Our time in Melbourne was winding down and we planned to drive to Sydney. A number of people had asked us if we were going to do the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne to Adelaide. That drive was in a westerly direction and we needed to head east. Unfortunately, there would not be enough time. We’ve learned that to miss some things is to actually see more. Cramming too much into an itinerary only makes you forget much of what you’ve seen and miss the moments.
Our drive to Sydney started by heading to our friends home – Chez McBing. On a river cruise ten years ago, we met Tim and Bing and have kept in touch since then. They suggested we spend a night at their home in Rye. We accepted their gracious offer and started by heading to the Peninsula Hot Springs for some soothing soaking in natural hot springs. Water logged but revived after two hours, we returned to their beautiful home and mysteriously wine bottles appeared. Then the food came. It was a wonderful evening.
Shrimps on the Bar-Bee
In classic Australian style, they “threw some shrimps on the bar-bee” and they were so good. We spent the next few hours eating, drinking, laughing and going on a few short walks with the true boss of their home, Pebbles. It was such a relaxing evening and a welcome respite from hotels and restaurants.
In the morning, their hospitality continued and we were able to walk the national park. Just prior to leaving, a last tour of the wonderful works of art in their home, most of them by Bing herself, reminded us of how talented she is.
On to Philip Island and the Penguins!
There are stands set up and viewing areas that allow you to see them. The stands are set back so as not to interfere with the penguins or their activities. If you are in the area, we recommend you visit the site https://www.penguins.org.au/attractions/penguin-parade. You would also be encouraged to dress warmly and, If you can, take a blanket to put over your legs as you sit there watching the show. We did not and paid the price of being cold. The wind picks up and the temperature drops. It gets cold, but the stars of the show don’t seem to mind. They have feathers after all. Also, if you can, upgrade your tickets to grandstand seating vs general admission. We did this and were only about 20 meters away from the birds. General admission seats were more plentiful and were over 100 meters away.
As we drove on, we headed to Cowes, a small resort town that would likely be unremarkable except for one thing. It is the gateway to Philip Island and Parade of the Penguins. Every night, about 1,400 – 2,000 of these adorable animals comes ashore just after sunset. A group of penguins is called a ‘raft’. These rafts of 50 – 100, more or less, come back to shore to rest, feed their young and mate. There is safety in numbers which is why they ‘raft’.
How Penguins Come Ashore
Stock photo of penguins coming ashore (no cameras are allowed)
About 30-minutes before sunset, the penguins, still underwater, approach land and start calling out to each other. They form a critical mass, or raft, and then start swimming around together. Then, when one of them decides, they all break for the shore and check it out. Sometimes, someone disagrees and they all go back into the ocean. Other times they all make a break for the shore, waddle across the sand and into their dens. Still, other times most will go back into the ocean and a few will make for the dens or vice versa. They are so cute waddling as a group.
There are raised walkways over the dunes that allow you to be close to the birds, but not block their passage. You can see their dens and where they go. Being that close to nature is inspiring. At the end of our visit, around 9:30 PM, we looked up and had our first view of the Southern Cross.
Cowes to Wilsons Promontory
Squeaky Beach – sun, sand and ocean – a great combo
Australia has many national parks and Wilsons Promontory is one of the larger ones. We spent most of the day there, enjoying the pristine beaches, walks and views. In short, it was beautiful. We headed to Squeaky Beach, although we were not sure why it was called that, but the interesting name drew us in. It turns out it is called Squeaky Beach because the sand squeaks underfoot as you walk on it.
The sea had lovely colour, the sun shone through the brushy trees and the temperature was pleasant. It is early enough in the spring that the crowds were not oppressive although convenient parking was still hard to come by.
During our travels in the park, we spotted our first emu. This fellow was at the side of the road, minding his (her) own business and then wandered back into the woods.
Raymond Island – Koala Bears!
The locals on Raymond Island
Our next day we headed to Nicholson. We decided to stop at Raymond Island to see if we could spot any koala bears. All over Australia, we had seen road crossing signs for koalas, kangaroos, wombats and other animals. Honestly, I think these signs are warning signs for the animals to stay away. We had not seen any. Unfortunately, we had seen a number of kangaroos on the side of the road, victims of car strikes.
In 1953, when koala bears were very endangered, researchers introduced 25 of them to Raymond Island. There were a lot of eucalyptus (gum) trees on the island and no predators. The plan worked and the bears are thriving. There is a free passenger ferry to the island (cars have to pay) that takes about five minutes. Once there, we wandered around the island, spotting no fewer than 16 of the furry little guys.
Driving on to Sydney
The next two days we spent stopping at various beaches, historic sites, lighthouses and other places of interest. Our schedule had us driving a few hours each day to allow for stops of interest. Anything that caught our fancy. From roadside bakeries, to walks in the woods. It was a lot of fun. One thing we found, and both really liked, was-new-to us birds.
A Superb Fairy Wren (not just a normal one!)
We were fortunate enough to see a stunning tiny blue bird, about the size of a sparrow. It turned out to be a “Superb Fairy-Wren”. Not just a “fairy-wren”, but a superb one! There were cockatoo’s and so many others. The sounds they make are foreign to us, but captivating and we enjoyed searching for them as we wandered the woods, shores and neighbourhoods of Australia.
Leaving the mainland for Tassie
Our drive was now complete and arriving in Sydney, we hopped a flight to Tasmania for a week of exploring the remote part of Australia.
Thanks for reading,
Cam and Meg
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” – Saint Augustine
Brisbane is 1,500 km from Cairns and flying was the logical way to go. Virgin Australia did a fine job of getting us from A to B. There was also the drive option between the two cities. It is supposed to be an amazing drive, but time, as always, is an issue. Arriving in our second major city, we were impressed with the transportation from the airport to town.
We were able to check into our downtown hotel due to Meg’s elite status with the Mariott chain. Uber worked well and once in our room, we headed out for lunch and our first tour. I had reserved a tour of the Brisbane City Hall clock tower. https://www.museumofbrisbane.com.au/whats-on/clock-tower-tours/ This free tour runs every 15-minutes and has a capacity of only seven. It takes you up the 95-year-old tower, in an old freight elevator. As we went up, we learned the history of the building and were treated to some amazing views.
Walking Tour
Brisbane is a major city with tons of things to see and do. The problem, for us, was we were only spending one day there. To learn as much as possible, we opted for a walking tour. The city has ‘greeters’ who will take you on a free walking tour https://www.351k.bookeo.com/bookeo/b_brisbanegreeters_start.html?ctlsrc2=rWOPDlUpc%2B4ExZdzbqwRwfCKlc6JZ9zGaAIosdvaPbo%3D&src=02nthat hits a number of highlights depending on the tour. Our guide was Tina, a long-time resident who was charming and knowledgeable.
Fairy doors – a nice touch to introduce happiness
Seeing arcades, Australian for covered street shopping centres, cozy streets and bustling squares, we took in as much as we could. Tina then took us to the top of the Star building where we had a splendid view of the city at sunset. As Tina told us about Brisbane’s Expo in 1988, she mentioned that she was excited to have had her picture taken with a real Mountie back in 1988. She was even more excited to learn that I had been a Mountie. To thank her for her time, I gave her an RCMP Challenge coin which made her day.
Brisbane’s Broad Transit System
On our tour the previous day, we learned that taking transit in Brisbane cost $0.50 AUD. That’s all. If you transfer, within a specific time, it costs nothing more. It doesn’t matter how far you travel. Two stops or 40 kilometers. In addition to trains and buses, there is an extensive network of ferry boats. To get a view of the city from the water, we ventured onto a commuter ferry and spent close to two hours on the water, going almost to the ocean. In reality, we could have done with half that time, it did drag a bit in the end.
On to the Gold Coast
We left Brisbane and picked up our rental car to drive to the Gold Coast. As it was a Saturday, the drive was slow. Once we arrived at our apartment, we were greeted by yet another warm welcome from the host, Gary, the complex manager. He also told us he could take us up Q1 tower, the largest building in the area. As we went up the elevator, which climbed 68 stories in 20 seconds, we were impressed by the speed and efficiency. Gary walked us around the observation deck, pointing out things that we may want to do over the next few days. Since the view was so good, we decided to linger a bit and enjoy an adult beverage.
Skipping the Beach for the Woods
Cooling off in a waterfall pond around Tamborine Mountain
Our first full day in the Gold Coast was to be high UV and high temperature. We decided that baking on the sand was not the smartest thing to do so we headed for the hills. Gary had provided a number of places to go around the Tambourine Mountain area and we enjoyed exploring them. The Curtis Falls track, along with Witches Falls Circuit provided both wonderful walks as well as refreshing swimming holes. There were a number of people using the swimming areas and I managed to climb a set of rocks to jump into the pool. It was awesome. Being up the mountain, the temperatures were a bit cooler and the breeze helped.
In the evening, we wandered around the town and had a great dinner on the barbecue at our lodging. There is something about outdoor cooking that just relaxes us. Facing our next day, we decided to go back to Witches Falls as it was so nice. We were hoping it would not be as busy as it was Monday and we were rewarded. First of all, we were able to find parking at the falls, vs walking down 300 meters from the overpark as we did the day before. The fewer cars meant fewer people and it was great just lounging in the sun, cooling off in the water and repeating.
On to Melbourne
We left the Gold Coast, its stunning beaches and warm temperatures and headed south for Melbourne. As Canadians, when we think of heading south, it often means the warmer weather of Mexico. As Australia is south of the equator, going south makes things cooler.
Our flight to Melbourn was fine and, after arriving at our hotel, we went out to explore the city. It has a first-rate food scene and we were keen to try it out. Our first evening we tried a gourmet pizza place that made an amazing burrata salad. The cheese was fresh and so good.
Walking Tour and Boat Tour
On our second day, we took a walking tour but it somehow missed the mark and we bailed about half way through. We created our own tour from an app we use called GPSMYCITY. If you have never tried this app when travelling, I would recommend you take a look at it before your next trip. Then, later that afternoon, we took a boat ride up and down the river with some friends.
Sailing under the Queen’s Bridge on our river cruise
About ten years ago, we took a river cruise in Cambodia and Vietnam along the Mekong River. On that cruise, we met a couple from Melbourne who were about our age. Meg and Bing have kept in touch since then and we had planned to meet up with them. Bing suggested the boat tour and it seemed like a great idea. Meeting up with them, just prior to the boat ride, we carried on talking as if the river cruise of ten years ago had ended yesterday.
Melbourne from the river is beautiful and when we return, we will look to stay outside of the downtown or CBD. As the boat ride ended, we said farewell to Tim and Bing, until the weekend, and started wandering down the walkway. We were not on our own for too long as ten-minutes later we bumped into our friends Sue and Jerry. Imagine people from home, 10,000km away, in the same town of 5,000,000 people, on the same street. Swapping notes on what to see, we said ciao to them until tomorrow.
Wine Tour – Yarra Valley
Another successful wine tour!
Before we left Canada, we arranged a wine tour of the Yarra Valley. Some of our options included spending a few nights in the area so we could visit a number of wineries or day tours. In the end, a day tour made the most sense and fortunately for us, we could meet up with Sue and Jerry to do the tour. On our small tour of only 11 people, we toured three wineries, met the owners of each, sampled chocolates at a factory and had a great lunch. Not worrying about my wine consumption was relaxing and I took full advantage of sampling many varieties.
Having toured wineries in Canada, the US, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and now Australia, I can honestly say there are not many wineries that I have not liked. All of the wineries we visited were delightful. The wines were of good quality, of course the best are usually not sampled due to costs. At the end of our tour, we had the good fortune to be allowed to sample the estate’s premium wine. Wow. What a difference between a $20 bottle vs a $65 bottle. We almost had to revive our friend Jerry as he said he thought he had died and gone to heaven!
The Street Food Scene – Hardware Lane
Hardware Lane with its many, many eateries.
When we returned to Melbourne, we headed out to sample some street food. Hardware Street, a foodie’s paradise, answered the call. The decision was where to eat. For such a haute cuisine area, the prices were very reasonable and we enjoyed our time there.
Thanks for reading,
Travel while you can. Your money will return. Your time won’t.
Flying from Tokyo to Cairns seemed the easiest and quickest way to cover that much distance. Since we wanted to see a lot of Australia, we decided to start at one end of the country and work our way to the other. Cairns, being the closest to Tokyo was a natural starting point.
Unfortunately, the only direct flight was an overnighter – :(
We elected to do this, despite the hardships on the body, as it would save over six hours of transfers at other airports in Australia.
Clearing Australian Customs
Once we arrived, at 4:30 AM (3:30 AM to our bodies), there was customs, immigration and bio-security. The Australian government wants to ensure foreign substances are not introduced into their country. When we cleared all the formalities, we hailed a taxi and went to our hotel/apartment. Our unit, a one-bedroom apartment in a complex with a swimming pool, was across from the police station and it seemed a bit sketchy. There were homeless people and litter in many places. Arriving at 6:30AM, we went straight to bed.
At lunch time, we started exploring by going to the local grocery store for lunch fix’ns. In addition to being very hot, +33C, there was the extreme strength of the sun to worry about. Fortunately, above the sidewalks, they build a number of overhangs that block the sun. We dodged in and out of them, as did many locals, being sun smart just makes sense. The rest of our day was spent quietly, getting ready for our Barrier Reef tour the next day.
The Great Barrier Reef
Before leaving Canada, we had booked a Great Barrier Reef tour on a sail boat. The idea of sailing, vs. engines was appealing to us. Checking in at the boat, we noticed it was small but perfect for what we hoped to do. The Captain took us out, under power for two hours to a small reef area by Green Island. There we donned our Lycra ‘stinger suits’ in case any jelly fish were about. No jellies had been seen but the suit also doubled up as a sun block. Being fully dressed in a tight black suit made us all look like divers. It also showed every bump, but hey, we were all in the same boat (or suit)! The ship provided masks, fins et al and once anchored, we were in the water.
Some of the locals swimming with us on the Great Barrier Reef.
My underwater camera was put to the test as I took photos of almost everything. Unfortunately, most of them were off centre and ended up being deleted. The onboard dive master provided a great narrative about the reef and how it is not dying, but regenerating. There were a lot of fish about as well as coral, however the colours were not what we had hoped for. Once we had been in the water for an hour, despite the +32 air and warm water, we were both starting to get cold, so back to the boat.
Green Island
When we had been out of the water for 15 minutes, lying in the sun in our black suits, we were ready for the water again. This time we headed off on our own, but in close proximity to the boat. When the snorkeling was over, a full lunch was ready, then it was off to Green Island for a walk around. Originally, we looked at spending a night on Green Island. The hour we spent as part of this tour was more than enough. We managed to walk around the entire island, see turtles as well as birds. Back on the boat, we headed back to Cairns, both sails up, but also under full power due to low winds.
Returning to Cairns
Drinking wine on a sailboat on the Great Barrier Reef…not a bad day!
On our return, we had a glass of crisp, cold Australian white wine, with cheese and crackers, while sitting on a sailboat, on the Great Barrier Reef. Light breezes blowing to keep us cool. How could it get much better? Doing it with your best friend made it even more enchanting. Yes, the tour was very enjoyable, primarily due to the size of the vessel. The maximum guest number is 25. On our tour, there were only 17 people, so there was a lot of room to spread out.
Once ashore, we headed to our apartment and had dinner, with prosecco, always a nice addition to dinner! When shopping for wine, the staff told us how high taxes were on alcohol. That was for spirits and beer but not so much for local wine. The prosecco we bought was $5 Aussie dollars. Before I purchased it, I did a quick check on my wine app and it received decent ratings. Of course, the most important rating was our opinion and it passed! $5 for a full bottle of decent prosecco…I think I could live in Cairns!
Exploring the Country Side
A Swagman from the Outback – living history
The next day, we rented a car for a day, with the plan to head to the Daintree Rain Forest. That didn’t quite work out. When picking up the car, the staff employee told us we were welcome to go there but it was 2 ½ hours each way to the park and then some driving around. She recommended a “waterfall” route, that was about four hours of driving, but very scenic, including some ‘swimming holes’. Given the temperature, +32C, we chose the latter.
The route was very scenic and reminded us of driving in Hawaii or Caribbean islands. We made a number of photo stops in the morning before stopping for lunch in a small classic Queensland outpost town.
Finding Water Holes to Swim in
Then we found our first waterfall/swimming hole. It was all you could ask for. A 100’ waterfall, cascading straight down, into a beautiful lagoon. Given the topography, you could walk behind the waterfall and listen to the water crashing down. It was very refreshing and what we liked the most, in addition to how beautiful it was, was the non-overcrowding.
Me behind my personal 100′ waterfall – simply amazing!
We had seen similar places in Bali, but you were jammed in with 1,000’s of others. Here, there were maybe 40 people. At times tour buses came, but they only made a whistle stop for photos, no swimming. I counted four people in the water when we arrived. I would go back here in a heartbeat.
Returning to Cairns, we organized ourselves for our flight the next day and relaxed, looking at our photos from the day. Renting a car gave us so much freedom and Meg is an amazing navigator. Of course, these days, Google maps will get you to where you are going. No more trying to navigate with a 1” paper map of a city that has two roads on it. The information screen in our rental car was bigger than many maps we used back in the day. Having a great data package also helps.
Thanks for reading,
We travel not to go anywhere, but to go. We travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move. – Robert Louis Stevenson
We visited DisneySea Tokyo and had a blast. It was our third time to this park. Even though we are not able to understand many of the characters as they speak Japanese, the magic is the same.
The park opens at 9AM and they say to get there early. We chose to arrive at 9AM and there were hoards in front of us, but as we entered, there were hoards behind us. Everyone was, for the most part, polite except one person on the subway.
As we left the subway to head to Disney, a short man started aggressively pushing Meg and trying to get in front of her. I was behind her and oblivious to this at first. Once I noticed him shoving to get in front, I put my arm between him and Meg. He turned toward me and, as the Friendly Giant would say “look up, way up”. Then, for some reason only he will know, he tried to push in front of me. Another one of his not-so-good ideas. I pushed my arm out and he disappeared behind us. Meg thanked me for that. There are idiots everywhere.
Soaring Fantastic Flight – We’ve Seen Almost All of the Sights!
Once inside the park, we headed toward Soaring Fantastic Flight. As we arrived, it was a 150-minute wait. So we decided to pay the premium and get fast access for ¥2,000 each. The ride, in which you strapped into a chair that “flies”, took us over many of the world’s most famous landmarks. Taj Mahal, Sydney Opera house, the plains of the Serengeti, Mad King Ludwig’s Castle in Barvaria, Canadian glaciers and polar bears, The Great Wall of China, Tokyo and ended by landing at Disney. Along the way there were wind gusts and smells. It was really well done and lasted about five minutes.
Rapunzel and her partner in a boat
From there, we headed over to Rapunzel’s castle. We saw her in the top of the castle, singing but she was not letting down her hair! Again, we chose to fork out for a quick access but this ride left us underwhelmed. Then we waited, like common folk, for 100-minutes to ride the Peter Pan ride. This was by far the best Disney ride either of us has ever been on.
Peter Pan – a Classic in 3-D
Outside the Never Land Ride
You board a “boat” and, wearing 3-D glasses, are immersed in the novel, Peter Pan. Peter fights Hook in a dueling sword battle (spoiler alert Peter wins). Tinker Bell spreads pixie dust you can almost feel. The Lost boys are “found” and in the end, all the children return home to London where Nana is waiting for them. You get to see 3-D London at the end of the Industrial Revolution, Never Land with its mountains and crystal-clear water. Of course, in the end Hook is chased by the croc! We liked this so much, we lined up again for 70-minutes later in the day.
Breaking for a light snack, we were back at it, heading to the Tower or Terror. Poor Harrison Hightower III, disappeared in this New York building after discovering a scared relic from some jungle. In the pre-ride, there is Harrison talking with the relic by his side. Lightning strikes and Harrison changes, shrinks and then disappears. The relic smiles and with a bang it too disappears. To make it entertaining, there was spectacular lighting and sound.
Of course, the idea was for us to find Harrison, so we followed his footsteps and got into the elevator where he was last seen. Strapped in, we were whisked to the top, but not without some blackouts, huge drops and shakes. At the top, there was an open window where we could see outside Tokyo before we plunged again into darkness. Alas, we did not find Harrison, but we had some good laughs.
The Quiet Rides Were very Noltsalgic
With many long lines, we started to aim for shorter lines. Sinbad’s adventure was a cross between “It’s a Small World” and Pirates of the Caribbean, but with an Arabian twist. Aquatopia had us in open air saucers that travelled around a water park. Captain Nemo’s 20,000 Leagues under the Sea was a take on the 1954 movie. In our submarine we saw numerous deep-sea creatures. Of note, this ride was shut down in 1994 in the US so this may be the only place to see it.
Poor Harrison…he didn’t know the Idol would be his end….
It was nearing the end of our day and as we headed out, Meg noticed a sign on the Raging Spirits roller coaster. The line was estimated to be 90-minutes, but there was a single rider lane. In this lane, you basically wait until they have one empty seat and then you go. You don’t ride with your party, but with strangers. We decided to try it and it took 22-minutes to get us both through. For the record, this was Cam’s first 360-degree loop roller coaster. It was short but a blast.
Meg strapped in for a 360 loop
We left upbeat and happy. While the Indiana Jones ride was closed for maintenance, there was scaffolding everywhere, it was still a good day. The closure of the Indy ride obviously meant there were more people not in that line and in the other lines. Disney does a good job of handling lines and staff are always smiling. One thing we noticed from our last visits is the costumes. We were in the very small minority of people not wearing Disney hats, ears or full out costumes.
We Are Planning Our Next Trip to Disney!
On our next visit, one thing we will do differently is to buy our tickets closer to the day. Of course you need to watch they don’t sell out, but that will ensure we know what rides are closed. Also, the weather plays a big factor and if you can go when it is lightly raining, the lines are a lot shorter. Being from the west coast of British Columbia, rain is a fact of life and we know we will not melt.
Thanks for reading. Have you ever been to Disney, either as a child, an adult or a parent with kids in tow? Feel free to share any Disney tips you may have.
A Quote From Disney…It Rings True in Every Sense
“The things that make me different are the things that make me.” – Piglet from Winnie the Pooh
We arrived alongside at 7AM and it looked as if we were a long way from downtown. Shuttles had been arranged and were first come, first serve until 8AM, after which time you would need a ticket. Let’s face it, most people on vacation want to sleep in. However….at 7:15AM the Captain came on the loudspeaker and dropped a bombshell.
A weather map of the typhoon with 160 km/hr winds
Super cyclone Halong, off the coast of Japan, was tracking towards Tokyo. Its projected path would be right along the ship’s route to get to Yokohama. The Ship’s Officers, in consultation with Royal Caribbean’s (RCL) head office, made the decision to extend the cruise by two days. This would let the storm pass and make it safer for the ship. There is a full write up at Cruise Hive
These two sea days would bring the ship into Yokohama on Saturday, October 11th, vs the planned arrival of Thursday October 9th. RCL would cover some change fees for flights and offered to extend beverage packages for a price (no freebies here!). Unfortunately, we had tickets for Expo 2025 in Osaka on Friday October 10th. The tickets are not changeable. Our travel from Yokohama to Osaka for the 9th and additional tickets for Osaka to Kagoshima on Kyushu Island on the 11th were also non-refundable.
We considered what to do and decided to leave the ship in Hakodate. We made a hotel reservation for one night in Hakodate, booked Shinkansen tickets to Yokohama for the next day and found a hotel for one night in Yokohama. Had it not been for Expo, we likely would have opted to stay on the ship. There were many people who had flights home the day we were scheduled to arrive as well as other plans. In all, around 500 people, out of 3,900, departed early.
Of course, most passengers stayed on including 100’s who were doing a back-to-back cruises ending in Singapore. That next cruise will now be two days shorter as the next cruise will obviously not start until this cruise arrives. It must be a huge logistical challenge for the ship. We had noted they were running low on fresh fruit and veggies as the cruise carried on. Portions were getting smaller every day – with some strange substitutions for ingredients they’d run out of.
Making our Escape from the Ship
Leaving the ship was easy, although time consuming. Our hotel, the Toyku-Stay Hakodate, had an onsen and was well located. The bed was comfortable and although the room was small, it was functional. We wandered around town for a few hours in the afternoon once all the cruise ship passengers had left and it was very peaceful. Dinner was a quiet meal followed by the onsen which was spectacular.
It was on the 18th floor and there was an open-air portion, providing a sweeping view of the ocean complete with a full moon shining down. It was a great way to relax before heading to bed.
Day 1 of Interruption or Day one of our land based tour?
Once we got up and updated our families on the changes, we headed over to the train station to catch the train to Yokohama. The first part was on a local train and then a transfer to Shin-Hakodate, where the Shinkansen (bullet train) left from. Being Japan, we expected all the trains to be on time, but one was about five minutes late – shocking. It also meant we needed to move quickly, not run but not dawdle at the next station, which was Omiya, to catch our third of four trains.
Checking into the Hyatt
Sunset in Yokohama – not a stormy sky line…
We arrived at our hotel at 4:30PM, it had been a seven hour day, but it did not seem as long as flying would have been. Our hotel tonight was the Hyatt in Yokohama, there was a shortage of hotel rooms in Yokohama as up to 4,000 cruise passengers for the next cruise needed extra rooms on short notice! We were very glad to come to this brand tonight, a large room with very comfortable beds.
The hotel is only 200 metres from the water, so a sunset stroll helped us shake off the time spent sitting on the train. The sky was a lovely colour, there were very few clouds and the water was calm. Unless I had seen a weather map, I would not have believed there was a typhoon out there.
Having Local Knowledge is Helpful
There is no way we would have tried to pull this off if we had not been to Japan before. Understanding the trains, the culture et al was the key to us having the confidence to leave our cruise ship on our own and make this work. The bulk of the credit for making it work is my bride of almost 38 years. She pulled pretty much everything together and did a great job. I had a key role too, it all went on my credit card!
Thanks for reading, feel free to share any trip interruption you may have had. We’d love to hear about what happened and how you got around it.
Remember, attitude is the difference between adventure and ordeal!
Most people tend to focus on ‘events’ that are highlights to them. In reality, there is something that happens between the weddings, funerals, feature vacations, concerts and other ‘cool’ things. It is called ‘the rest of your life’.
This July we’ve done things that, while not spectacular on their own, are still amazing. Each event showcases just how special Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia and Canada are.
The Yukon!
We spent a week up north, exploring the wilds of Canada. Big spaces and big places. There’s a full write up on our trip in a previous post.
Oak Bay Farmers Market
A lot of people will gravitate towards a farmers’ market. We are squarely in that group. During the summer months, the City of Oak Bay shuts down Oak Bay Ave for about four blocks on the second Wednesday of each month. A farmers’ market is held, but it is really a ‘local vendors’ market. Many of those selling are the same merchants at other local markets, but there are some who are unique to this one.
You can find Charcuterie boards like this at the market!
The usual selection of offerings is available. Bakery goods, fresh veggies, arts and crafts as well as food and drinks. A number of restaurants set up ‘meals to go’ as well as small samples of their specialties. There are also food trucks which, for some reason unknown to me, have huge lines of people waiting to get their ‘not so fast-food’ – fast-food fix. Then there are drinks.
Along with some coffee and tea merchants, there are multiple distilleries, cideries, breweries and liquor stores offering samples of adult drinks. On our first visit to the market, about half way through, we both cut ourselves off due to the number of samples we had. Our next visit we were much more strategic.
We were glad to sample the breweries wares. All were local and, despite both of us being so passionate about craft beer, we were left underwhelmed by most of the selections. That’s not to say they were not good; they were just not to our likings. In the end, the tried-and-true winner was Spinnakers, one of Canada’s oldest craft breweries. I’ve been going there since 1983 and the ESB, which is an original from the day it opened, is still my favourite.
Baseball
The boys of summer and the crack of the bat. Victoria has an “A” level ball team, the Harbour Cats. We decided to take in an evening game on a sunny night. The play, while obviously not at the major league level, was a good diversion from everyday life. One added bonus of the game we went to, the Snowbirds were doing a mini show over Victoria and we could see them as they flew by. Watching their precision flying, with the wings as close as 2 meters to each other, never gets old. The ball game was a bit of a downer, the ’Cats lost 13 – 4, although we saw a couple of home runs, a double play and some diving catches.
Owls in the park
The park close to our house has many old trees. In the park, in spring and early summer, there are families of owls. We’ve seen two parents and this year, there were three owlets. On most nights we headed over to the park, with many other people to watch the owlets. As they quickly grew, from fluff balls to little owls, they gained confidence. However there was learning and supervision taking place.
Two of the owlets in Ross Bay Cemetery.
One evening, a Coopers Hawk swooped in and took a run at an owlet. In the wild, it’s every bird for themselves. The owlet took off and out of nowhere an adult owl dove down towards the Coopers Hawk. The hawk immediately broke off the attack and took off. The parents, whom we had not seen, were obviously watching.
As the owlets grew, they were also learning to hunt. One night, we saw an owlet dive down and attack a pine cone. He missed on his swoop down and landed on the ground about one foot away from the pine cone. Being “cool”, he hopped on over to the pine cone and jumped on it. He was so cute as he looked proudly at the non moving pine cone he had caught.
The Lieutenant Governors House
Government House is the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia and the ceremonial home of all British Columbians. The Lieutenant Governor, or ‘LG’ for short, is the King’s representative in British Columbia. They are appointed by the Government of the day, normally for a five-year term. I met the last LG, Janet Austin, when she attended HMCS MALAHAT for my change of Command.
We took a tour of Government House this summer. It is an impressive building, steeped in history. There are many pictures of those who have stayed here. Queen Elizabeth and other members of the Royal Family have visited and stayed.
There is a lot of art, with an emphasis on Indigenous artwork. The stained-glass window, as you head up to the second floor is amazing.
Concerts on the lawn
One of the many concerts we saw in July
Courtesy of the LG. Every summer, at Government House, they host a few free concerts on the lawn. There is a permanent bandstand there and two groups will play. The night we went, The Ravens opened up for the Sutcliffs. The Ravens were a folk-y type group who had one song in particular that resonated with me. I have not been able to find the lyrics online, however the theme mentioned our heroes. The hero’s they referenced were Canadian heroes. In particular they noted
‘we found our heroes on the Plains of Abraham,
marching in as we freed the Netherlands
and in the deserts of Afghanistan”
They then mentioned the ‘Patricia’s’, which referenced Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry or the PPCLI. That is the Regiment our youngest serves in. To me, it was a moving song.
The Arts
When we relocated to Victoria, one of reasons was to take advantage of the arts. There are so many small theater companies in town, it is hard to keep track. In July we saw two plays.
The first was by the Victoria Shakespeare company. Each summer they do one of the Bard’s plays at an open-air venue. This year it was on the lawn of Craigdarroch Castle and the play was Romeo and Juliett. I can’t say I am all that keen on tweaking his plays. They’ve survived for centuries. The number of quotes Western society uses in everyday language that come from him is likely only second to the Bible. So why mess with something that works so well?
This summer’s version featured an almost all female cast, even Romeo was a female. She was by far the best actor among the Troope. While we were not enamoured with the Director’s version, it was only a 15-minute walk from our home. Spoiler alert – they both die at the end of the play.
A new take on Jane Austen
The second play we saw was Yes and Yesteryear. This was not actually a play but an improv on Jane Austin. As improv goes, no one knows what will happen when they start and every performance is different.
Yes and Yesteryear’s cast in period costume from Jane Austen’s day.
This play was held at Carr house, the home that Emily Carr grew up in. It is located in James Bay, a district in Victoria, about a 10-minute drive from our home. On the front lawn of Carr house, were about 50 chairs. We were treated to a cucumber sandwich, naturally the crusts were cut off. A glass of refreshing lemonade was provided to wash it down. The Troope was hilarious. They were dressed in period costume from Ms. Austin’s day. Prim and proper were their manners. Societal class was important.
To kick it off, the Front of House asked the audience for a letter, any letter. “F” was tossed out. Then two words were sought out which started with “F” that would have been used in Jane Austin’s day. Fidelity and Flirtatious were the words. The Troope then worked out a Fidelity club to avoid being Flirtatious. At times, some of the actors “set-up” others, much to the delight of the audience. We were howling at times.
Observatory
The Dominion Observatory is located in Saanich, the community next to Victoria and about 25 minutes from our home. Every so often they open the observatory up to the public and you can see what the big telescope sees. There are also members of the Victoria Astronomical Society there with their own personal telescopes pointed at the moon, Mars and other celestial objects.
To provide even more insight to the cosmos, there is a mini planetarium and the volunteers put on shows about the heavens. We headed up there one evening to see great city views (the observatory is obviously up high) and learn about the stars. As it was early July, we were limited in what we could see as sunset was almost 9:30 PM. We hope to go back in the fall or winter when the nights are longer.
Painting
Some rooms in our home, well, all the rooms actually, need to be painted. We had the outside done last year and it was time for the inside. Focusing on the kitchen and bathroom, two coats of primer and two coats of paint turned both rooms into bright and airy.
Yoga in the park
Yoga in the park, with an ocean background. Very Zen!
The ocean is your studio! The City of Oak Bay puts on free yoga in the park weekly during the summer. The event is packed, likely 250+ people, all on mats following a fairly easy hatha themed yoga class. Willows beach park overlooks Cadboro Bay and you can see all sorts of marine activity. Just remember to get there a bit early and place your mat out of the sun, or wear sunscreen.
British Columbia is blessed with so much nature and beauty. Vancouver Island is one of the gems in BC. It’s been a few years since we were camping, but we decided it was time to get back to nature.
Camping
A few days before we headed out, we assembled the various things we needed to take to be successful campers. We headed out to Englishman River Falls Provincial Park. We had camped here once before, in 1993 with a one-year-old in our old tent trailer.
The drive took a lot longer than we thought it would. Leaving at 11:00, with a short lunch stop at the top of the Malahat drive and a quick dash into Costco, we arrived at 3PM. It took 45 minutes to set up our campground. Pitching the tent, making the beds and squaring things off. After a quick break to re-group, we explored the area, scouting out hikes for the next few days.
During our time at Englishman River Falls, we hiked both the upper and lower falls at Englishman River. We headed over to the Errington Market on Saturday morning for the weekly farmer’s market. The baked goods that were being offered were no match to our will power. Or maybe that was ‘won’t’ power 😉 I caved in and bought some s’mores cookies. They were awesome. I did show enough will power to only eat one and save one for desert that night. Meg bought a delicious scone.
More markets
Venturing into Coombs, we spent some time at the Goats on the Roof market. Getting some of the fresh veggies for the next few days as well as some artesian cheeses to go with the breads we had.
On another day we headed to Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park and walked around the trails there. The campground at this park seemed much more inviting than Englishman River Falls. The services were the same, but the feel was a lot nicer.
Camping turns into Glamping!
After three days camping, we headed out for our reward. Breaking camp, we headed to Parksville where we checked into an ocean front resort for a day. We really had not slept well during the previous three nights. There was a lot of noise from other campers as well as cold evenings. The resort was welcomed for a warm night, clean showers and comfortable bed.
Walking the low tide beach at Parksville is always a treat. On our way back to the resort, we managed to find some ripe blackberries and filled a small container. They made an outstanding breakfast treat!
We headed over to Rathtrevor Provincial Park for our next three nights of camping. This campground was more in line with what we expected from a Provincial Park. It also helped that the weather was warmer. We learned from our last time setting up camp and were able to be fully set up in under 40 minutes. It was a short walk to the beach and, over the next three days, we spent a lot of time at the beach.
Desert at the beach
A special treat for the beach (or any time) – so Canadian!
One special treat we found was maple cream liquor. Meg noticed it at the liquor store and we asked about it. The staff told us it was very good. They described it as a Canadian version of the famous Irish cream liquor that so many people know. Sipping on this at the beach, at sunset, left us wondering what else could make life better?
During our time at the beach, there were sunrises, sunsets and simply sitting in a chair watching the tide come in or go out. It is a great place to read a book (or type your blog!).
July came to an end with us spending our last night camping at Rathtrevor Provincial Park. Some great meals, and being with nature our some of our happy places.
And, the rest of our lives…
All of the above were what we feel were our highlights from July. We haven’t mentioned our day-to-day living. Regular walks along the Victoria breakwater. Multiple gym classes. Trip planning – a lot of time is going into planning for the fall adventure. House hunting: we’ve been to more than 30 open houses. Our Realtor has shown us another 10 or so. Pouring over listing is time consuming.
July has been a good month.
August is shaping up to be another good month. While there are no big trips planned yet, there will be day trips, bike adventures, paddle boarding and other activities to keep us amused, young and engaged.
Thanks for reading, feel free to share any things you did in July to make your time special. We’d love to hear about what you did and get some ideas for future activities.
This summer, we headed to the Yukon for the first time. Our cousin, Arthur, had visited us twice when we made a cruise ship stop in Skagway. Each time he drove for 1 ½ hours each way and showed us the sights on both sides of the border. It was time we visited him.
After deciding to head up to the Yukon, our next decision was how to get there. It’s not exactly close. It would be about 30 hours driving time including the ferry. A flight would take about 2 ½ hours. As we were looking at our options, Air North, the flag carrier of the Yukon, had a special. We could fly directly from Victoria to Whitehorse for a great price – sold!
A bit of a hiccup with our rental car…
When we arrived at Whitehorse airport and picked up our rental car it turned out to cost a lot more than we were expecting. There was VERY SMALL print that said the quoted rate was in US dollars. How is that possible? This is a Canadian company, operating in a Canadian airport. There weren’t really many options at 7:30 PM the night before the July 1st stat holiday so we took it. The other fine print also had us getting only 200km/day (note:Canadian kilometers, not US miles); 1,200 km in total. Ouch.
It was a short drive to Arthur’s – the town is not very big by our standards. He was expecting us with Traeger wings and cold beverages.
July 1st – Canada Day
The rickety suspension bridge – it’s a lot of fun to cross!
The next morning, July 1st, we were treated to a scrumptious breakfast of eggs, fresh rye bread and the most delicious back bacon I have ever had. It was homemade on his smoker, and I am hopeful to get the recipe. Once we were done eating, we headed out to explore the sites.
Starting with Miles Canyon, a geological wonder where the Yukon River flows through high basalt walls. The river flows so fast in the canyon, it does not freeze in winter, even at -30C! The suspension bridge that joins the two sides is similar to the ones you would see in the movies. It “swings” a bit and is a bit rickety, making the experience all the more enjoyable. The trails are well groomed and we travelled up and down a few of them.
Heading into town, we saw many more sites and learned about the history of the town. Arthur’s been there since 1988, long before tourism et al, and has seen a lot of changes. There was an air of festivity in the town and families were taking advantage of the Canada Day activities. After lunch we headed back to his place and explored his 3 ½ acre property. That evening we had a great steak barbeque with all the fixings. Meeting two of his four children was great, they were keen to help out with dinner.
July 2nd – Off to Dawson City
Robert Service’s cabin – he wrote some of his poems in this house
Dawson City – gateway to the gold fields. Gold was discovered in 1896. It was actually discovered well before then by the Indigenous people, but they had no use for it.
The drive to Dawson City was 535 km on a paved road – other than a few sections that were under construction. It took just over six hours and had amazing scenery. Making a few stops for snacks and to admire the views, while reading historical markers, broke up the long drive. Our hotel was the Holland America Dawson City Hotel, and it was a great hotel. The front façade was done up in the gold rush style. There were wooden boardwalks in front of it, and all buildings. Our room, on the second floor, was quite nice with a mini fridge and kettle.
Gerties wing at our hotel in Dawson – the rooms are modern. The outside is made to look like the gold rush days
Once we were settled in, we went out to explore and learn about the gold rush. In 1896, Skookum Joe and his partners found gold and they gathered up a lot of it. They had struck it rich. The gold was taken down to San Francisco. Of course, word of ‘gold’ sparked a stampede and by 1898 the population of Dawson City grew from 250 to 40,000. It was the largest town north of San Francisco. The newspapers of the day reported you could just walk down the street and pick up gold nuggets, no mining was needed. There’s a sucker born every minute.
Some of the challenges of the Yukon
Panning for gold was hard work that could only be done with one hand. The other hand was busy swatting mosquitos. Tents were pitched all through the city and up the hill. Dysentery, typhoid and other nasty things were prevalent. It wasn’t all sunshine.
Then you had the weather. The town was isolated for eight months of the year. The river froze up, the snow came and it was dark for 24 hours. Of course it was light for 24 hours in the summer. Very few people made it rich. While the first shipment of gold was heading down to San Francisco, the locals were staking claims to the rivers around the initial find. By the time the outside hopefuls arrived, there were no more claims to be had. Those who came up ended up working for merchants. The entrepreneurial opened up shops with the vocational skills they brought with them such as blacksmithing, baking, etc.
Panning for gold – unfortunately we did not strike it rich.
At the end of the gold rush, it is estimated only about 20 people actually made it rich. Some of the most successful, other than the few who had good claims, were those who mined miner’s pockets. Every miner needed supplies. If you could get the goods to Dawson City, you could sell them for whatever you wanted. Wages were $10/day for general labourers but it cost $10/day to live up there. General stores loaded up goods in the short season from May – August and then sold them for the next eight months. The North West Mounted Police, forerunner to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, kept law and order. It is said there was not a single robbery during the gold rush.
July 3rd – Dawson City
Having learned a bit about the gold rush, we wanted to learn more. The Parks Canada office ran a number of tours and we decided to visit Dredge #4 on the Bonanza River, 15 km out of town. Driving to the Dredge, we stopped at ‘Discovery Claim’ to read about some of the history of mining and the early explorers, including Skookum Jim. He was a real person.
At the end of the walking loop, it was certainly time to go to the Dredge as the mosquitos were terrible. Although we had bug spray, the fact we left it in our hotel room meant it would still be available for next time . At the Dredge, we spent just over an hour learning how this barge, and others like it, travelled up the rivers. It was electrically powered and designed to get the gold that was buried in the river. Sadly, it was not done in a way that left the land unscathed nor workers in good health. Huge barges would scoop out tons of dirt that would be put through a sieve. Rocks were discarded and the sand was filtered. Gold, being heavy, fell to the bottom. It was this process, known as ‘placer mining’, that extracted the gold.
Gold mining on a commercial scale
The rocks and other debris were left behind in a trail that altered the rivers, choking out fish and animals. Today you can still see the tailings left behind. While they were not chemically treated, the topography was altered. As the gold production fell, it of course, became economically unviable and the barges were abandoned, right where they did their last shift. All over the Yukon, machinery is left to rust in place. It is simply not worth it to haul it out of the backcountry.
Having learned about the process of mining gold, we decided to give panning for gold a try. The visitor centre lends out gold pans and there is a claim, on the river, that is owned by the Territory. They allow anyone who wants to try their hand at gold mining a chance to try it. A local mine regularly dumps fresh tailings that might have some gold in it. After an hour, Meg had found three gold flecks. I found three less than she did. Fortunately, we have other jobs.
We were lucky to see a cow moose with her two calfs in the wild!
Our picnic lunch had a great view, and while we were eating, we could not believe what we saw. A cow moose with two calves. Moose are almost mythical beings – very few people have actually seen them. We stared at them and then thought to get pictures and videos. While we are hopeful for the cute calves, odds are not on their side. Bears, foxes and others find them delicious – and we did see a wolf nearby! It’s a tough world out there. That’s why cows have two calves, normally every second year.
Touring the town and restored buildings
Back in town, we took a Parks Canada walking tour that provided access to a number of historical buildings otherwise inaccessible. The bank, the saloon, the brothel, newspaper office and post office have all been done up in period or are being restored.
The midnight sun – this picture was taken in Dawson City at 11PM
For a tourist town, there were a number of eateries and dinner at the Triple J was great. This was followed by a drive up to the midnight dome. Back in 1900-something, a group of locals decided to see the 24-hour sun from the highest point, Dome Mountain. One thing they did not factor in: they are south of the Arctic Circle. You have to be north of 66 to see the sun “not” go down on Jun 21st. In Dawson City, the sun drops for a short time. When we were there, sunset was 00:45 and sunrise was 03:30. It never got dark, but blackout curtains in the hotel made it seem like night.
July 4th – back to Whitehorse.
Heading back to Whitehorse, we retraced our drive, hitting a few different historical sites, one of which was Montague Roadhouse. Back in the day, you could travel by sternwheeler on the Yukon River between Whitehorse and Dawson City. During the winter, travel had to be over land by horse and sled. It took 7 – 8 days and was cold. Roadhouses were about every 25 miles and there you either bunked down for the night, or changed horses. If it was below -35C, they would not travel. Each Roadhouse had a large potbelly stove where one could warm up, mittens could be dried out and gossip exchanged. Once we were back in Whitehorse, we were treated to Arthur’s ribs, basted in his homemade sauce. Another magnificent feast.
July 5th – exploring the outdoors and Whitehorse
The gold find that sparked the Klondike gold rush.
Living in the Yukon is not for the faint of heart. Those who stick it out are outdoorsy and nature loving. Many are hunters who explore the sites in various ways, including on quad vehicles. We headed out with Arthur to explore above the tree line on his quads. Ummmmm…what? Passing through abandoned mine fields, old claims, dried up creeks and river beds, we climbed and climbed. There were times I struggled controlling the quad and Meg, as the passenger, hung on for dear life. Eventually arriving at the tree line, we realized the bouncy ride up was worth it. We saw Whitehorse, Lake Labarge and countless mountain tops from where we were. The view was great and we were the only ones up there. Riding down was a lot easier than riding up.
July 6th – heading home
Our time in the Yukon was coming to an end. Another hike, and farewells took us to the airport where we boarded our Air North flight back to Victoria. This was our first trip to the Yukon, we both hope it will not be our last. The great vastness of the land, the warmth of the people, the history and the culture make it unique. It is an exceptional part of Canada, one that every Canadian should visit.
Thanks for reading.
Feel free to leave comments or contact us by the link above.
We were off again on April 1st, and that was no April Fool’s joke! A ferry ride from Vancouver Island to Vancouver and an overnight stay with my Mom before hopping a flight across the pond to Heathrow. The revised timings of our flights was a bit harrowing.
Arriving at YVR Airport on Time but the Connection is late…
The SkyTrain took us to Vancouver’s airport in good time and we settled into the lounge to relax before our first flight. A message informed us our Vancouver to Calgary flight was delayed by 25 minutes due to the crew coming in late from another flight. This would make the connection time only 48 minutes. Speaking with WestJet ground staff, they informed me there were 18 other passengers heading to Heathrow on our flight. The timing was tight, but doable.
Starting off our trip on a BC Ferry
As is often the case, things did not go to plan and the incoming crew arrived even later than planned, but not too late. As we landed, the “welcome to Calgary” announcement on the plane included the Heathrow bound plane was boarding and passengers were to immediately to go to the gate. Naturally, the gate was on the other side of the airport, at least 15 minutes away.
Neither of us wanted to do an OJ Simpson run through the airport, so we briskly walked. It turned out we were the last two people to board the aircraft and as we approached the gate, we heard a “Absolute final call for Miller, party of two, the gates are now closing”. I’m not sure how serious they were as we had to wait on the jetway to board the aircraft as many other people were in front of us, likely those on our connecting flight. We both chose to use the facilities in the airport. They are much nicer in the airport vs the plane, just trust me on that one.
Our Seat Companion – a Parent with a Baby…
On the plane, we walked down the aisle. Our two empty seats in a row of three awaited us. We had selected a middle and window so we were beside each other for the overnight flight. Seated in the aisle seat of our row was the one passenger no one wants next to them. A parent with a babe in arms. I thought, eight hours in the air, overnight with a baby next to me, how much sleep would I get?
Settling in, the flight crew began closing overhead bins and then a crew member came up to the parent and said they had a whole row toward the back of the aircraft and offered to move the parent, baby and the spouse who was on the other side of the aisle. What a stroke of luck. I enquired if I could leave the aircraft to buy a lottery ticket but they said no. In the end, we had a row to ourselves and quickly spread out over the now empty middle seat on a fully packed airplane.
Arriving in England (we can read ALL the signs!)
Our flight was uneventful and landed on time. Customs and Immigration were straightforward, our Electronic Arrival Authorization (ETA’s) were in order. At the baggage carousel despite our bags likely being the last to load, they were also almost the last to come off. The Wi-Fi at Heathrow allowed us to look at options to get to Bristol, and coach was the simplest. WestJet uses Terminal 4, and the coaches depart at the Terminal 2/3 coach park. To get between the terminals there is a complementary train that runs frequently, however it was not quite quick enough to get the early coach.
We were faced with the option of a very expensive coach in 15 minutes, or wait for an hour for one that was 60% less. Since we needed lunch and a SIM card, we decided to do both at Heathrow. The savings on bus fare more than offset the cost of lunch and our AirHub ESIM. The bus ride was comfortable and had decent WiFi on the bus. We both managed to sleep a bit during the two-hour ride.
Arrival in Bristol
We are in Bristol, UK!
Arriving in Bristol, we passed by our hotel enroute to the bus station. Our impressions of the town as we drove in, despite the sunshine, was “gritty”. There seemed to be a number of places that could be spruced up and we noticed homeless people about. The 15-minute walk to the hotel took us through Cabot Circus, a major downtown shopping mall. All the usual stores one would see in any North American mall were represented.
Sign for Volunteer Tavern
Sampling beverages.
We had found a restaurant we wanted to try for dinner, unfortunately when we arrived, it was closed with a sign saying they were sold out of food for the day. Luckily, this being England, there were a plethora of Public Houses around. Settling on the ‘Volunteer’, a local pub, we debated which beverage to have. Despite there being a description of all drinks on tap, it was difficult. Samples were offered and, after trying three of the local beers, I settled on an ale and Meg chose a cider. The Volunteer is what we look for when selected a venue. It is not a tourist pub and a bit out of the way. We were certainly the only people with accents. The food was excellent and most tables were having meals and lively conversations.
Given it had been a long day/night with an eight-hour time change, we called it a day.
Day II in Bristol
We were up and off to find breakfast, which we decided to have at St. Nicholas Market. Arriving at 9AM, there were some shops that were just opening and some that were already serving breakfast. Settling on “Crafty Beans”, we ordered an English Breakfast sandwich. It was freshly made, served piping hot and would hold us until lunch.
Our tour guide dressed as an Air Raid Warden, complete with a Brodie Helmet.
Using a new App (GPSMyCity), we started a self-guided walking tour from the market. Having seen a number of the sites on the tour, we headed back to the market to join our 11AM organized excursion of Bristol and the Air Raid Shelter. This tour, close to two hours, took us through some of the early history of the area, battles and figures that shaped the area. Then the highlight, the Air Raid Shelter. The tour guide was a one man show in this regard. He is fighting to have it declared a historic site and has spent countless hours sprucing it up.
A Glimpse of the Blitz
Ration Books, used until 1954
Air Raid First Aid Kit
Heading down the many stairs, we learned what it was like during the Blitz. From queueing for a spot at the shelter, as not everyone could get in, to how long the bombings took place. Learning about incendiary bombs as well as percussion bombs and how the population took it all in stride. Along the walls were numerous period posters, including the classic “Keep Calm and Carry On”. I cannot imagine the terror of being bombed night after night. Bristol was the 6th hardest hit city during the war. There is an aircraft factory in the region and the other side bombed the cities around it to weaken morale.
An interesting add on to the tour was the rock and roll section. A number of historic bands played at the Corn Market Hall in Bristol including the Rolling Stones, the WHO, Muddy Waters and others. It was quite the place in the 60’s. A bit of humour is that there is now a rock and fossil store where the stage used to be. I wonder how Mick Jagger feels about that?
Based on a recommendation of our guide, we lunched at the Market and then headed out on our own walking tour. The GPSMycity App allows you to create your own walks and incorporates GPS so you are less likely to get lost. On our tour we saw a famous Banksey piece of street art – Well Hung Lover.
Dinner was a picnic in the park overlooking the river at sunset.
Travelling to our Football Match
The walk to the train station was easy, as was boarding our train. We tried “Split Train” ticketing and it worked well, saving us a considerable amount of money. What it entailed was buying three tickets to get from A to B. We did not need to change trains, simply seats. There is a whole science behind it and certain apps will do this for a fee. It is 100% legal and based on dynamic pricing of seats on certain legs of the journey.
The Game is on!
Arriving at the Birmingham airport, we picked up our rental car and headed to our hotel. Arriving at 11:30, we did not think we could check in, but owner said it was not a problem. We dropped our suitcases and then headed for a snack before walking to The Hawthorns to see West Bromwich Albion play. Kick Off was 12:30, vs the normal 3 PM, so it was a bit tight to get through the crowds. This time our seats were two rows off the pitch at what would be the blue line in a hockey rink. This close to the field, we could not only see the expressions on the players faces, but also hear what they were saying when they were near us. Of course, when they were on the other side of the field, we were not as fortunate.
The Other Side Scores 🙁
The view from our seats – two rows off the pitch
Around the 30-minute mark of the first half, Sunderland was awarded a free kick right in front of us. A right footed kick, that had the perfect spin, managed to get in under the top right corner to give them the lead. As it turned out, that was the only goal of the game as the Baggies could not find the back of the net, despite playing well. That 1 – nil score made me feel jinxed. I’ve been to three games at the Hawthorns and have yet to a West Brom goal.
When the game ended, we headed back to the hotel for a rest and a dinner out.
The Midlands – Day IV
Being a Sunday, not everything was open, however with a car, our options were more than they may have been otherwise. Scouring a map and reading about various places, Bridgnorth is the place we settled on to explore. A pleasant 45-minute drive took us to another market town that was bustling on a brilliantly sunny day. It turns out there was a classic tractor show and shine and many local enthusiasts were out to look at these historic machines. Not really being our thing, we headed to the castle and gardens.
The Classic Steam Engine we Rode in.
While there, we saw a steam engine chugging along at the local station and decided to take a look. The train is used most weekends and we were able to have a ride in the engine. This coal-fired engine, dating from 1930, was certainly interesting. Fully restored to its past glory, it rattled and rumbled along, making hissing noises as steam escaped after driving pistons up and down. Since this was England, they had no issues with shovelling coal into the fire box of the train while we were in the cab driving along the tracks. There were only four of us in the cab, the driver, fireman, Meg and I (it was quite a tight fit!) The fireman opened the furnace and shovelled in coal to keep the fire hot. You certainly knew when the furnace door was opened.
Heading back, a quiet dinner and evening walk concluded our day.
Midlands Day V – Black Country Living Museum
One of the things we had hoped to do this trip was to see the Black Country Living Museum (BCLM). It is a period museum with numerous buildings set in various times from 1850 – 1960. You know you are getting older when you see things in a museum that your parents had in your home. The staff, or guides, are also dressed for the time they are representing. Everything was really well done. There were restaurants serving different foods and at least two pubs serving adult beverages. We could not have asked for a better day weather wise, full sun and +16C with no wind. Enthralled with the museum, we ended up spending six hours there.
The town as it may have looked in the 1940’s
Our highlight exhibit was the mine. Early in the morning we had visited the “shaft” where there were piles of coal. The coal would have been hauled up from the bottom of the mine where it would be sorted. BCLM has done a recreation of a surface mine, but that still goes down 30’. Groups of 25 take part in the tour and hard hats are required. The clearance is only 1.3 Meters in some places so there was lots of ducking under beams. Inside the mine were mannequins who explained the various roles and methods of mining the coal.
The Dangers of Coal Mining
It was dirty work and dangerous. Tunnelling took place which had miners dig out under the coal seam using supports to keep the coal from collapsing. Then, when the time was right, the supports were removed and the large overhang of coal came down. Unfortunately, sometimes the supports failed and miners were crushed. The tunnelling enabled larger pieces of coal to be mined which were more valuable than small pieces.
A functioning longboat that was used to haul coal. It was also used in the hit show ‘Peaky Blinders’
The Midlands were the heart of the Industrial Revolution. Conditions were terrible and average life span, according to one guide, was 17 ½. The air was foul with coal dust. It was said the area was black by day and red by night. The black would be the coal dust blocking out the sun. At night, the red was from the fires that everyone had going. Coal was used to run machines, heat homes, cook, fire blacksmith shops and more. As coal, iron-ore and limestone were all readily available, everything was done in this area. In addition to being called the Midlands, the area is often referred to as the Black County.
As we finished our tour, we gave thanks for the world we live in today and for those who forged the society of yesteryear to make the advancements now taken for granted.
Midlands Day VI – Travel to Morocco – A New Adventure for Us
Today was a travel day to Morrocco, with an afternoon flight. As the airport was an hour away and our need to be there by 12:30, we were limited as to our options of what we could do. In the end we settled on a hike at a nearby National Nature Reserve, Wren’s Nest. It was in this area that limestone was mined from open quarries and underground mines back in the day. There is nothing left of the mining operations, just a nice walk. There are a lot of fossils about, however we did not search for any.
Arriving at the airport, this was our first every EasyJet flight. The instructions indicated bag drop would open at 13:30 for our 15:30 flight. They also said get to the airport at least two hours before the flight. Arriving at 12:30, three hours before our flight, there was nothing we could do until 13:30. EasyJet is a discount carrier and there are no staff until the appointed time. So, we waited in line with a number of other people to tag our bags and head through security. It was a jovial atmosphere as most of the people were going on holiday (vacation to North Americans).
We boarded our flight and concluded this trip to England. Our plans, although not fixed, have us returning soon, if for nothing else but to hopefully see West Bromwich Albion actually score a goal. COYB – Come On You Baggies!
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This was our first time to Puerto Chapais, which is very close to the Guatemalan border. Rumours swirled around the ship of how dangerous it was due to the cartels and drug running. One passenger told us the MARSEC level, which identifies the port security level, had been raised to Level IV. Well, for starters, the highest MARSEC level is III. I politely nodded and managed to say nothing (out loud anyway). The normal MARSEC level is I. In all my time in the Navy, with very few exceptions, MARSEC I is the only level I’ve seen. While I don’t discount intelligence, I will certainly discount unintelligence.
A beautiful Stained Glass Window in Tapachula
The tours offered by the ship didn’t seem to visit many places and the cruise ship advised there were limited transport options to Tapachula, the nearest town. Puerto Chapais literally had nothing other than a welcome centre and stevedore equipment for container ships. We had been told it was difficult to get a shuttle into town due to the limited number of seats. We thought we were fortunate to get a seat on the shuttle for $10 return. It turned out there were lots of seats. The drive in was about an hour and as we headed into town, the bus passed banana and mango plantations, haciendas and shanty areas. Once in town, we explored a Mexican town that is neither used to nor set up for tourists.
A “Real” Mexican town
This was a great experience and the first time, in all of our times in Mexico, we were able to see a “real” Mexican town. There were stores of all types, selling everything. Numerous street food stalls, clothing stores, hardware, cell phones, you name it. People going about their daily business. Colectivos picking up and dropping off people, parents herding little ones along, children in school uniforms going to school. And us, taking it all in.
The local museum was open and we wandered through. It would not rival a Smithsonian and there were basically no signs in English. There were a number of neat artifacts. Lunch was empanadas, made right before our eyes, in a hole in the wall restaurant. When I say “hole in the wall”, it was literally a hole in the wall! Those empanadas were so good! It was a bit tricky to order as no English was spoken. Not a single word. In the end, I held out my money, and said “dos” or two. The grandma who was running the operation, took twenty pesos and prepared two “pollo” or chicken empanadas, covered in a salad and cheese. Eating these on a park bench with a drink made me feel like a local and filled me up.
Doing some more exploring and snacking, the time came for the return journey to the ship. On our next visit, we might consider visiting the Aztec ruins which, we heard from other passengers, were being restored and, although not the best ruins, were still interesting.
Huatulco, Mexico
This was our first visit to Huatulco, our fall stop here had been cancelled due to a storm. The area is marketed as having nine bays and beaches at every bay. We headed ashore with no plan. The first few offered tours were not appealing and somehow, we ended up in a dive shop. We were offered a snorkel tour for $300, then $200. It was a private tour and would take us to five bays with snorkeling at each if we wanted as well as beach time. It would have us back at 3PM and, after checking out another tour operator, we booked it.
Snorkelling in Clear Blue Water
We had our own boat, snorkel gear and headed out. Unfortunately, our captain could not speak English. We managed to communicate and he pointed out a number of interesting things. The snorkel stops were wonderful and the fish we saw were colourful. The beaches were vast with very few other people on them. There was a strong current/undertow, so you should be able to swim well, fins certainly helped. After about 3 ½ hours we had had enough and returned to the ship. On our way back, the captain abruptly stopped the boat and pointed to a sea turtle. This magnificent creature was simply swimming in the ocean, going about his (or her) business. The captain stopped the boat and explained he was not allowed to follow the turtle. We floated along and the turtle kept going on its way, eventually diving down out of sight.
In our boat between dives. The beaches are amazing.
Once back in town, we took a taxi into downtown for lunch, Mexican street food is so much better than ship’s food, even though the latter is free. Our tour guide had recommended a taco stand in town and it did not disappoint. We then wandered around, taking in the sights and headed back to the ship. It turns out there were only two other passengers after us to return to the ship so we certainly maximized our time in Huatulco.
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
We returned, again to Puerto Vallarta, or PV. This was our third visit in the past six-months. We weren’t sure what to do given the limited time we had during our cruise ship stop. One thing we noticed was the cooler weather. It was about 5C cooler with no humidity which was a welcome relief from the intense heat of Costa Rica and Panama.
We spent our first half hour ashore “running the gauntlet” of time shares, souvenir shops, taxi touts and more. The cruise ship terminal is structured so you have to pass each stall. The easy exits are for crew only, passengers are politely pointed to the maze of hawkers. Once outside, we headed for a local grocery store called Chedraui. This is a full-size grocery store and it seemed better to shop here at a local store versus the Walmart. Most people head to the Walmart as it is right across the road from the terminal, however you have to cross 10 lanes of traffic. That takes a fair amount of time and, once on the other side, you have the massive parking lot to traverse. Chedraui had everything we wanted including a tour organizer that offered better prices than in town.
Travel like a local on a local bus
We then headed into town on the local bus for 20 Pesos. Arriving at the south end of town, we wandered aimlessly, remembering the Romantic Zone is just too touristy for us. Eventually we arrived at a taco place we like and had a lunch of street tacos. Lunch perked us up, however, there was still nothing we wanted to do.
The one thing that appealed to us, which we have not done before, was to take a tour to San Sebastian. Unfortunately, this tour only ran three days a week on Mon, Wed and Fri. and we arrived on a Saturday. The tour also leaves at 9AM and is about 8 hours long with 90 minutes of travel each way. Arriving back at 5PM would have had us miss the cruise ship. For our next cruise ship visit to PV, if we remember, we will try and see if we can arrange a tour that works with our cruise ship.
International Wine Tasting On Board
International Wine Tasting – a great way to spend a day at sea!
Once onboard the ship, we settled in for our two sea days as we approached LA. On our last sea day, we signed up for a wine tasting. It was the best one we have ever experienced on a cruise ship. There were six countries represented, with a red and white from each country. The capacity was limited to 30 people and you wandered from station to station trying the wines as you wished. The pours were “honest” and in the span of an hour, we think we each had the equivalent of a full bottle of wine. When we tried a wine we did not like, we simply dumped it in the dumping bin.
Grey rainy skies and cool temperatures greeted us when we arrived in LA. Our plan had been to store our luggage and wander Long Beach, but that is a thing for sunnier days. In the end, we simply headed to the airport and returned home.
Two cruises, totalling 23 days was in the books. We were refreshed and ready for our next adventure.
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As our first cruise ended, we took our time leaving the MSC Seaside. Once ashore, we hung around the Miami cruise terminal, taking advantage of the wi-fi. When we were ready to leave, we headed to to the Fort Lauderdale cruise terminal. Enrolee, we stopped at Total Wine to pick up some Prosecco for our 16-day Panama Canal cruise. Boarding of the Coral Princess was delayed as it was reported to have an outbreak of Norovirus and additional cleaning/sanitization measures were in effect. Great.
Once onboard, we noticed a change from the MSC Seaside. The Coral Princess was showing her age. Most of the newer ships have a “bigger is better” attitude, with grand foyers, high ceilings and warmer colours. The ship was functional and we were certainly going to enjoy ourselves for the next 16 days.
The buffet was no longer ‘serve-yourself’ due to the health scare. Staff would serve you. They were at the buffet entrances to make sure everyone washed their hands. There were regular announcements encouraging people to use their own bathrooms and follow hygiene protocol.
Are Elevators Really that Hard to Use?
Then we had the challenges with the elevators. I honestly wonder if any of the passengers have actually used elevators before this cruise. From asking if the lift is going up or down. Hmmm, let’s see, you pushed the up (or down) button, the arrow in front of the elevator indicates up or down – use your visual cues people. You do need to think a bit on the lifts as not all of them go to all floors.
An example is the mid-ship elevators, which only go down to deck 7. This means, if you want to eat in one of the restaurants on deck 5, you either have to take the stairs down the remaining two floors, or take the forward or aft elevators and walk back. Of course, if you are mobility challenged, you need to take the lift all the way to your destination. However, if you a physically able, you could walk two flights of stairs.
It seems the thought of walking two flights of stairs was the equivalent of high treason for some people. At one point, a couple was arguing about getting on the elevator as it did not go to the fifth floor. How would they get from the seventh to fifth floor? They were saying “this is a terrible ship, and so confusing”. I was in the elevator with the door open and waiting for them and then…the doors closed. I’m not sure how long they argued for after that. The fact I pushed the “door close” button may have had something to do with the door closing, just saying.
Starting off with Sea Days
The first two days were sea days. The routine was a bit different on this ship. For starters, being in our early 60’s, we brought the average down. Yup, we were some of the young’uns onboard. Last week, on MSC, we did not notice a single wheelchair, scooter or mobility aid. This week, there were many scooters et al. It is inspiring to see people, who have trouble covering distances, still travelling and seeing the world. We hope to be doing trips like this when we are much older. So, with a large number of older guests, most seemed to like to sleep in and we didn’t really notice anyone around until close to 9 AM. Thus we had our choice of lounge chairs, breakfast buffet seating spots, etc.
For dinner, we managed to snag a 7:20 dining time, which for us, is ideal. There was an overwhelming demand for the 5PM dining time, likely due to the overall age of the passengers and their nationality. Of the almost 1,800 guests, 1,100 were from the US, close to 300 from Canada with various European countries and Mexico making up the balance. Our table was in the rear of the main dining room (MDR) and by a window. Since we were eating just after sunset, the window was not really a great bonus.
Back to Aruba
Our first port of call was Aruba and we took the public bus, called the “AruBus” to Arashi beach, where we met up with some new friends from Oregon. Hanging out in a public beach hut for shade, we snorkeled, read, chilled and sampled some Mojitos. All with the brilliant Aruban sunshine and Caribbean ocean as our backdrop. Tickets for the AruBus can be had at the main station, $5 US for a return trip pass, or $15 for an all-day pass. Be aware the ticket sales only go from 6 AM – 1:30 PM. You can always pay cash onboard, although it costs a bit more. The driver will make change, but change is given in local currency. All times and prices current as of March 2025.
One of the nice things about Princess is the laundromats on board. It’s no secret, having your laundry done in a hotel is very expensive. The cost to do it on a cruise ship is equally expensive. On a 16-day cruise, you’ll likely need to do laundry, unless you take all the clothes you own. There are washing machines on passenger decks and it makes it easy to keep up with your laundry for minimal costs.
Transiting through the Panama Canal
After Aruba, we sailed to the Panama Canal and carried on with our transit. The toll for our cruise ship was just over $330,000 USD. That was included in the cruise ship fare, the Captain did not need to “pass the hat” to gather money for our passage. The rate is a combination of the vessels weight as well as the number of passengers onboard, which for this calculation, includes crew.
Our transit took us through the historic locks and the overall transit is nothing short of impressive. It is even more remarkable when you learn the locks have been operating the same way since 1912, with the same construction. Of course, there are much older locks in various parts of the world still operating. In Canada, the Rideau Canal was completed in 1832. Its aim was to avoid the Great Lakes after the War of 1812 between British North America and the United States . It makes you wonder. Transiting through the locks, there is very little clearance on either side of the ship.
How the Locks Work
Sunset at the Panama Canal – note all the boats at anchor, waiting for their turn
The lock is then flooded, or drained, depending on if the ship is going up or down. The gates are then opened and away you go to the next lock. In all, there are six locks, three up and three down, rising/falling a height of 85’ in each directions. That number can vary slightly depending on tides. The overall transit takes around 10 hours and makes for an incredibly scenic day.
Once the last lock has been exited and the ship has cleared the Bridge of the Americas, the Captain took the vessel alongside Fuerte Amador, Panama, the closest berthing point for Panama City. Although the ship was alongside, no passengers were allowed to leave until the next morning.
Panama City – Another Capital City Visited
There were a number of tours in and around Panama, however we decided to head out on our own. The hope was to get a tour of the old city. There were a number of touts offering every type of tour imaginable. We settled on a walking tour of the Mercado, Old City and a drive by the new town. The temperature was forecast at +32C with an extreme UV and humidity warning that made extended time outside seem like not the best idea.
On our drive into town, we passed some “areas” that seemed a bit suspect. When asked about the safety of the neighbourhood, our guide said he would walk around where we were in the daytime, but not the night time. There were two police officers on most street corners and it turns out they will discourage non-locals from wandering off the main street. Our guide lived about 20-minutes from the area we were in and told us his area was a lot safer.
Fresh Local Fruit from the Jungles of Panama
A local vendor selling us some bananas. Her selection of fruit was amazing!
Arriving at the mercado, we could see it was truly local and our guide was correct, there were no tourists there. The bounty of fresh fruit was amazing. Snacking on bananas and drinking fresh juice was so much better than the cruise ship breakfast, and healthier too! There is a lot of history in the town and it is continually developing. We learned that banking is now overtaking the canal as the main industry, although the canal is critical for bringing in hard currency. While Panama has its own currency, the US dollar is the currency of all transactions.
The architecture of Old Panama City was very colonial, likely from the French influence when they tried to build the canal in the late 1800’s. After our tour, we headed to the Biosphere Museum and learned about the evolutionary history of Panama.
As it was hot and humid, we took an Uber back to the ship and with that, our time in Panama City concluded.
Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Puntarenas is one of the few Pacific side stops in Costa Rica for cruise ships. There’s really not a lot to do in the town. It is a small isthmus with a main road that leads to the mainland. Previously, we took a driving tour that left us uninspired. On this trip, as we left the pier, we met the touts who offered us various tours as we headed to the TI centre. Our goal was a tour of the Island San Lucas, which showed nice beaches and hiking trails. It turns out San Lucas was a former penal colony, similar to Alcatraz. There are tours sometimes, but nothing on the day we were in town. The TI made a number of phone calls and a private tour could be arranged for a cost of $300 US. We were not really that interested and left the TI without a plan.
Back on the street, the touts sensed we had nothing to do. If we wanted to do a local tour, we would have been given a good deal. The tour started at $65, then to $50. At no point did we even try to negotiate. When we continued walking away, the “owner” came and offered us the tour for $40, but only if we agreed not to tell anyone as this was “too low”. We hemmed and hawed for a bit, but remembering our tour last time, we politely declined. Our new plan was to head to the ferry and see where that would take us.
Making Our Own Tour
It was a 20-minute walk to the end of the isthmus where the ferry terminal was located. There, we bought senior’s tickets for the 10AM ferry to the other side. There appeared to be nice beaches there, at least according to our online maps. One hour and 20-minutes later the ferry docked on the other side. There wasn’t much at the ferry landing, but we knew there was a gas station with a convenience store only 500 meters away. At the store, we picked up some drinks and snacks and headed to a beach. There wasn’t much life around and we could not be sure of where we were going, this was certainly not a tourist area. Heading down a dirt road the “Perla Negra”, or Black Pearl, restaurant came into site.
Our deserted beach – no one but us!
Although no one was in the bar when we walked through, it was certainly gimmicky and geared for tourists. Exiting the other side of the bar were open fields and chairs that lead to another road. Carrying on downhill, we came across a smaller dirt road that eventually led us to a beautiful beach. It was a cove that had soft sand, palm trees, shade and only one person other than us. Unsure if there were crocodiles in the water, we spoke with the lone occupant, who was from Quebec City. He had been swimming and was just about to leave on his motorcycle. We then had the postcard perfect beach to ourselves. Wow.
Our Private Beach
We spent the next three hours there and the time flew by. Between swimming in warm water, listening to the sounds of birds calling, fish jumping and staring up at an incredible blue sky, it was amazing. And we were the only ones there. Shifting our towels twice to follow the shade of our palm trees, we were shocked how quickly our alarm went to catch the ferry back. The ferry ride and walk back to the ship were uneventful. There was free wi-fi at the port and we caught up on emails. As the ship sailed away that evening, we decided, should we find ourselves back in this port, we would do that same thing again.
Thanks for reading, we’ll post part II of The Panama Canal shortly. Please feel free to leave any comments, or reach out by email at the link at the top of the website.
