Uluru and Kata Tjuta

13-16th July

After a gorgeous night camping out at the start of the Mulga Park Road, enjoying a campfire dinner and a wonderful sunset, we aimed our vehicle towards Uluṟu. The Mulga Park road is a very underrated road, heading along the South Australian border then north to Curtain Springs. Philip last did this road in 1974 on a school trip when it was very wet and the bus got bogged and they camped on the road side for around 48 hrs waiting to be rescued. It’s much different now, extremely dry and dusty but a lovely drive. (P:- the road conditions would soon change with 50 or 60mm of rain, Mulga park road is actually the Eastern start to Len Beadell’s Gunbarrel Highway, it is also an access road to Victory Downs and Mulga Park Stations as well as a few Indigenous communities. We travelled for over 200 klm before meeting another vehicle. I do so enjoy the dirt back roads, both van and Truck are now impregnated with the Central Australian red dust!

After topping up with fuel, both diesel and food, we continue on to Uluṟu where we are staying at the Campground in the Overflow area.

Kids are off for a swim once we are set up but discover the pool is unheated and very cold, so only the bottom halves got wet. Back to the van for an early dinner before we wander up to the bus stop for our Field of Lights tour.

When we arrive out at the Field of lights we are given some information and sent on our way to wander along the pathways enjoying this spectacle. This visual sight was initially installed for a 12 month season, in 2016, and has now been extended indefinitely. The Field of lights is made up of 50,000 handcrafted frosted spheres that are illuminated by solar powered leds and cover an area of more than seven football fields, with more than 330 kilometres of cable.

14th

Philip is making bread this morning so we take our time getting motivated. Kids had a good sleep in and slow start to the day, but the fresh bread got them moving.

(P:- nothing like camp oven tucker in the great outdoors! Do enjoy the challenges of bread making and meat cooking on the camp fire).

Around 10am we are off to walk, ride and drive around Uluṟu. It’s a balmy 28 degrees with a light breeze and very pleasant for walking or riding. We unload Em and Hugh and the bikes at the first car park and they are off to circumnavigate the rock. Philip and I do a walk and then I continue further round. We walk into Muṯitjulu waterhole which is a tiny oasis tucked into a fold in the rock, then back to the car where we meet Em and Hugh. We load up the bikes while they walk into the waterhole. Then a stop at the cultural centre and back to the van for a late lunch.

It’s a lazy afternoon for everyone with the kids heading to the pool for a quick dip before we take off to the sunset viewing area. We find a park and the kids find the viewing platform (the tailgate of the truck) and play with the digital camera as the sun sets. It always amazes me how the rock changes colour and tonight it almost glows as the suns last rays bring it to life and then it fades into darkness.

Back to the van for dinner and some sorting of photos, along with some laughs at the wobbly, blurry ones.

(P:- we wandered thru a souvenir shop or two didn’t need to buy as I still have my 1974 souvenirs – A Diggeredoo and some digging sticks – obviously buying direct from the local community ( still living in stick and grass lean to’s then) was a lot cheaper than souvenir stores nowadays! I recall paying $5.00 for the Diggeredoo (now over $500) and 50 cents for the digging sticks (now over $180). Guess what I still have them! Both never used. We are camped at Yulara Resort Campground, in 1974 we camped right by Ayres Rock and we could still go for a wander up it – went part way up in 2013 when I was here also. Now there is no touching, No climbing and about 1/3 of it a no Photo Zone! Every one has a different opinion and mine is it’s a shame we can’t enjoy what we like to do. It’s Amazing the memories that come back after so many years!

15th

This morning we are up early and heading out to Kata Tjuṯa. It’s a cool 14 with a very cool wind. We are doing the Waḻpa Gorge walk, along with several bus loads of other tourists. As we walk into the gorge the wind picks up and just about blows us off our feet. It funnels up the gorge and swirls around the end where it has nowhere to go. We don’t linger for long as the wind is too cold. Quite amazing to see that within 50 kilometres Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa are two very different rock formations. Uluṟu is sandstone and one solid rock and Kata Tjuṯa is Conglomerate sedimentary rocks which is many rocks fused together with silt and mud.

After lunch we are picked up at the shuttle bus stop and taken out to the camel farm for our camel ride. Both Hugh and Em have been looking forward to this and think it’s funny that Ma is going too. After a quick briefing we load up Philip and Hugh on Jed and Em and I on Tim Tam. We are out for a 45 minute ride which surprisingly we all enjoyed. Philips camel Jed spent the whole walk chewing and regurgitating food right next to me, making some awful noises, which the kids thought was hilarious.

Back to the van to pack up, kids have a swim and organise tea. We are off in the morning to our next adventure.

William Creek, Lake Eyre and Coober Pedy

July 9- 10th

Blanche Cup and the Bubbler are two of the numerous mound springs that filter through the earths crust in this area. These small oasis are natural springs bubbling up from the artesian basin. The wetlands (although not very wet) provide habitat for native birds and animals in the area.

The Bubbler and Blanche Cup Mound Springs

(P:- Great to be doing a Central Aussie road trip again, there is something special about the “Outback”. Dirt roads and tracks, wildlife, cattle and sheep stations are all part of the attraction. Not to mention the fine red dust that penetrates every gap in a vehicle or caravan, this dust seems all but impossible to remove completely once it has invaded the vehicle).

William Creek is our overnight stop and we arrive just after midday and settle into the park. (P:-The Author must have been asleep when we stopped and viewed South Lake Eyre -still a dry salt lake as no water has entered it from the recent flood waters filling Lake Eyre North). After setting up we spend the afternoon in the van while a wind storm blows dust around us and through everything. Blew the neighbours tent down and sand through his open door. We realise how small the van is when we are all cooped up for the afternoon. Em and Hugh claimed our bed and played UNO for ages. Philip and I made a break for it late afternoon to go and check in for our flight tomorrow. Not pleasant being out in the cold dusty wind. Weather forecast is suppose to be much better tomorrow. Over to the William Creek Hotel for dinner along with many others staying in the park. A lovely meal and some great momentos on the walls and ceiling.

Our flight day dawns clear and still, thankfully. We pack up and park outside Wrights Air ready for our flight at 11am. Alex is our pilot and after our safety talk allocates our seats. Hugh is lucky enough to have the front seat with Em, Philip and I next row back. We are doing the deluxe, 2 hour flight and once we are in the air we start to see the vastness of the area and how small William Creek is. Normally has 6 permanent population and over the tourist season they have 35. Our flight takes us out over the southern end of North Lake Eyre, then over the Warburton Groove along the Warburton River before flying over North Lake Eyre down the Warburton Cannel and then the islands long the southern side. We could see South Lake Eyre in the distance which still has no water in it. The water colours, sand colours, creeks and washouts make amazing patterns. It is expected to fill this year for the 4th time in recorded history.

(P:- We spot a few squadrons of pelicans, the numbers of these are expected to increase massively over the next few months. Some how they know the lake is filling and we were told they even fly in from South East Asia and Japan! Evidently they are smart enough to know there is water in the lake and a supply of fresh fish but when the water dries up and food diminishes they perish ( not smart enough to fly off to another location) nature is peculiar with how it works. Worth noting that 17% of Australia drains into lake Eyre it’s the lowest point in Australia at -15m (below sea level). Once the waters from the rivers feeding it enter the lake evaporation is the only way this lake dries out. We are privileged to see it filling with water- a rare occasion)

On our return to William Creek we load into the car and we are off. It’s lunch on the run today as we have to make it to Coober Pedy today. About 160k. Our drive takes us through Anna Creek Station, the largest Station in the world. It’s a pretty barren area with 1 head of cattle per 1 square kilometre.

11th July

Coober Pedy

We are doing Tom’s Opal Mine tour this morning. Quite an involved tour lead by Mila who has lived in the area for 55 years and has mined here most of that time. She had some stories to tell but wasn’t the best guide. After the tour we enjoyed scones and jam and cream and hot drinks before checking out some jewellery and making some purchases.

Back into town for some lunch and then to Fay’s Underground Home. Amazingly 3 women excavated this home with pick and shovel, adding extra rooms as necessary.

After trying some noodling without any luck we headed back to the van to catch up on a few chores before dinner.

Heading to South Australia

4th July, 2025

Departure day on the Spirit of Tasmania. Two very excited young people and a couple of eager to travel adults. After a short delay at departure due to a medical emergency we were off on a very smooth sailing. Neither Em or Hugh were impressed that we had a 5.45am wake up call but this meant we we on the road early. We were 4th off the ship and on our way.

First stop is Bendigo for breakfast with Kevin and Isabel and to check out their new home. Very nice home and a lovely couple of hours catching up before we hit the road and head towards Kaniva our stop for the night.

A stop at Dimboola to see the Silo art and another stop at Murtoa to visit the Stick Shed, a very interesting grain store. This is the only remaining grain store of this type. It was built during World War Two. It was constructed over four months in 1942 and was designed to store 92 500 tonnes of wheat. It measures 265 metres long, 60 metres wide and 19 metres high. Inside it has 560 wooden poles for support which are made from unmilled mountain ash, laid out in 10 rows. It is a very impressive building.

Then on to Kaniva where we are staying with friends Kerryn and Alwyn. Kerryn informed me that we had been friends for 52 years. And we still had plenty to talk about. Philip, Alwyn, Hugh and Em went for a tour of the farm and some of their machinery. Hugh checking out the cabs on the harvesters and sprayers. It’s always great catching up and sharing our travels with each other. We may even cross paths later in our trip.

6th July.

After a relaxed breakfast and more talking we left to head into South Australia and then north to Burra. Stopping at Bordertown for groceries, had to stock up on veggies etc as we couldn’t bring any from home. We had a pretty long day arriving in Burra about 4.30, ready to start the real touring tomorrow.

Supermarket discussions, tailgate lunch and ice creams at Leigh Creek

7th July.

We head up to the old Heritage Copper Mine for a look around before heading north towards Peterborough, Orrooroo, Hawker, Parachilna and Leigh Creek. Lots of emus along the roadside with goats and sheep and a few roos. We kept Em and Hugh busy with them googling history of the areas and station details which made the trip more interesting. We have learnt from Em that Sir Sydney Kidman had a one eyed horse ( she can remember this from a podcast listened to 3 years ago), drove past Sir Hubert Wilkins birth place (he was a polar explorer), many stations around this area have around 30000 acres and Leigh creek has a population of 92 and still has an operational school with 42 students.

Tonight’s bush camp is just north of Leigh Creek and we were blessed with a gorgeous sunset.

8th July

First stop today are some Ochre Pits on Mundownda Station just north of Lyndhurst. These are stunningly coloured cliffs with a palette of rich Australian colours from reds to browns, yellow to white. The cliffs are clay with ferric oxide giving the range of colours. The colour is darker and redder with higher levels of iron oxide, the white has little or no iron present.

Next stop is Farina, an abandoned town that is now being preserved. The highlight of this stop is the underground bakery. And of course we had to make some purchases. Boston buns, pasties and sausage rolls and a pull apart loaf.

At Marree we wander along the old Ghan rail line and check out Tom Kruze’s (the Birdsville Mailman) truck and some display boards about Lake Eyre, then out to the cemetery to see some of the old graves. Here the area is divided into European, Aboriginal and Afghan which is quite unusual for a cemetery in Australia.

Our final stop for today is Coward Springs, where luckily we have a site booked as the campground is full.

Right now the cooks are in motion preparing dinner of Red Curry and Gyozas before we head down to the springs for a soak.

Old Ghan Rail Bridge, Farina Underground Bakery and Birdsville Mail Truck

Miami and Key West

16-04-25 Wednesday

Philip and I catch an Uber up to Fort Lauderdale Airport to pick up a hire car for the next couple of days. We don’t really have many plans but Philip wants to get some truck parts he can’t get at home and we did a bit of touristing, made some purchases to fill our cases and then back to our unit by mid afternoon. Then for a walk down to the beach and along the waterfront. A pleasant dinner sitting on our 10th floor deck watching the lights in the buildings along the waterfront.

17-04-25

Wednesday we are off in good time this morning heading south down through Miami and the Art Deco Area of the city. It’s a lovely drive and the traffic is not too bad. About an hour to reach this area but once there a very nice drive looking at the old Art Deco Buildings. From there we drive around past the Miami Cruise port where the cruise ships seems to be docked along the Highway. We stop at Coconut Grove Bayside Marina for a wander and a drink. The boats here are huge and expensive and some for sale. The boat storage racks are crammed with boats stacked 5 levels high. The money spent here on boats is unbelievable.

After drooling over the boats we head over to Key Biscayne, across a bridge and causeway to a lovely beach area and the “village” of Key Biscayne. This would be the most expensive village we have been to. Huge homes, beautiful gardens, shopping streets and flash restaurants. Again some of the homes here are well in the multiple tens of millions of dollars. After a drive around the “village” we head back north and find a Bahama Breeze restaurant for a late lunch then back to our unit to prepare dinner for the rest of the family when they arrive later this evening.

We saw this boat at the docks. It wins the prize for the biggest HP for a runabout. 6 x 450 hp outboard motors.

16-04-25

Mark – Amanda, the kids and myself left early to head towards Key West, the southern most point of the US Mainland. We had a good start with reasonable traffic and made it south of Miami before we stopped at the Famous Robert Is Here fruit stand, which started out as a small cucumber stand many years ago and grew from there, having a wide range of exotic fruit we had never heard of before, like Mamet Sapote which had the texture of a heavy cheese cake, takes 25 years for the tree to fruit and 18 months for the fruit to ripen. Red Chirimoya which tasted like raspberries and a very soft texture, we also tried Tropical Caimito which had a melon flavour with it. There were many other fruits all grown by Robert himself, he helped us and answered lots of questions and explained about all of the different fruits, they also had local grown sugar cane, mangoes, oranges etc and made smoothies with a myriad of flavors. Continuing south we stopped at a few scenic spots over bridges, spotting the large 100cm+ Tarpon, Sharks, Stingrays and other fish in the water. The crystal clear blue water, many mangrove islands and fancy boats made for a beautiful drive. We arrived to Key west mid afternoon, had a drive around and as expected it was very busy, lots of tourists and the beaches were very full especially by Tassie standards. After checking into our motel we went for some fresh Mexican for dinner then drove into Duval street to have a look a the centre of Key West at night. It’s a lively downtown area, lots of tourists, brightly lit shops, bars, clubs, cigar shops and eateries. Everyone selling the famous and best Key Lime Pie. The next morning we went for another walk around Key west, visited a beach where Amanda and Kaley went for a swim, enjoying warm ocean water one last time. We then started the long drive back to Miami. Approximately 300km, but this took us approximately 7 hours thanks to the traffic and roadworks laying 800mm diameter pipe under the road. Definitely somewhere we would love to visit again with more time.

18-04-25

Departure day

Unfortunately our time has come to pack our bags and head for home. Mark and Amanda and the girls leave us around 9am to head to the airport for a 1pm flight to Los Angeles then on to Melbourne. Everyone is a bit sad to say goodbye but Kaley tells me she will see us soon at home.

We have a full day around here today before our flight at 10.40pm to Santiago where we have an 18 hour layover before our flight to Sydney, Melbourne and finally Devonport arriving on Monday 21st.

We fill the day in by heading back to Haulover Inlet to watch some more boats head in and out of the canal. It’s not as calm today and makes watching more fun. It’s quite breezy on the beach and there is quite a swell but it hasn’t stopped the beach goers from having some fun in the sun. From here we head back down to the Miami Art Deco area for a walk along the foreshore and a late lunch. Crowds of people are enjoying the pleasant afternoon and there are thousands along the beach. Late afternoon we head to the airport early but ready for our flights home.

Manatees and Alligators

12-04-25

Saturday we are off again in good time, heading north to Crystal River where we have a tour booked. Crystal River is a quaint little town with an excellent coffee shop, which Philip, Mark and Amanda are very happy about. We arrive at our tour office, head inside and get geared up with wet suits, watch a safety instructional video and board the bus down to the pier where we are greeted by Captain Ron for our trip out to see the manatees. We are at the end of the Manatee season so there are not many around but we are assured we will see some. Sure enough as we cruise the 200 metres across the bay we spot several swimming ahead of us. There are heaps of boats all trying to find a spot to anchor and offload passengers into the water to swim with the manatees. Captain Ron decides that we will head to Crystal river and the Springs first so across the bay and into a small Inlet. The kids slip into the water to view a small spring before we move further up the inlet to Three Sisters Springs. Here we all don our snorkels and masks and slip into the warm water and follow Aubrey our guide into the gorgeous area of the springs. The water is crystal clear, fish and crabs are spotted and then the three springs, where warm water bubbles up through the sand. It is a beautiful area and although we are not the only ones there it’s a great experience.

(P:-Time for some technical info, a must have to know. The water, true to its name “Crystal Springs” was as clear as! A couple of questions asked and it was interesting to know the water in the lower aquifer flows some 1100 miles, (1770 klm) from the Ozark mountains.)

Back on the boat and we cruise past some lovely homes along the canal before heading back to see the Manatees. As we slip into the water behind Aubrey, we follow a female manatee who we are able to get up close to, touch and even nibbled on a Kaley leg. A great experience. Aubrey was taking pictures through out the time we were on the tour and got some great pics. (P:- A quick visit to favourite new friend in town (the Barista Lady) who even remembered what I ordered earlier in the morning, a delicious coffee and it’s “on the road again”). All in all a good half day and experience then it’s “on the road again”.

Sunday

(P:- Mark and I generously offered and dropped the Girls at a very nice shopping centre in Sarasota- we figured they needed some retail therapy. To fill in our time while they shopped we “happened” to find a Drag Race Meeting near by at the Bradenton Motor Sport Complex. With a mixture of V8 and other lesser sized engines, petrol fumes and burning rubber we had a wonderful few hours of USA Motorsport. We were amazed by the family classes of racing where children from age 5 and up were dragging down the track in controlled, scaled down versions of the drag cars. A great day for us ( apart from funding the shopping)!

Our stop tonight is in Naples. This was a very nice spot and if we were multimillionaires we would fit right in. Alas, all we could do was wander along the boat docks and drive down millionaires row dreaming about how the rich and famous live. Beautiful homes and gardens, a shopping area that looked extremely expensive, Gucci, Balenciaga, Prada etc. no shorts and t shirts walking down the street everyone was beautifully dressed. We decided not to stop here for dinner but found a lovely spot away from the expensive area. One home we walked past was for sale for $8 million plus and other just down the street had sold for $54 million. Just pocket money really.

(P:- Judith is lacking a few facts here again! Naples has one of the highest accumulation of residence that are Multi Million / Billion aires. Some 9000 (9%) of the population of the city. Have never seen so many Valet Park restaurants, Snobby shops everywhere and when the real estate agent is SOUTHERBIES it says something. Not sure my old shorts, Tee Shirt and sandals were classed as suitable dining ( or beach) attire! To avoid mortgaging our house to fund dinner we drove out of Snob town to a local diner in a more normal suburb. I almost forgot to mention the impressive line up of business private jets at the airport! The mega yachts in the beautiful harbour were worth spending an hour or so looking at too! Snobtown Naples was indeed a beautiful part of the city).

Monday 14-04-25

We are on the move again after packing the car, this time heading towards Miami. Todays trip will take us through the Everglades so our first stop is an Air Boat ride at Captain Mitch’s Airboats. The sign is about as old as Captain Duane, the guy who takes us on the tour. He’s lived in the area all his life, 67 years and knows the area backwards, which is very useful as it would be easy to get lost among all the mangroves. As we leave the dock we spot several alligators resting along the shoreline. Then we are off heading through the mangroves winding through tunnels and narrow gaps between the trees. It’s the end of the dry season so water levels are low but there are heaps of birds about and the area is lovely. Captain Duane shows us an alligator nest and remains of an egg and points out various interesting features along the way. A very enjoyable hour has passed.

(P:- More critical info omitted! The Airboat wasn’t just an Airboat! It was fitted with a V8 Chev engine driving a large Propeller mounted high up at the rear of the vessel to move it along as the water in the swamps wasn’t deep enough for an in water propulsion system. The symphony of the rumble of the V8 and the roar of high speed air was as enjoyable as the very good Everglades Mangrove tour – well it was to me anyways). We head back into Everglades City where we find a spot for lunch. Triad Food Market and Cafe. A very rustic cafe on the side of a canal but the food was great.

Heading further south we reach the Loop Road which takes us off the interstate and further into the mangroves. Amanda has done some research and found that this is a great spot for spotting alligators and turtles and bird life. She wasn’t wrong, it was not long before we spotted our first alligator and then many more along the creek beside the road. One stop we could see several snakes, alligators, turtles and lots of birds. Our travel time lengthened as we made many stops to observe the wildlife but it was a great drive. We finally arrived into the city late afternoon and located our accomodation. We are on the 10th floor and have an awesome view of the high rises along the beachfront. We’re just a block from the beach and it will be our first stop tomorrow morning.

Theme Park Days

9th – 12th April

After cramming all our luggage into the car we turned our noses towards Tampa. With a couple of stops along the way, we rolled into our Air BnB just before 4pm. From the outside it looked a little unkempt but inside was lovely and we soon had ourselves organised and a meal on the table for dinner. Everyone is keen for our day at Busch Gardens tomorrow.

We are on the move early Thursday and off to Busch Gardens ready for opening at 10am. Our accommodation is only a few miles away which is really convenient. For those that don’t know Busch Gardens is a family oriented theme park, with rides and animal experiences. Amanda has the day all planned out to make sure we get all the rides done. First two are closed so that throws all planning into chaos and we head straight for Montu. Best get the big ones done first up. I’m not sure what to expect but bravely board the ride along with the others. 2 minutes of twists, turns, speedy corners and screaming we are back at the start and I have conquered the ride. I won’t do it again but I’m still alive. The next ride is not so bad, thankfully. The kids and Mark and Amanda tackle most of the rides throughout the day. Several rides more than once. We all ride the Congo River Rapids and by the end of the ride we are all saturated, luckily it’s pretty warm and over the next hour we dry off. Then it’s the Stanley Falls Flume where once again we get wet. Not quite as wet as the previous ride. By 3.30 Philip and I head back to the car to wait for the others to have their last rides. Montu another 3 times and Cobras Curse another twice. Closing time is 5 pm and we are all finally back at the car ready for the short trip home, tired but exhilarated by the fun day.

Friday morning the olds, Philip and I, are heading off for a drive to Clearwater, while the rest of the family head to Adventure Island Water Park. We drop them at the gate just before opening at 10am and we head off for a leisurely drive to look around the area. A stop at a lovely gourmet market in Dunedin and then out to the coastal areas around Clearwater and south. This area was hit by a hurricane in October 24 and there are still some signs of the destruction about.

We stop for lunch at a little diner just off the beach, then a walk down onto the beach to dip our toes into the water. Miles of beach in both directions with umbrellas, sun chairs, bronzed and not so bronzed bodies and miles of low rise accommodation buildings in every design imaginable hugging the foreshore. We finally turn for home about 3 and are back at the waterpark to pick up a very tired and sunburnt family who have had an awesome day riding the water slides, wave pool and lazy river.

Kaley: yesterday I went to a roller coaster park. First I went on a ride called Montu it was so fun. It had seven loops and it was super fun and crazy. After that we went on a ride that was called cobras curse. the cars on the roller coaster were able to spin around while it was still moving. Another ride we did was Congo river rapids were you get on a raft and go down a rapid that was very bumpy and we got very wet.

Emily: On our first day in Tampa bay, we went to a theme park called Busch Gardens. We went on pretty much all the roller coasters there, and it was amazing! One of my favourite coasters was called Montu, it had seven loops and its one of the rides where you are hanging instead of sitting in a cart. It was awesome and by the end of the day, we had been on it four times! My least favourite ride was a tower one called Falcons fury. You sat in rows of chair and it lifted you up abut 100m above the ground and then tilted you down towards the ground. At this point you were pretty much only relying on the harness to keep you in the seat, then they dropped you down towards the ground really fast, right towards the end the seats tilted back out so they were normal again. Overall it was an amazing day. The next day, we went to a water park called Adventure Island, we were the first people through the gates and the park was pretty much empty. We went on pretty much all of the water slides but my favourite one was called the Colossal curl. It was a four person ride and it had a steep drop and then a high runout point, it was awesome. I went on all the attractions except the fast slide called vanish point where you stand in a chamber and the floor disappears from underneath you. Overall it was a great couple of days.

Shopping, Airshow and Basketball

5th to 8-04-25

We were all a bit sad to disembark on Saturday 5th but keen to start our next land based adventure. We trundle our luggage off the ship, clear customs and climb aboard the shuttle to the airport where we pick up our hire car. (P:- NOT just a hire car, the largest, made in America, SUV we could hire – we didn’t opt for a mini van as it would be unAustralian to be in the USA and be UnAmerican vehicle drivers. Unfortunately it was a Ford as a Chev was our preference.) After some strategic packing we climb in and start heading towards Orlando. Barely 30 minutes later we find a Costco Warehouse so we stop for some retail therapy. We are all a bit keen to have a spend and luckily find some goodies to purchase, some of it groceries for the next few days. (P:- the Author conveniently, I believe, omitted to mention the clothing purchases that slipped into the oversized trolley, they had nothing to do with the groceries we actually needed to survive!)

As we head north we meander through some agricultural land and past some lakes, stopping by a lake for some finger food lunch. (Chicken wings and Pork ribs). We arrive at the Grove Resort and Waterpark in Orlando just after 4pm and join the line for reception. We finally hit the reception desk around 5pm only to find our room isn’t ready for another hour. Kaley asks “can we use the water park while we wait” and luckily we got a big yes, so off we go to the water and the girls are into the pools and water slides. Our room is finally ready around 6.30. I stay with the girls at the pool while the others park and unload the bags, sort the bedrooms and unpack the groceries. Around 7 the girls and I walk around the perimeter path to meet Mark who shows us up to our room. Then it’s showers, dinner and bed.

Over the next couple of days it some retail therapy for the girls, visiting the Florida Mall and various other malls and enjoying the waterpark and cocktails at our accommodation.

Philip and Mark enjoyed “Fun in the Sun”, an air show in Lakeland for a day.

M – Whilst it was unfortunately the last day of the show and the vast majority of the private planes had departed the camping area, there was still plenty to see. Lots of new prop and jets to look at, the air show started in the early afternoon and had a range of stunt displays. Mustang War Birds, F35 Fighter Jets, F16’s, F18 surveillance jets, plus small stunt planes kept us entertained until late in the afternoon when the Blue Angels put on a 30 minute display. The sounds were deafening with full afterburner low passes, high speed turns and rolls etc. it was hot but a very enjoyable day.

(P:-My type of day, fits perfectly with my age old moto :- “If it doesn’t have an engine in it you shouldn’t be doing it” and “Horsepower = Happiness”! The vibrations, sounds and precision flying made a great day for this guy).

Our last night in Orlando we head into Kia Stadium to watch Orlando Magic verse Atlanta Hawks in the NBA. What a great night. The junior Dobsons (2 generations) dressed themselves in appropriate gear ready to support the home team. We head to our designated car park and through security, check out the concession stands before finding our seats in the nosebleed (high altitude) section of the stadium. We have great seats and although high above the court we have great visibility. It’s a great game and close till the end. 112 to 119 with Orlando taking the win.

The stadium holds 18500 and was about 80% full. (P:-not really into sports without engines but it is great to experience High end sports and how they run! One of the players there tonight is on a salary of over 12 million USDollars a year! )

Grand Cayman

03-04-24

We are all off ashore today doing different things. Amanda is off first, heading for a Scuba dive, followed by Philip and myself on a Flavours of the Cayman tour and then Mark and the girls off to see some Dolphins.

Our tour started an off pretty poorly with us boarding a bus, driving 500 metres and then disembarking at the local craft markets, all locally made crafts. (Some not so local and some very tacky). (P:- pretty much made in China with some stickers of origin removed). Next stop was the Rum Cake factory where they were not baking today so no cake viewing instead we watched a two minute video on a small tv screen. Then to taste some cake and rum (P:- correction a Micro taste of cake and the rum pretty much tasted like industrial alcohol!) which was ok. The shop was full of Chinese made souvenirs. I think we are getting fussy. From here the tour did improve with our next stop being a small family owned rum distillery where we tasted several different rums, it still only 9.30 am. Then a short tour through the factory. Back on the bus and we head away from the city area to a very local area for an early lunch at the Country and Western pub/diner. Pretty basic place but very popular with the locals. A choice of salad or fish tea soup for appetisers, curry chicken or braised steak for main and sweet fried plantain for dessert. Amazingly it all tasted pretty good even if the plating up was a bit slapdash. Guessing our service in the main dining room on the ship is spoiling us. After lunch we do some more touring around the island and back to the port where we wander around the shopping area before returning on the tender to the Oosterdam. (P:- these Caribbean islands survive on tourism so become a tourist trap with dodgy souvenirs, diamond and jewellery shops and high prices. Not my favorite places to visit.)

Kaley.

We started the day off tendering ashore. Then we got on a bus to go to a turtle sanctuary where we got to pat turtles. It was so fun and exciting touching the turtles, big and little after about an hour we went to a dolphin discovery centre and swam with two dolphins called captain and Sally. Fun fact about dolphins is they shed their skin every two hours. I have always wanted to go swimming with dolphins and now I have had a chance to. I came away definitely wanting to do it again.

Emily :-

Cayman island turtle and dolphin encounter:

On one of our last days of our cruise, we stopped at the Cayman Islands. Dad, Kaley and I went in a tour that took us to a turtle sanctuary where we got to see lots of big turtles, we even got to pat some of the baby ones! It was super cute and I really enjoyed it. Our next stop was just over the road, so when we were done at the turtle sanctuary, we headed on over. Dad Kaley and I had our bathers on so we were ready to go. After a short briefing, we got into the water on a submerged platform. We all stood in a line and one by one, we stepped forward and the dolphin came past and gave us a kiss, held its fins out and danced with us and then came up out of the water and put its nose on our hand! In our group we had two dolphins: Captain and Sally. I had an awesome day. At the end we bought all of the professional photos and a special t-shirt each. We then headed back into the town, did a bit of shopping and then got back on the tender that would take us back to the ship.

Amanda took the rare opportunity to disappear and do two dives just off the shore of Georgetown. We had a small group of 4 from our ship along with 4 from the other two cruise ships docked that day. Our dive leader Mitch from Jamaica told us that everything would be Arrrrrright man as we headed to La Mesa our first site. With some very rusty dive skills and the usual inability to sink, we got underway. Lots of fish life and hard corals with beautiful bright yellow sponges. With a short surface and a fresh tank we descended for a wreck n reef dive called Oro Verde. It was amazing to swim along with so many fish and a small turtle. Also appreciated was not needing the usual long wetsuit booties and beanie. A quick trip back to shore left time for a spot of Caymans shopping (what a shame) and connecting up with Mark & girls.

Some facts about our cruise

Groceries consumed

Eggs 53000

Pasta 800 pounds. (363 Kilo)

Chickens 16000 pounds. (7257 kilo)

Beef 17200 pounds. (7711 kilo)

Fish 10000 pounds (4535 kilo)

Milk 3832 gallons

Prune Juice 50 gallons (14505 litres)

Toilet rolls 5332

When loading the ship

90 pallets of fruit and vegetables

1 ton flour

Carrots 75 pound per day (35 kilo)

Onions 100 pound per day (45 kilo)

Coffee 40 pound per day (19 kilo)

Our last night dining in the main dining room we got to say our farewells to Mark and Widodo who have served us for the entire trip. They have become friends over that time and we will all miss them as we disembark for the final time on the morning of the 5th.

We also say goodbye to Aris and Mudi our room stewards and Lukman and Dwi, Mark and Amanda’s stewards, who have kept our room tidy and entertained the girls with towel animals on their bed each night.

There have been a few tears shed by both the girls and maybe some adults as we finish this leg of our journey. It’s been such a wonderful time, with so many new experiences but new adventures await.

Fuerte Amador (Panama City)

31-03-25

It’s divide and conquer today with Mark and Philip off on a Canal Experience while the girls are off to visit the Embera Native Village.

After boarding the bus we head to the Chargres National Park where we board wobbly dugout canoes, 10 to a boat for a motor up the river to the village. (A few were not too steady as they boarded the canoes causing them to wobbly unsteadily). As we disembark we are greeted by the local male villagers playing music one of them playing a turtle shell drum and the women welcoming us. They all look very colourful with bright skirts, beaded tops and flowers in their hair. We were ushered through the village round houses to a large open walled domed area where we are seated around the outside and were then greeted by the chief of the village and told about their traditions. One of the village ladies talked about the weaving techniques and the fibres that they used, showing lovely examples of their work.

Then we are treated to lunch served in a folded banana leaf. Lunch was fried plantain chips and tilapia (fish), then fresh watermelon, pineapple and pawpaw which was all juicy and sweet. After lunch we moved to another covered area where each family displayed their wares. Mainly beaded bracelet, necklaces, earrings and lovely handwoven baskets/bowls and face masks. We each made a small purchase as the proceeds all stay within the village.

Back to the main undercover area and we are treated to some dances by the women. One very cute toddler wanted to join her mum with the dancing and ran around among all the women. She was very cute and look to be thoroughly enjoying herself. After this the men and women did a dance and then the audience was able to take part. A cute little girl came and chose Kaley to dance then Amanda and Em had a go as well while ma was photographer and bag minder.

After the dancing had finished we all headed back to the dugouts for our ride back to the National Park launch area and our bus ride back to the ship. Luckily the day wasn’t as hot as expected, but the air conditioned bus was a nice thought. Unfortunately the aircon didn’t work too well and the bus was hot and stuffy. Back at the ship it was cold showers and swims before a later dinner in the Lido. Another great day.

We all had a giggle at some of the words our guide said ie:-

bracklets for bracelets,

Neckles for Necklaces,

Re-tie-red for retired,

Admittedly he spoke way better English than we spoke Spanish.

M- Today the Boys went separate ways from the Ladies, Dad and I went on The Canal Experience tour. We boarded a small ferry boat to the north of the Pedro Miguel Locks and transited through this lock plus the 2 Miraflores Locks, what an awesome experience, we entered the lock in front a large RoRo ship London Highway… made us feel very small looking up at the bow of this ship. As we transited the locks our guide provided a very in depth overview of the history, operation and management of the canal system. It takes approx 20 minutes for each of the canal chambers to fill or empty. All naturally controlled by fresh water from the Gatun lakes. 250,000,000 litres of water are discharged to the Pacific Ocean for each ship that transits the canal. There were other container and bulk carrier ships transiting the canal beside us and the new locks also which made for a very busy afternoon of boys sightseeing. Once through the locks we passed the Panama Ports (one Chinese owned, one Panama owned) some of the larger container ships that can’t pass through the canal unload cargo here to be loaded onto smaller ships. The largest (Neo-Panamax) ships can carry approximately 17,000 20’ container equivalent units and cost approximately 1.3 million USD for each transit. After the port we travelled under the Bridge of the Americas, around the Oosterdam and back to our drop off point just beside the ship.

01-04-25

Cruising the Panama Canal.

(P:-As I am walking the deck at 05.30 (my morning excercise – quiet that hour of day not many early risers on these ships) the Oosterdam casts its lines and quietly begins its journey to the waiting assembly area to begin our journey through this important shipping passage. The Panama Canal was opened in 1914 and still uses the same locks and original huge steel riveted lock doors! Up to 30 vessels a day pass through the canal with the Panamax class of ship being the maximum size that can travel through. The Oosterdam is classed in this size and has less than 1metre clearance on each side. It’s up 3 locks on the Pacific side, lifting around 18metres each then a scenic cruise through the man made Lake Gatun before going down through the 3 locks to allow us to be at sea level again to enter the Atlantic Ocean and continue our journey. Today was our second canal day for Mark and I yesterday from water level and today from the heights of the Oosterdam. The Captain authorised every possible deck be opened so all could have great views. A canal expert gave us a running commentary through the day. Fascinating would be an understatement as we watch the mechanics, historic but still efficient design, ships from Panamax down to 12m yachts transiting from the Atlantic to the Pacific so they can make adventurous Ocean crossings even to Australia and NZ. For some of the journey we had great views of the larger vessels using the “new Panama Canal” which was opened in 2016. The day sailed by quickly and was a great and interesting experience ( second time for me). As we walk to dinner we view the line up of ships and boats in a queue for the east to west crossing. The Captain told us this morning that the fee for the Oosterdam to transit the canal was around USD$400,000! Close to $700,000 Australian Dollars! Whilst different the Panama is equally as interesting as Machu Picchu- very fortunate Judith and I could visit both these iconic places in one trip).

Peru to Ecuador

29-03-25

Before we left Lima Mark and Amanda enjoyed a night out at an old home in central Lima. This home had been in the Aliaga family for 17 generations. It was built in 1535, the same year that Lima was founded. As they entered the massive wooden doors the grandeur unfolded before them. In the centre of the house was an open area with a really old tree with a water fountain. Walls were tiled with similar tiles to the ones seen in the Basilica earlier. Quite the treat to be able to dine silver service in such a dramatic setting.

27-03-25

Salavery/Trujilio

We had a do it ourselves day today and wandered around the market in Trujilio, through the cathedral and a museum and along streets lined with shops and restaurants. We were all keen to get back to the ship for a swim. (P:-this area would have to rate as one of the dirtiest cities we have travelled to over the years with the most Rubbish and Filth along the streets – compared to the other Peruvian cities we have visited, which were surprisingly clean, this one was disgusting).

We have had several sea days as we head north through the Pacific Ocean doldrums. Barely a ripple on the water and the days are heating up and the humidity rising. Sea days are catch up days. Sleep ins for the girls, massages, swims and relaxing and of course more eating.

29-03-25

Manta Ecuador

(P:-“Responsible Pa” being part of the “Dobson Tour team” I seem to find myself being young person “supervisor” for selected activities that require a RESPONSIBLE adult. I try to time this while in port or departing port when there is plenty of interest (for me) to see. Referral to photos below on the views and activities while being “responsible”. Miss Em and Miss Kaley, our two wonderfully well mannered and behaved grandchildren ( must inherit their manners from me) seem to laugh at Pa’s watch and comment I am looking out the window or I have closed eye lids. Pa loves all the industrial ports we visit, no fancy cruise ports with tacky souvenirs on this journey. There are ships of all types, wharf equipment, 24/7 action!)

(P:- time to disembark at another port, what better than opening our eyes to a new day and adventure. Today it’s Manta, Ecuador an industrial city of some 300,000 people. Manta claims to be the “World Tuna Fishing and processing capital, catching and processing some 1/2 a million tonnes of Tuna a year. We dock at an industrial berth surrounded by Tuna fishing vessels of all types and sizes. Some equipped with Helicopters to aid tuna shoal spotting. Trucks, cranes, everywhere unloading the prized catch, some of these fish are huge.

Mark and I have decided to head approx 80klm inland today to visit a coffee plantation. Generally like to pick rural and country side adventures. Good to see how the non city people live. ( also less chance of being tricked into visiting every cathedral within walking distance!)

Today’s drive was a distinct change to the last week of coastal deserts and their parched environments. We are in the “wet” tropics not far from the equator, it’s rainy season ( but no rain for us today) everything is lush with many shades of green. In the area we are travelling through there is no corporate agriculture, small communities and all but subsistence agriculture, small plots of corn (a staple of their diet) and other vegetables along with tiny sugar cane plantations ( used to make the local “home brew” unflavoured rocket fuel called Aquardiente. Good thing Alcohol is a disinfectant given the “moonshine” plants we saw in operation! After a few windy gravel back roads we arrive at “Hacienda La Prosperina” a coffee plantation established in 1901. The plantation is located at 700m altitude and in very hilly terrain. We wait at the gate as they finish fogging the area for mosquitoes and give us insecticides to spray ourselves with- (in an organic plantation go figure that)!

The plantation was in reality one of the best examples of permaculture I have witnessed. The coffee bushes growing under the canopy of the taller rain forest trees, many tropical fruit trees growing under the canopy and above the coffee bushes are allowed to fruit and drop their produce to decompose to both fertilise and add unique flavours to the coffee beans ( which are hand picked when they turn red to retain natural sugars. After a stroll through a small section of the plantation we were shown the roasting process and then tasted the roasted beans and then was treated to a coffee tasting ( superb coffee taste it was too!). We were then “treated” to a local every day staple food of the area. Corn Tortillas stuffed with cheese and another with Pork. Mental note not to try these dry things again but all the same good to try. A pleasant drive back to the ship ( stocked up with Ecuadors coffee beans) and a pleasant rest of the day watching Tuna ships come and go).

The girls were off on a tour to Machalilla today. Visiting one of Ecuadors premier beach resorts, a local village and then another resort for lunch. A two hour drive through lush countryside, past many small beaches and coves to reach Playa Los Frailes. This is suppose to be a beautiful beach and we were all looking forward to a swim but after seeing some of the rivers and creeks that run into the ocean around here and the rubbish etc we were wary about swimming so decided just to paddle and walk along the beach, chase crabs and find cowrie shells. Then back to the bus and on to the native village museum and a walk around some ruins. It’s very hot and humid and we are all melting by the time we get back on the bus. Our last stop is Mandalaya Resort where we have a lovely lunch of chicken empanadas, calamari, prawn skewers and Spanish salad. The pool was very welcoming but we just didn’t have enough time to enjoy it. We did sit on the edge and dangle our feet for a while before boarding the bus to head back to the ship.

A quick shower for us all before changing for dinner and heading to the dining room. Mark and Widodo (our waiters) are waiting for us. And again treat us to a a fun time while we dine. Each of us girls received a rose made from paper from Mark and then he showed Em and Kaley a trick with some toothpicks. He has been really great each night we have dined in the main dining room, with origami, toothpick tricks and special treats.

Straight after dinner Pa took the girls for a swim, while Mark Amanda and I watched as we departed the port. Another fun day.