Live! The Grouch on the Noordam for 38 days to New Zealand, Sept. 30, 2018

[erewhon]

Thanks for your reports.

Garden of the Sleeping Giants sounds a lovely place to visit.

Edited October 21, 2018 by erewhon

[whogo]

Sunday, October 21, 2018. Easo, Lifou, New Caledonia.

 

This morning the ship stopped at about 20°47.43' S, 167°08.00 E, did not see an anchor chain, might have held in position with azipods, might not have. Breakfasted in the main dining room while Mrs. Whogo slept in, classic Eggs Benedict.

 

We were welcomed to Easo by the nicest dogs, they seemed happy just to walk amidst us tourists with an occasional tail wag or nap. Our excursion to a vanilla plantation was well organized, large air conditioned coach, pretty good guide. Best part was driving past what the guide termed sleeping huts, circular grass huts with conical towers. Pretty neat, definitely nothing like home.

 

Won at evening trivia. Don't know why I was presented with it, but ordered off the German menu, pretty good meal of veal for me, grilled corvina for Mrs. Whogo. Ended the night at the piano bar.

 

[CTBob]

23 minutes ago, whogo said:

Sunday, October 21, 2018. Easo, Lifou, New Caledonia.

 

Won at evening trivia. Don't know why I was presented with it, but ordered off the German menu, pretty good meal of veal for me, grilled corvina for Mrs. Whogo. Ended the night at the piano bar.

 

 

Congratulations on your win!  

[whogo]

Monday, October 22, 2018. Tadine, Mare, New Caledonia

 

Early morning arrival to this tender port, first tenders were call about 7:00, last tender scheduled at 1:30. We tendered ashore before 9:00. Mrs. Whogo and I can chat on a bus or tender without anyone else hearing what we say. We are unable to take a tender or bus without sitting a few rows in front of a couple of women who cannot speak to each other without my hearing every word they say. Lower your voices! We don't want your drivel disturbing us. Did I already mention that I have given up on the human race?

 

We bought round trip transfers to the beach seven miles away for US$16 each, seems plenty steep, were about the last to board a big coach. If we had walked the seven miles, which we would not have, we would have missed the turnoff to the beach. Yejele Beach is another typical tropical paradise, with white sand, blue water, and palm trees.

 

More mellow dogs shared the beach with us. The dogs are delightfully calm in New Caledonia. A woman announced that a sleeping dog had a tick in his ear. A while later she removed the tick. The dog never batted an eye, didn't bother him the least to have a stranger pull something out of his ear. Mrs. Whogo wanted to take a dog home with us. Doggie chiropractors and psychiatrists can't make US dogs this mellow.

 

Few wildlife sightings, fish and a sea turtle were visible from the tender pier and a number of swallow like birds were keeping the bugs away.

 

Vendors did a slow business in food, drinks, and massages, Mrs. Whogo bought a couple of zero sucres Coca-Colas.

 

Return was via a minivan, took twelve minutes back to the port.

 

A most appealing swimming spot was right at the base of the tender dock. The smart people were diving into the water and swimming there.

 

Returned to the room to find the minibar guys working their way to all the cabins, they took the bottle of Heineken from my fridge, don't know what that was about. Should have asked for a receipt.

 

Skipped the Tanzanite Collection Showcase at 3:00, I had anything else to do. Lost at afternoon and evening trivia. Watched Bayne Bacon's second performance, enjoy his humor, wanted to leave during his final number “MacArthur Park”, burned out on that song years ago. Mrs. Whogo wanted to stay. I stayed.

 

Read until after midnight, finished “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest”, wrapped up the trilogy, best books I have read in a long time.

 

 

[erewhon]

Congratulations on winning the Sunday evening trivia.

[Happily@Sea]

It's weird about that trilogy series, I couldn't even stay interested in the first one. That's why there are so many selections in libraries and bookstores.

 

I'm loving your humor though, I've sat in front of those people - they are not all women. But they all are loud.

[Krazy Kruizers]

On 10/21/2018 at 7:42 AM, whogo said:

Sunday, October 21, 2018. Easo, Lifou, New Caledonia.

 

This morning the ship stopped at about 20°47.43' S, 167°08.00 E, did not see an anchor chain, might have held in position with azipods, might not have. Breakfasted in the main dining room while Mrs. Whogo slept in, classic Eggs Benedict.

 

We were welcomed to Easo by the nicest dogs, they seemed happy just to walk amidst us tourists with an occasional tail wag or nap. Our excursion to a vanilla plantation was well organized, large air conditioned coach, pretty good guide. Best part was driving past what the guide termed sleeping huts, circular grass huts with conical towers. Pretty neat, definitely nothing like home.

 

Won at evening trivia. Don't know why I was presented with it, but ordered off the German menu, pretty good meal of veal for me, grilled corvina for Mrs. Whogo. Ended the night at the piano bar.

 

Congratulations on winning Trivia!!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Monday sounded like a fun a day.  You do have humor!!

[whogo]

Tuesday, October 23, 2018. At sea, headed toward a Thursday arrival in Sydney.

 

Rare dining room breakfast with Mrs. Whogo at a table for two and excellent service. I had the full English breakfast, Mrs. Whogo ate sensibly.

 

The daily 9:48 AM announcement, paraphrased: “Hi, this is Jai, your cruise director. I would like to interrupt your day with information that any darn fool can read for himself in his When and Where.” The announcement ended, as always, with the dire warning that he'd make another unnecessary commercial announcement after the captain's noon briefing.

 

10:00 AM position was 25°45.29' S, 162°39.21' E. We are headed southwest, course 226°, at 19.1 knots.

 

Receive flyers at least once a day, I used to save them until the end of the cruise just to admire all the wasted paper, they have never made a sale off me. The flyers remind me of a Tim Dorsey comment that Tanzanite was such a rare mineral that it is only found on cruise ships. They have new one on me this cruise – Russellite.

 

Cruise director Jai said that 850 of us are continuing on to Auckland, 1,100 new passengers board in Sydney, should have a full ship, we plan on plenty of Aussies. Gala night dinner with our evening trivia team, those two couples will depart in Sydney, we will miss them.

 

Ended the night at BB King's and the piano bar and with a book. It is 11:45 PM Tuesday here, I think it is only 7:26 AM at home in the Central Time Zone. Have a good Tuesday.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Loving your reports.

[erewhon]

Thanks for your update.Enjoy your visit to Sydney.

[whogo]

Wednesday, October 24, 2018. At sea, headed for arrival in Sydney tomorrow.

 

I awoke to the calmest seas of the trip, not a trace of white on the waves.

 

Congenial table mates at breakfast in the dining room, poached eggs, bacon, and toast for me. I read on the promenade deck until lunching in the Lido with Mrs. Whogo. Chicken from the Asian station was the spiciest meal I have eaten on Holland America, not saying much, HAL is known for bland food.

 

The room stewards showed off their creativity with a towel animal competition, their menagerie was on display near the lido pool. Mrs. Whogo checked it out, I did not get there until the animals were slaughtered into a pile of dirty laundry.

 

At 1:00 PM we were headed southwest, 231°, at 19.2 knots. Our position was 31°20.88' S, 155°12.86 E. We are about as far south of the equator as El Paso, Texas is north. We crossed the Tropic of Capricorn a little south of New Caledonia, I did not realize that roughly half of Australia was in the tropics. I have trouble visualizing that we are sixteen hours ahead of home in the US Central Time Zone. Thus endeth the navigational report.

 

There is nothing cluttering the aisles, art sales have become a toned down affair on Holland America. With the new art contractor you don't just buy art, you become a patron of the arts. Does that sound snooty, or what? I can't stick my nose high enough in the air to pull off being a patron of the arts.

 

We are healthy, no sign that I have caught anything from my fellow tourists. It will take an autopsy to identify the brain devouring parasite I picked up from the kava ceremony.

 

Wind and seas picked up, the outside decks were closed off, I watched a couple of crew members battle the wind to bring in the cushions. I had to read inside. I finished “Origin” by Dan Brown, Started “Tales of the Jazz Age” by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

 

Lost at afternoon and evening trivia, said farewell to our Australian teammates then said hello again as we were seated with them at dinner. Took in a few songs in the piano bar before retiring for the evening.

 

[erewhon]

Thanks for your report.

[anniecat]

hi can you post drink (cocktail) prices?   wine?    covered on drinks package?

love your posts

anniecat

looking at booking the reverse in 2020

[Sailnsurf]

A big Aussie welcome to Sydney. Hope you and Mrs Whogo  enjoy your time in Sydney.

[whogo]

10 hours ago, anniecat said:

hi can you post drink (cocktail) prices?   wine?    covered on drinks package?

love your posts

anniecat

looking at booking the reverse in 2020

Sorry, can't.

 

Thursday, October 25, 2018. Sydney, Australia

 

I was up on deck for the Sydney sail in, beautiful, the opera house, bridge, and everything else are quite a sight. Dining room solo breakfast of poached egg and toast for me, Mrs. Whogo slept in.

 

Supervised docking, had us tied up at the Overseas Passenger Terminal, the good place, by 6:15. 33°51.54' S, 151°12.62' E. Pallets of produce were waiting for us on the dock, wondered where the beer was. We were running out of brands on the previous leg and we're picking up Aussies. Luggage was piled by a waiting ambulance, someone's cruise did not end the way he wanted.

 

Debarkation announcements started at 7:30. We left about 9:00, experienced a short wait at immigration, then walked the short distance to the ferry terminal, rode to Taronga Zoo. Did I mention what a dandy looking city Sydney is? The zoo is built on a hillside, we took the aerial tram to the top, let gravity help us work our way down. I was vexed by a slow moving queue for entry, they were not scanning the bar codes on tickets for unknown reasons and our clerk was a goofball who disappeared for a bit and insisted on marking all hands for reentry, with a stamp he shared with another clerk, not that anyone was likely to leave and return.

 

The zoo is impressive, beautifully landscaped with exotic plants (to me, from the prairie). I'd never seen a tree fern, couldn't believe it could be so big, the unfurling fronds were the size of violin scroll. We concentrated on the Australian animals, the platypuses were surprisingly active swimmers. The other egg laying mammal, the echidna (get ready for trivia), was bigger than I expected, might dress out to three or four pounds. Koalas were sleepy or asleep and cute as can be, except for the claws. There was no fence between us and the kangaroos, wallabies, and emus.

 

We returned to Circular Quay and walked to the Queen Victoria Building. Cool building, full of shops and cafes. Google some photos. I thought I would never get Mrs. Whogo out of a cute toy store. We rehydrated with a pot of tea and a sugar free Coke and watched a little kid go ape over the operating trains in the hobby store window.

 

The ship is half full of newbies and, gasp, some kids. Salad niçoise for her, shrimp Diable for me after we lost at a sparsely attended trivia. I listened to BB King's for a while and off to bed at 10:30.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Just got caught up with your wonderful reports.

[whogo]

Friday, October 26, 2018. Cruising from Sydney to Melbourne at 17.1 knots.

 

Yesterday's Sydney sail away was advertised as having local beverages. The local beers were from... wait for it... Alaska! No Australian beers to be had. The Alaskan beers are on 2 for 1 sale, US$8.05 including gratuity.

 

Solo breakfast in the dining room for me, poached eggs, toast, and tea will see me through until lunch. Turned in our passports to the front desk as requested. Too cold and windy to read on the promenade deck, I searched for a quiet place. All the lounges had canned music, the loudest in the piano bar, quietest in the night club. The Crow's Nest had no music, read in quiet until I heard a recorded message. Couldn't figure out where that was coming from, realized that a man was ordering a prescription refill on speakerphone. Took a long time, I think he pushed the wrong buttons. The more I thought about it, the funnier it seemed and I ended up splitting a gut laughing to myself.

 

Quiet ruled until the big voiced woman started in. She could talk quietly, managed to for seconds at a time, but broadcast the rest to the entire room. She wants five more grandchildren, shared lots more info that was just as fascinating. Did not just talk loud, she talked long.

 

Excitement of the day was to meet a northbound Princess ship, couldn't see which one.

 

I took a picture of Stephen J. Card's 2004 painting of the original(?) Noordam. My great grandfather took the family to Europe on that Noordam back in 1902.

 

The Princess ship was not an anomaly, the east coast of Australia was loaded with other ships and a few oil platforms. Never heard of oil in the vicinity.

 

Put on my slacks for gala dinner, realized the laundry had put a second crease in them. Too late to do anything about it. Lingered with good company in the dining room with snails, beef tenderloin, and strawberries Romanov.

 

What's the point of a toilet, if you can't put anything but toilet paper in it?

[Krazy Kruizers]

You are so funny -- loving your reports.

[ozcruizer]

Those toilet signs always amuse me too.  There was a new one on the Zuiderdam recently - a circle with a slash on it which included not flushing bottles away.  What does HAL think we are?  😂  Enjoying your blog and enjoyed your thoughts on Sydney which is where I live.

Ozcruizer

 

[erewhon]

Thanks for your reports.

Hope you enjoy your visit to Melbourne.

[Bruinboy]

Mr. Whogo. Please tell Mrs. Loud and Long is disembarking in Auckland on Nov 8th. Any recon you can do in this regard will be appreciated. Of course, all you need to do is listen as she will probably announce it to the entire room shortly.

[whogo]

Saturday, October 27, 2018. Melbourne.

 

Watched the sail in, the Noordam snaked through a narrow marked channel, thought we'd run over a buoy. We backed in to the dock for speedy exit, were tied up before 7:30 AM at 37°50.79' S, 144°55.79 E.

 

The Navigator said it was 55° F, pleasant spring weather.

 

We met our I Heart Melbourne guide, James, just off the pier for our twelve hour tour of the Great Ocean Road and beyond. Long day, lots of time for the five of us tourists in his minivan. The Great Ocean Road is similar to the Pacific Coast Highway. A memorial to veterans of the Great War and built by hand by the same, you can still see pick axe marks in places.

 

Ocean views were spectacular, especially to this kid from the prairie, with rugged coastline, sandy or rock beaches, surf, and a few surfers. Stopped for a morning cup of tea picnic style at a scenic rest stop and were introduced to Anzac biscuits, a sweet oatmeal and coconut cookie that kept well enough to send to soldiers overseas.

 

We chose a seafood cafe for lunch, I had fish and chips, Mrs. Whogo won with a pot of mussels in garlic and white wine sauce. Just after lunch we stopped to see some wild koalas, cockatoos, other parrots, and a kookaburra, definitely a highlight of the day. One koala was asleep about ten feet up a tree, made for good photos. We saw a koala quickly descend a tree, tried to find it, couldn't.

 

We soon left the coast and stopped to walk a loop trail through the temperate rain forest, home to the mountain ash, Eucalyptus regnans, the tallest flowering tree in the world. Plenty of other flora including the tree ferns that I liked so much at the zoo in Sydney. The rain forest was just as impressive as the coastline was.

 

Returned to the coast, here less protected, the Shipwreck Coast and stopped to view the 12 Apostles geologic formations and sheer cliffs. Wind and light rain added some atmosphere.

 

Exciting sightseeing over, we drove about three hours home through lush pasture land. Whizzed by The Blue Notorious Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Google for more information. You will have to take the Flying Spaghetti Monster on faith, might help to put a colander on your head (metal like a true Pastafarian, not plastic. I see a schism in the Church's future).

 

James mentioned that the town of Colac reminded him of an American town, you enter past a McDonald's and a KFC. Ended the outstanding tour with excellent guide back at the ship just before eight.

 

Cleaned up for dinner, same menu we had three days ago.

 

[puppycanducruise]

I'm enjoying your reports.

Keep up the good work, looking forward to reading more.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Your 12 hour excursion sounds wonderful.  We used to be able to handle long tours like that, but not any more.