Month: March 2020

I am at home, sweet home.  I arrived at night on Friday March 20^th.  I am just now posting because I just got internet service back at my house.

The trip from Perth to San Antonio was relatively smooth.  A taxi took me to the Perth airport for a 5:30am flight to Sydney.  The Sydney terminal was crowded with a few people I knew from my cruise ship but many more from several other cruise ships docked in Sydney.  We were shoulder to shoulder in queue for more than an hour.  The airline blamed the caterer for the delay in boarding the A380.  I wore a mask.  I always keep a couple in my travel backpack.   Once we started, the Quantas flight was fine, including good food and drink, and a lie flat bed.  We arrived late to Dallas.  There was no health screening that I could detect and US citizens were swiftly passed through customs.  Many of us had missed connecting flights but tickets for our rebooked flights were issued as we stepped off the plane.  In contrast to Sydney, the Dallas airport was nearly deserted.  Most people seemed to heed the social distancing rule.  San Antonio airport was also deserted.  My ride home got me to my front door, about an hour before the gate to my gated community closed to all non-residents.

The next day I got my home phone turned back on.  I was on hold for 5 hours (no exaggeration) trying to reach Spectrum.  They immediately got the TV going but the internet would not go.  After several more long waits on “hold” it was determined that my mod had died. They sent a technician Sunday evening.  My gated retirement community is in lock down mode.  I think they might have let him on the property, but I felt I could do this myself.  So, he left the necessary parts with the gate guard.  Our security guards dropped them off outside my front door.  Another long wait on hold for final instructions and I am now reconnected to civilization.  I never thought I’d say it but, thank goodness for the internet.

In lockdown mode, my retirement community has closed the dining room.  Meals can be picked up for take-out.  There are limited items available in our tiny convenience store and there is take out available from our bistro/deli.  I am voluntarily restricted from visiting these areas.  Twice per day meals are placed at my front door .  Boy, do I miss the cruise ship cuisine. Still I am grateful.  So many others have so much less.  I signed up for delivery from the local grocery store chain.  The first available delivery date is April 4^th.  My emancipation date is April 2^nd.

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I will add some posts to this blog. I have plenty of time now. There were several interesting places we visited which I did not cover: (not in order) Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique, Angola, Tanzania, Cape Verde, Seychelles and a glimpse of Sri Lanka.  This was a wonderful trip, even with half of it cancelled.  We are all experiencing an historic time for humanity. When we get through it, and we will get through it, the world is already changed.

Family and friends seem to be well and are coping.  I am well and coping.  Life is good.  I am still having a great time.

Linda

We were finally allowed off the ship yesterday morning March 18^th.  We were bussed to a hotel in Perth.  It is quite a nice hotel, but admittedly, I’ve been spoiled.  We were told to not leave our rooms until departure for the airport. The Australian government has penalties of $50,000 and/or 1 year in jail for anyone caught in violation.  Some former passengers conspired to meet for wine and dinner this evening, since we are sure we are all Corona free. The fine and penalty are a deterrent for me.  I will not do anything that might remotely impede my departure.  My flight departs at 5:30 am tomorrow for Sydney.  Then I go to Dallas.  Once there I get a plane for home. 

But surprise!  I got a call this afternoon, March 19^th, saying I was free to go about the city as I pleased.  I took a wonderful walk around downtown Perth for a couple of hours until sunset.  I will leave my hotel room to go anywhere else for dinner.  Perth has 2 million residents.  It is a vibrant and seemingly youthful city.  There are posters advising people to stay 2 meters from others in public places.  Other than a very few people wearing face masks, there was no suggestion of a pandemic.  This city seems to move at a moderate pace, faster than San Antonio for example, but slower than Chicago.  It was easy to achieve that 2-meter personal space.

I am glad to head home.  This leg of the adventure is over, but the whole is not yet done.  I will self-isolate for 2 weeks at home.  I found staying in a hotel room for a day and a half, a bit trying, but I will complete the isolation.  I understand the epidemiology and respect it.  Corona has changed the world in some fundamental ways and it is not over yet.

Linda

This morning the captain announced that we are going directly to Perth, to arrive on 3/18/2020. The smaller ports we were to visit have been closed. Indeed all ports in Australia will be closed to cruise ships by midnight. We won’t get to any of them in time. Reliable sources on board said there are one or more large cruise ships also trying to find a port in Australia. No wonder Australia closed its ports! Reportedly our cruise line is trying to negotiate an exception for our ship since we are small and have already been isolated since March 1st. It still seems that the target for actually getting off the ship is March 21st. Many of us have begun packing so as to be ready whenever an opportunity presents. I am packing, in a separate suitcase, anything I might need for a period of quarantine…just in case. I don’t think I will need any more formals for a while.

Stay tuned.

I am still having a great time.

Linda

Greetings Gentle Readers,

I am about 600 miles from Broome, Western Australia.  We are scheduled to reach Broome on March 16^th.  It will indeed be welcome since I have not set foot on land since March 1st.  On March 18^th we will land in Exmouth, Western Australia and on March 21^st we will dock in Fremantle (Perth), Western Australia. With the exception of Perth, even many of the Australians on board have not been to some of the towns on our current itinerary.  I joked that it was like a mail run, stopping at every little town with a harbor.  The gourmet meals, the excellent entertainment and extraordinary service on board have continued, unabated and undiminished.

We are all pretty much seasoned travelers.  As a group we are pretty adventurous.  So, we have continued to enjoy our floating luxury bubble with calm good spirits.  When we communicate with family and friends back home, we feel fortunate to be safe from COVID-19.  We have already had a 14-day isolation from any other human contact.  There is no Corona virus here.  Perth remains a major disembarkation point and there has been continuous speculation among the passengers about how many new passengers would care to get on a ship these days. Who would be allowed to board?

Then this morning, as I was doing my daily 5K run around deck 5, the captain made an announcement:  Our “World Cruise” will end on March 21^st in Perth.  All passengers must disembark.  They will, of course, assist each of us in booking passage back to our homes. 

No surprise here. Country after country had closed its ports.  Samoa had dropped off our itinerary.  New Zealand had announced stricter entry requirements.  We knew we were running out of options and in some ways, it was a relief.  It brought some closure, but not really.  Now we have a whole new set of questions and speculations.  How will they find airline reservations for everyone?  Will we now be exposed to COVID-19 in airports?  Will we be tested?  Will we have to be “self-isolated” or quarantined when we get back to the USA.  I am not worried…yet.  We had a “black and white” ball this evening, followed by a formal dinner.  There was a Las Vegas style floor show. I am scheduled to visit a pearl farm in Broome and I will swim with whale sharks in Exmouth.  So far, these ports are still open to us and these excursions are still on the schedule.  But this could change…

Linda

Greetings Gentle Readers,

I have promised to keep you updated on Corona virus and terrorists. I am happy to say:

There has been no active terrorism for this trip…so far. 

Now about Corona:

First of all, there has been no evidence of Corona on board.  Although there does seem to be a “cold” some people have been willing to share.  No one has been seriously ill.  All recover quickly.  Generally, we all seem healthy and happy.

We are currently sailing the Indian Ocean on our way from the Seychelles.  I started this post last night before I went to bed intending to complete and post it today.  I have had to start over because of continuing updates to our itinerary.

First, we had to cancel Mombasa, Kenya due to terrorism…no problem we added days to Zanzibar and to Seychelles. 

Next the captain announced the decision to add extra days in the Maldives and Sri Lanka, because we would not be going to Asia…at all.  We passengers were gearing up to skip Hong Kong and we were hearing rumors about skipping Singapore, but eliminating all the Asian ports was quite a surprise and a disappointment.  We all agreed that we did not want to become one of the cruise ships wandering the oceans because no country would let us dock after having been to some Asian port or other.  The cruise line offered a changed itinerary:  We would visit the Seychelles, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.  Then we would make a hard right and “high tail it” straight to Australia where they were sure we would be welcome.  We would do a detailed tour of western Australia, Tasmanian Australia, New Zealand and then on to Pacific islands and Hawaii.  Not what we signed up for, but not bad.  Plus, they offered significant incentives in the form of deep discounts on another cruise.  (I immediately signed up for the Amazon in 2021.) 

The wine, gourmet food, and lavish entertainment have continued undiminished…so far.

On the way from Seychelles to Maldives, the captain has informed us that the Maldives have closed their port to ALL cruise ships.  Not to worry.  We still have Sri Lanka.

At brunch today the captain confirmed that we will be docking in Sri Lanka, but Sri Lankan authorities will allow no one off the ship.  The ship will take on fuel and provisions (gourmet, we hope) and be on our merry way.

We are still fine and having fun.  One woman became a bit panicky, tearful about ever seeing her family again. Most of us are fine as long as the food and drinks keep coming.  I just left a 6-course brunch, with 4 different cocktails and champagne. The captain is hosting a cocktail party and there is a fashion show this evening before formal night at dinner.

There are logistics nightmares which fortunately are not my problem to solve.  However, the crew is carrying on mightily to be sure we pampered passengers are not impacted.  For example, we were supposed to get fresh provisions in Mombasa.  When that was cancelled the provisioners had to catch up with us in Zanzibar.  There is abundant fish and produce at local markets in Zanzibar, but health, sanitation, and “gourmet” standards are not always met.  So, the ship got provisions shipped from the Netherlands to Zanzibar.  Apparently, we will provision in Colombo, Sri Lanka.  We are now anticipating a leisurely 10 days at sea to Perth, Australia.  I hope Australia will still be welcoming when we get there.

At Seychelles about 90 people got off the ship, either as pre-planned or deciding not to continue with the changed itinerary.  Only about 60 got on, including crew change and entertainers.  The ship is now at about 75% capacity.  I don’t know if passengers or crew will get on at Colombo.  There was to be a major crew change in Singapore which was also to be a major embarkation/disembarkation point.  People were already scrambling to change plane reservations and hotels for people who now would not be getting on or off in Singapore.  I was supposed to leave the ship in Colombo to fly to India and then rejoin the ship just before sailing to Viet Nam.  The next embarkation/disembarkation point will be Perth, then Auckland, New Zealand, then Sydney.  If at each embarkation/disembarkation point more people get off than get on, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.  I think I will continue the journey to the end or until they pay me to get off.  

I started this journey with a seeking an adventure.  I have surely seen and felt new things, but I could have never anticipated this almost surreal situation.  I plan to carry on.  I will continue to post entries.  I am still having a great time.

Linda

P.S.  The photos are from the national botanical garden in the Victoria, Seychelles.

We were in Takoradi Ghana for the day. This city of approximately a half million people seemed relatively prosperous. As is typical for this cruise journey, we were offered a tour to a Unesco World Heritage Site. I joined a group to visit a cocoa plantation. Recent experiences had left me a bit wary and cynical, but I am happy to say this experience proved totally different.

First of all there were no armed escorts at the pier. Our tour bus did pass the usual shanty town, but it seemed to be a relatively small area, compared to other places we visited. One turn onto a well maintained highway and the standard of living seemed to be at least average for this part of the world.

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We drove to a village about 1 hour outside the city. We were invited to the community center which seemed typical of others we had visited: open air with thatched roof. People brought plastic chairs from home for seating. A group of men with serious demeanor assembled at the front of the center and stood until another man in a bright red robe entered. Our interpreter explained that the latter man was the village leader. Next to him was another man who was his spokesman. Out of respect, only the spokesman speaks directly to the leader. While the entire event had a feeling of solemnity, you could also tell that all these men were close friends and were enjoying their part in the show. Through his spokesman and our interpreter, the chief spoke a warm and friendly welcome. A representative from our cruise ship presented the chief with two packages, each containing a fifth of peppermint schnapps, as a sign of our appreciation. More speeches and the spokesman opened one bottle of schnapps and proceeded to pour at least a third of the content on the floor while the chief recited a long prayer. Then the spokesman opened the second bottle and was in the process of repeating the ritual, when one of the village men in the back jumped up; said a loud “Amen!”; and confiscated the open bottle. Everyone had a good laugh.

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There were mainly men and a few older women and small children at this welcoming ceremony. The chief apologized and explained that the older children were in school which was about a half mile down the road. This was market day and most of the women were at the regional market, buying and selling for their households. A group of the men walked with us down a well paved road to the cocoa plantation. I was expecting neat symmetrical rows of cultivated cocoa plants, whatever cocoa plants were. Instead we climbed up a steep embankment of what looked like forest. There were cocoa trees of various sizes seemingly planted in a random pattern, along with other apparently wild plants and a dense mat of vegetation on the ground.

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1. Cocoa trees 2. Immature pods grow directly on tree trucks 3. A mature pod 3, Opening a pod with a machete 4. Fresh wet cocoa beans

We came back to the village to see the harvested beans drying in the sun. The village leaders graciously served us drinks of their local fermented brew and thanked us for coming. The headman wished us safe travels. He very tactfully added that the village had 3 community projects they needed help with. First they wanted to improve the the outdoor bathroom facilities of the local school. We had passed this large active school with more than 100 pupils, on our walk to the cocoa plantation. Primary and secondary students, in their crisp uniforms, were as orderly and playful as students anywhere. He also said they needed to bore an additional well in the village. He pointed to construction materials in nearby piles indicating that these were active projects. Finally he said the community center could use a new roof. Indeed if one looked up, the glint of sunlight was evident through the ceiling. Without communicating any sense of entitlement or obligation, he said if we wished to help in any way, the village would be very appreciative. We gave freely. These were happy hard working people who shared a glimpse of their daily life with us.

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Linda