http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Nisswa-Suzy/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Nisswa Suzy en-us Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:38:55 +0000 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:38:55 +0000 We did it All the way around the world and then some. And we got home happy and well.The shipped was docked in Southampton when we woke up Monday morning. We ate a quick breakfast and then were among the first passengers allowed to go ashore. The Captain stood at the gangway shaking hands and saying goodbye. A very nice touch that was typical of our wonderful ship. We were able to quickly g http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Minnesota/Nisswa/blog-391580.html We've just had the Captain's Farewell Cocktail Party and final formal night. The last Baked Alaska parade and pictures with the waiters. You can imagine that we have grown very close to our waiters. They take such good care of us and we have gotten to know alot about them and their families back home. I am going to be fighting back tears when we have to say goodbye.Yesterday we were in Lisbon http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Portugal/Lisbon-and-Tagus-Valley/Lisbon/blog-389724.html Happy Palm SundayToday we are in Mindelo Cape Verde Islands which is just off the most western part of the African continent. It is a volcanic island that gets almost no rain so the dark barren mountains run right down to the sea. Very dramatic. They speak Portugese here so I can't read the billboards and signs. But they drive on the proper side of the road It seems most of the other pla http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Cape-Verde/S-o-Vicente/blog-387896.html An incredibly cool thing happened today. We crossed Point Zero on the globe. That is 0.00 latitude and 0.00 longitude. And the most amazing thing is there is a buoy to mark it Can you imagine The chain on it must be more than 5000 yards long The old joke is seeing the line when you cross the equator but here there actually is a marker So coolExcept that it is in reality really r http://www.travelblog.org/Oceans-and-Seas/Atlantic/blog-386232.html Hello It is raining today so I can take time out from being out in the sun on the deck. The past week has been absolutely perfect without a cloud in the sky. Hundreds and hundreds of flying fish as we make our way from Namibia to Ghana.Back to Cape Town for a moment. I went back to Table Mountain with Hugh so he could see the view from up there. The clouds were just starting to roll in as w http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Namibia/Walvis-Bay/blog-385766.html I woke up yesterday at 630 AM and glanced out the window. The sky was just beginning to lighten behind the Twelve Apostles the mountains next to Cape Town. It was aweinspiring It looked completely twodimensional black mountains pale sky. As if someone had handtown a piece of black construction paper and laid it against a pale pink background. Stunning. Eventually the far left peak tu http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Africa/Western-Cape/Cape-Town/blog-383905.html Yesterday I set foot on my seventh continent Africa So now I can check that off my bucket list.We arrived late to Richard's Bay because the overnight crossing from south of Madagasgar to the east coast of Africa was our roughest sea yet. We bounced around like an airplane in turbulence all night long. The creaking and groaning of the ship was almost scary as if it would break apart. Drawer http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Africa/KwaZulu-Natal/Durban/blog-383037.html Two days two very different islands two very different impressions.Yesterday we arrived ahead of schedule pronounced shedjul in Port Louis Mauritius. This used to be a British Colony but became independent in 1968. The official language is English but most of the signs and people we ran across spoke French. The shuttle bus from the ship to the downtown was a disaster. It took us ov http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mauritius/Port-Louis/blog-381612.html Sorry it's been a while. I've had this miserable cold for the past week and haven't felt like doing much at all. Luckily we've been At sea since last Thursday. So I'll try to catch things up.Freemantle was lovely. An old fashioned city just an easy walk from the ship. We arrived very late in the afternoon the first time we have been late so I was only able to walk into town and wander http://www.travelblog.org/Oceans-and-Seas/Indian/blog-381042.html Since we left Adelaide we have been crossing the Australian Bight which is sort of a huge bay along southwest Australia. It is notorious for being rough. And it has been. Yesterday afternoon the swells starting getting bigger and they were 18 20 feet all night long. The creaking and banging in the ship were horrible. Our dresser drawers kept opening and closing. Even the door to the balco http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/Albany/blog-378438.html Yesterday we spent in Adelaide. When we looked out our window in the morning all we could see were acres of a green tarp roof with two holes cut in the middle out of which huge Norfolk Pines were growing. It turned out to be a holding lot for cars that had been shipped there. And the tarp was protecting them from sea spray hail and bird poop. Baxter could have taken a lesson from whoever bui http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/Adelaide/Port-Adelaide/blog-377717.html First off in case you may not know it the island of Tasmania is one of the states of Australia. Just like Minnesota is one of the United States. So same money postage language etc. as the mainland of Australia.Nisswa School I haven't seen a Tasmanian Devil but our lecturer says they are carnivorous so I guess I am glad I haven't run into anyThe crossing from Sydney to Burnie was the r http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Victoria/Melbourne/blog-376879.html I love Sydney It is so clean so modern so with it just plain wonderful. We arrived early Saturday morning as the sun was coming up. Truly incredible to step out on the deck and see the Opera House dead ahead with the famous Bridge beyond it. As we got nearer I could see that the roof of the Opera House is not just painted white or made of a solid white material but is actually covered i http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/Darling-Harbour/blog-376022.html What a joy to visit Brisbane The city must 90 new in the past 25 years. All gleaming new fascinating architecture sparkling clean streets and cars and even a Target. But a Target without a drug store department...how weird is that Apparently some deal they made with the pharmacies here in order to open in Australia.Mom and I went to The World's Largest Koala Sanctuary yesterday. We s http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Brisbane/blog-375169.html Saturday we were in Fiji our first island which geologically was once part of a continent. The previous ones were formed out of the ocean by volcanoes or coral reefs. Fiji was very hilly and lush and hot. The people are much darker skinned and have crinkley hair compared with the Polynesians of the earlier islands. Mom stayed on the ship but I decided to go in to the town Suva. We had been http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Caledonia/Noumea/blog-374164.html We crossed the International Dateline so we are now I think 18 hours ahead of you at home. We lost Tuesday completely but are making it up one hour at a time as we move westward around the globe. Always nice to get that extra hour a couple of times a week.Yesterday we were in Tonga the first flat island we have visited. Unlike the others which were volcanic and therefore mountainous Tong http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Tonga/Vava-u/blog-373077.html Yesterday was a splendid day. We awoke to another perfect view this time the largest of the Cook Islands Rarotonga. I went on a snorkeling trip in a secluded lagoon. The water was warmer than any I've ever been in and perfectly clear. Lots of beutiful fish around the coral including what I think were clown fish...so funnylooking with their yellowstriped mouth blue stripe over the eyes and http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Cook-Islands/Rarotonga/blog-372027.html Hello EverybodyI've been enjoying myself too much to write.We had eight days at sea...all of them perfectly calm. In fact we haven't had even a slightly rough day yet. Here's a sample day on board800 Get up and have breakfast either Continental delivered to the cabin or a full breakfast with cloth tablecloths and napkins and waiter service in the dining room.945 Attend lecture about fut http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/French-Polynesia/Moorea/blog-371084.html Today we are having cold rainy weather even as we near the equator. I even had to put on a sweater today.We arrived in Colon the Caribbean port for the canal early Friday afternoon. Hugh and I went on a jungle tour that walked a mile through the rain forest then a ride on the Chagres River in a boat that looked exactly like the Jungle Ride at Disneyland. We saw lots of leafcarrying ants alo http://www.travelblog.org/Oceans-and-Seas/Pacific/blog-367474.html I still haven't found a WiFi spot to download any pictures but hope to soon.Sunday we were in Antigua where I went on a zipline canopy tour across a beautiful jungle valley. It was breathtaking. Nine different lines across the valley stretching from tree to tree each progressively longer than the last and a finish that dropped straight down 30 feet. I was a sweaty mess by the time I climbed http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Santa-Marta/blog-365734.html