StLouisCruisers

I don't see any photos of Hue on any of your posts, but on the April 25, 2021 Phu My Daily, you discussed Hue briefly in reply to @USN59-79's comment about the Coral Princess. Here are his and your quotes: _______________________________________________________________________________________________ We were on the same Coral Princess cruise in 2018 and enjoyed all three ports. We were lucky that they added the tour to Hanoi, and we found the city very interesting even though our guide spent a lot of time praising Ho Chi Minh. From Chan May, we did a tour to Hue with a cruise on the Perfume River.

Good morning, friends! It's a nice morning, 45F but will be sunny and 72 later. Thanks Rich @richwmnfor our Daily and Fleet Report! I think black cats have gotten a bad rap. Besides, black cats are some of the prettiest cats out there. A salute to our Navy members. My DBIL was in the Navy and I can't him or twin on a ship because of it. I tell them cruise ships are quite different than Navy vessels in the late 60's and 70's! I wish I knew a good story to tell today, but I could just read my Kindle where I am in the middle of a novel right now. The soup recipes looks good. Thanks Debbie @dfishfor providing the photos and recipes even while in the midst of a major move! Did you go with the PODS or a moving van? Best of luck to you and Sis in your new home! Also think I would like today's wine, but probably not the drink of the day. Da Nang (Hue), Vietnam is a first time port on the Daily so no links needed today. I haven't been there and I imagine several of you Dailyites would have preferred not to see that city! Interesting that we have two Vietnamese ports in a row. If you have any photos, please post so we can see what we've missed. 😂 Happy Birthday to Graham today! Have a great day and dinner this evening with Sarah and Pauline. Thank you Roy @rafinmdfor the Care and Celebration lists. Many prayers to everyone on the Care list, especially to Steve. Hope your fever stays away and you can get to the rehab hospital nearer to home. I also hope Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiserwas able to get some rest last night. Prayers also to Terry @smitty34877and her DH. Hope the cardiologist has "not so terrible" news, and you can work out a solution to any problems. Best wishes to Tana as well. Cheers to the Celebration list! I have only 3 weeks to get myself organized for our cruise, and I am way behind. I guess because I don't really believe it's happening for some reason. 🤪 Cheers to all of you! Have a great day!

Gosh, I'm sorry your doctor is now giving you a problem over the exemption letter. Have you considered trying to get the waiver on board like the notification mentioned? Of course, before I did that I might call HAL and see what they say about the waivers. If they can assure you that this would not be a problem I might go that route if I were you. I wonder if any CC members have ever gotten the exemption letter on an Amazon cruise in the past?

Tony @sailingdutchyI tried to edit my last post to add my thanks to you for your photos of Phu My but it wouldn't allow it. So thank you for the colorful and fun photos taken during their New Year celebration. Very enjoyable!!

A rather busy day here on the Daily. I have lots of things I want to comment on, but first I wanted to tell you yesterday was my niece Amy's birthday. Her mom, my twin, told me last night that they were going to a restaurant for dinner with Amy and her two grown "kids". Good for her to have the company on this first birthday since Amy's husband Buddly died in July. But what really got to me was my twin told me she saw on her phone app which allows you to keep tabs on members of your family, that Amy had stopped at the cemetery on her way home from work yesterday. It's only been a little over 3 months now since Buddy has been gone. It's not easy for widows (or widowers) to celebrate the holidays/birthdays that first year, and I know many of you here would agree with that having been through it yourselves. I can't imagine yet how it would feel, but I am thinking more about that as the years quickly go by. Prayers for all suffering the grief of losing your loved ones!🙏 Also before I forget many thanks to @*Miss G*and @richwmnfor the excellent instructions on how to use internet on a HAL ship. I've personally never had internet on HAL, but have had it before on Princess and Seabourn. Our upcoming HAL Amazon cruise will be the first time we've used it, so I appreciate all the instructions. Thank you both. Graham that's a nice steak you had for lunch. I hope your birthday dinner with Pauline and Sarah will be very special for you as you turn 66. Saving my happy birthday wishes until tomorrow!! Good luck with getting the booster shot. Also hope the evaluation at the PT center goes well. I am still doing PT exercises 6 times a week for my bad knee which is a bother, but doing my best to keep the pain levels down. I'm so sorry to hear of the renewed pain for your DB! I hope the doctors can get to the root of the problem and get him back on his feet. Nice to hear Frank is doing well. Good luck with your cruise packing.🚢 Joy, I agree about having to run all over for tests, when they probably could consolidate them better at one VA hospital. Praying for Allen that all the tests come back great! Prayers for him offered up!🙏 Hope you can get that typhoid shot well before your cruise. I've never had one of those before. As for political text messages that we get each election period, I've had my cell number for several decades but continually get texts addressed to Joyce, asking that person to vote the opposite of my own political leanings. It's such a pain, and I continually text back STOP but different groups just continue texting me. I guess I wouldn't mind if I agreed with them! 😂 Annie, wishing you and Chuck lots of luck in cutting down on, or stopping smoking. Also, fingers crossed you can get some obliging people on the line so you can get some sales. Jacqui, your cruise is coming up fast! I hope you get all your to do list done, and there are no problems at the car inspection. Also love the grandchildren meme! Thank goodness I never felt like strangling my kiddos! Terry, I'm praying it's nothing too serious and easily taken care of. Thanks for letting us know so we can up our prayers for you guys.🙏 Welcome to the Daily! (unless you've stopped by before and I've forgotten -- it's possible!) Hope your parents have been enjoying their river cruise. And happy halloween to your family.👻 Great idea on helping people to stop smoking. I think Annie and Chuck should take your advice and see how that helps them. And congratulations on stopping 45 years ago! Thanks again to you and @*Miss G*for your help on this. I'm so sorry to hear Steve has a fever! I hope they eventually do figure out why and get that temp down soon. Sorry about the delay to the rehab hospital, too, and I'm glad to hear you were able to get your room back at the hotel. Thanks for keeping us updated. We're all here to support you and keep you both in our prayers.🙏 That's pretty amazing! And thanks for the great minds compliment. LOL

Dixie, we just got home from some shopping and I took a look at the Daily before we eat lunch. I have some examples I found by searching and thought I'd post them now because I know you don't have a lot of time to do this. https://www.nathnacyfzone.org.uk/media_lib/mlib-uploads/full/exemption-from-vaccination-sample.pdf This one is short and sweet, as they say: https://www.shoreland.com/downloads/pdf/yellow-fever-exemption-letter_sample.pdf Try a search online for something similar if these aren't what you want. I see some important things have happened this morning and will address them after lunch, but just know I am thinking of you all and praying for those involved with the latest developments.

Copied and pasted from Lenda's posts on June 2, 2021 and April 25, 2022. We have been to Phu My and Ho Chi Minh City once on the Coral Princess in 2018. Our call there in 2003 on the old Regal Princess was cancelled due to SARS. I'll try to not duplicate any pictures. This was the sight our our window as we arrived in the container port. A couple of pictures as the bus headed for Ho Chi Minh City. Street scenes as we drove to our first stop Our first stop was the War Remnants Museum. It is amazing how much equipment we had to leave behind. It is an interesting, but desturbing museum which also covers the time since the fall of Saigon. The saddest thing was people are still being affected by agent orange. The Vietnamese call it the American War. The girl in the second picture making the peace sign, wanted to have her picture taken with me. We also stopped at another museum dedicated to Ho Chi Minh. Our next stop was a plaza with the cathedral and the post office. We couldn't go in the church because of renovations. The plaza also had a McDonalds where many on the bus went. The post office While we were waiting to reboard the bus at the post office, DH asked our guide where the American Embassy had been. We could just see it in the distance. This is the top portion where the helicopters landed on April 30, 1975 After our lunch buffet at a modern hotel, we had the "obligatory" shopping stop. After wandering through some of the stores, we went across the street and joined most of our group relaxing in the air conditioned Grand Hotel. Wish it had been the Rex Hotel. Our final stop was the former Presidential Palace. Here are a few pictures from inside and from the underground bunker, which had offices for the top officials.. The South Vietnamese president's office and limo Some of the equipment in the bunker. Back at the port, we sat on our balcony and watched a ship being unloaded and all the activity. It was a lot cooler and more pleasant than in the big city. Lenda

Good morning friends! It's been busy this morning even though still early. We had rain overnight and a temp of 58F this morning. However it will only get about 10 degrees warmer so we need to be prepared for cool weather when we go out this morning. Interesting days this morning. No thanks to mincemeat, but I appreciate horseless carriages. A salute to all who have been deployed. Love the Einstein relativity quote. The Thai tacos sound interesting. Thank you Rich and also Roy for the Daily and Lists. Prayers for all on the Care list and those in need of them all over the world (Ukraine, hurricane sufferers). Cheers to those on the Celebration lists. Roy, you may want to check the first post on our port today (June 2, 2021) because you had some photos from your stop there in Feb. 2012 on Zaandam). Today's port of Phu My, Vietnam is unique because this is the third time we've had it posted here! First time was June 2, 2021 and the last time was April 25, 2022. I will have to go back and check for photos on both dates from both Lenda and myself. I'll post a link to June 2, 2021 and April 25, 2021 in case some of you were not around for the first posting and want to grab your photos from this past April. Here are my photos from June 2, 2021. Lenda's will be in a follow up post. I've been to Phu My twice on the Diamond Princess, in 2010 and in 2013. Once was on a transpacific cruise from Bangkok to Whittier, Alaska. The second time on a Singapore to Sydney cruise. On my 2010 visit to Phu My, Vietnam the Diamond Princess docked at this expansive port and found a crowd of buses awaiting us. That's because there is nothing to do here unless you take a tour somewhere else. That day we were heading to Ho Chi Minh City. Along the way to HCM City we saw families on their mode of transportation, the motorbike. They had travel down pat it seemed. That baby was wearing a net over its head I suppose so the bugs didn't get smashed into its face. On one bridge they had a protected lane of their own to ride in. You would see up to four people on one motorbike. Just three in this photo though. The tour stopped at one point at a lacquer factory. Here are some of the artists at work. This man looks like he's using eggshell to decorate his lacquer piece. Finished products for sale in their showroom. Next we saw the former Presidential Palace, which was renamed the Reunification Palace or Independence Palace. During the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, it was the site of the end of the Vietnam War when North Vietnamese Army tank crashed through its gates. Below is the Rex Hotel where CIA agents reportedly hung out during the war. There was a beautiful garden just out in front of the Rex Hotel. Enough on our 2010 visit to Phu My and Ho Chi Minh City. On the 2013 visit we headed out on a tour of Vung Tao. In 2013 Diamond Princess stopped in Phu My and we began a tour which included a village temple, a market, a home visit, a whale temple and lunch at a seaside resort. Some shots of the village temple along with our guide. Then a stop at the market in case we were out of anything.😄 If that market was out of rice paper for spring rolls, never fear! We stopped at this woman's home where she was busy making some. Here is where she lays them to dry. She was fast and talented at it. Here's a batch of them drying outside. Our guide showed us what they would look like in use in the kitchen. Looks good! One lucky guy volunteered to try his skill at making rice paper. Check out his results! I guess practice really does make perfect. Rice paddies seen from our bus. Next we headed into this family home to see what life was like there. In the main living area they had a shrine to their departed relatives. Then on to their kitchen with their family "pet" pig nearby. Time for a snack in the garden. Just fruit, no pig! Next up was the seaside resort for lunch. It was called Binh An Resort. Here are two plates of their buffet items we had chosen After dining we strolled their grounds and took photos. From there we drove along the coast, stopping to take photos of the fishermen bringing in their catch at Front Beach in Vung Tau. We continued on to the Whale Temple. They had whale bones in glass cases along with their offerings of money to the whales. I think that covers the tour from Phu My to Vung Tao. We haven't been back to Vietnam in the last 8 years. I'm not sure I will ever go back again. Twice was probably enough. That is a lot of photos! Whew! Coming back with Lenda's photos next.

It's good to hear your DH Steve has some feeling coming back in his legs. Also happy to hear the rehab facility is about an hour away from your house and no farther. I hope you both get a good night's sleep tonight. And I'll for sure check out tomorrow's port destination and post for you if necessary. I wonder why the title company refused to wire the funds for her? After all, she would pay a fee for that privilege and it's not that difficult for them. They do it everyday. Shaking my head trying to figure this one out. Anyway best of luck to you both with the final paperwork, and enjoy your new home!!

It sounds like they are very serious about finding the perfect home for each pet. I hope everything goes smoothly Saturday, and the reference and vet details you have to send are easy to arrange for you. This was a very lucky day for your chosen kitty! Terri, I'm happy to hear all the good health reports you got today. However it's distressing to hear about the problems with the insurance company. I know they have a lot of claims these days with the storms and all, but your problem occurred a while back and they should have been working on it all along. I wish I knew what to tell you! What are people doing to get help -- calling in their lawyers to contact insurance companies to move them along faster?? That could get expensive. Do we have any current or retired insurance agents here on the Daily who could chime in with advice?

a little disappointing...

Glad I made it on time!

Debbie, @dfish which day did you say was your closing date? Good luck with your X-rays and visit with the doctor in two weeks Graham @grapau27. Also the skin lesions which are always a concern. Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiserjust let me know if you want me to move your photos over each day for a while. At least until you get back home and can manage it yourself. We've had quite a nice group of photos for Ashdod today. I know I've enjoyed them and think most others would say the same. I hope Steve is doing well today. We had an easy visit to the dentist having our permanent crowns set. DH's was over an implant and mine was the usual type. Thank goodness that's over with. 🦷 Hopefully these crowns don't give us any problems and we're all set to go to the Amazon. Everyone in the neighborhood was emailed news that Linda will be coming HOME Thursday! Her daughter will be staying here with her for a while. There will be a sign up sheet for evening meals so that should help out with her daughter spending most of her time taking care of her. This is what we've all been praying for. Thanks for all the prayers from Dailyites these past 2 months. 🙏 Edited to add, good luck to Vanessa too at the doctor appointments tomorrow. In addition I wanted to say that the Yellow Fever vaccination was difficult to locate in 2018 due to a factory shutdown for renovation, we were told. There were only 3 places in Georgia to get one and we picked Atlanta which was closest to us. It was a county health department. The vaccine had to come from France! When we made our appointments they didn't tell it was only a consultation and we would have to come back again for the actual shots. That was quite disappointing because we hate driving in Atlanta. But we eventually got it done before our cruise which included Senegal and The Gambia, and they were pretty expensive I know. Seems like somewhere around $160 for each of us. I'm glad we don't have to do that again. I guess our health was good enough for us to receive it even though we were well over 60.

Lenda @Quartzsite CruiserI'd be happy to copy and paste your photos for you. I'm all ready to go now so I'll get right on it before we leave. Below are Lenda's photos and comments. We have been to Ashdod on the Prinsendam in 2017, and spent two days there since our call to Egypt was cancelled. Our taxi drive from the day in Haifa, met us at the shuttle drop-off and we spent the day seeing Masada, and Jerusalem. I hope I don't repeat many of the pictures @StLouisCruisers posted. On our way to Masada, we stopped at an overlook for a view of the Judean Desert. You can catch a glimpse of the Dead Sea in the upper right hand corner of the second picture. Our next stop was Masada. The picture shows people walking up the Snake Path. We took the gondola up and down. A couple of views of Masada and the Dead Sea. Jerusalem was not on the day's itinerary, but we were ready to leave Masada about noon, so talked our driver into taking us to Jerusalem also. He was not happy as that meant driving through Palestinian territory. Once in the walled city, he rushed us through there, hitting a few of the high spots including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Western Wall. I spent more time trying to keep up and watch my footing, so there aren't too many pictures of the different quarters. Our driver and DH went to the wall, but I waited at the barrier overlooking the Wailing Wall so I could get a picture of them. Just before they reached the wall, a man very rudely and loudly ordered me away. I would like to go back one day, and have a little more time walking through the old city. Jerusalem from the viewpoint above the cemetery. The street from the parking garage to the Jaffa Gate. Another view of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher which was very crowded. The wait to enter the tomb was an hour. One of the many narrow streets. The Western Wall and the Old City On the way out of the Old City, our driver spotted the Israeli President's car and wanted DH to take his picture beside it. I also got a picture of our driver and the car. Just a couple of pictures of Jerusalem as we headed back to the Prinsendam. The traffic was horrific that day as it was the opening of the Knesset. The second day we were docked in Ashdod, we talked about finding a taxi to take us to Bethlehem, but after two long days spent in a taxi, we decided against going. Along with another couple, we found a taxi in the port to take us to Jaffa and Tel Aviv. If we're lucky enough to return to Ashdod, I want to find someone to take us to Bethlehem and Jerusalem for a slower walk in the Old City. Jaffa is the ancient port for Jerusalem. It is a town we really enjoyed. Looking from Jaffa toward Tel Aviv. Our driver dropped us off at seaside promenade in Tel Aviv. After a short time along the sea, our next stop was a mall in downtown Tel Aviv, and we had an hour or so to wander around. I'll confess we spent most of our time in the mall where we shared a pizza. A couple of street scenes in Tel Aviv taken from the car as we headed back to the Prinsendam. Lenda

Dixie, I just read a forwarded email from HAL that my TA received about the Yellow Fever vaccination. We have had it already in 2018. However, here is what it says you can do if you haven't had one. Guests ages 60 and above may obtain a waiver on board. If you have a medical contraindication to the vaccine, you must bring a signed vaccine exemption letter issued by a licensed medical doctor. I'd ask my doctor first about an exemption letter, and then if all else fails get one on board the ship.

Good morning friends! I have exercised, eaten breakfast, said my prayers and need to shower and get ready for our dental appointments. Not much time to dawdle. Thanks to everyone for their contributions here each day. I hope Lenda and Steve will have good reports for us today. Happy anniversary to @seagarsmokerand the Mrs. A big shoutout to all on Roy's Celebration list today. Ashdod, Israel is the port of the day and here is the link for the last time we saw it, April 29, 2021. I went to Ashdod in 2014 on our Holy Land cruise on the Prinsendam. It was our first voyage on Holland America and it was Black Sea and Holy Land B2B. We were originally booked on the Ocean Princess to go to the Black Sea and the Holy Land but due to political unrest that year Princess cancelled Egypt ports and most of the Black Sea ports and just substituted Greek Isles ports instead. So we cancelled them and took a chance on the Prinsendam, and loved it! In Ashdod on October 26, 2014 we immediately left the port for our drive to Jerusalem. I only have a few photos around the ship of the tugs, etc. This is about all you can expect from there. Maybe someone else has spent more time there and can give you an overview of the town. Arriving at an overlook of the city of Jerusalem we stopped to listen to our guide and take in the view. According to my notes we next stopped at the Church of All Nations, also known as the Basilica of the Agony. It's a Roman Catholic church located on the Mount of Olives next to the Garden of Gethsemane. The church has beautiful murals on its facade. The olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane are many hundreds of years old. Seen off to the side and on the hillside slightly above the Basilica of the Agony, is the Church of St. Mary Magdalene. This is one of Jerusalem's most picturesque sights due to its seven gilded onion domes, each topped by a tall Russian Orthodox cross. Interior of the Basilica including the high altar overlooking a large slab of rock, which is said to be the very rock on which Jesus prayed in agony on the night of his betrayal. I borrowed this photo of the rock because mine was blurry. We got on the bus to move on to view the Catholic Cemetery, but I got this photo of the Basilica and the Church of St. Mary Magdalene from the road next to the cemetery. Gives you a good perspective. The Catholic Cemetery And here is the Tower of David, Jerusalem's citadel, located near the Jaffa Gate on the western side of the old city wall. Continuing in Jerusalem, we got off the bus and walked through the Jaffa Gate, walking past stalls and shops. Entrance to a convent. Very well worn stone pathways. There was a huge gift shop we were allowed to look around in for some time but I stayed outside most of the time taking photos of fountains and small stalls. From there we walked to the Holy Sepulchre Church which is believed to be the site where Jesus Christ was crucified and buried. Inside the Church we saw the Crucifixion Altar and the Tomb of Jesus We continued on with the tour for several more hours and I have a lot more photos but wanted to cut to the end where we went to the Wailing Wall (also known as the Western Wall). The area was divided with women on one half and men on the other. From there we walked back through a different gate to our bus and the drive back to our new home away from home, the Prinsendam. There really is too much to see and learn about on these tours so it is somewhere we should try to visit again. It was the same way in Haifa when we went to Nazareth and the Jordan River. I recommend a Holy Land cruise to everyone. Sorry this post is so long!

Continuing prayers for you and Steve tonight. I hope you get a good night's sleep at the hotel. I know the hospital staff will take good care of DH tonight. Take care!

Thanks to both of you. What a headache. Last time it was so much easier to make an appointment at the drive-thru at Walgreens. That time my result came back and DH's didn't though. We called and she told us she got busy at the cash register! The same person who checks you out at the front of the store is the one who sends out test results, from what she said. I have at least 8 of the Binax home tests with dates of 12/31/22 and 4/24/23. I plan on taking them with us on our 28 day cruise. I just have to plan out how to be tested here at home before we leave town. I appreciate everyone's help and opinions on the matter.

You were required to order the tests from eMed, or could you use one of the home ones given to us free? I have a stack of those in the bathroom linen closet.

Dixie, what are your plans for Covid testing within 3 days of the Nov. 19 cruise? I notice Walgreens, CVS, etc. are now charging very high prices for their Rapid tests for travelers. I've never done one of the medical monitor company ones before and not sure if that would work for us.

I got a text from my goddaughter Lisa with a stack of new photos of her grandbaby, Ellie. She is in seventh heaven getting to spend time with the little family every weekend (and probably in between too). Here's a cute one of Ellie and her Daddy. In other news, tomorrow morning DH and I go back to the dentist to get our permanent crowns done (1 each). So much fun and so many $$$!!! Jack, thanks for the photos from your wonderful cruise. I love hearing "Time To Say Goodbye" and it always brings me back to leaving Venice as it was played , and everyone jammed along the rails taking photos. Have fun being an American novelty on board. Tony, thanks for the interesting wildlife photos taken in Darwin, and also the HoHo bus. I really enjoyed them. Joy, a happy 31st anniversary to you and Allen! May you be blessed with many more years together.❤️ Strange that your own tests show you as positive, but what are ya gonna do? I appreciate that HAL is helping get you to your car separate from the maddening crowds departing today. Some cruise lines would probably just cut you lose and say good riddance to the Covid people! It's good you have a plan once home to isolate until free of the virus completely, and friends who can help with the shopping. Take care! Lenda, sending my best wishes and prayers for Steve and you today. Sounds like you have everything under control and I'm sure you will keep us updated. Take care! Also want to say thanks for your photos today. There's lots of interesting things to do around Darwin. I enjoyed seeing your take on it. Nice to hear all is well with DH right now. Your story about bologna (or good old baloney as many of us like to spell it) reminds me of my childhood. We weren't well off and eating out was something we rarely did. But if we were in the car driving from visiting relatives out in the country, sometimes Mom would run into a market and buy a loaf of white bread and some bologna and hand out plain sandwiches in the car for lunch. Somehow those sandwiches tasted so good on that fresh white bread! Or maybe it was because we were eating OUT!😁 Thanks for checking in between cruises. Looks like a beautiful day over there. Enjoy the rest of your trip and be sure to check in with photos later.

I have cruised two Seabourn cruises (both 24 days), and can say I didn't meet any nasty people like you describe here on the ship. Please don't hold it against the cruise line for what some disrespectful person says. They are on every cruise line. Our Seabourn cruises were dreams come true and we enjoyed the staff and passengers very much.🙂

Fred, happy birthday to you! What a pretty and (I bet) tasty looking cake. Enjoy!

Debbie, your recipes today look so good! And so much variety involved. Sorry about the prominent carrots in that fourth one. LOL! I'll have to show these to DH to see if he wants to prepare any of them. Even though we'll miss you here on the Daily while you're busy with the closing and move, I'm excited about your move to dear old, Midland. Good luck with the packing, the closing, the move, and all the unpacking. Even if it's a lot of work you have a lot to look forward to in your new home with your sister. Best of luck!❤️

Good morning friends! We had a warmer morning at 44F so we got up and walked outside today, our usual 2.5 miles. It was so darn dark! We noticed we don't hear the rooster crow in the morning anymore and hope nothing has happened to it. Perhaps it's too dark for him to wake up!! Thank you Rich @richwmnfor the Daily and Fleet Report. I used to eat bologna sandwiches a lot when younger, but haven't had one in many years. Never heard of Diwali Day but cheers to those celebrating it. The United Nations could use more international funding so good luck to them. That is quite a quote this morning. Hope never to be stabbed front or back by anyone, friend or foe. The dijon chicken sounds unique so will check out the recipe. Thank you to Roy @rafinmdfor the long lists today. Prayers are being said today for all on the list, especially Lenda's DH @Quartzsite Cruiser. We're hoping for good news on that later on. Prayers also for my neighbor Linda who is not yet home from the hospital/rehab. Roy, I think Beverly can come off the list since they have held her memorial service. She will remain in our hearts and prayers however, as well as her DH who is also our dear friend. Prayers in addition to the people of Ukraine and those who are picking up the pieces literally after Ian and Fiona. A shout out to those on the Celebration list! Hope everyone enjoys their happy events and most of all their cruises! And Jacqui @kazulove the memes today. Hope you get some things checked off your list today. That's always a good feeling. The port destination is Darwin, Australia which was posted here on July 3, 2021. Here is the link to that date for all who need to retrieve their photos. Mine are shown below the link. If you don't like heat and humidity, be glad that you haven't been to Darwin! I was there twice, in Nov. of 2013 on Diamond Princess and in October of 2017 on Sun Princess. And even though I hate heat and humidity I'm not sorry I was there because I love seeing Australia. When you arrive in Darwin, you walk off the ship and head through a parklike area towards an ELEVATOR so that you can head into the downtown area. Yes, an elevator. It's a very unique place. Walking through the park Approaching the glass elevator area Leaving the elevator looking back towards the park and water. Christmas decorations seen along our walkways, since this visit was in late November. Heading towards the shopping areas of town we pass by statues and town hall ruins. We also walked near the Parliament building When we reached the downtown area, we noticed the overhead sun protection and misting stations to keep people comfortable while they shopped. Something I haven't seen too often in my travels. I don't suppose they'd mind if you slipped off your shoes and cooled your feet in this spot. You could even learn a little history if you took the time to read this bronze plaque. By this time we were ready to retrace our steps and enter the cool air conditioned interior of our cruise ship. Even with their tropical climate, I am willing to visit the capital of the Northern Territory anytime!!