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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Gotta have a day at sea

The day started out with the sunrise that never was. I woke up at about 5:30 am, body and mind both still seriously jet-lagged. The faint glow on the horizon tricked me into thinking a glorious sunrise was coming. A brilliant orange slit appeared and before it had a chance to grow, dark clouds smothered it. Oh well, maybe (thou highly unlikely) I will wake up early enough again before this cruise is over.

First order of the day: try to shake off the jet lag. We did three miles around the Promenade deck; Blake jogging bravely, me just walking and simply drinking in the sights, sounds and pure smells of the ocean. It is the best way to clear the mind and get some exercise.

Next a well deserved breakfast; we meet Jun, one of the Lido guys who not only remembers our name but also that Blake likes two glasses of freshly squeezed OJ. 

It was a day to rest but also to take advantage of the many enrichment activities offered; we went to a lecture by a well known American journalist who talked about the challenges faced by traditional news media in this age of transition from the printed word to the digital world.

Later on we caught another lecture, this one about Brisbane which we would visit on Friday. Very well done, covering its history, architecture and various other aspects, primed us for our next port stop.

Lastly, we went to the first in a series of talks by the producer of The Crocodile Hunter, who launched Steve Irwin's career and was his close friend until Irwin's death a few years ago.

Since breakfast had been plentiful and kind of late, We skipped lunch and had ice cream instead :)

I attended a memoire writing lesson which I loved. There will be quite a few lessons and by the time the cruise is over I should have the seedling of my memoir, at least I hope so.

Dinner was as a fun affair, we finally met our four table mates, a couple form Wisconsin and another one from Portland, all of us around the same age. I chose a caviar appetizer and a halibut entrée, both from the Modern Cuisine side of the menu, both delicious. Ended the meal with a chocolate grand marnier soufflé which was good but didn't blow me away. We were having such a good time we had to hurry to make the show.

The show tonight was a manic Australian musician who was nonetheless pretty funny and performed great songs in a quasi impersonating style.

All in all, a great day at sea.


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At Sea, At Last - Sydney

Today is Thursday and we are enjoying our first of a total of four days at sea. It is a nice itinerary that mixes port days with sea days so that it's not a frantic go go go for days on end.

But first, rewind to yesterday. Embarkation was a breeze, although different than most in that Serenity was at anchor in Sydney Harbour and rather than using Crystal's tenders, local ferries were used to transport us on a 20 minute scenic ride from the White Bay terminal, under the Harbour Bridge, past the famed Sydney Opera House. Ant it truly is a beautiful harbour. The weather was perfect, the landscape is lush and vivid and the myriad of vessels of all kinds, shapes and sizes make this a very dynamic waterway.

 

We got on board and immediately fell in love with Crystal all over again. No sooner had we stepped on board that we had flutes of Jacquard handed to us. We chose to have lunch in the dining room -this has become a bit of a tradition for us on embarkation day- the food (I always pick the salmon with risotto, Blake always the burger) was outstanding, including a pureed vegetable soup Blake had and immediately proclaimed to be possibly the best soup he'd ever had. We were seated by the window, a view of the Harbour made it a perfect meal.

 

 

 

After lunch we went ashore and spent the rest of the day walking around town; it is a charming city, it has loads of character and a good vibe. The old and the new blend well, it is super clean and we saw many more people enjoying a cold brew in outdoor patios than sipping lattes as we see in Vancouver. We regret not having planned a longer visit to Sydney but look forward to coming back one day soon.

  Back on board we readied ourselves for dinner but jet-lag was really catching up with us. We opted for Tastes, the tapas style restaurant, where we were warmly received and had the most amazing meal. We started out with Gambas a la Plancha, followed by Street Tacos, Curried Singapore Noodles and Chimichurri Steak. Each delicious, the setting quite magical.

We ended up striking a conversation with a couple seated a few tables away -I heard them speaking Spanish with the maitre'd and had to ask where they were from. It ended up that one of them is Australian and is a musician doing a couple of shows in the next few days. His partner was born in Costa Rica, hence the Spanish speaking. Chatted for a good long time and then we were done, so done. Called it a night.

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