Have a Great Day the time is

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

The Dawn Princess opened my eyes

Our First Holiday at SEA

I'm not a sailor, but 17 days Cruising with the Dawn Princess has changed my mind.

So the story begins ...

I was not going cruising, there is just too much water and I have a thing about water. But I was told by Helen that we were going and going with Anne and Tony. My mind was racing. For a start we had to get to Perth and that meant flying to Brisbane, staying a night with Anne and an early morning trip to catch the plane to Perth.
I hate being rushed. There is nothing better than forward planning and dotting the Is (eyes) and crossing the Ts and when I'm not organising it I have no control on the outcome. Anne booked all flights with Angela's assistance (she works in Travel), the only thing I booked was Rockhampton to Brisbane and back on the 14th.

From experience of other trips Helen was able to rationalise on the packing and in the long run there were only a few things we didn't use, she is very good. An over night bag was packed for Annes and I had my CPAP gear in it too, along with all the camera and phone chargers, and a multi power plug outlet and an extension cord. I had read that there was only one Australian General Power Outlet in a cabin.

Going away for 17 days at sea means you can't duck down to the chemist to get a repeat, so we both planned carefully the number of pills we would both need.

21 June 2013
I always make a check list of the last things one needs to do before locking up and going. Windows, doors, TV power off, phone Nielsens, computers off, ADSL off, shed locked, refrigerator on holiday mode, taps off and not dripping, kitchen mains off, garage doors off auto, car windows open a bit, tell the neighbours you'll be away, lock the big ports, check all the tickets, passports, medical insurance and wait for either a taxi or a friend like Christa to take you to the airport.

Booking in at Virgin, both our big bags were 16 kilos which is good because it leaves room for Duty Free and general buying up. Our hand luggage was only 4.5 kilos, you are allowed 7 kgs.
The 40 minute flight to Brisbane was bumpy and cloud and rain all the way.

Tony picked us up and on the way home we stopped at the Calamvale Hotel for lunch. Anne was still working.

22 June 2013
Early start this morning with Jak picking us up at 0515 and heading to Brisbane Domestic. Jak has a large station wagon and all the 4 big ports and 4 little ones just fitted in. For some reason we all had breakfast at the airport, then lined up at Gate 40 to board a Virgin 737-800 for a 5 hour and 25 minute flight to Perth. Air born at 0905 and breakfast was served. I had scrambled eggs, snags and tomato and a cup of tea. The others didn't eat.
We were over Mt Hope at 1145 and landed at 1422 EST or 1222 West Australia Time. Anne had packed a little bag of almonds and apricots for a transit snack, which was very nice. The dog didn't pick it up at Perth so we kept it and finished them off later.
Taxi to the Mantra on Hay was $29 and our driver came from Afghanistan.

Perth City
No time to waste we had 4 days in Perth and had to make the most of it so after getting directions from the desk we caught a Redcat bus to the city. Redcat, Bluecat and Yellowcats were a free service and traveling this way you could very nearly see the whole city for free.  The buses can lower the front step and / or the whole footpath side of the bus, providing a  no step entry to the bus.  Makes it easy for mums with prams and older people.

We stopped at a cafe to have a bowl of soup a bit of a warm me up. As I sat down in one of the plastic chairs the plastic broke and splintered and I slumped down onto the ground. My right shoulder took most of the weight in the fall. People in the Mall ran forward to help and make sure I was OK. The owner rushed out with a glass of water and took the chair away.

We caught the bus back to Mantra and I walked down to the city park and the inlet for some photos. While there two tandem parachutes landed on the lawn.
Shoulder was a bit sore so I walked back up the hill to the hotel and later we all headed to the Bluerock restaurant for dinner. My eyes were very red and watering. You are probably wondering what eyes have to do with travel.  I have had an eye condition for 3 years; I've had every test possible and have seen the top Optomologist in Sydney, Professor Peter McCluskey.

23 June Sunday 2013
You only need to mention the word Markets and the women start dancing from foot to foot eager to go. So we took a Redcat bus to the city and got off at the Railway Station. We picked up a Transport day pass for $11 a couple and this would cover any trains, buses or boats for the day. Trains to Fremantle 32 7S 115 47E ran every 15 minutes and we were soon heading to the market.

Quite a big market, both in big tin sheds and under tents in the street. People jostling about all rugged up, it was cool and rained most of the time. The markets had everything, and I had to remind Helen that we had limited packing space and we still had at least another 20 days to go.

Helen, Anne & Tony
After the markets we visited the Maritime Museum which was extremely interesting, but like all museums – no photos. We saw how the canons were made in the old days. Not just cast solid as I thought they were. There was more to it, involving copper, lead and metal bands to allow for expansion when the powder burnt inside the canon.  I dare say that in the early days there were a few explosions in the testing.

Our hotel had Internet, but the company Azure providing it couldn't handle Apple or iPads. The information sheet said 2 hours/ 360 days and 200Mb for $15, sign on – sign off. I had to see the desk and found that I could only get one 2 hour session sign on once and use it all. Cindy at the desk was very apologetic and very helpful.
My neck and shoulder are still a bit tight but better than last night.

24 June 2013
Very early start today at 0515 for breakfast at 0600 and a bus coming to pick us up at 0720.
Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse
We changed buses at the Quay and headed off with Australian Pinnacle Tours for Cape Leeuwin, Busselton Jetty and the Margaret River.
The light house is located at Latitude 33° 22'S, Longitude 115° 08' E bitterly cold, driving rain just felt like needles pricking your face and the wind nearly blew you off your feet. But I can say that I have been there now.

Busselton Jetty
Our driver John, was wonderful, he had studied history and botany so he was able to give us a continual run down of the local history and name all plants of interest.. We stopped for a pee break and a hot cup of tea at Busselton Jetty  and again a very windy bitterly cold day with the sea pounding onto the shore. Not good for photos but a few of us braved the elements and captured the scenery.

Bootleg Brewery
Our bus took us to the Bootleg Brewery for lunch and for those who drink beer, a taste of the six shades of the brew and one cider made on site,  From there to Mammoth Caves  which were impressive, but nothing like the Jenolan Caves 
Mammoth Caves
We saw whales breaching along the way, something you don't see every day. At Margaret River which I thought would be a big town, turned out to be more of a sprawling wine region. With beautiful green grass and hundreds of vineyards and grapes growing on every flat surface. John took us to the Boranup Karri Forest where there grows huge Karri trees.
Karri tree and Tony
Now as much as I would love to tell you which winery we visited, I didn't make a note about it. But I can say the salesman was keen to get the tasting over and it was rushed and from memory the wines were not a good representation of the Margaret River.

On our way back to Perth, John explained the well designed transport system. Trains and cars use the same corridor, running side by side and meet at hubs where you can catch a bus to your destination. How the free buses are paid for I don't know, but it is a wonderful system and well patronised by the Perthanians. Perth was not a busy city crammed with cars, there was no hustle and bustle, there was no rubbish lying about. It is a very clean city.

25 June 2013
It is somewhat gross the amount of food you eat, because it is there. The Mantra provided a sumptuous breakfast, enough to keep the mind active all day. Bacon, scrambled eggs, tomato, baked beans, mushrooms, many varieties of toast, fruit and fruit juice, yoghurt and tea and coffee.

We walked up to the Perth Mint and watched as a $250,000 gold bar was poured before our eyes. No samples given out. This gold bar had been melted and re-poured 1000s of times, demonstrating to visitors. On show was a $52,000,000 Gold Coin. Impressive to look at, too heavy to put in your pocket, anyhow what would you do with it?
We each stamped out a couple of Mint tokens; Just put the blank in, followed by $2 and push the button.

From the mint we dodged showers and walked down to the Quay where we hopped on a ferry and followed the Swan River down to Fremantle. It was a lovely slow trip and we saw Gina Rineharts opulent house and many others all along the river bank. Our ferry was too high to go under the bridge, the tide was full, and the Captain said that the afternoon trip would just fit underneath. So it was back to Perth again and a long walk up the hill to the top of town. 
After a disagreement, the girls went one way and the boys the other.  
I'm more interested in taking photos, Helen wants markets and shops, Tony looks for cafes and bottle shops and where he can get the next cuppa coffee and Anne looks at shops like Helen.

Perth would be very easy to live in, the pace is much slower, less traffic on the road even in the city and public transport is controlled very well and very accessible.  Free buses, called red cat, blue cat etc take you anywhere in the city as hop on hop off and  a day pass for trains and buses other than the free bus.

I've got to do something about my bag that I carry, it is just too heavy, it has two cameras, the iPad a rain coat, passports and all the other stuff like hand wash, sun screen, sun glasses etc, so I need to get a bag that only has the essentials and the rest gets left in our room.

Because the weather is so changeable, rain one minute and fine the next you have to carry a coat, not that it is cold, just wet.  Like yesterday everyone got wet.



Dawn Princess
DAWN PRINCESS Passengers ship IMO:9103996, MMSI:310437000
Call Sign: ZCBU2
There is nothing like STRESS, my suds are up at 8/10 and because of others I have no control over what is to happen. Because we didn't need to book in to the ship until 1300, to the others that meant a free morning, but to me it meant get going, get down to Fremantle and use what ever hours spare to look around down there. So, a taxi was booked for 12noon and on the Redcat we all went to Perth City again. We did a round trip on a Bluecat then caught a Redcat back to Mantra.
Loaded all the bags and us into the taxi and zoomed down to Fremantle $50. Taxi dropped us at the loading bay for the bag drop.

Boarding process
Princess has the loading down pat. Their Movement Officers have been trained well. All bags going on board were colour coded and named and numbered and before we new it our bags joined others lining the floor of the loading shed.

Deck 8
We were ushered in to a waiting area and at the same time given a number and some forms to fill out. This process is different from aircraft and works much more smoothly.
Papers filled, our number was called and a large group of us were ushered through customs, our Passports were collected en-bulk and an identification card was produced. This card was to be our room key, ship ID card, anything we bought was logged to the card and it was very susceptible to magnetic interference. In fact my card was changed 5 times and re-magnetised twice. 
Stateroom D709
Nick, Lidiya, Helen
Next step was security where we had a photo taken and we were lead up the gang plank onto the ship. Group by group we were ushered through the lifts to our levels and shown to our staterooms. Helen and I were D709 and we were one of 19 that were looked after by Lidiya Parshenco our room stewardess.
By this time it was 1430 and we were told that lunch was available on level 14 at Horizons.

You have to see it to believe it. Two huge areas lined with hot and cold dishes, cold and hot cuts of meat, salads, pasta, vegetables, sweets, fruit, drinks, I just hope the photos you'll see later do it justice. Then seating in groups from two at a table to 10 or more and probably seating more than 500 people in total.

Life Jackets muster Drill
At 1645 we had been warned that there would be a Muster Drill, a practice with Life Jackets and what to do in an emergency. On the sounding of the general alarm we took our life jackets and headed to the Vista Lounge and listened to an address by a safety officer. We all donned the jackets, drill over we then made our way back to our staterooms.

The ship made a late departure due to delays in loading fuel and food. The ship moved away from the wharf and turned 180 degrees and headed out to the open sea at approx 2050 West Australian Standard Time.  Most agile passengers were on the top deck taking photos of the departure.

We all headed to the dining room and I was chipped for wearing shorts.  The dress code is longs.  But on this first occasion Alex allowed me in.  Dining has never been this grand since I had dinner with my Grand Mother.  The table was the correct height, but the chairs were lounge chairs and we were kind of eating up hill.
The table setting was as posh as a 5 star hotel with glasses for water and wine. Cloth napkins and tablecloth.  The flower on the table started out with buds and as the days went on, it flowered.  Some sort of water lily. 



Isagani and Rosa
We were introduced to our two table stewards.  Rosa Maria and Isagani, two of the most pleasant people, always reassuring  dressed like the Officers mess, always smiling and seemed to be very happy with what they do.  I was amazed to later see Rosa carrying 10 dinners on a tray from the galley.

To bed in our little room.  Lidiya came by to explain why the beds were single and not a double.  As a double in that room configuration would have been squeezier than the caravan.  So we left the beds as singles.


27 June 2013
Each day at noon the Captain addressed the ships passengers and gave them the navigational information for the day.
Navigation location - So for today at noon, we are at 28 27.8S and 113 19.2E, we had travelled 249 nautical miles times 1.852 = 461.1Kilometers  at an average speed of 17.4 knots times 1.852= 32.2kilometers per hour.
Just so you can do the calculations in future 1knot = 1.852Km/hour

We had breakfast in the formal dining room and yes in the morning it was ok to wear shorts. A gentle swell had the ship rolling slightly. It was enough to make you zigzag when ever walking forwards.

Each morning a paper called the Princess Patter was delivered and this would give you the program for that day. Helen and Anne organised their day and Tony and I would meet them for lunch and dinner.
I walked the decks finding my way around. Didn't seem to matter how many times you did this, you always found something new and lost your way at the same time.

Internet Cafe
I found the Internet Cafe  and it's manager Jules Krige from Pretoria in South Africa.  Jules is an award winning copywriter and web designer.  So I bought 400 minutes of satellite time. The speed is not as fast as land based ADSL, but I found it very adequate for sending email and FaceBook. The bandwidth was OK for Skype or face to face and for one of the passengers who wanted to see his horse racing in NZ.   Logging on had to be exactly as your name on your cabin card. 400 minutes gave me 25minutes a day for 16 days. On the last day I had 5 minutes left so I thought that was time well spent..

Now I could take my iPad and sit where ever on the ship and tap into internet.
Sitting having a bit of a doze and occasionally looking around to observe what this cruise was made up of.  Predominantly much older people, lots of walking sticks, wheelie walkers and a sprinkling of mobility carts.  The ship is like a huge floating retirement village.  The passengers are mostly over 70 and some one told me that there were 16 under 20 year old.  Now that doesn't include crew, there are a few young ones on the crew too.
Every where you go there is a person on a wheelie walker or a mobility scooter, but I suppose you have to get used to that.

28 June 2013

Navigation location - So for today at noon, 21 12.5S 113 30.1E last night we traveled 443 nautical miles at an average 18.5 knots.  So you can calculate distance - One minute of latitude equals one nautical mile and degrees of latitude are 60 nm apart. The distance between degrees of longitude isn't constant because they converge towards the poles.

Today's Patter at 0915 Welcome to Princess Cruises, all about the benefits of on going cruises and the different colour cruise cards and what they indicate.

1100 an introduction to Photography.  This was well presented by a knowledgeable photographer and it would lead to enlightening  those passengers who wanted to know more about taking good photos.  

The Photography Department is an essential group on the cruise.  They capture a moving history of the whole cruise from start to finish and stills of passengers coming and going, at diners, special occasions, going ashore and returning and sell the quality images within 24 hours of them being taken.
Natasha Kuzmanovic
Graphic designer & photographer
I say quality because the prints are produced in a chemical lab below decks and are reproduced on good quality A4 photo paper.  The quality of the photos depends on the skills of the photographer and the equipment used.
Princess at the moment are promoting Nikon cameras and I felt that the whole operation was A1.


Some photographers have wide knowledge and university degrees to back them up, while others have learnt by doing it. One up and coming photographer who took some wonderful portraits of Helen and I was Natasha Kuzmanovic.  If she sticks to it she has a great career ahead of her.

At 1300 I went to a seminar on a theory on how to loose 8 inches round the middle.  Interesting to listen to and probably a plausible way to loose weight, but having said that the catch was to buy a product to wipe on the skin to make you shrink. .. it would be good.  


An interesting one today, Friends at Sea Veterans meeting at 1545.  It was good to meet up, no one I knew, but 14 Veterans with Australian service.  One gent ex Navy and still going at 90 years old and later would display his ability to recite some of Australias Bush Poetry.  But the most interesting thing we all learnt was that if we contact PandO and Princess we will be entitled to more Princess money to spend on the ship.  A bit late for this cruise, but next time ...



Rosa and Isagani
Florentine Stewards
Our first  Formal night.  As much as I would prefer to wear shorts all the time it wasn't going to happen tonight.  The full bag of fruit.  Some were dressed like lords with a tux and bow tie.  I was lucky my suit fitted.  But in saying all that, everybody did look good, neat and tidy and the ladies looked lovely. When we were seated our two stewards stood out, they were immaculately dressed.  In fact all staff were black tie dressed and it gave the lounge a very upper class feel about it.  It reminded me of the day at the Governor Generals and Government House.
While on food and its availability, what is listed on the menu, you can have the lot if you think you can eat it.  But I didn't, I only have mains and sweets.  

In three days, 500 tonnes of food will have been consumed by the 1900 passengers and 800 staff.


In the Atrium, Captain Ivan Jerman an English born man educated in  the port town of Southwold and now living or based in Sydney Australia, introduced his senior officers at a cocktail party.   It was interesting to watch the gentry crawl over each other for a better placing, all dressed in their tux and sipping cocktails. You either are, or you aren't and never will be....


29 June 2013

Navigation location - So for today at noon, 13 48.6S 114 50.9E and we travelled 450 nautical miles at an ave speed of 18.8 knots.

Today was another day at sea and there is a shit load of water in all directions including under the ship to 5000 meters.

The Ships Officers, those men and women who make the journey as pleasant and as enjoyable as possible have a special responsibility in this large floating hotel

and were quite approachable to talk to.  English was a barrier, but they always smiled.
One of the most important members was the Chief Engineer Simone Solimini and I don't have information on him but he runs the power, motors and everything mechanical.

The Dawn Princess is a twin- screw diesel- electric vessel designed for worldwide cruising.  In addition to two main fixed pitch propellers, she has two rudders, two bow thrusters, two stern thrusters and two stabilising fins. The hull and superstructure are of welded steel construction.  
Each stabiliser fin is 5.4 meters long and generates a maximum lift of 88 tonnes. The fin is shaped like an aircraft wing, providing lift.  A gyroscope measures the speed and direction of any rolling motion and sends a signal to a computer that controls the hydraulic pump which rotates the fin.

The Dawn Princess was commissioned on the 16 April 1997 with its maiden voyage on 10 May 1997.
To make the journey the ship has 900 crew and on this cruise 1975 passengers.

The ship is 261.3 meters long, 77,441 ton, 32.25 meters wide.  The power plants are made of four Sulzer V16 turbo charged engines rated at 15,448 HP, ticking over at 514 RPM.  Each engine uses roughly 450 gallons per hour.  The ship holds 686,000 gallons of fuel. The engines drive a generator producing 6.6 KV 3 phase at 60 Hz.  Also on Deck 5 are two V12 Caterpillar diesel auxiliaries.
The propulsion system is controlled by 2 GEC Alsthom propulsion motors with a max speed of 145 RPM and producing shaft power rated at 18,774 HP and on the end of each a 6 skew bladed propeller weighing 14.6 ton with a 5.2 meter diameter.  All very impressive and huge in size.

When one looks at the overall operation, the whole ship is like a 16 story high rise floating hotel.  5 air conditioning plants, 2 with a capacity of 10,500,000BTU and 3 with a capacity of 6,800,000BTU.  The air conditioning pressure is enough to stop salt air entering the ships interior when external doors are opened.

The ship makes its own fresh water with 3 banks of evaporators one producing 320 tonnes and the other two produce 640 tonnes each per day and the water storage equals  636,070 gallons or 2370 tonnes of water.  The water is chlorinated and runs at every tap on the ship.  The process of evaporation leaves a trace of salt, which makes you feel thirsty at times.

So in summary the main engine pistons weigh 310 kg each,  each crankshaft weights 15 tonnes, the cubic capacity of each cylinder is 70,370 cm cubed.  At full power the Dawn Princess chews up 1 gallon of fuel over 55 feet of distance.  The total generating capacity on board is 44.5 MW enough to light up 750,000 light bulbs.  Power generated feeds the galleys, (no gas cooking), and all power and lighting required by the ship.

On deck 7, three times around the deck is equal to one mile or 1.6Kilometers.
Now you would have noticed that the story above flicks from metric to imperial. The information came from an the ships data sheet.

Last night we travelled 450 Nmiles at 18.8 knots and we will be at Lombok at 7:30 am tomorrow Tuesday 30 June
The ship leaves the same day and goes back to Broome

Another of my observation - the cruise is like a very large day care centre for retired people.  The staff continually ask you if they can get something for you, help you, entertain you, pamper you and squeeze dollars out of you.


It is certainly the way to go to REST, some of the furniture is very luxurious.  With spas, pools, games, theatres, live shows, live music, a gym, sauna, health centre, etc and over a dozen eating places, including pizza, steakhouse, buffet, ice cream shop and bars, booze and coffee /tea anytime 24 hours of the day.

30 June 2013

You might know some of my background, but one little snippet was that I came to Australia in March 1966 on the Oriental Queen.  A war time ship called the MS Kanimbla and just under 11,000 tons.  If you want to look up more just click on the link above.  The story was that while the ship was in Auckland harbour, maritime inspectors found that the lifeboats had been fixed in place by lavish coats of paint and the boats were unable to be deployed.  The ship was held in harbour while this safety issue was rectified.
The life boat mechanism has changed dramatically over the years.  Dawn Princess has a combination of inflatable 25 man rafts along with a number of motorised lifeboats which they call tenders.
Each tender is capable of holding 150 people and are deployed from a telescopic gantry crane.  One lifeboat that I enquired about was powered by twin 6 cylinder Perkins diesel engines, weighed 8 ton, and are so much safer than the old style boats. 
Each time the tenders are used, they are washed down and maintained before being tied back.
On both Port and Starboard sides of the ship the life boats are capable of taking on every person from the ship.  So in the case of the ship rolling one way, then the boats on the other side will hold the total number of people on board.

1 July 2013

The wind speed increased and the height of the waves increased too, but the ship still gave you that safe feeling even though you zig zag a bit more when walking..
Two lovely massage ladies and Alex
Entrance to Health and Lotas Spa


Now one of the important levels is 12.  This is the home of the Lotas Spa and health centre.  Debra Feist was born in Edinburgh Scotland and is the manager in this area.  I found her a little bashful and not wanting her photo taken.  Maybe she thought I was some geek out collecting pictures of females.  But Debra I can tell you I was
Well equipped Gym
there to write a bit in my blog about the Health Centre.

Many passengers took advantage of the Gym, peddling the calories off and soaking in the sauna, the spa and having a massage, manicure or pedicure and enjoying a session of yoga, pilates and even aerobics.  
For those more adventurous a trip to the Acupuncture centre could lead to a pain free few weeks.  I have never been near one.  My sister believes it is the only way to help her sinus.  So after suffering from back pain for many years I decided to give Alex who has studied Chinese acupuncture a go.  I had three sessions and haven't had back pain since.  We were in our rooms for an hour with the pins in, mine in my feet, below the knee, both wrists, and both eyebrows, then in the back around the lower back and the under side of the ankle.
So I'm a Believer.


I'm sitting with a group of much older retires who seem to just eat and sleep all day.  But I suppose it is similar to a retirement village, but in the fresh air.  The chairs are very comfortable and the tables are just the right height, so comfort is 100 percent.  

We went to see customs at 0730 and had our passports stamped for Broome, then up to breakfast.  In the open on deck 14 the wind was so strong that you had to hang on, the sea is rolling far heavier than before, white caps everywhere.  But with all that it doesn't stop people in there 100 s walking round and round the deck with fresh salty air.


Excursion Tickets - It is important to go through ALL the paperwork placed in your cabin as soon as possible after departure.  As you sail along the pile of paper work grows and grows.
I found our pre booked excursion tickets, quite relieved to know where we had to go and at what time.  And if you feel there might be something else you can do it is only a matter of visiting the Excursion Desk and seeing what is on offer.

Yesterday we visited Lombok.  Now most of you know I'm not a lover of Indonesia, but I must say now that I've been to Lombok there is never going to be the need to visit Bali.
The Lombokinese are quite friendly, the hawkers are not as persistent as those in Vietnam, but I was pleased to see the end of them as we headed back to the ship.
To visit Lombok the ship anchored in the middle of the harbour and we were shipped in via the fleet of ships tenders about a 30 minute run.

Arriving on land we were met by security (no guns) and boarded our bus.  Before leaving the ship we were divided up into groups and given a sticky number, ours was group 5, so that put us on bus 5 of 13.  Our guide was Arief and when he started to speak he said he was embarrassed becaused his English was not good. But we all thought he did a very good job. A running commentary while the bus moved.

Like Vietnam, some people live in squallier while next door will be a well to do wealthy very clean looking house.  The 
filth of plastic rubbish, wrappers, bottles, non bio degradable waste, mud, junk, building products like bricks and timber scattered, sheets of rusty iron, skinny dogs and cats, chooks and chickens roaming wild, cows tethered but free to move a certain distance, water lying about, communal washing areas and squat toilets, all visible from the road.  And then quite often a man standing facing away from the road having a pee, what do the ladies do?

Being Sunday, everyone was on ''holiday''.  The men sit on a raised floor about two metres square, and a meter off the ground with a thatched roof, sit there and gaze out into space and smoke.  A few men and boys were working cleaning out the waste water drains. Heaps of silt, rubbish, plastic bottles and household waste. They dig it out and pile it on the side of the
road, whether someone comes along later and picks it up I don't know, or maybe it just washes back into the drain the next time it rains.

Traffic on the road is not as chaotic as Vietnam, a lot more small vehicles and quite a few scooters, but not crowded with scooters.  Generally one to four people squashed onto a scooter, some with helmets some without.

Lombok is 8 by 10 kilometres with a population of just over 3,000,000  people. A very high rainfall and lots of vegetation.  Crops grow everywhere, rice, tobacco, tapioca, paw paw, mango, snake fruit, bananas.  Main crop is rice and we watched as farmers cut the rice, stacked it to dry, hand thrashed it to remove the seed, laid the rice out to dry on mats on any flat dry surface and that included the side of the road.  It takes two days in the hot drying sun and the rice is hand bagged and sent to market.  The whole family gets involved with the harvest.

When we stopped at the Sheraton for lunch, all 13 buses arrived at one sitting, so their were people all over the place, and an unbelievable amount of food was set up and drink waiters zig zagging in and out.  The Sheraton is right on the beach and only Sheraton patrons can use this section of the beach, guarded each end by security.  Every where you looked there were evacuation signs for a tsunami.  Our stops at each place was very time constrained and to make it worse at lunch it rained.

I would have loved to been able to see the volcano but we did get to the base.  Our guide told us that they had had a 5.2 earthquake a few days ago with no damage.

One of the markets was well set up with little stalls and better than normal junk, like the boy and girl statue in the photos.  Lots of timber products and cloth.

It was quite exciting driving from place to place.  Every two seconds the driver beeped his horn, that was to warm whoever was in front to move out of the way. On our return to the boat one scooter when the wrong way and hit the bus.  The two people on board were ok just a bit shaken, but the motor cycle front wheel was no longer round.  A bystander appeared and told the bus driver to go.
As we turned to the right on corners I could see bikers watching where the wheels were so they weren't run over.  It was very close at times.

Well that was Lombok.  Our ship was supposed to depart at 5 pm, but finally left at 5:30 with only 8 metered of water under the hull.

We went down for dinner and after went to a live show. Piano entertainer Larry Dunsmore a tribute to the Rat Pack Era, Frank Senartra,  Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Sammy J Louis.  The theatre is as big as the Pilbeam Theatre in Rockhampton and there was not a seat vacant.

Today Helen and I went to a wine tasting.  Entertaining and lovely wines and expensive too.

First was a Arras sparkling Pinot Noir, Chardonnay $79 per bottle, not our style Second, Brookland Valley Estate Sauvignon $54, beautiful
Third, Tyrells Vat 47 Chardonnay $79, not our style
Fourth, Grant Burge Filsell  Shiraz $63, beautiful
Fifth, Penfolds Private Release Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon $33, delightful
Sixth, Barossa Valley Estate E and E Black Pepper Shiraz $134, lovely but who is going to pay that sort of money for a bottle

We came away glowing and feeling quite good.

We also went on a health trip. Started out at a seminar on balance.  Anyone with a sore back, crook knees, head aches, well he talked about the three horizontal areas of the body.  First one is the shoulders, they support the neck and head.  Next area is the hips, they support the backbones, shoulders and head and the last area is the feet.  Your feet support the whole body.  So we all walked over a screen printer and took an image of both feet.  He then applied a certain shaped insert for the shoes to provide a better balance.  
My feet have been dreadful for a long time and recently I had an X-ray to look at the bones.  I have my mothers toe problem called claw toes and I walk on the tip of my toes not the flat surface underneath.  The insert has taken the weight off my toes, so I hope that wearing them continually will improve other balance issues.

It is now 3 weeks since that seminar and I'm still wearing my inserts and I'll have to see my Doctor and get a referral to a foot specialist to get better footwear to suit my feet.


2 July 2013
The ships crew are all very helpful and within the passengers there was a good number who were interested to know about the ships navigation, so a Nav seminar was held.  Followed by a movie called the Fall of Malta.
Plenty to chose from when it comes to movies.  If you don't see it on the big screen, you can watch it on your state-room TV.  On the same night the movie Capturing Bin Laden was screened.

With the live shows, artists get on at a shore stop and may only stay for a couple of shows and get off at the next.  But what we saw was great.  One night we had Ross Maio, a piano accordionist.  Just a one man band but professional and a wonderful show.

I would have loved to have got up early for the sunrise in to Broom, as someone else we know did, but I suppose we could look forward to 15 more sunrises.

Birthing at Broom 3 July 2013 seems to be a bit funny.  The ship hoes too at the jetty, but passengers can't walk on the jetty.  The only movement was by bus.  Unfortunately we had booked late and not knowing what was to see missed out on the good tours.  Our tour was downright disappointing and we saw very little of Broom.  Helen was very upset because the bus didn't stop anywhere, not even for photos.  Ann of course came back with a pearl, much to Helens envy.  When we compared the Broom tour to the Lombok tour which were the same price, Lombok was wonderful.

That night we were entertained by a Mentalist and a comedian, both wonderful shows.

Guess what tomorrow is.... 4th of July and yes my state room key has broken again.  I'm on my 4th replacement, it seems to have a magnetic strip problem.

This morning was overcast and quite cloudy, but I suppose our US passengers were praying for a clear day to celebrate, and as the day rolled on it turned into a bright sunny day.  Lots of sun worshippers on level 14 and the movie Grease to watch on the big screen.

I met an interesting couple at lunch.  They had got on in Fremantle as mum and very red haired daughter and each day they were to instruct willing passengers in facets of craft.
Our American passengers were well entertained on level 15 at The Sanctuary, while the rest of us ate at the fish fry or any other restaurant that suited you and it was a night of partying, music, games and for some a good session on the booze.
As a highlight the ship sailed into Prince Frederick Harbour on the Kimberley Coast and came to a stop in very glass like water and we watched the sun set over the Kimberley Ranges.  In the area there are the Horizontal water falls and this is a great attraction, but not from the ship.

6th July Darwin - I was up at 5am to watch the ship dock at Darwin and it just slowly slid into the wharf area with the aid of a tug.  We had booked a tour in Darwin that went at 10am, in the mean time we took a bus to the Mall and looked at the shops and we were back ready for our tour.  The tour from the ship was great!  Company organised tours always start in the Princess lounge, you get a number, then wait.  When our tour bus arrived we all walked down from 8 to 5 and out via the gang way and walked to the bus.
This tour left at 10am and got us back to the ship at 1:30 ready for a 2 pm sailing.  We went via the city mall and Government House, a cathedral that was destroyed during Cyclone Tracey in December 1974, and while at that point the commentator told us that after the cyclone there was not a stick of timber standing, every tree in the area was replanted after the cyclone.

On to the museum and art gallery.  This was very impressive, a very good and well displayed collection of Australia's animals, from the tiniest to the largest, happy and venomous.  Snakes, spiders, butterflies, marsupials, fish and insects, ancient fossils and prehistoric bones, they had them all.
The art gallery had a display by an artist deployed with the military in Timor.  Drawings were in two colours and definitely told a story with a code displayed in dots.  Not morse code.

The gardens were lovely and green and I found a new flower I haven't seen before. Called a cannonball flower.  It was growing on a weedy looking vine growing up another tree.
The water fountain was lovely and we were lucky because just after we arrived the water stopped.

Last bit of the tour took us out to East Point a lovely point and a view back on the city across the bay.  This tour was 500% better than our Broome tour.


About 2:30 pm the Pilot came along side and the ship pushed away from the wharf.  So smooth, a blast of water from the thrusters and we were turning 180 degrees out and away from Darwin and in a matter of minutes the ship was on its way toward the open sea.
The Captain reported that we should expect 30 knot winds and 3.5 meter swell and showers.  We have been sailing now for 3 hours and the only reason I know we are moving is I can hear the propellers in the water.

Remember yesterday I said we had a country western group on board, well my eyes couldn't believe it, here on the very front sun pool deck were, Nymphs in mini bikinis soaking up the sun.

Last night we went to a show staring celebrity mind reader Anthony Laye and international Comedian Mike Harris.  Amazing and wonderful only just touch how good the shows were.  The mind boggles, how does a mind reader work. To choose his victims he threw four balloons into the audience and said to bob them about until the music stopped, then hold onto them.
One candidate was a total drip.  Either that or he hypnotised him as soon as he got on the stage.  He asked each one to draw a picture, then a lad from the floor gathered then and holding them upside down and facing away from the four the MR decided what each had drawn.  The drip had a blank page.  The M R asked him why he didn't draw anything and he said you didn't tell me to draw.   Then he asked three random people 3 questions, one a number between 1 - 1000, second how much he paid for his suit, and the third how much was his air fare to go to London.  Now a blond was dragged up and given a calculator and after two goes at adding them up it came to 5713 and the MR said that was a great number, it represented a number referenced earlier in the night and it was yesterday's date 5th July 2013.

I can never remember jokes, but this comedian had the theatre in stitches laughing.
Other than the gig dress up and the faces he could pull, his punch line always brought the house down.  Don't ask me for one, I can't remember.

Tonight after dinner I went to see Trevor Knight in concert, featuring songs and stories of Neil Diamond, Paul McCartney, Elton John and Kenny Rogers. I nodded off and clapped when everyone else did.

After sailing for five hours and just past sunset I spotted two small yachts on the port side.  They had one sail up and were heading for Darwin.
Our ship is sailing in a just north of an easterly direction at the moment.  Tonight's sunset was at an acute angle with the stern.

Now here is a job for you sailor buffs ... Each time we leave port on the mast is flying a red and white flag.  Not knowing what this is I can only surmise that it means Pilot on board.  The Pilot boat has a similar flag.  Other flags are the Flag of Australia, Red Ensign and the Princess Cruises flag.

On board we have a wonderful four female group called Thalia Strings Wonderful music and the four girls are so happy with what they are doing. Even though you can see their deep concentration, but all the time smiling.They play three brackets each day in the evening.  The four girls met at university while they were studying music, they got together and formed their group and have two contracts a year on Princess Cruises and in between they play at weddings, parties, formals etc Listen Here
Four young ladies from Ohio who got together at University while doing a music degree.  A cello, violins and viola and beautiful relaxing music.  It was so peaceful to sit and listen to their music.



7 July 13 at Sea - Every day the Princess Patter comes out and occasionally we saw new groups, so I visited the Information Desk and asked if we could have a meeting of those who had been awarded an Order of Australia.  Initially the girl didn't know what I was talking about, so I wrote out a script explaining what the OA was about. Next day it appeared in the Patter and we all met at the Wheelhouse Bar at 1130.
Left to right - Lieutenant Commander Retired Henry Hall MBE, OAM, Alan Donald AM, Madeline Lavers representing husband Andrew Lavers OAM, Helen Bielenberg OAM, Nancy Donald Alan's wife, Nick Quigley OAM (myself) and Eric Hayes AO
Cape York
Australian Navy Patrol Boat

At noon today our ship was located at 10degrees 47 minutes south and 136 degrees 38minutes east we had covered 405 kmiles at a speed of 20.25 knots  there is 52meters of water under the ship, the wind is 25knots in an easterly direction and the sea has a 2.5m swell.  So from that you can see that the wind is up the swell is increasing and we are in for some bad weather while we travel across the top of Australia, passing the tip of Cape York by 1.5 kilometers.

In the misty rain and the rough weather I spotted an odd shape, gray in colour and as we got closer it turned out to be an Australian Navy Patrol boat.  The wind is up at 39knots and the ship is only going forward at 11knots.  A rolling sea and very blustery up on 14 on the top.



Sarah Dyer
Another amazing  and very talented person was Sarah Dyer. Now if you watch Sarah carefully you will see her playing the piano and at the same time she'll be playing the organ and all along she will be conducting and controlling the whole musical piece.  Sarah came from Wales and she had learnt to play the Piano at 8 years old by the help of her Grandmother.  After school Sarah went to University and studied Music and Mathematics and now in her 12th year with Princess Cruises controls all music on board the ship.

At noon today the ship was at 11 degreens 52 minutes south and 143 degrees 14 minutes east, 240 miles NW of Cooktown and last night we travelled 448kmiles at 18.7 knots, 31m of water below and the wind is 35knots at ESE with a 2 meter swell.

Now here is an interesting one - Why do Koalas carry their babies on their back?

Because they can't get a pram up a gum tree.
If you are interested in Koalas you should visit our Koala Volunteers site

The passage is a bit rougher inside the reef and at Port Douglas the ship stopped suddenly with a lot of vibrations and swirling muddy sand and it was as if we had run aground.
Airlie Beach Here's looking at you big boy
Airlie Sand Dragon


Welcome Back to Dawn Princess

Two catamarans from Port Douglas came along side, but they deemed it too rough to take passengers off.  So after a while our Captain announced that Port Douglas was cancelled.
When the ship got under way we went outside the reef into open  and deeper water.  With the wind the ship was listing to Port and the ship rolled and pitched in the conditions.
Dawn Princess out in the harbour

6am next morning 10th July 2013 we stopped outside Airlie Beach. Tenders were lowered and a Cat arrived from the shore to carry passengers to the mainland.
Helen and I caught a tender to Airlie and walked the town, posted some letters and had a real New Zealand ice cream.  The main street is under huge reconstructions and from a tourists point of view it was chaotic   Where the bus dropped us off there was a market and many little items were added to the packing.
Main street Airlie Beach

Out Captain always announced that when going ashore passengers who have difficulty walking should consider their safety and be aware of access problems.  One person with walking frame decided to go ashore and on return missed his step at the wharf and fell into the harbour.  Ships crew dived in and fished him out.  I'd say he had a good story to tell the Grand kids.

For some reason the ship periodically runs the propellers and Starboard side thrusters while waiting in port.

10 July 2013 2210 at sea I was always on the go, up and back on the decks, camera in hand and seeing some light in Jammers, a Night Club, I pushed the rotating door and entered the room.  Looking to the left where the lights were I took two steps forward and next thing I was falling to the right, crash landed on a marble table winding myself and ended up a crumpled heap on the floor.  After a bit I pulled myself up onto the couch and looked back to see where I had come from.  I then saw the step.  Lit from the vertical section and not visible from the top.  There was no body in Jammers.  After getting my air back I slowly moved out and headed to our Stateroom and told Helen what had happened. 


Bruising on the 19th July
I slept OK that night after the fall, but in the morning my right shoulder is a bit sore and my right ribs catch with movement, but my breathing is OK.  There is a large bruise on my right thigh and just above the knee, and slowly appearing on most of the right rib cage.

At noon today the ship was at 23degrees 11minutes South and 152degrees 15 minutes East and we are travelling at 17.5Knots

11 July 2013 - The ship is pitching in a short moderate to rough sea with an Easterly swell, but more importantly today is games day.
People had to design a package that would contain a dozen eggs and be dropped from three floors up and land safely.  Some amazing contraptions with parachutes and padding and all eggs survived.
One of the Ships Galleys

The galley was opened up for a visit.  You can't imagine the size, but when you calculate the area needed to prepare 17,000 meals a day, you need some space.  No gas,(no naked flames) all electric, all stainless steel, very clean, but I can imagine after 500 people troop through the kitchen everything would have to be cleaned again.

After talking to others I decided that in the interest of safety I should report my fall in Jammers.  So I visited the Information Desk and a Security Officer interviewed me on what I was wearing on my feet, had I had alcohol that night, what was I carrying, how did I land, who witnessed it, took photos and we visited the scene, had I reported to the ships Doctor.

Wonderful stage show tonight called British Invasion.  Incredible costumes and dancing, probably the best show for this cruise.
Beppe Castino and Amedeo Scarin
Rosa

The end is getter closer every hour.  Helen has started the packing and it is a logistical nightmare to get all the nicnacs we have bought on board to fit in our little cases.  Hand luggage max is 7kgs and we need to get the bags to close too.

There is one other special group that needs a special mention and that is the ships cooks and stewards.  So tomorrow I will talk about the wonderful food and some of the staff who deliver it.

Beppe Castino is the Maitre D'Hotel and he looks after 158 staff being waiters and stewards, while Amedeo Scarin is the Executive Chef has 147 staff, butchers, bakers, pastry cooks, dishwashers, an ice carver and galley helpers.
Food was fresh as if you had just dropped down to Wollies and bought the groceries.  In the morning there was a choice of cereals, museli, fruit, nuts, yoghurt, bacon, beans, tomato, mushrooms and the list goes on and on.  Toast cooked to perfection, eggs cooked how you like them, tea, coffee or juices and you could go back as often as you wanted to.


Lunch and diner at the steak house, pizza place, in the restaurant or at Horizons.  You had the choice.  To feed 1900 passengers there had to be two sittings, but there was no compulsion to go to the restaurant.  Our sitting was at 1730 and this gave us time to eat and be ready for a stage show and not go to bed on a full stomach.

The Captain many times said he was concerned about the amount of food that there was available to eat and the amount of weight diners would be putting on.
Sydney Terminal

I ate very well and lost 2 kgs, so Cruising is a great diet.
 
 Well that is it from me. If you want to know more go straight to the top - Princess and look for a cruise that you would like to go on, don't hesitate, DO IT.
Sydney Sunrise

I can now recommend it, but make sure it is at least 10 days because you will be just getting on and it will be time to get off.

Horizons Level 14
 Saturday the 13th July 2013, I didn't want to get off!
Sunrise over Sydney City
Lady Helen enjoys her coffee
We sailed into Sydney Harbour in the dark which was a bit disappointing.   I had hoped to see Sydney heads and the Opera House, but all I saw was us just missing the underside of the Sydney Harbour bridge, maybe we'll get to see Sydney Heads another day.