FEBRUARY 21, 2008

THE SEA: It still amazes me that I can tell where we are vis-à-vis open ocean and nearby land by the feel of the ship. We came through the Bismarck Channel, where there is land on both sides even if it is far away, and are now in open ocean. The ship hardly moves when in a protected area; now it is undulating again.
The howling of the wind by the patio door gives me some idea of our speed; the faster we are going, the more the howling sound.
I definitely have a cold now but it’s in the in between stage: not sick enough to stay in bed; not well enough to be enthused about getting up and doing anything. Ed got up about 6:30 am and I kept hearing this tap tap tap from the bathroom (him tapping his razor on the sink). He got dressed and left about 7:30 to exercise. I took advantage of the time and got myself ready and read until it was time to go to this morning’s lecture. Ed joined me later in the audience.
JAPANESE CULTURE AND CUSTOMS: A very proper British lady is doing this series of talks about the Japanese, with whom she has lived, albeit in a family rather well-to-do (by her own admission). She had a beautiful wedding kimono on display along with samples of the various slippers one wears in a Japanese home. She had photos of Japanese in various forms of dress for specific occasions. And she had a typical gift giving card for money. She speaks very slowly and deliberately and takes one through her landing at the airport until the afternoon at her host home. Since I’ve never been to Japan, it’s almost all new to me.
TRIVIA: We had our group of 6 and called ourselves “Crocks” today. Our member with cheat sheets didn’t unearth them today. There were many brain teasers for us, but WE WON! We all felt very vindicated. Our “gift” was a passport and ticket holder with Princess Cruises on it (of course). Apparently it’s a new item. I was delighted since my current one is on it’s last legs and this one will be just perfect (even if it does have their name on it; I suppose that’s a small price to pay for a gift.
Not so with the needlepoint kit however, I put “Dr. BonBon” on it where “Princess Cruises” was supposed to go. Some other ladies were delighted in this small token of rebellion.
LIBRARY: Dropped off another Vanity Fair today that Ed finally relinquished. Read the USA Times, and more in Iberia. We will only be in Barcelona in Spain but now I wish we could visit the cities and areas he discusses.
Speaking of Michener, this afternoon they are doing a repeat of the “South Pacific” DVD and discussion I told you about last week. So the pickings are slim this afternoon.
Amber, the poor dear from India who is assigned to the library told me that the next meeting of the book club is scheduled for the 26th and how did I like the book? I confessed the whole story including the fact that the person to whom I passed the book had read two chapters and couldn’t “get into” the book and is returning it to me. Several of the people reading the book have finished it and loved it! So go figure: it ain’t for everybody. Just as a reminder: It’s title is “water for elephants” and it’s a NY Times best seller.
I’m conflicted because I promised myself I’d read the books and magazines I brought along as a treat—and I’m moving along on that. So now I have to see about attending the book club meeting even if I haven’t read the book.
Crossword puzzles. I usually pick these up in the library but there have been some really weird ones lately. So I passed two of them along to him. He looked at the question, then looked at the answer to that question, and said: “What?!” So I’m being a little more selective about what I bring to solve.
LUNCH: My rabbit food again. Sat with one of the couples from Trivia. He’s rather full of himself but it wasn’t a terrible discussion. My opinion of him might be tainted by the fact that he kept insisting that virology was the study of microbes as in microbiology and rejecting the correct answer of “viruses.” I did prevail on that answer but I wanted to (figurately of course) slap him up side the head and get him to listen to my explanation! (For those of you who might be curious: microbiology includes the study of –almost-- anything you can put under a microscope, e.g. bacteria, protozoa, and yes, viruses with the electron microscope—but then I know all of you already knew that). The other thing that I had to act as if I was neutral on the topic was his discussing bring over nurses from the Phillipines to take care of the nursing shortage. Those who know me well, know this is a short f.use for me. You’ll be proud of me: I never mentioned that topic at all.
This same font of all knowledge, said that a 46 y/o passenger who had gone on the Macchu Pichu trip had collapsed and died up there. I know there have been some unscheduled disembarkations but I hadn’t heard this specific. It’s not so surprising however. In a population of this size with the average age group well approaching 80 y/o, you’re bound to lose a few even if we were sitting in the park in Ft. Lauderdale.
INTERNET CAFÉ: I went there and ran into Ed. The place was packed. He got up from his terminal to get something from the printer and a lady took over that terminal. (he who hesitates is lost). She left after a few minutes and I sat down since Ed was still working out getting his pages from the printer. (he said he was printing an article from the NY Times off for me to read but I don’t believe that’s what was going on. At 50 cents a page for seven pages?? I don’t think so.)
Anyway, I started to log on and Ed was desperate to print off the rest of said article, so I left him on my account and came to the room. The reality is that when there are this many people trying to access the satellite, your chances of being bumped off are higher and thus more frustrating.
TODAY’S MOVIE: Dan in real life. I just saw about 3 min of the beginning; look imminently forgettable. So I turned to “Burma Bridge Busters”. It’s got a lot of WWII vintage planes and such. Definitely not a winner in my book either. Now the Bridge on the River Kwai (which I understand we will be dealing with later in the cruise)? Now that’s a horse of a different color. Alec Guiness was terrific in that movie don’t you think?
FRANK SINATRA ANYONE? At 3:15 today they have a passenger appearing in a Tribute to Frank Sinatra. Apparently he’s become a minor celebrity due to his karaoke participation. I’ll let you know about that one.
ABOUT THOSE PHOTOS: I realized last night that I forgot to upload the photos from yesterday. I’ll try to do better next time I access the internet.
DINNER: There were 6 of us and the configuration for talking was in a “U” shape which made it a little better. Ed and I were at the bottom of the “U” so I tried to pay most of my attention to the couple on my right so that everyone was involved. To a limited extent, it was better but there are some ego issues at the table and I’m trying to stay out of it all.
ENTERTAINMENT: A pair of brothers who go by the name Whyte and who play Beatles music. They’re OK but I was surprised they were the act for this evening on this ship. Marty Allen took a seat next to Ed and we talked about a variety of things. It reminded me somewhat of the time I spent with the Hollywood producer (doing private duty). I looked for Dave who has yet to run into Marty Allen on the ship and who wants a photo with him, but I couldn’t locate him. Oh well, they’re on here for a few more days.
JOHN MCCAIN: Well the dirt is being dredged up again with some new wrinkles. I’m conflicted because it does reflect on his ability to be discriminating when it comes to folks who become friends.

FEBRUARY 21, 2008 RABUAL

The sea has been so flat, the ship simply glides along. When the sun rose this morning, it was really B R I G H T ! There are seven volcanos on this little island and two are active so we were greeted with two plumes of differing sizes rising straight up into the air. There are also some rubbish fires near the beach.
The harbor lives up to its reputation for service in WWII. It is ample in size and well protected from the open sea. One story said the Japanese had as many as 100 ships in this harbor prior to WWII. There was concern for the security of Australia given the proximity, thus the Allied interest in this area.
The ship is here today from 8 am to 5 pm. There are two tours: one to the volcano(s) and the other for war sites. We will walk around the small village on shore for a while slathered in lots of sunscreen and with heads well covered. Because we are in port, the activities are slim and almost all confined to sedate or intellectual pursuits.
THANK YOU to Pat for the newsy mail to Ed. I am impressed with his Executive Administrator style and concise writing.
VOLCANO: We can see it from the ship; probably about 4 miles away. We can smell the sulphur and hear the (g)rumbling from it. This is the first time most people had ever seen a volcano that is active so their observations were fun to hear. I’m posting some photos so you can see it.
ON SHORE: Before you get to the gangway, the heat and humidity seep up to the upper levels in that stairwell. We walked down to the farmer’s market and took some photos of the local produce including betel nuts. They cook things together such as rice and a vegetable or fruit in a leaf wrapping and it’s like a lunch meal you take out.
The women wear colorful dresses and sometimes headgear. They carry colorful crocheted bags which they also sell. Among the crafts they sell are masks, gorgeous conch shells, necklaces of various complexity made out of shells and such. They only want crisp new bills (USD) or their own money. They will dicker for prices we’re told. Oh and I forgot to mention the ubiquitos (and cheaply made) T-shirts. We went into one store (these are rather primitive places here you understand) and they were selling cell phones and other electronic gadgetry. I couldn’t give you the local prices as we never tried to convert or purchase anything.
We didn’t last long in that heat and humidity. I was dripping before we got one block away. The locals cluster under trees and sing out “hall—oo” to you as you pass. They all smile and are cheerful. The ship’s info discourages paying for photos but some did anyway. I took no photos that were close ups for that reason. All ages are seen and other than security and the folks in the market, there doesn’t seem to be any work going on. In fact, it was like it was Sunday.
We stayed on the ship and watched the George Clooney movie “Michael Clayton”. It was Ed’s kind of movie. I enjoyed the coolness of the cabin, watching the volcano change, doing some needlepoint, and just the freedom of no responsibilities.
DINNER: Just Dave and Twyla and us. She isn’t feeling well. Did something to her neck which is a recent surgery for her. We talked about books, the locals, volcanos (the latter with our new head waiter from Naples where Vesuvius is destined to blow up again any time and cover everything in the vicinity), etc. I kept repeating “fruit plate” to Rod and he gave it to me with a shit eating grin. It’s funny actually. Ed had dessert which I helped with so I’m no saint. Rod showed us some of his hidden tattoos. He sailed on ships in the Tahiti area for 6 yrs.
OUTBACK HAT ANYONE? When we were in Australia, we saw some of those bush hats with wine bottle corks hung down from the brim with leather ties. They swing around as you move your head. I thought it was a joke but was told it keeps the flies away. So I picked up a cork from the table tonite. To make a long story short, Rod brought me enough for two hats! I may do something for a red hat event with them after I’ve dyed them. Speaking of red hats: my majarini has a really bad cold, poor dear. Her 85 y/o roommate is healthy as a horse. I have a sore throat but it’s mild and I’m thinking positive. This ship has sounded like a respiratory ward sometimes in the past few weeks.
UNEXPECTED MESSAGE: Someone found my “lobster dog” video on You Tube and posted a comment. I don’t know who this person is but it was fun to see it’s still “alive” up there.
BANJO PLAYER: Again tonite. He’s an Auzzie and knows British songs and the American standards. He’s a cheery fellow with that funny accent and overall great fun even though the crowd tonite was small.
We are headed for Chuuk now. Don’t ask, I don’t know. But I’m sure we’ll have a lecturer before we get there who will give us the low down on why we should care.

FEBRUARY 19, 2008

OCEAN: It is so smooth in this area that when I awoke in the night it was almost like being in port. This afternoon, it is still that way. It’s very humid and overcast. Given the time of year and the typhoons or monsoons, we may see a lot of days like this. Nonetheless, one can’t afford to ignore sunblock and bug spray.
GUADALCANAL & RABAUL: Prof. Giles reviewed the history of the war and battles in this area and then showed us photos, often a before (during WWII) and now comparison, of the places and war materiel in the area. This would be a great place to scuba dive as there are numerous ships and planes on the ocean floor in this area, both American and Japanese. He obviously is very fond of the natives at Rabaul if one goes by the photos he shows. They all speak English and many live in places created during the war. Both sides of the conflict lived in caves to avoid bombing. A full hospital was underground in many places.
He told a story of being in this area on another Princess ship and narrating from the bridge. The Captain made some comment about the volcano(s) here and lo and behold, it blew up while the ship was there. Maybe we’ll have a little excitement while we’re there. We could add a volcanic eruption to our list of exciting events we’ve seen.
We have a good size group of WWII veterans on board and when the speaker says anything sympathetic to the Japanese who were abandoned by their government, one fellow behind us would say “tough” and other similar remarks. I had mixed feelings about this: I understand where that’s coming from, but it’s time to move on.
There are two tours tomorrow, neither of which interest us so we’ll just get off and wander around on our own.
EMAIL: I am pleased to see that Dr. Lou Rubino is doing a powerpoint presentation about Ellen’s contributions to the China exchanges at the China Banquet. I’ve asked if he will post it somewhere so that others can view it as well.
LIBRARY: It’s so quiet and peaceful here. Folks here and there reading the 1 page newspapers we have here: Australian, UK, USA. Others putting jig saw puzzles together wordlessly. In another area, WiFi is being used with folks’ laptops, and still others are doing the crossword puzzle for today. Amber, a cruise staff member from India, is present for several hours to help folks,
There is a paperback exchange for folks to choose some books; not all of them are paperback; there are a nice selection of hardcover books too. As is usually the case, there are more books each day as more contributions are made.
SUNBATHERS: We have a solid core of folks who fry everyday around the pool. Their skins look like old leather and they really look weird with white or blond hair.
TRIVIA: They’ve moved this event to 15 min. earlier which is a good idea since it now ends just before lunch. Val and Eric were there along with the couple from yesterday. I now have an ethical conflict because the wife in the latter couple writes the questions on a yellow pad she carries, but in the back she has some cheat sheets. For example, there are often questions about phobias and I think I see a list of these with their definitions. They are in teeny tiny font size.
This is pathetic in my opinion beside the ethical concern I have. I don’t want to play with her. It doesn’t really help in the long run; kind’ve like students who want an open book test: by the time they find the answer in their book, they could have successfully answered a number of questions. So maybe I’ll ambush the local padre to see what if anything I should do about this.
RABBIT FOOD: I went to the buffet and got some fruit and rabbit food for lunch. There I talked with a couple who had been on the Prinsendam 2 yrs ago (we were on it last year) and the same captain is really a special person and absolutely perfect for his job.
While I was getting these nibbles, I saw Marty Allen in line; he and his wife are doing the show tonite. We saw him on the Prinsendam last year and he’s still as funny at 85 as he ever was. His wife is 20 yrs younger and talented as well (piano and singing). I’m looking forward to it.
I also ran into my now favorite Republican and his wife. They were finishing up lunch and were going to start playing Triominos. Too bad Ed doesn’t like table games. I love them.
CHICAGO: This is the movie for today so I came back to the room where Ed was laying down watching CNN. He was agreeable to watch this again. One of the best movies we never tire of seeing.
READING: I’m back to Iberia by Michener and enjoying it as much as one can enjoy a text. I’m learning so much about Spain and it will be interesting to see what is still true when we are in Barcelona and the Gibraltar area.
DINNER: Hank has a cold and they had had lunch so they didn’t come to dinner. The seating places changed and this configuration, with couples at each end of the oval, made it much more difficult to have a conversation that included the couples at both ends simultaneously. I felt conflicted in trying to include all in a conversation but without much success. The men at both ends have hearing problems (well many of the rest of us have decrements in this area too) and that complicated it even further. One tolerates this more than the other it seems.
ENTERTAINMENT: This was Marty Allen and his wife. We saw them last year on the Prinsendam. The skit was the same but with some more up to date aspects added. Still, while I recognized it, I didn’t remember all that much of it. It was a good show and folks seem delighted with it.
Tonite was Country hoedown night but JJ said only 6 people were showing up for the 10 to midnight dancing. They do rearrange the times of the show on the nights before we have a port stop and that helps everyone.

FEBRUARY 20, 2008 RABUAL

The sea has been so flat, the ship simply glides along. When the sun rose this morning, it was really B R I G H T ! There are seven volcanos on this little island and two are active so we were greeted with two plumes of differing sizes rising straight up into the air. There are also some rubbish fires near the beach.
The harbor lives up to its reputation for service in WWII. It is ample in size and well protected from the open sea.
The ship is here today from 8 am to 5 pm. There are two tours: one to the volcano(s) and the other for war sites. We will walk around the small village on shore for a while slathered in lots of sunscreen and with heads well covered. Because we are in port, the activities are slim and almost all confined to sedate or intellectual pursuits.
THANK YOU to Pat for the newsy email to Ed. I am impressed with his Executive Administrator style and concise writing.

FEBRUARY 19, 2008

OCEAN: It is so smooth in this area that when I awoke in the night it was almost like being in port. This afternoon, it is still that way. It’s very humid and overcast. Given the time of year and the typhoons or monsoons, we may see a lot of days like this. Nonetheless, one can’t afford to ignore sunblock and bug spray.
GUADALCANAL & RABAUL: Prof. Giles reviewed the history of the war and battles in this area and then showed us photos, often a before (during WWII) and now comparison, of the places and war materiel in the area. This would be a great place to scuba dive as there are numerous ships and planes on the ocean floor in this area, both American and Japanese. He obviously is very fond of the natives at Rabaul if one goes by the photos he shows. They all speak English and many live in places created during the war. Both sides of the conflict lived in caves to avoid bombing. A full hospital was underground in many places.
He told a story of being in this area on another Princess ship and narrating from the bridge. The Captain made some comment about the volcano(s) here and lo and behold, it blew up while the ship was there. Maybe we’ll have a little excitement while we’re there. We could add a volcanic eruption to our list of exciting events we’ve seen.
We have a good size group of WWII veterans on board and when the speaker says anything sympathetic to the Japanese who were abandoned by their government, one fellow behind us would say “tough” and other similar remarks. I had mixed feelings about this: I understand where that’s coming from, but it’s time to move on.
There are two tours tomorrow, neither of which interest us so we’ll just get off and wander around on our own.
EMAIL: I am pleased to see that Dr. Lou Rubino is doing a powerpoint presentation about Ellen’s contributions to the China exchanges at the China Banquet. I’ve asked if he will post it somewhere so that others can view it as well.
LIBRARY: It’s so quiet and peaceful here. Folks here and there reading the 1 page newspapers we have here: Australian, UK, USA. Others putting jig saw puzzles together wordlessly. In another area, WiFi is being used with folks’ laptops, and still others are doing the crossword puzzle for today. Amber, a cruise staff member from India, is present for several hours to help folks,
There is a paperback exchange for folks to choose some books; not all of them are paperback; there are a nice selection of hardcover books too. As is usually the case, there are more books each day as more contributions are made.
SUNBATHERS: We have a solid core of folks who fry everyday around the pool. Their skins look like old leather and they really look weird with white or blond hair.
TRIVIA: They’ve moved this event to 15 min. earlier which is a good idea since it now ends just before lunch. Val and Eric were there along with the couple from yesterday. I now have an ethical conflict because the wife in the latter couple writes the questions on a yellow pad she carries, but in the back she has some cheat sheets. For example, there are often questions about phobias and I think I see a list of these with their definitions. They are in teeny tiny font size.
This is pathetic in my opinion beside the ethical concern I have. I don’t want to play with her. It doesn’t really help in the long run; kind’ve like students who want an open book test: by the time they find the answer in their book, they could have successfully answered a number of questions. So maybe I’ll ambush the local padre to see what if anything I should do about this.
RABBIT FOOD: I went to the buffet and got some fruit and rabbit food for lunch. There I talked with a couple who had been on the Prinsendam 2 yrs ago (we were on it last year) and the same captain is really a special person and absolutely perfect for his job.
While I was getting these nibbles, I saw Marty Allen in line; he and his wife are doing the show tonite. We saw him on the Prinsendam last year and he’s still as funny at 85 as he ever was. His wife is 20 yrs younger and talented as well (piano and singing). I’m looking forward to it.
I also ran into my now favorite Republican and his wife. They were finishing up lunch and were going to start playing Triominos. Too bad Ed doesn’t like table games. I love them.
CHICAGO: This is the movie for today so I came back to the room where Ed was laying down watching CNN. He was agreeable to watch this again. One of the best movies we never tire of seeing.
READING: I’m back to Iberia by Michener and enjoying it as much as one can enjoy a text. I’m learning so much about Spain and it will be interesting to see what is still true when we are in Barcelona and the Gibraltar area.
DINNER: Hank has a cold and they had had lunch so they didn’t come to dinner. The seating places changed and this configuration, with couples at each end of the oval, made it much more difficult to have a conversation that included the couples at both ends simultaneously. I felt conflicted in trying to include all in a conversation but without much success. The men at both ends have hearing problems (well many of the rest of us have decrements in this area too) and that complicated it even further. One tolerates this more than the other it seems.
ENTERTAINMENT: This was Marty Allen and his wife. We saw them last year on the Prinsendam. The skit was the same but with some more up to date aspects added. Still, while I recognized it, I didn’t remember all that much of it. It was a good show and folks seem delighted with it.
Tonite was Country hoedown night but JJ said only 6 people were showing up for the 10 to midnight dancing. They do rearrange the times of the show on the nights before we have a port stop and that helps everyone.

FEBRUARY 18, 2008

ESPECIALLY FOR PAT: Let us hear from you. Are you still alive? And Teddy? And Sylvia?
LAUNDRY ROOM: Pure and simple: I hate it. I drug a bag of dirty laundry down and Ed said he was going to bring the other bag and then go exercise. One of the washers is out of order (and I was later told by a woman that it had been that way last week too). There were two ladies doing their laundry so I waited for a washer. Still Ed hadn’t arrived so I called and asked him to bring the other bag down please. Turns out he hadn’t headed for exercise either, nor breakfast. And here I thought I was doing a good deed.
So gradually, 4 washers opened up as the ladies moved things to their dryers and did their ironing. No one else was around to use the washers, so I managed to get all the loads into a washer. In walks another person (I’ll spare you the gender info) and found out I had all the washers available (3) start making not so subtle remarks as if he should be able to waltz in and immediately get a washing machine. As soon as a washer was finished, I gave it to him. Then he started in about the dryer situation. Well you can imagine how this set with me. (Ok so I just realized I gave away the gender). Additionally, another gentleman (he at least was nice) had put his clothes in the dryer and when it stopped he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Since they weren’t dry yet, I put another 4 quarters (no slugs, no Grand Cayman coins in the money from the purser’s desk this time thankfully) and turned it on again.
A lady we see often came in to see that by this time there was a washer available, so she asked me to hold the washer while she ran to get her clothing. Job done and she’s now reading her novel. Sometime during all this, the dryer gentleman comes in and I told him what I had done so he wouldn’t wait until a full 40 min had gone by if they were already dry. He looked a little puzzled, thanked me, and offered me a $1 bill. He did explain that he didn’t have quarters; bless him. I told him to put it in the collection plate sometime. This sounds harsh in the reading but it wasn’t in person.
Then the remaining two folks in the laundry begin to ask me if my clothes are dry. I checked one dryer which held Ed’s underwear and some of the seams were still damp, so I continued with that load. Eventually, I took one load out and a lady came over and felt it and told me it was dry enough. I bit my tongue.
I managed to get everything folded except for the last dryer full and still no Ed. So I called and asked him to come down and get some of the clothes since I can’t manage all of them alone. He was just getting into the shower (it’s now between 10:30 and 11 am).
So basically, I’m dripping sweat—truly, irritated with these folks who presume to know how everyone else should behave when many of us have been waiting for a long time before the latecomers even arrive.
Eventually, it occurs that there are two washers empty and one dryer empty. I looked at the lady who remained (the man I tried to believe didn’t exist) and said: “Isn’t there someone we can call and tell them to bring their laundry down quick because there’s a washer available?”
The folks who were off the ship to see Ayers Rock came back last night and were crowding the laundry room until closing. And one washer out of operation.
So when I’m in a better mood, I’m going to write a sandwich letter to the suggestion box (compliment, complaint, complement) about fixing the washer.
TRIVIA: After all of this, I climbed up to the Lounge for trivia. Val and Eric were already there and another couple we had not met before joined us. It’s fun to see how we all work together and we’ve all decided our team would have a better chance if we kidnapped one of the home schooled kids on board for our team.
We started discussing how badly some people behave around these competitions. Murray told the story of one cruise where some passengers came to a fisticuff over the answers to a trivia question. The Captain had to break it up. Eventually, the staff refused to do the trivia games. Isn’t that amazing? We’ve seen some odd behavior on ships before as well but never that bad. And these are ADULTS???? We just have fun with it all. It’s nice if you win, but the best part is racking everyone’s brains for the answers. We believe it’s keeping all of us out of Alzheimer’s wards.
LUNCH: Ed went to lunch and I had a fruit. Then I went to the library for the crossword puzzle and the USA times. I’m trying to finish the last Vanity Fair issue so I can start putting them in the library for others. I made a good dent in it before going to:
JAPAN’S DEVELOPMENT IN MICRONESIA: These lectures are being done by a professor from somewhere who has had a lifetime interest in this area. His presentation style is somewhat choppy but I wasn’t planning on taking a test on the content anyway. I have little interest in battles or wars; however, I do have an interest in the odd fact now and then that come out in these presentations. I do needlepoint while listening. (And by the way: this needlepoint kit, which you pay $7 for, has “Princess Cruises” on the pattern. I’ve made my own writing and it says: “Dr. BonBon”. Why should I pay them to advertise their company?)
The two main things from today’s presentation was about the buildings the Japanese constructed in Micronesia vs. the one’s the American’s made. The Japanese buildings are still standing even after being blown to smithereens, and many are being used as home. The American ones were temporary and clearly long gone. What does remain of anything Ameican (or Auzzie or others) are the hulls of ships and such and to be honest, Japanese ships as well.
The Japanese had relocated many of their citizens to these Micronesia islands and thousands died of starvation and other atrocities because they were essentially abandoned by the motherland. He has pictures from archives of the facts he’s sharing and they make things come alive.
RABAUL: East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea, is our next stop and the Patter has a little squib about it. I never heard of the place prior to taking this cruise (or of Chuuk—another port soon). It says that the eruption of Rabaul was probably the most important eruption of 1994. It’s all news to me.
PORT TALK: was on our next stop Rabaul and was at 10 am this morning when I was in the laundry. (no I’m not going there again….at least not for a while). The Brisbane couple were really annoyed with his inaccuracies again. Because of conversation at supper I’ve come to the conclusion that the American(s) believe the battle of Rabaul to be significant; other nationalities don’t.
As a follow up to this: I hear many people complain about the speaker for the port talk. I agree with much of it as I’ve described before. In the afternoon, I was in the area of his desk reading. Several people came up and congratulated him on several qualities in his talk. So I can see why nothing changes.
DINNER: Well, for the first time in a long while, we were a full table this evening. We discovered (because we are almost always one of the last tables to empty out) that when most of the people leave the dining room, we can hear everyone at our table. Folks at each end of the table (it is oval) have problems hearing at various times.
I’m working on my weight and so I ordered a fruit plate. Rod brought me a scoop of my favorite ice cream also. Hummm I’m gonna have to find a way to deal with this.
ENTERTAINMENT: It’s someone doing Nat King Cole songs and such, so I’m passing. I knew Ed would want to go.
TOMORROW’S SCHEDULE: There’s a big whoop tee do art auction tomorrow afternoon so there’s not much being offered. They’ll wait a long time to get us to buy a piece of art anywhere but especially here.
And I see the drink for tomorrow is a 24K Golden Rita. I defy you to identify the alcohol in any of these drinks though. Still I like slushies. At the Rainforest yesterday they had a delicious mango slushie. It cost $3 AUD and was about 6 oz. Oh well, it goes to help take care of the animals there….
BOAT BUILDING CONTEST: Remember how funny this was on the Diamond Princess in December? Well there’s one on this ship now. I’ll keep you posted.

FEBRUARY 17, 2008
CAIRNS

6 am! Oh Lordy. I did not want to get up! I let my Treo ring over 3 times and each time I’d stop it. We were entering the harbor of Cairns, so I turned on CNN and we got to watch the part about the Presidents’ health while the ship glided into the harbor. Room service arrived around 7 am and I finally got moving.
As we left the ship, we saw an adorable little beagle. His job of course was to sniff out the agricultural products folks weren’t supposed to be taking ashore. Since I once got busted in Chile because I wasn’t thinking and brought along an apple in case Ed’s blood sugar got low, I seldom attribute conscious behavior to folks having contraband in their carry ons. Well this little beagle just kept sniffing this one guy’s bag and he wouldn’t stop until the handler had checked it. We later saw another beagle and I supposed that this one was for narcotics as I’ve been told they “specialize.”
We were routed onto a bus on the pier. This bus had bucket seats! First time we’d seen that on a “motor coach”. Well it was short lived. Pretty soon, the guide called our name and said we were on the other bus. Rejected! We never did figure out why we were bumped as there were ample seats available on both busses and we went the same place.
Anyway, we got to see parts of Cairns on our way up to the rainforest which took about 45 min. Cairns has about 150, 000 population and is the jumping off place for The Great Barrier Reef. This is a righteous rainforest with all the heat, humidity and critters you expect to find in one plus a few new to us.
We got off the bus, walked through a souvenir area and were taken to ride on Army DUKW pronounced “ducks”. These amphibious craft were made in 1942 and expected to last only 3 mos. They’re still going strong though now they use LPG in it’s 6 cylinder, 10 forward and 2 reverse gear engine. Maximum speed is 85 kph on land, 16 kph in water. Driver can inflate and deflate tyres while moving. Propeller, rudder, bilge pumps and winch on board.
Our driver and tour guide for this was Shan (pronounced Shawn), and he was a real kidder. It’s hard to know what was real among his tales. He hopped on the hood with regularity and used a stick to point out things of interest in the forest.
We saw all kinds of animals here: small turkeys indigenous to this area—they don’t look anything like ours and are full of parasites so no one here eats them. Gorgeous butterflies, dragons, crocks, turtles, koalas (they charge $15 to have your picture taken with a koala cuddling you—we passed), and kangaroos of all sizes. We both had photos feeding them and I’ll try to select at least one to post for you. They are so delicate when they take the food out of your hand.
We also had a demonstration of dances by some aboriginal men. You could tell the animals they were imitating by their movements. Then folks got a lesson on throwing the boomerang. Later we were shown how they throw their spears, and a lesson on the digireedoo (sp). The sound is amazing that comes out of that stick. You can buy the latter all over Australia and they mail it back home for you.
There were dingos somewhere but we never saw them. Cassowaries were free roaming here: nasty disposition though. And as you may imagine, the flora was outstanding and so colorful.
The weather was overcast most of the time with sprinkles now and then but not enough to spoil our fun.
When we returned to the pier, we immediately headed into downtown CAIRNS. Since it is Sunday, not all of the stores were open. We did manage to see several internet and phone stores. However, we didn’t have the laptop with us and everyone was asleep where we call. We had a quick lunch at an outdoor café. We could have gone to the Odyssey in Chatsworth for the cost but you’ve got to consider the location. We walked around downtown and viewed lots of work by aboriginal artists. We did find postcard stamps and mailed a few postcards.
Many of us had asked the tour guide for a supermarket and she kept talking about Woolsworth. While we were in town we dropped in to Woolsworth. It is a supermarket here! So we got 30 diet Coke and 30 zero Coke. We must get some kind of wheeled device for times such as this; it’s much too heavy for Ed to lug around. We can divide the other stuff between our backpacks but it’s impossible with heavy liquids like this. Of course, we could have bought only a few instead of the 60 we got. So we figure we’re set for Cokes until probably Singapore.
THANK GOD FOR SHOWERS: We were both grateful for the shower on board as we were hot and sweater. It is humid here and while the temperature per se isn’t that great at the present, the humidity is high and the sun is blazing. I thought of Adrian as a baby today. When he cried, the tears would pool under his eyes. That’s where my sweat would pool and eventually drip down my face.
DINNER: Hank and Erna didn’t come but we figured they wouldn’t as we had seen them on shore and they had their one meal of the day already. We were joined by Lea and Bill, a couple we met at lunch some time ago who were looking for a compatible first seating table. It was a nice conversation about what they had done as they stayed in Sydney, flew to Cairns yesterday, and just rejoined the ship this afternoon. In the meantime, we regaled them with the stories of the reef pilot and the entertainers they missed while off the ship.
I’m feeling like a pig these days and resolve to watch my intake a little closer. It’s harder when you’re on shore; of course, being on the ship presents it’s own temptations. Dave and Twyla talk about the pastries that cause the tables to groan at the Buffet over lunch. That has never been my downfall==at least not so far.
ENTERTAINMENT: Tonite was the excellent pianist who Ed absolutely adores. She doesn’t disappoint. She practices in the Casino Lounge on occasion and you’ll find Ed (and others) there listening to her.
We have two pictures of her feeding the kangaroos today. Ed said that one of the kangaroos started to nibble on her fingers and he was thinking: Oh No! Not those fingers! She was telling us that she had the photo with the koala and that it kept scratching her trying to climb around her. She was afraid she’d drop him.

FEBRUARY 16, 2008 CONT…

Ed and I went to breakfast when he returned from exercising. I delude myself into thinking that the fruits I load up on equate with low calorie.
I went to the library and read the news, picked up the crossword puzzle for the day, and whispered hello to folks in there. I checked out the atlas to see exactly where we were. The Aussie reef pilot was making periodic announcements about our locations and what we were seeing. In some ways, it reminds me of Alaskan cruises where you have land and forests on both sides of the ship.
MYSTERIES OF SCRIPTURE: This man’s soporific voice volume isn’t what I wanted or expected. He reads some piece of scripture and then gives his explanation for what it means. I don’t know what version he’s using but even as Bible-illiterate as I am, I knew there were some differences in wording and certainly interpretation from what I know of the passages.
Folks in the audience sometimes offered remarks. It was interesting that not all those present were Christian; other faiths were represented.
We didn’t stay long as we wanted to hear the reef pilot’s remarks.
TRIVIA: My majarani was there and so I joined her. Then Eric and Val came in (the Aussies from Brisbane who came on in Sydney) and when Ed arrived we were now, by consensus, no longer the “two fools”, but now “five fools”. We all participated and rolled around the various answers. Eric was feeling he couldn’t make much contribution; he redeemed himself later when he correctly guessed the age of the cruise staff doing the trivia this morning! This was a tie breaker but unfortunately “five fools” didn’t qualify for the tie breaker. We had such great fun though. These folks are all a joy to do things with.
LUNCH: We joined a table with 6 other folks, four of whom we had visited with before. The conversation was fun but the food was disappointing: chicken dry, vegetable mousse (?) was non-descript, and so forth. We have so many new staff after Sydney and it shows as they haven’t gotten into the groove yet. You often have to ask several times for your drinks and getting refills if it’s not coffee, may never com about.
Breakfast and lunch are open seating so we don’t join our usual wait staff. Rod is still with us for dinner with a new assistant, Roy. They have their act together and are delightful.
AUSTRALIAN FOLKLORE: Our reef pilot continues to amaze us. He used a famous Australian poem as the structure for discussing Aussie folklore. There is a drawing on the Australian $10 bill that he explained via this drawing. Apparently there were two movies made about this poem by A. B. Patson (I think—I didn’t take notes; could be Patterson) titled something about the Snowy Road.
He donned an outback hat and vest and proceeded to recite this very long poem entirely by heart with emphases in all the right places. After this, he went through the words to explain those that may not make sense to non-Aussies. This all was used as a method of explaining Australian culture (not the aboriginal: we’ll get that later). I can’t tell you everything that we did but at the end someone asked him to sing “Waltzing Matilda”. He said he would if someone else came up to sing it with him. Eric popped up, was handed a mike, and we all joined in. It turns out that Eric is in a barbershop quartet in Brisbane and he knew all the words!
I can’t convey to you how much we have enjoyed this reef pilot. What a charmer he is, and so unpredictable with so many unexpected things he does. As we were leaving, the couple who sailed for 6 yrs in a 50 ft boat, said: “Now you can see why we loved our 6 mos in Australia. These people are such fun!” We lose the reef pilot in Cairns tomorrow.
WATERCOLORS: Hank and Erna were asked to demonstrate and discuss watercoloring. They have established a presence on the 4th deck where they paint almost every day. Hank has been doing this for 77 yrs; Erna only a few. They paint very different subjects: Erna has only done tropical flowers, bright colors, simple, elegant. Hank does what I’ve called his “Goya” pallet: darker hues of green and brown, and blue. He is a prolific painter averaging one a day. About 10 people showed up to watch them work and to ask questions. I think they’ll have a following now and will need a larger space to accommodate others who want to learn to paint this way. One lady already does this when she’s home.
PHOTO CONTEST: I discussed with Ed submitting two pictures of animals from our Galapagos experience. I double checked and unlike we were told originally, each passenger can submit one photo for each period of the contest. The topics for this section are Animals, Landscapes, Seascapes. It’s hard to choose! We finally settled on a baby and mother sea lion for Ed’s entry, and the sally light-foot crab that I posted on the blog earlier.
This section ends March 15th and it may be a little premature to submit these but I wanted to pre-empt anyone who went to the Galapagos from submitting a photo similar to the ones we are putting in. The video from the Galapagos has some footage of the colorful Sally light-foot crab so that might be a problem even though these are photos. I suspect there’ll be a great selection of photos for this section; many of these passengers have some Big Time camera equipment so it’s uncertain what chances the little guy or gal will have. The winning photos are based on votes submitted by the passengers. No names or cabin numbers are revealed; each photo has a number and that’s all.
The woman who won this time got a terrific camera from Olympus. Her winning photo was a close up of an aged woman with a turban like wrap around her head. She was also edentulous and was not smiling. She will not be allowed to submit another entry in the contests; at the end, all the winning photos will be judged by a representative from Olympus and the final winner will get a very expensive Olympus camera.
The second place photo this time was a little boy about 2 yrs old chasing pigeons in a plaza in Lima. There were many very colorful pictures; I was glad I didn’t have to be a judge.
WEATHER: Has been all around the block today. We’ve had frank rain, overcast, sunshine…you name it. And it’s 80 degrees and very humid.
PARTY POOPER: I asked Ed if he wanted to go to trivia at 4:30 p. He said no. so how did he spend this time? Asleep with CNN on the television. I ask you: what’s wrong with this picture? Of course, I could have gone on by myself but I fixed the pictures to submit and typed this blog.
DINNER: Dave And Twyla, Ed and I again. It’s his birthday and we didn’t even know! The wait staff had a small cake which we all shared with vanilla ice cream. The staunch Republican I’ve often mentioned also celebrated a 58th b’day.
ART AUCTION: There was a display of art in the atrium with wine and snacks. The Captain was there. Speaking of which, there’s a lot of gossip around him and the Art lady, Nicole. I figure it’s their business whatever it is but some of the ladies (haven’t heard any men who were concerned) are upset by what they think is going on---no real facts you understand.
TONITE’S ENTERTAINMENT: It started off with a skit titled “G’day Mate!” where the dancers and singers were dressed up as things Australian such as Capt. Cook, a kangaroo, and such. This was followed by an Auzzie who plays a mean banjo. He was fun as well as being very talented. Val and Eric had seen him before and told us we were in for a treat. Some of the numbers were new to us Americans but we enjoyed them all the more.
This was followed by the male singer in the show’s staff who came out in an old Auzzie uniform and sang a long song about the Gallipoli battle. It was so beautifully done: clear diction, notes held perfectly, just the right demeanor. It was all new to me as any of this Gallipoli info is, but it brought tears to my eyes: it was so moving.
PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT: This was being shown from 10 pm on. Much as I like it, I couldn’t do it because of the need to get up early tomorrow. Boo Hoo.