20231124 AAAA Trip - Darwin, Australia - A Thanksgiving miracle

2023 Alaska, Asia, Australia, Arabian Peninsula Trip 
Day 69/105 - Darwin, Australia

It was Thanksgiving Day when we woke up - well, Thankgiving Day back in the US, 14.5 hours behind us.  That meant it was a good time to call the kids and wish them a happy turkey day.

It was a little drizzly here in Darwin this morning.  We waited a bit and then headed off for a little walkabout. We're in Australia, so we can't just walk - we do a walkabout. There is a small park right next to the port and we wandered over there. 

Darwin was named in honor of Charles Darwin even though he never came here. His ship, the Beagle, did and that was enough for them to name the place in his honor. It has an amazing ability to survive given that it has been all but wiped out not once but twice. I mentioned Cyclone Tracy which flattened Darwin in 1974. Before that, the Japanese bombed Darwin in 1942, wiping out everything including sinking US ships that were stationed there.

We were going to continue to Bicentennial Park but the walkway was closed for tree trimming.  We took in the sights of local flora and fauna.

There was a meeting this morning - magpie geese only

A straw-necked ibis and an Australian white ibis were aerating the park lawn

The tide was out this morning

We know about the muster stations on the ship, but they have one here too

Part of the oil storage tunnel system used in WWII

I stumbled on this wasp nest suspended under the leaves of a tree - they didn't seem to mind

Since we couldn't go any farther, we changed direction and walked back up toward town.  In town, I couldn't resist taking a few more photos of the beautiful lorikeets.

Another passenger mentioned some street art. We wandered over from Smith Street a block or two and saw a lot of it. It really livened up the downtown area.

We got back to the ship and took a well-deserved shower. We were both a little sticky from the humidity on the walk.  Not long after, the doorbell buzzed.  The room hushed with anticipation. I opened the door and was handed a small package.  I gave the package to Arlona.

She pulled the tape

She opened the box

Ta-da!!!  Her old phone, driver's license, Villages ID, credit card, insurance card, cash - it was all there

We've already sent thanks to the two guys who took care of this and communicated with me about it. We wish we knew who found it in the restroom and took it to the police so we could thank them as well. It really restores your faith in humanity when people do the decent thing. Samsung Smart Switch took care of moving all her accounts, apps, photos, and such. The new phone is now fully good to go and the old phone is now factory reset and ready to sell when we get home.

We ate lunch and shortly after, we could hear some commotion. Tugboats got into position for our departure and ropes were being thrown off. It was time to sail.

About an hour after sailing, we could hear a fairly loud marine engine.

It was the pilot boat coming alongside to retrieve the local pilot

There were muster stations everywhere today!

As we passed the final channel marker, a committee of birds was there to bid us farewell and fair seas.

Once we passed the final channel marker, the pilot boat came directly alongside and the pilot hopped off.

I found it interesting that the assistant was harnessed and the pilot was too as soon as he hopped on. In many other countries, the pilot just jumps back and forth and walks across the deck without any safety equipment.

We're heading out into the Arafura Sea as we travel east to Thursday Island where we will ironically arrive on Sunday

Tonight, Assistant Cruise Director, Harry, hosted a Name That Tune trivia in the Explorers' Bar.  We competed with friends and failed miserably on Motown songs, only correctly naming 9/15.  Oh well, we still had fun.

Tonight's entertainment is yet another rerun from earlier segments, so we skipped it and headed to the room.  We lose 30 minutes tonight as we shift to UTC+10 or 15 hours ahead of the US East Coast. That will leave us with just one more hour to move before we reach Sydney on December 5.

Tomorrow is a sea day, so it should be a nice, relaxing 24 hours.

20231123 AAAA Trip - Darwin, Australia - Darwin is for the birds - not just Thanksgiving turkeys

2023 Alaska, Asia, Australia, Arabian Peninsula Trip 
Day 68/105 - Darwin, Australia

This morning was like half of a sea day as we weren't scheduled into Darwin until around 1:00 p.m. We enjoyed time on the veranda, taking in the sea air and slightly cooler and less humid weather.  We approached Darwin right on schedule.

We have been briefed on Australia's biosecurity rules.  If you recall the news lately, a man was flying to Australia.  On a layover, he got a Subway sandwich.  He ate half and put half in his bag to enjoy on the plane.  He fell asleep and awoke just before landing.  When he went through immigration, he indicated on the form that he wasn't bringing food items into the country.  They found the sandwich, which he honestly forgot about since he had planned to eat it on the plane, and was arrested and heavily fined.  I get the whole biosecurity thing, but common sense has to come into play and I'm not too sure there is any here.  During COVID, neighbors were encouraged to report other neighbors if they were seen outside.  Seriously. If you remember early entries on this trip, our ship's hull had to be fully cleaned before we would be allowed into Australian waters. Today, we were required to dip our shoes into a chemical cleanser before we walked down the gangway.  Wow.

We are in Darwin, a city located in Australia's Northern territory.

Australia's Northern Territory has about 247,000 residents and 144,000 of them live in Darwin.  We weren't expecting much and were surprised to find a relatively metropolitan city.

I'm not sure what this float is used for

A couple of friendly-looking tugs were cruising about

After seeing all the huge container ships, how cute is this little one?

They had a candle burning for us when we arrived - yeah, that's what I'm going with

Arlona was watching the sights on our arrival

As soon as we docked, a flurry of activity started beyond just setting the gangway.  Supply trailers arrived and a crane was put in place to load and unload items to and from the ship.

I had never seen a semi-trailer with its own built-in crane to move containers

Our tour today was the included tour, Northern Territory Museum & Art Gallery.  Given our initial thought that Darwin wasn't much, we didn't expect much from the museum.  We were pleasantly surprised to find a terrific museum.  There were very nice displays with local art, and historical depictions including the 1974 cyclone that all but wiped Darwin off the map, outstanding nature displays of the local wildlife, and more. I definitely recommend a visit to anyone that comes to Darwin.

Arlona's hand is included for size reference

Nope, nope, nope

This is a termite mound - yikes

Skeletons of a marsupial hippo (left) and huge flightless goose (right)

Sweetheart - a saltwater crocodile that was over sixteen feet long and weighed in at over 1700 lbs

Flowers outside the museum

The bus driver gave us the option to return to the ship or get dropped off in town.  We hopped off in towns and wandered for a bit.  We wandered through the mall area - a street closed to traffic with shops on both sides.

Christmas decorations were up

A fun display inside a store

Look!

As we walked around, we heard lots of bird calls all over.  We started looking and wow - do they have a lot of cool birds here!

Magpie goose

Magpie lark

Australian pied imperial pigeon

Friarbird

Figbird

Friarbird (I think)

Australian white ibis

Masked lapwing

Swallow

Orange-footed scrubfowl

Lorikeet

We decided to make the relatively short walk back to the ship along the waterfront. They were decorated for Christmas as well.

Arlona checked out the water at a swimming area

A retention pond near the waterfront was like glass

We arrived back at the port and headed back on the ship

Both The Restaraunt and the World Café featured turkey and fixings to celebrate US Thanksgiving

After dinner, we walked out back on deck #7. Arlona looked down and spotted this anhinga checking out one of the verandas on deck #3.

Tonight's entertainment was the 2023 movie, Champions starring Woody Harrelson and Kaitlin Olson. Arlona checked the TV and found that it was available to watch in our room too, so that's what we did.  Of course, she ran to the Star Theater and grabbed some popcorn so we had the whole experience, just in our room.

We're in port overnight tonight and until about 1:00 p.m. tomorrow. We're planning to go out tomorrow for a walk and see more of the city.