Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

Brisbane, Australia, where we are in dry dock, is North of Sydney. I have had the chance to get off a couple of times. One night I went out to get some supplies and have a few drinks in an Irish pub with some of the crew. Another time I went out for the day to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. I got to hold a Koala Bear and I got up close and personal with wild lorikeets. The bird picture hasn’t been color enhanced, that’s how vibrant the lorikeets were.

The sanctuary has 130 koalas that are all kept in open enclosures with fresh eucalyptus leaves for them to munch on. Koalas are nocturnal so most of them were sleeping or looked very sleepy. They are a little freaky looking when they’re awake cuz their eyes are all red, but when they’re sleeping they’re sooo cute. They just sit on a branch and ball themselves up. They kind of remind me of Muppets. The sanctuary had lots of other animals including kangaroos you could feed.

Katie

The Sea Beckons Me Back

The sea beckons me back once again. I'm taking a six-month contract going out in December. This itinerary is the one I've been waiting my whole cruising carrier for. I'm joining the ms Statendam to do the Australia/New Zealand run followed by a sojourn across the South Pacific then on to Asia and finally I'll be ending out my contract in Alaska via Russia.

I could not have asked for a better contract. New Zealand has been my main traveling goal since I set out to explore the world, but over time I've also been drawn to Australia and the many exotic islands of the South Pacific. In the Far East, I may have a chance to see the Great Wall of China and the Buddhist temples of Japan. So get ready to follow me on another exciting adventure at sea, across the International Dateline, South of the Equator, on the other side of the world.

Katie