Beware the Dragons

We'd been primed for our next port; one of the lecturers on board (the guy who was doing the series on Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter), showed an episode featuring the Komodo Dragons. These things are nasty! There are approximately 5,000 of them and can only be found on five islands in Indonesia.

They really are a throwback to the dinosaur era; they look like humongous lizards wearing chain mail, can crush a deer skull in their jaws and even though they have the power -and the teeth and claws- to kill just about anything, they don't even need to. Their saliva has over 50 strains of powerful bacteria; all it takes is a small wound and a lick and you're as good as dead. In fact, that is how they kill their prey for the most part: they wound it, infection sets in and very soon dinner is served.

Komodo Island is all about the dragons. It is a national park and nothing else. There are a handful of inhabitants who depend on the dragon tourist industry. It is highly regulated, mainly for safety reasons -the safety of the dragons, that is- as they are a protected species. No one is allowed on the island unless they are part of an organized tour. The tour consists of a nature walk on designated paths from where you can see the dragons which, if necessary, can be kept in check with long sticks carried by the guards. You will also see deer (the dragons' main source of food) as well as wild hogs and various species of birds. The tour concludes with a forced march through the souvenir stalls but what the heck, if you've come all the way here you gotta see the Dragons!

We're now on our way to Bali, the last port of our cruise. We'll have a guide to show us around all day Monday after we disembark, my last post about our experience will be from our hotel. Till then!

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From Oz to Indonesia

After our day at the Reef we left for Thursday Island. We had a day at sea which followed pretty much the same pattern as all other sea days but there's nothing wrong with that in our view. We finally arrived at Thursday Island but after some attempts to secure the ramp to the local ferries that would be used to tender people ashore, the captain aborted the effort due to some very heavy swells and choppy seas. We were far from devastated as the truth (don't tell the Thursday Islanders) is that apart from having been a defense post for Australia during WW2 there's not a whole lot happening nowadays. So we set off for our next destination: Darwin.

Sailing away from Thursday Island There was a magnificent moonrise with moon rays and all.

 

Darwin has a population of approximately 135,000 and is the most northerly port city in Australia, we're talking about frontier town here. We went on a tour of Litchfield National Park famous for, among other things, beautiful waterfalls and humongous termite mounds. The tour was long but good and included Barramundi fish for lunch.

There were lots of big bats and amazing panoramic vistas.

Next up, our last day at sea and then Komodo Island!


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The Reef

Our day started at the ungodly hour of 5 am, with just enough time to get ready for our tour to the Great Barrier Reef. Two hours on a fast catamaran took us to the pontoon at Hardy Reef.

TIP: If you're ever signed up for this tour, take your normal camera as well as an underwater camera. I had not realized that the pontoon would be all ours (Crystal guests) and was somewhat apprehensive about leaving my camera unattended while snorkelling for example, as we had been told that there were no lockers or other safe places for valuables. Apprehension was unfounded and very soon regretted having taken only a disposable underwater cam (pictures of the reef posted later).

We first went on a semi submersible tour of the reef, our first time seeing one so everything looked just amazing to us (I later heard from others that other reefs can be more colourful, mostly depending on the light and whether the coral is exposed to the air during low tide, as is the case here, which somewhat bleaches the coral). The plethora of fish and other marine life, the vivid blues and other more muted colours of the coral, it was just great.

Then we suited up for snorkelling (these are stinger suits to prevent us from getting stung by jellyfish which can be very painful and even dangerous). I'm so happy I overcame my initial weird reluctance to get so close to all those fish! We spent quite a long time snorkelling. After a while I noticed Blake swimming away from me so I made sure to keep up. When he seemed to be getting away again I tried to make him slow down and look at some awesome fish I had spotted; he was paying no mind to my efforts so I started poking him on the leg. That caught his attention. He lifted his head out of the water... he was not Blake. Awkward :)

Finally found my husband who decided to ditch the live vest (this really helps stay afloat for snorkelling, mainly when you have to fight a fairly strong current as was the case here). He then went on a free dive to check out the reef edge more closely. I happily stayed on the surface looking at it all from above. Having said this, I'm now totally open to scuba diving next time we go to a reef.

There was also an underwater viewing area which was pretty cool.

Finally it was time to get back to Hamilton Island (the centrepiece of the Whitsunday Islands) where the Serenity was at anchor. This time the catamaran ride was wild and bumpy and a few poor souls sitting at the back on the lower deck got soaked a few times. Fun stuff.

Back on the ship a chilled beer and a burger at the Trident Grill were a fitting ending to a great morning.

To cap an already great day, I happened spot what I thought were two dolphins swimming toward the ship. Upon a closer look at the pictures we realized these were dwarf minke whales (mom and calf) and not dolphins.

Dinner at Prego was specially yummy and we ended up sitting right next to our regular table mates whose company we truly enjoy.

The shows continue to be very good, we particularly enjoyed Bernard Walz's piano extravaganza (we had met Bernard and his partner at Tastes on the first night of the cruise and really liked them).

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At Sea Again

We have found this itinerary to be just perfect for us; the balance of port and sea days helps us feel like we're getting the rest we craved but also see lots.

The day at sea spreads out in front of us like a smorgasbord of options. An early run upstairs yields fresh OJ and a latte plus a couple of pastries for good measure (just enough fuel for a workout). Three lectures, one on the pearling industry in northern Australia during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, another on Admiral Arthur Phillip, founder and first governor of Australia, and a destination piece on Hamilton Island and the Great Barrier Reef, our next stop.

I'm loving the memoire writing class, Joe Kita teaches a beginners as well as a more advanced class -I'm taking both :)

Today was the Jazz themed gala buffet, a food extravaganza we enjoyed a lot. The crew puts a tremendous effort into it and the result is quite mind blowing.

The food continues to be very good to great and we are mixing it up all the time by eating in different venues at different times. Our table mates are really nice and we enjoy meeting up for a drink or simply to catch up on our respective going-ons since we're not all together for dinner every night.

Went to bed early as our excursion to the reef departs at 5:45 am.

The weather continues to be just how I like it: hot and humid! I spend quite a bit of time on our veranda, the scenery is amazing and ever changing.

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Brisbane Bold and Beautiful

Brisbane started out as a penal colony, much like Sydney had, but was meant for the most hardened of criminals; those incorrigible convicts who had committed the worst of crimes after having been sent to Sydney for earlier ones. Now, almost 200 years later, Brisbane is a most civilized city of 1.7 million who abide by strict rules and bylaws which keep the city spotlessly clean and orderly. Even smoking outdoors is prohibited on the Queens Mall, a pedestrian only area bursting with trendy shops, restaurants, bars and cafes.

The city centre is a successful mix of old and new, tons of effort and money spent on preserving the earlier architectural jewels. The more suburban areas brim with small, colourful houses built on steel stilts.

We spent part of the morning on the Hop On, Hop Off bus getting the lay of the land. After that we took a public bus to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary where to my endless delight we got close and personal with koalas of course, but also kangaroos, emus, Tasmanian devils, platypuses, dingos, wombats, birds, and even snakes. It was so worth it!

On the pics below spot the Joey climbing into momma's pouch and afterwards just his foot sticking out :)

We ended the day tired and having had a bit too much sun and heat, and decided to forgo the evening activities and instead order from room service. Really really liked Brisbane.

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