Category: Uncategorized

Sea day

18 April 2018

I had a day relaxing by the pool. There are all nationalities on this ship and I love all of the accents, mostly the American which remind me I am on an adventure like no other. I continually thank the universe that I have these amazing experiences. I know how I am doing this but at the same time full of amazement that I am.

These people live a reality that is a culture of travel and meeting and learning from diverse people. Other than retirees there are several people aged from 40 who have sold everything and are “homeless” exploring the world. Many have worked very hard and would have been classified as workaholics but decided to let work go and now enjoy life.

This evening I succeeded in getting front row seats for Piscilla Queen of the Desert. I approached the Cruise Director and told him of my connections to Kings Cross, Les Girls, Mitzi and Carlotta.

But first dinner with these lovely ladies. Julia BJ and Dorothea.

Then we had after show drinks with the cast.

Cadiz Spain

17 April 2018

11am I disembarked to explore this island. The food is so cheap and the delicious smells drew me to the best paella I have ever had and the cost was 3EURO. I would love if I could find such fresh good food to takeaway in the USA. Of course it is available in little Havana in Miami.

I walked aound with Maf and Meredith trying to capture some of the beauty in photos.

Bollards everywhere.

Maf and I showed some children who were in the school playground how a couple of gringos move.

gringos dancing

Of course ended the night dancing.

Norwegian Epic

15 April 2018 Day 5 sea day Atlantic Ocean.
Since leaving Bermuda I have been enjoying days of lying in the sun at the Spice H2O pool area, meeting lots of people and discovering new cocktails (my keto diet prior to this trip long forgotten), dancing until 3am and meeting even more people.

This cruise has many time changes and this morning I went to bed at 4am. I got up three (3) hours later to watch my NRL team Wests Tigers play Manly Sea Eagles. I was so excited that it was televised live into my cabin. Although at half time I ran up to the Irish bar O’Sheehans, as it was televised there as well, because I was worried that my yelling and cheering would wake my cabin neighbours.

But as there was no sound at O’Sheehans I ran back to my cabin and cheered into my pillow for the second half. What a way to watch my team win at Brookvale while I am on a cruise crossing the Atlantic.
After recharging with a sleep, lunch and another nap by the pool I prepared myself for dinner and tonights show.

This ship has wonderful shows and there was no way I was going to miss Priscilla Queen of the Desert. The show was as spectacular as the musical in Sydney and the movie. The Aussie accents and the pictures of the Imperial Hotel in Erskineville and reminders of Les Girls in Kings Cross made me homesick. I was a rebellious 16 year old who frequented Les Girls in Kings Cross in the 1970s and then after my first divorce in the 1980s I again became a frequenter, especially as I was working in the Rural Bank in Kings Cross at the time.

After the show on the Epic I had a drink with a couple of the brilliantly cast Bernadette and Felicia.

I will approach the cruise director and inquire how I may get a front row seat for the show on 17 April. As one of the few Aussies on board I think it a reasonable request.

Funchal Madeira (Portugal)

15 April 2018

I did not know anything about this island and it is a lovely surprise. The NCL Epic has a wonderful group of solo travellers I consider friends. Denny has covered the transatlantic several times so he shares great ideas of what to do when in port. Seven (7) of us shared a taxi for 30 Euro each. The driver took us for a 3 hour tour starting with the togobban ride. I almost did not do this exciting ride down the steep winding mountain roads of Funchal in a basket. I thought it was your typical toboggan down a metal track. At 15Euro per person it was one of the most fun things I have done. It brought back childhood memories of billycart racing down the hill with only our feet as brakes. We destroyed many shoes with this dangerous but fun childhood pasttime but the baskets on the hill of Funchal are another level. you can take the cable car up to the top of the mountain or we had our taxi drop us off at the start.

You sit in a basket and are in the safe hands of two locals (and the universe) who use their well shod feet to control the basket around corners (I actually typed coroners originally lol) keeping you on track without tipping into the gutter. The locals I met said they won’t do the ride.

Many people were frightened by the ride but I loved it. I highly recommend to do this.

Then we went to the fishing village which was very picturesque and I had the local drink Ponchas which provided my first hangover for this cruise.

Winston Churchill spent a lot of time in this village painting.

A pretty spot with the NCL Epic in the background.

Some of the street art on doors.

The famous soccer player Ronaldo was born here. There is a museum in to honour his achievements.

Sail away view of Funchal

Norwegian Epic Bermuda UK

10 April 2018
Enjoyed a taxi tour of this colonial island with solo travellers Sarah, Sandy, Danny, Stu, Michael and Kim from USA.

Weather was windy and overcast but the company fun. Stopped at St George.

Had a walk around Hamilton.

Would have liked to swim here in Tobacco Bay but too cold.

Seven (7) golf courses on this island.

The rooves of the houses are quite an interesting design and made of cement which seems to give them extra protection from the numerous hurricanes this island experiences.

We could not go past this place the Boner Bar but unfortunately didn’t get to experience their menu item a “frozen boner”.

Back on the ship enjoyed watching Sarah being part of the show The Hypnotist and ended the night like every night in the nightclub Bliss. One disappointment is that the go go cages I danced in on my previous Epic cruise have been replaced with mirrors 😉

Beautiful message left on the nightclub table.

Thank you Sarah xx

The people I am connecting with every day confirms that everyone we meet pass through our lives for a reason and not a coincidence. The 6 degrees of separation notion needs to be reviewed. I love that on a ship of over 4000 people in the middle of the Atlantic you meet people from the same town or people with only one degree of separation.

Norwegian Epic

7 April 2018
I am off to Barcelona on a Transatlantic cruise! This was not planned but I got such a great deal I could not go. I love the Norwegian Epic and this is the last cruise I could do on her from the USA as she repositions to Europe for their summer.

I have discovered I am a silver member of Norwegian Cruise Line Latitudes club. I got priority embarking no waiting in lines. A free bottle of champagne and some extra internet minutes.

This is only my 4th cruise with NCL and I get perks!!. I have been on 10 P&O cruises and get nothing. I am in the studio cabins and this cruise has only 80 children out of 4800 passengers. The majority are over 50 but the first night in the nightclub was amazing. I had 2 wonderful dance partners!! I don’t need anything else. The DJs on NCL could teach P&O cruise DJs how to keep the passengers happy. Every NCL cruise I have been on the DJs know or play what the passengers love.

The people I have met so far are wonderful interesting and all retired from USA, Canada,France, Britain, Spain and Aussies from Melbourne and Brisbane. Including investors, gold mining office manager, French professor, teacher, travel agents, accident investigator, army, emergency nurse and mission chaplain. Such diverse occupations.

I have learnt to play a gambling game left/right/centre. Lots of fun and a very social game with an investment of $3 and prize of $100. Day 3 tomorrow and with our first stop in Bermuda.

Orlando Florida

6 April 2018

Continuing with the paranormal theme I explored the phenomenon of “Spooky Hill“, a haunted hill defying gravity.

I decided to go at 4pm on a Friday afternoon and that was a bad decision. I hadn’t been feeling well as my hayfever hit me for the first time on this trip. I tried to get some pseudoephedrine at three (3) pharmacies but I have another thing to complain about the USA. As in Australia, you need to provide identification to purchase various medications. However, as I do not have a USA driver’s licence they requested my passport. However, the only passports accepted by the government program are USA and Canadian passports. I got very frustrated and they suggested a US friend could purchase the medication for me. I have to learn how a tourist would get certain medication if they don’t have a USA driver’s licence. If anyone can provide me some advice it would be greatly appreciated.

Any way, after all that I drove to Lake Wales, the site of Spook Hill. There was another family from Indiana at the spot who advised how I should proceed with the gravity exercise. You drive up to a line on the road half way up the hill, put your car in neutral, roll backwards while watching the road in front you get the sense you are driving up the hill.

I tried three (3) times but was terrified I would crash into the Indiana family or run up the gutter into the trees. It was hilarious that I drove 2 hours in Orlando traffic (who are now the top of my list for most aggressive drivers) to laugh my head off with a family from Indiana. We are sure there is a camera set up and someone is enjoying a great joke.

However, I did feel a bit woozy after it but that could just have been a bit of car sickness with my hayfever and staring at the road going backwards.

The local school is called “Spook Hill Elementary”.

I then drove back to Kissimmee to meet up with Lydia and Mario for dinner. They are from San Francisco and I met them in Panama three years(3) ago. After following each other on FB all this time it was lovely catching up with them and look forward to our next meeting.

Nadi to Los Angeles/Long Beach

10 hour flight was one of the best. Had a great sleep and arrived in LAX at 12:15pm. Got throgh immigration easily with my 5 year visa have a temporary entry until 29 August 2018.

Then my plans to order an Uber to Long Beach to meet up with friends became a bit of a challenge. LAX, one of the largest airports in the world and I could not access their free wifi nor their default “Boingo Hotspot”.

Eventually I caught a free hotel bus to the closest hotel “Hyatt Regency”, used their wifi, ordered an Uber and things were back on track. Shame on the taxi driver who quoted me $70USD for a $30USD Uber trip and the taxi driver who quoted me $25USD for the trip to the Hyatt Regency.

Am now with Leo and Manuel in their lovely home in Long Beach. Manny took me to the lovely lookout at Signal Hill/Hilltop Park, which overlooks Los Angeles and out to Catalina Island.

I have an American SIM with a Beverly Hills area code 90210 which friends say is an impressive one to have.

It’s now 10:30pm and I need sleep. Yes I know I normally sleep at 2:00am.