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2020 Around the World on HAL
  • Sonia Gelman
janv. – mars 2020

2020 Around the World on HAL

Une aventure de 81 jours par Sonia En savoir plus
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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Somewhere in the South

    29 janvier 2020, South Atlantic Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    Today is a day of rest and freezing. It is very cold in our cabin. With thermostat all the way up, it is 58 degrees F. It does not bother me too much as I like it.
    We attended three very interesting lectures: one of them about Antarctic Exploration, presented by Dr. Peter Carey and another one about the 60 years old Antarctic Treaty.
    We also went for a walk on the deck and even tried to get a 🌞 tan.

    There was a special dinner tonight. I took few pictures of the menu and food. Each table was decorated with campas and a lantern. Will post them later.
    The internet is very spotty since we are almost in Antarctica.

    To see more pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/tc41xqKmqkcWjbBu5    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Admiralty Bay of King George Island

    30 janvier 2020, Antarctique ⋅ 🌧 36 °F

    We got up at 6:00 AM, dressed very warm and went on the deck. We were going toward King George Island of Antarctica. We went for a breakfast and after that right to the front of the ship on deck 3.
    At 8:00 AM the captain and the naturalists started commentary and pointing on what to see. We slowly entered Admiralty bay. Admiralty Bay contains three fjords, and is protected as an Antarctic Specially Managed Area under the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty.

    Some facts from Wikapedia:

    In 2004, a Russian Orthodox church, Trinity Church, was opened on the island near Russia's Bellingshausen Station. The church, one of the southernmost in the world and one of the few permanent structures in Antarctica, is permanently manned by a priest.
    The first attempted murder in Antarctica occurred on the island in 2018 at Russia's Bellingshausen Station.

    Wow, wow, wow. Russians outperformed again. Sickening.

    We passed few base science stations: Polish, Peruvian and very big Brazilian. We could see people at this station waving to us.
    We also saw big group of penguins, few whales and birds.
    At some point it started raining, so we went inside. Then the weather got better and we were outside again. The commentary lasted till 10:00 AM. The next one will be around 4:00 PM when we approach Deception Island. It shaped as horse shoe with coldera in the middle. It is a volcanic island. We passed colony of 50,000 pairs of neckstrap penguins. There were also few seals walking and swimming.
    The captain turn the ship around few times so people on both sides could see them.

    Can't put any pictures. May be when we are out of Antarctica
    To see pictures go to the link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xTUh4zEoWWvEQvqYA    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Antarctica, Day 2

    31 janvier 2020, Antarctique ⋅ ☁️ 34 °F

    Today we went outside at 6:30 AM, scenic narrations started at 7:00 AM. We went on the top deck. It was cold and windy, there were few brave soles on the deck. More people joined us a little later.
    Shortly after 7:00 AM we entered Neumayer Channel. Neumayer Channel is a channel 16 miles long in a NE-SW direction and about 1.5 miles wide, separating Anvers Island from Wiencke Island and Doumer Island, in the Palmer Archipelago.
    It has majestic cliffs, and it is like a maze with no visible exits because of its inverted S-shape. Its entrance and exits both have sharp bends.
    The experience was amazing.
    We had a quick breakfast and went outside again. By 10:00 AM, we were really cold, so had some hot tea and back on the deck.
    Around 11:00 AM, our ship entered Paradise Harbor. The name was first applied by whalers operating in the vicinity and was in use by 1920. The harbor has three entrances. We entered the widest, but then the question was "Can we exit from the narrow north entrance"? If the iceberg is blocking the entrance, then the ship has to turn back.
    The captain approached very slowly. On the way we saw few humpback whales, seals and penguins. We were lucky and our ship passed through narrow north entrance by 2:00 PM.
    Finally, we could go to your cabin and get a little warmer (62 degrees in our cabin).
    To see the picture please go to the link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/vZkcUzmcADQ7ghN1A    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman
    2

    Antarctica, Day 3

    1 février 2020, Antarctique ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    Today's plan is to be in Lemaire Channel, Errera Channel and Charlotte Bay.
    We should have reached Lemaire Channel by 8:00 AM, but by 7:30 AM, the captain announced the Channel is blocked by the too much ice and we will not be able to to get into it. Instead of it we were cruising past beautiful mountains and icebergs.
    By noon we reached Errera Channel.
    The Errera Channel is one of the most beautiful we seen so far in Antarctica. it is pretty long. The only think that was missing is the sun. Today was windy and very cold.
    We saw Chinstrap penguins and whales. Could not stay outside for too long. It was really cold and unusual for us went to afternoon tea to get warm.
    At 4:30 PM we entered Charlotte Bay.
    It was filled with icebergs and humpback whales.
    We went outside few time to take pictures, but by the evening we were too tired and cold to stay outside for long time.
    To see the pictures please go to the link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/48B5qCpw9NqXV6KW8    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Somewhere in Antarctica, Day 4

    2 février 2020, South Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌧 34 °F

    Our program for today, that was delivered last night indicated we will have scenic passage of Hope Bay at 7:00 AM. We looked outside and could not see anything. The fog was so thick like being in a milk.
    This Bay is home to 125,000 pairs of Adeline penguins, also big colony of birds including Snowy Sheathbills that found only in Antarctica.
    Sadly, at 8:00 AM, captain announced the fog is so dense, the visibility is only couple hundred yards and we have to proceed with very slow speed to our next destination.
    What a shame, but safety is the most important.

    Back to sleep and watching movies.

    Well, I surely got my beauty sleep today. Finally by afternoon the sky got blue, the fog lifted and we just seen two huge icebergs on both sides of the ship.    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Around the Cape Horn to Ushuaia.

    4 février 2020, South Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 48 °F

    After nine days in the ocean (could not stop in Falkland Island), we are waiting with anticipation to get on land in Ushuaia, Argentina. We are docking at 7:00 PM and staying overnight.
    We got up at 6:00 AM today because at 6:30 AM we were going around Cape Horn.

    Cape Horn is the southernmost point of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramerez Islands), Cape Horn marks the northern boundary of the Drake Passage and marks where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet.

    Again, the weather was not cooperating. It was very windy and rainy, so I refused to go outside. Boris went outside for a very short time and came back. I was listening to naturalist on TV.

    This passage considered to be the rough passage of the ship, but the sea was calm and we had smooth sailing.

    I attended a very interesting lecture about ingenious people of this area, who are regarded as the southernmost peoples in the world. The tribe is Yahgan and unfortunately the last member of this tribe died in the beginning of XX century.

    Despite the extremely cold climate in which they lived, early Yaghan wore little to no clothing until after their extended contact with Europeans.They were able to survive the harsh climate because:

    They kept warm by huddling around small fires when they could, including in their boats to stay warm. The name of "Tierra del Fuego" (land of fire) was based on the many fires seen by passing European explorers.

    They made use of rock formations to shelter from the elements.

    They covered themselves in animal grease.

    Over time, they had evolved significantly higher metabolisms than average humans, allowing them to generate more internal body heat.

    Their natural resting position was a deep squatting position, which reduced their surface area and helped to conserve heat.

    The lecture was by the woman that was born and raised in Ushuaia, but now she lives in Australia.

    While I was at the lecture, Boris was at his watercolor class. He painted very nice albatross.

    By 7:30 PM we arrive Ushuaia. I could not wait to go ashore after 9 days in the sea. It is not an easy town to navigate with a wheelchair. We walked for two hours, got some chocolate and came back on the ship by 9:30 PM. Tomorrow we have an early tour.

    To see more pictures, please use the link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/dT4j9477mPff8RWq5

    More pictures will come later.    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Ushuaia, Argentina

    5 février 2020, Argentine ⋅ ⛅ 45 °F

    Today our tour started at 8:00 AM. I organized this tour long time ago. It was supposed to be two 18 passengers buses, but only 10 people on each bus. I wanted lots of room for everyone. Unfortunately, they had one big bus for 20 people. There were still lots of room.

    The weather today was very good. Cold, but sunny.

    Today's tour was to visit Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire) National Park, where we saw the most typical species of the sub-antarctic.
    Our first stop was the end of the world. It is the most southern point of South America.

    Then we stopped at the Acigami Lake with beautiful mountains in the background.

    Our last stop was the post office. The setting of this post office is very beautiful and it is the Southmost Post Office in the world. Lots of people were buying stamps and post cards and mailing them.
    Meanwhile, Boris and I went for a little hike.

    Then we were dropped at the ship and some people from our group went to the city.

    And now we are going on the Beagle Chanal toward Punta Arenas, Chili. This chanal named after the boat that Charles Darwin traveled in this area.
    To see pictures of this day go to the links: https://photos.app.goo.gl/UTbZYsUXR1FZ5JRh9 and https://photos.app.goo.gl/qGsctTTcUYofXE3UA    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Punta Arenas and Fort Bulnes, Chile.

    6 février 2020, Chili ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F

    After departing Ushuaia, we took a route towards Punta Arenas which took as through some of Chile's numerous channels. We passed five big glaciers and many small ones.

    Punta Arenas is a city near the tip of Chile's southernmost Patagonia region. Located on the Strait of Magellan, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

    We opened our shades at 6:30 AM to a beautiful sunrise.
    We had quick breakfast and got of the ship to find our tour. Ricardo was waiting for us. We were only two people on this tour, but he told us later in the day he will pick a group of 6 people from another cruise ship.
    Ricardo told us that it is a very safe city. And we felt safe walking during day time, although we saw burned building and shuttered glass from the bullets in the windows and lots of graffiti. May be it is all relative.

    Meanwhile we drove for 5 minutes to reach The Nao Victoria Museum .There are four open full size replicas of the most important ships in the Magallanes Region. Nao Victoria, the only fleet commanded by Ferdinand Magellan completed the first circumnavigation of the globe. James Caird, originally a lifeboat Endurance that sailed from Elephant Island to South Georgia during the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of Sir Ernest Shackleton 1916. Goleta Ancud, the ship, under the command of Manuel Bulnes, President of Chile, took the sovereignty of the Magellan Strait to Chile with the construction of Fuerte Bulnes. HMS Beagle, the famous British Navy ship under the command of Captain Fitz Roy raised cartography work of Magallanes Region. Aboard the boat was young Charles Darwin.
    There were also three little dogs at the museum (they belong to the owner of the museum) that were named after commanders of the ships.
    Very interesting open air museum and since it was 8:45 AM we were the only visitors. By the time we finished with a museum, the first tour bus from HAL arrived.

    We drove to another pier closer to the city to pick a group of 6 people from another cruise ship. It was a British Cruise line ship Balmoral and all six people were from Great Britain. Very nice group of people.

    Out next stop was Fort Bulnes. It is a Chilean fort located by the Strait of Magellan, 62 km south of Punta Arenas. It was founded in 1843. during President Manuel Bulnes Prieto.

    It was reconstructed between 1941 and 1943 as a historic monument. The replica includes the church, chaplain's quarters, jail, powder magazine, post office and stables. It was declared a national monument in 1968.
    The weather was perfect and the walk and the view were very pleasant.

    We also visited museum of Patagonia that has scaled models of the most important ships that discovered and study this area, history of this ares. Very new and modern museum. Wish we spent a little more time there.

    After that we drove back to Punta Arenas and somewhere half the drive we stopped for a bite of baked Chilean beef empanada and a glass of Chilean wine.

    We continued driving to the city and stopped at the main squire with statute of Magellan. That was out last stop on the tour. We decided not to go back to the ship right away, but spend some time in the city. First we found a very nice coffee shop and had a great cappuccino. Than we walked all over the city, got some good chocolate and decided to walk back to the ship. We were told it is about 3.2 miles.
    Then we got back to the main squire and found a shuttle from our ship. So we changed our mind and took a shuttle. We were glad we did it. It was at least 20 min ride back to the ship and not less then 6 miles.

    We came back, changed and had a very nice dinner on the ship. The evening was warm and sunny and we enjoyed our lanai cabin very much. The sunset was way after 10:00 PM.
    To see the pictures of the day please us link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/PZTaK4iPA2r76v446
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/iVTe77NYa4fKmVET8    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Puerto Montt, Chile

    9 février 2020, Chili ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    That is what our captain wrote:

    "In all my years of cruising South America, I have never been as fortunate with the weather as we have these past days.  In years past, I have been hanging on with my teeth in anchorages, or being tug assisted while trying to stay on a berth; this year we have been blessed with clear skies, sun and light winds, (maybe the weather Gods are looking after me on my last voyage, fingers crossed). "

    Yes, the weather has been absolutely perfect.

    The city was founded in 1853 and completely destroyed in a 1960 earthquake.  The surrounding countryside is becoming a popular tourist destination.

    Two years ago when we visited Puerto Montt, we had a tour to the lakes and volcano. Since there is not much to see in Puerto Montt, we decided to visit German town Puerto Varas. This town is approximately 12 miles from the port of Puerto Montt.
    Today was tender port. I got up at 6:00 AM, got in line for tender tickets. There were already big line to get tickets. People lined up since 5:00 AM.

    We did not get on the first tender, but managed to get on the second with all people that were going on ship tour.
    We had few choices on how to get to Puerto Varas: take city bus, taxi or Uber. There was another couple going the same way, so we split the cost of the car ride.

    Puerto Varas is a city in southern Chile's Lake District. It has a view of snow-capped Osorno and Calbuco volcanos. Both of these are still active. The town has traditional German architecture. It was build in early 20th century. The city is also known as "the city of roses". They are everywhere.
    We had very nice day walking in this small city, enjoying good weather, beautiful views and musicians playing on the main squire. Our car driver suggested a restaurant for a lunch and around noon we found this restaurant and had a delicious lunch. Boris ordered salmon and I got a king crab.
    After lunch we walked a little bit more and then we decided to take Uber back to Puerto Montt. Could not find the Uber, we took some local currency from ATM and decided to take a local bus. We had one concern: How do we fit a wheelchair on this mini bus?
    We waited for the bus maybe 5 minutes. When the bus came, locals loaded Boris and the wheelchair on the bus and the driver was driving the bus and holding the wheelchair.
    It took about 30 min to get to our destination.
    It was good and interesting experience. To see pictures of the day please go to the link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Zz9awBeSvsE8o8bo8    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    San Antonio, Chile.

    11 février 2020, Chili ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    Today we docked in San Antonio, Chile at 7:30 AM and by 7:45 AM we were at the terminal. We booked a tour thru cruise critic website. It was supposd to be a group of 8 people. When we found our group there were at least 50 to 60. I did not like it. So, right on the spot, we organized group of 8 and hired a tour guide.

    Our destination was Valparaiso. It is about 1-1.5 hours drive.
    Known as Valpo, Valparaíso is Chile's second largest city, located on the Pacific coast. A historical city nestled in the hills, Valpo is the heart of Chile’s bohemian culture. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003, Valpo is a special place with historical significance. The city has 45 hills, the most prominent of which is Cerro Alegre.

    The weather was warm, but there was light drizzle and fog, so being on the hill the fog did not permit us to see panaramic view.
    We drove around the city, stoped to take pictures. Some architecture is very beautiful, but everything is in pretty poor condition. Lots of street art like murals, lots of graffiti. The city is dirty and poor.
    We took one of the oldest faniculars in the city to go up the hill. There are use to be around 30 faniculars in the city, but now only 16 remain. Most of them were build in 19 or beginning of 20 century.
    Then we walked down. We stopped in little cafe and had Empanadas and I had hot chocolate and Boris had carrot/orange juice.
    Then we visited Pablo Neruda's house. It is converted to a museum.

    Our last stop was beautiful winery. We tested few wines, spend some time on the patio of the winery. By that time the sun came out and we enjoyed the beautiful surroundings.
    By 3:30 PM we were back in the port.
    To see pictures of the day please go to the link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/zGWvQtKsR1P1WjHCA    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Easter Island, Chile

    16 février 2020, Chili ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    After four restful days we had a chance to go ashore.
    Easter Island is a tender port. We booked a private tour. Since the private tour operator has a monopoly on this island, but still not as expensive as ship tours, there are 80 people on private tour with 20 people on each bus.
    I asked people on how early get in line for tender tickets and was told EARLY.
    I set an alarm clock for 5:00 AM, but got up at 4:30 AM and decided to go check if there are any people in line. To my surprise there was around 15 ahead of me. The first in line came at 3:30 AM to get tender tickets.
    Well, by 8:30 AM they started to give out the tickets. We got #2 tender. As soon as we got tickets, we went down to deck 1 to get in line for the tender boat. We knew it will be slow since even when the ocean is calm, the tender boarding is very rough at this location. More times then not cruise ships are not be able to stop here.
    By 10:00 AM we were on tender boat. The crew did a marvelous job to load people.
    Few minutes later we were on land in Hanga Roa (capitol city) and after payment of $80 pp for basically entrance to the island, we joined the tour.

    This island was annexed to Chile in 1888 and it is a World Heritage Site. It is the most isolated island in the world. The name "Easter Island" was given by the island's first recorded European visitor, the such explorer, who landed on the island on Easter Sunday in 1722.
    Easter Island has 887 statues called moai, created by the early Rapa Nui people. Much of the island is dedicated to the protected national park.
    There are close to 8000 people live on this island of which 4000 from Chile, 3500 native and 500 from other countries.
    Our guide, Peter, was from Czech republic.
    There are 7000 horses roaming in the island.

    There were 20 people on the bus.

    Our first stop was Anakena. It is the only sand beach on the island. It is known as "The bay of the king". It named after the first Rapa Nui King disembarked here. The beach is pretty nice and there were few people in the water. The place has two moai statues. They were restored in 1950th.

    Our next stop was Ahu Tongariki, the largest ahu on Eastern Island. It's moais were topped during island's civil war and by tsunami after strongest earthquake in Chile. This place has 15 moais. All of them are face sunset during the summer solstice.

    Our next stop was Rano a Raraku. It is moai statue quarry. It is a volcanic cone, now extinct. Moais were carced from the rock in horizontal position and then separated from the mother rock, lifted vertically and then somehow moved to the desired location. There are many statues on this site with in the difference stages of carving. There is also a walking path around on the mountain to see carvings. We were there around 2:00 PM and by that time it was pretty hot and we were trying not to drink too much since there are not too many toilets on the island. I went for a walk around and Boris walked a little and he was hungry since we had breakfast very early in the morning, so he found a little place to buy a hotdog for $7.

    Our last stop was a volcano crater. Rano Kau, is the largest volcano and one of the most beautiful and impressive natural settings. The view was so increadably beautiful, it is hard to describe. In addition to that the sky was blue with puffy clouds and a nice breeze. It was a wonderful ending to our tour.
    We still had time to explore the town, but Boris was very tired and we took the tender boat and went back on the ship. It felt good to take a shower and have sothing to eat.

    To see pictures, please use link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/SDmhrjXFybEY7NRM8    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Pitcairn Island, UK

    19 février 2020, Îles Pitcairn ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    We got extra hour in a day for the last 4 days. Because of that we wake up very early. So today I got up at 5:30 AM after being awake since 3:00 AM. I went for a walk around the ship for 2 mi and at 6:30 AM we had breakfast.
    Right after breakfast we were getting closer to Pitcairn Island.

    The Pitcairn Islands are a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. Pitcairn Island is the only one that has people. The population is less then 70.

    The earliest known settlers of the Pitcairn Islands were Polynesians. They traded goods and formed social ties between them. Eventually, important natural resources were exhausted, inter-island trade broke down, causing the small human populations on Henderson and Pitcairn to be cut off and eventually become extinct.

    Pitcairn Island was discovered in 1767 by the British crew. The island was named after midshipman Robert Pitcairn, a fifteen-year-old crew member who was the first to sight the island.

    In 1790, nine of the crew from the ship Bounty, along with the native Tahitian men and women who were with them settled on Pitcairn Island and set fire to the Bounty. Alcoholism, murder, disease and other ills took the lives of most these people.
    And up to the resent time there still cases of crime.

    The fertile soil of the island let them grow variety of fruit and vegetables. Also, British government sponsored production of the honey.
    Pitcairn exports honey to New Zealand and to the United Kingdom. In London, Fortnum & Mason sells it and it is a favourite of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles.

    We were sailing around the Island for at least 3 hours. During this time, I think half of the island population came onboard to sell their art and craft. They also brought honey. Very pricey, but that was the only opportunity to get something from this land. And it is favourite 😍 of the Queen!
    People were buying t-shirts, handmade jewelry, wood carvings.
    After that, the little boat was loaded with the food from our ship, including ice cream and the natives and they left the ship. We continue sailing toward Tahiti.

    The weather is absolutely magnificent. Sunny, warm and very calm. We enjoyed all day being outside.

    https://photos.app.goo.gl/31VhcHN5U8C7tooXA    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Tahiti, French Polynisia.

    22 février 2020, Polynésie française ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    Three years ago when we visited Tahiti was a rainy day. That day we has a 4x4 tour to the top of the mountain.
    Today was sunny and very warm. Our tour today was West and East side of the island. In other words, tour around the whole island.
    There were 8 people on the tour. Our tour guide came right on time at 8:30 AM on a bright red Mercedes van. Tracy, the tour guide/the owner of the company is a very colorful woman from Great Britain that married a local guy and settled in Tahiti.
    The tour started with overview of the city. We stopped to see the Governer's building. The city has beautiful main Street with big trees that provide much needed shade. The weather temperature is the same all year around. It was 88F degrees and very humid.
    Then we continue West stopping at a little church. Tracy explained to us that people in Polynesia are very religious and all their live is around the church.
    We drove around the island stopping at interesting places like botanical gardens, waterfalls, blow holes, caves and sand and back beaches. Also we stopped at the old Polynesian praying temples with no walls and no roofs. In the middle of all this we tried local pineapple and stopped for a lunch in a sea food restaurant that is located right on the small beach. The fish they serve was swimming only few hours before. Boris and I ordered shared seafood sampler plate and I had a local beer.
    We got back on the ship around 4:30 PM pretty tired. Has shower, dinner and by 8:00 PM were sound asleep.
    To see pictures of the day, please go to the link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/PZyk1v7cZDTXurVp9    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Rarotonga, Cook Islands

    24 février 2020, Îles Cook ⋅ 🌧 79 °F

    Another tender port. Since we get almost everyday 25 hours a day, we all can not sleep past 3:00 AM. I got up very early and went on deck 5 to get inline for tender tickets. This is another difficult port for tender boats. By 8:00 AM we got tender tickets and got on the first boat after cruise ship tours.
    Our plan for today was find a good place to snorkel. The online investigation pointed to three best snorkeling placed.
    I also consulted with my cousin Helen who has been their many times.
    One was very shallow, the other one popular with families with kids and the third looked good. So we decided to go to the third place.
    After 15 minutes of wait on shore, we boarded island bus and asked the driver to stop at Tikiokie beach.
    The beach was absolutely empty. We found a big boulder, so Boris could sit on and then we put our snorkeling gears on and went into the water. The water was not crystal clear because of the rain yesterday, but good enough. There were lots of colorful fish, bright blue star fish, some pretty corals.
    We did not want to sit on the sun, so we walked about 100 yards and found big palms that create a lots of shade. We settled under these palms. Shortly one men came to the same area and went for a swim. After he got out of the water, he got a huge coconut right of the tree and made a hole in it. I asked and he told as that he is local and shared this coconut with us. Delicious fresh coconut water.
    We did more snorkeling and after couple more hours on the beach took a local bus back to our tender boat.
    Very nice day away from the crowd.
    To see the pictures of the day please go to the link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ETLdQVjrr2Gr1jFy7    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Nuku'alofa, Tonga.

    28 février 2020, Tonga ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F

    Tonga is located in South Pacific. It is the only country that was never colonized. Consisting of 176 islands, Tonga has a history dating back over 3000 years and the monarchy was in place around 1000 years. Tonga was given the nickname " the Friendly Islands" after Captain James Cook arrived here in 1776.
    In the 19th century missionaries arrived, converting local population to Christianity. Country's capital Nuku'alofa translates to "Abode of Love"

    We are very lucky to dock at this island. They turned away four ships before us. They really afraid of the coronavirus.

    We docked around 7:30 AM and by 8:15 AM we were on the dock. We changed some money for local currency and found a taxi to take us to the beach and pick us up later.

    We drove past king's palace, some government buildings, thru town, villages to the end of the peninsula. First two beaches were closed for private events (tours from our ship), then he drove us to the third beach. It is a private beach that we paid $2.50 pp. The beach was stunning, unfortunately the sea was a little rough. Boris went snorkeling, but it did not feel safe. He saw some fish and corals.
    The rest of the time we were sitting on the beach under the palms and going to the water to get a little cooler.

    There was one local woman on the beach and we asked for some drinks, so she offered a coconut. We got a huge coconut from refrigerator. It was really good. After we finished a coconut water, I asked if it is possible to break the 🥥 to have the nut. She took the coconut, and then in about 10 min, the guy came back to us and explained....our big coconut is not good, so he gave us small brown coconut and inside it was a small round part that considered to be a delicacy. We finished it and the meat from the coconut.

    Later he came with another coconut that had sponge like filing instead of the coconut water. That is sprouted coconut. The sponge tasted good too.
    By now it was after 1:00 PM and extremely hot. We were very relieved when our driver came to pick us up.

    We got back on the ship, took a shower, had salad and an ice cream and trying to keep cool. I will put link with pictures later.
    To see the pictures of the day, please go to the link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/CkHk4hQGDqVKTEENA    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Unknown Future Itinerary

    29 février 2020, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌙 77 °F

    Yesterday the captain announced that our itinerary will change and the new one will be delivered to our state room.
    Well, we got it. As of now, we are on our course for New Zealand and Australia.
    After Darwin, Australia, we will be in the ocean for 7 days, then Sri Lanka for 2 days instead of one. Then unexpected Mumbai for 3 days. We are missing Maldives, but staying in Seashells for one extra day.
    That is for now. I am sure it is not the end of changed.    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Auckland, New Zealand. Day 1.

    2 mars 2020, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    After few days in the sea, we docked in Auckland, NZ.
    Our plan for today is to explore Waiheke Island. This island is located 30 minutes ferry ride from Auckland.
    Waiheke Island is the most populated and the second-largest island in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand. Waiheke is the second-largest island in the gulf, after Great Barrier Island.
    Waiheke has become known as New Zealand's "island of wine." It has close to 10,000 population in the winter and it is 30,000 in the summer.

    So, we were promptly outside of the ship at 8:00 AM and short walk to the ferry. We purchased combined tickets ferry plus hop on hop off bus. By 8:40 we were on the island. First bus came at 9:40 and to our surprise not wheelchair accessible, so I had to take the wheelchair completely apart to fit it in the bus. Well, no problem. We got off after one stop to see the village and to our surprise discovered that one of the knobs for the wheelchair attachment broke after I screwd it on. Now we could not fold the wheelchair and put it on the bus. We were told that one of the HOHO buses is double decker and is wheelchair accessible. We decided not to wait for it, but take a city bus which is acceptable. Our next stop was a cluster of wineries. Although it was any 11:15, we decided to taste wines and have a bite. The setting was beautiful and we had delish pizza and wine samples. After spending there nearly 2 hours, we got on HOHO double decker bus. Our next stop was gorgeous beach and charming little village with lots of restaurants. Again we spent 1.5 hours on this location, walked on the beach, enjoyed ice cream and surroundings. The bus came late and it was different bus. It was huge tour bus. We were told the double decker had an accident and 4 broken windows and they replaced it with a accessible tour bus just for us. Hooray!!

    Our next stop was the highest point on the island. The view was beautiful and in addition to that the place had beautiful winery. Since we had to kill 1.5 hours to the next big bus and all hiking in that area was pretty hard for Boris, we went to the winery and spent a lovely time talking to a woman from San Francisco and a local man with a cute dog.

    One and a half hours later the bus came, but to our surprise it was a small bus. The big tour bus had an accident also that brock windows. The wheelchair can not fit on small bus. Luckily after tacking wheels off we could put the wheelchair on the bus w/o folding it. We decided not to press our luck anymore and go straight to the ferry to Auckland.
    After ferry we walked to pharmacy to get some supply.
    Tomorrow we will have another day in Auckland, but we are taking a tour and Boris will not need a wheelchair.
    To see the pictures of the day, please go to this link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ohrtkUe23PrRN34n8    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Auckland, New Zealand. Day 2.

    3 mars 2020, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    Two days before today I decided that it will be much easier for us to have a tour then go by ourselves. Auckland is very hilly and it creates a problem for Boris.
    I got online and found a tour that we liked, but it was sold out. So I decided to try my luck and emailed the company. They answered that there was cancellations and two spaces are available for March 3rd. They sent me a link to pay. I tried to do it using different computers, different browsers, but could not do it. Finally, using Skype I was able to call them and asked to hold reservations untill we meet in Auckland and will be able to pay for the tour.
    Precisely at 8:25 AM, as they told me, the yellow Mercedes pulled over. There were 4 more people in the van. Total of 6 in the group and the van is for 12. Plenty of space.
    The tour took us all over Auckland, the best view points. We also visited one winery and had a wonderful lunch outside of the city. We passed many neighborhoods of Auckland. It was a wonderful overview of the city.
    To see the pictures of this day, please use this link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/yXhUYDTejnfHRpo76    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Waitangi, NZ

    4 mars 2020, Nouvelle-Zélande ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    Another tender port... I got up early and was in line for tender tickets by 6:00 AM. Today we were suppose to have 5 hour Day Cruise and some island walking and winery tour. We got on the tender boat by 8:00 AM and I opened my email. What a surprise...the tour is cancelled due to the fact that we are the only two people that signed up for this tour.
    Since we thought that not much walking will be on this tour, we did not take a wheelchair. Now we are on a tender boat going to the town. We decided that Boris will walk as much as he can and then we will go back on the ship.
    Waitangi does not have anything, only Waitangi Treaty Grounds. It considered to be one of the most important places in NZ. That where two people: local people and people from Europe signed a peace treaty. We could not go there because Boris did not have a wheelchair and suggested time of walking is more then 3 hours.
    So we decided to take a shuttle to little town Paihia and walk as much as he can. It is a very nice little town with beautiful view of the Bay, many restaurants and shops. We walked around, had an ice cream and then got on the shuttle back to the tender port. On the way to the port, the driver asked us if we wanted to stop at Waitangi Treaty Grounds and we decided to stop and then it is a short walk to the pier. We walked a little and then Boris said to get to the pier we had to go left. I argued with him, because I thought we had to go right. But, my sense of directions is pretty bad, so we went left. We walked and walked and then we reached a golf course and walked and walked up and down on the golf course until we climbed on top of the hill and saw our tender port in completely different direction. We had to go right.
    So we went down that hill and up another hill until we reached a parking lot. I was tired...imagine how tired Boris was. Good exercise.
    There was a school bus with a driver on the parking lot. I told him we got lost and he drove us to the pier. Another day of adventure.
    Tomorrow is a sea day, so Boris can rest. To see pictures of this day, please use this link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/JtRdHvM46yAfz6tRA    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Latest Update

    5 mars 2020, Australie ⋅ 🌧 73 °F

    Just got new update. Not going to Sri Lanka and India. Instead spending many days in Australia. Most people are very happy.
    March 7, 8 - Sydney, Australia
    March 11 ----Townsville, AU
    March 12 ---- Cairns, AU
    March 16 ---- Darwin, AU
    March 19 ---- Briime, AU
    March 21 ---- Exmouth, AU
    March 23 ---- Geraldton, AU
    March 24,25 - Fremantle, AU

    That is all we know for now.    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Celebrating 9 years anniversary.

    6 mars 2020, Tasman Sea ⋅ 🌧 73 °F

    Today is our 9 years anniversary of the cars accident. So in memory of this Boris decided to get sick. Last night after Gala dinner he went right to bed. He was shivering and looked like he had fever. Knowing that this are the first signs of UTI, he took antibiotic. By morning the fever went down, he continues with antibiotics.
    He felt much better, unfortunately his right leg did not look good. It was red swollen and hot to a touch. He went to a medical center. They took his blood and after few hours he went back to talk to a doctor and see the blood results.
    The doctor told us they suspect he has skin infection or blood clots. Their blood testing machine for infection is broken and the indicators for blood clots are not conclusive. She gave him blood thinner shot and new antibiotics. Tomorrow morning in Sydney we have to go to a hospital. Hopefully the antibiotics will work.    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Sydney, Australia. Day 1.

    7 mars 2020, Australie ⋅ 🌧 70 °F

    At 6:00 AM we were sailing into beautiful Sydney harbor going under Sydney Bay Bridge, passing Sydney Opera House.
    We had breakfast and at 8:00 AM went to see ship's doctor. She referred us to Royal Prince Albert Hospital.
    We took Uber to the hospital and by 9:00 AM arrived at emergency room of the hospital.
    Boris was taking in pretty fast. It is one of the oldest public hospitals in Sydney. It has good reputation.
    The emergency waiting room looks pretty outdated. Then Boris was escorted to examination room. To my surprise, there was not even a chair for me or doctor to sit. Only bed.
    After blood was taking, we were told to wait in the waiting room for the blood test. So they are not keeping people in examination room. It is a different waiting room, but it looks very old and pretty dirty. Patients are sitting next to each other. Not very pleasant. After 2 hours of waiting the result came in. As we suspected it is cellulitis. The antibiotics should clear it in a few days. Let's hope.
    Amazing the whole thing in this hospital costed us $200. It will be much more from ship doctor. That is why we purchased travel insurance.
    We took Uber back to the ship. Need to rest, eat dress before going to the Opera tonight.
    At 4:30 PM we met with few other people from our ship who were going to the Opera, took a shuttle to the Darling Harbour and then a ferry to the Opera. The performance was sold out. The Opera is Carmen, but contemporary production. Can't say I loved the performance. The singing was more or less okay, but the playing was pretty bad. By intermission Boris looked very tired and his leg was uncomfortable, so we left theater and took taxi back to the ship. He needs to rest and elevate his leg. We hope he will be better in few days. To see pictures of this day, please use link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/mF7iT1u1wNSZrZU6A    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Sydney, Australia. Day 2.

    8 mars 2020, Australie ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    After visiting ship's doctor in the morning and making sure Boris is ok to leave by himself, I decided to go to explore the city by myself.
    I took 9:00 AM shuttle to Darling Harbour and walked along the harbour to Barangaroo reserve.
    This area was of importance to Aboriginal Cadigal people as a hunting and fishing region. There are some indications that it was inhibiting over 6000 years. Now it is a beautiful park with terraces and beautiful view of the harbour.
    After that I walked to the Rock. It is old pedestrian shopping area with Street market and many restaurants.
    I was debating with myself to walk Sydney bridge as a pedestrian or to go over the bridge. I took an elevator to the bridge and then walked to the other side of the bridge, taking pictures of the Sydney harbor and Opera house. It is carries rail, vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central district and North shore. It is a massive and about 0.5 km long. I had to cross it twice, to the North shore and then back to the center.
    After that I decided to visit Queen Victoria Building. The Queen Victoria Building (abbreviated as the QVB) is massive Victorian style building used as upscale marketplace (shops and restaurants). Beautiful exterior and interior.
    By that time I was already pretty tired and hungry and I still needed to get to the ship shuttle. Time to go back. Total steps walked today - 20,000.
    I was back on the ship by 2:30 PM.
    Next two days are sea days, so I hope Boris will have time to recover. His leg is still swollen and gets worse by the end of the day.. To see more pictures of this day, please use this link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/VCgKMWyXYBWpDRfB7    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Townsville, Australia

    11 mars 2020, Australie ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    The day started with Boris going to the doctor. His leg is better, but not completely cured. He finished all antibiotics. The doctor agreed he needs help, so she put IV in his arm and he had to stay in the medical center for an hour to get stronger antibiotics thru IV. Tomorrow he has to get another dose. We really hope that will do the job.
    By 9:00 AM he was done and we went to see the place. Townsville is a major gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. The weather forecast promised 100 percent rain and feel of 98 degrees. We packed our rain gears and umbrella. It was raining outside.
    We took shuttle and it brought us to the city.
    Townsville has the largest reef Aquarium and since it was raining it was logical place to go. The Aquarium has 2.5 million litre Coral Reef Exhibit. Very impressive.
    After spending close to 2 hours in Aquarium, we went outside. The rain stopped.
    Boris had IV in his arm, so it was difficult for him to walk, the IV was on the way of the crutch, so he was on the wheelchair. But it was also very uncomfortable for him to operate a wheelchair. Because of these I needed to push him.
    We walked about 1.5 miles along the water. It is a beautiful walk, but it was hot and extremely humid. There were beautiful beaches along the walk on one side and park with piknic tables and playgrouns on the other side. At the end of out walk we reached statue of the woman in the ocean. It changes the color depending on the air temperature. Some beaches had swimming areas. In Australia you can only swim in netted area because of jelly fish and crocodiles. When we reached almost the end of the waterwalk, we walked inland for a few blocks and stopped in take-away fish store. They cooked fish and chips with some additional shrimp for us and we ate it at the small table outside the store. The fish and shrimp were grilled and were so fresh and delicious.
    After a little rest and food we walked back to the shuttle.
    In addition to walking all-day and the heat, I had to push the wheelchair. So, I got my exercise of the day.
    We got back on the ship, took shower and went for a dinner. I ordered a seafood platter, but it did not tasted good after fish lunch.
    Tomorrow is Cairns and second IV for Boris.
    To see more pictures of this day, please use this link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/u1Mb6nr9tmKMZAwW9    En savoir plus

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  • Sonia Gelman2020 Around the World on HALSonia Gelman

    Cairns, Australia

    12 mars 2020, Australie ⋅ 🌧 79 °F

    It turned to be a fantastic day despite the rain.
    Early in the morning Boris went to the ship medical center and got half of dose of IV antibiotics. His leg got better.
    Then we walked to the nearby hotel to be picked up for Sky Rail trip.

    Exactly at 10:30 AM the bus came and drove us for about 25 minutes to board cable car to go through rainforest and to Kuranda village to board a scinic railways back to Cairns.

    Due to the rain and may be the virus there were very few people. Each cable car could accommodate 6 people. The wheelchair was placed in one car and we were followed on the next one.
    We had two stops along the way to the village, where we got out for a little hike and some photo opportunity.
    First stop was rainforest very diverse rainforest vegetation: trees, fern that grows on the top of the trees and birds.
    The second stop was a beautiful waterfall.
    The last stop was Kuranda village.
    We had 1.5 hours to spend in the village. We really wanted to go to birds sanctuary or butterfly sanctuary. Unfortunately, there was not enough time. We walked around the pretty village, had lunch. Boris had kangaroo burger, which was pretty dry and I had 🐊 sausage, which was delicious.
    We boarded old train at 2:00 PM. It is used for scenic route only. The railway is 37 km (23 mi) in length. It takes about one hour and 55 minutes to climb or decent one way including the stop off at the falls.
    Construction of the railway began in 1886.The railway was completed as far as Kuranda in 1891. Passenger services began operations in 1891.

    Many lives were lost as numerous tunnels and bridges were built. In order to be hired to build this railroad, one had to have their own tools. 15 hand-made tunnels and 37 bridges were built to climb from sea level to 328 metres up. Three million cubic metres of earth had to be excavated during construction.

    The first operation of a tourist train from Cairns to Kuranda was in 1936.  In 1995 major repairs had to be carried out after a severe rock fall damaged the track. On 26 March 2010 the train was derailed by a landslide injuring 5 of the 250 passengers on board.

    The trip was very nice and relaxing, even the rain did not spoil the day. We were back on the ship by 5:00 PM. Around 6:00 PM captain announced we have medical emergency. One passenger had a stroke during dinner and he had to be taking off the ship.
    To see some pictures of the day, Please use the link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/WE27Moo69LEnnBee9    En savoir plus

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