Blogs from Tasman Sea, Pacific, Oceans and Seas - page 2

We arrived at SYC about 11.30, the wind was still blowing a bit so after we had organised the last few things on the boat we decided to have a coffee. Finally we were off, a rather uneventful trip to QCYC except for two interesting situations. Firstly we crossed the bow of Sea Shepard, an imposing ship with all its gear & the skull & crossbow. She was travelling at only about 2knots it was difficult to tell for awhile if the ship was moving. When we'd past we noticed a large amount of smoke coming from the funnel - not normal & the speed or lack thereof go us wondering was everything ok. It got too much for John he radioed them to see if all was ok ...... The reply came back, "All good, ... read more

11_Sydney Harbor 10 Feb 2016 We docked in Sydney at about 6 AM, a night and day and another night out of Melbourne; about 36 hours at sea. We were well away from the Great Barrier Reef and the Australian shore, and saw nothing except ocean and a few more ships than usual going the other way. Out on the rear deck at 9 AM, already docked, the famous beauty of the Sydney Harbor was not apparent. We could see two bridges and a lot of industrial activity, but not the Opera House. We should have been on deck at sunrise to see those famous sights as we sailed in, before we turned a corner into our dingy docking area. We will be ashore here for five days, so maybe we will see them on a ... read more

Australia, the largest island-continent, had been inhabited for nearly 60,000 years by Aborigines, who migrated from Southeast Asia during the ice age, This was before the sea levels rose and isolated Australia from the rest of Asia. it is believed that Aborigines flourished for tens of thousands of years, free of outside influences. Their were many tribal groups, speaking at least 200 different languages. Their common bond was their spiritual beliefs. At the height of their culture, there may have been 500,000-1,000,000. The arrival of the Europeans quickly changed their isolation. They were described by the first explorers as 'wandering bands of savages still living in the Stone Age.' This perception was the beginning of a deep and long lasting misconception. They need a voice and their history needs to be told, so here goes! The ... read more

This is the last full day at sea before we get to Sydney. That means it is the last day of enjoying all the pleasures of cruising. It does NOT mean the end of our story because we have about 10 more days scheduled on land before we return home, but it does mean we will slide down a little on the “pampered passenger” scale. That being said, this is as good a time as any to proclaim our appreciation and praise the service we received this cruise. However good this was, it actually is not unusual – we always get excellent service from Princess Cruises. We don’t want to make this into a commercial, but this is a terrific way to take a vacation and we recommend it to anyway who wants to see different ... read more

Saturday, March 8, 2014 This will be my last blog entry for our cruise to the South Pacific. On Sunday, we disembark and fly home to Houston. In typical fashion, I was woke up super early this morning, not to run, but to work on my blog in the Royal Promenade. There are a few other crazy people on the ship that are also up early. Cindy also was up early, however not until 6:15am. I truly enjoyed sitting in the lovely Royal Promenade in front of the Irish bar each morning, drinking a cup of coffee, and writing about how much fun we are having on our trip. We are very fortunate to be able to experience this. Cindy and I ate breakfast in the dining room this morning. The food is much ... read more