27. September 2010 - Visit to the Bridge

With a few other guests and accompanied by the Second Officer, I visited the Command Centre of the Rotterdam today. A perfect day to let the eye roam across the sea to the perfectly delineated horizon about twenty miles away. Not a speck of land in sight. The sea calm, just undulating with never ending swells.

Through the glass floors at the edge of the Bridge, I could watch flying fish fleeing the turbulent bow wave of the ship, and - sadly - a constant stream of flotsam and jetsam obviously originating from human civilization somewhere on dry land. Plastic coffee cup lids, a few shopping bags, other UFO's (unidentifyable floating objects) dotted the ocean surface and bobbed by every few minutes. All presumably on their way to the GIANT GARBAGE PATCH in the centre of the circle of currents of the North Pacific Ocean. With luck, all that trash will some far off day in the future solidify into one solid mass, and give birth to the first man made floating Island in the Pacific - it may even become a tourist attraction - palmtrees, plastic bottle beach huts, and tourist submarines diving under millions of tons of plastic trash to observe all the fish who find shelter under the man made shade island.

For now - under the blazing sun, the water shimmers in violet hues, the froth of the bow wave creates emerald coloured swirls, the light reflects in blinding glitter - still magical...

 

22. Sept 2010 - San Diego

A slow Welcome to the USA.

 

Customs and Border Control boarded the ship at 06:00, armed with their side arms, briefcases and Starbucks Coffees, and set up shop in the ships small movie theatre and the 'Showroom of the Sea' , the new name of the BIG theatre. And the fun began.

American passengers were directed to the little theatre, all other nationalities to the big one for their double face to face exposure to the authorities. Passports, transit cards, conrol cards, ship-issued personal identity card, customs declaration. The aliens were in the majority and lined up by the hundred in the hallways of the BIG theatre for their inspection. The smaller number of US citizens enjoyed an organised process, being called deck by deck, through their SMALL theatre. No one allowed off the ship until everyone of us has passed muster.

As quite a number of the passengers terminated their Vancouver-San Diego journey here, they dragged not only their hand luggage around with them, but some suitcases as well.

I passed the test around 10:00, four hours after the 'recommended' get ready time. A double test it was, one table of officials checked the person, the second table checked the person's cabin number off a few lists covering transients, US debarkation, Canadians debarkation and other aliens debarkation, which added to the confusion.

By 10:00 the ships loudspeakers called the obligatory slow pokes, who had not yet made their way to the mandatory inspection. By 11:00 they must have all been tracked down, because the string of blue clad officials left the ship, and disembarkation began - at least for the true disembarkers, who by that time plugged every hallway, having had to vacate their cabins by 10:30.

Ah well, eventually the throng thinned out, and we 'transients' realized that we were free to walk off the ship into the sunny at San Diego midday. 4 hours in port left, whoopee!

Of course, my ship card set off the alarm upon my attempted exit. No problem, someone took me under their watchful eye and escorted me off the ship and delivered me to the office to the Officials. Advised to wait, I did my time under supervision until the only  'operative' had finished confiscating a couple of kid's toys from a distraught grandmother - who knows why, maybe they were made of a forbidden organic substance...

The operator adressed me asking: Why are you here?

To which I truthfully answered: I don't know.

Another thorough check of all my documents, a convoluted question and answer session about being in transit and going back to the ship, and thorough explanations about what am intending to do in San Diego (walk around). Then he shook his head, pronounced me admissible and escorted me to the last exit check, where he cleared me through another line up of officers.

Whew - noon and Shore Leave finally!

I walked along the sunny shore promenade, through valleys of glass and steel hotel towers, through a few urban parks, a shopping mall, and back to the shore promenade. A pretty town, wide boulevards, all more or less geared for commuting by car instead of by foot.  Distances looked short on the street map, but turned out to be convenient to cars but not pedestrians. However, the shore walk is very pleasant, regardless of distance. I was surprised by the large number of beggars and homeless people (one micro park in the midst of upscale downtown must have had twenty beggars in one spot) who were evident in every part of the town through which I passed. Maybe it is a result of the recession, maybe the benevolent climate, maybe???

Back at the ship a couple of hours later, and my ships identity card set off the alarm again. However, I was welcome aboard anyway. A march to the front office to fix up my alarming identity seems advisable. I don't relish the idea of facing US border guards at every port, if this thing keeps setting off all kinds of alarms.

19-21 Sept 2010 - Sailing down the US West Coast

I survived Black Sunday, the peak cruise ship day for Vancouver for the 2010 Cruising Season, without getting the appropriate t-shirt.

16,000 people debarking/embarking from six ships, trying to catch taxis, some to the wrong pier (changes to overflow Ballantyne Commercial Pier were not communicated to Passengers until day of departure), and buses lined up for blocks  made downtown Vancouver a place to avoid - if possible. Terry Fox Run participants plugged the hinterland, and film crew trucks plugged the immediate vicinity of the waterfront.

At Ballantyne Commercial Pier - dock for two ships and my departure pier - bedlam ruled. A couple of make shift tents served as preliminary check in and luggage drop off centre after the numerous vehicles disgorged their loaded passengers. Of course, being Vancouver it started to rain, and line ups of soggy people waited their turn through the port limits chicken wire fence to climb onto a shuttle bus, which delivered them to another 'open to the elements' pier, where Rotterdam was docked. Through more make shift tents for check-in, security screening, and the obligatory embarkation-photo barrier, then onto an embarkation ramp straight out of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' and onto the ship and into the cabin. That ramp must have been half a mile long, first leading up, then leading down, then leading up again to the entrance hatch in the hull, the ramp being a veritable Iron Man test for the ships crew who were in charge of pushing the wheelchair bound up and down this obstacle course.

Some of these friendly helpers had to stop half way through to catch their breath and get ready for the next ardurous stretch of ramp. But - their pockets were growing bulkier with collected tips, which they had to extract from said pockets for each pass through security check.

The ground support staff at Ballantyne's for Holland America - many of which middle aged women - had worked since dawn to help erect tents, place and man check-in tables, arrange some chairs etc etc for the invasion of passengers. Some of these kind ladies were not going to see either food, drink or rest for hours. There are NO facilities anywhere on that huge container pier.

Ballantyne Pier is no Canada Pier, which was 'processing' its own load of four of the larger cruise ships with the majority of that day's passengers. However, Canada Pier is set up to do boarding and embarkation in relative comfort, and under the iconic canopy of picturesque fake sails, whereas Ballantyne is fit for containers but not much else. 

Docking and cast off for six vessels had to be staggered to give a limited number of stevedores sufficient time to load and unload the non human cargo, water, waste, oil, food, luggage, spare parts - the usual assortment of stuff any ship needs to head off into the Blue.

And who wants to see six floating behemoth backing out of their berths into Vancouver Harbour at the same time - that would be a photo op with all those near misses!

Aboard - the ususal race for lunch, followed by the ususal treck to the deck bar for a departure cocktail concoction to drown the 'exciting' embarkation adventure and send it's memory off into The Deep.

Music, cheers, toasts - and we are off, rain and all, towards the Lion's Gate Bridge, through English Bay and into the Strait of Georgia. By dinner time Ogden Pier in Victoria (filled with cruise ships as well) passed by, and by midnight we were well into Juan de Fuca Strait, introducing us to the first little bouncy swells of the Pacific.

Today, 21. September, with two days at sea under our belts, things have quietened down, the sun is out, the seas are moderate, and San Diego is a couple of hundred nautical miles away.

Quite a number of passengers are only aboard between Vancouver and San Diego (at a rate cheaper than a ferry ticket from Vancouver to Victoria) and combine this little interlude with a leisurely trip back home - via Las Vegas.

More about the ship later - there are some interesting 'changes' aboard, all called enhancements, improvements and every other marketing-friendly description - but, not all that glitters etc etc etc...

First Formal Night (this one classified as 'optional') was last night, the dining room was filled with an interesting mix of people dressed in crocs and scruffy jeans and others dolled up in tux and glitter. Here is to diversity.

The food is great, the crew warm and considerate, the ship is relatively 'small', the sea mysterious and the sky endless - that has stayed unchanged.

Sending these blogs via ship internet e-mail has some restrictions, therefore format is e-mail bound, and timing is subject to the benevolence of whatever satellite takes out signals. And the spell checkers checks against a Spanish dictionary.....hmm, gotta fix that.

...I must go down to the sea again...

 

 

19. September 2010 - Vancouver Cruise Start

Vancouver, and eclectic mix of Victoriana, Art Deco and Glass Towers - and not raining for a change.

The Ship departs on the 19th September at 2 p.m. In order to be at the Pier in time, I had tpo leave Vancouver Island one day early.
This Sunday, the 19th has been labelled 'Black Sunday' by the local press, as 16,000 people will be disembarking and embarking 6 large cruise ships docked at either iconic Canada Place or at the Boondocks 'Ballantyne Pier'. I am boarding in the boondocks,n neccessitating a taxi ride. Taxis are going to be VERY difficult to hail with such a mass of riders waiting at every hotel reception in town.


The beautiful dune grass grows on the roof of the Convention Centre at Harbour Side Vancouver. There are even several 'nature' path through this urban wilderness.

One of the harbour inhabitants not put out by the invasion of the cruise fanatics.

I hope to make it aboard the Rotterdam before a) the sky opens up with another one of those Vancouver downpours and b) before the taxidrivers give up in disgust.

In addition - there is a film crew with line ups of trucks plugging up some of the nearby streets, adding to the potential bedlam.

Strange new home wildlife

The latest addition to my garden zoo. He is about the size of a medium sized strawberry, and sits dead still for hours on top of this pine cove. A mysterious stranger...

September 2010 - Pacific Exploring

After spending the summer on this...


how about this for two-foot-itis?
The Rotterdam of Holland America will be my base for the next little journey into the BIG BLUE.




The Plan





My floating 'home' quarters




Some of my future fellow passengers. This is what happens if one becomes a frequent cruiser, Lot's wife turned to salt on land, these guys turn to sandstone after 500 non stop cruising days at sea.



Of course there has to be a bit of over the top interior decoration, and here is the central 'Atrium', in other words the big staircase where guests can stage their grand entrances on formal nights or skip about in their flip flops and shorts any other time.

All photos, except the one of Millennium Dragon, are Holland America website images.
My one lone bag is packed (lugging it to and from the ship has not been delegated to Fedex this time), and one is chomping at the bit to get going and aboard and cast off and watch ocean sunsets and hike around tropical rain forests and burn ones feet on hot black sand and eat poisson cru.

Blue Poppies

Blue Poppies, watercolour, September 2010

Cowichan Exhibition September 2010

Cowichan Exhibition motto was 'Hats Off' - but I have no idea what it really means.

Although the brand new barns look a little aseptic, lacking the woodsy appearance and seasoned aroma of 'agriculture', the exhibition grounds still bring wonder to every little kid's eye. So many animals, such soft fur, and such cute noses.

Our f

uture dairy farmers, 4H youth, showing their dairy cows. The kids dealing with dairy wear white, the kids dealing with cattle wear jeans and cowboy shirts. Dress Code even on the show grounds.

Belgian Draft Horse - front end

Belgian Draft Horse - back end

Bulls eye

The love of a boy for his beautiful Frisian calf

4H Club - goat section

Vanity, thy name is ribbons. The passion, labour, training, time, money, and frustrations spent on gaining one of these are unimaginable.

Norwegian Fjord Pony, showing off a magnificient crested neck. Must be all that nutritious Vancouver Island hay.

Barrel racing for carriages - horses of any size. We had them all, miniature horses and Shires - the miniatures won hoofs down. They zipped around these barrels with the greatest of ease, agile and totally concentrated on the job at hand.

Minis on the home stretch - eager as can be.

Here comes the heavy artillery, impressive, gigantic, gorgeous - but now match in speed with the minis. Maybe it is like driving Lincoln Continentals instead of Mini Coopers around an obstacle course.

Gleaming black shires dressed to impress.

Cowboy's rest

4H-ers Rest

Labour Day Weekend...

Two sunny days during a three day weekend are just enough to follow an urge for exploring the beautiful Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island - or at least a few bits of it.

Koksila River Provincial Park. The river has carved deep pools amongst steep rocks. Firs, Pines and Arbutus cast their shadows over the crystal clear still water. Deep blue sky lends a cool hue to the emerald coloured swimming holes, where fish and pebbles seem to be magnified under a motionless cover of water so clear, it seems almost non existent.

A bridge over Koksila River in the deserted Provincial Park proves, that it is not always deserted and quiet. The gate barring this abandoned railway bridge is covered with slogans and paintings, probably created by nocturnal graffiti artists.

The river valley is well known for its stand of old forest, albeit these tall trees had not yet reached centenarian status.

Amongst them remained, as silent witnesses to historic logging practices, gigantic stumps with their tell tale notches at chest height, where loggers had climbed to reach the most vulnerable part of the tree trunk with their immense saws. And with mathematic precision and no little danger to the loggers, these giants of the forest fell one by one, exactly where and when they were made to do, with nothing but their mossy, rotten stumps left to tell the tale.

Street Sign in the forest. Rough, sharp edged gravel all the way from Koksila River Park to the West Coast. Tire puncture heaven.

Conservationist at work. Trophy telephone pole at the edge of the forest.

The venerable Kinsol trestle, now being diligently restored to preserve a monument to a feat of engineering dating back to pioneer times.

Blueberry farms have sold out their crop. Now it is time for apples, zucchini, cucumbers and garlic, all offered at rode side stands. Payment - the honour system: a glass jar with an invitation to 'deposit money here'.

Bunnies for Texas

At last, the burning bunny question has been answered. The most lucid minds of University of Victoria, combined with the agile intellect of dozens of diligent public servants of Wildlife, Public Health, Bunny Rights as well as the voices of tender hearted but stridently voiced bunny activists etc etc. have severed the thread of red tape surrounding our iconic campus bunny population. After all , 4000 (and increasing) bunnies almost outnumbered the number of eager students, and what a lousy example those promiscuous bunnies made for our tender innocent youth...I mean, all that sex on campus!

The bunnies attained status of 'wild life' as soon as they would be abandoned on the green pastures of the extensive University parks. That means, no hunting, no feeding, no hugging, no approaching closer than xxx meters, no capturing for eating, no taking home as pets, no sterilising (even if it is offered gratis by a number of vets), no exporting over international borders. The traumatic change from domestic to wild status did not faze the bunnies, but just made things a little more complex for the problem solvers.

So the rabbits hopped forth and multiplied as they are wont to do, digging their little warrens in the most inappropriate places, even the football fields, delighting hundreds of visitors who fed them copiously with all things rabbit junk food, rising to branding status for the university, attracting students who thought it awesome to be taught in the company of rabbits, and dropping rabbit poop whenever and wherever the urge hit them.

Poisoning, shooting, trapping and euthanizing, sterilizing, adopting, constructing a rabbit resort all came up as 'solutions', even eating them was put forward as an option. All these alternatives met with passionate opposition apart from undergoing lengthy and expensive assessments by all involved, whilst the rabbits kept at it.. and at it... and at it.

Behind the Student Union building ....composting University style.

This black beauty was so fat, he could barely hop.

Campus Wildlife population density.

The judgement has been made and sentence passed:

400 rabbits will stay on campus (to maintain the University's image as a rabbit friendly place) , albeit with parts of their anatomy missing. This will probably be the largest concentration of wildlife with their tubes tied and their little cojones removed.

3600 rabbits (also slightly altered) will be sent to (get this) Texas. where they will be welcome into adoptive families and rabbit refuges.

One may ask - why Texas???? Maybe they need a third National Party beside the Elephant and the Donkey Parties? Maybe they will be employed to dig around for some Texan Oil sands? Maybe it's all a ruse, and Texans are hungry for Bun-Tex-Burgers? Maybe Texas Tourism needs a new slogan: get a jump on Texas?

The shores of America as seen from Vancouver Island....maybe there will be a Statue of Bunny Liberty somewhere over there to greet the new immigrants.

The next question is: how are they getting to their new homes? 3600 bunnies hopping onto the Coho ferry and hot footing it down Interstate 5 does not seem a viable choice. Are bunny passports required, all with their individual 'I am fixed' certificate?

So far, no news in that regard. Everyone is still busy walking the lawns of the university, enticing the bunnies into pet cages - quite an affront to wildlife, I suppose.