Feb. 18--and previous

Tuesday, Feb. 5 Port Chalmers/Dunedin.

A wee bit of Scotland in southern New Zealand. And what a delightful city Dunedin was.
Captain Cook stood off the coast in 1770 and reported penguins and seals. This lead sealers to the area and the early years of sealing lead to a feud between the sealers and local Maori. European diseases and epidemics later reduced the Maori population by great numbers.

Dunedin was established at the Maori village of Otakou. It was originally called New Edinburgh but soon re-named Dunedin, the old Celtic name for Edinburgh. Dunedin is a planned city and the designer was instructed to emulate the characteristics of Edinburgh. Unfortunately, the landscape made following the plans difficult. The world’s steepest street, Baldwin St, rises has a l to 3+ grade. Every year a race called the Gut Buster is held on the street. Did we say that Dunedin was a college town?


After breakfast we joined Bob and Phylis Isban from Osprey, Florida to tour the city.
The Otago Peninsula forms the harbor and the road along the harbor gave us a very scenic from our dockage at Port Chalmers to Dunedin. The Peninsula is a renowned eco tourist area giving visitors an opportunity to see the Royal Albatross, the rare yellow-eyed penguin, seal, sea lions and many water and wading birds.

The center of Dunedin is aptly called the Octagon and there we picked up the hop on, hop off bus for a narrated tour of the city. At $20 per person it was a great way to get an overview of the city and its history. The hop on hop off allows you to do just that. If you get off, another bus will be along within a half to three quarters of an hour for reboarding.

One stop where the bus waited for us was the old railroad station. Now owned and maintained by the city or an historic trust it is a train station in the grandest sense of the word. The floor is made up of thousands of tiles. If I ever remember the name of the famous company that made the tiles I’ll post it later. .

Returning to the ship for lunch we then set out on foot for the little town of Port Chalmers. Like all the other ports we visited the commercial dock area is covered with stacks of cut trees and in this case a pile of wood chips that would cover a city block. Well, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration but if I can get the pictures up you’ll see what I mean.

After dodging lumber trucks and shuttle buses we wandered around (up hill of course) Port Chalmers for a couple of hours It was like stepping back into time with just a few shops, a lot of empty stores, a hotel out of a western movie and a small super market. And a used book store!
Really used books, not gently read books like we sell at the library in Bonita. The people, like everyone we meet in New Zealand ,were very friendly and helpful. Our only purchase was a roll of mints and a bottle of New Zealand wine.

It was back to the ship for Mardi Gras. The dining room was decorated with balloons and streamers with masks provided for the ladies. The staff were dressed in costume from the King of mardi gras to jesters and the like. Between the main course and dessert the waiters and kitchen help paraded around the dining room mardi gras style. A party was held in the Crow’s Nest for the night owls (read those who stay up until 11:30).

It’s sad to leave New Zealand. The country is beautiful and varied and the people wonderful.
And we can almost understand the language they speak.

Wednesday, Feb. 6.

Today we cruise the three major fiords (that the New Zealand spelling as opposed to the Norwegian fjord) within Fiord land National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site. The fiords can only be described as indescribable. Or perhaps jaw dropping. As we left the Tasman Sea and entered the first fiord, Dusky Sound about 8 am every camera on the ship came out. Later in the day we cruised Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound, each one more spectacular then the previous. Milford Sound is known as the wettest place in New Zealand. It rains an average of 182 days a year with an annual rainfall of 6813 mm. There is a 50% chance of sun. Someone must be looking out for the Amsterdam because we had a sunny, reasonably warm and clear day!

Dusky Sound is 30 miles long and was (of course) discovered by Captain Cook during his first expedition in 1770. The area was once home to the moa, a large bird similar to an ostrich but many times larger. The moa was hunted to extinction. Captain Cook had an exploration camp on the large island he named Resolution Island after his ship, the Resolution.

Cook did not enter the second sound, Doubtful Sound, as he thought it was just an inlet. The sound makes such quick bends and turns it is easy to see how he was fooled.

The area is home to seals, a very small pod of bluenose dolphin (about 50-60),penguins, albatross and many other birds.

There are no roads into the sounds with of one exception, a road, open only in the summer, to the base for tour boats at Milford Sound. Unless you’re on a cruise ship you can only view the Sounds by trekking in (sometimes it takes over a week), taking a small excursion boat, or flying over in a small plane or helicopter. There are reportedly areas in the interior of the park when no human has yet to set foot.

Glacial activity formed the land which rises to 6,600 feet at the northern end of the park. The sides of the cliffs are granite, quartzite, and limestone. Chestnut and oak trees cling to the sides of the cliffs and form a temperate rain forest. Moss hangs from the trees and grows underfoot.

The water in the sounds is 600 to 1,000 feet deep. Because of the heavy rainfall, there is a deep layer of fresh water, stained dark brown from the tannin from the trees, on top of the sea water. The dark, fresh top water allows black coral trees to form and grow under water. Some of the black coral trees are reported to be 300 years old.

Milford Sound runs inland 9.3 miles and is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise almost 4000 feet on either side. Absolutely incredible!!!!

The good weather held until we returned to the Tasman Sea. The days are getting longer (more clock changes tonight and tomorrow) and it is still reasonably light at 9 pm.

Everyone hates to leave New Zealand but Australian is just across the Sea , only a little over a thousand miles away.

Thursday, Feb. 7.

The Tasman Sea. Our good luck and smooth seas have ended. Someone must have offended King Neptune. Today we are experiencing force 9 winds (strong gale) and 12 foot seas. Between bouts of feeling a bit under the weather, I tried to go on deck for some fresh air. It was probably a good thing I couldn’t open the doors on either side of the ship as it was pretty nasty out there. The winds are now(8:45 pm) clocked at 44.5 knots and the seas described as “rough.”
Feb. 8, Friday, Still at sea but it’s a bit calmer.

Not much to report so I thought I would put in a little about our home away from home.
Built in 2000 in Italy, the Amsterdam is the flagship of the Holland America fleet. Not a “mega ship” by any means, she has a capacity for 1,380 passengers, is 780 feet long, 61,000 tons, is powered by 5 diesel generators, and uses 32000 gallons of diesel fuel a day. Maximum speed is 24.5 knots. From Ft. Lauderdale to Sydney we will have traveled 11,299 nautical miles.

The Amsterdam is considered mid-size in the cruising world. She has a wonderful art collection on board, with paintings, ceramics, statutes, ship models and the like scattered everywhere on board. The floral arrangement in all the public areas are very unusual and very beautiful.

There are 10 passenger decks, 12 passenger elevators, 2 swimming pools--one with a retractable roof, 18 public rooms, two jewelry shops (one very, very expensive), a two-tired dining room, a library, movie theater with pop corn served at each movie, a larger theater for shows and entertainment, a medical center with doctor and 3 nurses, a beauty salon, health spa, walk around deck and more. There are 3 self service laundry rooms with coin operated washing machines ($4. For a large load), free dryers and irons and ironing boards. I only use the laundry room to touch up items as our travel agent gave us laundry service as a gift. How much nicer than wine.

Speaking of wine…..it’s expensive. You can buy it by the glass, the bottle, or in advance. A bottle of wine that would go for about $10 at home is $32 onboard. You can bring wine on board for consumption in your cabin only. If you want to have it in the dining room there is a corkage charge….I think it is about $15 or $20. We have bought a bottle of two local wines in Australia and New Zealand and have them in the cabin. Unfortunately we don’t have a mini-fridge in the cabin so we (read I) can’t give them a fair test as I add ice.

We like the Amsterdam because of it’s size and the fact it is not glitzy and gimmicky. We don’t need a rock climbing wall, skating rink or water slide but do appreciate the teak deck chairs, blankets on deck when it is chilly, a Lido and dining room staff that knows our names, and coffee and tea served on deck.

On this world cruise there are about 1214 passengers and a crew of about 626. Most of the crew are from Indonesia or the Philippines. They sign on for the entire four month cruise.

It will be very difficult to get back to Falmouth and have to plan meals, cook meals, serve meals, wash dishes, make beds, do the laundry, get up from the table for another cup of coffee, take my own towel to the pool, not to mention clean the bathroom, vacuum, or change the water in the flowers in our room and drive to where I want to go. I think the motto on the ship is “ask and you shall receive.” And I am “madam” to most of the staff.

Tomorrow, Sydney.

We have been advised to be up on deck or in the Crow’s Nest (a lounge on deck 9 at the bow) by 6:00 a.m. to witness the sail into Sydney Harbor. Thankfully, they will be serving coffee and “opera house” rolls at that ungodly hour.


Saturday, Feb. 9

Up before dawn to see Sydney Harbor as we sailed in. I was not the first in the Crow’s Nest as it was raining and visibility was not good. In spite of the weather, it was exciting to see the Sydney Harbor Bridge, city skyline and Opera House appear.

Sydney is an enormous city with a population of over 4 million people (and we never saw a traffic jam). The city covers more than 1,430 square miles. The metropolitan area extends outward from the harbor to the foothills and the Blue Mountains (34 miles west, beyond botany Bay (20 miles south) and northward to Broken bay (about 30 miles). I guess everyone knows that the first European settlers in Australia were convicts transported to the largely unknown land as there was no room in the English jails. More on this later.

Unfortunately, such an early start to the day didn’t mean we had extra time in the city as the ship had to be cleared by customs, a lengthy and time consuming process. Customs officials did not board the ship until the gangway was down and secure. Then, as last names were called (alphabetically), passengers lined outside the Queen’s Lounge where passports were handed out. We were then directed to specific rows in the theatre where we waited for our row to be called. We exited the theatre and were directed to one of about six tables where our passports were checked and stamped. This went on for all passengers until 9:50 when the ship was finally cleared and passengers allowed to disembark.

We were docked at the Overseas Passenger Terminal, a relatively new terminal right in the center of all the action at Circular Quay, Sydney Harbor. Just like New Zealand we were subject to quarantine restrictions and dog sniffing. In Sydney we had to line up against the wall in groups of about 30 while the dog went down the line checking out each bag. I wondered if he could sniff something in a shirt pocket but given all the signs about fines didn’t want to put it to the test.

Sydney is divided into several areas, each with a distinct characteristic. I wanted to visit the area known as the Rocks first so with Alan holding the map we started out. Unfortunately, we turned right and spent the next hour or two making a huge circle to one street above where we started. Had we turned left and gone up a flight of stairs we would have in the Rocks in less than 5 minutes. We wandered around the Rocks, the oldest section of the city, for a short while and then it was back to the ship to change for the Opera House. Oh, did I say it was raining while we were walking.

On our ramble around the area we passed under the Sydney Harbor Bridge. The bridge, known as the coat hanger bridge and together with the Opera House is the iconic imagine of Sydney. The bridge is the widest long-span bridge in the world, the highest steel arch bridge with the top of the bridge standing 429.6 feet above the harbor, and the fourth-largest spanning arch bridge in the world. As Sydney grew and more and more people traveled in and out of the city on ferries, it was proposed that a bridge be built to alleviate harbor ferry traffic. (Somewhat of a switch from Boston where the ferries were added to alleviate the auto traffic) Construction began in 1929 and the bridge completed in 1932. Over 150,000 vehicles use the bridge in a day. It is a toll bridge. And no, I don’t know the cost.

It is possible to walk over the top of the bridge on a tour. For $179 ($ 259 if you book it with Holland America) you can take a tour to the top of the bridge. Reservations are necessary and you must sign a medical declaration to satisfy the bridge climb conditions. Breathalyzer tests can be given and you must be under .05% alcohol level. You are given a special bridge climb suit to wear, a tether, and cannot take anything loose such as pocketbooks, backpacks, or cameras. The climb goes in all weather except electrical storms, takes 3.5 hours, winds around structural elements, and incorporates ladders and catwalks. And of course, when you get back down you can buy a pictures of yourself at the top of the bridge. Neither of us did the walk and now I regret it.

After a quick, early lunch we headed out for the Opera House. Our ship was docked opposite the Opera House and it would have been 5 minutes in a dinghy but we had to walk around the end of the harbor and out to the end on the side opposite the ship. IN THE RAIN.



The Opera House is all that it is said to be. We saw Carman (in French) and enjoyed every minute of the performance and just being in such a wonderful venue.

The architect for the Opera House, a Dane named Jorn Utzon, was chosen after a world wide competition in 1956. The complex, begun in 1959 was budgeted at $7 million. Because of many disputes over construction, costs, etc., Utzon quit and we heard that he never saw the completed building. Final cost was $102 million with the money being raised by lotteries.


The Opera house is more than opera. It is a complex that houses several theaters for dance, drama, and film, 5 restaurants and six bars. The roofs which have been described as looking like a peeled orange or spinnaker sails are made of 1,056,000 ceramic tiles! The picture on the right is taken from halfway down the “front steps.”

In the second picture you can see the roof tiles behind Alan.


 (can this be blown up so you can see it? I just don't understand why the pictures don't appear.)


Sunday, Feb. 10

Sydney on a weekend is full of outdoor markets and craft stalls. We spent most of the morning at one in the Rocks and then took the Hop-On, Hop Off busses around the city and outlaying area. The buses are a great and inexpensive way to see the city. They are air conditioned, have comfortable seats (unlike Bora Bora and Tahiti) and provided a timed commentary as well as comments from the drivers. All for $6 Australian a day.

A side comment about $$$$.The US/Aus. Money has about the same value but we found we merchants, etc., would not take American. Prices are high compared to the US. A tube of Colgate toothpaste that would cost about $3.75 in Wal-Mart was about $6.50 in the land down under. A 2 liter bottle of Tonic Water, almost $5. The same for Coke. A little larger than the bottle we get at home for 99 cents when it’s on sale.


We took the inner city tour, then changed buses for a tour out to the world famous Bondi Beach.

In one of the city parks there is an obelisk that was used as the measuring point. When the city was being built and expanded everything was measured from the one point.


Monday, Feb. 11 At sea.

Much calmer seas than the Tasman Sea. New entertainers and lecturers have come on board. One, Mike Millwood, is well known to many of the passengers and his lectures promise to give an interesting view into the history of Australia.

Another of the hated life boat drills was held ----thankfully the weather was warmer than the past few days and the seas calmer. I look around me on deck during the drill and hope that I don’t every have to spend any time in a cramped, hot (or cold) lifeboat with no bathroom and over 100 other people. Instead of listening to the instructions I wonder which of my fellow passengers would panic, get sick, be willing to cannibalize the rest of us, or whatever people in dire situations due. They are probably wondering the same about me.

Sydney is the end of the cruise for those folk on board for only the first of four legs, and the start for 80 new guests. We are still seeing for the first time many people who boarded in Ft. Lauderdale.

Tuesday, Feb. 12

A cool, windy morning as we set out for downtown Melbourne with the intention of taking first the inner city free hop-on-hop-off tram then the also free also hop-on-hop-off tram to take us further out from the inner city. Melbourne should be called the city of public transportation. There were free trams, $6.00 a day trams, trains, buses, horse drawn carriages and automobiles. We took a shuttle from the ship to the first tram, that tram to Flinders Street station and then the Day Tram for our tour.

Our plan went slightly awry when I heard the tram driver announce, “switch here for the tram to the zoo.” We quickly hopped off (did I say the trams were very crowded with people clinging to the straps?) and found ourselves at Queen Victoria Market. Thank Big! Think Bigger! Think Overwhelming! The market placed stretched for blocks, sold everything from fruits, meats, fish, jewelry, t-shirts, vegetables we couldn’t name, underwear, and just about anything else you can think of. Since all but one of Alan’s ties are in Falmouth we decided to splurge and buy him two new ones. Since they will probably never be worn after we leave the ship we went all and spent $5 on each one.
One has tennis players and one

We finally found out which side of the street to be on to catch the #55 tram to the zoo.
Unfortunately, the zoo was a disappointment and to add to our unhappiness we had trouble finding the tram to get back to the city. We think we may have exited a different gate to get out. In any event it was a long, long, long, hot walk to the tram stop. And of course, we didn’t know which side to wait on.

Back in the city we didn’t have time to go to the Shrine of Remembrance as I had wanted but we did find a TARGET as well as an electronic store where I bought a Dictaphone recording type thing so I can record comments of what we see as we tour the various cities. Note taking just doesn’t work out on buses or at the lectures in the Queen’s Lounge.

With help from one of the many volunteers who wandered the streets of many of the Australian cities we were on the correct side of the street to get the #109 back to Melbourne harbor where we caught the shuttle to the Amsterdam.

The night’s entertainment was the best so far. A couple, one of only five in the world, performed quick change magic (for lack of a better word). The couple, Soul Mystique, dance and sing, incorporating costume changes into the show. One at a time, they disappear behind a curtain area on stage and reappear on the other side ---in less than a minute---in a completely different costume. For the finale, the woman was standing in the middle of the stage when her partner swirled a very large silk cloth over her. As the cloth descended over her, a shower of gold petals came down and when the cloth settled at her feet, her costume had changed completely. Her costumes were so skimpy that nothing could have been hidden under them. When the daily program said we would be “flabbergasted” they were correct.


February 13, 14 and 15 At Sea


I love sea days. I can’t say they are relaxing because there is so much to do but they do allow a little time to toss old newspapers, put the laundry in the bag for collection, and catch up on the blog.

With three sea days in a row it’s time for me to write a little about Australia’s early history without the convict portion of it which I’ll get to later. Most of the following is
plagiarized from the Daily Program.

Australia’s original inhabitants, know as Australian Aborigines, have the longest continuous cultural history in the world with origins dating back to the last Ice Age. Although mystery and debate shroud many aspects of Australian prehistory, it is generally accepted that the first humans traveled across the sea from Indonesia about 70,000 years ago. The first to arrived were called “robust” by archaeologists because of their heavy-boned physique were followed 20,000 years later by the more slender “Gracile” people, the ancestors of the Australian Aborigines.

The first Europeans were the Portuguese navigators followed by Dutch explorer in the 16th century. Captain James Cook sailed the entire lkength of the eastern coast in 1770, stopping at Botany bay. He claimed the continent for the British and named it New South Wales.

The religion of the Aboriginal people is complex, combining spiritual ties with the land, rituals, totemism, mythology and magic. “Dreamtime’ is the basis for all traditional thought and practice. This is the dawn of all creation, existing separate from time and space and linking the past, present and future. Elaborate rituals, which were established in dreamtime, are necessary for the world to continue. The tribal elders hold the responsibility and it is taken very seriously. Rituals are especially important upon death It is believed that a person’s spiriti does not die with physical death and that ceremonies are essential to ensure that the spirit becomes embodied in another form such as rocks, trees, animals or another human. Mythology is also important, as animals are often given human and superhuman qualities in the dreamtime stories. The Aboriginies did not have a written languages and have orally passed on these stores for thousands of years in ceremonies and with rock painting.

The belief that the world order was established at creation has given the Aboriginals no concept of progress and change, or ownership of land, giving them a lifestyle that has remained unchanged for generations.

The “dot” art of the Aboriginals were originally used in addition to the oral history of their dreamings, or creation legends. Some artists were criticized for having revealed too much of the sacred heritage in their art to the dots became in effect a form of camouflage. Detailed depictions of human figures and ceremonials paraphernalia were removed or modified. These designs and their inside meaning, originally done in sand, were not to be written down, traded or sold. Dotting and over-dotting became a means of concealing dangerous, secret designs. Artists are only allowed to paint their own tribes stories and only with permission from the tribal elder. When looking at a piece of authentic dot art, it should be viewed as though looking down from above.

February 14, VALENTINE’S DAY At sea

Feb. 15 At Sea

Feb. 16 Freemantle/Perth, Western Australia

Western Australia is the most sparsely populated areas in the world. In makes up 1/3 of Australia but contains only 11 % of the population. Perth is one of the most isolated cities in the world and is closer to Asia than to Sydney. Early settlers came from Tasmania, or “across the ditch.” The area experienced both a gold rush in the 1890s and the discovery of industrial diamonds in 1979. It contains 3 major deserts and is extremely hot.

The Amsterdam docked at Victoria Quay on the banks of the Swan River. Trains and buses connect Freemantle to Perth. It’s about 40 minutes by bus to Perth. As we sailed up the river to Freemantae power boats of all sizes could be seen heading in the opposite direction from us. We later found out that we had seen the boats accompanying over 1200 swimmers in the annual12 mile race to Rottenest Island. The first explorers to the island found the island to be overrun with animals they thought to be rats. The words rat’s nest evolved into Rottenest.
Because of the currents, it is a very difficult race and each swimmer must be accompanied by a boat.

The usual quarantein notices were in effect and prominently displayed but we found Freemantle to be much more relaxed than ports in New Zealand and Australia.
We opted for a tour to Caversham Wildlife Park and were very happy with it.

Much of the scenery on the road to the Park reminded us of lower Cape Cod. We passed the same type of dunes and beaches that one sees in the Turo area. The Swan River area is fast becoming well known for its wines and we passed many acres of grape vines.

Here’s the e-mail I wrote for Alexis’s second grade class on what we saw in the wildlife park. Please remember, it’s written for seven year olds!

Hi everyone,
Last week we went to a wildlife park in Freemantle, Australia. As I guess you know, Australia is a small continent but a big country. It has deserts, mountains, very dry areas, very, very wet areas, big cities, and what they call the "bush" which is out in the country. We had to sail for 3 days to get to Freemantle from Melbourne. We went to a zoo in Melbourne but didn't see very many animals so we decided to go to the wildlife park. And were we glad we did!
We saw many, many animals and got to feed and pet most of them. Some were cute and cuddly and some were scary. Some were pretty and some weren't.
The first animals we saw were kangaroos, the animals Australia is most famous for. Kangaroos and many of the animals in Australia area called marsupials. Marsupials carry their babies in pouches on their tummies. All of the baby marsupials are called "joeys." Kangaroo joeys are born before they have legs, and ears, and eyes and most of their other parts. They live in their mother's pouches until they are fully formed and then they can get out and hop around. This picture shows the joey's little feet sticking out of his mother's pouch.

The kangaroos didn't look very big but the park ranger explained that when they stand up on their hind legs their foot extends out (or down) and they can be taller than a tall man. Some people think kangaroos box when they fight with other kangaroos or sometimes even with people but they don't box. They balance on one leg and kick with the other. Their kick is very powerful. Kangaroos are very fast. They can hop 60 km an hour. Once again, you'll have to figure out how fast that is. They live in groups and a group is called a mob.
This is Alexis's grandmother feeding a kangaroo. Can you see how he is holding on to my hand with his paws? He was very strong but gentle.

The wildlife park had some white kangaroos but they are very rare. Most of the kangaroos we saw were red kangaroos. Red kangaroos are the largest.
.
Another marsupial is the mumbat, a rather strange looking creature with a long sticky tongue he uses to gather food. We didn't get a good picture of the mumbat. Guess if you are interested you will have to look him up in the library.

Then there is the Wombat, a burrowing marsupial. He is native to Australia and Tasmania, can be 28-48” long, has very short legs and grayish fur. Here is a very big Wombat. Her name is Big Babs.

Wombat's are nocturnal and live in burrows during the day. They are very heavy and have short legs and no visible tail. You can see how big the wombat is sitting with us.


Everyone’s favorite is the Koala. Called a koala bear by many people he is not related to the bear but just looks like a cuddly teddy bear. People are worried that the koala will become scarce or even extinct as the only thing they eat are the leaves of the eucalyptus tree and the eucalyptus trees are being cut down. Eucalyptus is very poisonous and the koala is the only animal that eats it. The leaves don't have much moisture or vitamins in them. The poison (which would make you very sick or even die) takes a long time to digest. Because the eucalyptus leaves don't give the animals much energy, koalas sleep 20 hours a day! I think eating just one thing every day for every day of your life would be boring......even if it was pizza or candy. What do you think?
The koala has very long and very sharp toenails. He hooks his toe nails into a tree trunk and it is very hard to make him let go until he is ready to.

The foot long platypus is very shy. He swims through the water using his duck like bill to stir up the mud in search of shellfish and bugs for diner. The platypus is also nocturnal and forages during the night. When he dives is underwater looking for food his eyes, ears and nose close. He finds food by scent. A platypus stores food in his check pouches until he gets to the surface to eat it. Sorry, no pictures.

I bet you know the song about Kookaburra sitting in the old gum tree. Well we saw a Kookaburra. It’s a pink and gray good-sized bird (about 18” high) with a high pitched laughing sound. When the bird "laughs" he throws his head back and flicks up his tail. They live in large family groups and eat insects, snakes, frogs, fish, rodents and things like that. We also saw the old gum tree. That is what the people who first lived in Australia called the eucalyptus tree.

Another animal that Australia if famous for is the dingo. The dingo looks like a sandy/gold colored dog. They were brought to Australia 3,500 years ago by Asian sailors. They became wild and lived very much likes wolves. the Aborigines (the people who lived in Australia before Europeans arrived) used the dingo for hunting. If they are very hungry the dingo will attack sheep and other farm animals for food. The Australians thought if they built a long fence across the country they could keep the dingoes from getting to the farmlands in eastern Australia. The built the longest fence in the world but it didn't work!
The dingo looked just like a dog to me.

The strangest animal we saw was the Tasmanian Devil. Just the name is pretty scary and the animal would look pretty scary if you saw his teeth. They came from the island of Tasmania, off the coast of Australia.

Upon returning to Freemantle (and lunch) we hopped onboard the free bus for a tour around the city, hopping off at the Maritime Museum. Admission was by donation which was a nice surprise. Highlight of the museum is the reconstructed stern of the Dutch ship Batavia, wrecked in 1629. The story of the Batavia is one of greed, mutiny, murder, survival and more.

Time was running out for museums, shops and the like so we wandered around the town of mostly closed stores and headed back to the Amsterdam for a BBQ on the Lido deck complete with entertainment by the Windjammers, Australia’s famous musical group.”
Think 5 or 6 bearded men dressed in striped jerseys singing such tunes as What Shall We Do With a Drunken Sailor?” Very enjoyable.

The day’s big excitement!!!! A snail mail letter from our daughter Karen. If you want to snail mail us, let us know and we’ll send you the addresses in the various ports of call.
I know e-mail if faster and easier but it was such fun getting real mail.

Sunday, Feb. 17 At sea

Ah, Cyclone Nicolas is the talk of the ship. It seems that a cyclone is hanging around in the area of our next port, Bali on Indonesia. The seas are getting a bit rougher but not as rough as the Tasmanian Sea. Shipboard life goes on as usual.

Today we had our second group luncheon with Cruise Critic passengers. Cruise Critic is a wonderful web site for anyone contemplating a cruise --long or short. By the time we boarded the ship we felt like we knew many of the folks we corresponded with on Cruise Critic. And the advice of those who had done world cruises or lengthy cruises was invaluable. We’re getting together with people we meet on Cruise Critic to tour Bali.

Monday, Feb. 18 At Sea, dodging the Cyclone.

We had been warned to expect things to go bump in the night as we passed close to Nicholas but there was nothing to worry about. The Captain’s 1:00 PM announcement said he had sailed 140 miles off course to avoid the storm and we were back on course with no ill effects.