Day 29 ~ Crossing the Bight

“I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted my routine.” ~ Caskie Stinnett

The southern coast of Australia (AKA the Great Australian Bight) was first discovered by European explorers in 1627. This is our second sea day after leaving Adelaide, en route to Esperance. My inner compass is a little turned around. The sun (when we can see it) travels its arch in the northern part of the sky instead of the south, so I get the feeling we’re sailing east when we’re really heading west. We’re still facing 12 foot swells, low hanging clouds and rain, but I’m sure those earlier sailors had a rougher time than we. The Pacific Princess slices through the waves pretty well. Even though she’s much smaller than most cruise ships (for example, on our recent Alaskan cruise, the Holland America Eurodam held three times the number of passengers!) she handles a rough sea as well as the bigger vessels.

But the step counter on my phone is convinced that I’ve climbed 15 flights of stairs today. I guess the pitching deck does that. It also makes for restful napping in the afternoon. Our bed is like a big cradle and the PP rocks us to sleep.

A couple of other Book Club members have asked me how I’m enjoying My Absolute Darling, the book for this segment. I had to admit I didn’t have it yet because they’d run out of copies and I am waiting for my friend Kristy to finish hers and pass it on.  So far, no one I’ve talked to likes the book and would hurl it across the room if it wasn’t a book club selection. I may tell Kristy there’s no rush.

Life is too short to read annoying books.

We continue to hack our cabin for all the available electrical outlets. There isn’t one in the bathroom, but the DH has discovered another plug behind the TV.  Now we can power up our electric toothbrush without taking up the desk plug. After nearly a month on board we are still so very comfy in our balcony cabin. Keeping everything picked up and tossing out clutter (advertisements from the spa and retail shops) as soon as it arrives helps with that! So does Ramona—our excellent cabin steward!

I saw on the news that there was a bit of a brouhaha on a cruise ship recently—an actual fistfight involving both passengers and crew. I can’t imagine that happening on the PP. For one thing, the small size of the ship means we’re all going to run into each other again. We may as well be on our best behavior. We’ve made a number of friends on board through our activities—choir, trivia (We won again today!), book club—and because of the passenger talent show, lots of people recognize the DH and I and have kind things to say about our singing. And a surprising number of people have been following this blog too.

Our table mates for supper are a congenial group, though Vicky’s husband has decided he’s in witness protection and I can’t use his name on the blog. Henceforth, this retired firefighter will be referred to as “He who shall not be named…” It makes him sound vaguely sinister, but he’s okay with that.

I really enjoy the other passengers. They come from all walks of life, mostly retired, but a few still working. I’ve met teachers, engineers, doctors, hairdressers, automobile restorers, funeral directors, city employees, nurses, business owners, farmers, real estate agents, product developers, pilots, the list goes ever on and on… There is no average world cruiser. 

For some, this is a yearly voyage made to escape cold weather without the hassle of owning a second home. For others, this is a once in a lifetime trip they’ve saved up for for years.  

The common denominator is that we’re tickled to pieces to be here. The food has been exquisite, the entertainment topnotch (Mostly. I’m still hopeful we won’t have any more ventriloquists!), and the service is second to none.

Tomorrow, we reach Esperance. More then…