Crocodile Dundee land

Helen: Well, well, well. Our glorified ferry ride is turning out to be quite an experience! Our cabin is the biggest room we've stayed in since we left home and we have a private bathroom, all to ourselves. We even have a little man who turns down our bed, leaves choccies in our room and makes us a different towel animal each night (I'm not kidding, Holland America (the cruise line) has even published a book of the '40 best towel animals'!). I'm in planning and sewing heaven – I get a daily schedule so I can organise my day to the nearest nannosecond and I've met a group of ladies who knit and sew! How ridiculous is that. Marylin is a lovely little old lady who has taught me how to spin, and I've been getting tips galore on my new dress – it's going ok (now I've let our one of the seams I can actually breathe fully) and should be finished for our final night dinner next week.

C is also, despite himself, having a whale of a time. He's in the gym every day, which means he has made friends with all the ladies who work in the Spa next door – very useful as they are now searching high and low for materials for him as he is...building a model boat! It has to carry a cargo of 12 cans of Coke and will be tested in the Jacuzzi on the last day of the trip! So far he's had the staff collecting chop sticks and cans and I've made him a Red Ensign.

The biggest down side of the cruise isn't actually all the other people (in among all the fatties we've met some lovely folks) it's the time ashore. You don't get long, the shore excursions they arrange are uber expensive and they usually visit the more developed destinations as they're the only ones that can cope with 1400 people in one go. I've actually enjoyed the 'at sea' days more than the days on land! We've been to the Whitsundays (golf cart madness) and Cairns (bush turkeys were the highlight – what does that tell you) and we're currently en route to Darwin. Think we might save our money and just hang out in town in Darwin so we can hire a car in Bali and go and see some temples and rice paddies.

Not sure what else to tell – tonight is 'formal' night which means everyone is dressed up in tux's – apart from us. We're off to the buffet and then maybe the cinema. We even saw a magician a couple of days ago – he made his lovely assistant vanish – I know there's a rational reason how he did it...but it impressed me and made me giggle like a small child nonetheless.

Will write again when we get to Singapore on April 4

Lots of love
H&Cxx


PS We had our first jive lesson last night! We were swinging away, when we noticed someone doing fantastic jiving...and he turned out to be both a lovely guy and a dance instructor, so he taught us the basics. V cool. And the drummer from the band (old Polish man who's been with the company for 39 years!) said he might give me a drum lesson too!