Our first port of call on the way to Japan was Darwin, which is the capital of Northern Australia, with a population of about 150,000. Charles Darwin 1809 – 1882 In 1839 Lieutenant John Lort Stokes of HMS Beagle, was the first British person to spot the harbour of what was to become Darwin. Commander […]
Golden Princess Seven of us are off on a short cruise next week to Tasmania, a place that neither Maureen or I have visited. The cruise is just a week, and for us it is a taste of the Apple Isle, which might convince us to return later for a driving holiday. Tasmania’s coat of […]
Some months after Ollie’s weather forecast incident I was again on nights, but this time with another colleague, when we received a message from the inbound aircraft that they had an emergency. We asked for details, and it was not an emergency of the aircraft, but a passenger problem. Knowing the aircraft was a freighter, […]
We were a small group of three ‘mature’ couples on our first visit to Bali. After a lot of research we decided that Ubud would be our first stop rather than the beach side resorts, and that Kenanga Boutique Hotel would be our Ubud accommodation – a good choice. Our drivers were waiting for us […]
Cook Is. sunset Cook Island flag with the union flag which denotes the historical link with the UK, and the fifteen stars represent each of the islands that make up the Cook Islands. The map will give you an idea of the location of the Cook Island – they are three and a half flying […]
The last time I visited the Baltic area was in 1965 when I was a cadet in the BI ship Dunera, which at the time was a school ship. This time Leningrad was no more, and St Petersburg had been resurrected. We considered flying with Garuda International, who had just gained a five star rating, […]
We spent most of the day of our first day at sea between Sydney and Melbourne navigating around the ship to find out where everything fitted – restaurants, bars, shopping areas etc We had a cloudy morning, which brightened in to a blue sea and blue sky day with very good visibility. We were able […]
I know it is now called Mumbai, but for me it will always be Bombay, and our guide spoke of the city using both names. We were told that many people living in Bombay still referred to their home city as Bombay. As we sailed closer to the harbour we overtook an Indian naval vessel. […]
The last time I visited the Baltic area was in 1965 when I was a cadet in the BI ship Dunera, which at the time was a school ship. This time Leningrad was no more, and St Petersburg had been resurrected. We considered flying with Garuda International, who had just gained a five star rating, […]
A ninety-minute drive south of Kuala Lumpur international airport is Melaka (Malacca). We first visited Melaka for a day trip from Kuala Lumpur – it was a long day, but we liked the look of the place and a few years later, we returned and stayed in a small Chinese hotel. Along the Melaka River […]
When we visited Hoi An this hotel was just called the Hoi An Hotel, I am not sure when it became ‘historic’, although we did enjoy staying there at the time. Hoi An had the feeling that the town was just beginning to attract foreign tourists. The main attraction at the time seemed to be […]
The trip across the Great Australian Bight was uneventful even though this Bight has a reputation for bad weather. It was cool. but not cold and people till managed to swim in the ship’s pools. A quiet peaceful day followed by a very nice dinner and we were just in time for the evening show. […]
We sailed from Southampton the day after we’d arrived with a fresh group of students. This voyage was to Vigo, again, and later Cadiz, where according to Sir Francis Drake he ‘Singed the King’s Beard’ . Sir Francis Drake Singed a King’s Beard in 1587. Drake’s original map, the pink arrow shows how he approached Cadiz harbour. Spain […]
Once the decision had been made to join the Majestic Princess in Rome, and to sail back to Singapore, the next thought was how to get to Rome and home from Singapore. I checked various airlines that we have used in the past, and considered the cost via each one, but as one gets older one […]
