Sunday, 29 August 2010
24.40S 176.50W Opposite Gladstone and 2144km from Sydney
Only New Zealand to go! Group photos are beginning to be taken... the farewell dinner for our Kiwi friends is tonight...second last day of trivia today ...”White elephant” auction of the collection of tacky souvenirs collected over the length of the cruise...all point to the trip rapidly drawing to a close.
We are looking at a room filled with balloons, wine, cards and gifts to celebrate our anniversary yesterday. At dinner, our waiters gathered up a choir of 7 waiters and sang happy anniversary to us and presented us with a “cake and candle” from Princess Cruises. We ended the night in the wheelhouse bar listening to music with friends. A pleasant celebration given hobo 1 is still suffering from the cold I gave him.
While on Pago Pago we saw the guide who took us around the island last time. Our guides this round were two young 19 year old college girls who volunteer to do the tours when cruise ships are in. The pacific island tourist industry is quite depressed and the island was not as vibrant and alive as it was on our last visit.
We have just jumped from Friday to Sunday as we crossed the International Date Line last night. Saturday 28th just did not occur on the ship! So we have now caught you up again and are actually 2 hours ahead of you time wise.
The Pacific is still calm with the odd whale cruising past us...two different pods came right in beside the ship yesterday... today it is dead flat ...like a mill pond...
Have kept myself busy today with cooking class, trivia, morning tea chat over coffee, art auction etc...last formal night tonight...the commendatore shared his special menu for tonight with us this morning...I think I’ll be settling for a Symphony of Caviar for starters followed by a duo of lobster tails, with a quartet of chocolate mousse for desert, topped off with coffee and Homemade Mignardises (whatever they are)...this life of cruising is so hard to take...now I’m well again I could just keep cruising!!! Some people are...Dawn Princess leaves Sydney to circumnavigate Australia at 5:00pm the day we arrive in Sydney so people from Fremantle for example are just keeping on going.
Happy 44th Anniversary! It all sounds unreal. I am in the middle of my end of term madness. Eisteddfod, Father's night, End of term celebration etc. Actually did you see that Moira McCormick is the speech adjucicator.
ReplyDeleteWe do our verse speaking choir on Friday. Under pressure after 2 years in a row. (I liked it better when there were no expectations) Keecia sang all week she picked up all highly commendeds and a first place for her unaccompanied song which has a trophy that has been around since 1984 - so had names like Titian Wittingham on it. Any way hurry up and get back to reality with us poor people. OK
love Annabella