Day 192 Halifax AGAIN
Today has been very disturbing. The ship had to stay in dock at Halifax. There were some engine problems and fairly substantial lack of communication. We were supposed to be having our Sing Out Loud concert today. We were able to attend Alan and Randy's anniversary lunch at GDR which was fun. As I w...
Day 192 Halifax, Nova Scotia
Today we were delayed docking at Halifax until 12:30 pm. We had a booking on the Hopper taht we were able to rebook for later. The hopper is a Vietnam war amphibious vehicle that has been repurposed as a duck to take people around historic Halifax and on the water. It was so much fun. Halifax is the...
Day 191 at Sea towards Halifax
We had a come down from 28th. Ukelele practice: final one with leader Meg who is leaving at Halifax. It was a bit sad. We had our Sing out Loud concert practice for 1st June and Trivia. Apart from that we watched Wimbledon.
Day 190 towards Halifax
What a day! Ukelele strumming first and Sing out Loud later but then all bets are off. The Vista had their amazing spread for Sunday Brunch. We brunched with Bruce and Judy from Denver. Bruce is a professional mandolin player (who knew?) who has joined our ukelele group. We have been planning a "fin...
Day 189 at Sea towards Halifax
Todays' Sea Day was fantastic. We had standard fare: Ukelele practice, Sing out Loud , Trivia and today we handed in the Art Scavenger hunt for Big O points. Special events were the Cruise Director Peter invited us to lunch in the GDR. But the best event was Carolyn and Paul's Cabaret Show, A Man, A...
Day 188 at Sea towards Halifax
Usual busy at sea day: Ukelele, Sing out Loud BUT I cancelled art in favour of a show and tell for my architecture. We ran through a few of my projects in each genre. We set up in the Horizons Lounge with about 20 turning up, just word of mouth. Everyone was so complimentary and kind. It was actuall...
Day 187 Reykjavik, Iceland
We booked the famous Golden Circle excursion with Oceania in Reykjavik, an 8 hour tour around the highlights of Iceland. Reykjavik is the world's most northerly capital and has a population of 140k. We didn't really interact with the city as we were straight on the bus. The name Reykjavik, meaning s...
Day 186 Isafjorur Iceland
This was a pretty township of only 2k people. A Viking cruise had arrived at the same time as Vista, so you can imagine the numbers of tourists walking around. It felt intrusive. We had dinner with Polly and Don , and a great couple from Canada called Kathy and Michael. I can't believe we have only...
Day 185 Akureyri Iceland
We are in the land of never ending sunlight. It was a cloudy day at Akureyri, a quaint and colourful village on the edge of the Eyafjordu Fijord. It has a population of only approx 20k with fishing and tourism the main economic mainstays and acted as a WWII airbase. It was first settled by Norse Vik...
Day 184 at Sea towards Akureyri
We had a fairly standard at sea day with Uke practice, Sing out Loud and Trivia. The most significant thing is that we passed over the Arctic Circle at 2 pm today! The sun was up except for two hours, which would make sleeping without curtains a bit challenging as we are want to do!! I went the the...
Day 183 Torshavn Faroe Islands Denmark NOT
Wild and woolly at the port this morning, made docking in the harbour impossible! So another port in a storm. I woke at 3:30am this morning with the dawn light pouring in the window. We are here at the longest day in the year here (shortest day in G2 land), midsummer at max 11degrees centigrade toda...
Day 182 at Sea towards Faroe
A new segment and a new sea day. The new contingent taken on board at South Hampton has meant that our Sing out Loud group is much larger, so can't be all bad. Took another water colour class with new teacher ,Debra Jason and otherwise,standard. Vista has beatles tribute band "Just John and Paul" wh...
Day 181 Glasgow UK
We organised a private tour with a lovely guide, Heather from the Charles Rennie Mackintosh (CRM) Foundation in Glasgow. We missed CRM last time we were in Glasgow. This involved catching a train from Greenock where the Vista was docked, into Glasgow, where we met Heather and started the 1700 steps...
Day 180 Belfast Northern Ireland
We docked at Belfast, and shuttled into the town centre. Belfast is Northern Ireland's maritime gateway, largest port, enormous shipbuilding yard famous for building the ill-fated Titanic. It has the ghosts of the Troubles which have haunted this city with riots and bloodshed for more than a century...
Day 179 Cork Ireland
We took an Oceania tour, Cork's Countryside and Kinsale. It was a bus tour through the verdant emerald greens of Ireland to the delightful village of Kinsale. We had a very informative tour guide, of which I remember little (very Irish). We had little shop at the markets then back to the ship.
Day 178 Dublin Ireland
We had a tender port at Dublin. We picked up aHop on Hopoff bus in a drenching Dublin. We did a circuit of the points of Dublin. Dublin is the capital and largest city of Ireland, located on the River Liffey. There is a lot of development going on in Dublin whilst still aware of their tremendous Geo...
Day 177 Falmouth UK
Falmouth is a picturesque town in the southern coast of Cornwell, UK. It has apopulation of around 22k. We were shuttled to the town centre where we visited the Pendennis Castle and then wandered down the quaint village main street. The Castle has been a protective lookout since the mid 16thc includ...
DAY 176 London (South Hampton)
We spent the whole day on board catching up with various tasks. The Vista has taken on another 500 guests and you can feel the difference - long lines, wait for lifts. Oh no our spoiling has been moderated.
Day 175 le Harve, France a day at Giverny
This was a stand out day of our holiday. We had organised a group of friends to take a private tour to Monet's house and garden at Giverny. We were met by a wonderful Aussie guide , Lawrence and a driver of a VW 8 seater van. Lawrence was so knowlegeable so the journey to Giverny was a mini-PHD on M...
Day 174 at Sea towards Le Havre
Wow what a day today. Uke practice first. Then we had a show and tell of all our textiles, from all our friends who are interested in fabrics. During the afternoon we had an afternoon tea with the remaining 197 ers (those who embarked in Los Angeles). There are 43 of the 48 originals. Mike Doyle a p...
Day 173 at Sea towards Le Havre
The highlight today was the Sing out Loud Concert when we presented to the ship's guests our songs that we have learnt in this segment. We joined other guests Liz Joe Merry and Rod for an entertaining dinner at GDR, which was followed up with an entertaining vocalist called Isabel Commandeur. She wa...
Day 172 Lisbon Portugal
We arrived in this beautiful port on another glorious day. We had arranged for a 4 seat electric Tuk Tuk to pick us up for 4 hour tour with Jeanne and Dave. Apart from the lack of suspension it was a great choice we were able to acccess all points of interest in an open carriage. We ended up at the...
Day 171 at Sea towards Lisbon
We had the final art show today. Catherine Chartier the tutor is leaving. She asked Alan to display 12 of his best shots which was a great compliment. He received many accolades for his work. People seemed to like my artwork too, which was affirming. And for the first time on the whole cruise we had...
Day 170 Funchal Portugal
Funchal (coming from the word for fennel) is an amazing island city, being the capital city of the Madeira archipelago. It was discovered in 1420 by Portuguese explorers. It has a dramatic setting with volcanic mountains creating a giant ampitheatre around the city. The city has a population of arou...
Day 169 at sea towards Funchal
We were treated to a magnificent brunch today running from 9-2. The display was fantastic. We were there for breakfast at 9. That's the end of the diet. Sing out loud practice for a PUB Night tonight at Horizons. We spent time assembling Alan's display for the Art show on 9th June. Back for lunch th...
Day 168 at Sea towards Funchal
The at sea day was replicated: Ukelele, speaker Doug Henderson(Action Stars), Sing out Loud, Art pastel Landscape of one of Alan's photos.
Day 167 Porto Grande Cape Verde
We walked around Porto Grande with Dave and Jeanne. Did about 7000 steps so on the right side of the ledger. Porto grande is also known as Mindelo Bay. The name, Cape verde was given by the Portuguese explorers despite the fact that the all the islands a re barren, particularly Mindelo. The city its...
Day 166 at towards Cape Verde
report
Day 165 Banjul, Gambia
We had a pretty chilled day at Banjul, arriving at 11am. We did some at port shopping(textiles), practised ukelele, watched Hamnet and had a meal at Polo. We were looking out of Polo to a majority darkened city. Virtually no street lights let alone household lights. Apparently it imports all of its...
Day 164 at Sea towards Gambia
We, particularly Alan had a terrific day. Started with Ukelele: Alan has kindly offered to sing so I can concentrate on learning chords. Everyone was most appreciative. Sing Out Loud: great as usual with Marta and Polly coming back to our room for some extra practice. Art: we are finishing up some o...
Day 163 at Sea towards Gambia
Ukelele practice first up. Trivia: Winners! sing out Loud Art: Used one of Alan's photos of an orchid in the Singapore Flower Dome as the basis for a watercolour and pastel combo. Magic masterclass from J. Alexander. (he has joined our ukelele group!)
Day 162 Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Abidjan is the former capital of the Ivory Coast has a population of over 6m. We only had only a short visit on a Sunday so we opted for a shuttle to the CAVA art markets. We had a visa face to face first up, then shuttled off with our personal police escort. The poor standard of housing and living...
Day 161 at Sea towards Abidjan
Al was sick so spent most of the day in the cabin. Our ukelele strumming was surprised with two new members which was great. Sing out Loud was great as usual. Building up to another concert. Art: water colour techniques Trivia: first again Spanish Guitar performance by Dimitris Devallas was amazing.
Day 160 at sea towards Abidjan
Sea days are always quite chokkers. Ukelele strumming Sing out Loud Speaker: Doug Henderson Art: Portrait drawing for beginners (see below) Trivia: an amazing 16 out of 16 (first) Magic show with J. Alexander then dinner with Connie and Mimi at Polo
Day 159 Sao Tome & Principe
This volcanic island was uninhabited until being discovered by 15thC Portuguese explorers. It now is an empoverished, if independent (1973) Democratic Republic community with Brazilian and Portuguese influences. It was a centre for the slave trade. We tendered off the Vista and shuttle bus to an unr...
Day 158 at Sea towards Sao Tome
Copy and paste the last sea day. Uke strumming, Doug Henderson talking about High Concept High profit movies. Sing out Loud Art was African landscapes. Trivia: First We had a great dinner with Bryan and Vera at Toscana.
Day 157 Luanda Angola
Luanda is the capital of Angola and its chief seaport. It is one of the oldest African cities founded in 1576. It is Portuguese speaking, as a remnant of their colonial past. Vista was greeted by a gorgeous troupe of dancers and drummers. I adored their costumes- and the music! We didn't have an exc...
Day 156 at Sea towards Luanda
Busy sea day as usual. Ukelele strumming at 8:45. I feel I am never going to make the grade. Sing out Loud with Paul and Carolyn. Its amazing what they get through in 45 mins. We have a movie expert Aussie Doug Henderson , from Albury, can you believe it , is on Vista. He's up to 1970s. We did exerc...
Day 155 at sea towards Luanda
We had a long call with Oliver and family after ukelele practice today. Sing out Loud Art with acrylics today and a general catch up!! We haven't had any internet in port at all. Most frustrating. A row of gorgeous grey bobs, I'm calling Robert, at sing out Loud.
Day 154 Walvis Bay Namibia
We arrived at Walvis Bay to no internet! Also the Namibian immigration on-line system wasn't working. There were great lineups of anxious guets waiting to get on their excursions. We ended up giving it a miss and having a day on board. The Vista had a Cultural Choir group singing in Zulu style that...
Day 153 at Sea towards Namibia
Quite cool outside. The ship has a policy now of running dark at night with sharp shooters on the lookout!! Super busy sea day with ukelele strumming to start. Sing out Loud new session. Speaker series Aussie Doug Henderson from Albury "films that Changed the World" Art pastels with one of our origi...
Day 152 Cape Town South Africa
Compare and contrast to yesterday. We awoke to thick fog and decided it was a good day for a haircut. Took a cab to V&A Wharf shops and had a haircut, and bought proteas and eucalypts flowers for Barbaras birthday at Grand dining room that evening. The whole ship had to disembark to have their passp...
Day 151 Cape Town South Africa
Cape Town was quite a treat. We took the hop on hop off red bus around Cape Town with Jeanne and Dave. It took us all the way to Tabletop (Tamboerskloop) Mountain past Lion's Head, where we took a cable car to the top viewing platform. Cape Town gives all the impression of being an extremely wealthy...
Day 150 Mossel South Africa NOT
Mossel Bay landing was cancelled due to the inabilty to tender due to rough seas. It was in a way great to recover after the safari. We had the great privilege of sharing Vera's 80th birthday celebration and our 47th wedding anniversary at Red Ginger. Vera had been sent all these beautiful wishes, k...
Day 149 Port Elizabeth South Africa
I thought for sure that I wouldn't make our safari excursion! BUT I woke up a fair bit better so off we went on a 6am start. Our excursion was to Sibuya Private Game Reserve about a 1.5 hour drive from Port Elizabeth. The property is divided by a meandering river in the 20k x 10k property. Sibuya is...
Day 148 at sea towards Port Elizabeth
Sick Day! I literally slept all day
Day 147 Durban South Africa
Durban is the third most populated city in South Africa. It is ethnically diverse: Zulu, white, Indian and Asian. Its history is oral passed down in the Zulu nation prior to the Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, who sighted the coastline at Christmas 1497, named Durban formally known as Port Natal...
Day 146 Durban South Africa mostly at sea
I spent the day mostly sleeping trying to keep the cold at bay! We arrived at the the dock later in the evening.
Day 145 Maputo, Mozambique
Jeanne Dave Alan and I had the best time in Maputo Mozambique. The on board info was " be careful, don't go here, don't go there , don't wear jewellery... etc" Alan had researched textile shops for Jeanne and myself. Jeanne is very keen on textiles like me. We took a cab direct to the shop where we...
Day 144 at sea towards Maputo Mozambique
It was special event sea day today. We had our Sing Out Loud concert for the guests. Carolyn and Paul our music leaders were wonderful and marvellous and it seemed to go down well. We were then treated to a spectacular luncheon for all the Round The World people. It was a sit down set menu and we go...
Day 143 at Sea towards Mozambique
Ukelele is vaguely progressing. The talk today by Jane Thomason was quite amazing: Digital Biology Reprogramming for Longevity and Wellness. Giving an overview of the future health and the effect of access to massive data as a method of diagnosis. We dressed up for a cocktail hour and then had a gre...
Day 142 Mayotte, French Comoros
We stayed on board catching up with paper work and friends. This port has a bad rep for poverty and disease, so we thought better of it.
Day 141 Nosy Be, Madagascar
Nosy Be, translates as Big Island, is a volcanic Island to the NW of the African island state of Madagascar. Madagascar is a really large island, 660ksq km, approximately the size of Great Britain. Nosy Be is the tourist and port town, but basically undeveloped and poverty stricken. The French inv...
Day 140 at sea towards Madagasca
We had the usual busy sea day plus a great talk from Dr Jane on Madagascar: Biodiversity, Poverty and the future of frontier economies.
Day 139 Mahe Seychelles
Mahe is the largest island of the Seychelles group of 115 islands. It has a population of 100k plus visitors. It has the familar history of French and English colonisation and is stunningly beautiful. It has progresssive leadership and is intent on protecting its environment which is unique and cont...
Day 138 at sea towards Seychelles
A sea day, much the same as yesterday with a talk about the Seychelles from Dr Thomason.
Day 137 at Sea towards Seychelles
Lois is taking me for ukelele lessons which is brave of her. Sea days are now fuller than ever: Ukelele Speaker: Dr Jane Thomason subject transformation of the workplace with AI Sing out Loud Trivia: consistently 2nd. Dinner atTerrace
Day 136 at sea towards Seychelles
We are heading west and south now. Each night we set our clocks back so it plays havoc with our sleep. Ukelele Speaker: How 1906s TV changed the world Speaker: Future of health Care with Jane Thomason Sing out Loud Trivia (I forgot to go to art) Pre-dinner Concert: Piano Showman Tim Abel. He was ver...
Day 135 at Sea towards Seychelles
We have a full sea day again today, Ukelele (omg my sore fingers) speaker topic The Metaverse trivia Coffee with Alan and Randy to discuss their upcoming Aussie adventure. Sing out Loud DIY art with Mimi Dinner at Polo with Bryan and Vera.
Day 134 Colombo Sri Lanka
Colombo is an established city at the nexus of the trade route/ spice market/ Belt and Road. I mentioned before, the geopolitical tensions created in this SE asian focus. We had a great day with tuk tuk tour in Colombo and Elaine and Colin. The driver took took us everywhere to all the monuments in...
Day 133 at sea towards Sri Lanka
As with sea days I need an AI assistant to fit in the various activiities. Ukelele first up (yes I have been sucked into the group!) Sing out Loud next Speaker Jane Thomason exploraing AI and the future of work DIY art with Mimi. We watch a watercolour video and have a go. Alan does Trivia. Magician...
Day 132 at Sea towards Colombo
Great sea day. I've been asked to join the ukelele group. Alan says its grounds for divorce. So Ukelele first up on sea days. Then a terrific lecture by Dr Jane Thomason about Sri Lanka's strategic location, as it ever was since the Spice war/ colonialist days, and how that is manifesting itself in...
Day 131 Phuket, Thailand
We were assembled at 6am this morning ready for our next excursion: a long boat tour of Phang Ngo bay, reknown as the location for James Bond epic " Man with the Golden Gun". Phang Nga Bay is a stunning marine national park between Phuket and the Mainland, with Limestone cliffs rising from the emera...
Day 130 Phuket, Thailand
Trivia and singing in in the morning. It was super hot and humid again when we arrived at Phuket at 1:30am, but we headed out to an elephant park, where elephants who have been rescued and rehoused from farming and other nefarius operators. Following the elephant park we visited the Wat Chalong budd...
Day 129 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
There was a "feels like" 43 degrees plus 99 % humidity at KL so we gave it a miss.
Day 128 Singapore
Today we were up early ready to experience Singapore. We had such a great time there with Meg in 2024. We took our dear friends Dave and Jeanne to Marina Bay Sands first. Up to the "surfboard" level where there are such brilliant views of the Gardens by the Sea, reclimed areas. Coffee at the cafe in...
Day 127 Singapore
We arrived at Singapore around 3pm. Singapore is an island country with 63 satelite islands. It has increased its area by 25% since its independence in 1965, with a series of extensive land reclamation projects. The customs were trying reclaim me at customs, when they herded me off into the back off...
Day 126 at sea towards Singapore
Todday was Anzac Day. There was a rather large gathering on board, around 70 people, for a ceremony/service. The Vista band trumpeter played the best Last Post and Reverie that I have heard for years. One of our Aussie friends had bought some Anzac biscuits on board which was just as well as the one...
Day 125 Surabaya, Indonesia
We had day in the cabin doing paper work , so nothing to report!!! We attended the last performance in the evening, by the assistant cruise director Robbie Mcartney, as he and his wife Cassie are leaving in Singapore. Last of the "Dream Team" sadly.
Day 124 Bali
We were up and about early for a tour of arts and crafts of Bali. First stop was a beautiful textile shop of magnificent silk and cotton batik. They also had ikat weavers on display. Ikat is a resist dye system that is extremely difficult, in that the change of pattern is determined by the change in...
Day 123 Bali, Indonesia
It was wonderful to be back in Bali, Indonesia. It is a stunning island full of complex cultural anomolies. Indonesia comprises over 17,000 islands and has 5 main religions, of which Bali is uniquely Balinese Hinduism. Indonesia is the most populace country/sqm in the world. It is amazing that the B...
Day 122 Komodo, Indonesia
This island is a 390 km² Indonesian island, part of the Komodo National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), famed as the primary habitat of the world's largest lizard, the Komodo dragon and located between Sumbawa and Flores. Komodo is a steep unforgiving volcanic island. It was bloody hot and humi...
Day 121 Kupang, West Timor
This was an interesting stop. It was apparent that the West Timorese were unused to having tourists. It was obvious that the people are extremely poor. The tensions between the indigenous islanders and the Indonesians seems to effect all. The presentation of the bamboo harp, both construction and pl...
Day 120 at sea towards West Timor
Sunday on the Vista. Sing out Loud preparation for our concert. Lecture on the eastern islands of the archipelago by Jan Thomason Then a magnificent brunch buffet in the GDR. Tonight we have a dinner date with Garry and Barbara and their friends
Day 119 Darwin
We arrived at Darwin at midday which cut our appreciation of this multi-cultural tropical community. Our friend Lee from Darwin suggested we visit the Parap markets which close at 2pm. So straight to the taxi.We had a terrific visit and contributed to the local economy with local artisans and indige...
Day 118 at sea towards Darwin
We are right up the top end of Australia. Travelling through the Torres Straight and Arrafura Sea. Quite spectacular country at a distance. Met up with Coral and John at Horizons for afternoon tea. Sing out Loud and dinner on the Terrace.
Day 117 at sea towards Darwin
Pretty straight forward sea day today with only Sing out Loud. Mimi and I did a DYI watercolour experience in the afternoon at Toscanas. Dinner with Mimi and Connie at Polo was really fun.
Day 116 Cairns
It was raining in Cairns so we decided trip to the Cairns mall was a good move. That was an unlimited retail moment at TS and Gorman. I was glad to have new glad rags as Carolyn and Paul (ATW ambassadors) invited us for dinner at the grand dining room. Other guests were Kurt and Elaine.
Day 115 Townsville
I was in maintenance mode and had my hair and toes trimmed at Townsville. Dropped into the Townsville Regional Gallery and purchased a beautiful Margaret Crawford vase. The botanical watercolour is called "Orchid Floral Study" by Betty Hinton. Not sure what was happening in Townsville but the town s...
Day 114 Whitsundays and Airlie Beach
It was a spectacular day at Airlie Beach. Once again a bit choppy. We were tendered in on a large catamaran boat taking able to take several hundred on board which made the journey a little less dramatic. We jumped on a glass bottomed boat and say all manner of corals, fish and a turtle. It was reas...
Day 113 at sea on the way to Airlie Beach
Apart from Sing out Loud with Carolyn and Paul we did nothing at all today!! I think I was sulking about Mooloolaba.
Day 112 Mooloolaba NOT
We had a massive disappointment this morning. The captain would not allow tendering due to the choppy conditions. We were expecting to meet with our beautiful grandchildren Mick and Kirstie and our five equally beautiful great grandies. So you can imagine the tears before bed time (from me at least)...
Day 111 at Sea towards Mooloolaba
We spent the "at sea" day getting excited about Mooloolaba. Sing out Loud with a new group of singers led by Carolyn and Paul. Art with Neal Kimball, whose first project was a colour by number exercise besmirching the Opera House. I am withholding judgement. We met with Connie and Mimi at Martinis f...
Day 110 Sydney
Oh what a beautiful day. It was just so fabulous to be back in Sydney. The realisation of our privilege to be here and to be Australian was quite stark after our USA and South America experiences. Admittedly we are only seeing a sliver of those places BUT.. the quality of the urban enviroment in Syd...
Day 109 at Sea closer to Sydney
Today was one of those big at sea days where the ship is nearing the end of a segment. There are a whole lot of people leaving at Sydney and a whole lot coming on board. Our cruise director, Carson Turner is leaving at Sydney. He has been the most hardworking and wonderful host. They live streamed h...
Day 108 at sea towards Sydney
Today"at sea day" was a little special. We had a Sing out Loud practice and Art in the morning. I decided to have an indigenous play with acrylics. Unfinished as yet. The main event today was to have a special lunch with Carson, Robbie and Cassie, Garry and Barbara. We were very privileged given his...
Day 107 Noumea, New Caledonia
We docked in Noumea this morning (Monday), the capital of New Caledonia, named by James Cook in 1774 as it reminded him of Scotland. (WTF?) New Caledonia is a French administered territory of many beautiful islands. There are three provinces: North, South and Loyalty Islands. The Kanak people are pr...
Day 106 Mystery Island Vanuatu
Easter Sunday We took the tender for a walk around Mystery Island, remembering the days of snorkelling with the kids.
Day 105 at sea towards Vanuatu
There was a busy day at sea with Sing out Loud lots of fun. Art was a complete wash out. The lecture with JGP was "Australia's Pearl Harbor". He ran through the history and the coverup of the bombing of Darwin. I was sitting next to a fantastic lady, Lee from Darwin, friend of Adrienne Farago, who u...
Day 104 Suva, Fiji
Good Friday today so much of Suva was closed. We had a great day at Suva the capital of Fiji today. We engaged a taxi to take us to the various sites around Suva. The Fiji Museum was fabulous, displaying the traditional culture up to the recent. It was beautifully curated with an incredible timber l...
Day 103 at sea towards Suva Fiji
As usual our sea days are incredibly full of activities. Today our singing group is preparing a mini-concert rebertoir to farewell the cruise director Carson. At 1pm there was a meeting of all the round the world guests with the captain and the general manager, offering an early exit from Singapore...
Day 102 Nuku'alofa Tonga
On Board as we couldn't disembark due to rough seas.
Day 101 at Sea towards Tonga
Today was a busy at sea day with a watercolour session in the morning. The afternoon lecture was its usual brilliant presentation by James Grant- Peterkin subject being the "Longitude Conundrum" where the contribution of the clockmaker John Harrison and Captain James Cook combined with the process i...
Day 100 Apia, Samoa
Independent Samoa was certainly a pleasant contrast to American Samoa. Raining again BUT Alan and I took a taxi to the various sites that interested us. Robert Louis Stevenson's home, now a credible museum is perched in the hills behind Apia. Stevenson relocated to Samoa to escape the Scottish cold,...
Day 99 Pago Pago, American Samoa
We are now officially halfway through our Round the World cruise. The polynesian leg has been a little "damp" to say the least. Today we arrived at Pago Pago and rather than take a tour we had a taxi fare around the port. Ironically the mountain behind Pago Pago is called the Rainmaker Mountain. It...
Day 98 at sea towards Pago Pago, American Samoa
There was the usual big sea day!! Art: Acrylic landscapes NVG Sing out Loud Speaker: JG-P "Robert Louis Stevenson-from Scotland to Samoa" Afternoon tea with Coral, John, Jeanne and Dave plus string quartet discussin the idea of a South African Safari Trivia: second again Pre-dinner Entertainment: Br...
Day 97 Rarotonga Cook Islands NOT
We were looking forward to visiting the beautiful Rarotonga in the Cook Islands today but sadly the weather closed in and made tendering impossible. The busy bees in the entertainment team quickly assembled a Sing Out Loud gathering among other activities. We had the day sorting out paperwork, email...
Day 96 at Sea towards Cook Island
We had a big sea day full of activities. Sing Out Loud Art: Water colour (epic fail and in the bin) Speaker Series with James Grant- Peterkin Particularly interesting session on James Cook. Trivia; winners were grinners We gussied up for the Captain's Cocktail. Carson, Robbie and Casey the Cruise Di...
Day 95 Raiatea, French Polynesia
John and Coral (Aussies from Sunshine Coast) invited us to their salubrious corner penthouse for pre- dinner nibbles. Jeanne and Dave joined us. It was a gorgeous evening after a soggy day.
Day 94 Papeete, Tahiti
Woke to a serious case torrential rainfall. So we stayed on board mostly had a quick excursion to the supermarket and had a new battery installed in Alan's Tissot watch. We were treated to Dorothy's company at Red Ginger. She is an amazing 92 yo lady from LA, tiny and fiesty. Everyone loves her and...
Day 93 Moorea, French Polynesia
The day started in the best way chatting to family in Bonville for Dom's birthday. The day only improved with a tour around the island. Moorea is the second largest of the Society Islands and is largely considered the centre of the eastern islands of ancient Polynesia. It is a classically idyllic is...
Day 92 Rangiroa, French Polynesia
We arrived at this beautiful atoll, Rangiroa heralded by a rainbow sprite. It is the second largest atoll in the world being 75km long and 25km wide. We went ashore via tender boat and walked around the shore while others snorkled and swam in the pristine waters. The locals produce local black pearl...
Day 91 on the way to Rangiroa, French Polynesia
We are nearing the end of a travel segment - quite a few guests are leaving in Papeete Tahiti on 22/3. The consequence is that the activities were wrapping up. There were two main events for us. The Artist Loft had an exhibition of works which I have been drip feeding you. The singing group had a co...
Day 90 docked at Nuku Hiva French Polynesia
We are docked today at a picturesque volcanic Island of Nuku Hiva, part of the Marquesas Island group French protectorate. Robert Louis Stevenson and Herman melville called these islands their home for a time. From our point of view it was sensational to make land fall after 10 sea days. We walked a...
Day 89 one day more at sea, closer to French Polynesia
Tenth Day at sea. Talk about cabin fever. I don't know how the early explorers managed- hard work I expect. On board we have our rooms cleaned twice a day, laundry done, 3 cafe/restaurant meals provided, entertainment on tap. OMG first world problem.
Day 88 At Sea closer to Nuku Hiva
Rinse and repeat yesterday's activities. Speaker James Grant- Peterkin's subject was Nuclear Testing in the Pacific. The Rainbow Warrior episode was examined in depth with the French complicity front and centre. In the evening we had a extraordinarily well attended St Paddy's Pub party with our choi...
Day 87 at sea heading towards Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia
I think we saw sun today. At sea was filled with usual shipboard activities. The exception was that Alan joined a team doing "Escape Room" game , bit like a treasure hunt. Art: abstract which I basically stuffed up. Choir: learning pub songs for St Patrick's day celebrations tomorrow. Enjoying singi...
Day 86 at sea towards nuku hiva French Polynesia
Slow day today. Choir in the early afternoon Interesting talk about the original identity of marooned sailor, Robinson Crusoe: scotsman Alexander Selkirk. Bombed out in Trivia.
Day 85 at Sea instead of kaiua kona
Bucketting down and blowing a gale today. We were unable to dock at as it was too dangerous. So that was Honolulu!! There was a case of all hands on deck to entertain the guests wh would have been otherwise off ship. Water penetration from the decks. Art studio today: human form sketches Lecture: In...
Day 84 Honolulu
We were intending finally get on land today except there is a serious weather event in Honolulu. It does seem that these event are tracking behind us usually: earthquake in Costa Rica, insurgence in Mexico, Trump's war in Iraq etc but today a major flood event has occured in Honolulu and our visit t...
Day 83 at sea again
The days at sea are full of activies. Today: Our 197 day friends Dave and Marta were finalists competing for the Race around Vista. Barb made support posters for them and we cheered them across the finish line as winners I endeavored to channel my inner van Gogh with a poor pastel choir with Carolyn...
Day 82 at sea towards Honolulu
At sea days are full of activities. Art lesson"sea and Sky" in watercolour. Great lecture on Amelia Earhart and her demise in the Pacific Ocean. Triva 4th Dinner in Grand Dining with Mimi and Connie.
Day 81 at sea toward Honolulu
Alan collected his papers from the Medical Centre this morning. He had a covid and flu test and was issued with anti- biotics last week. We were charged $650 OMG this included a "free" consultation. We had water colour landscape art session, which was instructive. More choir in the afternoon. Then a...
Day 80 at sea heading towards Honululu
Cooler day today. First day of choir in Horizons with Carolyn and Paul. Just basic music but very enjoyable to be having a sing. We had a fascincating lecture on the stricken Soviet submarine, Azorian. In 1974 there was a top secret CIA effort to recover the sub from the depths of the ocean off Hawa...
Day 79 at Sea towards Honolulu
I had a go at pastels with the new art teacher today. Average effort. We have mounted some of my other efforts over the "artwork" in the cabin. It makes it a bit more cheerful. Alan was also a bit more cheerful as we joined a singing group in the afternoon. There was a fabulous lecture on Pacific Is...
Day 78 San Diego, California
Its a big day today with 800 guests disembarking. This included our friends Paula and Mick. Some 900 joined the cruise. All guests needed to disembark including us. We had a fast and furious visit to Walmart with Garry and Barbara so we could return to Vista before their friend, Rich arrived. I have...
Day 77 Ensenada, Mexico
Bit of a come down after yesterday. We walked to Ensenada with the goal of going to the Museum, only to find it was closed, unlike its webpage. Al still not 100%. Dinner with a lovely couple from Texas both school principals. We have found 8/10 americans aboard are so embarassed about their illustri...
Day 76 at sea towards Ensenada, Mexico
We had a great day at sea. Alan on the mend so we caught up with shipboard activities. We had a lecture on Californian agriculture in the morning. Then handed in the Art Scavenger hunt for Big O points at lunchtime. Big O points mean that you can redeem points for a Tshirt for example. (OMG). There...
Day 75 Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
We broke out today and walked the shores of Cabo San Lucas (7k) with our friends Jean and Dave. We had visited Cabo San Lucas on the first leg. Jean and I had a haircut in the back streets which was great.
Day 74 at sea towards Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Alan recovering at last. Cabin fever. Panache Quartet accompanied our afternoon tea. We enjoyed a spectacular full moon eclipse from the Terrace deck.
Day 73 Acapulco, Mexico
Alan finally in the medical centre this morning. Covid, Flu free with anti-biotics and cough medicine now supplied, expensive.
Day 72 at towards acapulco, mexico
Alan still unwell. Art class and met Connie and Mimi for lunch.
Day 71 Acajutla, El Salvador
Alan better-ish but taking it easy. Trump is busy ruining my holiday today!
Day 70 at sea towards Acajulta, el Salvador
Alan also sick. I had an art class but otherwise room service and in the cabin.
Day 69 Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Alan was sick so spent most the day in bed. We went to our friend Johnny's penthouse for drinks in the evening. It had a deck that wrapped around the two sides of his apartment. Sunset, champagne, savouries and dolphins on the deck. Yay
Day 68 at sea towards Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Another chilled out day at sea. Celebrated crossing the equator again with a nanna nap. Looking forward to dinner with Garry and Barbara at Jacques tonight.
Day 67 Manta, Ecuador
We docked at Ecuador this morning and had a tour booked at Pacoche Wildlife refuge for later in the morning. The tour was a case of many steps and no wildlife. We did not see any birds or other creatures (except ants). Alan was still not 100% and I thought we would need to rescue him at one stage. T...
Day 66 at sea towards Manta, Equador
Chilled day today. Catching up with friends and had an art class.
Day 65 Salaverry, Peru
We had a tour to an archeological dig called Chan Chan at Trujillo south of Salvaverry port where we are docked. This is still desert country which aids the archeological preservation. The site had excavated 1 palace of the 9 in the complex. Many of the Larco Museo collection (visited yesterday) wer...
Day 64 docked (Callao) Lima, Peru
Today was real treat. We took a tour to the Larco Museum in Lima. Lima is the capital of Peru located in the coastal region. Peru has population of 34m, of which Lima has 6m. 90% of the population is mestisto or mixed race-inca, spanish and asian. It was invaded by the Spanish in 15thC and eventuall...
Day 63 Pisco, Peru
Docked this morning at Pisco with another time change. The dock is very industrial, surrounded by barren steep desert hills. Apparently they are mining for copper ore and exporting from here. We caught a shuttle bus through the desert to a tourist marina. We contributed to the local economy and buse...
Day 62 at sea towards Pisco, Peru
We had a fun day at sea catching up with friends etc. We presented our Art Scavenger Hunt to gain 40 Big O points. The scavenger hunt has photos of tiny details of artworks in the ship that upi have to locate. We then humiliated ourselves at Trivia, attended a lecture "what has the Amazon done for u...
Day 61 Iquique, Chile
Iquique is our last port in Chile. It is based on salt petre (potasium nitrate) mining associated with Atacama Desert. The tours looked less than exciting so its another at home day for us. There is some kind of fish processing plant at the port which has the attending aromas appreciated by the sea...
Day 60 at sea towards Iquique, Chile
no news. A sleep in and we had dinner with friends, Jean, Dave, Don and Polly in the Grand Dining room.
Day 59 Coquimbo, Chile
Crazy port town. Many buildings are accessed only by fernicular. It was cold and foggy early so we had a catch up day on board. I finished Handmaid's Tale today, which I had not read before. (a bit disturbing when life is imitating art). We are off to the french restaurant, Jacques tonight.
Day 58 Valparaiso, Chile
Valparaiso is the sea port for Santiago, the capital of Chile. It is a steep chaotic maze like city sloping to the port. We were off early for a tour of Santiago. The main drama was that it was Sunday so everything was shut. We had an informative guide, so it was a bit like a movable lecture topped...
Day 57 at Sea towards San Diego, Chile
Today was Valentine's Day celebrated by most on board. We kept a low profile trying to avoid the VD festivities. We did show our friends Mimi and Connie the advertisments that run in association with the Superbowl but were not shown on board. Apparently they are much loved and the length of the brea...
Day 56 Puerto Montt, Chile
We arrived early at Puerto Montt and anchored in the bay. Chile is exteremely long and skinny (4270km long - would stretch from Us to Europe and contained to the East by the Andes mountains). Puerto Montt is located in the north end of the Reloncavi Sound. It has an unusual heritage with a mass Germ...
Day 55 at sea towards Puerto Montt, Chile
Another busy day at sea. We had singing again but there is not much take up as it isn't able to be advertised in the daily currents. Whales joined us today for lunch. We had two lectures: Central Valley of Chile and "You don't have to be mad to be an Artist". I had art with water colour pencils. We...
Day 54 at sea between Punta arenas and Puerto montt, Chile
Very rocky with 2m seas, cold but finally in the Pacific. Yay. We had three lectures in a row after lunch. Glaciers worldwide, Charles Darwin and HMS Beagle, and The Global influence of the Moors. Forced to have afternoon tea with the Panache String Quartet! Yay also
Day 53 Punta Arenas, Chile
We experienced the southernmost Chilean city, Punta Arenas. It was good case of the winds would blow a dog off a chain. Punta Arenas overlooks the Straights of Magellan and is located on an historic trade route. We managed to get the parcel posted from here. Hoped for a tail wind to get back to the...
Day 52 Ushuaia, Argentina
Ushuaia is known as the The End of the World. It is the southernmost city in the world, next stop Antarctica. Ushuaia is the capital of Tierra del Fuego. Ferninand Magellan first documented it in 1520 and later (1831) visited by Charles Darwin in the Beagle, for which the Straits between Argentina a...
Day 51 at sea towards Ushuaia, Argentina
A busy day at sea starting with a lecture with Prof. James Klus on the Geography and archeology of South America. He spoke about the Beagle Channel Glacier Alley, which we will see in a few stops and sounds very exciting. We are sailing towards towards the tip of South America specifically Ushuaia....
Day 50 at sea instead of Falklands
Its amazing how a day can be filled in an emergency sea day. Singing at 11, art at 3 and The assistant cruise director Robbie McArtney gave a great vocal presentation. Dinner at Red Ginger with our favourites Connie and Mimi
Day 49 at sea
We will be unable to land at Falkland Islands due to the torrid conditions. We are heading south now and will be having an extra day at Ushuaia at the very base of Cape Horn. We had another choir gathering, and another lecture on the use of colour in art. So very chilled literally. Another tango per...
Day 48 at Sea heading to Falkland Islands
Great sea day again. Alan had his first preliminary gathering for a choir in the morning. We are hoping for more takers when it is in the daily newsletter. There was a great speaker talking on the symbolism of traditional South American Costume (Louise Garmen), then art classes and a pre-dinner guit...
Day 47 Montevideo, Uruguay
We've docked back at Montevideo and had an extensive look at the town on a Hop on Hop off electric bus. The streetscape was very reminiscent of inner city Sydney, (Surry Hills) with Plane tree lined streets. The city had many grand avenues used for processions, rallys etc. and has remnants of the co...
Day 46 Beunos Aires, Argentina
Off on a tour today to the Tigre Delta, 32 km out of Buenos Aires for a river cruise. The Tigre River was named for the jaguar. The delta has been reclaimed naturally with reeds and sediment an area of around 24k sq km. It is now getaway for Beunos Aires residents. Access is only available via the w...
Day 45 Buenos Aires, Argentina
We are docked at this massive industrial port overnight. We did a tour today "Highlights of Buenos Aires". Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina. It has a fascinating history of conflict and rebellion and had an influx of millions of immigrants 19th to 20th centuries. Its culture is an amalgum of...
Day 44 Montevideo, Uruguay
This morning we had room service brekkie so we could watch Carlos Alcaraz sort out Djokovic in 2026 men's singles Australian Open. Montevideo is yet another beautiful sea side port. It is Spanish speaking and is the main port for export city for Uruguay. The harbour has many visible shipwrecks, incl...
Day 43 Punta del Este, Uruguay
Once again totally indulged ourselves , up early to watch the Australian Open women's match with singles champion Elena Rybakina. This is a beautiful seaside resort, with waterside sealions, swanky restaurants, apartments and shops. We contributed to the local economy at a lovely shop selling beauti...
Day 42 Rio Grande, Brazil- Behind the Scenes Tour
Overnight Al overbalanced getting out of bed on the rocking boat and colided with the waste bin. I am selling his black eye as a wife with a good left hook. Consequently we took it easy at Rio Grande this morning and didn't tender off. Also we were up at some ungodly hour watching the Australian Ope...
Day 41 at sea heading to Rio Grande
We look forward to our days at sea. Catching up with friends and shipboard activities. Today was portrait class for me (Marilyn). We enjoyed a pre-dinner comedy and song show (pommie Jay McGee). We met with our Australian friends at Horizons for afternoon tea then onto at theatre for Hall and Oates,...
Day 40 anchored off Porto Bella, Brazil
Absolutely glorious day today. We were anchored well off Porto Bella. Its name means "beautiful port"not suprisingly. It was an original port for Portuguese traders in 18thC. It is once again a popular holiday destination for snorkeling swimming etc. They had a new port structure very reminiscent of...
Day 39 docked in Santos Brazil
Santos is the port for Sao Paulo, Brazil. Sao Paulo is the third largest city in the world at 11.9m and the district including Santos 22m. This district has thrived on the world's addiction to coffee, grown successfully in this region plus its export all over the world. The Sao Paulo tour was an 8 h...
Day 38 Ilha Grande Brazil
We anchored off and idyllic island off Rio. Its history was not so idyllic when it served firstly as a leper colony then as a high security prison for the Brazilian government for over a century. It was finally closed as a penitentury in 1994. Since then the sleepy fishing village has developed into...
Day 37 Rio, Brazil
Woke up to a clear sunny day thinking yay cable car. Then Alan's sinus infection decided it was more appropriate to stay horizontal. So quiet day. Sign up later for art classes for the next leg.
Day 36 Rio
We visited Calatrava's Science museum today. It was along the port from where Vista is docked. another adventuous building. Exhibits not so much but always exciting. We were stymied by more long lines for the tram sadly so we baled on that and visited the Catedral Metropolitana de Sao Sebastio which...
Day 35 Docked in Rio, Brazil
Rio is a city of over 14m featuring the famous Christ Redeemer statue and Sugarloaf mountain. Both volcanic plugs that have been thrust up sometime in the never never. We were up early to see the passge to the dock only there was so much rain and mist was generally not at all visible. Our dear room...
Day 34 Buzios, Brazil
We were at anchor in Buzios at Brazil. Apparently beautiful, but it was bucketing rain so we stayed on board while everyone got soaked. Late night show called "our World" by the production team we had seen before but it was still incredible.
Day 33 at sea between Salvador and Buzios
Al and I had relaxed day on board first participating in the Vista Country Fair. This involved the officers and staff organising booths where you can win "o points" by throwing quoits over spikes etc. on the pool deck. Later Al met with a couple of interested singers to show them the program so slow...
Day 32 Salvador, Brazil
Salvador was once the capital of Portugal's New World. The city is quite large about 2.5m, mostly highrise. The city is separated by a sheer cliff: water side and upper, which is accessed by a two stop 10 storey (est) lift to the upper. It has a historic core of colourfully decorated buildings. They...
Day 31 at sea transit to Salvador, Brazil
We had another terrific day on board. I had a watercolour pencil class drawing "hydrangeas" , which was fun. The lesson never seems long enough. (1 hour) In the afternoon, we comandeerd part of the Horizons lounge and showed a group of my arty friends this youtube Alan has found called 300 hours in...
Day 30 at sea between Fortaleza and Salvador Brazil
I had a really great on board. Art with acrylics painting a cherry. Its very helpful to get basic techniques. Dashed down to the Grand Dining room where the chefs had set up a sumptuous feast for brunch. I tried out those scales while we were at sea and found you could pick your own weight, because...
Day 29 Fortaleza, Brazil
We docked at Fortaleza Brazil about 11. It is the state capital of Ceara state and is a fortress city (as the name implies). First colonised by the Portuguese in 1603 , then the Dutch invasion 1630, then back to the Poruguese in 1654. In between a generic war with the native original inhabitants. Al...
Day 28 at Sea between Belem and Fortaleza Brazil
Fairly chilled day catching up on books and generally relaxing. We had a speaker series lecture on the geology of NW Brazil in the afternoon and then a fabulous pre-dinner concert saxophonist Oli Nez and the 5 piece Visa stage band. Simply fantastic skills and production. Later our new friends Barba...
Day 27 Belem, Brazil
Belem is the capital of Para Brazil. It is the gateway to the Amazon and is a city of approx 2m people. The actual delta is rather silted up so we were docked about 1 hour out of the city. We bused into see the local landmarks: Theatre, museum, Cathedral, port. It was interesting to see the painted...
Day 26 at sea Crossing the equator
We celebrated Vista's first equator crossing today in sunshine again. We are in Brazilian waters and as such any purchases on board attract a 25% tax. This is a response to Trump's tariffs, no doubt. I had another art class this morning - coloured pencil. Then lunch with a group of aussies we hadn't...
Day 25 at Sea Devils Island not
We had our first day of showery rain yesterday and today its proper rain and wind. To the extent that the Captain has decided not to dock at Devil's Island as it was too dangerous and rough to tender off passengers. This did not particularly bother us as we were not leaving the ship in any case as t...
Day 24 at sea Barbados to French Guiana
A great day at sea. We use days at sea to engage in on board activities. In the morning, I had a Zendoodle art class which was semi -successful and inthe afternoon I had another cooking session with Chef Stephano. Caribbean cooking, with lots of spices, so look out when we get home!!
Day 23 Bridgetown, Barbados
We have had a lovely day in Barbados visiting two tropical gardens on tours. Both gardens had been curated by individuals and have now been turned over for public appreciation. Interesting fact was when a massive fig fell down and allowed light into the space many of the begonias and others foliage...
Day 22 Docked at Roseau, Dominica
Whatever was happening at St Barts was definetly not in evidence in Dominica. It was very sad and rundown. None of the tours seemed attractive. We walked a long way "the centre" to no end and couldn't wait to get back on board.
Day 21 Docked in St Barts
St Barts is a beautiful small village at the base of an older eroded volcano that has been uplifted. It is the ultimate escape for the rich and famous with a collection of the most affluent displays, with so many super yachts that are docked right in the village. It is quite overwhelming. We were wa...
Day 20 at sea to St Barts
We attended another speakers' series with Tale of two cities, St Barts and Devil's Island. A compare and contrast with St Barts overwhelmingly opulent and beautiful island in the Caribbean and Devil's Island a former penal colony still suffering and poverty. I continued my artists' loft experience w...
Day 19 at sea between Miami and St Barts
Chilling at sea. Having the tough life: which free wine will we have with lunch and what with dinner. Then having the arduous task of filling in the laundry list and knowing everything will be back cleaned and ironed in max 48 hours. Then having to lay it on the fresh made bed, sort it and shift the...
Day 18 Miami in port
We had an excursion off ship (through customs) to pick up some random supplies that Alan had ordered from Amazon. We could collect from a locker at Whole Foods in Miami. It was an amazing solution that Al pioneered and was the source of our credit card tango, but worth the aggravation. We shared wit...
Day 17 at sea on route to Miami
The first group of guests were readying for departure. We attended another speaker series talk with Dr Gary Kramer "Climate Change decoded" dispelling any doubt in his audience that climate change is real and urgent.
Day 16 George Town Cayman Islands
We visited the Cayman Island today. Once again to holiday playground of the rich and famous. It was a relief to be on the right side (left side) of the road again as the Caymans are a UK protectorate. It is no doubt a beautiful place with idyllic golden beaches. We took a semi-submersible to view th...
Day 15 at sea
Seems we are leaving a trail of disasters. Acapulco earthquake 6.5 and a Trump dumb quake in Venezuala. Had a great day learning how to cook Latin American food and this afternoon in the artists loft finalising for an "exhibition".
Day 14 Cartagena , Columbia
We are enjoying room service first thing in the morning, to start the day with a cup of tea. I know tough! There seemed to be some difficulty explaining that we wanted two white teas. So it was quite a surprise this morning when the tray arrived with the said English breakfast tea and two other cove...
Day 13 Panama Canal
Day 12 At sea on the way to 2026 (panama)
NYE. We are making our way to the Panama Canal crossing. Had another interesting lecture about the WWII japanese plans for bombing the canal to prevent USA warships' passage. They had invented this enormous submarine which was in an air carrier. There was a cylinder mounted on the top layer which co...
Day 11 Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Its a beautiful day again, hot and humid. Can't believe our luck. No rain or wind since we have sailed. The day started with a realisation that westpac had suspended our credit cards OMG. Took a while with the help of Mel and Lib to get sorted. Realised that my brain was definetly on holidays. We ha...
Day 10 at sea
relaxing today. Two lectures about the construction of the Pananma Canal. We will be traversing the canal on NYD. I have art class this afternoon having a go at Trivia this afternoon. Later a Comedy and Magic show!! Heard a great joke today. Ever since Trump renamed the gulf as Gulf of America, even...
Day 9 Guatemala
We disembarked at Puerto Quetzal. Little bit of market shopping. The port was busy industrial port, naturally with mounds of coal being delivered. Hinterland was several active volcanoes puffing away. Fabulous dinner at Polo (rack of lamb) with Deedee and Lesley (Professor of chemistry)
finish and details aboard Vista
here are some of the fit finishes details on the boat that I thought might interest Nicolle et al the use of stone and glass is quite amazing. colours and soft furnishing too. Built in Italy. I will keep adding details to this post. The pool detail photos are 22/12.
day 7 Acapulco and archeology tour
Apapulco is a traditional tourist destination for the rich and famous with glamorous hotels ringing the coast. We opted for Tehuacalho, an archelogical remains tour of pre-columbian Yope people, in the hinterland. It featured a pyramid style platform used for human sacrifice (gruesome). The site was...
day 6 Merry Mexican Manzanillo Christmas Day
Manzanillo was pretty much closed since it was Christmas Day. We had a read-in on Christmas day , walked the decks and had eggs benne in the Grand dining room. We delivered invites for a Christmas dinner at the Grand Dining room, to some of our special comprades (8) who are doing the full 197 day cr...
day 5 Puerto Vallarta
Had a low key christmas eve day. Called the family and others in Australia on their Christmas Day. It was so lovely talking to the kids and Ov and Liz. Lots of nanna naps. Puerto Vallarta is another mexican tourist town with beautiful coastal location. We wandered around the portside mall and contri...
Day 4 Cabo San Lucas excursion
We are up early to explore the port of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico by water. It is a very picturesque tourist town ringed with glamour apartments. The boat took out us out to the Southernmost tip of the Baja peninsula, Neptune's finger and a natural archway which was originally the hideout for pirates at...
Day 3 at sea and pool details
getting our sea legs on Vista. We attended an interesting lecture on the history of the Panama Canal and all the political machinations to eventually achieve a difficult engineering task. I had an Art lesson in the afternoon and then a string quartet before a beautiful Italian meal at Toscana Restau...
Day 2 cruise at sea
Web have been exploring the ship on an overcast day today, booked some excursions, I am booked in the artists loft tomorrow and culinary classes later. Tonight we have cocktails before enjoying our favourite Red ginger restaurant. We had an interesting lecture linking the Churchill and the Kennedy f...
oceania boarding
After gorgeous brekkie at the four seasons we were bussed to the port. LA is mostly an enormous flat low rise ribbon development. It is absolutely huge and seen better times. Boarding the Vista was an opportunity to meet new friends many of whom were on the long haul too. Vista did not disappoint. I...
Four seasons beverly wilshire
Decamped from Line to the fancy end of town. (included in our cruise package). Very upmarket hotel off Rodeo Drive, with all the sparkly shops good for window shopping. Beautiful vocal quartet all dressed up singing christmas carols which was really cute.
LA Roadeo
Meg was a total rally driver and drove all over (like 5%) LA with amazing skills showing us the sights. First off Venice beach,(skate park) then we saw the sections of fire affected hillsides all being rebuilt with standard ply construction, and finished overlooking LA at sunset from Mulholland Driv...
LA in lala land
We hung around in the hotel (the Line) getting our bearings and catching a few zzz until Meg and Callie arrived. The Line was quite funky(weird): reno of a 1960s hotel re-using plastic bottles /t shirts and any thing to hand. Meg had pre-booked a lovely dinner at the Glasshouse restaurant. Lovely to...
all the way to USA
It was quite a hilarious (scary) journey. First, Alan left his manbag in the Sydney Uber(including passort): retreived. Then I realised I had left my phone in the room: retreived. We shuttled to the airport (no incidents) for an early checkin at ANA. Discussed that we had to have the compression equ...
A and A Pullman
After a fond farewell at the sunny Sawtell station and an interesting luggage interaction with NSW rail we made it to Central, uber to Pullman around 9pm. We love Pullman. It is just a sophisticated and detailed designed fitout. (see I haven't stopped working yet).