Bloomin' Big Boat

[Kooky]

Needless to say, I didn't get up to go see her arrive, but I think this is a rather impressive photo.

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/s ... 21,00.html

[Snaffled]

It doesn't have a ships wheel! just a joystick - that's a bit disappointing...

[Kooky]

Ah, progress, eh?

[Possum]

Wow! I just had a childhood memory flashback of me as a wee tike standing on a wharf holding a broken streamer and crying. It took me 10 minutes to remember the where and why. My brother (there are 6 of us spanning 15 years) left for his first overseas trip by ship when my age was still in the single digits. I can now remember the people, noise, smells and all the streams that the passengers threw down from the deck. Travel was so different back then compared to today where plane hopping is no big deal. Phoning internationally was only done on special occasions and emails and sms’s didn’t exist. It was 2 years and 9 months before I saw/spoke him again. In a strange way I miss snail mail. Pos III received her first snail mail letter a few weeks ago and you would have thought she had won the lottery! I think you should all pledge to send a family member a postcard or letter this week.
Is it vodka time yet?

[Kooky]

If my mother hadn't bottled out at the last minute I would have arrived in Australia by boat many, many years ago. Yes, Lichty, I nearly was a Ten Pound Pom.

[Dinosaur]

What a fine looking vessel.

[azzam]

I was a ten pound Pom ( seven pound, actually ) and one of my strong memories of the voyage is my Grandmother's face, crying as she waved us off from the pier, holding on to the end of her streamers until they broke.
My father was holding me up at the railing to wave and I was afraid he would drop me overboard.

[BFG]

There is something very romantic, exciting and a tad melancholy about leaving somewhere by sea. I remember leaving HK when I was a ween. Still moves me...

[Fat Bob]

You lot are showing your age!

Though I'm quite interested to cruise the world in a ship, something that big would mean disembarkation would take bloody ages!

[Kooky]

Yes, I can just see you on an easyCruise.

The in-laws cruise at least every other year, but then they like everything to be planned for them.

[cromasaig]

I know what you mean about the romantic drama of departing somewhere by ship, but a cruise holiday on a ship like that is my idea of hell. I was stuck on one for conferences a couple of times. Thought I was going to go nuts. It was a huge, hideous ba**ard offspring of a hotel and a mall.

The only thing I quite fancy is an island-hopping holiday using yachts or something small.

[Kooky]

I'm with you there, croma. Being stuck with the same people for a fortnight or however long, having my schedule planned for me, pure torture.

[Tas]

my idea of hell reallly.

I do rather like the idea however of being able to have the same bed, wardrobe and cupboard for a while so I don't have to constantly pack and unpack my stuff, yet be able to hop off at different beautiful tropical locations every couple of days. Thing is I'd want to stay at least a couple or more days in each port.

[cromasaig]

Trouble is there's nothing to see in between stops. I like trains; at least you see something of a country from a train. Back gardens, mainly. The longest was a 35-hour train journey from New Delhi to Chennai. The seats converted to three-tier bunks in an open carriage and I was so paranoid about having my stuff nicked that I tried to share my top bunk with my rucksac. The other passengers clearly thought I was crazy, so I finally gave up and dumped it on the floor. Naturally, nothing happened to it at all.

[Fresh Mint]

A large queen full of seamen can't really be news in Sydney, can it?

[Kooky]

Well we are getting ready for Mardi Gras, darling.

[T2K]

Never been on a cruise ship, seems like it might be fun once for a few days.

I have island-hopped in the Caribbean on a yacht for a couple weeks with only 3 of us on board. That was fun. "Know anything about Nevis? No? Well let's go then." or "How much money do we have left? We can be in St Barth's by morning but it's pricey...and they speak French."

Good times.

[Kooky]

Oh T2K that's my idea of cruising, and I've always thought a great way to see the diversity of the Caribbean islands. Unfortunatley I get way too seasick to contemplate it.

[T2K]

Um, yeah. I didn't mention the seasickness. That was not part of the "good times" but it was only the first day or two.

[Dinosaur]

And who remembers steam trains?

A friend of mine just sent me a scanned in pic (black n white of course) from our infant school days, which is a very loooooooong time ago and she said d'you remember the steam trains going by near the school, and yes I do.

Digressing slightly, the pic was of the Nativity (politically incorrect now I suppose) - Mary and Joseph and the most scariest scruffy looking angels well, it was the East end of London.

[Burbage]

You lot are showing your age!

Though I'm quite interested to cruise the world in a ship, something that big would mean disembarkation would take bloody ages!

Walking from your cabin to the gangway would take bloody ages.

[Burbage]

Well we are getting ready for Mardi Gras, darling.

They've missed it, Mardis Gras was on Tuesday.

[Kooky]

That was Fat Tuesday, still however lots of pearl ne....I think I'll stop right there