Tales from the Vasco

Some of the passengers from the Vasco da Gama are still waiting to go home. I see quite a few of them from the hotels next door taking their morning exercise. Today I had a chat with a lady from Cairns, who came out of lockdown on Good Friday and is hopeful of onward transport news today. She told me the hotel food had been quite OK, but no alcohol was allowed. Being a Christian, she had given it up anyway for Lent, along with chocolate and ice cream!

She said she had boarded the Vasco in Singapore and the pandemic was called just as they were leaving harbour heading for Phuket. All ports were closed to them after that, so they were at sea for 3 weeks, but looked after very well by the crew. It had in no way put her off cruising. She was quite cheerful about it all, but said there were a few “agitators” in the hotel.

I gleaned all this information whilst sitting on a park bench, looking at the Swan Fountain: