LIVE from the 2018 HAL Grand World Voyage!

The sequel to "Little Women" is "Little Men". "Good Wives" was just the title of the second part of "Little Women" in Britain. I suspect there were some teams surprised with that answer ... the ambiguity makes that not the best trivia question.

Fremantle, Australia – February 22, 2018

 

I believe I have mentioned that my cabin is right over the Queens Lounge. It would not be good for someone who goes to bed early!

 

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I wish you had not mentioned that! So is ours for the Grand Asia. How bad is is and how long does the noise last?

Fremantle, Australia – February 22, 2018

 

I believe I have mentioned that my cabin is right over the Queens Lounge. It would not be good for someone who goes to bed early!

 

quote]

 

I wish you had not mentioned that! So is ours for the Grand Asia. How bad is is and how long does the noise last?

It depends upon the show. If the band performs at all you can hear it. If there is a musician who plays a loud instrument (like the drums last night) you can really hear it. A comedy act makes virtually no noise. The show is usually over at 10:45 (show normally runs 10-10:45).

At Sea – February 23, 2018

Spent 55 minutes in the pool before getting a muffin and orange juice. Temperature in the pool is getting much better.

Six of us at Sit and Stitch. I finished a scarf (from the yarn I brought from home) and started on my second sock.

All present for morning trivia. We had 10 correct and two teams tied with 13.

1)2% of the population has what eye color?

2)What is Cuba’s largest agricultural export?

3)Who wrote The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe?

4)What was the British flagship during the Falklands War?

5)How many stars on the Australian flag?

In arts and crafts we made a chain link bracelet. Afterwards I sat at the Lido pool and read some and worked on my Sydney alpaca cowl.

Afternoon trivia was hard. We only had 10 right and the winners had 14 (out of 17).

1)Which organ uses 25% of the body’s oxygen?

2)Who was Marilyn Monroe’s last husband?

3)In what country did Charlie Chaplin die?

4)What is the scientific name for a rabbit’s tail?

5)”BMX” stands for what sport?

Went to Broadway Musicals Name That Tune at the Piano Bar before dinner. I had 8 out of 16 correct.

For dinner I had fruit, tomato and mozzarella salad, Salisbury steak, and a blueberry sundae for dessert.

The show tonight was Matilda and Patrick. Patrick is a ventriloquist and Matilda is his dummy. They had the best comedy show so far.

Another sea day tomorrow.

Morning trivia…

1)green

2)sugar

3)C.S. Lewis

4)Invincible

5)6

Afternoon trivia…

1)brain

2)Arthur Miller

3)Switzerland

4)scut

5)bicycle motor cross

It depends upon the show. If the band performs at all you can hear it. If there is a musician who plays a loud instrument (like the drums last night) you can really hear it. A comedy act makes virtually no noise. The show is usually over at 10:45 (show normally runs 10-10:45).

 

 

From experience - If you are on New Year's Eve - the noise will last until about 15 minutes after midnight. That was the only night I really heard it, I was in 6103 second balcony on SB and over the venue.

Glad that the pool water is getting warmer.

Love those trivia questions.

I think you're right, KK!

 

;) :D

I thought so. Guess I am showing my age.

I continue to enjoy your posts.

Keith

Great posts and blog Kathi.

Good news on the pool, too :)

If I missed it, forgive the question.... what are you going to do with all of your lovely knitting projects?

Will they go home with you or do you have plans for them on the cruise?

Great posts and blog Kathi.

 

Good news on the pool, too :)

 

If I missed it, forgive the question.... what are you going to do with all of your lovely knitting projects?

 

Will they go home with you or do you have plans for them on the cruise?

The items made from the yarn I brought from home will go home with me. I donate scarves and hats each year to charity. I should finish at least one of the stoles from yarn bough in NZ or Australia and wear on the cruise.

At Sea – February 24, 2018

Have you ever wondered what the insides of a ship toilet looks like? Well, wonder no more. Here is a picture.

So, how did this happen? I woke up at 3:02 a.m. expecting to be back asleep by 3:04 but the toilet had other ideas. When flushed the water would not stop filling. If I did not flush it again every 20-30 seconds it would fill up and run over. I called the front office and within 5 minutes someone came and turned off the water. In about 5 more minutes the plumber came. He tried a number of things but had to replace a part and was finally finished at 4:30. I sat and crocheted (finishing a hat) while he was working. The bathroom floor was very wet from the second time the plumber had to remove the toilet (first time did not fix it).

Having lost an hour and half of sleep, I skipped water aerobics and slept until 9:30. Seven of us at Sit and Stitch.

Today was not one of our best trivia days. We only had 10 points for morning trivia while the winning team had 12 (out of 15).

1)Who wrote “The Raven”?

2)1024 gigabytes equals what?

3)Which planet spins the fastest?

4)Harry Casey is better known as…?

5)What was the name of the first album released by Bon Jovi?

In arts and crafts we made another jewelry case which was a little different from the first one. We also finished a possum fur pin which was postponed from New Zealand.

Once again I sat by the Lido pool and read and knitted until afternoon trivia. We only had 8 correct and the winning team had 14.

1)What did George Everest do to have Mount Everest named after him?

2)What does “GOD” mean in freight transportation?

3)Which continent has the most lightning strikes?

4)What is the only venomous snake to slither through all of the 48 contiguous states?

5)Which Asian country is the world’s largest producer of cashews?

Tonight was a gala night and I listened to Jamm in the Piano Bar before dinner. He was doing hits of Andrew Lloyd Webber. The theme in the dining room was “Pan-Asian” and the wait staff was dressed in native patterned shirts. I had fresh lumpia, land and sea, and leche flan. We had to say good-bye to our server, Aris who is leaving on Monday. He has been on the ship since the first cruise after the 2017 world cruise. He is due back on board at the beginning of the Alaska season (beginning of May).

Skipped the show although I heard it (a musician) in my cabin. Went out and looked at the stars using the Star Chart app on my iPad. It is a beautiful evening with a half moon and a sky full of stars.

One more day at sea before Indonesia.

Morning trivia…

1)Poe

2)terabyte

3)Jupiter

4)KC (of KC and the Sunshine Band)

5)Bon Jovi

Evening trivia…

1)measured it

2)guaranteed overnight delivery

3)Africa

4)rattlesnake

5)India

Oh yuk - been there, done that - but not in the middle of the night:eek:

Loving your blog and photos, Kathi.

Betting there is a lot of excitement in the Indonesian crew! I know they all love being home if only for a few days.

At Sea – February 25, 2018

My morning started with Hamish’s Coffee Chat with the guests Matilda and Patrick at 9:30. I arrived 15 minutes early and got one of the last seats. Usually Coffee Chat lasts about 20 minutes but it ran over (until after 10). Matilda is very popular and Patrick has been doing his act on ships for over 30 years.

Picked up a donut and pineapple juice (orange was out) and headed to Sit and Stitch. Six of us present.

Our morning trivia score was only 8 while the winners had 13 (out of 15).

1)What is a baby rabbit called?

2)What was the first planet discovered by telescope in 1781?

3)What was B.B. King’s real first name?

4)How many paintings did Vincent Van Gogh sell in his lifetime?

5)What is Indonesia’s national dish?

Returned to my cabin after trivia but my steward was still in my cabin so I spent some time out on my deck. I was surprised the LRAD machine (Long Range Acoustic Device) was uncovered. Found out later that there are pirates in the are we are headed for and these machines will help protect us even though the chances of an attack on a ship this size are slim.

I discovered yesterday that the sandwich station makes wraps so I had a BLT wrap for lunch. In crafts we made a bone bracelet.

Since I had skipped water aerobics for the Coffee Chat I swam after crafts until time for afternoon trivia.

We did much better in afternoon trivia with 14 correct. The winning team had a perfect 17.

1)What is the most widely eaten cheese in the US?

2)Which city has the largest number of skyscrapers?

3)The three organs that produce the most heat are the heart, liver and ___.

4)What is the English anagram of “relatives”?

5)Who said his face was the third most famous after Jesus Christ and Mickey Mouse?

I was invited to a dinner at Canaletto (the Italian Restaurant) by my travel agency. I sat with Kathy and Mike (from the dinner table) and Steve, one of the hosts provided by the agency. We had a set menu rather than the usual one but red or white wine (as much as you could drink) was included. We had a great time and was the last table to leave.

Skipped the show because I have an early excursion tomorrow and it is 9 hours long and the temperature is supposed to be in the low 80s with 100% humidity (what was I thinking?).

Morning trivia…

1)kit or kitten

2)Uranus

3)Riley

4)1

5)Nasi Goreng (sp?)

Afternoon trivia…

1)Mozzarella

2)Hong Kong

3)brain

4)versatile

5)Muhammed Ali

Just got caught up with your wonderful reports.

Hopefully your toilet is fixed permanently. You don't want to keep losing sleep over it every night while the plumbers are there.

Glad the ship is prepared in case pirates do show up.

I thought so. Guess I am showing my age.

Not at all, KK! Just the length and breadth of your vast, accumulated knowledge. :)

Yikes, the toilet! And on the lookout for pirates. Hope your adventures settle a bit!

Kathi, you and your team are still doing better than I am at the trivia, I am lucky to get 50% of the questions. At least now if they show us a picture of what a ship's toilet looks like without the porcelain, we will all know the answer to that one. You have to be a very calm person to be able to sit there and knit while the toilet is running continuously. Hope you enjoy the rest of your voyage. We have 7 ships in port for our sail away today. Miss your input on the sail away threads.

Not at all, KK! Just the length and breadth of your vast, accumulated knowledge. :)

Thank you -- but the old mine is showing its age.

Kathi, you and your team are still doing better than I am at the trivia, I am lucky to get 50% of the questions. At least now if they show us a picture of what a ship's toilet looks like without the porcelain, we will all know the answer to that one. You have to be a very calm person to be able to sit there and knit while the toilet is running continuously. Hope you enjoy the rest of your voyage. We have 7 ships in port for our sail away today. Miss your input on the sail away threads.

I am missing the sail-away threads but I will be home for the start of the Alaska season (which are more sail-ins)!

The items made from the yarn I brought from home will go home with me. I donate scarves and hats each year to charity. I should finish at least one of the stoles from yarn bough in NZ or Australia and wear on the cruise.

How generous and nice of you :D.

 

It depends upon the show. If the band performs at all you can hear it. If there is a musician who plays a loud instrument (like the drums last night) you can really hear it. A comedy act makes virtually no noise. The show is usually over at 10:45 (show normally runs 10-10:45).

 

 

 

I'm down the hall in 6110 which puts me over the back of the showroom. I go to bed early - between 9:30 and 10:00 usually. I also get up early too..... anyway, I can barely hear the show below me and that's only when a loud performer is on, like the two god awful screaming divas we had a few days ago.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Benoa, Bali, Indonesia – February 26, 2018

Wow, did I pick the wrong tour! My tour was sponsored by my travel agency but it was basically the same as HAL’s “Historic and Scenic Bali”. It was 9 hours long and marked “strenuous”. How did I miss that???

I was one of the last people on the bus and I got the back middle seat with a couple on either side by the windows. After the first stop the man was nice enough to let me have the window seat so I could take pictures.

We drove for almost two hours to our first stop which was Tenganen, a walled mountain village where some 700 people live who are descendants of the first people on the island. Naturally after that ride all the ladies had to use the restroom. There was only one stall and it was BYOP (bring your own paper). The good news was that it was not a “squatty potty”. Since we had four buses it took forever.

We toured around the village and visited a family home as well as seeing some of the meeting places. We were supposed to learn about the “flaming cloth” which the villagers weave but if the guide mentioned it, I missed it. Most of us did not want to walk the entire length, which was built on different levels and very unlevel and it was hot and humid.

By this time it was about noon and we were all getting hungry. I (and a few others) misunderstood the guide and thought we were going to lunch next. No, we headed to Klungkung Kertagosa. The area had two major sites both of which were up steep, uneven stone steps with no railing. I walked around and took pictures instead.

Lunch was finally on the agenda (it was nearing 3 pm). We ate up in the mountains and had traditional Indonesian fare. There was a nice breeze there.

Our final stop was at Pura Kehen, a temple that had – you guessed it – more steep stairs. I sat for awhile and then decided on some retail therapy. I spent the last of my Australian dollars.

We finally returned to the ship just before 6 pm. After a cool shower I started working on my photos to discover we are right on the flight path to the airport and a busy airport it is. Planes were landing about every 5 minutes.

Met our new server, Faizal, at dinner. I had satay, fresh fruit, and a Chef’s Salad. Cyndi, Ed, and I skipped dessert to get seats for the Balinese Dance Group performance at 9:30. They decided to sit on the main floor but I stayed in the balcony. A lady sat down next to me and we started talking. She showed me a fruit she had picked up in the market today. She told me what it was called but I quickly forgot it. When she left the theater she gave it to me. I am sure someone out there knows what it is. It looks like a brown, extra large strawberry but it is hard. She said it tasted like a cross between a pear and an apple.

After the show I went to the Lido and got a piece of blueberry pie for dessert. Came back and stood out on my deck for awhile. The plane arrivals have not let up much even though it is after 11 pm.

We stay in Bali tomorrow but I do not have an excursion. I plan to visit the craft stalls outside the terminal, use the free wi-fi in the terminal and get some pool time in.

Glad you survived your long excursion. No way would we sign up for anything like that.

Did the planes disturb your sleep?

Satay Ayam with peanut sauce; can't beat it! :D

I would imagine the crew had a lot of family and friends visitors in Benoa. Julie, the ship's HRM (Human Resources Manager) has that organization down pat. We had close to a 1,000 in 2016 at Benoa and more at Tanjung Priok (Jakarta)