put up all around the public areas of the ship, only to all be taken down again a couple of days later. Since then we have heard another theory from multiple sources, which does sound quite credible, which is that a passenger queried whether the decorations complied with safety standards. Not being able to prove that they did – the original packaging long since having been discarded, they decided to take them all down and replace them. We have also heard reports of crew trying to set fire to a sample of the decorations on the quayside. Whether all this is the truth I do not know, but anyway in the main restaurant at lunchtime today we noticed that decorations had been put back up. Perhaps we will have Christmas on board after all.

Postscript 2

For the third time on this epic cruise, yesterday (the first of the two days at sea) we crossed the Equator – this time from north to south. This meant of course yet another Crossing the Line ceremony, where King Neptune and his Queen preside over fun and games around the swimming pool, which inevitably result in the senior officers – including the Captain – kissing a raw fish and being thrown in the pool. The previous two crossings are documented in my posts D19GV – Can’t Tug the Line and D19GV – Spot the Birdie. This time the ceremony was a little different, with two teams, the mermaids and the pirates, completing in games to decide which officer was next for the treatment.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Postscript 3

Early on in this epic cruise, they held a very good cocktail party up in the Marquee Bar for the ‘all-rounders‘ – those passengers like Carol and I who are on the ship for 168 nights sailing all the way around from Dover to Dover. Since then nothing had been put on specifically for the all-rounders, although we have had numerous events for high-level Oceans members, and we had become aware of murmurings amongst many of the all-rounders about this discrepancy. However yesterday after the Crossing the Line ceremony, the all-rounders were invited to a really nice event up in the Observatory, where we were offered a whole range of delicious food – from canapés to sandwiches to scones to cakes to mince pies, as well as free drinks. A big thank you from Carol and I to all concerned.

D19GV – Music and Dance

In my last post, D19GV – Abandon Ship – again!, I described the three days we spent in Phuket, Thailand, where we saw a ladyboys show, and had to abandon our first longboat at sea on our way to a lovely tropical beach on an island in the bay.

Leaving Phuket late in the afternoon on the third day, we sailed overnight to our next port of call, Sabang on Weh Island, Indonesia, where we arrived early the following morning.

For once when I pulled back our curtains there was no sign of land yet from our balcony, so I put the bridge camera view on the cabin television and relaxed in bed until the island started to come into view.

After the bright sunshine of other recent port approaches, this time the sky was dark and moody, and looked rather threatening for the day ahead. I took a couple of photos of a passing local fishing boat, and it was only when I was checking my photographs later on the big screen of my laptop that I saw I had inadvertently captured some dolphins in the photos too!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Once we got nearer to the land I returned to the cabin so that I could watch our final approach with Carol from our balcony. We could see quite a mix of buildings and boats around the circular bay as the ship slowly rotated so that its bow was facing the way we came in, before it started to slip sideways towards the quayside.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It was at this point we went down to the Poolside restaurant to meet our friends Rosemary and Steven as previously arranged.  It was only when we were coming away from breakfast we realised that there had been quite a ceremony going on down on the quayside. It transpired that this was the maiden call for Boudicca into Sabang, and the Captain and some of the other senior officers had been given a presentation in front of local dignitaries, with music and dancing.

In the Daily Times each day there is a section titled Not to be missed – being naive, I might have thought they would have said in that section that we were making a maiden call, and that there would be a big ceremony on the quayside soon after we docked, so that passengers would know to get up in time and be down on the quay to watch it. No, of course not, in that column there were just adverts for things that earn extra revenue for Fred. Olsen – a cocktail event coming up in the Marquee Bar, the Grill Restaurant with its supplement charge, the Gelato Bar with ice creams you have to pay for, and the Oriental room with fine teas likewise. Silly me!

By the time I got out on deck with my camera the ceremony was all over, and everyone was just milling about, but I still took some photographs anyway. I was interested to see even the Captain has to queue to get back on board ship!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Carol and I were booked on a ship’s tour called Island Discovery & Beach. When we received a letter under the cabin door the day before we were fearful that the tour had been cancelled, but instead it just said that the tour departure would be much later than planned due to the tide times, and that as the tour now spanned lunchtime we would now be given a packed lunch when we checked in for the tour. We had also been told that we would be travelling in cars rather than a coach, and that English-speaking guides would meet us at each stop on the tour.

We wondered what sort of cars they would provide on this quite remote island, but they turned out to be a fleet of very comfortable ones – we shared our car with one other couple, and one of them remarked that the line of smart dark cars reminded her of The Apprentice TV show.

Leaving the quayside we made our way in convoy through the local town, and then stopped at our first viewpoint, along the shoreline. We were a little uncertain what we would find to see and photograph there, but along came some very small and sweet children on the way home from school. They were all more than happy to have their photographs taken, and were very pleased to be shown the photographs taken, giggling shyly as they did so.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

A couple of the girls produced a small keyboard musical instrument that most of them seemed to be carrying. The instrument had a tube into which they blew, and they entertained us all with a couple of tunes. By then some of the other girls took out their instruments too and joined in. Our unexpected and delightful concert was complete when the girls sang an unaccompanied song to us – all their performances very rightly getting a big round of applause from us all.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Returning to our cars we then drove on through the town, and just as we have found before when travelling in this part of the world, we were struck by the number of motorcycles on the roads, often with several people or whole families on board, and even more worryingly often without helmets. Our next stop was at a viewpoint overlooking Anuek Laot Lake, the only supply of fresh water on the island. Incidentally the name of the lake translates in English to ‘child of the sea’, which is rather nice. The viewpoint was alongside quite a busy dual carriageway, and passing motorcyclists gave friendly waves to us and called out hello, which was lovely.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Our final and longest stop was at a beach, where as well as being entertained, and now where we would eat our packed lunch, we would also have free time to swim if we wished. We had been informed that we would be visiting a different beach to the one advertised in the tour description, as the latter had quite a lot of debris on it due to the prevailing weather conditions. Arriving at the beach it was quite poignant to see the signs pointing out the tsunami evacuation route – this area was of course one of many badly affected by the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We made our way down some steps onto the beach, where a large awning had been set up with rows of chairs underneath. Taking our seats the entertainment soon started – two different dance routines. In the first, a row of sweet young children performed a very clever routine with rope – they started with the ropes wound around their wrists, and gradually unwound it, wrapping it around each other and each other’s ropes in sequence. Towards the end of the routine they surprised us by revealing that they had made a net with the rope.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The second routine was performed by a young man and young woman who danced quite energetically, and while entertaining it was harder to understand the meaning behind the dance.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Once both performances were over we ate our packed lunches – they did us very well, sandwiches, packet of crisps, an orange and a banana, a can of water and a bar of chocolate. Carol had investigated her carrier bag before we even left the ship, and promptly ate her chocolate on the grounds that it would only melt in the heat. When she ate my bar after her lunch on the beach, she reported that while soft it hadn’t actually melted, probably because it was lying next to the chilled water can in the picnic bag.

After our lunches quite a few fellow passengers went in for a swim – we were impressed that they had two lifeguards wearing life-jackets in the water keeping a watchful eye on them.

Carol and I just went for a walk along the beach in either direction. Once again it was so sad to see so much plastic waste in and on the beach – I am in no way being critical of the local people here – it is a world-wide problem that is now, far too late, only just being recognised. At one end of the beach there was a local family looking down onto the beach, they smiled and waved at us and we smiled and waved back – everyone we met on the island seemed so friendly and welcoming.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

On our journey back to the ship the cars took us on a further drive around the town.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

By the time we were safely back on board it was not long before we were due to sail – we just had time for a shower to freshen up before it was time to go out on our balcony to watch our departure.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We both very much enjoyed our visit to Sabang, we loved how friendly and welcoming everyone was, and particularly enjoyed the music and dance on our tour, which we would definitely recommend to anyone else coming this way.

We now have just one day at sea before we reach our next port of call, Singapore, where we are due to stay for two days. Our adventures there are likely to be the subject of my next post.

 

Postscript 1

In my last post I forgot to mention that Phuket marked yet another changeover from one cruise to another. We are now on our fifth back-to-back cruise of the eleven that make up this Grand Voyage, another two week cruise which goes from Phuket to Bali.

Postscript 2

Also in my last post I mentioned that the crew had been busy decorating the ship with Christmas decorations. It must have been a very quick and early Christmas this year, for all the decorations have now vanished! As yet we have not had a definitive explanation, and as always in these cases, rumours abound, including that they are going to buy brand new replacement ones, or that they had been remove while we visit Muslim countries. If and when we find out the true explanation, I will put it in a future post.

Postscript 3

There has been some discussion recently on a Facebook forum about the menus getting repetitive on Fred. Olsen. When Carol and I did our world cruises, the menus only repeated after about a month, which was ideal. On this cruise, which is mostly built up of two week cruises, the menus are unfortunately being repeated on a two week cycle, meaning we keep getting the same menu over and over again. However this reached a ridiculous and unacceptable level the night before last when we had the very same menu that we had had just two days earlier. I can understand how it happened – the first time was in the old cruise with one head chef, and the second time was in the new cruise with a different head chef – but this does not make it right, as records must surely be kept of what menus are used when. It very much makes it feel like they are not taking any account of the ‘allrounder’ passengers on board who are doing all of the cruises.