My adventures at the Great Barrier Reef 18 November 2014

I was up early and looking forward to my excursion for the day by boat to a unit berthed about 2 hours to see the coral reefs and all the exotic fish there. But first I needed something more suitable for my feet, so went mad and bought a pair of flip flops now you may be thinking so what, but I have worn sensible walking shoes for some time, well found some and changed before boarding the vessel.

It was much larger than I thought it would be, air con inside fresh air outside, it all seemed very organised so I found a seat at the rear of the ship so I could take photos as we went along. There was a man sat down next to me, but he did not seem to want to chat neither did the 2 women who were with him.  We soon set sail so I took a series of photos some including Chico. The ship was moving quite fast, whilst taking my photos I was fascinated by a woman who was possibly Chinese who was taking lots of photos of herself in a whole range of poses.  I offered to take one of her from a greater distance and she seemed happy with that.

I wandered round the ship and had a drink. I decided to go on the top deck surprise surprise there was the same lady and her friend posing for herself still. I suddenly noticed as a contrast a young woman and I presume boyfriend near the back of that area of the ship, what made her stand out was that with the wind, her long blond hair was streaming behind her, she sermed totally unaware of what a stunning sight she was. I now regret not taking a series of photos of her she really was something to see and the fact unlike the other woman she was oblivious and natural which made the better scene. In the end i decided to approach her and explain how she looked and to ask if she wanted a photo of herself to see what i was talking about. She had a simple camera so i took the photo and suggested she have a look. I took the photo and returned the camera, she still did not seem to understand, they seemed such a lovely young couple so much nicer when real beauty is not abused.

The weather was beautiful if anything a little to hot for me so I stayed under the shaded section at the rear, finally we reached the dock, there seemed to be all sorts of options, such as helicopter rides snd scuba diving,  being a terrible swimmer there was no way I was going to try the latter and felt for the price the helicopter ride was not that good. Instead I went down on the submerged part of the platform to look at the coral and colourful fish, it was straight out of finding Nemo, then went for a trip on the submersible,  it was great to see all the different types and depths of coral and what amazing colours, the guide wad very good in his explanation the only issue wasthat someone gad brought a baby on board and it never stopped crying which detrated from it all.
I did debate again about trying the snorkeling but devided in the end my energy levels were not good enough plus the following morning I had an early start to Ayres Rock, so instead spent some time watching a film about the reef. Then it was announced thay thete would be afternoon tea served, in this case it was tea or soft dtinks with cheese and biscuits, so I helped myself and then went looking where to sit. One of the ladies  from earlier saw me and invited me to join them,  which I was happy to do, we got chatting and it turns out there were two Christines and a Sharon, that they met up some years ago became good friends and now holiday together,  they have travelled many places together over the years. They asked more about my trip and I introduced them to Chico, explaining his role, they decided they would like photos of him and them, which I was happy about but they also took a couple of me and Chico, they have said they will send the photos on to me soon,  I also gave them details of how to find Chicos Facebook page.
It was interesting because they also had noticed the chinese lady and her extravegant poses also how I had offerred to take her photo. I mentioned the young woman and   her photo also and how I now regret not taking one of  her but had not wanted to intrude. The time passed quickly and soon we were back at the port, so said our goodbyes, back to reality I went to the supermarket for something for my evening meal plus for the trip the next day, when I got back I realised I already had more than enough to last, so had to leave some for whoever used the apartment next, I repackef my suitcase but found it difficult to settle as I was worried I would oversleep with such an early start in the morning.
I went down to the pool for a while and whilst relaxing noticed what seemed to be huge bats flying overhead, I had always thought of them and small creatures, it was pleasant and quiet there, just what I neeeded, but soon felt was time to return and finish off tidying the apartment,  the time seemed of flown so fast at all of my stops.

Port Douglas Australia 16 November 2014

Sadly it was only a brief trip to Auckland so needed to be up at 3am local time to do last minute packing and tidying up, right on time Heather was there to pick me up, its such a shame I did not have more tome in the beautiful relaxing setting that Robert has created at Maison De Rose, hopefully I will return in the not to distant future.

At the airport I was quickly processed but unfortunately the lounge was not open so I had no chance to eat before boarding the flight, I do wish they could find a better way of calling for me over the public address as sometimes I go and its not me and other times they have callled a couple of times, maybe they could issue vibrators or flashing units as used in some restaurants possibly something to explore on my return.

For a change a pleasant young man was sat next to me, in fact he offered to share his I pad to follow the flight, also he reminded me  that the time had changed again and it was 2 hours earlier than when I set off.  We talked about a range of topics, he explained he had been born in Vietnam but now was an Australian citizen, I mentioned issues with flight changes including the one today. He told me that there was the G20 summit there and lots of protests, shows how out of touch we can quickly become. Also mentioned Virgins change to my flight with no thought to the effect on people such ad myself who are not in a position to change plans that easily, he said it was a regular occurance.

At Brisbane the staff were very good getting me from the terminal, also in helping me with my case, I do not understand why they did this as usually when transfering flights my luggage once processed seems to just find its way to my destination. I then had to use a free bus to transfer to the other terminal and someone would meet me there,  unfortunately something went wrong so I had to to to the helpdesk, but then was ok. On this and the previous flight they were very good with bringing soft drinks round to prevent dehydration, shame united airlines did not do this.

I forgot to say the temperature and humidity had greatly increased by this time.  At the airport again staff were very helpful getting me to my baggage,  then I was to be met by a shuttle service, well what a miserable greeting and then having to hang about, the vehicle was a toyota that usually have good suspension, unfortunately not this one, so I was relieved when I finally got to the Port Douglas Retreat, I was quickly processed and into my room which was very pleasant,  only thing was I realised I needed the safe key and a pool towel and the owners had gone out for the afternoon it being Sunday.

Never mind, I quickly unpacked the setting was beautiful and the air con worked,  next a trip into town, well I say town but not really that large a place, plenty of places to eat buy souvenirs etc and fortunately for me a decent supermarket as there was no food available at the apartment,  so stocked up with things I felt I needed, then had a wander down to the bay, the view was beautiful and peaceful, its interesting but all the bars and cafes had music playing some louder than others but at least not at the volume I put up with in Vegas.
It was a pleasant change and just the peace quiet and tranquility my body needed before the next leg. I haf nought a couple of pizza's so had one gor my evening meal finished off with fruit and apple juice, I had an early night, tomorrow I will decide what if any excursions to go on, I would like to visit the reef and see the marine life, but we will see.

One more week to go 26 October 2014

It seems so long ago since my first chat with my son about a trip to the Grand Canyon, that developed into this marathon of 30 days away with over 60 hours in the sky, 5 countries and 10 destinations for me. Now there are three of us the latest addition is Gulliver Chico Glasser, see previous blog for more about him, dont forget to follow him on Facebook, he hashis own profile and will keep you up to date with his travels as well as photos with me.

They will be with me on my first leg to London that origionally was just a train trip, but thanks to you Maggie is now going to be an exciting adventure, with visits to the Poppy garden at the Tower, then a trip down the Thames by boat, a meal at the O2, then cable car across the river before a train trip to Docklands.  If I time it right it will then be a trip to Heathrow after rush hour to rest before the start of the real trip with our first adventure in New York.

So far it seems we are going to visit staten island ferry, the Statue of Liberty, the memorial to the Twin Towers and the Air Sea museum, but the first adventure there will be to find our hotel, as it involves a trip into the centre first.

After a few days there we travel to Vegas hopefully to visit the Grand Canyon, it came as a surprise that it gets cold in Vegas and the Canyon so it could affect our ability to get there and my sons planned bike ride on the Rim, but we will see. I am still hoping for the chance to meet up with my Buzzer friend Geri if her health is up to it. My son informs me we are having a look at casinos and the Strip is obviously going to be included, think may need to hire a scooter to help cope with distances.

My son then travels back home then its me and my new trusty friend Gulliver Chico Glasser for the rest of the journey. If you read back a little you will read about him, he is with me to promote ME Chronic Fatigue Syndrome awareness and promote our local group as well as encourage people to sponsor him on the groups behalf.

The next leg is to Auckland for a couple of days, then to Oz, Port Douglas, Ayres Rock, then Sydney. I have found a place there to stay where  whem I come in on the ferry there are spectacular views each day of the Opera House and Bridge at each destination it will be an adventure.

Then its onto Malaysia with a trip to visit my friend in Penang followed by a trip to Singapore and finally to Shanghai before returning back to London again for the last leg home.

Its thanks to Sue at Ace Travel2 that its all been possible,  thanks Sue for all your time and patience over the months in the planning and sorting out paperwork for the trip as well as encouragement with the mammoth task, I must stop making lists as my luggage will be overloaded with them.

My visas are in place,  Sue is coming this week to go through all my paperwork to make sure I have my E tickets transfer and hotel vouchers, my GP has sorted out my prescription and  I should have a letter from her, so there are no issues for the medication I will be carrying for pain relief. I have had all necessary inoculations and more recently my flu jabs and just to make sure, have travel insurance to cover the trip.

After I thought about the cold in New York and possibly Vegas and the Canyon, I have made sure that I will have sufficient clothing that will cope with the hot and cold weather, I have tried packing my case and everything I can think of is going in and it is still under weight,  sorry have not included yet all of Chicos clothes some kindly donated by Caroline and  Mandy, do another task for me. I have decided as I am travelling with Chico that this time I will not take my SLR camera rather, my tablet, compact camera and recently purchased camcorder to record what I see on my travels and also to copy onto my blog but also to keep copies to show when I get back home. They will take up less room and be more inconspicuous I hope as I travel around.

Although it is now so close I still have not sorted out the best way to deal with money in the various countries, despite advice from my friend Paul which has been helpful on the subject and other aspects of my trip. But will finally resolve this week, its so complicated with a range of currencies to deal with in particular when I first arrive at destinations in the different countries and the first few hours whilst I find my bearings, so different as a lone traveller than with an organised trip, but much more exciting I hope.

Well I will close for now, hope you enjoy the read and will continue to follow the adventure as it unfolds.