Oct 23, 2008
So much to fill you in on. I will do my best, not right now, but soon. Instead, I will tell you about my day today in Sydney. I woke up later than I had wanted to after an especially rocky trip back into Sydney. The sea is always a little rough on our way back home, but last night was brutal. My cabin is starboard side, forward, and the waves crashed up against my cabin all night. Needless to say, it was difficult to get a good nights rest. I woke up around 7am and looked out my "window," channel 23 (the camera in the bridge) and saw that we hadn't made it to port. Went back to sleep until 9:30am. By then we had made it. I got up and made my way down to the Rocks, the oldest part of Sydney. I went to a cafe and got a cappuccino and muffin and used free wireless internet. It was kind of an overcast day, but wasn't raining, so after finishing my e-mails, I decided to head out to the Taronga Zoo. I had to take a ferry from Circular Quay to the other side of the Harbour. By the time I got their it had started sprinkling. I thought I would give it a shot anyway. It was a really nice zoo. I finally was able to see some Kangaroos and Wallabies and other species indigenous to Australia. There was one section that you were able to walk around with the Wallabies. I saw tree Kangaroos, legless lizards, emus, and koalas. The whole time I was walking around the zoo I could see Sydney's skyline. It was quite nice. I have one more Sydney day before I leave. I'm not quite sure what I am going to do. Maybe go up the Sydney tower, or climb the Harbour Bridge.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Ouvea and Isle of Pines
Hello again! Sorry about the lack of writing. I really don't have any good excuses. Although I've got some good news; the crew is getting wireless internet! Everyone is really excited. I will be able to use my laptop on the ship! Hooray!
We lost two of our boys at the end of last cruise. Thomas and T.J. went back to the states. Tom had been here for 4 months, and T.J. had been here for two. We had a farewell party for them the night before they left. We had a sing-along in "the church" as it has come to be called. Tom played the guitar, I played the ukelele, Brad played the upright bass, and everyone else played the spoons. We played "Hey Jude," "Piano Man (sans piano)," "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay," and of course, "Leaving on a Jet Plane," among many others. It was a good night and a good way to send the boys off.
Unfortunately, only one of their positions was filled when they left. We were stuck this cruise without a trumpet player.
We went to Ouvea, a commune in the Loyalty Islands Province of New Caledonia, and Isle of Pines this cruise. Both places were really amazing. They both have incredible beaches. At Ouvea, a group of us went bridge jumping! Well, we jumped off of a bridge that connects two parts of the island. The bridge was about 20 ft off the water. Just high enough for you to think twice. We hung out there for a couple of hours, hanging out, jumping off, and wandering around the magnificent beach.
At Isle of Pines, often nicknamed l'ile la plus proche du paradis ("the closest island to Paradise"), Joel and I climbed the mountain! The mountain is called pic Nga, and it's the island's highest point (860 ft.). We made it to the top within and hour, and enjoyed the beautiful view for about an hour before we had to head back down. We ran part of the way back to the ship and were able to jump in the ocean for a brief moment before we had to get back on the ship.
Well, that's all for now. Thanks for reading and leaving comments!
Jon
P.S. To Jan and Dan: I will definitely be coming to the Christmas party. There's no way I would miss it! Also, have a great time in Europe with Justin and Aleza. I'm slightly jealous. Cheers!
We lost two of our boys at the end of last cruise. Thomas and T.J. went back to the states. Tom had been here for 4 months, and T.J. had been here for two. We had a farewell party for them the night before they left. We had a sing-along in "the church" as it has come to be called. Tom played the guitar, I played the ukelele, Brad played the upright bass, and everyone else played the spoons. We played "Hey Jude," "Piano Man (sans piano)," "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay," and of course, "Leaving on a Jet Plane," among many others. It was a good night and a good way to send the boys off.
Unfortunately, only one of their positions was filled when they left. We were stuck this cruise without a trumpet player.
We went to Ouvea, a commune in the Loyalty Islands Province of New Caledonia, and Isle of Pines this cruise. Both places were really amazing. They both have incredible beaches. At Ouvea, a group of us went bridge jumping! Well, we jumped off of a bridge that connects two parts of the island. The bridge was about 20 ft off the water. Just high enough for you to think twice. We hung out there for a couple of hours, hanging out, jumping off, and wandering around the magnificent beach.
At Isle of Pines, often nicknamed l'ile la plus proche du paradis ("the closest island to Paradise"), Joel and I climbed the mountain! The mountain is called pic Nga, and it's the island's highest point (860 ft.). We made it to the top within and hour, and enjoyed the beautiful view for about an hour before we had to head back down. We ran part of the way back to the ship and were able to jump in the ocean for a brief moment before we had to get back on the ship.
Well, that's all for now. Thanks for reading and leaving comments!
Jon
P.S. To Jan and Dan: I will definitely be coming to the Christmas party. There's no way I would miss it! Also, have a great time in Europe with Justin and Aleza. I'm slightly jealous. Cheers!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Sydney City to Surf 10K run
One of the more random things I've done in my life. I found out about this the night before, and must have agreed to it in a moment of desperation. The boat pulled in to Sydney's Darling Harbour at 7 a. m. The run began at 9 a.m at Hyde Park, which is only a few blocks from downtown and the harbour and ended at Bondi Beach. We weren't registered, so we just had to jump in with the other 70,000 runners. We walked a few blocks away from the starting line and jumped in at the end of a pack. Oh yeah, there were four of us: Joel, Thomas, T.J., and myself. All muso's (musicians). We set out together. It was a beautiful day for a run. Sunny and in the 60's. The first kilometer was pretty good after I got warmed up. The beginning is always a little rough. We stayed together until about the 2nd K when Thomas had to stop for a bathroom break. He told us not to wait for him, so we kept on. The worst part about running is thinking about running. Any distractions are always welcome. At around the third mile we came across a line of shops and a hair-metal band playing "Live and Let Die" on the roof of a theatre. Sometime after this Joel decided that he was being held back by T.J. and I and took off ahead of us. T.J. and I stuck together. At the 6K mark we had to run up Heartbreak Hill, which didn't end until somewhere after the 7K mark. There was a great overlook of the skyline here. After we got to the top of Heartbreak Hill it seemed like things should be getting easier, since it was a race to the ocean, things should go downhill, right? At around the 8K mark, the ocean became visible, and I felt like I was going to make it, no problem. At the 9K mark, there was a big downhill section, and I thought about pushing the last K, but decided to stick with T.J. We could hear the glorious sounds of music coming from the 10K mark. There was a brass band playing on the side of the street. We reached the 10K mark. No sign of a finish line. Everyone still running. T.J. and I continued on. We passed the 11K ,12K, nothing. The twelfth kilometer was luckily all downhill. We finally got down to the beach at 13K, at which point we had to run on a road parallel to the beach for 1K more. T.J. and I turned the final corner and could see the finish line and gave it all we could. We crossed the finish line 1 hour and 22 minutes after we began. Joel had finished 5 minutes before us, and Thomas 5 minutes after. Joel found T.J. and I at the finish, and Joel and I went down to the beach. It was beautiful. We hung out for a while, let our legs rest, then went exploring. One side of the beach is lined with rocks that you can climb on. We perched atop a rock and watched the waves crash against the shore. We got burritos and Corona's for lunch, and then had to head back to the boat. The four of us decided that we are going to do a half-marathon within the next year in another part of the world. I'm going to have to buy better running shoes.
P.S. Thanks to those of you who are reading this and leaving comments. I hope you are enjoying it. I love receiving email, so if you want to my address is jonmerzwastaken@gmail.com. Hope everyone is well.
Jon
P.S. Thanks to those of you who are reading this and leaving comments. I hope you are enjoying it. I love receiving email, so if you want to my address is jonmerzwastaken@gmail.com. Hope everyone is well.
Jon
Isle of Pines
Aug. 6 2008
Port: Isle of Pines
Woke up late today, which isn't uncommon these days. It's easy to keep an irregular schedule when you have to make a special effort to see the sunshine. My cabin doesn't have a window, so there is no way to know what time it is except by checking the clock. Went and got some lunch with Joel. It's his birthday. We started celebrating last night after our set, which is another reason why I woke up late. (The drinks are pretty cheap at the crewbar!) We went down to the gangway and met up with Rachel, the lead singer/dancer and the rest of the band. Isle of Pines is a small island that is part of New Caledonia located directly southeast of the mainland. It is too small for our ship to dock, so the ship drops anchor a little ways away and uses smaller boats (tenders) to transport people. There is usually a wait involved with this for the crew because they allow the passengers first priority. We had to wait 45 minutes before we could get on. It was a beautiful day. Mostly sunny and 75 F degrees. There isn't much to do on this remote tropical island except swim and lounge on the beach! There is coral which you can snorkel around. It is the first place that I have snorkeled around coral. It is absolutely amazing! You have to swim 20 feet out and then you reach the coral. There is a different variety of fish everywhere you look in the most ridiculous colors you could imagine. Next time we get here, Daniel and I are planning on climbing the mountain!
Port: Isle of Pines
Woke up late today, which isn't uncommon these days. It's easy to keep an irregular schedule when you have to make a special effort to see the sunshine. My cabin doesn't have a window, so there is no way to know what time it is except by checking the clock. Went and got some lunch with Joel. It's his birthday. We started celebrating last night after our set, which is another reason why I woke up late. (The drinks are pretty cheap at the crewbar!) We went down to the gangway and met up with Rachel, the lead singer/dancer and the rest of the band. Isle of Pines is a small island that is part of New Caledonia located directly southeast of the mainland. It is too small for our ship to dock, so the ship drops anchor a little ways away and uses smaller boats (tenders) to transport people. There is usually a wait involved with this for the crew because they allow the passengers first priority. We had to wait 45 minutes before we could get on. It was a beautiful day. Mostly sunny and 75 F degrees. There isn't much to do on this remote tropical island except swim and lounge on the beach! There is coral which you can snorkel around. It is the first place that I have snorkeled around coral. It is absolutely amazing! You have to swim 20 feet out and then you reach the coral. There is a different variety of fish everywhere you look in the most ridiculous colors you could imagine. Next time we get here, Daniel and I are planning on climbing the mountain!
Isle of Pines
Aug. 6 2008
Port: Isle of Pines
Woke up late today, which isn't uncommon these days. It's easy to keep an irregular schedule when you have to make a special effort to see the sunshine. My cabin doesn't have a window, so there is no way to know what time it is except by checking the clock. Went and got some lunch with Joel. It's his birthday. We started celebrating last night after our set, which is another reason why I woke up late. (The drinks are pretty cheap at the crewbar!) We went down to the gangway and met up with Rachel, the lead singer/dancer and the rest of the band. Isle of Pines is a small island that is part of New Caledonia located directly southeast of the mainland. It is too small for our ship to dock, so the ship drops anchor a little ways away and uses smaller boats (tenders) to transport people. There is usually a wait involved with this for the crew because they allow the passengers first priority. We had to wait 45 minutes before we could get on. It was a beautiful day. Mostly sunny and 75 F degrees. There isn't much to do on this remote tropical island except swim and lounge on the beach! There is coral which you can snorkel around. It is the first place that I have snorkeled around coral. It is absolutely amazing! You have to swim 20 feet out and then you reach the coral. There is a different variety of fish everywhere you look in the most ridiculous colors you could imagine. Next time we get here, Daniel and I are planning on climbing the mountain!
Port: Isle of Pines
Woke up late today, which isn't uncommon these days. It's easy to keep an irregular schedule when you have to make a special effort to see the sunshine. My cabin doesn't have a window, so there is no way to know what time it is except by checking the clock. Went and got some lunch with Joel. It's his birthday. We started celebrating last night after our set, which is another reason why I woke up late. (The drinks are pretty cheap at the crewbar!) We went down to the gangway and met up with Rachel, the lead singer/dancer and the rest of the band. Isle of Pines is a small island that is part of New Caledonia located directly southeast of the mainland. It is too small for our ship to dock, so the ship drops anchor a little ways away and uses smaller boats (tenders) to transport people. There is usually a wait involved with this for the crew because they allow the passengers first priority. We had to wait 45 minutes before we could get on. It was a beautiful day. Mostly sunny and 75 F degrees. There isn't much to do on this remote tropical island except swim and lounge on the beach! There is coral which you can snorkel around. It is the first place that I have snorkeled around coral. It is absolutely amazing! You have to swim 20 feet out and then you reach the coral. There is a different variety of fish everywhere you look in the most ridiculous colors you could imagine. Next time we get here, Daniel and I are planning on climbing the mountain!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Destinations
Hello everybody. I am not able to use the internet on my laptop everyday, so I have been writing down what I have been doing. Today I am in Noumea, New Caledonia and can get free wireless if I sit outside on deck 7. Thanks for reading and writing posts!
July 24, 2008
Port: Vila, Vanuatu
Woke up this morning for the crew drill at 9:30. Had to go and stand around for a while, wait for the Cruise Director Zoltina to ask me a safety question which I received less than perfect marks, and then head to my muster station. Finished the drill and met up with Tom, Joel, Brad, Christina, and Dwayne and went and got some lunch. Mexicano Buffet! Got off the ship at around noon. Destination: Waterfalls! There is a market/shopping center right off the boat. A place to buy souvenirs. At the end of this market is where all the vehicle-owning-Vanuatans come when the ship comes in. Everyone wants to give you a ride. Today, Tom, Joel, and I were able to get a cab ride to and from the boat to the waterfall for $40 (AUD). Not bad considering the first offer we got was for $80. I've ridden in cars in Vila a few times now, and they are usually the scariest car rides I've ever been in. There aren't any lane markings, so it's kind of a free-for-all. There aren't any police around to monitor traffic. Our driver was passing people on the left and right. On hills and curves. We got to the waterfalls, and they were beautiful. You have to start at the bottom, and walk along the creek until you get to the waterfall. The water very clear. It was a 20 minute hike up, with plenty of pools to swim in.
July 25, 2008
Port: Mystery Island
Woke up a little late. Had to wait for about half an hour to get a tender over to the island. I went over with T.J., the trumpet player who's girlfriend is a dancer aboard the same ship Holly is on. The cruise ship world is a small world. The island is really small. You could probably walk around the whole island in 30-45 minutes. No one lives there. It is a small island off of a bigger island, which is inhabited. I walked around for a bit, found a coconut that had just fallen, and devoted a good portion of my afternoon trying to get it open. It took a good hour. I had given up hope, left the coconut by my stuff, and went to go snorkeling. On my walk to get in the water, I saw some guys who were also attempting to get some coconuts open. I talked to them for a moment, and they said that they had already gotten one open. They revived my interest in the coconut. I went snorkeling for a bit, then came back. I got it open within 15 minutes. I broke it open, drank as much of the juice as I could before it ran out, then ate the inside. Several people had seen me and my attempts, and thought I should give it up. I couldn't, and wouldn't. Unfortunately, I forgot to charge my camera battery this day, so no pictures.
July 27, 2008
Port: Savu Savu, Fiji
Tom and I rented bicycles today and rode around Savu Savu. We rode along a rocky, dirt road, singing Hank Williams tunes, for a couple of hours. The road that we were on followed the shore. We stopped at the Hot Springs, where two Fijian girls, Grace and ?, were cooking bread fruit, and eggs and sausage in the spring. The water was boiling as it came out. We rode a long way down until we reached a private resort, and the road ended. It was very warm and humid. We turned around and stopped at a little resort called the Daku resort, and went for a swim, ate, and then enjoyed a Premium Fiji brew. We rode back to the Hot Springs and sampled the bread fruit (which is a starchy like a potato) and talked to Grace for a few more minutes. Then we returned the bikes. We headed the other way towards the town. Walked around in a few shops. Tom bought 9 pirated DVD's for $13. Tom then went back to the boat, and I decided to continue wandering around. I walked through the rest of the town, and saw a road heading up a big hill. I wanted to get a big scenic overlook of Fiji. On my way up, I ran into some locals, who were all very friendly. A woman yelled at me from her house and told me to come in for some juice. I obliged, it being a very hot day and all. I don't think she thought I was going to come over. She was acting kind of saucy. Crossed the street and she pulled up a bench for me under their porch. There were three women total, and 3 children. I talked to them for about ten minutes. They all spoke English. The woman brought me some mango juice. She was really giggly, and I was slightly hesitant to drink it, thinking that she might have spiked my drink. She hadn't, and I drank it. They asked me if I was married. I told them that my girlfriend had recently broken up with me. They were sympathetic. The saucy lady made a comment that her husband had recently broken up with her, too. She was clearly lying, and just trying to seduce me. They were all married. I asked them where their husbands were. At work. I took their picture, and we excanged addresses. They told me that I could come back whenever I was in Savu Savu. I continued my trek up the big hill. Didn't quite get a big overlook, but it was all very beautiful.
July 24, 2008
Port: Vila, Vanuatu
Woke up this morning for the crew drill at 9:30. Had to go and stand around for a while, wait for the Cruise Director Zoltina to ask me a safety question which I received less than perfect marks, and then head to my muster station. Finished the drill and met up with Tom, Joel, Brad, Christina, and Dwayne and went and got some lunch. Mexicano Buffet! Got off the ship at around noon. Destination: Waterfalls! There is a market/shopping center right off the boat. A place to buy souvenirs. At the end of this market is where all the vehicle-owning-Vanuatans come when the ship comes in. Everyone wants to give you a ride. Today, Tom, Joel, and I were able to get a cab ride to and from the boat to the waterfall for $40 (AUD). Not bad considering the first offer we got was for $80. I've ridden in cars in Vila a few times now, and they are usually the scariest car rides I've ever been in. There aren't any lane markings, so it's kind of a free-for-all. There aren't any police around to monitor traffic. Our driver was passing people on the left and right. On hills and curves. We got to the waterfalls, and they were beautiful. You have to start at the bottom, and walk along the creek until you get to the waterfall. The water very clear. It was a 20 minute hike up, with plenty of pools to swim in.
July 25, 2008
Port: Mystery Island
Woke up a little late. Had to wait for about half an hour to get a tender over to the island. I went over with T.J., the trumpet player who's girlfriend is a dancer aboard the same ship Holly is on. The cruise ship world is a small world. The island is really small. You could probably walk around the whole island in 30-45 minutes. No one lives there. It is a small island off of a bigger island, which is inhabited. I walked around for a bit, found a coconut that had just fallen, and devoted a good portion of my afternoon trying to get it open. It took a good hour. I had given up hope, left the coconut by my stuff, and went to go snorkeling. On my walk to get in the water, I saw some guys who were also attempting to get some coconuts open. I talked to them for a moment, and they said that they had already gotten one open. They revived my interest in the coconut. I went snorkeling for a bit, then came back. I got it open within 15 minutes. I broke it open, drank as much of the juice as I could before it ran out, then ate the inside. Several people had seen me and my attempts, and thought I should give it up. I couldn't, and wouldn't. Unfortunately, I forgot to charge my camera battery this day, so no pictures.
July 27, 2008
Port: Savu Savu, Fiji
Tom and I rented bicycles today and rode around Savu Savu. We rode along a rocky, dirt road, singing Hank Williams tunes, for a couple of hours. The road that we were on followed the shore. We stopped at the Hot Springs, where two Fijian girls, Grace and ?, were cooking bread fruit, and eggs and sausage in the spring. The water was boiling as it came out. We rode a long way down until we reached a private resort, and the road ended. It was very warm and humid. We turned around and stopped at a little resort called the Daku resort, and went for a swim, ate, and then enjoyed a Premium Fiji brew. We rode back to the Hot Springs and sampled the bread fruit (which is a starchy like a potato) and talked to Grace for a few more minutes. Then we returned the bikes. We headed the other way towards the town. Walked around in a few shops. Tom bought 9 pirated DVD's for $13. Tom then went back to the boat, and I decided to continue wandering around. I walked through the rest of the town, and saw a road heading up a big hill. I wanted to get a big scenic overlook of Fiji. On my way up, I ran into some locals, who were all very friendly. A woman yelled at me from her house and told me to come in for some juice. I obliged, it being a very hot day and all. I don't think she thought I was going to come over. She was acting kind of saucy. Crossed the street and she pulled up a bench for me under their porch. There were three women total, and 3 children. I talked to them for about ten minutes. They all spoke English. The woman brought me some mango juice. She was really giggly, and I was slightly hesitant to drink it, thinking that she might have spiked my drink. She hadn't, and I drank it. They asked me if I was married. I told them that my girlfriend had recently broken up with me. They were sympathetic. The saucy lady made a comment that her husband had recently broken up with her, too. She was clearly lying, and just trying to seduce me. They were all married. I asked them where their husbands were. At work. I took their picture, and we excanged addresses. They told me that I could come back whenever I was in Savu Savu. I continued my trek up the big hill. Didn't quite get a big overlook, but it was all very beautiful.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Life at Sea
Hey everybody! I have made it to Australia and have successfully completed two cruises. I am in Sydney right now.
For those of you who don't know, some suckers from Australia have decided to pay me to play trombone for them. I am aboard the Pacific Dawn which is a ship owned by the P&O Cruise Co. which is owned by Carnival, I believe. I am in the "Pacific Dawn International Show Band." Actually, most of the band is from the U.S.A. Only the drummer, who is also my roommate, is not from the U.S. He is from the Ukraine. Well, the saxophonist is technically from the L.A. but is of Italian descent and now resides in Italy. In all, there are 7 of us in the showband. All of the musicians are pretty cool, and fun to hang out with.
The showband plays for all of the productions on the ship. There are 3-4 shows that are performed aboard the ship on every cruise, plus guest entertainers that we back up. There is a motown show, a country/western show, a variety show, a welcome aboard show, and a recently added pirate themed show.
This past cruise was a little crazy, but so far life aboard the ship is pretty good. Lots of free time to read, practice the trombone, learn spanish, eat food, and lounge around. On a typical day, i only have 3-4 hours of work. There is usually a sound check/rehearsal at 5 p.m. and then we do two shows a night. The shows are typically only 1 hour long.
So far, I've been to Vila, Vanuatu, Noumea New Caledonia, and the Isle of Pines, which is a small island off of New Caledonia's main land. So far, the Isle of Pines has been the best stop. I was able to snorkel around coral! It was incredible.
Well, this is all for now. I have to get back on the boat. Hope everyone is doing well. I would love to hear from everyone. I will try to post every week. G'day!
Jon
For those of you who don't know, some suckers from Australia have decided to pay me to play trombone for them. I am aboard the Pacific Dawn which is a ship owned by the P&O Cruise Co. which is owned by Carnival, I believe. I am in the "Pacific Dawn International Show Band." Actually, most of the band is from the U.S.A. Only the drummer, who is also my roommate, is not from the U.S. He is from the Ukraine. Well, the saxophonist is technically from the L.A. but is of Italian descent and now resides in Italy. In all, there are 7 of us in the showband. All of the musicians are pretty cool, and fun to hang out with.
The showband plays for all of the productions on the ship. There are 3-4 shows that are performed aboard the ship on every cruise, plus guest entertainers that we back up. There is a motown show, a country/western show, a variety show, a welcome aboard show, and a recently added pirate themed show.
This past cruise was a little crazy, but so far life aboard the ship is pretty good. Lots of free time to read, practice the trombone, learn spanish, eat food, and lounge around. On a typical day, i only have 3-4 hours of work. There is usually a sound check/rehearsal at 5 p.m. and then we do two shows a night. The shows are typically only 1 hour long.
So far, I've been to Vila, Vanuatu, Noumea New Caledonia, and the Isle of Pines, which is a small island off of New Caledonia's main land. So far, the Isle of Pines has been the best stop. I was able to snorkel around coral! It was incredible.
Well, this is all for now. I have to get back on the boat. Hope everyone is doing well. I would love to hear from everyone. I will try to post every week. G'day!
Jon
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