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Published: January 3rd 2024
Brisbane Central Business District
Just a Few Feet from My Hotel EntranceTour Days 64-74 – My plan for this holiday revolved around two cruises which included a cruise from San Diego, California to Auckland, New Zealand aboard Holland America’s ms Noordam and then a cruise from Singapore aboard Holland America’s ms Westerdam that made four ports of call in Vietnam as well as an overnight stop in Shanghai, China. To fill that eight–week interlude (26 NOV 2023–17 JAN 2024), I planned to visit friends as well as travel a bit in New Zealand and Australia and find some land tours of, perhaps, Tasmania, Indonesia or Philippines. I spotted a 29–day (Bangkok to Bangkok) land tour of southeast Asia that included Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia that fit perfectly into my time slot. A long, complicated Vietnam “tourist visa saga” led me to abort the four–country, 29–day land tour; however, I did learn that the ports of call visas for Cambodia and Vietnam can be obtained aboard the cruise ship.
Eight weeks, however, is a long time to spend in New Zealand and Australia. Sooo, Uncle Larry spotted and booked a two-night rail adventure on the Indian Pacific from Adelaide to Perth (11 JAN TO 13 JAN) as well as a 10–day,
round trip Princess cruise from Brisbane to Papua New Guinea that fit perfectly into my time slot. The Papua New Guinea cruise was a late addition to my plans, and, it’s my own fault, but it was not added to my list of countries on my itinerary nor, therefore, to the visa requirements list for those countries. When I realized my omission, I didn’t expect getting a visa for Papua New Guinea would be a big deal. Wrong, Sherlock! The requirements were as comprehensive and stringent as most countries have for a change of permanent residence. Princess policy is that no visa is reason to refuse boarding the ship. No visa, no cruise. One week beforehand, no refund. Like I said, it’s my own fault.
China, on the other hand, is well-known for strict visa requirements. I began the process long before departure, but part way through the application I was asked if my arrival would be by land or air. A small drop-down box (the ones with the question mark) informed me that arrivals by sea would have to make an appointment at a Chinese embassy and apply in person. The closest embassy to Mesa, Arizona is Los
Angeles, California but, fortunately, there is an embassy in Auckland, New Zealand. Sooo, Uncle Larry decides to wait to visit the embassy in Auckland. After I arrived in Auckland, I went online to schedule an appointment but was told my application number was not valid. I knew this was not true because I had copied and pasted the screen containing the application number into an MS Word document. My friend took me to the embassy, and, as a walk-in, I spoke to a woman who did her best to help me (going so far as to enlist the aid of her supervisor), but could not access any application generated from outside New Zealand. No visa, no cruise AGAIN? I was preparing myself mentally for abandoning the six-week cruise (actually a trio of two-weekers) after the first leg of the three – Singapore to Hong Kong. I rationalized the possible misfortune by telling myself that I had accomplished my ultimate goal of returning to Vietnam. Holland America, unlike Princess, connected me with the Documentation Department where I was told that I not only could board the ship but that I could participate in any Holland America-sponsored shore excursion. I would not,
Brisbane Central Business District
I Don't Know If This Is a Daily Thing or a Wednesday Thing, but There Were Several Dozen Food Vendors On Site however, be able to exit the ship to “free-lance” in China without a visa. Being in a group on a structured tour was my plan anyway. I guess I’ll just have to enlist a fellow passenger to procure the infamous refrigerator magnet!
So, what about Brisbane? For a good portion of my time in Cairns, I had been trying to get the Papua New Guinea visa. After I arrived in Brisbane, I intensified my efforts to board the ship and just “eat, drink and be merry” without disembarking at any of the ports of call. When that failed, I began to generate plan 47. The Papua New Guinea cruise was to have ended on 27 DEC, and I already had established dates for my stays in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Now, I needed to absorb those ten days from the aborted cruise into my visits to those three cities. I was to have spent Christmas in Papua New Guinea , New Year’s Eve in Sydney and would have arrived in Melbourne in early 2024. The new schedule found me in Sydney for Christmas and Melbourne for New Year’s Eve. Sydney worked out okay as my friends (14-day France tour
in 2022) were planning a big dinner and added me to the invite list, but my friend and former roommate (22-day Europe tour in 2022) had made plans to fly to visit his older sister over New Year’s Eve and return before my arrival.
Okay, Uncle Larry, but what about Brisbane? I didn’t find anything really exciting in Brisbane. South Bank Parklands, according to Tripadvisor, is "Brisbane's premier lifestyle and cultural destination" and is #1 of 473 things to do in Brisbane. The day trips didn’t impress either. Remember the Chinese visa problems I had in Auckland? Remember the Savannahlander, the two-night “out-and-back” train trip that would have taken me from Cairns to the outback in the Northern Territory? Remember the cyclone that chased me from Cairns? Remember the Papua New Guinea visa problems and my inability to participate in the cruise? With the best laid plans of mice and men falling apart, with the cyclone-effect rainfall during my first couple of days in Brisbane and with the lack of stimulating attractions, it was just a plain, good, old-fashion time to be depressed! Okay, enough of that! When the weather improved, I found a couple of interesting eateries (what
better way to end depression?) within a mile of so of the hotel and got to see a little of the central business district on foot. As Bugs Bunny would say, “That’s all, folks!”
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