The Weekend in Welly

Last weekend in Wellington was all about the music. I got to hear one of Hayden's drummer friends play with a metal band down by Cuba Street, in a club appropriately named Medusa. I also got to hear a jazz quartet (Drums, upright bass and 2 horns) play at a really cool and funky little club called Happy. The group was called the Troubles, which I enjoyed. :-) At Hayden's Uni this month they have a guest artist - sax player Dick Oatts is working with the jazz musicians there. Yesterday I sat to observe a workshop he did with the Uni big band, in which Hayden plays lead alto. Tonight I'll get to see the feature concert that he's doing with the Wellington Jazz Orchestra, which Hayden plays in as well. I'm really looking forward to the concert. So far all the music I've been hearing has been really inspiring for me, and I feel pretty lucky to be here.

2 days and counting until our road trip begins! This afternoon before the concert we'll do some shopping to prepare for it. We'll get some basic food supplies and an ice chest...I mean, a chilli bin, as they call it here.

Its been really fun living in this house with these great people. They love to cook interesting things, usually from scratch, and the meals are always so healthy and satisfying. Last night we tried out two new recipes from an Indian cookbook - a mango and potato curry, and a vegetable curry that we cooked in the hollowed-out center of a really big zucchini, or marrow. Both were awesome, and cleared out your sinuses as a bonus. :-) I cooked peach dumplings for the house this morning, as a way to contribute and also share a little bit of my home with them. The dumplings were a hit! :-) I've also bonded with a few of the girls here through some cookie baking, the best way to make friends. :-)

And now....I'd better wash some dishes.

Saying Goodbye

My last cruise on board the Rhapsody of the Seas really flew by. I got do do a neat tour in Hobart, Tasmania that took us out to the countryside, a zoo, and an amazing waterfall out in a nature preserve. I didn't get up to too much in New Zealand this time since I knew I'd be back there in a few days, and I was frantically trying to finish up my Cirque audition (which I did). But I did got off to walk around in Akaroa on the south island, and have lunch with Tim and Tracy. Its a beautiful little town, with a big French influence.

On one of my last nights on board, Tim and Tracy surprised me with a little party. They had bought all sorts of wine, cheese, and crackers and smuggled them aboard for me. They even bought me a little jar of Nutella, which they know I love and had run out of. They gave me a necklace as a going away present, and Tracy had made an amazing little scrapbook that she had all of my friends write something in and sign for me. I must admit, there were tears when she gave that to me. I don't think I have ever felt so loved on a contract, and I will miss all of my friends dearly. But I know its a small world, and we can meet again someday.

And so it was that after a week of total sleep deprivation, a few final hours of work, organizing my things and giving away as much of it as possible to be able to pack it all in my suitcases, many hugs and farewells, a few tears, and those last essential good conversations, I walked off the gangway for the final time in 9 and a half months. I still don't quite believe that I don't have to go back to the ship anymore, it is so routine now. I met with the Peterson's in Sydney, and went with them to drop off most of my luggage at their house in a suburb south of Sydney. I came back downtown and met up with Tim and Tracy for one final afternoon together. We had lunch and ice cream on the harbor, one final time as the little family we have become. Then I sent them back to the ship, waved them goodbye, and headed to Circular Quay to catch my train to the airport.

I landed in Wellington, New Zealand around midnight, and headed to my new home away from home for the next week or so, here on Wallace Street, Mt. Cook, Wellington, New Zealand. I get to camp out in a great old house built in the 30's with a bunch of cool and crazy musicians, and so far it has been fantastic. Yesterday we climbed to the top of Mount Victoria for a view of the city, then went to the grocery store and got all the ingredients for an awesome picnic lunch, which we had on the grass down by the harbor next to the Te Papa museum. At night we went to a Korean Barbecue place with a big group of Hayden's friends, and then did karaoke in our own little room upstairs and had a blast. I'm already meeting a lot of great and interesting people, and can't wait to see what the rest of the week has to offer. Me and Hayden will start our road trip later next week, and that will really be the highlight. So for now, here I am, going with the flow and enjoying getting to know this city a bit better.

Adelaide and Melbourne

Adelaide turned out to be just as amazing as I was hoping. Tracy's mom Marion picked us up at the ship bright and early, before 7am, and whisked us away to north Adelaide for breakfst in a nice restaurant there. Then we headed to Tracy's house, which is absolutely beautiful, with a big backyard complete with a nice pool. After giving us the house tour, Tracy was itching to drive her neglected car, so she took us on a hair-raising speed drive around the hills near her house. It was really fun, and neat to see some of the countryside and views of the city from the hilltops. Next we went back to Tracy's and settled in there for the afternoon. He parents provided an amazing barbecue and we got to meet 6 or 7 of Tracy's friends. We ate and ate and drank and drank and ate some more......it was wonderful. Marion and John are amazing cooks and incredible hosts. We even had kangaroo fresh from the barbie. :-) We reluctantly headed back to the ship that afternoon. Both Tim and I agree that the whole experience kindof felt as if we were at our own homes, enjoying "real life." It was a fantastic day.

I had a great day in Melbourne with my friend Alex who works in the casino. We went to the top of Eureka Skydeck - the highest observation deck in the Southern Hemisphere! We took some great photos of the city, ate ice cream while taking in the view, and even payed extra for "the Edge experience" which takes you on see-through glass out over the side of the building. After that I revisited a coffee shop Nick had taken us to last time we were here. After wandering the city a bit we found a river-side carnival or fair, with rides and games. We did one of the scary rides (fun!!), lost a carnival game (as you do), and ate hot dogs and slushies. It was a really fantastic day of unexpected fun.

I'm coming down to the end of time time here, and am trying to squeeze everything in - getting off in port, packing, spending time with friends, and occasionally sleeping. I've also decided to put together an audition for Cirque de Soleil back home, so that is keeping me busy and a bit stressed also. With God's help I will keep everything balanced and get everything done before I leave!!

Western Australia

A few days ago I started my final cruise here on the Rhapsody. We docked in Fremantle, a city suburb near Perth, the capital of Western Australia. Tracy and Tim and I were off the ship nice and early to make the most of our one day there. We had an amazing breakfast, explored the local Sunday markets, and did a tour of Fremantle Prison - one of the most popular tourist things to do in Fremantle. The tour was pretty fun - the guide was a former prison officer who yelled at us a lot as though we were criminals, all in good fun though. After that we sat in a park near the sea to take in the atmosphere, then had lunch and did some grocery shopping before coming back on board.

The next day found us in Bunbury, and as my friends were busy I went off in port on my own, and had a really nice days. I walked for hours - visited a famous mangrove forest, climbed to the top of a lookout tower, walked along the beach and saw the cool basalt formations, watched some boogie boarders riding some crazy waves (the rocks cause waves to move and crash out to sea as well and them collide with the incoming ones, letting the brave boarders do all kinds of crazy flips and get thrown up in the air). Then I just grabbed a quick typically Aussie meat pie from a cafe, walked through the markets, did some wine tasting and picked one to bring back with me. It was actually a really nice change to be on my own in port.

The next day we were in Albany, and because of rehearsal all Tim and I really did was explore some bookstores and have a sandwich at a cafe on the main street. Now, after those two ports, we finally have a couple of sea days to relax and get settled for the cruise.

Tomorrow we are in Adelaide, Tracy's hometown!!!! Her mom (who we know well, she came to cruise) is picking us up first thing in the morning and has the whole day planned for us. I cannot wait to see what's in store for us, and to see Tracy's house and mee ther other friends. Tracy and I had to bribe the production manager here with TimTams (a very yummy chocolatey cookie) to get him to move the rehearsal for that night's show to the night before, so we would have the day free. Bribes with chocolate may be slightly unethical....but it worked!! Adelaide, here we come!!

First Half Circumnav

Hello Everyone! Sorry for not updating. We just finished the first half of our circumnavigation of Australia. It has been a pretty amazing journey, though internet has been unavailable for days at a time (a partial excuse for me not posting sooner!!!) , and even the phones were down for a few days on our way to Bali.

Since the cruise was so long (17 days!!) we have had a LOT of guest entertainers to fill up the evenings for the guests, and quite a few long nights with additional big band sets after a full night of shows. We actually have been working pretty hard. Tonight is finally the easy farewell show, and tomorrow only one welcome show, and I feel a great sense of relief for the momentary pause before plunging into my last cruise.

I'll catch you up on some of the highlights of the ports this cruise. In Brisbane, Tim and I went out to the Southbank waterfront to enjoy the atmosphere. We took a ride on the Wheel of Brisbane - basically a huge ferris wheel, and got lunch at a little kebab place we found on the river.

Cairns turned out to be really amazing. Tim, Tracy and I went quadbiking on All Terrain Vehicles, out in the rainforest. We each had our own ATV and all followed our guide, and he took us on a crazy journey up and down hills through the forest, through mud and across rivers, and even along a shallow river in the water. We got totally covered in mud, and it was so awesome!! We were all sore the next day from hanging on over all the bumps, and we had blisters from gripping the handles and the brakes. We had such a great time and felt so alive. I was grinning the whole time, which actually worked against me cause I kept getting dust in my mouth, ha ha. Afterwards we rewarded ourselves with some Aussie-style burgers complete with beetroot and a fried egg.

In Darwin, in the very far northern tip of Australia, we only had a few hours ashore, which we spent drinking coffee and visiting a Crocodile park. We got to hold a baby crocodile!!

After two sea days we arrived in Bali, Indonesia!! Tim and I signed up for one of the guest tours, which turned out to be a really great decision. We visited an ancient temple and saw a cave full of thousands of bats, visited a palace, and saw a traditional performance of the Barong - something every village in Bali does a version of. It was accompanied by awesome traditional instruments. The tour really exceeded our expectations. Even just looking out the window as we drove through the island was really interesting, because Bali is such a unique place.

After Bali we returned to the coast of Australia to make the journey down the western coast. We visited Broome and Exmouth, two very small towns that basically serve as jumping off points for travelers and tourists, and bases of operation for people who live further afield in the outback. In Broome we saw a lot of little planes taking off and landing, as bush-living Aussies came into town to pick up their groceries and check their mail. Both of those ports really made me feel like we were in the outback, dry and deserted, as I imagined it to be.