thefouramigosblog

Today we decided to take it easy and relax by the pool. We woke up late, after a much needed night’s sleep. It’s been a lot of driving for Bruce and we hoped that he could go a day without driving.

We went in the lukewarm jacuzzi and stayed in there awhile until we were overrun with little ones. At that point the pool was empty so we ventured over there.  But not long after, the tiny tots invaded once again. Enough for resting around the pool.

For some reason Bruce and I are not good at resting so we needed to find something to do. Already early afternoon, we decided to go downtown and walk the Esplanade, which is the avenue by the ocean in Cairns.

We walked around the Saturday market and checked out the lagoon. There were a lot of people, especially kids in the lagoon, so we decided to pass on going in for a swim.

We were all getting hungry so we checked prices at the restaurants along the Esplanade. We found a hotel with a casino and restaurant. Bruce, Stan and I had fish, chips and salad for $15. Linda had pot roast, potatoes and vegetables for $15. It was a great deal.

We played a little in the casino and then watched the pelicans on the beach.

At the end of the day it was time to go food shopping.   That was quite the experience.  The big grocery store closest to our condo closed at 6pm and we arrived at 6:20.  So we headed back towards the Esplanade to find another Cole’s grocery store. We finally found one but had difficulty figuring out how to get in.   Instead of the four amigos shopping we should be called the four stooges.  Wandering aimlessly around the supermarket, Linda and I have a tendency to go into lalaland, staring into space.  However, through it all we managed to fill our basket and have items to make several meals.

After a long day we had grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for dinner.  We played a game of cards and called it a night.

The next day we drove to Crystal Cascades  for a nice hike and to see some waterfalls. It was a beautiful morning, sunny and not too hot.  There were several natural pools to swim in but we decided we weren’t hot enough to get wet.

After our hike we went to the Esplanade to check out a tourist info center that was supposed to be the only legitimate one, according to Lonely Planet.  We went to eat at the restaurant in the casino because the food is good and the price is right.  We played in the casino and Bruce’s name was called. He ended up participating in a slot tournament and the first round he won a $20 gift certificate for the restaurant. Second round he won the same. Third round he won $30 in cab fare. And he ended up winning $500 coming in second place. All our reef trips are now paid for with the winnings. We left after the tournament and visited a few tourist information places trying to sort through the myriad of options for reef trips and then checked out the boats on the pier.  What a beautiful end to a lovely day!

One of the things we wanted to do in Rockhampton was visit Capricorn Caves formerly Olsen’s Caves.  The Olsen family owned the land the Caves were on for 100 years and sold it back in 1988.  They are dry Caves and there are many different chambers.

Our guide for the tour, Lynda, lead us to the vestibule where we began this magical journey.

 

We walked carefully through the cave from on chamber to the next.  One chamber is called camel.  Can you see why?

As we walked through the cave, bats were flying everywhere.  Unfortunately they move so fast I was unable to catch them with my camera.  However Bruce was able to catch them on a video which I haven’t been able to upload.

The limestone formations were amazing from room to room.  When light hits the limestone it causes it to turn green.

The old wooden bridge in this picture was built about 100 years ago but is no longer used in the cave.

In the cathedral, they hold private functions such as weddings.  It is even used twice a year by an opera company to perform because of the amazing acoustics.  While we were in the cathedral, Lynda played Leonard Cohen’s song Hallelujah while the lights went from dim to total blackness.

The end of the tour was interesting.  We had to walk through very tight space that zigzagged back and forth and eventually lead us to a suspension bridge.  It was amazing.

What a great place to visit! #capricorncaves

We still had a four hour drive ahead across some very lonely, desolate land.  Not a town in sight until we came to this little gas station in the middle of no where.

After another hour we came to this little place by the side of the road.  We didn’t need to eat but we did need to stretch our legs.

On our last leg we stopped at Sarina Beach.  It’s a beautiful beach, lovely aqua colored water but notice not a person in the water and really no one on the beach.  Unfortunately these pristine beaches have jellyfish problems and not just any jellyfish.  They have box jellyfish which if you get stung, chances are you can die.  So beautiful beach to look at but no going in the water.

We finally reached our hotel in the late afternoon.  We went for a quick dip in the pool and then out for a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant.

Another great day on this adventure!

After a long ride we made it to the Welcome Home Motel in Rockhampton just up the road from Hungry Jacks (Burger King).  Again it’s not the Ritz but the room is clean, they provide coffee, have hot water, and the bed was comfortable. Oh and did I mention CHEAP!!!

I spent about half an hour trying to photograph the flocks of birds flying around our balcony.  They were going crazy playing with each other.

Afterwards we went to dinner at a bistro recommended by the hotel manager, which turned out to be a little casino.  We all had the daily special of chicken schnitzel for $12.  It was great.  Bruce and I played a slot machine and won a little bit of money.

In the morning we went to the visitors center to get information on where we wanted to go today.  At the visitors center was The Spire Tropic of Capricorn which divides the Tropic zone to the north and temperate zone to the south.

We ate breakfast at a cute little coffee place in town.  It was a long walk but I needed to get my 10,000 steps in today.  We had bacon, egg and cheese on bagels.  It was really good.

 

We visited the Dreamtime Cultural Centre where we had a private guided tour on aboriginal history.

Francis, our first guide was from the Island of Mer or Murray depending on whether you use the Island name or English name.  He explained about the Islands being part of Australia and that once there was a land mass connecting Papua New Guinea to Australia.  When the sea came over the land mass it created the little islands.  There are different creole dialects from the east to the west.  Also in the old days, heads were used as money and wealth was based on how many heads you had.  Then pearls became the bartering power and many islanders died diving for pearls.  Cannibalism was also practiced in the island’s many years ago but no longer.  However, Francis said that it is still practiced in Papua New Guinea.

Some of the shells were from the Great Barrier Reef.  Francis said that the shells clean the reef and when the shell dies they honor the shell.  Also a turtle shell he had on display was very large.  He said that the turtle was probably 50 years old.

Wayne was our next guide and he played the didgeridoo which had a deep sound.  He showed us how he made different sounds with it by using his tongue.  Young boys begin to learn how to play the instrument and it is a sign of manhood when they can play it at a function.

Wayne then gave Bruce and Stan a short lesson on how to throw a boomerang.  A returning boomerang is the mid size boomerang and that’s really a toy.  A very large boomerang doesn’t return and it is used to hunt kangaroo.  A very small boomerang is used to hunt small prey.

We enjoyed walking through the cultural center and learned a lot today from our excellent guides.

In the late afternoon we went to the local zoo to see the koalas being fed.  I am not much for zoos but it was free.  Actually the place had a wildlife feel to it so it was fun to walk through.

At the kangaroo exhibit, one of the females was pregnant and the joey’s foot was sticking out of the pouch.

Birds were flying overhead and a flock of lorikeets came in to drink out of a dish.  They are such colorful birds.

 

It’s late afternoon and the birds are flying overhead again.  We sat on our balcony so I could write and Bruce could smoke his cigar.

For dinner we headed back to the little bistro/casino we ate in the night before.  Tonight we had battered barramundi fish.  It was delicious.  Afterwards we played the slots and won again.  We were going to treat Linda and Stan to coffee and cake but it was on the house.

We really enjoyed our stay Rockhampton!

Our 22 day Transpacific crossing ended with fond farewells to fellow travelers, our favorite waiters, Alroy and Yogesh, and our cabin attendant, Hospicia,  who dazzled us with her creative towel animals many nights.

We saw some great shows and had a lot of laughs with some of the off beat comedians.  One of our favorites was Strings Alive who had a fantastic fiddler.

Our departure morning I woke in the predawn hours as we were approaching the dock in Circular Quay.  As we approached, our balcony looked out at the Sydney Opera House.  It was incredibly beautiful with the reflections of the lights beaming on the water.

After I took these photos I went back to bed for another two hours.  When I awoke, the opera house was still right in front of my balcony.

 

It was time to leave our cabin which we had called home for over three weeks.  It was a very sad parting.

Now for a little information about arriving in Sydney.  We had read a lot about how customs searched luggage and if you didn’t report tobacco products or if you brought a weapon such as a diving knife,  they would confiscate it.  Bruce decided not to bring his diving knife with him because of that and Linda and Stan reported that they had a little over a carton of cigarettes.  We met with the border patrol on the boat two days prior to getting off the ship and I told them I had three cigars and Bruce said he had three.  The border patrol guy initialed our documents and that was it.  Linda and Stan had a “C” written on there documents.  When we got off the ship, we didn’t go through any detectors, we handed someone the documents and walked off.  They didn’t even look at our passports or stamp them.  It was the easiest process of any country we have gone into and we were told it was going to be difficult.  Unfortunately, Linda and Stan paid a lot of money they didn’t need to.  But now I want an Australia stamp on my passport!!

We found a nice cab driver who took us to our Airbnb.  We had to wait outside for a little bit until I could get in contact with the host.  It’s a lovely little place with a nice deck where we can sit and relax.

After we unpacked we went out for a walk to check out the neighborhood.  A block away we found a cute little coffe shop where we had smoothies and dessert.

For dinner we found a great little Thai restaurant.  We all had my favorite, Pad Thai. I am trying to eat less now that I am not on the ship.  So far I’m doing a little better.  At least no escargot every night.

We are staying in Bondi Junction, the burbs of Sydney.  Cool place.  Some of the buildings remind me of Brooklyn, some remind me of Charleston.  I guess you’d say it’s eclectic.  Love it!

Mystery Island willl remain a mystery to us.  Our anticipated arrival to Mystery Island was cancelled due an emergency evacuation of one of the passengers.  We were very disappointed since this was the one Island Bruce and I really wanted to visit and to snorkel around.  However, we both felt sympathy for the person who was ill and the people he was traveling with.  We did find out two days later that he was stabilized and doing well.

So we had to deal with another sea day. And what’s not to love about that!

We did have a nice time in Lifou where we were greeted by tribal singers and dancers after we disembarked the ship.  The captain of the explorer had come ashore and was honored a guest.  As we walked down the road we came across a thatched hut and were invited to look inside.  It was decorated with bright colors and had a fire pit in the center.

Along the same road was an old church.  Unfortunately it was not open to the public.

There were beautiful flowers along the way.

We hiked up a steep hill to another church.  This church was open.  It was a charming little church on top of a hill overlooking the Pacific.  A cool breeze blew through the sanctuary and made it an ideal place for quiet reflection.

The following day we made our last Pacific Island stop to Mare.  It was amazing.  We again were greeted with song by the islanders as we climbed off the tenders.

We had a bus ticket to take us to Yejele Beach which National Geographic named one of the top 5 beaches in the world.  It was a lovely beach with soft white sand, clear water and coral reefs.  Bruce and I had fun snorkeling although the water temp was only in the 70s.

Bruce was able to take some underwater photos with our new Nikon camera.

Driving back to catch the tender, the island’s beauty was everywhere.  It was a perfect South Pacific Island.

What a beautiful world we live in and how lucky I am to be a part of it!

 

Yesterday, Fiji left me feeling a little letdown by the aggressiveness of the people and the not overly impressive topography of the country.  So needless to say,  I wasn’t expecting much from our visit to Suva which was on the same island of Fiji, just the other side.  What I found was far more impressive and the people much warmer and welcoming.

We signed up for a tour put together by Cruise Critic and conducted by Moana Tours.   Our guide, Moses, was charming and very informative.

Our first stop on the Suva was the Presidential Palace and the changing of the guard.

We visited a local park.

Our next stop was a beautiful waterfall.  Unfortunately we didn’t have our bathing suits on so we didn’t take the plunge.

The highlight of the day was at Orchid Island which isn’t an island but was a cultural center and gardens.   The gardens were destroyed several tears ago when a Cat 5 hurricane came through the area.  The Fijians have been rebuilding the gardens and center and gave a wonderful performance.

There was a prayer lodge with carvings and an outside history museum reflecting Fijian culture.

We watched a performance of fireaters and walking on fire.

For the four amigos the adventure ended here.  We were ready to return to the ship for late afternoon coffee but several people stayed on to shop at the infamous “Jacks.”

Suva was a lovely place and I really would love to spend more time there but the ship was moving on –

It has been a crazy but fun filled three weeks traveling across the Pacific.  Unfortunately I wasn’t able to upload photos while on the ship so I’m sending the blog out now with highlights of the ship crossing.  We have seen lovely sunrises and sunsets.

On day 13 of our trip, we crossed the international dateline.  It was really strange because we went from Thursday to Saturday, virtually losing a day of our life.  Pretty weird.  There wasn’t any big “to do” on the ship unless I missed it.

On day 15 we finally made land again in Lautoka, Fiji.  We didn’t make any plans and thought we would hire a cab driver to take us to the thermal mud pools.  Our driver, Songe, was not the most personable character but when we got off the ship, it was like going through a gauntlet of aggressive sales people.  So we finally chose one just to stop being harassed.  Songe drove us around and showed us a few sites before taking us to the thermal mud pools.

The thermal mud pools are natural occurring and according to locals, US military utilized them during WWII.  We first coated ourselves in mud, then we stood in the sun to let it dry.  After the mud dried we went into the first thermal pool to get the majority of the mud off our bodies.

Our final bath was in a large swimming pool that was fed from the thermal spring.

The water temperature was warm but not scalding and none of us wanted to get out – it was like a warm tub.

Songe took us back to the ship and we enjoyed the scenery.  Unfortunately we didn’t get to see a beach today.

It was a fun day but overall I was not impressed with Fiji.