Cruises and Cruise Ships: Carnival Luminosa 9th Feb 2025, 7 nights

Overall, somewhat disappointing compared to our last time on this ship. To break it down… 

1. Staff - overall very good. Generally attentive and tried to please. Very professional in all encounters. Score 9/10 
2. Room- overall very good. A couple of mark downs include the door handle to the balcony very worn and stiff to operate; the door between balconies rattling back and forth in the wind; and the overflow in the bathroom sink lacked a trim, which detracted from its attractiveness. Score 8/10 
3. Food - overall okay… BUT the cost saving measures taken by Carnival are questionable. 8/10 
4. Restaurants/Buffets - On at least three days out of seven, the MDR was closed for lunch, pushing over 2,000 people into the Lido buffet for lunch. I know the MDR was supposed to be open from 8:30 to 11:30 for ‘brunch’, but try telling cruise passengers to forego a meal because they had brunch. Score 6/10 
5. Safety - a major problem with this cruise ship are the tiles on the floor of the Lido. They are perpetually damp or downright wet. Although they seem to have people constantly mopping the tiles, and setting up floor dryer fans, they are still dangerously slippery. On last year’s cruise, a passenger was taken off in Guam and rushed for emergency surgery due to falling and smashing her kneecap. Score 6/10 
6. Entertainment - it is hard to know if it is the failure of the Cruise Director, the Entertainment Director (who was invisible), or more cost-cutting on the part of Carnival. There was literally just one good show in seven nights, and the quality of the entertainment in the various bars and Ocean Plaza was pretty ordinary. There were no string quartets or even duos, meaning the more mature customers were left with little to listen to as they sipped the nightcaps. Calling Deal-or-no-Deal or karaoke entertainment is stretching the metaphor. Oh, and while I’m at it, who thought it was a good idea to play soccer or NBA on the screens in the Ocean Plaza while a concert was happening? It is just plain distracting! Score 4/10 
7. Enrichment seminars - simply non-existent unless you consider the Spa a center of academic excellence. What a missed opportunity! Sailing around the lush tropical environs of the pacific islands, and no information about the geology, environment of habitats over which we were sailing. Score 0/10 
8. Communication - we were skirting and avoiding cyclones the whole trip. While there was SOME communication from the captain, it was perfunctory and minimalist. It would have been much more helpful had he been more visible and communicative about the situation. A seminar in the theatre one morning, with a question and answer session, could have been useful to assuage the angst from many passengers that felt they had been ripped off by not visiting two of the three advertised stops. And to shorten Noumea to just 5 hours smacks of a total disregard for their paying customers. Score 4/10. 

Overall, this cruise and its leadership scored 5/10. Our cruise on the same ship last year over 31 days scored above 8/10. We would need to carefully consider if we would travel on this ship again. One of the differentiating factors from our previous experience was a seven day on this trip compared to 31 days last year. Maybe the two types of cruise are different beasts, with different expectations. 

Cruises and Cruise Ships: P&O Pacific Encounter 29th Oct 2024, 4 nights

Overall, awful! 

1. Staff - At times, lacklustre service. Score 6/10 
2. Room- overall quite good. Score 7/10 
3. Food - overall disappointing. 6/10 
4. The specialty restaurants were underwhelming. The MDR had a low ceiling that seemed to amplify noise, while the food was ordinary at best. Ice cream anyone? Not unless you are willing to pay. Burger? Same. Pizza? Same. Score 4/10 
5. Safety - all seemed ok with no noticeable danger points or defects. Score 8/10 
6. Entertainment - overall underwhelming. A couple of good performers that popped up now and then in the jazz bar, but otherwise lacklustre unless you paid extra. 4/10 
7. Enrichment seminars - non-existent. Score 0/10 
8. Communication - not present. Score 0/10 

Overall, this cruise and its leadership scored 4/10. We would absolutely never travel on this ship again!

Cruises and Cruise Ships: Carnival Luminosa 1st April 2024, 31 nights

Carnival Luminosa 1st April 2024, 31 nights

Overall, fabulous! 

1. Staff - overall very good. Generally attentive and tried to please. Very professional in all encounters. Score 9/10 
2. Room- overall very good. A slight annoyance was the door between balconies rattling back and forth in the wind but quickly attended to by the room attendant and maintenance. Score 9/10 
3. Food - overall okay… really enjoyed the MDR food. Particularly appreciated the occasional afternoon high tea. Score 9/10 
4. Restaurants/Buffet - Layout quite good. Well laid out and accessible (with the caveat below in terms of safety). 8/10 
5. Safety - a major problem with this cruise ship are the tiles on the floor of the Lido. They are perpetually damp or downright wet. Although they seem to have people constantly mopping the tiles, and setting up floor dryer fans, they are still dangerously slippery. Score 6/10 
6. Entertainment - overall excellent. From the wonderful string duets and the solo or duet guitar/singers to the variety in the theatre, very good. 8/10 
7. Enrichment seminars - excellent speakers who provide interesting information about the geology, environment of habitats over which we were sailing. Score 9/10 
8. Communication - overall, very good. Captain and Cruise Director were clear, frequent and pertinent (and often entertaining) in the information they provided. Score 8/10 

Overall, this cruise and its leadership scored 8/10 - we would definitely travel on this ship again!

The New Year’s conundrum

It’s a very strange thing:

Each new year we stay up late

We stand in awe of fireworks

We engage in sentimental review.

And we make our resolutions anew. 

The same as last year, and the years before.

We somehow hope for a year ahead 

That is kinder, fairer, with greater leadership; 

Perhaps not the leadership we deserve...

You know, one that mirrors the collective greed, complicity, insecurity, licentiousness.

But leadership that calls us to greatness, and demands greatness from those who lead.

A year ahead less brutal than the past 

With less mayhem, murder, grief.

Less sadness.

Yet, we know in the depths of our being

We fool ourselves and others.

For it is the human condition to lust, hate, and maul.

To destroy the beauty of the natural world

In the name of progress, order, orthodoxy. 

So we will again, each new year, engage in the same pantomime of hope and disappointment.

And we will hope, for without hope there is annihilation. 

So, my friends, raise a glass, toast a friend, make your resolutions.

And join with me as we, together, boldly proceed into a future of which we can only dread and dream.

Power, money & politics (AKA Lies, Lies and more Lies)

The release of the Panama Papers and the excellent work undertaken by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) (https://www.icij.org/) stirred within me feelings of rage, resentment and resignation. Perhaps its my age catching up with me, or simply a growing cynicism about the motives of the rich and powerful - whether they be simply rich, simply powerful (e.g. a politician), or both - no matter if they entered into that condition with relatively pure motives or with evil. I think the latter could be exemplified by the big buffoon Clive Palmer who has begun to unravel recently (don't go graphic), or by even bigger buffoon Donald Trump, himself beginning to unravel - thankfully. Its harder to pick those who entered into their power or wealth with relatively pure motives, but I'd like to think someone like Bernie Sanders or - wait for it - even Malcolm Turnbull may be in that camp.

I have long wondered about the concept of inevitable decay and the way institutions seem inherently to tend towards corruption. I work for a tertiary education institution and over the past decade have observed how the stratosphere above a certain level of management seems to be populated by apparently psychotic individuals who are prepared to go to any length to achieve their personal ambition. This leads to a micro-managed, risk averse environment where the very things that a university stands for - innovation, invention, open-mindedness - are discouraged in case something rocks the boat of the particular psychotic manager within whose purview something may occur. So the very things that are supposed to make a place of higher education a... well... a place of higher education, are quashed to protect someone's ambition. 

But I digress. Niall Ferguson, in his excellent expose of the degeneration of modern institutions, maintains that the four key drivers of our modern western world are Democracy, Capitalism, the Rule of Law, and Civil Society. If these are the pillars of 500 years of civilised development, it seems that we may be witnessing the death throes of at least one or two - in what I would call their pure form. 

Churchill famously quoted an unknown author in 1947 when he said: "Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time...". It is my melancholy impression that this "...least worst..." form of government has been molested, corrupted and gamed for the good of the psychotics in our midst who would manipulate it for their own benefit, oblivious to the tragedy that befalls their unwitting victims. I cannot help the image of Clive Palmer coming to mind, but also at a local level, the flamboyant, reckless and apparently corrupt Salim Mehajer of Auburn Council infamy, is also an example of the gaming of democracy for their own benefit. Unfortunately Niall Ferguson is not enthusiastic about the prospect for renewing our "...least worse..." system. Perhaps he is old as I am am and has lost optimism. It seems the lunatics have taken over the asylum when it comes to democracy.

So what about the second pillar, Capitalism? While it may seem superficially to be "business as usual", over my lifetime I have seen a move away from what I would call granular capitalism towards a system that is far more ... shall I say 'chunky". Yes, I know it isn't a finely tuned theoretical construct, but this is a blog, not a dissertation (although it may be by the time I'm through...). What do I mean by "chunky"? It is the juggernaut of transnational mega corporations supplanting - even annihilating - the individual entrepreneur who was content with the corner store. 

It started with American corporations gathering up Australian and other parochial long-established companies like Victa lawn mowers, Golden Circle juices and Arnotts biscuits, and is now evident as European behemoths and, more lately, Chinese leviathans gradually pick off useful targets to feed their growing populations as well as the cavernous wallets of their owners. Kim Stanley Robinson many years ago wrote an intriguing series about the establishment of a colony on Mars, and the eventual terra-forming of that planet, fit for human habitation. I enjoyed the first two books in the series, but couldn't bring myself to complete the third, as it depicted a Mars that, while now suitable for humans to live on, was corrupted by trans-planetary corporations that didn't just control the government, but the daily lives of individuals. What had started out with such hope degenerated into a morass of misery. It seems to me that we are well down that road at a global level today, and the glitz and glamour of marketing does its best to distract and convince us that we have some control. 

No, I'm not clinically depressed. Nor am I a nihilist. What does gladden me is the faithful few like the ICIJ who seek to shine light into the dark and murky world of the rich and powerful who would like to keep their avaricious activities away from the judgement and condemnation of the community. More power to them and their ilk.

Ole blackie

When wandering through my files I found this poem that I penned in 2010. I'm glad to say that the feelings that are evident in the poem are no longer present. I'd encourage anyone who is experiencing similar feelings to seek help sooner rather than later...

Ole blackie

Why the sigh?

Why the sadness?

Why the darkness?

Despair.

This life is good!

This life is full!

This life it beckons!

To be more full!

But underneath he sits;

Underneath he growls;

Underneath he knows;

That I hold but by a thread.

In the midst of a crowd;

In the bustling city life;

In the noisy public house;

Aloneness.

A bright face!

A noisy laugh!

A witty interject!

A fancy act.

The darkness sees.

The silence hears.

The mute scream.

They know.

So energy expends

Work harder!

Smile wider!

Be jolly.

But Ole Blackie remains.

The faithful hound.

The companion of life.

My “best friend”?

Different days, different people

Friday. Janette & I intended to leave Saturday for a couple of weeks camping in her brother's camper trailer. The intention was to head west towards Moree, enjoy the artesian spas there for a couple of days and then to head north and see where we ended up. Note "the intention". In the middle of packing the car I recieved a telephone call from Southern Cross University. "Great news, your practicum has been approved. It starts next week." Gulp. A little horse trading and the start was pushed out until Tuesday. "Let's just do Moree". Agreed. "Let's leave now instead of Saturday". Agreed.

So off we set after a quick lunch. We discussed along the way the merits of trying make Moree that day - at least 6 hours; or just Glen Innes - around 4 hours; or just Jackadgery - around 3 hours. We decided the latter, and duly arrived at what can only be described as a pretty basic caravan camp ground in an idyllic setting on the banks of the Mann River, in the middle of nowhere. Did I mention it became very cold as soon as the sun set? Did I mention that we discovered we had brought a lightweight single bed doona instead of the larger heavy duty variety? Just on dark, along came big Mick. With tattoos, a face that showed its various knocks, and a voice like gravel, he assured us of our welcome and that if we needed anything we merely had to ask. So with baited breath I asked if he knew where we could borrow a decent doona. Without hesitation he immediately said "I'll bring one in a moment". In a few minutes he returned with a large, very warm doona and invited us to the campfire after dinner. We showed up at the campfire, we were introduced to other guests, and enjoyed a rollicking nights comaraderie followed by a warm night of sleep.

Saturday saw us return the doona, travel to Moree, where we purchased our own version of Mick's warm doona, and settle into site 42 at the caravan park. We enjoyed a nice lunch, and an exploratory trip into town. While sitting with a warming cuppa, there suddenly appeared two caravans with puzzled occupants. "sorry, they said, but we are on site 42". As we investigated, we discovered we were on the wrong site 42. Despite dropping some hints that we were all set up, and it might be convenient if we could just swap sites, the caravanners were insistent that they had right of occupancy on this particular site 42. We quickly packed up the camper trailer and moved to the other site 42.

There are a number of questions about this. One is about how a caravan park can have more than one site with the same number. I'll leave that for my feedback form. Another is how we managed to get lost on a caravan park. I'll work on that later.

What struck me most was how different the two experiences were. The first was one where someone did what they didn't have to do to assist us. The second was one where someone didn't do what he could have done to avoid unnecessary inconvenience for a fellow traveller. The first chap looked like he belonged to the Hells Angels. The second looked like a retired school teacher. It has been another lesson in not judging a book by its cover. I know whose campfire I'd prefer to share. May I be a little more like my new mate Mick.