Our attempt at traveling the world

To see pictures of our trip = www.traveltheworld.ca 

Steve = Firefighter, age 40

Hobbies = Hockey, lacrosse, Snowboarding, playing with the kids and watching the Canucks

Favorite music = Sarah Machlan, Green Day, BNL, Brian Adams, Black Eyed Peas, The Who, Dixie Chicks, Michael Buble

Helen = Nurse, age 38

Hobbies = Working out, Volleyball and watching the Canucks

Favorite  music = Elton John, Sarah Machlan, Green Day,  Brian Adams, Rod Stewart, Queen, BNL

Nikolas = Struggling Student, age 9

Hobbies = Hockey, lacrosse, Snowboarding, Art, Game Cube, and making comics

Favorite music = Green Day, Nickleback,  Linkin Park, Good Charlotte, Black Eyed Peas, Sum41, BNL

Nikolas has written a story about every destination we visited

To read his stories go to www.traveltheworld.ca 

Danika = age 4

, Hobbies = Ballet, Babies, Drawing, watching Scooby Doo & Sponge Bob, also causing as much trouble as possible

Favorite music = Shania Twain, Hillary Duff, Green Day, BNL,

 

We used to live in Surrey , British Columbia , Canada

                             

          

The following information was written before we left on our around the world adventure

 

Steve's Story: (written Jan 2004)

I have traveled to many parts of the world and like many people have found that I just can't get enough. Helen and myself have both been to Europe , and when you travel for more than a couple months at a time, you will get the Travel Bug. One thing about traveling alone is you meet so many people. I have one word of advice for kids coming out of high school that don't know what they want to do: Get a backpack and hit the road! They will mature more on the road than they ever would in that first year of College, That's only if they don't know what they want to do. (That's just my opinion) I am not talking about heading to Hawaii or Florida with your buds for a couple of months. I am talking Europe, Australia , South America or Africa , and the smaller your group the better. I am fortunate that my wife loves to travel too, only she is terrified of flying, can't stomach ships or boating and gets car sick very easily. I know what your thinking, how is she going to make it through the next year without asking the Gravol Corporation for sponsorship?  I think the screaming children, and non-stop travel will hopefully get her through those first few weeks, and we will never look back. If not, we are in big trouble! 

Planning this trip? 

This trip has been planned since 2000 when I applied for a 1 year pre- paid leave from The Surrey Fire Dept. after being there for 10 years. In Nursing and Firefighting we get to see a completely different side of life. It can be very wonderful and rewarding, or it can leave you a little depressed.  For me, being a Firefighter is a childhood dream come true, and I somehow managed to get hired by a  fantastic Department and got to do a job that makes a difference. Planning a trip like this is tough when you have two children, a house, cars and aging parents. Our first task was to try and raise some cash to pay for the trip, and we guessed it would cost between $75,000 and $100,000 for the four of us for 12 months on the road. The real estate market had been poor for the last few years. We thought we would buy a house and fix it up and make some of the cash if the market turned. So we purchased a home, a real handy-mans special, and we planned to fix it up over 3 years and sell it in hopefully a hot real estate market. 

The number one question we get asked is "What made you decide to take a trip like this". Hopefully the next few lines will give some kind of answer.

 My wife and myself have been together for over 20 years, and are best of friends.  Like every couple, we've had  our ups and downs. Although our Marriage has always been on solid ground, it never hurts  to try and improve on what you have. I hope this trip will make us stronger. I always ask people who have been married for 50 years, what there secret is. And what's funny is, you would think communication would be #1, but respect and the joy of doing things as a family appears to be the most important. We came to realize how important traveling was before we had kids, and how difficult, or should I say different it became with kids. We thought we would wait till our kids got a little older before we did  any big trips, but some events happened in our lives that made us realize we should get on it now. From high school to the Fire Department I have always had a kind of care free life. I never took life too seriously, always playing jokes and having a ton of fun.  I still enjoy everyday, but life for us now has much more of a serious side and we try to cherish everyday now, because tomorrow may be so different. You see, we had not been to many funerals or had to deal with any sick relatives or family, so we were a tad immature and just took that part of life for granted. Then our perfect little world seemed to change in a hurry, and in a matter of two years, we started losing family and loved ones to cancer, mental illness and addiction. Those happy-go-lucky smirks we had on our faces were quickly erased and we found ourselves dealing with some very dark aspects of life. Having someone you care about get taken away from you can be a very difficult thing. I cannot speak for my wife, but there is one, or should I say, a series of other events that followed the ones I just spoke of, that changed the way I feel about life.

People, who find out that we are going on this trip, always ask the same one question: "What made you decide to take your kids out of school and go away for a whole year". I always give them a short reply without getting too personal, but I have no problem telling it now.  The next paragraph may seem like baggage, but it the most important lesson about life I was fortunate enough to learn. 

CARPE DIEM

 The one major event in my life that made me think about doing this trip, was when I lost my older brother.  He lost his battle with addiction and mental illness at the young age of 46. My family having to make the decision to disconnect my brother from life support, and then stay at his side while he left us, was a real wake up call for me. My family tried for two years to get my brother clean and back on track, but we failed and it was very overwhelming for everyone. Within a few months my wife gave birth to the most beautiful little girl you have ever seen! I know that's what all the dad's say, but this kid was a beauty, I'm telling ya! I had all but forgotten about the last few months and losing my brother, and was totally consumed with this new bundle of joy in my life. It was very brief though because our daughter became very ill and contracted a potentially deadly virus at 4 weeks of age and came very close to dying. She was admitted to our city's Children's Hospital.  I found spending time in that Hospital to be very emotional, and my heart goes out to anyone who has to go through it. We were trying to prepare ourselves that we might lose her, and I can honestly tell you that you can't prepare for that. We saw many sick children, many that never came home from the hospital and that was a very humbling experience. I felt weak and vulnerable, like I was losing control of everything that was important to me. I was having a very difficult time staying in Isolation with my wife and little girl, so I decided to go back home to be with our son and to go to work for a bit of a break and distraction. That proved to be a Big Mistake!  My first call after being on shift for only 3 minutes was a non-breathing 3 month old boy, who was dead when we arrived, but we spent half an hour trying to revive the little guy. That week of work was one of the most draining weeks of my career I can ever remember. In those first 7 days I returned to work, it was very busy, and three of our many calls involved children 2 months, 3 months and 11 years of age, and all had died or been killed. All of those events happened because of someone else's wrong doing and not the child's, and it made me feel really angry.

Our daughter was brought home to recover in the same week. Just so you know, our little princess recovered nicely. My wife unfortunately, now had another problem.  I had become very depressed, and it took me many months along with some help, to shake all those dark feelings. The Department I work for is made up of the greatest people you'll ever meet.  It's an organization that I feel very proud to belong to but, unfortunately, it was going through a tough time. Let’s just say some restructuring was being done and we had a new boss, the moral was at an all time low. I felt very tired and did not want to return to work.  With moral the way it was, I had been questioning myself about my career choice. It was in that time that I became the person I am now, and I can assure you I am very different from who I used to be.  I had two healthy kids and a great marriage, and my wife made me realize that all that started when we were able to bring our little girl home from the hospital.  I still found myself wanting a change though, so we started to examine our options. We started by looking into exchange and sabbatical programs, we chose a sabbatical. Of course my wife was supportive as always, and we started focusing toward this goal, well at least I did.

 And so that's it, that's how we decided to try and take this journey, it was our wake up call. We have an opportunity to try this adventure at a time when we can afford to, and at a time when we all have our health, which is the most important thing.

 In 2000 I applied for a  Sabbatical that took five years of payroll contributions which ,in turn, allowed you to take 12 months off with pay. So here we are, and we are very excited about this adventure and hope that we can endure the pressures a trip like this can put on a couple, never mind a whole family. My father keeps telling me on a daily basis how crazy we are to be traveling, especially now with all the problems in the world.

We had this great plan to sell our home (the fixer upper we had purchased) and use the profit we had made for our travel, even though our family and some of our friends thought we were nuts. Even our own parents thought it was a total waste of money and laid on the guilt by saying, "how dare you take the grandkids away from us for a year". My wife is very nervous about taking this adventure, and if I said lets cancel it, she would be O.K. with that. Our two kids have also let us know they are not happy about this silly plan, and they don't want to leave their friends. Our plan changed a bit in Feb, 2002, when a very magical financial event happened and we no longer needed to sell our home, and it made it possible to upgrade the way we see the world.

 

Helen's Story: (Written June 2004)

When I met Steve, my husband, just about 20 years ago, one of the things that attracted me to him was his sense of adventure.  We have a lot in common but one thing that is very different about us is that I am the biggest chicken in the world and he thrives on taking chances.  I was brought up in a very strict European household with a mother, who was absolutely wonderful, but worried about everything.  And well, yes, aren't we all products of our parents.  My mother has this amazing ability to call me the day before any trip we go on and come up with at least a hundred things that could go wrong.  Then she adds the guilt trip and questions why I would put my children at risk for nothing.  These calls come even if we are headed up to the local ski mountain for the day.  I resent these calls even more so because they always have the same effect no matter what; I always end up worrying about everything she cautions me about.  So when Steve asked me how I felt about this trip 5 and half years ago, I said 'sure' thinking it was a lifetime away.  Now that it's right around the corner, I'm starting to get cold feet.  There is no way that I will not go because I know this will be an experience of a lifetime but I have to be honest and say that I am scared to death.  But I also know that this is exactly what I need.  I just have to let loose and trust the fact that things will go wrong and we will deal with them as best as we can.  There have been many trips that I have been less than enthusiastic about but I have forced myself to go and without a single doubt I have never regretted the decision.  In fact on a number of occasions I have found myself thinking how sad it would have been if I had not gone and was not standing in the middle of a spectacular location having the time of my life.   I must go.

I have been a registered nurse for six years.  I have been fortunate in that I don't have to work very much and can spend a lot of time with my young children.  When I do work, it is a job that isn't always that pleasant but  is very gratifying.  When I worked on a Medical floor, I remember talking to many elderly patients that were in the last stages of their lives.  I would love to ask them questions about their lives and watch their faces light up as they told some incredible stories.  I would ask them their advice on life and their wisdom was very educational.  Most said that, of course, family was most important and many stated that if they had to do anything over again they would live life less seriously and travel much more before retirement.  Most had incredible stories of the many places they went and it made me want to do so much more so that when I am 90 years old I, too, will have wonderful, exciting stories to tell.

 

LIFE IS FUNNY

 

Written on Dec. 28 2004 at the airport hotel in Vancouver (day of departure)

Well, I just watched a 747 take off from our room at the airport and the more planes I see take off, the more excited I become.  Still quite nervous about flying and I keep telling Steve that the party will begin when we land safely in New York .  It has been a long and interesting journey to this point and I think we are both to the point where we just want to go already.   Enough talking, enough planning, enough worrying, let’s just go!!! 

We had a really nice, quiet Christmas in our cozy little B&B with our tiny little Charlie Brown Christmas tree.  We made homemade paper decorations and threaded popcorn on some string, it was really fun and the kids loved it.  It was a little hard for us to totally relax though, because we were thinking of all the things we had to do in the following days.  The 26th and the 27th were spent packing; both our luggage and the ‘stuff’ that had to be stored in our storage locker. As usual we were astonished to see how much stuff we had to put in storage and it took us two whole days to do it.  Steve’s idea of spending two days at the hotel at the airport has turned out to be brilliant so far.  We are able to relax and get in the traveling mode.  We are, of course, living out of suitcases and it gives us a chance to figure out what we need and what isn’t working.  Steve had to buy one more suitcase, two extra wardrobe cases and he had to bring out a duffel bag from storage just to carry our shoes and winter stuff for New York .  I know that he wasn’t too impressed with this but has been quite wonderful about it all!!  His threat to me is only that I have to be prepared to carry four bags by myself.  We’ll figure it out when the time comes.

It’s hard to believe that TOMORROW our journey really begins.  Wow, amazing.  All the thoughts going through my mind are making it a little hard to sleep, along with Danika coughing up a storm.  She caught the cold from me and I caught it from Steve.  It was pretty nasty and I guess you could say better now then when we leave, but we still don’t feel a hundred percent.  It’s funny because all these little things that have happened have taken my mind off the nerves.  Now as I sit here and wait I’m starting to get nervous.  But enough already, the count down is officially on, in just hours (well 31 actually) we will be on our way!  UP UP AND AWAY!!!!

 

 

 

A pre-trip hiccup

 (Written by Steve on Dec 5, 2004, 3 weeks prior to departure)

Well, we have almost everything in place for our trip, we just have a few loose ends left.  I had decided to go for a few tests before we go because of a few dizzy spells I have been having over the last few months. I have also been having some chest discomfort along with the lightheadedness, so my Doctor decided to send me for a stress test. I was not worried because my week consists of playing hockey two to four times, lacrosse twice and I jog on the days I don’t have any sports planned. Aside from feeling like I am going pass out every once and a while, I am in the best shape of my life. The morning of the test was a very busy day, so I headed down to the hospital on Nov 30 at 6am. When I got to the testing room they hooked me up to all these electrodes and had me run on this tread mill. I was running on this tread mill when all of a sudden I got hit with one of those spells, and the doctor asked if I was O.K. I told her that I felt dizzy, and at that same moment her computer started telling her my heart was not getting enough oxygen. They laid me down and told me that this type of result is usually from a blocked artery. I had a busy day ahead of me and thought I would just put it out of mind so I headed to downtown Vancouver for a meeting.  My mind was racing all over the place as I drove. What just happened I thought?   What am I going to tell my wife?  We are supposed to be leaving the country in only a few short weeks and I have no idea what all of this means. I would wait till 9:40am, because she would have had the kids at school and I would just leave a message, but she answered the phone and I got all choked up, and told her all went well and I would have to call her back when I got into the city. I arrived downtown feeling very sorry for myself and thought maybe I would walk the streets a bit and get my head together before giving my wife a call. As I was dragging my sorry butt down the streets, I spotted this homeless gent I knew. I walked over to a coffee shop and grabbed some soup and a cup of java and walked back to the homeless person. There he was sitting on the ground on the coldest day this year, with his Jesus loves you sign and his money collection can. I said “Hey Mel, how’s it going, aren’t you freezing you’re a$$ off?” He replied that he was, as I gave him the food. We talked like we usually do and I asked about his girlfriend and some other things going on his life. Mel told me that his old lady had just got off the heroin and was trying to get into a methadone program. He also told me the cops had been chasing her when she got hit buy a car and she was suing for one hundred thousand. I told him I was glad to hear she was off the heroin, but it was very important she got clean before she gets any large sums of money. Mel put his coffee down and looked me straight in the eye when he said “Listen to me, you can have all the money in the world, but you’re nothing if you don’t have your health”. I laughed and said thanks, shook his hand and headed off. I just got a lesson in life from a homeless gentleman and was no longer feeling sorry for myself, just terrified. I was in a meeting all that afternoon and when I came out I noticed a ton of messages on my cell phone. The 3rd message was from the intern who did the stress test.  She told me she had sent the results to a cardiac specialist at Vancouver ’s biggest cardiac hospital. The message said under no circumstance could I drive, go to work and I should try to stay away from any stressful situations. I am in the middle of the city at 4:30pm and it’s the peak of rush hour, so I did what any guy would do, drove home. I was told to go to emergency with my test results and they would give me an angiogram within a couple of days. I went to the Emergency of Vancouver best cardiac Hospital and they told me it must be a false positive because I was in great shape. I was booked me for an angiogram in Feb 2005 (4 months away) and I will most likely be bumped as the date gets closer because I am 40 and in good shape. I really want to go on this trip but our insurance will not cover me now with this possible blocked artery, so I can’t chance it if I am a walking time bomb. The best case scenario is that I have a small blockage and they can fix it, or I just have an arrhythmia. Then I think we can still pull this thing off, I hope. As of right now, we are going to keep the plan the same and I will pay for the test myself, and we will decide then. I am heading down to the U.S. where I can pay cash and get that same test in less than seven days. I am quite angry I have to wait 4 months here in Canada and wish I never took that darn stress test, because when or if the results are negative all this anxiety could have been avoided.

(Our Problem) We have sold our home and are renting a suite that we must vacate before the end of the month. We have sold both of our cars and are renting a car till the end of the month (Dec 04). We have every single thing we own except for the clothes we are bringing on our trip in a storage unit. We are within the last couple of weeks before we leave and the cancellation insurance company has said we can not get a refund of any kind because we are to close to the departure date. The (Cardio) Internist that I am seeing has told me we can not go on this trip. I am totally stressing out, because it is going to be way more stressful if we can not go. I guess the main thing is here, is to find out I am healthy. I guess?

(Written Dec 18, 2004) I just got back from the U.S. after 2 days in the hospital. I just had an angiogram and I don’t have a blockage. Geeez, that scared the hell out of me.                                                     

 I am happy, really happy! I had to spend the last 2 nights in hotel in the U.S. and the night before my Angio all by myself because Helen had to go back to Canada and take care of the kids, and I will tell you that I was terrified.  I am really thankful the test was negative. Less than 10 days now before we leave and I am still not sure if we can go because we still don’t know why my heart is not getting the oxygen it needs. The American Cardiologist thinks is confident it is an arrhythmia, but I would have to stay for more testing. Now I am really stressing out!

(Written Dec 22, 2004) We are back from the specialist and have decided to continue with our plans.  One of the Specialists told us not to go, and our family doctor told to give it a try, so that’s what we are going to do, give it a try. Our doctor told us that we can always come home if we have problems and he thinks that going on the trip might just settle down this whole arrhythmia thing. The last 3 weeks have been very stressful, we have seen a ton of doctors and we are both very tired. Getting on with this trip will hopefully be the best medicine a doctor could prescribe. If we have to come home and continue the testing, then we will. We don’t have a lot of answers, but the Echo and the Angiogram were normal, so the walking time bomb theory is out. Yehaaaaaaa!

(Written Dec 28, 2000: day of departure) We are in the Vancouver Airport and I am writing this last little bit before we leave for New York . We have planned this trip for the last 5 years and everything almost came to an end in the month before takeoff. I am so ready to just get the heck out of dodge and get this trip underway. For the first time I am starting to get a little nervous, cold feet I guess they call it. We’ll I have them!

                                                                             So having said all that! We both still have fears about getting sick or injured, or something happening that we can't control, but we can only hope that it will be a positively wonderful experience.  I do understand why some might not think this is such a great idea, and how we may be putting our kids at risk, but I think it will enrich our children's lives, and I hope that they will be better for it. What is important is that we are trying to live life to the fullest and we'll have fun wherever this journey takes us, I hope.

I think you need four things to travel around the world, the time off, the money to do, your health, and the will power to pull it off. We are very fortunate that we have the first three things, it’s that “will power thing” that will be interesting. How do you know if you can get along, or survive the tests of traveling as a family, I guess we find out soon enough, wish us luck.

 

 

 Special thanks to: Dr. Natha, Dr. Jaffer and Debbie, Dr. Warner, Dr. Kennedy and my buddy Jack at St. Pauls Hospital , and all of our family and friends who have supported us. This trip would not be happening without you guys,

Thank you.

 

We traveled across the West Coast of Canada and the Mid Western United States by car in 2003. We hit the Eastern Canada in the summer of 2004.

Our World Trip starts on Dec 30, 2004 in New York ,

Our tour will be 1/3 by Boat, 1/3 by Air and the rest by land.

Then as follows : Ft. Lauderdale, Willemstad  Curacao, Fuerte Amador Panama, Acapulco Mexico, Los Angeles California, Honolulu Hawaii, Kailua Kona Hawaii, Papeete Tahiti, Moorea Tahiti, Auckland New Zealand, Lyttelton New Zealand, Sydney Australia, Melbourne Australia, Adelaide Australia, Fremantle Australia, Padang Bay Bali Indonesia, Manilla Philippines, Nagasaki Japan, Osaka Japan, Keelung Taipei, Hong Kong China, Laem Chabang Thailand, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, Colombo Sri Lanka, Mumbai India, Dubai UAE, Muscat Oman, Salalah Oman, Aqaba Jordon, Marmaris Turkey, Naples Italy, Barcelona Spain, Malaga Spain.

We will most likely head down to Spain , Portugal and maybe the tip of Africa . Then work our way back up through Europe by land, and then hopefully fly to South Africa , finish in Australia . Most of the trip will be by the seat of our pants, so we don't really know.

 

Take care and we will see you all in 2006,

 

Steve, Helen, Nikolas, and Danika

 

The Start

 New York City

 

  We're Off and Running

Written by Steve - December 30, 2004

As you will find as you read along with us on our journey, you will find no matter what we do it will most likely not be the easiest way. We have some good friends who came to stay over with us and see us off at the airport, and that was wonderful. It was at that moment that it hit me that we will not be coming home for maybe a long time. The plane we boarded was fully loaded and we would have to change planes in Toronto, which normally is no big deal. The only problem was we had someone sitting in one of our seats and he was very drunk. His phone rang just before they closed the door of the plane and he started screaming into his phone, loud enough that the whole plane could hear him. The flight attendant came up to him and told him to keep his voice down and he just motioned her away.  This upset me and my kids because we were sitting right next to this guy and I was not looking forward to the surprises that were about happen on our 4 ½ hour flight. My son was next to me and I could see he was very upset, so I went up to the flight attendant and told her I thought this was going to be a very long flight and this guy was loaded. She understood and had the flight crew keep the door open and asked the gentleman to step outside the plane back into the gangway so they could speak to him. I then told my son to relax because that gent was not coming back. All we heard was about 10 minutes of yelling and screaming and then the plane door closed and we never saw him again. We had to wait 20 minutes for them to get his bag off the plane and without any other problems, we took off.
Nice start eh?

We landed in Toronto and cleared customs and hopped back on our plane to New York, no problem. We had a car pick us up from the hotel because we had 14 pieces of luggage and unless the taxi was made by Freightliner, it was not going to happen.
 


 

New York

I had been to New York once before back in October 2001, 3 weeks after the towers fell. I and my fellow Firefighters had joined hundreds of thousands of Firefighters from all over the world to support our brothers from the FDNY. We were greeted at JFK by the National Guard and their massive guns, and we had to strip off almost everything before clearing customs.  From there we were loaded onto a shuttle to our hotel for a bit and then straight to ground zero, well you all know about 911 but that was my only memory of New York.

Let's just say that I am very glad to be here in New York with my family as a tourist ready to ring in the New Year at Times Square.  We arrived at the Plaza hotel which sat right on the edge of Central park on 59th ave. at Central Park south. The hotel is very old and fully loaded. We had been traveling for more than 15 hours and needed some shut eye A.S.A.P. We were all ready to grab a nap, but Danika and I headed out into the streets, and I don't think I have ever held her hand that hard. We came back to the room and the other two were out like a light and we waited around the room for a couple of hours. We then did the Central Park stroll and took a cab to Time Square, so we could test how long it would take us to go and back for tomorrow night. Everyone we spoke to, told us to go the New Years bash at Times Square, that it will be safe, just stay on the outside perimeter. When you talk to people here, they all say its safe and they thank Rudy Giuliani. I read in the newspaper that the murder rate has plummeted from 2245 in 1990 to 566 in 2004. We feel very safe here. I will let Helen tell you the rest about our first day, but I would like to say one thing. We have done many things as a family in the last tens years, but I can not remember a day that way was any better than today. We were all very tired, but we had a great walk, a fantastic meal and the kids were awesome. I won't forget this day for a very long time.

Helen’s Version  

Staying at the Fairmont at the airport was a brilliant idea.  It was very therapeutic for the traveler that hates to fly.  When you sit there and watch plane after plane take off, it kind of takes the seriousness out of it.  I would sit in our room and think, Wow this is just in this city, think of how many planes take off at any given moment all over the world.  We also had some wonderful distractions.  My sister works at the airport so I tried to spend as much time with her as I could.  We went for breakfast and lunch and it was fun.  My mom and my nephew also arrived bright and early on the day we were leaving to spend the day with us.  It was wonderful.  Dear friends of ours stayed one night in the airport with us as well as their daughter was leaving for Hamilton bright and early the morning of the 29th.  We had left a message with friends and family to meet us at the Haida bronze monument at the airport between 3-7pm and the Beaumont’s and the Dennis’s came and we spent a wonderful 4 and a half hours drinking and visiting and making my nerves feel like jello.  The only downside was that there was a miscommunication with my sister and I ended up missing 2 hours of quality time with her as she could not find me when she came back with her other son after working a full shift at work.  She was not happy with me and made no attempt to hide her anger.  It made my final good-bye with her awkward and nothing how I had imagined it would be and for that I am very sad.  It was really hard saying good-bye to my mom.  Even Nikolas couldn’t believe she was crying and I think it bothered him to see that.  I did tell my mom earlier in the day, after she told me how nervous she was that we were going.  I said to her that she should remember back to when she was my age and she escaped a Communist country by running through a dark forest one night with my 5-year old brother.  I told her that the courage she had to do that and then come to a country with no money and no language and make a life for herself and her family is more dangerous than anything I am doing now.  I also told her to feel proud because she told me that she did all that to give her children a better life.  Well, I told her that I probably would not be lucky enough to do this amazing trip if we were still living in a communist European country.  She told me that yes, that did make her feel better.  And I truly am grateful for this opportunity of a lifetime.

 Waiting for our flight to Toronto was a long agonizing wait.  But finally we were walking onto the plane, me with my Ativan pill nicely dissolving under my tongue and Gravol working its magic on our children.  Our flight was to leave at 11:05pm but they notified us that they had to delay a few minutes because apparently Toronto instills a fine on all planes that land before 6:30am.  When we got all settled and cozy in our seats a couple told us that we were in their seats.  We realized our mistake and went across the aisle to our seats.  Well, there was a very husky, extremely intoxicated man sitting in my seat.  Steve told him that he was sitting in our seat and he very nicely told Steve to shut up and pretended to be asleep.  At this point, the Ativan and all my positive thinking went right out the window and my heart was beating a mile a minute.  Danika and I took the row ahead of this guy and Steve and Nikolas took the seats right next to him.  I was sitting in the very first row and the plane door was still open and I must say it took every muscle in my body to stop myself from running out of those doors, never to fly again.  At this point the guy’s cell phone rang and he was yelling at the top of his lungs into his phone in another language loud enough for the whole plane to hear.  Shortly after he hung up and told my husband a second time to get lost about the seats the flight attendant politely asked him to join her just outside the planes doors.  They had a very loud and heated discussion and much to my delight and I can confidently guess, the delight of everyone else on that flight, the door closed without him.  We were then delayed another 20 minutes while they found his luggage and got them off the plane as well.  I have to say, this is the second time we have flown with Westjet and we were once again very impressed.

The flight was wonderful, very smooth and it went by so quickly.  Danika slept the whole way but the rest of us had only little cat naps here and there.  Yes, I actually did fall asleep a few times, maybe my phobia is diminishing!!!!!  We landed in snow covered Toronto, went through Customs and boarded our flight for New York.  It took less than an hour and soon we had a spectacular view of NEW YORK CITY!  It was a beautiful sunny day and the city is humungous!

 

 

When we landed we had a lady waiting for us with the little sign and she was astonished at all our luggage.  We had rented a limo thinking that we would have more room but she proceeded to inform us that in fact a limo has very little cargo space.  Oh well.  It was fun driving through New York in a limo and the driver ended up giving us a 45 min. tour of the city and we found out that he is a boxer and his trainer use to train Mohammed Ali and George Forman.  His name is John Hill and he was very nice.

We arrived at the Plaza and it was a circus.  There was a line up for everything and it was just crazy.  Our room wasn’t ready but with us sitting there with two exhausted children and 14 pieces of luggage, Steve decided to take an upgrade that was offered at an extremely discounted price.  The room is nice, very elegant and grand but I have to say, for the price, I was expecting a little more, until I realized the prices in New York.  We actually have a beautiful view of Central Park albeit through a very small window.  That’s the thing with some of the Fairmont’s; they are grand old buildings with rooms that are smaller and by no means contemporary.  Some people really enjoy this; I on the other hand enjoy the more modern style.

After a 3 hour nap we decided to take a stroll through the streets of New York.  We walked across the street to Central Park and this sounds easy enough but noooo, you put your life at risk just crossing the street.  This city is crazy.  I have never been here before but I have watched my fair share of Sex in the City, NYPD Blue, and Third Watch and I can honestly say that the way it is portrayed in the movies is exactly the way it is, if not worse.   As you walk on the street all you hear continually, and I mean NON STOP is the beeping.  And everywhere you look you see yellow.  Yellow Taxis.  Everywhere!!!  And everyone drives like maniacs and the streets are so full of people you can hardly walk.  I thought it was like this because of the holidays but everyone we talk to says it’s actually quite quiet right now.  Oh my gosh.  It is unbelievable.

    

 

We then decided to hop in a cab and see how far our hotel is from Times Square.  Well, once we jumped in at our hotel it took the cab 20 minutes to make a full circle in traffic and we were right back where we started but going in the opposite direction.  All the while he is talking or should I say yelling, on his cell phone in a different language.  Danika, Nikolas and I were in the back seat behind the security glass and Steve was in the front seat.  We finally arrived and as we walked towards the lights of Times Square it was just getting dark and the experience was mind boggling.  It’s just so happening!!!  Does that make sense?  The lights are so bright and busy, moving and changing and you are pushed along by hordes of people and the beeping and the smells of the hot dogs and pretzels on every corner.  It’s just such a sensory overload.  I even said to Steve that it reminded me a little of Las Vegas but grittier and busier.  I wasn’t even sure if I liked it all that much, I think I was so overwhelmed.  But as we walked I started to take it all in and I realized that it is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.  We took the kids to the gigantic Toys R Us store and they were in awe.  There is this huge t-rex in there that is very real looking and every so often it lets out this incredible roar.  Danika was in her glory in the Barbie World section.  We wanted to go to a little restaurant somewhere and not a real commercial place like the Hard Rock Café.  We came across this pizzeria that looked good and clean and there were lots of people inside.  It was called Angelo’s Pizza on West 57th Street and it was excellent.  Steve and I shared a pasta dish and a cheese and proscuitto pizza and the kids shared a plate of Fettuccini Alfredo.  The food was delicious and Nikolas begged us for a New York cheesecake and it was fantastic too.  With full bellies we walked back to our hotel and are now getting ready for our first night’s sleep in this amazing city.

 

 NEW YEARS EVE

(Written by Steve)

We headed out for a little walk around the city and and we found a little deli and sat and had a few snacks. We saw thousands of Police taking positions all over the street corners and putting up barricades. We asked one what was going on and he told us they were getting set up to block all the streets. It was only 2pm and the crowd was already down at Times Square, and on the next corner about 2000 police were lined all the way down the block. I asked one of the NYPD gents how many members they were bringing for tonight's event, and he said that they had brought 10,000 off duty police back to work for Times Square and Central Park events. 10,000 WOW! Well, I started to wonder, what the heck am I doing here, never mind bringing my 2 little kids. We walked around and ended up at FAO Schwarz toy store. I felt safe there, but was certainly wondering if going out with our kids tonight was such a great idea. We had spent a couple of hours in the Toys r Us store yesterday, so why not spend an hour in this one today. After talking to the police, I had no problem spending our New Years in the store. This store was the most amazing store I had ever seen, it was 3 floors with everything from a vintage Barbie collection to a 50k Ferrari go cart . That's right 50,000 US for a go cart with a Ferrari shell and a Honda engine. When I asked if it was only a display, the cashier told me, they sold 3 of them just before Christmas. I guess the building and the crowds are not the big thing here, the Christmas trees and presents appear to be a tad larger too. What else was nuts, is we spent all afternoon in this store, and loved every moment of it. If you come to N.Y. City make sure you go to FAO Schwarz, with or without kids.  We went back to the room so Danika could sleep for a few hours and we could make a plan for tonight.

(Written by Helen)

After so many years watching this incredible moment on television, I had to pinch myself to make sure it was for real.  From very early on in the day the preparations were in full force.  I can honestly say it was a little unnerving to see sooo many police officers all over the place.  Some were in there regular cop uniforms and there were lots in their full riot gear:  with shields on these huge helmets, the biggest batons I've ever seen and some with machine guns dangling from their belts.  At one point during the day, a bunch of them had gathered in one spot and it was amazing to see thousands, yes I said thousands of police officers in one spot.  In one moment I felt really safe, and in the next moment I thought, "what the hell are we doing here?"  Looking around though, no one else seemed the least bit concerned so I just took a deep breath and tried to enjoy the experience the best I could.  The crowd started gathering at Times Square around noon but we decided that we would wait and kind of just hang out near the edges and be a few blocks away.  Little did we know that we would end up 7 blocks away with absolutely no view of anything except a blockade fence and a row of riot police.  We went to Mickey Mantle's Restaurant for our New Year's Eve dinner.  It was okay, not great but the memorabilia was fun to look at.  When we headed out to Times Square we walked three different directions with thousands of other people and realized that all the streets leading to Times Square were blocked off already by huge blockades and two police officers every 8 feet.  We had to walk all the way back to our hotel and along Park Avenue and to the end of the line.  We had decided to stand and just listen to the crowd because there was no possible way we could see the ball drop or even the lights of Times Square.  We stayed by the blockades and spent 5 minutes discussing our escape plan with the kids if there happened to be a surge of people for whatever reason.  There were a lot of drunken people but I was really impressed that nobody got out of hand and anytime something might erupt, a police officer would pop up behind the fence surrounding Central Park.  You didn't realize they were there until all of a sudden one of them would appear out of nowhere and the crowd would just settle down.  We stood there for about two hours and every few minutes you would hear a wave of cheering and hollering make it's way from Times Square down the seven blocks and then we would cheer too.  No one knew what we were cheering about but it was fun and the kids had a toot of their horns and it would get us all pumped for the big moment.  We started talking to some of the police officers at the blockade and asked them if we were safe there and they said absolutely, although I questioned that slightly as I looked up and saw three or four helicopters hovering above us with their spot lights checking out the tops of the skyscrapers around us.  They were actually very nice and at about ten minutes to midnight one of the officers asked us if our kids wanted a better view.  We said yes and he directed us down the street a bit to where there was an opening in the blockade fence.  He took us through the blockade, across the street that was closed off to the public and to the main street that leads to Times Square.  We were still 7 blocks away but at least now we could see the lights of Times Square and we could see the big screen with the countdown to midnight.  This was actually quite a big deal because as we had been waiting for 2 hours there were hundreds of people asking the police if they could just get across the street because they lived there, they even had i.d. with their addresses but the police would just shake their heads and laugh and say no way.  We thanked that officer profusely and brought in the New Year with a small but fabulous view of Times Square.  The roar from the crowd at midnight was thunderous and you could see clouds of confetti falling from the sky.  Everyone was hugging, even the police officers.  It ended up being a perfect spot for us because right at midnight there was a spectacular fireworks display right behind us in Central Park.  We started walking towards our hotel to beat the rush and everyone was saying Happy New Year as you walked down the streets, it was so cool.  All the doormen were out and every time you walked by they had big smiles and they were wishing everyone a Happy New Year.  I wanted to jump up and down and scream, 'we did it , we survived!' but I thought better of it and just happily made our way back to the hotel. 

 

 

Spooky = 10,000 NYPD Officers were brought in for crowd control, welded man hole covers and enough barricades to block off around Times Square for 8 blocks in every direction

 

 

NEW YEARS DAY

Jan. 1st, 2005

We've been getting up really late every morning because, first of all, we go to bed late and second of all, we are still three hours behind on Vancouver time.  We usually get up at about 10:30, have breakfast, shower and by the time we are ready to head out, half the day is over.  Hopefully this will change in a few days.  Today we decided to take a ride on the infamous New York Subway System.  We asked our Concierge the best way to get to Soho and she gave us directions and off we went.  As you head down the stairs into the subway station the odours that await you are quite interesting.  I would have to say that urine is the predominant smell and Steve (the germ freak) drilled into our children's heads that they were not to touch anything!  It is very dark and dingy down there and it feels like there is an earthquake happening as the cars barrel down to your stop.  We studied the map three times before we realized that we were on the wrong side and had to cross over the tracks to head the other way.  The car we hopped on was pretty empty and as you are whizzed along the dark scary tunnel you think back on all the things that can go wrong.  Well, I did anyway.  Fire? Collision?  Breakdown?  Hold up?  I know I'm stretching it but that's just how my mind works.  It took us about 10 minutes and I can say that our skytrain system at home looks brand spanking new compared to this system.  The windows are a little hard to see out of because of all the graffiti on them and the cars are a very dingy grey colour.  It was actually quite a cool experience and we arrived safely at Prince Street in Soho.  As we emerged from the bowels of the subway station we came upon Broadway and this incredible shopping district.  It reminded me of Robson Street but 100 times the size and 100 years older.  The place was packed with shoppers and as I have noticed since we got here the people dress very fashionably, we are definitely underdressed.  Even their casual clothes are cool.  Nothing like our nerdy fleece jackets and hiking shoes.  They all have these very funky jackets on with wildly coloured  scarves and everyone wears high heel boots with their jeans rolled up to the tops of them.  Some of the stores we ventured in to were very funky.  To give you an idea on the pricing I walked into this one store called Lounge because it said their sale was 50-75% off.  Excellent, except that the first little cotton blouse I looked at was regular $395.00US. 

We walked for hours and hours and when you look down any street it stretches as far as the eye can see.  This city is so huge it's unbelievable.  We walked down some residential streets as well and it was exactly how you would imagine.  These old brownstone buildings with iron gates around the front doors.  Each place has a few bikes sitting outside and there is a pile of garbage bags sitting on the curb.  I have not seen one garbage can anywhere.  Even in the really high end sections of the city, every night they put out piles of black garbage bags outside each building.  The mixture of people on the streets is amazing.  There are some yuppie-type people jogging or walking their dogs.  There are some seedy looking people hovering in front of some of the seedy pizza parlours, there are kids here and there and they all go about their business with no problems at all.  The culture mix is interesting too.  Lots of Hispanics, lots of Asians, lots of African Americans, lots of Middle Eastern people and they all hang out together in their separate groups. 

On every street there is about three or four delis, restaurants or pizza places.  It's hard to decide where to eat but we usually pick one that has a lot of people inside and that looks relatively clean.  We found a place called Mary Ann's (yes, the kids wanted to go there because of their aunty) and it was excellent.  It was this very neat Mexican restaurant and the salsa was great.  BUT, the margaritas were fantastic.  The sign outside the restaurant states that they have "killer margs" and the sign was right.  We had a great lunch and then decided to hail a cab back to the hotel.  Again, it is so cool to just stand at the street and wave your hand in the air and within seconds there is a cab waiting to whisk you away.  I'm starting to really like this place.

 

All the shows we wanted to see were sold out, like Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, so we got tickets for The Radio City Music Hall's Christmas Spectacular Show starring The Rockettes.  I thought the show was fantastic even though Christmas is over.  Steve said he liked it but I know it wasn't his kind of thing.  Nikolas thought it was okay and Danika liked it but I could tell she didn't love it like I did.  When the Rockettes came out the first time and started to do the can-can all in a row like I've seen so many times on T.V. I almost got choked up.  I know that's silly but I thought it was pretty amazing.  This was the second to last day for the show and they have been doing shows five times a day since early November.  You honestly cannot tell that they are doing the show for the 200th time, they have so much enthusiasm.

After the show we walked to Rockefeller Center and admired the huge Christmas tree and the crowds of people skating on the rink right under it.  It was freezing outside and we didn't bring any big jackets with us because the weather has been so mild.  We then decided to walk to Times Square to see if the Toy R Us was open because we promised Danika that she could use her Christmas money to buy something.  The streets were so packed as we walked that it actually kept us warm.  All the stores (except Toys R Us) were open; now you have to remember it is about 11:30PM on a Saturday night on New Year's Day.  Unbelievable!!

On the way back to our hotel we stopped at a deli and had some spaghetti and meatballs.  It was alright, not great but we were all starving so it hit the spot.  We walked back to our hotel and were in bed by 2AM.  Another wonderful day in New York City!

 

Jan. 2, 2005

Once again we woke up at 10:30am and had our room service breakfast in our room.  This time it was closer to 1pm before we ventured out.  We decided to take a cab to Ground Zero as I have never seen it before and it's been over two years since Steve saw it.  When we were dropped off there it felt surreal.  There were lots of people there but you could tell that it was a somber mood and there was not a lot of chatter or laughing.  You walk down these cement stairs into a sort of viewing area that is encompassed by a huge chain link fence and a mesh blockade.  It really was hard for me to even imagine the full scope of what happened there as you stare into this huge piece of land that really looks like a building site.  As you look up and around you can still see the damage on some of the surrounding buildings, especially the older ones that are difficult to totally repair.  The newer glass buildings all have their new glass in so they look brand new but the older ones that are made of brick have chunks of building missing and presumably never to be repaired.  All around the site there are pictures of what the towers looked like as they were being built, what they looked like before they were hit and what they looked like after they fell.  There are 4 or 5 signs with lists of names on them with the heading: "Heroes of 9/11".  I was very impressed with the memorials as they are not super fancy or super patriotic like I had expected.  They are very tastefully done and you can tell that what happened to this city is something that hit them harder than anyone can really imagine.  I have to confess and say that I am not a huge fan of the "American way" but standing there I felt a sadness because I realized that the people in this city are innocent hard-working individuals who love their city for what it's worth and are now determined not to feel anger or hatred but to overcome this evil by joining together and rebuilding.

 

  

 

From here Steve wanted to walk to Battery Park and along the way we stopped into a neighbourhood boxing club.  Nikolas thought it was the coolest place and we ended up talking to the guy at the counter who was originally from Toronto.  He told us that there have been quite a few movies filmed there and just recently the contestants from America's Next Top Model had been in to film a segment.  (I saw that one!)  Battery Park is where you can hop on a ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.  We didn't but we got a great view of her and that was very exciting.

From here we decided to go to the Empire State Building and when we got there the wait was two hours so we decided to come back later.  We then walked for hours again in and out of stores until we finally made it to Macy's. Wow, what a place.  Nikolas said it best when we arrived there and there was this big sign stating that it was the biggest shopping store in the world.  He said, "why does New York have the biggest EVERYTHING?"  We laughed as we walked through floor after floor of Macy's.  They even have their own D.J. playing music throughout the store.  From there we took 2 hours trying to find a place to have our final dinner in New York.  We were trying to find a perfect 'New York' eatery but ended up at the Olive Garden where we had a fabulous pasta dinner instead.  From here we walked back to the Empire State Building and went up and watched their Imax theatre show where you sit in these seats in front of a huge screen and when the show begins the seats move and it feels like you are flying over New York City in a helicopter.  A few people in the audience even got a little motion sickness but the kids loved it especially Danika.  After that we went up to the observatory which is 86 floors up and the view is breathtaking.  I kind of wish we had done this the first day because it really does give you an idea where each section of the city is and the major streets that connect them.  You actually walk outside and it was a little scary when a plane flew by quite close, or so it seemed, to the top of the building.  Everyone kind of looked up and you could hear a little nervous laughter here and there.  As touristy as it seems it certainly is a must see and it reminded me of all the movies that had references to this incredible architectural marvel.

 

(Steve's two cents) 

I love New York! I love everything about it except for staying in a hotel, it would be much better staying here with someone who lives here. My favorite thing here is the taxi rides. If you have never been in a NY cab, go rent the video game "Crazy Taxi" and play it, that's exactly what it is like. Like most Americans I have ever met, New Yorkers are super friendly and polite. We have been treated as well or better than in Canada, and people have often gone out of their way to help us with directions, telling Helen she will be pick pocketed when she had some money sticking out of her back pocket, and entertaining our kids. We are leaving today and I hope we come back and see all that we missed like Long Island, Harlem, Bronx zoo, Coney Island and a Rangers-Canucks game.

 

FT. LAUDERDALE

 

 (Written By Steve - January 5, 2004)

We pulled into Ft. Lauderdale around 8:30 am and grabbed a cab to the south side of the beach around 10:30am; it’s only a $10 cab ride from the ship.

Long known as the party capital for spring break bad behavior, Ft. Lauderdale has rid itself of that reputation since the late 1980’s. This place is a very busy cruise ship port and tons of huge incredible yachts. The beach strip has numerous bars, restaurants and shops. The strip is far more sophisticated than its spring break image, with its huge homes and high-rise hotels. The beach itself is wide, combed with hard packed sand, and the surf appears to be a little to rough for swimming. Most of the people are doing exactly what we are, sun tanning, playing and just relaxing. Yes, you heard me right. I am actually relaxing! The wide roads along side the beach are popular with joggers and inline skaters. You can take a boat trip along the intra coastal waterway, where large homes, mansions and manicured lawns line the waters edge. After a few hours on the beach, some lunch and after hitting a couple of shops to pick up a few things, we headed back to the ship.

 

 

 

 

Willemstad, Curacao - Arrived January 8, 2005

 

(Written by Steve Jan 8, 2005) - received January 8

We have arrived in Curacao

 
We can not get a full story out not even from the phone, so I give the skinny on the ships system. The seas have been really rough, and last night was a killer. Well at least we thought so, but the crew said those were only ten foot waves. They told us they had just got hit with 50-60 foot waves before arriving in New York and bigger ones when they were crossing the Atlantic,. Great! Helen is not doing well at all, and we were told to just get to Curacao and it will be the first magical part of our holiday. The beaches are spectacular here, but we have only one problem. We are in a monsoon, and rocks and trees are moving onto the roads and places are flooding. Well after getting hammered in our room for the last 2 night, we went to beach anyway. The Taxi floated through the streets and dropped us off at a wonderful little beach. We played soccer and looked for shells (Yes in the rain) and then we went to one of the many grass huts for lunch. It was fantastic, and as long as you did not look outside. Danika said she wants to move here. So far every place we have been, one of the kids want to move there, or Nikolas as Nikolas would say "Lets just buy a cabin there"  We then grabbed a taxi and toured the island, and Curacao is one of the prettiest place I have ever seen, except for the refinery or two in every city you drive through.
We will send out a full story as soon as we can get our phone to transmit it, maybe from Panama city. Helen is going to try and go to bed early, as she is not looking forward to the next 2 days in the Caribbean sea. She heard it's snowing like crazy back home, and would love to be there if she could. Talk to you from Panama City,
 
Steve

 

(Written by Steve Jan 8, 2004) - received January 11 

I am still trying to figure out why this ship comes all the way down here to Curacao, it’s a really long way from Florida. Then we get back into the roughest sea I have ever been in (Caribbean Sea) and burn all the way back up to the Panama Canal, it’s a long way. Hey, don’t get me wrong, Willemstad is a very cool place and I am very glad to be here, especially since it’s dumping snow back in B.C., but we are here for only a day.

Curacao was protected by the British in the 1800’s and then turned it over to the Dutch in 1863. The Royal Dutch Shell Company chose to come to Curacao with its perfect harbour and political stability. The site was an excellent location to build a refinery and process Venezuelan oil. The refinery brings prosperity to Curacao and people come from all parts of the world to work here.   Willemstad is the capital and full of 18th century Dutch colonial houses that look over St. Anna Bay. The island itself is 60 km long by 12 km wide and has a population of 175,000. The currency is the Netherlands Antilles Florin and Guilder. I have never been to Bermuda, but I have always imagined it would look just like this place. Except Willemstad has a lot of refinery stacks and it kind of takes away from the whole cute Dutch feeling thing.  It is really beautiful here and you can walk right into town from the ship, and not even the rain will stop us. After getting roughed up for the last two days by the ship, it’s so nice to be on land. We are going to spend most of the day at the beach, even with rain. I didn’t think Helen was going to be coming right away, because she did not sleep a wink last night due to the rough seas, but she got up and we all went to the beach.

The beach is nothing less than superb; it stretches out in the shade of coconut palms and is completely vacant because of the rain. The beach we are on is called Kontiki Beach and is located right next to the Breezes hotel and the Plaza. This place is usually humming with activity I’m sure, but not today, we were the only ones. We did a bit of shopping and had been on the beach for about and hour playing soccer with Mark from Amsterdam. We then went to a bar restaurant located right beside the beach, it was very tropical. There were about 20 grass huts that hold 6 people each and someone from the restaurant comes over and takes your order. This was very cool and we were glad the rains had let up a bit so we could relax and have some food and drinks. Our Taxi driver came back and picked us up and took us for a tour to a bit of a tourist shops that overlooked the Spanish Waters Bay. In the bay you could see a big oil rig that had been brought in for repairs and it was cool because we have never seen one before. After about an hour of sightseeing, Franklin (Our Taxi Driver) took us back to the ship. It was a great day considering it monsooned down rain till 3pm and then lightly rained for the rest. Back to the ship for another bumpy ride to Panama City.  I really hope not.

 

                

 

Fuerte, Panama - arrived January 11, 2005

 

(written by Steve - received January 10, 2005 )

 

Hello Folks,
 
We just went through the Panama Canal, in the Caribbean sea in the morning and Pacific in the afternoon. What an amazing trip that is going through the canal. I know many of you have done it, but we never have and it was absolutely incredible. We have tons of pictures and we are also fully loaded with stories, only one problem. We can't get you the dang things. We hope to have them posted, well at least the stories on the web page by the 14th or 15.  Nikolas is writing up a storm and having the time of his life.  Danika is getting a huge head and can barely walk anymore because everyone on this ship thinks she is just the cutest thing. They have not seen the little princess when she has not had enough sleep and does not get what she wants.  Anyways we are all having a much better time, even Helen has found new life. She has even wrote a little story, even though I can't get it to you. The problem is the ships email is like 14.4, and it would take 1/2 hour to get out 100 word story. I usually load them onto my phone and send them as a text, but I can't log on to this Central American network.  So I am mailing the pictures to Captain Ron (The Webmaster) and I hope to send the stories when we get into Mexico in 4 days. I guess I could try and find a Internet Cafe in Panama, but Nikolas and myself have been invited to go to an Indian Village. We are taking a coach into the jungle and then paddling 40 minutes across some alligator infested swamp to a native village. I am not kidding, Helen was going to go but the guy on the ship who is putting it together said it would not be safe for Danika.  So at that's when Helen said she was out too, but we are going to go with about 12 other people from the ship. So I have to be quick, and please excuse the spelling errors, as this is just an update and I'll replace once I get online.
The trip so far is going great, the seas roughed us up a few days ago, but we had one nice day and Helen got to sleep and has relaxed a bit. The seas were so rough and the ship was rocking so bad that our porthole was actually under water at times. I have a picture, and it was kind of freaking us all out. I love everything about this ship, from the crew to the layout. Everyday we meet a few people who just enrich our lives with their stories about life and about the travel they have done over the years. Some folks have come on this cruise to get away from little kids and make no bones about letting us know we are out of bounds. We just ignore those folks and have a good time in spite of them. The kids are having a blast and everyday seems to bring them something new. Helen is not happy about being in the Pacific because she is terrified of the crossing to Hawaii. Oh well, we can't turn back once we start across so we will let you know how it goes.
 
Please give us a couple of days to get those stories posted and we will talk to you then.
Take care and miss you all,
Steve

(by Helen - received January 11, 2005)

Well, here we are in Panama.  The canals themselves are absolutely mind-boggling.  We hear people say that it's their fifth or sixth time through and it's still exciting and we can now understand why.  When you read about the construction, the fact that the locks are almost 100 years old, it is truly amazing when you enter a lock and look at the gates and the walls that have endured for so long.  Our ship just barely fits through.  There is literally just three feet on each side of the boat and the ship is almost too long.  It costs the Cunard line 250,000 dollars to pass through the canals because of it's size and because it is a passenger ship.  It is amazing to go through and have a cargo freighter right beside us within a few feet going through the locks right beside us.  There is one point where we pass a building and there are hundreds of people on the decks and they are all cheering and clapping as we slowly float by.  It is amazing to watch as we enter a lock and we wait for the gate to close behind us, then they empty the water from the lock we are in and it lowers the ship about 45 feet.  Then the front gates open and we slowly sail on through.  You do that a few times until you reach the Pacific Ocean (starting from the Caribbean Sea).  We started at 8am and were done by 5pm, it is an art in itself.  Beside the ship on either side are these carts on rails called mules and there are about eight of them, four on each side.  They have these cables connected to the ship and they roll along beside us making sure we don't hit the sides.  The tension in the cables keeps the boat straight. 
We anchored today off of Fuerta Amada which is a short distance away from Panama City.  It was very hot and muggy, someone said it was 110 degrees out.  Steve and Nikolas went to an Indian village today.  They were in a canoe that took them up this lake to this authentic village, where they were greeted by the wonderful people.  Steve said that the ride up was quite interesting.  The canoe is just a dug out log with a motor on it and every so often they would ground out and almost tip over.  They were wearing life jackets but Steve said they were told that there were vipers (snakes) and crocodiles in this lake.  Yikes!!!  Once there though, they had an excellent adventure.  They ate authentic food, they watched the local dancing with drums and homemade instruments and Steve said that the locals actually put on some clothes for this visit, normally they don't wear much.  Nikolas was given a homemade bow and arrow by a local who said he was the first young boy to visit his village.  Needless to say, Nikolas was thrilled!
We are now headed back to the ship and are at sea for two days on the way to Acapulco.  Hopefully it will be a smooth ride and hopefully by the time we get to Los Angeles the bad weather there will pass. 
Take care and talk to you soon!!

 

Panama Jungle - RAIN FOREST AND EMBRA TRIBE  

(written by Steve - received January 15, 2005 )

 We just went through the Panama Canal yesterday, and I can only say that it was one of the most spectacular things I have seen in a long time. I never knew 25,000 people lost their lives making the railroad and 85 million gallons of fresh water move out of that lake with every ship’s pass, that’s right, 85 million! And the gates are the original ones from 1914. What part of school did they teach this, and where was I? The price for the Queen E to go through is 250,000us not 92,000, and it will be twice that for us to go through the Suez. Anyways I was so blown away with all that I could not imagine anything on this trip affecting me the way the canal did. I had kind of wished it came a little later in the trip because we now don’t have anything that cool to look forward to. Boy, was I wrong, less than 16 hours later Nikolas and myself went on a trip that he nor I will ever forget.

We left the ship at 7:30am and boarded a tender to take us ashore near Panama City to a place called Fuerte Amador. Waking up Nikolas at 6:30 in the morning is never an easy task, but I was surprised how easy he got up considering he never got to sleep till 11 pm. I was very surprised how many people had heard about this trip into the rainforest to meet an Indian tribe. The region we were going to was the jungle area that was up in the mountains behind the City of Panama. There were two cruise ships in that morning and many of us wanted to go to this part of the jungle and see one of the 4 tribes that lived in the National park. The tribe we were going to see was the Embra Tribe and lived the furthest way up the river. Panama is right in the middle of its dry season and the river we were going to go up was very shallow. The crocodiles and cayman would not pose any problems because the river was quite cool, so they would come down to the lake and sun. If there was going to be any problems it would be with one of the 40 types of different snakes in the region. Our translator and guide (Anna) told us that the tribe would have all the dogs out and let them run around to keep the snakes away. Oh ya, that made Nikolas and myself feeling real secure about our little adventure. Originally we were all going as a family, but one of the directors asked if the boat overturned would Danika be able to swim on her own. We had no idea what kind of boats we would be getting on and no one said anything about Crocs and Snakes when we agreed to go. I am so glad we went, but if we had all the info right from the start, I don’t think we would have taken the chance with Nikolas. Anyways we got on a bus and headed through Panama City and up the mountain to the national park reserve. Forget about the reptiles, driving through a 3rd world country like this was your best way to get killed. The drive lasted about 1 1/2 hours and was very entertaining, but we made it and the boats and tribesmen were waiting for us at the lake when we arrived. The canoes were carved out of a single trunk of a tree and were about 35 feet in length and each one had an 8 hp motor on the back. I was thinking, was this some kind of a setup, with the locals dressed up with a couple of handkerchiefs for Speedo’s to make some quick cash off the tourists? That all changed when I heard them speak. This was no act, these folks were most definitely from the jungle and now I was getting a little bit more nervous. Of course like any blind tourist I was willing to risk myself and my young son for a little adventure, because we had already come all this way. O.K. not really, there was only one time on the whole trip, when I felt we were in any danger. And that was when the canoe almost flipped in the river after we hit the bottom on the way back. That was the only time. So lets move, because Helen might read this and then I’ll be in real trouble, I can hear her “what are you nuts” she’ll say. We crossed the lake and made it half way up the river with no real problems, but then we came to shallow water. We stopped and the tribesman gunned the motor while the other tribesman used poles to push us off. After about 45 minutes in the canoe, we came to a spot where women wearing beautiful skirts and head dresses were on the shore greeting us. Anna, our guide gave us a quick lesson on what we could do and what we could not. Pictures were allowed and we could go into their houses if we asked and were given permission. We were welcomed by the chief and his greetings were relayed through the translator. He told us that he moved the tribe (4 families) there from the Columbia / Panama border just over 30 years ago. We were told that the gorilla army had come to that area and was attacking the women and killing the men, so they had to move. The village now had 24 families for a total of 92 people. The greatest celebration in the tribe is when a girl becomes 15, and that is the day that she is a women and they have a great celebration. He also told us that they do not mate with their own tribe, you must leave the village to find a sole mate. They do not marry but will be with their mate for life. If a Westerner comes into the tribe and falls in love with a tribal member the member must leave the village.

Walking through the village was like being on assignment for National Geographic, and Nikolas was in awe. This was one of those moments when a father and son share something that will be with them forever. I can honestly tell you that I absolutely loved watching Nikolas in this environment, and it did not hurt that he came running up to me every 2 minutes saying, “ Dad come and look at this”. We were told not to wander out of the village and to stay close to the houses, but I wanted to see the water pipe up the hill, so I headed up there a bit. Nikolas would not come, he went to the craft table instead. I heard that they had some running water and they had a ½ inch piece of poly pipe that ran down to one of the little shacks, with a facet on it. Later I was told that the pressure from the river pushed the water up to this one tap and they used it for everything. They also used the river for everything from food source (Fish), to bathing, to transportation, to washing laundry. They don’t have much laundry because they mostly walk around naked, but the adults were wearing clothes for our visit. Nikolas came running up to me and said “dad a man wants to talk to you”, so I headed over to the crafts area. A tribesman came up to me and said “I give this to your boy, he is first boy to come to my village”. The man (Mattu) gave Nikolas a bow and one arrow to hunt with, he said. I asked how he knew English, and even though it was only a few words, he said he went to a school for a bit in Panama City. Mattu cut his hair like a westerner, and said he knows someone who went to California so he keeps trying to learn more English words. I was very humbled by his gift and Nikolas wanted to go get Danika and Helen to see if we could move there. For a kid who did not want to come on this trip, I was very surprised by the statement that he said and has said at every port we have been to. You know I could move here, he would say. I laughed at it everytime, but was very surprised that he was willing to move to an Indian Village in the middle of the Jungle in Central America. I think there are very few times that you can actually touch or affect the way a 9 year old feels. I don’t think things are that important in a young kids life, and they very rarely get the message, if you know what I mean. Well let me tell you that this kid just got rocked and was very aware of how these people lived and he really enjoyed their lifestyle. He told me that he wanted to help Mattu and the tribe by maybe giving them money because he thought it would help. Yes, this tribe did use money unlike some of the others, but only to buy rice and fuel and metal parts for crafts and some electronics. I told him that they did not need help, in fact they were probably living a better lifestyle than us and that Mattu did not give him the Bow and Arrow to get money. Nikolas was not convinced, but he was glad that they had everything they needed and he was so happy he made a friend. I’ll try and get the picture online of Nikolas and Mattu, it’s a keeper.

There was a man in the village that was bitten by a viper and survived, he did almost die and was missing most of his lower calf. He was the son of the medicinal healer and even though he did end up going to the hospital, he was treated in the village with roots and herbs for about 3 weeks. I can go on and on about this place, but nothing I say will do it justice and I will never forget the gift it has given me and my young son. I know I just said this yesterday, but I can’t see anything that will have an affect more than this adventure, that’s why I am glad I took so many photo’s. Most of the pictures I took are of the young kids and babies playing and running up to you. There was this one little guy (2 year old) who would grab onto you when you knelt down and just touch your clothes and look into you eyes and just laugh and laugh. I have many pictures of this little nino, and I will ask our webmaster if he could make a separate photo album for this place, so I can show them all to you. I am going to stop because the pictures will tell the rest of the story and hopefully inspire you to travel to Panama and see all it has to offer. This place still has a 3rd world feel and I am sure the drugs still move through, but the people, water, city and culture are worth coming to see.

I really wish Helen could have seen this wonderful place, but I told her we will just have to come back. Yes, Helen and Danika could have easily made the trek, but taking a 4 year that cannot swim is not a smart thing to do . It would have been great for her to see it, but we didn’t want to take the risk.

 

 Next stop Acapulco

I have never been to Mexico, but one of our friends (Vanessa) lived there for a while, and her stories have always made us want to go. I am sure it’s going to be hard, but we will try to get away from the all inclusive beaches and the tourist traps and at least see a little of real Mexico.

Take care, 

Steve

Acapulco, Mexico - arrived January 14

 

ACAPULCO

 (Written by Helen) 

The ride to Acapulco has been spectacular.  I have been telling Steve that if the rest of the trip is like this than I will be kicking my heels up and having a helluva time!!  The weather has been very warm and we have taken advantage of that by heading out to the pool and doing some sun tanning on the pool deck.  It’s not a huge, beautiful pool, it’s actually quite small and its sea water, but it does the trick when you’re hot and Nikolas has enjoyed it.  The first few times we went out it was a little shocking to see our white bodies in bathing suits with a little winter insulation around the waist (that’s me and not Steve) but when we looked around we actually looked fabulous in comparison.  I know that’s mean but…..

We anchored in Acapulco which meant that we had to take a tender boat to shore which is a little annoying, especially when it’s so hot and they cram you into these little boats like sardines.  It amazes me to watch these elderly folks walking onto these boats.  I can hardly stand up in one because they are so wobbly and a lot of these folks can hardly walk on solid ground! But, off we went to shore and it was me and Steve’s first time in Mexico.  Acapulco is truly unique, from what we were told, as it is very mountainous compared to some of the other Mexican destinations.  I guess that makes sense as they are so famous for their cliff divers.  The harbour we anchored in gave us a great view of the cliffs with all the amazing homes built into them, and below them along the shoreline, the beautiful white sandy beaches.  We were a little nervous about where to go when we finally arrived on shore as we heard that often times the taxi drivers will rip you off if you don’t know how much is normal to pay.  We came across a man that claimed to work for the Tourist Board of Mexico and he was kind enough to advise us where to go and how much it should cost us.  He directed us to a taxi stand that he said we could trust and that is where we met Manuel, our taxi driver for the day.  He was a wonderful man that spoke great English and we asked him if he would drive us across the city to the Fairmont Princess because we heard that the beach there is beautiful.  For a fair price he agreed and he promised us that when we were done there he would come back for us and take us into town to do some shopping and then he would take us back to the dock.  It was a great arrangement for us and him.

As we drove to the hotel he took us on a mini tour of ‘old’ Acapulco and ‘new’ Acapulco.  We drove past a Wal Mart, a Home Depot, and a Costco!!  It was quite funny.  He also drove us by a house that he said was just bought by Sylvester Stallone.  It was big and beautiful and built right into a hillside looking over the beautiful harbour. 

 The land is quite lush and green and I was really surprised at how beautiful it was.  You don’t hear a lot about Acapulco anymore compared to the other places like Puerto Vallarta and Cancun.  The taxi driver said that it is slowly starting to have a come back and I can see why.  The city itself looks like it is doing pretty well because there was quite a bit of construction going on as we drove along. 

The Princess Hotel is spectacular.  It is located on the quieter side of the city on a long stretch of pristine white sandy beach.  We just walked right in and walked through the huge lobby and by the very tropical swimming pool area.  We got to the beach and the only unfortunate part is that the minute your foot hits the sand you are bombarded with the locals selling their wares.  It is relentless and throughout the day the same people will approach you five or six times even though you say no thank you.  They sell things like t-shirts and jewellery, horseback riding to para sailing.  We found a spot on the beach and I sat and suntanned as the kids and Steve played in the water that was as warm as the bathtub.  Crazy me forgot to lotion my legs so I ended up with a slightly uncomfortable burn on both legs. 

After that we headed back to the hotel and decided to have lunch at the restaurant right at the beach.  It was just perfect.  I have to say it was the first time in a long time that I actually sat back and took a deep breath and really, really relaxed.  We had the most delicious margaritas we have ever had with some of the best guacamole that we’ve ever tasted and there was a warm breeze blowing and they had this great Mexican band playing and life was really good at that moment.  I didn’t want to leave.  But, Manuel was coming to pick us up so off we went and we drove back into town.  The driving there reminds me a little of New York, with lots of taxis and some really crazy driving but on a much smaller scale.  The only other disturbing part is that there are no seatbelts and it just feels so bizarre to drive in a car and not have a seatbelt on. 

Manuel took us to a market and specifically walked us into this one jeweler store.  It had a ton of silver jewelry and the guy was very insistent that I try everything on and that Danika take a look at all the little dolls he had.  It was a little uncomfortable and when I found a pair of earrings and Danika found a little doll that I swear I’ve seen at a dollar store somewhere, he said that just for me he had a great price of 50 dollars American.  I almost laughed out loud and told him I wasn’t interested and from there the price dropped to $38.  I would not have paid 20 so we left and I felt bad but that was just ridiculous.  Unfortunately this whole market was like that, the prices were outrageous so we just bought Danika this cute little outfit for 10 bucks and decided that we had had enough.  The market was in the very old, poor part of town and the kids were gagging at some of the smells so we asked Manuel to take us back to the dock.  When we pulled into the parking lot this little boy about the age of Nikolas starting running beside the car waiting for it to stop.  He ran for quite a while and the minute we stopped he had the doors opened for all of us with the biggest smile on his face.  Steve gave him a dollar and he said, “Thank You” in perfect English.  We gave Manuel some extra money and he was extremely grateful.  He was a wonderful guide and a very nice man.  He told us about his two boys and was very open with us about his life and the beautiful city he lived in. 

We had to wait for over an hour to get back on the boat because it looked like everyone decided to head back at the same time.  The line-up to get on the tender was huge so we went in the little waiting area that was air conditioned and had a Corona and some pop. 

Overall our first encounter with Mexico was a good one.  As we sailed away, Steve and I went out on deck (the kids went to the Kid’s Club) and sat and watched the beautiful city at night.  It was warm outside and the sky was full of stars as it was a completely clear night.  We both agreed that one day we would come back.

 

Los Angeles, California

 

(Written by Steve - January 17)    Sites we hit today:

Sunset strip, Rodeo Drive, Hollywood and west Hollywood, North Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Laurel Canyon Drive, Ventura Blvd, Santa Monica Blvd, Hwy 405, Torrance

 One of the things I remember about L.A. when I was a kid was how many cars they had, and how large the freeways were. Helen had mentioned to the kids that we may be able to see Universal Studios when we got here, so they had only one thing on there mind. Last night I got on the internet and rented a Mustang convertible to drive around Beverly Hills and the sunset strip. I was never keen on going to Universal because it would take up the whole day and I wanted to see some other things while we were here. This was the first real time on this trip Helen and I have butted heads, not bad for almost 3 weeks but we were cranky today. Anyways by the time we got off the ship and to Torrance where we had rented the car, it was in the afternoon. We still had to get the car and drive the hour plus trip to Universal and then leave early enough so we could drop the car off and get back to the ship before it left. So we left Torrance and headed down hwy 405 towards the city. We pulled off at Santa Monica Blvd and headed into Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. Our first detour on the way to Universal was Rodeo Drive, it was very cool and glitzy. Porsche’s, Rolls, Bentley’s and more BMW’s than you could shake a stick at. This is only half a block from where the street folks are panhandling down the middle of the streets. Every big city has its posh areas close to slums or its run down parts. But this place was over the top we were most definitely in the land of the have’s and have not’s. These people need to be seen and there was no better place than the Hollywood area for that kind of thing. We spun our car around and headed back through Beverly Hills and the Sunset strip. Now aside from Johnny Carson and Beverly Hills cop, I had never seen this place before and it just fascinated me how glitzy it was. The shops and restaurants were very high end and lots of window dressing to try and outdo the neighbors. From  Sunset we headed up Laurel Canyon Drive to the other side to North Hollywood and Burbank. The drive would normally be really nice but the map we had only showed a few streets so it was a tad stressful driving because we were worried we would miss the turn off.  I, by the way, was driving for the first time in a long while, and what a better place to get back behind the wheel than Los Angeles. Anyways we were now at Universal studios and parking the car was a bit of an amusement ride in itself. Did you know that you can have Frankenstein valet your car for you if you like, or you can just park it yourself like we did? The street that you first walk through before getting to the actual gates of Universal are filled with shops, stores, games, a 30 theatre cinema, many restaurants and of course loads of souvenirs. We spent 2 ½ hours looking, eating and playing games, so we did not even make it into the park. We headed out at around 4:30pm so we could drop off the car back in Torrance by 6. We did not get very far on hwy 405 before we ran into some of that L.A rush hour that everyone needs to try. I was getting a wee bit stressed out, mostly because I have not driven in quite a while and even if I had this bumper to bumper thing was a killer. The whole day our family was off. Helen was not very happy with me, and I was a little short with her; Nikolas was incredible and had become quite the little smart mouth in the last 2 days. He has been quite ill, so I try and cut him some slack but he just keeps pushing till he gets me to explode, and I have blown a fuse a few times in the last two days, including on the ride home. You know what he said to me the other day? He was in a bad mood at lunch and we are sitting with the couple from New Mexico and we are talking about the drive to Universal.  Nikolas is testing me at the table, but I have no polite way to discipline him and he knows it, so he just kept arguing. So I said to Nikolas in front of this nice couple “listen buddy, me and your mom are the boss when we are on this ship” hoping that would be the end of it and he would just clam up. But no way! he quickly comes back and say’s “no you’re not”, well I had had enough and was ready to take him back to sit in the room and then he said “Ian Mcnaught is.” Who is Ian Mcnaught you ask?  He would be the Captain of the ship. I was so mad, but could not help and laugh at that come back, he was definitely going to take a few years off my life, but that was a good one. 

Anyways we did not spend enough time in L.A. to do anything really so I’ll keep it short. Plus I don’t know if it’s the Norwalk thing on the ship, or if we are all tired or if it’s because the kids are sick, but we did not get along real well today. It is only 9pm and we are still in port and everyone but me has gone to bed, so maybe we are over tired. When you board the ship, Cunard always hangs this big banner that say’s “QE II Welcome Home” and Helen said this is the first time it really feels like we are coming back to our home.

After a comment like that maybe we just might pull this trip off after all!

We did get to Budget car rental after an 1 ½ of grueling driving, and I was grateful to give the car back. We then went to Albertsons to load up on supplies for the big voyage, and then a 20 minute taxi ride back to the ship. We set out tonight on our 4 night journey across the mighty Pacific Ocean and Helen is all but TERRIFIED, so we will try and drop you all a little note on the 19th via satellite to let you know how it’s going. 

That’s it, our first super boring one, but I am sure it will be the first of many boring stories. O.K. that’s it, I’m hitting the sack too.

 Goodnight.

 

 

 

Hawaii – January 21

 

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

 (Written Helen)

 

The ride to Honolulu was very rough and so when we arrived in Hawaii we were very happy.  Right after breakfast we got our beach stuff together and off we went to explore.  Both Steve and I had last been to Oahu 20 years ago.  Me for grad and Steve went with a few friends.  It has changed a lot since we've been there.  The main drag in Waikiki is like Vegas now, every few feet there are street performers and people hand you things as you walk by.  Nikolas and Danika thought the performers were great, Steve and I were sad because it wasn't like it use to be. 

We took a cab to Waikiki to get our rent-a-car but in hindsight we should of rented it from the airport because it was much closer to Pearl Harbour and our ship.  Oh well, you live and learn.  We were going to rent a convertible again but the weather wasn't that great.  It was quite cloudy and there were showers on and off throughout the day.  There was one point where I actually turned the heat on in the car because it was a little cool.  I guess Hawaii has a winter too.

We were advised by many people to go see Pearl Harbour earlier in the day because it can get quite busy in the afternoon.  It took us a couple of wrong turns here and there but we finally made it.  When we got there we were surprised that there is no charge to get in.  You just get tickets and then they bring you into a large theatre and you watch a 15 min. show about what happened that fateful day in 1941.  Nikolas had researched it a bit so when he saw the show he was completely floored.  They show actual footage that's been obtained by both the Japanese and American governments.  It is unreal. 

 

 

After the show you are brought to a tender boat and they take you to the memorial site of the SS Arizona.  This is the battleship that was bombed and still lies at the bottom of the harbour with bits of it still sticking up out of the water.  One amazing sight is the oil slick that you can still see floating on the water's surface.  Wow, after 63 years it is still leaking oil.  The legend says it is the black tears of the fallen. There is also a huge marble wall with everyone's name on it that perished that day.  Most of the bodies are still entombed down below in the ship.  There is also a small list of names of some veterens that asked to be entombed down there in present days.  Overall, we were very touched and we were very glad we went to see it, it is worth the trip.

From Pearl Harbour we drove to the North Side of the Island.  Steve and Nik wanted to go body surfing in the big waves on that side but all the beaches were closed to swimmers because of the strong undertow.  Nikolas kept saying he would have no problem swimming there and kept bugging us to let him go until we saw an ambulance, firetruck and a huge military search and rescue helicopter hovering above the shoreline looking for something or someone.  Once he saw that he changed his mind!! 

The North Side has the most amazingly beautiful landscape and beaches but the area itself is very rundown with shacks and lots of stripped and abandoned cars in the yards.  Every once in awhile you do see a mansion but overall it is a very depressing area.  We did stop at the Turtle Bay Resort for lunch.  It is a resort built inside of a huge golf course that was built by Arnold Palmer and it is very beautiful.  We had a delicious lunch by the first tee off and Steve and I had some great Margaritas AGAIN.

From there we stopped at a store and bought a couple of body boards and some snorkels because we were thinking of heading to Hanama Bay.  Unfortunately the day was going way too fast and it was already 4:30pm and we were still an hour and a half away from the bay with the sun set to go down at 6pm.  Instead we decided to take a short cut and head back to Waikik beach to have a quick swim before it got too dark.

Nikolas and Steve headed straight into the waves and me and Dani stayed on the beach and played in the sand.  As the sun went down they started lighting all the tiki torches along the beach and it was so tropical and beautiful.  Steve's wish was to find a tropical and romantic restaurant near the beach to sit and have a Mai Tai or a Pina Colada.  As we were walking down the strip looking for this wonderful place what should we come across but the almighty golden arches.  The kids were ecstatic as they have not had a Happy Meal in, what, 30 days.  So Steve pouted a bit but the kid's won out and we spent our romantic dinner in McDonalds!!!!

Overall, Waikiki was fun but a little too commercial for us.  Once again as we travel through different countries we always notice that the natives of the land are always the one's that suffer the most with poverty.  Somehow it just doesn't seem right.

 

Back to the ship and we set off at midnight to Kona.  Unfortunately the rough seas followed us there and we were unable to safely tender off the ship so the captain cancelled our stop there and we set off for Tahititi a day early.  The captain has told us that they are trying to come up with an alternative and we are all crossing our fingers that it will be Bora Bora!  We were also told that our stop in Bali, Indonesia had been cancelled because of security reasons so we are now staying in Fremantle, Australia for an extra day.  That's a bummer!

We are about a third of the way to Tahiti right now as we write and thank goodness the seas have been quite nice.  Or are we just getting use to it??

Anyways, take care and we will talk to you from Tahiti.

 

 

(Written by Helen, January 22) 

Hi everyone,

We are on our way to Tahiti a day earlier than expected.  We were in Honolulu yesterday and it was lots of fun.  We rented a car and just drove around most of the island.  We went to Pearl Harbour which was very interesting and depressing.  Nikolas just loved Waikiki and he and Steve went body surfing as the sun went down and it was just beautiful being on the beach at night.  The weather during the day wasn't great, it rained on and off but it was still warm.  It's been 20 years since both Steve and I were in Waikiki, I went for grad and he went with some buddies and it has changed a lot.  It is soo busy and there are big highrises everywhere.  Waikiki is still pretty nice but a little more dirtier than I remember.  We were supposed to be in Kona today but the seas were a little too rough and they were too dangerous for the tenders (the ship anchored off shore) so we had to skip it.  We were very disappointed because that is an island we have never seen.  It looked beautiful from the boat. 

So here we are sailing the South Pacific and it is quite bumpy.  I finally succumbed to the patch behind my ear as we are embarking on one of the longest at sea portions of the trip, four days and five nights!!!!  Will I survive it???  Poor Steve!!!

The kid's are still having a great time but they miss everybody and seem to talk about that more in the last few days.  We were hoping to phone home today from Kona but unfortunately it's not happening.  We wanted to personally wish Michael a Happy Birthday but we are going to have to do it via the internet (not quite the same). 

 

 

Talk to you soon,

 

 

Papeete, Tahiti –January 27

 

 

(Written by Steve)

 

Ever since I was in my early 20s, I have wanted to visit Tahiti. I am not quite sure why but maybe it was postcards, pictures or maybe a documentary, but I have always wanted to go. On of the reasons we never went earlier is because of the price. The deals you see from where we live in Vancouver are sometimes 3 to 4 times as much as Mexico or Hawaii. I was so excited when I heard the Captain tell us we were going to have an extra day in Tahiti because we were unable to go to Kona. Well this was the day and we were all ready to get off this ship. Don’t get me wrong I have said it many times, I really love this old ship, but those days at sea were just too much.

Papeete – Well, we sprung out of our room and skipped down the gang plank and were hit with what felt like 100 degree heat wave. Who cares, we were here and ready to see one of the most beautiful places in the world. I have heard about the renowned sandy beaches and the turquoise blue waters of Tahiti and was bursting to get there as quick as possible. So we walked the 1000 meters from the ship into the tourist center, and we could tell already something was amiss. We asked where was the best beach, and got the reply that there was only one and it was quite rocky. WHAT? I thought this women had had way too much sun, it must be some kind of cheap tourist trick I thought. But she was right; Papeete did not really have a good beach for swimming, snorkeling or sun tanning. I had heard that Bora Bora was spectacular and was only an hour ferry ride away.  So I quickly unloaded this info to her as if I had been here many times before by asking “where’s the ferry to Bora Bora then”. Her quick reply back was,  “there is no ferry, but you can take a cargo ship, but it is an 18 hour trip, or you can fly in 1 hour” Now you know how Helen feels about flying, but it appeared we had no choice. So after looking like a complete fool we headed up the street to Air Tahiti to find out prices on our flights to Bora Bora. There was only one thing that would stop us. RAIN! And I don’t mean any of that little sissy rain that we get up in Vancouver; I mean the hardest rain I have ever seen. Did you see the pictures from Curacao? Well that was nothing and we were stuck under a bus stop with no place to hide. The rain seemed to miss the canopy over our heads and bounce off the ground in front of us and then on to our clothes. We were getting soaked and cranky after only ½ hour of standing there, so I suggested we run the 100 feet to the sidewalk bar down the street with the canopy. Well, we ran and we could not have gotten any wetter than we were. We ordered one pop for the kids to split and 2 beers which cost us 25 dollars, just to add insult to injury. It did not matter, I thought, as we will only be here for another 10 minutes until the rain stops and then we will go to Air Tahiti and get the heck off this Island. Well 2 hours later and the rain showed no sign of stopping. Fortunately we were joined by Martyn, our cruise director and his wife Louisa from the ship. We spent an hour having a nice little chat and a couple more drinks with those folks before we left. Super nice couple!

 

 

Anyways, we arrived at Air Tahiti only to find that our only choice of planes was a little propeller plane and Helen was not so sure. I have to give her credit because she said she would do it, but I knew in my heart she would be absolutely terrified. I would rather us stay on this crappy little island than drag my family somewhere else only to be disappointed. You see, I had only heard that Bora Bora was beautiful, only that was from the same person that told me it was only an hour ferry ride, so I really had no clue at this point. But what I really wanted to know was, why in the heck (I am trying to be nice) did I ever want to come to this place?

We decided to go back to the ship to change, eat and give Papeete another chance after dinner. I still had to see if I could get some messages and pictures out from one of the two internet café’s the information center told me about. So Helen and the kids headed back to the ship while I tried to find an internet café. After walking a block in the pouring rain I found a Bar/Internet café. The only problem was, so had the entire ship and the line was out the door. I can usually get my messages out through my phone as a text message, but it would not work on this island. SURPRISE!  I am very cranky now and not willing to wait a couple hours in some bar soaking wet, so I kept going. The information lady told us that there was one only a couple of blocks further so I headed down that way. Only 3 blocks from the ship, I found the area to be a lot less friendly. Prostitutes and tattoo parlours seemed to be the main businesses in this area so I quickly turned around and headed back to the ship. I can’t believe how bad this whole thing was, I was so dejected and just wanted to get back to the safety of the ship. We ate dinner and no one even mentioned going back out, so we hung around the ship and watched it rain.

 

Day 2 Tahiti

The next morning we awoke and started in on Nikolas’s school work and after that headed to lunch. The ship was leaving tomorrow for an Island called Moorea so we were hopeful that we would at least go to a beach. Martyn the cruise director we had drinks with told us if we went to the Sheraton hotel and showed our Ship ID, we could swim in the pool. So we gathered up our suits and towels and dragged our sad little butts down the gang plank (actually 2 big ones and 2 little ones). We got outside the security gate and this lady handed us an info pamphlet on the Island of Moorea. I asked her if they had any nice beaches and how long it would take to get there. She said it had many beautiful beaches and it only took 30 minutes by Catamaran. I looked at Helen and we both said lets go! and headed the 300 meters down the sidewalk to the ferry dock. We asked when the next one was leaving and he said in 15 minutes and he confirmed that it would only take 30 minutes to get there. We had a problem. The last ferry back was at 4:40 and it was already after lunch, so we would only have a couple of hours. We had heard that transportation was not easy on that Island so would have to decide if it was worth it. What are you nuts? I would have done it if it was only for an hour. You see after Tahiti we  had another long stretch at sea to New Zealand and I would have given anything to have an hour on the beach with my family. So we got on this very large catamaran and headed out towards Moorea. Once the catamaran cleared the break water and we hit the open sea, a bad thing happened. The swells were tossing this boat up and down and I could see that look of sea sickness, not just from Helen, but Danika and Nikolas were turning green. By the time we reached Moorea, Nikolas was in full barf mode and Helen looked like death. As a joke I said “well kids we’ve got 2 hours and then we have go back on this same boat” I won’t tell you what kinds of looks I got back, just use your imagination. This day had the potential to be worst than yesterday, there is no way the kids will relax on a beach knowing they have to get back on that bucking bronco.. This was supposed to be a wonderful stop and since L.A., we only had one stop in Hawaii and then this disaster. For the 2nd time on this trip, I was again starting to second guess myself about this whole thing.

 

 

MOOREA  Tahiti – January 28

 

(Written by Helen)

 

Reading Steve’s stories makes it sound like I am having a terrible time on this trip.  I just want it noted here that there have been a few days that have been a little difficult but the majority of the time I am having the time of my life.  It just seems like we mention a lot of the ‘bad’ things that happen, they always seem more interesting I guess.  I always bug Steve and tell him he should have married someone that was more adventurous than me.  Imagine going on an adventure like this when you don’t particularly like to fly or cruise.  Poor guy but he’s stuck with me so anyways……back to Moorea.

 

  

When we finally got off that horrendously rough ferry ride a twist of fate occurred and we were about to begin what will most likely be the most memorable portion of our trip. Just to go back a bit, when we were on Papeete and were at the ferry dock paying for our tickets we noticed a couple from the ship there too.  We had seen them a few times at the casino, as a matter of fact she was sitting beside me when I was in the blackjack tournament.  She was the one who won the whole thing.  They are this most amazing couple that are so alive and exciting. Whenever they are around there is always laughter and they brighten up the room when they come in.  They are from England and they are very attractive and they have the ability to draw people to wherever they are.  It’s quite amazing.  Anyway, they were buying tickets for this same ferry and then they disappeared and we didn’t realize that they were on the same ferry as us but just upstairs.  When we arrived on Moorea we saw them again and we noticed that they were talking to a driver of a bus/truck.  We wanted to get to this beach we had seen on a map we were given in Papeete so Steve went up to this same guy and asked him if he would stop at the beach for us.  He said yes so we hopped into the back of this vehicle that can only be described as a long flatbed truck with benches as seats and a makeshift cover over it.  It was filled with locals and the six of us, Steve, me and the kids and this couple.  We ended up sitting beside them and we got talking and introduced ourselves and they told us that they were going to a hotel and that they were going to stay the night.  You see, the next morning the ship was coming to Moorea so instead of spending the night in the ship as it cruised around in the bay they decided to stay on the island. 

This, of course, peaked my interest but I thought that Steve would never go for it.  So we drove along in the back of this old truck and as we were driving along I thought to myself how careful we are at home to make sure the kids are all strapped in to their seats with Danika in a booster seat and then I look and we are bouncing along, sitting on benches with not a seatbelt to be seen.  For some odd reason though, it felt completely fine.  I can’t explain it but it just felt like a natural thing to do.  Well, the drive took about 20 minutes and as soon as we pulled into the Sheraton Moorea Lagoon Hotel, we fell in love.  Instantly.  No question.  It was the most beautiful place we have ever seen in our entire lives.  This place was exactly what we had imagined the South Pacific was going to look like.  The entire hotel is made up of grass huts.  The huge reception area was one massive one and all the ‘rooms’ were separate little grass huts with your choice of a garden site or the ones on stilts over the ocean. 

  

The beach was the most beautiful white sandy beach with turquoise water and it was a sheltered coral reef that was huge!   The swimming pool was the same colour as the ocean and it was beautiful.  We knew right away that we were not going anywhere.  The other couple made sure we got the same rate as them and we immediately stripped to our bathing suits and jumped in the pool.  It was as warm as a bathtub, the swimming pool AND the ocean.  The kids were in their glory and I was really happy for them because they have been real troopers on this trip so far. 

 

 

It was nice for them to have a chance to just let loose and have some fun.

The weather is so tropical here as it is their rainy season.  Every so often, a cloud will blow in on the soft breeze and the rain will start.  It will fall for a few minutes and cool you off and then within minutes the sun is scorching hot again.  Beside the pool there was a bar and soon it was time for a drink and some lunch.  We had a couple of tropical drinks and shared an enormous sandwich filled with tuna and mahi mahi.  It was delicious and the kids had French fries and hamburgers.  Nikolas was a little freaked out because this chicken was walking around all the tables and chairs and it was like a dog.  It was eating all the crumbs off the ground.  He kept asking me if the chicken was going to jump up on his lap and peck at his face.  I said no but he spent the whole lunch with his feet on his chair and his eye on that chicken.  And of course, who does the chicken gravitate to?  Nikolas.  Every time it came close I would clap and it would run away.  When Nikolas clapped at it, it would step towards him and stare at him.  It was quite hilarious. 

 

When we finally made it to our hut we were pleasantly surprised to find a huge grass hut with a king size bed that had a beautiful mosquito net around it.  The hut had a vaulted ceiling made out of very tightly woven grass and on the inside were beautiful wooden beams holding it up.  The bathroom had a huge shower and a wonderful claw footed bathtub.  The toilet and bidet were behind saloon style swinging wooden doors.  A nice shaded deck out the sliding doors and we were only steps from the pool which was very convenient.  We all showered, Danika took a little nap and soon it was time for dinner.  We realized that there was one other couple at the hotel from the ship.  They were a young couple from New York and coincidently all of us, including the couple from England were on a year long world tour of some sort.  It was so bizarre that we all ended up together at this hotel with this in common.  We all had dinner together and all got to know each other and we realized we had just made friends with some great new people.  We were so happy to be there.  The restaurant was a huge grass hut that was open all around so that the warm breeze from the ocean washed over us as we all sat, ate and drank some good food and alcohol.  In the background there were about four or five natives at a table singing a native song and one of them had a drum.  It was so perfect.

After dinner we all walked down to the beach and we stayed there for hours telling jokes and having a great time.  The kids really connected with the couple from England,  their names are Mel and Ann and the night was just magical.  We were a little worried because Steve and I did not tell the ship that we were not returning that night.  Steve sent them an e-mail but he had no way of knowing whether they got it or not.  We were all laughing at about midnight because we were wondering whether our names were being called over the p.a. system with the ship wondering what had happened to us.  Our other thought was what would happen if the ship couldn’t anchor the next morning in Moorea like it couldn’t in Kona.  Worst case scenario?  We had to stay in paradise.  We knew they had left without us when in the far distance we could see the lights of the ship as it rounded the corner from Papeete on its way to Moorea

As we were on the beach we noticed that some of the huts that were on stilts over the ocean had a bright light under them.  We found out that these special huts had glass floors in them and at night when the light went on in the water you could see all the coral and tropical fish from the comfort of your own hut.  Wow!!!  These ones were about $700us a night.

The next day we requested a late checkout and spent the whole day in the pool and at the beach.  I met a young woman and her 14 month old son in the pool and found out that her husband was the director of the hotel and that they had just arrived 2 weeks ago for a 2year stay.  She was very friendly and her son was just gorgeous and they had just moved from Switzerland.  Wow, what a life!!!

Nikolas tried snorkeling but, you guessed it, he freaked out when the fish came towards him so he spent the day in the pool.  Danika had brought a floating tube with her so she spent the whole day floating around the pool having a great time.  The kids just loved this place and we did not want to leave.

It was really neat at one point, when a group of staff from the ship arrived at the hotel to relax.  They were the staff from the casino and because we have spent so much time there Steve and I and Mel and Ann knew a lot of them very well.  It was nice to see them in their regular clothes (bathing suits) having a good time.  Everyone just raved about the surroundings.  Steve rented out a bunch of snorkeling gear for them so they could have a chance to see the coral reef.

Unfortunately, the only negative part of the day was that Nikolas woke up feeling very nauseated.  We thought maybe it was the Norwalk virus from the ship but then we narrowed it down to his shower the night before.  While he was showering I heard him slurping up water.  He does that at home a lot.  I yelled, “You’re not drinking the water are you?” and he said, “NO, well just a little bit”. The next day he woke up and puked for most of the day.  He puked in the bathroom, and then many more times in the garden beside the pool.  He always felt better after he puked so he would swim and have fun until the next wave hit and then he would get out of the pool head to he garden and throw up.  He is the best puker I have ever seen.  By the end of the day he was fine.  Me, on the other hand, starting feeling seasick on land.  I needed the motion of the boat and being off the boat for a full 24 hours made me ‘land sick’ , can you believe it?  As soon as I got back on the boat I felt better. 

The ship was anchored in a bay just around the corner from the hotel.  We walked to the end of the pier and we could see her anchored there in all her glory.  It really was a beautiful sight.

And as all good things must come to an end, we packed our stuff, which wasn’t much.  We had a change of clothes and sunscreen, that’s all.  No toothbrushes, no hairbrushes, no deodorant.  Boy, we felt a little like the contestants on Survivor, we probably smelt like them too.  We got into a van that had seatbelts!  All of us shared a cab and we drove to the sight of the tenders.  When we got there the line-up was huge so we all found a spot under a tree, Steve bought us all fresh, COLD coconuts and we sat there and drank coconut milk straight from the coconut and waited to get on the tender to get back on the ship.  The locals had some of their wares for sale and we bought a couple of things, got on the tender and got back on the ship.  We had had such a good time that it felt like we had been gone for a week.  Hopefully, one day, we will come back and stay in paradise for a much longer time! 

Helen

 

New Zealand – February 2

 

 AUCKLAND     

 

(Written by Steve)

We have just traveled half way around the world only to end up in almost the same country as the one we came from. New Zealanders are super friendly, very good looking (Helen says that about the men here) and very similar to Canadians. This is the first place we have been to on this trip that I will say, I think I could move here. I think! We have walked down Queens Street a number of times and you see the same thing, everytime,… colour.  It is like looking at a bouquet of flowers.   Auckland is full of culture and even though I‘m sure I am being naive,  I feel a sense of safeness. People here are from everywhere, India, Japan, China, Australia, England and anywhere else you can think of. This country is in the middle of nowhere, yet it’s a hub for this part of the planet,  that is why there is a Flight centre on every block. I have never seen as many travel centers as I have seen here in Auckland, on every block there are at least 2 or 3. The one thing that is the same is that the folks here all have the same thing in common, that snappy, sexy Kiwi accent. It’s so funny to see someone who appears to be from another country and hear that refreshing New Zealand slang.

 

 

 

Auckland is so much more advanced than North America, it is absolutely astonishing, everything here makes so much sense. The toilets here have 2 buttons on them, one for #1 (uses very little water) and the other is for #2 (which uses about the same as in North America). The taxi driver said, “yellow is mellow, brown has to go down!”  How smart is that? And who the heck (being nice) is in charge of helping us conserve energy? When we first got here I thought “who designed these wall plugs? After looking at them, they certainly  work better than ours. There is only one type of plug instead of our 3 different types.  North America has the standard 2 prong, the wide ground 2 prong and the 3 prong, what’s with that? Did I mention they do not use pennies here? That’s right, they have a 5, 10, 20, 50, $1, $2 coin and NO PENNIES! They just round everything off, I love this place. Wake up North America, get with the program! If you see their buses, their cars and the size of their homes, everything about this country makes sense and is so practical. If they would only drive on the right side of the road! I am sure somehow that makes sense, but I just don’t know how.

Does it sound like I like this place? Well I do. We will come back and explore the whole country, not like the little part we did this time.

Anyways back to Queens Street. For the people back in Canada, it’s like a short Young Street or a super long Robson Street. It’s full of shops, business and café’s, really bustling. The architecture in Auckland is a mix of old historic and new Deco design, a very nice city. I can see why those English folks fly the 29 hours to get here and relax, it must be a different world from London. When you travel ( by no means are we experts) you get a sense of feeling safe, and New Zealanders are very polite and courteous. Aside from watching the guy get thrown in the paddy wagon on our first night, I think Auckland is quite a laid back city. It certainly is nice looking, one of the most beautiful cities we have seen so far. Just think of Vancouver without the snow capped mountains and replace it with rolling hills and clear turquoise water. The harbour looks like Victoria B.C. but a lot bigger and not so touristy.

 

 

We went to Kelly Tarlton’s Antartic World and I can only tell you coming from Canada,  that it is a bit of a tourist trap. Yeah, it’s nice, but 63 bucks to get in and 40 bucks in cab fare, I think it a was a little much. The aquarium is nice but aside from the Penguin exhibit and the underwater aquarium, the only thing left to do is to spend your money at the gift shop. The aquarium itself is pretty cool, as the fish (Sharks and Sting rays) swim right over top of you. The kids thought it was very cool for the first 10 minutes and then you end up in the gift shop. Say no more!

I speak for the whole family when I say Auckland is a must see! We are sure the rest of New Zealand is as nice and most likely more beautiful, so if you want a reasonable holiday, check this place out.

 

 

Auckland and Waiheke Island   received February 4 @ 3:45 am

(by Helen)

 

What a great idea this was to take a break from the ship and stay in Auckland.  I think it was exactly what we all needed.  I’ve have a couple of wonderful night’s sleep without the ‘motion of the ocean’ although I have woke up each morning feeling dizzy.  It’s amazing how your body gets accustomed to your surroundings.  Our hotel is very nice.  Somehow through Steve’s ingenious work he got us on their club floor for a very reasonable rate.  We are at the top of the hotel and have to swipe our card in the elevator for it to reach our floor.  Another perk is that we have breakfast included and the best part is a “happy hour” from 5-7pm.  Yahoo, free drinks and canapés!!!!  It’s quite embarrassing because we take full advantage of this treat! The room that hosts the happy hour has an incredible view of the harbour and we sit there and stare out at the beautiful sights.  Our room has a view of the Sky Tower.  It is a huge tower in the center of the city that looks very much like the Space Needle in Seattle.  Steve was going to jump off of it but he chickened out.  Just to clarify, it’s a base jump by wire off the top of the Sky Tower at 630 feet.  Airtime is about 16 seconds as you plummet at around 75 km/h.  Maybe I can convince him to give it a go before we head to the airport tomorrow! 

Like Steve said this city is really beautiful.  It has all the beauty of Vancouver with the one thing that is missing at home and that is beautiful blue water and white sandy beaches.  The weather has been pretty good.  It has that tropical feel to it.  One minute it’s scorching hot and the next there’s a cool shower falling.  It makes the heat bearable. 

We’ve noticed that the prices are quite high here, for drinks and food especially.  The shopping is quite good and the neat thing is that all their prices are exactly what you see on the ticket.  When it says $25.00 on the price tag, that is the price.  The tax is included in the price so you don’t have to think about how much it’s really going to cost you because it’s right there.  Doesn’t that sound practical? I went shopping tonight, right downtown, by myself and felt absolutely safe.  Not sure if I’m right but it felt very safe and there were lots of people on the streets.  One thing that surprised me was the strong Asian influence here.  I know I should have expected it since they are quite close to Asia but it still really amazed me.  A lot of the shops, especially those below our hotel all are Asian.  There is Hello Kitty everywhere and tons of Thai, Vietnamese, and Japanese restaurants. 

 

Today we decided to take a 30 minute ferry across to Waiheke Island.  We were told by a nice lady that works the happy hour in our hotel that it is a must see for tourists.  We hopped on the noon ferry and while we crossed the harbour we met a nice couple from Boston, Pam and Paul.  They were very friendly and showed us pictures of their adorable grandchildren and we exchanged e-mails and this wonderful couple invited us to Boston to visit them. 

When we arrived we hopped on a bus and it drove us, very quickly, to a beach that we were told was great for kids.  When we got there we were a little disappointed.  It was nice but the way the beaches were described in the brochure and by the lady at the information desk we expected it to be a little nicer.  It was in a little cove and the sand was white but it was also quite full of ocean debris.  We finally figured out that the body of water we were admiring was the Tasman Sea.  The beach was pretty quiet when we got there but throughout the day more and more people arrived.  We found a nice spot under a tree to shade us from both the sun and the rain.  The kids also had a little playground with a jungle gym and swings which was very nice.  They did spend most of the time playing in the sand with Steve while I had a lazy day and spent the whole time lying on a towel reading my novel.  After spending a few hours here in Little Oneroa we decided to walk the 10 minutes to Oneroa Village.  It is another larger bay that has a bunch of shops and restaurants above it.  We found a great little restaurant called Vino Vino and sat in the back on a small balcony that overlooked the bay.  It was beautiful, even when the rain started and the wind picked up.  They rolled down the plastic walls and that kept both the rain and wind off of us but we still had the view.  We had a fantastic dinner there.  Steve and I ordered a platter for 2 that was loaded with Italian sausage, chicken, bar-b-que ribs, calamari, salad, and focaccia bread with two dips and roasted garlic.  We also ordered a bowl of olives and a great bottle of New Zealand wine.  This island is full of olive groves and vineyards and tomorrow is their annual Wine Festival, too bad we missed it!  We finished off the great meal with cappuccino and espresso and then Steve went into the wine store in front of the restaurant and picked up two bottles of the wine we had just drank because it was so good.  We then jumped in a taxi and drove back to the ferry terminal. 

 

This island reminded us a little of the Gulf Islands back home.  The people that live on it are a little beatnik and even the waitress at our restaurant said that it attracts a lot of backpackers from all over the world.  She in fact was one of them, from England and she told us she had met her boyfriend on the island, he is from Canada.  There is a very laid back, easy going feeling on this island and the landscape is a cross between Ireland, P.E.I. and the Caribbean.  I know that sounds crazy but hopefully the pictures will prove my point. 

Overall, we had a great time on this island and in this great city.  I have a feeling, if I can knock myself out for 18 hours, that we will one day fly back here and have a much longer more in-depth visit.

 

SYDNEY February 9

 

 

SYDNEY 

(by Helen)

 

There is a picture that Steve took of me and the kids in front of a flag that says ‘Welcome to Sydney”.  We took it in the airport after coming off a very bumpy plane ride across the Tasman Sea on a 767 Qantas flight.  Without repeating myself there were lots of different reasons why we left the ship in Auckland but one of the small reasons was that we heard that the Tasman Sea is one of the roughest bodies of water in the world.  I thought, forget that I would rather fly across.  The irony, of course, is that the voyage across ended up being one of the smoothest on record.  Even the captain commented over the P.A. system that it was unusually smooth.  Go figure!!!  Actually it serves me right.  It was our first flight on Qantas and apart from the weather, which cannot be controlled, the flight was excellent.  There are very few airlines out there that offer that kind of service and it was very refreshing.  We had a delicious meal.  Well, I should say, everyone but me as I cannot eat on an airplane.  The drinks were free, alcohol too!  We all got an ice cream bar as well.  I definitely ate that, couldn’t pass it up!

We had this great plan to spend 2 weeks in Australia and then fly to Exmouth to catch the ship but after that flight our plans changed a bit.  Poor Steve.  I did tell him that I would do it, fly that is, but he said that it probably was silly to stay off the ship for that long when we are paying to be on it.  I think he is only trying to make me feel better but he was adamant that we get back on in Sydney. 

Anyway back to that picture we took at the airport.  If you notice in the picture I have a huge smile on my face and it looks like I am ready to jump up and down.  Well, that’s exactly how I felt.  I don’t know why I had such emotion when we landed but it felt so amazing to have finally arrived in Australia.  Australia!!!!  I never thought I would ever make it here only because there is no way I would ever fly the 18 hours to get there.  So when we were finally there after a month long journey on a ship across a huge body of water (the Pacific) I felt elated.  I actually thought how amazing the explorers must have felt when they sailed forever and then finally reached a piece of land they had no idea was even there.  When I thought about how far from home we were and where Australia is located in the grand scheme of the world it was mind boggling.  Obviously I don’t get out much but it really did affect me immensely. 

From the airport we hopped in a taxi and made our way to the Sheraton Hotel located in downtown Sydney right beside Hyde Park.  Steve and his amazing computer got us booked into this beautiful hotel and when we walked into our room I almost cried when I saw the King-Sized bed.  Slight exaggeration but it was great to see a bed that’s big enough to hold a grown man.  When Steve sleeps in the single bed in our room on the ship his feet hang over the end.  The hotel had just been renovated and they did a terrific job.  The location of the hotel was great too.  It was not right at the harbour but that was a good thing.  The hotel was situated right beside this beautiful park that had huge green spaces and walking paths and these amazing trees that create a canopy over the walkways.  We walked there every night of our stay and the kids were able to run around and play while Steve and I sat on a bench with our Starbucks coffee, having a relaxing conversation.  We would then come back to the hotel and have a swim in their rooftop indoor pool that had a fabulous view of Sydney and then get ready for bed.  We had asked for a cot for Nikolas but they sent a crib instead.  We were going to send it back but Danika begged us to keep it and she ended up sleeping in it for the whole stay.  She goes through these phases where she wants to be a baby one day and then the next she will be posing in front of the mirror with a new outfit on and she looks like a 21-year old.  It’s frightening!!!

 

The second day we were in Sydney we took a ferry over to the Taronga Zoo.  I won’t go into detail about that trip because Nikolas wrote a story about it and it pretty much covers the whole story.  What I will say is that we thought it was the best zoo we’ve ever been to and we highly recommend it as a must see.  The kids got to feed the giraffe’s apples and carrots and the gorilla exhibit is outstanding.  Danika was in a bird show.  When we were talking to a couple from another cruise, one of the workers came up to me and asked me if Nikolas wanted to be in the bird show.  Ha Ha!  I laughed, because Nikolas has a bit of a bird phobia, but I told her that my 4-year old daughter would probably do it.  Sure enough, when the lady asked Danika if she wanted to be part of the show she said Yes!  The lady told me that Danika would wear a leather glove and that a ‘baby’ owl was going to fly up and land on her arm.  Sounded very cute and wonderful.  Well, when it was time for Danika to do her thing we all looked up and there was this HUGE owl flying towards her.  They failed to inform me that ‘baby’ owls are full grown when they leave the nest.  She was a real trouper and even though you could see the terror in her face she still did it with a very nervous smile to boot.  We have a great picture of that.   As you can see in the background it was a beautiful, sunny, very hot day.

 

 

The next day we decided to check out the monorail system in Sydney.  It looks like our skytrain at home.  We got a family ticket and that got us on the monorail all day and into the Powerhouse Museum.  Luckily for Nikolas there was an exhibit on from Lord of the Rings.  He wrote a story about that too so I won’t go into too much detail again.  It was very interesting because they had all the costumes and weapons they used in the movie.  They also had little information videos talking about how they created all the special effects and how they created a lot of the monsters in the movie.  The make-up for one of the Orc’s took 10 hours to apply.  The guy actually sleeps through most of it because they apply the make-up and mask during the night.  It was very interesting for all of us!

 

After that we got back on the monorail and headed to Darling Harbour and the Sydney Aquarium.  It was great too.  It’s quite big and we saw some cool sharks and a platypus.  The kids loved it and it was a super hot day so it was a good idea to get out of the heat and head for some air-conditioning. 

We had promised Nikolas that we would go for Chinese food for dinner that night so we got back on the monorail and headed to Chinatown.  There is a massive Asian presence in Sydney, similar to Auckland.  The Chinatown area is huge and when we got off the monorail we starting walking as we were looking for a specific restaurant that Nikolas had seen advertised on the T.V. in the plane.  We walked and walked and walked because Steve was sure that this restaurant was just around the corner.  He finally did stop and ask directions but twice we were directed the wrong way.  After walking for almost 2 hours (I’m not joking) we finally found this restaurant and wouldn’t you just guess that it was just down the street from where we initially got off the monorail.  Was it worth it, you ask?  Yes.  The food was excellent, especially the sweet and sour chicken.  The restaurant was called the B.B.Q King.

 

We had booked our room at the hotel for another 4 more nights but Steve decided to cancel the rest, unfortunately, and we packed up the next morning because the Q.E.2 was pulling into Sydney that morning.  When Steve had e-mailed the ship to ask them if our rooms were ready we got a very brief reply from the Purser’s Office (Mathew) that our rooms were “back in action” with a whole bunch of exclamation marks.  When we got back on board and got to our rooms we found that our one room was actually not “back in action” and I question whether he even bothered to take a look at our rooms before he made that comment.  Just a hint of bitterness there, sorry!  Steve had to actually put one of the beds back on the frame and the closet floor still had tons of dust and debris on it.  We were not too impressed.   We put our things away and decided to walk around the harbour and sight see around the port. 

Our ship was docked at the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay West.  Circular Quay is the area that surrounds Sydney Cove.  There you will find The Rocks, Sydney’s first settlement.  You’ll find historic streets, shopping and dining, museums and galleries here.  Circular Quay is also the ferry hub where you find the ferry that takes you to Darling Harbour.  Circular Quay is also where you get the great view of both the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.  It reminded us of Granville Island in some ways but way bigger and way more busier.  The restaurants are all along the waterfront and they all have tons of outdoor seating.  As you walk along you just pass one restaurant after another with no real dividing line between them, and they were all packed at all times of the day.  Very expensive!  Most entrees averaged around $25-30.  Lots of seafood and lots of Asian food.  We went back to the ship for dinner and the headed back out and went for a walk to the Opera House.  It was such a beautiful night and just below the Opera House we stopped at an outdoor bar area and got two glasses of wine and sat right at the seawall.  There was a funky band playing and there were tons of young professionals at the bar having a great time.  The kids played on the stairs and we had a very relaxing evening.

 

The next morning we woke up early and met with Ann and Mel, Lana and Curt, as they were disembarking that day.  We had a quick visit with them and then we packed an overnight bag and set out for the Sydney train.  Last Christmas when we went to Banff on the Rocky Mountaineer Train we met a wonderful family from Australia.  Peter, his wife Keren and their kids Kiera and Cameron had Christmas dinner with us and we really seemed to ‘click’ when we were up in the Rockies.  We had told them about our traveling plans and we had kept in touch via the internet for the last year.  They actually took time off work to meet up with us and we were very excited to see them.  We took two trains out into the suburbs of Sydney and Peter picked us up at the train station and drove us to their amazing home.  Steve calls it the Batten Ranch.  It’s a beautiful home on five acres and it backs onto a creek.  Their backyard looks like a jungle with not a house to be seen for as far as the eye can see.  Steve fell in love with their swimming pool because it was created to look like a natural pond with huge rocks in place of a diving board.  To top it all off there is a huge rock waterfall that flows into the pool and the one end of the pool has a low lying ledge so the water looks like it is flowing off the edge of the ridge it is on.  They have a two-level backyard with a huge grassy yard on top and another down this big hill.  Beyond that is just wilderness and Peter took us down but we couldn’t quite make it to the creek because the terrain was quite steep and treacherous.  We felt like such ‘city folk’.  They were the most gracious hosts and we felt so totally relaxed and comfortable there, it was truly amazing.  It felt like home and the kids went swimming and played with their very cute dog named Sonny.  Cameron had play station so Nikolas was in heaven.  Nikolas and I also went to watch an indoor soccer game that Cameron was playing in and it was a great experience for Nikolas.  Having a home cooked meal was such a treat and that night when we went to bed it was amazing to hear absolutely nothing but the sounds of crickets.  The next morning when we were packing up the kids were begging us to stay.  We are so very grateful to the Battens for the wonderful hospitality!!! They drove us back to the city and on the way we stopped at the site of the Sydney Olympics.  It was amazing to see the arenas and stadiums that were built for the games and we toured inside the aquatics centre.  What an amazing sight!!  It made us excited for the upcoming Whistler event.

 

They drove us to the Sheraton at Hyde Park because we were meeting Mel and Ann there.  When they disembarked they decided to stay at that hotel because we had raved about it.  We were to meet them for lunch because they were leaving the ship and touring around Australia.  We are going to try and meet up with them when we come back to Australia later on in the year.

This couple is truly amazing.  They have this aura about them that is just intoxifying.  They are so fun to be with and the kids just adore them, especially Danika.  She does not leave Ann’s side and just beams when she looks up at her.  We had a fabulous lunch at the Circular Quay with the ship just behind us and then it was back to the ship for us as Mel and Ann stood at the pier and waved us good-bye.  They had made so many friends on board that you could hear people yelling good bye to them from all over the ship.  Danika actually cried when we were waving from the ship.  As we left Sydney there was quite a crowd on the pier waving us off and there were tons of passengers on deck with a band playing in the background.  It was quite the send-off.

 

Back on board turned out to be okay.  It was nice as we walked through the ship to hear so many people say “Welcome back”.  We had a great little break from the ship and we were happy to be back ‘home’.

 

Manila, Philippines February 24

 

(by Helen)

Well, the trip from Australia to the Philippines was awesome!  The Indian Ocean was so amazingly beautiful.  We would sit on deck with the drink of the day and watch the water.  The ocean was clear as glass, a dark turquoise and every so often you would see a school of flying fish burst from the water, fly for at least a few metres and then disappear into the glassy water again.  It was mesmerizing.  It was also scorching hot.  It was between 30-35 degrees on deck with no wind if you can imagine on a moving ship!   You couldn't sit out in the sun too long because it was unbearable.  What made things worse is that the ship's air conditioning system is not designed for these hot climates so the ship is just stinking hot inside as well.  When we would get ready for dinner and get in the elevator to go from the 5th floor up 6 floors to our restaurant we would need another shower by the time we got there because the elevators were an oven.  Then if you mix the lovely aroma of sewage once in a while somewhere as you walk through the ship the combination is toxic.  Boy, I don't have a lot of nice things to say about this boat do I?  I have to tell you that most times I am exaggerating when I describe things, overall it really has been an amazing trip so far.

 

When we arrived in Subic Bay in the Philippines we were a little cautious about going out because we were told to be careful because it is an impoverished country.  But what we experienced was quite the contrary. 

 

Subic Bay was an American Navy Base until 1992 when civil authorities  assumed control.  The area has since become one of the most fashionable districts on Luzon Island.  Unfortunately we didn't get a true sense of the Philippines as such because there are many amenities here that I believe are not available elsewhere because of past American influence.  Because we were a little nervous at first we were eager to meet up with our friends from the Casino crew again.  We met up with them at the ferry terminal as we were headed to Grande Island where we heard there was a beautiful beach.  I should mention that the minute we got off the boat we were covered in sweat because it was 37 degrees and the humidity was through the roof.  This was where Terry Waite was disembarking so we were fortunate enough to get a picture with him as we were leaving the ship at the same time. 

 

 

I, as usual, was a little worried about the safety and 'floatability' of the ferry we were about to board but we were all very pleasantly surprised at the condition of the ferry.  It was very modern and well-kept and it got us there safe and sound.  We had paid 25 dollars per person, except for Danika, which we thought was too much at the time but then we realized that we were doing the exact same route as some passengers on board that had paid 150 dollars for a tour.  The 25 included round trip on the ferry, lunch and use of their exclusive resort on the island.  What a deal!!!!

 

 

Like I said earlier, this was not the true Philippines but the resort was very beautiful.  It had so much potential.  You could tell that at one time it must have been an amazing place.  It did have some things that have become run-down but the people who work there are some of the most friendly people we have met so far.  They were so gracious and the service at lunch was unreal.  They literally stood there and jumped if you needed anything and they would run if they went to get something. 

There was this huge pool, if you could call it that.  It was more like a huge pond the size of a football field that had sea water in it with little tiny fish inside and some shells and sea plants but the bottom was cement.  Every so often this huge machine would roar and it would create waves in the water.  Nikolas just loved it!!!  He also had a friend from the ship with him and together they played all day long.  There were two huge water trampolines in the middle and also a banana boat for the waves.  We had a blast.  All around the pool were little huts with chairs and loungers and we swam and suntanned and drank their $1.60 beer all day.  We were all excited at one point because they had a massage service available for $9.00 for 2 hours.  Unfortunately, they were completely booked.  I guess so!!!!!!

 

We had to get back on the ferry at 4pm and we were very sad to leave.  We would definitely come back here for an extended vacation, it was beautiful.  We would love to see Manila as well, but it was at least 4 hours away.

 

Steve and the kids went back to the ship and I went to the Duty Free with some of the gang.  It was a little bittersweet as we were walking there because there is an area right outside the gates to the ship where they have set up a spot where family's can get together with some of the crew on board.  There are hundreds of Philippino crew members on board and a lot of them got off and a new bunch got on.  But the ones that still have another 5 months to go on their contracts (like our cabin stewardess) get only a few hours to be with their families and it was hard to walk by and see them hugging and saying good-bye.  When we talked to Sylvia after she came back on she said her boys have grown so much since she saw them last.  I had to walk away because it made me cry.  She was crying too.

 

Because their wages are so low here, the prices in the stores are just so cheap.  There were clothes and shoes and the average price was 10 bucks.  I didn't buy a lot because we didn't have enough time and their sizes are on the small side so I bought a few things and we got back on board. 

 

All in all, we had a wonderful time in the Philippines and it's too bad we could not get to Manila to get a true picture of this country.  The landscape was beautiful with huge lush mountains and beautiful white sandy beaches.  Not what we expected.  It was a very pleasant surprise and the people were truly gracious and very friendly and we loved it in the Philippines.

 

Helen

 

 

 

JAPAN – February 27 – March 1

 

 NAGASAKI   

(Written by Steve)

 

“I was very thirsty, and went out for water. I found the water with something like oil all over it. I wanted water so much that I drank it as it was with oil all over it.” Sachiko Yamaguchi (age 9 at the time of the 1945 Nagasaki bombing)

 

Peace fountain in Heiwa-koen (Peace Park) is dedicated to those who, like 9 year old Sachiko, died in a desperate search for water following the Atomic blast.

That was more than 50 years ago but, each year a somber ceremony recalls the horror of that fateful day. Just after the bomb’s deafening destructive wave shook the city as though an earthquake had struck, an eerie quiet fell upon Nagasaki. At precisely 11:02 am there was silence.

 

There is no escaping the atomic bomb with Nagasaki. It fell on an unsuspecting population in the ancient community just after 11 am, August 9, 1945.  Referred to as “Fat Man” the bomb was twice as powerful as the Hiroshima bomb that was dropped a few days earlier.

 

In nearby Hypocenter Park, a black monolith stands to mark the exact epicenter of the explosion. A ghostly, charred section of the original Ukrakami Cathedral has been preserved. The Buddha-like statue of peace holds out his hand in an appeal for mankind to cease the madness of war. At the same time he points towards the sky reminding us of the horrors that human beings have often unleashed on each other. A black box at the base of the statue contains the names of the innocent victims of the 1945 bombings. Each year the names on that list are read aloud. Nearly 1/3 (74,000) of the city’s residents were killed in the explosion and another 1/3 (74,000) were seriously injured (that data was taken on Dec. 31 1945). All of which were left homeless when virtually all the property was instantly destroyed in the heat that rose to a million degrees (that is hard to believe, but that’s what the museum posted).

Each year, on the anniversary of the bombing, a somber pro life demonstration is held in the park.

We walked through Peace Park and were very disturbed, that’s the only way I can explain it. It has the original foundation of the prison that once stood on the site and is surrounded by monuments by countries from all over the world. The walk in the park was very peaceful and I am so glad we went to see it, we are very fortunate to be here.

 I just wanted to give you a quick run down of our first impression of Nagasaki and Japan before I tell you about the Atomic bomb Museum.

We loved it, really loved it, and we are going to move here! (I can hear my mother-in-laws voice again) just kidding. But what an experience for someone to come to this wonderful land for a year or so and learn the language, and see the way they live.

We are not the worldliest travelers quite yet, but we have noticed one thing that hits us every time we enter a new country. You get a feel if you’re going to be safe, if it’s clean and basically if you are going to like it. All of this seems to happen in the first ½ hour, and it has been bang on so far. Well, we absolutely love this place! The people are nice and the food is fantastic and everyone is so polite, it’s awesome. The only problem we had today was with the kids.  They were a bit of a gong show. That was mostly my fault (Steve’s) because I wanted him (Nikolas) to be so interested and he was not. Helen told me to leave him alone because, as she said “how many 9 year olds do you know that would be interested in this park”? I guess I would not have bought into it either if I was his age, but it really angered me. I am standing in the middle of the epicenter and looking into the sky to see if I could see any planes, and out of the corner of my eye I could see Nikolas moping around walking on the forbidden grass and having no part in this place. O.K. it was not forbidden, it was not even green, but I was angry so it sounds better. Anyways I lost it on him and the rest of the day between us went down hill. I even let him wander in the museum and I think that was a big mistake, a little too much for a 9-year old to be thinking about.  He was here and he saw it, I just hope it does not get inside his head. Or maybe I do, I don’t know. Standing there myself, I was blown away, so I am not sure what effect it should have on Nikolas in the future.

We went up the block to the Atomic Bomb Museum and before you climb the stairs up to the Museum itself you have to go through a park. The park has a handful of monuments and the grass area is covered in little sticks and things, and part of an original wall still standing from the Urakami Cathedral. It’s quite amazing that the wall and the steps were able to withstand the blast and it is in very good condition. As you walk up to the steps you see more of those little sticks in the ground everywhere. I am not quite sure what is planted there and could not find the words in the phrase book that we could use to ask.

That’s one problem with not knowing the language, you spend ½ an hour putting 3 words together that you hope make sense. Then you ask someone the question as if you are fluent in Japanese and they blast you back with about 25 words in less than 2 seconds. After they hit you with that rapid fire response, you just bow and smile and say A-ri-gat-to (Thank You) and bow and then walk away as if you are going to exactly what they said to do, but you don’t have a clue what the heck they just said.  

O.K. now back to the depressing part, the Bomb Museum. I am so glad we came here to see it, but it was much more graphic than I ever imagined. They had a Fat Man bomb cut open so you could see exactly how they made it and it was the actual size. It was 3.25m in length, 1.52 m in diameter and weighed 4.5 tons. Ya, the thing is huge but the nuclear pocket in the middle was actually quite small. I just find it hard to believe that that’s what killed and injured 150,000 people. The rest of the exhibits are as follows; lots of very graphic film footage, steel helmet with the remains of a scull, a work uniform of a worker that was 1.2 km away and the right side of the uniform is blown away, hand bones melted into glass bottles something that was right out of the x-files. There were 2 pictures of 2 different walls from the blast area and they were both of dark shadows that somehow were imbedded into the walls. The first shadow was of laundry hanging on the clothes line and you could clearly see that shadow. The second was of 2 men on a ladder. One man was holding the ladder at the bottom and looking up and the other was on the ladder. I know this does not sound too fascinating as I tell you, but it was as if it was painted in charcoal paint right on the wall. You have to see it! This museum had a ‘peace on earth’ theme throughout the whole thing, and it even showed how many nuclear warheads there are remaining in the world right now. And let me tell you, nothing horrified me more than knowing this one incident could happen over 100,000 times more if all the warheads were released. I had no idea.

After leaving that place I felt a little guilty for being mad at Nikolas that morning and I was wondering what was going through his 9-year old head. Everyone asked us afterwards what Nikolas thought about the Museum and it wasn’t until that moment that I realized we just let him walk through and look at whatever he wanted. When you are walking through it, I can only say that you and everyone around you are in a trance. I know what happened and how it happened but being in there with the film footage running everywhere and all those pictures, you just go from one room to another. There are hundreds of people in there, only not a sound is heard, and we are all just walking. If you ever get the chance please come to this Museum or Hiroshima, it is a very important place.

 

 

Phewwwww,  enough about that, now back to Nagasaki.

We got off the ship and walked until we found a train and then I pulled out Lonely Planet Japanese Phrase book and started speaking Japanese like it was my second language. Well I managed to say Hello (kon-ni-chi-wa), Thank you (a-ri-ga-to), goodbye (sa-yo-na-ra) and the number 4 (shi/yon). Pretty good for one day, no one could understand a word I said, but I must have used those 3 phrases about ten times today.

O.K. I know I am a supposed to be a mature adult, but I was so excited today I just had to bring my camera into the bathroom to get a picture of this thing. We were eating in an average kind of Japanese diner when Helen came out of the washroom and told us we had to see this thing. I went in and came right back out and got the camera. Move over New Zealand, because the toilet we saw today was unbelievable, it had more gadgets on it than a Binford 4000 (Tim the Tool Guy) dish washing machine. This thing sprayed the seat with cleaner, wiped it, had a seat warmer, and you do not want to know what it did to your bottom when you were finished. I’ll just let you know what Helen said when she came back, “we have to get one of those, I could have stayed in there all day”

We just had a super great day, and are so looking forward to Osaka and our 2nd day in Japan. We are most definitely coming back to this country!

 

 

 OSAKA -  

(written by Helen)

 

I have not seen the film “Lost in Translation” yet, but after walking through parts of Osaka I am looking forward to seeing it.  Steve and I have never been to Japan and for some reason were both really excited to see it.  From the movies we’ve watched to the images you see and envision, to us it was a far away land full of culture and very interesting people.  It helps too that we both love Japanese food!  Nagasaki was small and quaint and we loved it there but we were eager to see the ‘big’ city of Osaka. 

 

We were told that Japan is extremely expensive and that the weather was going to be bitterly cold so we bundled up and brought very few yen (thinking we wouldn’t buy anything).  Well, much to our surprise, it was cold but we ended up taking off some of our layers during the day and sunglasses were definitely an asset.  The temp. was about 2-5 degrees but it didn’t really feel that cold unless you were close to the water and the cold breeze blowing was bone-chilling.  And, the prices were not bad at all.  I bought a beautiful blouse for 500 yen which is 5 dollars American.  Not bad at all.

 

Lucky for us, our friends from the casino (they hate it when I call them that) allowed us to tag along again and so the nine of us headed off to the subway to get to the temple.

 

The very first thing you notice as you walk the streets and enter the subway system is that there is not piece of garbage to be seen on the streets.  I saw no graffiti and really the place is spotless.  The other thing you notice when you enter the underground subway system is the silence.  You really could hear a pin drop and I even looked around to see if the place was deserted but there were people everywhere.  It’s almost eerie. There is very little noise, or should I say human noise, talking, shouting, laughing, nothing!  They just seem to go about their business and that’s it.

 

The other thing we were surprised about is the lack of foreign people around.  We were in the heart of Osaka’s shopping district and every time I saw a ‘Westerner’ it was someone from our ship.  It was amazing.  We were even stared at and pointed at, in the most polite ways I must say.  People were stopping and smiling and saying lots of Japanese words we could not understand.  They loved Nik and Dani and they got the most attention. 

 

Back to the subway system.  It is so well organized.  Each stretch of the city is divided into different sections and each subway train going to that section is a certain colour.  Does that make sense?  For example, we looked at our map and discovered that we had to take the ‘green’ train to a certain station (they are all marked for easy id) and then we had to get on the ‘red’ train to reach the temples.  So it doesn’t really matter that you cannot read a bit of Japanese because unless you are colour-blind you can figure it out.  In fact Steve was a little disappointed that he could not practice his fluent four words he has learnt in Japanese, he didn’t really need to ask anyone a question.  He would however, much to Nikolasembarrassment , say “kanichi-wa” (Hello) and “arigato” (Thank-you) to every person that was within a 2 metre radius.  He also did a lot of bowing and I knew instantly that he loved this place.  It’s almost like a comedy skit with him, as the person would bow and then he would and then the person would and then he would and so on and so on.  He didn’t know when to stop.  I had to walk away and pull him along or we would have been there all day.  He was also the typical tourist.  He took over a hundred pictures and he swore that he would never laugh at the Japanese tourists back home again!

 

Again, the best thing we did was not take a guided tour to the temples.  Instead, we figured out the subway system and made our way across the city to the temple area.  Actually, there are temples all over Osaka but we were interested in the one that claims to be the “oldest” in Japan, it’s called the Shitennoji Temple.  It was originally built by Prince Shotoku in the year 593 (and no I did not leave out the one at the beginning).  We had to walk down this street on our way to the temples and it was so wonderful.  The merchants had their ware layed out in front of their stores and they all bowed and said Hello (in Japanese, of course) and even one gentleman gave us all a sample of his turtle-shaped muffins.  He was so gracious we ended up coming back to his store after the tour of the temples and we all bought a bunch of stuff from him.  Again, after that, he sent us on our way with a bag full of his turtle-shaped muffins for us to enjoy for free. 

 

As we were walking along we had to be careful because not only were there a few cars on this road but more often than that were the bicycles.  You turn around and there goes another one zipping down the road.   A very smart and convenient way to get around a busy city.  We also noticed quite a few of the Japanese people wearing white surgical masks.  Steve thought it might be because of the pollution but others suggested it was to stop the spread of a disease like SARS or the bird flu.  We didn’t get a chance to ask anyone this question so we will have to figure it out maybe in Hong Kong.

 

We finally reached the temple and we were pleased to find out that it was a huge area with a stone fence around it and it was the sight of many temples not just the ‘oldest’ one.  As we walked inside, again, we realized how quiet it was here.  We walked along and came to one temple that was located next to a cemetery with many mausoleums made of granite.  Actually there were many of these pockets of cemetery throughout the compound.  This one temple had a big half circle that stood about 10 feet high.  It was made of some sort of grass and dangling from the top was two origami lightning bolts made out of paper.  We were all just standing there staring and we didn’t really know what to do.  I kind of felt a little nervous because I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to talk or not, or laugh or not , or take pictures or not, or walk up to the temple or not.  I’m a little superstitious so I was contemplating all this in case it was bad luck to do either.  This one lovely lady finally motioned with her hands that we were to walk under this arc but first she motioned that we must take off our hats first.  After walking under it we walked up to the temple and looked inside.  It was beautiful.  The giant golden Buddha sitting there with candles burning and lots of incense burning as well.  Every so often one of the locals would walk up the stairs, bow with their hands in prayer and then walk away.  We watched one lady walking back and forth between two granite pillars and when she came up to the temple she would read a page from her prayer book, bow, and then walk back and around the pillars, turn the page and read another prayer.  She was there the whole time we were and you could tell that lots of people do this because the ground has worn tracks from all the people that do it.

 

 

We walked from temple to temple and each was more beautiful than the first. I wish we had someone to explain each one and I wish I knew more about Buddhism because the rituals look fascinating.  Throughout the day you could only hear the ‘bonging’ of a gong (is that what it’s called?).  Well, they would walk up to a temple and there would be a huge rope hanging down and at the top of this rope is a solid ball and when they swung the rope the ball would hit the gong and make a ‘bong’ noise.  It sent shivers up my spine when I would hear them.  We also saw a huge pond with a ton of cute little turtles in it and again I wonder what the association is with the turtle.  When I find out, I will write it in.

 

It rained a little and we were starting to get a little cold so we decided it was time to get back on the subway and head to the other side of the city.  We were headed to an area called Namba.  The area is right beside a river and all along there are stores and restaurants and it is THE happening place.  When we got there we were not disappointed.  We actually met a nice guy from New Zealand and he took us to this area and gave us a short sightseeing tour as we made our way there.  He even recommended a place to eat and told Steve where the internet café was.  He is living in Japan and he teaches English to people aged 12 and above.  He was a really pleasant guy and when we asked him if he had learnt any Japanese, he said that he can speak it and understand most of it but could not even begin to try and learn to read it or right it.  He said there are about 2,000 symbols in the Japanese language and it would take a long time to even scratch the surface.

 

This Namba area was incredible.  It was a Tuesday afternoon and the place was packed with locals.  The street itself is hard to describe, you’ve got to view the pictures.  It reminded us a little of Times Square, with all the neon lights and the noise (it wasn’t quiet here!).  For as long as the eye can see and down each street there are stores and restaurants and tons of people.  It was so fun to people watch.  I found that the businessmen in their suits reminded me of the old Beatles fashion.  They wore dark tailored suits with very narrow pants and they all had this hair cut.  It was exactly like the way the band Duran Duran use to wear their hair in the 80’s.  Quite long and kind of spikey but very messy.  And the women, to me, all looked alike.  They all had the same type of hair style, very jagged blunt cuts with bangs.  They also had some very strange fashion statements.  Lots of high cut black stiletto boots with short skirts.  Or else you would see a lot of almost punk-look.  Very interesting.  And everywhere you turn there is a trinket store full of things like “Hello Kitty” and tiny little dogs and animals. 

 

The guy from N.Z. told us to go to this one building for lunch and when we all got on the elevator and made our way up to the 5th floor we came upon a most incredible view.  It is also hard to explain this place and all but one of Steve’s pictures turned out because it was so dark inside.  This building must have been very old, it was made of stone and the walls on the inside were also made of big blocks.  It was somewhat like a castle and before you actually walk through it you are given a card and with this card you can pay for everything: food, clothes, and souvenirs.  When you are all done and you exit the building they scan your card and you pay then.  It’s a really cool concept.  We wanted to find a restaurant that had room for all nine of us but all of the restaurants in this building were tiny little spots here and there with a few stools sitting around the cooking area.  It was more of a fast food, take out kind of place so we didn’t end up eating there.  It was amazing though to walk through and each spot had its own particular aroma, some smelt delicious, others almost made me gag.  There were the gadget stores in here as well and also in one dark tiny corner sat the fortune tellers with their palm charts and tarot cards.  Nobody was brave enough to give it a try plus I don’t think they knew any English.

 

We decided to head outside and find a place to eat and ended up in a nice restaurant where we had some tempura, udon noodle soup, rice and green tea.  It wasn’t the best I’ve ever eaten but it was an experience and we were glad we did it.  The kids didn’t like it that much because we poured the wrong sauce on their rice.  It was not Soya sauce and it made their rice taste ‘funny’.  Soooo, from there we dropped Steve off at the internet café and the kids and I went to McDonald’s!!!!!  I didn’t mind actually because everyone told us you had to try it once.  We didn’t find it any different than at home other than the fact that they actually have a menu that you look at and on the back is the English version so it’s easy to order.  Plus our girl knew a bit of English so we got exactly what we wanted.  The other cool thing is that you must accept money, like your change with both hands, it’s their custom.  And they bow.

 

From there we walked a little down the streets and decided to head back to the ship because there was a shopping area right beside our ship as well.  Good thing we left when we did because we made it back to the ship just after 5pm and the All Aboard was at 5:30.  We did a tiny bit of shopping and then headed back to our home away from home!

 

We felt so safe in Japan.  The one funny thing that we saw to verify this was their “Loomis” guys, the ones that transport money to and from bank machines and such.  These two guys are walking by us and they have on these very casual uniforms  and one guy is pushing a dolly with about 10 big bags of coins on it.  One huge bag actually fell onto the ground when he took a corner and he had to heave it back up.  The other guy was holding a bag full of bills and neither of them had a gun or anything on them.  It was so amazing to watch, we all just stood there and laughed and shook our heads!

 

Well, we all really loved Japan and I would love to come back here later and travel to some more remote areas and see more of the culture of this incredible land.  Maybe by the time we come back Steve will have learnt another 4 words in Japanese!!!

 

HONG KONG, CHINA – March 5 TO 8

 

 

HONG KONG  - Part 1  

(Written by Steve)

 

I don’t even know how to start to describe this place. If you took Manhattan, Rio and Sydney Harbour and put them all together, maybe that would give you some sort of idea of the size. Then take a thousand boats of every size and tell them to cross the harbour as fast as they can, and then light up every skyscraper with lighting from Times Square and then you might just have half of Hong Kong Harbour. It’s gigantic, crazy, smelly, all night, crowded, wonderful and fantastic all at the same time, if that makes any sense.

We came into the Harbour just as the sun was setting but had a hard time seeing the shoreline due to the heavy smog. When we docked at around 8 at night, the light show from the buildings was spectacular. We got off the ship around 9 pm and headed up to the Night Market, which turned out to be around a 25 minute walk. If you can imagine a 10 block stretch of closed street, lined with thousands of stands that take up the entire width and length of the street. The stands sell everything from pirated DVD’s, Nintendo games, clothing, watches, toys, every kind of electronic gadget you can think of. The place is packed and if you have small kids with you, you had better get them up on your shoulders to keep them out of the crowd. If someone in front of you stops to look at something, don’t think it will stop the person behind you. I really like it here, it’s all business and people just want to keep moving. It’s so funny to watch the Westerners deal with this type of attitude, they give the dirty looks, and the head shaking. The people here could care less about what happens in a crowd, they are on the move and just keep on going.

When our family found out we were coming close to Hong Kong they all told us to be so careful because of the SARS, Avian Flu and any other diseases they could think of. The funny thing is, before we could leave the ship we all had our temperatures taken and if we were not in the normal range we were sent back. I found it quite funny that the Chinese were as terrified about us bringing in diseases as we were about getting them here. I come from Vancouver, Canada and in the last few years our city has had SARS, Avian Flu, Mad Cow and who knows how many more. SARS and the Avian flu flooded the news last year in Canada and people were terrified of Canadian Travelers, but on the news we were told to watch out for Asian travelers. I guess it all just depends what side of the fence you are on.

On a side note, my Sister gave me the heads up on another thing my father was real concerned about. I guess I talk about Father O’Shea a bit when I write these stories, and it has my father a little worried. He is wondering if I am becoming Catholic, and I am still smiling about that comment. I really miss my Dad, and its comments like that one that makes him so much fun. You see, I sit right beside Ray (Father O’Shea) every night at dinner and have a great time. I don’t think of him as a Priest really, he is more like buddy because he is so witty, great with our kids, loves magic and just an all around nice guy, a real treat to be around. So Dad, just concentrate on the bird flu and I promise I won’t sign any religious documents till I get home.

 

 

O.K. back to Hong Kong. The first thing you will notice is a zillion people walking everywhere, and doing it very quickly. The second is a thousand double-decker buses zooming the streets with a million cars flying all over the place. You get what I am trying to tell you? It is crazy, but very cool and I have not even got to the shopping part yet (I will let Helen tell you about that).

After docking and getting a physical from the Hong Kong security officers, we headed off the ship around 10pm.We of course have to go through a mall to get to the street from the ship. The mall beside the ship has 3 levels and is 4 blocks in length and has everything a westerner wants but for ½ the price. We managed to fight the temptations and got out onto the street with our pals from the ship. Of course Hala (one of our friends) took us to another fantastic spot called the Night Market, and then after 1 hour of walking away from the ship, I heard those words that no parent wants to hear, when you are a long way from home. Danika looked up at me and said “daddy I don’t feel well, my tummy is rumbling” It was 11:30 pm and we were about a full ½ hour into this market and there was no easy way out of this place to grab a cab. We had to meet with the gang from the ship at midnight, so we had to find one of them before we headed back to the ship. Let’s just say we ran into one of them, found a cab and flew back to the ship. We thought we would quickly phone home and just about finished yakking, when my 4 year old started puking like Mt. St Helens. Helen was just finishing up on the phone when the little vomit machine went into action. I’ll let Helen fill you in on what our next couple of days were like. Not fun!

                                                   

 

Hong Kong

By: Helen

Well!  That was interesting!  We were so excited to see Hong Kong and were planning all these great things to see and do.  The one little thing we failed to factor into our plans was The Dreaded Stomach Virus!!!  I had literally just gotten off the phone with my mom and she had asked me how the kids were doing, whether they were healthy and I said, “Oh yes, so far they have been great.”  I should have known better.  Just 2 minutes later, Danika was puking on the sidewalk.  We kind of thought maybe it was because she had seen some men catch a fish and the fish was bleeding and squirming and she was very upset with the whole thing.  But, when we got back to the room she threw up again and we knew that it was definitely something else.  During the night she threw up all over her bed and so we had to call Housekeeping and the poor guys came down, we woke them up because they’re uniforms were half unbuttoned, and they only let one guy in with gloves and mask.  I felt like some kind of alien, you could tell they were being very careful not to touch anything and they even took out her mattress.  We finally got her settled with some Gravol suppositories (sorry, too much info?)  and she fell asleep.  The next morning the ship’s doctor came to see us and by that time Nikolas was feeling a little green himself.  To our surprise he downplayed their illnesses and told us it was probably  fever-induced vomiting.  I thought that was kind of strange because she started vomiting before she spiked a fever.  Anyway, we didn’t think too much at the time but in hindsight we are guessing that he did not want to add our two kids to his long list of stomach virus victims.  He told us to keep her away from the Nursery and to let her rest in the room.  He did not quarantine her and now that I look back it makes me quite angry.  He didn’t even look at Nikolas and told us to call him the next day if we needed him.  That evening the Nurse called and asked how they were doing and told us that the doctor would be in to see us first thing in the morning.  We waited until 1pm and then called them and they said they were on a break off the ship, shopping I’m sure, and that they would be back at 5pm.  Steve said to me, Forget that! And we got the kids dressed and off we went to see the sights of Hong Kong. 

We bought Danika an umbrella stroller from the ToysRUs in the mall and that was a saving grace for our day.  We decided to take a taxi to the Ladies Market, which is exactly like the Night Market but during the day.  It is also a lot bigger as it includes three separate streets.  One is for electronics, the second is for ladies items and the third is for sports.  We spent most of the day walking along the Ladies Street and bought lots of junk.  I say that because that is what it really is.  Very cheaply made clothes, shoes, purses and tons of trinkets that you would find in a dollar store.  Still, it is all so inexpensive and you get caught up in it all and we bought some “Gucci” purses, “Ferrari” jackets and a Hello Kitty for Dani.

We were quite hungry so we found a restaurant that looked full of both locals (good sign) and tourists.  We sat down and ordered our usual, boring Chinese food:  sweet and sour pork, noodles, rice and wonton soup.   It’s amazing how scarce chicken is on any menu in Asia.  It looks like pork has replaced all of the chicken dishes.  Anyways, the lunch was delicious, still not as fantastic as we keep expecting but we did enjoy it all except we screwed up with the noodles again.  It happened in Japan as well, we expect thin chow mein noodles and get the thick udon noodles instead.  Oh well.

Everyone told us how fantastic the shopping is in Hong Kong and I have to say I was a little disappointed.  I’m sure it’s because we have not gone to the right areas but I really thought it would be a little better.  Steve wrote that the mall beside the ship had stuff half the price of North America but I beg to differ.  The mall has a lot of the high end clothing like Prada and Escada and I thought the prices were comparable.  I did find some gorgeous stores on the kid’s level where I bought Danika, who is the one that least needs more clothes, some outfits that are just beautiful.  Some of the stores had 60 percent sales and the clothes averaged about 15-25 American dollars.  We are talking good quality Oshkosh and European designer clothes.  

Steve wrote that he would leave it to me to talk about the shopping in Hong Kong.  I have never been a huge shopper and my biggest thrill is getting a bargain deal on something.  I feel inadequate when it comes to critiquing the shopping here because it would been unfair for me to say anything when I’m sure we did not even begin to experience what Hong Kong is all about. 

This place is way more amazing than I ever imagined.  When we sailed into the harbour it was this most surreal experience.  First you seen the land from a distance and it just looks like any one of the many islands we’ve passed on our journey.  Then all of a sudden you see buildings and then more buildings, high-rises stacked along the shoreline.  The smog makes them look like an illusion and then you start getting closer to Hong Kong Harbour and the boats appear and they are everywhere and it seems like they follow some sort of organized chaos.  It was nighttime by the time we actually docked and the view of Hong Kong is so spectacular it is too hard to explain.  From the edge of the water to the base of the mountains behind there are huge skyscrapers and they are all sorts of sizes and shapes and most of them have neon lights that are flashing or changing colours or laser beams streaming up and down and side to side.  These lights and lazer beams run the full length of these buildings  and one huge round one that is huge has writing that is the full length of the building and it rotates around it.  Wow, it’s unreal.  Hong Kong has surpassed all my expectations and I just love it here.  I must come back with my sister one day and spend a week here.  I love it so much I am willing to take that dreaded, what would it be, 12 hour flight here!  Yes, you have that in writing!

 

 

HONG KONG - 

PART 2 – (written by Helen)

 

Our last day in Hong Kong was supposed to start bright and early but as usual we all slept in and didn’t get off the ship until 11am.  We missed breakfast on the ship so we headed to the nearest Starbuck’s and had it there.  Yes, the tall, decaf, no foam, none fat latte tastes just like the ones at home!  All the baristas speak great English too.

Our ship was docked right beside the Star Ferry so we hopped on and made the 10 minute ride across.  It is very reasonable as it only cost us about 2 dollars for all four of us!  Once we reached Hong Kong Island we saw our bus right away that was to take us to the base of Victoria’s Peak.  Steve had to run and get some change because the bus only takes exact change.  The bus ride was the same price as the ferry ride.  As we drove to the Peak I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful Hong Kong was.  Somehow I envisioned it being an ugly, dirty concrete jungle but it’s not.  The buildings are a mixture of old and new and there was a surprising amount of greenery around every corner.  There were palm trees and huge trees that looked like massive bonsai trees, they were beautiful. 

When we arrived at the base I was a little nervous about going up the tram.  It’s actually a funicular and when you enter the trolley it is on a slope and when you look forward you can see this very steep track that awaits you.  The trolley is on tracks like train tracks and it has a rope in the middle that hauls the trolley up the mountain.  It takes about 10 minutes to get up to the top and at one point the slope is so steep that you almost feel like it’s going to tip over backwards.  I was holding on for dear life!  The tracks run along past residential sections and past schools.  We could see the kids in their uniforms out in the schoolyard playing soccer.

The tram has been in place since 1888 and the Peak Tower was renovated this year.  When you make it up the 1,800 feet to the summit, the view is spectacular.  The view of the harbour and Kowloon and you get a real sense of the density of the towers that line the coastline.  It really is breathtaking and the lookout is huge with a two level restaurant as well.  The kids wanted to go to the wax museum and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! that were also up there, but we said no.  We didn’t stay long because we were really short on time so we got back on the tram and rode down the mountain backwards.  The seats all face up the mountain, it’s really quite bizarre.

We hailed a cab and just at that moment a lady came up to us and asked us if we needed any help translating to the taxi man.  She spoke excellent English and was able to tell the driver where we wanted to go and she also told us how much it should cost in case he tried to rip us off.  That was so nice of her and we thanked her profusely.  We had the driver take us to Aberdeen which we heard was the site of the sampans.  We got out of the cab and walked down a pier.  At the end there was a bunch of these old rickety looking boats tied to the dock.  I was about to turn around and walk away when one lady came running towards us and motioned for us to get on her boat.  She kept saying, “200 dollars” over and over again.  Much to my surprise my husband said, “Sure!”.  I looked at him with, I’m sure, my worst “are you out of your mind” look and grabbed the kids and tried to walk away.  He just said, “oh, come on, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity!”.  So, hesitantly, I joined him on the boat with the kids and sat down.  Steve gave the husband the money, he jumped off, she sat down, gunned the engine and off we went.  I kind of had that feeling where things are going a little too fast and I have lost control of the situation.  I looked around and I couldn’t see any life jackets anywhere.  The boat, quite honestly, needed A LOT of work and it really just barely putted through the water.  I smiled a lot at the lady driving and she seemed so pleased to have us on her boat.  I finally found the life jackets hanging in the rafters and I mentioned quietly to Steve that there were only 3 jackets and 5 of us.  He smiled and said, “that’s perfect”.  I tried to relax and after a few minutes I realized that she actually was a very good driver and she took us to where the fishing boats were all tied up on the water and to some boats where I am guessing that some people actually live.  I heard that it was now against the law to live on the sandpans like they use to so we didn’t actually see anyone other than some fishermen.  At one point, she turned a corner and it seemed like we were stuck in amongst the fishing boats.  We thought she was turning around to go back out but we realized that she was actually trying to squeeze between two huge fishing boats.  She just barely made it with mere inches on either side and when we came through she actually started clapping and cheering and well, so did we!  She was very cute and we were out there for about half an hour.  It was actually very interesting and the water was just filled with garbage.  It was floating all around us and I’m sure some sewage was in the water too because the smell was not all that pleasant.  We made it back safe and sound and Steve gave her a tip and she seemed quite happy with us.

We got into another cab and he convinced us that it would be cheaper and faster if he just drove us back to our ship instead of taking the ferry.  He spoke very good English and it was a nice ride through the city and under the harbour through the tunnel.  He complained about how difficult it now was to make money in Hong Kong since China took over and he was very vocal about how displeased he was with the government.  When he found out how much we paid for our cruise he kept slapping Steve on the shoulder and laughing, saying he was a very good man.  I think what he was really thinking was that Steve was a very stupid man for spending that kind of money on a trip.  You could tell he thought we were nuts.

We were back in time to do just a little more shopping and then we sailed off towards Thailand. 

As I mentioned before, we really loved Hong Kong and would love to come back and spend more time here so that we can see more sites, rather than  just the shopping districts.  I found the people to be very friendly and it is very easy to get around as a lot of people here speak English.  It seems so much more Westernized than Japan and it was a little more comfortable to us.  Living in Canada, I always had this sense that the world kind of revolved around us and the U.S.  Being her, in Asia, has shown me that we are just a speck in the broad sense of the world.  It’s amazing to see these cities with all these people.  The biggest surprise for me is that they, the people and even the cities are not all that different from us.  I am truly on the other side of the world and it’s not that different.  I don’t know exactly what I was expecting but it has really opened up my eyes.  Even the people on board that we have met.  All are from different parts of the world and yet we all have similarities and the conversations are as if I am talking to my friends.  Wouldn’t it be nice if the whole world could embrace the differences and celebrate the similarities of the world?  One can only hope.

 

 

THAILAND – March 11

 

Bangkok - part 1

(Written by Steve)

We pulled into a port called Laem Chabang, which is right next to Pattaya. I don't know if you remember Pattaya, but it is where the GI's used to go for R&R during the Vietnam War back in the 60's. We hopped in a van with our 2 friends Suzzanne and John (from the Florida Keys) and drove just over 2 hours into Bangkok.  I will start off by telling you what we enjoyed about Bangkok and then I will tell what I really feel about the place.

The sites are absolutely incredible and something you can't see anywhere else. There is the Emerald Buddha next to the Grand Palace, and the Golden Buddha which weighs 51/2 tons, and then there is our favorite the Reclining Buddha. It feels like you are standing next to a 10 story building that is laying on its side. It is absolutely massive (see pictures) You can go on a canal tour that shows you how so many people here live in complete poverty, which was very sad.  The canal tour is on a home made long boat powered by a Chevy 350 engine (sans muffler) and a prop connected to a long drive sticking out of the transmission.  What a ride! You can go for a famous Thai massage or eat the wonderful food, or just swim in the river. NOT!!!!!!!!!!!! There is a picture in our photo album of this woman washing dishes with the water from the river. Just before she started washing those dishes a kid went to the washroom right where she got the water, and he did not urinate.  Whoops, I am starting to tell you how I really feel and I have not finished the pleasant parts yet. The people here are very friendly, and the gracious jesters that are made when greeting or saying thank you are very nice; they hold there hands as if in prayer, close to their mouths and they bow.  O.K, that lets me tell what I really think!

 

I was worried about coming here because of the devastation from the tsunami, but Bangkok is a good 12 hour drive from Puket. The people here don't seem affected one bit, and really the few we asked did not know anything regarding the tsunami, and that surprised me a little. We have been in Thailand a full day already and I can assure you it’s NOT a place for kids. We have done a canal tour, lunch, seen a couple of Buddha’s, an alligator and snake farm that we ending up leaving after only a few minutes because it was in such poor condition. Bangkok is super dirty, crazy, overloaded with people and it stinks, in everyway you can think of. Six million people live here and a whole whack of tourists come here for a lot more than just sun. We are staying at the Peninsula Bangkok, and are on the 35 floor over-looking the city, or what we can see of it due to the heavy smog.  I just watched the sun come up and it looks  incredible at night with all the lights from the boats and buildings, but no so nice in the day time. This is a whole new world here folks, let me tell you it took me by surprise. I expected Hong Kong to look  this dirty, but thought Thailand was a lot different than what I am seeing today. The City of Bangkok is really, really, big! We sat in traffic for about an hour and we only had a few miles to go. The area that we are in is a really run down area and not a hope that we will be walking the streets around here without a police escort (at least with our kids). A good friend of ours has asked me if it would be O.K. for her 16 year old daughter to come here to work in a school, after she spends a few days in Bangkok. I told them I would not let my daughter spend one minute in this city alone, and they should be nervous about sending her to this city.  
I told you back in Japan that as soon as you walk out of the Airport, Ship, Bus or whatever your means of transportation is, you get a feel for the place. Well as soon as we got out of our van, Helen said "this is a naughty place", and I felt unsafe the minute we drove into the city, I did not even have get out. If I was coming to Thailand on a relaxing holiday, I certainly would not come to Bangkok. I would come here for a history lesson or if I felt the need to see a couple of monster Buddha’s.  I most certainly would not come to get away from it all. Cruising around on the long boats was very cool for about 2 minutes, until you sit in one and get splashed with all that sewage water from the river. The folks here throw everything from their garbage to food, wash clothes, and use it as a toilet. O.K. all the world travelers out there must be saying “this guy has not seen anything yet” and I am sure I will get the big wake up call in Bombay. I have to tell you though, this place is not a smart place to bring small kids, and had we known we most definitely would have went to a beach close to the ship instead if we were given the heads up. I am glad I saw Bangkok, and we loved the hotel but I don’t think we will be back as a family for a very long time. The sex trade here is right in your face, right in this 5-star hotel and in no way do our kids need to learn about that at this age. Bangkok is very beautiful at night and the people here are very friendly, and I would have no problem coming here with a few buds way back when, or just Helen and myself but not as a family. The city transportation is a little better than 3rd world and crossing the street is not the safest thing to do if you value your life.  I met a couple last night who are here on their honeymoon and I thought, what for? After talking to them for a bit, they told me they are going home in a day and have barely left the Hotel. That I can’t understand, what the heck is the sense of flying into this place if you are not going to see it. I am glad we saw it, but that does not mean we have to like it, right? I am so glad Nikolas got to see the way these people live, and maybe he will think twice about crying when he can’t get a new game cube. I doubt it, but it did have some impact on him, you could see it in his face. On that note, I still question myself about what he is thinking about all this, and we should have spent some time with a family Psychologist before we left to find out what kind of effect it would have on them.

That all I am going to say, Helen will write you in a couple of days to tell you how great the shopping is here.

 

Bangkok - part 2

 

(Written by Steve)

I just finished reading what I wrote about Bangkok and I don’t think I was the happiest person when I wrote that. Have you ever said something but  wished you hadn’t, but it was too late to take it back. That’s how I feel about what I wrote about Bangkok.  It may have been a bit unfair to say all that.

 1000 years of history is absolutely amazing, and the people were very friendly, so I think I should write it a little differently today (3 days later).

I think I was so worried about going to this country because of the Tsunami, but I don’t think life in this city changed one bit since it happened. Our drive from the ship to the Hotel was a real eye opener, and then the area the hotel was in was very poor. I felt guilty for staying there when the people right outside the front door lived with so little. We then went on a canal tour through the shanty shacks of the city, and it again was very disturbing. That night when we were in our Hotel I saw something happening with a couple of Thai Girls and an American guy that made me want to get the kids up to the room. As the comedian at the show said last night “He did not realize that Bangkok was such a family oriented city, Watching the dads walk down the street holding hands with their daughters”. He was unaware that so many western men had Thai children. That’s Bangkok and Pataya in a nutshell, very disturbing.

So please forgive me if that little message I wrote on Bangkok seemed a little harsh, I was just a little overwhelmed.

So, if you ever get the chance to go to see the Temples and the Buddha’s in Thailand, do so because it is incredible.

 

 

(Written by Helen)

We were so excited to get to Bangkok because it was an overnight stay and we were going to stay in a hotel.  We were imagining how wonderful it was going to be to sleep on a normal mattress and a king-sized bed of all things!  We had made arrangements with a couple to share a ride from Laem Chabang (I love saying that!) which is where the ship docked to downtown Bangkok.  We lucked out and found a guy that would rent us his van and driver for $75.00 each way.  That was way cheaper than the going rate of $125 for a taxi and not even a van.  The ride takes about 2 hours and we were actually quite comfortable in the air-conditioned van.  The driver knew a little English and all in all it was a good ride apart from the occasional moments when I though for sure we were going to get in an accident.  It really wasn’t anything our driver was doing, it was the other cars and BIG trucks that would change lanes in front of us and I mean they would literally veer in front of you.  This is while we are going over 100km/h on the freeway.  They also tailgate like crazy so that when someone slows down up front everyone slams on their brakes.  It was pretty scary.  As we drove we noticed a lot of farmland that looked like sugar cane.  Every so often a building would pop up and in between would be these beautiful shrines and temples.  Even in the parking lot of a huge manufacturing plant there is a temple set up, it quite amazing.

 

We arrived at our hotel and the minute you step through the doors you realize what a magnificent place it is.  The white gloved doormen are their instantly and will not let you carry anything.  They greet you by holding their hands in prayer close to their mouths and they bow, it really is gracious.  When Steve booked our room he was told that they only allow a maximum of 3 people to a room so we had to book a deluxe suite.  When we got to our room we went crazy.  I guess after spending the last 2 months in a room that measures about 9x12 feet anything would look huge.  But this place was massive.  It had a living room with wrap around floor to ceiling windows, two bathrooms with one that had a marble bathtub with a TV. built into the wall, a shower, a separate room for the toilet and two huge sinks.  The bedroom was also large and it had a huge floor to ceiling window as well.  All of the windows had curtains that opened and closed by the press of a button.  The kids sure got a kick out of that!  We actually figured that the one bathroom in the hotel room was a little bigger that the whole room on the ship.  Our hotel room looked over the Chao Phraya River which runs through Bangkok and is Thailand’s lifeline.  From this river run many canals and at one time Bangkok was compared to Venice.  From our room we could see the many boats of different shapes and sizes whizzing here and there.  We would have a quick lunch in the hotel and then our plan was to take a canal boat tour.

 

We went to Chinese Restaurant for lunch that was in the hotel.  The service here was truly the best we have ever received.  We had about 3 or 4 waiters standing by our table while we ate and if we needed anything they were there before you even realized you needed it.  When me and Dani got up to go to the washroom they jumped to hold our chairs for us.  And the food was spectacular.  We had lobster filled wonton soup that was excellent, the best sweet and sour pork we have ever tasted and believe me we order it wherever we go.  Steve and I ordered these prawns in garlic and soy sauce that were brilliant.  They were perfectly cooked and delicious!  The kids enjoyed it as well but they were very hesitant to try anything because it all looked a little different then usual.

 

After lunch we hooked back up with the couple we drove in with and set out to take our boat ride.  The hotel is situated right on the river so we just walked out the doors and across the outside restaurant to the boat dock.  It was so funny because we had booked a tour through the hotel and when we got to the dock there was this brand new gorgeous looking boat sitting there with the name of the hotel on it.  We thought, Wow! This is going to be great.

Suddenly however, this boat motors out of the way and this old decrepit long boat pulls up and is waiting for us to jump in.  The thing looked like it was hardly holding together.  It was shaped like a canoe but the front was pointed and it curved upwards.  In the back was this cute little shoeless man holding a pole that was connected to the motor.  Imagine an outboard motor that was actually a 350 motor from a Chevy car and it actually had a transmission from a car connected to the back of it.  It was absolutely unbelievable.  The exhaust from this thing was black and the noise it made was deafening.  Once again I crawled into a boat that I felt very unsure of.  I was actually really mad until I saw the life jackets and I made Dani put one on.  The ride across the river was so bumpy because the boat traffic is unreal.  Everyone travels by boat because the car traffic is ten times worse!

I was trying so hard to find the perfect word to describe the colour of the water in this river.  Olive green with a splash of coffee perhaps?  It is so disgustingly dirty.  There is garbage floating in it and the smell is very hard to describe.  Burning tires and sewage mixed together maybe.  We were sitting so low in the water and every time we would hit a wave we would get splashed.  I had to yell at the kids not to lick their lips and I kept wiping our faces with my clothes.  At one point I actually started laughing because I was thinking, what the hell am I doing?  But in hindsight it was an amazing experience and very well worth it.

 

 

Once you leave the river and enter the network of canals the water settles down and the ride is quite smooth.  The sights however, are mind boggling.  I cannot begin to describe what we saw, how some of these people live.  Their houses are shacks built over the water and they look as if they are ready to fall over any minute.  It’s amazing to see that some of these places had beautiful pots of plants and flowers on the decks and you could tell the people were making the best of the situation.  They apparently use the river for everything.  We saw a young boy having a bowel movement into the river, we then saw his mother scoop up a big bowl full of the river water and start washing her dishes.  We saw a group of young boys swimming in the water and someone told me they saw a couple of dead dogs floating in the same river.  Everywhere, you see fishing lines and we were amazed that fish could actually survive in this water.  Then we saw this enormous Komodo dragon lizard emerge from the water onto the steps and Steve got a great picture of it.  I kept thinking to myself, Please don’t tip over, please!

 

We did a little sightseeing along the way and were fortunate enough to see the Reclining Buddha.  It is considered the largest and the most beautiful reclining Buddha in Thailand.  It measures 46m long and 15m high and is entirely covered with gold leaf.  The huge soles of its feet are inlaid with mother-of-pearl designs depicting the 108 auspicious signs of the Buddha.

It is most unusual to decorate feet in this way because the Thai people believe the lowest part of the body represents what is spiritually least exalted.  That is why there are signs in some of the temples saying that you should not touch someone else’s head even in joke, as the head is held in the highest regard.  Also in the Grand Palace you cannot go in unless you have your shoulders covered, pants or a skirt that covers your ankles and shoes that cover your feet completely.  We unfortunately, did not have time to see the Grand Palace but heard that it was just amazing.

 

Another stop on our canal tour was to an Alligator Farm.  We didn’t ask to come here but he stopped anyway so we got out, paid the cheap fee and walked in.  Well, we pretty much walked right back out.  The place just gave us the creeps.  We were the only ones in there and it’s actually a kind of zoo.  When we first walked in a man approached us and told us that the snake show was starting in 10 minutes.  When we looked we saw a round arena with a few benches and in the middle were three sacks.  That’s where the snakes were and who knows what kind of show it was going to be.  The animals in this place were so unkept.  There was one enclosure that held about ten huge snakes and when we looked down we noticed that there was a hole in the wall enclosure and they had stuck pieces of cardboard in the hole to keep the snakes from slithering out.  Steve took one look at that and said, let’s get the hell out of here.  As we were leaving we noticed a small cage with a huge tiger in it and this big sign that said don’t stick your hand in the cage.  And you could if you really wanted to!  It was really sad as we walked out and saw a monkey in the tree and it had a metal leash around it’s neck and it was chained to the tree.  We left very quickly.

 

When we got back to the hotel we decided that we were going to spend the rest of the day and night in the hotel.  We got our bathing suits out and headed to the beautiful pool.  It was great but you could smell the stench from the river as it wafted in with the wind.  And lo and behold we got a little sample of the sex trade as well.  In the pool were a couple of older men and their very young Thai escorts.  It really was revolting and we packed up and ended up spending a lovely evening in our room with room service.  The food was delicious, the view was spectacular ( the city looks great at night) and we felt safe and sound.  My sister’s going to kill me because I didn’t get a chance to try any authentic Thai food.  Oh well!

 

Did some shopping the next day and headed back to the ship.  Steve and the kids went in and I stayed out and did some last minute shopping in the kiosks set up right outside our ship.  And thank goodness I did!  With an hour left before the All aboard I came upon  a kiosk that was selling Thai massages for very cheap.  $20 for an hour.  There was a line up of passengers from the ship and finally it was my turn and let me tell you there is nothing like it.  First she did my feet and legs for half an hour and then she brought me down to a mattress on the floor and started in on my back.  Soon she was sitting on me and grabbing my arms and pulling them backwards.  Then she put her knee on my spinal column and yanked me up again.  I actually started to laugh and then she started slapping my legs with her hands and then she’d flick my ears.  It all hurt but felt good at the same time.  What an experience!  Poor Steve missed out but I told him to come with me and he wouldn’t.  We had heard so much about the infamous Thai massage and he wanted to get one so badly but we didn’t get a chance.  I gave him a massage that night with everything I learned!

 

The Virus numbers on the ship have crept up again and many people are now quarantined to their rooms once again. This thing just won’t go away! 

 

“The Best & Worst”

By Steve

 

We rated the following on our first impression, and sometimes we were only in those places for one day

 

 

Most Beautiful Beaches  = Moorea, Tahiti and The Algarve, Portugal

The cheapest way to talk to your family on the phone = Skype web phone (download and talk for free)

Cities with the most aggressive street panhandlers = Mumbai, India  and Tangiers, Morocco

Best Lunch = Vino Vino Waiheke Island, New Zealand

Best digital travel camera = Canon A400 (Great pics and only $100 bucks)

Nicest highways = Spain

Favorite Winter Hotel = Banff Springs Hotel, Alberta Canada

Most Fashionable = Maastricht, Netherlands and Cologne, Germany

Most Polluted City = Bangkok, Thailand

Most expensive country to travel = U.K.

Our favorite travel CD = Green day (International)

Best travel luggage for families = Eagle Creek

Busiest City = Hong Kong, China

Most interesting food = Salalah, Oman

Most expensive public transportation = Amsterdam, Netherlands

Favorite family Ski Resort = Sun Peaks, B.C. Canada

Favorite Park = Central Park, New York USA

Nicest National parks = South Africa

Our favorite fast food = Subway

Favorite CDN Restaurant La Cochin Dinque  Quebec City, Canada

Favorite Tropical Hotel = Sheraton Lagoon Resort, Tahiti

Worst Hotel stay= Holiday Inn, Kingston Canada

Nicest looking women (As per Steve) = India, Sweden and Germany

Favorite all-inclusive = Sandals, The Royal Antiguan, Antigua

Countries we could move to = Australia and Sweden

Safest coastal mountain hi-way = Sea to Sky Hi-way, Whistler Canada

Favorite Cruise line = Windjammer Barefoot Cruises

Favorite Hotel Chains = Holiday Inn, Fairmont and Peninsula

Favorite Airline = West Jet (Canada)

Most over rated area= Costa del Sol, Spain

Worst taxi ride (most expensive) = London (Mini-Cabs)

Nicest People = Swedish, Kiwi’s and Taiwanese

Most Magical Hotel = Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City

Worst Hotel Service = The Plaza, New York

Our favorite T.V show = Malcolm in the middle

Worst pigs feet trotter = Au Pied de Cochon, Paris

Best priced meal = Pizza Roma, Valencia, Spain

Cheapest fuel prices = 1# Dubai, 2# USA, 3# Canada

Prettiest Cities at night = Rome, Italy and Gent, Belgium

Best city for families = London

Best place to purchase electronics = Hong Kong,

Worst public transportation = Cape Town, South Africa

Best drivers = Sweden

Favorite City (As per Steve) = Auckland, New Zealand

Favorite Rail Co. = Rocky Mountaineer rail Tours, Vancouver B.C.

Favorite Mountain Village = Levonworth, Wash. US

Nicest Harbour = Oslo, Norway

Best Country to live and raise a family = Australia (Crime rate, Health, Schools, Lifestyle)

Best City (As per Helen) = London, U.K.

Nicest intercity parks = Madrid, Spain and Berlin, Germany

Best Zoo = Taronga Zoo, Sydney Australia

Most Disappointing City = Cairo Egypt

#1 fast food chain in the World = Kentucky Fried Chicken

Nicest people in Europe = Sweden and Germany

Cleanest City = Osaka, Japan

#1 automobile maker in the world = Toyota

Best Pizza = O Canonico, Sorrento, Italy

Best looking Men (As per Helen) = Jordan and Belgium

Worlds most beautiful City = Paris

Worst Cruise line = Carnival

Nicest undeveloped Coastline = Morocco, Africa

Best fine food selection = QE II, Cunard

The most modern City = Auckland, NZ

Best Transit System = London, U.K (No one else is even close)

 Best Internet Café = The Travel Lounge, Fremantle, Australia

Cheapest place to buy Brand name clothing = United States and Turkey

Countries with the most potential = India, China, South Africa

Most surprising people = Philippines (very friendly and beautiful)

Best seafood restaurant = Sandbar restaurant, Granville island, Canada

Most dangerous cities = Johannesburg and Cairo

Cheapest Taxi’s = Hong Kong (20 min ride = $4:50us)

Best Hotel service = Peninsula Bangkok, Thailand

Most unique Architecture = Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Most beautiful mountain range = Austrian Alps

Most surprising countries = Jordan and South Africa

Funkiest Hotel = Nordic light Hotel, Stockholm, Sweden

Favorite Bavarian city = Gent, Belgium

Worst driving = Bangkok, Rome, Mumbai and Paris

City with the most potential = Lisbon, Portugal (So beautiful, but so dirty)

 Most reasonable Hotel in Europe = Holiday Inn, Nurmberg, Germany

Most Dangerous driving = Scottish Highlands (Between Inverness and Dumbarton)

Most private security in a city = Cape Town, South Africa

Most passionate people = Sicilians, Italy

Most polite people = Japan

The most relaxing Airports = Vancouver International, Canada & Auckland International

Countries we would like to return to = Sweden, Jordan, South Africa, Japan, Andorra, Scotland

Countries or Cities we won’t return to = Spain, Egypt (Cairo), Norway (Oslo)

Place we would move to for a year = Japan (great education for the kids)

 

 

SINGAPORE – March 14

 

 

(written by Helen)

 

“On a world map, the island of Singapore is just a dot at the tip of the Malaysian Peninsula.  This tiny 625 sq km island has blossomed into one of Asia’s strongest economic countries, having the second highest standard of living next to Japan.  Sir Stamford Raffles established a free port which rapidly grew in importance due to its strategic location on the great East-West trading routes.  The opening of the Suez Canal resulted in increasing prosperity during the latter part of the 19th and early 20th centuries, and from a sleepy Malay village, Singapore’s population grew rapidly with migrants from China, India and neighbouring Malaya and Indonesia.  Today, Singapore’s population of close to 3 million is a melting pot of cultures.”

(taken from the front of our Daily Programme)

 

We were really excited to see Singapore because Nikolas’s best friend from school is from here.  Josh has told Nikolas all these wonderful places to see and we initially had only one day in this beautiful city.   As it happened, the ship broke down and we ended up spending two days instead.

The ship had a bus charter into the city center from the boat dock and we piled onboard and set off.  The ride there took about 20 minutes and it was very enjoyable.  The city of Singapore is such a drastic contrast to Bangkok, it’s unbelievable.  The city is very, very clean and the most remarkable thing we noticed is that all the signs are in English.  Later, when we enquired about this, a taxi driver told us that 90% of the population speaks English.  Even all the radio stations playing in the taxi cabs are English.  We were listening to Willy Nelson, Ann Murray, it was hilarious.  Someone made a joke and said they traveled all the way from New York to find an English-speaking taxi driver.  Not only is the city clean but they have very modern architecture with their sky scrapers surrounded by tons of greenery.  Lots of palm trees and huge green spaces dispersed throughout the city.  They obviously take great pride in keeping the city well-kept.

 

 

More than a decade ago a young man named Michael Fay was caned after getting caught doing some graffiti.  The rules have not softened since then.  Jaywalkers are fined on the spot.  Litter and you pay (including cigarette butts!), you can be fined for chewing gum in public, and drug peddlers earn a death sentence.  Media is scanned at the state level for content and “inappropriate” websites are blocked.  Seems a bit harsh but it works.  You can walk fearlessly in Singapore at any time, day or night. 

 

The tiny country consists of the large island of Singapore, and 63 smaller islands at the tip of the Malay Peninsula.  It is just 90 miles north of the equator so the climate is always tropical.  Of the 3 million that live on the big island there are 14 major nationalities, but most people belong to one of seven or eight Chinese groups.   Chinatown is one of the largest districts and we were dropped off their today and Steve finally bought a camera.  He has been shopping around and was so disappointed that he didn’t buy one in Hong Kong.  He was just about to and then the merchant started to really pressure Steve and actually starting yelling so Steve walked away.  But, he bought one today and as I write he is tinkering with it as if it was a new TOY!  The shopping in Singapore was a big disappointment.  Everyone said that it was as good as Hong Kong but I say NO WAY.  It was very expensive.  Other than the camera, we bought nothing but a couple of T-shirts at the portside market.

 

On our first day in Singapore we took a taxi to the harbour center and got on a gondola that takes you from Singapore to an island called Sentosa.  I think I have finally realized that it is a fear of heights that makes me nervous when I fly because when I was in this cable car I felt exactly how I feel when I fly.  Even Steve admitted (at the end, mind you) that he was a little freaked.  These cars, that each hold about 6 people, tangle from a cable about 15-20 stories above the ground and water.  It is so high it feels unnatural.  On the way back a strong wind started blowing and I just about fainted as it was making us sway back and forth.  Of course Nikolas thought my terror was humorous so he started banging his feet on the bottom and moving quickly so that the car swayed even more.  The ride across only takes about 10 minutes but it felt like hours to me!  It was worth it though, because the island is beautiful.  It is a kind of resort and the whole island reminds me of a very small Disneyland combined with Stanley Park.  There is a tram that takes you around the whole island and you can get off anytime you like if it comes to an attraction that you like.  We stopped at the Underwater World (aquarium), Mini-golf, and a gorgeous beach.  Other attractions included a Bug Museum, nature walks, lost civilization city, volcano land, gardens, golf courses, and a huge resort and spa.  Very beautiful but very busy and everything costs a fee to get in or see.  Very commercialized.

 

Once again we did not experience the flavours of Singapore, instead, we had Subway the first day and McDonalds the second.  Our kids are very spoiled.  But really, after spending 2 months with gourmet dinners every night, I have to admit I was craving it too.   We went back to the ship and we were supposed to set sail by 9pm.  When midnight rolled around we were quite confident that we were not leaving.  At that time, we had no idea why not.  Not till the next morning when we woke up and realized the view was the same out of our porthole did we get the announcement that due to “technical” problems we were not leaving until later in the day.  Apparently, one of the engines that controls the jet propulsion system broke and it took them a while to fix it.  There were rumours circulating that the cruise was now cancelled and everyone was getting flown home.  Steve started that one.

 

So we had another day in Singapore and I already told you that we spent the day in Chinatown buying a camera.  When we got back and talked to the passengers we got a lot of them describing Singapore as boring.  I beg to differ.  Although it wasn’t terribly exciting I really enjoyed our stay there and would most certainly come back.  We will see what awaits us in Malaysia!

 

 

MALAYSIA – March 15

Kuala Lumpur  

(written by Helen)

 

“Port Kelang (where we docked) is a small village, but it is one of the country’s largest ports.  Serving Kuala Lumpur for most commercial trade, it is busy.  The capital is 60 miles away.  Like Singapore, Malaysia is open and tolerant.  Also like Singapore, Malaysian society is cosmopolitan.  Kuala Lumpur refers to the Gombak and Kelang rivers, which meet in the city.  Kuala Lumpur means ‘murky creek’.”  (from our Daily Programme)

 

A day late but we arrived in Malaysia and docked in Port Kelang.  We got up a little late, as usual, and had breakfast in the Lido.  We then got our bathing suits on and lathered up with sunscreen and headed out to a beach.  We didn’t know which beach we were headed to so we started asking some questions and found out that the closest beach was at least an hour away.  We weren’t planning on going into Kuala Lumpur because it was an hour away by taxi but decided to go anyways because the beach was just as far.  There was a big coach bus sitting there and it was getting ready to leave.  It had just dropped off a bunch of people from Kuala Lumpur (travel agents, I think) and was heading back to the city.  Steve went up to the driver and asked if he was going to KL and the driver said yes but that he wasn’t allowed to take any passengers back with him.  Steve said we would pay him cash and the driver looked around and said okay, but don’t tell anyone.  He only charged us 20 dollars for the four of us and two of our friends from the casino got on as well.  It was so cool, we had this huge luxury bus all to ourselves.  It had comfy reclining seats, air conditioning and great music.  We really lucked out!

 

The drive to Kuala Lumpur was comfy but crazy.  They drive just like in Thailand.  Everyone cuts each other off and they all tailgate and nobody really stays in their lanes.  To top it all off there are hundreds of these motorcycle maniacs that drive ‘between’ the cars.  It is very scary.  The difference though, between Thailand and Malaysia is seen immediately.  It is way cleaner! 

 

As we neared Kuala Lumpur you could see the skyline and once again I was totally shocked to find such a cosmopolitan city with huge skyscrapers.  There are two towers side by side that you can see from miles away.  They are called the Petronas Towers and are identical to each other.  They are currently the highest manmade structures in the world although they include the antennae at the top.  The buildings are marvels because of their height and because they have an air bridge linking them together at about a third of the way up.  It looks amazing and apparently a famous movie stunt was filmed on the bridge.  We wanted to go up and walk across but all the tickets were sold out for the day. 

 

 

So, instead, we headed to the mall.  Walking there we were admiring this beautiful city.  It is just huge and bustling and again I was amazed at all the foreigners there and all the English signs everywhere.  I am obviously not the least bit knowledgeable about the cities of the world.  I really envisioned KL as a third world town and instead it is this amazing place.  The majority of the population is Muslim so you see the women walking with their traditional head scarves and covered bodies.  It makes me sweat even more just watching them.  I was in shorts and a tank top and I was just melting, I could not imagine having all that on me.  The colours that they wore though were just so vibrant and colourful

 

We walked into this mall that someone had recommended and it reminded me of a large Metrotown.  It was about six levels and it was humongous.  Of course all the designer stores were there like Liz Claiborne, Guess, Armani, but I just stuck to the cheaper ones.  I actually had some shopping to do for Danika’s upcoming birthday so it was perfect.  I loaded up on lots of cute ‘pink’ things that I hope she will like.  She is getting very excited.  She has been counting down the “sleeps” and apparently the dining room has something planned for her.  I also bought a few pairs of shoes because the prices here are quite cheap and the conversion of their money (ringgit) to American is 3.7 to one American dollar.  So I got my shoes for about 10 dollars each.  Not bad!  While we were there we noticed in the middle of the mall a big stage with two huge pictures of Formula 1 drivers Jacques Villeneuve and another one I didn’t recognize.  They were actually there signing autographs and taking pictures and Nikolas was pretty excited about the whole thing when I told him he was Canadian.  The Patronas Malaysian Grand Prix 2005 is being held here in two days.  Very exciting!!!

 

 

We met up with Hootan and Cecilia, our other friends from the casino and we shopped with them for a while and then we got into two different taxis and made our way back to the ship.  We are so glad we decided to go to KL and consider it one of the loveliest cities we have seen.  I would definitely come back here anytime!!

 

We ended the day with a great show in the Grand Lounge tonight.  It was a group from Toronto, Canada and they are Beatles impersonators.  We actually met them in KL in the huge towers and it was funny to see them on stage with the fake hair, the cool suits and the fake English accents.  Believe it or not they had the whole room on their feet dancing by the end of the show.  I can assure you that is a near impossible feat when you look around the room.  These guys were awesome and I can’t wait until they are back on stage in two nights.  It is the most fun I’ve had in 2 months!!!

SRI LANKA - March 19

Sri Lanka -

 (Written by Steve)

Well after a bit of a run from Kuala Lumpur, we managed to get to the small city of Colombo, Sri Lanka. From first glance it looked very tropical, but we were docked at a container port, so most of the view was blocked by towers of containers. We managed to get on a bus with a bunch of other passengers and ride out of the terminal.  It was a good couple of kilometers to get to the front gate. The one thing we saw as we left the terminal is dozens of sand bag bunkers complete with army personal and a machine gun. We had only been in the city for a few minutes and I have to admit, I was a little concerned about the number of artillery positions spread all over the city. At first I wondered if all these guns were brought out since the Tsunami, but we were told that this was normal and they have been there for years. Apparently, back when the Tamil Tigers (an extremist group that wants its own state) tried to cause problems and still do to this day, the government wanted to portray a show of force to persuade them not to cause any more problems. 

 

The bus we were on took us all over the city, even through a few nice areas. Finding an area that is not over run by poverty is very difficult, but they do exist. We drove past the President’s Palace, the Hilton, and many other hotels. The city itself is crumbling away and then all of a sudden a huge Hotel pops out in the middle of nowhere protected by a few machine gun bunkers. It is a funny feeling walking down a street with your kids and you notice that the machine gun in the bunker in front of you is pointed right at you. The same thing happened every time we walked by, the guy in the bunker would see Danika and wave and yell something at her, yes folks, she was the princess in Sri Lanka too. We ended up at the Pettah Bizarre, and I can assure you that Bizarre is the perfect name for this place. As soon as you are out in the open, people run up to you and try and get you to come in their shop so you can buy some of their fine goods. They are not threatening and don’t mean any harm to you, just right in your face.  I felt very safe, only a little overwhelmed sometimes with all the folks bumping into us and touching us. One problem we had was that everyone wanted to touch Danika’s hair, feel her face, or squish her cheeks. I put her up on my shoulders, but they would just grab onto my shirt and reach up and grab her face, sometimes more than one person at a time. At first it was kind of O.K., but it soon became a problem and we quickly felt overwhelmed, and Danika was freaking out (as Nikolas would say). She kept asking me if we could leave and saying, “I don’t like this place Daddy, can we go?”  I wanted to get out of there too, the only problem was we were a couple of blocks from an exit.  Those couple of blocks were kind of scary for her, and Helen let me know she was not happy, but in the end we were safe and sound. Well not really, to get out of the place, we got into the car of the first person who said they would drive us out. We were moving through traffic in some beat up old van, but the old guy did quite well and got us safely to a hotel. You see, the people of Colombo are very poor, but they are extremely friendly, and we wanted to see more but it was just a little too crazy and we were very hungry. The man picked us up at the Train station, which was one of the worst parts of town and dropped us off at the beach. How the heck do we keep ending up in the bad parts of the city?  We have seen some very interesting places on our journey, since leaving New York. (I can hear my mother-in-law again) Well anyways we managed to get this real nice gent to drive us out of the center of town and it all worked out just fine after all. Helen and myself had some words and then we ended up at The Taj Hotel, which was very nice. We ate lunch there and were allowed (for a fee) to swim in the hotel pool, it was very refreshing. We hung around there for a few hours watching a bunch of cricket players swim in the pool. The national cricket teams from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Britain were staying at the hotel and a few of them were walking around showing off their muscles. You should have seen the bodies on these guys.  Why the heck do they need to be so cut to play cricket? Helen would fall into a trance every time one of these guys would walk by her and Nikolas and myself would have to pop a few rocks off her head to snap her out of it. As we lounged around the pool I asked Helen what time we needed to be back at the ship, and she replied with a “Not sure” comment. There are only a couple of ports where you did not want to miss the ship and this was one of them. Flying from Sri Lanka into Mumbai would not be much fun without our passports or any extra clothes, so we decided to leave at around 4 pm and hopefully make it back to the ship in time. We grabbed a cab and headed back into the city and I snapped some more pictures and we soaked up a bit more culture. We spoke to the guards outside the hotel and they were very friendly (they also just loved our little princess) and gave us all kinds of information regarding the Tsunami. The damage was felt right in the area where we were standing but fortunately no one was killed in Colombo.  As he was telling us we were looking out on the beach in front of the hotel and the guard said that the wave just came half way up the grassy area. I can tell you we could not see anything that looked like it had been damaged, but I assure you, these folks need our help. These poor folks live with very little and a tsunami was the last thing this country needed. The tourism appears to be non-existent on this side of the island, and I am not quite sure how these big hotels survive, but maybe it’s just off season or something. I am so glad we were able to come to this place, and I am sure one day we may return. It’s the people that make the difference, and the people of Sri Lanka are very kind and thoughtful.

 Sights to see in Sri Lanka:

Presidential Secretariat

Grand Oriental Hotel

Taj Hotel

Lighthouse Clock Tower

Cargills and Millers department store

Pettah Bizzare

Dutch Museum

National Museam

Vibaramabadevi Park

Jami ul Alfar Mosque

Pinnewala Orphanage (Elephant Orphanage)

 

 (Written by Steve - March 19)    

Hey Folks, we are in Sri Lanka and we have just stepped into the Taj hotel to send this. The email system is very slow, I guess its better than nothing. This place is very 3rd world, we have never seen anything like it. People are very nice, but lots of poverty and very, very crowded. We are going to eat lunch here and then try and get back to the ship. I am not exactly sure why but we have seen many bunkers along the roads with military people with heavy machine guns, its a little scary. We are fine and not going to stay out long, so I'll send you a message when we get back to the ship and give you a full update. I will try and send out some pictures from Kuala Lumpur, but I don't think we will be able to get many of them out from here, so i might have to wait till we get to U.A.E.. Hope all is well back home and bye from Sri Lanka,

 

MUMBAI, India – March 21 & 22          

 

                                                                               

Received March 22, 2005

 

Incredible India

 

(Written by Steve)

That’s what the sign says as you enter the Customs/Immigration terminal, and I will tell you, that’s Mumbai in a nut shell. This place is a must see, and I will have to say that so far it is the most interesting port of all, and we will most definitely come back.  I can’t even try to explain the poverty to you, or the emotions you feel for the many homeless, but I can tell you about the people and the culture and the City itself. The people are super fantastic! They are kind, hard working and very beautiful in every way you can imagine. This city has 15 million in the city centre and 3 million that live on the streets, and beg, so it can be very, very overwhelming. I can’t really sit here and tell you about Mumbai because there is so much to tell, you must come see it all for yourself. I am not talking about just the yucky stuff, I am talking about everything that this city has to offer, stuff like the Laundry, train station, Gandhi’s home, Museums, Parks and crowds and crowds of people. We have only been here for less than 2 days, but I feel like we have been here for a month. I was told about Mumbai from several people and there were 2 stories that made me not want to see it (The city). We were told about a place called the Cages or the Crates, and this is a place where they sold children. The information was not accurate and you can find the information on the Cages yourself on the net, but it was not like we had been told. When the ship pulled into port I managed to go ashore with a couple of friends Bill and Betty, a super nice couple from Scotland. They lived right in the heart of Bombay (Mumbai) in the 80’s when Bill was running an oil rig out in the Arabian Sea. We went out into the city after midnight and I got my first real scent of India, and I say scent to be nice. Have you ever heard of the expression “smells of Bombay”? Well let me tell you, the smell is the first thing you notice and it’s a good distraction for what’s to come. Homeless people in numbers that will blow you away, everywhere you look, and lots of beggars still working the streets 24 hours a day. I picked Bill’s brain about everything from the corrupt police to the cages, and he told me the way the city works. Life in India is very hard and a life is worth a lot less here in India than in other countries, and that is quite apparent from all the 3 year old homeless kids running through traffic at 1 am.  Make no mistake about it, I have lost touch with reality it just can’t be helped when you are on this floating amusement park. We are still on a cruise around the world and find pathetic useless little issues to complain about, when these people have nothing, I mean nothing but the dirty clothes on their backs. What am I trying to tell you? I have no idea actually, only that it is completely overwhelming to be here in Mumbai and again you must see it for yourself. You walk down the street and 10 people are following you, asking for anything you can give, but it’s still quite safe. We walked the streets and we were followed by women with little babies and 2 and 3 year old kids asking us for food as we walked, it was very difficult to see. At first I thought it was not a good thing to do with our kids, but if we were safe, why not walk a few blocks.  You absorb enough culture in those few blocks to last you a lifetime. The first time we did it, I was a quite unsure about it, but it was much harder to try and cross the street than it was to out run the homeless. In Sri Lanka everyone wanted to touch Danika’s face, but no one here even came close to her except for a little 5 year old girl. This little girl just followed us for about 10 minutes as I held Danika up in the air, and she just kept waving to Danika. Danika and this girl just kept waving at each other and then Danika said “look Daddy I have made a friend”. Did I want to pick this little girl off the street and take her home and give Danika a sister to play with? Yes absolutely, but it just does not work like that here, like I said you can’t explain this place, only see it. I am sure in a few years from now, Danika will remind us as she always does, “Hey remember my friend in India” And we will all wonder where that little girl is  and what was she is doing, or is she still alive. That’s what I am talking about, we will never forget this place, it’s very powerful. I wish we could stay a couple of weeks or at least a few more days, but it will have to wait till next time when we see the rest of India.

You can get burned here just like any big City and we got a taste of it today.

I got ripped off today and was a little disappointed with myself, and I only have myself to blame for it. It’s a way of life for these folks and you should expect them to try and be ready for it, but I missed it. Basically we overpaid for lunch, and the bill was done up so that we would hopefully not question it, and I did not, I just paid it. To make a long story really short, we paid $145 us for a small Chinese meal with only pop for drinks and no dessert. The bill came and it had over $30 bucks in tax on it and I think we were overcharged for everything else, and when we found out it was too late. We were also blessed with an act of kindness that easily could have meant $100us to someone who needed it way more than us. We forgot our digital camera in the taxi and before driving away the gent called me back over and said “you forgot your camera sir”. It was a nice ending to a very interesting day.

There is more, but I have to send this out before we lose our cell phone signal.

 

 

(Written by Helen)

It’s funny how certain situations or experiences remind you of other things.  While we were touring Mumbai I kept thinking about a book I read a long time ago called “A Fine Balance”.  It’s the life story of an Indian fella and I must read it again now that I have sampled an inkling of Indian life. 

We decided to book a tour for Mumbai because many people told us a lot of horror stories about the city and we were very nervous about this place.  We had to get up early and we set out with our group at 9am.  We were herded into a waiting air-conditioned bus which, believe it or not, was needed even at this time of the day. During breakfast we had a very long discussion with Nikolas and Danika to prepare them for what they were about to experience.  We didn’t want to scare them but we also didn’t want them to be totally shocked at what they were about to see.  Danika didn’t seem to care but Nikolas started saying that he didn’t want to go anymore.  I think we over did it.  Anyway, we got on the bus and our tour guide was a wonderful lady who spoke excellent English and she welcomed us to her beautiful city.  You could tell she had such pride and she was very excited to get going and for us to see her wonderful land. 

 

We pulled out of the port area and even from that moment I noticed that this city was much different than Sri Lanka.  The streets were lined by beautiful trees and you are instantly aware of the population as the streets are filled with people.  The surprise was that most of them were relatively well dressed and the mixture between poor and middle class was quite evident.  In Sri Lanka we saw really only the most destitute, however, in all fairness we were only there for a short time.  But here it seems so different.  On the streets, the selection of cars is astounding.  From beat up old jalopies to Honda’s and many brand new Mercedes.  Apparently, India is one of only 3 cities where Mercedes are made.  As we drove along I was amazed at the way the city has on one street, a beautiful well maintained mansion beside a falling down decrepit makeshift shack.  Mind you, the mansion has a huge fence surrounding it, but still, it is unreal.  As you drive along you see this beautiful cosmopolitan city and then around the corner and you have to swerve to bypass an ox pulling a wagon.  The two worlds are meshed together and it just doesn’t seem comprehensible. 

 

Our first stop was the laundry market.  This area measures about 4 blocks long and 2 blocks wide.  It is huge.  It is one of the most unbelievable sights I have ever seen in my entire life.  This is no exaggeration.  The bus stopped at the top of a bridge and when you get off and look down you see a sea of laundry in various levels of cleaning.  Some are stacked awaiting wash, some are being washed by the people, some are sitting in huge piles soaking wet, some are being rinsed by being whacked against the walls, some are hung on lines that stretch forever, some are arranged along the black dirty roofs.  It is unreal.  Then when you really look closely you see that the colour of the water that they are washing with is a dark browny greenish colour.  We also saw a man emerge from the water in his underwear apparently after taking a bath in it.  Our tour guide talked about this place as if she was recommending a local laundry mat.  She’s telling us that it only costs 300 rupees for 300 articles of clothing.  She says, “What a great deal!” and then continues to say that you could take your clothes elsewhere but they charge you 300 rupees for one article of clothing.  She said that apart from a few missing buttons and some materials that lose their colour, the service is excellent.  They don’t use electricity for the ironing, they use heated flat stones.  Mind-boggling to say the least.  I’m hoping the pictures turn out!

 

 

While we were there we were accosted by the first wave of beggars.  At the beginning, Nikolas did not want to leave the bus but he did and he held my hand very tightly and kind of hid behind my back as we walked.  The people did come up to us but they were in no way overly aggressive or repulsive the way everyone described them to be.  Most of the ladies here were selling their wares and we only saw a couple of small children and at first it makes you catch your breath because they look so scrubby.  They are absolutely filthy with dirt on their faces and they are literally dressed in rags.  Of course they are barefoot and you would think that their faces would look hardened but when you look in their eyes they look surprisingly bright and curious.  Of course they were staring at Danika and she would smile and wave and then you would be shocked when they smile and you see these dazzling white teeth and the happiest little face.  They don’t look the least bit concerned about the fact that they are begging, it’s almost like they are well practiced and they imitate the act of eating with one hand while they hold out the other.  It’s their way of saying I need money to buy food to eat.  They all do it exactly the same way almost as if they’ve been coached, it’s really bizarre.  And as soon as they see that you are not interested they move on and do it all over again to the people behind you.  The tour guide lady said that we should never give them money because if we did then another ten would materialize instantly and it would create a huge problem.  She said that these people are from communities outside of Mumbai and that they write to their families there and say how lucrative the big city is and that just brings more of them in.  She didn’t speak very highly of them and she even said that the government has provided schooling for the homeless children but they refuse to go.  I don’t know, I find that hard to believe.  Sometimes I wonder if people say these things to ease their conscience.  You know, the typical, Oh if they really wanted to work they would find a job.  Unfortunately I don’t believe it’s that simple.

 

As we continued our tour the bus takes you along streets that are lined with shacks that are literally made out of a couple of sheets of plywood.  Curtains hang as doorways and you can look inside and see families living inside.  The shacks are just big enough for them to lie down in.  There are about 15 of these, all in a row connected and then, surprisingly, at the end is one that is a barber shop and sure enough there is someone getting a shave.  Then the funniest sight is the next shack holds the lotto store.  It is so crazy.  Then you drive a little farther and sure enough there’s the McDonald’s and the Pizza Hut and then when you turn the corner and there is a little baby sitting on the sidewalk eating a piece of onion she found on the ground.  It is just so hard to comprehend.

 

Next we visited the Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya.  This is one of the most important Gandhi Memorial Museums in India and it was very interesting.  I just wished that I had remembered to get Nikolas to research who Gandhi was and what he stood for, it would have made the experience way more educational.  There is a room on the second floor which used to be the living room and working place of Gandhi and has been preserved as far as possible in its original setting.  From here Gandhi took his first lessons in carding, he learnt spinning, he started his historic fast here on the 19th of November 1921 and the list continues.  We will definitely get Nik to read about this amazing man and it will be educational for all of us.  This is a quote from a pamphlet we got from the museum and I thought it was worth mentioning:

“The Mani Bhavan is a place where Gandhi lived and conversed with his colleagues, moulded the nation in the image of his cherished ideals of Truth and Non-violence and inspired his followers and devotees who went forth from here in the world charged with a sense of service and sacrifice.  Mani Bhavan, once the residence of the Father of the Nation is now a source of inspiration for freedom and peace loving men and women all over the world.”

 

From the museum we stopped briefly at the Gateway to India monument.  The city boasts a perfect natural harbour which was developed by the British and today handles more then 40% of India’s maritime trade.  It was a great photo opportunity and then it was off to the last stop, another museum.  This one held Indian artifacts dating as far back as the second century B.C.  Wow! 

 

The bus was to take everyone back to the ship but Steve asked if we could walk to The Taj Mahal Hotel that was just a few blocks away. So after our tour of the museum we were on our own and Steve led us down the street and across a street that I am still astonished that we crossed and survived to write about.  Walking the streets of Mumbai was such an experience and I will never forget it.  The smells, oh the smells, the people, the sounds of honking horns, the thousands of taxi cabs, the traffic, the ox and wagon, the children playing in the middle of an intersection, the women and their babies sitting on the sidewalk.  I have no more words to describe it so I shall move on.

 

We got to the hotel and of course it is like a grand palace.  Marble floors, huge bouquets of exotic flowers, lots of “white” tourists walking around with their designer clothes on.  It just makes no sense at all.  Buuuut, we were hungry so this was the place to eat and Nik wanted Chinese food, AGAIN, in India, so we went into the very fancy Chinese restaurant in the hotel and had a great lunch.  I know, after everything I just said, I became one of those typical tourists again and Steve and I tried to verbalize what we had just experienced. 

 

From lunch we made our way to their swimming pool and pretended that we belonged here and jumped in the pool.  They came and brought us towels and never questioned us so we had a wonderfully relaxing time cooling off.  I wanted to go shopping but Steve ended up paying way more than we expected for lunch so we had just enough money to barely get us a taxi back to the ship.

 

Our experiences in India are memorable and we will never forget them.  We were so nervous about coming here and now we feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience this most vibrant city.  I really don’t know if we will ever be back but it would definitely be a place I would love to return to someday and really explore more of the country.  I now understand those people who told us over and over again that India is a place you must see to understand.  They were absolutely right! 

 

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – March 25 & 26

 

                                                                             

(Written by Steve) - received April 2

Dubai is not one, but two cities. Deira is on the Dubai Creeks North side and Dubai itself sits on the South bank. The first thing you will see from the Gulf is the Jumeira Beach Hotel’s Arabian “sail” and several other iconic high rises. The most spectacular thing in Dubai is the Burg al Arab Hotel, the worlds only 7-star resort. This place sits all on its own along the ocean and has a very unique design, but from the outside does not look too fantastic. The rooms start at $1500 us and go up to $35,000 us for a one night stay. For 35k you get the penthouse suite with a complimentary helicopter service and a dozen or so butlers. We usually form some kind of plan before we head into a city, so we decided to head to see this hotel first thing and maybe get in to see it. We were all told that there is a fee to walk through the lobby, but it was too busy this weekend to let anyone in. The drive from the dock to the hotel is through a residential area and then a business section, quite far from the downtown core. The houses were very huge with lots of windows and large entry gates. The drive towards this fantastic landmark was going great and then Nikolas decided he was going to be sick, just as we pulled up to the hotel. Can you imagine us walking into the nicest hotel in the world and Nikolas shooting his breakfast onto the lobby floor?  So we got out and took some pictures from the entrance, and then we walked for a few blocks until the poor kid started to feel better. We stumbled upon this beautiful mall about 4 blocks away and decided to see what kind of Arabic treasures were waiting for us to purchase. The prices were out of this world so we sat at Starbucks and had a few drinks and admired our first taste of Arabic architecture. Everything you see in this city is perfect and clean and made with the finest of materials. The other thing that is very different is the dress code, long white khandora’s are worn by the men and women wear a abaya. The women are sometimes so covered up you can only see their eyes. We decided that the best thing to do would be to go to a hotel so the kids could maybe swim and we could get a bite to eat. We have a membership at the Fairmont and I thought it would be our best chance to get into a pool. You see, a lot of hotels won’t let you use the pool, and if they do they have a nominal fee. We walked into the Fairmont and were blown away by its size, beauty and view of Dubai. They had a Formula one racing car right at the front door as you walked in, and Nikolas was very excited to see it. We saw they had a restaurant on the 9th floor so we headed up and grabbed a table. It was a very nice place to eat and it looked out over the pool and the city. As we were eating we noticed everyone leaving the pool and we thought it was a good time to go for a swim. So we paid our bill and headed over to reception to find out if they would let us swim. The nice lady at the counter said she would honor our membership and give us the special day rate of 600 Dirham, or about 170 us dollars. At first I thought she was joking, and there was no way I was interested and walked out to tell the kids. I told Helen and she was questioning me on how it could be so expensive, and was I sure it wasn’t a mistake. It was not, and that was our first taste of U.A.E., one of the most expensive countries in the world. When I told the kids we were not going they did that thing that kids do when they don’t get what they want. They collapsed on the seat and said, “Please!, Please let us go swimming”. Well just as that little circus act was going on, a man from the pool asked if he could help, and I told him the story and said it sounded outrageous. He went back to the nice lady and came back with the super deal of $65 us and Helen could use the spa and the kids could swim. The kids were now begging to go, right in front of this gent and I thought at least Helen could use the Spa. We trucked the kids to the changing room and then I got them in the pool. It was also on the 9th floor over looking the city and Persian Gulf, very beautiful. After all that, both of my little kids came back with that really sad face and the comment that could ignite the space shuttle. “dad it’s too cold, we don’t want to swim” I felt my left eye start to twitch and I smiled and then growled “Oh you are going to go swimming whether you like it or not”. I can’t believe that after all that they didn’t want to go. It took about half an hour and then Dani made a friend and forgot all about the temperature. Nikolas also made a friend and was talking to a little guy from Britain and the day just evaporated and all of a sudden we had to go.

 

 

We had been told as we were heading into the pool that there was a huge concert the night before and all 4 bands were staying at the Hotel. I try to never judge a book by its cover but the fully tattooed dude’s walking around the pool looked to me like rock and rollers. It was not till I was walking down the hall did I chat with one of them, Justin from The Darkness, a British band we had never heard of. Justin was the lead singer and I think his daughter and Danika were playing up a storm. He was a really nice guy and came over to Helen and Nikolas and was asking about how we were traveling and what it was like on the ship. Anyways we left the Hotel and drove through downtown Dubai in what I guess would be their rush hour. Everything in Dubai is done right, from the roads to the gardens to the way they do construction. Any direction you look in the city would give you a glimpse of the many cranes that cover the city. Right now they are building over a million condos and two islands that are attached to the shore. One island is shaped like a palm tree and the other is shaped like the world, the lots are going for 2.5 to 5.5 million. Construction in Dubai is like no other, the trades here work 24 hours a day on one of 3 shifts a day. Everything here is over the top.  Seeing it after coming from a place like India just makes it all very hard to digest. Have you ever been to Vegas and thought that if you saw any more marble or waterfalls you were going to explode? Well multiply that by 10 and you have Dubai.  The grass here is the perfect colour and the perfect height even though it is in the dessert. We were told that this was one of the busiest weekends of the year with the big horse race, concerts and Easter weekend.

We did not have enough time to see anything really and would have liked to see Abu Dhabi and the new hotel they just fished there. Each room has up to 16 butlers and it is now the most expensive hotel ever built at a cost of just over 3 billion us dollars. Geez, I wonder what it would cost to swim in that pool? So that was little day in Dubai, not spectacular, but enough for us to get an ideas of this very expensive culture.

 

 

OMAN – March 27/ 29

 

                                                                                

Oman:  Muscat and Salalah  - received April 2

 

Muscat:

As we headed towards the Persian Gulf, I have to admit that I was getting a little nervous.  I kept thinking that if something happened, all those people who said we were crazy for going on this trip would say, “Aha!  I told you it was a stupid idea!  What were they thinking?”  For those who know me well it will come as no surprise that all the worst case scenarios were swimming in my mind.  If given the chance I would have voted to skip this area if a vote was taken.  Thank goodness it wasn’t.  We were very pleasantly surprised.

 

My nervousness was due to my ignorance, of course.  After coming in from visiting Muscat, a nice couple beside us gave me an article about Oman and after reading it I had wished that I had read it before I toured the city.  The article states that “Oman is very closely linked to the West.  Britain was an ally for many years and more recently the USA has forged close ties with Oman.  During the Middle East conflicts Oman was the centre for allied command posts.  The coalition forces also made use of Omani naval and air force bases.” 

 

When we docked in Muscat, we hopped on a bus and it took us to the Mutrah Souk.  As we drove in we noticed this incredible castle built right into the mountain.  It is the 16th century fort built by the Portuguese.  The souk or market was quite amazing.  It consisted of a number of tiny shops along a very narrow laneway.  It is so tight that two people cannot pass without one turning to let the other through.  The wares for sale included shawls and scarves and many antiques;  Frankincense for sale in almost every one of these little shops.  Apparently there was a lane that was just full of shops selling gold but we didn’t make it that far; good thing for Steve’s sake!

 

This place was just so different from Dubai.  Islam is strictly observed in this country and while we were walking we suddenly heard, over a loud speaker, a man chanting, reciting the Koran.  It kind of sent a chill down my spine and like I said earlier I felt unsafe for some odd reason.  I kept thinking…. what a great opportunity for some suicide bomber to pick this market that is filled with mostly American and British tourists from none other than the QE2.  Oh, that sick imagination of mine!  Obviously that didn’t happen or else I wouldn’t be writing this story so I will continue.

 

The merchants were actually very friendly and not overly pushy.  We ended up buying the traditional dress and hat worn by the men for Steve and Nikolas.  Steve and the merchants were trying to convince me to buy the dress and scarves that the women wear to cover their bodies and their faces but I just refused.  I truly respect their religion and their beliefs but I still have a little bit of a tough time understanding the way women are treated in this part of the world.  It’s so amazing to look at these women as they walk around in the scorching heat with these layers of black material.  Some have just their eyes exposed and when you look in their eyes you can really see how truly beautiful they are.  They say that the women must stay covered in public so that they don’t tempt other men.  Well, when I look at these women they looked very mysterious with just their beautiful eyes glancing out from under the veil. 

 

We decided to catch a cab and we asked him to take us to the actual city of Muscat.  The ride took about 15 minutes to get there and less than that to drive around the city.  Muscat is very small but actually quite beautiful.  The white stone buildings are built along the coast and right up to the dark brown mountains.  There are mosques, it seems, on every corner and the streets seemed quite deserted apart from the tourists from the ship.  He drove us past the magnificent blue and gold Al Alam Palace.  This imposing landmark that overlooks the sparkling waters of Muscat Bay is the Sultan Qaboos’ official residence.  It is huge and ornate and is surrounded by a very tall and imposing fence.  From here the driver drove us back to the souk and we decided to head back to the ship and have lunch.  We were hoping to find a restaurant that looked inviting but actually didn’t even see one. 

 

After lunch, Steve decided to head out on his own to take some pictures and look for an internet café.  He had an interesting experience and I will let him tell you the story.  We were supposed to go back out after he came back but I decided not to and unfortunately that’s it for our experience in Muscat!

 

Salalah:

 

Lucky for us, our friend Hala had made arrangements with a driver she had met in Muscat to come to Salalah and drive us around.  Unlucky for us, he couldn’t make it and we had to come up with another plan.  When we got off the ship we got in another shuttle bus that just took us to the port gates.  We got off the bus and immediately were bombarded with taxi drivers vying for our attention.  When we were leaving the ship a lot of people were getting back on saying that the taxi drivers were asking way too much for the fare to Salalah.  This was QE2’s maiden call to Salalah and unfortunately the taxi drivers turned most of the passengers off and most did not even venture past the port’s gate. 

 

Hala went into the police station that was located right beside the gate and started asking them about the possibility of getting a van to drive us around.  There were 10 of us and we wanted to travel all together.  One of the police officers said that he had a relative with a van and he called him and said that he would be by to pick us up shortly.  Well, the taxi drivers got wind of this little plan and were a tiny bit pissed off about the whole thing.  You see, the police officer was taking their business away and this was not sitting well with these guys.  Nikolas, me and Danika decided to wait in the police station because it had air conditioning and it was just scorching hot outside.  We were able to witness the arguments as one by one the taxi drivers entered the station and started screaming at the police officers.  We had no idea what they were saying but we were absolutely sure that they were not happy at all.  Finally, the police officers decided enough was enough and starting handing out tickets.  This certainly did the trick but you could tell these guys were furious.  I was really concerned that they were going to block the road so the van couldn’t come and get us, but I was wrong.  We piled into the van and off we went, exploring!

 

Hala speaks Arabic so she was our interpreter.  Our driver was a wonderful man named Ackmad (spelled phonetically).  He said that he would drive us up into the mountains where we would have a great view of Oman and even Saudi Arabia.  The drive up was wonderful as we had a couple from Scotland with us and they were teaching Danika all these cute songs.  Soon we were all singing along and even the driver was smiling as we sang “The Wheels on the Bus”.  The landscape changed from a bit of green here and there to absolute desert.  When we reached the top of the mountain we all got out to see the camels that were resting and having a water break.  There were about twenty of them and it was so amazing to walk up and get a close look.  Some were sitting down and it was fascinating to see how their legs bend the wrong way when they are sitting.  Some were standing and some were drinking from the water basin.  There was even some baby ones that were still nursing.  Nikolas thought this was just out of this world and when he actually pet one he ran up to me and said, “Oh my god, I just touched a camel!!!!”  He was so excited.  The camel herder had just milked one of the camels and was passing the bowl around for everyone to try.  Only 2 were brave enough and they said that it wasn’t too bad at all.  We all took a ton of pictures and had a great time and when the camels had had enough they starting on their journey.  One of the guys with us tried to tip the herdsman but he literally ran away from the money.

 

We got back in the van and he took us to the side of a mountain that was filled with caves.  Just at the base of the caves was a beautiful lagoon.  It looked so refreshing and there were two local men swimming, telling us that the water was perfect.  Steve walked back to the van and changed into his swimsuit and was just about to jump in for a refreshing swim when we spotted this huge sign.  It warned against swimming in the water due to the prescence of these snails and their feces have worms that can cause this very serious disease if they get in your skin.  He certainly changed his mind and we quickly scrambled back into the van and drove away.

 

Hala had gone to a fabulous restaurant in Muscat and the owner of that restaurant had given her a card to his other restaurant in Salalah.  We got the driver to takes us there and we were welcomed into this small restaurant and were brought into this square room with a huge carpet in it and cushions all around it.  We all took off our shoes and sat down on the floor on the comfortable pillows.  We looked at the menu and we all ordered a ton of food.  He brought in a huge plastic table cloth that he placed in the middle of the carpet and handed out plates and cutlery.  Soon, the plates of delicious food arrived and he arranged all the food in the middle of the table cloth.  We had ordered hummus, yoghurt with cut up cucumbers and peppers, buriyani rice, chicken, beef, prawns, and tons of pita bread.  The food was delicious and even the kids ate a ton.  We all pigged out and even after all 10 of us had eaten there was still tons left over.  Remarkably the bill was only about $50US for all of us, including drinks.  Pop, that is, they have no alcohol, it’s against their religion.  The dessert was these candied dates that were absolutely delicious. 

 

We piled back into the van and we made a quick stop at a souk.  We bought some T-shirts because we are pretty sure we will never be back to Oman in the near future.  We also bought some Frankincense and Myrrh.  A few thousand years ago, when new religions were vying with long-established  faiths, Frankincense became an important commodity throughout the known world.  Southern Arabia benefited as the only place other than a small part of northern Africa in which the Boswellia trees grow.  These trees are from where the incense is harvested.  As you walk through the souks you get a sampling of the exotic smells of the incense and some of their spices and perfumes.

 

We raced back to the ship and made it with just five minutes to spare.  This is a little too close for comfort because if any crew member is even 30 seconds late they are punished by missing the next 2-3 port days.  That is they are not allowed off the ship for the following 3 port days.  Since most of the crew does this job solely for the traveling, this is not something they take lightly.  When we got back on time and the crew ran on board we strolled through the tables set up with some of the local people.  There was a group of musicians there and they were playing some interesting instruments.  The most surprising being the bagpipes.  As I’d mentioned before we were traveling with a couple from Scotland, Bill and Betty McIntosh.  Bill is a very proud Scotsman and looks fantastic when he wears his kilt on some of the formal nights.  He also plays a mean bagpipes and he asked them if he could play a few notes.  It was so great to hear him play and when he was finished they all broke out in a tremendous cheer.  They all came around to shake his hand.  It was such an amazing sight.

 

We got back on board and hopped in the shower and as we sat down for dinner we reflected back on our day and were so pleased that everything had turned out so wonderfully.  Thanks to Hala and her expertise travel planning!

 

My side of the story:

 

Steve and Nikolas both told the story of the mayday call from the freighter.  My side of the story explains my feelings and is completely more dramatic than theirs.  I know, it’s hard to believe.

Well, we had just gotten ready for dinner and as we were walking to the restaurant the captain comes on and says that they are presently in contact with a freighter not far from us that have sent out a mayday call.  He says that it has been difficult to understand what the problem is because their English is all but non-existent.  He said that they sound very panicky and that we are going to slow down and stop and see if we can be of any assistance.  Well, right away my heart starts beating faster and of course all these thoughts start going through my head.  Is this just a plot to get us close to a ship before they blow it up?  Are they pirates?  Is it really a freighter?   I start talking to one of the friends we have met on board, Bea, and she starts to talk about exactly what I am thinking about and of course we get each other all worked up.  We head up to the Upper Deck and everyone is looking out the windows, trying to see this other ship.  I see it quite a ways ahead of us and I see that it is turning around.  Pretty soon it is turned right around and it is coming straight for us.  Steve had gone back to the room to get the camera and I was standing there with the kids starting to really panic.  The captain comes over the system again and calls for his Chief Officer to come to the bridge immediately.  I was so petrified.  There were a couple of crew from the casino at the window and I asked them if this is normal.  They also looked a little worried and they agreed with me that it looked like the freighter was heading straight for us at a considerable speed.  I started to grab the kids and was walking them to the back of the ship just in case.  When I looked at the ship, to me it looked like it was on fire.  I saw huge clouds of black smoke coming from the top.  Later I realized it was just their normal exhaust.  Steve told me that I was just being paranoid and he convinced me to come back to the restaurant and to try and relax.  He took Nikolas with him and they both went outside to see what was happening.  He came back and told us that our ship had lowered on of the life boats and just as he told us this the captain came back on and said exactly that.  He stated that one of the crew on board the freighter was seriously injured and that we were sending our doctor and a few others to see if we could be of any assistance.  I started to feel a lot better until the captain came on again with the unfortunate news that the crew member had succumbed to his injuries and that the doctor and life boat were on their way back.  I felt very sad about this as I was thinking that a family will be contacted about this terrible accident and they will be receiving some horrible news.  It made me feel embarrassed with myself that I was so worried about myself when someone was in serious need of some help.  I talked to a lot of people afterwards and I wasn’t the only one that was very nervous.  Unfortunately the events of 9/11 have put everyone on alert and I think we are all a little more suspicious than we use to be.  I was also told that it’s the law of the sea to stop and help and that sounds quite logical to me.

 

 

JORDAN – April 2

 

            

JORDAN - received April 8

 

(Written by Steve)

What can I say about Jordan? It may be the most fantastic place on earth, really I am not kidding around. Nikolas and Danika would have stayed here for a week I am sure, and it may be the only place they may have gone for an extended stay. When we first pulled in we got the feeling that Westerners were not the favourite tourist here, I wondered if we might be taking a risk by sightseeing. I only say this because it appears that everyone here is from Palestine, and I just felt a little unsure at first. We were only here one day, and I can assure you a week minimum would allow you to see the important stuff. Our ship was docked only about a mile from the Jerusalem border and several passengers went over the border to do some sightseeing. We did not have enough time to see everything, so we will just stick to Jordan this time and do Jerusalem next time. The trick here is to find a good taxi driver or guide, one who can speak English and knows the terrain. We lucked out and found a very nice man from Palestine by the name of Rushdi. He has been taking people on tours here for 25 years and was Val Kilmer’s personal driver for the movie Red Earth. The people here are almost all Muslims and, make no mistake about it, they will take your money and drive you around but they do not like Westerners. Rushdi yelled for about half and hour and told us exactly what he thought of George Bush and then once we cleared the air on that subject we went sightseeing. The people here pray several times a day and Allah is the most important thing in every ones life. Several times a day you hear singing prayers over loud speakers throughout the city and people kneel down and pray 4 to 5 times a day. Rushdi did it when we were out in the dessert and as soon as he finished we asked him about it.   He was so cool, he explained to us about his religion and it was so refreshing not to be treated like a tourist for the first time in a long time.

 

 Our first drive was to Petra.  This is the ancient city of Petra, Jordan’s most spectacular historical site.  Its ornate buildings were carved from rose-coloured sandstone cliffs by the Nabataeans some 2,000 years ago, and lay hidden beneath desert sands until being rediscovered during the early 1800’s. The site consists of 2,000 year old theatres, temples and streets. The well-preserved Treasury, with its enormous, intricate temple façade is incredibly carved directly from a sheet of rock.  It was in the final sequence of the film “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”.  There is a row of six carved monuments that are the Royal Tombs and they date back from the 1st to the 5th Centuries A.D.  It is a sight that is very hard to comprehend.

 

 Our 2 hour drive along a 2 lane highway gave us a chance to see some of the most colourful and beautiful countryside we have ever seen. The colours here are amazing and the flat desert with sharp mountain backdrop make for wonderful pictures. We decided to go to little Petra instead of the big tourist one because you could drive right up to it and spend a few hours and then head out to the desert and do some off road stuff in our 4x4. Little Petra is made up of around 50 buildings that were used 2000 years ago and Rushdi told us it was used when they went to war. Everyone from the big Petra would move into the little Petra and they would close up both entrances and be protected from any kind of attack. Big Petra has hundreds of buildings and thousands of tourists and would have made for a long day. I know we should have gone, but we wanted to see Wadi Rum too, and would not have had enough time to do both. We walked through many of the living quarters and the kids ran around like wild monkeys who had been released from their cages. It was so much fun to watch Nikolas and Danika running around and screaming and letting out 2 months of trying to be polite and proper, and man did they let it out. I said there were thousands of tourists at big Petra, well, we were the only souls in this whole village. It was kind of spooky, but it made it so special to be in something so historic and have it all to ourselves. As you walked along these streets and entered the buildings built of granite inside the granite you couldn’t help but wonder what it was like way back then.  We were thinking about what the smells would have been, what kind of music would have been playing and who walked along these same streets 2,000 years ago.  It was such an amazing experience and it will be something we will never forget! 

 

 After a few hours we hopped into Rushdi’s little jeep and started our 3 hour journey out into the desert. We were heading to Wadi Rum a world renowned desert location that has been used in several movies like Red Earth and Lawrence of Arabia. It took us over an hour to get to the road off the highway that goes into the desert. Did I just say road? There is no road, we just turned left at one part and drove out into the sand and kept driving and driving and driving until we were in the middle of the desert.  We got stuck and I was a little worried, here we are 2 hours into the desert and our little 4x4 taxi was stuck in about 3 feet of sand. Actually, I was kind of freaking (as Danika would say) until Rushdi just zoomed back and forth until we were free again. I felt O.K. with this maneuver later in the day as we had to do it at least a dozen times. At first I was thinking,” what the heck are we doing out here, are we nuts to risk being so far away from the rest of the world”. I thought that for only a little while until I saw the most incredible thing I have ever seen. It was a huge bridge that was about 75 feet in the air and 1000 feet long. The cool thing about this bridge was that it was a natural bridge that has stood for over a thousand years and we could climb and walk across it. I had to yell at Nikolas to slow down as he just climbed and was running along and every once and a while he would yell back and say something. He said, “Don’t be afraid dad, there is sand down there if you fall off”. We were 7 stories in the air walking along a 30 foot wide uneven bridge and my 9 year old son is telling me not to worry. I guess it is starting already, my son has more confidence than his father, wasn’t that supposed to happen at 11? Anyways, we got into the middle of this thing so Helen could take a picture and I could not get off it fast enough, but Nikolas was just whistling along.

 

We then found these Arabian men with their5 camels in the middle of nowhere and they asked us if we wanted to ride the camels. They had ridden them in from a village 14 km away in the blistering heat. (The funny thing about the desert was that sometimes the heat was unbearable and other times you were freezing your but off). Well, of course the great rock climber Nikolas said he wants to ride one so we stopped and he went over to the men. Nikolas was only up for a few seconds when you could see that he did not like these bumpy animals anymore and wanted to get off. We walked out in the desert for a bit and then we came back.  The ride was short and very uncomfortable, especially when the camels stood up and sat down.  We thought for sure we were going to fall off.  When we got down the men were trying to convince us to take their five camels in exchange for Danika.  Well, we think they were just kidding but we are not completely sure.  We told her that she was definitely worth 10 camels.  She was not impressed.

 

After riding the camels we hopped back in the jeep and sped down the desert.  Suddenly, Rushdi stopped and said, Nikolas, it’s your turn to drive”. Nikolas did not even hesitate and before we knew it Nikolas was driving through the desert.  What fun it was to watch him go. Rushdi was a very nice guy and the stuff he did for us that day went way beyond making money from this all day taxi hire. He told Nikolas that he could now say that the very first time in his entire life to drive was in Jordan!   Eventually Nikolas got us stuck and Rushdi got us out and put Helen behind the wheel and that ended in less than a minute as she too got us stuck. Well, after all that flying sand and spinning wheels Rushdi challenged Nikolas to run up a 100 foot sand bank without using his hands, but it was almost impossible. Danika and I got into the act and we all played until we were pooped and our clothes were filled with sand.  What a super fantastic day this was, I did not see how it could get any better. Rushdi was praying while we were playing and we waited till he finished and then we moved on. As we drove, we all could see this huge body of water and we thought it was the Arabian Sea. When we pointed it out to Rushdi, he just laughed at us. He told us it was a mirage but I didn’t believe him, it was way too big and I was sure I could even see waves. He drove us down to it, but the closer we got, the farther away it went.  He was right!  That was one of the coolest things I have ever seen, the way your eyes play tricks on you. It was actually a lake bed that is filled with water in the winter.  It is completely flat and hard-packed and we just flew across it in the jeep.

It was now getting late and we had to get back as I still wanted to see if I could get some emails and pictures out. Rushdi drove us across the sand as if he knew exactly where he was going, I don’t know how he could know, but he did.

 

All in all we had a super great day and hope to return and spend a few days in Petra and Wadi Rum and next time go to the Dead Sea.

EGYPT – April 4

 

                                                                                

BEFORE I TELL YOU ABOUT EGYPT - received April 6

 

(Written by Steve)

Egypt was fantastic, if you like machine guns. I am not kidding you. I have never seen so many machine guns and people walking around with guns in my life. What does this have to do with Pyramids and the Sphinx you ask? I will get to that in a second, but I first have to give you a lesson in security.

In 1997, near Luxor, a bunch of tourists just like us were just getting off a bus and some Muslim extremists walked right up to them and mowed them down with machine guns and hand grenades. I am not sure of the exact number but I was told that 57 tourists were killed, mostly French and German. There was also a second incident with a larger number of tourists and a few more small ones to follow.  Our friend who is Egyptian told us that this was a very small group of terrorists that wanted to disrupt the economic environment in Egypt by hurting the tourists. She told us that the government will now go to any lengths to get the tourists to come back, so they provide the security. I did not know any of this before we got into our bus to head out for our tour, but I was certainly awake now. We were told that there were 20 busloads of tourists and we would all travel to the city (Cairo) in a huge convoy with police escort. And you want to know something? They were not kidding. We had motorcycle cops on the sides and police cars in front and back of us with lights and sometimes sirens. As we would get to an intersection or on ramp, a car or motorcycle cop would have all the traffic stopped so we could go through without stopping. Nikolas said he felt like he was the President of the U.S. and he was right, it was if we were diplomats or something. In the front seat of our bus and every one of those 19 other buses, sat a plain-clothed police officer with a machine gun or oozie, it was really bizarre. If we drove under a bridge you would see a few police officers on that bridge stopping the traffic as we drove under it. At one point one of the buses in our convoy lost its air conditioning and we had to stop to get a replacement bus. The police guided our convoy onto a huge bridge above the Nile, right in the middle of Cairo. They did not want us to stop, but a bridge was the safest place to do it. It actually made a lot of sense because if we were going to be attacked, they (bad guys) could only get at us from the front or the back. In total, there had to be at least 100 police cars and motorcycles involved in this operation, and god knows how many police officers. So that is how our tour to see the Pyramids started, and I can tell you there is no bigger target than a line of 20 buses reaching a top speed of only 50 Km an hour driving down an empty freeway. I asked one of our friends from the ship who just retired from the Hong Kong police force after 31 years what he thought about all this. He was very aware of the threat in Egypt and was not surprised in the least about the attention we were getting on this day. So that is the kind of security we were given.  Now I will try and tell you about some other stuff. I have to tell you honestly that aside from a semi-relaxing boat ride up and down the Nile I wasn’t overly impressed. (Yes, we had a police boat on each side of our boat and at least 8 armed police on our boat as we floated along.)

 

It took us a couple of hours to get from the ship to the Pyramids and I can only tell that I was so excited to see them. When we pulled up and drove past them and parked in the lot I was in shock. Not because of their beauty and not because of their massive size, I was blown away that one of the most spectacular wonders of the world was being treated like an amusement park. The parking lot was a huge area and there were people selling post cards, camel rides, toys and anything else you can think of. The closer you got to the Pyramids the worse it got. The ground itself was a combination of sand and cigarette butts. There was no fencing around them, no viewing area, just some Pyramids in the middle of a parking lot. I’m sorry if I sound disappointed, but there is a McDonalds and a Kentucky Fried Chicken within a stones throw of these great wonders. This thing is organized chaos and it is such a shame. I am so surprised that someone has not sprayed graffiti on one of them yet. The Sphinx was just as disappointing as the Pyramids and I can only say that I am glad we came, but am not impressed. Nikolas, Danika and I had a bit of a treat when we climbed down into the centre of one of them; well almost. The opening was very small and you had to walk crouched over for a good 300 metres down into the centre where you find an empty burial chamber. We got just to the bottom and turned around as fast as we could, but we were in there. We only stayed at the site for about an hour in total and were being shuffled around by our security people. Seeing the pyramids in a big group is not the way to go, and if we did it again, we would do it alone.

 

The Nile was very relaxing and the view of the city was spectacular. It reminded me of going down the river in Bangkok, except without all the traffic. We had a wonderful lunch, and saw a very pretty side of Cairo. You’re going to think I am just cranky, but I don’t have too much more to say about Cairo, well, nothing nice anyways. When you take one of the largest cities in the world and then throw in a garbage disposal problem, you end up with one big mess. Cairo was the dirtiest city we have seen so far, I think even more than Mumbai. I was very surprised at the living conditions and how 3rd world it was. Most of the buildings did not have roofs and it was explained by our guide that the reason for this is cost.  The families that own the buildings cannot afford the roof and they also leave it off in case they need more room in the future.  That way they just add another level and it’s easier because there is no roof!   The people of Cairo live with very little and it was not something we expected from such a world renowned city.

I would love to come back and maybe tour other parts of Egypt that we heard were amazing, like Luxor and the Valley of the Dead.

 

 

The Pyramids

(by Helen)

 

I wanted to write a little something about the main attraction for us here in Egypt.  I’ve seen the pyramids in pictures and on T.V. but I must say that when you see them in real life it is absolutely mesmerizing.  As we entered Cairo, just beyond the cityscape, I caught my first glimpse of a peak.  The sky was cloudless yet there was a haze over the city and the tops of the pyramids were dreamlike in the distance.  But, they were there!  Oh, what a feeling that is when you first lay your eyes on them.  I actually got goose bumps.  As we got closer you begin to realize how truly massive these wonders of the world really are.  They are actually situated on a ridge above the city and they tower down on it. 

There are over 100 pyramids in Egypt and the greatest is the one in Giza called the Great Pyramid of King Khufu, or Cheops.  It is the most massive of all the pyramids and also the most famous.  It still stands at almost its original height of 480 feet with a base width of 755 feet.  The pyramid is formed by 2.3 million limestone blocks and each side of the pyramid rises at an angle of precisely 51degrees 52’.  This is just so unbelievable when you realize that this extraordinary building feat was achieved four and a half thousand years ago.  The massive labour force required to build a pyramid came under the direction of one man, the Overseer of All the King’s Works.  His position required him to be a man of science, an architect and a figure of commanding authority and outstanding leadership abilities.  This guy was responsible for a monumental undertaking of national importance.  His project must ensure the pharaoh’s safe journey into the afterlife.  Every Egyptian household had to help in the project by providing food or manpower for the project’s work crew.  He had a lot of decisions to make like where to build the pyramid.  Tradition required that the site be on the west bank of the Nile, close to the land of the dead (known in Egyptian as “the west”).  Also, he had to consider that the site be within reach of a good supply of limestone.  He also had to establish a quarry, the supply ramp, and the settlement for the thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of workmen.  When you stand beside it, the idea that it was created without trucks and cranes is incomprehensible!  It must have been a sight to behold!

 

The pyramid shape is closely associated with the sun and the sun god, Re.  According to history, when the pharaoh died, the sun would strengthen its beams to create a celestial stairway or ramp, giving the deceased king a route to the heavens. The larger pyramids were built for the pharaoh’s and the smaller ones for their queens. 

 

The Great Sphinx is a lot smaller in real life than I expected.  Our guide told us that it’s because most of the pictures are taken with a zoom lens compared to regular lenses used for pyramid pictures.  It has a lion’s body and the head of a king, which wears the royal nemes headcloth and false beard.  Although it’s badly weathered, apparently the features of King Khafre are recognizable.  The function is much debated but perhaps it was built as the guardian of the Giza Plateau.  Remarkably the Sphinx is carved from a knoll of rock that is said to be of poor-quality limestone.  Many legends also state that there are secret passages under the Sphinx.  One explorer hoped to discover a tunnel leading from the Sphinx to Khafre’s pyramid.  The Egyptian Antiquities Organization excavated in and around the Sphinx and located three tunnels under the statue.  They had been found and entered before by an archaeologist who, however, had never published his findings.  There are many myths and legends in Ancient Egypt and it was exciting for all of us to stand before these amazing monuments and it will certainly be an experience we will never forget!

 

MARMARIS, Turkey – April 6

 

                                                                                

TURKEY – received April 8

(written by Helen)

 

After gliding through the beautiful Suez Canal we sailed into the Mediterranean Sea and headed to a place called Marmaris in Turkey.  Marmaris lies at the head of a fjord and when we woke up this morning and looked out the porthole we were very surprised.  The pine-covered hills against a mountain backdrop look amazing as they rise from the coast that boasts turquoise-coloured water.  We docked in a beautiful bay and the whole coastline consists of gorgeous coves and many marinas.  The buildings are all white washed with dark blue roofs.  Although I’ve never been to Greece, it reminded me of what some of those Greek Islands would look like. 

 

We got off the ship at about noon and jumped on a shuttle bus that took us to the town square.  When we arrived we found a quaint little city center with many shops and restaurants lined up for us to browse through.  We walked along and a few of the merchants tried to entice us into their shops but we were just looking.  I was a little excited about this stop because Turkey is known to be a great place to buy leather.  Well, we asked a few prices and they all seemed to be twice what I would pay in Canada so we walked on! We then found a store that sold phone cards and I called my mom.  We thought it was about midnight in Canada but it was actually after 2am but my mom said she had woken up for some reason and said that it was like she knew I was going to call. 

 

We then decided to hop in a cab and drive along the coastline.  In the distance we could see some huge hotels and we told the driver to take us to one.  He dropped us off and we walked around a bit but there was not that much to see even though it was a five star hotel.  Apparently, Marmaris is a very touristy town but the season doesn’t start until May so everything is not open yet and this hotel was like a ghost town.  We decided to walk back a bit on our own and see if we could check out any of the other hotels along the way.  The weather was perfect.  Sunny and clear with the temperature at a comfortable 19 degrees Celsius.  We stopped at a shop and bought a few knock-off shirts like Quicksilver and Dolce and Cabanna.  The prices weren’t great and we’ve come to realize that we are certainly not great bargainers.  I’m sure the merchants laugh when we leave with our loot that we paid way too much for!  We asked one guy where the best place was to have some lunch and he said McDonald’s.  I’m not kidding.  He said that you can’t be sure how clean any of the other restaurants are right now because business is really slow.  He said you can always be sure that McDonalds will be good.  So, that’s where we ate!!!!!  And it tasted exactly like it does everywhere else in the world.  Steve had something different though, he had a McTurcoIt’s pita bread stuffed with their McChicken pattie with lettuce and tomato.  He said it was pretty good.

 

The people here are relatively friendly.  We certainly felt more at ease than when we were in Egypt and Oman.  We did notice that it was very quiet yet you could see the people building and setting up stores and restaurants in preparation for the coming season.  We didn’t really do very much here but it was actually quite nice and relaxing.  We would definitely come back here and we would actually like to see more of the “real” Turkey, like Istanbul. 

 

We got a few souvenirs from here that ended up being quite comical.  Steve bought himself a gorgeous Rolex watch.  It cost $15.00U.S.  It was advertised as a genuine fake Rolex.  It was so nice he ended up buying another one and one Gucci watch for me.  The funny thing was, he didn’t think to make sure the watch actually worked before we left the shop.  When we got all dressed up that night for dinner he proudly said he was going to wear his new watch!  Well, he put it on and noticed that it was not working.  Then, he gave me mine and when I went to put it on I noticed that the band had fallen off and we couldn’t get it back on.  Oh well, it serves us right!  You get what you pay for!!  Good thing we didn’t buy any leather jackets!!! 

 

NAPLES, Italy – April 8

 

                                                                                 

PART ONE (written by Helen) - received April 11

 

NAPOLI – POMPEII – SORRENTO – POSITANO - AMALFI COAST

 

“In Napoli, when love is real,

 When boy meets girl,

 Here’s what they say…

 When the moon hits your eyes,

 Like a big pizza pie,

 That’s amore!”

 

Whenever we hear that song we are now going to think of our wonderful trip to Naples.  We lucked out and found this amazing taxi driver that showed us around this beautiful place.  His name is Salvatore Salomone and he is a very special man.  From the moment we got into his car he made us feel welcome and comfortable.  His English was excellent, actually he sounded like he was from New York; he had a New York accent.  He actually lived in Montreal for a few years in the early 1960’s so he also speaks French, Spanish, German and he even spoke a little Yugoslavian to me. 

 

Our first stop was Pompeii.  The fee to enter was quite reasonable at 20 Euro for the four of us.  This archeological site was more spectacular than we ever imagined.  It was huge!!   You stroll by the forum, temples, homes, shops and other structures that were buried by ash and pumice stone during the Mt. Vesuvius eruption of 79 AD.  The city of Pompeii was built from stone and brick and so much of it is still standing, it actually looks as if the top of the city was cut and destroyed.  The base of it is in remarkable shape considering that it is 2,000 years old.  You walk along the cobblestone streets and you can still see the grooves in the stone made by the wagons of long ago.  It is such a complete city and what is most amazing is how advanced they were so long ago.  We were in there for about an hour and a half and we hardly saw a quarter of it.  You could spend days touring this site and having a tour guide is a must. Here is a brief excerpt from the encyclopedia about this ancient city: 

 

“Pompeii, ancient city of Italy, in the Campania Region, built at the mouth of the Sarnus River (now Sarno), a few miles south of Mount Vesuvius, between Herculaneum and Stabiae. The city was founded about 600 BC by the Oscans, who were later conquered by the Samnites. Under the dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla it became a Roman colony in 80 BC and later a favorite resort for wealthy Romans, reaching a population of about 20,000 at the beginning of the Christian era. It was also a place of considerable trade and was the port town of Nola and other inland cities of the fertile valley of the Sarnus. The city was much damaged by an earthquake in 63AD and was completely demolished in79AD by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius that overwhelmed the towns of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae. The eruption also changed the course of the Sarnus and raised the sea beach, placing the river and the sea at a considerable distance from the ruined city and obscuring the original site.”

 

From Pompeii we headed to Sorrento with our wonderful taxi driver, Sal.  It was a beautiful sunny day and Sal drove with great care and attention along the coast and we stopped at various locations to take some great pictures.  The views were breathtaking as we looked down and saw the houses perched along these magnificent cliffs.  The beaches looked great with turquoise water that looked very clean and clear.  The busy season starts in May so the beaches were pretty empty. Sal says that in the summer these beaches are just packed as well as all the cafés and restaurants whose verandas are built into the side of a mountain. I could just picture people sitting there having cappuccino as they gazed at the Mediterranean.

 

As we drove along we came upon one of many roadside stands that sell fruits and vegetables.  Sal parked the car and we all got out and he talked to the cute little Italian lady and then they invited us behind the stall for some homemade wine and liqueur.   It was so “European” to be standing in a lemon grove with cherry tomatoes hanging everywhere while we sipped this very friendly lady’s wine and toasted with “Salute”.  We ended up buying some oranges, walnuts and a bottle of this delicious homemade lemon liqueur called Limonina (spelling?).  My sister went to Italy last year and brought some of this stuff back and it is absolutely delicious.  We were starving, so the alcohol went straight to our heads and we were very happy as we piled back in the car (me and Steve, that is, the kids did not get drunk)! 

 

As we continued our drive Sal serenaded us with some Dean Martin songs and boy, can this guy sing.  He was fantastic and then he put on a Dean Martin cassette and we drove along the coast of Italy while listening and singing along to “That’s Amore” and “Volare”, it was so much fun.  We drove to a city called Positano and apparently this is where Diane Lane filmed part of the movie “Under the Tuscan Sky”.  Again, it was so beautiful as we gazed upon the Adalfi Coastline. 

 

We then headed back and stopped in Sorrento for lunch.  Sal took us to this great pizzeria and we all had pizza, even Steve.  Steve and Sal ordered a pizza with no cheese and it was fantastic!  The adults all shared a bottle of wine and because Sal brought them customers the restaurant gave us some of that lemon liqueur on the house. We were going to order coffee but Sal said that this was a pizzeria not a coffeehouse and instead he took us to a roadside coffee bar.  We ordered cappuccino and espressos and Sal took Nik back to the car to get a sweater because he was cold.  When they got back and he saw me and Steve sitting down he got angry.  He said that as soon as you sit down with your coffee the bill will triple.  Well, we didn’t know this and sure enough when we got the bill our 3 coffees cost 15 Euros instead of 4.  Sal just shook his head and kept saying, “Why you sit down?” over and over.  It was quite humorous!  He then took us to a deli that had some amazing gelato and the kid’s were in heaven.  This guy knows his way around!  We then walked through Sorrento and enjoyed this quaint little town and then headed back to Napoli.

 

Throughout our tour Sal drove very carefully and slowly.  He actually got quite a few honks from impatient drivers behind him.  I was thrilled with this of course because the roads are quite narrow and very curvy and there is always a cliff on one side.  Well!  That changed as soon as we hit Naples.  This guy drove like a maniac.  Nikolas just loved it!!!  I truly felt like I was in a video game as he was driving VERY fast and he took these turns at full speed.  I was hanging on for dear life and on more than one occasion I closed my eyes because I thought he was going to plow into someone for sure!  He would take the turns at full speed and turn into these tiny alleyways that were hardly as wide as the car.  The funniest thing was that these alleyways had people strolling in them and they would just step into a doorway to let us go by, as if this was all perfectly normal.  It was unreal!

We finally got back to the ship in one piece and Sal took us for coffee as a final good-bye.  He bought the kids a treat and I must say he will be someone we will never forget.  If and when we ever come back to Naples we will call him and he told us he would show us so much more!

 

Steve has been to Italy before but this was my first time.  I can honestly say it was everything I ever imagined it to be and I am so glad we had Sal to make it such a perfect experience.  It makes me really eager to come back here during our second leg of our journey and see more of this amazing country.

 

SPAIN – April 10 - 13

 

                                                                               

BARCELONA  - received April 11

(Written by Steve)

We just spent 2 wonderful days in Barcelona and we enjoyed every minute of it. The streets, the shops and the café’s are everything you would think that Europe was all about. We are just getting ready to sail to Malaga in the next hour and that is where will end the sailing portion of this great journey. You see, we only have one body of water to cross before we will have completed an entire trip around the world. We will be writing so much more about this wonderful country (Spain) as we will be spending the next 2 months driving the roads and seeing all the wonderful sights the Spanish have to offer us. We will get off this old Gal in 2 days and then pick up a car that will take us through Portugal, Spain, France and Italy and then we will drop the car off in Spain and travel by train for a bit. We then will pick up another car and drive up into northern Europe and spend the next couple of months driving around up there. In total we hope to be driving around all of Europe for about 4 months and then, who knows. Maybe down to South Africa and then back to Japan or Vietnam and finish up in Australia. Anyways, after 100 days at sea will be entering a whole new way of traveling and we are nervously excited about doing it. Oh ya, I‘m supposed to be talking about Barcelona aren’t I? O.K., here are a few facts about this super city and we put a full story in the new section “European Vacation”.

 

A few facts for you:

 

Barcelona city, northeastern Spain, capital of Barcelona Province and the autonomous region of Catalonia, a seaport on the Mediterranean Sea between the Llobregat and Besós rivers. Barcelona is the second largest Spanish city in population and the principal industrial and commercial center of the country. The chief manufactures are textiles, precision instruments, machinery, railroad equipment, paper, glass, and plastics. Barcelona is a major Mediterranean port and a financial and publishing center of Spain.

 

Barcelona Province, the most populous and industrialized of the Spanish provinces, is mountainous, with fertile plains and a low, sandy coast. Agricultural products include cork, olives, grains, vegetables, grapes, almonds, oranges, and peaches. Cement and textiles are the major manufactures, and lignite and potash are mined.

 

The oldest section of the city of Barcelona, formerly enclosed by walls, was built on the harbor and is traversed by the Rambla, a paved thoroughfare extending from the harbor to the Plaza de Cataluña, the focal point of the city. The streets of the old section are narrow and crooked; in the newer sections they are wide and straight, and the buildings are modern. Dominating Barcelona's skyscape are the fantastic openwork spires of Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia (Church of the Sacred Family), a huge, unfinished cathedral notable for the elaborate patterns and undulating curves characteristic of its builder, the Catalan architect Antonio Gaudí y Cornet. Other points of major interest include the Church of San Pablo del Campo (914), the Gothic Cathedral of Santa Eulalia, a monument to Christopher Columbus, and the nearby peak Tibidabo (532 m/1745 ft). Among the many cultural institutions are the University of Barcelona (1450), the Autonomous University of Barcelona (1968), the Royal Archives of Aragón, the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of Ancient Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Contemporary Art Museum.

 

According to legend, Barcelona was founded as Barcino about 230BC by the Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca. The region became part of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century bc; it was ruled by the Visigoths in the 5th century AD , was conquered by the Moors in 713, and was captured by Charlemagne, King of the Franks, in 801. Under Frankish rule the city and the supporting region became the self-governing county of Catalonia, or Barcelona. The region was absorbed into the kingdom of Aragón in 1137. Barcelona thereafter gained in commercial and political importance as a Mediterranean trading and shipping center. Barcelona's prosperity diminished after the kingdoms of Aragón and Castile united in 1479 and subsequently imposed restrictive trade policies on the city. In 1833 Barcelona Province was established, with Barcelona as the provincial capital. In the 19th and 20th centuries Barcelona was a center of Catalan regionalism, anarchy, and industrial unrest. During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) the city was the seat of the autonomous Catalan government and was a Loyalist stronghold. It was heavily bombed in 1938 by the insurgents, or Nationalists, who finally captured the city on January 26, 1939. Barcelona's selection as the site for the 1992 Summer Olympics sparked a massive municipal redevelopment program.

 

We will let you know what it is like to be living on land again in the next few days, until then, ciao!

 

 

If Only We Had Known

 

 

Riding camels in Wadi Rum, Jordan

 

"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. 

MARK TWAIN

 

 

The world is actually a very safe place, just stop watching CNN.

Pack 2 suitcases per person. One is the must have, the other is the I think I will need. Leave the I think I need one behind.

It's more important to bring home stories rather than souvenirs (could someone tell my Wife that).

It is true. The best things in life are free, unfortunately the transportation costs will kill ya.

The journey is as important as the destination, so try and pick the right cab or driver.

Brings clothes that can be washed and dried in a dryer, don't bring cold water or dry clean only clothes.

 If you are traveling with your kids, teach them always to hold your hand in crowded areas and not to wander. Always check for travel advisories the day before entering a country.

 If you are going to travel around the globe, do it from east to west. We are doing both ways and west to east is a killer.

Travel is as much about the people you meet as it is the destination you visit.

Traveling with children can be  a little trying, but very rewarding.

The greatest travel tools you could buy for your kids is a portable DVD player and a game boy. It makes those 15 hour drives seem like only 10.

Every Hotel is just dying to give you a discount, all you have to do is ask. Ask what kind of discounts they offer; AAA or Amex ,etc.

Always get a hotel membership, it's free and next time they might upgrade you.

Sites like Travelocity, Orbitz and Priceline are NOT the best deal. Book directly through the hotel, most will guarantee the lowest price.

Sleep and sugar will affect your children more than anything else when you are on the road.

Use a Travel agent you can trust!       Thanks Paula.

Get a 40+ page passport as some countries will use a whole page.

If you rent cars, sign up for a membership and try to use only one rental company.

60 percent of the worlds population does not use toilet paper, a tidbit you should keep in mind when shaking hands.

The Hotels or B&B's never look the same as the pictures in the brochure, that's why we book as we go. 

Don't be afraid to travel with kids because people will go out of their way to help you, especially in Asia.

Don't take more than you need!  Too much luggage = bigger sweat stains. And the more you smell, the more laundry you will have to do.

A couple small hockey sticks and a soft ball can make an airport wait quite fun, better yet a hotel lobby can be a blast.

Its better to reward your children for being good, than to punish them for being bad.

Traveler's Cheques use to be a good idea, not anymore. Take two Credit Cards, a bank card and cash.

Eating from street vendors is not the best idea, and bottled water is best.

Keep tabs on the closest Embassy and get vaccinated. To find the vaccinations you need, try  www.cdc.gov/travel/vaccinat.htm

Make sure the Taxi you are taking has a permit to operate, a $25 fair can turn into $75. Use taxi stands and insist that the driver use the meter.

Spot pickpockets before they spot you. Don't wander from the herd, carry only the cash you need and wear a money belt.

Most of the world is very safe, but always check your destination on a foreign affairs web site.

UK = www.fco.gov.uk  Canada = www.voyage.gc.ca  Australia= www.dfat.gov.au US= www.travel.state.gov

More to come, we just have to find it.

 

 

 

EUROPEAN VACATION

 

 

                                                                                             

GIBRALTAR received April 28

 

The British colony of Gibraltar occupies a lump of limestone, almost 5km long and over 1km wide, near the mouth of the Med. Gibraltar was the bridgehead for the Muslim invasion of Spain in AD 711and was held until 1462. In 1704 an Anglo-Dutch fleet captured Gibraltar. Now after 300 years of being British, there is talk of a joint Spain and Britain Anglo Spanish partnership. This does not sit too well with Gibraltarians. When you walk around Gibraltar it feels just like it would be back in Britain in the 1960’s, not that I was around. Getting into the rock is a bit of a pain as coach loads of day trippers from the Costa del Sol create lineups and queues that take over an hour to get through. The really funny thing is that this little place is just long enough to support a runway and they just happen to have one in a very unusual place. As we are waiting in this huge line-up to get into this funky little place, a plane decides to land and that was a site! The border must close because the runway goes right across the main street into Gibraltar.  You sit an extra 20 minutes and watch a British Airways jet slowly taxi down in front of the border crossing; really bizarre.

We were told the things to see are: Gibraltar Museum, Upper Rock Nature Reserve, Barbary macaques, Apes den, St. Michael’s Cave and the great siege tunnels.

 

 

A Day on the Rock of Gibraltar

(Written by Helen)

 

We all had to get up pretty early again as we were supposed to catch our bus to Gibraltar at 9am.  Since my sister and her kids have been here we’ve had some late nights so this was considered an early morning.  The weather is kind of brisk at that time of the day but we can’t really dress too warmly because the day will be hot by noon. 

Steve was getting a little nervous because our bus was about 45 minutes late.  We were just about to go home when the coach arrived and they apologized for being late due to an accident on the way, they had a huge detour.

 

We always thought that the Rock of Gibraltar was just a huge piece of rock in the middle of the Sea.  We had no idea that it was actually connected to Spain and has a city on it with many inhabitants, and British to boot.  The line-up to the border took about half an hour and it is obviously an extremely touristy place because the majority of the vehicles in line were tour buses. The bus stop where all the tour buses park is a huge parking lot that was actually once all water.  They needed more space so they created more land. 

 

We were going to just walk around without a tour because we were still disappointed with the tour to Morocco but the lady told us that the tour was very worth while and it meant that we didn’t have to go up their gondola.  So we decided to take it and in hindsight we are so glad we did. 

We were in a type of van/bus that held about 20 people and the driver was our tour guide and he was born and raised in Gibraltar so he was extremely knowledgeable and very funny.  He drove us up some extremely narrow and winding roads and we went through some ancient tunnels that fit only one car, one way.  I kept looking back at my sister and we both had our nervous faces on.  She’s a little uncomfortable with heights so she wouldn’t look out the windows.  It was such an amazing view.  He took us up to the top of the rock to the Upper Rock Nature Reserve and the view was spectacular.  The kid’s were in awe of the rock’s most famous inhabitants:  its colony of Barbary macaques, the only wild primates in Europe.  It is so bizarre to see them.  They just sit there and stare at you as you approach them and take pictures.  You are advised not to touch them and our tour guide told me that he had a tour once and he had made his usual speech about not touching them.  Well, he said a lady from America wanted a picture with one while she had her arm around it and sure enough it bit her right on the arm.  He said the funniest part was that she complained to him later and he just shook his head and said, “I told you so!”  They are so cute and they come in many sizes.  The baby monkeys are the cutest and when you look down the rock you see them in trees, on buildings, on wires, hanging off the buses as they make their way up the hills.  They just take over.  This one gentleman had his bags sitting on the ground and one of the monkeys grabbed a small bag and ran off.  The guy went running after it, yelling and screaming and luckily the monkey dropped the bag before climbing up to safety.  The bag contained the guy’s camera.

Next, we went to St. Michael’s Cave which is a large natural grotto renowned for its stalagmites and stalactites, which are huge deposits of calcium carbonate that stand like pillars and hang like icicles.  The cave is massive and very dark and damp.  They have placed lots of lights in it to make it safe but it stills maintains its natural aura.  One section of it has been turned into a type of open theatre and apparently they have concerts inside of it.  That would truly be a memorable experience. 

 

As we made our way down the rock we stopped at various locations to take pictures of the spectacular views and every time we stopped the monkeys were there.  We had to keep guard of the door to our bus because the monkeys sit right in front of the doors and make a run for it when the doors open.  One of the monkeys sat on the rear view mirror of our bus and was using his feet to try and slide the window open.  It actually got a little freaky.  That would be a Nikolas word.  Another little baby one was sitting on the back of the car in front of us and was chewing on the car’s antennae.  Steve shooed him away and he ran off but not without giving Steve a very dirty look. 

 

 

The bus dropped us off at the city centre and there was a big square there with all these café’s and souvenir shops around it.  We were all starving so we sat down at a café and ordered mussels, pasta, salad, pizza, soup, and lots of bread, olives and sangria.  It was pretty good.  By that time it was time to head back to the big coach for the hour ride back to San Pedro (where we are staying). 

I wasn’t that keen on seeing Gibraltar but I am so glad we did!  It is beautiful and very interesting, especially if you take a tour and you hear about the history of this ancient site.  And those amazing monkeys are totally worth the price of admission!!!

 

 

 

THE ROCK OF GIBRALTAR

 

The Rock of Gibraltar is composed of limestone. It arises abruptly from the sea in the east; its slope is more gradual on the west. The maximum elevation is 426 m (1,398 ft). Aloes, cacti, capers, and asparagus grow in the crevices. Certain parts contain grassy glens, in which pigeons, partridges, woodcocks, and the Barbary ape (the only wild monkey of Europe) are found. Among the natural caves of the promontory, Saint Michael's, with an entrance 335 m (1,100 ft) above the sea, is the largest. Climate is temperate, with temperatures averaging 15.6° C (60° F) in winter and 21.1° C (70° F) in summer. Average annual rainfall is 889 mm (35 in).

 

The population of Gibraltar in 2003 was 27,776. The overall population density was 4,273 persons per sq km (11,068 per sq mi). Most of the civilian inhabitants are of Portuguese, Italian, Maltese, English, or Spanish descent.

 

The official language is English, although Spanish is widely spoken. About 75% of the population is Roman Catholic, 8% is Anglican, and 9% Muslim. Education is compulsory between the ages of 5 and 14. In 2000 some 2,377 students attended 12 primary schools in Gibraltar.

 

Because few natural resources are found, the major factors of the economy are the processing of food products, tourism, and shipping. A free port and gambling concessions attract tourists. The Admiralty harbor is an important fortress and strategic naval base. The Gibraltar pound is at par with the pound sterling.

 

Gibraltar is administered by a governor, who is the representative of the Crown. The governor is advised by the Gibraltar Council, which consists of five elected and four ex officio members. The Council of Ministers makes recommendations to the Gibraltar Council. Legislative powers are vested in the House of Assembly, which consists of a speaker (appointed by the governor), 15 elected members, and 2 ex officio members. About 1,800 British troops were maintained in Gibraltar in the late 1980s, but by 1999 that number had been reduced to about 700.

 

During the European phase of the American War of Independence, the Spanish, who had entered the conflict against the British, imposed a stringent blockade against Gibraltar as part of an unsuccessful siege that lasted for more than three years (1779-83). On September 14, 1782, the British destroyed the floating batteries of the French and Spanish besiegers. In February 1783 the signing of peace preliminaries ended the siege. In 1830, Gibraltar was named a crown colony.

 

In World War I, the Rock served as a strategic base for Allied naval units and was used as a coaling station for transports en route to theaters of war in the eastern Mediterranean. During the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), the town of Gibraltar served as a haven for large numbers of Spanish refugees.

 

When Britain gave almost complete control over internal affairs to the dependency in 1964, Spain contended that under terms of the Peace of Utrecht it should acquire sovereignty over Gibraltar. The British step led to strained relations between the two countries and economic isolation of the dependency by Spain. In a referendum held on September 10, 1967, the people of Gibraltar voted overwhelmingly to remain under British rule and to reject ties with Spain. Spain, however, pursued its claim and in 1969 closed its border to the 5000 Spanish workers who crossed it daily on their way to work in Gibraltar. The dependency consequently adapted its economy, which benefited from a general diversification, increased tourism, and military spending by the British.

 

Toward the end of the 1970s Spain began to show more flexibility on the question of Gibraltar. In 1980 an agreement in principle was reached on the reopening of the border, but it was not implemented because of labor problems. It was further delayed in 1981, when the prince and princess of Wales selected the Rock as the first stop on their honeymoon, a choice that Spain regarded as an affront. In 1982, however, both countries again committed themselves to resolving their differences, and in February 1985, for the first time in 16 years, the border with the Spanish mainland was fully reopened.

I know it sounds like I wrote all that, but I stole it from the Encyclopedia, just thought you might want to know.

 

We are going to try and head over to Morocco in the next couple of days, I will let you know how it goes.

 

 

 

MOROCCO - received April 21

(written by Steve)                                 

 

Yesterday we were sitting on the sand at Cocoa Beach watching our kids play in the sand and swim in the Mediterranean. The one thing about this place (Costa del Sol) is that no matter how many condo’s they build or how crowded it gets, the scenery will always be beautiful. The most incredible thing we saw while sitting on this beach was the Rock of Gibraltar and the mountains of Africa just south of where we were sitting. As we looked at Africa we decided that there is no way we could come all the way down here without going over there, to Morocco, Africa.

So we all got up at 5 am.  Helen, our kids, Maryanne (Helen’s sister) and her kids (Thomas and Michael) and headed to Algercira to catch a high speed Catamaran that takes you over to Tangiers, Morocco.

 

 As you head across the straight of Gibraltar, you get a clear view of the rock and Jebel Sidi Moussa (on the African side) and it is amazing how close the two are together. Did you know that this is the closest point between Europe and Africa, and it is only 12 kilometers from the Spanish coast to the African Coast?  In Ancient mythology this is also where Hercules opened the waters to create the Strait of Gibraltar when he was in search of the golden apple.

STRAIGHT OF GIBRALTAR

 

Pillars of Hercules, name given by the ancient Greeks to two peaked rocks that flank the eastern entrance of the Strait of Gibraltar. They seem to have been first visited by the Phoenicians about 1100 BC. Ancient Calpe, the northern pillar, is the modern Rock of Gibraltar, and ancient Abila, situated at Ceuta on the African coast, is now called Jebel Sidi Moussa.

 

HERCULES

 

Hercules, in Greek mythology, hero noted for his strength and courage and for his many legendary exploits. Hercules is the Roman name for the Greek hero Heracles. He was the son of the god Zeus and Alcmene, wife of the Theban general Amphitryon. Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus, was determined to kill her unfaithful husband’s offspring, and shortly after Hercules’ birth she sent two great serpents to destroy him. Hercules, although still a baby, strangled the snakes. As a young man Hercules killed a lion with his bare hands. As a trophy of his adventure, he wore the skin of the lion as a cloak and its head as a helmet. The hero next conquered a tribe that had been exacting tribute from Thebes. As a reward, he was given the hand of the Theban princess Megara, by whom he had three children. Hera, still relentless in her hatred of Hercules, sent a fit of madness upon him during which he killed his wife and children. In horror and remorse at his deed Hercules would have slain himself, but he was told by the oracle at Delphi that he should purge himself by becoming the servant of his cousin Eurystheus, king of Mycenae. Eurystheus, urged on by Hera, devised as a penance, the 12 difficult tasks: the “Labors of Hercules.”

Don’t feel bad, I did not know any of this stuff either. So after what seemed to be an eternity, we arrived in Tangiers at around 11:30 am and were ready to see the sights of Morocco. We got onboard a tour bus thinking this would be the safest way to travel through the city and have someone explain it to us as we only had one day here. Our tour guide was a cross between Rodney Dangerfield and James Brown. He had hundreds of one liners, but no one could understand a word he said, he was quite fun though. We took a drive through Tangiers, through the American, French and Middle Eastern parts of the city, it was very beautiful.  We have been through many countries in the last few months and it does not matter where you are in this world, you will always find one. What you ask? An unofficial American Embassy; McDonalds.

 

 

 

We drove by Winston Churchill’s home and the Kings Palace and then down the other side of the city where we came out at the Atlantic Coast. We have driven through many countries and have seen beautiful coastal roads, but this coast was spectacular. I say that because it was not like the Concrete Condo catastrophe of the Spanish Costa del Sol. This place was a gold mine with its untouched beautiful sandy beaches and endless views into the Atlantic Ocean. The further we drove the more relaxing this place became; even the kids were just staring out the windows at the waves rolling up the sand.

 

 

We soon found ourselves getting out of the tour bus at what looked to be a circus tent park area. There were armed guards on horses at the front entrance and camel’s inside that the kids were allowed to sit on for a few bucks. After watching the camel show we headed inside to eat under the tent, along with a belly dancer and 4 Moroccan gentlemen who were playing music for us up on the stage.

 

 

There were only about 20 people on this tour but we all gave the entertainers a nice applause after each show. We were served traditional Moroccan food which was Chicken, Cous Cous, fried onions and spicy meat chunks. Even though I have been burping up those meats chunks all day, it was very tasty when I was eating it. After lunch we headed back into Tangiers to the souk to try and soak up a bit of culture. I had been warned that Morocco was a crazy place and we were to keep a firm grip on the kids, so I had my back up when we first went in. Yes, it was very third world, and the peddlers were extremely aggressive, but I did not feel threatened or fearful in anyway. Just like when we were in Egypt, you did not want to let these peddlers think you were interested or else they would follow you around for blocks. So all 20 of us just followed our tour guide to 2 of his preferred stores where we got to see a whole new type of peddling. It would always start off the same and some head guy from the shop would come out and greet you and welcome you to his country and tell you how great his merchandise was. Then after he was finished the sales pitching would begin and you would get worked over until you bought something. That is the only problem with going on a tour, they take you to where they want you to go, not where you want to go. In hindsight I think we easily could have seen Tangiers without a tour and even with kids I think you would have very little to worry about. So anyways, after being paraded into a couple of shops and through the back alley ways, we ended up at our bus that took us back to the dock.  We ended up pulling away from the dock around 5:30 pm, and it was a whole lot of traveling for only a few hours of sightseeing. So all in all I am glad we made the trip, but I think you would be better off to spend a night and not try to do it one day, like we did.

 

 

The Algarve  - received May 6

(by Helen)

 

 

 

 

We were almost kind of glad to leave our place in San Pedro.  With my sister and her boys gone, it was time to move on.  We packed up our stuff, locked the door and Steve dropped the key in the locked mailbox for the manager.  What we forgot to do though, is unlock the gate to the complex to let us out.  We stood there with all the backpacks (Steve had already loaded the suitcases, thank goodness) and we couldn’t get out.  Steve climbed over the six foot iron fence and was trying to convince us to do the same.  Danika went over no problem and Nikolas barely made it but there was no way I could do it.  I had a skirt on and I tried but just couldn’t do it.  Steve was getting impatient so I walked through the complex and knocked on about six different doors.  Not one person opened the door.  I approached this one elderly lady and she couldn’t speak a word of English.  I think she thought I was a peddler because she gave me a very dirty look and ran back into her villa.  I finally found a gentleman who could speak a tiny bit of English and he kindly let me out of the gate with his key.  I’m not quite sure if he believed or even understood my story but I got out and that was the main thing!

We settled in for the long journey to Portugal and thank goodness we had that van with the DVD because it really comes in handy on those long drives.  It actually turned out to be a really scenic and relaxing drive.  The highway was well paved and the landscape was beautiful.  A lot of rolling farmland and small little clusters of towns here and there. 

There is no border between Spain and Portugal so all of a sudden there is a big sign that says “Portugal”.  We were there!  We drove a long and noticed that the landscape had a dessert feel to it.  Later we would learn that these hills use to be covered with trees but two summers ago they had some very bad fires and lost most of their vegetation.  At one point they said that 70% of the country was burning. 

We made our way to a town that was to be home for us for a few days.  The town was called Albufeira and we were booked to stay at the Sheraton Algarve’s Hotel.  We were a little weary about what the hotel was going to look like because we had been disappointed with the villa in Spain.  Boy, were we surprised.  This place was magnificent.  I can honestly say that it is the most beautiful, well-kept resort that we have ever stayed at.  The resort is actually called the Pine Cliffs Resort and it is massive.  I don’t have the literature in front of me now but this place was on acres and acres of land and the hotel was so big that it would take us 15 minutes to walk from one end to the other.  That was just the Sheraton hotel portion.  There were also a bunch of villas and townhouses all around the hotel and a beautiful 18-hole golf course set right on the cliffs.  The resort is located right on the incredible red cliffs that drop down to a spectacular white sandy beach that is topped off with turquoise water.  When we took the outside elevator from the grounds of the resort to the base of the cliffs and walked to the beach, I stood there in awe and told Steve that I had never seen anything so spectacular in my life (beach-wise, of course).  There is a little bar built right at the beach and we went there and had the best sangria, better than any we tried in Spain.  We sat there and had a bite to eat and drank our sangria while the waves crashed just a few meters away.  It finally felt like we were on vacation and this place was paradise.  I would go back there in an instant.

 

 

 

The other great thing was that the kids could finally get a break from us.  They had a kid’s club called the Porto Pirata for Danika and a Juniors Activity Club for Nikolas Danika went to her club just after breakfast and stayed for lunch and we would pick her up at 2pm.  They had a great set-up with a huge pirate ship as a playground that they could climb up on.  They had a bouncy castle, a sand pit, a basketball court, a miniature racetrack with cars that they could drive with pedals.  They had an arts and crafts area and the ladies there were very nice and very attentive.  We just observed the first day to make sure we felt comfortable leaving her alone there with them.  They were great and she had a ball.  She also got to meet some new friends and play with kids again.

Nikolas was one of the only kids in his age group so the first couple of days he was the only one at the various activities.  The benefit of that was he got a private tennis lesson with the resort’s tennis pro.  He was with Nik for a full hour and they really did some serious tennis moves.  Nik also got to play miniature golf and soccer and he did some arts and crafts. 

While the kids were busy we were able to grab some alone time as well.  And I’m talking about alone time.  I took off and sat by the pool with my novel and Steve took off and played with his computer.  When you spend every waking moment together it’s normal to need a little break once in awhile. 

The weather was so perfect too.  It was about 25-30 degrees with a nice cool breeze blowing in from the water.  It wasn’t too hot and it wasn’t too cold, it was perfect and considering that April is usually their rainy season, we got pretty lucky. 

I’d say the only downside to the resort for us was the price of food, or everything really.  Me, Steve and Nikolas played tennis one day for one hour.  It cost us just under $100 Canadian.  We had to buy tennis balls because they don’t rent them and they cost $10 each and came in a tube of four!  It was outrageous!  Most of the main course dishes on the menu cost about 25-30 euros, that’s about $50-60 Canadian and don’t forget to add the bread and the water and the olives and pickles.  They are all brought to your table whether you ask for them or not and if you eat them you are charged for them.  Each slice of bread cost 2 euros.  Say we each eat two slices of bread, well that’s 8 euros or $16 Canadian.  Just for the bread! We also asked about laundry.  We were hoping that there was a washing machine and dryer we could use because we had a growing mound of dirty clothes.  The hotel did not have a facility for us to use but they did offer a laundry service and the price was per kilogram, 20euros/kg of clothes.  Well, Steve found a laundry service just outside the resort that charged 2euros/kg.  We had 10kg of dirty clothes so had we gone with the hotel service it would have cost us 200euros or about $400 Canadian.  Instead we paid 20euros.

Anyways, the food was delicious and the place was so relaxing.  The grounds were all manicured with lush green grass and tons of trees.  There were flower beds everywhere and not a piece of trash to be seen.  There were about 4 or 5 pools and one indoor.  We went swimming on our last night in the indoor pool because the weather was finally changing.  We had to buy little swimming caps and wear them in the pool.  Apparently, in Portugal it is mandatory to wear these caps for hygienic reasons.  We all looked pretty goofy in those things!

We were going to stay longer and were about to extend our stay when the weather changed.  It was actually a rather drastic change.  It was very overcast and windy and the lady at the desk told us the forecast was for more of the same in the next few days.  Nikolas was really disappointed because he wanted to stay and ride his boogy board on the waves some more.  He would do this everyday for hours and hours.  Steve went with him but couldn’t stay in the water that long because it was pretty cold.  But Nikolas never felt a thing; he just kept going and going.  It was great to see him have so much fun.

We sadly said good-bye to the Sheraton and vowed that we would certainly be back one day.  No question!

 

 

Lisbon, Portugal - received May 5

 

(Written by Steve May 2, 05)

Originally, everyone we spoke to when we were in Spain told us not to go to Lisbon because it is just another big city. After we got to the Algarve and asked people about where else to go in Portugal, everyone said we have to go to Lisbon. So here we are in Lisbon and the people of Portugal were right. Lisbon is a big city and maybe it is not the most important place in all of Europe, but it could be. I can only describe this place as a cross between Italy, Germany and a bit of London. The architecture here is absolutely fantastic, and there has obviously been a huge influx of cash back when this city held the worlds fair in 98. I say this because even though the city hosts many vacant buildings and others just about to fall over, its buses and cable cars are almost new. On the other hand it is like they don’t care anymore and it is just business as usual and nothing more. Our first day was on Sunday and the whole place was shut down because it was a holiday as well. We were starving from our drive from the coast. We walked our usual 5 miles and could only find about 3 café’s that were open. We did not really get a good feel for the place because it was kind of weird to be downtown in a major city and being the only ones aside from the stray dogs walking the streets. We ate at a place called the Coffee& Pot and had snacks rather than dinner, mostly because we were struggling with the language. We had walked most of the day so we headed back to our hotel and made a bunch of calls back home (Canada) and sent some emails and let the kids go online and talk to their pals. We decided to sleep in till 10:30 am on our second day and headed out to find a place to eat at about 1pm. We ended up at the same café (Coffee&Pot) that we ate at the day before, only because we knew where it was and it had good food. I was very excited to see the city, but we needed our coffee and food before we started all the heavy walking. Today and yesterday we noticed lots of men being very friendly towards each other and everything was cool until we sat down at the cafe. We just sat down at the Café, we did not even have our coffees yet when Nikolas  dropped the matzo ball. How do you become homosexual, he asked us. So I yelled to the waiter, please bring me a shot of whiskey with my coffee will ya. Of course I am kidding about the whiskey, but I knew this was going to be a breakfast to remember. So we were interested in hearing what his thoughts were and are always open to discuss everything, and let him just ask away. So we started our day by talking about the birds and the bees until he asked us to stop talking about it because he was disgusted. Our son is 9 years old, and we are already having these conversations with him, is that weird? I think it was 2 weeks before my graduation from high school (I was 17) when my father said,” son, I need to speak to you about some man things”. I remember saying Sorry Pops, it’s too late, and we never spoke about it again, that was the end of the conversation. Nikolas is only 9 and he see everything, I didn’t have any idea about any of that stuff till I was in high school and he is already talking about it. I guess this has really nothing to do with Lisbon, but it’s something I will always remember about this part of the trip so I am logging it.

 

 

 

Our second day here was really fun, well, that is if you like walking 10 miles up and down hills. We walked to the city centre and hopped on Bus #37 and headed for St. Georges Castle high above the city centre. Now let me tell you one thing that you have to do if you come to Lisbon. If it is the only thing you do, get on bus 37 and go for a ride, it will be one to remember I assure you. The bus goes up streets only bicycles mange to fit through, and around cars, making them back up, pedestrians can see this bus coming from miles and stay clear. The castle the bus brings you to is called St. George’s Castle and it was built in 138 BC, and is the first fortress ever built, and that in it self is very cool. There is a little restaurant up top and a whole whack of shops.  It’s quite a touristy place but very nice all at the same time.

 

 

 

Lisbon (Portuguese Lisboa; ancient Olisipo), capital and largest city of Portugal, and also capital of Lisbon District, in western Portugal, on the Tajo (Tejo) River where the river expands before it enters the Atlantic Ocean. Lisbon is the center of the country’s rail and highway network, and an international airport is nearby. The major industrial and commercial area of Portugal, Lisbon has an exceptionally fine harbor and is also the chief seaport. In Lisbon are shipbuilding yards, petroleum refineries, and plants producing chemicals, foodstuffs, hardware, paper, and textiles. Imports are mainly raw materials, and the chief exports include cork, canned fish, olive oil, resin, and wine.

 

Lisbon, Portugal, the old section of Lisbon retains the narrow, winding streets and aging buildings constructed during the city’s long history. The Monastery of Jeronimos, foreground, was built in 1498 as a monument to the 15th-century navigators who discovered the sea route to India. New Lisbon, background, has the straight, broad, tree-lined streets and modern skyscrapers typical of a European capital and center of trade.

 

 

Some building facts:

 

Triumphal Arch, Lisbon The Arco Triunfal da rua Augusta is a triumphal arch located on the southernmost edge of the city of Lisbon. Lisbon is the capital, largest city, and leading seaport of Portugal. (Portuguese National Tourist Office) 

 

The city is built on the terraced sides of a range of low hills overlooking the harbor. In the older section the streets are narrow and crooked, but the newer section has straight, broad, tree-lined avenues, handsome squares, and extensive public gardens. Lisbon is the seat of an archbishopric and contains many old churches, convents, and monasteries. It is also the site of the , a Romanesque-Gothic cathedral built in the 12th century and partially ruined by successive earthquakes. A Hieronymite convent in the suburb of Belém was built in the 16th century to mark the discovery of a sea passage to India by the navigator Vasco da Gama. It contains the tombs of da Gama and the Portuguese poet Luís Vaz de Camões. Notable educational and cultural institutions in the city include several libraries, museums, and colleges and universities, the oldest of which is the University of Lisbon (1288). The city renovated sections of Lisbon and overhauled its transportation systems in preparation for Expo 98, which opened in the spring of 1998.

 

  Lisbon is believed to have been founded by the Phoenicians and occupied by the Romans in the 2nd century BC and by the Visigoths in the 5th century AD. The city was held by the Moors from 716 until it was recaptured by the Portuguese in 1147. Around 1260 Lisbon became the capital of the kingdom of Portugal, and following a period of colonial expansion, it became one of the wealthiest cities in Europe. It declined in importance during the period of Spanish rule (1580-1640). In 1755 an earthquake, followed by a tsunami (tidal wave) and a fire, destroyed much of the city. Portugal was a neutral nation during World War II, and Lisbon became both a haven and a port of embarkation for refugees from all over Europe. A 1988 fire, called the worst disaster in the city’s history since 1755, destroyed the shopping district. Population (2001) 564,657.

 

 

I am writing this last part from a hotel in Madrid and I can only say that Lisbon has so much potential. No matter where you look in Madrid there is a building getting a face lift, paint, cleaning, road and sidewalk work. Lisbon’s entire city has roads and sidewalks made of chunks of granite and it is spectacular. If Lisbon started a’ clean up the city campaign’ and promote tourism, it would be a city that I would like to come back to. Right now I don’t see a big draw for tourists to come here and that is a shame because it has so much to offer. Maybe the European business people are enough for the Portuguese and they don’t want tourists, but whatever it is I don’t get it. Anyways I am so glad we came to see and met the fantastic people of Lisbon, it was a real treat.

 

EUROPEAN VACATION

 

Andorra  - received May 18    

 

 

 

(Written by Steve May 17)

After 10 hours of very easy driving from Alicante, we pulled into the crazy little country of Andorra. I only say this because it has a rush hour that lasts 12 hours a day and the average speed is less than 2 km an hour. I am not kidding, driving around one of the little  town’s here can take you a couple of hours, and walking would be much faster. Of course, after I mentioned that we have only seen 2 days of rain in the last 141 days, it is raining today.

Anyways, this place is the coolest little country you have ever seen. As you drive in from Spain, you pass a strip of car dealerships like Porsche, Jaguar, BMW and a few mixed specialty car lots for all the other high end cars. The snow is only a few hundred meters above us and the place feels and looks just like Whistler, B.C. Andorra is in southwestern Europe, situated in the eastern Pyrenees Mountains, bordered on the north and east by France, and on the south and west by Spain. Also called Valleys of Andorra, the country has an area of 468 sq km (181 sq mi) and a population of around 75,000.. The overall population density is 148 persons per sq km (383 per sq mi). We are staying in the capital city, which is Andorra la Vella (population, 1999 estimate, 25,000).  It sits in a valley and has many high end retail shops and of course more car dealerships. All the hotels and villas have slanted metal roofs and stone or brick exterior, giving it a real alpine feel.

Andorran Landscape Andorra is a region of narrow valleys and mountain peaks that reach heights of more than 2700 m (8860 ft). The country is bordered on the north and east by France and on the south and west by Spain. Like I said we came in from the only entrance from Spain and the line up heading out of Andorra into Spain was at least 3kms long, so yikes, I am not looking forward to leaving.

 The principal stream is the Valira River and it is only half a block from our little hotel.

The land here has iron and lead deposits and marble quarries; forests of pine and birch are found on the mountains, and low-lying areas have pastureland where sheep graze. Andorra has no railroad or airport but possesses an excellent road system.

The native-born inhabitants of Andorra (only about one-fourth of the entire population) are Catalan in ancestry and language; Spanish and French immigrants make up the majority of the remainder. The main religion is Roman Catholicism. This place appears to have more French than Spanish, but most folks here speak both languages anyways.

Andorra’s economy was formerly based on pastoral farming and the processing of tobacco and timber. Tourism has boomed since the 1950s and now dominates the principality’s economic life. Tourists are drawn by the winter ski facilities, the cool summer climate, and the availability of duty-free goods. The Andorran government collects revenue through a small number of taxes and the sale of postage stamps. Immigration and investment have been encouraged by low tax rates.

Postage stamps? That’s what it say’s here, the whole country survives of the sale of postage stamps, no wonder there are so many high car dealerships. What is up with that? O.K., I know you are thinking the same thing I am, why has this place not been taken over by another country. It is hard to believe that it can sustain itself, or has survived the wars of the last hundred years. This place has a tourist economy with no tax, so the rich French and Spanish come here and play and hide their money here, I have nothing to back that up, it’s just what I think. I am sure this is Europe’s Grand Cayman islands, if you know what I mean.

Here is what I could find on the history of this place:

For 715 years Andorra was ruled jointly by the leader of France and Spain’s Bishop of Urgel, who were acknowledged as coprinces. In March 1993 Andorran voters approved their first constitution, which transferred power to the “parliamentary coprincipality” of Andorra. The constitution defined the fundamental rights and obligations of Andorran citizens and delineated the separate functions of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. The coprinces remained Andorra’s heads of state but were given very little power. The Andorran legislature is the General Council, which has 28 members, elected to four-year terms. The executive organ of government is the Executive Council, which is headed by a president who is elected by the General Council and formally appointed by the coprinces. The president appoints the other members of the Executive Council.

Andorra is traditionally held to have been declared a free state by Charlemagne in the 9th century AD. In 1278 it came under the joint control of the Catalan bishop of Urgel and of the count of Foix of France; through the latter, French rights passed successively to the kings and chiefs of state of France. Andorra pays a nominal biennial tribute to France and to the bishop of Urgel. In 1970 women received the right to vote. Andorra was admitted to the United Nations in 1993.

The only other strange thing is, everywhere you look you can see the Olympic rings. And places are called Olympic this and Olympic that. I found out that a federation of smaller countries who can not compete in the real games only because they are too small, have games just for themselves.

 

 

 London

received May 31

By Helen

 

 

 

Our flight from Alicante, Spain to Gatwick Airport was great.  We flew with British Airways and it took about 2 hours and 15 minutes.  As much as I despise flying it was actually a really nice flight and it went by very quickly.  I was also really excited to get out of Spain and to finally see London for the first time ever.  Steve had been there before and he said that I would probably like it but, boy, was I surprised.

I officially have a brand new favourite city in the whole world.  LONDON!!  When we got off the plane and got into our cab I knew right away that I was going to like this place.  I think one of the main reasons I fell in love with it so much is because the weather was great while we were there.  That’s what I’m told anyway.  It wasn’t super hot but it was very mild and sunny with lots of cloudy periods.   We actually didn’t mind the clouds and the cooler temperatures at all because Spain was hot every single day we were there.  I know you’re asking how can that be so bad but after awhile you kind of get sick of it and we were dying for a change.

We got to our hotel and it was a very nice and comfortable Holiday Inn (again) and it was so great to talk to people that spoke English.  Our room was just perfect for us and it was very clean.  We have used the Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza a lot on our trip and so far they have not let us down.  They are very accommodating to kids and are quite reasonable considering how expensive Europe is, especially England. 

Our hotel was located in a place called Wandsworth and it is a little quiet suburb just outside of London’s city centre.  It was actually the perfect location because you just jump on a bus or a train and you’re in London within 15 minutes.  Yet it was very quiet and we felt very safe when we walked around our hotel.  When we did walk around we noticed that we were staying just 5 minutes from the Thames River.  When I saw it I was a little shocked at how narrow it is and how muddy and murky it looks.  But, it still was pretty cool to finally see it in real life after hearing so much about it.

Steve has a friend that has lived in London for the past 4 years.  He came by our hotel and took Steve out for a few beers at the local pub.  Steve said the place was packed and he could hardly breathe from all the cigarette smoke.  Exactly how I would imagine an English pub to be like!  It was really great to see Brian and he gave us some ideas for must-sees and where to buy theatre tickets for half price.

 

 

The next day we got up and headed out to see, what else but, Buckingham Palace. It wasn’t as grand and amazing as I thought it would be but I have heard lots of people say that.  We missed the changing of the guards by half an hour so we kind of just stood there at the big iron gates staring at the building waiting for someone to appear.  There was a small crowd of tourists at the fence and we did see some people come out of the Palace.  We were told that they were there to receive some medals but we never found out who they were or what the medals were for.  The queen herself was actually in Alberta, Canada at the time so it was a little uneventful as we stood there and watched.  It was starting to drizzle rain a little and it kind of made me laugh because we have heard so much about the weather in England and it was fitting all the descriptions to a tee.  The funny thing is that I thought it was great!

 

As I’m writing this it has been a week since we have been there and the details are a little hazy now.  What I want to do is just write some of the things that have stuck in my mind.  London is such a vibrant, bustling, ALIVE city.  I don’t know how better to explain it.  We were there during the week (not the week-end) and as we walked down the streets it was amazing to see that every single bar and pub was just packed full of young and middle-aged business people.  When I would look inside they were all crowded around tables and it seemed like everyone was talking at the same time with music blasting in the background.  The coolest thing was that often times that music was a live band.  I don’t think I have seen that much action in Vancouver even on a long weekend in the summer. 

We’ve seen lots of old cities in our travels and still the sight of these historic old buildings lining the streets for miles and miles never cease to astound me.  These buildings are all hundreds of years old and they have been converted into everything from restaurants, pubs, theatres and private residences.  It is just such a different life over here.  According to Steve’s friend Brian, the world revolves around this city in terms of the financial world and the culture world and the fashion world and THE place to be world.  And you certainly understand it when you are here.  As you walk down the streets, every corner you turn you see a theatre playing a production that you’ve heard so much about.  Everything is playing here and we even saw the start of a premiere.  The movie was called “House of Wax” and apparently it stars Paris Hilton and some other actors I have never heard of but it was pretty exciting to watch them set up.  They had all these barriers set up with posters of the film all over them.  As we stood and waited we watched them roll out a red carpet that took up half of a street block.  There were cameras set up everywhere and big ‘Hollywood’ lights everywhere and the crowd was getting bigger and bigger.  We had tickets to a show so we had to go before the stars arrived unfortunately because it would have been pretty cool to see them walk that red carpet.  In hindsight though, I really have no great desire to see someone like Paris Hilton but it would have been fun to see it all unfold.

How do I describe the transportation system in this city?  I thought that the “jolly old” red double decker buses were just a touristy thing like we have in Victoria.  But noooo, these buses are everywhere and they are the major part of their transit system.  What is so amazing is that the streets are all pretty narrow and the lanes are even narrower but these tall buses just whiz around the corners.  When we were on them and we would sit at the front of the bus on the top level, it would look like you were about to hit a building, they would come so close.

 Then you have the tube which is their subway system which is a network of trains that take you anywhere you could possibly want in London and the outskirts.  Then you have the beautiful train stations like Victoria Station and Waterloo.  These main train stations look like major airports and they are constantly full of people traveling every which way.  It was so fun to people watch in these places.  These people, and I’m talking hundreds, would just stand there and stare up at this massive billboard that showed all the trains and what time they were coming or going and at which platform they would be departing or arriving at.  They all stood there and they would either be talking on their cell phones or eating sandwiches from all the many restaurants in the station.  They all looked like they were very important people and they all had somewhere very important to get to.  When you are not in the stations you can hear the trains thundering down the tube.  On more than one occasion as we were walking down the streets I have said to Steve or the kids, “Hey, it sounds like thunder, I wonder if it’s going to rain?”  Only to realize that it was a train going by underneath us.  Very cool.

Like I said earlier we had tickets to a show.  We had walked to Piccadilly Square to a place that Brian had told us about.  The place sells theatre tickets for half price.  We got tickets to Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang.  The theatre was packed and it was in the middle of the week.  As expected there were tons of kids and whenever the Child Catcher came on stage the whole place would start booing.  It was an excellent production, the car actually looks like it’s flying!!!  Danika kept asking me if it was real.  She meant the whole thing.  She couldn’t quite understand the fact that real life people were on stage acting out a movie she has seen on T.V.  She loved it and Nikolas loved it even more.  He really didn’t want to see it but afterwards I thought he was going to jump up and down when he stood up and gave the cast a standing ovation.  It was a great night even thought we got a little lost on our way home.  (You can read Steve’s story about that, don’t want to repeat it).

We went to St. Paul’s Cathedral and I was so disappointed that it was closed by the time we got there.  I stood on the steps and imagined Princess Diana walking up those steps on her wedding day.  I stayed up all night to watch that wedding.  And her funeral as well.  It is a truly magnificent building. 

We also went on a ride in the London Eye.  It is a ferris-wheel type thing that gives you a birds eye view of the city and it takes half an hour for it to make one rotation.  I felt a little nervous because I am not that fond of heights but the view was spectacular and the day was perfect for it.  We also took a guided boat tour down the Thames and it was very educational and interesting although we were very disappointed with ‘London Bridge’.  It’s just a bridge, nothing special at all.  Again, it made me realize how little I know about world history and I should have studied up on London history as well.  We saw so many places we wanted to visit but we just didn’t have enough time.  We are definitely going to make a point of coming back to London and see some of the sights that we missed.  If I can say this, I advise anyone who has not seen this city to make every effort to try and see it just once.  You won’t regret it!

I am not a huge tennis fan but I have watched my fair share of Wimbledon Championships.  So it was my wish to see Wimbledon and so we set out one afternoon and took a bunch of buses until we finally made it there.  After all that traveling though, we missed getting into the place by half an hour.  It was really surprising to see where it was located.  For some reason I just assumed it was in the middle of a big city but it is located in a residential area about an hour outside of London.  Even though we missed getting in I am still really glad we saw it and Steve was able to catch a few pictures of some of the courts.  Not centre court of course but still it was very neat to actually be there!

Surprisingly, the food was great here as well.  We went to a fantastic Chinese food restaurant by our hotel that was right on the Thames.  Beside that restaurant was another one called The Outback and it was an Australian themed restaurant that served some great food and we ate there the most.  On our last night in London, Brian took us out for dinner there and we had a really great time.  Well, Steve had a really, really, good time but we won’t talk about that now because he paid dearly for it the next day on our train trip from London to Brussels, Belgium. 

I can’t wait until we go back to London.  It really is one of the most exciting cities I have ever been too.  Our plan is to hopefully head back there in July and August and take in Scotland, Ireland and of course Wales to see Father O’Shea.    

 

 

 

London  - received May 29      

 

 

(Written by Steve May 24, 2005)

 

Day 1 – Day one is a bit of a blur, and really there is not much to tell. We got on a flight in Alicante, Spain and landed in Gatwick with no big surprises. Except for Nikolas having really bad gas, and deciding to release a bomb just as the elevator doors were closing in Gatwick Airport. He almost killed the 4 of us and two innocent travelers who could not escape as we had the doors all blocked with our 8 bags of luggage. We made it to Wandsworth, a place right on the Thames River via the trains.

London is old, dark, gray, sometimes smelly and very crowded and yes, rainy. I bet you think I am going to tell you about how depressing this place is? Well I am not! This city is the centre of the planet for everything from business, travel, fashion, football and a mecca for live theatre. We are walking down the street and there is a premiere of “The House of Wax” and the actors were just about to arrive. The red carpet was rolled out and we could only recognize one actor, Paris Hilton. I know, I did not know she could act either?! Also, we are sitting there watching T.V. and Liverpool has won the cup again, so these folks were in a bit of a party mood when we were here.

 Trying to negotiate your way through London on transit is very easy if you know where you are going, unfortunately we did not. Well, we made it to our little Holiday Inn and went for a walk, grabbed a meal and then went out to see Buckingham Palace. I also have a buddy here in London that I have not seen in years and he popped by to see us. We went out for a few pints of Guinness and that’s not very good because I don’t drink much, and we won’t talk about that anymore.  The transit system in London is the most effective system I have ever seen, and you can be anywhere in the city in about half an hour. We headed for Victoria Station and were going to see the changing of the guards but we missed it by about 15 minutes and so went and saw as many sites as you could in one day, see pictures. I am not going to go on too long because Helen has so much to say we will just be repeating stuff. I will tell you one story about our 5 days in London. We were coming back from a show at about 11pm and had already changed buses and were heading back to Wandsworth, but before we got on we asked where we needed to catch our next bus (#77) that would take us the final stretch. The bus driver (Addi) was a super nice guy and he told us to just sit tight and he will tell us when we would have to get off. So we rode and rode and just kept riding until there were no passengers left and the bus stopped. The bus driver opened his little door to get out of the bus and saw us, he was shocked and said, “Oh my god, I forgot all about you” So we sat and chatted with him for about 20 minutes and then he drove us to our stop. It was after 1am by the time we got home, but spending time with Addi and hearing about his home (Nigeria) was very cool.

 

 

 

Belgium

Gent, Brugge & Brussels

 

(Written by Steve May 31, 2005)

 

 

Have you ever imagined what a place would look like and then go there and it looks exactly as you had imagined? Well, that’s what all of Belgium is, exactly how we imagined.

If you made a few thousand ginger bread buildings and put them all together with streets and canals running every where, that would be what Gent and Brugge are like. Have you ever watched “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”? If you have, then you know what we are talking about. The other thing that is kind of new is that everyone is riding bicycles like the one the wicked witch from the west rode on The Wizard of Oz. Everyone is riding these things, with suits and dresses and babies and groceries, it is quite cool and so not North American. As you walked down the streets you would couples in their 20’s going out on a date, each riding their Mary Poppins bicycles down to the pub or night club. Our first stop was Gent and aside from the wonderful old town, we stumbled upon a little known secret. We met some Canadians and many Americans, many folks from all over the world. They all were in Gent and had the same operation. Hip resurfacing. It is a procedure that is not accepted in the western world yet, but one doctor here does 18 of them a week, 800 a year. He does most of them for foreigners, like a fellow Firefighter from Boston we met. All of these folks have been told that they need hip replacements and they would rather do this treatment with little side effects and better results. I don’t know anything about this type of surgery, but can tell you I saw ½ a dozen of these folks walking around the lobby with no problem and little pain only 3 days after the surgery, remarkable. If you want more info on this doctor go to www.hip_clinic.com.

Anyways we drove from our hotel into the old city of Gent and it was quite difficult to find your way around, but we did eventually make it. The old city has trams that run down the hundred year old cobble stoned streets and canals that snaked their way through out the city. The city centre is quite small and easy and very fun to walk around, unless you get hit by one of those trams that quietly sneak up behind you. The two coolest things aside from the fantastic Belgium beer is the Gravensteen Castle and the Bellfry.

The castle kept all the torture equipment that was used back in the good old days, and the Bellfry was just one of those things you have to see.

 

We left Gent after 4 wonderful days and headed to Brugge, another old city close to the ocean. We were fully loaded with maps and ready to navigate the old cobblestone streets in search of our hotel located in the centre of the city. Well, even with the latest maps we still managed to get very lost. Oh, I wish we had a GPS! After an hour of stressful driving we pulled up in front of the Crowne Plaza. I will tell you right now, that I would not have a hope in h%$# of navigating if Helen did not tell me where to turn or what direction to go. Madrid, Gent, Brugge and even the Costa del Sol nearly brought me to tears. Anyways, this city (Brugge) is much like Gent except it is way more touristy and larger. Zebrugge is right on the Canal that all the shipping containers and rail cars come into by boat and into Europe. Did you know that at one time Brugge was the 3rd largest city in all of Europe? You have to see this place to understand what I am talking about, but it is quite tiny in comparison to major cities today. So we did exactly what we did in Gent and that was Churches, Castles, Eat, Eat, and have waffles and coffee. The place is right out of a movie, I could never live here, but I could visit it about 20 or 30 times a year. O.K. maybe not, but it is very cool. I would love to be here in the winter, I am sure they let little elfves out from somewhere and they run all over town, it must be just like the North Pole. The people of Belgium are fantastic, some of the nicest folks we have met on our whole trip.

 

 

 

Ghent or Gent (French Gand), city in western Belgium, capital of East Flanders Province, at the confluence of the Schelde (Escaut) and Lys rivers, near Brussels. The rivers and canals traversing the city divide it into a number of small islands, which are connected by a network of about 200 bridges. Two important ship canals connect Ghent's waterways with the sea. One canal connects the Grand Basin along the northern side of the city with the large harbor at Terneuzen, Netherlands, on the Schelde; the other connects Ghent with Brugge (Bruges) and Oostende. Because of these important sea outlets, Ghent is one of the foremost trading and export centers in the North Sea region. Although the city has decreased relatively in industrial importance since the 15th century, when it was one of the chief textile-producing centers in Europe, the number of its manufacturing establishments is large. The principal commodities produced include lace, woolens, leather, soap, paper, cotton and linen goods, machinery, sugar, beer, and tobacco products. Horticulture, both in Ghent and in the surrounding area, is a flourishing industry, with hundreds of establishments in the city. Ghent is the site of the flower shows called Floralies, held every five years, which attract visitors from all over the world.

 

The most important educational institution in the city is the University of Ghent (1817). The city is also the site of a noted art gallery. The Begijnhof, or Béguinage, a small walled town containing numerous small houses, 18 convents, and a church, is situated in the suburbs of Saint Amandsberg. It is inhabited by 700 members of the Beguines, a lay sisterhood devoted to charitable work. The Cathedral of Saint Bavon, with a crypt dating from 941, houses the celebrated Ghent Altarpiece (1432), painted by the Flemish artists Hubert van Eyck and Jan van Eyck.

 

Ghent is mentioned as early as the 7th century, and in the latter half of the 9th century Baldwin I, count of Flanders, known as Bras de Fer (French for “Iron Arm”), built a fortress in Ghent as a defense against the coastal incursions of the Norse. The subsequent history of the city is closely integrated with that of Flanders. Seized by France in 1792, Ghent was made part of the Netherlands in 1814. In 1830 it became part of independent Belgium. Ghent has been a site for the signing of important treaties such as the Pacification of Ghent, which united the Low Countries against Spanish rule in 1576, and the Treaty of Ghent in 1814, which ended the War of 1812 between the United States and Britain. The city was occupied by German forces during World War I (1914-1918) and for most of World War II (1939-1945). Population (2001 estimate) 224,685

 

We started and finished Belgium by going through Brussels, and I am glad we are not coming back to this city. Well, actually, we might have to come back to get to London, but we will try and stay away if we can. It is probably a beautiful city but after you have been in Brugge and Gent, nothing but the best will do. So I will only say that if you are coming to Europe make sure you come to Belgium because they are some of the nicest people in all of Europe. If you do come you will most likely come into Brussels and you can judge for yourself, but make sure you hang onto to you wallet!

 

Maastricht - received June 2       

 

 

 

The only place in the world that has more bicycles than people, I am not kidding. I thought Belgium had a whack, but it says here in the book that The Netherlands has more bicycles than it does people. We stayed in one of the countries most beautiful cities called Maatricht. Our hotel was right on the river and we could easily walk through town and do our usual. Churches, eat, eat, and coffee. We did not do a canal tour because this was a major shipping river with barges running up and down every 5 minutes so it was not as romantic as Gent or Brugge

 

Netherlands, The, also known unofficially as Holland, constitutional monarchy of northwestern Europe, bordered on the north and west by the North Sea, on the east by Germany, and on the south by Belgium. With Belgium and Luxembourg, The Netherlands forms the Low, or Benelux, Countries. The Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, islands in the Caribbean, are part of The Netherlands. The European portion of The Netherlands has a total area of 41,526 sq km (16,033 sq mi), of which 33,939 sq km (13,104 sq mi) is land surface. The country’s capital and largest city is Amsterdam.

 

In the late 16th century a Dutch revolt against the authority of the king of Spain, at the time ruler of what now constitutes the Low Countries, succeeded in the northern provinces, which later became the Netherlands. The Dutch Republic, officially established in 1648, fell in 1795 when the armies of Revolutionary France imposed a pro-French government. In 1810, France annexed the Netherlands, but with the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 to 1815, the present Dutch state, officially called the Kingdom of the Netherlands, came into being. Originally Belgium was part of this new kingdom, but it seceded in 1830 and formed an independent country. The present boundaries of The Netherlands are essentially those established after the secession of Belgium, although they are similar to the borders of the Dutch Republic.

 

 

 About half of the country’s landmass lies below sea level.

 

The Netherlands, as its name suggests, is a low-lying country. About half of the country’s landmass lies below sea level. This amount would increase should the polar ice caps melt and slowly raise the level of the sea due to global warming. Much of the western part, situated below sea level, is covered with clay and peat soils interspersed with canals, rivers, and arms of the sea. Farther to the east the land lies slightly above sea level and is flat to gently rolling. The elevation rarely exceeds 50 m (160 ft). Most of the land is devoted to agriculture; only small areas of forest and heath remain.

 

Windmills, The Netherlands For centuries the Dutch relied on windmills for energy production and had built about 9000 of them by the 19th century. Traditional windmills, such as these in the countryside near Amsterdam, can be seen all over the Netherlands, and many are still in use. The country’s mostly low-lying terrain has few topographical features to impede the wind that operates the mills.Photo Researchers, Inc./Tony Craddock 

 

The North Sea coastline of The Netherlands consists mostly of dunes. In the southwest are gaps in the dunes formed by river mouths, creating a delta of islands and waterways. In the north, the dunes were broken through by the sea, thereby creating the West Frisian Islands and behind them a tidal sea called the Waddenzee. Adjacent to the narrow strip of dunes is an area lying below sea level that is protected by dikes and kept dry by continuous mechanical pumping. The former Zuider Zee, a large arm of the sea, is being reclaimed. A dike separating it from the sea was completed in 1932, when work was begun to drain about 225,000 hectares (about 556,000 acres) to form reclaimed land known as polders, such as Flevoland and the Northeast Polder. About three-quarters of the area had been reclaimed by the early 1980s. The remaining freshwater lake is called the IJsselmeer.

 

On February 1, 1953, the spring tide severely flooded the delta region in the southwest and about 1,800 people died. The Delta Plan, launched in 1958 and completed in 1986, was implemented to prevent such flooding. Under the plan, the Dutch shortened the coastline by about 700 km (about 435 mi); developed a system of dikes; and built dams, bridges, locks, and a major canal. The dikes created freshwater lakes and joined some islands.

 

I think we were a little pooped out when we were in Maastrict, but we would never hesitate to come back.

 

 

 

                         

 

 

France

 

Euro Disney Rocks! - received June 15

 

 

(By Helen and Steve)

The night before our first day at Disneyland we could hardly sleep because we were so excited!  We felt like kids again.  I guess that’s what Disneyland does for everyone, adults included. 

The weather was perfect for our 5 days in Disneyland except for the last day, it was very overcast.  We all had such a great time and we certainly re-charged our batteries and are so happy we did this.  Our hotel is a five minute shuttle bus away from the park and it’s situated in the most beautiful countryside.  It is the perfect place to come ‘home’ to after a crazy, noisy day at the Park.

We all went on the rides and we even got Danika and Nik on a roller coaster.  Danika cried and would not go on it again, but Nik loved it and went on four times.  Our favourite ride was the Pirates of the Caribbean; we went on that ride about 8 times.  If we hear that song again, I think we will scream!  Going on the ride “It’s a Small World” was wonderful as usual.  It was the very first ride we went on and it got us right in the mood for Disneyland. 

We ate a lot of junk food and walked for hour’s everyday.  Steve went on the massive Space Mountain rollercoaster and when he came off of it he had an extra skip in his walk and a goofy, kid-like smile on his face.  You do feel like a kid again after you come off these rides, especially the ones where you scream your head off.

The park is a little smaller than the one in California and there are not as many rides but it is a lot newer and it is very clean and beautiful.  We had a blast! 

Tomorrow we are headed to Germany and maybe Luxembourg.  We are not quite sure where we are going yet but we do know that we probably won’t be coming back into France.  We had an absolutely excellent time in France and would not hesitate to come back.  For all the rumours we heard regarding the rude French we didn’t see it at all.  We were treated great and even though we speak little to no French we got along just fine.  We are actually very sad to be leaving but are excited to see our friends and family in Germany.

 

Paris

(By Helen) - received June 11

 

 

I couldn’t believe I was finally going to see Paris.  It wasn’t the city I was most excited to see for some reason but I was very eager to finally see it with my own eyes in real life.  Steve warned me so many times that I wasn’t going to like it so I was a little nervous about what to expect.

We got on the metro (subway) at the airport because we had to return our rental “bus” there.  First of all, that airport is by far the busiest one I have ever seen.  I don’t know if this is a fact or not but as we were driving towards the airport I was amazed to see two airplanes taking off at the same time while another two were landing right behind them.  When I looked up into the sky I could see about ten planes at various altitudes all above us.  It was unreal!  To think that it was only one of many in France!

 

It’s hard to believe that our city (Vancouver) doesn’t have a subway system.  Every major city in the world has some form of it and I wonder why we don’t.  I can kind of understand now why the city politicians kind of forced a proposal through to have a skytrain link built from our airport to our city centre.  When we got on our train from the outskirts of Paris and headed into the city centre it was such a convenient and practical form of transportation.  Especially if you have ever tried to drive into or in Paris for that matter.  It is complete chaos.  When we took a taxi from one train station to another when we first came into Paris from Belgium, I was laughing hysterically in the back seat as our taxi driver literally forced his car through the traffic.  Nobody waits in tidy little lines, there are no lanes, everyone just fights for the smallest space or opportunity to move forward.  It is amazing that all the cars are not covered in dents or scratches. 

 

Anyways, back to the subway.  What sticks in my mind most about them is the smell.  It’s kind of hard to pinpoint.  A combination of sulphur, urine and dirty clothes smell.  I wouldn’t say the stations were dirty because there isn’t any garbage on the ground but they are dusty and grimy and stuffy, and when you start moving on the train the walls on either side are just covered with graffiti.  But again it depends on where you are in the subway station.  Some areas have beautiful little bakeries or flower shops or chocolate shops or perfume shops or coffee shops.  And there are people EVERYWHERE!  They are walking in all directions, some are running for their next train, some are strolling along; lots are standing watching the monitors waiting to see when their train is coming.  It is an amazing sight to see and this is going on all day long, it doesn’t matter what time of day it is.  Never mind the fact that there are hundreds of these stations scattered throughout the city and when you walk through them you sometimes take 4 or 5 escalators that take you down, down, down!!!  It’s a little creepy when you think about what would happen if something went wrong down there.  Well, that’s what I was thinking at the beginning but after a while I got use to it all and started to feel very comfortable on them.  The police presence is impressive as well.  We saw lots of police dogs too.

 

Like London, we got really lucky with the weather while we toured Paris.  It was warm and sunny with a breeze that would kick up every once in awhile.  The moment we emerged from the dungeons of the metro station I realized how beautiful Paris really is.  In one of our information books it states that this city is often imitated, but never duplicated and that it stands in a class by itself.  I wholeheartedly agree.  I certainly was “charmed” by its magnificent avenues and cozy cafés, its culture and class and its energetic but composed pace.   So far on our travels I have not seen another city even come close to its beauty.  Around every corner is a statue or monument or grand palace or ancient cathedral.     It’s almost too much to absorb at first.  You really don’t know where to look first or where to start your visit or how long to stay at each spot.  We had three days to see it all and it certainly is not enough time.  We saw a very little of everything but not enough of each. 

What amazed me was how busy the streets were with tourists.  There are tourists everywhere and when we walked down the streets we heard more English than French. 

 

 

 

Our first stop was The Louvre.  It was constructed in about 1200 as a fortress and then it was re-built in the mid-16th century as a royal palace.  It became a public museum in 1793.  The building is massive and takes up 3 or 4 city blocks.  In the middle is a courtyard and there is a huge glass pyramid right in the center and that is the entrance to the world’s largest and most famous museum.  It only cost 8.50 euros each for me and Steve, the kid’s were free.  I thought that was very reasonable.  The collections on display have been assembled by French governments over the past five centuries and again it is hard to decide where to start and what to see. 

 

I’ve heard many people say that seeing the Mona Lisa is rather anti-climactic, but I totally disagree.  When I saw the painting I was in awe even though it was a little smaller than I expected.  You see versions of this work of art everywhere and to finally see it as an original is a huge treat.  Even Nikolas was impressed.  He kept asking me if I was sure that it was the original painting.  That was really the only part of the whole museum he was interested in.  Nik and his sister were not at all pleased that we “dragged” them to this place.  Nikolas actually called it “torture”.  One day I hope he comes back and sees it with a little more enthusiasm.  

The amazing thing about this museum is that you could spend the whole day just admiring the architecture of the building itself, never mind the displays themselves.  The ceilings are beautifully painted and each section of the museum is elaborately designed.  Again, I felt frustrated in a way because I didn’t know where to go or what to look at first; it is all just so amazing.  We also saw Michelangelo’s Venus de Milo and we saw some impressive Greek and Egyptian Antiquities.  On the lowest level of the museum you actually walk around a medieval moat.  It is all truly mind-boggling when you think of the history represented there.

 

From the Louvre you walk along the Jardin Des Tuileries.  It’s a scenic walk with green grass on either side of the promenade.  As we walked along we could see little cafes hidden amongst the huge maple trees.  There were tons of people of all ages sitting on the grass; some having picnics, some sleeping, some in very intimate embraces, some playing Frisbee or kicking a soccer ball around.  We also came upon a man-made lagoon that had lots of families around it with their miniature wooden sailboats.  They were not motorized sailboats, these ones actually had working sails that caught the wind and glided the boats across the lagoon.  When the boats got close to the edge the kids would take a special stick and push them away from the edge and back towards the middle.  It was very nice to watch.  We picked up some hotdogs at a café and we also came across a merry-go-round that Danika went on.  She actually fell off the horse as she was trying to climb up on it and she took a nasty bump on the head but she got back on after she cried a bit and then eventually she really enjoyed herself.  

 

After the garden walk you reach the Place de la Concorde.  It is a huge cobbled square between the Jardin des Tuileries and the Champs-Elysees.  It was laid out between 1755 and 1775.  Its history is a little sinister as it was here that Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and thousands of others lost their heads.  And I mean literally, as it was the sight of the public guillotines.  There is a 3,300 year old Egyptian obelisk (a tall pillar) in the middle of the square.  It was given to France in 1829 by the ruler of Egypt, Mohammed Ali (no, not the boxer). 

From here we walked along the famous Champs-Elyssee.  It is a street that is 2 km long and connects Place de la Concorde with the Arc de Triomphe.  It really is just a busy street that is lined with shops and cafes.  I think at one time it was a lot more chic and prestigious but now I think it has turned into a tourist trap.  Anyway, it was still pretty cool to walk down this street and people watch!

 

As you walk down the Champs-Elyssee you can see standing in all its glory the Arc de Triomphe at the end of the road.  It is Paris’ second most famous landmark and is the world’s largest traffic roundabout and is the meeting point of 12 avenues.  It was commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon to commemorate his imperial victories but he did not live to see its completion.  An Unknown Soldier from WWI is buried under the arch and a memorial flame is lit each evening at about 6:30pm to honour him and others like him.  There is a platform at the top of the arch and it is accessed by elevator going up, and by steps going down.  The only sane way to get to the base of the Arc because of the crazy traffic is by underground passageways.

 

Even though we had a three day metro pass that cost us over 100 euros, we decided to also get a two day bus pass on a tour line called “Les Cars Rouge”.  They are a fleet of huge, red double-decker buses that are open on the top level.  That is, you are sitting outside when you choose to sit on the top level of the bus.  The round tour that they run lasts about two hours with specific stopping points.  You can hop on and off whenever you like and the tickets are good for two full days.  A multi-lingual system is available with headphones to hear commentaries on some of the sights you see.  It is an excellent way to see Paris without using the underground, dreary metro system.  The buses come by very frequently so that when you get off and sight-see for a few hours there is another bus to pick you up within minutes.  The stops are excellent and convenient as well.  For example, some of the stops are The Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral and Champs-Elyssee to name a few.  I wanted to see the tunnel where Princess Diana had her accident but the closest we got was when the bus drove over the tunnel and the commentator lady told us that just under the road we were on was the spot where she was killed.

  We would actually just sit there and use it as a break and then continue on when the kids recharged their batteries.  Danika actually loved it and she wouldn’t give up her earphones when mine were not working.  I didn’t think she was really listening but I guess I was wrong.

 

After our day of touring we went to a quaint little restaurant located on the banks of the Seine River.  It was called “Chez Dany’s” and we had a wonderful authentic French dinner.  For an appetizer I had a poached egg smothered with a red wine reduction and sautéed shallots.  There were little slices of toasted baguette on the side to dip in the sauce, it was fantastic.  For my main course I had cubes of pork in the same sauce with mashed potatoes (yay, no French fries) and green beans.  The pork just melted in your mouth, it was so delicious!  For dessert, which the kids ate, I had strawberries with strawberry ice cream and strawberry jam with whipped cream on top.  It looked great!  The kids said it was!

 

After that we headed back down to the metro and took our train “home” to the Holiday Inn at Disney Park.  The train was completely packed like sardines when we got on but half an hour later when we got near our stop the train was almost empty.  We are so glad that we booked this hotel instead of one in the heart of Paris.  It is so nice to come home to the country after spending a crazy day in one of the busiest cities in the world. 

 

The next day……

 

We woke up and dragged the kids back to Paris with threats and promises of Disneyland.  Poor kids, we have slipped badly in our parenting skills and have on more than one occasion said to them, “if you don’t let us enjoy our day in Paris we will make sure one of your days in Disneyland will be ruined as well”.  It works, but we are disappointed in ourselves that we have stooped so low.  It is really, really hard to be with each other 24/7 for this long a time.  I love my family dearly but someday I am ready to scream and pull my and their hair out.  Sometimes I have to tell Danika to just stop talking for once because from the moment she wakes up to the moment she goes to bed at night she is jibbering or jabbering about something.  She has been such a trooper through this whole journey and I really think she is actually having the most fun out of all of us.  Even when I asked her tonight if she had a good time in Paris she said, “oh yes, I just loved it!”  When I asked her to elaborate and tell me exactly what she loved she just paused and then said, “Everything!”  She is so patient and they both walk for miles everyday with just the odd complaint here or there.  Mostly just about museums which is understandable.  I even catch Steve yawning when we have been in one too long.  Without a doubt we are so grateful that our kids are so easy-going and cooperative.  There is no doubt in my mind that if this was not the case we would have been home a long time ago.  I better make sure they don’t read this part because they may get some ideas!

 

Our second day was very similar to our first so I won’t go into too much detail.  The only really BIG thing we did was visit the Eiffel Tower.  When you see the tower for the first time in the distance it is similar to when you see the pyramids in a way.  It’s a structure that is truly the most recognizable landmark in the world and to see it in real life is a little surreal.  To me it seemed a lot taller than I expected but to Nikolas it was smaller.  I can’t say that it is beautiful but it is an extraordinary feat of engineering.  According to my info book it faced massive opposition from Paris’ artistic and literary elite when it was built for the 1889 Exposition.  It was almost torn down in 1909 but instead was used for holding a new-fangled transmission antennae.  The tower is 320m high and has three levels open to the public.  We went up to the very top and the view is outstanding, especially on a beautiful sunny day.  The line-ups for the elevators were a little annoying but it was all worth it in the end. 

 

After that we hopped back on our red double-decker tour bus and made our way to the Seine River and had lunch sitting on the riverbank where they have benches and a walkway.  It was really nice to just sit there and people watch for about an hour and watch the tour boats sail by on the river.  We then got back on the bus and headed to the Notre Dame Cathedral.

 

There have been churches on the site of the Notre Dame Cathedral since the 4th century.  The current 13th-century cathedral was built 30 years after a Romanesque cathedral on this site was destroyed by fire in 1194.  It is one of the few Gothic cathedrals that has not been significantly modified, other than the 16th-century steeple.  When you first walk in the most exceptional feature is its 172 stained-glass windows.  If it wasn’t for the kids I would have stayed in there all day admiring the architecture and the windows.  It is truly breathtaking.  Consequently, it is jammed packed with tourists.  The building is massive and we didn’t get to every section.  Apparently there is a section of the cathedral that displays a piece of cloth said to have been worn by the Virgin Mary.  Unfortunately I learned about this after our visit so we didn’t see it.  Nikolas really loves visiting cathedrals which has really surprised me and Steve.  He says he feels peace and comfort when he is in them and he always lights a candle and says a prayer.  He promised me that the prayer isn’t for anything material (like toys) so I am very proud of him.

 

From the cathedral we walked and walked and tried to find the Moulin Rouge.  That was my idea and after we started walking into some not so safe looking areas we decided to forget the search and find a place to have dinner.  We found a really nice café and had a great meal again.  Steve had duck and I had a steak, they were both delicious.  Actually Steve’s duck was fantastic; it just melted in your mouth. 

 

It was getting quite late so we found the nearest metro, walked down the numerous escalators until we found the right train and headed back to our wonderful room at the Holiday Inn.  We wanted to experience Paris at night but a very nice gentleman at our hotel told us that Paris is not particularly that ideal for children after dark so we decided to play it safe and promised each other that one day we would be back by ourselves.

 

Paris turned out to be everything I dreamed it would be and better.  It is the most beautiful city I have ever seen and even though it doesn’t have the same electricity that London has, I still think it is definitely worth visiting again.  I have never been a big shopper or completely engrossed in the latest fashions but while you are here it is hard not to notice.  The atmosphere as we walked down the streets of Paris made me realize, once again, how teeny-tiny Vancouver is when compared to the rest of the world.  I’m not saying this is a bad thing as I am anxious to get home and just relax and live in a quiet, safe city.  It’s just a totally different world over here and even the States pale in comparison.  The culture and history is everywhere you turn and yet to the Europeans it is just a fact of life.  I hope that when my kids graduate from high school they grab a backpack and hit the road and experience Europe once again.  I hope that this trip will plant a seed in them that will make them want to open their minds up to the world as a whole.  I should have done this trip when I was just out of high school too.  I think it really opens up your eyes and puts things that you experience in life into perspective.  I am so glad we are doing this trip now, even though it can be hard sometimes.  I’m starting to cherish the months we have left on this trip rather than count them down.  Only 51/2 months left!! 

 

     

 

Normandy  - received June 10

(Written June 6th, 2005 by Steve)

 

Well, today we went to the 61st Canadian Memorial Ceremony at Juno Beach. It was very well done and all the folks (students from Canada) who work there did an excellent job. There we some Cadets there, and one military personal from the Canadian Consulate in Paris and about 4 vets. Most of the crowd was from France except for about 30-40 people from the U.S. and Canada. I am not sure if they were just passing through or came just for the Ceremony. Helen spoke to the Cadets and found out that they had to pay their own way to get to Juno Beach for that day. The vets also had to pay their own way to be there and that really bothered me. I am not going to go on and on about this, oh yes I am. How many Canadian vets are left from WW II? Could Ottawa not round up a jet and pay for a few days of a hotel and get the folks and their families over here? Just when I thought our country had its act together!  Actually I never really thought that, it just sounds nice when you’re slamming them like I am now.

Anyways, we were all given crosses and a poppy with the names of one of the soldiers that was killed on the beach that day, and told to place it on the beach somewhere.  All the names are also on a list so we were able to look up the names and learn a little about each of them.  So after the Ceremony our family went down and placed our 4 crosses together and got our Canadian flag and left it there. I don’t quite know how to explain to you what that was like, but it was very emotional. You know when things happen in your life and you relate that to when you were a kid, or you knew someone who had the same thing happen to them, like losing a loved on.  Even though we were not there during the war, we could just relate to it somehow.

Well, we met a vet named Blue and he told us that he was in the Special Services, Transport Division. He was driving the first vehicle that left the boat and he said he was also pretty sure he was the first to make it onto the beach that day. I asked if the Germans were shooting at him and his reply was “Hell yes”. He told us that it was so crazy that his vehicle went right under water but kept going and when he got to the beach there was so much fire that he had to run over his own men to get out of there.

Now, that is what I am talking about, it is impossible to relate to what he was saying. This man was very funny, extremely witty and a pleasure to listen to, but he has been through the most significant event to happen in the 20th century and he is sitting there telling my family about it. After talking to him and spending a little time with him and his son, I realized that there is so much more here than I could ever absorb, and I felt so grateful for everything this man and all the soldiers did back in the 40s, but it felt impossible to show how grateful we were. I watched Nikolas and Blue chat and I thought that if there is one day that Nikolas will never forget, it will be talking to the Canadian hero. For that I am so very glad we came here.

 

 

 

We then went up to Pegasus Bridge and walked through the Museum and looked at all the machines, weapons and a plane they had on display. This place was the place to be if you liked planes, they had a glider right out back beside the bridge. They have the actual bridge (bullet holes and all) that the British liberated back on June 6th, 1944. At dawn on that day back in 1944, 6 gliders crashed to the ground, and one landed within 45 feet of Pegasus Bridge. They blew the backs of these planes off and drove out tanks, jeeps, heavy weapons and caught the Germans off guard and liberated the first bridge on French soil. I won’t go into it, but look it up on the web; it is a very incredible story.

 

 

 I am still amazed that Canada was the 3rd largest army on the Allied side next to the British and the U.S.

That is quite remarkable considering Canada’s population was just over 10 million.

Did you know that the Normandy Invasion was planned and constructed in Quebec, Canada, I didn’t.

Now having said that, no one lost more lives than the British and the U.S, aside from the Germans. I am not sure exactly but I was told that the U.S. lost well over a million soldiers.

We went to the Omaha Cemetery after we left Pegasus Bridge, and found ourselves driving for quite a while and looking for food, and then we came to a little hotel right in front of the Cemetery where we grabbed something to eat.

Once again I cannot explain the size, the beauty or the numbers of graves that are in this resting place. It sits right atop Omaha Beach in Colleville-Sur-Mer and just like the Canadian and British, the land of the cemetery belongs to the country that liberated that section of the beach. So when you are walking in the grounds you are actually in part of the United States, just like when we were in Beny-Sur-Mer-Reviers (Canadian cemetery), we were in part of Canada. Weird eh?

The place was very busy unlike when we were the only ones at the Canadian one, so we read some of the 9,387 white marble crosses and walked the entire length.  It was surreal as we stood at one end and looked as far as you can see; the rows of crosses.  We stayed there until the cemetery closed and we had one more memorial to see.

 We were told by many people to make sure, if we see anything, to go to a place called Sainte-Mere-Eglise. If you have watched the movie The Longest Day, you will know the church where the soldier from the 101st airborne gets his parachute caught on the corner of the church. He hung there all night until dawn when the Germans saw him and shot him. We were all very tired after such an emotional day and we didn’t really want to go, but everyone said the place is full of history and to take lots of pictures. So we drove for quite awhile and got lost several times but finally found it. It was so busy that parts of the town streets had been closed off and we got re-routed. After what seemed to be a very long time, we got into the town and found parking for our 2 ton bread truck. I made sure I changed the batteries and got the camera all ready to take pictures of the town. The place is quite amazing.  They have hung a fake, plastic soldier by his parachute off the same corner on the church. Everyone in town is dressed up in military uniforms and driving old Willy jeeps, it’s quite interesting. Nikolas had asked if he could wear his camouflage army hat before we left, but we felt it might be disrespectful so we told him he could not. We show up in this town and everyone is in camouflage and let’s just say Nikolas was not happy with us. So we walk up to the church and there is the soldier dangling way up there from the roof, so I think I better start taking some pictures. I just walked away from a bank machine and went to reach for my camera just as it was falling out of my pocket. Being as quick to respond as I am (ha ha), I stuck out my foot to try and break its fall before it hit the pavement. I ended up kicking it across the sidewalk and it cracked open and then fell into a puddle.   Therefore I have no pictures of Saint-Mere-Eglise to show you. The funny thing is when I was getting ready to throw it in the garbage, I thought maybe I would check it just one more time and yup, you guessed it, it works just fine. What do you think? Divine intervention?

 

Anyways, it had been a very long emotional day and we were all really pooped out, so we headed back to Caen and called it a day.

We spent 4 full days in Normandy and I can tell you we just ran out of time, but I truly feel we will come back here one day.

 

I can’t really explain how one feels here, only to say that you need a couple of weeks to see it all. The problem with seeing so many memorials is that you kind of get burnt out, so I don’t know if you could actually stay for 2 weeks. I am so glad we came here, and everyone, including the kids, loved it. If you can ever plan to come here, do it! I understand that this place is not for everyone, but there is so much to see besides all the WW II sites. When we were driving to different sites through the huge hay fields we stopped many times to look at all the wild poppies that are growing along the road and out into the fields. I have never seen anything like it, and behind Seny-Sur Cemetery (Canadian WW II), the field was covered with them, as far as we could see.  The beaches may not have been the warmest at this time of the year but they were surprisingly beautiful with miles of white sand and beautiful cliffs.   The other thing about Normandy is the people; they are all very nice and welcoming. I have to tell you that I was surprised how nice everyone is here. The last time I was in France was in ‘84 and I can tell you that people around Paris were not too fond of tourists and would just ignore you. The only problem we had this time was when we went to the Omaha Cemetery and stopped just before the entrance at a small restaurant and hotel to eat something. We had been traveling all day and had not had a chance to eat so we went in and asked if the restaurant was open.  The owner said yes but only for waffles and cakes. We sat down and the waitress came up and asked what we would like and we asked if there was anything else but Waffles, like a soup or even just baguettes. She seemed to think it was no problem and walked back into the kitchen, and the next thing we knew, the owner comes storming out and starts yelling at us that the kitchen was closed, “only waffles I told you!” I guess you know what we all ate, waffles! After being treated like that we should have got up and left, but we had already tried some other places and they were all closed, so we stayed and ate like scolded children.  Ten minutes after we got our waffles and wolfed them down a large group came in and sat down. The owner knew one of the men and they were goofing around speaking French. I heard one of the guys (He was American) ask for some sandwiches. The owner had no problem with their order and went back into the kitchen to help make the sandwiches. That owner gal was really cranky towards us and Nikolas felt uncomfortable eating there, but we were in the middle of nowhere and still had a couple of hours to drive. We had no choice.

Other than that time, the people of Normandy and Caen have been fantastic and stuff like that can happen anywhere.

 

Some things we will never forget about Normandy and WWII. For a county that has little or no military today, Canada had a huge impact in WWII. The United States has a massive WWII campaign and had so casualties in such a short time it gives you a whole new view of WWII.

If you want to watch one of the best WWII series, watch Band of Brothers and you will be very touched. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks have done a fantastic job making this Documentary and it is a really nice tribute to the US Soldiers who gave their lives.

 

I am finishing this part from Paris, and being back in a big city makes me appreciate Normandy that much more. Nikolas said he liked it so much because it reminded him of home, but it reminded me of P.E.I. more than it did Vancouver.

 

Next stop Euro Disney, or as Danika calls it “Zero Disney!”

 

 

 

Normandy - received June 6

Caen

 (June , 05 by Steve)

So it is about 8pm and we just finished traveling from Brussels to Paris, then on to Normandy. Coming here is like being in a small town far from the sirens of the big city. Getting here was not that easy and we had a very long travel day, actually an interesting couple of days. We were in the Netherlands yesterday and decided we would rather be back in Brussels and stay there for a couple of days. So we packed up yesterday morning and drove into the city centre and pulled up to the Holiday Inn City Centre. We had already confirmed our train tickets to Paris then Normandy for Saturday so that gave us two nights in Brussels. The only problem was that there was a parliamentary meeting with a whole whack of countries to discuss France rejecting the EU membership and they were all staying in Brussels Friday night. I told Helen not to worry, we would book into the Hotel for Thursday night and something would open up and we would be able to get a room. We booked the room, went to the Train station and picked up our tickets to Paris/Normandy.  When we got back to the Hotel we found out it was now over 20 rooms oversold for Friday night. So we went back to the train station and tried to get train tickets out a day early. Are you confused yet? Well hang on, because I am only half way through. I walked the few miles to the Brussels train station and asked if they would change our tickets. They said they would change them but we would lose our reservation. What reservation? “Do I have tickets for the train or don’t I?” was the question I asked. The train ticket lady said we have tickets just not seats. So let’s just say that Nikolas and I sat on our luggage for a few hundred miles and Helen and Danika were a few cars ahead sharing one seat. You know it was not that bad, but when we got off the train in Paris we had 45 minutes to get across the city to another train station and the taxi line up was half a block long. We did get a taxi and it even took our entire luggage, but of course the driver ripped me off, but who cares we had to make the next train. We ran out of the cab and into the new station and sitting right in front of us was our next train to Normandy. At first the exchange in Paris looked like we might not be able to catch our train but somehow it all fell together and we managed to make it here to Caen, Normandy.

Let me just give you a quick note on how great this place is before I go to bed.

You see, we have quite a bit of luggage, but we make it work. Vans or wagons, two trips and usually 2 elevator trips, that’s the norm for us. Today was no different than any other day, we checked in at the Caen Holiday Inn and Helen and the kids took the first elevator up and I waited with the second load of luggage for the lift to come back down. An elderly gent was waiting for the elevator too, so I asked what floor he was going to, so I could decide who should go in first. As we went up I asked where he was from and was he here on holidays or was he here for the WW II ceremony.

You had to be here (Normandy) maybe for it to impact you like it did me. He replied, “I am from England and I came onto those beaches over there almost 61 years ago”. So here I am complaining about our little long day and getting ripped off by the taxi.

This man’s name is Stan Snow and he was in the British Special Service, part of the 51st Highland Division. He was 23 years old and was wounded for the 3rd time only 6 days before the end of the war.

 Stan has many medals for his service I am sure, he was wounded his last time by a German 88mm shell on what was his last tour. He was in the Special Service, which means he was one of the hundreds of thousands of volunteers who stormed these beaches that day. I have some more to say, but it is 2am and I have to get to sleep. One minute we are in downtown Brussels and the next in a hotel full of WW II Vets in Normandy.  Very cool.

 

(Next Day - June 4, 2005 Written by Steve)

Today we went for breakfast and I brought all of our important documents such as passports, cash, and cards in a backpack because our room does not contain a safe. I have a couple of choices; one, to hide it all under the bed or two, put it in the back pack and take it with us where ever we go. The trick is to not set the back pack down or let it out of your sight. Well, today I was getting ready to go get our rental van when I could not find the back pack. Yup, you guessed it, I left it on the floor in the restaurant and that was over an hour ago. Everything from all our cash to passports was gone and we would be in some serious trouble if I could not get it back. I raced down to the restaurant to see if it was there, but it was gone.  I was totally freaked, so I ran to the hotel lobby and asked if anyone brought one in. The gent smiled and went into the back room and brought out my pack untouched, I could have kissed the guy! Anyways we were back in action and I had just learned a very valuable lesson for the second time. So off I went and picked up our station wagon that we were going to use to drive to Paris after we were done in Normandy. They had a huge 6 speed, 9 seat 2 ton van waiting for me, so I said to them that I did not need anything that big. In the end I drove it away, so now I have something that takes up a lane and a bit and I can’t find parking for. Oh well, why not make driving a little tougher in the hardest country to drive in?

We got our van and headed off to Juno beach, where the Canadians landed in Normandy on D-Day. Did you know that they were one of the first soldiers to come on to French soil that day? The beach is quite long and all along the road for many miles all you can see is French and Canadian flags. We walked out into the bunkers and walked the beach and tried to imagine what took place in that spot 61 years ago. The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the 2nd Canadian Armored infantry Division were the first to hit the beach in Normandy on June 6th 1944. The 6th British Airborne Div and the 1st Canadian Parachute Div were also on the ground in the eastern Flank of Caen. The 82nd and the 101st Airborne (Screaming Eagles) came in past Utah beach. You know the movies Band of Brother and Saving Private Ryan?  Well, those movies are about Utah and Omaha Beaches, where the Americans came on that same day.

We then drove to the Canadian War museum that is truly a fantastic site. Eleven years ago when all the Canadian vets came back here to celebrate the 50 year anniversary of D-Day, they were very disappointed to see only a couple of Canadian flags waving and a plaque and nothing else. They went back home and put the screws to Ottawa but did not manage to get any help or backing. I guess the Liberals must have been to busy setting up the Sponsorship program. Anyway, these Vets were determined to get some kind of museum built here in Normandy for the 60th anniversary so they looked at the private sector. They had schools, large corporations and regular citizens pitching in to help raise enough to build a monument and museum. You know who the biggest sponsor was? Wal-Mart Canada. That’s right, an American company put up some major bucks to help out our vets, and it wasn’t until that happened before Ottawa threw in a token donation. The museum is out of this world, it is absolutely fantastic! If I sound like I am a little excited, it is because this place is so well done and it pays a real tribute to the 45,000 Canadians who lost their lives in WW II. As for Ottawa, well once again they should be ashamed of themselves!

I know I am not supposed to get political, but if a government is going to spend money anywhere it should be to protect its own country and take care of the folks who did it in the past.

People here hang Canadian flags from their balconies and have signs in their windows that say “Welcome Liberators”.

Did you know in WW II Canada had the 4th largest Navy in the world?

Did you know Canada, at the end of WW II, also had the 4th largest Air force?

That’s right, the 4th largest in the world! Look at us now, subs that catch fire, ships that will float but won’t run and military personal that would love to do a good job, but don’t have the tools to do it.

I am done, no more Ottawa bashing. It’s just sad, that’s all.

So after the museum we drove up to Beny-Sur-Mer-Riviers and saw the Canadian WW II Cemetery. All I can say is that you have to see it for yourself to understand how overwhelming this place is. It is the nicest Cemetery I have ever seen and so it should be. It looks over the beach of Juno from about 5 miles away. I can’t explain how you feel.  It is between feeling so very proud and so kind of guilty at the same time. I don’t know why I feel that way, but it all just seems like such a waste of young lives. It makes me think of what’s going on today in Iraq and it just seems all the more crazy. It was hard to walk past all those head stones and I was doing really well until Danika asked what all the stones were. I told her that some brave soldiers had been killed in a really bad war a long time ago. She then asked if I could read the names of the people and where they were from as we walked. I said sure and we walked down the middle of the cemetery. After reading about 6 head stones I was unable to read anymore names and she was becoming very impatient and kept asking me who was buried here. She then said “Dad, if you ever have to go to war, will you promise to try really hard to kill the bad guys, so they don’t kill you?”

I was very choked up so I walked by myself for awhile. That was not any easier, and we stayed for about an hour and then headed towards Caen.

If you’re ever able to come to this place and see this tribute to the soldiers who gave their lives, please do it. I guarantee, you will never forget it.

I know I am ranting and raving about only Canada here, but you could spend 2-3 weeks just seeing all the memorials .I realize on the first day here I really had little knowledge about what when on here back on June 6th, 1944. So basically we are trying to catch up, and we will start with our own heritage and then work our way over to the Brit’s and the U.S. You know my father saw action in WW II and has told me many, many stories about those day’s in the 40’s, but I don’t think I was listening very well. I don’t think I will let that happen again, (Ah, I can see I made you smile, eh Dad?).

 

On our second day, we went out to Cintheaux, the larger of the two Canadian Cemeteries. It was the same as the first, huge maple trees, beautifully kept gardens; only this one had 1000 more graves. We read as many head stones as we could (not out loud this time).  The ages on headstones ranged from 16 to 32, but mostly between 21 and 25. So many of those stones were dated on June 6th or 7th, and they were from every Province, Halifax to Victoria. We were the only ones there and it was kind of strange because it was the day before the 61-year anniversary ceremonies. We walked and the kids went off on their own.  Every once in a while we stopped to read a head stone. We left there and drove back to Arromanches and watched the 360 degree movie about the D – Day landings. It was all live footage and they had shots of soldiers and tanks moving down a street and then they would fade it to a colour shot of the street today. Very well done, even Nikolas thought it was excellent. We left there and walked down to the little town which was packed with people, bag pipes, vets and old army vehicles racing around. We had lunch there and then tried to drive to Colleville-sur-mer (The American cemetery) but it was too late so we headed back.

 

Tomorrow we are going back to Juno Beach and to Pegasus Bridge and then St Mere Eglise. You might know the bridge from “Saving Private Ryan” and the Church, St Mere Eglise, from the “Longest Day”. A paratrooper named Bob M. had his parachute catch on the spire of the church in the dark of night. He hung there until the light of morning when he was finally spotted by German soldiers and they shot him dead as he dangled. They have a large monument dedicated to him at the same church.

 

Talk to you soon.

 

I just want to say a special thanks to Benoit from Brugge (Crowne Plaza) who went out of his way to provide us info, book a hotel and a train for us to get here. Thank you so much Benoit, we are very grateful.

 

                       

Luxembourg

 

We drove into Luxembourg from the northern part of France. We got our passports ready but, like every other European border we have crossed, there are only buildings of what used to be and no one stopping you or checking your car. We drove into the city of Luxembourg and then realized we would rather stay in the wine region of Mosel. So we turned around and drove out of the city and headed back to the south western part of the country to a city called Remich. As we drove into the countryside we noticed more signs for American WW II cemeteries, so it makes you wonder just how many of these cemeteries there are in all of Europe. We pulled into this little riverside town and started searching for a hotel, and after half an hour of trying to find parking we decided to go for pizza. Remich is a really pretty spot and there was quite a large tour boat on the river in front of the restaurant that loaded and unloaded people every hour.

 There was an old town called Trier across the river on the German side that looked like it may be a better place to stay, so we got back into our car and took off. As we drove up the Mosel River valley, we would weave in and out of Luxembourg and Germany. The countryside was absolutely stunning and all along the river banks were huge vineyards and little houses and the odd Hotel. I have been told that this country is so small that you could miss it if you were not paying attention. It is true that you could drive this whole country in half a day, but it is about 4 times the size of Andorra so it did not seem that small to us.

 

 

The history of Luxembourg:

It begins with its founding in the year 963, when Sigefroid, County of Ardennes,, acquired the ruins of an old Roman fort called "Castellum Lucilinburhuc"  from the monks of the Abbey of St. Maximin in Trier.


Pre-1800s

The Castellum Lucilinburhuc, located on a rocky outcrop known as the Bock, was steadily enlarged and strengthened over the years, making it by the nineteenth century one of the strongest fortresses in Europe. Its formidable defences and strategic location caused it to become known as the 'Gibraltar of the North'.

Luxembourg remained an independent earldom of the Holy Roman Empire until 1354, when the emperor Charles IV elevated it to the status of duchy. In 1437 the ruling family became extinct and the castle passed briefly into Hapsburg hands, before being captured by Philip of Burgundy in 1443. With the death of Mary of Burgundy in 1482 Luxembourg returned to Hapsburg rule.

Luxembourg was annexed by Louis XIV of France in 1684, an action that caused alarm among France's neighbours and resulted in the formation of the League of Augsburg in 1686. In the ensuing war France was forced to give up the duchy, which was returned to the Hapsburgs by the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697. During this period of French rule the defences of the fortress were strengthened by the famous siege engineer Vauban. Hapsburg rule was confirmed in 1715, and Luxembourg was integrated into the Austrian Netherlands. After the French revolution Luxembourg was reconquered by France and became a departement of the Republic in 1795, a situation formalized in 1797.

1800s

It remained under French rule until the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, when it was elevated to the status of grand duchy and placed under the rule of the king of the Netherlands. However, its military value to Germany prevented it from becoming a part of the Dutch kingdom. Instead it was made a member of the German Confederation with Prussia responsible for defence. Luxembourg remained a possession of the kings of the Netherlands until the death of William III in 1890, when the grand duchy passed to the House of Nassau-Weilburg due to Salic Law.

The rebellion of Belgium against Dutch rule in 1830 had serious consequences for Luxembourg. The country declared independence in 1835, and this was recognized by the grand duke three years later. By the Treaty of London in 1839 the grand duchy was cut in two, losing more than half of its territory to the new Belgian state. The loss of its French-speaking lands left Luxembourg as a predominantly German nation, although French cultural influence remained strong. The loss of Belgian markets also caused painful economic problems for the state. Recognizing this, the grand duke integrated it into the German Zollverein in 1842. Nevertheless, Luxembourg remained an underdeveloped agrarian country for most of the century. As a result of this about one in five of the inhabitants emigrated to the United States between 1841 and 1891.

The crisis of 1867 almost resulted in war between France and Germany over the status of Luxembourg. The issue was resolved by the second Treaty of London which guaranteed the perpetual independence and neutrality of the state. The fortress walls were pulled down and the Prussian garrison was withdrawn.

WWI and WWII: German occupations

Luxembourg was conquered by Germany during World War I and remained under occupation until 1918, when it was liberated by U.S. and French troops. Two American divisions were based in the state in the years following the War. At Versailles the Belgian claim to Luxembourg was rejected and its independence reaffirmed.

The Germans returned during World War II. In 1940 the Wehrmacht attacked Luxembourg and quickly defeated its small defence force. The state was placed under military occupation until August 1942, when it was formally incorporated into the Third Reich as part of the Gau Moselland. Luxembourgers were declared to be German citizens and 13,000 were called up for military service.

This action provoked a general strike against the occupying authorities which was violently suppressed: 21 strikers were executed and hundreds more deported to concentration camps. 2,848 Luxembourgers eventually died fighting in the German army. U.S. forces again liberated Luxembourg in September 1944, although they were briefly forced to withdraw during the Battle of the Bulge. The Germans were finally expelled in January 1945. Altogether, of a pre-war population of 293,000, 5,259 Luxembourgers lost their lives during the hostilities.

United Nations

Luxembourg ended its neutrality in 1945 by becoming a charter member of the United Nations. It also became a member of the Benelux Customs Union in 1948 and of NATO in 1949. In 1957, Luxembourg became one of the six founding countries of the European Economic Community (later the European Union) and in 1999 it joined the euro currency area.

Modern history

The present sovereign is Grand Duke Henri. Henri's father, Grand Duke Jean, succeeded his mother, Grand Duchess Charlotte, on November 12, 1964. Grand Duke Jean's eldest son, Prince Henri, was appointed "Lieutenant Representant" (Hereditary Grand Duke) on March 4, 1998.

On December 24, 1999, Prime Minister Juncker announced Grand Duke Jean's decision to abdicate the throne on October 7, 2000, in favor of Prince Henri who assumed the title and constitutional duties of Grand Duke.

I am writing this From Koln, Gemany. We did drive into Trier, but did not find a place to stay, so we just kept driving until we got to Koln. We will stay here for a couple of day’s and then head to Frankfurt to meet up with some friends who are coming in to visit us.

 

 

 

GERMANY

 

 

Cologne, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Berlin, Nurmberg, Dachau, Hiedelberg, Dortmund

 

 

East Berlin

June 26, 2005

 

  (Written by Steve)

    I had some fears about driving into Berlin, the capital and largest city of Germany. I was told that the city is 4 times the size of Paris, and I had driven into Paris and was not looking forward to driving into something 4 times the size. Berlin became the capital of Germany in 1871 when the numerous independent kingdoms and principalities of Germany united to form a single nation-state (see German Unification (1871)). The city quickly developed into one of Europe’s major industrial and cultural centers and became the single most important city in Germany.  After driving through most of the city centre I was surprised at how clean it was compared to other large cities.  The buildings and infrastructure are amazing, and I was surprised at how many and how large the rows of buildings were, they just went on for miles.

 

Like most of our trip, no matter where we go, or how much I think I know, I am always blown away by the little I do know. Berlin is way nicer than I ever imagined and I don’t think I have ever seen so many trees in one city before; truly beautiful. The one thing that is a little surprising is how little colour there is here. I mean folks from Asia, India or Africa are very far and few between. I have read a few articles about the racial tensions in this city, but I did not see or witness anything that would support that theory, but we were only in Berlin for a few days. The other thing about the people here is that they are not as easy to talk to as the folks from Hamburg or Cologne. They just seemed a little more reserved, but it was definitely noticeable.

 

From 1945 until 1990 Berlin was a divided city. Following the defeat of the Nazi regime (see National Socialism) in World War II (1939-1945), the victorious Allied Powers—the United States, Britain, France, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)—divided Germany into four zones, each occupied by one of the Allied Powers. They also divided Berlin, which was in the Soviet sector, into similar zones. The Soviet-controlled sector of the city became known as East Berlin, and the Western-occupied sector became known as West Berlin. In 1949 East Berlin became the capital of the German Democratic Republic (known as East Germany), one of two successor states established in Germany after the war. That same year the capital of West Germany, the other successor state, was established in the city of Bonn. West Berlin remained an urban island surrounded by Communist East Germany. If you can hop on the net check out a map of the sectors it is really bizarre, it does not make any sense. The city became a focus of Cold War tensions between Communist countries led by the USSR and anti-Communist states led by the United States.

 

  Berlin was a divided city from1945 until 1990.

 

Brandenburg Gate Built between 1788 and 1791 in the center of Berlin, Germany, Brandenburg Gate was modeled after a Greek ceremonial arch. The Gate was sealed off in 1961 when the Berlin Wall was built to divide East and West Berlin. When the wall was torn down in 1989 Brandenburg Gate became accessible again.

 

Modern Berlin covers 883 sq km (341 sq mi). In 1920 the old city merged with 8 towns, nearly 60 villages, and a number of surrounding farms and estates to form the current city boundaries. Berlin’s city limits encompass the entire metropolitan area and include large areas of undeveloped land. Forests and farmlands cover nearly one-third of the city. From reunification until 2001, the city was divided into 23 boroughs. In an effort to make urban government more efficient, an administrative reform that took effect in 2001 reduced the number of boroughs to 12.

 

 

At the heart of Berlin lies the medieval core of the city, located along the western bank of the Spree River. To the west of the medieval city is a formal grid of streets laid out on either side of Unter den Linden, a wide central avenue stretching from east to west and flanked with double rows of linden trees. Before the postwar division of Berlin, this area, called the Mitte (city center), served as the administrative and financial center of Berlin and contained the main banks, publishing houses, large stores, the university, and government buildings. Well-known streets crossing Unter den Linden are Friedrichstrasse and Wilhelmstrasse. The former royal park known as the Tiergarten occupies the land to the west of the Mitte district.

 

Gradually the city’s residential and industrial areas grew around the city center. In the mid-19th century a dense mass of tenements was erected to the north, east, and south of the central Mitte district. Known as Mietskasernen (rent barracks), these buildings were home to members of the working class who labored in nearby industrial plants. In contrast, aristocrats and members of the middle class lived in the peripheral communities of that time (Dahlem, Grunewald, Köpenick).

 

 Wartime destruction left the historic core of the city standing amidst 26 sq km (10 sq mi) of rubble.

 

Prior to World War II, Berlin contained many imposing buildings, many of them built after 1871, when Berlin became the German national capital. Much of old Berlin was devastated during World War II by Allied bombing raids and by fierce house-to-house fighting that occurred when Soviet troops captured the city in 1945 at the end of the war. Wartime destruction left the historic core of the city standing amidst 26 sq km (10 sq mi) of rubble.

 

The victorious Allies faced a daunting task in 1945. Berlin had lost almost three-quarters of its 1.5 million residential units. During the first two months of occupation, when the USSR held full sway over all of Berlin, the Soviet Army also dismantled and removed 67 percent of Berlin’s industrial capacity.

 

After the war, the boundary between East and West Berlin was drawn through the heart of the city. In 1961 the East German government encircled West Berlin with a fortified wall that traced the boundary. This wall was known as the Berlin Wall. In the postwar redevelopment period, both East and West Berlin turned their backs on the wall and the area on either side of it, which remained a partially abandoned zone. So West Berlin was trapped in East Germany and it was almost impossible for people to get to West Berlin, again check it out on a map. It is like an island trapped in the middle of a country surrounded by barbed wire.

 

East Berlin

 

May Day Parade in East Berlin May Day (the first day in May) was an important holiday in Communist countries. It was originally designated by a meeting of socialist and labor parties in 1889 as a day to honor workers. During the time from 1949 to 1990, when East Berlin was the capital of the Communist German Democratic Republic, May Day was celebrated with festivities and parades.  The week we were here however they had one of the biggest parades in all of Europe: the St. Christophers Gay Parade.

 

For several years after 1945, East Germany paid war reparations to the USSR, thereby slowing its economic redevelopment considerably. When funds became available, East German leaders opted to focus on building housing for workers. Postwar housing construction in East Berlin often took the form of prefabricated high-rise apartment blocks that surrounded a central area containing schools, playgrounds, and shops. The largest of these, such as Marzahn on the eastern fringe of the city, housed about 100,000 people. As we walked and drove through what was once East Berlin, we were very surprised  at how beautiful the old buildings were and how many canals were on the East side.

 

Before reunification in 1990, the East German government restored some of the historic buildings on Unter den Linden, including the classical State Opera House and Saint Hedwig’s Cathedral, both built in the mid-1700s. The East German government also restored the neoclassical Brandenburg Gate, an 18th-century city gateway at the western end of Unter den Linden that has become an international symbol of the city. I am not sure what was happening with the gate when we were there, but you can’t drive though it anymore.

 

West Berlin

 

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, Berlin Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is one of Berlin’s most famous landmarks. The original church, built in the late 19th century, was almost completely destroyed during World War II (1939–1945). In 1961 a new octagonal church was completed around the remains of the old one. This structure and its adjacent hexagonal bell tower feature honeycomb patterns of stained glass.

 

As Berlin became a focus of the Cold War during the 1940s, West Berlin’s Allied protectors strove to keep the city alive. West Germany gave tax breaks to West German firms that established or maintained businesses in West Berlin or bought goods produced there, and the Western allies provided massive economic assistance. During the Cold War years, West Berlin rebuilt its infrastructure and residential areas, expanded its subway system, and constructed a major international airport.

 

The rebuilding of West Berlin was particularly dramatic in the 1960s, when the West German government and its allies made an effort to make the city a showcase for the benefits of capitalism. A new central business district was developed southwest of Tiergarten along the Kurfüstendamm and other nearby streets. Department stores, sidewalk cafes, throngs of people, and office towers brilliantly lit at night by neon signs made this district the equal of any other modern city center in the Western world.

 

United Berlin

 

Cheering the End of the Berlin Wall, a man could be seen sitting on the Berlin Wall. The divider of East and West Germany from 1961 to 1989, raises a fist and cheers the dismantling of the wall. The wall was a symbol of the Cold War—the struggle between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and its allies, which included East Germany, and the United States and its allies, which included West Germany. The Cold War dominated international relations from just after World War II (1939-1945) until the early 1990s.  If you visit, make sure you head to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, it is fantastic.

 

At the edge of Friedrichshain, next to the city center along the eastern bank of the Spree, is Alexanderplatz, a large square with restaurants and stores. Prior to unification, Alexanderplatz was the cultural center of East Berlin. Its most prominent feature is the Fernsehturm, a 365-m (1,198-ft) television tower topped by a popular revolving café. Berlin’s tallest building, the Fernsehturm was built during the 1960s in a futuristic style and has become a popular stopping point for tourists. Near the square are the Gothic-style Marienkirche (Church of Saint Mary) and the 19th-century red brick Rathaus (city hall).

 

To the north of the city center lie two working class neighborhoods: Wedding and Prenzlauer Berg. Wedding is an industrial center, while Prenzlauer Berg, which lies just east of the former Berlin Wall, houses workers as well as a growing community of artists and students. Even before unification, Prenzlauer Berg was a gathering point for artists and nonconformists dissatisfied with East German politics and society. Bullet holes from the war still scar the walls of the district’s aging tenement buildings, many of which are in a state of disrepair and neglect.

 

In the west and southwestern portions of the city, the landscape becomes more open, with grasslands, parks, and lakes dominating the scenery. Major natural features in this region include the extensive Grunewald forest and the Havel lakes, whose shores include a kilometer-long stretch of sandy beach. The Grunewald forest, which covers 32 sq km (12 sq mi) in southwestern Berlin, is a major recreational area for Berliners seeking relief from the crowded central city. North of the Grunewald are the residential neighborhoods of Charlottenberg and Spandau. Founded in the 13th century as an independent town, Spandau is best known as the site of a prison that housed Nazi war criminals. Its medieval streets remained relatively undamaged by World War II bombings.

 

In 2001 Berlin had a population of 3,382,200, far fewer than the 4.5 million who called the city home in 1942. Between 1945 and 1990, Berlin’s population diminished slightly in size. After unification, it increased by almost one-sixth. Compared to most major cities, Berlin’s population began aging after 1945. In the mid-1990s the largest age group, which made up 19 percent of the population, consisted of people between the ages of 25 and 34. The next largest group included those 65 years of age or older (16 percent of the population).

 

During the mid-1990s Berlin was home to more than 400,000 foreign citizens. Most of these immigrants came from other European countries to seek better economic conditions in Germany. More than 30 percent of Berlin’s foreigners were guest workers who came from Turkey to work at temporary jobs.

 

Protestants make up Berlin’s major religious group, with nearly 950,000 members. Roman Catholics form the next largest group at 341,000. The number of Muslims stands at 183,000. The smallest religious group is the Jewish community, which has about 11,000 members. This compares to 161,000 Jews living in Berlin in 1933. Most of the prewar Jewish population was devastated during the Holocaust of the 1930s and 1940s, when Nazi leaders organized the systematic destruction of Jewish people.

 

Following the division of the city of Berlin in 1949, the economies of the two halves of the city were integrated into their respective municipal and national economic systems. Although East Berlin constitutes only a third of the unified city and its population, it became the hub of East Germany’s commercial, financial, and transportation systems, and a huge manufacturing center.

 

Much of Berlin’s industrial capacity was destroyed during and after World War II, and the economy of West Berlin suffered again during 1948 and 1949, when the USSR blockaded West Berlin in an attempt to drive out the Western powers. Beginning in the 1950s, however, West Berlin’s economy was revitalized with a great deal of assistance from West Germany and from the United States, which provided support under the European Recovery Program (Marshall Plan). The city eventually became an important manufacturing center, producing electrical and electronic equipment and substantial quantities of machinery, metal, textiles, clothing, chemicals, printed materials, and processed food. The city also developed as a center for international finance, research, and science.

 

With the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the two halves of the city were once again physically integrated. Their economic integration began in July 1990. Of the two sections of the city, East Berlin underwent a greater economic upheaval, with many formerly state-owned businesses becoming private. United Berlin plays a significant role in international commerce. In 1995 the city exported and imported 8 million metric tons of goods.

 

Since reunification, Berlin has been forced to deal with housing shortages, growing unemployment, and strikes and demonstrations by workers. Increased taxes, reduced government subsidies, and cuts in social services resulted as the German government faced the cost of revamping East Germany’s economic system from a state-controlled to a free-market system. Despite these obstacles new businesses were thriving within a few years after reunification. I don’t know why but there were very few panhandles compared to Hamburg or Cologne.

 

After reunification, the German government decided to gradually move the federal government to Berlin from Bonn, which was the capital of West Germany, although eight federal ministries remain in Bonn. This decision to move most government offices back to Berlin precipitated a building boom in the city. It has also put severe financial pressure on the federal government due to the cost of constructing new government facilities and of transferring government offices from the former West German capital.

 

Although the city is 177 km (110 miles) from the coast, river dredging, which began in the late 1700s, and the construction of an inland port provide the city with easy access to the Baltic Sea. The city has 74 km (46 mi) of natural rivers and 72 km (45 mi) of canals. The East German government completed a ring highway around the entire city in 1979. The central railroad hub is located at Central Station in eastern Berlin. The Deutsche Reichsbahn, a suburban railroad, connects the suburbs with the central city. To facilitate trade and the movement of people, Berlin has constructed an efficient integrated system of subways, elevated train lines, buses, and trams. Berlin has three international airports, one at Tegel in the northwest of the city, another at Tempelhof south of the center (and famed for its role during the Berlin blockade that began in 1948), and yet another at Schönefeld in the south and east beyond Berlin’s city limits.

 

 

 

When the Nazis came to power in 1933 under the leadership of German dictator Adolf Hitler, they suppressed all political activities not under Nazi control and put an end to Berlin’s flourishing artistic community. Under the Nazis, Berlin became one of the world’s major centers of political and military power. Hitler and his primary architect, Albert Speer, set out to transform the city through a massive rebuilding program, but they never completed their grandiose scheme. A few Nazi buildings survive, including the Olympic Stadium, site of the 1936 Olympic Games.

 

A reminder of the brutality of the Nazi regime may be found in Berlin’s northern suburb of Sachsenhausen, the site of one of the first concentration camps in Germany, which was built in 1936. The Nazis initially constructed concentration camps as centers for confining socialists, Communists, and other political enemies. Later, they were used as death camps for Jews, Slavs, homosexuals, and other “enemies of the people.”

 

World War II

 

Bonfire of "Anti-German" Books A belief in the genetic superiority of Nordic peoples, plus a romantic tradition disdainful of rationalism, liberalism, and democracy, fueled the National Socialist, or Nazi, movement in Germany. Pictured here are German students and Nazis throwing “Jewish-Marxist” and other “anti-German” books onto a huge bonfire in Berlin’s Orpenplatz in May 1933.

 

When World War II began in 1939, the British and U.S. air forces made Berlin a focus of aerial bombardments because it was the political center of Germany. Street fighting between the Soviet and German armies at the war’s end further damaged the city. By 1945 the war had destroyed about 60 percent of the city. The historic core and government quarter were left partially standing. About 42 percent of the city’s 1.5 million houses and apartments were completely devastated, and another 31 percent were damaged. Berlin’s population was reduced to about 2.8 million from a prewar high of about 4.4 million.

 

In February 1945 the USSR, the United States, Britain, and France agreed to divide the defeated Germany into four zones of occupation. When Berlin was finally captured by Soviet troops in May 1945, it was divided into four sectors, which were jointly administered by all four nations. The Soviet sector in the eastern part of Berlin was 390 sq km (150 sq mi) in area, while the combined British, American, and French sectors in the western part of the city totaled about 480 sq km (185 sq mi) in area.

 

Following the war, tensions developed between Communist countries led by the USSR and non-Communist countries under the leadership of the United States. The former Allies were unable to agree on terms for the political and economic reunification of Germany. The USSR regarded the four-power presence in Berlin as temporary and maintained that the city belonged to the Soviet-occupied zone of Germany. The Western powers asserted that the citizens of Berlin had the right to determine their own future through a democratically elected government.

 

In June 1948 the Allied-occupied zones of Germany, including those in Berlin, adopted a new currency despite Soviet protests. In response, the USSR imposed a complete ban on overland traffic between Berlin and the zones of Germany controlled by the Allies. The USSR acted as though it intended to use the blockade to force the integration of the western sectors of Berlin with the Soviet-occupied part of Germany that surrounded the city. The Western powers, determined to preserve their sectors as non-Communist enclaves, responded with an airlift that supplied West Berlin with food and fuel for almost 11 months. The USSR eventually lifted the ban on overland travel in May 1949. In November 1949 the city was formally divided when the USSR established a separate administration in East Berlin.

 

 

The Berlin Wall

 

Here I am taking this picture of the wall in 2005 and I can tell you it felt like this thing was a fake. I mean how could it be real? When I first saw it I was surprised at how short it was, and how easy it looked to climb. What I did not know was that there were 15 metres of a void space between the wall and the rolls of barbed wire, called the death zone. The East Germans had to bring in Russian soldiers to monitor this zone and they would shoot anyone who dared to enter it. Not only did it look unbelievable, it is so hard to believe the world allowed it to happen.

You see, West Berlin was rebuilt as a showplace back in 1950 to show Western prosperity in the heart of a Communist state. The standard of living in West Berlin rose above that of East Germany and East Berlin. In June 1953 public dissatisfaction with conditions in East Berlin erupted in demonstrations that quickly spread to the rest of East Germany. Clashes with police and attacks on state offices and food stores increased, and Soviet tanks and troops arrived to restore order. Some 260 demonstrators, 116 police, and 18 Soviet soldiers died during the fighting. The government executed at least 100 civilians and imprisoned many more after the suppression of the uprising.

 

Between 1949 and 1961 about 2.7 million people left East Germany by way of West Berlin to take advantage of greater economic opportunities and political freedom. In 1961, in order to stop the outward flow of some of its most educated and well-trained citizens, East Germany unexpectedly constructed a barrier of barbed wire and concrete around West Berlin. Berliners woke on the morning of August 13 to discover their city had been cut in two. The East German government severed telephone links between East and West Berlin and halted any border crossing that did not have official approval from the government. All roads came to a dead-end at the wall (except for a few heavily guarded border crossings). The subway system was rerouted into two separate systems.

 

The newly constructed Berlin Wall angered the Western Allies, but they were unwilling to risk a major international confrontation over the issue. During the period between 1961 and 1989, at least 80 East Germans were killed trying to cross over the wall into the West, even though the book we have said 1000 people lost their lives. The book said that there were 5000 reported cases of people safely making their way to West Berlin.

 

 

When the Wall came down

 

Reunification Festivities At midnight on October 3, 1990, East Germany and West Germany officially reunified after 45 years as separate nations. Many thousands of people crowded the streets of Berlin to take part in the festivities.

 

The tensions over a divided Berlin eased toward the end of the 1960s. In 1971 the United States, Britain, France, and the USSR signed an agreement that formally resolved some basic issues. Both East and West agreed to put aside some contentious issues so that they could reach agreements on more pressing concerns. In effect, the USSR conceded that West Berlin’s political and economic ties with West Germany were valid. It also recognized the right of the United States, Britain, and France to station troops in the city. The Western powers agreed to accept that West Berlin was not legally a state of West Germany.

 

In October 1989 East Germany celebrated its 40th anniversary. But even as government officials praised their accomplishments, the country was quietly slipping into revolution. Government reforms were underway in the USSR, which was no longer willing to use military force to support the Communist regime in East Germany. Peaceful demonstrations in East Germany gained support from intellectuals, church leaders, and even some Communist Party leaders, who called for major social and economic reforms. The border with West Berlin remained closed for East Germans until November 1989, when mass demonstrations throughout East Germany forced the government to allow citizens to travel freely.

 

On November 9, 1989, as East Germany verged on collapse, a government spokesman announced during the evening news broadcast that the Berlin Wall was open. Enthusiastic citizens from all over East Germany raced to see for themselves. In spontaneous rallies during the next week they tore down large sections of the Berlin Wall using sledgehammers, ropes, and their bare hands. On October 3, 1990, East and West Germany were officially united, and Berlin became the capital. I know I watched on T.V. just like everyone else, but I still can’t believe all this actually happened. When we were in the Checkpoint Charlie museum, they showed a video of the first people to run through the barricades and enter West Berlin, it is quite moving.

 

Most Germans agreed that Berlin had to be reunited, but how to accomplish this task was far from clear. Between February and June 1990, the East and West German governments and the wartime Allies agreed to a plan for unification in what became known as the Two-Plus-Four talks. On October 3, 1990, East and West Germany were officially united, and Berlin became the capital of a restored German state. French, British, U.S., and Soviet troops formally left Berlin in 1994, marking the end of an occupation that had lasted nearly a half century.

 

Although the German people eagerly embraced reunification, the social and financial costs have been exceptionally high. In 1990 subsidies to Berlin once provided by the East and West German governments ended, forcing the city to make extensive cuts in its operating budget. Public service jobs were trimmed, and the cost of social services increased. Angry postal and construction workers went on strike. Students and teachers protested cuts in education. Large migrations into western Germany and Berlin between 1989 and 1993 by Germans and foreign asylum seekers threatened to destabilize the society.

The city of Berlin has faced many challenges during its reconstruction. First among these were the costs of moving the federal government back to Berlin. Rebuilding eastern Berlin’s infrastructure, including its transportation systems and municipal services, has also been a costly proposition. In addition, high unemployment among residents of both eastern and western Berlin has proved problematic. Some experts estimate that 25 years of effort will be needed to restore Berlin to its pre-1929 status.

 

We are driving to Prague in a day, but we would love to come back here to Berlin. I think 3 weeks would just be enough to get an idea about what this place is all about, so give yourselves enough time because there is tons to see.

 

 

 

Hamburg

 

Hamburg, city in north central Germany, on the Elbe and Alster rivers, near the North Sea. Its full name is the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. Hamburg is the second busiest seaport in Europe and a major commercial, industrial, and cultural center. Since 1937 the city has been coextensive with, and the capital of, the state of Hamburg (746 sq km/288 sq mi).

Hamburg consists of an old section on the eastern side of the Alster River, a new section on the western side, and several suburbs. The old section, which contains the heart of the commercial district, is crossed by numerous canals. Among the outstanding features of the city are the many bridges spanning the canals; Hamburg has more bridges than Amsterdam and Venice combined (over 2000). Other points of interest are the Köhlbrandbrücke, a long suspension bridge (1975) across an arm of the Elbe; the Inner Alster and the Outer Alster, lakes created by a dam at the mouth of the Alster River; the ancient ramparts, converted into a system of gardens and promenades around the old section; and the Hopfenmarkt, a large public square. Noteworthy historic buildings include the City Hall, an elaborate Renaissance-style structure completed in 1897, and the churches of Saint Peter (begun 12th century), Saint James (13th-15th century), Saint Catherine (14th-15th century), and Saint Michael (late 18th century), noted for its lofty spire. The composers Felix Mendelssohn and Johannes Brahms were born in Hamburg, and the poet and dramatist Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock is buried in the Altona section of the city.

Hamburg is the principal seaport and a major commercial center of Germany. In addition to vast accommodations for handling oceangoing vessels, the port has both rail and inland-waterway connections with much of central Europe. A large fishing fleet is based in Hamburg. The city also has great shipbuilding and repairing yards, as well as industries producing refined petroleum, chemicals, machinery, metal goods, and processed food. It is a major center of printing and publishing.

Hamburg was founded as the fortress of Hammaburg, established by Charlemagne in 808 as a defense outpost. Extending his campaign to gain converts to Christianity, Charlemagne established a church in the vicinity of the fortress in 811. The church soon became a center of Christian civilization in Northern Europe and was subject to frequent attacks by hostile people. Hamburg became an archiepiscopal see in 834, but in 847, two years after the community was sacked by the Norse, the seat of the archbishopric was transferred to nearby Bremen.

Despite destructive raids by the Danes and Slavs, Hamburg endured and, in 1189, received a charter from the Holy Roman Empire. The charter, an award for services rendered during the Third Crusade, granted the city important commercial privileges. Defensive alliances with Lübeck in 1241 and with Bremen in 1249 led to the formation of the Hanseatic League; Hamburg became one of the league's most powerful and wealthy cities. In 1529 Hamburg accepted the Reformation, and the city became a haven for Lutheran, Calvinist, and Jewish refugees of Europe. During the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), the commercial prosperity of the city declined drastically. A brief revival, spurred by the establishment of trade ties with the United States in 1783, was terminated by the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815), during which the city was occupied (1811) by the forces of Napoleon.

Reestablished as a free city after the downfall of Napoleon, Hamburg became a member of the German Confederation in 1815. The city recovered swiftly from the effects of the French occupation and continued to expand despite a destructive fire that lasted four days in 1842 and a cholera epidemic that resulted in 8605 deaths in 1892. A popular uprising in Hamburg in November 1918 heralded the overthrow of the German Empire, and for a short time (1918-1919) the city was constituted as a socialist republic. The towns of Altona, Harburg, and Wandsbek were incorporated into Hamburg in 1938.

As a submarine base and a center of the German war effort during World War II (1939-1945), Hamburg was severely damaged by Allied air raids, and many of its inhabitants were killed. It was rebuilt after the war and by the 1950s was an elegant, thriving metropolis. Population (2001 estimate) 1,715,400.

 

Hamburg, city centre

We have our very dear friends, Ron and Denise, traveling with us for the next 2 weeks and our plan is to hit Hamburg, Berlin, Prague, and maybe Heidelberg. We have spent the last few days in Hamburg enjoying the food, beer and meeting all the wonderful people. We have obviously gotten used to being treated like tourists because we think Germany is one of the friendliest places we have been in Europe. Our friends on the other hand find it a little harder and feel a little uncomfortable. The folks of Hamburg have no problem coming up to you and asking you if they can help when you are looking at a map on the street. A lot of them go out of their way to help you, and that was something we did not find in France or Spain. We feel very safe and really like this country.

Our sightseeing has included all the major sites, most of which we saw from a tour boat and double Decker sight seeing bus.

Tomorrow we leave for Berlin and we are all very excited to see this revived city. I know Berlin is going to very busy, and we will miss the laid back lifestyle of Hamburg.

Hamburg is quite a long drive if you are just passing through the south of Germany, but if you have time I would definitely recommend it.

 

 

Cologne

 

 

We have driven through most of Spain, the upper portion of France and now we’ll tackle Germany. We left Paris and headed to the tiny country of Luxembourg where we were going to crash for the night, only to get there and decide that we should continue on to Germany.

 Our first stop in Germany was Treir, but it was only for a moment because we felt good and weren’t sick of driving so we plowed on to Koln (Cologne).

The one thing that shocks you as soon as you hit Germany is the Autobahn, driving our little Peugeot bread wagon along at 130 km/h and being passed by a Porsche, or was that an Audi? The cars are going by at speeds of over 200 km an hour, so unless you have a very quick eye it is very hard to tell. We made it into the city centre of Koln (Cologne) and started looking for our hotel. The city is very busy and quite old so navigation and driving was a tad confusing. When we found our hotel it was right in the centre of town.  It was just after 9pm so we decided it might be best to just grab some food in the lobby and hit the sack. The next day we did our usual 10 mile walk and bought some food and got a new simm card for our cell phone and just walked the city until we could not walk any longer. Koln (Cologne) is very beautiful, busy and full of café’s and restaurants. There are trams running up and down the streets and bumper to bumper cars. We loved it!

We were pleasantly surprised how nice the people in Germany are, and most speak some English so life is a little easier than in France and Spain.  When we stopped to ask for directions we were helped by someone who was smiling and doing there best to speak English. I kind of feel a little guilty being here and not being able to speak German, but no one here seems to mind that much.

The Dom Cathedral is one landmark that is a must-see when visiting Koln, and we managed to visit it on the second day. This church survived WW II and that is quite remarkable considering that the city was completely leveled during the war. As you get close to the Dom you will notice many steeples and the changing roof tops of this massive structure. When you enter the cathedral, the first thing you notice is the beautiful stain glass windows that are 60 – 90 feet above you.

Of course the streets and squares that surround the church are packed with people just out for a stroll or heading to their favorite pub or restaurant.

 

(Posted on Aug 5, written by Helen)

Finally I am able to sit down and write about our travels through Germany.  We are in Belgium right now and Steve has been hounding me to write about Germany before I forget about it.  Well, I don’t think I will forget.  We had such an excellent time there.  When I look back it really was a great country to spend all that time in.   We were there for over a month and it was great no matter which area we went to.

 

From EuroDisney we drove through Luxembourg and into Germany and right away we could see a difference between France and Germany.  We saw the little Bavarian houses with the flower boxes outside each window and the cute little white shudders.  I could almost hear the “oom-pa-pa”music playing in the background.  I use to work in a German deli many years ago and I was so excited to eat all of their delicious foods. And eat I did!  I gained a lot of weight in Germany and that is probably the only negative thing I can say about it.  All that sausage and sauerkraut!  I was in heaven!  Oh, and all that great German beer.  I’m not a huge beer drinker but how can you go to Germany and not drink beer.  And their beers only come in these huge glasses or these massive steins.  The dark beer is the best and I didn’t find out until it was too late that dark beer is even more fattening than light.  Oh well, it was worth it (sort of).  To finish off with the food section we also ate a lot of potato salad with the sausages.  It is warm potato salad with an oil and vinegar dressing and lots of salt.  You also get a big basket of pretzels with your meal and the funny part about that is that when the waiter brings your basket of pretzels he just takes it off the table of the last customer.  So those people probably handled the pretzels as they picked which one they wanted and when they were done the waiter brings it over to your table.  Very bizarre.  I was very surprised that Steve (the germ-a-phobic) ate them, but he did!

 

The other thing you notice about Germany is that everyone drives a beautiful new car.  You hardly ever see an older car and they all drive either a Mercedes, a BMW or an Audi.  And they all drive really, really fast.  Sometimes as we were driving along a car would pass us so quickly that we could hardly make out the type of car it was.  We would be flying along in our little bread truck at a healthy speed of 130 km/h and the cars would make us look like we were crawling.  But in that month we did not come across one accident and we did a lot of driving.  It’s smart what they do.  They have the one left hand lane for the fast drivers and the two right hand lanes for the slower ones.  The other smart thing they do is that when there is construction on the road or heavy traffic coming up they all put on their hazard lights as they slow down to warn the cars behind them.  It works really well.

 

 

Our first stop was Cologne and it was a great city to start with because it wasn’t too big or too small and we were able to slowly get a handle on the language barrier.  We have noticed that we seem to catch on a little faster with the more places we visit.  You learn the basics very quick.  Like… Hello, Thanks, Please, Toilet, Ladies, Men’s, etc.  We also noticed that when you ask them if they speak English they say, “a little” and then all of a sudden they are able to explain directions perfectly.  It really is such a shame that we only know one language fluently when the rest of the world knows at least two.

 

 We stayed at a really nice Crowne Plaza that was conveniently located across the street from a laundry mat so we were able to get most of our laundry done.  We strolled the streets of Cologne and again it is a beautiful old city with a massive church, called The Dom, at its center.  This church, however, was the biggest, most amazing looking one we have seen.  It is black (from grime) and very Gothic and looks like it was fresh out of a scene of the Lords of the Ring trilogy.  I don’t have the facts with me but I know that it is one of the tallest in Europe and it really is staggering when you stand beside it and look up.  We got a postcard showing the church just after the war ended and it is the only thing left standing around a devastated city. It is amazing!

 

We also headed out one day to find a huge spa that was located on the other side of the river.  We walked for miles that day and it was so beautiful.  We walked through a huge park that was covered in big fields of grass and it was so nice to see family’s out playing soccer and having bar-b-ques.  Again, it reminded us of home.  A little like Stanley Park because this park was located right on the shores of the river.  They also had a spot that was filled with fine white sand right in the middle of the park.  It was hilarious because you had to pay to get in and they had beach chairs lined up and it was filled with teenagers as if they were sitting on a beach in Hawaii.  We found the spa but decided not to go in because the kids preferred to go back to the park and play on the playground.  We also took a miniature train ride around the whole park, it was cute.

 

From Cologne we headed to Frankfurt to pick up our dear friends Ron and Denise who were coming in from Vancouver to spend two weeks with us.  We were very excited because it had been a long time since anyone had come to see us from home.  My sister and her sons came to Spain in April.  We were also a little nervous because we wanted them to have a really good time because they were coming a long way (9 hour flight) for a short time.  Steve and I argued about what to do.  I thought they wanted to go somewhere hot like Venice or Greece and Steve said they wanted to see big cities.  So we saw big cities and it actually turned out really good.  Since we’re experts, we know that it’s hard to spend everyday with the same people so we were a little worried that our friends would get sick of us or get irritated with our two little kids. But we got along so well and we had such a great time with them it was really hard to see them go.  They are both so easy-going and we seemed to agree easily about where to go and what to see.  We laughed a lot, and ate a lot, and drank A LOT, and it solidified the fact that they are very special people that we hold dear to our hearts. 

 

When we squeezed everyone and all the luggage into our little truck we headed out to Hamburg for our first stop.  Hamburg is a very pretty city as it is situated on a large lake with many intercepting canals.  We stayed at the Crowne Plaza there and it was located just a short walk from the lake.  Our first day of sightseeing was a very overcast day but it was so hot and muggy I really thought I was going to melt.  There was not even a trace of a breeze blowing and my clothes stuck to me like glue.  It made me very sleepy and I hardly dragged my butt around the city.  Thank goodness we went on a boat tour and once it gathered speed we finally had some wind.  Everyone really liked Hamburg and I did too but it didn’t thrill me.  Other than the lake I didn’t find anything about it that spectacular.  That’s just my opinion though.

 

The next day we had dinner at a beer garden that was specially set up by residents of Southern Germany in order for them to show and share their food and beer that is specific to their region.  It was really great because they had row upon row of tents set up with long tables and benches set up and the place was packed.  There were a bunch of little huts that you could choose your food and wine/beer from and then you would sit and eat and listen to German folk music.  They had the full costumes on and they played the accordion and sang German songs.  It was very authentic and very packed full of people.  We laughed a lot that night because Ron was getting roughed up with everything he did.  He ordered food from one hut and sat in the seating area of another hut and the waiter gave him a bit of a hard time.  Then, because the tables were so close together, when the people behind him sat down, the one guy was so close to Ron, their backs were touching.  No matter what he did, the poor guy couldn’t catch a break, it was all very funny!  

 

 

After spending a few days there we squished everyone and all of our luggage into our little bread truck and headed to Berlin.  Poor Ron volunteered to sit in the back seat and had a mountain of luggage piled beside him.  He swore that he was comfortable but I highly doubt it.  Again, our road trip seemed to just fly by and with their wonderful company we made it to Berlin in no time. 

Berlin is a huge city and it was certainly a lot ‘prettier’ then I imagined.  It was amazing as we drove along to our hotel, the contrast between the new and the old.  Some parts of the city were all newer buildings and some parts had a combination of both, others had just older, heritage buildings.  Again, the history here is mind-boggling and we were eager to get to our hotel and start touring!

We got to the Crowne Plaza right in the city centre and were extremely disappointed with our rooms.  When Steve booked through Priority Club they told him we would have two double beds in each room.  Well, when we walked into the room there were two single beds.  They did end up setting up a cot in our bedroom but the next morning the cot was removed and we were told that we could not have four people in one room.  Well, I kind of lost it and went storming down to complain.  This is something I NEVER do and afterwards I realized why.  I felt lousy and it is definitely not worth it.  They did bring back the cot and they did apologize for the miscommunication but they were very rude to us for the rest of our stay.  We have had nothing but great experiences with both the Holiday Inn and the Crowne Plaza but there’s always one stinker in every group.  We had hoped that they would have given us a different room with bigger beds BUT, what we didn’t realize when we booked was that the city was hosting one of the biggest gay parades in the world that same weekend and 500,000 people were in the city at the same time as us.  Ha Ha!

We contemplated whether we should take the kids to the parade and decided to do it.   They have seen so much on this trip, why not a gay parade as well.  It was actually quite hilarious, outrageous, extravagant and once or twice a little sick.  But we didn’t watch for too long and right afterwards it started raining so Denise and I (and Ron) went shopping!

 

The next day we hopped on one of those double decker city tour buses and it took us all around Berlin.  When we got to the site of the Berlin Wall, we got off and walked up to the section that they have left standing.  It is quite remarkable when you stand on the East Berlin side and stare at that wall and consider what happened not that long ago.  The wall itself is not as tall as we would have guessed it to be.  When I saw the site of the twin towers in New York in December I told Steve that it probably would have impacted me a lot more if I had actually seen the towers before that fateful day.  I felt the same way about the wall.  I’ve talked to a few people that actually saw the wall and drove through it on occasion for business when it was still there.  To see what it was like then with all the guards and search lights and barbed wire and guard dogs and to see it today must be a remarkable feeling. 

The history behind the wall is documented on the western side of the wall and it has become quite a touristy place because there are merchants selling pieces of the wall in little plastic bags. 

From there we walked over to Checkpoint Charlie which was the U.S. part of Berlin and was named Charlie because it was checkpoint C.  For example, checkpoint A was called Checkpoint Alpha, b was Checkpoint Beta and so forth.  This area is also full of tourists and there is a great museum there that is a must-see.  It has pictures and documentation of the full history of the wall from before it was built to the day it came down.  The stories cover everything from attempted crossings, both successful and unsuccessful, to the stories of some of the guards that had to defend it’s border.  It was very interesting and quite disturbing. 

Outside the museum and half way down the street was an area of gravel on both sides of the street that had rows of crosses that each stood about seven feet.  On each cross was the picture of each victim of the wall with the date and area where they died while trying to cross.  The ironic part is that about three weeks after we left from there Ron had e-mailed us to tell us that he had read in the Vancouver newspaper that the city had taken all those crosses down.  We were quite surprised and still haven’t figured out the exact reason for that.

There was a lot of Berlin we did not see and that is one thing that we are noticing during our travels.  You need A LOT of time to really appreciate and truly uncover the secrets and beauties of a city with tons of history.  We just don’t have enough time and we seem to just scratch the surface of some of these amazing cities.  I guess the idea is to see a little of everything and if we want we can come back one day to the ones that interest us the most.  Berlin would definitely be one!

 

From Berlin we decided to be a bit adventurous and see Prague in the Czech Republic.  Many people that we have met have told us that it is a must-see.  So we packed up again and headed East toward our next destination with no idea what to expect.  When we got to the border it was the first time in our travels through Europe where we actually had to stop at a border crossing and show our passports.  When we drove up they asked for our passports, took them and told us to pull over and wait on the side of the road.  Well, we did that and waited for quite a while.  We were getting a little nervous when finally a guard came out, handed the passports back to Steve, smiled and walked away.  That was it.  Off we went.

As we drove into the country we started to notice that every kilometer or so there would be a little shack on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere because it was all wilderness here.  These shacks had at least two or three women sitting or standing in front of them.  At first we thought they were just roadside shops or something until we started noticing that the women were half naked and they were waving at all the cars and trucks going by.  It quickly dawned on us that they were actually prostitutes.  It was quite sad to see this and it certainly wasn’t a great first impression of this country we came to see.  We learned later that most of them are from Romania and Russia and that this started just after the fall of communism.  Interesting.

 

 

Austria

(by Helen)

 

 

 

 

I’m sitting here in our hotel room in Austria and it’s about midnight.  The window to our room is wide open because this hotel doesn’t have any air conditioning????  I just looked out the window and it is raining quite steadily.   In the distance I can see the illuminated clock face on the steeple of a 500-year old church.  Every hour I can hear the chimes announcing the passing of another hour.  Our window faces the side of a mountain and all along the base of this mountain and half way up are cute little ‘Bavarian-type’ houses.  When I look down from our window I look upon one of many little cafes that line the streets wherever you go.  We had quite a storm pass through here today and it was so cool to sit in our room with the window wide open while we listened to the booming sounds of thunder and watched the rain come pouring down.  Only an hour earlier we were on a gondola heading up to one tiny part of the Austrian Alps.  Thank goodness we came down when we did or else we may still have been stuck up there.

As soon as we drove across the border from Germany into Austria it was so evident that we were in another country.  As soon as you cross the border you head into a very long tunnel; I’m talking around 8 km.  When you finally drive out of the tunnel you see this amazing landscape of rolling green hills and huge mountains.  The most striking feature of these massive mountains is that they are covered in grass; almost like they are wrapped with green fur.  It is so different from the mountains I am use to in B.C.  They really do look like the ones you see in the movie “The Sound of Music”.  They are spectacular!

 

 

Before traveling to all these wonderful countries I’ve always had visions in my mind about what I expected the places to look like and most of the time I was wrong.  This time, however, I was right on.  Austria is this clean, fresh lovely country that is filled with lush green hills and mountains and it seems like each cute little house has white shudders on every, along with window boxes filled with colourful flowers.  The people we have met so far are so happy and friendly and it has a very comfortable, homey feel to it. 

As I said earlier we went up a gondola to the top of a mountain where we had lunch and the kids got to play on the playground beside the restaurant.  While we were sitting there admiring the fabulous view waiting for our food we noticed quite a few elderly folks coming in and sitting down.  They were all kind of dressed alike as they all wore shorts and they had hiking boots on and all of them had walking sticks that looked like ski poles in each hand.  We realized that this mountain is very popular with the locals because of its great hiking trails and all these folks were the locals that had finished their hike and were now coming in for their lunch.  And beer, I might add.  It was so great to see, as they were all in their 70’s and 80’s and they looked so fit and healthy.  I said to Steve that I could just imagine them a few years ago dressed in their shorts but with the cute little suspenders and the feathered caps as well.  Just as I said this, one of the men came in with that exact outfit on and we both starting laughing.  I said to Nikolas that I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them started yodeling but they didn’t.  That’s Swiss anyway isn’t it?  Our food came and it was delicious.  I had goulash that came with something that I’m not quite sure what it is.  It looks like a cross between pasta and egg and it comes in little clumps.  Sounds gross but it was quite good when it was smothered in with the goulash.  Steve had wiener schnitzel and was not too happy because he realized that it was veal and Steve does not eat veal.  But he ate it anyways.  The kids had soup made with beef broth with shreds of crepe mixed inside and they shared a couple of frankfurters and French fries.  The weather was so hot that even sitting on the top of this mountain under huge sun umbrellas we were scorching hot.  We hopped back on the gondola and enjoyed the ride back down the mountain, all the while, enjoying the breathtaking views. 

Just to backtrack a bit…. as we drove to the mountain we drove through Liechtenstein and Switzerland.  This little town we found in Austria called Feldrich is located right on the border of Germany (kind of), Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.  It is so cool as you drive along because you come across signs that have three countries listed on one sign and each point in a different direction.  The borders are open and a guard just stands there and waves you through.  We had our passports all ready but they never even looked at us.  We must blend in already.  The only clear give-a-way is the CDN sticker Steve put on the back of our car.   Here in Europe every car has a sticker that has a letter indicating which country they are from.  Even their license plates have the EU emblem on the left hand side with the appropriate letter designating their country.  D is for Germany, A is for Austria, CH is for Switzerland, E is for Spain, F for France, etc.  It’s fun when we are driving to see all the different letters showing us where they are all from.

Oh, there’s the bell again.  It only rang once, must be 1am.  It really is quite a haunting, spine-tingling sound.  Especially when you’re the only one up and the town looks deserted out there.

As crazy as this sounds, we just don’t have enough time.  One year sounds like a long time but to see the world properly you need way longer.  We have to leave Austria tomorrow and head back up to Frankfurt to pick up my mom.  We are all so excited to see her, especially the kids.  But spending one day in Austria is just nuts and I wish we could come back and see the rest of this amazing country.  I mean really, we have seen just a tiny speck of it and I would love to see Vienna and Salzburg.  Oh well, maybe next time!

This was a great idea to come here from Nurnburg in Germany.  Our wonderful friends Ron and Denise spent two fantastic weeks with us in Germany.  They left yesterday and we decided to get out of that city so that we wouldn’t get too depressed.  It’s really hard when we meet up with people we know.  We get very down when they leave, like my sister and her boys when they came to Spain.  I guess we really are quite lonely and when we have people with us it is such a treat.  But when they go home it is such a downer.  The best thing to do is to pack up and move on.  So that’s what we did and it was a great idea!  My list of favourites is getting a little crazy but I have to add Austria to it for sure!    

 

 

PRAGUE

 Czech Republic

 

 

 

(Written by Steve June 30, 05)

Yehaa! We made it to Prague and back alive! Why do I say that you ask?

There was a “CNN Factor” that put us on alert about traveling through this wonderful country. We were told and read about how tourists are being roughed up and are targets for thieves. As our tour guide said “That’s capitalism for you.”

Anyways, here’s how it went…

 

We left Berlin about 11am and headed out towards the Czech Republic. You know it was not until we were within about 30 km from the Czech border that I began to wonder if we needed a Visa. I read about most of the European countries we might visit and could not remember what the rule was on this country. Our friend Denise looked it up in Fodor’s and it said we could enter without a visa and stay for up to 6 months.

The drive though the lower part of East Germany was really beautiful and even though it took us all of 7 hours to make the trip, the scenery was fantastic. The one thing that is a real pain about Germany is all the detours they have. One minute we are flying down the Autobahn at around 130/h and then all of a sudden we have to exit and then we can’t seem to find our way back onto the freeway again. I am not sure why, but Germany is working on almost every freeway we drive.  Maybe it’s for the World Cup in 2006.

We did eventually make it to the border but then had to wait quite awhile to get our passports stamped.  In the end it went off without a hitch.

 

Prague (population, 1,200,000) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Other important cities include Brno (379,185), an educational and industrial center; Ostrava (319,293), a center for metallurgical industries; Plzeň (166,274), noted for its breweries; and Olomouc (103,293), a trade and industrial center. We only saw the capital city when we were there because we have to make our way back to Frankfurt to get our friends Ron and Denise to the airport in 5 days.

 

The official language in the Czech Republic is Czech, a language of the West Slavic subgroup of Slavic languages. Moravians speak a form of Czech that differs slightly from the form spoken in Bohemia. Slovaks speak Slovak, a language closely related to Czech. Members of other ethnic groups generally speak Czech in addition to their own native languages. Jiri (our tour guide) told us that Czech Republic was part of Bohemia and that the people are very different from the people of Slovakia. He also told us that since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the separation, the Slovakian economy has fallen to about 30% lower than the Czech economy.

 Back in 2002 Prague and the Czech Republic had massive flooding and it damaged most of the city and outline areas, but we saw no signs of any damage when we were there.

 

 

As mentioned before, we took a tour with a gent named Jiri who used to live and raised his family in Portland, Oregon. He took us and another couple from Brazil on a 3 hour tour throughout the city.  It was awesome. We hit all the highlights with him and then went back into the old city that evening to soak up some more of this wonderful culture. If you come here you will need at least 5 days, and if you love architecture then you might want to stay for a couple of weeks.

 

The principal religion of the Czech Republic is Christianity. Approximately 40 percent of the population is Roman Catholic. Protestant denominations account for about 3 percent of the population. Jiri, our tour guide, said that 95% of the population have Catholicism on their passports under religion but 80% of them are actually atheists.  He told us that the Jesuits forced them into religion, so now everyone rebels against it. Every little town we went through had at least one church steeple poking out of the skyline.

 

Prior to World War II (1939-1945), the country had a large Jewish population. Most of the Jews died in the Holocaust, the Nazi campaign to exterminate the Jews of Europe. There are currently between 15,000 and 18,000 Jews living in the Czech Republic; the Jewish population is centered in Prague.

 

 

During the Communist period, living standards in Czechoslovakia were among the highest in the Communist world. The reintroduction of a market economy in the early 1990s led to a decline in living standards. However, the economy has begun to recover, and most people in the Czech Republic live comfortably. Czech households typically have refrigerators, washing machines, automobiles, and televisions. Some families have a summer or weekend cottage. I have to be honest, when we first drove into this country we were greeted by a mile of Brothels and women waving and dancing along the streets. Our tour guide (Jiri again) told us that prostitution runs rampant with capitalism and these prostitutes are not from the Czech Republic. They come from Russia, Hungry and Bulgaria, and the police can’t handle or won’t handle the problem. It was quite sad to see, and it was a little shocking because it is the first thing we saw when we came into the country. Of course seeing all these women on the streets dressed for ??? gets Nikolas asking more questions about what these women are doing. Helen and I are always honest and try to talk freely with our son but we gave him a very basic answer and did not go into great detail.  We told him he wasn’t ready for that information yet and he was quite content with that.   Man, last week it was the Gay parade and now it’s Prostitution. We got through it and I hope he (Nikolas) can deal with what we discussed and not put too much thought into it. I know the kid is only 9 years old, but we have to be somewhat honest even when we really don’t want to talk about it.

 

There is currently a serious housing shortage in the Czech Republic. Most urban dwellers live in crowded apartments. Many live in high-rises that were poorly constructed. This is most likely the poorest country we been to in all of Europe. The roads, Buses and Trains remind me of when I drove through Bosnia and Serbia a few years back.

 

Pork is a staple in the Czech diet, which resembles that of Germany. Pickled cabbage and sliced, boiled dumplings called knedlíky are eaten frequently. Open-face sandwiches and frankfurters are often served at snack bars, last night I had a Deer steak and it was fantastic. Czech beer is known throughout the world and is very tasty too.

 

 

The Czech Republic suffers from many of the problems typical of advanced industrial societies. Crime has increased since 1989, and many other problems that were suppressed under Communism, such as prostitution, drug abuse, alcoholism, and juvenile delinquency have worsened as well. New problems have also emerged since the collapse of the Communist government, including corruption, organized crime, money laundering (transferring illegally obtained income through an outside party to conceal its true source), smuggling, and the development of an illegal arms trade. Discrimination against women has become more open. We have read about the rules in this City and we were very careful.  All in all we had no problems.

 

Relations among Czechs and Slovaks living in the Czech Republic are generally friendly.

Illegal immigration and the influx of refugees have troubled the Czech Republic since the end of Communist rule and the breakup of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Approximately 250,000 refugees, principally from the former Yugoslavia and parts of the former USSR, have passed through the Czech Republic annually in recent years en route to the more economically and politically stable countries of the West, including Germany.  

 

We are heading to Nurnberg tomorrow so this is our last full day in Prague. After spending most of the day in the old city, I am so glad we came and were able to see this fantastic city. We were very fortunate to see the city with a great guide. Jiri spoke great English and was very knowledgeable about his country and he knows all about the architecture, art, the people and where to and not to go. That’s what you need when you come to see a big city in just a few days; someone to show you the most interesting parts when you are on a limited time schedule.

Nikolas was a little too nervous to enjoy himself.  Seeing the street gals and being told how dangerous Prague was, did not help matters for him. We, on the other hand, really loved it and would highly recommend you ‘Czech’ this place out!

 

                                                      

 

SWEDEN  - received July 28

 

 

(Written by Steve July 24th, 2005)

 

 Sweden: A nation of tall, attractive types, famously open minded. This country is full of athletic folk, living on the edge of technology and well cared for by the state, spending their long summer days eating meatballs and listening to Abba (O.K. the last bit I took from the Lonely Planet and it might be taking it just a bit too far).

Hey, don’t get me wrong, the folks here are pretty darn good looking but we were expecting that. Take the police for example; every police car has the standard 2 officers, one guy and one gal. The guy is like some kind of WWF, 6’5” chiseled god-like creature and all the women seem to be all around 6 feet with steel blue eyes and long blonde hair. Let’s just say they both look like something from the Barbie collection, except for the Glock they have strapped to their waist.  They are very blonde and very blue eyed, and the rest of the world does not seem to have many people with both of those (natural) features.

We did our usual big city sightseeing in Stockholm, we took a hop-on hop-off tour bus around the city. The old city was like many European old towns, but without all the people. We love this city; it is so hip and beautiful that if you are coming to Scandinavia you must see it. The city lies on the Baltic Sea and if you look really hard across the water you can see Finland and Latvia?. O.K. not quite, but it is only one long ferry ride away. If we had more time we would have done it for sure.

 

Facts: Capital = Stockholm, Population = 9 million, Area 449,964 sq km, language is Swedish of course, Currency = Krona, National bird = mosquito (Just kidding) but there are some monster bugs up here.

Some other wonderful things this country has to offer are their 28 national parks, 28000kms of trekking and bike paths and ten royal castles. The Castle in the old city is where the king lives and we were told it was a must see, but we felt it was a tad over-rated. The old city on the other hand was fantastic! Narrow streets, tons of restaurants and Café’s and fully loaded with people. We have been to so many large cities in the last few months maybe we are a little tired or just a bit spoiled because we could only handle a couple of days in this city. We are glad we saw Stockholm, but all four of us would rather be back in Sundsvall if given only one choice, we really miss that great farm.

 

(Written on Day 2, July 17 2005)

So having said that, here we are; driving over 2000 km in less than 3 days and yesterday we drove 1145 km from the border, but it was soooooooooo worth it. We are staying at Anders and Gunilla’s House, actually a small 2 bedroom cottage in the back of their farm. We are 10 minutes outside of Sundsvall, 400 km above Stockholm and about 20 miles (Swedish ones) from Peter Forsberg’s home town. We are also only 10 km from the Swedish Hockey team Modo, if any of you hockey fans have heard of them.

 

The extreme distance from north to south in Sweden is about 1,575 km (about 980 mi), and from east to west about 500 km (about 310 mi). The coastline totals about 3,220 km (about 2,000 mi) in length. Sweden may be divided into six topographical regions. In the northwestern section are extensions of the Kjølen Mountains, which form part of the boundary with Norway. The highest point in the range, and the highest point in Sweden, is atop Mount Kebnekaise (2,111 m/6,926 ft).

 

The climate of northern Sweden is considerably more severe than that of the south primarily because it has higher elevations and because the mountains cut off the moderating marine influence. The average temperature in February, the coldest month, is below freezing throughout Sweden, with an average temperature range in Stockholm of -5° to -1°C (22° to 30°F). In July, the warmest month, the average temperature range is 13° to 22°C (56° to 71°F) in Stockholm The proportion of daylight hours increases in the summer and decreases in the winter as the latitude becomes more northerly. In the one-seventh of Sweden above the Arctic Circle, daylight is continuous for about two months in the summer, and continuous darkness occurs for about two months in the winter. Where we are right now in Sundsval, it does not get dark. At about 8 pm it starts to get just a little dark, but actually it stays light out all night and the sun comes out around 6 am.

 

 

Precipitation is relatively low throughout Sweden except for on the higher mountain slopes. In Stockholm the average annual precipitation is 540 mm (21 in); in Göteborg it is 790 mm (31 in). Rainfall is heaviest in the southwest and in the mountains along the Norwegian border. Most rain falls in the late summer. Heavy snows are common in central and northern Sweden. The first day we arrived (the 1145 km day) it just poured and we even had to slow down on the highway because there was so much water I was afraid our little bread wagon was going to hydro plane.

This country is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, and made up of really special people. I say this because on our way up to Sundsval we tried several times to find a bank machine that would take our bank card, but we had no luck. We were low on fuel and needed to phone our friends so we pulled into a gas station about 100 km before Stockholm. We got gas and asked if we could try our bank card, and again it would not work and we had to use our credit card. The gal at the station was closing up but stayed to allow us to use the phone. Helen asked if we could use our credit card to pay for some water and snacks and the gal said she had shut down the cash register and was now closed. She then said,” it is no problem, just take what you need”, and she would not charge us, we did not take anything, but her offer was very nice. We have met several other incredible people since we have arrived here, and so far do not want to leave. This country is a place where you would go in a fairy tale to live happily ever after. We love it!

 

 

 

I will have more to say in a few days but the internet does not exist out here in this beautiful land and you know, it is kind of nice without it. We will be heading back to London in a week so we will just soak up what we can here before we have to choke on all that technology again.

 

 

By: Helen

 

Our trip through Germany was fantastic.  As we were driving into Northern Germany towards Sweden we were reminiscing about all the wonderful memories and experiences and we were remarking how everything went so smoothly while we were there.  As we were talking I looked down at my leg and noticed something sticking out right below my left knee.  I thought it was a piece of wood or a skin tag and tried to yank it out but it wouldn’t come off.  It was the size of a large grain of rice but it was black.  As I looked closer I noticed that this “thing” was sticking out completely perpendicular to my leg and upon closer observation I noticed that it had LEGS!!!!!  I had a tick in my leg!  It was sitting there with its head burrowed into my leg and its body sticking out.  It was so shocking, I started laughing.  Then, of course, my mind went to work and all the horrible diseases that I vaguely remember reading about that are associated with ticks came crashing through my brain.  Lymme Disease, arthritis, encephalitis.  And then wasn’t there something about being very careful when you take them out; not to leave the head inside.  Needless to say I kind of panicked and told Steve to take me to a doctor or a hospital right away.  But where?  We stopped at a pharmacy but they were closed so Steve asked at a gas station and they directed us to the local hospital.  We had no idea where to go because the signs were all in German so we just started walking around and soon saw a lady and I asked her where I could go with my problem.  She was very nice as I could tell that she was on her way to her break because she had a lighter and a cigarette in her hand.  But she was kind enough to actually walk us all the way to the emergency department and it was a very long walk.  We thanked her profusely and she handed us over to another nice lady who took all my info and then brought me to the nurse’s station and explained my dilemma to them.  Fortunately they didn’t laugh too loud and they were very nice and told me not to be embarrassed because a tick can be a very serious thing.  I still felt very silly coming to Emerg for something so small but they brought me into a big room and the RN took it out with some tweezers.  She showed me the head and by now the body of the tick was like a balloon as it was full of MY blood.  The doctor, who looked about 20 years old, came in, looked at the bug, looked at my leg and told me all the symptoms I was to look out for in the next few months.  He said that they have lots of ticks in Germany but Sweden has even more.  Oh great, that’s where we were headed!  He told me that I will most likely be just fine but he made me aware of the symptoms so that if they arise I am to go to the doctor immediately for a blood test and antibiotics. They asked about our trip, typed me out a letter and sent us on our way.  Being the hypochondriac that I am I, of course, started to experience each and every one of the symptoms the doctor told me about.  After a few hours I was able to calm myself down and all the symptoms disappeared!  Oh the mind is a powerful thing! So that was my last memories of Germany and that’s too bad because I had such a great time there.  I will write more about Germany later as Steve has asked me for the tenth time to write something about Sweden so I will come back and write about Germany later.

 

Sweden

 

This is one country that I always wanted to see.  It is a place that, for some reason, I thought I would really like.  Steve had kept in contact with our friends Cecilia and Houtan from the QEII and we found out that they were going to be home in Sweden in July.

 

 It was a long way to go but we really wanted to see Sweden and more importantly we really wanted to see Cecilia and Houtan again.  We decided to head out and try our best to make it all the way to where they lived which is half way up this very large country.  We drove from Dortmund in Germany and couldn’t decide which way to go.  We had two options.  One was a bridge which linked Denmark and Sweden and the other was a ferry that linked Germany and Sweden.  The bridge of course would be more driving but we had no idea where or how to catch a ferry.  We had stopped at the airport in Hamburg to ask a question about something else when Steve decided to ask the guy at a rental car desk about ferries.  It just so happens that the guy’s mom lives in Sweden and she takes the ferry very regularly so he gave Steve all this valuable information.  We drove to the city that he told us to and found the ferry terminal and waited in a line to get to the booth only to find out that the ferry was totally booked today and the next.  It was the weekend and most people book well in advance.  The lady said that we could drive through and turn around and try and lift one of the barricades to let ourselves out because there was a huge line-up of cars behind us and we couldn’t back out.  Well, the barricade would not lift up and when Steve went walking up to the booth the lady told us to wait for a few minutes to see if we could get on.  Well, we ended up waiting for two hours and at the last minute she told us that she had one cabin left and that we could get on the ferry.  I was a little leery and very tired because it was now after 9 pm and I kept thinking about our B.C. Ferries at home and envisioning this very uncomfortable 7 hour journey.  Well!  What a surprise.  The ship was beautiful.  It looked like a mini cruise ship.  It had two floors of sleeping cabins and the main floor had a beautiful bar/lounge, a cinema, a duty free shop, a kid’s area and a huge buffet restaurant.  We were starving so we went for dinner and all your drinks are included in the price.  It was delicious.  Then we went to our cabin and it was perfect.  Two sets of bunks beds, a small desk and a small bathroom with a shower.  We showered, fell into bed and had a great sleep while the ship did the driving for Steve.  It was so smooth it felt like we were in a hotel.  Now that’s my kind of cruise!

We woke up the next morning to a wake-up call at 6:30am and went for breakfast and were off the ferry by 8am.  Highly recommended!

We drove into Sweden and noticed right away that there are Volvo’s everywhere.  Even their police cars.  The other thing we noticed is that there really are a lot of blondes in this country.  They are so blond that some of them look white.  The countryside was quite flat with rolling hills and clumps of evergreens everywhere and either a river, lake or part of the ocean around every corner.  It was beautiful.  As we drove along we noticed that unlike Germany there are very few little towns and cities along the way.  We pretty much drove through wilderness until we came to Stockholm.  We didn’t stop so we will talk more about Stockholm when and if we stop there on our way back down.

We drove for twelve hours with only a couple of short stops and everywhere we did stop the people were very, very friendly and they all spoke English very well.  We drove through some major rainstorms and some blue, sunny skies and finally made it to Sundsvall and waited for Houtan and Cecilia to come and get us.

They brought us to Cecilia’s parent’s farm and when we arrived her parents were waiting for us with smiles and handshakes.  They are such warm and wonderful people and we felt instantly comfortable and welcome in their home.  They live on the edge of a breathtaking valley and are surrounded by wilderness and farmland.  They live in a house that Cecilia’s father was born in and they were gracious enough to give us their grandmother’s cottage for us to stay in.  She use to live in it when she was still alive and it is about 10 metres from the main house.  Our little cottage is absolutely perfect.  It has two bedrooms with four beds, a bathroom with a shower, and a big bright kitchen with stove, fridge and microwave.  In one corner of the kitchen is this huge stone oven that they use to bake breads and cakes in a long time ago.  It doesn’t work anymore but it sure looks great.  We keep saying that it would be great to bake a pizza in. The cottage is so cute with its wooden windows and doors with pretty little white curtains hanging a quarter of the way down.  We are truly living in a little spot of paradise here and I understand now why Naslund wants to move back here from Vancouver!

We had picked up some pizzas on our way back so we all sat at the big wooden kitchen table and had dinner with Cecilia, Houtan and Cecilia’s mom and dad.  We had lots of wine and her parents speak a little English and we had a great first night with these incredibly wonderful people.

That night we went to bed and it was so strange because it was sooo quiet and it doesn’t get completely dark here as it is so far north.  We had a great sleep and got up the next morning to fresh country air and the kids got to pet this amazing brown horse.  It was so great to see the kids running around outside in the fresh air.  They have cats and the kids love petting them and it has just been so lovely and peaceful here.  We spent the day touring around the countryside going to the river and lake.  Nik went fishing in the river and Danika and Cecilia picked wild berries that I have never seen or eaten before.  They are so tasty and they smell fantastic.  They are about the size of a cherry pit and they look somewhat like tiny strawberries but they have a very different taste.  Danika and Nik loved them.  Cecilia taught them to string them on a piece of tall grass and eat them like they were candy necklaces.  Her dad also told us some of the history of the area as he was showing us around.  The area reminds us of home so much with all the beautiful lakes and rivers.  It resembles the Caribou country back home.  Maybe that’s why we love it here so much.  It reminds us of home!

Last night we played Texas Hold’em Poker until one in the morning and we had so much fun.  I totally suck at that game (bad poker face) but I ended up in the final two.  Me and Houtan and I think I won!  Casino !

 

Norway

 

Oslo- received July 28

 

 

There was a young couple from Oslo who packed up everything they owned and moved to a small Island named Quadra Island, off the coast of British Columbia back in the early 1900’s. They moved to Canada and this little Island to find a better life, and raise there children in a similar environment as their homeland. That young couple were my Grandparents.

My mother passed away ten years ago and she had told me many stories of growing up on Quadra Island and always compared it to Norway, so it was a place I really wanted to see.

We spent almost 8 hours in the car driving from Stockholm to get to Oslo and it was one of the toughest drives we have done in the last few months. The kids were impossible, and they just kept pushing the big buttons on our back until we exploded. We had one of those family blow outs when you stop the car and rant and rave and then feel guilty for everything you just said. We are allowed to have a break down every once and while, even though I don’t think it is real healthy.

 

 

So having said that, we were pulling into Oslo and were so excited to see some of our heritage and just get the heck out of the car.

Oslo is a beautiful port city with the nicest harbours I think I have ever seen. The city itself has also some of the nicest buildings, and at night they are all lit up, it looks spectacular. The transit system is wonderful, buses and ferries look very modern and the architecture is spectacular. So those are the good points.

Like I said, we were so looking forward to getting out of the car and walking around after such a long drive we could not wait to get there. Once we did get there, I think we would have just kept going if we did not have to stay.

The garbage, prostitution and the homeless folks were the first things we noticed.

I don’t feel threatened by the homeless or the peddlers, it is part of the landscape of any big city. The streets were filthy dirty and after a couple of wrong turns we came upon an area where there were prostitutes on every corner. I don’t know this for sure, but you get the impression that the government here just doesn’t care.  Hopefully they have some outreach programs but from what we saw it’s highly unlikely. The number of drunk or wasted people laying passed out on the main street were more that I have ever seen in any other major city.

Nikolas just kept saying “So, this is where my Great Grandparents are from?”

 I was waiting at the reception in our hotel to see if we could get a room when the gal in front of me asks the person at the front desk, “Can you recommend a good restaurant in this area”? The person at the front desk replies, “ I would not recommend any restaurants in this area.” She told her to go to the harbour area. Now I am thinking maybe this Hotel is in the wrong part of town, but the town is really not that big. We ended up staying at that hotel (Radisson SAS) and it was fine, but I was a little worried.

We did not go to any museums while in Oslo, nor did we take any guided tours so I don’t think we gave Oslo much of a chance. Maybe I was too excited to see it and we expected much more. Maybe sitting around the farm eating lingonberries and watching the horses has gone to our heads. I don’t know if anything could compare to Sweden, they were some of the nicest people we have ever met and it may have been just bad timing for us to go to Oslo. The people here in Oslo were not so friendly and did not go out of there way for tourists.  The people seemed angry and in a big hurry to get wherever they were going.  They had a much colder look to them and the city just felt edgy and kind of unsafe.

 

 

 

Oslo, capital city of Norway and seat of Oslo County (with which it is coextensive) and of Akershus County. It is on the Aker River, at the head of Oslofjorden, in the southeastern part of the country. Oslo is the largest city, leading seaport, and principal commercial, manufacturing, and cultural center of Norway. Major products include ships, electrical and electronic equipment, chemicals, textiles, processed food, wood and metal items, machinery, and printed materials. The funny thing I read was, that is Government activities and tourism are very important to the city’s economy.

 

 

 

The settlement, established as Oslo by Harald III of Norway around 1050, became the site of the royal residence about 1300. During the following century the community flourished as a trading center and port. After Oslo was destroyed by fire in 1624, it was rebuilt by Christian IV of Denmark and Norway and renamed Christiania (or Kristiania) in his honor. It did not reassume the historical name of Oslo until 1925. The city enjoyed an artistic and economic renaissance during the 19th century. From 1940 to 1945, during World War II, Oslo was occupied by German forces and suffered some damage. In 1952 the Winter Olympic Games were held here. In 1993 Oslo was the site of historic peace negotiations between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and representatives of the Israeli government. Population 773,498

I am sure this city does not represent the whole country of Norway, but it is a shame that your capital has these kinds of issues.

I know my Mom would not be happy with what I just said. I am glad we came, but I would give this city a failing grade on cleanliness and friendliness and will mostly likely not return.

 

 

Amsterdam  - received July 28

 

 

After 28 hours of traveling (17 hour ferry ride and 11 hours of driving) we arrived in the big bad city of Amsterdam. I have only heard of the liberal life style and the freedom of drug use and prostitution. I was a little nervous bringing the kids to this place especially after just seeing that lifestyle in Oslo, Norway.

We took the # 4 cable car into the city and got off at Central Station, and it was really expensive. For the 4 of us to go about 3 miles it cost about $15 bucks American.

 

 

At first glance it looked just like any other big city, jammed packed with tourists. We did not see any of the dark side, but you could smell pot in the air on every other block. We walked through the city and found an Ozzie pub restaurant place to eat. We had wings, nachos and ribs, and it was O.K. but we were distracted every once and while by a poor gent who was suffering from some mental issues and would yell at us while we ate.

Nikolas was a little nervous because he was worried the guy was going to come over and rough us up, but he would move on and yell at someone else. It was not that bad, just freaked Nik out.

 So that was dinner, and after that we walked the streets and tried to see some of the beautiful architecture and soak up some culture.

 

Amsterdam has been an important center of European cultural life since the 17th century. The city is the site of the National Academy of Art, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences, and the University of Amsterdam (1632). Its Rijksmuseum contains one of the largest collections of Dutch and Flemish paintings in the world, and its Stedelijk Museum has an extensive collection of modern works. The Van Gogh Museum includes about 800 works by 19th-century painter Vincent van Gogh in its collection. Amsterdam is also noted as the home of the renowned 17th-century painter Rembrandt; his home is now a museum. The Concert-gebouw, completed in 1883, is the home of Amsterdam's renowned orchestra. The city has numerous examples of 16th- and 17th-century architecture, as well as two historic churches: Oude Kerk (Old Church), built about 1300, and Nieuwe Kerk (New Church), built in the 15th century. The royal palace, originally built in the 17th century as the town hall, stands on a large square in the center of the city and seems to be the tourists hang out.

 

 

The whole city was under construction, I mean every street was ripped up and there was this huge back hoe tearing a huge hole into the ground. It made it very difficult to enjoy the city, but we did. We really liked the place, it had so many canals running through every block with little house boats resting along the shore.

I would not hesitate to come back here or advise anyone else to come here. It is a young back-packer’s paradise, with so many options for lodging and tons of other young back-packers from all over the world.

 

Our next stop is Belgium and then back to London.

 

York (Written Aug 5th by Steve)

 

Well we just spent 2 wonderful days in York and are packing up for another drive, this one up to Scotland. York is an old Viking trading city that was established way back in the 10th century. It is surrounded by a wall and has castles and old churches and many cafés and pubs; it is very cool. If you have any British Heritage and have not been back here, you had better get off your butt, because this place is fantastic. I can tell you that I think Britain is one of the best places in all of Europe to travel as a family, but very expensive. We went to Jorvik, which is a Viking village that was discovered and reconstructed to the way it looked back in 988AD. This place is a must- see, and you may as well spend 2 days at least, because there is a lot more than just Vikings. We also did the Ghost Hunt, which is following some guy around to different locations and he tells you one of the many ghost stories that York is also famous for. It was quite funny and spooky but we loved it and will hopefully return one day. Next stop, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

 

London again (Written Aug 4th by Steve)

 

That’s right folks we are back in London again, well not anymore, we left yesterday (Writing this from York). Not only did we leave, we drove! We drove right through the heart of the city. We went over the Westminster Bridge down through Victoria Station, past Hyde Park, the Marble Arch and kept going till we were on the mighty M1.

I’ve got to tell you that driving on the wrong side of the road is not as difficult as trying to turn a corner when your brain keeps trying to force your body into the oncoming traffic. We made it though, and yes it was extremely stressful, but I am so fortunate that everyone in the car kept yelling “Other side of the road”, I must have heard those words at least 50 times.

So what was London like for the second time? Awesome! We had a blast even with the thousands of police on the streets. The Police were on every block and in every station holding their machine guns and being extremely visible. It was a tad unnerving.

Our hotel was 4 blocks from Victoria Station and Big Ben and right across the street from The New Scotland Yard, so there was never a dull moment.

We hung out in London for 4 days and got our round the world airline tickets all booked and then left for York on Aug 3, and that’s where we are now.

 

Scotland - received August 13

                                                                                                      

(Written by Steve Aug 8)

 

  Aye, here we are in our little B&B in Inverness, the Scottish Highlands. This place is so much like Northern Canada it is remarkable. The only difference is, I can’t understand a word anyone says to me here. People are so nice and they will give you these super detailed directions, the only problem is my brain can’t understand one word from the English vocabulary. Our first stop before Scotland was Carlisle, than on to Glasgow, the only problem there was that we could not get a room for more than one night. We could not get a room in Edinburgh either so we drove up to see our friends Bill and Betty McIntosh. They live in Kirkcaldy and offered to put us up for the night but we declined because we found a room in Glenrothes instead and we didn’t want to be a burden. We hung out with Bill and Betty for the day and had a great visit with these wonderful people.  We had met them on the world cruise and had so much fun with them in the casino.  We went out for dinner with them and had a very enjoyable time; the kids were so happy to see them too.  The next day, Bill took us to the train station and we took the train into Edinburgh for the day. This day we went into the capital was the same day as the start of the Military Tattoo and their world renowned International Festival, so it was the busiest day of the year. We watched the parade and the dozens of pipe bands marching along Princess Street, it was very cool. We then went up to the Castle and had the opportunity to see the stunning Crown Jewels and then walked the streets for a couple more hours. For some reason we were all bagged by 6pm so we hopped back on the train to Kirkcaldy and spent some more time with our friends. The next day we drove from Glenrothes to St. Andrews, and we spent half a day walking around the town which is home of first golf course. We ate lunch and then hopped back in the car and drove to Dundee and then through Perth. This day was also a long one but we managed to finish the day by driving all the way up here to Inverness.

We found a wonderful little B&B called Tiobraid Arran guest House run by Margaret and Noel. If you love flowers, gardens and really nice people then you will love this little 3 star B&B. ph. ++44-1463-238361

 

 

 

(Written Aug 9 by Steve)

We spent the morning looking at St. George’s Fort (Inverness) and then we were ready to search for the Loch Ness monster. We drove along the Loch Ness and kept an eye out for the slippery creature, but he did not poke his head out today. We did however, have a nice rest down on the beaches of the Loch Ness, very nice setting with the mountains in the background. We then drove about 50 more miles until we came upon the most photographed castle in the world, The Urchart Castle. Even though it was mostly destroyed, the kids used it as a gigantic Jungle Jim. We then found our last castle for the day, the Inverlochey Castle, which really pooped us out so we headed to our B&B for some quite time before finding a place to eat. We went to Mctavish’s Restaurant for Dinner, Pipes, singing and Scottish dancing. We only participated in the eating part, but it was a blast. We then returned to our wonderful Highland B&B called The Ashburn House. This property is run by a couple by the names of Christine and Willie and they are both extremely nice and helpful. The B&B has 7 rooms for rent and we had #4 and #2. The rooms are very tastefully decorated and Breakfast was wonderful, everything you needed was available. We were in a jam for clean clothes and Christine even did a load of laundry for us. This B&B is without a doubt, one of the nicest we have ever seen and is a must if you come to St. Williams. We normally don’t recommend places to stay, but think this 5 star B&B would be a six if they had that high of a rating. Ph ++44-139770-6000

 

 

The next day we drove along Loch Ness and stopped at another castle for lunch. After we finished eating we drove down the rest of the Loch though the winding roads towards Glasgow. This stretch of highway is one of the most dangerous stretches of roads I have ever been on. It was very beautiful but the little Shrines, memorials and drive carefully signs made me think that it was a tad dangerous. We made it all the way to the south of the country and caught the ferry for Ireland.

 

 

We are just about to hit the sack, but I thought I would let you know where we are, and how wonderful this place is. Very Scottish I must say, Kilts everywhere, almost makes me want to be Scottish. I said almost!!!

 

 

If you have seen Braveheart, then you know what the hills of Scottish highlands look like, spectacular!

 

 

IRELAND

                                                                            

 Belfast, Dublin, Killarney, Dingle bay, Inch bay, Blarney and Waterford

 

 

Belfast

 We pulled into Ireland via the ferry from southern Scotland, and we did not get a great family feel right away. We spent a day taking a few pictures and walking around, but left the city the next day. Of course it rained the whole time we were here, so it was a tad depressing, never mind listening to the news. The local news kept running stories about some really ugly incidents that happened the day before we arrived. The news also said that Northern Ireland had the highest stabbing, assault and rape rate of any European Country, and that was kind of shocking.

One of my very best friends is from Belfast and on occasion he has told me about life as a young boy in Belfast. I have only driven through parts of the city, but I just kept thinking about how crumby it is for young kids to have grown up in that type of environment.  I know that when you get away from Belfast into the country and along the coast, this place is beautiful. Unfortunately we only have 5 days on this island and have made the decision to head south.

 

I am not going to write anymore because I don’t think it would be fair after being here only a short time. I will however give you a few facts about the place if you are interested.

 

1171  England first invades Ireland under English king Henry II.

1607  Beginning of the Ulster Plantation under English king James I.

1800 Act of Union is passed, uniting Great Britain and Ireland as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

1845-1850 Irish Famine causes Irish population to decrease by 2 million due to death and emigration.

1912 Irish Revolution against British rule begins.

1914 The Irish Home Rule Bill, which grants an independent parliament to Ireland, passes, though enactment is delayed until 1920.

1916 Easter Rebellion in Dublin, in which Irish nationalist forces take control of the city before being forced to surrender by British troops (April 24-April 29).

1919-1921 Irish War of Independence between Irish nationalists and British forces.

1920 Government of Ireland Act establishes six of the nine counties of Ulster as the province of Northern Ireland and grants independent parliaments to both Ireland and Northern Ireland.

1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty is signed, which ends the Irish War of Independence and grants limited freedom to Ireland (December 6).

1922 The Irish Free State is established, ending the Irish Revolution (December 6).

1922-1923 Irish Civil War between the Free State government and Irish nationalists opposed to the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

1937 Eire (formerly Irish Free State) becomes an independent member of the British Commonwealth.

1949 The Republic of Ireland becomes an independent state, separate from the British Commonwealth.

1969-1972 Terrorist activity increases in Northern Ireland.

1971 Internment (imprisonment without trial) is introduced in Northern Ireland to combat terrorism.

1972 "Bloody Sunday" - British troops shoot and kill 13 unarmed protesters in Londonderry (Derry), Northern Ireland (January 30).

1972 "Bloody Friday" - IRA detonates a number of bombs in Belfast, killing nine civilians (July 21).

1972 The parliament of Northern Ireland is suspended and the British impose direct rule over the province.

1976 Two women from Belfast, Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams, receive the Nobel Peace Prize for their work to reconcile religious communities in Northern Ireland.

1980-1981 IRA prisoners stage hunger strikes; ten die.

1993 Downing Street Declaration, which establishes a framework for peace negotiations, is issued by British and Irish prime ministers

1994 IRA calls unconditional cease-fire (August 31).

1996 IRA ends cease-fire by bombing London's Docklands district, injuring over 100 (February 9).

1996 Peace negotiations begin in Belfast (June 10). Sinn Fein (the political arm of the IRA) is barred from the negotiations, resulting in limited progress.

1997 IRA renews cease-fire (July 20); Sinn Fein joins peace negotiations (September 15).

1998 Historic Northern Ireland peace agreement reached (April 10). Accord is ratified by large majorities in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (May 22).

As of right now the IRA has agreed to the peace plan and Mr. Gerry Adams is now a Member of Parliament.

Aside from Nelson Mandela and Jimmy Carter, I have never been fond of any political leader. Listening to the people of Dublin talk about Bill Clinton, you think this country might make him a saint. I did not know that Mr. Clinton had been so instrumental in helping the folks of Ireland find peace, but the people from the south say he was.

Having said that, if you ask the people from the North of Ireland what they think about Clinton. You will be will told that Mr. Clinton only visited Catholic areas of the North. They will also tell you that Gerry Adams is a criminal and worked his way up in Sinn Fein by being involved in the hands on part of the IRA.

Confused? Me too! I really don’t know what to think so I asked our friend Ray, who just happens to be a Catholic priest. Ray told us the only reason Mr. Clinton became involved was to get the Catholic Vote in the U.S. Ah, now that kind of answers a few questions, doesn’t it?

I guessed I must of watch to much CNN because I thought things in Ireland were very peaceful these days, I guess I was wrong.

I can say one thing that is consistent through the North and the South of Ireland; these folks are the nicest people you will ever meet!

 

 Dublin

 

I can’t write too much because my spell, grammar checker has gone to bed and I am going to load this on the web without her approval, so I don’t want to get in too much trouble.

 

Dublin is one of the coolest cities I have ever been to; big, busy and full of colour. These folks are super friendly and the city itself is very beautiful and laid back. It has to be the only city in the world that has a Pub on every corner.

 

I am writing to you from another cool little town on the other side of the country called Killarney. This little town is a little too touristy for my taste, but also very nice.

I have to stop writing now, because I think the spell checker is waking up.  

 

 

 

O.K. I am back and have a few more things to say about this wonderful country. We are still in Killarney but took a little road trip today to a small fishing village on the south coast of Ireland called Dingle. This little town is packed with tourists, pubs and café’s. I can’t believe how many tourists there are in the south. Anyways we had lunch (in a pub), bought some fruit and walked around the town and then headed back to Killarney. The road you take to get to Dingle is another dangerous winding road high above the ocean. Let’s just say there is not a lot of room to move over when a semi truck is coming towards you.

You drive by a place called Inch Bay, and it is one of the nicest beaches you will ever see. The only problem is that you will freeze your butt off even in the middle of August.

We leave Killarney tomorrow for a town called Cork and home of the Blarney stone; we better kiss that thing before we move on.

 

Until then, talk to you in a wee bit.

 

 

We left our hotel in Killarney after breakfast and decided to head straight to Cork and Blarney instead of taking the famous Ring of Kerry.  This ring road takes you around the County Kerry and is supposed to be beautiful but because we already went on a drive the day before we decided to forgo it. The road to Cork is scenic as it is.  You drive through the spectacular countryside of Ireland with the patchwork of greens all the way up the hills on either side.  On these hills are hundreds of little white dots as well.  The dots, when you get closer, are the cutest little lambs and sheep.  They are all in various degrees of nakedness as some have their wool sheered off and some look naked.  They are so cute and they are everywhere! 

We finally made it to Blarney and headed straight to the Blarney Castle.  It is a very commercial and touristy place but the setting and the castle itself are actually beautiful.  You have to walk up many, many spiral stairs that get more and more narrow the higher you get.  Finally you reach the top of the castle and I was expecting a huge line-up but there were only a few people waiting.  I think the stairs scare a lot of people away and the actual maneuver you have to do to actually kiss the stone is quite strenuous.  There is a man sitting on the ground beside a small mat and you have to lie on your back and arch your back and slide down toward a gap in the wall that has a few bars placed across it in case you slip.  It certainly would be a long way down!  So it’s like you are doing a back bend and you hold on to two bars while this man holds onto you and you kiss this slab of stone that is now very smooth because of the millions of mouths that have been placed upon it.  I was surprised that my germ-a-phobic husband actually kissed it but he did!  Nikolas went next and then I did it.  Danika chickened out the first time but just before we headed down the stairs she changed her mind, with a little bribery from her father, and did it too!  It was all a lot of fun and we were very glad we did it.  We were trying to remember what it gives you, is it good luck or is it the gift of the gab?  We have to figure that one out.

 Anyway, from there we headed through Cork which is quite a large city and on to Waterford.  We just checked in to The Granville Hotel and are getting ready to check this place out.  They have a huge warehouse and retail store that makes and sells the world renowned Waterford Crystal.  Hmmm.  Could I hide a chandelier inside my luggage?????

 

 

Waterford Crystal

 

(Written by Steve, Aug 15)

So we pulled into a place called Waterford and tried to find a hotel. At first glance this place looked like kind of a hick town. We decided to come to this town because the tours come here and that is the way we have been traveling the U.K., Scotland, Ireland and Wales. What we do is, we go into a bus tour company and ask for a brochure, and then drive the exact same route and stop at the same cities. So here we are. As we pull into the downtown area we notice a big warehouse that says: Waterford Crystal. I had just said to Helen that I could not understand why the tour buses come here, and almost at that moment she replied, “ for the Crystal.” I have never heard of Waterford Crystal, but Helen assured me it was some of the most expensive Crystal in the World. So I said what any guy would, “Wooop Dee Do, and immediately thought of what a waste of money the fine china we have in our hutch was and we have never used. We got all these expensive dishes for our wedding from about 10 ladies who all pitched in and spent a couple of thousand bucks on it. I thought it was such a waste of money, we could have used it for Hockey tickets. I know, but that is just the way us guy’s think and I am terrified to eat off the stuff. The funny thing is my wife say’s it will be for special occasions, like when my boss comes over for dinner. I am Firefighter, so it’s not like I am going to have my Chief over for dinner!

O.K. where am I going with all this you ask?

Well here we are in the crystal capital of the world, and I really don’t feel like wasting our day visiting a warehouse where they make over priced glass.

Yes of course we did end up going, mostly because this town does not have a lot of options for us Holiday makers. We went in and right away I was taken back by all the Crystal. You name it, glasses, Plates, Vases, Chandeliers, and this company also makes all the Sports Trophies for the Super Bowl, PGA, and Wimbledon. I mean they had the Trophies completed for this year’s events sitting in a special show area, it was really cool.  The tour lady told us that they actually make three copies of the trophies; one for the winning player to have, one for the company to keep (Waterford) and one extra in case anything happens to the other two.   They then took us on a tour through the warehouse and we got to see them blowing, cutting and engraving the Crystal. I don’t want to sound like a sissy boy or anything, but it was unreal to see all this. They took the liquid lumps of Crystal and made these beautiful works of art, and they did it all by hand. They do everything in this place by hand, and some works take over 4 months to complete. They also told us that after it is finished, it goes to the quality control area and 25% of the works are destroyed. I am not buying this part, I’m sure they sell them off to some Chinese distribution company, but they do claim to not have one flawed creation out there.

 

Wales

 

(Written by Helen, Aug 17)

 

Wow, what a great day!  We have just come ‘home’ from our day spent touring Cardiff and its surrounding areas with Father Ray O’Shea. 

Yesterday we took a catamaran across from Ireland to Wales that took about 2 hours and then had a very long drive from the ferry terminal to our hotel in Cardiff.  It took 2 hours and that was a lot longer than the 20 minutes we were told by the reservation staff when we made our reservation for the hotel.  Anyway, we made it and arrived after 11pm to a very old stinky room.  The air conditioning system was not working and the room smelled really bad.  We were so tired we just crashed and the next morning we cancelled our two other nights and changed over to the Holiday Inn that was right in the city centre.  It was a much nicer hotel and it had air conditioning and the room was much cleaner and bigger so we were happy.  We were even happier when we finally found a launderette and handed in our huge load of dirty clothes that were just starting to ferment.

That evening we met up with Father O’Shea and let me tell you it was really great to see him.  He looks fantastic!  The last time we actually saw him was the night he had his heart attack.  He actually told us that he saw us at the night market in Hong Kong that night and literally 5 minutes later he started having his problems.  We were so happy to see him and he was extremely warm and gracious to us.  The kids were very excited to see him, especially Nikolas.  He took us back to his home which is located right beside the parish where he works as an assistant.  He is now retired.  He showed us around and we settled in his study where the kids had a blast looking at all the wonderful things Father O’Shea has collected throughout the years.  Nikolas said that it was like a museum in there.

That first night we went down the street to a great little Italian restaurant and had a fantastic meal.  We talked and laughed and reminisced about our days aboard the old QEII.  The food and company were great!!

 

The next morning we woke up to a glorious sunny day which apparently isn’t the norm here in Wales.  We headed back over to Father O’Shea’s house and we all squeezed into his cute little “sports” car.  He loves to drive and since Steve has been driving for thousands of km’s in the last few days he was more than willing to hand over the honours.  Father O’Shea had a few ideas for the day and on the way to our first stop we made a detour and decided to visit a place called Llancaiach Fawr Manor.

 

 

This manor was built on the site of an earlier medieval dwelling in the heart of historic Rhymney Valley in South Wales.  It is a Tudor Manor House with gardens and when you step inside you are transported back to the year 1645.  The servants of the owner of the manor offer a warm welcome and are dressed in period costume and speak in 17th-century English.  They offer a very vivid and humorous portrayal of their life and that of their gentry masters.  It is a great experience and is highly recommended!  The manor was constructed for the Prichard family and it was built to be defended.  The walls are 1.2 metres thick and access between floors was by stairs inside the walls.  The entire house could be divided in two if attacked and only those in the secure east wing had access to the toilet tower. 

The tour takes you to different areas of the manor and in each of these rooms there is a ‘servant’ there acting his or her part telling you what life was like in that era.  They are very funny and often ask the tourists questions to get them involved.  You visit the kitchen, the servant’s hall, the great hall where King Charles I dined in August 1645, the parlour, the master’s bed chamber and Colonel Prichard’s study.  When we entered the bed chamber we noticed that the bed was very short.  We soon found out that it was because the gentryfolk slept half sitting up due to a superstition.  The belief was that if the Angel of Death passed by in the night and saw you lying down asleep he would think that you were ready to die.  To fool him, they would sleep sitting up.  Very bizarre!  It was a very educational and entertaining experience and the kids just loved it!

 

From the manor we drove the breathtaking countryside of Wales and admired the spectacular scenery.  We drove through a few quaint little towns and finally found a fish and chip stand where we bought our lunch.  Father O’Shea drove us out to the hills and we parked the car and ate our lunch as we watched some beautiful horses chase each other across the scenic hills.  It was wonderful.

 

From there we headed to our original destination.  The Big Pit.  It is the National Mining Museum of Wales and is a real coal mine and one of the U.K.’s leading mining museums.  I had decided at the start of the day that I was not going participate in this part of our day.  I am a little claustrophobic so I thought I would sit this one out.  When we got there I changed my mind and boy, am I glad I did.  It was an amazing experience.  Big Pit stands on the edge of Blaenafon; a town that played a vital part in the industrial revolution.   Big Pit was a running coal mine for many years until it closed in 1980.  Three years later it opened up as a museum and all the tour guides are actual miners.  When you arrive you are given a hard hat with a light attached at the front and a belt that holds the battery and a portable gas mask in case there is a fire when you are down there.  It is all quite serious yet at the same time the men are very jovial and are bantering amongst themselves and with all the tourists.  When they found out I was nervous they promised me that they would have me crying by the time the tour was over; more from laughter than anything. 

Next, they ask you to remove all substances that could cause a spark such as matches, lighters, cameras, cell phones, watches and keys.  At first I thought he was joking but sure enough, everyone handed it over and he placed them all in a big bag and locked it in a locker.  At this point I started to get just a little concerned.  We then got herded into a cage and the doors closed and you slowly descend into the earth.  Immediately you feel the change in temperature as the air grows colder and damper.  Some water actually drips into the cage and you can hear and see the water running down the walls of the shaft.  You keep going and going until we finally reach the bottom.  That’s 300 FEET UNDERGROUND!!!!! You get out and your miner takes you on an hour tour of the coal face.  It is so incredible to be in there and actually feel what it was like for the thousands of men who worked there.  What a strenuous and dangerous job!  As you tour the mine you walk down another 100 feet and sometimes you have to bend over quite far to get through the eerie tunnels. And there are tunnels everywhere.

 

 

 

So if you can picture it.  You are walking along in a tunnel that is held up by pieces of wood that look like they are hundreds of years old.  The path is wet and slippery, it is pitch black except for the lights on our hats and I found myself listening for any cracking sounds or explosions (there goes that imagination of mine again).  At one point, as the miner explains to us that kids as young as six worked down in the mines, he asks us all to turn off our lights and envision what it must have been like for those kids.  Their jobs at that age were to man the doors.  It was very important that the doors were opened when the coal or men were making there way through the tunnels, but more importantly, it was imperative that the doors be closed behind them as well.  That was the job of the children and the miner told us that for most of the day the kids would sit there in the pitch black and wait.  He said that there would be rats scurrying about their legs and big beetles would fall from the ceilings all while they were in the pitch black.  No thanks!!!!  If Nikolas complains ever again about making his bed I’m going to remind him of this story.  Never mind, if I ever complain about my job ever again, I will think of this story! 

Anyways, he takes you along and explains all the machinery and how they bore holes into the walls.  He showed us the stables where the horses were kept.  He explained to us how some men, himself included, had to work in holes that were less than 2 feet high and how they were usually sitting in water up to their waists.  The stories were amazing and he told us that the camaraderie amongst the men was very strong and I can surely see why.  If you are ever in the area, this museum is a must-see.  Nikolas thoroughly enjoyed it and because Steve’s dad used to work in a coal mine I think Nik has a new found respect for him. 

 

Father O’Shea told us some sad stories about the history of the coal mines in Wales.  He told us that in Sengenydd they had the worst mining disaster in all of Great Britain.  It happened around 1912 and tragically, 343 miners died when a spark from one of their modes of communication caused a massive explosion.  He also told us that in Aberfan, a slurry tip collapsed after severe rains onto a primary school just after 9am in Nov. of about 1968.  143 people died in that tragedy and over 100 of them were children. 

 

From Big Pit we took a drive up to the top of the mountain and had a spectacular view of the valley below.  Along the way we encountered some very cute sheep and lamb and it was truly beautiful. 

 

As we headed for home we stopped at a wonderful park called Roath Park.  It is right in the middle of Cardiff and it reminded us of Stanley Park back home.  The kids got to play on the huge playground and we took a stroll through the impressive rose garden.  There is a large man-made lake in the middle of the park and it was lovely to see all the row boats and swans floating along.  A quick drive to the Cardiff Bay area with its grand new opera house and hip dockside and finally we pulled into Father O’Shea’s garage. 

To top off this fantastic day we ordered Chinese Take-out and enjoyed another delicious meal with our wonderful host.

Thank you so much for an extraordinary tour of your incredible city Father O’Shea.  We look forward to seeing you one day in our little part of the world!!!!    

 

            

SOUTH AFRICA

 Kruger National Park

 Last days in South Africa

 

(Written by Steve; Kruger, Sept. 8, 05)

Well, I can only tell you that South Africa is one of the most wonderful places you could ever visit. I am writing this from Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp in Kruger National Park, and we have just completed 6 magical days in 4 different camps. We drove 3780 km in the last 3 weeks and that might have been a bit much, but if you come here, Kruger is a must. The camps we stayed in have been fine, Skukuza Rest Camp is exceptional. The others are about the same as a 2 star hotel and have no mosquito nets. The malaria is quite active in Kruger and we brought Malarone but decided not to take it. All the huts have mosquito screens, but some have holes big enough to stick your thumb through. This is our last day in the park before we head to Johannesburg so hopefullly we make it one more day without getting bit. That is the only down side of Kruger, but the upsides are huge, let me tell you. The other day we drove up on a Lion sitting a hundred feet from our car. Then we noticed another Lion running right beside our car, and then we looked up and there were 5 lions and 3 cubs blocking the road. I can only tell you that when you see a lion in the wild (and a really big one) and you have your family in the car, you don’t know if you should drive away in fear or stay. We decided to stay and the show was spectacular, and very surreal.

The lions played around right in the middle of the road and cars backed up in both directions, I guess this what you would call a Kruger traffic jam.

 We got through the lion road block and had only been driving for about ten minutes when we spotted a Cheetah sitting right on the side of the road. Then 3 massive giraffes came out of the trees and stared at us, we had to stop while they looked down at us. Not much further down the road we stopped to watch about 200 Zebra munch on the long grass, we rolled our windows down and we could hear every sound. That was 3 days ago, and now we have fallen in love with this place, it is very magical and only the pictures will help you understand. I hope when you look at the pictures, it will convince you to come to Africa and see the super natural animals with your own eyes.

If you come to South Africa try your best to go see Cape Town, it is so beautiful, like no city I have ever seen.

Yes, everyone will tell you how dangerous it is, and most of that is true. When you travel here you must follow the rules and just always be prepared, like I said before it is a totally different way of life here. We came to South Africa with our 2 kids (aged 5 and 10) and I was very aware of the dangers, but I would bring us all back here in a heart beat.

 

The main thing is never travel at night, and if you must then don’t stop at stop signs or red lights, slowly drive through them. The big thing is; try to stay out of the city centres. Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban are all big cities, and if you don’t have to go into those cities at night it is best to stay out. You see, there is a lot of poverty here, many informal towns are built right on the edge of the bigger cities and the folks that live in those towns are really struggling. That was the toughest thing for me, seeing all those folks living in tin, plywood shacks. I could not understand how the government would allow people to live like that and then we drove across the country and I now understand. These informal towns are everywhere and house thousands of people, including many children, it is so sad. The more we drove the more we saw and I now understand that the Government has too many people to help. The ANC and Mandela must have promised the world when it ran against De Klerk in the first ever elections where black South Africans were allowed to vote. Then the ANC took over and started to make good on their promises, but you can clearly see there is a big problem. So many people, so few houses and jobs; how in the world could you ever turn the tide. Yes, there is affirmative action and slowly change is taking place, but the number of people to help is enormous and I personally don’t see how things can change much from here. So when you hear how dangerous it is here, you must understand that you have people living up in the hills in a plywood box with a dirt floor and no job. They have nothing to lose if they decide to go into the city and rip someone off and it is just one of the ways South Africa is evolving. The crime here is very violent and increasing more and more each year, and is due to the number of folks living in poverty.

I am not slamming this country, I really love it! I am just trying to give you an idea of what the problems here are and why some might tell you how dangerous it is.

The people of South Africa are wonderful and will go out of their way to help you if they can. We have met so many nice people traveling across the country that we will be sad to leave. The roads and highways are not the best, but we drove coast to coast and from the southern to the Northern tip with little problems.

 

(PS, Johannesburg Sept. 9, 05)

We drove out of Berg-En-Dal and were close to the Malelane Gate when 3 massive Rhinos crossed the road right by our car. Our hearts were pounding as these things could have charged us at any second.  Nikolas was yelling for me to drive away, but I stayed just long enough for a few pictures. Wow!

The drive to Johannesburg was anti-climatic, but the “High-jacking hotspot” signs every 50 km were kind of freaky.

All in all we had a great time in South Africa.  It is a place I will dream about coming back to for the rest of my life.

* Update – A Southern town (George) that we stopped in on our way down from Aquila has been quarantined. It appears the town has come   down with a case of Typhoid Fever and they are trying to stop the spread of it. I contacted my Doctor back in Canada and he told me I must of caught a water born bacteria and that is why I was so ill in Addo. Thankfully the rest of my family did not get it, as I have never been that sick in my life. I lost over 15 pounds in the last few days and still feel very weak, but getting stronger and am starting to get my appetite back.

 

(Written by Helen, Kruger Sept 7 2005)

This country has it all.  The beaches, the mountains, the wildlife, it is all so spectacular.  The only problem, and it’s a huge one, is the crime.  I really don’t want to dwell on it too much but it really is a huge shame that safety is such an issue.  I know it’s because we are not accustomed to living like this but I really don’t think that I could ever get use to it.  There are bars on just about every window.  There are LOTS of houses that have very tall fences around their property AND on top of these fences are either barbed wire, electrical wires or razors sticking up.  It really takes away from that homey feeling.  When we went for dinner in a suburb of Cape Town we were shocked to find the door of the restaurant locked.  When the owner saw who was at the door, he unlocked it and let us in.  Very bizarre.   By no means am I in the position to accurately describe what is happening here but personally I can feel a heavy tension between the different races.  Some of the shanty towns are horrendous looking and you really have to wonder if there is a solution for all this poverty.   There has to be.

 

So, after saying all that, we drove from Cape Town all the way to Kruger National Park.  Surprise, surprise, I was very nervous about the whole idea of driving through South Africa because I had heard from many people that it was extremely dangerous.  I have lost count of the number of times I have heard the story of the family driving along and getting car jacked and the dad getting shot in front of everyone.  That was constantly on my mind as we drove through town after town.  We were certainly the minority and it was very interesting to be stared at like we were animals in a zoo.  Every time we drove through a town a lot of the folks would stare at us as we drove by.  Once, Steve took a wrong turn and we drove into a settlement that we most certainly should not have been in.  Even the little kids were laughing at us as we hurriedly turned the car around and got out of there damn quick. 

 

The roads were also a bit of a problem.  Some even turned into dirt roads for a few kilometers.  The major highway is usually a one way road with many potholes but the scenery of the countryside is really a treat.  Because of our anxiety over safety we questioned whether it would have been better to travel by train to Kruger but in hindsight (now that we make it alive) we are very happy we did it.  They were some long drives though!

 

From Tsitsikamma we drove for over 9 hours heading north towards Golden Gate Highland National Park.  During those long hours our kids were incredible.  They no longer whine or complain about the trip, they just settle in and keep themselves amused.  We listen to the same CD’s over and over.  The poor kids know every 60’s and 70’s song ever recorded because we have a 5 CD set that we play all the time.  The cool thing is that they like the songs and in return we really like Nik’s choice of music as well.  We listen to his Grammy Nominations 2004 CD and his Green Day CD.  There are certain songs that will undoubtedly remind us of our car travels and we will always smile, I’m sure, when we hear them in the future.  The kids play with their GameBoys’ for a few hours.  Sometimes they watch a movie on the laptop, sometimes we just sing; sometimes we throw math multiplication questions at NikDanika has actually absorbed through osmosis and knows some of her multiplication as well.  Just a few though.  Sometimes the kids fight, sometimes we yell and threaten to pull over, sometimes we laugh hysterically when someone says something funny.  Sometimes I want to jump out of the car and run as fast as I can to some peace and quiet.  (Those are very rare occasions, I assure you).  

 

Our car has become a little rancid as well.  It’s been a while since we’ve hit a laundry mat and our clothes are simmering in the back seat of the car in the sweltering sunshine.  Also, just outside of the first gate into Kruger, we bought a bunch of African art and a couple of the masks smell really bad.  We think they have the same substance that they put on railway ties.  I don’t know the name of it but it makes the wood black and it smells similar to kerosene.  It has permeated the upholstery of the car and I feel sorry for the poor souls who rent the car after we’re through with it.  Never mind Nikolas’s interesting smelling socks.  (I told him I wouldn’t embarrass him so I wrote “interesting”).  So to summarize, there are days when it feels like we are filming an episode of the movie “National Lampoon’s Vacation” and then there are days when I have to pinch myself to realize that I am actually on safari in South Africa!

 

When we reached Golden Gate Park we were very pleasantly surprised.  It’s really hard for me to describe landscape because I don’t have enough adjectives in my vocabulary to give them credit.  The area reminded us so much of Arizona and the Grand Canyon.  I’m going to quote from their brochure because it really does a great job at describing what it’s like.  “Nestled in the rolling foothills of the Maluti Mountains of the north-eastern Free State lies the Golden Gate Highlands National Park.  This is true highland habitat, home to a variety of mammals…….and birds……which breed on the ledges in the sandstone cliffs.  Generaalskop, the highest point in the park, reveals a breathtaking tapestry of red, yellow and purple hues as its warm shades merge with the cool mountain shadows towards evening.  The park derives its name from the brilliant shades of gold cast by the sun on the park’s sandstone cliffs, especially the imposing Brandwag rock, keeping vigil over the main restcamp.”   This towering rock is lit up at night and is so impressive to see.  We got in quite late and just dropped our stuff off in our cabin and headed to a nearby hotel where we had a delicious buffet dinner. 

 

 

Our cabin was very cute.  It was quite large with a kitchen and a double bed and bathroom on the main floor.  Up a metal ladder brought you to the loft which held two single beds, perfect for the kids.  Because we were up in the mountains it got very cold at night and there was a heater in the cabin and we turned it on.  Well, there must have been something terribly wrong with it because the smell was truly unbearable.  The only problem was that if we turned it off, we would have froze to death, so it had to stay on.  I had the worst sleep ever.  I kept waking up with a feeling like I was being choked to death but then I would realize that it was the smell!   The worst part was that all our beds had electric blankets under all the sheets and Steve was the only one who realized this and he had a great sleep!  I was very happy to check-out the next morning even if it was at 7am. 

 

We drove for another 9 hours and finally made it to Kruger National Park.  The park was established in 1898 and stretches for 350km from south to north along the Mozambiquan border.  We entered the park at the Paul Kruger Gate.  There are at least 8 different gates located at different locations around the periphery of the park.  Each gate has a huge hut and you have to check in before 6pm or the gate will be closed until the next day.  So it was imperative that we made it on time or we would have been out of luck for accommodations for the night.

 

 

Our first camp that we were staying at was called Skukuza and once you pass through the main gate into the park you are driving your car as a safari.  The speed limit is 50km/h on the paved roads within the park and 40 on the gravel roads.  The roads leading from camp to camp are all paved and with the slow speeds it takes you hours to get from one camp to the other.  When you get to your camp you drive through another gate and the camp itself is fenced off from the rest of the park with electrical fencing.  Once you get inside the camp it is safe to walk around.  You head to the reception area and you check-in and they give you your key and directions to your cabin.  The camps have a variety of accommodations:  tent and camper sites, cabins and guest houses.   They are all very basic and most have thatched roofs and a ‘camping”-like atmosphere.  They all have a basic BBQ pit out front and some have kitchens outside as well.  In Kruger they all have air-conditioning because it is really warm here.  It’s their winter but during the day it has been over 35 degrees outside.  I can’t imagine how hot it must get in the summer.  The cabins have been rustic and fun but I’m disappointed in myself because I am missing the luxuries of a hotel.  After a while I get tired of being dusty and dirty all the time.  And the insect repellent is sticky and not that great smelling.

 

That leads me to a very funny story.  If you can picture in your mind, our family, terrified of getting malaria, preparing to exit the cabin our first night in Kruger.  So far, all the camps before Kruger have been malaria-free so we haven’t had to worry about protection.  After talking to numerous people we decided against taking the malaria pills.  We were even told that the GP that works as the only doctor in the whole park (along with his brother) told friends of ours that it’s not necessary at this time of the year.  Everyone that we have talked to have told us to just be careful and use lots of repellent and keep covered and don’t stay out when the sun goes down.  So it’s our first night in Kruger and the process begins.

 First we started with the “Off Skintastic” with Deet that I brought from home.  I made the mistake of letting Steve put the lotion on Nikolas and he didn’t realize that it was ‘fun’ disappearing purple lotion especially for kids.  The trick that Steve failed to figure out was that you had to rub it in until the purple colour faded away.  Unfortunately I didn’t get a good look at Nik until we had sat down for supper at the fancy restaurant when I gasped because he looked like he had been beaten by a baseball bat.  His face had huge purple “bruises” all over it and I quickly rushed over to him and rubbed the lotion in before the staff called African social services on us.  Thank goodness I had done Danika instead of Steve.

After the “Off” we had our kids put on all of the necessary clothes that they had to wear:  long-sleeved shirts, long cotton pants, socks and runners.  We then took a can of “Peaceful Sleep” which is an insect repellent and had the kids hold their breath and we sprayed them from top to bottom.  Then we took the bottle of citronella oil that a nice lady had given us and we dabbed the oil on all the exposed areas of skin that we could find.  We did this to ourselves as well and I’m not exaggerating when I say that when we opened the door to our cabin, a huge plume of insect repellent wafted from our door as we stepped out into the night.  We must have looked like a bunch of complete idiots because as soon as we stepped outside it was like the occupants of the ten cabins surrounding us stopped what they were doing and just stared at us.  Let me remind you that it is still very hot outside even though the sun had just gone down.  Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE was outside in their shorts and tank tops and flip flops having a BBQ outside.  We were dressed like we were on our way to a ski hill.  I even had my fleece jacket zipped up to my chin.  How embarrassing!  But we trudged to the car and drove to the camp restaurant with Danika exclaiming, “I’m hot!” all the way there.  Crazy Canadians!  Even as I sit here in our cabin and write this, any tickle or flying fluff I feel or see makes we jump.  It’s amazing that such a tiny little insect could cause such stress.  Never mind, it’s amazing that such a tiny little insect could cause such a terrible disease.  I pray that we will be fine.

 

I’m almost done and I haven’t written a word about the animals that we have seen.  The reason for this is that I truly believe that a picture says a thousand words and we have thousands of pictures of the animals we have seen and I highly recommend you take a look at them instead of me writing about them.  All I can say is that the thrill of seeing these amazing creatures before your very eyes is an experience that you must experience if just once in your life. When we come across an animal we all stop talking immediately and you can hear each of us gasp as we come within a few feet of elephants, giraffe, zebras and lions.  As they walk across the road right in front of your car you get a true sense of their beauty, size and strength.  It is a magnificent sensation and it makes you feel both fear and excitement.  I will never forget what we saw on this trip and am so glad we decided to come to South Africa after all. 

  

From Skukuza we drove the next morning to Satara Restcamp and like I said, on the way, we saw a ton of animals.  Satara was a little farther north and we were told that the mosquitoes were a little worse the farther north you go so we were extra vigilant.  Our cabin was a little smaller than the one in Skukuza but we managed just fine. 

 

From Satara we headed south again and made our way to Lower Sabie Restcamp.  This one was our favourite because the restaurant and bar looked out over a river and from the terrace you could watch the hippos and the crocs frolic in the water while you ate.  It was quite a sight.  We had to change cabins here because Steve found two mosquitoes in one of the bedrooms of a guesthouse that they had for us.  Some of the screens on the windows had holes in them so Steve said we wanted another cabin.  We ended up getting two that were joined and me and Dani had one side and Nik and Steve had the other.  It turned out just fine and the next morning we headed to the camp we are at now.  On our way we drove through a camp called Crocodile Bridge but we didn’t see any crocs.  We actually drove out of Kruger to find a bank machine in a town nearby because the ones in the park weren’t working for a few days.  We drove to a town right on the Mozambique border and then headed to another gate farther west.  We are now in a camp called Berg-en-Dal and are here for two nights instead of one.  The cabin we are in is very cool.  It is made of brick and it has a thatched roof and a cute little kitchen.  It’s a nice size for us and we are starting to organize our stuff for the flight to Australia on Sunday.  Yikes!  We have another full day in Kruger tomorrow and we are going to take full advantage!  In some ways I am happy we are going because it is getting a little annoying with all the malaria worry but in some ways I am very sad.  It has been a fantastic experience here in Kruger and I will never ever forget this place or what I’ve seen.     

 

 

Kruger National Park (Written by Steve Aug 4, 05) received August 4

Yehaa, we made it!

I am sending this to you from our little thatched roof in Kruger National park. We just pulled off almost 1600kms and 19 hours in the car, it was a rough trip. The kids were absolutely awesome, and there is no way we go do these long drives with out their cooperation. Make no mistake about it, they drive us crazy a hundred different ways, but in the car they are usually fantastic.

So here we are in Kruger in Skukuza rest camp, with all the ververt monkeys. Driving through the park towards our camp Danika screams “a giraffe”, so we had to back up and sure enough there was a big long neck spotted thing staring us down, very cool.

Our drive over the last week has taken us from Cape Town, Hermanus, Aquila, Montagu, Mossel Bay, George, Wilderness, Nysna, Tsitsikamma, Port Elizabeth, and then to Addo Nation park for 2 day of R&R. We then headed to Grahamstown, Kings Williams Town, Queenstown, Rouxville and then into Golden Gate for a few hours sleep and then straight up to Kruger. We did it with out any problems, even though it took us longer than we thought. There was a bit of interesting stuff going on in King Williams Town as we drove in. A military truck was stopped out side the city limits with dozens of army personnel holding machine guns. As we drove into town we noticed a couple of police cars sitting on the entrance to the town. When we drove through Helen noticed the police right in the city square with machine guns and then when we drove out of town there was a road block. There several police cars and some federal guys stopping all the cars looking for something or someone, but they let us go through without any questions.

This may just a normal day in this town, but that was the only exciting thing we noticed.

Golden gate was just like the Grand canyon, really nice, except for all the baboons. This country has so many monkeys running around it is a real pain in the butt.

So anyways, all is well we are in Kruger and going to stay for 5 days before we head to Johannesburg. We will be staying in Skuskuza, Satara, Lower Sabie (Mozambique border) and Berg-en-Dal.

We will tell you how it all went when we get to Johannesburg.

 

Addo Elephant National Park -  received August 2

(written by Helen)

We reluctantly left the beautiful game reserve, Aquila and headed Southeast toward the coast again.  We were on our way to Tsitsikamma National Park where we were to spend two nights.  Some people told us it was about a three hour drive but it ended up being a 6 hour drive.  To make matters worse it just started to pour and it was getting very dark and the roads have little to no lighting on them.  We finally made it to the park and picked up our key at the gate.  It was quite a storm and we had to run down three flights of outside steps to get to our room.  Unfortunately the minute we walked into the room a very strong odour greeted us and the first impression was not a good one.  Maybe we were spoiled from being in the fabulous Aquila but the place was quite disgusting.  The smell is really hard to explain.  It was a very dirty, musty smell and I finally figured out where it was coming from.  The room had a huge sliding glass door that looked out over the ocean. The curtains covering this huge window were the source of the smell and obviously they had not been cleaned in a long time.  When I pulled them back I noticed the massive blotches of black mold growing on the window side.  Yuck!!!  The bathroom also had a very “urinal” smell to it and to make a long story short we decided to leave for Addo the next morning.  It was a good idea.

 

We were told that Addo is a must-see if you love elephants.  Well, it certainly is and wow, do you see elephants!  We pulled up to our forest cottage around 1pm and it was a very pleasant surprise.  It is a cute little log cabin that has four single beds in each corner of the room.  A little picnic table against one wall and a few shelves on the other wall holding dishes, glasses and utensils.  There is a tiny, very clean bathroom at the back with a shower, sink and toilet.  The atmosphere is very rustic and we loved it right away.  No smell either!!!

 

We decided to go on a game drive with a ranger at 3pm because we were not quite comfortable enough to drive our own car in the game area yet.  We had a very nice gentleman take us on our tour and he vaguely stated that he wasn’t sure if we were going to see many elephants today.  I think he was pulling our leg because five minutes into the drive after leaving the gate we came across an elephant eating in the bushes.  When I saw it I actually gasped because he was literally ten feet away from us.  His bum was sticking out of the bushes and we couldn’t really see his head so he drove a little further and there to our great surprise were at least 40 elephants huddled around a watering hole.  It was truly the single most amazing thing I have ever seen.  I know that I have said that before but this time I really mean it.  There were elephants everywhere, in all sizes.  Mamma’s and babies and the big papa’s with their massive tusks.  Some were walking, almost like in slow motion and others were drinking from the hole and still others were eating from the bushes or frolicking with each other.  It was unreal.  Again, much to my surprise, the ranger switched off the engine and we just sat there watching.  There were other cars around us too.  In this game reserve you are allowed to drive your own car around yourself.  They just ask you never to leave your car or lean too far out the window.  Yeah, right!

 

We sat there and watched these massive mammals and soon some of them started walking toward us.  I just assumed our ranger would start his engine and slowly drive away but noooooo, we sat there and these huge creatures walked right past us almost rubbing up against our truck.  I was holding my breath and as they passed I could smell them and see their skin.  I was leaning inside praying that they wouldn’t see me and Danika, who was right beside me thought that they were just the greatest!  As they passed our truck, another car drove up and stopped right in their path.  I swear I thought that the elephants were going to stomp right over them.  The idiots in the car then started to lean out their windows and take pictures.  Even our ranger mumbled something about their stupidity.  One of the elephants actually stopped and started to circle the car and was staring very intently at the inside of the car.  It just stood their and watched the people inside.  After a few minutes it finally walked away and I was able to breath again.  It was actually amazing to watch them as they passed by us.  The female elephants would herd the baby elephants towards the inside of the group before they made their way through the truck and cars.  You could tell that they were keeping them safe.  Moms are so great!

 

Anything after that was just gravy.  We drove for about 2 hours and saw lots of warthogs, tortoises, kudu and a few buffalo.  On our way back we turned a corner and there was this humungous male elephant walking towards us on the road.  Our ranger turned the truck to the side of the road and once again turned the engine off.  We sat there and he slowly passed us by.  Because we were sitting in an elevated Land Cruiser made especially for safaris we were at eye level with this elephant.  As he walked by I actually looked him right in the eye and he had the most beautiful eyelashes I have ever seen.  Really, if I had just stuck my hand out half way I would have been able to touch him, that is how close he came.  I actually whispered under my breath, “Holy smoke!”  but rest assured I used another work than smoke!

 

Addo has been an amazing experience and our kids just love it here.  Today we were brave enough to take our own car into the reserve and were able to sit and watch the elephants again.  This time however, we did not get as close.  Anytime one would walk towards us we would roll up our windows quickly and tell Steve/Dad to gun it out of there!  It was a lot of fun.  The reserve also has a very nice restaurant and we had three great meals as well.

We have one major problem. Steve has become very ill and has a very high fever along with some very violent diarrhea. The last two mornings he has been shivering in his bed and the sheets are soaked with sweat in the morning. We are not sure what it is, but we are not in a Malaria area, so we can rule that out at least. Steve wants to continue even though the next two days are the toughest driving we will be doing on this whole trip. He does not want it to stop us, but I will keep you posted!

 

Tomorrow we have to get up super early and head toward Golden Gate National Park.  In the next 30 hours we have to travel over 1500 km with only one stop.  From Golden Gate we head to Kruger where we will be spending 5 days in four different camps.  It should be exciting but a little scary too.  We are still wondering what to do about the malaria pills.  We have heard from many people here that we don’t need to take them because it is wintertime and there aren’t that many mosquitoes out but, do we risk it??

I guess we will see.  From Kruger we head to the Johannesburg airport where we fly to Australia.  I’m getting nervous already!!!  BUT, from Australia we are heading home, so that is very exciting!  I think it will all go very fast now.  Only two and a half months left!!!!  Yeah!!!  or  Boo Hoo!   Maybe a little of both.

 

This message is being sent to via our Palm Pilot.

 

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 - received September 1, 2005

Steve has limited access to the Internet but was able to send his schedule for the next few days.  It sounds like they’re having an incredible experience and assures me that the pictures that will follow on his return to civilization (a high speed internet connection) are incredible. (posted by the webmaster)

 

Cape Town Aug 20 – 26

Hermanus Aug 27 – 28

Aquila Game Reserve Aug 29 – 30

Tsitsikoma National Park Aug 31

Addo National Park Sept 1 – 2

Golden Gate National Park Sept 3

Kruger Game Reserve Sept. 4 – 9

Johannesburg Sept. 10 – 11

 

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- received August 26

Hey Folks,
I am just going to give you the heads up in case you don't here from us or see anything on our little site in the next ten days.  We are going to drive down the coast of South Africa and then head inland through the free state towards Johanesberg. We will be then driving up to Kruger National park and then back to Johanesberg to catch our flight to Oz.
The reason I am sending this email, is we might be out of contact for the next 2 weeks because we will be tenting or in huts in the national parks. We will have no internet for the next 2 weeks so if you won't be able to get a hold of us.
We hope all is well back in Canada and the weather is still warm. I think it was 10 cel today in Cape Town, we froze our butts off today.
Take care,
Steve, Helen, Nikolas and Danika

 

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South Africa

(Written by Helen Aug 22, 05)

Well, I made it.  I can tell you that I thought of everything to get out of that plane ride.  ELEVEN HOURS.  Can you imagine!!  The worst part for me is the day or two before and the absolute worst is the hour or two before we take off.  When I am at the airport I am honestly thinking about every conceivable excuse to come up with so that I don’t have to enter that airplane.  Right down to hiding in a dark corner of a book store and hoping that no one will notice that I am missing.  I know, I have a problem. 

Steve made sure I had some alcohol before we got on and yes it unfortunately makes a little bit of a difference because it calms me down a bit.  Maybe I will let you in on the wild or should I say crazy mind of a person who is very afraid of flying.  When we are at the gate I look at all the people and wonder if they are doomed or if we are going to make it to our destination just fine.  I watch the staff and wonder if they are trying to hide the fact that something is kind of wrong but they are going to fly anyway.  I know it all sounds so ridiculous.  But it really is very difficult for me to just relax before a flight.  As we walk onto the plane, and this time we actually walked outside to a staircase that led to the airplane, I check out the plane to see if anything is wrong.  Like I could really tell!  But I wonder if that spot there that looks like a dent is a problem or not.  Does that tire look a little flat?  I’m serious, I really do check these things out.  Never mind when I see the pilots.  I don’t know if it’s just that I’m getting older but some of these pilots look like they are about 20 years old.  Are they experienced enough to fly this big bird? 

We flew on a 747 and I don’t know, but how could a thing that big fly in the sky.  It makes no sense.  I bought a book in London that is supposed to help you if you are afraid of flying but it actually made me feel even more nervous.  The reason being is that it talked about some things that I didn’t even think about.  Did you know that a plane can stall if it’s going too fast or too slow?  I didn’t know that.  It talked about all the times planes have had to land without any engines working.  It happens that often???

 

 

ANYWAY, we did make it and it really was a fine flight.  It shook here and there but I was unnaturally calm about most of it.  It certainly went way faster than I expected.  I thought that it was going to be complete torture but I was actually able to sleep.  That has never happened to me before.  Maybe I am changing!  The service with British Airways was good even though they were still dealing with their strike with the catering company.  We were given vouchers before we boarded the flight to buy some food because they did not have any food on board.  To our surprise however, we did get some deli boxes with sandwiches and muffins inside.  So in addition to the stuff we bought, we had more than enough food. 

We landed in Cape Town, South Africa at about 7:30am and it was the most amazing feeling to think that we were actually on the African continent.  What had we just flown over?  It was night time during our entire flight and so we were unable to admire the scenery.  When we were ready to head out to our hotel it is with honesty that I must admit that I was little nervous.  Steve calls it the “CNN Factor”.  It’s that fear factor.  Yet, you have to believe that some of it is true.  We talked to a lot of people on board the QE II and a lot of people who have traveled there in the past and a lot have said that it can be a very dangerous place to visit.  As we drove from the airport to our hotel the weather was awful.  Unfortunately that does make your first impression of a place a little negative no matter what.  As we drove along we also saw something that really caught us off guard.  We saw a few neighbourhoods full of shanty towns, or as one of the brochures described them as:  “informal settlements on the side of the road”.  They are cardboard, plywood, tin shacks that are constructed in long lines connected to each other.  The ground is dirt and you can see some of the residence pumping water from a public well.  It was very surprising only because it was something we saw in Mumbai, India and did not expect to see in Cape Town.  Not sure why we were so surprised but we were.  It is mind-boggling to think about what has happened in this country in the last few years.  We have just bought a DVD about Nelson Mandela and are going to watch it tonight.  I’m not sure exactly how to feel here.  I would love to talk to people who have experienced it all and really get a sense of what has truly happened here.  Perhaps we will find out some things before we leave.  So far, the people we have encountered have been extremely friendly.  I must admit though, that as we were walking last night at the waterfront, if someone walked out of a dark corner I jumped for no reason.  Just a little on edge but I’m sure we will start to settle down in the next few days.  At lunch today we met a couple from Houston Texas who told us that they have had there credit card and cell phone stolen and they have been here for ten days.  The gentlemen told us to just be very careful and not to wander too far out of the main city section.  Fortunately we have two or three people that we are getting together with that either live here or visit regularly so it will be great to see them and get some pointers from them. 

Since we are here we are looking into possibilities of getting to Kruger but we will see how it all pans out.  It is supposed to clear up and warm up tomorrow.  Today it is pouring rain and about 10 degrees Celsius.  It’s COLD!!!!  Kind of shocking for Africa but it is very south!  Anyways, that’s it for now.   We are very excited to see what this amazing country has to offer. 

 

(Written by Steve Aug 23, 05)

 

O.K., we have arrived in South Africa. Everyone we have ever met has told us “The nicest place on earth” and “One of the few places I would move to”. People we spoke to about this place just raved how nice it was here and how beautiful the city is.

The first two days we were here it rained like crazy and the clouds fogged in the whole city, so we could not see any of it. As we drove from the Airport we saw miles of Shanty towns and 8 foot high fences with barbed wire. We dropped a gent off before we got to our hotel and his complex was surrounded by and 8 foot wall with a 2 foot electric wire fence on the top. We have never seen so many security guards out in the street, nothing like this. One thing that was very noticeable was, there were no police officers around, not one. This is our 2nd day here and I have not seen one police car or any officers, I guess if you need protection you must pay for it privately. Our first night we decide to head out to walk around the city and the security at our hotel told not to because it is not safe. So let me just say that we are a little stunned by this city, and so far it has been nothing like we expected.

 

Day 3, like I said we have been here for three days and this was the first day that the rain has stopped, so we hopped on a bus around the city. I can only tell you that this place is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been too. The clouds lifted enough so we could see the beaches and the buildings and some of the old city center. O.K. we were a little rattled when we first came, but maybe that was a good thing, we are now on alert and ready to see this wonderful place. We won’t travel at night and we won’t be too foolish with our possessions, but we will try and hit as many places as we can.

I will get back to when we have seen a bit more, but so far we LOVE Cape Town, and it is just full of the nicest people you could ever meet!

 

           

(Written by Helen Sept. 21, 05)

Let’s see….. 22 hours of flying, was it worth it?  Absolutely!  The first time we arrived on this massive island in February we, quite honestly, were not that impressed.  I think we were not in the right frame of mind having just come off the QEII because our cabin was flooded. But this time….it’s a whole different story!  We just love it here.  What a country.  It is everything you can possibly imagine all in one perfect location.  The weather is just perfect right now.  It is the start of spring and the average temperature during the day is about 20-25 degrees Celsius.  Not too hot or too cold.  Just perfect.  Everyone walks around with shorts on and it has a very relaxed, easy-going feel to it all.

 

We arrived in Sydney on a flight from Johannesburg.  It was a Qantas flight and we flew 11 hours on tail winds on a 747.  Apparently it is normally 14 hours without the winds…can you imagine???  I was really worried (what else is new!) because we could only get window seats near the back of the plane.  I hate sitting at the back of the plane.  I don’t know why, I just feel like you feel so much more movement back there and it makes me feel that much more claustrophobic back there.  But in the end the flight was actually just fine except for the landing.  As we were about to descend into Sydney, the first officer cheerily announced that there were some very strong cross winds blowing at the airport and that our landing may be a little bumpy.  Ha!  How can an aircraft of that size be thrown around so much by wind???  It was a very bumpy landing and when we were exiting the plane I actually asked one of the flight attendants if that was considered a bumpy landing and she told me that it was the bumpiest that she’s ever experienced.  Now, I didn’t ask her how long she has been an attendant BUT, that says a lot!!!  But, we made it and here we are in the land down under!   

 

We stayed at the Crowne Plaza at Coogee Beach and I mean right at Coogee Beach.  We had a great view of this little beach right in the middle of the city.  Steve’s work has had a few work exchanges with guys from Australia and it use to bother me when they laughed at our beaches when they saw them but now I completely understand.  You have to see these beaches to really appreciate the beauty.  And the whole country is surrounded by them, it’s amazing!!!  Anyway, we took a few days and really did nothing but laundry and sleep.  The time difference between South Africa and Australia is 8 hours and it was really the first time we had to adjust to a time difference.  When we were on the QEII we made our way from west to east so gradually that we never really had a problem.  But flying from West to East does cause a problem and they say it takes as many days as is the hour difference before you feel normal.  That is, if it is an eight hour time difference, it will take you eight days to adjust your body and sleeping habits.  And sure enough it took us about 8 days to get our sleeping habits in sync.  And because Danika was the only one who actually slept on the plane, she was the first to get in the right time frame than the rest of us.  The negative side of that is that she was awake when we were asleep and vice versa.  It was a difficult few days to say the least.  And of course, when we haven’t had our sleep we are all just a little cranky. 

 

The biggest highlight of our second stay in Sydney was the visit we had with a very near friend of mine from school.  Lisa and I have been friends since the first grade and she moved out here about 7 years ago.  I missed seeing her on our first stop in Sydney because of an e-mail address mix up so I was adamant about seeing her this time, for sure!  We went out for dinner with her and a friend and it was so great to see her and to see her so very happy.  I have a lot of very happy memories of her and it just wasn’t enough time to really catch up and talk about everything.  When I came back to our room that night after the dinner, I thought about a hundred other questions I should have asked her while we were together.  The good news is that we will get together again just before we head home in November.  I can’t wait!

 

From Coogee Beach we headed to another suburb of Sydney.  We were fortunate enough to have been asked back to stay with friends of ours that we had met over two years ago when they were in Canada on a trip to Banff on the Westcoast Express train.  When we were in Sydney in Feb. we stayed with them and had such an excellent time.  This time was no different.  In fact it was even better!  Our first day we met up with the family at a track and field meet that was being held in one of the old Olympic sites.  Their sixteen year old son was participating in the meet and we spent the afternoon watching him win first place in the long jump.  The meet was an annual event that was very special to the five private schools participating.  It was such a pleasure to sit in the crowd and watch these prestigious schools compete with each other and to witness the impressive morale and camaraderie that was exhibited by every one of the schools involved.  It actually made Steve realize that maybe private school is a positive option after all!  The stadium was nearly full of students all in their various school uniforms, cheering on their fellow classmates.  It was quite a sight to see!  The kids had such a great time and when Cameron’s name was displayed on the huge scoreboard in first place, Nikolas was very impressed.  Hopefully it instills in him a desire to try his best at any sport he chooses and gives him the dream of seeing his name on a board one day in the future!  It was a great day and to top it all off, Cameron’s school ended up winning the whole thing and that made everyone’s day!!!!

 

We spent four days with the Batten’s and we can honestly say that it was like our home away from home.  They made us feel so comfortable and we enjoyed some amazingly delicious home cooked meals and some great conversation.  They are a very special family and we cannot thank them enough for their truly wonderful hospitality.  We are so looking forward to next summer as their daughter may be visiting us and we can return the favour and show her a fabulous time in Vancouver!

 

With much regret from our kids we left the Batten’s and headed north up the eastern coast of Australia.  The side we didn’t do on the cruise.  We are now in Surfer’s Paradise and as Steve stated in his little blurb, we just love it.  It is so cool here.  It is a tropical oasis without the worry of a language barrier, bad food or water, beach peddlers or bugs.  The beach here is never-ending.  It has sand that looks exactly like brown sugar and water that is turquoise and perfect for body boards and surf boards.  The sun is always shining and there is this lovely gentle breeze blowing to keep you at a perfect temperature on the beach.  The city itself is quite touristy and is full of high rises but it doesn’t feel over done or cheap.  It feels light and refreshing.  Very clean and everyone seems very happy and layed back.  You feel safe and it’s just a great place to bring your family to have a fun or relaxing place in the sun.  We went to a theme park today and just had a ball.  I think the kids thanked us about a hundred times for the day we had today and they both fell asleep instantly when their heads hit the pillow.  We like it here a lot.  The only scary thing about this place is that both Steve and I agree that it is definitely a place we could move to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

        

MELBOURNE

 

MELBOURNE  (written by Helen )

O.K. I am awake and ready to tell you some more, the only problem is we enjoyed our time in Melbourne but really did not see a lot. We have spoken to many people and they all raved about this city, so it must be a wonderful place. Australia doesn’t seem to be all consumed with terrorism like the U.S. does. The Aussies are a very proud people who seem to enjoy more freedom.  Ask an American or a Canadian when the last time they were afraid of something and I’ll bet the answer will be when they watch CNN just a few hours ago. That’s one thing that people here seem to feel far, far away from. I really like this country but I don’t know if I could live here. Melbourne and Sydney are very beautiful, the way they restore their cities and keep their heritage buildings right along side the new skyscrapers. The theme throughout the two cities is very much the same, but the people seem a world apart. Melbourne reminds me of L.A. and Sydney is like a small New York, one goes up and the other is spread out. The nightlife in Melbourne seems a lot younger and the city is much less touristy. I would normally like this type of city, but Melbourne does nothing for me and I can’t explain why. Maybe I am just a little homesick, and not seeing more of the city does not really give me the right to say too much. Melbourne has a very European feel to it and a strong Italian, Greek, Indian and Chinese population and that part I like. Maybe I come from a very clean city (Vancouver), but Melbourne seemed kind of run down and dirty from what I saw. Please take what I have said here lightly because we did not get out to the burbs and that is not really that fair for me to be slamming this place,

So on that note, I am not going to say anymore.

 

MELBOURNE  (written by Steve )

Melbourne is a big busy city that I find very hard to explain. The city is spread out over a large area, with tons of cafés, many little markets and a very European feel. I can’t say it is the nicest city I have seen, but it does have something, I am just not sure what. Lots of Goth and punk rockers, I have never seen so much body piercing in my life. It was one of the few places Nikolas said he would not move to, for whatever that is worth.

Well we just got back on the ship at just after 21:30 and we are so bagged! We walked what I thought was at least 75% of downtown Melbourne, but were told we missed over half. We traveled through the Queen Victoria Market and bought some Aussie souvenirs. We then went up to the Old Melbourne Gaol (Historic prison) and watched a play about a famous Australian criminal named Ned Kelly. The prison itself was very cool and it was restored to look like it did back in 1845 www.nattrust.com.au .

 After seeing all that torture, we were getting kind of hungry and with the huge Greek community in Melbourne, we began our search for some great. To make a long story short we walked forever (about 2 hours) and ended up in the exact same place we started, right by the prison. We ate and then tried to call home to Canada and then headed to the Cable Car. Melbourne has the most efficient transit system I have ever seen. It works so well because it is not overloaded, and all of its lines intersect each other. We got on with the idea to head back to the ship, but Helen saw the Crown Casino and we hopped off and checked it out. The Crown Hotel is a city in itself, and the kids had a ball in the arcade and then we ended the night with 4 games of bowling. And then we walked and walked and finally rode a cable car back to the ship. And now we are all going to bed!

Adelaide

 

(written by Steve) 

Well, here it is, the nicest place we have been to in Australia ( just our opinion of course). The people are very laid back and so friendly, it reminded us a bit like New Zealand.

We got up a tad late and headed for the same place we always head to if the weather permits, the beach. We grabbed our beach stuff, boogie boards and hopped of the ship and were stopped by some people and they told us to be very careful if we were going swimming. The first lady told us a story of a 16 year old boy who was eaten by 2 great whites only a few weeks before. She told us the boy was on a skim board and he was being pulled around by a boat about 200 metres off shore. She said that a shark grabbed him on his shoulder and started attacking him and while he was fighting with that one another grabbed his other shoulder and pulled him under. All of this happened with a boat full of people and his buddy on a board right beside him. He was never found and that was about 5 weeks ago.

O.K. I thought we are off to a bit of a tough start, and when I looked over at Helen, I saw that she had that “why don’t we go shopping face instead” look. I had a great idea brewing, we would take a cab to the most popular beach, (which just so happened to be right beside the one the boy was killed on) and I’ll find a whole bunch of people to confirm this story. I thought I could find at least one person to disprove this story, and that way we could still go swimming. Well, on the way to Glenelg Beach the cab driver confirmed the exact story, only he said the boys and the boat were 100 metres from shore. The lady at the beach told us she use to swim everyday in the water, but won’t swim anymore. I told Helen (as if I was some kind of expert) that sharks will never come into the shallow water and there was at least 10-15 people in the shallow water, so it would cut down our odds.

 We first went for Pizza and had a glass of sparkling wine for Valentines Day and thought about it and then headed to the beach. The beach was very wide and the water was clear blue and the beach was littered with about 100 people, maybe 15 in waist deep of water, the rest tanning like lizards in the 40 degree sun. Well, Helen agreed to let us go and told us to be very careful, and she was not comfortable about it. The water was awesome and Dani and Nik were surfing in the waist deep water. The people in the water were all facing the same way I was, out towards the water looking for fins. Remember that scene from Jaws when all the kids are playing in the water and the lifeguard gets attacked, well it felt like that. We were told that if we  go in the water to make sure that we stayed between the Lifesaving flags and if we heard a siren (shark siren) to get out of the water right away. I have to admit I was a wee bit nervous, but there was no way a big shark was going to swim up to us in waist deep water 50 meters from shore. I kept watching like everyone else, while the kids played. Why the heck were we in the water in the first place you ask? I truly felt in no danger and we stayed between the flags at all times, and we made sure we were always between someone else and the beach. This may sound a little cruel, but better for them to get eaten first and it would give us more of a chance to get away.

Well it was all anti-climatic and we had a wonderful day, and never saw a fin. Later that night at dinner, Father O’Shea said that he did a study on shark attacks in school and 90 % took place in 12 inches of water. He said a shark that is going to attack a human is really rare, but have been know to come right up to the edge of the water. Well guess who had their “should have gone shopping face” on now? I am still not buying it, but it’s pretty hard to argue with a Catholic Priest.

Anyways we spent as much time at the beach as we could and then headed back to the ship. We did not go into the City, but I was sold on the beach area we were in. All the homes were your typical Italian 2 level jobs with red tile roofs and brick siding, concrete fence and beautiful gardens. For the folks back in B.C., it reminded me of Kelowna, but on the Ocean instead of a lake. I have spoken to a few of the people on the ship and they did not think much of Adelaide and loved Melbourne. Maybe we are just strange, because we thought it was a very nice place.

Everyone we spoke to was super nice and they were all glad to get into a conversation, and yes they all confirmed the shark attack story.

 

FREMANTLE (Perth)

 

FREMANTLE AND PERTH  - (written by Steve)

Our first day In Fremantle we decided to head to a beach on the train somewhere close to Perth. I don’t the name, but the pictures of us in the water in Perth are all from that beach. We when first got there I noticed that no one is the beach, so I walked over to the lifeguard and started to pick his brain. I saw the 2 flags (that you are supposed to swim between) but I was concerned about an undertow and which area would be best for Nikolas and Danika to swim in. The gent (Lifeguard) told me that they had a little scare in the morning but everything was fine now and it was 100% to swim in. I asked him“what kind of scare” and he replied “A shark was sighted about 100 metres down the beach from where we standing.  He could sense the look on my face (Not a hope in heck my kids were getting in the water today look) so he went on about how he swam out on his board and checked it out. He said it was most definitely fine and he would be watch and yada yada yada. He actually kind of balled me out and basically called us a bunch of chickens.  So I did what every afraid father would do, sent his 2 little kids in the water first, just to make sure, because I was not going anywhere near the water. Just kidding, Nana (my mother-in-law) is most likely reading this right now and saying “I knew she should not have married him”. I went down and we played and soon the water was full of other people (shark food) to cut down our chance of getting eaten. Happy now? The day was wonderful and thanks to Hala (our friend form the ship) for showing us this wonderful place and the rest of our friends from the ship for making that day one of our best in Australia.

A funny thing happened later when that same lifeguard came by to rough us up some more about swimming.  He walked up us and was giving us shots and talking about how even if there was a shark, it would not do anything, and yada, yada, yada.  So I said, “Have you ever seen a shark”? And his reply was “loads of them’. He told us a story of how he was on his surf board and a guy was getting mauled by one right beside him. O.K. I am thinking who looks like the fool now; this guy was not playing with a full deck. If he had of told me that first thing I don’t think we would have gone in. The story happened years ago, but still one minute he seemed total competent and the next a complete nut bar. I may not have used my best judgment asking him in the first place.

O.K. I can hear my mother-in-law again.

We then went into Perth and went to the Art Museum and it was really cool. I said later (using my great eye for fine art) that there was obviously a constant theme that all the artist had to follow. Helen shot me down by telling me that all the art was done by the same person. O.K. maybe I am not that smart. We then headed for a walk down into the restaurant district, but found ourselves walking the adult part of town. Bars, girly shows and washrooms with sharp (needles) disposals in them. We walked and walked and when we were about as far away from the train station you could get, Danika gave up and said “are we close to the ship yet”. We were about as far away from the ship as you could get, and very tired. So after buying a dozen books from the book store walking all the way back to the ship and then meeting our friends John and Suzanne, we hopped on a train back to Fremantle.

That was our day in Perth and Fremantle.

I will let our 9 year old son tell you about the next day.

 

 

Whiteman National Park

And Game reserve - BY: NIKOLAS

We drove about an hour from Freamantle to big park called Caversham Wildlife game reserve. This place had kangaroos, koalas, Tasmanian devils and much more. 

We went to see a this huge koala looking thing called a Wombat and it was huge my dad and mom held him but I didn’t.

Then we went to see rabbits and feed this Lama, went it ate out of your hand and it felt really weird. 

On the way to the kangaroo area we saw these huge Camels and you can ride them but we didn’t have any time so that would have been cool but we will do it in Egypt.

We came to this very large gate that let you into this huge park that had Kangaroos we fed them and pat them it was sooo cool!

 The Kangaroos were pretty soft but one of them had sharp teeth. After we fed one of the fat kangaroos farted! 

I really like the Kangaroos a lot!

If the kangaroos were wild they would really hurt you so you had to be carefull. There were heards of them and you were not allowed to run, because it would scare them away and that wouldn’t be very good would it?

This place was really  really coooooooool!!!!

After we went to see the Koalas and they were all sleeping they actually sleep 20 hours a day and wake up at night and eat then they sleep again.

The Tasmanian Devils were sleeping as well and they looked a bit vicious.

There was this bird that was saying hello! Hello! And he sounded like an old lady!

I really really liked  this place and after I got a kangaroo pen that had buttons and when you pressed the buttons it would punch and it had boxing gloves on its hands so it was cool.

 

(written by Steve)

We here we are somewhere out in the Indian Ocean slowly moving up towards our last visit in Australia, Exmouth. The cruise director told all of us he had bad new for us all. It appears the zoo will be closed in Exmouth, someone had eaten the chicken. Basically there was nothing to see and he just wanted to give us the heads up. The main interest for us choosing a cruise when looking at different options to get around the world was the easiest way to see Asia. I did not even think about seeing Australia, but boy am I glad we did. I am sitting on the deck right now looking out into the Indian Ocean and trying to spot the flying fish that Helen keeps seeing, but no luck. I think they are just big flies.

The funny thing about Australia is, when we first showed up I just thought I was going to fall in love with it. Every Canadian that I knew who had been to Oz always came back with the same story. Laid back, Cheap, nice people, beautiful country and most of all super safe.

I don’t know if you could tell in our little story about Sydney but our first impression was not that great of this huge country. Did you know that Australia is the same size as the continental United States? it’s a massive place, another part I must have missed in school.

I can tell you now that we have been in Oz over 2 weeks; we just love the beaches, surfing and most of the people. Adelaide is our favorite because the folks were real nice but from Sydney to Perth its completely different. Like Newfoundland to Vancouver I guess, but for some reason I just did not expect it to be that different from place to place. Once again that what we have noticed more than anything, is how different all the people are. Traveling is not about the places you see, but more about the people you meet.

 

The Corner of Henderson Street and South Terrace in a restored heritage listed Victorian building is the location for the famous Fremantle Markets. They are held on Friday 9am-9pm, Saturday 9am-5pm and Sunday 10am-5pm and is one of Fremantle's most popular tourist attractions.

There are several hundred stalls with a diverse range of produce including fish, fruit, antiques, honey, spices, arts and crafts etc. The Sail and Anchor Pub is also situated in the same market complex and is home of Fremantle's celebrated Anchor Brewing Company which specialises in well crafted boutique beers in the English Style.

                

Queensland  

Byron Bay - Noosa - Hervey Bay – Fraser Island –  Rockhampton - Arlie Beach – Lindeman Island (Club Med)

 

(Written by Steve) - received October 9

I will leave all the yakking to Helen, but just want to update ya on what we are up to. We are in our second day here in Cairns and just spent 6 action packed, fun-filled days on Lindeman Island at Club Med. What a blast. Have you and your family ever spent a week together, I mean every day, sometimes 24 hours at a time? Well, try 10 months! Spending so much time together is not natural, in fact it borders on weird don’t ya think?

Anyways, Club Med was just what the doctor ordered; I actually felt some of my grey hairs turning back to their original colour. We had such a great time, and only saw each other at bed time, way to go Club Med you made our week! Our kids had some really fantastic people looking after them and we are so grateful to you gals.

So right now we are in Cairns and if you love Bats, Sharks and Crocodiles then you will love Cairns. I asked a gal tonight if it was possible to swim in the ocean or in the nearby lakes and she just looked at me if I was a complete idiot. She told us that under no circumstances should we swim anywhere because the place is full of Crocs, yup even the Ocean.

We were in the night market tonight and they have a picture of a 9 Metre Crocodile and dated at 200 years old, I am not joking.

We are planning our next adventure into the Outback and heading towards Ayers Rock and then down to Adelaide. My father thinks we are nuts to drive 3000 km into no-mans land, but we have already driven 4000 Aussie km, so why not a few more. Love this country and having a blast!

 

(Written by Helen)

As we head north, the weather keeps getting better and better.  We are in Cairns right now and I am looking back on the last few weeks.  Unfortunately Steve was right again.  I kept telling him that I would write later and sure enough I have forgotten some things.  He nags me everyday to write and I keep procrastinating.  Story of my life!

We drove from Surfer’s Paradise up the coast on the No. 1 (Bruce Highway).  The road is okay, usually just one lane with a few potholes here and there.  The only distraction is the dead kangaroos on the side of the road.  Hundreds of them.  Apparently they are attracted to the headlights and jump out in front of cars and trucks.  Most of the semis on the roads have huge push bars on the front of the trucks specifically for hitting ‘roos.  So I couldn’t quite relax completely because I was on the look-out for suicidal kangaroos.

We stopped in Byron Bay for lunch and it was a picture perfect day.  It was very warm but there was a nice cool breeze blowing in from the ocean.  I had read about a restaurant on Shelly Beach in our Lonely Planet book and it was in the most perfect location.  It was situated on a cliff overlooking the beach and crashing surf.  The restaurant is just a little hut but the food was fantastic.  Very funky and organic foods with huge portions.  It was delicious and the kids got to play on the beach for a bit afterwards. 

We were on our way to Noosa which is just North of Brisbane.  We drove through Brisbane but did not stop.  It looked very nice from what we could see from the car.  This area of Australia reminded us of Kelowna in British Columbia, except much bigger.  Everyone seems very relaxed and sporty and everything seems to revolve around “the water”.  Swimming, sailing, surfing, parasailing, fishing…the list goes on. 

We finally arrived in Noosa and it was as beautiful as everyone told us it would be.  The name Noosa actually covers a group of small communities around the mouth of the Noosa River.  Most of the action is concentrated on Noosa Heads which is where our friends live.  We met this wonderful family on the Rocky Mountaineer trip we took almost two years ago at Christmastime.  They were on a big trip and we just clicked with these great people and spent some time with them in Banff.  We kept in touch via the internet and they graciously invited us to stay with them when we arrived in Noosa.  Glen is a builder and over the years he has told us about the houses he has built and has even sent us photographs.  Well!!!  Nothing prepared us for what we saw when we pulled up to their home.  It was absolutely breathtaking.  Their oldest daughter was home waiting for us and she showed us around her magnificent home.  You enter the home through these massive wooden doors and the whole lower floor is tiled.  There is a swimming pool that starts in the front of the house outside and weaves itself inside the house like a creek and then makes it way to the back of the house where it flows out into a large swimming pool in the back.  Inside the house there is a little glass bridge that takes you over the creek inside.  The outside walls of the house are all glass and the whole back of the house opens up completely so that you get the feeling that you are actually outside.  The kitchen has a huge counter bar and the kitchen and family room are big and open.  Just the way I like it!  It was dangerous for me to see this home because Steve and I are starting to look for homes on the internet in preparation for when we head home.  They live right on the river and actually have their very own little sandy beach with a dock and two boats.  You can go shopping or out for dinner via your boat or the car, it’s very cool here!  Another place we could actually move to quite easily except that we could never afford it.  The house prices are very high!  Glen is a very talented builder and we had the pleasure of meeting the architect he works with as they came for dinner on our first night.  They have won House of the Year Awards for all of Australia, they are that talented!

Glen and Gail have two daughters and one son.  Brandon is a year older than Nikolas and they had a blast together.  It was as if they’ve been friends for years.  It was great to see Nik with some buddies again and we pretty much just let him run loose and he had a fabulous time.  He actually cried when we had to leave.  Danika followed the girls around everywhere and even though they were both much older that her they were very nice to her and treated her like their little sister. 

The first day we settled in and like I said earlier they had invited their friends over for some Thai food.  It was delicious and the company was great as well.

The second day we got an early start and headed to a town called Eumundi and walked through their very famous market that is held every Wed. and Sat.  The market sells just about everything…clothes, food, garden stuff, arts, crafts, everything!  We had a great time and I bought some very cool things.  Steve and Nik went surfing with the boys and they had a great time too.  See Steve’s story below.

 

Surfing, Noosa Style

By Steve

 

  Today was a great day up here in Noosa, as Glen, Paul (Aussie friends) and I took our kids surfing. Well actually they go surfing every week, so they were actually taking Nik and me out for some waves. We were going to a local beach called Sunshine Beach because it supposedly had the best waves. So we loaded up the Land Cruiser with Surf and Boogie boards and headed to the beach. I was very excited to show these Aussies that Canadians could ride the waves as well as some of these local folks.

When we got down to the beach I looked out and saw what appeared to be little waves that would not provide much fun for a couple of experts like me and Nik. We got all lotioned up, waxed the boards and headed out into the Ocean. As we were walking towards the water I noticed no Shark nets out there and said to Paul, “hey where are the nets?” He replied by saying to just stay on the board and I’d have nothing to worry about. Good advice I thought, just ride these waves and the sharks would be attracted to my skinny little legs. So everyone hopped in the water and began riding their boards and paddling at the same time. Just like motor boats they all pulled away from the beach.

 

 I had a pretty big board, which was a little embarrassing for such a good surfer like myself, but I would make the best of it. So I did what it appeared everyone did, threw the board in the water and jumped on. The only difference was that as soon as I did that the first wave came in and dumped me in the 2 feet of water right near the shore. O.K. it’s been 20 years since my last surfing episode but I felt ready to ride some waves so it would get better when we got out there; or so I thought. Maybe 20 feet from the beach I got dumped again while Nikolas and his pals had already been in once and making the second trip. Maybe it would be best if I walked out as far as I could and then tried to paddle, take my chances with the sharks and my little bait legs. I started to walk out and when I hit chest deep water a large wave came and took the board I was pushing in front of me and smashed me right across my head and then the waves tumbled me into shore. I could feel the few hundred people start to say “hey, check that loser out, he has no clue.” Well, after 20 minutes I battled and swam and flipped and got dragged and then managed to get up. It lasted for about 5 seconds and I was on the smallest wave of the day, but I did it, I am going to tear up the waves now, or so I thought.

  

After about 45 minutes I had not gotten up again and was getting pounded, and was ready to give up. I must have done about 15: “O.K. Last one, I will quit if I can’t get up this time”. If you have tried surfing and suck at it like I do, you now know what clothes feel like when they are in the washing machine.

So after about an hour we shut it down and I collapsed in the Sun on the beach; the place I should have stayed and watched the kids in the first place.

I am kind of glad I gave it a shot, heck; I sure entertained the folks on the beach for that hour. My friend Glen was laughing his head off and was very happy I kept going back out for more.

Maybe I will just stick to snorkeling next time.

 

 

(Helen’s story continued) 

The rest of the days were spent driving around Noosa Heads, walking their beautiful National Park, eating, laughing and feeling very comfortable with this great family.  We also got to see their eldest daughter’s horse.  We drove to the ranch where the horses are kept and she introduced Danika to her horse and we all got to pet the horses and feed them hay and grass.  We walked the horses down to the green pasture and then watched as Jess rode one of the ponies that she has been training.  It was amazing to watch as these young horses were just trained in the last few weeks.  It was funny to see the difference between our kids and theirs.  Ours are definitely city folk whereas their kids are extremely comfortable in the great outdoors.  I guess that’s what happens when you live in Australia!

We were very sad to leave Noosa, especially Nikolas.  It’s hard to come up with the right adjectives to describe this place; you really have to see it.  The landscape is so beautiful with the turquoise water and the fine white sand.  The palm trees blowing in the breeze, the lush green trees everywhere and constant blue sunny skies are a sight to behold.  All this beside a promenade street that is lined with trendy cafes and restaurants, makes it all just wonderful!  We all had an excellent time and are very grateful to our friends for their hospitality.  We are hoping that they will visit Canada again and we can return the favour, hopefully in the near future.

From Noosa we headed North to Hervey Bay, the gateway to Fraser Island.  We stayed one night in Hervey Bay and it is a small whale-watching community that really has nothing more than a few shops and restaurants, a nice beach and the marina.  We did stay in a very nice beachfront suite and loved our room and view so much that we decided to buy some food and eat in our room.  The view was spectacular!

The next morning we woke up VERY early and hopped on a bus that took us to the ferry terminal.  Our destination?  Fraser Island.

It is said that all the sand from Australia’s east coast eventually ends up at Fraser Island.  It is a gigantic sandbar measuring 120km by 15km, created by thousands of years of longshore drift.  Although it is made almost entirely of sand, Fraser Island has a remarkable variety of landscapes, from vast, rolling sand dunes known as sandblows, to dense tropical rainforests and deep freshwater lakes.  Fraser Island is one big recreation ground for anyone who loves camping, fishing, walking, off-road driving or simply the exhilaration of the great outdoors.  The island boasts nearly 200 freshwater lakes for swimming.  That’s just as well, as the sea is a definite no-go:  there are lethal undertows as well as the odd man-eating shark or 10.  The island is sparsely populated and, although more than 20,000 vehicles a year pile on to it, it remains wild and rugged.  A network of sandy tracks (roads) criss-crosses the island and you can drive along great stretches of beach-but it’s 4WD only!  There are no paved roads!

The only downside of the island is the threat of a dingo dog attack.  There are about 160 of them on the island and unfortunately in 2001 a nine-year old boy was mauled to death just 75m from his family’s camp site.  Because of this there are signs everywhere teaching you to be ‘dingo smart’ with the main emphasis being that you are not to leave your kids alone.  Fortunately we did not come across one during our great adventure on the island.

 

 

A short ferry ride takes you to the island and once you arrive you are loaded onto a huge 4WD bus.  The majority of the travelers are young backpackers and the ferry has room for a few cars as well.  Our bus was full and our guide was a great guy who epitomized the typical Aussie.  Blond, leathery sun-tanned skin, strong accent and a great sense of humour!  The roads are all sand and the bus barely makes its way along the very narrow route.  There is just enough room for one vehicle at a time and as our guide stated, “the biggest vehicle has the right of way!”

Our first stop was a 30 minute walk through the rainforest and it felt like we were in a jungle.  It was a very comfortable walk because we were on a beaten down path and the huge trees and foliage were perfect shade from the scorching sun.  After that it was back on the bus and we made our way to the resort we were staying at.  We were only there to have a nice buffet lunch and then it was back on the bus and we headed out to the beach and drove along the waters edge.  The beach stretches for miles in either direction and you can see cars and trucks driving back forth on the sand.  It really looks a little crazy! 

We parked the bus on the beach and then we were told that we had a 45 minute walk to get to one of the fresh water lakes.  This walk was A LOT tougher.  The path was mostly sand and we had sandals on so the going was slow and very physically draining.  But we made it and the effort was so worth it.  Lake Wabby is surrounded on three sides by eucalypt forest, while the fourth side is a massive sandblow (sand dune).  It was a huge relief to tear off the clothes and jump into the refreshing water after that long hike.  The kids had a blast as they would run down the sandblow and jump in the lake.  It was beautiful!  The walk back seemed to be a lot easier and faster for some reason and we were herded back onto the bus. 

He drove us back to the resort and we got our key to the room and went to get ready for dinner.  The room was nothing to write home about, a typical backpacker’s dorm with two sets of metal bunk beds, tiled floor, sink, shower and toilet.  Very cold and very plain but it suited us just fine!  We showered and went to the restaurant where we enjoyed a very nice buffet dinner.  You sit with all the other passengers and of course we got to know some other great people from all over the world.  It just amazes me how many young kids go out backpacking around the world by themselves.  I don’t know if I could have done that when I was in my twenties.  I give them a lot of credit. 

The next day we were up early and back to the restaurant for a buffet breakfast.  All the meals on the tour are included in the price.  It cost us $800 for the whole thing and it was worth every penny!  After breakfast we were back on the bus and this time we drove for over an hour to the tip of the island.  Steve went for a plane ride and met us half way down the beach.  The planes actually take off and land right on the beach.  He said it was excellent but very bumpy.  He told me that I certainly would not have enjoyed it.  No thanks!  As we drove up the beach we stopped at the rotting hulk of the Maheno, a former passenger liner that was blown ashore by a cyclone in 1935 as it was being towed to a Japanese scrap yard.  About 5km north of the Maheno we came across the Pinnacles.  They are an eroded section of coloured sand cliffs and a great photo opportunity.  Then we drove another 20km stretch of beach before we came to the rock outcrop of Indian Head, the best vantage point on the island.   When you hike up and reach the top you literally sit on the edge of a cliff and look down into the water.  We saw sharks, manta rays, dolphins, turtles, fish and in the distance some migrating whales.  It was fantastic!

From here we stopped at Champagne Pools and some of us took a dip in the only safe salt-water swimming lagoon on the island.  It is set within a circle of rocks and looks fabulous from a distance (I didn’t swim here). 

Our next destination was McKenzie Lake.  This time it was only a short hike to this lake and it is one of the most popular ones on the island.  There were a lot of people here and the lake itself is spectacularly clear and is ringed by sand beaches making it a great place to swim.  As expected, the kids had a great time swimming and playing in the sand.

From here we had a short stop at Eli Creek which is the largest stream on the east coast and a nice spot for splashing around.  You can walk along the stream into the ‘jungle’ with the water never getting higher than the tips of your shorts.  It was a lot of fun!

 

 

 

It was back to the resort for dinner and after two FULL days we all hit the hay pretty early and got up the next morning and headed back to the ferry.

We landed back at Hervey Bay at about 5pm and decided to bite the bullet and start driving to our next destination without staying another night in Hervey Bay.  We knew that our next leg of the trip would be around 10-12 hours so we thought we would shave a few hours off on the first day.  It was a good idea until we reached Rockhampton at about 10:45pm and could not find a motel that was opened.  All the reception offices were closed and we drove around for half an hour with no luck at all.  We just started to get a little nervous when we finally found a place.  It was over a hundred years old and there were a lot of drunks stumbling around the place BUT it was open!  It looked like a haunted house and when we walked up the stairs they squeaked so loud we were sure we were going to fall right through!  The room was very old and musty but it worked just fine for one sleep even though it was hard to sleep with the squeaking bats that must have been living in the attic. We got up early the next morning and resumed our long drive. 

After driving all day we finally arrived at Airlie Beach.  It is the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands which are 74 beautiful islands called the Whitsunday Group.  They are probably the best known of Queensland’s holiday islands and attract hordes of national and international visitors year-round.  Airlie Beach (pronounced Ally) has an artificial mix of tourist offices, backpackers hostels, holiday apartments and restaurants, the whole place revolves around tourism and pleasure boating.  It attracts a bustling and diverse bunch of ‘boaties’, backpackers, tourists and divers, all here for a good time, and it has a pretty energetic atmosphere to it.  It reminded me of Waikiki Beach about 20 years ago.  We stayed in Airlie Beach one night and were up at 5am to catch two ferries over to Lindeman Island where we were treating ourselves to six nights at Australia’s first Club Med.  It is the only accommodation on the whole island and it is set into the cliffs so that every room has a view of the water.  It is a very casual, fun atmosphere here and at first I was appalled at how all the children just run wild within the resort.  But by the second day my kids were one of them and we all had a blast!  It was exactly what we needed.  The kids went to the kids club at 9am after breakfast and we never saw them again until 5pm.  Even then we had them for an hour and a half to get them showered and then they went back to the kids club for dinner and we didn’t pick them up until 8:30pm.  Never once did I feel guilty either, because we have just spent the last 9 months with them and they needed their space.  They also begged us to let them go so we knew that they were having a very good time.  They swam, did archery, played tennis, played on the trapeze, rehearsed for the shows and many other activities.  Every night they were involved in a show for the whole resort and it was pretty cool watching them on stage. 

The food was awesome and the drinks were “free” too so Steve and I had an absolute blast!  It was a great idea!  We certainly recharged our batteries and we were all very sad to leave when the six days were up!  Nik has begged us to come back for his 12th birthday.  Who knows!

We are now in Cairns and are planning the next stage of our trip.  We are hoping to make it to Alice Springs and then make our way to Adelaide and then Melbourne.  Lots of options, we just have to pick the best one.  So that’s it for now and now I feel like I don’t have any more ‘homework’ left to do.  The story has been written Steve!!!!   

  Surfer’s Paradise 

(Written by Steve Sept 19, 05)

After arriving in Australia, we spent a few days in Coogee Beach and then at our friend’s home just outside of Sydney. The last time we stayed in Sydney we did not like the place, but I take it all back now.(Helen has already told  you about that )

We have now left Sydney and are now heading north on our way to Cairns. We drove up the coast through Coffs Harbour, Byron Bay and then all the way up here to this tropical rain forest. 

So here we are in Surfer’s Paradise, and ‘Crikey’ is there ever a ton of high-rises, this is no rain forest. I thought this area was called Surfer’s Paradise because of the waves and the rain forest, but I had no idea the city was so big. You know, people here (in Australia) don’t use the word Crikey except for that T.V. guy, Steve the Crocodile hunter. It appears Steve the Crocodile dude makes his living off the “Crikey” word, and everyone here in Oz can’t stand him. He kind of gives the average Ozzie a bad name, as we were told.

This place (Surfer’s Paradise) reminds me of Oahu, Hawaii with its streets, low cost souvenirs and the way the hotels line the shores of the beach. The only major difference is this place is much nicer, cheaper, much safer and full of fantastic people, but aside from that the two are very similar. The other thing that is similar is all the Japanese tourists in Surfer’s, and how most of the real estate is owned by folks from Japan.

 

 

I work with a few guys from my Fire Department who have exchanged jobs with a couple of Aussie guys from Surfers. The way it works is you have to find someone in an English speaking Fire Department (anywhere in the world) and then get your departments approval and then away you go. I now understand why the guys from Oz were not too thrilled to see old Surrey, Canada, and wonder if I could find someone who wants to pull a switch like that.

Well anyways, I guess you get the idea that we like it here, love it actually. I can tell you of the 40 + countries we have been through, Australia is the place to live and raise a family. I say that because everything here makes sense and the politicians are doing a pretty good job, and trust me I don’t like Politicians so that is hard for me to say. Health care, Schooling, Climate, and a low crime rate make this place very attractive. They even have the ability to change their laws if need be, and that is something that is my country’s (Canada) greatest downfall.

We are driving up to Noosa tomorrow to stay with a few friends. We will then go up to Cairns for some Scuba diving out at the Great Barrier Reef and then do something most Aussie’s have never done. We are thinking of driving form Cairns to Darwin and then to Ayers Rock. The only problem is the rental car companies will not let you drive their cars into the Northern Territory, so we can only get to Mt. Isa. I am not sure how we are going to get to Darwin from there, we will have to figure it out once we get there. That is what I love about traveling without a plan… the challenges.

 

 

Cairns   

(Written by Steve Oct 10, 05) - received Oct 11

 We are in Cairns and we are still trying to get used to the heat and humidity. This place is a tourist hotspot, mostly because it is the best place to head out and see the upper and outer parts of the Great Barrier Reef. We are taking a 2 ½ hour boat ride to the outer reef tomorrow to Scuba dive and snorkel, should be fun.

We drove up to Port Douglas yesterday and walked around and overcooked, I don’t know how the folks here get used to it. Port Douglas is one of the nicest communities I have ever seen, super tropical. The drive up the coast is fantastic and we stopped along the way checking out different little communities.

 

Today we went to Tjapukai and on a Hartley Crocodile Adventure, both were very cool. Tjapukai was part of Nikolas’ school and he was to educate himself on the Aboriginal culture of Australia. He really enjoyed it and we all received lessons on how to throw spears and boomerangs. The main message is the same all over the world, the indigenous folks have gotten the raw deal and are struggling to save their culture and values.

In the next 2 days we are dropping of our rental car and booking an outback bus that takes 3 days to drive into Alice Springs. We will set up there for a few days and then down to Ayers Rock. Well, that is the plan for now, who knows where we will end up, but we are excited about heading into the Outback.

We have really enjoyed Cairns and the surrounding towns, but it is a heck of a long drive if you are just coming up to sightsee. I don’t think I would suggest it, but I will tell you more after I dive out at the reef tomorrow.

 

We completed our day today at Hartleys Crocodile farm and wetlands. It is a property that they use to farm the crocs for food and skin. We were starving when we got there so we wolfed down a crocodile burger and we then headed out into the wetlands. The area is full of Crocs and they hang chicken out on a stick and these reptiles come flying out of the water and try and take it.

Take a look at the pictures and you will get some idea of how cool this place is, a must if you are up here. It makes for a bit of a long day, but both Tjapukai and Hartleys Croc farm are totally worth seeing if you can.  The kids loved it!

Great Barrier Reef  

(Written by Steve) - 0ct 13 

This trip out to the reef would be the most selfish thing I did on this whole trip. You see, my wife does not feel comfortable in a swimming pool, my son freaks out if a fly lands on him and my daughter can't swim. So here we are going out to the great Barrier Reef to snorkel and I am going out scuba diving on my own, leaving the kids with Helen. When our boat arrived out on the reef the dive master yelled for all divers to get their gear and get in the water. I looked over at Helen and said "are you sure you will be O.K.", she replied "yes' and told me to have a good time. So I came out of the water after my first dive and there was my family with life jackets, Masks, Snorkels and stingers suits about to enter the water, I felt so proud as they walked towards the swim grid. I had to go and get my lunch and then get back into the water. As I was getting ready to enter the water (about 20 minutes after last seeing them) I looked out into the water and there was my family swimming. I could clearly see Danika and Nikolas snorkeling with Helen about 100 meters off the swim grid. I felt so proud I wanted to scream, but I had to get into the water for my second dive. As I turned around and walked back to get my diving gear I saw Helen, Nikolas and Danika sitting underneath the swim grid. I was stunned, I just spent 5 minutes watching some other family swim around at the great barrier reef. I ask Helen why they came back so soon and she looked at me with burning eyes and replied "we have not been in the water yet"

I will let Helen tell you the rest:

(written by Helen) -  Oct 13

by Helen:
 
We are all sitting in an internet cafe, Steve and I checking e-mails and the kids playing computer games.  We just had a great dinner and it is finally starting to cool down; it's 8pm.  Everyone told us that Cairns is beautiful but we don't really agree with that.  I think it's because it is sort of the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, but in terms of a nice town, it is not.
We are staying at the Holiday Inn again and it is really nice.  We have done a few day trips while we were here, one to Port Douglas, another cute little town up the coast, and another organized trip to an aboriginal centre and a crocodile farm.  The weather has been unreal.  Extremely hot and very humid.  It has been over 30 degrees Celsius everyday.  You walk outside for 10 minutes and your shirt is soaked.
Yesterday we took a tour to the Great Barrier Reef.  When you walk along the streets of Cairns, every second store is a tour office.  They have a million different options of tours everywhere.  We finally decided on a Quicksilver tour that took us to the outer ribbon reef of the Great Barrier Reef. 
We had to wake up at 6am and they picked us up by bus to take us to the boat dock to embark on our tour.  We hopped on a catamaran that took us to the reef itself.  We were a little delayed with our departure as a poor elderly lady fell down the stairs and Steve and I joined the first aid crew in helping this poor gal out.  They ended up calling an ambulance and taking her to the hospital so our departure was delayed .
When we finally got going we stopped at two different towns to pick up passengers and by the time we arrived at the reef it was almost noon.
We unfortunately picked a day that was a little overcast and windy and the seas were a little choppy.  This particular tour has a pontoon that is stationed out at the reef and the catamaran docks against the pontoon and it becomes a huge sight for the hundreds of passengers. 
Because we were late leaving we had a huge buffet lunch on the pontoon and then we were ready to jump in the water.  If it was only that easy!!!
Steve had booked himself into a couple of diving expeditions so he left the three of us as soon as we docked at the pontoon.  Me and the kids had lunch and then we set about getting our gear on.  Well, this took about an hour as we had to put on these blue space suits (lycra) as the stinger's were out in full force apparently.  They are jelly fish that have a sting that can be deadly so we decided to stay on the safe side and rent the stinger suits.  Well, they are like putting nylons on your entire body and try doing that to two kids that are sweating!  Women will understand what I am saying because it is next to impossible to do this when your skin is damp.  While I am struggling, Nikolas is complaining that he is not going to have time to snorkel and that everyone on the pontoon is already in the water and we are the only ones not ready...etc.  I just about threw him off the pontoon at that point and the day had just started! 
We finally got the suits on and now it was time to get our snorkeling gear.  Well, my son's feet are enormous and of course he could not find a single pair that would fit him properly.  I watched him as he sat  on the floor writhing around like a fish trying to get his flippers on his feet, all the while telling me that we were taking too long getting ready.  Needless to say it is really hard to put flippers on dry feet but he would not understand this and insisted that it was all my fault that he had big feet.  I struggled with the strong desire to take the flipper and whack him across the head with it, but I didn't.  This was the Great Barrier Reef and I wasn't going to ruin the day.  Then, of course, it was Danika and her mask.  Every time I put it on her and that in itself would take 15 minutes to get all her hair out of the suction part, she would take it off to talk to me.  It took me half an hour to explain to her that she could talk to me without taking her mask off. 
Finally, we had all our equipment and on the pontoon there is a little staircase that leads into the water and that is where we put on all our stuff. 

 

You sit down on these benches and are sitting in chest deep water.  As we are sitting there little tropical fish the size of Danika's hand start swimming around us and my kids start screaming.  Nikolas is yelling that he sees a shark and all the people start looking at us very strangely.  I am just about ready to just call it quits BUT, it is the Great Barrier Reef and I will not ruin the day.  The funny thing is that I actually got bit by something and it hurt a lot but I could not tell my kids this.  We are sitting there getting our stuff on and testing our equipment by putting our faces in the water.  Of course, Danika's mask is leaking and Nikolas is obsessed with this "shark" he sees even though there are twenty thousand people snorkeling in the water before us.  As we are about to actually enter the water Danika gets nipped by whatever bit me and she starts crying and saying she doesn't want to do this anymore.  Nikolas starts to freak out and then he gets nipped in the leg as well and that's it for him.  He thinks it was the shark.  As I am cursing Steve under my breath for leaving me here with this mess I tell myself that we have to do this.  I assure Nikolas that if it really was a shark the company would certainly evacuate the area and stop the hundreds of people from getting into the water.  He actually starts to believe me even though the lady that is helping people with their gear actually tells me that it is a shark.  But just a small one.  Well, now I am having second thoughts.  We are out in the middle of the ocean and I am responsible for these kids and I am not the greatest swimmer in the world and not the most courageous person in the world BUT it is the Great Barrier Reef and we are going to snorkel if it's the last thing we do.  At this point Steve shows up and takes pictures of us getting ready and says, "Hey, what are you still doing here?"  He thought that we were out there hours ago and had been taking pictures of a family of three thinking that it was us.  Now, I really had to do it.

My other problem was myself.  When I put my head in the water to test my equipment I almost hyperventilated.  A bit of my claustrophobia was sneaking up on me.  I actually said out loud that I didn't think that I could do this.  Of course, right away, Nik says, "me neither".  It was then that I said THAT"S IT!  Let's go!!!!!!  It took me half an hour to lure Danika into the water once I jumped in and Nik would not go unless she did (he is 10, she is 5).  Well, out of the blue Danika suddenly said, "I am going to do this!" and in she jumped and just miraculously started snorkeling, just like that.  Of course, Nik saw this and knew that he had no choice so in he jumped after making sure the shark was nowhere to be seen and we all snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef!!  It was fantastic.  Well, it was okay.   The water was very choppy and there were hundreds of people in the water so we kept bumping into fins and bodies.  The water was a little cool and a little murky because of the wind and the coral is not that impressive.  No real colourful stuff but we did it and I am so proud of my kids! 

After we came out we went in a semi-submersible and took a tour of the reef and that was very cool.  It's a glass bottom boat and we saw way more than when we snorkeled.  Of course, as soon as we came back and Nik saw Steve he said he wanted to snorkel again as if he was an expert and off they went the two of them to snorkel a bit more.  Me and Danika got changed and soon our tour was over and it was back on the cat and back to Cairns. 

 

 

      

The Australian Outback   

(Written by Helen, Oct 15, 05)

The slogan on the bus we were taking into the outback has become my new motto:  For those who believe that the journey is as important as the destination!”  Now, whenever I feel guilty about my fear of flying I always bring up that saying and it makes me feel better.  It’s also very true as well.

I wrote the following on the bus over the three day journey…..

We were up at 4:30am to catch the bus from Cairns to Alice Springs.  It’s hard to complain about getting up early when we’ve slept in pretty much every morning for the last ten months.  It’s been raining on the way to Alice Springs so the bus driver, Greg, has advised us that our route may be altered.  Oh well, whatever road takes us there!

 

Sitting in the bus and Steve turns around and has a raised eyebrow look.  The music playing is VERY country.  Can we handle three days of this?  The bus holds 42 passengers but there are only 18 people on this tour.  We left Cairns and are headed to Alice Springs.  It’s called the Reef to Rock tour as Alice Springs is the hub for Ayer’s Rock.  The first day we are to drive 660km mostly on dirt roads.  What is so unique about this tour is that everyday is a different terrain as we drive through Western Queensland.  As we drive along, the scenery consists of huge open plains; very flat and dry, almost desert-like in some places.  We are headed into Red Kangaroo and Emu country.  There are tons of cattle stations and some can be as big as 10,000 square kilometers.  It’s amazing how many dead kangaroos you see on the side of the road, we also saw one dead cow.  Our driver tells us that they lose 2-3 tourists every year in the Outback; usually Europeans because in Europe there is usually a town or city every few kms, but not in the Outback.  Sometimes they are found with water bottles full but dehydration from the intense heat kills them faster than they can drink the water.  Our driver continually reminds us to drink plenty of water.

 

The bus stops every two hours for toilet breaks and stretches.  He asks that we don’t use the toilet in the bus because it has a very small tank and he has nowhere to dump it so it can smell up the whole bus pretty quickly.  The roads are 90% dirt roads with lots of potholes so we are bopping and swaying along the whole way.  The road is also one lane and the rule is that the biggest vehicle has the right of way.  I thought we would be the biggest but they have these trucks called Road Trains and they are semi’s that haul 3-6 trailers.  They are very long and we get out of the way for them!

 

Our first stop is a path that leads to some waterfalls.  Danika and I are walking down this very rocky path together and she is eating a popsicle.  Just after I tell her to be careful and watch her step I hear a scream and when I turn around her popsicle has gone flying and she is face down on the ground screaming.  Other than some major road rash on her knee, hands, hip and belly, she is fine.  I think she is more upset about losing her popsicle.  It wasn’t a good start to the trip but at least she will be more careful with the rest of our walks.

 

Our next stop is for lunch at a rest stop that has some tables and chairs, toilets and a small store.  Our driver takes out two large metal bins filled with food.  He puts us to work slicing cukes, tomatoes, and lettuce.  We then help ourselves to the sliced cold cuts and bread and make sandwiches.  It is so hot and everyone looks for the best shaded area to sit and eat.  The flies are really annoying and the worst part is that they don’t fly away when you swat at them.  We are told that the flies will only get worse the farther west we head.  Great!

 

A few more hours of driving with pit stops here and there for toilet breaks and then we finally reached Hughenden, our final stop of the day.  It is a little town in the middle of nowhere and really, we couldn’t see that many people around.  It was 6:30pm on a Sat. night and we saw maybe a handful of folks driving around.  Most were seen heading through the drive-through liquor store where we were staying.  We were given the keys to our rooms and as we headed towards them I started to chuckle.  They were trailers up on stilts and they actually serve as accommodation for the sheep shearers most of the time.  We thought it was hot outside, but as soon as we walked into the trailers it felt ten times hotter.  I started to panic a bit because you could hardly breathe in there, never mind sleep.  Thank goodness, as soon as we walked into our rooms we saw the air conditioner and turned it on.  It took about half an hour but soon it was very cool and comfortable in our 8ft. by 8ft. room.  The only furniture inside the room was two metal bunk-beds and a tiny table, but it would do us just fine because we were exhausted. 

 

We first had to wash up in the communal shower/toilet and head to the pub for our dinner.  It was a small buffet but the food was quite good:  lasagna, chicken, mashed potatoes, rice, beef curry and macaroni and cheese.  We chatted just a bit with our driver after dinner and then it was straight to bed.  It was still very warm outside as we made our way back to our rooms.  My sleep was brutal.  First I felt great lying on the top bunk with the flow of the air conditioner wafting over me.  Then I got cold and went under the covers, then I got hot and pulled them off and then I got cold and went under the covers….and so on all night.  I couldn’t get it right, but did eventually get some sleep that night.

 

 

The next day….up at 5:30am to pack up and load the bus by 6am when breakfast is served.  Tea/coffee, cereal and toast.  Back on the road by 6:30am.  We start our day with a song about the wildlife of Australia.  The Australian Government had asked these singers to write a song about the wonderful wildlife of Australia in order to entice more visitors to come.  The song they wrote was hilarious.  It is all about sharks, crocs, poisonous snakes, spiders and all the things that can kill you.  It was very funny.

We are now cruising along listening to Fleetwood Mac.  Steve, the driver, me and one guy from Ireland are the oldest ones on the bus.  All the other “kids” are all backpackers from Edmonton, England, Spain, Italy, Japan and Germany.  They travel across the country and every so often they stop somewhere and get a job that pays them enough for the next leg of their journey.  Lots of them are traveling alone with limited English.  Very admirable! 

 

Our first stop on Day 2 is a town called Winton.  As we were pulling into Winton, Greg, the driver, played a version of Waltzing Matilda as it was being sung at the start of a rugby game between Australia and New Zealand in Australia.  At the end of the song the crowd of 100,000 sings along; it gave me goose bumps.  Winton is the birthplace of this very famous song, “Waltzing Matilda” and also of Qantas (Queensland and Northern Territory Air Service).  “Banjo” Paterson wrote the song and there is a museum that explains what the song is about as well as how Qantas got off the ground.  Matilda is what they called a swag or a type of back-pack on the end of a stick.  When the bushmen were on a walk-a-bout the swag would sway as they walked along.  It looked as though it were dancing at the end of the stick and hence the word ‘waltzing’.  Aparantly the Aussie’s would love for it to be their national anthem but the government doesn’t agree because the song is about a man that steals a sheep and jumps into a billabong (water hole) instead of being caught by the authorities. 

 

Our next stop was a cattle station called Toryanna.  The station is 6,000 km in size and we were met by the owner whose name was Charles.  He took us for a walk down to Python Gorge where it lived up to its name as we saw two large pythons coiled up beside some rocks at the bottom of the gorge.  The one python was over 12 feet long and the other one was even bigger but did not move so we couldn’t really tell how long it was.  One of them got an eye lock on Danika and started licking its lips.  Apparently they can eat an average-sized kangaroo in one gulp.  Dani’s about the size of a small kangaroo.  At the bottom of the gorge Charles showed us some aboriginal artwork on the rock walls.  Some dated back over 1,000 years ago. 

 

Danika was playing with what she thought was a rock but it turned out to be a kangaroo’s toenail.  She dropped it quickly after hearing that!  While we were on our walk our bus driver, Greg bar-b-qued up some hamburgers, sausages and veggie burgers.  We had a delicious lunch in the sweltering heat and as we were finishing, another bus from the same company was pulling up.  They were making their way from Alice Springs to Cairns.   This was the half way mark.  We packed up and left with a quick toilet break and a drive passed the homestead of Charles and his family.  Two homes, one his and the other his father’s, out in the middle of nowhere, in the desert.  Interesting life.

 

 

Our next stop was absolutely hilarious.  It was the town of Middleton.  Population:  5.  It truly comes up out of nowhere and there is a shed that has a sign on it that says:  Hilton Hotel on it.  There is a bar that is attached to a residence that houses the whole population of the town.  It was so cute.  We stopped there for a drink and a toilet break.  Our driver told us to take our time as we walked the streets of Middleton.  It took us 10 seconds to do that.

The town use to be a stage coach stop in the late 1800’s and is the only one left still standing.  Very cool!

 

We stayed at a cattle station on our next night.  It is called Wirrylyerna Station and is about 125,000 acres in size.  The station’s get bigger as you go up to the Northern Territory, some as big as 16,000 acres.  The largest station in the country is in New South Wales and is 32,000 acres.  Australia is the largest producer of beef in the world, but they export the majority of it.  They import beef for national consumption.  There is a family that runs the cattle station and they run it as a tourist destination.  Yollie was our host and she lives at the homestead with her husband and 12 year old daughter Eve.  As we were driving into the homestead her daughter was riding her horse beside the bus.  She was riding it bareback and with bare feet.  The sun was setting and the sky was ablaze with the most amazing colours and to watch her gallop beside us as fast as the horse could run was surreal.  She beat us and was waiting as we pulled up.  There were a lot of animals waiting for us as well.  The homestead has animals walking around everywhere.  When the bus doors opened, two of the many dogs hopped in and started walking down the isle sniffing and searching for crumbs on the floor.  Yollie entered the bus and gave us the rundown on what we were to do and how to do it.  She was very organized and extremely friendly and we knew it was going to be a great experience.  We were once again sleeping in sheep shearers quarters and they looked exactly like the one we had slept in the night before.  These ones however, were air conditioned perfectly when we arrived.  We dropped our stuff off in the room and it was out to the campfire to wait for dinner.  The dinner was being cooked in pots hanging over the fire and soon we were in line having our plates filled with delicious food.  After dinner the kids were whisked away by Eve and she showed them all over the homestead.  Nikolas wrote a little story about his experience and will have all the details there. 

 

What we did see was Nikolas feeding one of their baby kangaroos with a baby bottle and Danika petting the other baby kangaroo that is carried around in a cotton sack to replicate the mother’s pouch.  There is a baby calf walking around, lots of dogs, cats, pigs, a goat that is in love with one of the pigs and are inseparable, goats, cattle and lots of bugs and birds coming and going.  Eve also showed us to a shed where she does her school work.  She participates in something called School of the Air and it involves a teacher and about 8 students that communicate over the telephone for one hour everyday Mon.-Fri.  Her teacher gives out assignments and the students have to have them done by a certain time.  Her mom helps her with her schoolwork and once in a while she gets together with her classmates so that they have some actual playing time together.  Because they live in such a remote area they have no school to go to.  She seems to enjoy her life and like her brother she will be off to boarding school next year.  Her mom told us that it’s going to be hard on her and her husband because the kids are normally always around.  Her brother is one year older and is at boarding school in Rockhampton and only sees his family at holiday time.  It was so interesting talking to this family and it really makes you realize that there are many people around the world living very unique lives.  We will never forget this experience. 

After dinner we had a shower in the communal shower and thank goodness there was lots of hot water.  The only problem was that I bought some very cheap beach towels and they did not absorb any water.  When we rubbed, the water would just move around our body, the towel stayed dry.  How frustrating!  That night I had a much better sleep!

Up at 5am for breakfast at 5:30.  As we ate breakfast outside we were  mesmerized by the spectacular sunrise.  With the fresh air and amazing nature around us it was a very humbling experience.

 

Back on the bus and onward down the dirt road.  Our first stop was a toilet break at Tobermorey Station.  It is located just over the border into the Northern Territory.  Steve took a picture of a massive tarantula he saw in the men’s bathroom.  I am not a spider lover and it made me realize that this may just be the start of some very interesting creepy crawlies!  The terrain here is what I expected the Outback to look like.  The dirt is deep red in colour and there are very few trees.  It is cooler today and there are clouds in the sky.  Greg told us that during the summer the temperatures can reach 50-55 degrees out here.  He says that sometimes the bus can’t keep up with the air conditioning.  Sometimes the inside of the bus is 37 degrees with the air on and the passengers are relieved when they get in because outside is just unbearable.  For us, I think the temperatures were between 35-40 degrees and it was almost unbearable.  I can’t even begin to imagine what 55 would feel like.  As we drive on we see some camels in the distance and a massive lizard.  It is really quite funny to see camels walking amongst the herds of cattle.  Next we stop at a termite hill that is 5 metres high.  It is taller than the bus and is estimated to be about 200 years old.  There are millions of termite hills along our journey and it’s incomprehensible to think how many termites there are in this country.

 

We stop for lunch at a place called Jervois and have sandwiches again with some left-over sausages.  There are a ton of flies here and it is almost impossible to eat.  Who knows how many of those critters we actually ate without realizing it.  Gross!  Back on the road again and it’s actually hard to read my writing because the road was so bumpy when I was writing in my journal.  (I am re-writing this while in Alice Springs).  It has started to rain and Greg is a little concerned about the condition of the roads.  Just a little rain can turn the dirt roads into complete mush.  We make it to our last stop which is an aboriginal community called Atitjera.  Greg told us a little about the aboriginals.  They are very spiritual and cultural people and have a bit of a hard time blending in with modernization.  He told us that some do have a problem with alcoholism but asked us not to think that they were all like that.  He told us that most are responsible professionals and some choose to live a simple life and live in secluded communities where they are able to maintain their culture.  It sounded very similar to the situation of our Native Indians in Canada.  It was very educational.  Our driver, Greg was just full of knowledge and we think we got lucky as he was very friendly and extremely professional.  You could tell that he enjoyed his job and was very eager to tell us about his amazing country. 

 

We drove through the Tropic of Capricorn and as we crossed the line we entered the area of four seasons.  We left the Tropic of Cancer which is the area of only the dry and wet seasons.  And finally we made it to Alice Springs!  We were dropped off at the Crowne Plaza and I have to say it felt good to flop onto a normal bed and have our own bathroom.  I know, I am spoiled but I wholeheartedly enjoyed my journey into the Outback of Australia!   

  

Alice Springs, Northern Territory   

(Written by Steve Oct 17, 05) - received Oct 18

 

So, here we are, smack dab in the middle of Australia. This country has everything that you can imagine, and I just can’t say enough about it.

It does have a few problems though, like the size, Aboriginal issues and water supply. Traveling around a country that is the same size as the Continental United States is quite a feat. When you drive through the outback you can see that nature is still in control and humans are no match.

The Aboriginals in this country have been screwed and some are having a problem adjusting to the life of the white man.

And the biggest problem that Australia has to deal with is water. This country has enough water for 5 million people but currently has a population of just over 20 million. Forget about oil, this country is going through its worst drought in 100 years; scary.

 

 

 

So having said all that let me tell you about Alice Springs, or as I’ve heard it called: “A little hick town in the middle of nowhere.” I kind of resent the “Hick town” label because the city (Surrey B.C.) my city gets called that all the time.

Yes, Alice Springs is located in the middle of Australia, but I would not say in the middle of nowhere. I would say it is a pit stop for folks heading to Darwin, Cairns, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth or Sydney. Nikolas would call this place a checkpoint and I have to agree. I would not want to live here but I’m very glad we came to see it. You know that drought I talked about?  Well it was put on hold while we were here.  The Todd River has not flowed like this in almost 4 years. The few days we were here, the city kind of flooded and it was a tad unnerving. The locals were not worried but we tourists were waiting for one of those flash floods our bus driver warned us about. The next day the sun came out and aside from the major puddles and all the leaks in the hotel, you would have never known it rained.

 

Today we went to the Desert Park located just north of the city, it was so cool. If you are truly interested in learning about Australia’s land, culture, and evolution, then this place is a must see!

Tomorrow we head out to Kings Canyon, then Ayers rock and then down to Coober Pedy.

 

The only problem is that Nikolas is sick and has a fever and we are going to be spending the next week in the desert and 40 degree temperatures. We were going to sleep outside in Swags, but with his temperature we have now booked accommodation.

Well, if you get the chance, get out to Alice Springs and Kings Canyon and Ayers Rock, I think it is worth the trip.

          

Kings Canyon, Ayers Rock and the Olgas

 (Written by Steve Oct 21, 05)

So we just watched the sunset on Ayers Rock and it was pretty cool. We left Alice Springs 2 days ago and made it to Kings Canyon, but barely.

I have to tell you that I made a huge mistake on the trip down here from Alice Springs.

  Geez, it makes me sick just to think about the bone head move I made that could have left us in serious trouble. I rented a Patrol (Nissan’s version of the Land Cruiser) and it was a beauty, a 2005 with only 10,000 km. The day all started when we picked up the truck and headed down the Stuart Highway to Kings Canyon. The drive is over 500 km if you take the highway or only 390 if you take the 4x4 short cut, which has 100 km of dirt road through aboriginal land. I asked about the short cut at the rental office and they said it would be quicker but she was not sure if the road would be open because of all the rain in the last few days. When we left our Hotel we noticed a funny smell when we first started driving but thought it must be coming from outside.

So anyways, we are bombing down the highway listening to our favorite CD, Green Day, and all is well. I saw a road house after about an hour of driving and I told Helen I wanted to stop and ask about the short cut (4x4 road) The folks in the road house told us that they had had a lot of rain and they were sure the road would not be open.  So we got back in this shiny new truck and were bombing down the highway when all of a sudden a huge sign said Kings Canyon turn in 500 meters.  It was the short cut we had heard about. We pulled over and looked at the road.  It was dirt and there were some big puddles but the first few hundred feet did not look so bad and there was no closed gate or signs. I said to the Boss (Helen), what do you think? And she said, lets give it a try. I thought, why not, we have a 4X4 and just like my expertise in surfing (???), I am quite the expert when it comes to off road travel, so lets give it a try. We drove down to the Henbury meteor craters and asked some folks what they knew about the road, but no one could help us. One of the people we saw were stopped in a car and when we rolled down the window we noticed a burning smell coming from their car. We just figured that was why the guy was pulled over and he must have been cooling off or something. As we drove, the puddles got bigger but we seemed to have enough room on either side to just drive around them. The only problem was we could only drive at about 30 – 40 km an hour and the puddles were getting larger and looking really deep. After 20 minutes of driving we did not see anyone else on this road and I had a bed feeling and was second guessing our choice of short cuts. I asked Helen if she thought we should keep going, and she said she was quite comfy with my driving skills and said let’s keep going. We were warned by many Aussies about traveling these roads because if a rain came it could cause flash flooding and wash you away. I looked into the heavens and could not see a cloud in the sky, but if we got stuck we could end up a long way from any sealed road. We drove for about 45 minutes and maybe 25 km and did not see another car; that made me uneasy. The puddles were now small lakes and were very difficult to drive around because the truck went up on such an angle.  It felt like we were going to roll over.

 

 

Now I knew now we should not be out here.  If we got stuck, not only would there be no cars driving by to help but the heat might just cause us some major problems because it was super hot out.  One of the reasons I thought we should take this short cut was because Nikolas was so ill, the faster we got to our next destination the better, or so I thought. When the above picture was taken we were only 20 kms into this disaster, the temperature outside was in the mid 40's and Nikolas had a temperature of 104 degrees. It was not long before we came to a lake that blocked the whole road and it appeared the only way was to drive through it, but I remembered what Greg (Our Bus driver that drove us through the outback) had said about wet dirt roads. Greg told us that these puddles are all mud and sometimes 4 feet deep and once you get in there the mud just bogs up the wheels and you can’t move. So here we are stopped, looking at this lake, and I wanted to turn around but I did not want to go back through the lakes we had already driven through. So I said what I had been saying many times on that day: if I can just get through this one maybe it will get better. That thinking got us in a whole lot of trouble on that day. So I thought it would be better to risk rolling the truck rather than getting it stuck in the mud, so we drove along the angle and had no choice but to go into the puddle at the end. We made it through that one, but the puddles got bigger as we went along and we still had not seen another vehicle yet. We were exactly 50 km into this disaster and if we got stuck now and no one else was using this road, we were in major trouble. We tried to drive around on of these massive puddles but went up on such and angle we almost rolled over so we came up with a plan B. Now after 2 hours we were still moving but now having to drive into the brush, finding trees wide enough to pass through just to get around some of these puddles. Driving into the bush in the outback was one of the biggest No No's a tourist can make, but I was terrified of driving around anymore puddles. It has been  3 ½ hours since we left Alice Springs and we have not seen another vehicle and I am freaking out inside now and just want to get the heck (being nice) off this road and for this day to end. To make matters worst we could still smell that burning smell we noticed almost 4 hours ago when we picked up this truck and it seemed to be getting stronger, so I pulled over in the middle of no where and lifted the hood. I was shocked to see the engine compartment covered with oil and then I noticed the oil spraying out of the valve cover. There was no oil cap and then I checked the dipstick and it showed not a drop of oil, I mean nothing! So we are in the middle of nowhere and are out of oil and my 10 year old son had a very serious fever. Oh now we were all freaking and had very little options. We just had to keep driving this truck as far as it would take us or until the engine seized. Hopefully that would be to the main road so we could flag down a passing vehicle.

So, to make a long story a wee bit shorter, I’ll tell you that we survived and made it to the main road. That engine just kept running and running, all the way to a service station in Kings Canyon. It took us 5 hours to take that short cut and make it to Kings Canyon.  That’s an hour longer than if we had just stuck to the freeway (The longer way).

If we had gotten stuck, I would have never forgiven myself. Driving down that road was the dumbest thing I have done on this whole trip and I feel quite foolish about it and did not have a clue how badly that day could have ended. I say this because when I told the lady at the Kings Canyon Hotel that we went down that road she laughed and said, “You must be mistaken because that road is closed and the police have advised everyone that it will not open for another 4 days". I told her we made a big mistake and drove it, and she replied (as if we were dumb tourists) that we were very fortunate to have made it and they have had people die out there on those roads. I felt like throwing up while she was telling me this, but we needed to get our son into an air conditioned area so we booked a room at the hotel.

We let Nikolas cool off for an bit and then we drove up to the Canyon to see the cliffs but Nikolas was way too sick to walk.

I called the Avis in Alice Springs where I picked it up and learned that this truck had just gone for servicing and the mechanic must have forgotten to put the cap on. I drove over 500 km with no oil cap and I have no idea how long I drove without any oil. We could have seized our engine up on that dirt road but somehow this truck just kept running. The outback stars must have been looking down on us that day because I put over 6 1/2 litres of oil back into that engine and that proved it was completely dry.

I can hear my Mother-in-law right saying, “I told my daughter not to marry that guy”.

(Picture below)  When we made it to the end of the dirt road I felt sick to my stomach but got on my knees and bowed down to this truck. I am not sure how or why it kept running, but it did one heck of a job taking care of my family that day.

.

 

Oh thank you, amazing, oil free truck!

 

The Next day (Oct 22,05)

 

Like I said we are now here in Ayers Rock and all is well, and we get a new vehicle tomorrow because this one may has some serious engine damage and must be towed back to Alice Springs. Nikolas still has a very high fever for the 3rd day in a row, we are hopeful he will be feeling better tomorrow. He is missing out on some serious rock climbing, poor guy.

I could go on about the Olgas and The Rock but the pictures will hopefully tell the story.

 

When the sun sets on these massive rocks, the colours are mesmerizing; something you have to see on your own.

 

So come on down from Cairns like we did (3000 km) or up from Adelaide (1500 km), because it is so worth it!

If you are going to make this wonderful journey across Australia let me give you a few tips from an expert .

 Before you leave on any long journey make sure you bring lots of water, always CHECK your oil and don’t take any short cuts!

 Next stop: Coober Pedy.

 

 

The Next day (Oct 22,05)

 

Like I said we are now here in Ayers Rock and all is well, and we get a new vehicle tomorrow because this one may has some serious engine damage and must be towed back to Alice Springs. Nikolas still has a very high fever for the 3rd day in a row, we are hopeful he will be feeling better tomorrow. He is missing out on some serious rock climbing, poor guy.

I could go on about the Olgas and The Rock but the pictures will hopefully tell the story.

 

When the sun sets on these massive rocks, the colours are mesmerizing; something you have to see on your own.

 

So come on down from Cairns like we did (3000 km) or up from Adelaide (1500 km), because it is so worth it!

If you are going to make this wonderful journey across Australia let me give you a few tips from an expert .

 Before you leave on any long journey make sure you bring lots of water, always CHECK your oil and don’t take any short cuts!

 Next stop: Coober Pedy.

 

     Ayers Rock to Sorrento

 

 (Written by Helen) -   received Oct 29

It’s called The Red Centre for good reason.  Sometimes it feels like you are in the middle of Mars.  The dirt is a crimson red in colour and there isn’t much growing in this very arid climate.  We spent a few days in Alice Springs and stayed in a very nice Holiday Inn with a beautiful pool.  There isn’t much to do in Alice Springs other than walk down the main street and visit the many souvenirs shops and cafes and restaurants.  We were walking the main street when we saw some of our friends we met on the Outback tour bus.  It’s funny when you travel that you meet up with people you’ve met all over the country.  It really is a small world.

We spent four days here but I really don’t have that much to say about it.  There is a river that flows through this town and I should say that it actually flows water only once a year sometimes less than that.  Well, they had a huge rain storm before we arrived and the river was flowing so well that it flooded one of the roads.  Most of the residents told us that it’s an actual honour to be in Alice Springs when the Todd River flows.  So we feel honoured!

A day before we left, Nikolas spiked a fever and was just feeling really lousy.  Whenever he gets a cold or the flu he spikes a fever so we weren’t that concerned.  We loaded him full of Tylenol and he was quite a trooper as we made our way to Uluru (aka Ayer’s Rock) via King’s Canyon.  There are two ways to get there and we chose to take the more adventurous route by foregoing the paved road and heading out on the dirt road.  We stopped at a roadhouse just before the dirt road began and they recommended that we take the paved road because of the recent rain and the potential for poor road conditions on the dirt road.  We decided to just check out the dirt road and see what condition it was in and then we were going to make our own decision.  We started driving it and it seemed fine so we kept going.  At one point another truck was stopped on the side of the road coming the other way.  We stopped and asked the gentleman if he drove from King’s Canyon (where we were headed) and he said no.  When we did stop we smelled this burning smell and just assumed it was the other guy’s truck and thought it was the reason he had pulled over.  Oh how wrong we were!

Well, we kept driving and you can refer to Steve’s story about how that all played out.  In short, we most certainly should not have been driving that road.  We found out, when we got to Kings Canyon, that the road was actually closed.  We didn’t see any signs or blockades but there were spots where we barely made it through.  In fact, in a few spots we had to leave the road and drive around some massive puddles that engulfed the whole road.  The craziest thing was that I was never really worried.  Imagine that!  I am usually worried about everything but for some reason, when I really should have been worried, I wasn’t.  Now that worries me!!!  Oh, I am pathetic aren’t I?

Anyway, we finally made it to King’s Canyon and pulled up in front of the reception.  While Steve was inside I noticed some smoke coming from under the hood of our truck.  When Steve came out he looked under the hood and was shocked to see that the oil cap was missing and that the complete engine was covered in oil.  The worst part was that when Steve checked the oil level he found that there was none!  We drove through the deserted desert road with no oil.  Had we broken down it would have been about a 50km hike in 35-40 degree scorching heat for the family.  Very scary!

The whole fiasco with Avis has just been resolved now (it’s 2 weeks later).  We had to get another car and they towed the truck all the way back to Alice Springs. 

 

Everybody told us that King’s Canyon is a must-see even over Ayer’s Rock.  It is a massive red sandstone canyon and there are two options to climb it.  A short half hour option staying at the base and then a 3 hour long option that takes you to the top.  We arrived at the middle of the day in the most intense heat.  Nikolas was on fire with his fever and the flies were unbearable.  Everyone was wearing nets over their faces except for us of course.  Needless to say we aborted our walk after approximately 5 minutes and the kids and I headed back to the truck while Steve jogged in a bit to take some pictures since we just spent hours and hours driving here.  I can’t really comment on King’s Canyon because I really did not get the opportunity to see it.  What little Steve did see, he said that it was beautiful. 

We stayed at the resort in King’s Canyon and we had a beautiful room that had a huge soaker tub in the room and it looked out over the landscape.  It was great for the kids to play around in.  We went for dinner at the restaurant and had a scrumptious buffet.  It was certainly nicer than what we had planned to do here as our initial plan was to camp under the stars.  Because Nik was so sick we had to keep him indoors where the air-conditioner could cool him off. 

 

The next morning we set out to Uluru, or Ayer’s Rock.  As you drive along the flat terrain it suddenly pops up in the horizon.  This gigantic red rock in the middle of the desert.  As you get closer, it looks like a huge blob of red play-do has been dropped from the heavens.  It is rounded and has pot holes all over.  There is next to no vegetation growing on it and it really is a sight to see.  Just seeing it from the car I can say that personally I found it to be a more impressive sight to see than King’s Canyon.  The Aboriginals consider it a sacred site and when you stand there and look up at it you can feel that this is so true.  There is a spot where you can climb the rock but the Aboriginals ask that you don’t.  There is a rope that has been secured to one part in order to help people who do decide to climb it.  Steve wanted to climb it but did not get a chance.  We drove around the entire rock and even got a chance to watch the sun set and watched the different colours reflect on the rock.  Magical.  It is truly a must-see.  We just loved it there!

We treated ourselves to a beautiful hotel and it was so refreshing to jump in a cool pool after spending hours out in the heat!  Nik was feeling lousy and just spent the whole time in bed watching TV. and sleeping. 

 

The next morning we packed up and headed to Coober Pedy.  We had heard about this place from many people and really wanted to see it.  It is renowned for its underground buildings.  It is also the Opal Capital of the World.  Just a little history….(taken from a brochure)

“Approximately 150 million years ago the ocean covered the Coober Pedy region.  After the sea water receded, there were climatic changes that caused the lowering of the underground water tables.  Silica solutions were carried down to deposits in cavities, faults and fractures in the ground and now, millions of years later, these silica solutions have formed into opal.”

The first opal mining pioneers who came to the area could not handle the extreme heat during the day and cold during the night.  They introduced the unique method of living underground in ‘dugouts’.  Since then 60 percent of the population live or do business underground.  It is quite a sight to see.  We even found a Serbian Orthodox Church (my religion) built into the side of a mountain.  It is the only underground church of its kind.  Very cool! 

 

 

The majority of the population is European as many migrated after the Second World War.  The opal mines surround the town for miles in all directions.  It is a little eerie in a way because there are thousands of piles of dirt everywhere.  They don’t have to refill the spots they dig up so that they don’t dig in the same spot again.  As we were walking home from dinner we came upon an opal store and I wanted to go in and have them explain how the opals are mined.  Well, we really lucked out and met this mom and son who run the family business.  There names were George and Stella.  The dad actually mined the opals and the son made the opals into beautiful jewellery.  He explained to us how the opals are mined and showed us all the different processes.  I was admiring the rings and noticed that Steve was quite interested in one that was just dazzling.  When we got married I was working for minimum wage and Steve was just starting his fire fighting career so the wedding ring I bought him was nothing extravagant.  When I noticed that he really liked this particular ring I convinced him to get it as his new wedding ring plus his birthday was coming up.  George and his mother were amazing and did not pressure us at all and we were so pleased to buy this ring from this great family.  If you are ever in Coober Pedy do not hesitate to go into Discount Opal House and have a look around!  So, Coober Pedy is a bit of a ‘hick’ town but well worth the stop.  You have to see it to believe it! 

From Coober Pedy we drove to Adelaide and stayed in the city centre.  It is a beautiful, clean city and even though it was raining we really enjoyed it.  We didn’t do much here as we were recovering from all our driving.  It was a very well needed rest stop. 

From Adelaide we drove to Sorrento and on the way passed the Twelve Apostles.  They eroded rock formations on the beach and there use to be twelve but now there are only nine.  One actually just crumbled and fell this year in July.  The pictures tell it all.  The coastal drive from Adelaide to Sorrento is spectacular.  It reminded us of the Amalfi Coast in Italy. 

We caught a ferry across a bay and landed in Sorrento where we are now.  We are staying with Ann and Mel whom we met on the QE2.  They are the most amazing couple I have ever met.  They light up a room when they enter and are full of life and laughter.  We have laughed more in these last three days than we have during our whole trip.  We are having a blast!  Again, we are hoping that they will come see us in June next year as they will be heading to Canada.  Can’t wait to show them our great city! 

Aussie Update

 

 (Written by Steve) -   received Oct 31

We are still here in Sorrento, but heading over to Tasmania tomorrow. We really don't have much to tell you about as we just hung out with our friends Mel and Ann and waited for Nikolas to recover. I am not sure if we told you, but his fever and cough has turned into pneumonia, poor little guy. He is quite sick and we hope that if we just stayed put for one week he would snap out of it, but he has not. He has some fluid in his right lung and a really deep cough. We were going to go to Tasmani, Fiji and then tour Hawaii. I have just spoken to Quantus and asked to head home sooner than later.
 
Right now we are going to hit Tasmania and than stop in Hawaii and then head straight home. We will only do this if Nik gets better, the other option is too head home right now, time will tell.
 
We will let you all know soon, but we are not going to Fiji or doing the Hawaii island thing now. We will just add them to our next trip, yes we are planning are next journey before we get home.
 
I hope all is well with all of you, and looks like we will back in the Great White North in mid November.
 
See you all soon,
 
Go Canucks Go!

 

        

Oz and Tasmania

The last few days by Helen

Devonport – Hobart – Port Douglas – Queenstown – Strahan

 Cradle Mountain – Lanceston

 

 

 (Written Nov 12, 2005)

I’m actually writing this from our hotel room in Waikiki.  We arrived here yesterday morning and have really settled in nicely.  When we were on our way we questioned whether this was such a great idea but now that we are here we are soooo happy we decided to take a pit stop here before heading home.  I’ve been really lazy in my writing duties and haven’t written very much while we were in Australia.  I thought I would just write a few memories and kind of sum up our thoughts about the country and our trek through it.

Last time I wrote we were headed to Adelaide from Alice Springs.  We drove along the coast all the way to Sorrento which is a suburb of Melbourne.  We were meeting our friends Mel and Ann from the QEII there and they had rented a house while they’ve been staying here.  They got off the ship in February when we were in Sydney and have been living here ever since.  They are planning to jump back on the ship when it makes its next world voyage in 2006.  They will pick it up in Sydney and head home to England which they tell us they miss very much!

We spent a week with these amazing people and had a very good time.  I haven’t laughed like that in a very long time. One night we put the kids to bed early, started playing poker and told jokes all night while the music and alcohol flowed smoothly!  The next morning we asked Danika if the music kept her up and she said, “No, but I would hear talking for a little bit and then all of a sudden everyone would start laughing very hard!”  Of course that was all the joke-telling and I’m hoping that Steve remembers some of the ones we heard because they were hilarious! Ann is a very charismatic and wonderfully warm person.  She lights up a room when she enters it and can chat up anybody that she encounters.  Danika just adores her and Ann was very patient with her when she latched on and wouldn’t leave her alone.  Mel is the most talented person I have ever met.  We had the most delicious dinners that he would whip up in an instant.  My favourite dish:  fried cheese.  A killer in cholesterol but man is it ever good!  Mel has written many songs and has just completed his first novel.  He literally woke up one day from an interesting dream and decided to make it into a book.  That is the kind of person he is.  He just does it!  I felt very inspired after talking to him about his ventures.  It’s so thrilling to imagine what he will think of next.

 

We spent Halloween with them and even though Australian kids don’t really celebrate it, we decided to dress the kids up a bit and head out in the neighbourhood.  Danika was a princess and Nikolas was a zombie.  We bought a couple of pumpkins and Steve and the kids carved them and we put them out on the porch with candles in them.  Steve and Ann took the kids around the block and it was so bizarre to be outside for Halloween and have a T-shirt on and to feel warm!  I didn’t think they were going to get any candy but was pleasantly surprised to see them over an hour later with a bit of candy in their bags.  Just a few homes were receptive to the idea with one lady giving them five bucks because she didn’t have any treats to give.  The kids were very happy and while they were gone a group of about 7 kids came to the door and were trick-or-treating as well.  There costumes were a little lame and they were carrying a roll of toilet paper with them.  They said that if a person doesn’t give them any treats they will toilet paper the lawn.  Oh well, maybe that’s why Australia doesn’t celebrate Halloween.  When the kids came back we roasted marshmallows on the gas stove and everyone was very content!

Our days spent with Mel and Ann were very comfortable and restful, exactly what we needed.  They were ready to do what ever we wanted but we just wanted to stay ‘home’ and relax.  It was a very enjoyable week and they have promised us that they will come visit us next year in June.  Can’t wait!

 

From Melbourne we caught a ferry over to Tasmania.  It was a huge ferry and we booked a room so that we could sleep for the ride over.  We left Melbourne at 9pm and arrived in Tasmania at 7am the next morning.  The ferry has restaurants, bars, a small casino and a cinema so it’s like a mini-cruise ship.  Not everyone chooses a room as there are seats that you can book and you sleep on them.  The ride over was pretty smooth but for some reason I couldn’t sleep.  I was feeling anxious about some of the motion and that really surprised me because I thought I got over that after spending over 300 days on a cruise ship.  Anyway, we got to Tasmania safe and sound and rented a car to start our trek across the big island.

We’ve already written some things about Tasmania so I won’t repeat any stories.  Overall we enjoyed our stay there but certainly didn’t find it as spectacular as everyone seemed to tell us it was going to be.  I think the reason for this was because the terrain and landscape in Tasmania is very similar to Canada.  Because we see mountains and lakes all the time back home it wasn’t all that exciting to see them in Tasmania.  Don’t get me wrong the sights were truly spectacular and we certainly did not spend enough time in places like Cradle Mountain where you can hike up and canoe on a beautiful lake.  Like a lot of our trip we kind of drove around and saw a little of a lot of it but did not stop and really see certain areas in depth.  That’s why sometimes I feel uncomfortable writing about an area or city or country because we don’t always see what it’s really like.  All I can do though, is write about how I feel or felt about the place and that’s ultimately what this journal is about.  It certainly is not a travel guide!

We stayed in Hobart at a fantastic hotel called the Wrest Point Hotel and received some of the best service on our entire trip.  The hotel has a casino in it (no, didn’t go) and on our last night there we experienced a massive wind storm that shook and rattled our windows so bad I thought for sure they were going to smash.  We could actually feel the whole building sway it was that bad.  The next morning we asked if that was normal and they said No way!  Hobart is a beautiful little city; it was a lot bigger than we expected, even though it is the capital of Tasmania. We spent a couple of days just walking around the shops and cafes dodging the occasional downpour.  From Hobart we drove to Strahan which is a quaint waterfront village that is nestled in a snug corner of the west coast wilderness. It reminded us of Vancouver Island or one of the Gulf Islands.  We stayed in a cozy cottage that had two separate bedrooms and a huge sitting area.  We had lots of room and we took advantage of it.  The kids each disappeared into their own rooms and Steve and I had some peace and quiet for once.  It was great!

 

Granary, Cradle Valley

 

From Strahan we stayed in a place just outside Cradle Mountain.  Our cottage this time was even bigger.  It had a bedroom with two beds plus a bunkbed, a living room with DVD player and stereo, a full huge kitchen, bathroom, laundry room plus a loft with two beds up there as well.  Outside, in the back yard, the kids had their own tree house and swing.  Down the lane was a games room that had free X-box, Nintendo, Playstation, airhockey, and a wall full of DVD’s to choose from. Across from that room was a basketball court and about 10 bikes to choose from.  The kids had a ball to say the least!  The place is called The Granary and is run by a gentleman named Alan who owns the 125 acre land and has about 10 units on it that he rents out.  Worth every penny and it was reasonable too!

Through a friend from work Steve heard that there was a firefighter from Powell River doing an exchange with a fellow from Lanceston.  Steve called the guy and he invited us over to his house for a bar-b-que.  It was so nice of him and his family to have us over and they made a delicious meal that we enjoyed very much.  They have three beautiful kids and it was very interesting to hear their story of how they have lived in Tasmania since January.  As can be expected, they had both positive and negative things to say about their experience but ultimately have no regrets about their decision to do the exchange.  It was interesting for us because we had actually contemplated doing an exchange ourselves.  This family opened their home to us and we are so grateful.  We are hoping that we can return the favour one day back in Vancouver!

 

Soon it was back on a ferry and across a body of water that is considered some of the most unpredictable waters in the world.  This time however we were sailing from Tasmania to Sydney and not Melbourne.  We left Tasmania at 3pm and didn’t arrive in Sydney until 3pm the next day.  Now this sailing was very bumpy!  It felt like we were on a roller coaster.  You could really feel the movement in your stomach and when it would hit a wave it was a very loud “Boom!”  Of course I didn’t sleep very well; I told Steve that he could have saved some money and not get me a bed!   When I asked the next morning if it was unusually rough they said not really.  Apparently a few months ago the ferry was three quarters of the way across and they hit some 20 metre waves.  These waves smashed all the windows at the front of the ferry so it had to turn around and go back.  Wow!  Thank goodness that wasn’t me!

 

Well, we were back in Sydney and we stayed at the Crowne Plaza right near Darling Harbour.  The night we arrived we got together with my girlfriend Lisa again for dinner and it was so nice to see her again.  We went to her apartment and we had an excellent time listening to her stories of “life in Australia”.  She loves living there but she is still a Canadian through and through.  The maple leaf tattoo on her arm and the words, “true north strong and free” on her back is testament to that! It sure brought back a lot of memories of my childhood being with her again.  Boy, time sure flies!

 

Our last few days in Sydney were a little bittersweet.  We were sad to be leaving Australia but in some ways it felt right to be leaving when we did.  We felt satisfied that we saw as much of the country as we could and it was an unbelievable journey through an amazing country.  During our last few days in Sydney they had an elevated security alert in the city due to some expected terrorist activity.  We couldn’t quite feel totally safe and at ease because of this so it was okay that we were actually leaving.  Our last day was spent on Bondi Beach with some of our most favourite people (The Batten Family) so it was a perfect ending to a wonderful experience.  We loved our trip to the land down under and will never forget our time there.  I even think that I can handle another 14 hour flight if, or should I say, when we come back!    

 

 

      

TASMANIA

By Steve

 

 

(Written on Nov 7, 05)

So right now I am sitting at a small desk writing in my cabin aboard the Spirit of Tasmania. It is 11:51 pm and we are somewhere out in the middle of the Tasman Sea, on our way to Sydney from Tasmania. I have been bugging Helen to write this story, but she is too preoccupied and is out there pacing the hallways of the ship. We are getting pounded by 4 meter waves and this ship does not seem to handle them very well, tons of up and down movement. The kids are fast asleep in their bunks beside me, but we have all had our second dose of sea sickness meds and mine are not working, so here I sit.

O.K. Tasmania.

We were going to finish this last leg of our trip by hitting some Fijian Islands and some other Hawaiian Islands that we have not been to, before getting home. The reason we changed our plans and decided to go to Tasmania was because so many Aussies told us to skip Fiji and see Tasmania as it was supposed to be one of the most beautiful parts of Australia.

We took the ferry over from Melbourne and landed in Devonport at 7 am, we then picked up a rental car and drove 3 hours south to Hobart. What a beautiful city Hobart is, the ocean, boats, restaurants, mountains and some of the nicest Architecture we have seen since we landed here in Oz. We did a day trip over to Port Arthur and walked around the Historical prison grounds, some of Australia’s family trees end with the root being a relocated British prisoner.

 

The town holds the Old Prison that housed some of the very first British prisoners. It also has the infamous Isle of Death; an island that was converted into a graveyard. This whole town is said to be haunted and there are several photos on the wall of folks who have taken pictures and noticed ghostly shadows when they have them developed. When you walk into the entrance of the village you see a wall that is full of pictures of ghosts, and it is quite spooky.

 

There is some more history here that made news around the world back in April of 1996.

On the morning of Sunday 28 of April 1996 a young man armed with 3 semi-automatic machine guns drove to the Port Arthur Historical village, which was full of tourists.

He arrived at Port Arthur and went into the cafeteria and sat down and ate a meal, he had already killed 2 people that day on his way to the village.

After eating he took out one of his guns and started shooting, killing 20 and injuring dozens of innocent people in the first 90 seconds. He then walked over to the car park and killed 4 more people and injured several others. He was arrested the next day in a home, but he had managed to kill 35 people and injured many more on that one horrific day. I tell you this because you can feel something strange about this whole area. I am not sure if it is the dark things that happened when the convicts were here, or the awful events of April ‘96.

 

 

O.K., back to the old history of Port Arthur when in the 1840’s over 2000 convicts, soldiers and civil staff lived here. This place became a major industrial settlement, producing ships and shoes, clothing, bells, furniture, worked stone, brooms and bricks. When the probation system was introduced in 1841, many convicts were sent to outstations around the Peninsula to work in timber-getting and agriculture. Port Arthur became a punishment station for serious repeat offenders.

 When you look at the way the Prison was laid out, you get the impression that this place held some real bad people. I say this because there were several prison buildings quite far from each other and in many different sizes. They had punishment cells, solitary confinement cells and rooms that were not marked and left to your imagination. When I was a kid I managed to mix with the wrong crowd and got into a wee bit of trouble. If someone had of brought me to one of these old prisons, I think it would have sacred me into studying theology. On that note, there are a couple of churches on the grounds that are very beautiful and they reminded me of the ruins we saw in the Scottish Highlands.

The old jail has a spot where they used to do all the hangings and many of the cells are still intact. The large main building you see from the water is actually only walls being held up by metal scaffolding that is set up on the inside. Most of the buildings don’t have roofs or any windows, but you are allowed to walk through all of them.

The penal settlement finally closed in 1877. Many of the settlement’s buildings were pulled down or gutted by fire. Others were sold to private settlers and gradually a small town called Carnarvon, was established.

They started tours immediately after the settlement closed and some of the remaining buildings became Hotels and Museums.

Like I said before, there is something really spooky about this place and even though we spent only 4 hours walking around, I was glad when we left.

Of course you have to come see this place and all its beauty, because it is a magnificent place.

We went out on a catamaran that toured the boy’s prison and the Isle of Death. This establishment had boys imprisoned from as young as 9 years old, and they would do the same hard labour as the men in the main prison. Everyone we have met here are so nice and cheery, it is so hard to believe that most of their ancestors were criminals. Some of the buildings on the site have been converted into a Comfort Inn hotel and every night they would take tourists on a haunting ghost walk through the dark Penitentiary grounds. Ah, no thanks!

 

The rest of our Tasmanian adventure will be along soon.

 

 

 Hobart

 (Written by Steve, Nov 2) -   received November 2

 So, here we are in southern Tasmania, Hobart to be exact. We decided that Nikolas was doing better so we hopped on the Spirit of Tasmania Ferry and we arrived in Davenport the next morning. The medication the doctor gave Nikolas is finally kicking in, and he is now returning to normal. I say this because he is giving us all kinds of attitude, so he must be feeling better, and we don’t mind a wee bit of back-talk if he just gets better. He still has one of those super deep coughs that could clear an elevator, but he is eating again and that was our biggest worry. He lost a ton of weight in those ten days of sickness, who the heck gets Pneumonia in the out back anyways?

 

 

So anyways, we hopped off the Ship and drove straight down to the capital city of Hobart, down here in Southern Tasmania.

I really love this place, very old and busy and have met many super nice people. For you folks up there in B.C. Canada, imagine Victoria but about twice the size. Of course it has been raining all day and they are calling for Thunder Showers for the next couple of days. Oh well, we have to get used to those shower as we will be returning to sunny (Joke) Vancouver in less than two weeks now. Wow, that last year is a blur, but very cool!

So Helen will get you the full update when we leave here, but so far we LOVE Tasmania!

 

We are not going to tour the Fijian Island and have cut the Hawaiian Island short and will just head straight home with a pit stop in Honolulu.

 

So see ya soon!

 

HAWAII     

Our last stop before returning home to Canada        

Nov 12

Well, here we are in sunny Waikiki, Hawaii. It feels great to be finally getting close to home. I have never really felt super comfortable about traveling through the mighty U.S., but it feels great being here now.

We spent our last day on Bondi beach with our good friends (the Battens) and when we got to the airport I noticed that Danika had a sunburn on her face, as she was really red.

As it turned out she sparked quite a fever as we were boarding the plane and starting throwing up. The flight was one of those short 9 ½ jobs and was going to now be very interesting as Helen was getting anxious and Danika was barfing as we walked down the tunnel to the plane. O.K. we are in our seats and we are waiting, and waiting and finally the captain gets on and says that we are waiting for this one passenger to board and then we will leave. All this waiting is making Helen pretty squirmish in her seat and now she just wants this bird (747) to get up in the air and get this whole thing over with. Well this guy gets on and at last we pull away from the terminal and wait in line to get on the runway. We are about to head to the runway when the captain comes on again and says a light on his panel is showing that there is a problem with one of the engines and we will have to return to the terminal so the mechanics can take a look at it. Well that was enough for poor Helen, she looked like she wanted to open the emergency exit and head for the hills, but she didn’t and after an hour and 2 rolls of duck tape (joke) we took off.

We had a pretty good trip over except for the first part of our flight as they had to stop service (meals) on the flight because of all the turbulence, it was super bumpy. Our family was not seated together and I tried really hard to get Helen’s attention through some of the major air pockets, but she just kept focusing on the little T.V. or the floor.

 

We made it and like I said, in the end it was pretty good even with the bumpy start.

There was some other entertainment on the flight besides the T.V., and she was 5 ½ and full of attitude. Once we landed Danika resumed the roll as barf champion of the flight and I found myself carrying half a dozen wax coated bags off the flight.

Now aside from all that the flight went great! So with all that behind us we heaved our 2 fully loaded luggage carts to the rental cars to pick up our car. I walked in and the gal said she had a really nice SUV for us and all she needed was my license. We just wanted to get to the hotel and rest and let the little vomit machine get some sleep, but the Avis lady had a little surprise for us. “Excuse me sir, this license is expired” O.K. that was the straw.

So here we are in our hotel with Danika, who now has that nasty Outback cough that gave Nikolas pneumonia. It is 3:30 am and Helen and I are both sitting up watching Danika because her fever has her sitting in bed and saying all kinds of weird words, a tad freaky.

 Nikolas has had some kind of reaction to the antibiotics he was on, as if losing 15 pounds was not enough now he is fighting something else.

He has a rash on his face, down his legs and bags under his eyes like he has been drinking and not sleeping for a week; poor guy says he feels very weak.

When we shortened our trip here because Nikolas got ill, Qantas told us that the only flight we could get on was the one on the 15th. I told Helen not to worry as Nikolas would surely be on the up swing and we would just relax (here in Hawaii) before getting home, well we will give it our best shot, but it is tough when your kids are not feeling right.

 

Well, on that note, see ya all soon. Can’t wait to get back to Canada. I mean can’t wait!

 

 

 

 

 

     CANADA                  

 

“True North Strong and Free”

 

We landed in Vancouver, Canada on Nov 15, at midnight

 

 

(Written by Helen Nov 20, 2005)

I can’t believe we made it.  Well, let me re-phrase that and say, I can’t believe I made it!  To think that all that worrying was for nothing.  Or maybe, because I worried so much we made it fine.  I’m just a little superstitious. 

But really, it is so amazing to be home.  I think Danika phrased it the best by asking us, “Is this a dream or are we really home?”  That is exactly how it feels. 

Our flight from L.A. to Vancouver was truly one of the best flights I have ever been on.  I was a little nervous flying with Alaskan Airlines but it was just great.  It felt like we were just floating on air it was that smooth.  For the first time on our entire trip I got the window seat and I just spent the whole flight looking at all the lights as we glided home. Unfortunately, we arrived at 11:30pm so it was very dark and I couldn’t see any of the landmarks of our great city as we were landing.  When that plane hit the runway I almost burst into tears and to be honest I’m not sure if the emotions were all happy.  It certainly was bittersweet.  I was just elated to be home but at the same time I was so sad that our once in a lifetime, amazing, planned for five years trip was all over.  Back to reality.  How were we going to react?  I have to admit that my nagging sense of dread that I carried with me throughout the trip in anticipation of the flying we had to do, just disappeared.  I actually got down on my knees in the airport terminal and kissed the ground!  I really have come a long way though.  I think back to that flight we took from England to South Africa (the first of three 11+ hour flights) and remember how anxious I was before that flight.  By the time I boarded that flight home to Vancouver my anxiety was a quarter of what it was then.  So maybe I proved that sometimes you have to meet your fears head on and just confront them and maybe they will go away.  Now I’m getting a little too analytical. 

Like I said, it was very late when we landed but my sister and her two boys and my mom were at the airport to greet us.  I am so grateful for that.  That’s one of my favourite things about airports.  I love to watch people come out of customs and be greeted by friends and family.  I always get choked up when I see really emotional reunions. 

We all hugged each other and hugged some more and then we headed to the hotel at the airport and checked into our rooms.  Because we flew in so late we decided to spend the first night at the airport and we booked a room for my family as well.  I slept like a log that night; I guess we were really tired even though spending 5 days in Hawaii did help with the time change and jet lag.  The next morning we had breakfast at Milestone’s at the airport and checked out of our rooms.  My sister works at the airport so she left for work before we even got up.  When we had all our luggage packed up we stood in front of the hotel and took a picture in the same spot where we took it eleven months earlier.  It was hard to believe.  In some ways it feels like it went really fast and in others, it feels like we’ve been gone for years.  Steve and I talked about coming home a lot in the few weeks beforehand and we kept reminding ourselves that when we come home we can’t be talking everyone’s ear off because we have so many stories.  Once we get going it’s hard to stop us.  We’re hoping that our friends and family will tell us when they’ve had enough.

The first full day we were home felt like we were in a fog.  I’m sure it was part jet lag, part excitement and part exhaustion.  I was trying to think of a way to best describe the feeling and it reminded me of how I felt on my wedding day.  I know that sounds a little crazy but it really had that feeling about it.  You feel really happy and excited with a little nervousness added in there.  Plus you are in the main spotlight and everyone wants to talk to you and see you and hug you.  There’s a flurry of activity and excitement and everyone is so happy and you feel on top of the world.  The first few days I felt so happy to be home and that desire to jump on the earliest plane outta town didn’t happen until about four days later.  Once all the excitement dies down, the reality sets in.  When we picked up our mail from Steve’s sister’s house, the pile of letters from collection agencies kind of burst our lovely little bubble.  To make matters worse, these collection agencies were from The States and that made us even a little more concerned.  When Steve had his angiogram done in the States before we left he paid the rather large bill right away.  What we were soon to find out though, was that for some reason the communication broke down and the hospital was never paid.  Hence the collection agencies. After a few nasty phone calls from the bill collectors we were assured that the matter would be handled completely and that it was a mistake on their part and they would rectify the problem right away. 

Another ‘surprise’ was a charge made to one of our credit cards that we did not take with us.  It was charged in July and it was from Telus for some unknown internet charge and boy did that cause us some problems.  People are certainly not interested in what you have been doing in the past year, they just want their money.  American Express still can’t tell us why or how this charge was made but they sent a collection agency after us anyway. 

We also got a speeding ticket in the mail from Australia which wasn’t that surprising.  I was surprised that we didn’t get caught with all the driving we did.  But you never know maybe this one is just the first of many to come through the mail.

We also had some upsetting family matters that occurred while we were away.  It’s unfortunate to see that some things never change.  You feel somewhat removed from emotions when you’re away for so long.  All of a sudden you are thrust back into reality and it kind of throws you for a loop.  I think it will take us a few weeks to get back in the groove of everyday life.  Someone once told me that life is like a merry-go-round and once in a while they just need to jump off and take a break.  That’s how I feel.  I feel like I jumped off the ride for a year and all of a sudden I’m right back on it and it’s going pretty fast.  After reading that last bit I’ve realized that many people will probably be saying, “Oh, please!  Give me a break; your life is not that bad.”  That is not what I am saying.  I know that I am so blessed and fortunate with my life, I’m just trying to express my feelings and the reality is that no matter what it is, sometimes life has its ups and downs, whether those up and downs are trivial or not. 

Anyways, enough serious talk.  We have spent the last few days staying at hotels and a couple of nights at my sister’s new home in Langley.  They bought the house while we were away and I was so happy to see them nicely settled in their perfect home.  It is so cozy and extremely homey.  We really enjoyed our stay.  The kids were beside themselves they were so thrilled to be home hanging out with their cousins and their Nana.  My sister and mom made us an amazing home-cooked meal as a “welcome home” gesture and it was purely heaven!  My mom made her famous cabbage rolls and my sister cooked up a seafood feast.  The wine was flowing and we had an excellent time sitting around the table laughing and talking.  It’s good to be home.

We spent one day out with a realtor in West Vancouver looking at over priced homes.  When we sold our home before we left, Steve thought that the housing market would settle down a bit.  He was wrong.  We have actually laughed out loud when we see what some people are asking for their homes.  It’s outrageous!  On the flip side of that though, on a world scale, Vancouver is really reasonable.  The prices around the world are way higher and if that’s any indication; the prices here are just going to keep going up.  Well, who knows! 

We haven’t found anything yet although a few places have peaked our interest.  We also went to Whistler for one night (without the kids!) and found something interesting there too.  We have a lot to talk about and discuss in the next few weeks and it will be very interesting to see where we end up.  Who knows, maybe we will still be living out of suitcases by the New Year.  Nooooo!!!!

Overall, we are absolutely thrilled to be home.  We have loving families, and a group of great friends and we missed everyone immensely.  We are so happy to back in this city as well.  This time of year is spectacular here.  The air is crisp (about six degrees Celsius), the sky has been blue (no rain), the mountains are topped with snow and the Christmas decorations are out in full force.  It really is the best place in the world and I think I can say that because I’ve seen a fair share of it.  Since we’ve arrived we’ve done a lot of “home” things.  On our first day we went to Costco and looked around.  We have been to The Keg, Red Robin, Starbuck’s, walked Robson Street, watched a hockey game on T.V., and as we drive around the kids yell out all the familiar places they see out the window.  All these things you appreciate so much when you don’t have them for so long.  “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” is very true! 

 

Looking back at the last year makes me feel very proud of my family.  We could not have done this trip if our kids were not as flexible as they are.  They have matured both physically and more so, mentally and I am so very proud of both of them.  The impact of this trip will never really be known but I can honestly say that it has been the greatest experience I could ever imagine.  It has brought us closer as a family in a way that we could never have achieved had we not done the trip.  We see the world in a different light and hopefully we can take what we have seen and learned and try to make the world just a little better than it is.  I hope it will make my kids want to travel when they are older and I believe it has opened their eyes to so many different cultures and traditions.  Maybe through this understanding they will grow up to be open-minded individuals that appreciate and respect all people and all cultures.  If this happens then this trip was successful. 

We have met so many incredible people on this trip and I can say, without question, that that was the best part.  We had so many people open up their homes to us so freely and we will never, ever forget that.  We know that we have made some friends for life and we hope that each and every one of them know that we will be forever grateful to them for their warmth and hospitality.  To some we were complete strangers and yet they embraced us as if they had known us for years.  Just proof that there are good people with kind hearts out there, all over the world. 

At the beginning I really didn’t like the idea of this website but now I am so grateful that Steve persevered and forced us (me) to do it.  I don’t ever want to forget this experience and now I have it all recorded for us to reminisce about for years to come.  The other fantastic part of it is the correspondence with all the people we met along the way.  I will sit for hours and read all our guest book greetings and remember everyone that we’ve met along the way.

The trip is over now but I think it will be with us forever.  We have so many memories and so many stories and so many pictures, there’s no way we can ever forget it!  What I do have to look forward to now are all the people who promised us that they would come visit us in Vancouver.  We can’t wait to open our home to all our new friends!  We just have to find one!

Just a final Thank You to “Captain” Ron for all the hours of work he put in making this website what it is.  He did such a fantastic job and never once did he complain when Steve sent him 5,000 pictures and a bunch of stories.  He is a very dear friend and we are forever grateful!

To everyone who has followed us, supported us, and send us those wonderful messages in our guestbook. Thank you!

That’s if for now until the next trip………………………………..

 

 

(Written by Steve Nov 23, 05)

Well, here we are back in the best country in the world! O.K. maybe not, but you always have to toot your own horn once and a while.

Being back in Vancouver for me is bitter sweet for me too. I could continue to travel for the rest of our lives if I had my way, but it is just not healthy for the kids. If there is one thing we have learned, it is not that healthy for children to travel more than about 6 months. It will be the main topic in the book. If we do a book and it will be named after a phrase we must have heard over a million times, "Are we there yet?".

I am so happy to be home, but we are looking at homes, have serious family matters that have just developed and I am already involved in heart testing at one of Vancouver's major cardiac centers (St. Paul's Hosp.) I start work in just over 30 days, Yikes! So lets just say I find the pace here at home pretty fast.

I am really glad to be back though and get the kids back in school and playing sports. You know, we promised some of folks who have been following us on our little journey that I would continue a Canada story. So check it out in the next few weeks.

 

(Written by Steve Nov 28)

So we have been home almost 2 weeks now and I can only tell you that it is bizarre. I can tell you that all four of us are kind of lost, we are so glad to be back in Canada, but for some weird reason it does not feel like home. Maybe that was because we are still in and out of hotels. Well that is going to change because yesterday we sealed the deal on a house up in the Mountains just outside Vancouver. Finding a house in the hottest Vancouver housing market in history was quite a trip, but somehow we did it. The house is not really our dream home, but it should be nice when we renovate it. Yes it has a few problems such as a leaky roof, very steep road and some dated issues but it is a project and we love projects????

Today we registered Nik and Dani for their new school and it was really emotional and they start in 2 more days. Wow, what a week! Did I mention that I saw the Cardio doc at St.Pauls hospital yesterday too? I have been given the green light to have fun again and return to work, yehaaaa! So in the last 3 days we have bought a house, seen the specialists, went to a Canucks game (Hockey), registered our kids for school, called the roofers (to fix the leaks in our new home), bought a car, and today it snowed. I know I told everyone that it really does not snow in Vancouver, but today we got a bit of snow and it was great, unless you had to drive.

All in all, life seems to be back to normal around here, we are just having a wee bit of trouble catching up to speed, but we will.

 

Thanks for all the emails and please keep in touch everyone, and come see us, will ya

  

We just want to send you one last note here before this fantastic year comes to a close. We are, for the most part, settling into our home and getting back into the day to day routine again. I (Steve) start work in less than 2 weeks and I am getting a tad anxious about riding around in a fire truck again after 1 year of total freedom, but I work with super great people so that will make it so much easier.

The Kids love school and the new area, and we the parents are just starting to find the time to relax and enjoy this wonderful city again.

It has been just over 4 weeks now that we have been back in Vancouver and we all miss our old life that allowed us to just pack up everyday and move on. In some ways it feels like years ago that we were back traveling and then when we think about the many friends abroad, it seems like only days.

The one major thing that is different in our lives is the newest member of our family (The little baby in picture below). This little guy that Nikolas and Danika was adopted by Steve's sister and was brought from Perm, Russia to our home in Vancouver. Wow what a wonderful gift that has been introduced into our life, and we are so honored to be a part of his new life here in Canada.

 

We would like to send out a very Merry Christmas wish to everyone, and a super big thank you to all those folks who enriched our family’s life in 2005.

 

From all of us to all of you,

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

 

Steve, Helen, Nikolas and Danika

 

 

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“TOP TEN QUESTIONS”

By Steve & Helen

 

 

Questions we get asked     

 

We have received many emails and questions about certain things that people seem to be very interested in.

 

  (Written by Steve - Jan. 25, 2006)  The two main questions we have been asked since being back home are:

“Why did you take your family on this trip” Click on “Our Story” on our home page for that one.

The main thing people ask us since we have come home is:

“What was the best place or most memorable thing that happened to you “

 Most folks want to know what the best City or Country was and where would we go back to. Well… we loved every place we went to (almost) and there were so many places; Mumbai, Japan, Jordon, Scotland, Oz and so on. There is not just one place we could say is the best, and it is not the destination so much as it is the people you meet.

The one major thing that has happened, and I can honestly say it is one of the best things is:

Our family relationship has improved so much, and now we are really close.

My son (Nikolas) and I (Steve) were starting to drift apart slightly.  We would argue regularly and he was getting tired of always being told what to do. Back in December 2004 before we started this trip, I can tell you that our Father and Son relationship was not the greatest.

Now, Nikolas will come right up to me and sit on my lap and give me a big hug, even when the room is full of people. We are so close it is kind of scary. A couple of days ago I took Nikolas to his first Rock concert (Nickleback) and it was so awesome; I felt like I was there with my best buddy.  I am not sure how this all happened, but I am so grateful that I have a relationship like that with my son now.  Maybe it was spending everyday together and being forced to really get to know each other that did it. I am very proud of him and it was amazing to watch him mature into a young man in the last year.

I know it is not a place, but it is the answer I give when people ask me what was the best thing about our trip.

 

For me (Helen), the best part of the trip was again not necessarily a place but the fact that I realized that the world is a wonderful place.  Before we left, I have to admit I had a negative view of the great big world out there and was a little nervous to wander around it.  I feel that the media does a disservice to this amazing world we live in and portrays it as a very scary and dangerous place with lots of nasty people out there.  Well, it’s not.   Through our travels I have come to the conclusion that the world is not as big as it seems.  It is very accessible and that every part of the world is different and beautiful in its own way. The biggest pleasant surprise was the realization that the majority of people out there, regardless of culture or beliefs, are helpful, peaceful people.  We had complete strangers that we had only just met invite us over to spend time with them in their homes.  Most people would go out of their way to help or try and make you feel comfortable.  I would not hesitate to send my kids out with their backpacks when they finish high school to go travel the world again.  That would be the best part of the trip for me! 

 

O.K., these are the top 10 questions we were asked when on the road.

 

#1 -The number one question that we get asked is “how much does a trip like this cost”?

#2 – How do you school your children on this trip, and are they having fun?

#3 - Do you get tired of being on the move so much, and are you homesick?

#4 – What’s your favorite place so far?

#5 – What is the biggest surprise in your travels?

#6 – Is it fun, does it feel like a holiday everyday?

#7 – Are you having trouble speaking the different languages?

#8 – Have you met any interesting people?

#9 – Is a web site a good way to keep family informed and is it easy?

#10 – Is their a trick to traveling as a family and do you fight a lot?

 

So, here we are back home after 40 countries. We are a little pooped, but are excited about moving on. So far we have traveled 33,000 km by water (5 ships and 9 ferries). We have driven 23800 km through Europe, Scandinavia and Ireland, 4175 km through South Africa, over 10,000 km through Australia and another 3850 km by Train. We have also traveled over 34,000 km by Air;

We did not expect to have so much movement when we started, but we really enjoyed the traveling part. We did all this land travel without a GPS, but if you are going to do an extended trip of any kind, make sure you get a good car GPS. Try a Magellan 700.

 

#1 – Are we getting sponsored? = No. We are so fortunate that we have the funds, the time of and our health to be able to pull a trip like this off. We were spending about $7300 bucks a month (without cruise) for all of us and that includes food, accommodation, rental and lease vehicles, flights and entertainment. So it actually is not that bad when you think of it, considering we are always on the move. Our total bill was $138k CDN for everything including the cruise and all the pre trip stuff. The total cost could be way under 100k if we did not travel aboard the QE II, and between 50K and 75K if we backpacked. The killer costs are transportation, accommodation and sometimes food. We usually stay in Holiday Inns because they are super clean, safe, family spots that are the same price as most hostels. The coolest thing about this trip is we have nothing planned so we just go wherever we want. Once we are on the road we just call up the Holiday Inn and ask them if they have a hotel in that city. If we can find a Holiday Inn in the city, we book it for one night and if we like it we extend it, if it sucks, we just move on. I would not hesitate to recommend the Holiday Inn chain to any family who is traveling the world.

 

 

#2 – (Written on Aug 15th,05)

How do we school our children when traveling? Well, if you ask Nikolas he would shrug his shoulders and say “It’s O.K.”. The poor kid has no one his age to play with and in the last few weeks has had a really tough time. He usually moans and groans when we tell him that it’s a school day but once he gets started he does great. He does get breaks from doing his school work, but we don’t let up that much because he will always try to get just a little more break time so we stick to our guns. He gets tested 3 times a week on spelling and math and is timed. He gets rewarded for getting 90 percent and a very small reward for getting less than that, providing it’s over 75 %.  He told me the other day that he was not very happy and we had a real heart to heart talk. I asked him if he wished that we never did this trip and he said that he is glad to be doing it but he also said that he sometimes wishes he was back home with his buddies.  It is very hard for him not having anyone to play with. So we think he is having a good time, but it’s not the same as having fun with your friends.

*Update – (Nov 25,05) We just left our Internet teachers and the kids were evaluated at a provincial level through some testing. Danika far exceeds her Kindergarten criteria and Nikolas just blew them out of the water, except for math where he only received a C+.Thanks to Pat (Internet School teacher) and Helens hard work, this kid managed to gain instead of fall behind. We are very proud of of both of our kids!

Dec 15th, 05 = Nikolas just received his report card on July and he received an A in Language Arts, a C+ in Math, A in Social Studies, A in Science, A in reading, A in writing and a C+ in Phys Ed. Wow, we have no real idea how this happened because the kid had all C’s when left back in Dec, 04.

*Update – (July 25, 06) Nik just completed his year of school since being back home. His report card was 8 (That’s right 8) = A’s and 3 =B’s.  When we pulled Nikolas from school in December 2004 to start this trip, he was struggling (1= B, 5 = C’s and 3= C-) and we were terrified that he might have to miss a grade because of the trip. Like I said before, I have no idea why his grades have become so high, he just does his work now without complaining. We used to have force him to sit at the table and do it, but now he say’ we can’t go out because he has to finish his homework. Cool!

 

Danika had fun on the ship. Everyone on the ship knew who the Little Princess was and Danika was quite aware she was a hit. She strutted around and played it up; it was kind of cute and kind of disturbing all at the same time. Now that we are driving up to 10 hours a day she is missing all that attention and is really homesick.  Once in a while she will just burst into tears and say that she misses her friends so much.  This will be in the middle of walking down the street, in the middle of lunch, in the middle of colouring in her colouring book.  Then just as quickly she is fine again and it’s back to normal. 

 

 

#3 – Did we get sick of being on the road for so long? Oh Ya! How’s that! You know as a family we do way better when we are on the road then when we are in the same place for more than a few days. We have some great days and some tough ones, but this opportunity is only going to happen once so we are going to try and push through the tough days. All in all, this trip went quite well so far, after 11 months and more than 40 countries we ran into little problems.

(Written Sept 3rd, 05)

Of course we are home sick! Our Kids are having some really tough day’s which have surprised Helen and myself. They both really miss their friends and never having a routine is tough on us, never mind the kids. So ya, we miss Canada, but you know, the more people we meet and the more countries we see, the tough days seem to be less each week.

 

 

#4 – What’s our favorite place so far? Without question, the most beautiful places (in our opinions) are Moorea, Andorra, but our hearts are in Sweden. If we could move anywhere from what we have seen so far, it would be Sweden. Talk about feeling safe and living in a clean country and it happens to have the nicest people we have ever met. Usually the people make the country and that is the case here, only add beauty and culture and you have it. Paradise! I (Steve) loved Scotland and Wales and I could go back there in a heart beat.

 

#5 – The one thing that has really surprised us is how HUGE religion is in the world. From places like Jordan, India, Japan, and so many others, it is such a major aspect in their lives. The other thing is how many people smoke, and how many cars there are in this world. Every city we go into it is bumper to bumper traffic and I don’t know how many cities there are on this planet, but we need a whole lot of fuel to fill all those cars.

How ‘alone’ we feel sometimes, kind of like a depression thing that comes over our whole family and I can’t really explain it, but it is very strange.

The world is a really small place. I am standing waiting for a pay phone in Turkey and the lady in front of me asks me if I know the country code for the USA. I told her I knew it for Canada, and I thought the USA had the same one. She said, she was actually from Canada and that was the code she wanted, so I asked where. She told me Vancouver and I told her I was from a city just outside Vancouver, called Surrey. She told me she actually lived in Surrey. In the end this gal lived only 6 blocks from where we lived and we would end up meeting in Turkey. Small World, Eh?

We bumped into someone else that we had met last September in Alaska, and we met him again in Asia.

There was a gent on the QE II who kept telling us he knew us from some where. For months he kept saying don’t worry because he never forgets a face and it would come to him. A week before we were leaving the ship he tells us we were in Maui, Hawaii in 1999. Yes we were there, but we did not remember meeting him. He told us we never actually met, he just saw us sitting on a wall near a restaurant and he thought we looked like a happy family and he remembered us. That one is really bizarre because we are really not that happy. Just joking!

 

Another really big surprise for us is how difficult it is to clean your clothes.  In Spain it was extremely difficult. The Spanish don’t use dryers and don’t have a lot of laundry facilities, and it can be very costly for a family of four.  Their laundry facilities are not like ours where you bring in your laundry and wash them yourself.  Instead, they take your laundry and wash and dry it for you and charge you by the kilogram.  Our last batch cost us about $70.00 Canadian.  That darn euro!!!!

The other strange thing is we have only seen 3 days of rain in six months.  Strange but great!!  (That was back in July, 05)

 

 

 

 #6 – It is not a holiday everyday, sometimes school work takes us 4 hours instead of 3.   Are Mom and Dad having a good time? Yes! This trip may sound like a holiday and it is in many respects, but traveling with kids makes it a little more interesting. We have had some downs on this trip but that’s normal.  There are definitely more positives and we are having a wonderful time. We meet new people everyday and see different places every other.  We sometimes forget we are on a trip of a lifetime and complain a little about petty stuff. That is human nature, you take what you have for granted, and we are no different.  We get used to the routine and start to find some negatives. We are having a good time, and hope we can pull the whole thing off, but we will take it as it comes.

 

#7 – When we were back on the ship is was very easy, because we were only in most places for a day. When we were in Spain for a month and most people there (or where we have gone) don’t or won’t speak any English. I say won’t because there is a little bit of an anti- American movement and people let you know you’re not that welcome. We use our foot and mouth Spanish to get by and so far it has been fine. We are in Germany now and the people here make it so easy, they are very nice and most speak some English.

 

 

 #8 – Terry Waite (Author), Jeffery Archer (Author), Our kids hung out with Justin Hawkins and his kids one afternoon (Lead singer for rock group The Darkness), “Blue” (Canadian WW II War hero), “Sparks” (NAC cell mate with Nelson Mandela). Some of those names may seem interesting, but nothing like all the other people we met. We met a woman who is head of the United Nations food supply for Africa. We met a gent who is in charge of donations for dozens of African countries and is in charge of the distribution of those funds. We met a very interesting doctor from Ethiopia who is moving to Australia because, as he put it, “Africa will never change”

Our conversations with these folks educated so much on the African people; we just can’t stop thinking about what they had to say.

We have met people from all walks of life and it will be those folks that we will never forget.

You know who are some of the nicest people you will ever meet? Make sure your sitting down when you read this: Americans! We have met so many Yanks along the way, they are some of the nicest folks you will ever meet!

We also ran into a few fellow Surrey firefighters along the way too. We bumped into Mike W. in Frankfurt, Ron L. in Czech Republic, Rob K. in Barcelona and Derrick S in Hawaii.

It’s a small world, folks.

 

#9 – This site was supposed to be a way for us to keep a log of our travels and force us to take pictures and document the trip for Danika and Nikolas, so they would always remember. Then some of our family asked if they could follow it too, so now it is also keeping our family and friends up to date.

 We call our family about every two weeks, and when the terrorist attack in London happened all they have to do is look on our web site. We were on our way to London but were still in Europe at the time. It (The site) gives them our location within about a day, and they feel better when they can just run and look on a computer. The Site itself has become something that we never imagined. People we don’t even know have been following and contacting us and wishing us well. It blows us away to see all the countries that have been logging on. We have people from Iran, South Africa, South America and Russia, places we have never been to and don’t know. We were a little nervous about writing down our true feelings and putting pictures of our children on the web. We did a bit of investigating and not telling the full story is way more work, so we just write it like we feel it.

Some people have asked if it is easy to do a web site when you travel. If you can use “Word” and use a template like I did, then it is very simple. If you could hook up to a high speed connection every other day you could run it on your own, but that is impossible. So when we can’t connect our laptop we just send our info and pictures to a friend who loads it up for us. I can only tell you that we could not do this without our friend Ron. He spends countless hours loading our info and pictures onto our little site for us and does a fantastic job. So unless you find someone who is as dedicated as our friend it would be a lot more difficult and I don’t think we could have pulled it off. So all those compliments we get on this web site are thanks to Captain Ron. You can make a site in a day and it is very easy to maintain, you just need to find a connection, and high speed is a must if you are loading pictures. That has been the toughest part of having a web page and trying to update as you travel.

 

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Are we there yet?

 

France – “I love my brother” ya right!

 

Some Special Moments

 

Jordan -  Nikolas drove his first car in Wadi Rum, Jordan.

 We were also offered 5 camels in exchange for Danika in Jordan (No Joke). We thought about it, but declined.

Brugge, Belgium Danika learned to swim.

Paris, France Danika learned to tie her shoelaces.

Heidelberg, Germany – We are staying at one of the nicest hotels in the city; Crowne Plaza. They have a spa next door and we are allowed to swim in the pool, so our whole family heads into the pool. The folks in the pool there have frowns on their faces, as this is obviously not a place for children. We try to ignore them, but we start to notice white things floating in the water and we start to get turned off about swimming. Nikolas is doing some kind of funky chicken dance by himself over in the corner. I swim over and ask him what the heck he is doing. He replies,“ I forgot I had a whole bunch of Kleenex in my pockets and now it is all in the pool”. When we (and everyone else) got out of the spa pool, it looked like one of those snow globes.                                                                                They had to drain the pool the next day.

 

 

Nikolas

Sept, 2004 – “I don't want to go on this trip. I want to stay at my school and hang out with my friends. I think my parents are only thinking of themselves when they planned this. It's not fair and none of my other friends are doing anything like this.”

Oct, 27 2004 - We have sold our home and getting ready to move to a rental, lots of boxes everywhere.  Nikolas came home from school and saw we were packing things in boxes. "I can't believe we are leaving this house, I love this house and I don't want to move.  I can't stand the rental place we are moving to, why are we doing this trip?”

Nov 5, 2004 - A friend of ours asked Nikolas if he was excited about his big trip, and he replied, "Please don't talk about that, it is making me feel sick to my stomach."

Nov 10, 2004 - "The trip is too long, I just want to go for an hour and that's it. Even though that would not even get half way to New York." (Our first stop)

 

Nov 30, 2004We moved from our home into a little B&B in White Rock, and put almost everything we own in storage. Nikolas was very upset and anxious just before the move but there was no turning back. He told us that the B&B we were now living in was pretty cool, but the trip we are about to go on, is still the worst thing to ever happen in his life.

Dec 26, 2004 “Why do we have to move out of our B&B and into a stinking old hotel, I love this place”.   Nikolas was very upset about leaving after only a month of living in our little B&B

Dec 29, 2004  - “I don’t want to go on a plane.   You said you wanted us to have fun, and we are, so let’s just stay at the airport, I don’t want to go to New York”

Dec 30, 2004  - Times Square, New York City, in the Toys “r” Us store - “ I love this city, it’s so cool, it’s just like watching Third Watch”.  Being in Toys “R”Us when Nikolas made that statement may not have hurt.

Jan 1, 2005 We were walking through a  tougher part of Soho, Nikolas looked up and said, “ I could move here you know”.   Helen and myself looked at each other in shock and I said “What are you talking about, it was like dragging a cat into a bath tub, trying to get you to come here”.   Nikolas replied “ I  just wanted you to think I did not want to come, I always really did”.   He had a big smirk on his face.

Jan 27 After a day being in a bad mood and talking back to his parents, I (Steve) told Nikolas to go into his cabin and cool off. He stormed off and said “why did we ever have to come on this dumb trip anyways” I went in after him and said to him that if he really felt that way, I would look into ending it and we could maybe go home and then I walked out of the room. After a few minutes he came out of his cabin and said “I’m sorry I said that dad, but you don’t understand how hard it is for me to not have anyone to play with”.  For the 3rd time on this trip I again questioned myself about this trip being such a good idea for the kids.

After that argument we had one of the best father and son talks I can ever remember.

 

Feb 23 - We have decided to leave the ship early and get off in Malaga, Spain in April instead of South Hampton, U.K.

 Nikolas overheard us talking about it and was actually begging us, “please Mom and Dad, can we please not get off early. I want to go to the end, please”.  Every time we bring it up he does the same circus act, begging us not to get off early.

 

Mar 3  -  “If I could go on this trip again I would most definitely go to more theme parks. I am still having a good time though.”  (Nikolas)

 

Mar 3 - We were sitting at a Chinese restaurant and Nikolas said, “ I love those green onions in the Won Ton Soup,” so I said, “well eat them  if you want.” He replied, “It’s O.K. Dad, I have my whole life to eat them.”

 

Mar 11  - After touring the poorest part of Bangkok, Nikolas saw his first Temple  and said: “ So that’s what they spend all their money on”.   He was wondering why people there were so poor.

 

March 22  - Mumbai, India.

 

We are sitting in a cab and two kids about the same age as Nikolas come up to the window of our cab and start asking Nikolas for food, and for him to give them his hat and shirt. They were wearing rags and looked very poor, I was terrified of what he was thinking. To break the ice I (Steve) said, “people sure are poor here aren’t they?” Much to every ones surprise Nikolas said, “Not really, we have seen poorer people”. His comment caught us off guard and I asked “what are you talking about, who has less than these people”? He replied “Do you see all the new buildings here, and how many nice cars there are? We don’t have cars this nice at home. The people in Sri Lanka had no nice cars, no nice houses, very little. Just because Mumbai has more people begging than Sri Lanka, does not mean that they are poorer” and with that we all just quietly drove back to the ship.

 

March 22 - at Sea, off the coast of Iran.

We are eating dinner and I asked John, who sits beside us, if U.A.E was the richest country in the world. He said that he thought it was, if not the richest, it was very close.

Nikolas overheard us and said “I thought the United States was the richest country in the world”? John told him it was not even close, and why would he (Nikolas) think that. Nikolas said “I just thought it was the richest because New York had the biggest toy stores in the world.” ( I.E. FOA Schwartz and the monster Toys R us).

 

 

 

April 8 - Nikolas finished book 1 of the Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events a while ago, and in the section he was reading the parents both get killed. So he turned to Helen and Myself and asked “Hey Mom, if you and Dad died, who would take care of us” and Helen replied “Well if your old enough, maybe you could live together.” She then asked Nikolas if he would take care of Danika. Nikolas replied in a very excited voice “Ya  Dani, we could buy a house together and you could live in the basement!”

 

April 25, 2005 -

We are walking home from the beach in San Pedro, Spain when Nikolas says, “Sometimes I feel like my life is a video game”. When we asked why he felt like that, he replied, “I don’t know, it just feels like someone else is controlling my life sometimes”. (Yikes, a little deep for a nine-year old).

 

May 7,2005 - Madrid, Spain

                  We are walking down the street and Danika asks me (Steve) if she can pick who is going to be the boss today? I said,  “No, Mommy or Dad always are the boss until you get older”. Danika then asked “who is the boss of the whole world, is it god?” And before I could reply, Nikolas blurts out aloud ‘NO” I asked Nikolas who was boss of the whole world. His reply was with complete certainty, “George Bush, who else”.

 

 

(June 8th 05) Paris

Nikolas – We got the kids up early and got on a subway train to Paris.  Both kids were very grumpy that morning and wanted no part of sightseeing. Our first stop was the Louvre and the kids decided to take a stand, they would go in but they were going to complain about everything. We just finished seeing the Mona Lisa and were making our way to see Venus de Milo when Nikolas said “You guys are forcing us to see these things against our will, it is like torture for children!”

 

 

 

(July 3, 05)

   Nikolas-  After a depressing day touring a concentration camp in Dachau, Germany, we were sitting in McDonald’s having lunch when Nikolas said, after taking a big sip of iced tea, “Thanks for taking us to McDonald’s dad, this is so refreshing after you dragged us through that desert of horrors.”

 

(July 1, 05)

 Nikolas-  We were driving to Austria in the car and Steve asked Nikolas if we were closer as a family.  Nik said, “Yes, I do think we are closer because we talk to each other more than we use it.  Well, there’s no one else to talk to.”

 

(July 9, 05)

Nikolas – We were sitting in a restaurant in Nurmberg, Germany waiting for our food when Nikolas said “I am so hungry I’m dying!” Then he paused and said, “Well, I shouldn’t say that because the people in Africa really are dying of hunger.  They only eat about once a week and I eat five times a day.”

 

 

 

(Aug 16, 05)

Nikolas – I (Steve) am not a big drinker, but I never shy away from a glass of wine at dinner, but I usually don’t drink beer. I used to love beer when I was younger and I always drank Guinness or Bass, those were my two favorites. I thought I may as well drink Guinness when I get to Ireland because you can’t find a better pint of beer on the planet than a real Irish Guinness. So when we sat down in our first pub in Killarney, I was quite excited to have my first real pint of Guinness. Nikolas waited till I ordered, he waited till the bartender put the beer on the table, and then he waited till I raised the glass to my lips and said “Dad, I am sorry to say this, but you sure have been drinking a lot on this trip”. I put the pint down and looked at him and then he said “I’m sorry to have to say it Dad, but it is true”. Make no mistake about it, I drank that pint but it just was not the same. This kid is a killer!

 

(Aug 20, 05)

Nikolas – We are in Heathrow Airport, London. We were about to get on a plane for an 11 hour flight to Cape Town, South Africa when Nikolas says, “Hey Dad, what happens if the plane runs out of fuel?” Helen is already terrified to fly and could start freaking, so I try to ignore him.  I can’t believe he threw out this motza ball at the 11th hour, especially when he knows his Mom is terrified. He just keeps asking until I answer and then he just carries on. Every answer I gave was not what he wanted and he just kept asking the same question over and over. I (Steve) was not happy with him because he just kept going, so I said very bluntly “We’ll I guess we will crash”. We did not talk about the flight any longer.

 

(Aug 20, 05)

Nikolas – we are just walking across the tar mat towards our 747 to Cape Town when Nikloas says just loud enough for me (Steve) to hear “It sure will be nice when we get to our hotel in South Africa; that is if we survive the flight!”

If I could have got my hands on him at that moment, Arggggggggggggggggggg!

 

(Sept 7, 05)

Nikolas – We just returned to our little hut in Skukuza Rest camp in Kruger, South Africa.  We just experienced a full day of viewing all the wildlife. We had just managed to watch 5 lions and 3 lion cubs roll around only feet in front of our vehicle and were now sitting talking about it when Nik said. “I know I have complained about this trip and really did not want to come, but I am so glad we came here, it was worth the wait”.

 

(Oct 10, 05)

Cairns, Australia

Nikolas- We just got an email that they have a new Amazing Race and it is all families. Helen looks at Nikolas and say’s “how would you feel about us being in the Amazing Race”? Nikolas replies “would the cameras follow us into the showers”? Helen say’s “of course they would” Nikolas ends with “No thanks! I would have to change my name, cut my hair and sell tomatoes for the rest of my life, my life would be ruined”

 

(Nov 9, 05)

Sydney, Australia

Nikolas – We over heard a joke from a comedian on T.V. that went like this: I once dated a virgin Stewardess and she worked for British Airways. Helen and I laughed and Nikolas said, “that’s not funny” Helen replied “do you know what a Virgin is” And Nikolas rolled his eyes and said “Mom, of course I do, it means Non-alcoholic!”

 

 

 Danika

Aug, 2004 – “I really want to go on this trip, because we might find a swimming pool, and I want to meet new friends in the swimming pool and somewhere else.”

Oct 21, 2004 – “When we come back to this world, can I have my birthday at Chucky Cheese?”

Nov, 10 2004 – “I am very happy about going on this trip because when we come back to this world we are going to be in a new house. And my new bedroom is going to be a princess room with a high bed.”

Dec 29, 2004 - “I don’t want to go on a plane, they hurt my ears!”

Dec 30, 2004 - New York – “The best part about this trip is I have decided to collect a doll and a bear at every new place we go.” That was news to myself and Helen of course.

Jan 20  - We were walking home from the kids club one evening, when Danika looks up and says, “It’s fun being a kid you know Dad? You know if we did not have any parents we could do what ever we wanted”.  That’s all she said and she just skipped all the way back to the cabin without another word.

 

Feb 27 - I was putting Danika to bed when she said in the most serious voice, “Dad, would you ever sell me or Nikolas?” I replied, “No.” and asked why she would ask that. She said “You know, if you sold us, you and mom could do what ever you wanted” I looked at her and said, “we are the bosses, and we can do what ever we want now”.  She smiled and closed her eyes and went to sleep.

 

April 27, 2005 – Danika

We had just arrived at our Hotel in the Algarve, Portugal, and we are walking through the grounds. We heard a lady disciplining her young child and he was crying. He was saying, “sorry mommy, I will be good, I will be good”. After walking for about 5 minutes Danika blurted out “You know, all the countries in the world are the same, you can always hear little boys and girls saying they will be good.”

 

(June 9th 05)  Paris

Danika - We were walking up the Champs Elyssee in Paris when a police car went zooming by. One goes by with its siren wailing about every 5 minutes and Danika says: “Those things sure are irritating, that is all you hear in this city, beep bo, beep bo, it is very annoying”.

 

 

 (June 10th 05) Paris

Danika – On our way back from the restaurant we took the kids to the front gates of Euro Disney even though it was closed. As they ran up to the gates, both kids got on their hands and knee’s and started bowing to the gates as if it was some kind of temple of worship. Danika was bouncing all over the place and screaming, “Disneyland” over and over. She ran up to me (Steve) and said “You are the best daddy in the whole world for bringing us to Disneyland” “You know when I said I wanted to trade you and mom in for new parents?” “Well, I don’t anymore; you’re the best parents in the whole wide world”. And then ran down Disney Street screaming Disneyland over and over.

 

(June 10th  05) Paris

Danika – We are eating at one of Paris’ finest restaurant called the Pied de Cochon near the Chatelete Train Station. This restaurant is famous for their pig’s trotters and even though we really did not want to order it, we felt it was a must. So when Helen’s plate showed up with a huge pig’s foot on it, Danika went EWWWWWWWW, really loud and asked if that was a pig’s foot. We told her it was and she replied “That’s mean, they raise that pig on a farm and pretend to be really, really nice to that little pig even though they know they are going to kill it and bring it here”. Right after making that big scene she asked if she could try it.

 

(June 14th 05) Paris

Danika – We were all on the ride “Pirates of the Caribbean” and two little girls behind us were splashing each other.  The first few times were funny when we got splashed too, but the third time wasn’t and Steve turned around and yelled, “Enough already!”  Danika looked up at Steve and said, “That’s so embarrassing!  Why did you say that?”

 

 

(June 30, 05) Nurmberg

   Danika- We were walking down the street in Nurmberg, Germany, when Danika all of a sudden said that she was not going to do anything when she grows up.  She firmly stated that she had just decided that she wasn’t going to work when she gets older.  I told her that she needed to work to earn money to buy food and water and she said, “No, I don’t need to eat or drink.”  Then I said what about toys and she hesitated and said, “okay, I need toys.”  Then she paused and said, “okay, I guess I will work to make money to buy toys and a little food and water.” 

 

(July 9, 05) Nurmberg

DanikaDanika was giving out good night hugs, and when giving Helen a big good night hug, she said “I am going to miss you mom” Helen looks down at her and says “Is one of us going somewhere?” Danika said nothing else and went to bed.

 

(Aug 30, 05)

Danika – We are in Aquila Game reserve and they have 3 lion cubs that are located right next to our Hut. On the first day we were there, Danika went to see those cubs about 20 times. She kept saying “I love those little Lion Cubs, I just want to give them a big hug”. The funny thing was, those cubs followed Danika’s every move.  No matter where she was they were always watching her. I asked the ranger there why they watched Danika so closely, and the ranger replied that the cubs were stalking her. The next day Danika was really down and would not come see the cabs so I (Steve) said “What’s wrong Danika, don’t you like the cubs anymore?” Danika replied “I do like them, I just wish they did not want to eat me.” She just dragged her sorry little butt around for the rest of the day.

 

(Sept 5, 05)

Danika – We are driving through the back roads of Kruger National Park when Danika blurts out, “I am bored.”  Nikolas then pipes right up with, “what are you talking about Danika, we are on a safari in Kruger Game reserve, one of the most famous wildlife parks in the world!” Danika then shot right back, “What are you talking about, this is not a safari, we are in a rent-a-car!” Nikolas just shook his head, but I think Dani got him with that one.

 

(Sept 9, 05)

Danika – We are sitting in Johannesburg airport when Danika says, ”Dad, me and Nikolas are going to play a game on your computer”. “First Nikolas is going to play and then I am going to play until the batteries run out, O.K.” I said “Hold on a second, it sounds like you are telling me what to do, like you are the boss or something.” Danika replied, “Yes, I am the boss” and she took my laptop and walked away. She is only 5 years old, what am I going to do when she is a teenager?

 

 

(Sept 15, 05 Sydney)

Danika – So we are still trying to get over the jet lag thing from our long flight from South Africa to Australia and everyone is a little cranky. We were heading out to Breakfast and Helen asked Danika to put her shoes on. Danika just layed on the bed and did not even acknowledge her mother. After being asked 3 times, Helen said “If you don’t put those shoes on right now you are going to lose your new stuffed Zebra.”  Danika got up and stormed over to her shoes and said, “Why are you guys always so mad?” “All I have ever wanted my whole life is to belong to a happy family. But I only have this family and it is the meanest one ever”.

(Oct 13, 05)

Danika - On a ferry out at the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Danika – We are playing cards (Go Fish) and Danika drops her cards below the table. She bends down and picks them all up and says, “Hey, did any of you see my 7?” We all looked at each other and said, “No”, and continued to finish the game. (Wow, a blond moment!)

(October 21, 05)

Danika – We just spent 5 days driving through the Australian Outback to get to Ayers Rock. On the day we drove out to see the rock, Danika was in a really bad mood and did not want to go. When we pulled up to within 50 feet of Ayers Rock we were all amazed but Danika blurts out, “Is this what we drove a week for?” “This is just a big rock, what the heck is the big deal!”

(November 9, 05 Sydney)

We are walking down the street getting the last few things for our return to Canada towards the end of our journey. Helen asked the kids if they were happy to be going home soon and Danika started to sob and said” I want to keep traveling!”

(Nov 27, 05)

Danika – We are in our Hotel back in Vancouver and Dainka is having a bath. As she is splashing around in the tub she keeps calling for her mom. Helen finally says “what do you want!” And Danika won’t tell her, she just keeps saying “come here”. Helen says “If you are not going to tell me what the problem is I am not coming”. Dainka threatens right back with, “Fine then, I guess I will just end up with a bladder infection!”

There were too many bubbles in the bath tub.

   

 

 

Great old kid quotes 

We were just about to go swimming aboard our cruise ship when the two kids decided to play near the railing of the ship.  I yelled at them to stop! and said, "If you two fall over, that will be the end of you"!!  My daughter stopped, put her hands on her hips and said, "Don't be silly dad, we have our bathing suits on".

We were walking down the street in Quebec City, when all of a sudden we heard a father talking to his young son in English. “How was your history test?” the father asked, “Awful,” replied the son, “they asked me stuff that happened before I was born!”

When Nikolas was asked what his favorite subject was, he replied, “Is lunch a subject?” 

Just about to leave our hotel room when Nikolas looked out the peep hole of our door and said, "We can't go out there, I see a bunch of cheek pinchers".  For you parents who have never heard this term before either, it means old ladies.

 

 

 

 Passenger quotes from the ship - received April 2

 

“Are those Islands over there surrounded by water?”

“Does the crew sleep on board?”

“Is the T.V. signal on this ship satellite or cable?”

“What time is the Midnight Buffet?”

“Do those stairs over there go up or down?”

A question asked to a crew member “So you are married, are your kids on board with you?”

 

That is almost the whole trip in one reading. If you are not bored out of your pants and want more go to www.traveltheworld.ca and read Nikolas thoughts on the trip. We also have tons of pictures and a page dedicated to what 3 1/2 months on a ship will do to you.

 

                

 

Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth II

Departed New York January 3, 2005 – Final Stop Malaga , Spain April 13, 2005

 

Most recent postings will appear at the top of page.

 

Our last thoughts on the QE II -  received May 4

 

 

(written by Helen)

Okay, I’m going to say it even though I’m a little embarrassed to say it but this is supposed to be more of a personal journal than anything.  I’m proud of myself.  There you go.  Steve said that it would be a good idea to reflect back on our ship journey and summarize what we got from it.  When I think back to our trip from Fort Lauderdale to Curacao and how bumpy it was and how much I hated that ship and our room, I can’t believe I made it to the end.  The funniest thing about that is by the time we got off in Malaga , I loved the ship and I think our rooms were the best part.  They were located right at the bottom of the ship, right in the middle, so it was perfect for me in regards to the motion.  I told Steve in Curacao that I was so sorry but there was no way I was going to be able to make it for three and a half months.  Those two nights at sea I cried and stayed up all night and I kept thinking, “how the hell am I going to make it across the Pacific?” or “how the hell am I going to make it for another hundred days?”  It was awful and to be perfectly honest, if the ride up the Pacific from Panama to L.A. wasn’t as smooth as it was I really think I would have flown home from L.A.   Thank God I didn’t.  That has happened to me a lot being with Steve.  I think I can’t do something or I think I don’t really want to and he encourages me to just give it a chance and sure enough after I do it, it’s the best thing in the world.

I don’t know if it’s just us but we always realize how great a vacation or trip is a few weeks after we get home.  For the past few weeks, since we got off in Malaga, we have been reminiscing about the QE2 and have been talking about all the countries we saw, the people we met, the food we ate, the sights we saw and now we realize how truly amazing that trip really was.  Don’t get me wrong, while we were doing it we knew it was great but you don’t really get it until it’s over and you look back.  We have only been off the ship for just over two weeks and I can’t believe that!  It feels like it was months ago. 

Silly things remind us of our journey, like tonight in the van we were listening to the radio and the song “Land Down Under” came on and it got us talking about Australia .  Nikolas started talking about what we saw there and we were saying that it was too bad that none of us had tried a vegemite  sandwich.  Tonight we wanted something different for dinner so we drove around until we found a Chinese Restaurant.  While we were having our delicious dinner we started talking about our trip to Hong Kong and Japan .  When the waiter, who spoke little to no English, came by and asked us how we liked our food Nikolas bowed his head a bit when he said it was great and the waiter was thrilled that Nik bowed.  Nikolas said that we had to be serious about the traditions of the Chinese and he was keeping an eye on Dani to make sure she was behaving properly.  It was so cool to watch him as he was trying to be respectful of a different culture.  That is exactly what we hoped would happen to our kids on this trip.  Personally we think ignorance breeds racism and by traveling I think you learn to understand and respect different races and their cultures.  I am actually in awe of the religions of the world.  I told Steve that when I get home I would like to take a course on Religions of the World because that was the single most fascinating and surprising thing I realized on this trip so far.  Religion is so huge all over the world.  All of them, Catholicism, Buddhism, Muslim, the Jewish faith.  No matter how rich or poor the people are they all have a shrine of some sort in their back yards or outside somewhere where they can worship their gods.  It is incredible to see.

The other thing I noticed that surprised me beyond belief was that Canada is all but non-existent in this huge part of the world.  Without sounding arrogant, I always thought that we lived in the centre of the universe in regards to the rest of the world.  I was so wrong!  Granted, the U.S. is huge globally, on the news and all, but we have not heard one thing about Canada in the last four months.  Well, that’s not completely true.  We did hear two things.  One was the tragic death of the four Mounties and the other was something to do with the vote on gay marriages.  That’s it, nothing else, I am not kidding you.  It is like we do not exist.  It’s so funny though, because most people think we are American and as soon as they find out we are Canadian they sort of change and are much friendlier.  I apologize to all our American friends when I say that, but it’s true.  That is something else I wanted to document as well.  On the ship, the Americans we met were the nicest, most friendliest people we have ever seen.  They were so great with our kids and we met some wonderful people that we will never forget.  It’s funny when you say to people that you will keep in touch and usually you lose touch pretty quick but I am really hoping that this does not happen and that we stay in contact with all those we exchanged e-mail info with. 

Just a little side note here because there was one couple we just adored on board and for some reason we didn’t get a chance to say a proper good-bye to them when we left the ship.  They were so great with our kids and I say kids because Danika, the princess, got most of the attention on board.

So, let’s see what else can I say about how I am feeling right now.  This trip has been like a roller coaster ride.  Some days I feel like this is the best idea in the whole world and I am so very grateful for the opportunity.  Other days I feel like a crazy woman and I look at my kids and I wonder if I am torturing them.  I say this because on occasion they have mentioned the fact that they hate doing this and they just want to get home and eat Kraft Dinner and see their friends.  I have to admit I have days like that too.  Do you know what I miss?  The most simple, ridiculous things from home.  I miss Tony Parson’s voice on the evening news.  I miss walking through Costco.  I miss sitting in front of my T.V. watching a mindless soap opera or reality T.V. show.  I miss driving.  I miss doing my own laundry in my own machine.  I miss having a cell phone.  I heard one the other day and I seriously wondered for a split second what the hell that sound was.   

What don’t I miss?  Well, Steve’s not going to be happy about this but I don’t miss working.  I don’t miss making lunch for Nikolas (for school, I mean).  I don’t even miss cooking that much but I do miss eating a home cooked meal.   I love meeting new people and making new friends but I also miss the comfort of my good friends at home.  I miss talking to my girlfriends about everything and nothing.  It was so great to have my sister and her boys come out to Spain and spend a week with us.  It was exactly what I needed and we really did have such a fun and relaxing time with them.  It was hard though when they left because it was so quiet and it reminded the kids of what they have left behind and it took Nik awhile to get over it.  He seems to be having a harder time with this than Dani but he is such a great kid and I am so proud of him.  Can you say that about your child?  No really, I think this trip had been great for him and even though he complains now and then (not too often) we have noticed a huge difference in him and he has really matured in the last few months.  You never know, we may be kicking ourselves in the future if he decides that he wants to travel for the rest of his life when he’s older. 

Danika is another story and I haven’t quite figured her out.  I know she is still quite young but I have no idea if any of this is sinking in.  Sometimes she surprises us and makes some profound statement and other times I look at her and picture her becoming a very high maintenance, blond bimbo, shop-a-holic.  I know that’s just terrible to say but she sometimes acts like she is twenty.  She puts on an outfit and stands in front of the mirror and poses.  I don’t remember doing that at that age.  Then in the next moment she is talking about how sad it is that kittens don’t have a home and she just confuses me.  Just yesterday Steve said something about being in Portugal to me and she said, “We’re in Portugal ?”  I just don’t think she quite gets it.  One of her pre-school teachers left a message that we should try and write more about what Danika thinks about this trip so I am going to try and ask her and then write what she says.

Well, I am sitting here in Portugal and it is just after midnight.  Today is the twenty year anniversary of me and Steve’s first date.  TWENTY YEARS ago today we went skiing together, even though we both didn’t really want to go because he thought I was a snob and I just didn’t think much about him.  But, we went anyway, and we have been together ever since.  Who would of thunk!!!  I have to say it is fitting to think back to that day twenty years ago; I did something I didn’t really want to do and in the end it was the best thing that ever happened to me.  When we were dating we use to dream about what our life would be like together and believe me, if you know Steve you will know that he had A LOT of dreams.  Well, one of them came true, we are on an incredible journey together and I couldn’t think of anyone I would rather be with than him and our kids.  If there is one thing I would like people to get from this is that sometimes if you give something a chance it just may turn out to be the best thing on earth.

What awaits us on our travels?   Who know’s.  It is May already and this is starting to go very fast.  Everyone says that a year is so long but it really isn’t when there is so much to see and so many places to go.  Hopefully we will have a lot more stories to tell and I am hoping that most, if not all, will be good ones.   

 

 

 

Steve’s two cents on the QE II

 

I am going to start this little message by saying I have no regrets about doing a world cruise. The folks we met (Crew and Passengers) were so interesting and fun.

The thing I can’t get over, is how many wonderful people we met. Sure we saw some wonderful place, but the folks we made friends with on that old ship will wipe away any petty problems we encountered.

 

 

O.K. maybe we paid too much, maybe our room flooded and we left the ship for a week, maybe the Norwalk virus set a new record on the QE II (102 days and over 650 people infected), maybe our cabins were moldy. Maybe we had enough issues that I could tell you about for the next 5 pages.  I will leave you with just a few.

 

I made a mistake early on and made comparisons about the Germans, Americans, and British and who was the rudest and who was most polite. I can tell you now that it did not matter where you came from. I did not include Canadians in this little survey because we are always so polite. Wrong! The most disrespectful thing I witnessed came from a Canadian couple from Ontario . The laundry room on the ship was the making of a Seinfeld episode. There were almost 3000 people on this ship (including crew) and all we had were 12 stacking washer and dryers that were supposed to handle it. At first I loved going in there to watch people and the tension that would cause someone to start scrapping. I mean real fights, people were kicked off the ship for assaulting each other on more than one occasion, it was very sad.  You just had to put someone in the laundry room and watch them crack, it would only take around ½ an hour and someone would blow a fuse.

What are my thoughts on the QE II itself;

She should be a floating restaurant!

The best line I heard on what do with the QE II came from a women who was on her 12th QE II world cruise. She said “they should take this clunker out to the middle of the ocean and sink her”. I have to agree, the ship is done and I don’t think you can clean it up after 35 years, and that virus thing would not have been tolerated on any other ship for that long. The other sad thing about spending so long on one ship is you get to know everyone. A dozen people passed away while on the ship.  We thought that was a lot but we were told that it was about average for a cruise like this.

 

Our kids had a bit of a tough time adjusting after we got off the ship and I felt quite bad about it. You see I have always had a passion for traveling and it is not that easy to do with a small family. I came up with this great plan to travel for one year and see the world with our kids only to find that we were not that well prepared. I tried to think of everything that could go wrong, what effect it would have on our kids and where we would stay. The one thing I forgot to think about was Helen and myself, and what effect it would have on us. You can’t go to places like India , Egypt and Sri Lanka and not be affected, and we were rocked on more than one occasion. The stress of traveling with small kids can be overwhelming and if you are in an area that is not safe and you are with your kids, you are not the smartest parent. I know using a cruise ship to see parts of the world is cheating, but I just thought it would be the safest way. We had that problem a few times and without question put our kids at risk, and now that I look back  I think we were fortunate. We walked through a very crowded bizarre in Sri Lanka , something the Canadian government tells you not to do. In fact, they tell it is not safe to visit Sri Lanka , never mind with your children. We did not know this until we had already been and gone, and then decided to look into it after seeing so many machine gun bunkers throughout the city. Egypt was the other big risk we took. Even with the convoy and the police escort, we were paraded around in Egypt like a bunch of shooting targets. The really scary part was when we heard that terrorists threw a bomb right where one of our tour buses was parked only 3 days before. We know people were injured and at least one American and one French tourist were killed. I had no idea that only a few years earlier the terrorists opened fire with machine guns on two tour buses killing all 56 Western tourists who were stepping off the bus. It obviously happens there a lot, you just never hear about it back in North America . Just today (April 30, 2005) CNN is reporting that a terrorist bomb  was detonated at the Cairo Museum , again right where one of our buses visited. After the bomb exploded they opened up on the crowd with machine guns killing 3 and injuring at least 10 more. I feel sick to my stomach every time I think about it. The terrorist’s goal is to try and stop tourists from visiting Egypt and that will hurt the economy.  If I was going to go back there, I would NOT go on a tour bus, your chances are much better on your own.

 

The most important lesson I received in seeing so many parts of the world was just watching my children. Our daughter is too young, but our son has completely changed from the insecure, immature little kid he used to be. Now, I am not saying that is a good thing, but it’s just amazing how kids adapt to different environments. Nikolas has no problem talking to people he does not know, something he never would have done before. He has found ways to amuse himself mostly because he has no one to play with that is the same age in over 4 months. That is the toughest part I think, watching Nikolas be homesick and asking when this trip will be ending.

 

There were a few other bizarre things that happened like a few people who recognized us on the other side of the world. One guy walked up to Nikolas and said he recognized him from the Cruise when we were up in Alaska last year, we saw him when we were in Asia . Another incident happened at the business centre on the ship. I was sitting there working on a computer when a gent said, “I know you”. He looked familiar to me but I was not sure. We never actually met, but he recognized me from when we were in Maui in 1999 talking to Nik back when he was four year old, now that is bizarre.

 

The other strange thing we noticed that seems to be consistant all over the world, is that there is something funny happening with the weather. We have been traveling over 4 months and have only seen rain two times. Places we went to that were supposed to be hot said for some reason it was very cold this year. Like in Malaga Spain , they had snow for the first time in 30 years. It appears mother nature is acting a little strange these days and one can only wonder if it’s a green house or an ozone issue.

 

Canada may be the second largest country in the world, but no one knows about it. It does not matter where we went or what news source we used, Canada was no where to be found. Traveling around has educated me a little more on world issues, like when I said that real estate prices will come down in Canada. When compared to the housing in the rest of the world I don’t think so anymore, it may take 10 years but Canada is a screaming deal in comparison. Vancouver has one of the cheapest real estate prices when you compare it to any other city its size in the world. I think the Olympics will push the prices through the roof, except anytime I think I know what I am talking about, the opposite seems to happen.

 

All in all I am glad we used the QE II, I think it is not the most economical way to go, but probably the easiest if you are traveling with kids under the age of 10. I am sure I will look back in the coming years and remember all the great times we had while on that old ship. Without kids I would not do it, you could see so much more for a quarter of the price if you just bought an around the world air ticket.

 

************************************************************************************

AT SEA - April 9    (received April 10)

 

(Written by Steve)

Well, here we are, only a few day’s away from getting off this old gal (QE II). We have been traveling on this ship for 3 ½ months and have gone around ¾ of the globe. Are we going to miss it? Yes and No.

The passengers are getting so cranky I feel embarrassed to be classified in the same group as some of them, so in that respect we are very ready to go out on our own. Please excuse me for saying this, but some of these folks are down right rude and need a good wake up call.

Speaking of wake up calls, we were told of a terrorist attack in Cairo , Egypt 4 days after we left. A group called “Islamic Brigades of Pride detonated a bomb in the busy Khan al-Khalili Souque (Market place), which killed some tourists on Monday April 6th. One of the buses from our ship was parked right in the spot that the bomb was detonated. When we heard the news and found out the location, I can only tell you that I felt sick to my stomach. I am glad we saw the Pyramids but I would never risk going back until things change, and our hearts go out to the families of those French and American tourists who were killed last Thursday. O.K. lets talk about something else.

So we are ready to get off the ship, but I think we have lost touch with reality so getting back to cooking our own meals might take a bit of adjusting. We have made many friends on this ship so it will be a very sad day when we are sitting on the dock in Malaga and the QE II sails away.

That incident in Cairo was a real make-up call and our eyes and ears will now be wide open!

Well, nothing too new onboard, just a few more scraps in the laundry room, and the ship ran out of blueberries. You may laugh about the Blueberries, but there will be a few folks onboard who will be calling there lawyers if they don’t get some soon.

 

At Sea - April 7 (received April 8)

(Written by Steve)

We are in the Mediterranean and we just passed the city of Sicily and what a sight at night. We were so close we could see the cars driving around and the city, and it just looked alive considering it is going to be the Pope’s Funeral tomorrow.

I heard some talk of some folks driving the 3 hours to Rome from Naples to see the Funeral. I don’t think that will happen as I just saw on the news that it is not possible, the whole place is shut down. We are quite far from land now and a funny thing just happened, my cell phone started to accept messages. That is really strange because I can’t even see land anymore out the porthole, and this phone gets brutal reception in the best of times. Well I am not sure what kind of day it is going to be tomorrow or if anything will even be open, but we will try and go to Pompeii . I will let you know how it goes.

 

At Sea - April the 5th (received April 8)

(Written by Steve)

I will just give you a little info about this little stream we are floating up today.

The Suez Canal is 195 km (121 mi) long. The minimum bottom width of the channel is 60 m (197 ft) and ships of 16 m (53 ft) draft can make the transit. The canal can accommodate ships as large as 150,000 dead weight tons fully loaded. It has no locks, because the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Suez have roughly the same water level. The canal utilizes three bodies of water— Lake Manzilah , Lake Timsah , and the Bitter Lakes (the latter is actually one continuous body of water)—and is not the shortest distance across the isthmus. Most of the canal is limited to a single lane of traffic, but several passing bays exist, and two-lane bypasses are located in the Bitter Lakes and between Al Qantarah and Ismailia . We did not see any other ships waiting or going the other direction, just the QE2 and another freighter about a half mile behind us. A railroad on the west bank runs parallel to the canal for its entire distance.

 

Suez Canal History – sent by Steve

 

In 1854 the French diplomat and engineer Vicomte Ferdinand Marie de Lesseps succeeded in enlisting the interest of the Egyptian viceroy Said Pasha in the project. In 1858 La Compagnie Universelle du Canal Maritime de Suez (Universal Company of the Maritime Suez Canal) was formed with authority to cut a canal and to operate it for 99 years, after which ownership would return to the Egyptian government. The company was originally a private Egyptian concern, its stock owned chiefly by French and Egyptian interests. In 1875 the British government purchased Egypt 's shares.

 

Excavation of the canal was begun on April 25, 1859, and the canal was opened to navigation on November 17, 1869. The cost totaled about $100 million. About three times that sum was spent on later repairs and improvements.

 

 

Six-Day War, armed conflict in June 1967 between Israel and the Arab states of Egypt , Jordan , and Syria . In six days, Israel conquered the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank, and Golan Heights, which became collectively known as the Occupied Territories .

 

Israel and its Arab neighbors had been hostile toward each other since 1948, when Israel became a nation in an area that Palestinian Arabs claim as their homeland. After Israel declared its statehood, several Arab states and Palestinian groups immediately attacked Israel , only to be driven back. In 1956 Israel overran Egypt in the Suez-Sinai War. Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser vowed to avenge Arab losses and press the cause of Palestinian nationalism. To this end, he organized an alliance of Arab states surrounding Israel and mobilized for war. Israel preempted the invasion with its own attack on June 5, 1967. In the following days, Israel drove Arab armies from the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank, and Golan Heights, all of which it then occupied. Israel also reunited Jerusalem , the eastern half of which Jordan had controlled since the 1948-1949 war. The Six-Day War was viewed as an enormous victory for Israel , but the territories it gained did not stop future fighting. The peace process throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s has in large part been an attempt to resolve the land disputes created by Israel ’s military success. We could see many blown up car's, tanks and bridge of both sides of the canal, you can see them in the photo album. In short, just a very relaxing day.

 

 

 

At SEA Mar 30

Somewhere in the Arabian Sea

 

(Written by Steve)

We are still in the Arabian Sea but we will cross over into the Red Sea in about 30 minutes. Our ship received a distress signal at about 6pm and we had to alter our course and stop to try and help. It was very weird to come upon the ship as it was just floating nowhere and then for us to shut down and float along side it. Our ship dropped a tender boat and sent our doctor, 1st mate and security over to pick up the injured seaman. When they arrived the guy had already succumbed to his injuries, and the crew returned back to the QE II without him. The plan was to pick him up and have another helicopter come in and take him to a hospital, but it never happened.

 

 

This ship is stopped a few hundred feet beside us; our doctor and some crew are on it as this picture is being taken.

 

On that note: The gent (a Canadian fellow) that was taken off our ship by helicopter when we were in the Persian Gulf has also passed away. He was only 59 years old.

I am trying to think of some good news to tell you.  Ah yes, I received an email from our friend Ray O’Shea, and he is out of hospital. In case you don’t know, Ray is the Catholic Priest who we used to sit with at dinner, and he had a heart attack and required 5 bypasses back when we were in Hong Kong . He is still a little weak, but in great spirits, and I have promised the kids we will visit him in Wales .

I have not been able to get anything out as of news or pictures because the dang internet is not working right. Our cell phone will not pick up a GPRS signal, so we can not even use that. I guess when we hit Egypt , maybe I can unload everything there. The rumor is we will have armed guards escorting us to the Pyramids, so we should be in very safe hands on that little stop.

The Virus levels on the ship have apparently peaked again and the crew has been having special meetings in hopes of stopping it. This Norwalk thing has been on this ship for over 3 months and it is so hard to believe that people are being quarantined to their rooms still. It appears the crew has given up the cleaning of the walls and all that business, I think they just realize they can’t beat this thing.

A funny thing happened on Easter morning after the Easter bunny left the ship. The daily ship paper had reminded everyone that the Easter bunny would be hiding Easter eggs on the quarter deck of the ship. Early that morning a women from California was up just after 5 am and collected every single one of the treats the Bunny had left, over 500 of them.  So by the time any of the children got there, they were all gone! Oh well, that’s life aboard the QE II.

 

At SEA April 1,

 

The Captain made an announcement that there was an Iceberg floating off the starboard side of the ship. When everyone ran out to see it, there was nothing out there but the water of the Red Sea . Aprils fools! Ha!

We are currently right in the middle of the Red Sea, between Saudi Arabia and Egypt and traveling at 29 knots. That is quite fast, but we have a very ill gentleman who needs to get to a hospital so we are heading to the waters of Egypt and the pilot will come out to the ship to get him.

                                                                          

Other than that, we are all doing just Jim Dandy, and are ready to get off this old Gal. It’s hard to believe that in less than 2 weeks, we will be in Spain and have completed this part of our journey.

***********************************************************************

At Sea - Mar 25 

9:30 am

Well folks here we are, at anchor about 5 miles off the coast of Dubai in the Persian Gulf . That’s right at anchor!

We are stuck in something called a Shamal and have just been advised by the Captain that it appears impossible to make the port today or tomorrow. It must be bad because there is 600 passengers waiting to get on and 600 getting off and heading to the airport. We also have a very ill gentleman aboard and in about 15 minutes a helicopter is going to land on the ship and pick him up. So it appears we will not see Dubai after all. I also heard yesterday that we still might not be going through the Suez Canal and might have to head around South Africa because of security reasons. I don’t think that is going to happen, mostly because I started this exact rumor about a month ago and had no basis for saying it.

We can tons of ship here, from oil tankers to military vessels

Anyways here we are, sitting out in the Gulf awaiting a helicopter, so I’ll let you know what happens. We have a great cell phone signal, so I will update you if we start to move. 

UPDATE – sent @ 10:30 pm March 22 - We just had a daring helicopter rescue performed in some pretty high winds. A police helicopter came out and picked up a very ill passenger, and did it flawlessly. We are stuck our here off the coast of Dubai until this Shamal calms down, or we might head to Muscat .  Who knows, never a dull moment aboard the QE II!!!

More pictures

Received March 22 - "That's right, we are back on board safe and sound. WE LOVED MUMBAI (BOMBAY), and hope to one day return.  I just thought we would let you know we made it back alive."

 

The Serbic's

 

Received March 21

(Written by Steve)

We are not really at sea, we are sitting in the harbour awaiting immigration to check passports and question all the passengers. It is 11:30 am now and we are being told it could take up to 12 hours or until around 10 pm before they allow us to dock. We are excited and terrified all at the same time about Mumbai; it’s a very different world here. I am looking at the city right now as it is only half a mile to shore, and it looks beautiful. On our way here there were a couple of military helicopters that would buzz a few hundred feet above the ships deck, and sometimes even hover and wave to us.

There is a destroyer just a few hundred meters off our starboard side and I heard that security is very tight when we are here. I was surprised to find out that they send divers under the ship to see if we picked up any packages, or any other surprises; that’s comforting thought. We are heading into the Persian Gulf in the next few days and that should be interesting, to say the least. I have no worries about going into the U.A.E. and the Middle East , it’s the main reason I was attracted to this cruise.

I don’t know if there is anything too new on the ship, but hey I have nothing else to do, so I’ll make something up. Here goes.

I don’t know the exact numbers, but it appears quite a few of the passengers are coming down with this stomach virus again. One of the kids in the kids club was puking her brains out last night, and you can get it more than once, so we hope Nik or Dani don’t get it again. The ship has been cleaning this old gal since we left New York and doing a heck of a job, so I am very surprised it’s back again. Since I am talking about the crew I want to throw a plug in for these wonderful people. We have been on quite a few different lines, and the folks that work on this ship are absolutely incredible. You can see some of them, who are close to completing their 6 and 4 month contracts, and they look bagged, but they just keep going. You would think that these folks might not get much money but at least they get to see the world, well that’s what I first thought. The truth is that they only get a few hours in each port in between lunch and dinner, or before lunch. Even when we get to some ports, some of the crew must stay aboard, so they might not be able to get off at all. We were told that the people in the restaurant can get off the ship 4 out of every 22 ports, that’s tough.

 We have been treated very well by them all, well not all, one gent in the purser’s office did not do us any favours, we will get to that later. We consider a lot of the crew our friends and hang out with them in port, and it has been fantastic. The crap these folks (the crew) take from passengers is not like it would be on a 7 day cruise, these world cruisers are a very difficult bunch. I have never seen such disrespect from one person to another in my life. When some fat cat is demanding to only have 1 ice cube in his glass and 2 accidentally fall in, well you would think the waiter dumped it on his lap or something. Yelling and complaining as if it was done on purpose, and this and that, and it happens every single day on the QE II. There are days when I see some poor crew person getting unloaded on and I just want to walk up to the passenger and smack them in the back of the head. I came close to actually doing it, but I had the kids with me, and I don’t want Nikolas writing home about that.

We are all doing well and are looking forward to Mumbai, we not really but it will be a site to see. We are prepared for the worst and it will be very difficult to travel with kids, but we will give it a try. We have heard about it from so many people and it sounds terrifying to be honest. We will let you know how we did as soon as we are back and have a connection.

Wish us luck


 

(written by Steve - March 17)

There is really nothing new on this old Gal!

Father O’Shea had 5 bypasses, and I am not sure what they call that one, but he is resting and doing well. We spoke to him on the phone the day before his operation and he sounded strong, Nikolas just lit up with joy when he got to talk to Ray, and they had a short heart warming conversation.

Our friends Eric and Ursula had to go to the hospital too in Hong Kong , because Eric had what the ships doctor called a gall stone. It was not until they did the surgery that they found a growth on his pancreas, and they had to stay. When they got home to San Francisco they emailed someone on the ship with some really bad news, our hearts go out to both of them.

A comedian the other night had a few funny lines about Bangkok .

He said he was unaware that Bangkok was such a family destination. He was very surprised to see so many western men walking down the street with their Thai daughters.

The virus levels on the ship have spiked once again and many people have been quarantined to their rooms including Nikolas and Danika. Our kids are fine now, but it sure was not a lot of fun when they were both ill, poor kids.

We are now right in the middle of the Indian Ocean a few hundred kilometers away from Sri Lanka . We will keep you updated with all the events and even some news.

 

AT SEA - Mar 9  (written by Steve)

Here we are just off the coast of Ho Chi Minh City , Vietnam . We left Hong Kong about 2 days ago and are now headed to Laem Chabang , Thailand for our scheduled arrival on March 11.  Leaving Hong Kong was a real downer, mostly because we left a few friends we had made on the ship back there.

Our good Friend Ray (Father) O’Shea had a heart Attack and was taken off the ship by ambulance. We had been in our cabin for a couple of days because the kids were ill, and then tried to make up for lost time on our last day in port. It was when we returned to the ship just before it pulled away from the dock when we found out about this terrible news. We went to dinner that night and sure enough his seat was empty and I can only tell you that it was a very quiet dinner. Usually we are always yakking about some current event, or Ray’s days when he was a boxer or a magician, but that night we did little talking and left early. Have you ever met or known someone who is always positive and can take any conversation and get you to look at the positive or funny side of it, well that was Father O’Shea. Nikolas just loved this man, he could not sleep the night of the news, and told me he just can’t believe that he may never see Father O’Shea again. I won’t tell Nikolas but, if we get up into Wales we will most certainly stop by and see our old friend.

Just so you know, Ray is in Intensive Care in a Hong Kong Hospital awaiting an angiogram to see the extent of the damage. His chest pain was much better a couple of days later and he’s in good spirits, and if I know Ray he will be back on his feet in no time.

I can’t remember talking about religion with Ray, but we certainly got into the politics and geography and he is very educated on those subjects. I personally will really miss Ray as I consider him to be one of my very good friends. I never thought I would be good friends with a Catholic Priest and I am not even sure why I say that. My ignorance for religion made me think a Priest to be very serious with little time for chit chat, kind of like an orthopedic surgeon. Have you ever met an Orthopedic Surgeon? Those folks are dang stuffy and have no bed side manner, that’s kind of what I thought a priest would be like on his days off, I know Priests never get days off, but you know what I am talking about.

The Gal who told us about what happened to Ray is Mary (From Chicago) and Helen ran into her just before dinner. Poor Mary was going on a tour on the same morning that Ray was taken to hospital. Mary was getting on her tour bus and an English chap in front of her had a massive heart attack and collapsed and hit the ground. Mary cleared the man’s airway and did CPR for about 20 minutes until help arrived. Poor Mary was really rattled afterwards, but at least she stopped to help when most would only watch. Unfortunately the man passed away, but bystanders said they saw Mary fly into action and she did a heck of a job.  She’s a retired Nurse!

I know this is starting to sound like a bit of a soap, but a few other things have happened to people we have told you about, and they all had to get off in Hong Kong .

So it was kind of weird pulling out of Hong Kong and leaving 4 of our friends behind. Our other friend Eric and Ursula were also in the Hospital in Hong Kong . Eric had been having stomach pains for a week and they thought he had a gall stone. Once they operated they realized he had a growth on his Pancreas and are now being sent back home to San Francisco . They were a super nice couple and we never got to say good bye to them either.

One more gal, Maria (Danika’s Big sister) also left us and even though that was tough, at least we got to say good bye.

Does this sound like a soap opera or what?

To change subjects, our kids were quite sick when we were in port and still Danika just can’t shake what ever this ship sickness is. Nikolas bounced back from the flu but is having a hard time adjusting to life without Father O’Shea around.

Helen is doing excellent and talking about booking her next cruise. NOT! She is more relaxed as the seas have been quite nice since we left Japan .

I am doing just Jim Dandy myself, eating like a mad man and doing quite a bit of nothing. The days at sea really don’t turn me on, and I kind of just want to get to the next port as soon as possible. I still like the tea time thing, but have not been able to go in the last week.

I have got lots of emails from friends asking me how my heart thing is going, and I have been feeling dizzy since boarding the ship. I know why everyone is asking because they are thinking, and I wonder too, if it was stress. I have had 2 episodes since we have left, one scary one for me was at dinner on a  night when I broke out in a sweat and felt like I was going to pass out. The other was on the tread mill and I have not done that since. The truth about the whole thing is I am not exactly sure what it is, but I have an idea. I went through so much testing before I left, I got to know my body very well. I wore monitors for a few days, had a stress test (which I failed) had an angiogram that showed me my arteries were clear. The consensus from all the specialists I saw was that I have an Electrical problem with my heart. That may be true and I will only find out when I complete all the testing that I was supposed to do before I left. I have my own theory and am trying to diagnose myself right now as I write. (Is that a guy thing or what?)

Well, anyways, I found out some things about my heart that I did not know. I have a resting heart rate of 38 and my resting Blood pressure is 90/60.  The blood pressure surprised me, as I always remember it being 120/80 and have had it at that level for at least 20 years. Now, for some reason my body has decided it likes a BP of 90/60 and I think that’s where my dizziness comes from. The Cardiologists I saw down in the U.S. told me that my blood pressure is just fine at that level, but I don’t buy it. (I know, another guy thing) I have worked very hard to keep myself hydrated and throw the weights around every other day, and feel pretty good. I have dragged my wife and 2 kids on an adventure of a life time, but I am not quite sure what’s in store for myself. I can hear my mother-in-law again “I told her not go, he’s crazy and has no plan”. The funny thing is, if something goes wrong, my mother-in-law and father will be the first people to step up and say that they told us not to go. This cruising part is easy, but when we head into Europe , we are going to run into some problems, and hopefully deal with them. I am right now making arrangements through our travel agent to get a car set up and looking at a plan of attack. We will be fine I am sure, but it’s been hard  getting some things worked out when your only link is an internet service that works once a week.

There is something else on this ship that does not work very well, the Security. There is a real security problem aboard this ship. I always tell Helen not to worry, but now I am getting a little worried. When we were in Perth , 4 people over-powered a crewman on 5 deck while he was pumping out sewage and boarded the ship. These 4 people were so drunk they just lifted and crawled under the chain link fence and walked right up and on to the ship. When we were in the Philippines , I walked right through the security checkpoint because there was no one there to check me. The 2 guys that were supposed to be checking passengers  were busy checking a vehicle, and me and few passengers waited for a couple minutes and then said forget it and walked in. While we were in Hong Kong , I was getting on the ship one night and there were 4 guys from the crew (I think they were crew) behind me carrying this one huge box and 4 smaller ones. I looked on one of the boxes and it said Audio equipment. The big box (5’x5’x6. speakers I think) was barely being carried by these 2 guys behind me. I watched to see what the security guard was going to do because there was no way the big box was going to fit through the little x-ray machine. Much to my surprise the security guy just waved them by and didn’t even put the smaller boxes through.

You see Helen is terrified about going into the Persian Gulf on Mar 25, because she thinks someone is going to try and sink us, or hit us with a missile or something.

I have told her many times that the only way you are going to sink this old gal, is if you could get the bomb on board. Well you know what, those guys from the crew (or who ever they were) could have been carrying anything in those boxes, and walked right onto the ship.

Every time you leave and board the ship, you must run your ship Id under a scanner, but it’s not that great of a system and can be easily bypassed. Those guys also had Id when they brought those boxes onboard, but you should be as worried about cargo coming onboard as you are the passengers or crew.  Anyways, I am getting off topic and will save all my little concerns for the very end when we disembark.

We are not quite sure how to feel about a couple of our upcoming stops like Thailand and Sri Lanka . These countries are rebuilding from one of the worst disasters in history and we are coming in there on this floating fantasy land as a tourist. One part of me really wants to see these ports, but the other part of me feels guilty for going there. We are going to Bangkok and will be quite far away from the devastation, but who knows maybe we won’t go after all. We have missed 5 ports of call so far, and I am sure there are many more to come. 

Well that’s all for now, I really was just writing to tell you the sad news about Ray O’Shea and got carried away with the rest.

 

(Written by Helen) - received February 22 at 04:30 am

Hello everyone, 

Just a little update on where we are and what we are doing.  We are currently on our way to the Phillipines and are probably crossing the equator as I write.  It is 8pm on Feb. 22 and we have just come from dinner in the Maurentania Restaurant.  It is formal night every night that we are at sea so we are getting used to wearing tuxedos and ballgowns every night.  Well, Steve still hates it but he sure looks dapper.  We had a good night at dinner as it was our main waitresses birthday today.  We have become very close to both of our waitresses (I hate to call them that because they feel like our friends).  Angela turned 24 today and she is from South Africa and she is so wonderful.  The kids just love them, the other one is Maria and she is from Italy .  They have a big crew party tonight so we were bugging them about all the single nice looking guys that are going to be there and we were all having a good laugh.  We are also fortunate to be sitting beside Father O'Shea and Father John.  They are wonderful to talk to and we always have very interesting conversations with them.  Father O'Shea is the Catholic Priest on board and today he performed a ceremony for couples that were renewing their wedding vows.  Steve was there (without me, ha!) because he was asked by a couple we met from Florida to videotape the ceremony for them.  John and Suzanne have been married for 35 years and are such a wonderful couple.  We met them in the casino and have really enjoyed their company.  They were gracious enough to join us for lunch after the ceremony and they shared their bottle of champagne with us, it was great. 

I don't want to jinx it BUT, it has been very smooth sailing since we left Exmouth.  This is my kind of cruising!!!!  You can't even feel a thing.  Unfortunately, or should I say ironically, the other night I woke up in the middle of the night and the whole room was spinning.  I thought for a minute that I had the dreaded Norwalk Virus but found out that it was probably just sea sickness.  Now???      After being on this ship for almost 2 months, I get sea sick now when the ship has never been smoother.  The doctor said I may have a bit of an inner ear infection and my equilibrium is not sure what to do.  Boy, was I sick.  But it only lasted a few hours and then the medication set in and I slept for hours and hours and then I felt better.  Now I feel fine but I have a bit of a cold, oh well. 

The kids are still doing just fine.  To put in perspective we told Nikolas that we may be getting off a few days early in Spain instead of Southampton and he just went crazy.  He begged us to stay on til the end, he even said that we could get off and him and Dani would stay on and we could pick them up in England later.  I'm not sure why he loves this boat so much but they seem to be having a blast.  School work is going pretty good.  It's like pulling teeth to get him started but once he does start it goes surprisingly well.  Today he sat through a question and answer session with the captain of the ship and it lasted over an hour and he actually took notes throughout the whole thing.  It was really interesting.  The captain of this ship is a very witty, intelligent and interesting man.  He is the youngest captain in Cunard's history.  He is very well-spoken and very funny!!!

Life on board had become like home.  Today I spent most of the day in the laundry room doing the wash and that can be quite interesting in itself.  Everyday there is a fight to get an empty washer or dryer and the tempers can really flare in that room I tell you.  I just heard today that two passengers were kicked off the ship for actually fist fighting over a washer.  Can you believe that??? 

Steve's in fine form with his rumours he is spreading around that the ship is going to bypass the Suez Canal for security reasons and instead travel around the Cape Horn in Africa .  Even the Captain was questioned about this today and much to everyone's surprise his answer included a very detailed itinerary that we would follow if this was to happen.  It's not but he said if for some political reason we were unable to transit the Suez Canal we would head from India down to South Africa, over to Rio in South America and up to Florida, New York and then across the Atlantic AGAIN to Southampton.  I told Steve if that happens I am getting off in India !  I refuse to cross the Atlantic in this ship no matter how safe everyone keeps telling me it is.

Right now we are half way between Bali and Manila and it is scorching hot during the day.  Tomorrow we are all signed up to become Shell backs during the Crossing the Equator Ceremony.  We are all going to kiss the fish, get gross old food mushed all over our bodies and get thrown in the pool.  Should be Fun!!!????

There was another earthquake in Indonesia the other day.  A question was raised to the captain about that today and he assured us that the best place to be during a tsunamai is right where we are, right in the middle of a large body of water.  Whew!!  He also confirmed that a few years ago the ship did take on a 96ft. wave in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean .  So Steve told me to quit my whining when I start to get excited when we hit 10ft. waves. 

Well, that's it for now.  We are both excited and a little nervous as we venture into a part of the world we have never been before.  Asia will be very exciting and we are really looking forward to the amazing sights that await us.  Hopefully we all stay healthy and we will share the stories and pictures when they happen.  Talk to you soon!!

 

AT SEA

(written by Steve Feb16) 

One minute I am telling you I don’t think I can write anymore at sea stories because there is nothing new to write about and the next minute I am  sending out one of my little stories. I actually had an interesting day at sea today because Helen, Nikolas and I went to one of the many lectures they have on the ship everyday. The gent who we went to see is named Dr. Terry Waite and he is a very successful hostage negotiator that is responsible for the release of several hostages from Iran back in the 80’s. In 1983 he negotiated with Colonel Ghadafi for the release of British Hostages being held in Libya . He talked today about the time he was trying to negotiate the release of American Hostages in Beirut back in 1987, you might remember the name Terry Anderson. Dr. Waite was trying to help negotiate the release of these men when it all went terribly wrong, he himself was taken hostage. He was kept in captivity for over 5 years, more than 4 of those years he spent in total solitary confinement.

He started the lecture by telling us what a negotiator does, and how he became involved in such a thing. He started with a couple of funny stories about when he was moved a few times and the captures had some trouble with him. Dr. Waite is 6’ 7” tall and he said every time he got moved they would wrap him in masking tape from head to toe and put him in the trunk of a car. He said on one occasion they tried to get him in a trunk but he would not fit, even with the captures sitting on the top. He heard one of them say “put him in the fridge” and Dr. Waite replied “you can’t do that, I’ll suffocate and die”. The captors replied, “ don’t worry you won’t be in there for too long, so he was put in the fridge and transported to where very they had to move him. The funny part of this story was when he told us “I can assure you all that the light does indeed go out when the door closes”. One other story he told was when they taped him all up and threw him in a trunk and when he hit the floor of the trunk he felt another body in there. He ripped away some tape from his mouth and said “there is not a lot of room in here is there” and the body replied “until you came in, there was plenty of room”. That was the first time he had any kind of contact with anyone in fours years, and also the first time he had ever met a British hostage named John McCarthy. His stories are told with a very gentle humor, as he casually talks about how 5 years of his life was stolen from him. The one thing that I will ask when I get the chance is how was it that his spirit was not broken in those years of captivity. I won’t go into too much detail because he is going to give 2 more talks and I am sure I have lots more to tell you. When we met with Dr. Waite after his talk he surprised me by saying, “Ah, you folks are from Canada”, after only 2 or 3 words had come out of my mouth, I assumed someone must of told him this tidbit, but he said he could tell by my accent.

I get the impression Dr. Waite is a very smart man, and I look forward to hearing him speak in the next few days. 

Following his release on 19th November 1991 he was elected a fellow commoner at Trinity Hall Cambridge England where he wrote his first book Taken on Trust. This quickly became an international best seller. His latest book published in October 2000 Travels with a Primate is a humorous account of his journeys with Archbishop Runcie.

 

At Sea - February 15

(Written by Steve)

I don’t know how many more of these at sea stories we can write about, because it’s the same old, same old on the ship. We are now 1 ½ months into our cruise and the Norwalk virus levels are still very high, well, we think they are still high. We have people met people who have had it, and the folks next to us just came off quarantine, so it may be just a matter of time for us. I still feel the ships crew has done everything possible to try and control it, but it started way back in New York and is still out of control. The crew still wipe down every part of the ship with Virox every hour and all food utensils every half hour. The poor crew have been doing this for over a month and look exhausted, we really feel bad for them. The cruise itself has been fine, and the Seas have been very nice to us lately, except for maybe last night. Helen is confirmed Sea worthy and does not complain about feeling sea sick anymore. We are not thrilled about being a sea for more than a night a time, and are currently doing 2 nights now on our way to Perth .

The family is doing well and we are all settling in really well after our side trip to Auckland . That little trip helped gel us all back together and get us back on track. Helen and I rarely scrap but we do on occasion not talk to each if we are not getting along real well. We started to do that a bit and the Kids were very difficult to manage before we got off in Auckland . Nikolas is still having some tough moments and the other day I had to freak out on him a bit and really lay down the law again. I felt a little bad afterwards, but he was really pushing our buttons and we were having a really tough time getting him to do his school work. It all turned out fine and we had a really great father to son heart to heart (I am getting a little choked up thinking about it). The kid told us in a fit of anger he wished we never came on the dumb trip and I responded by telling him I was really hurt, but inside I completely understood. He quickly said sorry after he thought he had hurt my feelings and told me he was happy about doing this, only he really missed all his friends, and he only said it because he was mad. He told me that he thought there would be kids here his age that he could play with, and he wished he was back with his hockey team. Now I felt really rotten, and I asked him if he wanted to maybe end it early and go home, he said no its O.K. He does not really feel that way, and would jump for joy if I said lets go home, but he just said what I wanted to hear. He is a really good kid, and if I did not feel that this was a once and lifetime chance, maybe I would consider pulling the plug early. Anyways, it was a real good little chat and I was very surprised how mature he was when he talked to me.

One thing that I am really happy about is that Helen does Nikolas’ school work and she does a wonderful job. Nikolas has a short attention span and Helen is quite patient on most days and they somehow seem to get it all done. To be honest, if I was the kid there is no way I’d do it, so I’m very happy Nikolas and Helen make it happen.

Danika is doing great, she is so spoiled. She beats to a completely different drum than old Nikolas. I love that little girl but she is quite selfish for a little 4 year old, so much sometimes that it really surprises me. The kid is 4 years old and her favorites foods are Jumbo Shrimp and Lobster, and has eaten Escargot and frogs legs. I hope she will change a little, because down the road she is going to make for one expensive wife. I think it’s a genetic thing more than a learned thing.

The ship itself is the same as it has always been, I still love the old gal. The food and the service on the QE II are first rate. I am a little sick of eating like this all the time, but the selection of food could not be any better. I am not a big fan of the way some problems with passengers are handled, but it all comes down to the ship being fully booked. They can’t move people when their cabins flood or have electrical problems because the ship is so packed, and I think that in itself will be the end of the QE II. The folks on this ship do not tolerate being told “sorry there is nothing we can do for you”; they don’t like hearing those words. The crew and staff on this ship are the hardest working and most professional ship employees I have ever seen, and we have been on a ½ dozen different lines. I think Cunard is just a banner for Carnival, and they will not only lose all the loyal passengers, but also all their loyal employees. 68% of the passengers that sail on the QE II are return passengers, but many of them are extremely unhappy on this voyage and say they won’t return again. As one nice lady who has been on this ship many times put it, they should take this ship out to sea and sink it. We may never be on another one of Cunards cruises, but I hope that Carnival gets its act together for the crew’s sake, because they have such wonderful staff on this ship and they are getting treated very badly. .

So that’s pretty much it for the day at sea story, and we can’t get to Perth fast enough.

 

Day at Sea  Received February 2 @ 2:56 AM

(Written by Helen - Feb.2) 

At 11pm as the QE 2 left Auckland , Steve and I and the kids were sitting in a hotel room.  We heard her blow her horn and we all rushed to the Conference Room next to our room that is on the 28th floor to the big window that faced the harbour.  We watched her back out and slowly sail away.  Why aren’t we on our ship you ask?  Stayed tune for the ever surprising adventure!!!

Well, it’s actually not that exciting.  As we’ve mentioned before, the air conditioner in our room starting leaking so they decided to put in a new one.  No big deal normally but when they pulled back the carpet in the room, it must have been leaking for awhile because the carpet and underlay and floor were wet and there was some interesting looking black mold growing on the floor.  The ship gave us another room, on the THIRD floor and told us that this room would be ready in one day and then they decided to do the air conditioner in our other room right after so both rooms were out of commission.  The plan was for the first room to be done and then we could move our stuff into that one while the other room was being done.  The only problem was that they put new carpet on top of wet underlay and when Steve brought one of the pursers into our room to discuss what was done he wasn’t impressed.  Steve got the purser to help him move the bed and then Steve pulled back the new carpet and showed the purser the wet underlay, wet floor , lovely black mold and a nice collection of cigarette butts and used Q-tips.  They didn’t even clean the area before they put the carpet down and Steve told the guy it was unacceptable.  He didn’t seem very impressed with all this, more work I guess, and that’s when Steve lost it.  Fortunately the women in charge of our deck arrived and she agreed that this was not acceptable. The only problem was that the room needed time to dry with fans and our other room was just painted so we couldn’t sleep in either of them.  They gave us another room on deck 3 (that’s 4 rooms now) with all of our stuff still in the rooms on deck 5 SOOOO we decided it was time for a roadtrip!!

The ship arrived in Auckland this morning and we decided last night that we were going to take a little break from the ship and get off in Auckland and spend a few nights here and then fly to Australia and hop back on the ship in a little over a week.  We are hoping by then that our rooms will be done and hopefully the Norwalk virus will settle down again as well.

So far, we are really happy with our decision.  Our hotel is beautiful and spacious!  Tomorrow we will head out and see this beautiful city that reminds us very much of home.

Hopefully this doesn’t sound too negative.  As we watched the ship sail away we were quite sad as we have become quite attached to our “home” especially some of the passengers and crew we have befriended onboard.

As we sit here in our hotel we look outside and can’t quite believe we have made it “down under”.  We are so far from home and we have come such a long way it’s almost hard for us to even comprehend.  It’s the first time I can honestly say that I could live here.  Mind you, it could be because it reminds me so much of home.  We called home today and it was so great to hear everyone’s voice.  Only 11 more months to go!!!

  

 

Day at Sea   Received February 2 @ 2:56 AM

(Written by Steve - Jan 31)

It’s is amazing what a day can do, we are completely different than we were yesterday. Helen is lying in bed because she is feeling sick to her stomach, I hope it is not the Norwalk thing. I only say that because she looks off, like she is fighting something, I hope not for all our sake. We cross the international dateline tonight, go to sleep on Sunday night and wake up Tuesday morning, very cool.

We made some new friends in Moorea when we stayed at the Sheraton, in fact we met on the truck to the beach. We had lunch with them today and it was a blast, the kids just love these folks. Mel is always laughing and chasing Nikolas around and Ann knows exactly how to push all of Dani’s buttons. It was quite fun, but Helen was off, but she trooped through it. We headed back to the room and that’s when Helen took her gravol and went to sleep. The kids are at the kids club and I am writing this from tea time (I know but I can’t miss my tea).

 

 

AT SEA    -    Received February 2 @ 2:56 AM

(Written by Steve - Jan 31)

It is 12:30 am and I am writing this from one of the new super rooms on deck 3. Well, new temporary room. I awoke yesterday morning about 4 am to find my bed completely soaking wet, my first fear was that I had had a bad dream. My second fear was the boat was sinking and I was too late to get out us all out. Thankfully it was only the air conditioning unit.  It had sprung a leak and I was soaking wet from ????????? I am sure all the Freon evaporated, well I am not sure, but it’s too late now to worry about it. The ship had to move 2 of us up 2 decks to this wonderful room, only I can’t sleep in it, hence this story.

The latest news aboard the QE II is, we are in another full outbreak of the wonderful Norwalk virus. The crew is back to cleaning every inch of the ship with that cool Virox stuff every half hour. The ship won’t tell the passengers anything, but we have a very good source who gives us all the straight goods. We almost had it nipped aside from a few new passengers who caught it and were confined to their rooms for the 7 day contagious period. Everything would have been great because it had been kept down to a very few number of these new passengers and appeared to be under control. Apparently a couple of these new passengers felt the ship had no right to tell them to stay in their rooms and walked out on a number of occasions without telling anyone and now we have a full outbreak again. I have to admit that after watching the way the QE II staff has handled this situation, I must say I am very impressed. O.K. they are not telling the passengers anything, but anytime they have people making you clean your hands before entering the dining areas and you are not allowed to touch anything. Even the first time traveler would know something was going on. Nikolas got sick the other day and was vomiting all morning, but he had been drinking the shower water the night before in Tahiti . By lunch time he was feeling better and started to eat again by dinner, we knew he did not have it. Phewwwwwwww!

 Apart from that, we are somewhere off Samoa in the south pacific making great time against the huge waves that are pounding us right now. I just spoke to Helen 2 decks below, and she is not too happy right now and wide awake.

 That day in Moorea was very magical and maybe I can’t sleep because I can’t stop thinking about it. We will one day return to that same Hotel on the same Island and take that place for all its worth, at least 2 weeks.

 

January 30 - (received 5:20 pm)

Hey folks,

 

We are somewhere between Samoa and New Zealand and hitting some rough seas again. Helen is sicker than a dog again, poor gal, but the kids are fine. The Norwalk virus is back in a big way and the ship is going all out in trying to stop it from spreading. I am quite impressed (from a germaphobic perspective) with the way they are handling it, washing every part of the ship every half hour with Virox. They stand in front of you before you enter the gallery and make everyone wash their hands before you eat. We really miss Moorea Tahiti , it was a magical place and we can only dream about going back. We are crossing the international dateline tonight so we loose a day. Go to bed Sunday night and wake up Tuesday morning, very cool I guess. We had a small problem in our room 2 nights ago and we have been moved out for 2 days while they rip out a wall. I was sleeping only to wake (well, I woke up and then went back to sleep) at around 4am covered in some kind of liquid. The air conditioner blew up above my bed and showered me with what I think was mostly water, I slept in it till 7am before noticing it was not just some bad dream. I will get out the full story to you in 2 days, Helen is not in a writing mood so we'll wait till she feels better before we send out any more messages. You know the sea are not that rough, just really noisy and bumpy, and I think she is just off. Oh, I hope its not that Norwalk thing. I'll let you know if any of us gets sick.

See ya for now,. we miss you all

We will be in Auckland on Wednesday morning, wish us luck,

 

Steve, Helen, Nikolas and Danika

 

AT SEA  (Written by Steve, January 23 ) - received January 27 @ 4:11 pm

It was on this day in the middle of the South Pacific that I realized I am on one of the greatest adventures of my life. Well maybe I just realized how wonderful it was to sit on the deck and look at the mild seas and drink a Mai Tai. I know back in B.C. the Surrey firefighters are busting their butts putting out fire and saving lives. O.K. maybe not the boys down at Hall 12, but the guys out of Hall 2, Hall 1 and Hall 10 are certainly some of the hardest working Firefighters around. It was on this day that I sit in a deck chair looking at some of the smoothest seas I have ever seen anywhere having a drink thinking about Firefighting. I truly love that job, but more than that, I really like the guys I work with. I played lacrosse twice a week, hockey 2-3 (sometimes 4) times a week with these guys and had a great time. The best part for me was not actually playing, it was sitting around the dressing room afterwards shooting the poop and a having a beer. I don’t even like beer, but I really enjoyed that part of my life. So why the heck am I telling you this?  Well, it’s because for the first time I am sitting here realizing how fortunate I am to be doing this trip.  Not only did I manage to get a year off work, my family (Mainly Helen) bought into the program and made it possible to be able to give this a shot.  One of the reasons I am telling you how great of a day this is, because for the very first time in 3 weeks, Helen has relaxed. Ya she’s wearing a ear patch, but the dang seas have finally given us a break so we can enjoy at least one day at sea. Those last few days were not fun for anyone, my self included. So anyways I am sitting here thinking about my buds back home. I don’t think I have ever felt like this before in my life, hey maybe I’ll even gain some weight.

 Listen to what my day has been like, compared to what it was.

Today the most stressful thing I did was try and figure out what to order for breakfast, then I took the kids to their little club upstairs while I worked out in the gym. Then Helen and I took dance lessons, that’s right you heard me, I was doing the box step, and chasse with a group of 65 year olds and enjoying every minute of it. I know I am starting to scare myself, but that’s  what I did today! I can hear Jack (the fire Captain from Connecticut )  telling me “Don’t let the boys in your house find out about this”. This day is a bit unusual because it is Sunday and Nikolas did not have to do his school work, which can eat up most of the morning. Oh did I mention that I am writing you this letter from the Queens Room, where a couple hundred of these folks sit down and have a cup of tea.

People on this ship all claim to love the days at sea, well they are not for us, I like this old ship, but not that much. I keep telling Helen to just think of this ship as our means to get to all these great ports. I don’t know who I am trying to convince more, her or myself. We were both super disappointed that Kona had been cancelled. You should have seen the look on Helen’s face, it was a cross between get me the he!! off this ship and I think I am going to cry.  That means we will have been at sea 4 days, one day in port, then 5 days two days at port, and then another 4 days at sea. No question, that the next two weeks will be the most trying part of the trip.

So what’s new on this ship you ask? Well nothing too much, that dancing news was a major tidbit in my little world. I keep meeting new interesting people everyday and that has made this trip the most enjoyable, next to seeing Helen finally having a good day. We have met Mary (from Chicago ) and Ursula (from San Fran) a couple of real super interesting ladies, with many stories to tell. I have spent many hours listening to each and hope to spend many more hours with both of them. We have two new ministers sitting beside us along with Father O’Shea, so the conversation has taken on a whole new life now. Father O' Shea likes to talk about his favorite show (CSI) and John a Lutheran Minister from Time Square, New York likes to talk about the men from FDNY. I met a new gent named Bob and he has a really different outlook on life, mostly about travel with his family. He tells me about his 13 grand children and how he had traveled around the world with his children and it has molded them into the people they are today. Bob told me that he believes traveling makes death easier, and I thought that sounded weird too. Only when he explained that he has traveled so much that death would be just like taking another trip. O.K. I am still getting used to talking to Father O’Shea like one of my hockey buddies, but I am not quite ready to be entering the dark or light side quite yet. Everyone on this ship has some kind of advice for you and you don’t even have to ask, they will just come out and tell you. Bob’s advise, or as I call it “The tip of day” is never have a bad day. Just stay away from the negative people and lie to yourself every morning and tell yourself how great you are feeling. He says if you do this everyday, sooner or later you will start to believe yourself.

Like I said, everyday we meet at least one new person, and everyday that brings a new tip, a new story and a new outlook on life. The most interesting people to talk to (even though they can’t talk to you very much) are the people who work on this ship. You see this ship is like no other, because it goes to every part of the world at least once a year. So everyone who works here wants to see the world and they take a job on this ship hoping to see all these wonderful ports. The only problem is, they never get a full day off. I am not kidding some of these folks that work here will only get a full day off if the ship is in dry dock or the once a year World Cruise starts in Southampton, England. They take a job as a server or cleaner and don’t get to leave when we get to port, because the passengers don’t always leave. Did you know that some passengers never leave the ship to go into port, never! They love this ship so much, they just stay on it and they could care less where it goes, they just want to eat, drink and ride around. Bizarre eh? Anyways I feel sorry for some of the folks working here because they obviously had no idea how much work they would be doing, and how hard it would be. And if you have ever been on any cruise, you know those folks work super hard for very little pay. I don’t have many complaints about this old ship, but like any cruise ship, I don’t see why they would not give these folks a day off here and there. It must cost the cruise lines way more to train all new staff after 4 months than it would to try and make the good employees happy and give them a day off. We really like chatting with the staff and crew, and even though some are very careful of what they say, we still manage to have great conversations.

 

 

Jan 24, 2005

 

Today we crossed the Equator and the ship has this big celebration to welcome the first timers who have never been across before. It is a lot of fun and they line everyone up and make you kiss a fish and then dump spaghetti or ketchup all over you and push you in the pool. The pool could be served as a soup by the time they are finished, and they will have to drain and clean it.  They call you a ‘pollywog’ before this initiation and a shellback when you have completed it.  We were supposed to sign up but we forgot so we spent the day just watching.  It looked like a lot of fun and we will do it right when we cross again on our way up in a month.

It’s funny how I was thinking of my pals back at SFD because after lunch I check the web page and emails everyday to see what’s up. And there was an email telling me that 3 New York firefighters had just been killed in 2 separate incidents (one in the Bronx and one Brooklyn ) and 4 more were taken to hospital in critical condition. Its one thing to read a story like this in the newspaper, but it hits home a little more when you just left that city and you are looking at the names of 3 dead Firefighters on your email. And not only that, I had not thought much about my job since I left home and then I start thinking about it yesterday. We had a conversation about the boys from FDNY at dinner last night and then this. It’s so sad and I feel a bit goofy writing my little journey when stuff like this happens.

Well to finish, we crossed the Equator toady and that was very cool. We hope to get into Tahiti early so we can get over to Bora Bora and see 3 islands while we are there.  Because we missed the port in Kona we are going to spend the night in Pappeete.  Apparently there is a ferry that takes you to Bora Bora so we will see when we get off tomorrow if that’s going to work.

 

A TYPICAL DAY AT SEA

(Written by Helen, January 20) 

As we boarded the ship in Los Angeles after our sight-seeing trip, we walked under the big banner that says, “Welcome Home”.  When I first saw that sign at the start of our cruise I thought, “Ya, right!”  But for the first time we actually felt relieved to be back on board and it did feel like home.  We even say now when we are out and about at ports that ‘when we get home’ we will do this or that.  Home meaning on board, back in our rooms.  It’s hard to explain the feeling onboard this ship and we are slowly starting to understand why people come back time and again.  It has a very warm and inviting feel to it and as you walk around you realize how historic a vessel it is.  There are pictures everywhere of celebrities, royalty, and heads of state that have traveled on this ship and there are also pictures of all the ships that have paved the way.  The Caronia, The Maurentania, The original Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary, all these trans-Atlantic liners that have traveled the world for a century.   

I know I joked about where our cabins were located on the ship and how I explained that we kept going down more and more stairs until the stairway was so narrow you could only fit one person at a time.  Well, it has become a common joke within the ship as well.  When we talk to people and we find out where they are, we have come to understand that we are called the ‘steerage’ and that in the olden days, the people who stayed at the level we are staying  (Deck 5) were the fourth class citizens, the immigrants and they were segregated to the bottom floors of the ship.  It really does remind me of the movie The Titanic and I have to say I had a few sleepless nights wondering if we would be able to make it to safety if there was an emergency on the ship.  Movies like The Titanic are not good for my imagination.  On decks 5,6,7 and 8 there are water tight doors that are to be closed if there ever was a problem with the ship.  I made Steve show me that we most definitely would be able to ‘escape’ from our floor if they were to close.  He promised me that we wouldn’t be locked in and that yes, there are enough life rafts for everyone, even us poor souls in the bottom of the boat.

Even though we live in the 21st century now, you still feel a definite social division amongst the passengers.  Deck 3,4, and 5 passengers eat at a different restaurant than Deck 2 and 1 passengers.  If you have a room near the top of the boat you dine in The Queen’s Grill and it is very fancy and you are served with white gloved service.  We met someone who dines there, yes it’s amazing she actually talked to us, and she said she hated it because it was filled with a bunch of stuffed shirts (her quote) and nobody talks to anyone and it is very serious and very boring.  In our restaurant, the service is still fantastic (not white gloved) and everyone talks to each other at different tables and it’s a lot of fun.  That lady we talk to actually asked to be down-graded. 

We have quite a little routine going on board when we are at sea, and we are at sea A LOT.  If I have one complaint it’s that we should have more stops but Steve says that being at port costs them more money and people don’t spend money on the ship when we are at port.  Oh well.   

We wake up usually between 7:30-8am and while we get dressed we decide if we are going to have breakfast in The Lido, which is the buffet, or The Maurentania, which is a sit down breakfast with full service.  Like we’ve said before the food has been amazing regardless of where we eat.  After breakfast we head back to the rooms and Nikolas does his school work.  Good thing we brought work books for him because he hasn’t been able to get on line for his internet work.  He tries to get out of it everyday with various excuses but ultimately he does his work and we are very proud of him.  While Nikolas does his work Danika does her LeapFrog or we have found a great way for her to learn her letters.  There is a section on the ship where they have board games and we take the Scrabble game and make lots of three letter words and she has to read them or create them.  She likes it because it’s a ‘game’.  Often when Nikolas is doing his work we take Danika to the Kid’s Club.  The Kid’s Club is a room on one of the top floors and it’s called the Nursery.  There are 3-4 Nursery Nurses working up there and they have tons of crafts and toys and games and movies and the kid’s love it up there.  The club is open from 9am-noon, 2pm-5pm and 7pm-10pm everyday.  It is very convenient and the kid’s just love going even when there are no kid’s up there except them.  The jaunt from New York to L.A. had more kids on it but they all got off in L.A. except for one 8 year old girl.  So most of the time Nik and Dani are the only ones there but they get all the attention and can you believe it, they have Play Station as well.  Hallelujah!! 

While I sit with Nikolas as he does his work Steve usually runs down to Deck 7 and goes to the gym.  When he comes back, I usually go too.  The gym is even farther down the ship then our rooms and it must sit over some engine room because when you lie on the floor it is very warm.  There is also a pool down there and the kids are allowed in that pool but I find it very dark and dingy down there.  There are no windows and there are lots of noises from the ship.  You can actually hear the roar of the ocean as it hits the ship and that sound is a little unnerving. They have a weight room, bikes, treadmills, and elliptical trainers.  They also have classes every morning but I’ve only made it to one so far.  We really try hard to go to the gym pretty much everyday because we are eating WAY TOO MUCH!!!!! 

Before we know it, lunch is here and again we decide which restaurant to go to.  The Maurentania is a little fancier so if we don’t feel like getting dressed up we head to The Lido.  Both kids go to the Kid’s Club at 2pm and that gives them a break from us and vice versa.  We usually look at the daily programme onboard and I have gone to a few classes.  There are all sorts of things to do so we walk around and find our spot at The Chartroom, which is a bar.  We usually find a table by a big window and order the drink special of the day.  Everyday they have a tropical drink special and we sit there and eat nuts and drink and talk about what we’ve done and what the plan is for the next day.  It is usually very relaxing, except for the trip from L.A. to Hawaii .  It was very rough and it was hard to have fun when the ship is rocking so bad you can hardly walk.  It really feels like a rollercoaster.  Your stomach gets that same feeling when the ship goes way up and then comes crashing down.  A lot of people were sea sick, even some of the crew members.  A lady Steve talked to said that she has done this cruise 7 times and she has never experienced a rough ride like that.  Oh, great!!  I did pretty good.  Steve and I both had to take some Gravol and there was only one night I didn’t sleep a wink.  I just layed there and listened to the creaks and I was sleeping in the outside cabin and I could hear the waves crashing outside our porthole.  When it gets that rough our porthole gets covered in water.  When it gets really rough they also start closing some of the water-tight doors and when these doors close this alarm goes off that sounds like a fire alarm.  At these times I try and think of all the people who have told me that this is the safest ship in the world and that it was designed to take on the North Atlantic and I think of the people who tell me that these waves are nothing compared to what they see on the Atlantic and that some people actually love a bumpy ride.  It never helps.  I just sit there and wait for it to get better.  This time it lasted for almost 3 days.  Imagine that.  Even the cruise director said that we will all be glad to walk on some land tomorrow. 

Anyways, I’ve gone off course so back to the typical day at sea.  There is a large library on board that is stocked with all sorts of books, both fiction and non-fiction.  They have a children’s section and they have lots of magazines and a selection of newspapers from the U.S. and the U.K.   No Canadian paper though.  We have had a hard time finding anything to do with the hockey lockout as the American papers concentrate on football and basketball and every other sport except for hockey.  We have been quite removed from the news and only hear tidbits when one of the T.V.’s are on CNN. 

There is a big table in one corner of the ship that holds the thousands of pieces of a puzzle.  As people walk by they put a few pieces in place and once we were in L.A. the puzzle was complete.  There is also a games deck outside that has a basketball hoop, a tennis court (small), a putting green and a driving range net.  We have actually used it a lot when the weather was great from Panama to L.A.   There is also a pool and two hot tubs outside and lots of lounger chairs. 

There are lots of activities to do on board that we haven’t done yet.  They have bingo everyday, trivia contests, dance lessons, religious ceremonies, tours, painting classes, art auctions (no, Steve won’t let me near them).  They have a large theatre and everyday they show a different movie.  A few nights ago we all went and watched Shrek 2.  The best activity of them all though, is Tea Time.  Oh so British.  At 4pm everyday in the Queen’s Room they serve this delicious tea (real English tea) with little triangular sandwiches with the crusts cut off and an amazing selection of desserts, the scones are the best!  Steve and I go everyday from 4-5pm before we pick up the kids from the Club.  They usually have a pianist or a harpist playing and it is very relaxing and apparently quite the tradition.  

When we pick up the kids we head back to the rooms and we all shower and get ready for dinner.  We always go to the Maurentania for dinner and it doesn’t matter if the dress code is formal or informal the men have to wear a tie and jacket.  Steve was busted tonight because he wasn’t wearing his jacket.  They quietly intercepted him on the way to our table and recommended that he go back and get his jacket on. 

Our waiters are both women.  One is from Italy , her name is Maria and she is the assistant and the main one is from South Africa and her name is Angela.  I think we lucked out big time with our seats at dinner.  Both women are extremely nice and we already have a very comfortable and enjoyable repore with them.  It helps that they both really like our kids and the kids like them a lot too.  When we get to our table, the drinks that our kids like are already waiting for them.  After talking to Angela it makes me wonder whether we are contributing to a bit of slave labour when we go on these cruises.  These people work so hard and their hours are atrocious.  They work for 3 months straight with very little, if any time off and the restaurant staff work all day long.  They start first thing in the morning to get ready for breakfast, they work at lunch.  Some of them work the Afternoon Tea and then they work the dinner with the first seating at 6:15 and the late seating at 8:30pm.  After that they have to clean up and then they do it all over again the next day, for seven days a week.  I am never going to complain, that’s for sure.  A lot of them do it to see the world but even when we are at port the restaurants are open so unless they pay someone to do their shift they can’t even leave the ship.  What fun is that?  Our ship has an incredible collection of international people working on it.  From every corner of the world.  It’s really interesting to meet them and we try and engage them in conversation and we love to hear about the countries they come from, how long they have been working on cruise ships and whether they enjoy they’re job or not.  Most don’t but they won’t come out and say it.  All of them do say that they have a great group of people that they work with on this ship and the camaraderie is good.   

Dinner usually consists of an appetizer, a soup, a salad and an entre.  We’ve had lobster, prime rib, Chinese food, pasta and it’s all been fantastic.  Never mind the desserts!  On top of the desserts they bring around a huge tray filled with chocolates and cookies and chocolate covered strawberries and even though I always say I’m not going to have some I always cheat and take a cookie or something.  I am going to be 200lbs when this cruise is done.  Steve and I usually have a glass of wine with dinner and our sommelier opens a bottle and we can have it every night until it’s done.  That works out really well because then we don’t have to drink the whole bottle and one bottle can last us up to 4 nights. 

After dinner we most often take the kid’s back to the Kid’s Club (because they beg us to go) and Steve and I will take in the nightly show or go to the casino.  The casino has been a bit of a problem for us as we really enjoy going and seem to meet up with the same fun people every night but we don’t win anything.  No matter what we play by the end of the night we always lose the few dollars we start with and we watch other people walking away with hundreds of dollars in winnings.  The only thing that takes my mind off the rocking of the boat is the casino so unfortunately for Steve the trip from L.A. to Hawaii has found me spending most of the nights in the casino.  I usually play a little bit and then I just watch.  It’s very expensive therapy for sea sickness but it works for me.

So that’s about it for our days at sea.  The days seem to fly by and I can’t believe it’s getting close to the end of January already.  On the other hand it feels like we’ve been gone forever and today Danika just burst into tears and said she missed her friends and her Nana.  It broke my heart but I told her that we will see them all soon and I had to stop myself from telling her that I missed everybody too.   

Everybody is asleep again except me so I will sign off as we spend our last night at sea before we dock in Honolulu tomorrow morning.  I’m really looking forward to it and we will tell you all about it. 

Good night!

 

AT SEA

(Written by Steve, January 20)  

  Well it appears we have been given our clean bill of health again on the ship. Yesterday the restaurant allowed you to pick your own food, and touch the plates again. The story we heard was that 5% of the crew and around over 40 passengers had the Norwalk virus. Quite a few of them disembarked in L.A. , so I hope that will be the last of that nonsense. The precautions the ship took were unreal and even though I am glad it appears to be over, I was very impressed the way Cunard handled it. All we saw for 5 days was people cleaning, spraying and washing and they did it morning till night. Every eating area had to be cleaned  every ½ hour, and every public area must be cleaned every hour. That means everything from walls, railings, counters, dishes and everything else you can think of has to be wiped down with Virox. On an eating note, Father O’Shea is sitting with us again and that is quite nice, as we always have very unique conversations. Our conversation last night was about when the Lord welcomed those 343 New York firefighters who gave their lives in the twin towers to heaven. Again, I am not a very religious person, but the way he talks about things and the different take on the problems of the world, it’s quite refreshing. We really miss the ladies from Alaska / and Mary from San Fran who were sitting next to us. They got off in L.A. and it was always nice to talk with them at dinner. Have you ever met someone and just hit it off, as if you have known this person all your life? Well that’s what it was like with these ladies, our kids really liked them. I met a retired Firefighter (Captain) from Connecticut named Jack; he also departed in L.A. before I could get to know him that well. He was a firefighter for 35 years and told me that he has been on the QE II a total of 18 times. He told me that 68 percent of the passengers that come aboard this ship are return customers. In fact we saw him down on deck 5, picking out his room for an upcoming cruise in the summer, I thought that was pretty cool. Unlike most retired guys from the job, this gent had it all figured out, he was enjoying life and spending the days he had worked all his life for, seeing the world. I really enjoyed the few conversations we had together and hope maybe we will cross paths again, who knows maybe on the QE II. Actually that will be tough because this old ship will sail her last voyage in 2006, and they will be bringing in a new ship to replace her.

Well its 10:30 and we are about 1900 miles off the California coast on our way to Hawaii . The swells tonight are the worst we have been in (around 35-40 feet) and it’s very hard to walk anywhere on the ship. How’s Helen doing with it you ask? Pretty good considering we are all sea sick and Nikolas had to leave dinner the other night. Some of the older folks are falling down stairs and most people are just staying in their rooms. This ship is traveling at 30 knots and just cuts through the huge swells with not much shaking or rattling but the movement is unreal, even some of the crew are sick. I met a lady in the pool and she has done the L.A. to Sydney trip 7 times and has never seen seas like these. I often think of my Uncle Charlie, Aunt Liv and Cousin Curtis, who spent 2 years in a 49 foot sailboat back in the late 60’s traveling around the world before GPS. How do small boats make this kind of journey? Or better yet, why do they make this kind of trip, I would be terrified to be out in the open seas in a storm on a 49 foot boat. I feel a little goofy telling you that we are not feeling well because the seas are a little rough, or our port hole is completely under water, when we are living in a floating hotel. I love this ship, and the more I walk around, the more attached I get. I am not saying I won’t want to get off in April because I’m sure I’ll be done with ships for a while, but for now I really like this ship and we keep finding new interesting things. Heck, we have been on this ship 2 weeks and last night we just discovered a whole new deck and bar on the upper deck. I also hear people complaining everyday about their room, dress code, someones kids (Ha HA) or just this or that. You could easily walk around this ship and find many things wrong with this old gal. There are many leaks down every hallway which leaves a big wet spot on the floor. There are many different smells that hit you as you walk down around this ship, many have made Nikolas gag and run for the door. This ship is scratched, dented and has many, many other things that I am sure people can find as faults. I on the other hand find all of these quite minor for a 40 year old ship, it is very well taken care of, and have been told it’s the fastest and safest passenger ship in the world. If you look how many people have stayed in each of these rooms, or how many dinners have been eaten in the restaurants, the history of the floating story book is mind boggling. I just found out that Nelson Mandela has been on this ship Can you imagine being on the QE II at the same time? Aside from Jimmy Carter I can think of anyone else I would rather meet more. I have to agree with Helen on one thing, the smells are sometimes overpowering though.

There is not a whole lot to tell you about this week, except for the storm we are currently in, Norwalk Virus and that we have been eating our face off. We planned this trip a long time ago and I tried to think of all the many problems we might come across so we could better prepare ourselves for when they happened. I thought I had covered almost everything, but now that we have been away for almost 3 week some things are coming to a head. It appears that Nikolas and Danika are getting quite used to having people serve them and eating these fancy meals seem to be all of a normal day. One of the funny things that happens when we have to put our best duds on, Nikolas thinks he is so cool. Now if you do not know Nikolas, imagine a 9 year old that weighs 105 lbs and is 5 feet 1 inches tall, with size 9 (Mens) shoes. That’s right, the kids got flippers that are almost the same size as mine, and Helen can’t wear his shoes because they are too big. Anyways when he puts his Tuxedo on he thinks he is the man, so cool. The only problem is he is not very coordinated, when he walks imagine a cross between Shaq O’Neal and Liberace, he just can’t handle that body. He lumbers down the hall with all this confidence that he is all grown up because he is wearing a Tux and it’s very funny. The other part about the kids is, they are getting a little harder to handle and get tired out during the day very easily. They have both been sick so we are hoping that was part of the problem and it will get easier not harder. On the homework front, it is becoming quite difficult, and if Helen was not so patient, I can’t see it happening. Math and writing stories are easy for Nikolas, but Spelling and grammar are very trying. He is doing it though and I so glad, because there is no way I would be able to do it  if I was his age, no way. You want to know what the best educational thing we brought was? A Leap Frog book for Danika.  

Well we pull into Hawaii tomorrow and Helen will be glad to get back on land for a day. Nikolas will be doing his homework on Pearl Harbour and we will be hopefully heading to Waikiki even though it’s supposed to rain.

 Talk to you later,

 

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Night at Sea  

January 12, 2005 

(Written by Steve - received January 15)

We had a very fun day today and a very interesting night. This trip so far has been about meeting people and it seems that everyday we meet someone who touches us, or makes us feel happy about living. Some of the come backs you hear from the older folks are very funny and it’s a pleasure to sit down and listen to the real chatty ones. It always make me miss my dad back home, because he loves to talk and I have been thinking about him a lot lately.  I always say to everyone I pass “How’s it going” or “how ya doing” and I get replies like the one from a 70-75 year old gent “ as best as I can”. Or I was getting in the elevator and this man about 90 was slowly making his way out, and I mean really slowly. When he got across that 3 feet of elevator carpet and in the hall, he paused as if he was totally exhausted and then he turned and looked right at me, as if he wanted me to say something, so I did! I  said “Well how are you doing today” and as the door closed and the elevator left without me, he put his hand on my shoulder and said in the most serious voice I have ever heard, “Son, everyday I wake up is a good day”. I will never forget that come back, and the way he said it. It made me think that this guy must think about dieing every night before he goes to bed, geez that’s so sad. O.K. even though I am not the religious type, I now really miss talking with father O’Shea right now. The party of 8 women who took his spot are from Alaska and California . I’ll give you a comparison of who is the nicest nationality on the ship. The ship right now is loaded with about 700 Americans, 650 British, 150 Aussies, 70 Canadians, 50 Chinese and 40 French. It will be this way until most of the Americans leave when we get to L.A. on Jan 17. Have you ever heard how cranky and rude Americans travelers are, I sure have. People always have to compare everyone to the rude Americans. Well let me tell you that on this ship they are the nicest when you compare them head to head with other countries, and no one even comes close. That’s right, not even the polite Canadians.  Sure we are nice, but the yanks are unreal. I won’t say who is the worst but basically it’s everyone that eats at the Queens grill; that’s the people who paid 250k for super suites on the upper deck. These people have all the money they will ever need and they are traveling around the world for the umpteenth time and they still manage to be absolutely miserable. We get a lot of negative comments from these folks about our kids. I don’t toot my horn very much when it comes to my kids, but get ready for a blast. My Kids are very polite and considerate to other passengers, so we just ignore them and think it’s too bad they just can’t enjoy themselves. O.K back to these ladies from Alaska , actually one is from San Fran and why am I telling you all this you ask? Well it’s because they were our cheerleaders tonight at the casino. We went to dinner and they asked if we were going to enter the blackjack tourney. What blackjack tourney I said, hoping we were not too late. Tonight at 10 pm they said, you can still qualify after dinner. The kids were going to their club, so for the first time we skipped desert and dropped the kids off early and headed to the casino. Now if you know my past, you will know that me and gambling are a very bad combination, but I thought it could be fun. That’s what any bad gambler would say.

 

THE BIG BLACKJACK TOURNEY 

I looked at the qualifying totals and someone was already at 5600 dollars and the last person had 4000 dollars. So I would need to win over 4000 just to get into the best of 7 final. I told Helen that we have to try, and we should both pay the entry fee and see if we can get in. Helen said no way, but if I wanted to enter I could. So let’s get right to the good part and not bore you with all the gory details. I now have a total of 1000 dollars and only 3 hands left, so I would have to bet it all on the next 2 hands and then some on the last to get in. I bet all 1000 on the next hand and got a jack and a ten to 20, the dealer got 18. Now I had 2000 and I bet it all on the next hand. I had a queen and a 6 for 16, and I did not hit it and the dealer busted, so I now have 4000 dollars in chips. O.K. here’s the deal, who would have thought I would have a chance to be the leader in the finals if I could only win one more hand. I had no choice but to bet it all and try for $8000. There was going to be people coming in after us to qualify and I was sure the 5600 top total was going to go up, and the 4000 bottom total was also going to go up so I bet it all on the next hand, that’s right 4000 dollars in chips on one hand. My theory was I had just hit 3 in a row, so why not 4. I would have the top score and get the first deal in the finals, and if I lost, well then I would be like the hundred or so other folks that tried today and lost. So here is how it went down with 4000 dollars in chips on one hand. My first card was a 9 and my second was a 7 for 16, dealer was showing a 10. So with 8000 or nothing on the line, I said hit me and the dealer gave me a Jack. Busted!!!

Oh well, no lesson learned for me, I just now had to try and get Helen to try.

After some prodding and nagging, she gave in an entered. I will go straight to the good part, so you can skip the boring stuff again. She has a stack of about 900 and only three hands to go. Of course I told her to bet it all and she did. And yes she won with two face cards, and now had what looked to be just over 2000 in chips. I told her she would have to bet it all if she wanted to go for the final jackpot, and she wanted to, but was terrified. Because I am such an expert at losing money I calmed her down and the next thing you know she has it all on the table for the final hand…..

Her first card was an 8, and a 10 for the final card, the dealer shows an ace with no blackjack. The dealer has 5 or 15 and then takes a 10 to bust. Helen wins and gets into the final 7. The only problem was that I am not very good at math, and what I thought was 900 dollars in chips three hands ago, was actually 1500 dollars. So by betting it all three times in a row, gave her a grand total of $6000 dollars in casino money. That’s not real money you know, didn’t I mention that this was not real money? Oh sorry, you see you paid $20 dollars to get in and got 1000 dollars in chips to play with. You thought this was real money, what do ya think we are crazy or something? The jackpot for the finalist was $500 dollars, so that’s why we were betting our little fake money like some crazy gambler, so we could try and win the $500 jackpot.

Anyways our lady friends came to cheer Helen on, but she lost early in the first three hands. She did not get one winning hand and it’s pretty tough when the dealer gets 21 in the first three hands of a seven hand final. Even though it was not real money it was still a weird feeling to put 3 or 4 thousand dollars worth of chips on one hand. Well back to the room with our hopes of being the blackjack champs and 500 bucks richer down the drain.

 Oh well, good night.

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Day 5 at Sea, written by Steve - received January 11, 2005

  We slept in today because I am in charge of getting everyone up and I couldn’t get up myself. I did not get to sleep till about 2 and we lost an hour because we crossed a time line, so getting up at 8am was not happening. The horn has been blasting and the alarms have been going on and off all morning because of the rough seas we are in. We traveled 423 nautical miles from Ft. Lauderdale so far and the depth under the keel is 3450 meters, the wind outside is 40 knots and the waters are rough. The time right now is 12 noon, and we are 150 nautical miles south of Haiti and 350 nautical miles north of Curacao . The waters are very rough and people are not feeling well throughout the ship, my family is feeling a little green right now, including myself. We went upstairs this morning to eat and it was very difficult to walk with your tray of food. There was a lot of silence, and people had that “Get me the Hell off of this ship” face. Helen on the other hand is doing quite well, she is feeling sick, but I have seen her in worse shape. When the ship is like this, there is no place to hide; we just have to ride it out. Check out the porthole picture, which was taken on day 7 in the Caribbean Sea . Our porthole is completely submerged under the water and we are on deck 5, there are two more decks below us. I keep telling Helen to think that this is just our vessel or our means of travel to get to all those great ports. She just gives me the look, and you don’t want to be within touching distance when she is giving you that look.

 

 

I just read Helens story and laughed at the part about coming down to our room for the first time. She is telling the truth about the staircase, it was barely wide enough to get your shoulder through. I myself was thinking we were headed for the engine room. The travel agent, who we used to book this cruise for us, did very little right. She did however book us on deck 5 without our O.K. She told us she wanted to make sure we got confirmed on this ship and we could cancel if we needed too, but at least we were booked. I wanted to take the rooms on deck 3, because they were priced lower and closer to the all the action. By the time our travel agent got back to us, all the cabins on that level were gone and she could only put us on the waiting list for deck 3. That was a blessing, because I was up on deck 3 this morning and the movement seemed twice as bad. So here we all are lying on our beds in our cabin waiting for the ship to stop rocking and rolling. We can’t wait to set foot on land tomorrow.

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Day 4 at Sea, written by Steve - received January 11, 2005

So far, so good for me. I have had a wonderful conversation with someone everyday about their travels around the world. Many people on this ship have been on this trip as many as 10 times. We spoke to some people today that are getting off the ship and going to the Hyatt in Puket Thailand . They said they called the hotel and were told that the grounds and damaged lower rooms would have the repairs completed in 10 more days. We are still scheduled to go to Sri Lanka and Thailand in 5 weeks, even with everything that has happened. I hope we don’t because I don’t know if I could handle it, to be honest. We went to dinner tonight and my friend Father O’Shea was not sitting there, and I was really disappointed. I had so many more questions, and it was only just beginning, so I was excited to learn more over the next 100 days. In a way I kind of felt liked I was being blessed through osmosis, or listening to a Catholic priest talk so freely about things was really refreshing. I say that because I am very ignorant when it comes to religion. This ship has many other wonderful things waiting for us, I can hardly wait to get up and explore. This ship is old, she is stinky, creaks and groans, has many dents and scratches, but it is very hard to explain. Like tonight, the waters were really rough and this puppy just kept cutting through them without the rattle you get from a cruise ship. I have had no problems sleeping and I think the kids have no problem either. Helen on the other hand has not slept in 4 days, poor gal is very worried. I feel bad for her because the brave face is gone, and she has no problem telling people she is worried about us all going down. One of the cruise directors was telling her to relax, because on one of the Atlantic crossings the waves were 100 feet high. O.K. I know I have had the reputation for stretching the truth once and a while, but this is what the chap said, 100 feet. He said that the waves were crashing right over the top deck and they passed a cruise ship that had to slow to 5 knots and was getting hammered because it could not handle the sea. As this guy was talking I could only think of the movie “The perfect Storm” and I can only imagine someone like Helen and myself being on that voyage. Yikes I can feel the finger nails cutting into my skin right now. O.K. this ship does have some issues. It has about 60-70 water tight doors that run the length of the halls on deck 5 (where we are) and deck 6. Whenever we get closed to shallow or rough waters the doors close with all these alarms, just like they did this morning before we got up.  Now back to Helen. The poor girl has not found her sea legs, in fact I think a part of her wants to call it quits right now, but we haven’t talked about it. The kids are doing really well; it is amazing what a couple of days will do. Nikolas has been doing his school work right after breakfast and his stories before dinner, with just the usual prodding. The weather out on the decks is very hot and shorts are a must, only 2 days to Curacao . So we will talk at you then.

 

Hope everyone is doing well,

Steve

 

 

 Written by Helen: 

Yes, I have emerged from my deep depths of depression and fear.  Wow, I just read what Steve wrote and I had to come on and explain that I am not that bad!!!  Yes, it took me a few days to get over the shock of this “wonderful” ship.  I have to be careful because Steve says I am way too critical, BUT, this ship is very old, it creaks and moans, it stinks like the sewer system and the average age of the passengers on board is about 95 (I am exaggerating only slightly). 

When we first got on the ship and we were being escorted to our rooms my heart started beating faster and faster as we made our way down the dark dingy staircases into the bowels of the boat.  I’m telling you, we just kept going down and down and down and the staircase was getting narrower and darker until we finally reached the lowest level you can stay on and the smell was not pleasant.  Our rooms are tiny but the way they are situated makes it very convenient.  That was positive, right?  The doors to our rooms face each other and are about 3 feet apart.  The cool thing is that there is a door we can close in this hallway that closes our two rooms off from the rest of the rooms in that hallway.  That way we leave both doors open and are able to walk from room to room without worrying about anyone seeing us in our underwear/pajamas.   Having two bathrooms has been great too. 

I am being unfair to this amazing vessel.  It is so full of character and history that it’s hard not to like it.  What it lacks in glitz and glitter is made up ten fold in class and ambience.  As you walk through the ship the memorabilia and the pictures of past passengers are fascinating.  Obviously this ship is special because the majority of the people on it are all repeat customers.

The food is also amazing.  The dinners are the finest fine dining we’ve ever had.  The crew is also very attentive and they are truly from all over the world.  Our crew at dinner is from South Africa , Italy and Poland .  There is a lady from Serbia also working in our dining room and she came up to us this evening and wished us a “Sretan Banja Vece.”  That’s Serbian for Happy Christmas Eve.  Tomorrow is the Orthodox Christmas. 

I am really slowly starting to relax a little but for some reason I can’t fall asleep at night.  I’m usually up (all by myself) until 2 or 3am.  The cruise itself has been very smooth except for tonight but even tonight this ocean liner really does seem to cut through the swells better then the other big beautiful comfortable cruise ships.  I find myself listening to all the creaks and groans and I was a little nervous because someone told us that during the cruise from Southampton to New York , just before we got on, the ship lost all power at 2am in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean .  Ah yah, I would have had a complete heart attack, I’m sure.  Anyway the power has gone off a few times but we were in port so it wasn’t that bad. 

Most importantly, the kids have settled in very nicely and they are having a really good time at the Kid’s Club.  It’s on everyday at 9-12, 2-5pm and 7-10pm so they have some breaks from us and vice versa. 

We went to the beach in Fort Lauderdale and that got all our spirits up because it finally felt like we were on vacation!  The sand was white and the water was crystal blue, it was very warm and it was beautiful.

Well, that’s it for now.  Hopefully when I write again I will have settled in completely and no, I’m not ready to come home like Steve says, I think I’m just a little spoiled.

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Day 2 at Sea, written by Steve - received January 11, 2005

          We got a late start today, because of the lack of sleep. We headed out for last call for breakfast, and it was very good and I overloaded myself because the kids took more than they could eat, and I felt guilty wasting it. After that we got Nikolas doing his homework (math, spelling and his journal) and thanks to Helen, it went really well. Danika of course wanted to do homework just like her big brother, so we put her to work doing a spelling workbook for kindergarten kids. I have walked the ship and got lost many times, but every nook and corner has something new to look at. It’s really a wonderful old cruiser, and it cuts through the big swells like butter, Helen might not agree with that.. I thought I would go for a work out after lunch to try and stay in shape but a couple of minutes nearly killed me. I seemed to have the same problem every time I bring my heart rate up, some kind of indigestion and a lightheaded spell. So let’s just say, I won’t be doing any more aerobic workouts on this trip. I have just been feeling pretty good over the last few days and thought it was all behind me, but I guess not. On an eating note, we have had two dinners now, and just like any cruise, you get spoiled rotten. I should have no problem putting on a few pounds on this leg of the journey. I sit right next to Father Ray O’Shea, a Catholic Priest who has a parish in Wales , U.K. He is a very interesting person. I know what you are saying “of course he is, he is a priest for heavens sake”. Well I don’t have strong religious beliefs, so talking to a priest every night at dinner is a very enlightening experience for me. I look forward to speaking to him. Both kids had a great day, and Nikolas and Danika appear to have already started to adapt to their cabin and routine. Phew, it’s amazing how things can change in only one day. Anyways, we are pulling into Ft. Lauderdale and are planning to go to the beach and just take it easy.

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Day 1 at Sea, written by Steve - received January 5

    Well we boarded the Queen E II in New York at pier 92, and she is a beauty if you love 40 year old ships. The ship itself is very clean but much like most Fairmont hotels, very old and musty. The staircases are very narrow and the floor is very bumpy and uneven. The crew is very nice and we will be very well taken care of and our first meal was fantastic. Our first night on board was a restless one, as the kids and Helen had a tough time adjusting. We are somewhere out in the Atlantic , and it is very rough. I feel real sorry for Helen because she is trying to put on a brave face, but she is very anxious, not sleeping and just plain afraid. Everyone keeps telling us what a wonderful adventure this will be for the kids, but when I see them like this I have to wonder for the first time on this journey if maybe Nikolas was right. I may have not put much thought into what effect it would have on everyone, and I just plowed ahead with the plans because it’s what I thought would be best.  I feel confident that the kids will just adapt, but I just hope Helen can. We don’t expect things to be perfect on this trip, and we will be tested quite often along the way, but today caught me off guard a little bit. I, on the other hand, am content with everything so far, and hope that we all start a routine that will make this whole thing enjoyable. We will arrive in Ft. Lauderdale tomorrow and we will have to spend some time shopping, because now that we have unloaded all our clothes, it appears we are in need of a few more items.  I roughed Helen up about over packing, and how she should cut back where ever possible, so it’s no surprise that I don’t have enough clothes.

I have not been able to send anything through the email on the ship yet, so I will continue to send it out through my cell phone as a text message. The ship is set up so you can only view the web and connect to Yahoo and Hotmail. The ships computers have had their disk drives, USB ports and floppy drives disconnected. They don’t want anyone bringing any viruses into their systems, so I will have to send out our update with our Palm device. So if you are emailing us, please be patient, we will get back to you ASAP.

 

Don't forget to visit our web site www.traveltheworld.ca to see pictures and read Nikolas the 10 year old story writer.

 

Thanks for reading and happy travels