Silver Cloud Live ... June 9-19 from the Kimberley!

[IdRathrBCruzn]

JP -

Thank you for the wonderful posts about your trip. I just found it today. I will be on it in a couple of weeks and reading your posts and seeing the beautiful photos has gotten me very excited! I have been on the Cloud with you on one cruise. Can't remember which one. Could it have been Reykjavik to Dublin in 2022?

Anyway, for the water landings from the zodiac... Once you got on land, you changed into shoes for hiking. But what shoe type did you wear in the zodiac from the ship to the shore for the water landings? And did you need to have rain gear (jacket and pants) for wet zodiac rides?

Thank you!

[jpalbny]

Hm. We did not do any Cloud cruises in 2022; in fact, we didn't cruise at all in 2022. We did a few big land trips that year.

 

If we were on a Cloud expedition with you, it would have been either Reykjavik RT in August 2019 (along with RachelG and emtbsam), or Ushuaia RT w South Georgia in January 2020 (also with RachelG and Stumblefoot). We have also done a bunch of classic cruises on Cloud before her conversion to an expedition ship, but those were in 2014 and earlier.

 

We have some amphibious shoes from Eddie Bauer which were very handy for the water landings. They were fine for the shorter hikes without needing to change, if you wanted. Some people just went barefoot and that was fine, as all the water landings were on sandy beaches.

 

We did not bother with rain gear in the zodiacs. It was hot enough that we welcomed a splash or two, and in the hot air you dried quickly.

 

Have a great trip!

[jpalbny]

14 hours ago, RachelG said:

JP, believe it or not, there were some anesthesia machines that looked like that in use when I was first in medicine as a nurse before medical school. 

 

I believe it - the exhibit did say that some of these were still in use during the decade that I started medical school. I take that as good evidence that it's time for me to be retired as well!

[jpalbny]

Friday, June 21st. More time in Perth!

 

I need to get this finished today before we go to Mexico City for the weekend. So, back to our last day in Perth.

 

After a shower and a change we decided to walk along the river for some more sightseeing. So we drove to Point Fraser and parked, as it looked like a nice walk from there, along the river all the way to the Matagarup Bridge. Except they were renovating the area, and all of the walking path from the parking lot was torn up, and a good chunk of the riverfront was behind a barricade! Oh well.

 

So, we cut through Trinity College and eventually got to the river. I was sure this was a cormorant when I first saw it, but it's actually an Australasian Darter. Same behavior, spreading its wings to dry after a fishing expedition. Nice pose!

 

 

The Matagarup Bridge soon came into view. Quite an unusual structure, but very interesting interplay of asymmetric curves.

 

 

Of course, we had to cross it and look from every possible angle. 

 

 

 

 

We saw people climbing up the bridge in order to go zip-lining across the river to the other side. We didn't do that.

 

Instead we worked our way back to Queens Gardens. Lots of bird life. The sign said that there were cygnets but we only saw adult swans. In the late afternoon light, the shadows make their long necks look even longer.

 

 

A pretty setting in the middle of the city. Much smaller than Kings Park. Very serene.

 

 

Another nice pelican.

 

 

This Australian Ibis was on a mission. We didn't get in his way.

 

 

In the distance, the lights of the nearby cricket ground.

 

 

We made our way slowly back to the car. Lake Vasto, in the Ozone Preserve, along the river. Almost sunset. Weird for those of us from the Northern Hemisphere, to have such short days in June! Soon enough we'll be back to that.

 

 

From here we decided to take a quick trip to Fremantle to have a wander.

[PoppyVelvet]

14 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

This Australian Ibis was on a mission. We didn't get in his way.

 

 

Otherwise known as a bin chicken. 

[jpalbny]

Friday, June 21st. Fremantle in an hour.

 

Plenty of traffic on the way to Fremantle, but we got there before sunset and found a parking lot near Victoria Quay. From there it was a very short walk to the Round House, perched up on a hill with a nice view of the coast. I love the evening lighting on the light rocks.

 

 

 

We walked along High Street for a bit, admiring the interesting buildings.

 

 

I got a very strong vibe of the French Quarter in New Orleans. The wire railings on the balconies really reminded me of there.

 

 

 

The National Hotel. A landmark, according to Chris's index card.

 

 

We stopped by a discount chemist and grabbed some tea tree oil as a souvenir. Then we had a leisurely stroll back to the car by a different street, to see more beautiful buildings. The train station.

 

 

And others. This is a shipping company.

 

 

We still had a few hours before we needed to be at the airport but we'd pretty much kicked Chris's list. So we decided to go for one last meal - fish and chips, at a "fancy" place that Chris had found. Even better, the restaurant is near the airport.

 

So we headed off to the suburbs to find "Rusty Old Boat Fish & Chips" which was quite busy. Parking was scrum on the nearby streets. There was a line to get in but they found us a table and we had some delicious fish and chips. I enjoyed them so much that I forgot to take a picture. I guess I'll have to go back.

 

We still had an hour to kill so we looked for a park to relax and stretch our legs, but nothing looked appealing. We found a shopping mall but the only thing open was Woolworth's which is a grocery store. So not much useful shopping there. Off to the airport!

 

We took our time, found a gas station, filled up the Audi, and returned the car around 9:30. A short walk to our terminal, where the check-in desks weren't yet open, so we waited a bit and contemplated the long journey ahead. Somehow, it's never as much fun when you're going back!

[jpalbny]

Saturday, June 22nd. A very long day!

 

Today would last for 36 hours, because of the 12 hour time change between Perth and New York.

 

Our check in desks were open a little before 10PM which was great. Not much of a line and then we were through immigration (kiosks, quick) and security (no priority line but still quite efficient) in good time. On to the SilverKris Lounge which was very quiet when we arrived, as we were some of the first ones there, but gradually more passengers arrived. Decent food and beverages. Time to board.

 

The 1:10AM flight from Perth to Singapore was short but the 787 had comfortable seats, so after dinner at 2AM we slept for a bit until we arrived in Singapore around 6:30. Interestingly, we had approached the runway early at 6:02, and almost landed, but pulled up at the last minute. The pilot said that there were gusty winds preventing us from landing. We circled again and made another approach, eventually landing on time about 6:25.

 

We landed at T2 so we got to see a nice flower exhibit. No pictures of us posing with the flowers though. We aren't very photogenic at this point after sleeping on the airplane!

 

 

 

Koi pond too!

 

 

Nice exhibit. 

 

 

Since we were in T2, we went to that lounge for an hour or so, then hopped the train to T3 where our flight was departing. The train went right past the Jewel, but it wasn't running yet. Bummer!

 

The T3 lounge was as nice as we'd remembered. Since we had a few hours, we took advantage of the facilities and had a shower and a change of clothes before the upcoming monster flight. There was security at the gate but we timed it well and only waited a few minutes in that line, then boarded straightaway.

 

Settled in with a glass of bubbly. We pushed back on time and wheels were up at 12:29PM local time. This insanity awaited us.

 

 

Food, drink, movie, nap, rinse and repeat. The time passed slowly as I tried to limit my sleeping to the first part of the flight. Since we get in at 6:30PM I wanted to sleep again after we arrived.

 

Here's a dinner picture; some delicious noodles in a pork broth, with shrimp and some pork ribs tossed in for good measure. It was very tasty!

 

 

There was less turbulence, though in flight service was still suspended a few times. Not as bad as the flight over a few weeks ago. Interestingly we took a more southerly route both times rather than the transpolar route. I suspect that they are trying to avoid Russian airspace.

 

Eventually the flight was over and we arrived in JFK. We landed at a gate in T4 which was very close to immigration, and Global entry was very efficient. So, we waited for our bags instead. A quick AirTrain ride, one stop to T5, and we were at the TWA hotel. We had decided to spend the night, rather than trying to drive 3 more hours to Albany tonight. 

 

Quite the nice hotel lobby!

 

 

A soaring wide-open space. 

 

 

Complete with many vintage touches from its era.

 

 

And, a TWA jet parked out back! Apparently it's a bar but we were too tired for that. Off to dinner!

 

 

We had dinner at the hotel restaurant, Cafe de Paris. The pizza and burger were both great, and went well with a bottle of French red.

 

 

Much better than the Silversea burger. It's even made with real meat!

 

 

Sunday morning we were up with the sun, and ready for the drive home. After we grabbed a bagel and some coffee we took the AirTrain to Hertz where they had a car for us. It was not what we expected, but it was fun nonetheless! We were on the road about 7:45AM.

 

Traffic home was very light and it only took 2.5 hours for the trip, even though I did not go as fast as I would have with the Audi. For obvious reasons, I thought this car would be a magnet for attention if I drove it too aggressively. I had to take a picture of the rental car in our driveway before we returned it at the Albany airport. Quite a beast!

 

 

Our cats were happy to see us even though they acted like they were expecting the pet sitter. We had plenty of time for grocery shopping, unpacking, and even some laundry before we ran out of energy and got ready for work on Monday.

 

Another vacation completed - time to start planning the next one! Thanks all for following along. We had a great time despite minor issues. Looking forward to our next Silversea cruises!

Edited Wednesday at 12:10 PM by jpalbny

[IdRathrBCruzn]

4 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Hm. We did not do any Cloud cruises in 2022; in fact, we didn't cruise at all in 2022. We did a few big land trips that year.

 

If we were on a Cloud expedition with you, it would have been either Reykjavik RT in August 2019 (along with RachelG and emtbsam), or Ushuaia RT w South Georgia in January 2020 (also with RachelG and Stumblefoot). We have also done a bunch of classic cruises on Cloud before her conversion to an expedition ship, but those were in 2014 and earlier.

 

We have some amphibious shoes from Eddie Bauer which were very handy for the water landings. They were fine for the shorter hikes without needing to change, if you wanted. Some people just went barefoot and that was fine, as all the water landings were on sandy beaches.

 

We did not bother with rain gear in the zodiacs. It was hot enough that we welcomed a splash or two, and in the hot air you dried quickly.

 

Have a great trip!

 

Ah, yes! I was Ushuaia RT with RachelG and Stumblefoot! Didn't seem like it was that long ago. Thanks for the helpful reply!

[drron29]

A  great report once again JP. You really fitted in a lot in your time in Perth. There wasn't that much more to see. Loved the pictures.

[highplanesdrifters]

I'm exhausted from your trip home. 😃

 

Seriously,  thanks for taking us along. Enjoy Mexico City.  

[lincslady]

1 hour ago, drron29 said:

A  great report once again JP. You really fitted in a lot in your time in Perth. There wasn't that much more to see. Loved the pictures.

Yes, and I am tired too!  Pleased you saw Fremantle; a contrast with Perth, and a very attractive place.  We docked there once, and went up to Perth on the train and back down the river, which was lovely.  And super fish and chips for lunch.  That was on a Silversea ship, ages ago.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Chris plans your days the way I do – they call them "Bataan Death Marches"...

[Catlover54]

I burst out laughing at your contrast  of the hotel restaurant burger with the SS burger:

 

". . . 

 

 

We had dinner at the hotel restaurant, Cafe de Paris. The pizza and burger were both great, and went well with a bottle of French red.

 

 

Much better than the Silversea burger. It's even made with real meat!  "

 

 

Of course, SS claims their burgers *are* made with *real meat*, but I don't think they actually define what *real meat* is :).