November, 2025 - Wheels on the Go

November 10, 2025 – Australia – Ferry to Kangaroo Island, Nature Walk and Fig Tree B&B

November 10, 2025November 16, 2025Lmnei

We were up early this morning to begin our drive to Cape Jervis to catch the 9 am ferry to Kangaroo Island. Victor Harbor is an hour away from the ferry terminal and we have to be checked in by 8:30 am so we departed just before 7:30 am. It was a beautiful morning drive – past windmills, cows, a Christmas Tree farm (photo did not work out) and up and down over the hills and through Eucalyptus tree lined roads. Finally we started our descent into Cape Jervis and saw the ferry arriving to meet us on the horizon.

The mind plays games on you – based on my dealings with Sealink, the ferry service, I thought the terminal and ferry would be bigger than it actually was! I have no idea what gave me that idea as I knew that Andrew was going to have to drive the car onto the ferry and I was going to have to walk on as the ferry did not have any elevator from the passenger deck. We parked in line and I went in to check us in for the ferry (there was not a booth like BC Ferries – you had to go into the Terminal to check in and get tickets for each adult along one for the car. I then went back to the car to get my bag as I planned to use my laptop on the ferry and give Andrew the instructions I had been told about how to get onto the ferry and to tell the ferry workers that he had to pick me up on the other side – so he had to be directed to the passenger pick up area. As we had gotten to the ferry line up about 8:15 am, Andrew was one of the first onto the ferry. I was taken up the ramp onto the ferry with another lady in a wheelchair early and then the let all the bus passengers onto the ferry – so I was able to get a really great seat at the front of the ferry! Andrew popped up from the car deck stairs fairly fast after I had found our seats. Very soon though he was in the line to get some coffee as he had done that drive this morning without any caffeine to start the day!

Now on the ferry, that is my view from the front of the ferry as we departed Cape Jervis – the ferry slip is in a protected area and then it was open sea between the Fleurieu Peninsula, where Cape Jervis is located, and Kangaroo Island. The ferry ride takes 45 minutes and as we found out when we were in Fiji, the ferries are due to be replaced, however the replacement ferries are late being delivered. However I am not sure if the ferries being delivered late is that big a deal or not as BOTH ferry terminals – Cape Jervis and Pennshaw on Kangaroo Island are still under construction and are not ready for the arrival of the new ferries – specifically the boarding of walk on passengers. I am not sure what the design of the new ferries are going to be however the two ferries that go back and forth every 45 minutes are back end load. When Andrew got on in Cape Jervis, he drove onto the ferry and was against the hull of the ship and then to get off, he had to drive around the bow and down the other side of the ship. It also means that the ferry goes out of the Cape Jervis terminal straight forward, however backs into the Pennshaw ferry terminal – very interesting experience! You would think having a ferry like the BC Ferries which can sail in either direction would be preferable!

Anyway, we now arrived in Pennshaw and Andrew went down to the car deck and I got off the passenger exit and met him in the passenger pick up area. I had read about Kangaroo Island before I had booked us to go there however I guess I was pretty excited to go there and I neglected to realize just how BIG Kangaroo Island is! Holy cow is in LARGE! On top of that, the plans that I had made were upended by the change in the ferry schedule so we ended up doing some extra driving on this trip! The first thing we did, which was at about 10:30 am was drive to where our B&B was located, which was about 15 minutes from the ferry terminal. I was hoping we could store our luggage there instead of driving around the island with it – as we had a SUV it was in view if we parked the car. We arrived at the Fig Tree B&B and it was exactly as they said it would be which I was pleased to see! The owner was actually just finishing cleaning our room and was more than happy to let us leave our luggage there and then give us the key – despite check in not being until 3 pm! The family was going to be away in the afternoon for check-in time so it was great to meet her and see the cute 3 unit building plus a kitchen that comprises the Fig Tree B&B. After dropping off our luggage Andrew and I were off to explore Kangaroo Island – the first stop? Grocery store! Next stop – the Wilderness Koala and Kangaroo walk that I had booked for us in the afternoon!

Let’s get oriented to where we have come from and where we are going – upper right – the ferry is shown going from Cape Jervis to Pennshaw, which is the 2nd largest town on Kangaroo Island. The Fig Tree B&B that we stayed at is at Beaudin Beach which is just to the right of Pennshaw with Beaudin written in green. We then drove to Kingscote, which is the largest town on Kangaroo Island to go to the grocery store and get some picnic/dinner supplies. It is across the bay to the left of Pennshaw. Then from Kingscote we made our way to the Kangaroo Island Wool and then down to where the arrow is at the bottom of the picture which is the Hanson Bay Conservation Area, with a stop just outside of Kingscote at the Kangaroo Island Wool company! The drive from the Kangaroo Island Wool company to the Hanson Bay Conservation area took just over an hour – so it was a bit of a distance traveling at about 100 km/hr. We saw LOTS of dead kangaroos along the side of the road as apparently they like to jump in front of cars!

As I mentioned, we made a QUICK stop at Kangaroo Wool Mill which is a company of 23 sheep farmers on Kangaroo Island who have their wool spun at the wool mill and fine garments made – they were VERY expensive pieces of clothing! We got there and I saw 2 skeins of black, blue and 1 of earth green on a table and 6 skeins of bright pink! I was in LOVE with the feel of the wool. The lady who was helping me obviously saw I was a knitter as I could not stop talking about the wool so she went and got another lady as I was having issues figuring out what to purchase. Having either 2 skeins of black or blue and 1 skein of the earth green was not going to be enough for a short sleeved sweater! The lady who is in charge of the knitting machines and obviously a knitter herself came out and told me that she thinks she has enough of the earth green in the back if I do not mind a few bumps in the wool – I was like heck no! That adds interest to the knitting! So she then wound another skein for me and gave me her personal Instagram address so I could show her what I knitted! They do not have a big market for people who buy wool it seems – only the people who buy the expensive garments and blankets which were very beautiful!

Next we drove to the Hanson Bay Conservation area. I had read some online reviews that this was a great walk to do on Kangaroo Island to see some Koala’s and Kangaroos in their native habitat. Basically we ended up in a parking lot in a huge conservation area and a guide met us there to go for a walk and then a drive. First the walk! The guide took us to see her “favourite” koalas who, along with the other wildlife, are actually living free to come and go on the acreage. First we stopped at a tree where there was a male Koala hanging out down low waiting for the female Koala, who was higher up, to come down. It is currently mating season and the male Koala’s are very frustrated and can be very loud in trying to attract a female partner. While this dude was sleeping at this point in time, he did start bellowing after we left.

We learned lots about Koalas from the guide – such that there are dozens of different eucalyptus trees in Australia however certain koalas only eat certain eucalyptus trees! In fact the eucalyptus tree leaf is poisonous, however their guts can handle it as long as it is the right leaves they are eating as they have the bacteria in their system to break down the leaves – which take about 48 hours. Koala’s do not drink very much – almost all their liquid supply comes from the eucalyptus leaves they eat – however you do not want to stand under trees when they pee as their pee has a VERY strong smell! The other neat fact that we learned is about their butts. Koalas have a fat pad on their rears which allow them to sit on branches without pain – such as in the picture of the Male Koala below – who is basically sitting on a branch and will sit there for hours on end! Koalas are known to sleep for up to 20 hours in a day – sometimes in the same position! I think Andrew thought it would be good to be a Koala!

As we were walking along and talking and looking up at the trees to see the females, which are up higher with their young at this point, the guide was pointing out some fascinating things like the burn bark that is falling off the trees as it is pushed out as new bark is being re-generated. We all heard of the Forest Fires in Australia in 1999 however the same year, Kangaroo Island also had a fire of its own that was man made – a farmer had been burning off some wood and he thought the fire was out. However it has gotten into the ground and a week later it emerged and someone driving by saw it and reported it. It caused a HUGE fire on Kangaroo Island which was unrelated to the fires that happened on the East Coast. It was funny, as while we were talking as a group about these burnt tree trunks, a set of 4 kangaroos bounded by past us! I was not fast enough on the draw of my camera to catch them though! The kangaroos here are about 3-4 feet high compared to the ones we saw south of Perth on the west side of Australia in 2020 in the park where we were eating lunch – they were at least 5 feet tall – my height!

We walked through trails in the bush a bunch more and looked at a tree that is heavily scarred by koalas climbing and the guide showed us pictures of a koala’s feet/paws which are pretty interesting! I have pictures in a couple of days that outline them – basically they have 2 thumbs and 3 fingers so they can grip better on the back of their body with very strong nails! At that time the guide showed us a bench that the kangaroos now use to chew on to sharpen their teeth and then we got into a van to drive around the property to see the wallaby’s, kangaroos and the Southern geese, which I might add are MUCH better behaved than Canadian geese! I really enjoyed this walk along roads and paths in the bush and drive seeing wildlife in their environment instead of in a zoo!

After that outing, we drove the 90 minutes back to our Bed and Breakfast which was by Beaudin Beach. On our way to the house, we drove by the beach – here are the views of the beach that was nearby!

Now we have arrived back at our B&B! Such a cozy little place! It looks out onto a garden in front, has flat access (good and has a nice kitchenette in the room along with a full kitchen outside on the right side of the house for all 3 suites to share.

Tomorrow we are going to be exploring Kangaroo Island some more – our original plans – which include more driving back to where we were today and past to see the State Park and also Seal Beach! See you tomorrow!

November 9, 2025 – Arrival in Sydney – Flight to Adelaide and beautiful evening drive to Victor Harbour

November 9, 2025November 14, 2025Lmnei

It is a BRILLIANT day for a sail into the Sydney Harbour! I am up early (quietly starting to pack) and ready to go downstairs to Deck 4 and access the Bow of the Noordam for viewing of the Sydney Harbour! Lets GO!

Here is a panorama picture that I took from the very tip of the bow where I was located as we sailed into Sydney –

Now that we have arrived and I have packed my suitcases – time to get off the ship and wait for our pickup that I booked to take us to the Sydney Airport! First, the things we left behind….

Here we are waiting for our ride….

The airport transportation that I had booked was a bit delayed in picking us up – I later found out that there are 2 areas – for drop off upstairs and one for pickup where we were and for some reason the driver was upstairs at the drop off area. SO GLAD my phone works in Australia so that we could sort that little issue out! Off to the Sydney Airport we went! We only had one LITTLE issue – I had bought a bag on the ship (for $10) and when I was packing it as I was planning on carrying it onto the plane, it seam burst! Yup, you get what you pay for Lynda! Not an issue – just put it into one of the nice canvas Holland America bags that they gave us! However I am not quite sure what happened to our luggage when we were on the ship – Andrew bought one t-shirt and I bought some things but not enough for our luggage to have babies!

Needless to say, in Australia they are a little pedantic about carry on luggage (size AND weight) so I thought, like I could do at YVR, I would buy a tote bag to check our extra things that seem to have exploded onto the scene. We walked from the Qantas Domestic Terminal to the Virgin Airlines Domestic Terminal (across a parking lot) to where I was told there might be a store that sells luggage. Yes, there was a store that sells luggage but at quite a high price and it was carry on luggage – not a checked bag – duffle bag size that I was looking for. We then moved to plan B while in the Arrivals area of Virgin Airlines – while Andrew partook in some caffeine consumption, I took my medicine and other stuff out of my roll aboard suitcase and put it into our carry on bag and put some stuff from my carry on bag like travel printouts and notebooks etc that could be checked and are heavier and then walked back to the Qantas check in area and checked our luggage and then with our two small backpacks and Holland America bag proceeded through Security.

I must admit security screening in Australia is awesome! While the YVR airport has put in faster bins in the C security area for Domestic travel and new x ray machines so that you do not have to take out laptops, which are similar to what is done in Australia now, it is the body scanning which is really cool! No longer walking through a door type thing or into a cage and holding your arms up – you walk between two panels, put your feet apart and hold your arms out at an angle and then they tell you to proceed or not. It does not affect people with pacemakers or other medical devices either. Also I can just push my walker through and then walk between the two walls and be scanned without creating any noise! There are two people watching the people walking through the scanning walls just to make sure nothing is missed. SOMEONE left a coin in their pocket and that was caught (I did not know I had a small coin in my pocket) and they were very nice about it! Onward to the lounge now where I had bought passes as I knew we were going to be in the airport for about 4 hours.

At the Qantas lounge we got seats looking out at the gates below and at the hangars across from us. Beautiful view! However for me, who did not have breakfast or caffeine, this was going to be an experience! Andrew had pre-scoped out the food section for me and brought me some apple juice as my blood sugar was low, however the report back was not good, so then I took my tired body and went and checked it out myself! Oh my, what a surprise! I saw on the sign that they had chocolate chip cookies (which Andrew had returned with too) however below that there was a little note saying they had gluten free blueberry cake if you asked! So guess what I did? I asked for some blueberry cake! The lady showed me the box and then gave me a piece and then asked if I wanted some gluten free bread to make a sandwich. In front of me were some pannini like bread toasters so I guess I looked a bit confused and she said – here is the gluten free bread and some baking paper (parchment) for you to use in the machine! Oh was I happy as a duck! I then proceeded to get some cheese, put the cheese between the slices of bread, wrap the paper around the bread and into the pannini type maker it went for toasting! No crumbs to be found on my food! At the same time, the beets were labeled gluten free so I got some of those and some much needed Coke Zero and off I went with my now browned sandwich to have lunch while watching the planes below!

I was not able to take a good picture of it as the corner of the building was in the way, however we saw the Singapore Airlines 380 plane which we will be taking in a few weeks to Singapore depart and also there were some Qantas 380’s at the international terminal. As I was sitting there all of a sudden I realized there was a tail on a plane in the freighter area that did not fit – it was CargoJet! Now CargoJet is a Canadian cargo company – what was that 767 doing way down here? Well, I went online and traced its route and saw that it is on a journey and obviously doing some charter service to Australia as it was scheduled to depart to Darwin later today. Thus I think is why we see the stairs leading up to the plane for the pilots….

We then realized our flight to Adelaide is going to depart from right below us as that was OUR luggage right on the cart sitting in front of our window! Really cool! So here is a picture of our luggage on the far side of the cart that is full (the blue and maroon bag) and our plane!

Now that we have boarded – which again I found to be an interesting process – rows 1-15 board through the front door – we were in row 7 and then rows 16-29 go down some stairs and board up a set of stairs going up into the rear of the plane! That is how they get their planes boarded so fast! Very interesting. Unfortunately, Andrew and I pulled the short straw on this 90 minute flight (plus a 30 minute time zone change) as a family of 4 boarded and sat in the 3 seats behind us. Behind me was a woman plus her baby which would have just been under 2 years old and in the middle seat, behind Andrew the other youngster, about 3 or 4 and then on the aisle, the dad. Needless to saw, for 90 minutes I had a constant pounding of my seat by the baby – along with the seat tray I think too and screaming! I asked the father to please reduce the banging on my seat and he said “it is a baby – not much we can do”. Great – my poor back is getting sorer now and we have a car ride ahead of us! Andrew I could tell was not happy either as he was abnormally quiet….

However I must admit, I did have a short period of excitement on the flight – beautiful views flying out of Sydney and then they handed out the snacks for everyone on the flight and not only were they Dairy Free but they were Gluten Free too! Wow! A whole plane getting gluten free snacks! That would NEVER happen in Canada! Now, I do not like mustard so I did not partake in the dip portion however the nuts and crackers were really good! We flew over a lot of farmland, that could have been mistaken for Ireland and then started getting lower as we approached Adelaide. Great views of a dam, the train station we will visit in about a week and the sports stadium! The Adelaide Airport is fairly small – it has swing gates like there are at YVR – which means some gates that have doors that trap (lack of a better word) people in the gate area for International flights. There seems to be about 16 gates in total to the terminal. Right in the middle when we arrived was a flight from Doha, UAE with the glass doors closed which showed it was an international flight. For most of the other gates there were no doors or the glass doors were open. It was interesting to see the ads that United is starting to fly to Adelaide from LAX in December!

We quickly found our luggage – due to the delay getting off the plane last – my walker did not show up at the gate so they took me off in a wheelchair as there were lots of ramps to go up to get to the gate area and then my walker met me there – our luggage was luckily the last rounding the carousel belt when we got downstairs, after I had to visit the ladies room!

We found our shuttle to the car rental agency and and soon were on our way – it was Andrew’s re-introduction to driving on the left side of the road again too! We managed just fine and while avoiding the toll road, drove to the M2 highway that we were going to take to Victor Harbour where we were going to stay for the night. This drive took us about an hour. It is a GOOD thing that we did re-organize our travels when in Fiji as there was no way we would have made that 7 pm ferry from Cape Jarvis – we got to Victor Harbour just at 7 pm which means we would have arrived at Cape Jarvis about the same time which would have been a bit too close to call!

It was a lovely drive once we got off the M2 highway through vineyards and over hills covered in Mulberry trees – there was a lovely rest stop where we had a view south with the sun shining through the clouds which made for a great picture! And of course, the road sign watching for kangaroos caught me by surprise and cemented the country that we are actually now in!

We very soon arrived at our hotel in Victor Harbour – Nightcap at Victor Harbour. Here are some pictures of it – it was night when we arrived so I grabbed these from their website. The bar manager checked us in and the menu for the bar/restaurant was sitting at the front desk and I commented on how wonderful that it was they had gluten free fish and chips on the menu and that we would be done for some shortly! We soon got downstairs and found that the restaurant and bar, which was supposed to close at 8:30 pm decided to close early at 8 pm and it was currently 8 pm! So they suggested once I told them I had Celiac Disease, that we go to the restaurant at the end of the block and sure enough – they had decided to close early too! So we came back to the Victor Hotel and let the lady at the bar know (the bar was still open and we had coupons for drink and I think Andrew at that point deserved a beer) and she suggested we order from Dominos as they have GF pizza. As I was hungry that was our only option on a Sunday night so that is what we did! We sat in the bar and enjoyed our drinks and waiting for the pizza to arrive! Once the driver figured out where the hotel was and where we were located in the bar (there was some confusion on that part) we got our pizzas and retired to our room where we had pizza in bed and then went to sleep as we had to leave at 7:30 am to get to the Jarvis Bay Ferry Terminal for 8:30 am to board the Kangaroo Island ferry!

I have only one comment to make now – the bed was LOVELY and firm! So tired of the SOFT bed on the Noordam! My back is going to be happy tonight! Sweet dreams all!

November 8, 2025 – Day at Sea – Relaxation, Wool Mischief and Beaufort Scale 8 Achieved!

November 8, 2025November 13, 2025Lmnei

Today is our last day at sea and on the Noordam – boy these 4 weeks have gone fast! Well, other than skipping a day for the date change overnight, the remaining 27 days have seemed to go fast!

Again, I watched a wonderful sunrise on our veranda while someone else was snoring away!

Today we are just going to relax on the ship and take it all in. We had our last breakfast in the stateroom this morning – served with a smile as always by the Room Service attendants! Soon after, our load of laundry from yesterday was returned and Andrew went out for his daily walk around the decks. I sat on the veranda for some time and then came in and relaxed my eyelids for a while.

At noon, just before we departed for lunch the Captain came on the overhead speakers with his usual noon announcement, followed by the Cruise Director with what was going on. The Captain mentioned that we were going to possibly run into some “tough” weather later today and this evening, so would people please make sure they took care walking around the ship. He also mentioned that the Beaufort Scale, where we had been cruising along at between a 4 and a 5 for the last few days was going up to 8! Yikes! On top of that we were being PUSHED from the stern of the ship, which made the use of the stabilizers less than optimum (I guess they work better when facing waves head on). Now that seems we were going to be in for some fun later today and tonight! I will remind you that the Beaufort Scale of 8 means 18–25 ft (5.5–7.5 m) waves and winds of 39–46 mph or 62–74 km/h. Good thing we are on a BIG SHIP and not a 28 foot Tollycraft named the JoLyn II!

For lunch we went to the Main Dining Room – which funny enough I was looking forward to as I had ordered the calamari strips on the appetizer menu to made gluten free and we shall see what happens! Sure enough, they showed up looking just like regular (but slightly paler due to the corn starch I believe) calamari strips as Andrew had the same appetizer for lunch as me – however his was fully of gluten! I included a picture below with our dinner entertainment pictures!

After lunch I promised Bonolo, one of the Arts and Crafts staff that I would join her at the last crochet class that was being offered in case anyone needed help finishing their duck. I had started a duck, however had no interest in finishing it but happy to help people who wanted to finish theirs! I got there early, and it was Adult colouring that was on at that time, with Franklin leading the session. However, Bonolo was there and she pulled out all the partly crocheted things that she had that she wanted to wind up into balls again. Then she pulled out a ball winder! Holy smokes! Now if I had known she had a ball winder 4 weeks ago that would have been excellent! She was totally surprised when I was shocked that she pulled the ball winder out of its box and asked me why – which I replied that I had been winding wool skeins by hand since we left Seattle and not having a good time of it and would have LOVED to have a ball winder 4 weeks ago! She then said she could wind balls at anytime and why don’t I go get my yarn that I was yet to wind and use the winder? I was off in a flash – down to the 5^th Deck to get my left over skeins of wool that I had given up on and back to the Art Studio on Deck 10 in a FLASH!

During this time the seas were starting to swell and Bonolo was not looking, despite being of African decent, that well. So she faced me and did not look out the windows from our perch on the port side of the 10th deck!

Then I started winding…. Now, the skeins I had bought at the yarn store at the Pike Place Market were not being very cooperative when I was hand winding them, I had not completely been able to wind one skein yet into a ball as a tangled mess had occurred! I was determined for the last few skeins this would not happen! Sure enough, the first skein I tried to wind ended up in a pile of knots. Now I know it is NOT ME! I had the skein on the back of a chair and was hand feeding the wool to the ball roller and it still knotted up! That is not nice! I then tried a different version of wool to wind from the same company and guess what? It ended up in a knot too! Bonolo, as no one had shown up for Crochet class, had left to run an errand (I think it was to get some Gravol) and saw the pile of knots and offered to help me with the last skein I had left that was intact, to wind. So we started together to wind it and guess what? AGAIN the thing ended up with knots! We worked at untangling it for about 30 minutes and then I said to Bonolo that I was fine and had wound enough and would deal with the knotted wool later! It was so frustrating to purchase 6 skeins of wool in Pikes Place Market in Seattle and not be able to knit anything with them on the cruise! Oh well, now that I could not hand or use a winder or have Bonolo help me wind a skein, it definitely is in the way that the skein was put together which is not conducive to forming a ball to knit from (which one does for tension purposes).

Also at about 4 pm the Captain came back on the intercom and asked again for people to take care walking around the ship – it was time for me to go back downstairs and leave Bonolo to get some relief down in her cabin below the A deck!

Now of the 6 skeins of one colour I bought, I have one wound cake, which is comprised of 1/2 of 1 skein which I hand wound and 1/4 skeins of 2 others. The rest are in a pile of knots to be sorted out later! I also have 4 skeins of another colour that I bought however as it is thin yard (called lace weight) when the 1st ball did not work, I stopped there! They are all in jail in my suitcase at this moment in time.

Back downstairs, Andrew has already mostly packed and we are off to our last dinner on the ship! Well, what an entertaining night it would be! Andrew and I were surprised that based on previous cruises, where the ship served Baked Alaska and they were paraded around the Dining Room, that we had not seen any of that already – last night had been the Surf and Turf night and generally that is also the Baked Alaska night and nothing happened. This time we chalked it up to the changes due to COVID. Now, some of you might think we might have MISSED the parade I am talking about, however nope. As I read the menus the night before, I get a sneak peek into what is happening the next night! We actually had reservations for the Pinnacle Grill which was turned into the Tamarind Restaurant, which is a new restaurant offering on the newer Holland America ships, however when I saw Surf and Turf on the menu (well mainly the SURF), we canceled the Tamarind reservations and went to the Main Dining Room instead! I just could not miss the free Lobster Tails! If we went to Tamarind, I would have had to pay $20 for 1 Lobster Tail dinner. Hmm. Just did not calculate in my brain….

Anyways, dinner was very good – I had Halibut again with tomato sauce, rice and veggies and it was excellent. However I noticed that Ade, was all alone waiting on us and that April Joy, his Assistant was no where to be found. We had finished dinner and were waiting for our dessert and I saw that she had already delivered them and she was gone! Well, we soon heard from her! This quite but very friendly with an awesome smile, Philippine waitress all of a sudden was addressing the whole dining room and thanking us for sailing with Holland America for the last 4 weeks and that the Dining Room staff had a song that they wanted to sing for us! Then she started singing which was fabulous! She was accompanied by one of the Maitre’d on a ukulele – singing an Indonesian song – as all the wait staff except April Joy and one other female waitress, are Indonesian! Then the parade happened – all the waitstaff and then the kitchen staff came out and walked around the upper Dining Room with the Chef at the end. It was quite a thing to see! Here are my pictures (lunch included) and video of part of the song.

After dinner it was a fun sway walking back to our stateroom at the pointy end of the ship, as it moved through the high waves and wind! Our veranda door was also singing tonight as it had done before when the wind had come up. Time for bed as tomorrow it is going to be an early morning! The Captain announced at the same time he was telling us to hold on at 4pm today, that the bow of the Noordam was going to be open at 5:30 am as we cruised into Sydney Harbour! You know who normally watches sunrises is planning on being there AND the weather is looking good for tomorrow morning!

November 7, 2025 – Day at Sea – Wahoo! Tour of the ship day! Or NOT! Communicate people!

November 7, 2025November 13, 2025Lmnei

I was fed, dressed and ready to go and in the Pinnacle Bar, the designated meeting place for the Noordam Ship tour at 9:20 am! This was going to be exciting! I have been on a kitchen tour previously – funny enough on the Noordam when it was brand new – however this was going to go to places in the ship that I was really looking forward to seeing! There were 10 other people – 5 couples – gathered in the area too, plus Brendan, the Assistant Cruise Director and Agatha, who also instructs some of the Art Classes. Brendan asked people to gather round and so we did. I sat down on my walker as I thought he was going to talk to us for a bit prior to the tour as he collected our “I am not sick” forms. He had given out lanyards with a little cute orange model of the Noordam on them which actually is a USB stick with photos on it to everyone and then when he got to me, in front of everyone, he asked me why I was there. I saw Agatha’s face fall as it was pretty rude. I told him I was registered for the tour and I believe I am going to take the ADA version of the tour. Brendan was VERY confused at this point. He then left us all and told us to wait while he went to use the phone behind the bar. Soon enough he was back – gave me a lanyard with the Noordam on it and said that I was supposed to be on the tour, however Agatha and I have to wait for someone from Reception to come speak with me. He then took the other tour people to the Deck 2 Galley which is across the hall.

At that point I said to Agatha, why can I not go on the tour? I have been on a kitchen tour on this boat previously and it is accessible. I know there is an escalator to go up, however all I need to do is go out into the hall, up the elevator and back into the dining room and into the kitchen to re-join the tour. She agreed and said that these tours are VERY new – they just started doing them at the end of the Alaska sailings on the last day so perhaps Brendan did not know about that option. At that time a supervisor from Reception showed up and told me that I could watch a video however the only place I could go was the Bridge. I was really frustrated at this point as I knew what was read to me the night prior and that is not what she was telling me. On top of that, the galley tour had just ended as the Chef had just walked past us – so I definitely missed out on that portion!

Sometimes you just have to advocate for yourself. I told the lady from Reception that I wanted to see the galley and I knew that it was accessible and I am pretty sure that other parts of the tour are accessible also – at this point in time she said they were assuming that I was not going to use my walker for the tour! I pointed out what my first message to them said – is this tour accessible for someone who uses a walker and the answer was YES. It was then agreed that I would go with Agatha to visit the galley and that the Sous Chef would give us a tour – it was only 1/2 of the tour as it was only the Deck 2 Galley, which is where the “Al la Carte” Dining is served from (people who make reservations for different times in the evening). I must admit though, when walking through the Galley, which was spotlessly clean, ALL the kitchen staff looked up and said hi to Agatha and I as we walked by with the Sous Chef! They all had such lovely smiles too! As this is the Galley where the lunch is served from, they were already starting to set the garnishes on the plates for the lunch service.

After that quick tour, Agatha and I went back down to Deck 1 to Reception as I said that perhaps saying I was missing the balance of the tour except the Bridge, I could see the video instead? Agatha then talked to the lady who previously met with us and it was agreed that Agatha would be back at 11 am to take me to meet the tour of the Bridge. I then people watched in the lobby of the Noordam for the next 40 minutes as I was traveling light for the tour – no crocheting with me!

At 11 am I met up with Agatha and we then met the rest of the tour on the Navigation Deck (8) where we got to visit the Bridge! We each got to have our picture taken with the Captain and then the Staff Captain (who is next in charge) gave us a tour of the Bridge. It is so quiet and serene up there! I was impressed also – they have quite the stock of coffee and tea products along with a couch and sitting area too! Not sure about the couch – sleeping on the job would not be good! We were not told we could take pictures at that point so I did not take a picture of that area. Once the Captain left, we were able to take pictures if we did not include any of the bridge staff who were working. Here is my tour of the bridge which was fascinating!

After our pictures were taken, we then stood at the middle of the Bridge looking out. Many of the things mentioned in the Captains talk – the small wheel with a piece missing, the joysticks etc were pointed out. Basically a LOT of redundancy on the Bridge in case something goes wrong. As we were in the middle of the ocean it was a bit hard for the Staff Captain to show us the overlay of the chart display and the radar display – my picture did not work out of this either due to the flickering of the displays. I did ask at this point, when in the middle of the ocean if there are certain “routes” they have to follow, especially at night – where I correlated this to airplanes flying at certain heights depending on direction or in the Vancouver, BC Harbour (where the Noordam sails) there definitely is a “shipping” lane. The Staff Captain said no, not really out in the open ocean – maritime rules apply smaller has to give way basically and most ships/freighters and other craft can pass using radar with plenty of distance. On that note though, he did point out that there are at least 2 people on the Bridge at all times when at sea – there was what I would call a “seaman” who was at the front just watching with binoculars and gazing the horizon and then a uniformed person who was at the helm, when we were not standing there – watching the instruments.

The other really interesting thing that happened when we were at the helm was a demonstration of the “Alexa” of the seas. The Staff Captain, when standing in a certain spot announced “Noordam alter course to 244 degrees” (I do not remember the actual number he said but it had 4’s in it!) and slowly the ship moved 5 degrees to the port! Very cool! This is a brand new “feature” for the ship. Not sure how much it is used – I personally would just use the joystick in front of me!

Then we moved to the Port Wing of the ship – I tried to see our cabin veranda but could not! Nothing like standing above the sea with a very thick Plexiglas floor tile looking down! At that point the Captain appeared again and warned us all about being good visitors to the Bridge as they do have an escape trigger for the floor tile! Funny – NOT! The other cool new toy the Staff Captain pointed out is the device that measures how close to the dock the ship is getting – previously this was done by radio between a guy down below on the ship radioing up the position – however now this display shows them exactly the ships position in relation to the dock – down to the foot!

We then walked back towards the main part of the bridge and then into a room behind it called the “Command Centre” where there is a huge long board with lots of red and green lights on it. Basically it shows every fire and water door on the ship – so if there is a fire – they can control the doors open and closing features from the Bridge! Very interesting! What I found more fascinating though was a set of buttons nearer to me which were to empty the pools! The Staff Captain indicated that there are situations where they sometimes need to empty the pools really quickly – such as rough weather – so all they do is press a button and each or one of the 2 pools are drained in a few minutes out to the sea!

Then the tour came to an end! I really enjoyed the Bridge tour, however I was really frustrated with the Noordam staff on the lack of communication and expectation setting on what I was going to be able to do – especially when the night before what I was read from their manual indicated I was to be ASKED and OFFERED options. I never saw the video of the portions of the tour that I missed. I ended up writing some feedback to the ship, again through the app, regarding the tour and what had happened and lack of communication. As the tour cost people $189 to go to 7 parts of the ship – that was basically $27 per area. Not that I am a numbers person at all – I wrote them that as I did not see the video, was not offered the option to watch the video and only saw 1/2 of the Galley, had to spend 40 minutes waiting in the middle of the tour and then was able to visit the Bridge – I suggested that $54 was a better charge for my portion of the tour. Then I waited for a reply….

In the meantime – off to lunch we went and we got to sit at the VERY back of the ship! The only way to get farther back is to walk around the stern! I had ordered macaroni and cheese for lunch and I was quite happy to see that comfort food show up! Then it was off to the Art area to get my creative side of me working again! Time to paint another picture! This time it was a Dunes at Sunset painting!

Today we sent in a TON of laundry so we get it back tomorrow which is our last day at sea! However tonight is the last formal night of the cruise and the night I have been WAITING for and looking forward to for the last 26 days! Surf and turf! However for me it will just be surf, surf and more surf!

That said, I was to have the most interesting start to my dinner! On the menu was a “Pina Colada” soup which was marked naturally gluten free! As I love coconut and pineapple and virgin Pina Colada’s in general, I decided to order it! Wow – what a surprise! Yes, it is a cold soup with 2 strawberries in it! It was bizarre having a Pina Colada soup…. I could not finish it – it was just too sweet for me! Next time – I will stick with the drink!

The main course was awesome though – not only did it come with veggies (veggies have been lacking on this cruise) but the lobster tails were just perfectly steamed! Ooh la la! Went down without the need for butter! Then same the piece de resistance! Andrew gave me his lobster tail too! Mmmm good!

The only thing not pictured as I was in a seafood daze, was the small chocolate lava cake that came for dessert…. Okay – this was a good dinner and end to a kind of stressful day!

Tomorrow is relax and pack time!

November 6, 2025 – Day at Sea – Booking a “Ship Tour” and a relaxing day at sea…

November 6, 2025November 12, 2025Lmnei

What a beautiful beginning to the day! I am so lucky that I am able to get up early and see these sun rises each morning!

Well, last night I had seen a message on the Holland America Navigator app that indicated there was going to be a tour of the ship offered today! I was quite excited as I had heard through the grapevine (actually at the Captains talk) they were going to start offering these tours again on longer voyages – guess what we are on??? I called Reception at about 9 am today, however they were busy like normal, so instead I sent them a message asking them if the tour was accessible as I use a walker. Eventually I received a call back indicating they would get back to me. At the same time, they were also confused as they told me that the tour, which is starting in 30 minutes is full! I pointed out it was showing in the Navigator app for tomorrow, not today so perhaps it was a different tour? A lady then called me back and told me that yes, the tour on November 7th is accessible and could I please come by the Reception area today to sign the form for the tour? She signed me up (only 12 people are allowed), however as the tour costs $189, I had to sign that I acknowledged the charge.

I spent a good portion of the day relaxing my body in bed and on the veranda doing various fun things like updating my blog, downloading pictures, colouring, knitting and of course taking a nap! Dinner time rolled around and we went by the Reception area so that I could sign the tour receipt prior to dinner. At that point I had a niggling feeling that something might be wrong. The man on duty could not find anything about me wanting to take the tour and seeing me sitting on my walker, he was quite confused! He first said it was too late to sign up, and then when I told him I already did and just needed to sign the receipt, he gave me a receipt to sign for $156, however I knew something was not right by his behavior as he kept going into the back office to check on things. I was told that some information was going to be sent to our cabin while we were at dinner. I was going to go on the tour alone as the tour was going to happen when Andrew normally is taking a walk around the ship.

Here are the pictures from the sunset tonight – again another wonderful one!

Dinner was fabulous, yet again! I cannot remember what I had (my phone I had left in our stateroom charging by mistake) however I was hungry as I had skipped lunch after a late breakfast. Sometimes there is TOO much to eat on cruise ships!

When we got back to the room, sure enough there was a note under our door about the ship tour the next day. It had a form that I had to fill out that I had to declare that I was not sick and then on the back was the really interesting part – it said that they offer an ADA compliant tour of the ship. (ADA stands for Americans with Disabilities Act and as Holland America is based in Seattle, Washington, they have to follow this Act on the ship). That was the first time that I had heard about that option so I phoned reception and spoke to the man who I had dealt with earlier in the evening. He said that they only charged me $156 for the tour as I was taking the ADA tour instead (news to me). He then read to me what the ADA tour description was which basically said “the person with the disability should be able to take part on as much of the tour as they can possibly accomplish – as some portions are down some stairs we will provide a video for them to watch instead”. I distinctly remember him reading this to me and thinking that was interesting – this is the first time I was being told about this – however my receipt did say $156 so it seemed right and things much have been arranged…. time for bed!

Tomorrow is going to be an early start as the Noordam Ship tour which includes the Dining Room Kitchens on Deck 2 and 3, Stores, Laundry, Recycling, Composting, Engine Control Room and finally the Bridge meets at 9:30 am! I got to get my body in gear early!

November 5, 2025 – Anelghowhat, Anaton (Mystery Island), Vanuatu – Paradise!

November 5, 2025November 12, 2025Lmnei

Oh what a Mystery this island is! Basically it is PARADISE for a day – a pop up village occurs on this uninhabited island to “service” the cruise ship guests from the people who live on the nearby island of Aneityum, Vanuatu which really is just a stone’s throw away The Anaton Islands are the southernmost islands of Vanuatu. The real name of Mystery Island is Anelghowhat. Basically if you have been to any of the islands in the Caribbean that the various Cruise ship companies own that are often on their cruise itinerary – this is a VERY rudimentary of one of them – the only solid building made out of concrete brick is a basic toilet structure – all other shelters are wooden huts of various sizes and design. There is also a fairly well built metal wharf where the ships tenders can do there offloading/loading however it is NOT accessible at all – there are about 10 stairs to go up and then the island is flat at the end of the wharf pier. That is a shame as to get onto the tender is fairly accessible as in general, ships have an elevator that goes down to the tender platform now, and ramp onto and off the tender – however with stairs to get to the island, it makes navigating the getting off the tender a challenge!

There were 4 types of HAL Excursions offered – a Snorkel and Float to shore on Mystery Island and then 3 different trips to Aneityum to visit either a Traditional Village, Authentic Village or to see a Kustom Magic show. Yes, I spelled that correctly with a K! Originally we were going to do the Snorkel and Float to shore in the morning and then in the afternoon go to the Authentic Village. I had been told when we first booked by the Accessibility department of HAL that it was the better village option for us to take. However, as we had done several village tours already and my body was protesting a bit, I asked Ben to cancel our Traditional Village Tour. I thought that Snorkeling would be enough for me to accomplish and then sitting on the white sand beach sounded just perfect!

Here are our arrival pictures at the Anaton Islands!

When we arrived there were a group of ladies singing songs for us and we were quickly escorted off to our Snorkel and Float tour. I had to leave my walker at the security tent for the ship where they would keep it safe while I used my cane to walk to the Snorkel hut to get geared up and to store our belongings. They would not let us take anything with us – including glasses! For some people that was an issue – it was kind of funny having Andrew lead me without my cane down a path to the beach – I could see where we were going and the tree roots along the way and he could not due to my cataract surgery last year! He had to leave his glasses behind in our bag… Snorkel masks and glasses do not mix! We got into the flat bottomed boats and we were off! Just wanted to point out at this point, I was DRENCHED in 60 SPF lotion for this excursion into the sea….

We were taken about a kilometre out to near a reef and then told to jump out of the boat! Easier said than done for me! I was so scared I would hit my head on the boat – however with the encouragement of another lady who was staying on the boat, I made it. The water was LOVELY and clear! I took lots of snapshots in my mind of what I saw! I did look online to see if there were any images of the blue tipped coral and fish that we saw and I found a few which I will put below.

This is what it looked like from the boat

I guess due to seeing me getting off the tender using my walker and then switching to a cane and then getting assistance getting to the beach, one of the accompanying guides thought I could not swim. So he then gave me a life ring to hold onto! I had actually chosen not to wear fins as first they are hard for me to get on and second my legs were already pretty sore and did not want to exasperate that issue! Plus, I love to just swim. So I played along pulling the life ring beside me – he held onto the rope on one side and me on the other and we kept up with the crowd and I kept an eye on Andrew who could not see where he was going! There was only one issue at this point – we were dropped off at the start of the reef and the group was heading towards the breakwater farther out – this was not a drop off and float back program in my mind! This was an actual swim around the reefs and then float back! I said goodbye to my life ring buddy who by this time could tell that I could swim and went and swam with Andrew for a while and then as they were still heading out to sea, turned around and saw one of the boats nearby and decided to swim to it and perhaps just hang on for some rest and then swim into the beach. However they wanted us to remain together, which makes sense.

There already was a couple in the boat and so the driver put down the metal ladder so I could get up the side (not the back) of the boat. Unfortunately it hit coral when it was down and I slipped and cut my foot a bit on some coral and that stung, so he then moved the boat, with me hanging onto the ladder, backwards so I could have a better attempt in deeper water. Those stupid tired legs of mine would not cooperate! It was also a very difficult climb as the ladder was not perpendicular but went sort of under the boat as it is a flat bottomed boat, so it was like climbing a cliff face from underneath it. I instead just hung on and enjoyed my time in the water next to the boat and chatted with the couple in the boat. They were from Cary, North Carolina which funny enough I installed their Parks and Recreation system many moons ago! We chatted about Cary, Raleigh, and Edenton (as they knew where it was!) for about 30 minutes and then I attempted to get into the boat yet again. It was a fail. However the lady mentioned that she would move the oar in the boat so when I got up over the ladder it would be easier for me to sit down. That gave me an idea (keep in mind I am the daughter of an engineer)! I asked the gentleman and the driver to hold onto the oar at each end where they sat at the bow and stern of the boat, then I would climb the ladder and grab onto the oar and they would then move the oar towards the other side of the boat than I was climbing on – so that would help me get my weight over the side of the boat and hopefully my body into the boat! It worked! I was SO RELIVED!

Then I looked up and we were more than halfway to the shore at this point! We had actually drifted into the beach all this time and I could have swum in instead – however the ride back was wonderful with the breeze in my hair and all that 🙂 We then arrived at the beach and you would think getting out of the boat would be simple right! I got in pretty simply when at the beach – but nope – getting out, in front of the whole group of swimmers just getting back from their float in (except Andrew who got back early and could not see me in the boat) I actually fell off the boat into the water and got a huge gulp of seawater instead! Oh my goodness! The driver and the gentleman then helped me up to the beach were I saw at the waters edge until I could figure out where Andrew ended up! He actually had gone to get my cane from the hut and come back so that I would have an easier time getting back to where our belongings were located. That was very nice of him! So unfortunately not a lot of pictures from that escapade however fun times were had!

Next we divulged ourselves of our snorkel gear and picked up our bag and I got my walker back from security and off we went plugging through the part sand, part packed down paths with my walker. Tough going but needed the support! I had seen some umbrellas when we were snorkeling and my goal at this point in time was 2 things – 1. Being flat on the beach and 2. Getting something to drink! I accomplished number 1 until I realized that I was not going to survive in the sun very long on the beach on a towel, so we went to plan B – paid to sit under an umbrella! We then commenced with 2. Drinks – Andrew got an Vanuatu beer and I got a Coke – needed that sugar! Also no diet drinks to be found….

Now that we have been refreshed and I have rested my legs for a while (I crocheted some during this time period) it was time for me to go exploring while Andrew does what he does best when on a beach – contemplates nothing but the view! Please note here exploring = shopping at the local “handicraft” village that has been set up for the passengers!

I did buy a couple of things – a woven fan, a dress and a magnet to remember my time on the island! The Calderon that is there they actually have guys dressed up that will stand behind the “pot” dressed as cannibals and you can take pictures of them – for a fee of course!

Then Andrew and I decided to go for a walk around part of the island – it is not that big an island – it is about 1.5 kilometers long and approximately 200 meters wide so the island can be walked (without a walker plowing through sand) in around in about 30 minutes. Of course, we have to go 4 wheel drive when we decide to go for our walk! So we set out from the “west” side of the island where the umbrellas we were sitting at were, and walked across to the “east” side past the handicraft huts to start our walk. The first actual building we ran into is the “airport” which is also, now I realize, a fixed structure on the island. It has a windsock and a grass runway! We crossed over to the walking path and then walked the length (so away from the end where we went snorkeling) of the island – sometimes it was tough pushing! Along the way there were various families that had set up drinks for purchase and you could also rent paddle boards etc. We got to the end of the island and the path continued around to the umbrella side however I had a better idea – it might be easier just to walk back down the runway! It is not often one can walk down a runway or a grass one! Here are our pictures from our walk:

At that point, we were back at the wharf and I was both tired and HOT from our walk! One of the nice things that Holland America does, which I am sure other cruise ships do too, is provide water and lemon flavoured water at the pier. So I partook in a bunch of cups of lemon flavoured water however I then moved onto the more important station – the cool cloths! There is a man who hands out nice rolled cool cloths before you get onto the ship or in this case the tender. I knew at this point that my 60 SPF was a bit over whelmed and I needed to cool down fast – he was so helpful in providing about 6 cloths to me to put on my arms and head so that I could get cool! I asked him how he keeps the cloths so cool and he said that the cart that he has, which comes over in the tender, has a huge ice block in it and the cloths are put into it wet early in the morning so they will remain cold all day. I was VERY thankful! We then went down the pier to get onto the tender. Unfortunately a gentleman had a fall on the island and had banged his face and knee up pretty bad and it was bleeding. They put him on the tender with us and then we were off – there were only about 10 of us on the tender as they wanted to get this man back to the ship’s Medical Centre. It was nice getting priority treatment and not having to wait in the hot tender until it was full.

View of little fish and reef from the pier

Sailing away from the Anaton Islands – inhabited Aneityum to the left and Mystery Island in the centre –

Here is another view of Mystery Island from the sky that I found online – it shows the beauty around the island! You can see the runway – we walked just south of the runway on a path to the right side of the island and back along the runway. The snorkeling was on the left side of the island where you can see a bay on the top and headed to the dark reef above the island.

Now, cleaned up it was first, time to take some pictures of a wonderful sunset and then off to dinner for some comfort food for this tired body! The sunset tonight was spectacular! I got a bow picture thanks to Andrew and his long arms/height as I could not see around or above the balcony wall! The grits with cheese (vegetarian GF meal) with chicken on the side (protein) was just what I needed! Andrew of course had some kind of moo’ing meat.

Now for 3 days at sea to relax prior to getting to Sydney!

November 4, 2025 – Day at Sea – Culinary Presentation, visit to Deck “A” and then up to the SPA for a massage and manicure!

November 4, 2025November 11, 2025Lmnei

WELL, someone overexerted herself yesterday! Despite being “rocked” to sleep all night long, my muscles and back are very sore! Time for some TLC today! I have a plan! In fact I foresaw this plan so many months ago I actually booked the massage appointment in advance – I am just SO SMART! Actually, not that smart – just lucky!

So Room Service showed up at 8 am as normal. Lynda had a very nice breakfast in bed, courtesy of Room Service and then her personal waiter, Andrew. More time on the heating pad was needed! At 9:45 am I rolled out of bed, way later than normal, and made my way down to the World Stage, as the Executive Chef Willem Waltheer was speaking about everything Culinary on the DAM ships! I was very interested in hearing this presentation. However, prior to going down to it, I had made an appointment with a certain clinic on the A deck – to see the doctor as the muscle spasms were a bit much! They could not see me until 11:30 am so it was perfect! Listen to the chef and then see the doctor!

Chef Willem did an excellent presentation on how a ship is provisioned, especially for a longer voyage like we are on. He was formally the Executive Chef on the Oosterdam and the pictures were from when they were taking on a heavy load of supplies in Brazil prior to a long cruise to South America. I took pictures of the whole presentation, however I will only include the pertinent ones here. Here we go!

Obviously, the Executive Chef will do some meal planning and put in the order for food through Holland America suppliers and the goods arrive at the dock. However he started with the goods arriving at the dock and then went into menu planning – sort of a chicken and an egg sort of thing I guess – which comes first! Anyway, when the goods arrive at the dock, they are first inspected by the local customs and security officers and dogs. Once that is done, EVERY pallet is put on the ground and the Executive chef and the sous chefs inspect every box on every pallet for freshness, quality and temperature. He later said that some inspections though are done within refrigerated trucks to keep the goods at temperature.

Next, once a pallet is inspected, it can be brought onto the ship. A stevedore is the name of the person who controls the forklift. There are actually 2 forklifts – one outside of the ship which puts the pallet down on the ships landing platform and then the ship has its own forklift driver who picks up the pallet and places it where it needs to go. Once the ship’s crew member has picked up the pallet – nothing on it can then be returned as it is considered International Cargo.

For a longer voyage, such as ours, they will take on more than 100 pallets of food – dry, vegetables, fruit, meats etc. It all needs to be stored somewhere and as the chef indicated, it is a good thing that the master storeroom clerk is skinny as the storerooms get VERY full! He then told a funny story about just after departing one day from port and missing his saffron seasoning and it took 5 chefs to find it in the storeroom – a little bottle as there were so many things that were piled high in boxes waiting to be inventoried. I could commiserate with this story as when we got on board, I was hungry and went to the Lido deck for something to eat as the Main Dining Room was not open. Confused as to where to get gluten free food (I missed the sign on the first go round of the Buffet) I asked the Chef standing nearby. He informed me that all the gluten free items are housed at the Italian station and I should go there. However there is currently not much in stock due to the load taken on in Seattle which included inventory of gluten free items and they would not make it up to the Lido for 24 hours! I ended up just having some roasted chicken and cheese instead as he was right – not much of a selection in the gluten free area!

The chef then talked about the different “storage” areas on the ship. As I mentioned earlier, some items come in at temperature – such as produce and fruit, which is really important that they arrive refrigerated and remain in that state going into the refrigerators on the ships so spoilage does not occur. It is amazing how many days at sea we were and the ship was still offering Caesar salads at dinner! They have lots of different walk in refrigerators on board the ship too in the storage area as he also talked about ingredients that cannot be stored together due to spoilage concerns from off gasses. He was a fund of information – in some ways I wish I had recorded the presentation!

All the meats which arrive at the ship are processed in the butcher department and then they are put into the fridges based on the menu plans. The picture below of the butcher area on B deck shows a man cutting up a beef tenderloin. Chef really liked this butcher as his nickname was “Tofu” which was quite funny considering is profession! Then you can see the meat bins in the meat refrigerator ready for cooking. Similar to meats, there also are fish and veggie prep areas on the ship too! He mentioned how busy the fish prep area has been due to all the fresh fish that they were able to buy in the Hawaiian Islands and in Fiji.

Next, we get into the gluten section aka Bakery! That is located on A deck and runs 24 hours a day! They bake bread and pastries 4 times a day – breakfast, lunch and then twice for dinner service! Apparently the area is quite small and the ovens are fairly hot so it is a pretty warm area to be working in – however the bakery section is very creative as I later found out they won the Pumpkin carving contest on board the ship which the different staff from the various departments participated in.

Next the chef talked about serving and menu planning – for serving, the plating of the dishes is done about an hour in advance of the meals and then they are stored in refrigerators with a kind of dumb waiter that rise as the trays of plates come out to be given to the servers. There also is a line for the hot food where the waiters line up and with the pre-garnished plate, the food selection is placed onto the plate – whether it be chicken, fish, roast beef, etc. I knew he was glossing over some key details here as I have worked as a waitress in a banquet kitchen, however for 80% of the people eating on the ship, this is how their food would be obtained. Lastly, came menu planning – which for me I would be doing first!

For a cruise like ours, they basically set out 28 days of menus and then have the “standard” items on each menu which are Caesar salads for appetizers, chicken for dinner and ice cream for dessert. Then they add either a “chefs plate or port plate” depending on the day, to the menu – one appetizer and one main meal. The chefs plate is something the chef decides to feature, where the port plate is a local cuisine. White the chef indicated they do not repeat any meals, I disagree! I saw a lot of repeated meals (outside of chicken) on this cruise – which was both good and negative – good as I could have something I liked previously however the negative meant it limited the types of dishes that I could select from as often the repeated dishes contained red meat or some type of gluten item that could not be separated out.

Lastly, in his presentation was a slide on serving the 35 nationalities of staff on board the ships – they have 3 different buffet lines of meals that they serve – Asian/Indonesian, European and North American. He said that keeping both the guests and staff happy is his ultimate goal however he finds that the cooking for the Asian/Indonesian population of crew. They like their spices and their food HOT which he is not used to as a chef! As he said, that is why he has Sous Chefs to specialize in those areas of cuisine.

After Chef Willem finished speaking, he then took questions from the audience. Franklin, one of the art studio crew was one of the people with mics walking around to help people with their questions so the Chef and others could hear them. Franklin knew I had a questions and guess who was up first! Me! Yikes! I mentioned that I have Celiac Disease and then thanked him for all the wonderful meals that I have been served on the ship that have been made gluten free for me. My question was though about the gluten free products on board – I was finding that they are just not available and are hard to get such as bread with dinner (I mentioned I was served the first piece of bread after 21 days last night) and other items like muffins and cookies that just round out a meal. He thanked me for the feedback, however he was surprised by my question as he said they had taken on a lot of GF food in Seattle. He then asked for my suite number and said he would follow up with me. I thought Franklin knew where I was staying however I guess not – apparently Franklin had to search for me for the next 3 days to find what cabin I was in as the Chef wanted to know! Anyway, my feedback was provided and he heard it.

Another lady followed up with similar feedback – she is wheat allergic and she said her meals were fabulous however she was not aware that she could order in advance or that she could have her meals customized as I had mentioned! The Chef said anything is possible and that please write down what she wishes to eat and try and order the gluten free food! At least one person benefited from my question albeit 3 weeks into the sailing!

Next I went upstairs to Deck 9 – the Spa to meet Patricia – the lady who had previously given me a Swedish Massage to give me yet another massage! She was NOT impressed when she saw me hobble into the spa in pain though! She was so sweet and said that she would help me and focused on my spasms and worked away at them for 50 minutes and I was in HEAVEN! What a luxurious experience having a massage is! This was a Deep Tissue/Swedish Massage combo she said she did. I had told her about my experience in Thailand with the lady walking on me and she laughed! She is from the Philippines and she said that she just massages people – she does not walk on them – too dangerous on a cruise ship!

Now with my massage done, it was time to relax for an hour until I went back to the Spa for another pre-booked procedure – a manicure! I said this was going to be a day of relaxation and it was! Kristina did my nails again – this time only my hands and she is a perfectionist! My nails looked so beautiful once she was done! They are shellac nail colour and pretty red to match my toes – I just hope that the sea water when snorkeling tomorrow will not affect them!

While I am still sore, I promised Ben that I would pay him a visit in the Shore Excursions department to let him know how the “Jewel of Fiji” tour went the previous day. I had done a stupid thing which I later regretted – I had downloaded my pictures onto my laptop last night like I normally do so they were no long on my phone! Here I was and I had nothing to show him! I had him again tell me what his impression from the tour operator was of what I was to expect on the tour (flat to get into boat, about 18 steps to waterfall and could swim instead nearby, and 24 steps up to the community hut) and then I explained what reality was and he was quite surprised! I think he thought I wanted a refund, however I did not as I did enjoy myself and so did Andrew, it was a great experience, however the expectation setting by the tour operator was a problem. He said that I was so polite (funny having a fellow Canadian say that to you) and that most people would have been really angry etc. I told him that it was an excursion that I really wanted to do and I am a determined person at times and while I was not impressed with Holland America and their accessibility and tour information, it was a positive experience in the end. I then promised to bring pictures when I was next up to do some art (the Excursions desk is on the other side of the ship from the Art area).

Then down I went to our stateroom to relax! While I was there we went through a VERY black cloud and there was no balcony sitting for me! Yet another rain monsoon! We decided to watch a movie on TV and have dinner in our stateroom – there was no going out for me! Thank goodness, as I order my meals the night before, it is not really an issue to do this – Andrew just had to order off the regular Room Service menu!

Tomorrow we will solve the Mystery of what Mystery Island entails!

November 3, 2025 – Suva, Viti Levu, Fiji – The “Jewel” of Fiji” Excursion – liquid sunshine and MANY stairs to get to waterfall!

November 3, 2025November 11, 2025Lmnei

NOTE: Andrew and I are doing great! Having some internet connectivity issues which have precluded me from uploading pictures from our current location in Australia… Out for pizza dinner right now and found that the wifi is working here! This is a longer blog post I have been waiting to get out! More coming really soon!

Today I was up early for a beautiful cruise into the port of Suva! There was only one issue – there was a cargo ship in the way which caused us not to dock on time! No wonder I had extra time on the veranda to take pictures this morning!

Other than the ship docking late, it was an early start for us as we were taking the “Jewel of Fiji” excursion which was to last 6-7 hours. I THOUGH I had prepared well for this excursion. Prior to signing up for all the excursions that we have/are taking, our Holland America agent talked to the Accessibility Department at Holland America and they read what I could physically do and what the tour entailed and guided me on what would be suitable – other than the minor issue of having to get onto various types of busses that we were aware of.

Back when we first boarded the Noordam, I met Benoit (Ben), the Assistant Excursions Manager, who contacted me regarding two of the tours that we had signed up for and he wanted to know some more information from me regarding accessibility. So I paid him a visit and we discussed all the excursions that we had signed up for, specifically the Jewel of Fiji in Suva and the Snorkeling and Village Tours on Mystery Island. We talked about what I can do from an accessibility standpoint such as walking and swimming is not a problem and where I am weak, such as stairs, especially going down them. He knew I traveled with a walker and wanted to take my walker on the tours, however I am aware than for the Jewel and Mystery Island tours I might need to use my cane. We decided the Mystery Island Tours would be fine, however he needed to find out some more information about the “Jewel of Fiji” based on a better understanding of what I could accomplish and he would get back to me.

After we left Ben got back to me with some information that the tour provider had provided with regards to the “Jewel of Fiji” excursion. He was quite encouraging with the information that he had received – the fact that we got into the long boats to go up the river from the river bank, after the 45 minute ride we would get out and walk along a path, where I could swim and Andrew could climb about 18 stairs up to see the waterfall. He had a picture of the stairs and a small waterfall next to it that I said that I would pass on climbing and let Andrew take pictures of the waterfall instead. Then we would return in the long boats to the village, I would need to climb 24 stairs up to the house where the food and ceremony was going to be held and the busses would be picking us up out the back. For me, it sounded like something I could accomplish! I was really looking forward to this excursion at last! Off we go!

We first got onto the bus – what an accomplishment! Now, on this trip we have been on some tall busses however this one took the cake! The stairs up were taller than me! Also they were not very big! That was the first challenge of the day :). The driver actually sat in a well which was about 3 feet lower than everyone else who was sitting on seats on the bus! After about 45 minutes we arrived at the village were we got off the bus (carefully) and went into a house where we were fitted for life jackets – good move! Also we were given plastic bags for our stuff so they would not get wet in the boat. Andrew and I had left one of our bags on the bus and only took the essentials with us which was one towel and a shirt for Andrew. We were both wearing our bathing suits (me under my dress).

The lady who was next to me in the line could not swim and was VERY nervous – it was her husband who convinced her that this excursion would be a great idea! Now, remember how we were supposed to just walk out to the riverbank? Nope, down 23 steps we went, which were both a bit slippery and uneven, with the last 8 or so with no railing. Finally into the long boat, we were off! The lady who was nervous about this trip was actually sitting in front of me so Andrew and I had to keep our comments about the water and the little rapids to ourselves as she was REALLY NERVOUS!

We saw lots going up the river – lots of free roaming cattle, kids playing in the water, a woman with her horse and then some river construction thrown in too! I could tell that the river was low – there were “high tide” marks on the banks which as this is a fresh water river going out to sea means that the river was running low. Sure enough, we hit some rapids that the boats ahead of us could not get up, so we all had to get out of our flat bottom boats and walk for about 10 minutes along a path next to the river while each boat and its driver went up the little narrow rapids. I was looking forward to coming down them though! I did not say that out loud…

Then we motored on for about 20 minutes and the driver of the boat actually hit a rock – which the husband of the wife in front of me told me put a 2 inch hole in the bottom of the boat! Apparently he covered it with his foot so she would not see it. We were taking on water however the water was also splashing over the sides so it was not that noticeable. Finally we arrived at the stopping point to get to the swimming and waterfall area which Ben had showed me a picture of – I was really excited to get swimming as the river water was so warm! Just like a bathtub!

We walked along the path next to the bank where the boats stopped and there was a stream next to us and the stairs which I recognized from the picture that Ben had showed me where Andrew could go up to see the waterfall and the stream was where I was to go swimming. I asked the guides and they told me that no, that was not where the swimming area was, that I had to go up the stairs a little way. Well, that was an understatement!

So up the stairs I went with my cane, along a path with 50 pound wheat flour bags filled with rocks to lead the way, and then MORE stairs – up and down! It was a total of 103 by the time we got to the waterfall and the swimming area, which I might add was beautiful however it was a lot of hard work to get there and I knew I had to go back! The most scary part for me were about 15 stairs going up the side of a rock wall with nothing to hold onto other than the side of the rock as on the other side there was a drop down into the stream, now turned into fast moving narrow river!

It was very luxurious when I was able to get into the swimming area – they had made it a bit easier to get into the “pool” by flattening out some of the steps going down with cement which was helpful. Also Mr. Cool had let the company know (it was the same umbrella tour company who did all of HAL’s excursions) that I was going to be on this excursion and there was a younger man assigned to assist me with walking and getting into the swimming area. That also really helped! It also allowed Andrew to take some pictures!

After taking a quick dip in the wonderful clean water with the waterfall behind me, it was time to go back down to the boats. I wanted to go last as I knew I was going to be slow, however some people were talking too much while I waited so we (that was Andrew, myself and our guide/helper) struck out on our own. Needless to say there was a long line of people walking back from the waterfall while I carefully managed the route and pulled over to take breaks and let people by.

Back at the boat launch area, we were switched to a different long boat to go back to the village where we started as that little hole in the boat that happened coming up was becoming a concern. I was looking forward to the trip down the river and going through all the little rapids that we sometimes struggled (or walked past) going up! Only one issue – it started raining. Oh, not just light or medium or hard rain. Monsoon rain! It was raining so hard (and most of us were just wearing bathing suits with life jackets on top) that the rain hurt our skin – it was like being in hail the rain drops were so big and hard! It was a surreal experience having the rain come down for about 30 minutes which was colder than the water, if I put my hand over the side of the boat, felt like! To ensure that I was protected from the sun, I had elected to wear a beach towel that Holland America had given us for our excursions over my back and arms, however with the sheet of rain coming down, it was getting VERY heavy!

We all just hunkered down on the boat – most of us, Andrew and I included, were wearing baseball caps or sun hats so we were protected from the pelting rain, however there were no pictures to be taken as I did not want my phone to get wet – it takes forever to dry that thing out!

Finally we arrived at the bank of the river below the house, where we had boarded the boats originally! A bunch of drowned rats we all looked like and all the boatmen were frantically trying to bail water out of the boats as most of us were ankle deep from both the rain and the “wash” that came aboard while we were coming down the river. Successfully out of the boat, now came the stair climb which my able assistant helped me with the first portion which did not have any railing.

Back in the house we divulged ourselves of our life jackets and for me, I wrung out the towel around my neck and I was VERY surprised with the amount of water that was trapped in it! Now I felt a 100 pounds lighter walking around! Despite the continuing torrential downpour, we made our way to the ceremonial hut for some lunch and entertainment.

I am always amazed at people, and I try to observe the customs of the people whose homes I am visiting. Once we climbed the 6 or so stairs to get to the ceremonial hut or community centre all the Fijians took off their shoes to walk on the mats. Most of the people on the excursion did too and a lady suggested that I sit on a cooler that contained drinks so I could take off my sandals. Yet there were quite a few people of a certain nationality of which Canada shares a continent, who just walked right on by and did not even bother. That makes me sad. It takes so much work to make the reed mats or like in Japan, the Tatami mats, and it is disrespectful not to be appreciative and follow the customs of others when in their homes.

They provided 2 different lunches – a “subway” lunch and a “traditional Fijian” lunch. Both Andrew and I had the traditional lunch as for me, that is where the gluten free food was and Andrew I guess that was easiest for him as I had to sit down and he had to get the food for me. I had rice, some eggplant mixed with spices, taro root which is like a potato and apple slices! It was AWESOME and DELICIOUS! It all went down better with an Orange Fanta too – which seems to be a popular drink in Fiji – no sugar free drinks available and my blood sugar was low so why not partake in a luxury sugar item?

Then we were presented with a Kava ceremony. I appreciated this Kava ceremony as the person who was MC’ing it had found out all the countries that people were from on the 2 busses that were on this excursion and had mentioned them all when presenting us to the chief for the Kava ceremony – that was a nice touch! The other funny thing I though which I think most people missed, was the two men who were participating, were asked what size of Kava cup they wanted – tsunami or a wave. Tsunami being LARGE gulp and wave being a small amount. The man who selected the Tsunami was actually the husband of the wife who was so scared in our long boat going up to the waterfall and he had asked me how it tasted as her had remembered I had participated in the ceremony previously. I told him not bad so that is why he said “tsunami”! He had a numb tongue too!

After that, it was back onto the skyscraper of the bus and back to the ship. We were sitting next to one of the tour leaders at the front of the bus so of course we started chatting as he saw my Canada hat and wanted to proudly say that his grandmother had flown to Vancouver on the new Fiji Airlines flight! I mentioned that I was aware of the flight as I volunteer at YVR and that lead us into the discussion of Mr. Cool and how, as it was a Monday, he was at work today at the airport. It was at this point in time I found out some very interesting information though!

After the “Leisurely Nadi” tour on Sunday that we participated on in Lautoka, all the tour guides who work for Tiki Tours went to Mr. Cool’s house for kava. Then at 2am, the busses arrived to pick them up, then go to Nadi to pick up some more guides and they all drove to Suva which was 4 hours away, to be ready for when the ship arrived at 8am to put on all the scheduled HAL tours of that day, including the one that we were on! I was amazed! Zack, the tour guide then told us that at this time of the year, there are not enough ships stopping so this is really a “one off” type thing that they do – there are usually 2 ships that stop with similar itineraries on their way from North America to Australia and then 5 months later, the reverse happens. They do get some smaller ships stopping on Fiji Island cruises however these “larger” ships (which the Noordam is NOT large) they do have to do the commute due to the amount of staff needed for the excursions.

All the time we were having this discussion with Zack, it was raining outside and also inside the bus – the water was running down in a stream in front of him from the overhead bin area! I am not sure if that was a function of a hole in the roof or the fact that we were driving with the front door open YET again for air conditioning purposes – however it was funny! Zack continued to talk about traveling to the Suva “side” of the island and that at the Kava ceremony which he also participated in, he actually did not understand the Fijian dialect that was being spoken at the village. Zack grew up on a different island and came to the main island of Fiji, Viti Levu for post secondary schooling in Hospitality and Tourism. I then told him that was the same education that I had – I then found out that he was a Sales Manager at a local Wyndam Resort. He loves working in the hotel industry! I think that is what made him such a comfortable tour guide too!

Soon we were back at the ship and for the 3rd day in a row, we found the Noordam being painted! This time I caught the painters in action – those are some really tall painting rollers that they use! Once on board, we soon sailed out of Suva, after 3 memorial days in Fiji and ready for a day at sea! My body was starting to show signs of frustration in terms of muscle control so I was REALLY looking forward to a relaxing day! However before we left, I did manage to get out onto the balcony to take some pictures of our departure and all the ships in the harbour around the port of Suva.

November 2, 2025 – Lautoka, Viti Levu, Fiji – Leisurely Nadi and a Coconut has a Face!

November 2, 2025November 7, 2025Lmnei

Welcome to day two in Lautoka, Fiji! Today, as originally planned we are taking a bus tour called “Leisurely Nadi”. It was my intention to take something lower paced to get to see some of the area, as tomorrow is an excursion I am really looking forward to, however it is going to be a challenging one for me. What an awesome tour we were in for!

First of all, it is Sunday, where Fiji is generally closed. Due to that, we had an EXCELLENT tour guide named Coolio or as he preferred to be called “Mr. Cool”. There also was a driver and a 2nd guide on board at the back of the bus. All three of them were excellent ambassadors for Fiji. To start with we drove out of the port and past the sugar cane factory which we also saw yesterday, however today Mr. Cool talked more about the sugar history on Fiji and industry in general and how it has massively changed over the years. Sort of reminded me of the changes that Maui went through too.

There used to be about 34 sugar mills in Fiji as sugar was the primary export. Now there are only 3 left, one of which is next to the port in Lautoka. Originally the Fijians used the leaves from the canes to thatch their roofs after harvesting the canes for crushing into sugar. Now the fields, like we found in Maui, are set a fire (not environmentally friendly) to burn them down and then the canes are left and harvested to take to the mills. There are a variety of reasons why there was a decline in the mills since the mid 1800’s – economy, weather, changing in soil acidity for growing (climate change) – however the 3 existing mills are able to still supply sugar economically to primarily Europe. One thing that is no longer used are the sugar rail lines which are narrow gauge rail lines that were used to transport the sugar to the various mills – they still exist however the trains no longer run the lines – heavy laden trucks (which I am surprised do not dump their loads) bring the canes to the mills instead.

Here are some pictures of the Lautoka sugar mill as we passed by:

Now we continued to drive into Nadi where we eventually would make a stop to shop. Along the way, I took the following photos which I describe in the pictures:

Next we passed by the Nadi airport, which really took me by surprise! I am aware of this airport for various reasons – back in the 80’s and 90’s it was often used as a “transfer point” or “refueling point” when people traveled from North America to Australia or New Zealand. I always figured it was a BIG airport as I was aware that 747’s landed here on the transpacific flights of that time period. Well, the airport is NOT that large! I know that any airport can be called “International” if they have a customs facility and have flights from a neighbouring country, however only certain long range planes could get to Nadi at that time! I just figured I would see a terminal like Honolulu, open air, yes, however it was about 1/4 of the size!

Here are my pictures of the Nadi airport and area – we actually drove past it to get to the city of Nadi and then on our way back drove around the airport instead of taking the Queens Highway back, in order to get to our next stop. I have combined all the pictures into one set for convenience purposes. Also, Mr. Cool works at the airport which made it more fun for me! He lives in the airport housing compound and is in charge of any emergency operations if a flight needs to make an emergency landing.

Now we have patronized the selected store to shop at and I am pleased as Andrew has finally bought something – a T-shirt – we are on our way to a local marina for some “lunch” and a demonstration, which ended up being a new take on a coconut shucking! On the way, we were hit with a huge downpour, however that is just how the cookie crumbles in Fiji – to be green it has to rain said Mr. Cool! He also told us that we were lucky we were on the “dry” side of the island – Suva, where we were heading tomorrow is the “wet” side! Here are my pictures of the trip to the marina, greeting at the marina, and the man undressing the coconut, its face and cracking it open!

Now it was time to get back to the ship! This was one of the most interesting tour guides we have had so far – Mr. Cool sure made the day go by fast with his laid back and funny humour! Here are some pictures from the dock and from our balcony as we departed Lautoka on our way to Suva, which is the capital city – on the other side of Viti Levu!

The tug which will help us out of the dock

We are expecting a SLOW and smooth cruise around to the other side of the island to check out Suva tomorrow! Come join us on our adventure called the “Jewel of Fiji”!

November 1, 2025 – Lautoka, Viti Levu, Fiji – Orchid Farm, Cultural Visit and a quick shopping stop in Nadi!

November 1, 2025November 6, 2025Lmnei

This morning we had a wonderful sail into Lautoka, Fiji past some uninhabited islands that belong to Fiji. Fiji we later found out is made up of about 333 islands, of which approximately 110 are inhabited, with Viti Levu (where we are) and Vanua Levu (Savusavu) being the biggest islands and where the majority of the population lives today.

Originally, we were supposed to stop at Dravuni Island, Fiji today, which is a fairly small island inhabited by about 200 people. It has no services however a wonderful beach and you can walk around it and up the sloping summit to get a panoramic view of the area. Also it is said that the swimming in the turquoise waters is awesome! Anyways, unfortunately a storm damaged the wharf for the island, so that the tenders from the cruise ship could no longer use it so then we were notified about a month prior to sailing that we would be spending 2 nights in Lautoka instead. At that time, I quickly signed up for an excursion – there were not many left as the email had gone out over night and those on the East Coast had gotten a jump on what was available. It was interesting to see that the tours being offered for today, Saturday, than tomorrow, our originally planned day in Lautoka, Sunday, November 2nd. The tour that sold out the fastest was the one to the Hilton Resort on a nearby island for a day of relaxation! However I much preferred going to see the Orchid Farm and Village! On the bus we found out why the tour offerings were so different – the Fijians do not work on Sundays – that is their day to go to church and spend time with their family. So the majority of the tours that were available on Saturday like the one we were taking, were not offered on Sundays. Makes sense!

So onto a bus we were sent and had a nice drive past the sugar factory and other industrial areas of Lautoka to the Orchid Farm. We were greeted by the grandmother, daughter and son that run the farm and taken into the main house which houses a bunch of historical antiques from when the family immigrated to Fiji from Scotland.

As there were about 24 stairs to get up to the house above, the family had suggested that I walk up the driveway around to the back of the house and go into it via the garage where there were only 2 steps. I did so with haste, as the rest of the tour was already in the house. It was a beautiful display! The grandson talked about being in Fiji and highlighted the different pieces around the room and then we were free to examine them ourselves. The man speaking above is the 6th generation of the family to live in Fiji. Coming back down I took some time on my secret path to take some pictures of their garden and of the house behind it on my way to the open air lunch area where they were serving us tea and sandwiches.

Now in the lunch area which is used for guests, workers and for fairs, we all sat down and had some lunch, which to my surprise, I was presented with a fruit platter instead of the sandwiches and banana bread! Impressed that Holland America got it right this time as it was an included meal. As to what the fruit I was eating? Well pineapple for sure, however not quite positive on the other two – one seemed like guava or mango but not quite and the other was like a sour apple! Then the “grandmother” of the gentleman who spoke to us in the house told us about the Orchid Farm and how it supports ladies on the west side of the island who are single parents, with micro loans to grow flowers which the Orchid Farm then sells to select vendors. Those vendors DO NOT include hotels and restaurants though as they do not pay on time! I thought that was interesting – it seems it was basically a cash business. Lovely lady who obviously cares for her community and has nurtured a great business along over the years. Next we moved onto a tour of the orchid business itself!

As you can see above, we could not see a “sea” of orchids in bloom as it was just the beginning of November and just at the end of their 3 month dormant time. You could see the plants putting up their tips and roots for new growth! Interesting enough though, in all the tables that we saw, Andrew did find one that had just started blooming! Most of the orchids that this company grows are the type that bloom 9 months of the year and then are dormant for 3 months. The ones that I saw in the garden are a different type of orchid which blooms year round. I was not aware that there were these two distinct types!

Next we got back on the bus, as we were now headed to a local village to visit, have a Kava ceremony, watch some dancing! During the bus ride the guide talked about Fiji and there are 4 administrative Divisions in Fiji – Central, Eastern, Northern and Western. In each of those Divisions there are Provinces – a total of 14 spread through the Divisions – Central has 5 and the rest have 3 each. Fiji uses the Parliamentary system, like Canada and each province has its own Provincial Council, which I would equate to our Provincial Government. Each Division has a Commissioner appointed by the Fijian government, which is based in Suva (we will be there in 2 days). From the Provincial level, there are districts and then villages. Within there is their own government of chiefs and councils. I cannot remember what the guide said with regards to the number of districts and villages in Fiji, however I did find online an estimate of about 195 districts and 1,193 villages. However one recent change in Fiji is for the cities – such as Lautoka, Suva and some towns – as they are more modern and house businesses – they now elect local government positions which are 3-4 year terms – similar to how cities work in Canada.

When it comes to the Fijian government and parliament, Fiji separated from the United Kingdom on 10 October 1970, where the colonial government was disbanded and they moved to Parliamentary rule. There have been a couple of coup’s in the Fijian Parliament over the years and changes to how it has been run, with some military involvement to keep things moving forward. Currently, the Parliament of Fiji consists of 55 members (plus a speaker) and is led by the Prime Minister, who, like in Canada, is the elected leader of the largest party of government, who hold 26 seats. It happens though to be a coalition government in power, which is a combination of 3 parties and they have been in power since 2022.

We have now gotten to the village we are going to visit! We see they are expecting us as all the ladies have their goods out for sale on tables in front of the community hall, where we are quickly ushered into. This Kava ceremony was a bit more relaxed you might say, however they only wanted male volunteers this time! I did not bother filming it as it was a very simple ceremony and the Kava was already prepared. The MC lady then introduced the choir master and the show began!

Bula! “Welcome song”

Men’s Song (no dance!)

Woman’s dance about the Sun Rise and Sun Set

Goodbye Song

After the Kava Ceremony and singing we were then let loose for about 15 minutes to take pictures of the Village prior to boarding the bus into Nadi where we were to have a shopping stop. Here are my pictures of the village!

After exploring the village, we were then back on the bus back to the ship. On the way, we got a view of the island where the TV show Survivor is filmed along with I was able to take some pictures of the industry in Lautoka – a truck laden down with sugar cane on its way to the factory and the wood chip piles waiting to be processed and sent to Asia.

Now we got back to the ship, there were lots of vendors set out selling their wares! I was able to resist purchasing from most of them except I did get one t-shirt which of course was my favourite colour and then we got onto the ship to relax!

Tomorrow we have our original excursion planned to the city of Nadi along with some other interesting things to do along the way!