Day 65: At Sea … Arafura Sea

Sunday, 12 March 2017
At Sea — En Route to Darwin

Stats @ Ship’s Time 9:30p (ACST) … UTC 12:00 Noon (12 March)
Temp: 83.5F (28.6C)
Position: 11.05.40S / 11.47.61E

I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads.
Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.
~ Rosalia de Castro ~

We had a ½-hour time change last night, putting us in Australian Central Standard Time.  There will be a few more of these odd time zones around the world that we will have to contend with as we continue our voyage around the globe.

Another early morning wake up … several laps of speed-walking on the jogging trail shortly after sunrise … an excellent start to a quiet day at sea.  We had breakfast with the Boyds … a lovely couple … down-to-earth … and very active as well, even though Bob is sight-challenged.  They’re early birds like us and we’ve seen them having breakfast at the Waves Grill before, but this was our first time dining together.  Too bad they are getting off when we reach Bali, we would have enjoyed getting to know them better.   We were joined at the table by Jan.  She’s traveling solo at the moment … her husband left in San Diego due to business transactions that required his attention.  She’s very nice, too — down-to-earth also … well-traveled with plenty of interesting stories to share … like walking the El Camino in Spain.

Not much color this morning as the sun breaks over the horizon.

After breakfast, Mui and I went to Peter Croyle’s destination lecture … “Unlikely Darwin.”  Before he got into the attractions available to visitors, he mentioned that the city survived two devastating hits since its founding in 1869.  One was man-induced … an attack in February 1942 by the same fleet of planes that hit Pearl Harbor … under the command of Admiral Nagumo.  The second hit was nature-induced … Cyclone Tracy made an unexpected landfall here early on Christmas morning 1974 … the names of 66 people are listed as having perished during the storm.  The Aussies banded together to rebuild the city both times.  Today it is the capital of the Northern Territory and serves as the regional center of the Top End … as the northernmost part of the territory is known.

My main reason for wanting to attend the lecture was to get Peter’s thoughts about the Territory Wildlife Park.  I have a tour booked to visit the park tomorrow.  Another passenger had said that the place was ‘out of season’ and that we would see no animals.  That would not be good.  Turns out that we will see animals, just not in the same concentration as we might during the dry season when they flock to the park, which is the only watering hole in the area.

My concerns allayed, I headed to the Promenade Deck for the rest of the morning.  Then a leisurely lunch with Sonia and Boris in the Grand Dining Room for a change of pace.  But before that, we stopped off at the front desk to meet the noon deadline for returning the signed Indonesia Arrival and Departure Passenger Cards.  So now you know where we will be heading once we leave Australia after tomorrow’s port of call.

I sat out on the veranda for about 30 minutes this afternoon, but my throat quickly became sensitive to the fumes … again.  So I moved inside … frustrating.  Although we’ve accepted O’s offer of remuneration for our troubles, Mui still reports to Concierge Diego — at his request — whenever we have an issue.  Good to know they are tracking the problem, even if there is nothing that can be done IMHO … short of a complete overhaul of the ventilation system.

Alice and Tom invited us to join them for dinner in the Grand Dining Room … the Gelmans as well.  Our six-top was in the starboard back corner.  The wait staff in this section is familiar with our preferences … meaning that our beverages of choice appeared on the table without us having to interrupt our conversation.  Lots of good options on the menu — especially for me the picky-eater.  Had an excellent meal … excellent service.  And of course, top-notch camaraderie to wrap up our day.

Looking forward to Darwin tomorrow.  We got just a bit of taste of the country/continent on this voyage … enough to make us want to return for an overland trip sometime in the next few years.

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