Darwin, Australia - February 20th

Darwin is the capital of the Northern Territory of Australia and sits on the Timor Sea way on top of the continent.  I was expecting a much more rural area but the city was much more urban with a lovely, albeit small, skyline. 

Before we left for the cruise, we booked an excursion to see the “jumping crocodiles” but after watching a youtube video, Michael wasn’t all that impressed and so we cancelled.  Our waiter, Andrii, on the other hand, thought the tour was terrific.   Although there was a 75-minute ride to the river, the boat everyone was on had two levels; one deck was air-conditioned but the top deck was open-air with lots of flying thingies and such which didn’t make for a very comfortable experience.  However, from that top deck you got a much better view of the men onboard who suspended long rods out into the water with buffalo steaks at the ends to lure the crocs into jumping for their food.  Apparently, they did not disappoint.  

We opted, instead, to take a shuttle into town from the ship to visit the Smith Street open mall for a little bit more shopping to help the local economy.  There were lovely shops, including a very high-end store selling all things made of crocodile.  The purses were absolutely spectacular especially the suede ones that were made from the “underarm” skin of the croc.  Lots of belts, wallets, and jewelry – but everything was retail and you know, of course, that we hate to pay retail!  

The souvenir shops were lovely and we made sure that everything we bought was Australian made and stayed away from anything “made in China” – otherwise, we might as well have stayed home and why bother.

Michael’s observations:  Surprisingly sophisticated city.  I was amazed to see high-end boutiques in the downtown area.  I always think of Australia as sand and desert; definitely not true.  Very beautiful and the people were very friendly.  I enjoyed my visit there even though it was a bit hot at 91 degrees. 

Cairns, Australia - February 16th

We had been to the cosmopolitan tropical town of Cairns (pronounced “Cans”) sixteen years ago.  We had already been to the Tjapukai Aboriginal Culture Park, took the Kuranda Skyrail and Kuranda Scenic Railway and snorkeled at the Great Barrier Reef so decided to do our own thing during this port stop.

We have a wonderful port lecturer onboard and if I can’t listen to her live, her talks are replayed on our tvs and they’re always very interesting and provide lots of information for everyone on board – those we want to see things on their own as well as those who opt for excursions.

She had mentioned that you can take a photo with a koala at the local Casino so I was all in for that activity – and the Casino was very close to the cruise terminal.  Yes, I was able to hold “Micro,” an incredibly cute 3-year old male koala bear and, of course, had my photo taken with the little guy.  Michael snuck in a couple of pictures before the handler informed him, “no private photos, please!”  

When you think of “Casino,” you think only of gambling but this Casino actually had a zoo in the penthouse level.  Because of our limited time in port, we opted to do a little shopping. 

So, we ventured over to the Mall for some air-conditioning and helping the local economy.  Cairns has a tropical climate and it’s the rainy season right now.  Although it didn’t rain, the temperature was way into the 90s with humidity, I’m guessing, not much lower.  It was quite awful (for me) but the pinched nerve in my neck flared up so I was more uncomfortable because of my neck rather than from the heat.  We managed to get back onboard the ship by noon.  

We’re now on our way to Darwin located in the Northern Territory.

Michael’s Observations:  Cairns is very clean, no signs of graffiti anywhere and is very flat which makes walking a breeze.  If you have a chance, come visit. 

Sydney, Australia - February 12th

Time is going by so fast that I’m losing track of where I am and where I’ve been.  It’s Thursday, the 18^th and it’s hard to believe that we were in Sydney last Friday. 

The onboard choir comprised of our fellow passengers, led by the piano maestro, David Crathorne, practiced and learned Waltzing Matilda so, in keeping with the world cruise tradition, at 6 a.m., while we entered Sydney and passed the magnificent Opera House, the choir sang while the rest of us took lots of early morning photos.  It was a lovely morning and the city looked very inviting.  Sydney has a lovely skyline.  

We had been to Sydney 16 years ago so we didn’t schedule any cruise excursion but opted, instead, to take the free shuttle to Darling Harbour, a 15- minute ride from the cruise terminal and walked around.  The weather was beautiful and the waterfront looked new and clean, with lots of restaurants and cafes.  It’s a lovely harbor, and what I expect the Seattle waterfront will look like one of these days when it’s all said and done. 

 

They were getting ready for Valentine’s Day so there were lots of love-related flags and decorations and lots more for the Chinese New Year.  It was all very colorful.  (Unfortunately, I’m still unable to upload photos but I will keep trying.) 

An IMAX at the harbor boasted being the largest IMAX screen in the world, measuring 30 x 35 meters – it was the size of the building and the building was huge!  Unfortunately, neither Michael nor I were interested in the offerings at the theatre – Star Wars, Dead Pool and The Revenant.  

When we left Sydney around 9 p.m., Michael and I went back to the pool deck where he was able to take some very dramatic photos of the skyline at night as well as the Harbour Bridge and Opera House with the clouds hovering behind.  

We set sail and headed north towards Cairns.