Townsville, Australia

Our overnight cruise from Hamilton Island to Townsville was so smooth, that when I woke up this morning I wasn’t sure if we were moving (I guess that was a reward for surviving the Tasman Sea).  I got confirmation that we had stopped moving when my “alarm clock” went off (you know, the bow thrusters).  But just to reinforce that it was time to wake up and get out of bed, the dock the ship tied to was not a real dock; they were building a cruise terminal and dock right next to the ship and the pile drivers were singing with a regular rhythm.  Bonk-pause, bonk-pause, bonk-pause.  I tried to ignore the thumping, but the huge machinery won out. 

I wasn't all that interested in getting to shore because we had been here before and well, there wasn't that much to do that we hadn't already done.  It was sunny, hot and humid and the desire to stay in A/C comfort was quite compelling.   I do not want to be seen as a wuss (I guess wimp is OK), so I donned my coolest clothes and off we went with no idea in mind of what we were going to do or see.  Because of the construction, there was a ferry to bring us to shore; it had great A/C (am I obsessing on air conditioning?  Yep). 

I brought along Michael’s green umbrella to use as my portable shade.  This poor umbrella has seen better days as it is suffering from sun rot rather than rain.  I am sooo glad I had it as it was really too hot to meander around aimlessly, which my darling hubby loves to do.  We walked along The Strand, the beautiful gardens along the waterfront.  We didn't get too far because I had had enough.  So we walked back to the main tourist area where the aquarium and cultural center are located, turned right onto the shopping street, met up with a few shipmates, and decided to go back to the ship because there really was nothing much to see, I didn't care to buy anything and lots of places were closed at this hour. 

We wiled away the afternoon by the pool, which had been relieved of its algae water and replaced with nice clean water.  The water was walk-in temperature, but still refreshing.  We both got to catch up on our reading between dips in the pool.

After showering and dressing for the evening, we attended an early show with a comedienne/magician.  His comedy was ok, the magic was ok.  OK, I don’t particularly care for magicians (no offense Dan H).  I can’t stand it when they drag a trick out for 10 minutes.  Do the trick and move on.

We hosted a dinner table and met some interesting folks.  So far tonight, the seas have been calm.  I like it like that and hope it continues.