Mid-Pacific

Blog 6:: Wednesday 29th January 2014 - Full ahead towards Honolulu - Ship's time is presently 9 hours behind GMT: Choppy seas, overcast skies and heavy swell. The sea mist descends quickly and disappears again.  We completed 8548 nautical miles on the leg between Southampton and San Francisco. 

NB - A nautical mile is 1.15 statute miles. 

My last blog was written from a Starbucks Cafe early on Sunday morning 26th January. We duly completed the free WiFi email sorting and Skype to the Kids and Grandchildren around 10am local time and headed to buy our one day SF travel passes for $15 each. A decision was taken that we could not do everything in the short time in SF so in order to see the "real" City and its way of life we rejected a trip to Alcatraz or a trip to see the famous Redwoods of Muir Woods or go to the Napa Valley wine growing region. We also rejected tours of the swinging 60's 'Magic Bus' ride or visiting famous movie film locations such as "Mrs Doubtfire" or "Dirty Harry" or historically, the first ever talking movie called "The Jazz Singer". I do remember however the famous Buster Keating film "Daydreams" where he hung off the back of a SF cable car.

(PIC)- SF cable car....

(PIC)- a clam chowder....

Indeed that is where at 10.15 am we started on a famous cable car - Wow! up and down hill we went watching the driver control the descents pulling and pushing the huge control levers. People hanging on the sides, the famous bell being rung every few seconds to get motorists and pedestrians out of the way with the Driver shouting " Hey man do you want to die!". We jumped off in Market Street and walked through some residential and shopping areas before jumping back onto a street car on another circuit which got us back to the sea front for a lunch of delicious Clam Chowder at the famous Boudin Sour Dough Cafe. 

(PIC) - The famous Sea Lions (Pier 39)....

Off we went again, round and round on other stretches of either cable car, trolley bus or tramcar via Union Square, the Lombard crooked Street, China Town, ending back at Pier 39 to visit the Alcatraz shop and spend time with the famous Sea Lions who were basking in the sun at the end of the pier. These seven feet long slippery customers weighing up to 850lbs 'Sea-lebrities' have been hauling out on K dock since the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. A few of them have now become several hundred. At first they were regarded as a nuisance but now the locals love them for what they are, a beautiful marine mammal which brings in the dough (not to be confused with sour dough!).

(PIC) - The Aurora photographed from Telegraph Hill....

Another change of direction with Jacky heading up the steep Telegraph Hill to the Coit Tower to take a few pictures and I wandered around a few blocks to find a pharmacy to get some stuff for my poorly hip which was causing a few muscle spasms (twas those up and down hills that got me). We met up again at around 4.15 and once again set out on an adventure using public transport. This time out to the Golden Gate Park suburbs using a combination of normal and trolley busses, passing the University, the Civic Centre, the Opera House, the Herbst Theatre and Davies Symphony Halls. All these buildings have a wonderful architectural style.

(PIC) - Classic architecture of SF....

(PIC) - The mist rolling in....

We jumped off at Golden Gate Park as the evening mist was fast descending and walked through some beautiful SF suburban neighbourhoods to eventually return via trolley bus and street car to arrive at Pier 35 and the Aurora around 6.45pm. A few panics on the way when we got lost in the really thick mist and knew the boat was sailing at 8pm, but we
made it. I was well pooped and dinner went down very well indeed. What an amazing day. Jacky is just the best 'field trip' organiser and without her energy and adventure spirit I would be just pottering around a pier or going on yet another coach excursion.

(PIC image) - Alcatraz Island 1962... 

I was disappointed not to visit Alcatraz but that will be for another trip one day. Al Capone, George (machine gun) Kelly, Robert (the bird man) Stroud were all infamous inmates that have gone down for all the wrong reasons in fokelore. The island today is a busy Tourist attraction but somehow it still remains what it always was - a fort, a prison and a place of isolation.

(PIC) - Sunset on route to Oahu....

We 'set sail' right on 8pm and after 5 days sea cruising the Aurora is due to arrive in Honolulu on the island of Oahu on Friday after travelling some 2500 miles to the south west of San Francisco. Indeed SF on the American Coast is the nearest main landmass to the Hawaiian archipelago which stretches approximately 1600 miles in length North to South. Only 7 of the 162 islands in the chain are inhabited and one of those is in private hands. Three-quarters of the Hawaiin islands' one million inhabitants live on Oahu and most of these reside in Honolulu.

(PIC insert) - A famous painting of the death of Captain Cook....

A snippet of modern History of Hawaii (pronounced locally as Hawai'i). In his search for the North West Passage, Captain James Cook in 1778 landed on Kauai Island and the locals thought he was a god sent to them by the seas. When he left and was forced to return eight months later to repair a broken mast attitudes towards the 'visitors' changed and he was subsequently killed in a skirmish.

(PIC) - The Royal Palace and the statue of King David....

A few years later the self proclaimed King David Kamehameha from the main island of Hawaii (called the Big Island) took advantage of this new modern influence and technology, in particular new firearm weapons and one by one took control of all the main islands in the archipelago. Subsequent Kings were elected till around 1890 when an overthrow attempt backed by an American led influence based on the very large and thriving sugar industry made the Country into a Republic. However it was not until the late 1950's that Hawaii became the 50th American state.

Today there is still a royal palace not only to celebrate the first King who is now revered as the founder of modern Hawaii but also to respect the long local history of the first Polynesian settlers.
The Americans can now boast that although they are a Republic they too have a Royal residence within their union as happens in Europe.

(PIC insert) - Hula Dancing in Hawaii....

Think of Hawaii and one thinks of the Hula dance - Ladies hips wiggling side to side, arms moving provocatively telling their story and wearing those 'Leis' (grass skirts) and 'Lei' (garlands) showing wonderful arrangements of local flora. Also the famous Waikiki Beach or indeed the now infamous location of Pearl Harbour.


(PIC insert )  - A Panting of the Pearl Harbour attack in 1942....


It is ironic to think that 80 years on it is the Japanese Tourists who flock in high numbers to pay homage to those 2000 USA seamen who died and the 18 battleships that were sunk by a force of nearly 200 war planes on that early Sunday morning in December 1941. 

(Image)- The wonderful Hawaiian island of Oahu.....

With only one day to sightsee on this beautiful island we have decided to steer away from the big tourist attractions around Honolulu itself to witness the natural beauty and cultures and of course the people of this island paradise. We will travel across the island via the Ko'olau Mountains and the world's steepest cliffs at 2000 feet, through the Valley of the Temples to visit Turtle Beach and also Sunset Beach famous for the large waves and surf boarding centre of the world. A visit to the world's largest pineapple canning plantation and a traditional village is also on the itinerary.  I also want to investigate the native plant and seabird species by visiting Makalena State Park. Should time permit a visit to finish the day at the Foster Botanical Gardens in Honolulu. A different day so hopefully we can get an early start after we berth.

In the mean time it is some down time on the ship - learning to play bridge, catching up on my guitar practice, a spot of reading, writing and eating!. Unbelievably we are now one fifth of the way into our adventure with 100 days left till our return to the UK in May. How time flies indeed!

Blog 7 to follow  after a visit to Pago Pago (pronounced Pango Pango) in the American Samoan Islands, then onto Tonga in the South Pacific, the last port of call before a longish sea journey to our final destination in Auckland in around two weeks time.

You can still track the Aurora on www. pocruises.com/cruise-ships/aurora/webcam/  

God bless you all for the continued kind remarks and feedback on my blogs to date. Sorry I can't always reply, but internet connection is very slow and expensive on the ship. You can also see by our busy schedule that sitting in internet cafes is not deemed a must do activity.

DKT 

San Francisco

Blog 5:  Sunday 9am 26th January 2014 - San Francisco - presently 8 hours behind GMT: 

Twas Burns Day yesterday - Haggis was consumed on the Aurora.  "Lang may yir lum reek" my friends. I am writing this blog from an internet cafe in SF and reflecting back on yesterday......

(PIC) - The Golden Gate Bridge....

We arrived at the Golden Gate Bridge at 09.45am 'ships time' (Saturday). What a lovely morning it was, sunny and 13c but it felt warmer. 

(PIC) - passing close by to Alcatraz Island.....

Alcatraz Island was a real eye opener in the morning sun - The history and stories come to life when you see it in the raw. The currents around the bay and the prison island are so notorious and it is believed that this put paid to the three prisoners who had an ingenious escape attempt in 1962 using various procured items to make a waterproof raft. The bodies of the three inmates were never found and to this day it is thought by some that indeed they did overcome the treacherous and cold waters of the bay and disappeared into oblivion. Should this be true then they would have been the only ones ever to have achieved an escape. Unfortunately on this trip we have little time to actually go on an organised tour of the island and the prize winning audio commentaries which bring the prison life over the decades to life.






(PIC) - A misty view of SF from the Aurora.....

We eventually disembarked the Aurora at around 3.30pm following a very thorough 5 hour US customs ritual which I know is extremely important but was very frustrating. There is much to do in visiting a major historical city and having only a few hours to achieve our self organised tour.  We decided to go for a stroll!   Grace Cathedral and its famous labyrinth and copper doors was a our first destination in the area of Nob Hill, a place Jacky has wanted to visit since writing her Masters of Divinity thesis at St Johns College. We walked and we walked up and down, up and down the hilly terrain which reminds me of my many visits to Funchal in Madeira. Jacky was in her element and I felt I was one of those school day 'field trips'.  I have to say it was great having a Leader with the map and itinerary as I could just concentrate on getting up those steep streets as my hip and back were feeling the pace somewhat!

(PIC) - 'squiggly' Lombard Street in SF.....

The squiggly street was our next walking target, very famous as being the bendiest city street in the world. By now my little legs and back are bringing tears to my eyes but being the intrepid adventurer I walked on -(Ah Bless!!)

Thankfully it was a down hill journey back to Pier 35 at the dockside in time for our evening onboard meal. We had to pass the famous Pier 39 with its now ever present seal population which we will spend time at tomorrow.


Well what a Saturday that was. It was only left to have bit of haggis to celebrate Burns day and off I went to bed quite exhausted.  Sunday will be a twelve hour walking and tram and trolley bus day so I do need a good nights sleep and hopefully a rejuvenated feel to my aches and pains.

(PIC) - A SF cable car......

Love to all at home
DKT

Heading towards San Francisco

Blog 4:: Tuesday 21st January 2014 - Heading towards San Francisco via the Pacific Ocean - Ship's time is presently 6 hours behind GMT (7 hours tomorrow):

Looking back at the last few days there have been many contrasts, differences in geography, history, economics, people and their cultures.

In my last blog I introduced our impending visit to the Panama Canal and I quote my original text extract from that blog (but now with pictures added) : -

I am very exited about the Panama Canal. It is 100 years old this year so it's a special visit. The canal is 45 miles long and consists of five sets of locks, required because the middle land section of Panama is some 26 meters above sea level. The Beam (width) of the Aurora is 32 meters and fits into the locks with 2 feet to spare on either side. Being over 200 metres long, we have indeed a very large canal narrow boat!

(PIC) - Entering the canal 

  (PIC) - the working 'mules' 

The canal cuts the journey time of a ship travelling from San Francisco to New York by 6000 miles avoiding the need to travel south via Cape Horn and the Falkland Isles. It will take 8 hours to navigate the canal. We are pulled through the lock sections by 'electric mules' and a ship can only traverse the whole canal during day light hours.

The original canal when built cost the lives of 28,000 workers, mainly due to disease. Health and Safety has come a long way in 100 years. There is a parallel canal with new locks being constructed which will allow even larger ships through. This will be completed in 2015. 

(PIC image) - Thousands built the canal....

The Panama Canal is a marvel in human enterprise, in triumph over adversity and the use of modern thinking over a 'stuck in the past' mentality. I recommend that if you would like to know why there is nothing quite as formidable as the human race you must read the story of the making of the canal, the story of the lives involved in changing for ever the geographical face of the world and the consequences on its economy and communication. Suffice to say I was most impressed, in fact blown away by the whole experience.

Some canal facts and trivia: -

•  It was Christopher Columbus on one of his many sea faring travels in the area who had the original idea to make an opening across this narrow isthmus in South Central America.

(PIC) - Typical canal rain forest habitat....

• It would take 4 to 5 years to refill the canal if it ever ran dry due to drought conditions. It is therefore imperative for the rains to fall, sustaining the rain forests and ecological cycle around Panama if this 100 year old wonder of engineering is to be maintained.

• The indigenous crocodiles have developed special glands to have their home in the surrounds of the man made created fresh water lake that makes up the central stretch of the transit from ocean to ocean.

• On average it takes 9hrs for a cruise ship to transit the whole canal and that is only if the liner pays an extra surcharge to gain priority of transit over cargo vessels. $350,000 US dollars one way is the liner charge - no wonder our ticket price was a small mortgage.  To be fair however it works out at approximately $25 per passenger on the Aurora which is not too bad at all for the experience of visiting a location well known as being the 8th wonder of the world!

• In the first construction attempt by the French during the mid 19th Century thousands died of accidents and disease - there are no official and complete records but it is reckoned that the mostly West Indian workers had a working life of under one week before they either died of disease or were involved in serious accidents. A recent research figure stated 28000 deaths but it is reckoned to be three to four times that in reality.

(PIC insert) - spraying...

• In 1904 when the Americans took over the project from the French, the priority became the huge problem of malaria and yellow fever. The French thought that disease was spread by poor sanitation but a very bright forward thinking Doctor of the age proved that it was the mosquito which was to blame. He persuaded the USA Government to give him resources and so successful was that eradication policy that from around 2008 till the present time, locally in the canal zone there are no reported cases per year of yellow fever or malaria.

(PIC) - Panama City.....

I have been talking to some passengers who have been returning to the canal many times such is the pulling power of this one day of amazing sights and experiences. Our cabin neighbours are on their 42nd cruise and fifth round the world trip through the canal. Panama City reflects the wealth that has been created through employment and income from the canal now that the canal has been handed back to Panama from the USA. Skyscrapers stand proud in the background like spikes of glittering gold and silver rising from the land that once was simply rain forest and a river basin just over 100 years ago.

There is still a local indigenous indian population of some 50000 which sticks to the traditions of living they have known for generations which makes the Panama region a whole character of past, present and a future. A future because there is a new canal being built alongside the original. This will be able to take even larger shipping from 2015 bringing more change, prosperity but will not hopefully change the uniqueness of this most definite wonder of the world we live in.

Nicaragua is at the other end of the scale, in miles not too far north of Panama, a country the size of Switzerland or Greenland but so very noticeably missed out on the resources that Panama has now amassed in respect of wealth through tourism and the canal. Its ironic that almost right up to the building of the Panama Canal there were still influential Politicians and Engineers who felt that the landmass of Nicaragua was a much easier challenge to build a seaway crossing between the Atlantic (Caribbean) and Pacific oceans. The fact that Panama was chosen for political reasons is seen today in the differing economies and lifestyles of both Countries.

(PIC) - San Juan del Sur....

(PIC) - The market in Massaya.....

Our day on shore in Nicaragua (Sunday) was spent looking at sights and cultures of this very different Country, from the fishing port of San Juan del Sur to visiting a still active volcano in the Pacific plate's 'ring of fire', then onto the traditional folklore village of Massaya and it's lovely market selling locally made goods including its famous hammock range (we bought one!) and at the end of a busy morning we had a brief but enjoyable stop for lunch. In the afternoon we went on to the city of Granada.  We would like to have seen Lake Nicaragua , the largest in Latin America, but time on these one day excursions are limited.

(PIC) - Granada carriage awaits....

Granada was a city devastated by different armies and pirates. The last scoundrel(a friendly Scot called William Walker) burned the place to the ground 150 years ago but they rebuilt it and it is a beautiful place full of colour and interesting museums, walks and horse drawn carriage rides.

(PIC) - The St Juan river....

Our Tour Guide was genuinely welcoming and gave us a fantastic brief of the country, its trials and tribulations, the much publicised civil war and almost non stop external interference in its affairs by major super powers, especially the USA. We were shown the now narrow and overgrown St Juan River which was going to be the route of the original canal across the isthmus, a river which Henry Morgan and Sir Francis Drake and Lord Nelson have sailed through; history indeed.

The cruel 30 year dictatorship of Somoza although over some 35 years ago has left this beautiful natural country still struggling to come to terms with the modern world. Corruption and unemployment are still high and beggars are plentiful in the streets but times are changing and this nation's peoples are survivors. Along with Vietnam this country did not bow down to American influence after occupation. It is a country with determination to be a full and important part of the seven nation independent Central America.

(PIC image) - The Pacific Parakeet 

(PIC) - A Howler Monkey....

The Lonely Planet guide book is now listing this Country as the third most recommended tourist destination in the world, behind Italy and Greece, and I can see why.
From its fine fruits we maybe have not even heard of like nispero and zapote, to fruits we have like the large papaya. Add dramatic flora and fauna and wild life including the Howler Monkeys with their dominant grunting noises (reminds me of, and looks like, my great mate Gordon!) and the Pacific Parakeets which have adapted to living inside the volcano interior, feeding on mineral deposits. The list is endless in this central american haven of diversity and nature.

(PIC) - up close to the volcano....

The further bonus of beautiful scenery, river valleys, volcanic craters and trails, add museums and architecture showing its dramatic history, add further the friendly welcome, then this is a recipe for success for those who are going to see it through the years to full recovery, I am sure of it. The people will not let what happened to them through natural disasters or revolution drag them into oblivion.  There is industry - cigar making, sugar crops exporting to Chile and Venezuela , an interesting variety of local and thriving coffee plantations, The main lake itself can produce in time the whole fresh water supply for Latin America. I liked the place so much I even bought a t-shirt!

Now we're sailing north west to San Francisco where we will arrive on Saturday. I will be in an internet cafe and can add some photos (now added) to break up the history and geography lessons!

Blog 5 to follow

You can still track the Aurora on www. pocruises.com/cruise-ships/aurora/webcam/

God bless you all for the kind remarks and feedback on my blogs to date. Sorry I can't always reply, but internet connection is very slow and expensive on the ship.

DKT

Nearing Panama Canal

Blog 3:: Wednesday 15th January 2014 - Aruba (15 miles off the coast of Venezuela) - Ship's time is presently 4 hours behind GMT: (soon to be five hours)

(PIC) - Antigua from Nelson's Dock Yard....

  On Monday 13th we visited Antigua, part of the Leeward Islands. Along with other scattered islands, these make up the West Indies in the lovely Caribbean Sea. Today we visited the beautiful island of Aruba, famous for clear seas, fantastic snorkelling and white beaches.  Antigua has many wonderful attractions but a visit to Nelson's dock yard is a must see place. Steeped in history from the 18th and 19th centuries this dockyard was a haven for the British fleet when indeed they 'ruled the waves'. It's an irony that Nelson was none too popular in this part of the world as he enforced very heavy discipline in his time in the Caribbean protecting the rights of the British on such things as tax and trade controls.

(PIC) - a typical Antigua beach.....

  St John's the capital of Antigua is not such a pretty place, a bustling but fairly run down feel, rows of shops with uneven concrete paving and rain gutters making walking difficult amongst the busy traffic. It is the lush green interior and 365 golden white sands beaches that attract the tourists, so needless to say, many large and expensive hotel complexes are dotted around the island. Not content with 37 days at sea on this first sea leg and some very rough force 12 weather we spent a few hours on a catamaran soaking up some sun and having copious amounts of local rum punch and local food such as jerk chicken and pumpkin salad. Ah, England seems a long way off both in miles and weather. There are regular flights from the UK to Antigua so try it out, the people are lovely, relaxed and crime is almost unheard of, unlike in some other West Indian Islands. If you are a cricket fan then there are trips to meet some of the all time greats like Vivian Richards or Curtly Ambrose who still live with their families on the Island.

(PIC) - Jacky  at De Palm about to go snorkelling.

Aruba is an island just off the coast of Venezuela. One of the Dutch Antilles, the island has been governed autonomously from Holland since 1986. This is a snorkel isle of some repute - especially on the off shore island of De Palm a short ferry boat ride off the main port. Now I am not proficient in the snorkelling department with all my aches and pains and years of sporting excellence (cough cough) but Jacky is a little fish and this is her moment, her day. I did nearly descend the access steps in order to duck my head into the clear sea to have a quick look at the wee fishes but for some reason I had a "thing' about protecting my hip. I studied the scale of things (pun on scale!) for a few minutes and through exhaustion of thinking about the challenge, I had to rest my weary body in the sun and sample the open bar, purely for medicinal reasons you understand.

(PIC image) - The many fishes to be seen when snorkelling 

Jacky tells me that the snorkelling was fantastic and for the fish spotters (if it's twitchers for birds what is it for fish? - wrigglers is my choice) here is a list of fish that were seen. Stop Light Parrot, Blue Parrot, Groupers, Smooth Trunk, Foureye Butterfly, Small Mouth Grunts, Trumpet, Sergeant Major (lots of stripes!), Atlantic Spade and many more. I also saw a very large Iguana which actually posed for a picture. I am told they are a local delicacy and taste like chicken but doesn't everything these days. Although this private island was in my view a bit tacky the fact that there is excellent snorkelling makes it a must visit location.

We are now on our way to transit the Panama Canal (Caribbean Sea to Pacific Ocean) which will be on Friday, starting at 7 am local time (about lunchtime for you, so check out the webcam!).

I am very exited about the Panama Canal. It is 100 years old this year so it's a special visit. The canal is 45 miles long and consists of five sets of locks, required because the middle land section of Panama is some 26 meters above sea level. The beam (width) of the Aurora is 32 meters and fits into the locks with 2 feet to spare on either side. Being over 200 mtrs long, well we have a very large canal narrow boat indeed.

The canal cuts the journey time of a ship travelling from San Francisco to New York by 6000 miles avoiding the need to travel south via Cape Horn and the Falkland Isles. It will take 8 hours to navigate the canal. We are pulled by 'electric mules' and a ship can only go through the canal during day light hours.

The original canal when built cost the lives of 28,000 workers, mainly due to disease. Health and Safety has come a long way in 100 years. There is a parallel canal with new locks being constructed which will allow even larger ships through. This will be completed in 2015.

I am still trying to upload pictures for the blog but as we are still on ship's WiFi this is proving a costly unsuccessful venture thus far. Ship's Wifi is around £35 for 100 minutes of air time. The strange thing is the ship's clock appears to be much faster in ticking seconds than my watch - Now if I was more geeky techie chap I am sure there is a quick way of uploading pictures into the blog. I tried writing a separate document and uploading pictures in advance but that has proved no benefit as to be honest I have no idea what I am doing!! I am therefore writing my original blog in text only (to keep the formatting in good order - thanks for the tip Ed). I am however working on putting some pictures and a simple caption explanation onto a document and then copy and paste to a separate blog when I get to some on-land free WiFi location (probably in San Francisco) - I do hope it will work.

My travel guide opinion of the P&O Aurora and cruising in general is still very open minded and it is far too early in the trip to make a valued opinion. This liner is officially on a 108 day round the world voyage but we are jumping off after 37 nights in Auckland. Around 40% of the 1800 passengers are going 'all the way'. The remainder like us are just doing specific legs. There is a huge amount of returning passengers both to P&O and the Aurora, which must speak volumes of the ship and the great value put on by P&O.

Many passengers are almost 'professional' cruise goers who are undertaking two or even three cruises a year - short and long cruises ( Where do they find the time or money?). P&O do really put on super food and entertainment - some say that this is really because we are on a world cruise and they up the ante so to speak. A two week cruise would not have the same levels, especially in the evening entertainment. For us, as first time cruisers, there is really lots to do or one can just sun bathe at leisure.

We have already had a new line up of singers and dancers and an excellent magician who amazingly disappeared one day after his act to return three days later from a top hat in the swimming pool - how did he do that! Look out for Singer called Phillip Browne - a West End star and a brilliant Bass Baritone voice. - He has a CD called 'The Journey' - I would recommend him to you. There is music for all tastes including a classical guitarist which makes my guitar playing look what it is - beginners' standard. I am learning to play Bridge and had a bamboo massage which got to every part of my anatomy - well nearly everywhere. We have just been to see an amazing juggler, a young lad from Cornwall, brilliant act. Earlier we went to see a Freddie Mercury / Queen tribute singer - again excellent. Yes, lots to do, you never get bored while being a board!

Blog 4 to follow after the wonderful Panama Canal - Hope all is well in the UK

You can track the Aurora on www. pocruises.com/cruise-ships/aurora/webcam/   --The forward web cab should give a great view of our journey through the Panama Canal which starts at 7am ship's time - that will be around Midday GMT as previously mentioned.

DKT

On our way - Weathering the storms!

Saturday 11th January - At sea 6 days on our first leg trip to Auckland on board the Aurora.

What an amazing six days - I mentioned in my first blog "trepidation or adventure" I can say I have already had both emotions in the first week.

(PIC) -The Aurora leaving Southampton..

Setting sail with the P&O Aurora from Southampton on the 4th January was exiting enough, especially as this was my first ever cruise. Jacky had been to Australia by ship in the 1970's so had a reasonable understanding of what was ahead but I did not have a clue other than reading other blogs and travel reviews.

Our cabin is not too bad at all, Think of a good quality travel lodge, add a balcony in our case and there you have it. I would be picky indeed to find a fault - a bath, a shower that does more than trickle, good cupboard space, a fridge, a safe, tea maker etc. Add a personal cabin Steward (Sachin) and there you go  - a holiday starts.

We decided to have a cabin at the bow end (forward) on the tenth floor (B102), Cruisers say find a cabin mid ships and lower down if you want a stable minimum rocking trip. However there are positives in being just that bit further away from noisy areas and passengers not passing your cabin to get to the Costa outlet, library or the theatres, main restaurant etc. I have to say this was a good decision as now we have sea legs the peace and quiet is lovely.

Now with 1800 passengers you could be right in thinking that this is a large floating hotel or even holiday camp. I cannot dispute that you get the feel of that as you walk around to find your bearings. However P&O are a clever lot - they want you to feel you are on a holiday even although this is a large accommodation block much much longer than a football pitch and some 32 feet wide (beam). They have theatres, many different eating places and lounges and thoughtfully add a whole lot of activities you can get involved in from tennis to chess, to bridge, learn to dance, sing, etc etc.

Where then was my trepidation - Leaving home for 130 days was one but sailing was the big fear. A ferry almost 30 years ago was my one and only sea journey of length and I vowed never to travel by sea again.

(PIC) - After the storm - a fresh beginning

Boy was I inducted in style to life on the ocean waves. Storm conditions of up to force 12, swells of over 14m high, rocking and rolling around like a cork on top of a fountain. I wore these two wrist bands (Sea -bands) designed to deter sea sickness and I took a tablet (Stugeron) and can honestly say it worked. I was not sick but did find difficulty in getting a balance which is understandable, especially with a replacement hip joint.

The Aurora I am told has fantastic stabilisers but I could not tell if they were working or not having no experience on other cruise liners. The storm in the Bay of Biscay was so ferocious that the journey towards the Azores was cancelled and we headed for Northern Spain (A Coruna) for a respite and repairs to the ship that was well battered in the storm. On leaving A Coruna we still had some technical problems and ended up going round in circles for around 4 hours to sort it all out.

Many seasoned cruise-goers tell me that this was the worst storm they had seen in many years of travelling so I was very pleased I got through it. Now we are nearly in Antigua and 3000 miles south the world is a different place - the temperature is rising - I am in shorts and the UK seems a life time ago. I have my sea legs and sleeping a whole lot better - in fact I can say I am beginning to enjoy myself!

The food is fantastic - the entertainment is West End standard and the people we have shared some time with have been most pleasant indeed. All types of people, in ages, sizes, health conditions - There are zimmer frames, walking sticks, serious fitness bods, children (not too many on a world trip).

I often wonder where all these people come from, how they came to be on this trip and how their lives have got them to this point. I have now time to find out from at least a few of them. One couple Sarah and Mark brought with them three children Verity (10 yrs.), Cordelia (5yrs) and Henrietta (3yrs). They are from Yorkshire where Sarah is a locum vet, Mark is a retired Policemen and they also have a Tea Room in a village outside Halifax. The eldest children have had permission to take time out from school - in fact the Head Teacher says that it would be a better all round short term education for them to be on a trip like this than stuck in a class room. How very modern that thought is - well done the school.

I have also met a Harbour Pilot from Brisbane, a hotelier from Plymouth and his wife who appear to enjoy the casino more than anything else - good luck to them! Jacky has met many more people as she is involved in the Christian fellowship, tap dancing classes, the choir and many other activities.

I quite like these different dress up or dress down evenings - a great British tradition is dressing for dinner, long may it last. I have tried hard not to eat or drink too much as discipline of intake is a definite must if I am not going home a very plum lad indeed.

Jacky brought with her a video on her Ipad of her local Zumba Teacher Ali Biller and has been bouncing up and down to what I can only describe as music you hear from many cars at Traffic Lights who have their audio up way too loud. She is loving it and says its a first class way of keeping fit. I am tired out just watching snippets of the programme. I recommend if you want to try something different try Zumba.

(PIC) - The Beautiful Cathedral at Santiago

Antigua here we come and I will up load some photos when I get to a free Wifi outlet. The ship's wifi is none too cheap but worth having a few minutes booked for Skype calls to the Grand Kids.
We had one excursion on shore in Spain. We visited the Cathedral at Santiago de Compostella which is a famous terminus for pilgrims and some 40 miles from A Coruna. This was one of the ship's excursions and jolly good it was too. Due to the diversion we now have had seven days at sea to the next stop. It is passing quickly and all is well.

(PIC) - Our first Cruise sunset approaching Antigua

The sun is really out now and we are only 800 miles out of Antigua. We will be there early Monday morning - we are now 3 hours behind GMT and another hour will be added after Antigua. Aruba and snorkelling on Wednesday, then the Panama Canal is next Friday 19th January and a blog on its own. We then have Nicaragua, on our way to San Francisco.

You can track the Aurora on www.pocruises.com/cruise-ships/aurora/webcam/

Regards and be in touch again soon...

DKT