Sihanoukville: Jumping-off Point for Angkor Wat

We have scheduled ships tours for the next three ports because the only reason we stopped in Sihanoukville was that it was the jumping-off point for passengers taking the two-night excursion to Angkor Wat. For those of us not going to Angkor Wat, we needed something to do. Unfortunately for those taking the ship's overland tour, the amount of time that they had in Angkor Wat was two hours. (When they arrived back at the ship two days from debarking, it seemed that most people thought they had enough time at Angkor Wat because not that many people there and that the tour was worth every dollar.)

Our tour guide Proek Preang, whose name in the official language Khmer means "morning" that was chosen by his parents because he was born in the morning, had just finished his degree in IT at a university in Phnom Penh, which costs $400 US per year. While he had studied English, the tour information that we received stated that most tour guides "have limited English skills, but their local knowledge, willingness, friendliness and enthusiasm deserve special merit." PP, as we will call him, excelled in all of these attributes. Sara, who thought she could understand almost anyone who studied English as a second language, caught about every third word. Fortunately, PP repeated everything three or four times so we were able to piece together most of what he told us, except for his jokes, in which we case we all laughed at what seemed to be the appropriate places.

As Baby Boomers, when we think of Cambodia, we think of a painful part of our country's history, the shootings at Kent State in 1970--"Four Dead in O-Hi-O"--that contributed to the end of the United States' involvement in Vietnam, the book and movie "The Killing Fields" and the Khmer Rouge also come to mind. The people in Cambodia have suffered, and the country has been devastated. During that period, any citizen who showed intelligence was shot, which included having a white band around the wrist from where the person wore a watch. Many children grew up as orphans or with only one parent. Quoting from the Adventures Ashore Port Guide from Princess Cruises, "Without the rich memories of this very ancient culture, rebuilding a shattered land might be too difficult. But Cambodia has a long memory, and its gentle people savor that legacy with respect and love."

PP told us that Cambodia's king was 58 and single. The party in power at this time is the Cambodian People Power Party. Of the total population, 40 percent, who are poor, and 40 percent, who are middle class, live in the country while the remaining 20 percent, who are rich, live in the cities. We drove past the Diamond Sea, where rich people are married while poor and middle class people are married in their homes. A person with a car is rich. If a man wants to get married, he must have a job in which the average salary is $300 a month. The woman's parents agree to the marriage in which the woman has no choice and sometimes cries because she does not love the man. The man pays from $2,000 to $3,000 for a girl from the country and $5,000 or more for a girl from the city. PP confided that if he marries in the near future, he will go to the countryside to chose his bride.

With the mean age being 22.6, one-half of the population was not born until after the Vietnam War, so Cambodia and Vietnam are friends. During the Vietnam War, Sihanoukville, which means "Star of the South," was transformed from a sleepy little fishing village to an important deep water port. The two seasons here are dry from November to April and wet from May to October. The three main parts of the land are low, plateau and mountain.

Our first stop was Wat Krom, the "Lower Temple" on Mt. Sihanouk. There our guide explained to us about the stupas or burial monuments for rich people whose ashes are brought there. A stupa cost about $500 US. He also explained the stories behind many of the statues, which include the one where the Buddha was smiling at his students and the one of the Buddha who has passed from this earth with four students crying and one student happy. When asked why the student was happy, Sara immediately thought because he was pleased that the final exam had been canceled for the funeral. The real answer was that the four students were crying because they had lost the best teacher they had ever had and the one student was happy because the teacher was going to paradise.

The next statue demonstrated that the Buddha could walk one step when he was born. The Buddha also raised one finger in the air because he was the only newborn baby in the world who could walk. At the next statue, we learned that at age 29, the Buddha took a white horse into the forest where a giant asked him why he left his palace, wife and son. The Buddha said, "Get away. I don't have to have a reason. I just want to go to the forest." After the white horse and the fitter left, the Buddha lived in the forest until he received wisdom at age 35. He died at age 80. We kept hearing what sounded like gun shots but was really fireworks. We also learned that the lion and snake are important because they offered protection to the Buddha with the snake protecting him when he died.

We then visited a home of a middle-class family, where the woman seemed to have a serious goiter problem. Punxsutawney Phil had his photograph taken at a jackfruit tree, which PP dubbed the fruit as "delicious." Other trees in the yard included papaya and orange. Five people slept in the upstairs bedroom. On the walls were photographs of smiling brides and grooms and a certificate for a man who had completed the training course for the Cambodian Police Force. The combination kitchen and dining room was in a separate building. The crock pot looked similar to one that we own, as did the many sauces and spices for the food. Of interest were the toothbrushes hanging near the kitchen sink. The bathroom, which was in a separate building, was out of order. Would you want your 40 new, best friends using your toilet?

The most interesting stop on our tour was the local government primary school, which was free for the children. The school operated two shifts: one from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and the other from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The students attend primary, secondary and high schools free and then may go on to the university for $400 U.S. per year. In the library was a donation box and an English to Khmer Dictionary. The Grade 6 students stood and sang a song for us while the Grade 4 students played a tune on their blow tube pianos. Chickens and children, who were probably waiting for the second shift, ran freely in the playground and yard. Ken reported that the teachers' restroom was very primitive.

On our trip to the market, we passed the monument of the Golden Lions in a traffic circle that expresses sthe optimism that Cambodia's future can build on the glorious memory of the past. While we would have gladly skipped the market, we would have missed an important slice of daily life. Then we were off to the Sokha Beach Resort, a first-class luxury resort with white-sand beaches. There we drank Ankor beer and shared one lounger under a thatched umbrella-like cover listening to the waves break on the shore--probably one of the most relaxing setting ever.

On the way back to the ship, we passed a monkey farm. PP told us the 10,000 monkeys live in this area. Ken took pictures of one monkey giving another a back and head massage--very sweet. While we will probably not put Cambodia on our list of countries we must visit again, we are very glad to have had this experience and learn more about this country that has lived through devastation. While its recent past has been tragic, its people look forward to the future with great hope.

Bangkok: As Beautiful As Imagined

For our visit to Bangkok, we docked at the port of Laem Chabang, a name that everyone liked to say, which was a 2 1/2-hour drive each way. Think about the times you remember that were just perfect. Everything about this day was magical. We had signed up for a tour that promised we would "experience the splendors of Bangkok by both land and water." We enjoyed this incredible experience with Mark and Andrea, who had spent five weeks in Thailand in 1991 and appreciated our delightful day as much as we newcomers.

The ship's literature promised us "an escape to a world of exotic enchantment and excitement." Our tour guide Toy ("Call me Mama Toy") echoed this sentiment. Our tour bus was the most beautiful vehicle on wheels with blue pleated and ruffled valances and blue velour seats with designs in all the primary and secondary colors and head clothes made from white eyelet. Even the ceiling and speakers were decorated with the blue velour fabric. Mama Toy showed us to do the proper "Sawasdee" greeting with hands in a prayer pose and offered a "happy room" stop half-way through our long drive.

On May 11, 1949, Siam, which means "black," officially changed the country's name to Thailand, which means "land of freedom." The country experiences three seasons: hot from March to May, rainy from June to September and cold from November to February. We were definitely visiting in the hot season.

Bangkok ranks just behind Singapore as the richest conglomerate in the world. The extremely long, official name for Bangkok comes from the heavens. The people believe in reincarnation. The more good a person does on earth, the higher the level that person will go in heaven. People give offerings at the more than 30,000 temples so that they can get to a higher level of heaven in the next life.) Mama Toy jokingly told us that "at the top level, you enjoy a beautiful world cruise on the Pacific Princess." (Okay, maybe she wasn't joking.")

She also told us that Thailand's 84-year-old king is very sick. He has been hospitalized with a broken heart because his children are fighting. We saw policemen who were getting ready in case these children decided to demonstrate. Yellow is the color of the political party in power while red is the color of the last prime minister. Yellow represents the king. On Monday, it is lucky to wear yellow in honor of the king who was born on a Monday. Last year, the trouble in Thailand contributed to a decrease in tourism, which the government does not want to happen again. In our port lecture, we were told to avoid any group that seemed to be demonstrating.

Our first stop when we reached the city of Bangkok Wat Trimitr to marvel at its massive gold Buddha, which is a solid 18k gold, 10-foot high, 5 and 1/2-ton statue, making it the world's largest statue of the Buddha. After the king moved the capital of Thailand to Bangkok, the builders of the temple needed to find one of the statues of the Buddha that were being moved around so that they could not be stolen. The Buddha chosen was made of cement but the crane operator dropped it. Under the cement was the solid gold Buddha with black sapphire eyes. What a lucky break! Momma Toy told us that Thursday was a good day to receive the blessings from the Buddha. What words can adequately describe a solid gold Buddha?

The next stop was the Grand Palace, which is more than one square mile and was constructed in 1782 by King Rama I after the establishment of Rattanakosin City or Bangkok and the Emerald Buddha Temple or Wat Phra Kaew. The temple is all mosaic with the gate being mother-of-pearl mosaic inlay. People who do not have money to donate to the temple can work on its upkeep. What can be said about a place that glitters, gleams, glistens and glimmers like no other place that we have ever seen? Everywhere we looked, there was another fantastic photo opportunity. Punxsutawney Phil particularly liked the half bird/half human figures that are good demons in Heaven. We even saw a casket for the king's hat and a weapons rooms with two ornate thrones with very small seats. Obviously, the royal couple must work out in a gym on a regular basis.

The Emerald Buddha was carved from a block of green jade that was then covered with plaster and was first discovered in 1434 at a stupa in Chiang Rai. Later, the abbot who found the Buddha noticed that the plaster was peeling off the nose, revealing what he thought was emerald underneath. Then after several moves that included 226 years in Laos before a Thai army captured the Laotian capital in 1778 and brought the Buddha back to Thailand, it was placed within the Royal Monastery with great pomp and ceremony. The costumes of the Emerald Buddha are changed three times a year with the seasons.

After our tour of the Royal Place and Wats, we were treated to a cruise on the Chao Praya River for water views of the palace, the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun), which is considered the most beautiful temple in Bangkok, and Phra Prang, a pagoda decorated with ceramic tiles and pieces of colored porcelain. Try to imagine a city with every color possible. Mama Toy told us that the people who live in the houses on stilts in the river must have television watch or they would get in trouble. The boat stopped after she gave us large rolls to feed the fish, which were very happy that we came.

Following lunch, we learned what had subsidized this incredible tour when we stopped at an overpriced shopping pavilion where our tour guide probably received a commission. We would have much preferred a local crafts market or the downtown area for shopping. However, we got back to the dock in time to shop at the massive market in the terminal. Mark tried to bargain for a shirt for Ken but Ken agreed to the price of $13 before Mark had gotten the sales clerk down to $12. The woman was so happy that Ken bought the shirt for $13 that she sold one to Mark for $12. We still have a lot to learn about purchasing items in foreign countries!

Ko Samui: Almost Unspoiled Paradise and OUR APOLOGY

NOTE: For anyone who had wondered why we have not done a blog entry since the second week in March, we ask your apology. We had three port days in a row, followed by one sea day before we arrived in Singapore with a port day in Kuala Lampur the next day. Then we had one day to pack for a seven-day overland trip in India from March 16 to March 22 before we arrived back to the ship. Okay, we know that you are not feeling sorry for us. Every adventure has been wonderful, and we are enjoying the trip of a lifetime. Here is our entry on Ko Samui, Thailand. Next, we will do India, followed by Kuala Lampur. We are very sorry and hope you will keep looking for our entries.

Until the late 20th century, Ko Samui, an island off the east coast of Thailand, was an isolated, self-sufficient community that had little connection to the mainland of Thailand and was visited only by backpackers. Ko Samui is the third largest of the islands of Thailand with Phuket, which we visited last year, being the first. The 31-mile Ring Road around the island was constructed in 1973. Today, Ko Samui, with a population of 45,000, lives on a successful tourism industry of 1.2 million tourists annually, as well as exports of coconut and rubber. Most of the tourists come from Thailand because Phuket is too expensive and attracts world class tourists.

We had a half-hour tender ride on one of the ship's tenders. One of the tenders provided by the port was broken so we had to board it first and then go downstairs to board the ship's tender in very rocky waves. When we arrived on the island, rain poured down but stopped shortly after our bus pulled out of the parking lot. On our second day in Thailand, Regale International Travel provided the tours. Our guide, who told us she had both a name and a nickname that no one could pronounce, said to call her Jennifer, like in Jennifer Lopez. She and her driver, Mr. L.A., and busboy, Mr. T.I., had given a tour the day before in Phuket and then crossed Thailand and took a ferry to Ko Samui to greet us.

Jennifer counted two extra people on our tour but everyone said they were on the tour until the one couple realized before we got to the first stop that they were not on the tour with the elephant ride. Sandy, the tour escort from our ship, told them that they could stay on this tour and the Pacific Princess would reimburse them for any difference in cost. But the woman kept complaining that the only reason they had taken the tour was to ride an elephant. Just to demonstrate how accommodating Princess is, the tour guide made a number of cell phone calls, and our bus backtracked to join up with the bus they should have boarded.

The coconut palm trees on the island are harvested twice a year. The residents use every part of the coconut tree: the trunk for housing, the leaves for roofing with the leftover part being used as a broom and the coconut for ingredients in many island delights. If the coconut milk is left overnight, it becomes coconut oil, which is used for cooking and fuel for lanterns. The straw-type material in the coconut shell is used to stuff mattresses while the shell is made into buttons and costume jewelry.

Domesticated monkeys are trained when they are young to harvest coconuts. Monkeys are born color-blind so they learn which coconuts to pick by the textures and the sounds they hear from inside the coconuts because the young coconuts have more water inside them. The first step of the training program is to let the monkeys play with the coconuts and reward them. Then the monkeys learn to spin the coconuts until they come off the branches.

Monkeys can work much faster than human beings because they can jump from tree to tree. A well-trained monkey can pick between 700 and 1,000 coconuts a day while a human being can pick about 200. Their owners treat the monkeys, who live to between 26 and 30, like members of the family. Watching a monkey on a leash harvest coconuts was really fascinating. Seeing all the products made from some part of the coconut tree was amazing.

After a pleasant stop for a soft drink at Rajapruek Samui Resort and a drive past Chaweng Beach, Ko Samui's most popular beach that boasts four miles of powdery white sand and crystalline waters, we stopped at the Plai Laem Temple. which was renovated 15 years ago by a monk who lives on the island. The only way to describe this site is as an Oriental theme park that could be called Buddha World, if it added rides and shows with the concessions and souveniers that are already there. With the Happy Buddha and the multiple colored temple and other structures trimmed with mosaics, it looked like the happiest place in the world. When we entered the temple, we saw a sign that stated, "Please polite dress," so we removed our shoes and ensured our shoulders and knees were covered. In the temple, one of the offerings made to the Buddha was a clock. Jennifer explained that a clock is a luxury item and must have been donated by rich people.

Every holiday in Thailand celebrated the Goddess of the Water. April 13 is Thai New Year when people bring food and offerings to the temple. The people want to keep themselves pure in body and mind with the five major sins being killing, stealing, lying, committing adultery and getting drunk. The second week in March is also the last week of school for the students before the summer vacation that lasts until May 16. It is the year 2,553 in the Thai calendar.

Monks live at the temple complex, and we had the opportunity to speak with one who has committed to being a monk for life. Cats and dogs also occupy the living spaces. If a family in Thailand cannot take care of their animals, the family brings them to the monastery. Because the monks must have their final meal before midday, they have plenty of food to feed the very well-fed animals. Sara wants to make a cat she called Ms. Calico the mascot of the Pacific Princess.

Then we went to visit the Big Buddha, which is a combination temple with multiple steps and shopping mall--very interesting. After climbing the steps to see the Big Buddha that is 13.5 meters high, we purchased a brick for $2 to support the temple and wrote our name on it. Shopping seemed to be very good in the vendors stalls around the Big Buddha but unfortunately, we did not have much time to shop. Ken bought a beautiful cotton shirt that he has enjoyed wearing in the hot weather.

On our trip back to the ship, Jennifer explained to us that the structures that appear to be bird houses are really for the spirits. She also gave us a small mother-of-pearl spoon so we would always be wealthy and have enough to eat and a mother-of pearl turtle pin because families paint turtles red, write the family name on it, carry to the temple and make a wish. The Thai people are so friendly and provide such wonderful service that our travels in Thailand have been wonderful.

Lombok: Coming Out From Bali's Shadow

In Indonesia, we were to stop in Bali. However, Saturday, March 5, was the Hindu celebration of the Day of Silence. On that day, there could be no talking (meditation was suggested), eating (fasting was preferred), fires, working, lights, entertainment, pleasurable activities or traveling. Not exactly a welcome day for visitors. Most non-Hindus go to Lombok for the day. So Lombok, an island 12 miles east of Bali that experienced travelers think resembles Bali as it appeared 20 years ago, became our port of the day. If you have seen the movie Eat. Pray. Love. you may have noticed Julie Roberts, who played the author of the book Liz, reading a tour guide for Bali with a smaller title for Lombok. The island is visited by 13 cruise ships annually so the residents were very happy to welcome us.

Our destination lecturer Richard told us that we were not in Kansas anymore. Up to this point, most of the places we visited resembled home. But from now on, we needed to think of ourselves as travelers, not tourists. We need to ask permission before snapping photographs, make sure that our knees and arms are covered before entering a temple, do not touch people on the head where there spirit is, do not wave with our left hand because the left hand is impure being used for personal hygiene, and respect that the residents personal habits may be different than our. He used a PowerPoint show to explain to us how to use a squat toilet. His slides and words were informative as well as entertaining.

Rich and Joan planned a tour of Lombok that mushroomed into 48 people in six vans, each with a local guide and driver from the PT Adventure Lombok Tours. Because we had to tender at this port, our major goal for early morning was to be on the first tender as soon as our ship was cleared for passengers to go ashore. We gladly signed on for a full day of sightseeing of sights no one could ever see in Kansas or any other state. Being in a van was a good thing because on an island with a population of 3.2 million, there are 3 million motorcycles, many used as taxis. Our guide, Iwan, confirmed that there were many vehicular accidents because a resident could obtain a driver's license in one hour for $10, no driving test required.

Our first stop was Banyumulek Lombok Pottery Centre, where we watched people making pottery in a traditional manner from red clay. We would have loved to have bought pieces but could not figure out how we could get them home not in many more pieces. Our next stop was the Sukarara hand weaving villages, where we watched women hand weaving in the traditional way and toured the small village. At the store, Ken decided to buy a shawl. Because he had not attended the lecture where our port destination speaker told us to bargain with the vendor and expect to pay at least 30 percent less than the original given price, Ken paid what the man asked. Some lucky relative or friend is going to receive a beautiful souvenier.

Probably the most unusual stop on the tour was at the Bertals Traditional Maarket, where shoppers in Lombok could buy anything. There is nothing like this in Kansas City or any city or town in the United States. Fish, chicken, worms, a red paste made with fish that is used as a spice--whatever you could imagine, it was available in the market. It was a maze of small booths with dirt floors and aisles that were muddy and the market was undercover. When we returned to the ship from the tour, most people not only washed or cleaned their shoes but sprayed them with Lysol.

Then we traveled to Narmada Park, which was built in 1727 during the era of a king with a six-part name (Ank Agung Gde Ngurak Karang Asem). The king enjoyed climbing Mt. Rinjani, the highest mountain in Lombok to meditate and worship. When he was not able to climb the mountain anymore, he asked his people to build a replica of the mountain in the area of his Summer Palace. There he rested and contemplated the future of his kingdom while enjoying the beauty of the park. In reality, he watched the beautiful ladies, who were members of his harem or his daughters, from the upper level of the temple. Today, a public swimming pool beacons the citizens to take a break from the hot, humid climate.

Our last stop was Malimbu Hill near Senggigi, Lombok's premiere resort destination with a superb white-sand beach stretching for six miles. The view of the beach from the hill was spectacular with monkeys who were running up and down palm trees and balancing themselves on the palm fronds offering a floor show. Then we were treated to the mandatory stop at an overpriced Lombok Pearl store where tour guides received commissions if their tourists purchased items. Noemi gave our tour guide the perfect opening to stop there when she expressed her interest in all types of pearls. We heard later that some of our fellow passengers in the other vans refused to let the guide stop the van and usher them into the store.

In between stops, Iwan provided us with commentary on life in Lombok. The population is the opposite of Bali with 85 percent being Muslims and 15 percent being Hindu. Rice is the main staple of the diet with the rice field being divided into three levels-- No. 1 for export, No. 2 for the middle class and No. 3 for the poor. There are two seasons, wet and dry. If a man wants a wife, the normal fee to the parents is two or three water buffalo to pay for the party. If any of the parents do not approve of the marriage, the man must kidnap the woman from her house. Iwan, 37, had married his wife, who is 11 years younger than he is, six years ago. All he had to pay was $500 for the party with friends, relatives and neighbors contributing to the affair. The happy couple has a 4 1/2-year-old son. While men may have four wives, 99 percent have only one. The typical age for a bride is 15 or 16. School is mandatory for grades 1-12. One of the men in our van gave his scarf from the hand weaving village to a local woman who asked him for it. We now think that they may be legally married, and she could show up at his cabin any time if she has not already. This port reminded us most of Rabaul in Papau New Guinea without the volcanic ash. We would have a difficult time adapting to the life style but the people were very warm and welcoming.

Back at the dock, we wandered through the make-shift market for the day. By this time, we experienced poring rain. The best booth offered pint bottles of a local beer, Trawangan. Ken bought the T-shirt advertising the beer. We also could have purchased cigarettes, made at the manufacturing plant of Philip Morris in Lombok, for cheap prices. According to our guide, 95 percent of men in Lombok smoke cigarettes.

We now have three ports in a row--Sihanourville, which is a jumping off point for the Angkor Wat Overland Excursion, Laem Chibang (we just like saying the name) for Bangkok, Thailand, and Ko Samui, Thailand, where those who were on the Angkor Wat Overland Excursion will board the ship. Ginger and Joe went on the overland excursion so we will miss them for the next two nights. Check back with us on March 12.

Perth: Not What I Expected

This is Sara writing so I will write in first person singular because I do not want anyone else to need to share my commentary. Ever since I heard about Perth in my public school geography class, I have been captivated by that city. When we visited Australia in 2006 and met a couple on our return airplane trip who lived in Perth, I decided that Perth was the city that I most wanted to see but probably never would. When the itinerary for the 2011 World Cruise included Perth and we signed on for the trip, I thought my dream had come true.

As background, Perth is the most isolated city in the world. It is closer to Singapore and Jacarta than it is to the capital of Australia, Canberra. With its mediterranean climate of warm summer and cool winters, it has the climate that California thinks it has. It is the record holder for sunniest days and most persistent afternoon sea breezes.

What a perfect place to visit! However, both Richard, our destination lecturer, and the Adventures Ashore Port Guide published by Princess Cruises, mainly covered Fremantle, the port town where we docked. This should have been a clue. But it did not seem to enter my consciousness. It would have been bad enough if I had gone off on my own to explore Perth but I had to drag Ken and four other people with me, Ginger, Joe, Verena and Faye. Okay, they came willingly because they thought that Perth must have some spectacular sites to offer.

We all got off the ship as soon as we could at 7:30 a.m. and headed for the train station, a short walk away. On the train, a young woman asked me, "Is this the train to Perth?" I thought she was really in trouble if she thought I could answer her question but I told her this was the train the ticket seller had told us to board. It turned out that she lived and worked in Perth but was house sitting in Fremantle. Here was a living, breathing wealth of information about the city that I had always wanted to visit!

So I asked her what she did when friends came to visit her. Her answer was, "We get out of Perth." That was clue no. 2. She then told me that she had moved to Perth seven years ago to be near her family and had lived in Melbourne, a city that both Ken and I fell in love with we visited Australia in 2006. So I asked how Perth compared with Melbourne. Her answer was, "You can't compare the two cities." That was clue no. 3. By that time, the train had arrived in Perth and I wished her a good day. If I had picked up on all those clues, we would have immediately bought a return ticket to Fremantle and spent the day there for a lot less money.

When we finally found our way out of the train station, we were met by massive construction in downtown Perth. We had a difficult time finding the Tourist Information Center, which was really caddy-cornered to the train station and would have been very easy to find if not for the construction. In a way it was good that we wasted so much time trying to find the center because we still arrived there five minutes before it opened at 9 a.m. The staff member who helped us told us that the best way to see Perth was on the Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus but if we wanted to use our $5 off coupons, we needed to buy the tickets at the first stop near the Swan Bell Tower, a number of blocks down the street on the Swan River. I saw a brochure for GrayLine Tours, a company that I had always thought highly of for its city tours, and thought maybe we should take one of its tours. Wonder of wonders, the GrayLine Tour was the same hop-on, hop-off Bus so we walked the distance to the first stop. Believe it or not, I thought that the GrayLine Tours endorsement was a good sign.

We have taken a number of hop-on, hop-off bus tours in cities such as Auckland and Sydney but this was one did not live up to its counterparts. The tour consisted of a figure 8 that first traveled to the east and then to the west. The commentary was recorded, and our bus driver was not good at stopping and starting it at the right place. Also, for passengers who wanted to get off the bus to spend time at a particular stop, another hop-on, hop-off bus did not come by to pick them up for two hours. There was only one bus.

To be fair, Perth has more inner city park space than any other city in the world and a charming skyline. King's Park, which overlooks downtown Perth, is one of the city's most visited and beautiful attractions. Lovekin Street in the park is an Honor Avenue with each tree commemorating a soldier who was killed in World War I or II. However, none of the attractions was worth two hours of time.

Looking back at the information on Perth that I copied from Fodor's 2010 Tour Guide for Australia, nothing in Perth is marked as "Fodor's Choice." This should have been clue No. 4. Perth is a large city of 1.3 million residents with not one outstanding tourist attraction. It would be like St. Louis without the Arch, Orlando without DisneyWorld or Punxsutawney without the Groundhog. In fact, Phil did not come out of his makeshift burrow in my purse all day. And it wasn't just because the temperature reached into the high 90s.

After we finished our tour, we stayed at the ferry terminal, where we were to catch the Swan River Scenic Cruise Ferry at 2:15 p.m. to return to Fremantle. With two hours to kill, we decided to have a beer or two at an outdoor cafe. Ginger then decided to place two orders for fish and chips for us to share, which was a great idea. We had a wonderful time sitting on the deck overlooking the Swan River and enjoying fun food and beers in 95 degree weather. Our share of the lunch, which included on order of fish and chips and four beers was $60. Nothing is inexpensive in Australia! By this time, we had spent all our Australian money and paid Ginger and Joe $30 US to cover the rest of our share.

On the Captain Cook Cruise to Fremantle, we were to see black swans and enjoy a complimentary wine tasting. Unfortunately, we picked the wrong trip. The Queen Elizabeth was in Perth the same day and had booked that departure to return their passengers who were on tours in Perth to the dock in Fremantle. A sign on the upper deck stated that the maximum number of passengers was 167. We did not want to know by how many we exceeded that number because the boat was so crowded. When I wandered to the lower deck to find out where the wine tasting was, a staff member informed me that it would be available when the boat started back to Perth from Fremantle. The number of black swans sited was two. Not a great trip!

When we were boarding the ship, a woman handed us purple flags to wave as we sailed away so that we would create a purple haze. Everyone on the ship seemed to have a different story about what the purple flags symbolized. But we all waved the flags, which was fun.

This was not one of our better days for either foreign or domestic travel. But no matter how much anyone did try to tell me or would have told me about Perth, I still would have wanted to see it myself. It just did not live up to my expectations of what the world's most isolated major city would be.

Bunbury: Surprisingly Beautiful

When Richard, our destination lecturer, presented his port talk about Bunbury, he told us that there are ports where we will probably wonder, "Why did we come here?" Bunbury could be one of them. The advertising geniuses bill this large town/small city of 50,000 people as the "Cosmopolitan Center of Western Australia's South West"--way too many modifiers. The attractions that are cited include the lighthouse, St. Marks Church, King Cottage, Regional Art Gallery Arts Complex, the longest wooden jetty in the Southern Hemisphere, Big Swamp Wildlife Park, the Dolphin Discovery Centre and the wine region--the last being what we came to see.

Thanks to Richard and Joan from Cruise Critic, we had signed on to tour two wineries and one brewery. In fact, their private tour became so popular through word of mouth, that Bush Tucker Tour Company accommodated our very thirsty fellow passengers with a second van and tour guide. The company's motto is "Eat. Drink. Be Merry." We were told to expect to be spoiled today, and the tour surpassed that promise.

As we drove through Bunbury, we thought that this pretty town could be transported to Florida and fit right in with its palm trees, well-manicured lawns and tile roofs. Our guide told us that the newspaper is only printed three times a week because nothing ever happens in Bunbury. When we stopped at the first winery, the owner told us that its hard to keep them down on the farm after they've seen Perth. Four of his five children now live in Perth.

The staff at Ferguson Falls Winery offered genuine hospitality, tasty canapes and delicious wines. We and three other couples purchased a case of its 2006 Tempranillo wine, a soft, smooth shiraz. After the wine tasting, our tour guide treated us to a luncheon that included emu (very salty), kangaroo (a red meat) and wild turkey (a white meat). We passed on tasting the slugs. The owner entertained us by reading lessons he had learned. Sara's favorite was, "Women like to marry silent men. They think they are listening."

St. Aidan Winery is located near the small St. Aidan Church, a fully functioning church complete with a graveyard. Here we learned that the wineries in the Ferguson Valley grow the grapes in the area but ship them away to be processed into wine. This winery has named many of its wines with the names of the elder sisters in the family.

Our next stop was the Moody Cow Brewery where Ken was in Heaven on Earth. For him, a beer tasting is much more enjoyable than a wine tasting. We all appreciated sitting out on the porch overlooking the beautiful countryside. Ken took a picture of Yvonne, who takes one segment of the world cruise every year and then follows the blogs from Cruise Critic. Sara said the weather and the setting reminded her of the country club setting of cousin Jessica (Paula and Don's daughter) last October in Harrisburg, where everything had been picture perfect. At both places, we could have been on a movie set.

Before returning us to town, our tour guide took us to Gnomeville, which was established in 1992 and has grown rapidly since then. When a new highway was being constructed, someone had placed a gnome to watch over the workers to see that they were doing the job right, and the tradition took off. Families have gnomes in honor of everyone in their clan. The gnomes, or town folks, cover an incredibly large tract of land. While the concept sounds hokey, it is unbelievably charming. Punxsutawney Phil wants a gnome in Gnomeville in honor of him. This could be another great location for the 2012 weather prediction by the Seer of Seers.

We were all extremely impressed by this tour when the tour guide provided us with the grand finale. He drove unto an extremely bumpy dirt road and stopped the van. We were treated to viewing more kangaroos in the wild than we could easily count--mamas, papas and babies--as the sun began to set. This was truly a magical day!