Admiral John Lippiett

Today we cruise from Darwin, Australia to Komodo, Indonesia. One of the guest lecturers onboard is retired British Rear Admiral John Lipiett. He impresses me as a man who is highly experienced and absolutely brilliant. He gave an analysis of the activity of the Chinese Navy in the South China Sea. He also told us about the restoration of the Mary Rose, an English vessel that sank in the sixteenth century. He and his wife made a presentation about his service in the Falkland Islands when he was a young officer. On a few occasions during the trip he would host a coffee for veterans onboard.

One of the photos shows our next-door neighbor, Bill Mellor. He is a retired Australian one-star general who specialized in helicopter operations.

Glenda writes: Oh what a blessing I just had. Chuck wanted a cookie so I scooted up to the world cafe to get a cookie from the coffee area. The chef was giving a party for the crew. They were dressed in their regular clothes instead of uniforms and music was playing. Thank you Viking for letting the crew know that they are a vital and important part of this world cruise. Viking not only makes the guests feel special but it also lets the crew know they are appreciated. And by the way, I also got fabulous cookies for Chuck. I would post a picture but they are already gone. It’s a sea day today with a few lectures and a port talk to keep us busy. Tomorrow we are in Komodo, Indonesia to see the Komodo Dragons. If we have any open wounds or small cuts, we have to tell the guide and stay close to him/her because the Komodo dragons have a keen sense of smell and will come after the blood. I am staying close to the guide anyway just to be safe. Sunset last night was lovely.Read more