Back to Reality

Saturday 23^rd June, 2012. Sydney arrival.

Well of course I got up for sail-in!! Was there ever any doubt? Trevor even braved it. Thank goodness I didn’t pack my warm coat and scarf – it was cold up on deck pre-dawn, and even colder if you walked around the corner to the unprotected side. It was like an Arctic blast! Everyone we watched walk around quickly scurried back! It made my eyes water so much I had tears running down my face that I didn’t even feel till they got to my chin because my cheeks were numb from the cold!! Security came outside and told us that the deck was closed due to the strong wind and we shouldn’t be out there. Too bad! There was nowhere else to go to see out. The Dome was closed because it is directly under the Bridge (so would have been an excellent vantage point). Any light from down there would upset the Captain’s view, bit like night driving with the interior light on. In the end, she said she felt sorry for us because there was nowhere to go and we could stay, but P&O would not be responsible for us if we fell overboard. So, OK, we’ll take our chances. In the end there were a fair few people huddled up there in the sheltered corner and once the sun started to rise, there were even more. Security would have had no hope of keeping us all indoors!Not when there were views like this!

We could see coastal lights and a few other ships which turned out to be cargo vessels. Not knowing exactly where we were, we didn’t know if the lighthouse flashing away in the distance was Norah Head or Palm Beach, but eventually we figured it was Palm Beach. Every now and then we’d stick our heads around the corner into the Arctic blast to check on our progress. Already we seem to be behind schedule, and by the time we dock we’re about an hour late, which is fine because it means it’s light coming in past the Heads. We missed seeing the Pilot board, but we saw the pilot boat leave. I hope those guys get paid really well! Now inside the Heads and getting hungry, we duck downstairs for a quick piece of toast and cuppa and are back up top for the Eastern suburbs, Opera House and Bridge. Our harbour is just gorgeous and this viewpoint makes it even more special. It’s pretty much the same view as from the Manly ferry, but it’s the height that makes all the difference.

My City of Sydney

 
 We need to vacate our cabin by 8am, so we go back to throw the remains of our belongings into the soft cooler bag we bought in the Noumean  supermarket and go to the Orient Bar, our departure meeting venue. Bar stools are all that’s left so we sit for a while until we get bored and decide to have 2^nd breakfast, because once we leave the ship we won’t eat again till we get home and that will be slim pickings. 

Fuelled up, we go up on deck to take some photos of the re-provisioning of the ship and the removal of all our garbage. Good to see these people have their priorities in the right order – there are pallets and pallets of alcohol parked right near the loading area, all set to be packed away. 

there must be more somewhere - this won't be enough!

Refuse comes out, all crushed and cubed and plastic wrapped, to be forklifted into the back of a waiting garbage truck, bigger than the ones that do our household rubbish collection.

A Quarantine officer is prowling the decks, checking on people’s arrival cards and stamping them to make disembarkation quicker once dockside. We haven’t heard our colour called to disembark, but we’re sure it must have when we hear the colour after our called so we head for the gangway. When we get to the luggage collection point, here’s our bags sitting all alone, so we grab them and head for the train. We weren’t going to walk back up the hill to Wynyard, but it’s such a lovely morning and if we take it slow, we’ll be ok.

One last look back at our temporary home and we turn and head back to reality.


P.S. Sunday. Jumped on the scales, risking one eye only..... I put on 0.8kg!! Yay!! Happy with that! Lee, the Cruise Director said at the disembarkation talk: "you came on board as passengers, and some of you are leaving as cargo! Hands up who's wearing their elastic waisted trousers??" NOT ME!!!!