Sunday, March 15

Day 8 and we're in Luganville, even though the amended itinerary said Port Vila.  Apparently, they couldn't take us today, so we've back-tracked to the port we missed on Thursday.  The captain says we're aiming for Port Vila tomorrow in the hope that we can 'lend a hand' in the aftermath of Cyclone Pam.  We'll miss Lifou but are still on track for Mare on Tuesday.  I get the feeling we're wandering around looking for someone who will take us in.

We had dinner last night at Izumi, the Japanese specialty restaurant.  We signed up for three special dinners at a 20% discount.  There's one to go and we'll likely to go back to Izumi.  We really have a love affair with Japan and we think we'll have another trip there soon.  Princess Cruises has a 33-day cruise from Sydney to Tokyo in March, 2016.  Very tempting!

Luganville is just like Port Vila -a dirty, industrial port and sadly neglected.  There are signs of storm damage with bits of missing roof, etc.  However, the locals have made an effort to welcome us.  There's a colourful market set up and hordes of taxis and vans lined up.  Again, though, we'll probably stay on board.

We got talking this morning to a woman who began life at the Fairy Meadow migrant hostel.  We overhear conversations all the time referring to a Wollongong of Tassie.  A fellow opposite us in the dining room the other night had a Burnie Dockers shirt on.  You can't get away from it, can you?

The sun is starting to come out and if looks like being a nice day.

Saturday, March 14

Dry land, at last!  We're anchored in Champagne Bay and the tenders are plying back and forth between the ship and the beach.  It's a grey day and a bit rainy.  We haven't bothered going ashore; we're set up in the a Solarium with the pool and coffee shop nearby.  What more could you want?

There's not much on the day's program which interests us; it seems that more and more activities come at a cost: Make your own martini $17, and so on.  And everything is in US dollars so a $12 glass of indifferent Sav Blanc in fact cost $16.  It's enough to drive a man to drink, if he could afford it.

Today's Bingo session was held in pyjamas.  We were tempted to check it out but really didn't feel strong enough.  

The entertainment last night was a so-so comedian, trying hard to be family-friendly but having to revert to suggestive, nudge nudge, wink wink to get a laugh.  Tonight it's Country and Western so we'll be back to our own movies.  No problem.

Everything is terrific but we noted one nasty piece of gratuitous racism.  A woman asked for something at the coffee shop counter.  As the young Asian girl serving reached for it, the customer gabbled something about microwave.  I didn't understand what she was saying and neither did the crew member who said, 'Pardon?'  The customer huffed, turned to her friend and said loudly, 'It's a nightmare.  Why don't they employ people who can speak English?'  Happily, it seems to be an isolated incident.  The crew are great and the passengers seem to respond very well to them, but there's always someone who lets the team down.

There's a rumour sweeping the ship that the captain has decided to head straight back to Australia, in fact to Newcastle then Sydney.  Certainly, there's been a bit of damage caused by Pam but surely there are other places we could go ... anywhere but Newcastle!  We won't get a Captains's Announcement until this evening and perhaps we'll know more then.

Thursday, March 12

Day 5 and the weather is starting to become an issue.  At the welcome drinks last night the captain was very non-committal about Luganville. We might not get there.  There's a big cyclone developing around Vanuatu and we're heading right towards it.  It's called Pam, would you believe.

The captain is an interesting fellow; he tells jokes has a very nice manner with the customers.  As long as he keeps us out of the path of Pam, I'll be happy.

Last night we went to Giovanni's, one of the specialty restaurants.  We eat so little that it's hardly worth the effort but it's all part of the experience.  One thing I can't work out is that Marilyn seems to be picking up free drinks.  Each night in the dining room she orders a bubbles but always ends up with 2. Last night in Giovanni's, she had 2 glasses which didn't appear on the bill.  Has she worked out a deal with bartenders and not told me?  I clearly don't have the same charm.  All my drinks are charged and at $11 or $12, they're not cheap.

Marilyn is having a go at line dancing but she's not good at jumping and has dropped out.  We've missed our swim this morning as the pools are closed because of the rocking of the ship so we're hanging around in the Centrum to see what's happening.  

We haven't been going to the entertainment as much as we do usually.  We did see Piano Man on Monday but we've seen the same show 2 of 3 times in the past.  There was a hypnotist on last night (100% chicken- free) but we were busy so missed it.  Tuesday was the music of Motown, which we hate, and tonight it's the music of Stevie Wonder and others like him, so we'll give that the flick as well.  A bit disappointing as the entertainment is usually a highlight for us.  Anyway, there's always lots of other things to do around the ship.

There's been a flood in a couple of rooms next to ours. The beds are in the corridor and the carpets have been pulled up and a maintenance man is in the process of laying new carpet.  Something to do with an overflowing toilet.  The captain has just been on the PA to announce that Pam will be in Luganville tomorrow, so we won't be.  Another day at sea, with the hope of Champagne Bay on Saturday.

Wednesday, March 11

It's Day 4 of then cruise and we're in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean on the way to Luganville.  Before we boarded on Sunday we were informed that the itinerary had changed and we would not be going to Fiji after all.  There is a cyclone developing and it might be dangerous to head in that direction.  Instead, we will be calling in to ... Newcastle.

Yes, Newcastle, the Pearl of the South.  No matter, we weren't getting off anyway.  And most people made the same decision.  

The ship is great, as we expected.  We have a comfortable cabin and I've managed to plug our hard drive into the TV so we can watch some of our series or a movie if we're bored.  What a life!

Last night was a Formal night but very few people went to the trouble.  It's disappointing when you make the effort to get dressed up, the waiters in the dining room look terrific, but some yobs turn up for dinner in shorts and thongs with no sign of embarrassment.  And, of course, they can't be turned away.  

We met the waiter who served us on this cruise last year, and he remembered us. It turns out he is from Paete in the Philippines and we know his uncle well.  100 million Filipinos in the world and we have that connection. 

Saturday, March 7

We started a movie last night starring Michael Douglas but it was so bad, and his acting was so embarrassing, that we binned it and turned to something else - The Imitation Game.  This is a terrific movie with a fascinating story.  Alan Turing was a mathematician who worked at Blechley Park during WW2.  He is credited with inventing the machine which ultimately gave the British the ability to decode messages sent from the Germans' Enigma machines.

I was surprised how closely the movie stuck to the real story: the intervention of Winston Churchill to give them the resources they needed, the girl he asked to marry him, and the way Turing overcame the resistance of the people he worked with.

As a boy, he was enrolled at Sherborne School but, on the first day of term there was a General Strike in Britain, so he rode his bike, alone, for 60 miles to get to school, staying at an inn overnight on the way.

He was a homosexual and was arrested and sentenced to chemical castration with regular injections of oestrogen.  He was found dead of cyanide poisoning just a couple of weeks after his 42nd birthday.

Clearly, this was one of the great minds of the 20th century but he was dead at 42 hounded and vilified for being different.  You can only wonder what he might have achieved if he had lived another 20 years, and been given the support and recognition he deserved. 

Saturday, March 7

One of our reasons for coming to Wollongong this week was to disperse the ashes of my Uncle Archie who died on New Year's Eve.  He left instructions that he wanted to be left in the rose garden at the Wollongong  Botanic Gardens where his wife's ashes were sprinkled earlier.  Since then, there has been a ban on ashes among the roses so we did a symbolic 'drop' of a handful there and took the rest to the harbour to scatter in the waves.

Archie was a sailor during and after the war, and loved ships so it was appropriate to leave him there.

Yesterday, we took the train to Sydney and then a ferry to Abbotsford to enjoy a celebratory lunch for Marilyn's birthday.  And, tomorrow, we take the train again to Circular Quay to join the Rhapsody of the a Seas for a cruise to Fiji.  This will be our twelfth cruise and we will have clocked up 144 nights at sea by the time we get back.

Wednesday, March 4

The local Windermere Cafe had a special event on Sunday - a spit roast to bring out the locals for a bit of socialising. The owner works hard to make a living and she's not happy to just sign back and let the customers come to her.  She even had a bush band to entertain us while we ate.

As it happened, we shared a table with the band.  Marilyn knew the fiddler, an ex-student but her father was the interesting one.  He had an impressive beard, a laid-back manner, and an unconscious wit.  Talking about a gig in Devonport, he said mournfully, 'it was a disaster.  I left my lager phone at home.'  And I thought that I had problems.

The goats were collected on Saturday and have settled in well at their new home.  They're sharing their paddock with a horse but that doesn't seem to be an issue.  So, we've been able to go on our holidays without worrying about leaving things for others to do.  We're now staying with our friend, Robyn, in Wollongong and will join the ship on Sunday.  Can't wait!

It was Marilyn's birthday on Monday.  She has turned 70 but says that she feels as fit and well as she ever has - still enjoying life.