Sydney

Hello friends,

Sorry I’ve been remiss in posting regularly, but my days are packed with interesting activities and leave little time to update you. This post starts with interesting tidbits and continues with a hodgepodge of our life on board.

Tidbits:

• Bellarine Peninsula (Geelong, Melbourne, Australia) police station is only open 9-4, Mon- Fri. Maybe policing is not needed that much?
• Voting in Australia’s National elections is mandatory, and non-compliance results in a minor financial penalty. Why is that not universal?
• Whitsunday’s Aarlie beach’s sand is one of the world’s whitest and finest at 98.9 % silica. It’s reportedly cool when walking barefoot even at noon. Removing any is forbidden.
• A cicada infestation invaded our ship suspending all balcony and outside deck activities.

Ship Happenings:

The Viking crew and staff continue to be incredibly pleasant and congenial, and are universally appreciated by all of us. They quickly learned our names, knew our habits and preferences and consistently aim to please. It’s Viking’s primary advantage and what causes so many returning passengers, me included.

As we start our 2^nd month on board, friendships are solidifying and groups of 6-8 of like-minded individuals are often together, sharing meals, excursions and activities. I happen to enjoy the company of several small groups, and float among them. Three different groups helped me celebrate my birthday on three different days, somewhat excessive and embarrassing.

In general, most passengers are in the 55-75 age group and are healthy and outgoing. We are almost evenly divided between conservatives and liberals. Our favorite past time is to share our stories and most are unique and interesting.

A cruise highlight for me was being one of a very few non Chinese to be invited to the Chinese New Year’s celebration dinner. It was an honor and privilege. The stories ranged from personal experiences of the cultural revolution of the 1970’s to the immigration of an uneducated man who arrived speaking no English and his assimilation into American society to become an unqualified success. All were very interesting but too many to highlight. Suffice it to report that it was a fascinating evening.

Unfortunately our World cruise was divided into separate segments, where passengers could choose to join or end specific portions of our trip. Sydney, Australia is a segment hub, so unfortunately we lost a significant number of passengers  and crew and gained new arrivals. This creates a small group of resident world cruisers and another of constantly changing newbies. Most of us are accustomed to familiar faces and prefer the stability of fewer turnovers.

Naturally, one can’t foresee too far into the future, but in the last two months of cruising, weather, worker strikes and other factors have caused the cancellation of several port stops.  This has caused passenger discontent especially when itinerary changes cause us to miss Milford Sound, NZ or Costa Rica. The Israel-Hama dictates another major change. Instead of going though the Red Sea, we will probably have to go around South Africa. Unfortunately Viking has not yet announced their intention and that is causing much anxiety and speculation. Many are planning to disembark early.

I’m trying to go with the flow, but I too am a little uneasy, because my next scheduled cruise was changed significantly and I canceled it. I’m entertaining 3 options and will decide which is most viable when Viking announces their intention. It’s rumored to be imminent.

We are leaving Cairns and Australia’s great Barrier Reef. Several attempted Helicopter or snorkeling excursions today, and I elected to go to the Cairns noted aquarium. I love aquariums and visited many throughout the world. This one was better than most. The variety of corals and sea creatures was unique and the small tutorials were excellent. I’m sure we saw more species than most of those who actually snorkeled or scuba dived. Although the snorkelers and divers were almost giddy with joy at their experience actually diving in the great barrier reef. It exceeded most expectations.