 |
| The downtown area of Darwin with office buildings, restaurants and shopping. |
“Sightings on the Ship in Australia”
 |
| Art sales and auctions attract a number of passengers during cruises. Happily, Tom always says, “We don’t have any walls!” |
Today our ship is docked in the port of Darwin, Australia. On April 24, 2016 while on another cruise, we visited Darwin, taking a bus into town to explore for a few hours. Mostly, it was about shopping, with the numerous shops lining the streets.
As a result, we stayed on the ship today along with about 25% of the other passengers who may have been to Darwin in the past and saw no reason to venture out on such a hot and humid day. (It’s almost summer here in Darwin and the hot season begins early).
Here’s link #1 our visit to Darwin
Here’s link #2 our visit to Darwin
 |
| The port arrival building in Darwin. |
After a poor night’s sleep, awakening at 3:00 am and falling back to sleep for only about 30 minutes, today I’m pooped, as sluggish as I can be. Having fun late into the evenings is taking its toll on me after many months of relative inactivity while my injury healed and staff had done all the cooking and cleaning.
Listen to me…complaining about having too much fun! Each morning when we’re tired from staying up late, I think, “Maybe tonight we’ll lay low, go to bed early, avoid the two glasses of wine.”
Invariably, after we’d showered and dressed for the evening, we wander off to the Diamond Club Lounge at 5:00 pm. In a matter of minutes, we find ourselves engaged in interesting conversations with little motivation to end the evening early.
 |
| The ship is being fueled while in the port of Darwin. |
We met two fabulous couples from the US, Cheryl and Stan from Texas and Lois and Tom from New Jersey, all within our age range, all lively and energetic travelers.
These past several evenings, we’ve sat with them in the happy hour Diamond Lounge and last night we joined them and another couple for dinner in the Cascade dining room after the happy hour. What a delightful evening!
When they all decided to “call it a night” after dinner, Tom and I weren’t done and the evening continued for us for a few more hours. We don’t seem to have trouble extending our evening well into the night; a little dancing, lots of laughing and leisurely strolls on the deck.
 |
| Some adventurous passengers decided to walk to downtown in the heat, returning to the ship exhausted and weary. |
When I think back to all the nights over these past many months that I was pooped by 9 pm, struggling to stay awake, it feels great to be social and playful well into the evening. I’d begun to wonder if I had it in me or this late night lack of energy was a by-product of aging. Apparently not.
Now I’ve mastered the ability to stay up later and enjoy a few glasses of wine. Now I need to master the ability to acquire a good night’s sleep after all of our fun to prepare me a similar repeat the following night.
Perhaps, today, after the movie at 1 pm, a nap will be in order. Never able to nap in the past, doesn’t mean I can’t learn to do it now. You can “teach an old dog new tricks!”
 |
| Most of Australia’s 23 million citizens live close to the ocean since the barren interior, the Outback, is relatively uninhabitable. |
Don’t forget to vote! We submitted our absentee ballots weeks ago and will carefully follow along tomorrow via the web.
Photo from one year ago today, November 8, 2015:
 |
| One year ago, a Paul Gauguin cruise ship sailed by our view in Fiji. For more photos, please click here. |