we love to travel – Kiwis Do Fly

The story of the Cruise Ship – It just gets better and better!!

We feel we are lucky to have chosen this transatlantic crossing as our first cruise. It is 11 days long and we will not hit another port until we get to Miami. That is a lot of days to be at sea, nothing to do but be on the boat. It is a re-location voyage; this ship goes on to cruise the Caribbean for the season. No ports? Perfect for us as we feel that it has really given us a chance to get to know the boat. If this had only been 5 days for example, we would not have discovered all the hidden gems that we have done. We have walked and explored every corner of this ship. There is so much to see and do. We have loved every minute.

The weather has not been the best, but as we progress toward USA, the outside temperatures are getting higher. We were in fog for at least one whole day where every 2 minutes there was a 5 second blast on the horn – fog signal. Once the fog cleared the drizzle started and the swell got bigger and bigger. 10-meter seas, 40 knot winds, she got a bit rocky there for a while, about 3 days at its worst. The captain gives an update every morning at 10am and this is normal for the North Atlantic Ocean. We knew the weather was coming up when we saw the vomit bags being put out at the stair wells at every level.

The Observation lounge is one level above the bridge and has a fabulous view forward. We would sit up there and watch the ship riding up and down the swells. This is a huge ship, yet we managed to spray water up and over the bow as we dipped into the troughs and ploughed up and through the wall of water ahead – exhilarating! Each time another big swell came there was a collective “wow” from all watching, followed by nervous giggles! Day 8 the wind dropped to around 20 knots, and as we have been travelling at a constant 17knots, it is felt a lot calmer. This was just one day; the wind has been around 40 knots for most of the trip.

When we left Southampton, we did not expect to see land again until we came into Miami. On the evening of day 3 we had an announcement to say that there was a medical emergency, and someone needed to go to hospital so we would be altering our course to go to Azores Islands to medivac the patient. They were not sure at this stage whether we would go in and dock or stay off and transfer the patient by boat. We were a long way off these islands so would not arrive until 0500 in the morning. Of course, I had to get up to see this!

0445 I got up and could see the lights of the island in the distance. We stopped just outside the harbour of Ponta Delgarda. It was dark, but you could see the beach not far from us. The captain kept position using the starboard thrusters, the wind was pushing against our port side. The pilot boat approached and came alongside beautifully, and they loaded the poor man from the lower deck in a stretcher. He was waving so I felt happy that he was at least conscious and aware of what was going on, we never did find out what actually happened to him. The Pilot boat left, and we slowly moved off and headed back on our way. The diversion was a welcome change and something quite different. I was fascinated in the while process, having been involved in this sort of operation back in New Zealand. It was great work by all involved, very efficient and professional.

The lights of the Azores
Our diversion track around the islands

This ship can carry 3800 passengers and 1600 crew. We have heard that there are only 1000 passengers onboard! So that means there are more crew than passengers! We feel, again, so lucky that this is the case as it is not crowded at all. We try to imagine how different it would be with another, near enough, 3000 people on board. But as we have never done this before, we don’t have anything to compare.

The sun is out, so we have to try – its only 19 degrees and so windy!

There are over 13 bars – (we know because we pub-crawled 13 all in one day – took 8 hours, but that is a story for another day!!) There are 11 restaurants, a casino, car racing track, kids water slides, swimming pools, a library, cigar lounge, theatre, full spa, art gallery and shopping mall selling the best diamonds in the world. It has to be seen to be believed. There are millions of dollars’ worth of paintings onboard, Dürer, Dali and Rembrandt just to name a few. Full on art auctions are taking place under our noses. The bars all have themes, the Beatles are at the Cavern club, whisky “by the jar” at the Maltings, Mojito’s at the Sugarcane or 70 different craft beers at the Brewhouse. You want cocktails with breakfast – feel free, its all here, and no one will judge!! Gives new meaning to the concept of day drinking.

Half way through our pub crawl – we are still looking ok!!

The food is incredible. We have tried all the restaurants that are part of our package and they do not disappoint. Whether we have A la Carte or the buffet, the food quality is sensational. We had one meal at the steakhouse as it was part of our “specialty dining package” OH MY, WORD! 5-star dining, 500g steak perfectly cooked, 4 courses, outstanding! And it is free! We are still so blown away by what is on offer, and we continue to pinch ourselves every day.

The Garden Café is the buffet restaurant and is the typical buffet style with multiple dishes of many cuisines. They usually have a different theme each night or a specific roasted meat. Rib Eye, pork, lamb, chicken and turkey, its all been pretty good. We are certainly not going without our protein! One night they were advertising “Steamship” as the specialty. We asked, what is this? Beef, they said. Ok lets have a look. Have you ever seen a whole cow leg roasted? Well, that is what Steamship is. We could not believe our eyes at the size of this roasted piece of meat, complete with bone out of the top! 10 hours cooking at 120 deg apparently, and it was delicious.

The staff are so friendly, everyone has a smile and hello. I have been amazed to see the natalities of the staff. Everyone’s name badge has where they are from. I read somewhere that the crew are made up of over 50 different nationalities. It is a wonderful mix. Evening 10 after the Broadway Cabaret, a huge collection of the staff came onto the stage for a farewell. Representatives from every part of the ship from the engine room, catering, housekeeping, retail, bar and restaurant, to the captain, were there. As they filed out, up the stairs of the theatre we were able to say thankyou and show our appreciation. As we then filed out of the theatre, they were all there, almost as a guard of honour, thanking us! I was quite overcome by this gesture; this could almost be my highlight of the trip.

We have not spent much time out on deck because of the weather. We thought that we would start getting better weather by the time we were a few days out from Miami. Surprisingly this was not the case. The temperature got up to 20°C on the last day, but the wind was still cold. The pools remained closed and half empty until day 8, a small handful of brave soles got in.

not a lot going on out on deck

We were at sea for 11 days, I saw 2 other boats on day 11, we had our Medi-vac on day 4, but other than that we have not seen any other signs of life besides what is here on this ship. It has been so peaceful. We have been able to find quiet spots and been able to relax and just ponder this amazing planet and the enormity of the ocean in front of us which is 5km deep right here. Watching the ever-changing clouds and the colours, the swells and currents. The gentle hum of the engines underfoot and the slight sideways rock is reassuring as we make our way towards land.

7752km behind us is Southampton.

This really is so much better than flying!

Thank you for reading our story!!

After 3 weeks of holiday and visiting friends – its time to get back to work. We took the overnight train from Padang Besar to Hua Hin, Thailand. A driver was waiting to take us to Pran Buri where Cristina has a home with 37 dogs. We have done this house sit before for Cristina but she was on the island of Koh Phayam then and there was only 16 dogs.

Check out my story of the last time here ….https://kiwisdofly.blog/2021/11/05/the-second-half-of-the-second-half/

It was so great to see Cristina again and see the wonderful place her and her husband Paul had created. It felt like it was just yesterday that we had last seen her. 10 of the current 37 dogs were there last time and we think they may have remembered us……. Of maybe that’s just being romantic.

We spent nearly a week with Cristina and along with the care of the dogs, she showed us around the town of Pran Buri and Hua Hin. We were armed with lots of tips on where to shop and where to eat. She left us with a car and introduced us to a few people we could call on if needed. What could possibly go wrong!!

Feeding time is a little chaotic. The first time we just watched and frantically wrote down all the details. 37 dogs, we don’t know their names yet, how are we ever going to remember who gets what! There are three different types of food, vitamins and medicines for some and liver and chicken treats hand made by a wonderful volunteer Chris, some get and some don’t. Not quite as simple as a cup of biscuits each! When we looked after the dogs on Koh Phayam, we cooked the food every day and we thought 16 was a tough gig!

So we set off on the feeding program ourselves. Cristina is still here and she is just pottering over there, sweeping the floor, the odd little suggestion when we get it wrong, or reminder that the dog I referred to as she actually had a penis. She must have been having quite a giggle to herself watching us try to put it all together.

Once we took the training wheels off and started fending for ourselves, we got into a fantastic routine. We got to know all their names and didn’t put up with any of their shenanigans. We fed them in groups and, all in all, they were very well behaved and knew when their turn was coming. Occasionally one would “slip” into the wrong place and try to get another bowl. Bob – the policeman of the pack, would stand guard over the old girl Poon’s food while she took herself out for a pee half way through her meal. We thought this was very admirable of dear Bob, until one day we saw he had an ulterior motive.

Dogs can be so smart! Buttercup was a bit of a food junkie and could not help herself when any food was around, so at feeding time, she would jump into Nimbus’s sleeping crate (she could get in but couldn’t get out) and just wait her turn, she could not trust herself with all the other bowls of food around. How about that for discipline!

Feisty – 17 years old, food coma after the excitement of breakfast

There is a gate between the kitchen area and the garage area and when feeding the group in the garage they all rushed up to the gate. But we just opened and closed the gate, just like herding sheep into a pen, yes-no-yes-no, the odd one got through but we got is right most of the time. They could be so quick! Sometimes I would turn around and there was one I wasn’t expecting, looking up with big brown hopeful eyes – and where did YOU come from?? Then it was the mad rush to pick up all the bowls before someone peed in the empty bowl, some with incredible accuracy!

Mumble – a bit wary of us, he has no back paws

The property is about 2 acres. They bought it as bare land and have done an amazing job of creating a paradise for the dogs. There is a big pond, several shade houses, big boulders and concrete pipes for playing on. It is fully fenced with internal fenced off areas for some of the dogs and the house section. It rained for days at the beginning, and this did cause a bit of mud in places, particularly the walk way down to the big paddock where the pond was. Some would go through but most were “NO! not doin it” haha Those rainy days were quiet, the dogs just hung out and didn’t want to go out, we just hung out with them, we even managed to watch a couple of movies.

We got to know the dogs really well. They all have their own personalities and problems or attitudes. Some don’t get on with others, some are obsessed with others. They love attention, I likened the pack to a group of children on more than one occasion. They had this massive big playground, a paradise for dogs, but would they go out to play? No, not unless you went with them. We got into a lovely routine every evening – once the path was passible, once the last food bowl was picked up, lets go! Down to the paddock. They would all run off barking and excited, it was so much fun. We would sometimes take a beer down and try to sit on the platform. We gave this up pretty quickly as they all followed up the stairs, and at least 2 wanted to sit on our laps, or at least sit right by you and demand attention. Dirty wet paws all over us from a swim in the pond – Oh it’s a dogs life!!

Oggie – precious little guy with a big personality, doesnt let his missing leg slow him down

Whenever we say to people that we are house sitting in Thailand and looking after 35+ dogs, we get puzzled looks, really? 35+ dogs? Why? Who for? Is it a dog sanctuary? Well yes, that is exactly what it is. This is a self-funded rescue shelter. Cristina came to Thailand from Denmark about 7 years ago, she is incredibly selfless, she feels very deeply for the dogs on the street who have been miss treated or injured and not cared for. She will not only look after and provide for her own pack, she will drive around the neighbourhood feeding street dogs. She knows them all and they know her. She has taken in and rescued most who are there today. She tries to get them adopted and occasionally they will get to go to a forever home. Buttercup was one while we were there, she got to go to a loving family which was awesome. So our original 37 is now 36! It takes so much dedication and time to rehabilitate some of the sorry stories, not to mention money.

Out of the 36 that are there now, we had 1 paralysed from the waist down, 4 with malformed or missing paws or parts of legs, 2 with only three legs, 1 with one eye, 1 with one ear and 1 with fur just starting to grow back. There is 1 Great Dane, 4 Chihuahua, at least 1 purebred that I know of and a whole lot of loveable mutts of every description in between. It’s a motley crew! But every one of them has been loved and cared for unconditionally.

Nimbus is incredibly agile considering he has no use of his back legs

We spent 12 days on our own and were exhausted. Cristina does an amazing job and she is on her own most of the time. Her husband Paul works abroad, he is home as often as he can be. There are two wonderful volunteers who come and help out a couple of times a week, Sue and Chris. They both also have a passion for dogs and put their heart and soul into their care. Picking up poo is done with a smile! Chris cooks treats for them every week. Together with Cristina they sweep and scrub, bandage and brush, administer meds and creams, clip and snip, hug and kiss, they are a great team.

Remember if you see a stray dog on the street that looks in such a bad state of neglect and full of skin decease and you feel afraid because you think that dog is most likely aggressive, so you just walk on by, most often than none you are very wrong. Because under the superficial scaring, wounds and skin decease is a wonderful dog that once rescued, treated cared for and loved will in turn love you for ever.
Taken from Cristinas facebook page

This is one of Cristina’s stories,

Gi Gi.

November 2020. Cristina noticed Gi Gi tied up by the side of the road, skinny and scabby with no fur. She was told the dog was a street dog and they were trying to help her with no luck. Cristina started caring for her by going to the house 3 times a day and slowly the story began to change. Gi Gi is a purebred Thai Ridgeback and was bought together with a male to breed. After she had puppies without proper nutrition and tick protection, she got sick. No longer useful, she was given to the owners brother, who kept her tied up on the side of the road with no shelter or protection. This is where Cristina found her. They claimed they were looking after her but this was very obviously not the case. Cristina managed to negotiate with the man and took Gi Gi home. It took a lot of time and love, along with good food and supplements, but she slowly built up her mussels, her fur grew back and she blossomed into the wonderful dog she is today.

This is just one of many success stories. Working in Thailand has its challenges and Cristina does an amazing job especially when, at times, her heart is breaking with the neglect and cruelty.

Everything Cristina does is totally self funded, she depends on the help of her volunteers, any donations and sponsorship. It is humbling to know that there are still people like this in the world and we found it a privilege to have been part of it. If you are ever in the area, get in touch and go and check out this amazing operation, you will be welcomed.

And then it was bed time. Navigating 6 in the bed was a challenge at times, but we did it!

We had a wonderful time. At times the noise would get to us, and at times we felt so grubby we would never be clean again! But we loved every minute, Challenging? YES! Rewarding? YES YES YES!!!

We now have 36 best friends!

I know you are not supposed to have favorites …………. If only I could take you home to NZ Toffee!!!!

Thank you for reading our story

I have mentioned 31 of 37 in this story, Twiggie, Biscuit, Latte, Mr G, Big Ear and Gizmo, we love you too!

Tag: we love to travel

This Is Better Than Flying!