Dinner at DoyDoy last night was great and very tasty and so cheap.No alcohol though as according to a Turkish guide with a group of Aussies"the restaurant aws too close to the Blue Mosque for alcohol to be served".Wether that was right or not we arent sure but we had a Pepsi and Fanta instead.Ma had the beef kebab andI had a baked kebab.Both very delicious and filling.They even brought one of those big blown up breads that look like a rugby ball until you cut into it and find its full of air.All fro free though and it passes time while you wait for the main course to arrive. We were up early today for breakfast which was similar to yesterday.It certainly is different from Weetbix and Cornflakes and toast !!But then we want to ... read more

The superb service of Singapore Airlines continued with our flight to Istanbul.The loading of the plane this time was not quite as efficient as in Auckland but still far superior to any other airlines we have flown recently.How is that people in this part of the world can fly without taking the suitcases on the plane that Americans do? Looking around the people flying to Istanbul and it was quite a United Nations although we discovered as the journey progressed that without the Kiwis and Aussies on board the plane would have been half full. The onboard service continued as from Auckland too.We are sure that somewhere out the rear of the 777-300 was a beauty spa where the petite attendants went every half hour to be freshened up.They looked so immaculate even at the end ... read more

Its been a while since the last blog and this will bring you up to date and will probably be the last for this journey !! The sea day we had after Ocho Rios was pleasant but very busy.Gretchen had heaps mapped out for us and we were on the go with trivia competitions,tour of the ships galley,tour of the theatre stage and green room,lunch,ballroom dancing,more trivia and finally a dinner with our new found friends from the trivia comps!!We finally got the suitcases packed and outside the cabin at midnight for a dawn arrival into Florida. It had been a great trip and we are now really confirmed cruisers.It just suits us and you meet so many interesting people. We were transferred to Miami airport with ease although we had a long wait at the ... read more

The morning dawned Ok at the motel from hell....Motel 6.This place was the pits and had it not been for the voucher we had for a free nights stay we wouldnt have been with a thousand miles of the place. The place was so spartan.Basically two beds a table and two chairs and that was it.Oh and the two piddly size cakes of soap!! With no breakfast on offer at Motel 6 we showered and hit the road early to get some breakfast before returning the rental car to the airport and then boarding our flight to Fort Lauderdale.We hit I-40 and headed for the airport about 10 miles away.We ended up at the Waffle House and stood in a queue to wait for a table at this popular spot.Breakfast was good and we left satisfied ... read more

Thankfully Gretchen agreed to ride with me again after the near incident of last night. The sun again shone on us as we headed off on a very scenic road taking the long way round to Gatlinburg at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains. We headed out on 11W-TN thru Kingsport and along the base of the Clinch Mountains.The scene was rural with rolling hills and a four lane highway almost devoid of traffic.We pssed thru towns loke Stiggersville(where do that get these names!!) and Bean Station(not sure at all where that one would have come from!!) Lunchtime came as we entered Morristown and headed for the mall expecting to find a food court.Not so in this instance.So we opted for a pizza place and for our 20 min lunch there we were the only ... read more