Last Day at Sea

Today is the last day. Tomorrow morning we will be in Fort Lauderdale. We will have traveled over 34000 miles. It is hard to believe it is over. All my bags are out and almost packed. I am just waiting for the last of my laundry to get back to close up the ones to be shipped by FedEx. I shipped two coming but have three going back. The extra is one Holland America gave us as a gift and it is filled with the gifts we got during the cruise. I will spend the day looking up the people I want to see one last time. Then in the morning I will leave for Miami where I will spend the night and arrive home on May 3rd.

Most Memorial World Cruise Moments

 

You would think it would be places that stuck in my mine and while the places play a part it is the people I met at those places that stay in my memory.  Here are a few of the places and the people.

Cartagena, Colombia – This was my first tour and what sticks in my mind is the guide.  He told us a lot about life in Colombia and how people made a living.  He had taught himself English and French and made his living doing tours.  What I remember most was him telling us  how the government paid people who could not find work and that was a high percentage of the population.  .  The amount was not enough to support anyone so the people looked for other ways to bring in money.  That he said was why we saw so many people on the street trying to sell us things.  What struck me and what he did not say was that he had done exactly what they were doing.  He taught himself two different languages and by doing so carved a living out for himself. 

Napier, New Zealand – My card in my Nikon SLR went bad.  In today's terms this is an old camera (6 years old) and will not take the huge memory cards cameras today use.  I went into a camera shop and the owner had to search high and low to find a replacement card small enough to work.  It was really great customer service for something that sold for 7.95 in New Zealand dollars.

Wellington, New Zealand – I had done all the sight seeing for the day and was sitting on a beach in the harbor using free wifi  (something all cruiser look for) when a local couple joined me.  We had a wonderful visit about thing to look for in New Zealand and about the World Cruise I was on.

Kangaroo Island, Australia – Here it was the lady who took me back to her house to see the two baby kangaroos she was fostering.  It was a big treat for me and something she did not have to do.  We had a great visit and I learned a lot about the island from her.

Fremantle, Australia – I left the ship and rode the free bus around the city.  While waiting an Aborigines woman sat down in the bus stop with me.  We started talking and I told her I was visiting the city.  She made sure I knew how the busses worked, when to get on and off and a little about herself.  She could have ignored me, instead she went out of her way to try to make sure I had a wonderful visit in a city she loved.

 

Bali, Indonesia – This was a big change for me. I found that I did not really like the tours and I had gone out on my own at other ports but had never hired anyone to drive me around.  I did that for the first time in Bali and I was very nervous when I did it.  (There is a picture of my driver on one of my posts).  We talked the entire time.  It started by him thanking me for giving him the opportunity to work and earn money.  He told me about his wife and two daughters.  His goal was to earn enough money to buy a house and not have to rent.  He had endless questions about me and my family.  He did not own the car.  Someone in Australia owned it and he was very thankful that he was allowed to drive it.  He only got ¼ of what he charged but he was happy with that.  His dreams were very small by US standards.  What he mostly wanted was the opportunity to work and earn a living.   When we got back to the ship he got out of the car, and hugged me.  He gave me his card in case I ever got back so I was to hire him again.  After that I was much more confident about hiring someone and going off on my own.

Puerto Princesa, Philippines - Here there was another young man I hired to show me around.  I walked up from the ship into town.  The town was filled with their homemade vehicles.  At the heart of the vehicle was a small motorcycle with a covered sidecar that made it a three-wheeled vehicle.  There were two small seats that faced each other.  The young man I hired had offered to give me a tour of the town several times.  When I needed a bathroom and had no idea where one was I hired him for $20.00 (he named the price I did not) as long as he got me to a bathroom.  He took me to MacDonalds.  From there he took me all over the city.  Like my driver in Bali, he told me about his family and his dreams.  He had two daughters and lived in one of the houses build out over the water.  You could build there for free but there were time that the water came in the houses.  His wife had left him and his mother kept the girls (age 2 and 4) while he worked.  Like the guide in Columbia he had taught himself English.  He rented but did not own the vehicle.  He wanted land to build a house but between vehicle rent and food he said he never had any extra money to buy his own vehicle.  He also asked a lot of questions about me life and my family.  He took very good care of me.  He was always out and around to help me out at all stops even though I did not really need any help.  He saw I found many bathrooms.  His vehicle was not registered with the port so he borrowed one that was registered so he could take me all the way to the ship.  It was one of the best times I had on the whole trip and when I paid him I made sure that for one day he had extra money.

Colombo, Sri Lanka – Here I hired a taxi to give me a tour.  The gentleman was older than the previous two and was very interesting.  Like the others he wanted to know about me and my family.  He was the only one who wondered why I was alone.  He loved talking about his city.   I got a lot of information about natural medicine.  He was another one who gave me his card so I could hire him if I came back.  We were gone half a day and he had another tour in the afternoon.  I was out on dock at the shops when he got back from that tour and he come over to speak when he left his passengers out.

Walvis Bay, Namibia – There was a difference in attitudes when we got to Africa.  There is still a lot of deep-seated resentment there.  Mr. Alex (who only told me his name after I asked) did not talk much.  He took me everywhere he promised but getting him to talk to me took a lot of effort.  He asked no questions about me or where I was from.  So why do I remember him?  I remember how surprised he was when I asked if I could take his picture and how big he smiled when I as taking it.   It was the only time he did smile during the entire trip.

St. Lucia – The last one was at the last stop.  I took a taxi to the beach.  When I got ready to leave I went to the taxi stand.  There are no meters so we agreed on a price and I got in the taxi.  The driver was older (on the way back he told me he was 86).  We were just pulling out when another taxi pulled along side.  That driver opened the back door of the taxi I was in and told me to get out because it was his turn to take a passenger.  I refused to get out.  The two drivers argued but not in English while the other driver and I were discussing it in English.  I kept refusing to get out because I had not hired him and I was going with the driver I hired.   It was funny after the fact.  I did stay in the taxi I hired and I could tell the driver was really enjoying the fact that I refused to get out.  I had a nice visit with my driver on the way back to the ship.  He had been to the states and I invited him to come to Northwest Arkansas on one of his trips.  He was another one who gave me a card and told me to be sure to let him know if I ever came back and needed a taxi. 

Jo Jones

http://mixedbookbag.blogspot.com

http://jojonestravelinglady.blogspot.com

St. Lucia

This was our last stop and it was a really beautiful one. For part of our sail in we were in the sun and then clouds came in and we were in shade for awhile. I went to the beach. No surprise there. It was a very nice beach. There are pictures of the beach and one of the boats that came in selling fruit and drinks. It is covered with flags and people were wadeing out to buy coconuts with the top cut off and a straw put in to drink the coconut liquid. There are pictures of the boat and the beach attached. One of the beach shows the difference in picture color when part is in sun and part in shade. There are also pictures of the island as we sailed in. We came past the General Aviation Airport so I had to get a picture. We had to get a clearance from the tower before we could pass. There are a few more pictures on another camera so there may be another post.

Devils Island

I did not get to spend much time on the Island. There are three photos taken on the island. The rest are from the shore. There are three islands that make up the old prison complex. You can see building hidden in the trees. According to one of the historians on board there were no trees when it was a prison. You can see the coast of South American from the island. Today the European Space Agency is located there and the island has to be evacuated when there is a launch.

Last View

One of our last gifts on the cruise was a Steiff bear with his own suitcase. I put him on the bed with the rest and took one last picture. They are now gone and the bags are out to pack. The cruise is about to end.

Belem

For some reason the photos on the Belem post did not come through. Here they are:

Belem, Brazil

This was not one of my favorite ports but it is one where I wished I had taken a ship's tour. We left the ship via shore boats. There is a picture of one below. Houses were hidden behind tall walls and gates. Most of the stands around the port were for fruit. I was up early and the sun rise was really beautiful. The river here is very wide. It is not the Amazon but is one of its branches. If I ever come back I will take a ship's tour. I most I can say is that I have been to Brazil.

Laundry Tour

Marion organized a tour of the ship's laundry yesterday. We went down to B deck (two decks below the last passenger deck) and saw the grant washing machines, dryers, mangle, and the pressing room. There are 16 people who work there. I think they enjoyed having us and getting to pose for pictures. Photos are of the guide with one of the 250 lb. washers, the mangle that dries and folds the sheets, the pressing room and the room where they sort the clothes before they come back to the room.

Fortaleza, Brazil

We go into Fortaleza this morning. We are docked at a working dock and there will be a shuttle soon. We passed an interesting lighthouse on the way in. There are surfers in the water on the far side. From the top deck of the ship they were just dark dots on the water and then they would catch a wave and be dark dots moving on the water. The town has great beaches and there is a picture from the ship. Also a picture on the wind turbines on the jetty.j THis is the third port to have wind turbines catching the wind on the shore.

Dining Table

I eat each night at a table for eight. On my photo journey yesterday I also got photos of all of my table mates. They are Marion and Ted; Gail and Jim; Maurice and Dorothy; and Richard

Cabin And Dining Stewards

I took the camera around with me yesterday and got photos of my cabin and dining stewards. Bedi and Jondra are in the Dining Room and serve us every night. Eco and Yusuf are the two who keep my cabin in order. Here are their photos.

Time Changes

We are ten days away from the end of the cruise and we have had 3 time changes in three days. They all caught up with me this morning. I woke up at 4:00 a.m. and could not go back to sleep. We are now 1 hours slower than eastern time so for me there are only two changes left and one will be when I arrive home. All of the information for getting off the ship is arriving in our staterooms. My bags are still under the bed and will stay there a few more days. Then I have to get serious about packing.

Ascension Island

I was excited about going to Ascension Island but it was not to be. The docking area was not very good and the swells and wind came up. I was in a tender that got almost to shore. The tender before mine was having trouble trying to dock and as we held off the dock we could here the crew and the Captain talking. The tender crew said that if they continued to try to dock they were going to have some very damaged tenders. The Captain came back and said if they felt it was unsafe at the visit would be called off. At that point we turned back to the ship.. We did see some very nice fish from the tender windows and I also saw one of the sea turtles who come here to lay eggs swimming along side the boat. I could not get pictures of either. I am posting photos taken from the front of the ship. Before everything was called off some of the people who live on the island got on the ship and set up a small gift shop. I included a picture of everyone shopping. LIke St Helena this is a very remote island and not very many people visit. Most of the people who live here are part of the British Military.

Saint Helena

This is another of my favorite stops. It is small and easy to get around. I picked up a tour with 6 others. We traveled in a 1950's Ford Van. I have a picture of me and the van. It is very steep here and we wondered if it would make some of the hills. It had a new paint job and a new engine. Everything slows down on their roads so it was not our van. I have pictures of the Castle Gardens, The Governor's House, one of the forts on top of one of the mountains and a view of Jamestown as we sailed in. Also the gate coming into Jamestown, the crater left for the volcano that formed the island and me with the van. This was a tender port so we were not docked. The locals ran out the red carpet. Right now the only ways to get here is by boat. They have a supply and passenger ship that comes every few weeks and a few cruise ships a year. They are building an airport that is scheduled to open in 2016. Even though it is 1200 miles from any other land I think they will be a big tourist destination. It will also change the character of the island.