Darwin, Australia

We came into port in Darwin around noon today. In spite of rain in the forecast, the weather was sunny and beautiful (though hot) most of the day. We wanted to be off the ship for a while, even though I’m still somewhat on the puny side. 

 

view from our balcony in port

inside Darwin Cruise Terminal

sign going through security 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

partial view of harbor from ship

So we decided to just take an uber to the mall across town and pick up a few items. I’ll admit, it pretty much wore me out. In other words, I can’t share much about our experiences here but I’ll at least say a little about Darwin.
 

inside Casuarina Square Mall

building mural

 

better view of port mural

As we drove through the city, I saw a number of murals painted on buildings but they were too hard to capture from the back seat of a moving car (except for this one). I also noticed that the sides of the streets were nicely landscaped and there was no trash or graffiti as you see in some cities. Unfortunately, I only took a handful of photos today.

But much like the other places we’ve visited in Australia, Darwin is a busy city with a beachy, tropical vibe. It is home to a very diverse cultural mix of people with many Indigenous Australians, Asian and Europeans. One thing that stood out to me was seeing so many Indigenous Australians, who make up 35% of the Darwin population. As a first-time visitor, I noticed that many have distinctive physical features such as skin tone, hair texture, different facial and body features that reflect their heritage and are different from what we’re accustomed to seeing in the U.S. It was a new experience for me to recognize and appreciate these differences as part of the region’s identity. In our limited interactions, we found people to be friendly and welcoming.

The other part of our day was taken up with getting all the right paperwork to enter Indonesia. It’s no easy thing to get into Indonesia, even if for only one day. The government must know if our visa was arranged by the purser’s department or if we arranged for our visa independently. We must show physical proof of a yellow fever vaccination and fill out an Indonesia Arrival Card which includes pretty much everything there is to know about us - our legal names, nationality, birthdays, passport numbers with expiration date and contact information. We must declare exactly what we are bringing in (in my case, I declared a purse). Also how we arrived (by sea), what kind of vessel (cruise ship), name of ship (Oceania Vista), how many travelers are with us and the purpose of our visit. All of this along with a completed Health and Quarantine Declaration. Whew! When Ronnie taught at the Institute of Technology in Indonesia back in 2012, we were also finger printed at the police station!

It's Saturday night on the ship as I write this and tonight we’ll set our clocks back 1½ hour. So tomorrow we’ll be 13 hours ahead of home. Soon we’ll be on the exact opposite side of the world!

 

Cairns, Australia

I gave away my excursion ticket today in order to stay behind and see the ship doctor. I dread seeing my bill now - seeing a ship doctor is absurdly ridiculous $$$ but Ronnie insisted I get seen after another night of horrible coughing. The good news is that it's bronchitis (not pneumonia) and I should be fine if I continue taking the antibiotic our travel doctor sent with us.

I was also happy to learn that the lady we gave my ticket to was already on the waiting list for that excursion, so that worked out well.  I sent Ronnie off with instructions to take lots of photos, and to get closer to his subjects. ha! I'm proud of him and I will share some of my favorites that he took today. However, he will write a few words about what they experienced. (bottom)

 

beautiful Lady Gouldian Finches - native to Australia

Ronnie: It was a rainy day from start to finish. The rain was already coming down when we boarded the bus, and it never really let up. Still, we made the most of it as we drove through Cairns, getting a glimpse of the town on our way out, and then seeing entirely different areas as we returned along another route. Cairns is a modern city with a population of about 180,000 people. 

Our first stop was Kuranda Village, a touristy spot tucked into the rainforest. There were all kinds of shops to explore—books, local goods, a butterfly museum and visitor center. It would have been easy to spend more time there if the weather had cooperated, but our schedule kept us moving along.

We watched a demonstration of a didgeridoo, a long wind instrument crafted by Indigenous Australians from eucalyptus wood. It is naturally hollowed out by termites and produces a deep, resonant drone. It is considered one of the world's oldest musical instruments. It was used to call animals and also in their dances.

From there, we continued on to Rainforest Station Nature Park, where we watched an Aboriginal cultural performance. I especially enjoyed the demonstrations of boomerang and spear throwing—I even gave it a try myself and did surprisingly well!

Each dancer had an animal name given to them at birth. They are not allowed to marry someone with the same animal name. After their dance, we boarded Army Ducks for a ride through the rainforest. Although we didn’t spot any wildlife (despite the area being full of it), we were surrounded by incredibly dense, lush vegetation. This region is believed to be one of the oldest living rainforests in the world, which made it all the more fascinating—even in the pouring rain.

And one can see from the photos, the rain wasn’t just a drizzle—it was coming down hard.

 

Townsville, Australia

This morning we woke in Townsville, located in the northeastern part of Queensland, Australia. Townsville is a large city with modern amenities and a lot of natural beauty. It was founded in 1864 and quickly grew into a busy port town due to the discovery of gold in the region. Its current population is 200,000, and it is considered the gateway to the central Great Barrier Reef and Magnetic Island.

After 3 days on the new antibiotic, I actually felt like going to breakfast this morning. Ronnie was able to get another good run in off the ship this morning. Other than an uber ride to and from the music store, I’ve accomplished absolutely nothing today but hopefully I’ll be up for an excursion by tomorrow morning.  

Welcome to Townsville

Townsville Cruise Port

There are often artisans or craftspeople set up to display their wares in the terminal buildings or even on the sidewalks so that passengers can purchase souvenirs and such. This lady was pedaling a spinning wheel with her feet to turn alpaca fleece into yarn. On the table behind her were items she had made from the yarn.

 

pedaling alpaca fleece

catching an uber

banyan tree trunk

Thankfully, however, we didn’t have an excursion planned and my goal was to rest and drink lots of water. Ha! I managed to do just that except for a quick ride to and from a music store with Ronnie to get a strap for his ukulele. He is still enjoying practicing on sea days with a group of other ukulele players on the ship, usually fluctuating between 8 and 10 persons.

all colors and kinds, even electric ones (not shown)

t-shirt in music store

I wouldn't even blog today but as I've said before, this is my trip diary and it helps me keep up with where we've been. So...apologies for a boring post!