Sea Princess to Brunei, Sabah, China, South Korea, Japan, Iwo Jima, Guam, New Guinea.

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We flew to Sydney the day before departure and stayed over night in a studio room at the Napoleon Hotel at the corner of Napoleon and Kent streets. It was very pleasant, not too noisy, and very close to the departure warf. Next morning we visited the Opera House then dragged our cases to the warf in the afternoon.

Days 1, 2 and 3.

On departure there was some excitement as some yachts were on a collision course with the ship and directed to clear the area by the pilot boat. Unfortunately the sail boarder capsized in front of the ship, so the ship had to divert to avoid him/her. After clearing the Heads the sea was a bit rough and some passengers were seasick although the ship was not moving much.

Astronomer Lesa Moore (Starry Lady) gave an excellent lecture on global warming while being careful to avoid conflict.

Days 4 and 5

First stop was Airlie Beach on a rainy day. They have created a nice tourist walk with a "lagoon" and beach surrounded by gardens. It still has a bit of a country town feeling, but with shops catering for tourists.

Lesa Moore gave a lecture "Sky Myths, UFOs and Why the World Didn't End". It was largely about the star constellations and what they represent in the various countries. She does it so well.

Day 6 At sea.

Lesa Moore's lecture was "Extrasolar Planets and Life Elsewhere" and there was a talk about Darwin but I was in bed with a cold. The evening show was "British Invasion" with the Sea Princess Dancers dancing to British songs.

Day 7 At sea.

Lesa continued her high standard with "Thing You Should Know About Astronomy - The Sky Tonight. See www.heavensabove.com for more information. Cloud made the night star gazing difficult. Heather Clement's lecture was "Intro to Religions of Asia"

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