While my wife, Bonnie and I were in the South Pacific on a “2012 Grand World Cruise” aboard Holland America Line’s ms Amsterdam, we sailed by Ball’s Pyramid (coordinates: 31°45'15"S, 159°15'6"E) on Feb. 24, the day before we arrived in Sydney.
(First of two parts)
Bali Ha’i will whisper, on the wind of the sea, ‘Here am I, your special island. Come to me, come to me.’ — “South Pacific”
Eight months after my August ’11 trip to India (May ’12, pg. 25), I went back on a mission trip to Nagercoil, near the southern tip of the country.
I asked Prudent Networks (Ste. 115, Ansals Majestic Tower, G-Block, Vikaspuri, New Delhi, 110018, India; phone +91 011 4158684, fax +91 11 41586740), whom I had been very pleased with on my previous trip, if they would design a quick, 4-day trip for me that included two nights in Kovalam and one on a houseboat in Kerala with a driver.
When my husband and I headed Down Under a few years ago, we thought that the month we would spend in New Zealand would be an appetizer before the main event, Australia. We couldn’t have been more wrong.
We arrived in Auckland, New Zealand, on Jan. 23, 2009. We had rented a camper van in advance. The company (which no longer rents vehicles) delivered it to our hotel. A month later, they would pick it up from our hotel and we would fly on to Sydney. We gave ourselves a few days to get over jet lag before starting out, but our entire New Zealand trip would be by RV.
Esther Perica with Joan Cockell; Arlington Heights, IL
For their time in any of eight Caribbean ports (Cozumel, Jamaica, Nassau, Freeport, Grand Cayman, Barbados, St. Maarten and Roatan), cruise passengers can get passes for resorts from ResortForaDay (Long Island, NY; 631/630-3907). Guests of any cruise line are welcome; book in advance, as each pass is mailed.
by Donna Judd; Fullerton, CA
