lyndarra

This keeps getting worse.

In Bahasa Indonesia greetings begin with selamat. The first e in many Indonesian words is silent hence selamat is pronounced as s'lamat. e.g. S'lamat pagi. Indonesian is very similar to Malaysian. You are correct about the time of day greetings and after many years it still confuses me. Crew are quite chuffed when I greet them in Indonesian. In the early 70s I spent time in the military in Kalimantan Barat or West Indonesian Borneo. Sadly I've forgotten more Indonesian than I have remembered.

Except, perhaps, during college spring break?😉

I can recommend the VR City Hotel. We stayed there Jan 2020 (pre cruise) in a twin room. It is 3 star but was modern and comfortable with friendly staff. Our room also included, IIRC, fridge and washer/dryer. It is close - walking distance - to CBD, many cafes and restaurants, and about 10-15 min walk to the waterfront precinct. There is secure parking available AUD30 p/d. Possibly a drawback is that it is on a steepish hill but it was not a problem for us aged 68 and 70 at the time but if you're young(er) and in good health it should not be a problem. https://vrhotels.co.nz/vr-auckland-city/location/ You have a choice of many in your price range so you may need to spend a little time researching with a Google map of the area and I'd suggest checking out reviews on Trip Advisor. https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotel_Review-g255106-d601522-Reviews-VR_Auckland_City-Auckland_Central_North_Island.html

Hard to imagine as I have never heard of nor seen a prawn sausage. Sounds aweful.

I'm not a spirit drinker. Are those whiskey prices per shot? How many mls in a shot?

I always take the train to/from airport or OPT. When returning from o/s I take the train from airport to Central then to Newcastle and 9/10 times board with less than 10 minutes to spare. After 2200 IIRC the train is every 2 hours. If coming from Melbourne to Central with extra luggage, taking a taxi (or Uber if you must) to OPT (or White Bay) would be the way to go.

Prawn sausages?

Yippee. We're a.. going to heaven 'cos there is no .🤪🙄

Correct. Your turn.

Next pic.

The more thongs the better as I will no longer feel under-dressed in my Speedos.

Utøya Island, Norway.

21-day Viking Explorer 2024 I believe this cruise takes in Iceland. I'm wondering if the volcanic event is causing cancellations prompting HAL to drop pricing to get bookings. I liked the itinerary and was interested in this cruise but being solo and adding long haul flights put me off pricewise. I'll now have another look.

Sorry you had problems. That was not my experience at Komodo, off Westerdam, last January. Tendering was a smooth process. I (2* at the time) was on a private tour and landed with plenty of time to spare. All immigration was sorted prior to arrival as it was first port of call for Indonesia. A previous stop there, off Volendam, was also smooth.

It is a beautiful spot with a bit of a hike to get there. We got (only) our feet wet when we did it.

I'm keeping watch on the fires at Duck(!) Creek. It's about 30ks up the road from my son's place near Dandry, close to the Pilliga Pottery. I've just put my cars under cover as a thunderstorm is rolling in from the NW.

There's another cocky somewhere wondering what happened to the blades off his windmill.

Sorry Linda, qbay nailed it.

Correct. A beautiful part of the Yukon.

Sorry for the delay again Mic. As usual, saturday afternoon activity caught me out again. Next pic. See if you can name the island.

Breaksea Sound?

Thompson Sound?

Sounds like flip flopping.

Jandle Sound aka Milford sound?