Southern Hemisphere

Once again time has flown and I have a lot of catching up to do. Six countries, twelve cities/towns, twenty sea days, 47 days and several changes in itinerary.

Late January had us heading south to Tonga. Still close enough to the equator to enjoy warm & sunny weather and we are enjoying it while we can. We visited two small islands in Tonga - Neiafu and Nuku'Alofa. I must not have been enthralled because I only took 3 pictures. But the day at the Resort was very nice. I think I must have decided to enjoy some Odyssey pool time.

On one of our many Sea Days, one of our Residents had a Gin and Tonic Tasting. I had mentioned once that I had tasted a G&T once and I didn't like it, so I never drank Gin. Vodka was much better. Well, the Challenge was on. Turned out there are lots of kinds of Gin and an amazing number of flavors of Tonic. I always thought tonic was just expensive Sparkling Water. Well, after imbibing 3 different Gins and several flavors of Tonic, I still don't like G&T's. But at least I can now say "I tried".

Port Vila, Vanuatu was one of the most historic and unusual places we have visited. The Melanesian people have occupied the Port Vila area for thousands of years. In 2004 an archaeological expedition discovered a burial site of 25 tombs containing 3 dozen skeletons of members of the Lapita culture dating back to the 13th century BC. The 1st two pictures below are looking over at the island where the remains were discovered. It is now a protected place of honor and reverence. Only certain guides are allowed to take tourists over to the island. No one can live on the island. After a boat ride over to the island, we treked through the beautiful terrain to the site where big and small stones are still in the place where they were found. The largest stone in the hierarchy was marking the Leader in the center of the Circle, his Council in a circle around him, and wives, children, and servants in the outside Circle. Next 2 pictures are where we climbed from the shore into the forest. Then we returned to the primary island of Efate for a Tongan lunch and time to talk with the Mama's and children who prepared our lunch.

Sea Day evenings are often filled with entertainment by our residents. We have a group of about 12 Ukelele beginners and accomplished players. And much to my surprise, we have 6 residents who play the Recorder. I had no idea that there were different sizes of the Recorder. I thought they were the size of a small flute. One of the group actually had a small one and this picture is a really big one. I know my sister, Jana, used to play one but I have no idea which one. One evening we had a musical concert from the Villa Vie Choral Singers, the Ukelele group, and the Recorders, as well as some individuals who are amazing singers. There is a lot of talent on this ship.

On another Sea Day I got to go on a tour of the Galley. It was absolutely fascinating. The main Kitchen is on Deck 4, along with the Crew eating area. I thought the Crew would eat what we eat, but they actually prefer their own "comfort food" so they get primarily Indian, Indonesian, and Philipino food. Not many enchiladas served down there, I guess. We have a restaurant on Deck 4 and on Deck 6. All food is prepared on Deck 4 and carried up to Deck 6 via 2 escalators. Who knew! The Maritime Food Safety Rules are very very stringent and our Galley Crew passed the tough Australian Inspection with flying colors. Very proud of them.

Australia "Part Deux" brought us back to Cairns for a couple of days. Preparing to enter Australia can sometimes be a real pain. We all have to take the decorations off of our Villa door because that might be a hazard to traveling down the hallway; all of our 8 kitty passengers must be moved from their home to Deck 2 and placed in individual "Kitty Jail" (villas) and their parents can visit 2-3 times a day with a Crew escort to make sure kitties don't escape and parents can also sleep with kitties at night. Australia has NEVER allowed animals into Australia without going into a long quarantine and it has taken VVR months of negotiation to get them to allow our "fur babies" into Australia. Our cats have never been out of their owners villas until Australia. New Zealand has the same rules but agreed to do what Australia allowed.

Even though we have great TV reception on board, we were in Cairns for the Super Bowl which began here at 9:30am. We managed to get thru Face-to-Face Immigration and we hurried over to the Casino only 3 blocks away in time for the end of the 1st quarter. Of course, I had to hang around after the game to enjoy some Slot machine action. Left with $4.30 ahead of the game.

From Cairns and Townsville, many of us jumped off the ship for some exploration on our own. Six of us decided to skip 4 Sea Days and flew to the Gold Coast and Brisbane. Instead of the beautiful sunny and warm days we were hoping for, we got RAIN for 4 days. Had a great dinner in a town named Gold Coast which is supposed to be beautiful. Missed that. We went to dinner, which was great, and received a complimentary souvenir hat from the Southport Yacht Club. Took a complimentary bus back into Brisbane the next morning. Stayed at a lovely, formerly a bank, hotel with an awesome restaurant & bar that was right downtown. Great shopping. And great museums right on the waterfront.

Highlight of the 4 days was a trip to the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve. It is 330,000 acres of untouched paradise with 35 diverse ecosystems, supporting rare and endangered species. Now, as a Strategic Environmental Area, Steve's place has more protection than the Great Barrier Reef. It was a place I felt that I had to see and it was worth it. It was raining but not heavy and it wasn't cold. Fewer kids and families than normal due to the weather. I loved it. I walked over 5 miles that day.

From Brisbane to Sydney it was a quick flight and we decided to spend 2 extra days in town before the Odyssey arrived. I was able to connect with two of my former Texas Instruments workmates and it was fun catching up. We had a couple of great dinners, and took several tours - Hop On-Hop Off Bus, Harbour Boat trip over to Bondi Beach and attended a performance at the Opera House. The walk around the Rocks area is always fun especially when you find Sydney's Oldest Pub and have a Tinnie. Kay, do you recognize the sign for Macelleria (that is the steakhouse on Bondi where they cook your steak while you wait? It has outdoor seating now but beef was still awesome). We also stopped at the Memorial site of the killing of 16 Jewish people celebrating Hanukkah in December 2025 on Bondi Beach. It was very sobering. Over 120 of our Residents attended one of two performances at the Opera House on our last night in Sydney. Half saw the Opera Hansel & Gretel and the rest of us saw the Cabaret production of Gatsby. The group picture is an AI generated picture of our original Gatsby group picture (I was farther to the right). The next morning we sailed under the Sydney Bridge for the last time. What a beautiful sight to see.

Only 5 more Sea Days and we will be in New Zealand. And then we will be coming back to Australia. See you there.