March 28,2012 (Tuesday) EXOTIC BALI

Tuesday, March 28, 2012

After three days at sea since leaving Darwin, Australia, Joe and I are anxious to put our feet back on land and do something exciting and more physical. The weather since Darwin has been superb with hot days and comfortable nights. I just love the breeze from the ocean cooling you off at the pool or seating on the balcony in the evening as we watch the sun sets.

Monday night I had a naughty urge. Cabins get a menu for breakfast served in one’s cabin and one fills it out and put it on your door before you go to bed. On our way down the hall I got our neighbor’s breakfast request and they had only picked coffee so I added some check marks for Orange Juice, Bananas and Oranges, croissants, and a breakfast sandwich. I can only imagine their look the next morning when the steward brings all this food.

Our meeting place for our tour is at 8:30 AM in the Cabaret Lounge. We had reserved the Ayung White Water Rafting that was an all day event which included lunch. John and Pat Pryke, from Plymouth, England, also joined the tour to our delight. They never had done white water rafting and I assured them that they would love it. To our surprise there was only 12 passengers signed up. Most people were in their 50’s with one teenage girl. Thankfully Princess and the tours were more organized thus less time was wasted just waiting. We each got our number sticky which told us what bus to board.

It was at least a 25 minute tender ride to the Benoa port which is located on the south end of Bali in a much protected bay. The day was gorgeous and hot which makes white water rafting even more enjoyable since it cools one off. As the tender approached Benoa we would see all the Hindu temples, towers and boats. One is first greeted by bright colors of Bali. Even though Indonesia has the largest Moslem population in the world, 90% of the population of Bali is Hindu. It makes this a very interesting cultural visit since it is so alien to everything that Joe and I have experienced previously in our travels.

On the docks there was Balinese oriental type music being played by a group of men of about 20 under a colorful tent to protect them from the sun’s rays. About 15 feet from them there were about 20 young Balinese girls with heavy makeup and colorful exotic costumes and head attire where I will attach a picture of them since it was awesome. They danced that creative Siam type dancing that one sees in movies but to see it in person with the arm, finger, leg and hand moments was divine and such a treat that they welcomed the Princess guests from our ship the Ocean Princess and also harbored was the Dawn Princess. The Dawn Princess looks the same size as our ship but it must be older since it had no balconies that I could see. The port building was Asian in design and efficient for the guests who arrived at the port.

We were greeted by our Bali tour guide, a man in his 40’s, dressed in traditional Bali dress which consisted of a hat, and skirt. I have a picture of him also. Our bus was very colorful inside and we had plenty of room since there were only 12 of us. Our route to the middle of the island to the Ayung River, he talked about Bali history and about Hindu customs. Unfortunately he was hard to understand but he was very congenial and smiling as well as a very gracious gentleman. As soon as we got off the bay isthmus to the main part of the island we could see all these walls with Hindu statues with gates that were very ornate. Our tour guide told us that every Hindu home has a shrine to the gods in front of their homes with altars where they place food three times a day (fruit). If it is a bad god, they leave food they hate and also wine to the devil god. It is apparent to me that the Hindus have a great sense of humor since the statues are sometimes very funny with monkeys, pigs, dragons and women with boobs hanging low. It is also apparent that they like sex since so many statues were sexual in nature.

The ride to the Bali Adventure tour place took about 1.5 hours to get there. Along the way it was a treat to see the people at work, play and school. There were lots of Mom and Pop stands along the road where people traded for rice, vegetables, coconuts and fruit. I was surprise by the huge number of stores selling the various Hindu statues and fountains of all sorts. There were several places selling the giant pottery. The Garden Centers caught my attention seeing all the different types of plants that we were not use to seeing. Since the weather is humid and wet in Bali, there is moss going on the walls and statues of the older homes. Many homes were vacant since they are also having a foreclosure issue as we are in the USA. I only saw a few dogs and one cat running around the streets along with roosters. Kids were dressed in uniforms on their way to school and there were schools with kids dressed in colorful red and green uniforms. The Bali people are petite in statue and weight. Near the port there were a McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, KFC and a Pizza Hut. The biggest mode of transportation is a moped. I noticed the drivers were patient and polite to one another. The people of Bali speak Bahasa Indonesian (Malay) but Javanese and other Austronesian languages are spoken.

The island is mountainous in character that makes it enchantingly gorgeous. The rivers are no navigable cause they rush down from the central elevations with a great deal of force which causes twists and turns. The millions of years of rushing water caused rivers to be deep into the land with high cliffs on both sides of a river. There are many rocky outcroppings making the landscape very interesting. The moss is thick, vines hanging down, lush trees, coconut, teak, palm trees and huge bunches of bamboo. In between there are banana trees and ferns of all types. The drive had us pass lots of rice paddies that were in terraces. The rice was thick, tall and green. The Bali people are very successful farmers of perfect fruit, sugar cane and coffee.

In the 16^th century Muslim religion was spreading like wildfire and in Java the pressures were so great on the Hindus that they had to flee to Bali to freely practice their religion. Today there are over 10,000 temples and shrines on the island though some people say there are 20,000 leading to the designation that Bali was the “island of the gods.”

Shiva and Ganesh are among the most popular deities although veneration of ancestors also remains very important. Bali has its own avatar of Vishnu, called Sangyang Widdi, who is honored everywhere. Balinese Hinduism is more concerned with art and ritual than with scriptures, law or the Indian style caste system. Bali people are zealous in their religion. Balinese temples often have three courtyards, with the third and smallest of them enclosing the most sacred area. Much of the cultural expression grew from religious practices. It is only in recent years that performing for visitors were judged to be proper as we saw today when we were greeted at the Benoa port.

The Bali craftsmen are experts in working with gold, silver and other metals and are greatly respected for their handiwork. They are inventive wood carvers, stone masons and designers of colorful intricate buildings. The women weave beautiful garments in cotton and silk often with gold, silver thread, rich colors and artistic patterns. The famous Batik fabric designs of Java and Bali use a wax-resist dye method to produce their detailed patterns and brilliant colors.

It is important for visitors to wear proper clothing when planning to visit temples and other sacred places. Shorts and beachwear for both men and women are considered improper. Women should also cover their bare shoulders. The temples that were visited by the Princess guests were given sarongs or sashes before they were allowed to enter.

Social etiquette is important in Bali and attempts to conform to their traditional manners are well received. One must always give and receive with your right hand and never point with your foot. Pointing with your index finger or crooking your finger to call someone is considered impolite. The head is considered the holiest part of the body, so one must never touch someone there, such as patting a child on the head.

The Bali Adventure Tours was in a very modern facility with lovely gardens and nice clean buildings. The bathrooms were spotless. After we changed into clothes suitable for white water rafting, we were each given a water vest, helmet and a paddle and we were introduce to our guide whose name was Yuan (why-and) or something close to that. He spoke good English and seemed to be the leader of the guides. There was a huge poster welcoming the Princess Guests to their tour.

We were high above the Ayung River and our starting point was close to the middle of Bali Island where the water flows down from the mountains. There were 617 steps down to the river. Thank goodness the steps were well made with stones in designs with handrails. As we descended downhill, there were twists and turns and seemed like we would never get to the river. By the time we got down to the rafts we were drenched in sweat and exhausted. Joe did good going down the steps 80% of the way. He said he got to a point where his legs did not want to move any more. Somehow he made it down and was grateful to get to the raft to sit down and rest. God knows how in the world we would get up the cliffs when we got up to leave. I think that 11 of the 12 would have needed assistance of some type. Somehow we ended up with four rafts with four guests in each raft. I think some Princess employees ended joining up with us. On both sides of the river were high cliffs with intense thick plant growth that would last the whole two hours of rafting. We all were given safety instruction and how to paddle right, left, stop and do a bam bam. Bam bam is when the guide tells us to drop into the raft since rough rocks and rough rapids were about to happen. Two of our tablemates joined us on the tour and were in our raft. They were John and Pat Pryke who are from Plymouth, England and they have never done whitewater rafting in their lives. Pat was a bit apprehensive but I knew she would do great and love it as well as John. The guide put John and Pat in front since they were beginners with Joe and me in the back. I liked the raft since they had a foot hold for one of your feet that helped all of us stay in the raft. All along the river there were waterfalls falling from the cliffs making it so beautiful and exotic. Some of the rock outcroppings near the river’s edge had Hindu carvings making it so authentic rather than a Disneyland ride. The rapids were rated 2 and 3’s but since the river was a bit high, there were at least three 4 rated rapids. Pat was really good at doing the Bam Bam which was hitting the bottom of the raft which ended up rubbing her right rear end and thigh to a hurtful chap and bruising. When we were about halfway down the river, I noticed Pat and John getting braver on the rapids and not hitting the bottom of the raft at all. One of the rafts completely turned over and all five people including the guide fell out which scared Pat a bit and made her even more determine not to fall into the river. The look of the four Princess guests was scared and wide eye. They were all rescued without any injury. One person broke their prescription glasses.

When the big waterfalls came, our guides guided our raft under the waterfall so we got a good shower. People got brave where some people started paddle spraying people. All four of us in our raft got to be experts and got the other rafts pretty good. We all got soaked fully and loved it since the water was clear and cooled us off. We welcomed a rapid that splashed us.

We knew that at the end of the trip that we were going to be treated to lunch but we thought it would be cold cut sandwiches near the river and drinks on the river’s edge. We were Wowed big time when we got out of our rafts at a hotel that stood at the top of the cliffs. The grounds at the water’s edge were manicured and had lush plant life, fountains, showers and hotel employees to dry us off. The buildings and shrines all around us were spectacular and so beautiful. I felt as if Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie or some other big star would be staying at this place that becomes our Shangri-La. All of us were impressed and could not believe that we ended here in such an exclusive luscious place. The hotel’s name is The Royal Pita Maha where each villa has its own private garden and swimming pool. One is pampered here and is a place to heal, reflect, medicate and find total serenity. The cheapest room is $530 US per night with food being extra. There is the Royal House that you can rent for $2400 a night!!!!! You can look this place up on the internet at www.royalpitamaha-bali.com

We were led through the hotel and villa grounds where every corner was another scrumptious sight to see. There was a female holy pool where there was a sign that stated that women who had their periods were not to enter. How would they know? Dog sniffers? Joking of course! We walked up a bunch of steps but not as many as we had to go down to the river. Praise God for that! I had lost the leader and walked into a villa with two people following me. It was a challenge finding which way to get to the main hotel. At the bottom of the cliff there was a man standing by an ornate door which turned out to be an elevator which took us to the 3^rd floor where we would have lunch outside overlooking the jungle and hotel grounds. The dining room was fit for royalty and we were treated as honored guests. There were two men playing Balinese instruments as we got off the elevator. The hallway and buffet area was gorgeous no matter which was you looked.

The buffet was excellent and was a treat to Balinese food which consisted of vegetables tempura, rice, chicken, beef and fish, potatoes as well as fresh delicious fruit and pastries.

I tried to find a shop in the hotel by searching the second and first floor to no avail. Heck, I am not going to get a Bali t-shirt again! I did get to see the other main hotel floors that were full of marble, teak and masonry. The art work was beautiful and there was one wood carving that reached up maybe 20 feet. I loved all the water fountains and pools with the Hindu carvings and stone art. I took lots of photos but there is no way to be able to capture this place in a photo. Maybe they will film a James Bond movie here since it is so exotic.

In front of the hotel there was an enormous colorful gold and silver statue of Bali dancers with a fountain surrounding it. Our bus picked all of us up and we all were glad to get ourselves in the comfortable seating since our bodies were starting to hurt all over.

We got back to the port at 4:00 PM and the last tender was at 4:30. There was a 10 foot chain link fence around the port area where there were vendors hacking there wears. It felt very awkward and I did not buy a thing since there were no t-shirts. The people were hawking sarongs, designer watches????, wallets, some wood carvings, silver???? Etc…. It was a buyer beware situation but I still felt bad that I did not buy anything.

It seemed to take forever to tender back to the ship since the tender was moving slowly since the seas were higher. The people who were on the raft trip just wanted to go faster and hit the waves hard. It took 30 minutes to get back on the ship at 4:30PM. Joe and I headed to the cabin to get rest. Our bodies had taken a beating and we were sore and knew that we would be worse in the morning.

After dinner Joe headed immediately back to the cabin and decided not to attend the pool party on the 9^th deck. The rest of our table stayed together and we had a blast. It was the liveliest music of the cruise where there was a crowd dancing and singing away. People were in a party mood. Jean-Claude of the bar staff with some crew assistance built a pyramid of champagne glasses to create a fountain of champagne which is traditional on cruises. I could not find a glass of champagne whereas everyone else had one. I looked and looked. Finally I gave up and went over to the glass pyramid and acted as if I were going to take a glass of champagne off the bottom of the pyramid. Our group knew I was just joking but Jean-Claude who was at the top of the pyramid saw me and had a terrified wide eye look which made our group laugh hysterically. Jean-Claude realized that I was joking then proceeded to spray our nearby group with champagne. There was also a buffet but none of us was hungry at all but there were plenty of people who ate at the early seating who had a feast.

I headed back to the room and had to bang on the cabin door since I had left my key in the room. Poor Joe had to sleepily come to the door to let me in about midnight. I made Joe promise me not to wake me up for breakfast and he kept his promise.

Today, we both had muscle pain. Joe hurt more in his thighs and I hurt in my thighs, calves and neck. We both had a hard time getting out of bed literally. Joe had gotten up at 7AM and had breakfast; walked around the deck five times before he came back to the cabin where I continued to be sound asleep. I did not wake up or move till 11AM.

We made it to lunch about 12:30 where we also ran into Pat and John who also had just gotten up since they were both very sore also. All four of us walked stiffly everywhere. We would plop ourselves into a chair but it took so much effort to get out of any chair.

After lunch, I hopped into the whirlpool for an hour then sat in the pool for another hour. The day was hot but the ocean breeze makes it prefect for sunbathing and being in the pool. Joe stayed in the shaded area which was more comfortable.

Tonight at dinner all four of us are still groaning. Thank goodness we have three days at sea to have our bodies come back to life. Yes, we all said we would do it again since we had a blast!

Sunday, March 25: DARWIN, termite mounds, bats, waterfalls

Sunday, March 25, 2012

After three lazy days at sea we are ready to hit the top end of Australia which is the Northern Territory-Outback Country. Our ship docks at the commercial dock which is not in the city. There are no shops nearby. One must board a bus, chartered by Princess, to take one to the City Centre of Darwin.

Joe was already at breakfast when I woke up from a sound sleep at 7AM since we were to meet our tour group in The Cabaret Lounge at 7:55AM. Smartly I had put all the gear we needed to take with us all in one spot before we headed to bed so all I had to do was get dressed.

We had booked an all day tour to Litchfield Park which included a visit to the monstrous termite mounds, Wangi and Florence Waterfalls, Monsoon Forest and an Aussie BBQ lunch in the Outback.

The day started with a brilliant blue cloudless sky which is the first we had in Australia. The top end of Australia is very tropical, hot and humid thus very similar to south Florida. This particular area of Australia has had hard times in the past since it was been hit numerous times by vicious cyclones that flatten the city. The Japanese during WWII hit the area with numerous air raids. Darwin was rebuilt as a new cosmopolitan city in 1974 after Cyclone Tracy. Darwin is home to 75 ethnic groups who live harmoniously. Aboriginal traditions are also interwoven into the culture and are increasingly respected and admired.

Joe and I never made it into the City Centre of Darwin since we were gone all day into bush country. It took 55 minutes for the tour to get to the bus which was an irritation to me since it felt disorganized. The tour bus had very comfortable cushioned seating with big clean windows to view the countryside. Thankfully it had air-conditioning and it was working. As the day wore on, it got hotter and hotter up to 90 degrees with high humidity from all the rainfall as from the lush plant life in the Monsoon Forest where the trees also give off moisture as if the air did not have enough already.

Our destination was to Litchfield National Park which is two hours inland from Darwin. Halfway through the trip, we stopped in a small town of Bachelor to take a restroom break. The exterior of the restroom facilities were colorfully painted with a mural documenting the area. Inside the restrooms there were painted handprints on the wall as well as various autographs. There is a college nearby. What a remote area to have a college! There is nothing to do except hunt and fish and I suppose wrestle crocodiles.

It was another hour before we entered Litchfield National Park where the monstrous termite mounds are a feat of natural engineering. Some of the mounds are 50 years old. The area has tall brown grass where one can understand why they have awful fires here. Along the way to the park we passed miles and miles of savannah vegetation that had the tall brown grass, smaller termite mounds, various types of palm trees, eucalyptus trees (not of the koala bear liking).

The cathedral termite mounds were at least four times taller than Joe and quite wide in circumference. It looks like they are made a mud and they are hard to the touch. There are various crevasses in the mounds that act as air-conditioning for the termites. The mounds are constructed in north-south orientation thus acting as a built in temperature control mechanism. It is a wonder of the animal kingdom. The mounds resemble large tombstones in a graveyard. One does not see the termites at all, just their home. There were also some magnetic termite mounds that were flatter, not as tall but with the top having jagged edges. The magnetic termites’ mounds are located in the flood and grass area.

Our next stop was lunch at the Litchfield Café. The Café was hit by lightning this past October during a bad storm and burned down. The staff created a temporary shelter that had a tin roof that sheltered us from the hot sun. There is such a difference in temperature between the shade and the blaring sun. Lunch was BBQ chicken along with various types of salads. It was okay and the chicken was tender.

After 45 minutes for lunch we realized that there is a half hour time difference between the boat and in the Northwest Territory. When the guide told us to be back at 1:00 PM, it was really 12:30 on all the tourists’ watches. Naturally a few people were late getting back to the bus but it was not too bad. I forgot to mention that there was a speaker on the bus giving us information about Darwin and the areas that we were visiting. His voice had a monotone thus there were a few of us who fell asleep during his narrative.

Our next stop was Wangi Falls which is actually two falls falling into a pond below. The falls were very heavy since all the rain that Australia recently had. The pond was overflowing thus we were not able to take a welcome swim break not only because the falls were falling so hard but because of the salt water crocodiles who inhabit the pond during the rainy season. The pond was surrounded by a chain link fence to prevent anyone having an encounter with the meat eating, huge, vicious, jumping, fast crocs. While we did not see any, they assured us that they were just waiting for their next meal hiding under the waterfall. The saltwater crocs are able to get this far inland because of the rainy season. The huge males are looking for a new hangout and a new harem of 20 to 30 females. They are supposedly very territorial.

The area near the falls is flooded and is heavily vegetated with ferns, bushes, palms, hardwoods and is a forest. The type of forest is called a Monsoon Forest since it gets so much water. The Northern Territory of Australia has no lack of water. Even in the dry season there is plenty of water underground.

There was a boardwalk around the area that was flooded but eventually you came upon a trail that would take you to the top of the falls but we did not have time to do that. I trekked along the path as Joe stayed behind since the heat bothers him even though he was good about keeping in the shade. Even in the shaded forest it was sticky hot and in the areas where there was sun, it was very uncomfortable. I was fascinated with the various types of trees and ferns.

A group of Brits passed me and told me that about another 20 feet up the trail that I could see some fruited trees. What they really said, was that I would see some fruit bats up in the trees. I did and they were huge with them being at least a foot long in body length. They truly looked like Dracula’s bat. Their wingspan was expansive but I only saw a little bit of that. Amazing creatures! Their size was astounding to me and I am sure glad that they were very happy hanging in the trees cleaning themselves and eating stuff. I also saw some very large golden orb female spiders in their large webs. The male are smaller and the females eat the males. They have skinny legs but there main body is very colorful. I have no idea if they are poisonous. I doubt it since I am sure that we would have been warned. There were some colorful butterflies and surprisingly not that many insects bugging us thankfully. I was able to climb to one of the landings where I was able to look over the Monsoon Forest and the valley.

I was the last one to make it to the bus though I was exactly on time before the bus headed to Florence Falls about another 30 minute drive. I loved Florence Falls since there were many levels to the graceful falls making it beautiful. At the bottom of the falls there was a swimming pool with families taking a refreshing swim. Oh, I wish I could have done that. It was like out of a movie.

We did not get back to the ship until about 4:45PM and the ship was supposed to leave at 4:30PM but they waited for our tour to return. I had no time to shop since there was nothing at this pier. Phooey! I missed getting a Darwin t-shirt for my quilt.

Joe and I were so glad to get back to our cabin where we were able to relax for two hours before dinner with our gregarious funny international table.

The next two days are sea days before we get to Bali, Indonesia. You should know what the next two days entails which is eat, sun, eat, lectures, nap, shower, eat, nightcap then sleep!

March 22,23,24 DAYS AT SEA

Three days at sea means total relaxation.Basically you eat, sun,eat,lecture,nap,shower,eat, show, nightcap, read, sleep.

Ciao!

Wednesday, March 21! Great Barrier Reef. Dream Come True in Cairns

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

YES! YES! YES! Looking through the curtains of our balcony cabin we would see glimpses of blue sky and the Coral Sea was only a little but choppy as we made our way to the Cruise Terminal in Cairns (pronounced CANS). I grinned all morning since we were about to realize that our dream of snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) was about to come true.

We met our excursion group at 9:10 AM in the Casino Lounge where we were broke into two groups numbered 11 and 12. The only difference was a difference bus to take us to the pier where we would catch the Great Adventures boat to Moore’s Reef. It would have been faster to walk to the pier than gather all these people, about 200 than take the bus. The bus ride was about 10 minutes where we passed the white topped convention center, various resorts and the center of town. It appeared that there were about 6 streets of Cairns rather than the one that Airlie Beach had. It looked similar to many beach towns of South Florida. The town also had a lagoon where people swam so they were protected from the jellyfish and the strong undercurrent of the Coral Sea. There were green lush islands and mountains surrounding Cairns which are because of all the rain they get here but today we missed the rain that we could see in the distances and on top of the mountains.

We disembarked at the pier where inside the cruise terminal there were some volunteers were giving the cruise guests a sample of the sweetest, ripe, juiciest papaya that I ever had. There is another cruise ship in port but the cruise line is one I never heard of. I am guessing that it was from Japan since there were many Japanese tourists in town and on our tour boat. We hopped on the busses that dropped us right at the pier which is at the edge of town where there are lush gardens, trees and plants. It was very clean and orderly.

Our Great Adventures tour boat had about 400 passengers on it thus it was just not only Princess guests. The boat had three levels. The lower level was all enclosed with comfortable cushion seating and the snack bar. The second level had indoor and rear outdoor seating. The top level has all outdoor seating. The interiors had flat screen monitors that explained what we might see when we got out to the reef. It took two hours and about 25 miles out into the Coral Sea to get to Moore’s Reef in the Great Barrier Reef. There was a stop at Green Island that had beaches and water activities at about 30 minutes from town. Joe and I sat outside on the second deck in the rear of the craft. After three days of rain, I craved the sun. We sat in the last row where the wind blew into our face and hair which was perfect. Joe moved to a shaded area of the aft area after about 20 minutes since his skin is so sensitive to the sun.

It was recommended that we rent Lycra Suits to protect us from the nasty stings of the jellyfish in the reef. We both rented them at $6.00 AUS each and they were like a second skin from head, to finger tips to our feet. They were actually quite comfortable but a challenge to put on. The key was to get your feet in one foot at time and pull up bit by bit. It had a strong zipper in the front. We got to the reef about 12:30PM where the tour company had a huge reef platform that was attached to the bottom of the ocean floor but not the reef. It was just on the outer edge of the reef. One could tell you were at the reef by the waves hitting the coral. From the platform or the boat the reef looks brown. The only way to really see the stunning colors and multiple types of colored coral and fish is to snorkel or dive. The tour company had a semi-submersible reef viewer which I took after my hour snorkel adventure but rating it to a snorkel or scuba dive it was a 2 on a scale of 10. One could not see the vivid colors in the reef.

It did not take Joe and me long to get in the water. We quickly got our snorkel gear and fins and stepped down to the snorkeling platform where you could put the fins on. It is not smart to try to walk across the deck and down the steps with the fins on. The crew instructed us not to stand or touch the coral and only rest in sandy area. The coral needs 3 main things for growth-warm water, sunlight and low nutrients. One must remember that the coral is an animal but this is the first time that I actually believed it with the coral going in and out, sideways and sucking. It was so cool looking. As soon as I jumped in the water, there was a large school of inch long silver fish swimming at the top of the water. I snorkeled for an hour which is the longest I ever had since there was another beautiful sight to see. There was a thick type forest of staghorn coral of various colors but I loved the blue typed flowers at the tip. There were so many species of fish of numerous colors and sizes. The biggest one I saw was a monster that must had been six feet long and a foot wide with a snout head that moved very slowly. It was towards the middle of the top of the reef and the bottom. A scuba diver was able to get right next to it and pet it. The monster stayed right there! The fish had varying hues of gray. There was some emerald green coral that lined some other coral. Pink, blue, maroon, purple colors were seen. I saw one giant clam that was about a foot in length but they come much bigger than that. Some giant clams live up to 50 years! There was a big fish with very sharp bottom teeth that laid beneath some coral waiting for little fish to swim into its mouth then chomped! I was transfixed by this fish. It did not snap each time a fish swam into its mouth so the tiny ones had a big surprise. I also saw a large stingray nestled itself in the soft sand then wiggle out swimming gracefully and quickly to the top of the reef. There are 1500 different fish at this reef. There is very little visible plant life here but there were microscopic plants that live in the coral’s skin and produce sugar by photosynthesis. The coral absorbs much of this sugar for up to 90% of their food while the plants benefit from a safe house and a good supply of carbon dioxide. I did not remember that coral are animals in the same family of jellyfish but make a solid skeleton of limestone. The coral animals can pull themselves into the skeletons which I was able to observe many times on my snorkel adventure. I saw brain coral, mushroom and plate coral. I saw fan coral and coral that looked like waves of hair. They told us that there are 400 species of coral on the reef with many brightly colored. I did see one large jellyfish with its long tentacles which was easy to stay a good distance away. I survived with no stings just tired about one hour. Joe lasted 15 minutes but I am proud that he did it since snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef has been a bug dream of ours.

The Great Adventures tour group had a lovely buffet lunch for everyone that consisted of fruit, rice, beef curry (super delicious), chicken stir fried, and some type of fish. There was also scalloped potatoes and salad. It was after lunch that I joined one of the semi-submersibles.

The boat left the platform at 3:30PM. If one had some deep pockets, they could take the helicopter back to Cairns which had its own small separate platform. The ride back was a bit more bouncy which happens in the afternoon at sea. I had gone for some time up on the third deck. With the seas bouncy, it was a real challenge walking up there. One person would catch me to the left before I would bounce to the right a few feet. One could get seriously hurt up there. After I got settled to a handrail, I spread my feet way apart. I must have looked ridiculous but at least I was safe. I got a few laughs at my ingenuity.

Joe enjoyed sitting on the inside of the second deck while I stayed and got some sun. I had 70 proof sun block on me and I still got some sun kissed cheeks.

We arrived back on the pier at 5:30 and we did not have to be back on board the Ocean Princess till 7:30PM. I sent Joe back to the ship while I shopped for my Cairns, Great Barrier Reef t-shirt and magnet, and a soft Australian hat. I walked back to the ship and got back on board at 6:30PM. It gave us both plenty of time to rest a bit and to take a long desirable hot shower. After all the kicking in the water and bracing myself on the tour boat, both my knees were yelling at me so I took Advil PM. I should have taken just plain Advil.

Cairns is a tropical town in North Queensland dating back to 1876. Remember that Australia is a young country where the first settlement was in 1788. Cairns’ port was originally served as a port of gold and tin. There is a huge rainforest that has the largest concentration of ancient flowering plants in the world where 13 are recognized as primitive. Behind the mountains is the Aboriginal township of Kuranda. Some of the best produce is raised in the tableland beyond the mountains where there is rich volcanic soil.

Seafood is plentiful here thus the most popular meal where they eat tropical reef fish called the red emperor and the coral trout, huge tiger prawns (yummy) and freshwater barramundi. Crocodiles are farmed here also (who would think) but they are grown for their skins but there are Croc Burgers in Cairns if you wish to partake.

Cairns (CANS) has a tropical climate since it is located on the northeast peninsula of Australia. Papua New Guinea is located north of Cairns. There is little distinction between the seasons here. Temperatures are warm to hot all year with an occasional cold snap during June and July which is Australia’s winter. The rainy season is between November and May noted for sudden downpours and an occasional tropical cyclone which is comparable to hurricanes in the USA.

I barely could walk to our dinner table where the other three couples were seating. The glass of wine helped speed the Advil to work somewhat. Again our table was one of the last to leave the dining room. Our waiters get such a kick out of that. George from Romania is our main waiter and he has a grand sense of humor. His 10 month contract is over when we get to Bangkok where he will be home for 2 months before he does another 10 month tour on the Ruby Princess which is a bigger cruise ship. George likes the bigger cruise ships as does Joe.

We skipped the Stardust Show since it was going to be slow and we were beat. Joe wanted to stop at the Casino bar for a Pina Colada. I had a lovely Kahula and Cream. I have got to have that one again! I could not keep my eyes open at the bar cause of exhaustion so we headed to the cabin at 10:30AM.

We now have three whole sea days until we get to Darwin, in North Australia. It will be full of rest and way too much tasty food. We will attend lectures, grab some sun, and attend the art auction. I saw a piece that I wanted.

As I write this, it is Thursday, the 22^nd of March at 5:10PM. We woke up late which a smart thing to do. We sat on the pool deck. I sat in the water of the pool. We sailed along the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef where there are lots of islands and reefs of varying types. We could see mountains that edged the ocean in the west. There was no human activity or development in this area. It is pristine except for ship buoys. There were also rocks of varying types that made the coastline interesting. The sun was out with partly cloudy skies which made it comfortable being outside. The temperatures were in the mid eighties I suppose. Joe attended a WWII lecture while I attended the Art Auction and won the Art Trivia contest that got me four drawings for a grand prize at the end of the voyage. The art piece I wanted was not shown but I learned something new and I got a free glass of champagne.

I got the name and email addresses of our great tablemates.

John and Marg Forseth of South Dakota

Gerry and Edna Harley of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

John and Pat Pryke of England

Tuesday, March 20, 2012: Airlie Beach, Queensland, Australia

March 20, 2012

It was a very rainy, gray and glum day as the ship out its anchor in the safety of Shute Harbour of Airie Beach. The harbour is surrounded by the Whitsunday Islands which would be a beautiful sight if the sun was shining. All the highly anticipated excursions were canceled but the most important to Joe and I was the trip out to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). We would have boarded a high speed motor craft that would take about 30 minutes to get to wither Black or Hook Island. It is amazing the Reef can be seen from outer space and there are 2900 individual reefs and 300 coral key and is over 1200 miles long the North Queensland coast. The Reef is half the size of the great state of Texas! We would have been able to snorkel on a spectacular reef. Oh, it was not meant to be.

We were able to tender to Shute Harbour where we were greeted by a bus to take us back and forth to the little tourist town of Airlie Beach. There are not many shops but I was able to buy a t-shirt at the cheapest price of $25. I could not find a tasteful magnet that said Airlie Beach. The town had a Hog’s Breath Saloon did Sydney and Hobart as well as several other casual taverns. There were plenty of tour excursions storefronts what were empty due to the pouring rain.

The town sits on the Pacific Ocean and between the Shute Harbour Road and the Whitsunday passage was a very pretty lagoon where people were enjoying swimming which I understand is to avoid the horrible small millions of jellyfish with their nasty legendary stings. Even though it was raining the temperature was a very sticky 80 degrees. So after trekking up and down the main street we were drenched from sweat as well as rain even though we had umbrellas. In the little supermarket with super prices I was able to buy a 24 pack of Diet Coke for $30.00. On the ship they are $2.00 a can.

We were back on the ship at 1PM where Joe and I went to the cabin to dry off and rest a bit before going to lunch at the Panorama Buffet located on deck 9 aft. The buffet has had excellent selections and delicious. The rare roast beef was tasty and tender. The lightly breaded calamari was tender and good. The veal cutlets with mushroom gravy were very tasty.

The rest of the day we napped since nothing much was going on the ship. In a few moments we are headed to the Cabaret Lounge to see a comedian, Tim Walkoe. I will check in later after the show and dinner.

We were in time for the comedy of Tim Walkoe. Some jokes were the same we hear from cruise to cruise but some of his jokes were original. A good laugh is always good for the soul. We sat with our usual dinner mates: couples from South Dakota, England and Vancouver. It is amazing how well we mesh together. The London couple was quiet at first but have warmed up and joined in the lively conversation covering a wide variety of subjects. Margaret from South Dakota has a cousin whom we are all familiar with: Annette Benning. We are at our dinner table for two hours which is way beyond us finishing dinner and 90% of the dinner guests are gone so it is a delightful table though Joe is very quiet. There is no open seating since the Ocean Princess is a small cruise ship. You either have the early seating at 6PM or the late seating at 8:15pm. Once can also have dinner at two specialty restaurants with the Sterling Steakhouse for prime aged steaks or Sabatini’s for Italian fare. The specialty restaurants switch the days they are open and it costs $20.00 a person to eat there. There is always room service 24 hours a day if one does not get enough to eat. The Panorama Buffet is also open for breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner. If there is no buffet for dinner, the ship makes it into table service bistro. One can also eat pizza up to 11PM.

Tonight the good news is that we have not received any news of the excursions cancelled for Cairns so Joe and I still have one more chance to visit the Great Barrier Reef. We will meet our tour group at the Casino Bar at 9:15 AM and we will return about 5:30PM. The tour has been sold out for months since one can reserve tours on the Princess website. The popular excursions get sold out before one ever boards the ship.

Tonight the seas are very rough with high winds and one must be very careful on the decks and balconies. We took a peak on a balcony which is near the back of the ship. Looking forward we could see the waves crashing the bow and there was lots of ocean spray coming towards the back. If one were to go overboard, one would never stand a chance of being saved on these high seas. The boat is really moving a bunch so those who get seasick must be having a rough time. Walking down a hallway in a straight line is hopeless and looks like everyone is drunk. I stayed off the staircases because it is that bouncy.

It is time to sign off for the night. Hopefully, I will be more interesting tomorrow night. The sea days are hard to write about unless something unusual happens so you might not hear from me since I think this has got to be boring.

The Valtrex I gave Joe for his start of shingle seemed to bring it under control. Joe says he is doing good but he is very quiet and not being social so I must keep an eye on him to make sure he is really okay since he has a history of holding back on how he is really feeling.

Thank you to my number one son, Keith, who let me know that he is ready my blogs. Joe and I hope you and your brother, Michael, have a great time in Miami at the music festival with good weather. Watch the sunburn. Love you both very much!!

Ciao!