Day 140

Heading to the finish line while we cruise through the Strait of Gibraltar. This was a trip of a lifetime and will need a few months to process it all. We met great people who I hope will see again. We learned to relax, to have fun, to enjoy quiet time and laugh loudly. Would we do it again…yes…give us about 10 years and we’d embark on another world journey.

Casablanca, Morocco

Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world….. we found Ricks and took a picture 😂

Casablanca is the largest city in Morocco with 4 million people! We took a foodie tour with 2 other couples and had a great time learning about the city while experiencing a little more of the life of a local.

We visited the Hassan II Mosque, just the outside as we decided we didn’t need to see inside. This opulent mosque overlooks the ocean. The workmanship is stunning but all the tiles, wood and hand carved stone doesn’t change the fact that the only TRUE GOD isn’t being worshipped there.

As part of our tour, we went to a local bakery and met a gentleman whose job is to bake goods for people who bring their dough from home. Yes, not everyone has an oven so the travel to this ‘oven room’ and pay to have their bread/cookies/pastries baked. We had local mint tea (yummy!) and visited stalls of fresh olives, raisins, fresh fish and meat. The colors and smells were amazing and tasting such freshness made our food in US fail to compare. We purchased fresh fish and took to a local restaurant where they cooked for us – this is another normal thing. What wasn’t normal – the Horse and Camel meat for sale!!! YIKES!

Until we can Play it again, Sam, we’ll always have Paris

(I just couldn’t resist quoting some of the most famous lines from the movie)

Las Palmas and Lanzarote, Canary Island, Spain

Such a treat to visit these two islands in the Canaries. The Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago off the coast of northwestern Africa. There are 7 main islands but many smaller islands and islets. The two islands we visited are major tourist destinations due to their beaches, warm climate and natural attractions. There are beautiful hotels and a very laid-back vibe – even a nude beach!

We had a special World Cruise event that night at Cueva de los Verdes. It is a lava tube within the Monumento Natural del Malpais de La Corona. The cave/tube was created 3,000 years ago by lava flow. We were entertained by a chamber music performance.

Fun fact: The name of the islands is derived from the Latin name Canariae Insulae, meaning “Island of the Dogs”. The canary bird was named after the island.

West Africa

We have now travelled to West Africa. There are 17 countries in West Africa and we will be visiting 6 of them. This part of Africa has played an important part in trade – Ivory, Gold, Cocoa and later slaves. Many of these small countries earned their independence from France or Britain as late as 1970’s! While in this area, we are on pirate alert – yes – pirates have been known to accost ships and we’ve been instructed on what to do in the event we should be attacked (!)

Santiago, Cape Verde and Mindelo, Cape Verde:

Also known as Cabo Verde it consists of 10 volcanic islands. We visited 2 of the most populated islands. There are a couple of islands that are known as vacation islands and a couple that are uninhabited. These islands were discovered in the 15th century by the Portuguese and finally received independence in 1975. Because of the location, it has played a large role in the shipping trade including the African Slave trade. It continues to be an important stopover point in the shipping routes and tourism helps the economy. It is a very dry climate with sand dunes and beaches but farming and fishing help locals make ends meet. Unfortunately, China has been buying land and even building a Casino. The Cape Verde people are untrusting of the Chinese, as everyone is. We’ve visited so many poor countries and we see the money that China is investing in them 😡We should all take note of this!

Dakar, Senegal:

Dakar is the Capital of Senegal, another area that was colonized by the Portuguese in the early 15th century. The city is very large and you can feel that it is growing and money is being brought in. Some historians have said that the island of Goree was used as a base for slave exploration. Today it is an UNESCO World Heritage Site with The House of Slaves and its Door of No Return located here. Recent historians doubt that it played as big of a part as previously thought but it still stands as a remembrance.

The island now houses hotels and restaurants although to be honest, it’s not a place I need to revisit. We went to the local market and the fish market.

Banjul, The Gambia:

This was quite a day. So many laughs but also heavy feelings after visiting Kunta Kinteh Island.

Let me start with the laughs. Our group of 7 were picked up from the ship and taken to the Gambia River to cross in order to get to the small town of Barra. Sounds easy enough – but – they had to carry us from the shore to the boat! Yes – CARRY US! I can not make this up. The women were easy, they just carried us like you would if you carried someone across the threshold. The men, however, were carried on the shoulders of the Gambian men!!! HAHAHA even Charlie! The looks on the faces of the men were priceless and really gave us giggles all day. I have a video to show so be sure to ask.

After a long drive, we arrived in a very rural place where goats, donkey’s and cows roamed freely, including in the street. We toured a slavery museum and learned the history of the slave trade in this area.

Then we boarded another boat and headed to Kunta Kinteh Island. This island was called James Island until 2011 when it was renamed. Many of you will remember the book by Alex Haley and mini-series Roots. Roots was based on Alex Haley’s genealogy about his family and claimed to have traced it back to a man called Kunta Kinteh who had been captured from this area, taken to this island and then sold into slavery winding up in America. (I only say ‘claimed’ because Alex Haley later admitted that some parts were fictionalized and other taken from a book titled The African by Harold Courlander) Nevertheless, the fact remains that this area and island was a major port in the Slave Trade. Between 1650 and 1860, approximately 10 to 15 million enslaved people were transported from western Africa to the Americas. Most were shipped to the West Indies, Central America and South America. The people were captured and taken to the island to wait for 2-3 weeks until a ship arrived and they were sold. During the time on this island, they were underfed and mistreated. Many tried to swim the 2 miles back to their homes but were attacked by crocodiles or drown in the strong current. The last look of the life they knew was through the trees in the picture below. It is known as the Point of No Return.

After driving back to the port in Barra, we were shuffled onto a ferry. Shuffled is really another way of saying dragged through crowds! Once on board the Ferry, 2 buses were loaded and then the gates opened for all other passengers to board. This was amazing chaos. It felt like a scene out of movie. We watched all the people in their colorful garb and they watched us as the only white people. In fact, when children saw us, they yelled ‘Two Bob’ aka ‘Toubab’ This is a term in Gambia as well as other West Africa countries to describe a white person or someone with lighter skin. It’s not derogatory, just a description. Our guide told us it was derived from the British when the children would ask for Two Bobs (two shillings). Again, we took chocolate and gave to the kids and made them smile.

Benin, Ghana and Togo:

Fun Fact – Charlie’s Ancestry has up to 1% DNA from the Benin/Togo region. Needless to say, we got a kick out of spouting this! 🤣 and even bought the outfit.

We visited a market in Ghana (and bought another suitcase!), drove by beaches as well as Independence Square but what stands out most is an area called James Town. Portuguese, Swedes and Dutch have controlled this area but in the 17th century, the British took over and built James Fort and the neighborhood grew around it. Homes were built close to one another and narrow alley’s connected them. Women wash their clothes on the street, hang them where ever they can to dry and there isn’t a proper bathroom so a drain runs throughout the neighborhood. We witnessed many people peeing in the drain. There were times that the stench was almost unbearable. Gold and Slave trade was mostly done from this port and we visited an underground area that slaves lived before they were shipped to other places. The sadness too, was almost unbearable.

Christianity is the major religion here and is very prominent on walls, buildings and signs. One of the couples we were with brought a bag of chocolate candies from the ship and gave them to the children who were happy and curious.

Togo is similar to Benin and Ghana. Togo received independence from France in 1960 and they, too have an independence square. We visited the Palace of the Governors which was built by German and Togolese architects between 1898 and 1905 and sits in a beautiful park that looks out at the ocean. It houses a museum and that hosts art and artifacts of Togo history. We ventured to another market. These markets sell everything from used clothes to brooms to food and cheap cosmetics. And if you still need more to buy, you can usually find something from someone selling in traffic like the picture here of windshield wipers and steering wheel covers. We also took some chocolate to give to children and visited a school. The kids loved Charlie and didn’t want him to leave. Its hard not to place our values and our measure of what makes us happy on the people here because they really don’t know any difference. The children are like all children – happy – smiling – laughing – curious.

Walvis Bay, Namibia

Walvis Bay is an interesting place with a large bay and sand dunes. In fact, Dune 7 is the largest dune in the world. (who knew these random things?) We spent the day with 2 other couples, one from Switzerland and the other from Australia. We visited the Pink Lake. The waters are pink due to the high amount of salt deposits and other minerals. There are a few of these lakes and are used to mine the salt, refine it and package to sell. It really is just salt rocks and taste like it. This area has a large number of Flamingo and Pelican breeding areas. The landscape of this part of Africa is different then what we’ve previously seen and felt very much like a desert. We were lucky to find a pizza place that served beer and gin. After so many days on the ship, we are tired of the food on board and are always happy when we find something that feels a little less ‘fancy’.

We were treated to a beautiful dinner in the dunes where we were entertained by fire dancers and a group of Balaphone players. A balaphone is a West African musical instrument similar to a xylophone. After dinner a group of men sang songs from their country. It was cloudy that night so we weren’t able to see the stars but they are supposed to be spectacular.

Luderitz, Namibia

As we head up the coast of West Africa, we will start visiting small countries. We could really feel the difference when we stopped here. Very beige color scenery and a poor economy. It was founded by the Germans and most buildings and streets still reflect a German influence. The town has a population of only about 12,500 people but we happened to arrive during the annual Crayfish Festival. People were in a celebratory mood and it was nice to see the buzz around it while people set up their stations to sell their food and other items including pre-owned clothes and toys.

Cape Town, South Africa

Because we had to travel from Botswana, we missed the first day in Cape Town, but the second day gave us enough of a taste to plan to come back. The weather was partly cloudy but still worthy of enjoying. Along with another couple, we hired a private tour guide and headed out without a real plan. Turned out to be a good decision. Our guide, Remy, drove us around the different areas of town while giving us a lesson on the history of South Africa. The good, the bad and the very very ugly. The juxtaposition of wealth and poverty is on display here, just like many other countries. The interesting part of the wealthy areas are that the homes/condos are owned by people like Oprah, Leonardo DiCaprio, Saudi Princes’, Nigerian criminals and corrupt politicians. Notice that this list does not include any ‘regular type’ South African peoples? Corruption throughout this and many African countries is so prevalent and not secretive. The US has corruption but not at this level – YET While some still feel suppressed, they are not ashamed of their history. They are proud of it and proud of how they’ve overcome and do not want history to forget which is why they continue to keep reminders of the WHITE ONLY and NON-WHITE ONLY benches. (pictures below are hard to read, but that’s what written on the benches below). Slaves came from Malaysia, Indonesia (known as Malay’s) Madagascar and India. We also learned the difference in the classification of people. There are Whites, Colored, Asians/Indian and Blacks. Whites where the original settlers among the Blacks. Coloreds are considered Indian, Asian or any mixed race.

We visited the Bo-Kaap area which again, was a part of the city settled for the slaves. At that time, the slaves were required to wear a uniform that was a beige color. After working for 25 years as a slave, they were allowed to buy the homes they lived in and it was after that that they no longer wanted to live in a dull beige world and painted the homes with bright colors. What a story! Some of the originals homes have been declared National Heritage sites or museums but the others are sought out for their unique architecture, cobble-stone streets as well as the view of Table Mountain.

We visited the Company’s Park which is home to what is considered the Big 5 of Cape Town history. It was originally created by the Dutch settlers to grow fresh produce. The oldest pear tree (367 yrs old) grows here along with a herb garden, succulent garden, many plants and flowers. It is where the first slave lodge was located. Parliament Building is here along with the very first street. Lastly, in 2016 a wooden arch was built in honor of Archbishop Emeritus Demond Tutu. I added a new phenomenon by doing a handstand. (waiting for the official declaration and new catagoration of Big 6 😉😉) Remy said he’d never seen a handstand in all the tours – yay – I strive to be different! Speaking of different, we saw a white squirrel. 🤯

Table Mountain was socked in so we went to Groot Wineries for a tasting and lunch. We hope to return here someday and would love to stay a month or more. You need that much time in order to be able to spend time in all the museums and to experience All The Things.

Johannesburg, Botswana and Another Safari

Bad News – Good News ~

The Bad news: There were a few cases of Covid on the ship. When this happens, the guests go into quarantine. A couple were scheduled for this overland trip but unfortunately caught covid. That leads to the Good news: We went in their place! It was a whirlwind decision and found out about the opportunity at 5:30 the night before we left at 8:00am. You know us – we fly by the seat of our pants and rarely say ‘no’.

We flew from Durban, South Africa to Johannesburg where we spent the day touring. We stopped for lunch in Soweto (a township that took the name as an acronym of Southwest Township) The Soweto township was originally established by the South African white government for blacks. It later became famous for it’s role in abolishing Apartheid including protests and student uprisings but also it has the only street in the world to have housed two Nobel Peace Prize winners; Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. Vilakazi Street was home to Nelson and Winnie Mandela and their house is now a museum. The housing in this area is mostly shantytowns and other slum-like places but is also beaming with a lot of activity including street performers and food/bars.

During our tour, we unfortunately witnessed first hand how life is hard and dangerous. The night before we arrived, 2 children had been murdered and mutilated after being chased from a park – 1 child was able to get away. These children were 4-6 years old!! We also saw a young man dead in the street just after being hit by a car. It is a sight we will never forget or get over. Such a hard way of life and reminded about the blessing we have in the country we live.

We stayed overnight at 54 on Bath, a 5-star hotel in Rosebank area of Johannesburg. It was a lovely hotel with beautiful gardens but we weren’t able to spend enough time to completely enjoy.

We left Johannesburg and flew to Kasane, Botswana. Kasane is a town in the northeastern corner of Botswana near the borders of Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is also home to Chobe National Park and Chobe Game Lodge where we spent the next 3 nights. This Game Lodge is a small boutique place with a gorgeous pool, attentive service and all rooms face the river. The national park is 7,300 square miles where more than 45,000 elephants, lions, cape buffaloes, leopards, various birds and antelope live. What makes this safari different from the Serengeti is that the lodge sits on the Chobe River and the terrain is more of a bush setting. Some of our game drives were in open-sided 4×4’s and others were on a boat in the river where we watched sunsets and sunrises that leave you speechless and left a smile on your face while watching herds of elephants playing and cooling themselves in the river. Most mornings started at 5:00am with a wakeup call, some coffee or tea and then onto a safari. We would return around 9:00 for breakfast and then head out again around 11:00 only to return again around 1:30 for lunch. Around 4:00, we would leave again for the afternoon safari with dinner around 7:30. Busy days filled with beautiful settings, animals and fun with friends.

One day we took a bus to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Victoria Falls is created from the Zambezi River as it plummets over the edge dividing the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe and is considered one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World. After visiting, we completely agree. Sprays can be seen from miles away and it spills more than 17 billion cubic feet of water per min. 💦 During certain season, you can jump into the water at the top of the falls called Devil’s Pool but we weren’t in that season so we had to settle for a different kind of adrenaline high….a swing across the canyon over the Zambezi River!!!! Charlie wasn’t up for it, so I rode tandem with a young gal from Seabourn. We strapped in and after stepping of platform did about an 80 meter freefall until we swung in a huge arc over the river near a waterfall. WOW cannot explain how great it was. Needless to say, we were the only ones who did it from our group.

Charlie and I took a helicopter ride over the Falls to get an even closer view of this beauty.

We continue to be in awe of this complete experience. If you want to watch full video of swing, click the QR code.

Serengeti Plains Safari

Where do I start? How do I describe this place and our time here? It was everything imagined.

The Serengeti National Park is located in northern Tanzania and is about 5,700 sq. mi. It is home to the largest concentration of predators in the world along with some 500 bird species. The Maasi tribe also calls the Serengeti home and still lives in their traditional way. The Serengeti is known for the largest annual animal migration in the world when over 1.5 million blue wildebeest and 250,000 zebra and other smaller herds follow the rain. The migration route is around 500 miles.

We arrived at the Tanzania Port and took a bus through the city to the small airport. Fun fact, did you know that Freddie Mercury from Queen, was born here? He was born as Farrokh Bulsara and lived in Stone Town, Zanzibar until the age of 18 when his family moved to England after Zanzibar became part of the independent country. The house he grew up in is now a Museum.

Back to the trip. 22 of us from the ship boarded a plane to the Karibu Seronera Airstrip which is located in the national park. Can’t even call it an airport because it is literally a dirt airstrip! After the 90 min flight, we landed and then split into groups of 4-6 people and jumped into our 4×4’s. We immediately began our first safari on our way to the Four Seasons Lodge where we spent 4 days and 3 nights in luxury including a room that looked out at a watering hole where animals came to drink or cool off with a swim. If you look close enough at the pictures, you’ll see a Cape Buffalo in the water hole. We were treated to a ritual dance from the Maasi tribe and spent a couple of afternoons in the infinity pool that looks out at the watering hole and plains.

There are only 11 countries in the world that have the Big 5 animals (Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Elephant and Rhino) and all of them are in Africa. During these safari days, were able to see 4 of the Big 5 animals. These specific animals are called the Big 5 because they are not only among the most poached animals but also the most difficult and dangerous to hunt on foot. As of 1959, hunting is no longer allowed in the Serengeti and poachers are caught and punished. Even under these circumstances, there are only 18 rhinos left in the Serengeti – which is one of the reasons we did not see one – THIS TIME. We did see around 25 different animals and 13 birds. We were lucky enough to see lions, lionesses and cubs including learning and witnessing the Lions mating ritual (😯) . We also saw leopards every day which can be a rare occurrence since they tend to be solitary and nocturnal. One leopard had just killed an Impala and drug it up on the rocks to eat and then nap. There were many elephants, giraffes, cape buffalos, gazelles, ostrich, warthogs, baboons, hippos, zebras, crocodiles, hyenas, impalas, black faced monkey’s and birds. Everyday was a new adventure and within our group we laughed, ooh’d, awe’d and even stared quietly in amazement while pinching ourselves to be sure we weren’t dreaming. Memories of a lifetime.

Upon check out, our group boarded two small planes each holding around 12 people, and headed to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, where our ship was waiting for us along with a welcome back from the crew. Our room stewards surprised us with decorations and towel animals. It was the perfect length and adventure but we were also happy to be back ‘home’ for only about 40 days(!)

Praslin, Seychelles

This sleepy island is the 2nd largest but only around 6,500 people live on it. Stunning beaches and even a championship 18-hole golf course, diving and snorkeling make this is tourist destination especially for honeymooners. Both of the islands have giant tortoises and some guests on the beach were lucky enough to see a few hatch and run to the ocean. We saw their videos and continue to be in awe of what God has created not only in nature but with animals. This is a place where you can also see the Coco De Mer, which is a large exotic plant that grows HUGE coconuts.

Today, we decided to take a catamaran to a snorkeling site off of Coco Island. Clear water made it easy to spot the many fish, turtles and even a barracuda! The cruise on the boat alone was worth it……I don’t have all the words to describe just how special the view was. For most who know me, I can swim pretty well but don’t really enjoy getting in the water, pool or Ocean. The Indian Ocean was too beautiful not to just jump in. I can’t tell how many times we’ve had to pinch ourselves – how blessed we feel to see and do these things.

Victoria, Mahe Seychelles

After 7 days at sea, where I started play Mahjong to keep extra busy, we finally made it to the Seychelles. Seeing the beautiful land was worth the trip. Seychelles consists of 115 islands located in the western Indian Ocean. We docked in Victoria, which is the capital and has beaches, a Natural History Museum and a Botanical Garden that spreads over 15 acres. The people are friendly and speak Creole, French and English. We’re always amazed at the places we visit where the people speak multiple languages; feels like America lacks in this area.

We arrived the day after Easter which is a holiday so many places were closed. We, however, decided to play golf! (😊Shocking) Oh boy, this was a real goat track but at least our rented clubs were better than the last one! We played with another couple from California. He belongs to Riviera! The course was a walking 9-hole and the weather was muggy and hot – basically a work out. The course was laid out amongst a jungle which made for nice scenery, at least. We hired a taxi driver to take us there and pick us up. Her name was Queen Mary (kid you not) so I said I was Princess Teri (which family already is familiar with 😉) She’s around 50 years old and gave me her contact info so I could set her up with a single man from America Hit me up if you are interested!!! She’s in the bottom picture.

Padang, Sumatra, Indonesia

April 2, 2023

Today we are in Padang Indonesia. Truth be told that with the exception of Bali, we’ve not been impressed with Indonesia. Nothing about this place appealed to us so we decided to take a taxi to a restaurant to experience the most popular dish in Indonesia called Rendang. This part of the region is known for it’s culinary flavors. Rendang is a meat dish that is cooked at a low temperature for a long time in coconut milk and various Indonesian spices which are slightly spicy. Delicious! It was a little difficult to find a restaurant open today, as it is Ramadan and Muslims fast during the day. I took a picture of the menu because there was a section of ‘ladies beers’. 🙌 I had the strawberry beer – yummy.

After we ate, we visited the Market. Since it is Sunday, it was crowded with stalls that sold anything you could think of. I found the people fascinating. Joyful even. In the photos section, I posted some pictures of the people and you can see for yourself.

Probolinggo and Surabaya, Java Indonesia

March 29 and 30, 2023

We first visited Probolinggo. We weren’t originally scheduled to visit this area, but we had to change a few locations for various reasons, including political unrest and port damages. As a vacation site, it was disappointing but as a place to witness everyday life and struggles of a third-world county, this was the place. The weather was extremely muggy and the air quality was terrible. We were advised to wear masks because you could see and smell the smog. Life is hard here. I wish more people, especially from the US, could visit to witness these types of places. To realize how blessed we are to live in a country like we do with all of the luxuries that we have. Luxuries to them – clean water, air conditioning, food, jobs. This is reality for many people. Most of these cities are Muslim which was shocking because we would’ve thought them to be Hindu. Ramadan is being observed at this time so we could hear the calls to prayer. It brought back memories of our trip with our Pastor Mark Driscoll to Jerusalem during Ramadan and reminds us to pray for protection over such false teachings and gods.

Surabaya is the 2nd largest city in Indonesia. The name Surabaya means Shark and Crocodile – the belief here is that the Shark, king of the sea, and the Crocodile, king of the river, fought to claim their territory. Both animals perished in this fight. This city has many statues to honor this battle as well as the battle for the Indonesian National Revolution that took place in 1945 against the Dutch. After the freedom revolution, the people of the city surrounded the Hotel Merdeka nka Hotel Majapahit. They removed the Dutch flag flying from the roof that has horizontal stripes of red, white and blue. They cut the blue stripe off the flag and created the new Indonesian flag. As with many places we’ve visited, this is a country that is very proud of their history. It’s unfortunate that we don’t have the same pride in the US as we once did.

The traditional Indonesian dish is Rawon aka Black Soup. It originated from Surabaya. It uses black keluak (a nut) as it’s main seasoning which gives the strong nutty flavor and dark color to the soup. Our driver took us to ‘the best’ place in town. It was a hole-in-the-wall which makes things feel even more authentic. We weren’t sure of everything we were eating but it tasted 😋 delicious.

One more thing that tends to surprise us when visiting Asian countries, the amount of Scooters on the road and the organized chaos of traveling on the roads. The most shocking is not only the amount of people who can fit on a scooter but also the lack of helmets on the children. We saw newborn babies and scooters with 3 kids – sans helmets

Bali, Indonesia

March 27-28, 2023

Oh Bali! What a couple of days! Since the ship was scheduled to spend the night in port, we decided to get off the ship and spend a night at the Ritz, Carlton. IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT. We both needed a little ‘quiet’ time and the timing was perfect. We didn’t see much of Bali but that’s ok. The Ritz was perfect. We did a couples massage and stayed in a private Cliffside Villa. This place was huge and included a private pool (first picture) Food was terrific, just look at the fruit, and service was top notch. They have monkey’s everywhere and warn to keep rooms locked since they know how to open the doors and rummage for food . I thought I heard one in our room in the middle of the night and was a little freaked – false alarm of course.

Broome, Western Australia

March 24, 2023

We’ve met some great people and have taken a couple of private tours with a group of 8 of us. 1 couple from Austria, 1 from LA, 1 from FL and us!

Broome has an interesting past. In the 1880’s it became known for it’s pearling industry, which initially involved slavery of the Yawuru people, especially women and girls forced to dive, and later employed specific ethnic groups mostly from Japan. The pearling industry was perfected during this time including perfecting the art of cultivating pearls. It is still one of the largest pearling places and many consider it the best place for pearls because of the waters here.

Broome was bombed 4 times during World War II as part of the Japanese air raids on Australia and in many ways mirrored the plight of the US during this time.

The day we were in Broome, the tide was expected to reach the highest it had been in 2 years. 10 meters! So we ended up having to leave this port a little early. In fact, every month (around the 22nd) the tide rises. Our guide took us to a place where locals go during this time to float. In the 15 mins we were there, we went from no water on our feet to our ankles covered. Crazy stuff. In fact, it’s not unusual to see cars bogged down and eventually sunk. We saw a tourist bus sinking just that morning.

For us, it was the first time we’ve put our feet into the Indian Ocean.

Fremantle, Western Australia

March 20, 2023

aka Freo. Aussies like to shorten names and add either an ‘o’ or ‘ie’. It’s a fun game to play trying to make sense of it all. Freemantle is basically a suburb of Perth. We had intended to take the train into Perth but loved Fremantle so much, we never made it. In 2022 it was named as one of the World’s Greatest Places on Earth. Bathers beach, craft beer distilleries and one of the original prisons built for the arrival of the first of many convict ships starting in 1850. Cute boutiques and restaurants and bars. A store owner told us to grab a drink at a hole-in-the-wall bar and it didn’t disappoint. If you weren’t looking for it, you’d have missed it. It’s called Darling Darling and has a very dark nautical piratey feel including ropes and candles everywhere. Highly recommend!

Bunbury, Western Australia

March 19, 2023

Another Golf day! I don’t mean to sound so blasé about it. It was unexpectedly awesome. It wasn’t the course itself, it definitely wasn’t the rented clubs or the golf cart – it was the KANGAROOS! Kangaroos everywhere on the course. So Many! You’ll see in these couple of pictures that they aren’t afraid of us and really rule the course. I hit a shot into the bunker (surprise, surprise) and when I went to hit it, a younger kangaroo started hopping towards me. I took a couple of steps back from it because I wasn’t sure of to expect. It stopped, looked at me and then hopped through the bunker, all while other kangaroos watched. I have it on video, but can’t upload that on this platform. Charlie and I played that day with Leo, a Judge we met from San Diego, and we had smiles all day. What a treat!

Albany, Western Australia

March 17, 2023

~ Happy St. Patrick’s Day🍀 We arrived in this little town to a local jazz band and many smiling faces. We were the first cruise ship since “C” and no others were planned to visit the rest of the year. The mayor urged shops to open even though it was a Sunday and most are closed on that day. Without an agenda, we walked to town in search of an Irish Bar. The closest we found was a very British pub. Charlie had his Irish beer and I had a funky green cocktail. Not much adventure in this sleepy town but locals were super friendly. We talked to an 18-year old young lady and she asked so many questions about America. What kids her age wore, what slang did they use, etc…it was great. The evening entertainment on board was a group called The Shamrock Tenors. WOW they were terrific and being as it was St. Patrick’s Day made it even better. We were lucky enough to see them 3 or 4 more times and would recommend if you get the chance.

Kangaroo Island, Australia

March 14, 2023

Us along with 4 other couples hired a guy and a van to take us around this island. This was a much better tour and the price was about 1/3 of what the ship had to offer. Our first stop was Seal Bay where we were able to see many seals playing and being lazy. We then went to a couple of National Parks and Beaches to see beautiful rock formations and limestone cliffs. We went by a Eucalyptus Distillery to learn how the oils are pulled from the leaves and the medicinal values of the eucalyptus oil. We were taken to see Koalas and Kanagroos in the wild. We’ve seen these animals before in Sanctuaries but this was different. First we found Koalas hanging out in a trees just off the road. So cool but they don’t really do anything but look at you and chew their leaves. Kanagroos, now that made my heart happy! We saw many in the fields and bushes was driving but on our way back to our ship, the driver took us to a small neighborhood by the water. There were about 5 or 6 hanging out in a front yard. This was a random stop – NOT planned. At first we just watched them but shortly after we arrived, the man of the house came out to talk to us. He then went into his house and brought out almonds and carrots to feed them. TO FEED WILD ROOS! He fed the alpha male almonds first and then I fed them Can you believe it? At one point the roo was giving a warning to back off by making a grunting hiss noise but then when I approached with food, he settled down. We were just so dang happy afterwards and have still talked about it for the last few days.

Charlie took the first kangaroo picture of me feeding him, the 2 and 3 photos were ones I took when feeding him! What a Rush

Adelaide, Australia

March 13, 2023

She is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth most populous city in Australia. Now that you know that, you’ll have guessed that we loved this city. We happen to be there the weekend of the Fringe festival so the city was active with locals enjoying the weather as well as buskers performing for the crowds. We found a chocolate shop with a cafe in it and ordered an Iced Chocolate with a shot of espresso. This was heaven and felt that an adult version of the best Chocolate Milk in the World.

Melbourne, Australia

March 10-11, 2023

This city holds so many memories! We love this city! We decided to golf here, as well. We played Royal Melbourne West Course. This course is ranked #6 in the world and #1 in Australia. We now know why. It’s best played with a caddie and we had a husband and wife caddie for us. The bunkers are REAL HAZARDS, not filled with fluffy sand but with natural/hard sand and walls so high I couldn’t see out of them. Yes, I said them because I was in way too many. I even took a picture of a rake to commemorate my struggles. There is a CU student athlete on the Men’s Golf team who is a member here. We met him and Charlie played golf with him when we were in Ireland last year. Our caddies and the pro shop were super excited that we knew Jack and he is well liked and admired at this course. Our caddie snap chatted him right away and Jack sent back a picture of him playing Boulder CC at that time. Proves again that this really is a small world.

The next day on Melbourne was easy going and see the alleys and cafe’s brought back great memories. We ate lunch at our favorite Melbourne restaurant called Chin Chin. We took some friends from the ship and everyone agreed that the place is funky with great food and a MUST do. We’d be happy to return to Melbourne anytime.

Sydney, Australia

March 6-7, 2023

We’ve been to Sydney a couple of times before so this time we decided to do something different. We golfed at New South Wales Golf Club. What a course! It’s ranked #30 in the world and #5 in Australia. Funny enough, this is the golf course I had booked for us to play as a 50th Birthday Surprise for Charlie that ended up being cancelled when he broke his elbow and ulna the week before! We were paired with another couple from Florida and none of us had played here before. Whew….it was difficult but beautiful and interesting and HOT. It was 40 degrees C which is 100 degrees F – hottest day in 2 years. Those cocktails and beers afterwards tasted yummy. BTW, I’ve found the best Craft Gin. Hoping I can get it in the US, if not, I’ll have to figure out how to get some home. The next day, I was able to get my hair cut and colored (yay) and then we met ship friends at China Doll. They had been before and loved it and we did, too.

It’s been almost 2 weeks since my last post. It’s not that I didn’t want to post updates, its just that I haven’t had the time! That’s a good thing, by the way.

Brisbane, Australia

March 4, 2023

Home to the Zoo made famous by Steve Irwin and still operated by the Irwin family. No, we didn’t go there! Instead, we enjoyed a ‘real’ city. We shopped (Louis Vuitton) we had Mani-Pedi’s and devoured some Chinese food away from the ship. At one point during our Mani-Pedi’s, Charlie looked over at me at said the words every girl loves to hear from their Macho Man. “We’re having a girls day” I fell in love all over again. 😍

Moreton Island, Australia

March 3, 2023

This small island is only about 36 Miles from Brisbane which makes it a quick vacation destination for families and couples. There’s not a ton to do but they have the Tangalooma Island Resort, which is pretty vast and maybe the only sleeping accommodations on the island. Most tours are arranged through this resort and there isn’t any type of public transportation. Some cruisers took a glass bottom boat tour, others snorkeled or toured around the island on a boat. We choose to do something without any expectation – turns out it was THE BEST! We fed WILD dolphins. WILD dolphins….not from cages, not trained and not guaranteed to even show up for ‘dinner’. I’ll make it short but the whole story in on their website should you want to read more details. The Osbourn’s purchased this resort in the 1980’s. They quickly noticed that a few dolphin’s would show up every night while the were fishing. They finally coaxed 1 dolphin to take a fish from their hand. After that, more and more dolphins would show up and each would get the nerve to take a fish from their hand. In the 1990’s the resort received permission from the Marine Park Authority and set dolphin protocols. They eventually trained the dolphins to arrive earlier than the 11:00pm they had been by just moving the feeding time forward little by little.

On the night we fed them, there were 5 dolphins that showed up. How lucky we were! The night before only 3 came and sometimes no one shows. We ended up feeding Rani. He’s the biggest dolphin and kinda the leader so he keeps the others in line. We reached into a bucket of fish and grabbed one by the tail. We then walked into the water where a worker instructed us on how to present the fish. We did it…Rani was so awesome. So big. So gentle. So smart. The program is just wonderful and has assisted in dolphin discovery and also helped healed dolphins that have been bitten by a shark or even tangled up in fishing wire. In 2011, there were floods in that area. These floods caused much damage to the ocean and a few dolphins never returned to the resort. The saddest part of the story is that there are only male dolphins now that visit and unless a female or two join the pod soon, the program will faze out. Since the dolphins are WILD, there will be no human intervention.

Cairns, Townsville and Airlie Beach Australia

We’ve now sailed 52 days!!! Been to couple of islands in New Caledonia, a few sea days and finally to Australia. We are currently in the North East portion of the country. In Cairns, we were so fortunate to snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef. The weather was rainy but warm, the swells were huge and after a 90 min catamaran ride, we made it. The crew handed out barf bags and I took 2 (anyone who knows me knows I’m a puker) thankfully, none were needed! The reef was amazing. So many fish and beautiful coral. We didn’t snorkel very long as it was a real fight with the waves but still enjoyed the warm water. In the city of Townsville, we were able to go to an animal sanctuary. This was such a fun highlight. We learned about the animals of Australia. A wombat, an echidna, koalas, kangaroos, snakes and crocodiles. So much cuteness I wanted to bring home.

If we ever get the chance to spend a month in Australia, it would be on Airlie Beach. This is a great resort town on Queensland’s Whitsunday Coast. They have a man-made swimming area in the lagoon which is great this time of year when the jellyfish (stingers) are everywhere in the water. This area is also an access destination to the Great Barrier Reef. The town not only had cute boutiques, trendy restaurants but also a ferry system to take you to other islands or coastal towns.

Superbowl and Fiji

The internet gods were with us, at least for MOST of the game. It went out with just seconds left – the crowd gave a collective groan – the Captain made an announcement – and suddenly it returned just in time to see the last couple of plays. The ship did a great job setting up the party with tailgate food, plenty of drinks and even superbowl scores square game. We had a great time sitting with an Australian couple who wanted to learn the rules. We won the score game for the 1st quarter. Sometimes we get 🍀 lucky.

In Fiji, we visited 3 islands. On one island, we hiked to a waterfall and I floated in the pool at the bottom to cool off. It was hot and muggy and the water was such a relief. We happened to be in Suva on Charlie’s birthday. At breakfast, we happen to sit in the same area with 3 other people celebrating their b-days. CRAZY! The ship likes to celebrate birthday mornings with special pancakes and a candle. When we went into town, we stopped at a store to take advantage of their wi-fi. Someone from the ship saw Charlie and wished him a happy birthday. The Fijian workers heard this and gathered guitar players and singers and sang to Charlie one of the best renditions of the birthday song. He was so shocked and happy. At dinner, the Chef made him a special dinner and cake. Nice celebration.

We’ve been at sea the last few days which means Trivia (team name is The Rat Bags), Name that Tune (team name is Looney Toonies), Mexican Train games with new friends (trash talk is spoken here) and today at the pool was Spritz and Splash. Aperol Spritz and snacks served from the pool. We’ spent a few nights dancing on the deck with the band and attending lectures when we find someone interesting. Right now we have a gentleman by the name of Grant Harrold on board. He is most known as The Royal Butler and is UK’s Etiquette Expert and former Butler to the royal family, specifically to King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla, fka Prince Charles and Princess Camilla. Often times, he is tapped for commentary on The Royal Family to cover events and also teaches etiquette classes including classes to the Royal Family. He now runs a college for Butlering if anyone reading this is thinking of a career change. We will be attending his class on Tea, well at least I’ll attend. Charlie doesn’t know about it yet and I may have to trick him. Stay tuned to see if I pass or get kicked out of Tea class.

French Polynesia

Papeete Tahiti, Bora Bora, Huahine-Iti, Uturoa Raiatea the 4 island we visited. WOW! We were able to snorkel at all 4 places, saw beautiful fish and swam with sharks and sting rays. (Yep, that’s me with a shark) One night in Tahiti, we visited the InterContinental Hotel for dinner and a Polynesian dance performance. If we ever return to Tahiti, we will definitely stay at the Inter Continental. It is spectacular.

Sometimes the world is such a small place……in Tahiti we went to a bar (shocking) and there was a huge CU flag hanging. Can you believe that? From what I could understand, the owners son went to CU. In Bora Bora, after snorkeling we took a taxi to Bloody Mary’s Bar. Had to check this ‘famous’ place off our list. It did not disappoint. Even after a couple of BMary’s, I was shocked I could still try a handstand, even with a splinter from the dock in my hand.

We have a few days at sea and the ship plans to host a SuperBowl party tomorrow. Fingers crossed the internet works (which it doesn’t very much). To remind us of the beautiful islands, the ship placed these gorgeous flowers in our rooms! Fiji is our next stop.

Pitcairn Island – Feb 2, 2023

Any history buffs? Any movie buffs? Either of you would recognize this little island that is less than 2 square miles. This is the island where the Mutiny on The Bounty took place. April 1789, Captain Bligh lost control of his ship, the HMS Bounty, when one of the most famous mutinies took place. 18 men overpowered the captain and set him adrift on a small boat with 18 of his loyal men. The captain and most of his men survived and arrived 47 days later at Timor to report the mutiny. Meanwhile, the mutineers and their Polynesian consorts, who were on the Bounty, settled on Pitcairn in hopes of living out their lives. Today, there are 50 inhabitants, all being descendants of the original mutineers. They get provisions every 2 months and have a small medical clinic. If there is a major medical need, they take their long boat for the 2 day trek to an island where they can be taken to another island. Usually, this whole process is about 30 hours! They collect rain water and have electricity from 8:00am-10:00pm though diesel generators and solar. One woman came on board and told of life on the island. She was born and raised on the island and had actually married a white man, who had come to the island for research, and moved to the US for many years before returning to help care for her mother. A few of the Pitcairners also came on board to sell things that had made like wooden bowls, carved items, t-shirts and honey. These lovely people then sang us a few songs which moved many of us to tears. We where the first tourist ship that had been to their island since covid. They were so happy to se us, they were even in tears while singing.

Easter Island

We survived the 5 days at Sea. Lots of trivia, lectures and cocktails. We were supposed to arrive at Easter Island on Jan 28 and leave the 29th, however, Captain Hamish checked the forecast and thought that the best chance to get onto the Island would be the 27th and 28th….so….he pushed the throttle down from and we made it a day early! We were all so grateful for that decision because we made and were able to spend 2 days. Did you know that only about 30% of ships actually make it? Crazy but the weather and swells along with the large rocks near the beach make it extra tricky to navigate.

Easter Island was named by the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen on Easter Day 1722. Most famous for the Moai statues, monolithic human figures carved by the Rapa Nui people between the years of 1250 and 1500. We hiked up the volcano Terevaka. It was a REAL hike but worth every step of the 4 miles! The panoramic views were amazing and provided a 360 degree view of the entire island. We also had the chance to see many of the islands Moai statures and they are amazing and just like what you see in the movies and pictures.

Internet is still so dang slow and spotty. We’ve been lucky enough to meet so many interesting people, including a doctor that saw Elvis so many times at the hospital no one cared any longer, also the doctor of dermatology who was subpoenaed to examine Michael Jacksons P…S to testify in MJ’s 1st court case, It’s so nice to get the ‘backstory’ to peoples lives. WOW moments!

We are now settled into sailing 8 more sea days but should be rewarded when we make it to Papeete, Tahiti.

Galapagos – San Cristobal Island

We left the ship for a few days and headed to The Galapago Island of San Cristobal. There were 14 of us, including John and Carolyn from Scottsdale that we’ve met, and stayed at the Golden Bay Hotel right on the beach. This boutique hotel was beautiful and service was tremendous. Highly recommend if you’re thinking a trip there. Here, animals are like family. They are not worried about humans because they have never had a reason to be afraid of one. Sea Loins are everywhere….I mean…everywhere. You need to careful where you sit or walk. They are on streets, benches and rocks on the beach as well as playing in the water. We had great nature guides who patiently answered questions and made sure all was safe. There were so many SL’s at the beach outside our hotel and all of us needed to sleep with ear plugs (except Charlie) because the bark, yell, scream and other weird noises all night. There were some pups only a week or two old and sadly, one adult had died on the beach. We learned of the process the local naturalists does when the circle of life is ended. They always test the corpse to rule out an epidemic that could take out the species. After they understand how it died, they bury it in the place it died. In this case, they dug a grave on the beach. This certain beach is not a beach humans would go – it’s overrun by SL’s , thank goodness. Most of you know my OCD can get a little wacky imagine me on this beach. (ha ha)

We snorkeled at Kicker Rock but mostly saw fish. A couple of sea lions swam around where we were but no sea turtles. The next day we did a hike at Punta Pitt where we saw so many boobies. (Charlie was in 14yr old heaven everytime someone said boobie 🙂 Lots of giggling and jokes around all the boobies. There are 3 booby types in the area we were. Red Footed, Blue Footed and Nazca. We were so lucky to see all 3 including eggs waiting to be hatched and a baby about 1 day old. Sea Turtles and other critters were around but the Tortoise, whom the Islands are names for, do not live on the island we visited.

(More pics are under photos) Sea Lions were not impressed with my acrobatics, they are much better at it than me.

We were scheduled to fly into Lima, Peru to catch up with the ship and spend a couple of days but because of political unrest, Seabourn had us fly into Peru, get on the ship and we sailed in the morning. Lots of police and the city was under curfew when we arrived at 11:30pm. We’ve felt completely safe everywhere we’ve been so far except in Ecuador where a guy followed us and when he caught up with us, he wanted to sell us Cocaine!!! We kindly refused for a few reasons including not wanting to end up in an Ecuadorian prison (don’t have a lot faith our Government would save us) or maybe die from whatever they’ve cut it with.

We are sailing for the next 5 days for 2300 miles on our way to Easter Island, Chile. The official term is ‘on our own’ as there is only ocean between there two land masses. We are scheduled to be there a couple of days but it’s not always a guaranteed we’ll even be able to dock. Wind and huge water wells can play havoc. Fingers crossed as we have a date with some Moai Statues and Mount Terevake to trek up.

Costa Rica and Panama Canal

January 13 – 16

In Costa Rica, we visited a National Park and were able to see Sloths, Howler Monkeys and many birds including this cute and sassy Toucan who was very happy to get ooh’d and aawe’d over.

We passed through the Panama Canal. Such interesting stories about the conception, building and maintaining the canal. One of things we like so much abut sailing with Seabourn is that they bring on many experts to give lectures on the places we are visiting. Calling them lecturers does a disservice to them as they are also storytellers and excellent at keeping our attention, We had a lecturer who is an expert on the history of the Panama canal – fascinating – even better to learn and experience at the same time. Also have book suggestions on this subject if anyone is interested.

We continued by Crossing the Equator and into Ecuador. We are now considered SHELLBACKS. This tradition observes a mariner’s transformation from slimy pollywog’s, a seaman who hasn’t sailed over the equator, to a trusty Shellback.

We also have mentioned many many times already that we were so blessed to be born WHERE and WHEN we were. Many times we tend to take this for granted. Even having semi-ok internet at this moment feels like I won the lottery. 🙂 Internet on ship and many places has been unreliable.

January 10

We’ve sailed to Key West, Belize and Guatemala. Happy to say we’re on day 5 of cruise without major issues.

JAN 6, 2023 – Miami, Fl

Ready to board our Ship, Seabourn Sojourn. And Coach Prime, we have luggage and it’s Louie, as well  🙂