128 Days Around the World

March 11, 2020

Townsville Australia

I had been to Townsville when I first visited Australia in 1997 so I did not take a tour. My plan was to leave the ship by 9:30 but when I woke up is was raining so I was in no hurry to get off the ship. By 10 the rain had let up to a drizzle although rain was forecast for most of the day.

There were a number of craft stalls set up in and in front of the terminal. I made a quick walk around and then got onto the shuttle bus. Downtown Townsville has some beautiful old buildings but it was sad to see so many empty storefronts. Over 25% had “For Sale” or “For Lease” signs on them. There were very few people walking around other than people from the ship.

The rain had let up so I did not have to put on my raincoat which I dragged along once more. I walked as far as the Aquarium (which I visited in 1997) and then walked back past the shuttle stop. I knew there was a McDonald’s nearby and I found it and spent an hour enjoying the pancakes and free WiFi. I walked back towards the shuttle stop and stopped in to the Woolworths (grocery store) and picked up a few things.

After taking the shuttle back to the terminal, I walked around and looked at the crafts, buying a couple of small items. I was back onboard in time to get lunch in the Lido before it closed at 2 pm. Judy (Lee) found me and had a sock emergency so we agreed to meet at 3 in the Crow’s Nest.

When I finished lunch, I stopped by Guest Services to check on something for Sherita (who has been on an overland trip to Uluru) and then went to the Crow’s Nest. I taught Judy (Lee) how to make socks two at a time and she had a question about it. We worked on our knitting until 4 when I needed to go to the Piano Bar for afternoon trivia.

Only Debby, Diana, and I were present from our team but we won with a score of 13 out of 18!

1.In knitting, what does the abbreviation “PSSO” mean? (Yes, there really was a knitting question!)

2.Which punctuation mark has the same name as a type of butterfly?

3.What is the Japanese word that means “God wind” or “Divine wind”?

4.Are butterflies more colorful in warmer or colder climates?

5.What is lowest number on the Beaufort Scale?

I had a little time to start on Project Linus blanket #8 before getting ready for dinner and evening trivia. None of my team was present so I played with the “We Don’t Need Google” team. We won with 15 out of 19!

1.What is the common name for a Coccinellidae?

2.The Canary Islands are named after which animals?

3.What do boxers strike when using the illegal rabbit punch?

4.In a bowling alley, what is a turkey?

5.How many deserts are in Australia – 0, 5, or 10?

I yawned all through dinner so I did not go to the show which was a second performance by Brett Cave.

Afternoon trivia

1.pass slipped stitch over

2.comma

3.kamikaze

4.warmer

5.0

Evening trivia

1.ladybug

2.dogs

3.back of the neck

4.three strikes in a row

5.10

Cairns tomorrow.