Caring Carnival

Well, we're on our second of five sea days, and with grey skies and grey seas our thoughts have very much turned inwards. we celebrated the first Elegant Night of this cruise last night, and followed the wonderful dinner with a visit to the large Egyptian- themed theatre for a performance called Jazz Hot - we saw it on the last voyage, but the four singers, twelve dancers, large band, superb costumes etc etc were so wonderful that we returned. This time we couldn't help but see that just below our balcony seats were two interpreters for the deaf, who translated every song into American Sign Language - it was a performance almost as fascinating as that on stage.

It is amazing to see the care for people with disabilities on the ship. On the Alaska cruise we became friendly with a fellow who was wheel-chair-bound after breaking his back some years ago. When we went on the Saxman Village tour, Carnival had ordered a coach with a lift which came out of the side of the bus, and allowed him to sit in an area half-way along - they had also provided someone to push his chair, to allow his wife (a nurse!) to have some time to herself. June said that their stateroom was the best adaptation she had ever seen for the disabled.

Every sign on the ship is marked in braille - although we still haven't worked out how blind people know the sign is there! The young woman with Down Syndrome who sits near us at dinner is treated as an honoured guest, but with no condecension at all.

Not disabled, but special, is a large group of German travellers on the ship - they have a translator, so all important announcements are made in German as well as English. Everybody, including us, is made to feel special! The little Indonesian lass who cleans our bathroom noticed that we love reading so she brings us all the magazines she finds, before taking them to her room to improve her English - this is such a wonderfully caring environment!

Sailing westwards

We've been north - loved Alaska, its friendly people, verdant mountains, snow and glaciers - even saw a bear (it looked as big as an ant from such a distance!) we've been south again - to Vancouver for 12 sunny hours - which we spent on the VERY quiet ship - only a dozen or so people going onwards - we took the opportunity for an 'at home day' - John read and snoozed, Frances did some of her university work, which has been rather neglected due to the good times we've had. We have 3 days in Vancouver at the end of our 3 months, and will explore then.

Now we're heading west - 5 days sailing and we'll be in Hawaii! Different people, different music, different menu in the dining room - but the same wonderful staff, same stateroom - we're happy! A new adventure beckons!

Different days, different nations

Yesterday we were truly international travellers - we boarded a mini-bus in tiny Skagway (summer population 900 people) and followed one of the trails towards the Klondike goldfields ... well, the first few miles of it ... into Canada, at the top of White Pass. We passed the 3ft gauge train that took tourists up and down, but decided we preferred the road route, where we not only saw the views (yet another clear, sunny day), but could stop beside waterfalls, or to look down into the gorge where so many miners horses died, trying to climb tremendously steep rocky mountains with huge loads - each miner had to carry 1 ton of food into Canada, a feat which took many journeys up and down the 3,700 ft to the pass. Our trip to Canada was brief, but really different - rocky slopes in all directions, a couple of glaciers, white mountain goats, creamy lichens and scarlet fireweed - beautiful.

Today it was First Nation people that we thought of - or, perhaps, Native Americans, as Alaska is American. We travelled from Ketchikan to Saxman Native Village - and what a welcome the Tlingit and Heide people gave us! We were a little embarrassed to be tourists, gawking at their way of life, but they explained to us that tourists, and their money, have enabled their community to provide jobs for their people, and encouraged a whole generation of young people to reamain local and develop a pride in their heritage and their language. We were shown their native plants and a film on their history, welcomed into the Beaver clan meeting house for a dance exhibition, and shown the way that they carve their superb totem poles. It was a wonderful day, and we felt SO welcome. We can't spell it, but we were pleased to say something like "Granache-cheeses Ho Ho", which meant "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts".

Another wonderful theatre presentation tonight - last night's New Orleans Show was worth at least $100 each in Brisbane, or any other city, but was of course a free part of our cruise - such a great contrast to life outside, but so enjoyable - this is the life!

Alaska is cool!

We're stting here in heavy jackets (Frances in furry hat and gloves), not because there's anything wrong with the shikp's over-efficient heating, but because we've just spent all day on deck, where the temperature was 11C (52F) without allowing for wind chill. Why? Because we've just spent one of the most beautiful days of our lives, cruising in Glacier Bay. It's glorious!

Yesterday, in Juneau, the capital of Alaska, we travelled to a salmon hatchery and the Mendenhall Glacier, in cold, miserable rain, and were impressed despite the weather. Today dawned bright and sunny, and we just couldn't tear ourselves away from the outside deck - at least a dozen glaciers, six of which are what John describes as "proper glaciers", which go all the way to the water. The surrounding mountains were huge, ranging from the height of Kosciusko to twice the height of Kosciusko. We had morning hot chocolate there, we had lunchtime chinese food there, we had carrot cake (and jelly for John, of course) there. Our tablemate, Cisco from South Carolina, had four bowls of icecream, two lots of french fries, a thick, toasted cheese and ham deli sandwich AND lunch there, while his wife Dianne was a little more restrained. Another new friend told us she'd lost weight today, just running from one side of the ship to the other, to take photos. Thank heavens for digital cameras - Frances has taken about 70 photos today, and John a whole heap more.

Uh oh! There's just been an announcement suggesting that we should go out to look for seals, sea otters and sea lions - this morning Frances saw a distant bear!!! Bye!

In the Spirit

Having left Victoria with regret, then enjoyed a fast, but wet, journey through Puget Sound to Seattle, we spent last night in an hotel, opposite the Seattle Public Library. We toured the library this morning, all 10 modern floors of it (ask John to describe the 4th floor red "heart" of the building some time!!) then headed for Pier 91 and the Carnival Spirit.

We're pleased to say that our embarkation was MUCH easier and faster than trying to get on the Carnival Splendor last year - no bomb scare! In fact, we were on the ship so fast that we almost wondered what to do with ourselves ... and we missed Janet and Colette who shared our wait with us last time.

Now we've eaten (magnificently!) and done 4 days of washing. We're travelling north past Vancouver Island ... Alaska, here we come!

Blooming marvelous!

Victoria is wonderful! No, you can stop patting yourself on the back, there in Australia - we're talking about the city of Victoria, on Vancouver Island. Our ATC hosts took us all around the beautiful city on Saturday, then on Sunday morning they drove us to the Butchart Gardens, leaving us there with detailed instructions for the bus journey home.

What a joy it was! These gardens were the most colourful we've ever seen - 55 acres of roses, dahlias, begonias, zinnias, and dozens and dozens of other flowers, a wonderful Japanese garden, a sunken garden in an old quarry - and that was just part of this 100+ year-old property. we walked for four hours, and could have spent days.

The bus journey was crowded beyond belief, until we changed buses, but an elderly First Nations lady, Freda, changed with us, and so we had an interesting wait for the next bus, hearing of her birth in a long-house and her life on the island more than 70 years ago. We love the people you meet when you travel!

For dinner, Pat and Wayne took us to the Victoria airport, where we watched planes take off as we ate, then drove us around country roads, past lakes and rolling fields, bordered by tall sequoias. we've visited a wonderful place, made new friends, whom we hope will visit us in the future ... we're sorry to leave.

The Victoria Clipper, a fast catamaran to Seattle, awaits - and, tomorrow, the Carnival Spirit. We'll write again in a few days, from Alaskan waters.

Travelling with angels

"Well", said our friend Rochelle, as she drove us to the airport, "this will give you something to write in your blog". She was right! Rochelle and her daughter Caitlin had collected us in Caitlin's station wagon, packed in piles of luggage - and a few kilometres down the road we suffered a severely split tyre. As we hopped out of the car, an angel in a cab (an unusual sight on the Sunshine Coast!) came along, so John and Rochelle disappeared to collect Rochelle's car. As Frances and Caitlin pulled out the luggage, a passing ambulance-man pulled up and insisted on helping to change the tyre ... a second angel ... actually, the fourth, counting Rochelle and Caitlin.

In the 'City of the Angels', however, we found a severe lack of angels - we collected our luggage, chatted with a delightful Customs officer who couldn't decide if John was from a Harry Potter movie or Lord of the Rings ... and then we hurriedly pushed our laden luggage trolley to the very furthest terminal, to catch a United plane to Vancouver. Here we waited in a queue of more than 50 people for one of two assistants to acknowledge our bookings - we got on, after queuing for more than 30 minutes, but some transferees eventually missed the plane. Our holdup was the security demon who, refusing to acknowledge that Frances' new titanium knee was the alarm she heard, took her away for a full check of everything!! Even travellers cheques and money were swiped with special clothes (every one individually!) to see if she was carrying drugs!! The plane, when we eventually reached it (it was held up, too) was like a poor-quality council bus with two seats either side of a narrow aisle, and we think we met every passenger on the plane, as the aisle was constantly filled with people waiting to use the single toilet - of 50 people on the plane, 40 stood beside us and talked!!

Vancouver was a quick stopover - we slept (lots!) at a Days Inn, and travelled to our new angels - Affordable travel Club hosts, Pat and Wayne, who have been hospitable beyond belief ... more of that in the next blog, as now we're off to the beautiful Butchart Gardens ... bye!