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This is a short one – just 6 days, Nov 26 to Dec 2 on the Carnival Vista. I really didn’t need another cruise on the heels of the 30-night TP1 but Marlene’s best friend, Dottie, is unable to accompany her on this one due to health issues. So I am filling in. It is cheap (if I stay away from the casino) – just $250 – and I no longer have to worry about care for a dog, so it is feasible to leave on short notice. It goes to the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and the Dominican Republic, all of which I have either never visited or haven’t visited recently. So it should be fun.
Andrew Child (born Andrew Grant) is the younger brother of Lee Child and is reportedly being groomed by Lee Child to take over the Jack Reacher franchise. This is the second book (of 3) resulting from this new collaboration and the 27th book in the Reacher series.
I usually avoid collaboration books. They are almost always the product of the lesser author with the more famous one providing his name to boost sales. In this case the “lesser author,” Andrew, is a successful author in his own right. But every author has his own style so the question is: how does collaboration change the series? In this case the style remains more-or-less intact. But not quite the same. And not quite as good. I normally can’t put down a Reacher book. I could put this one down. It seemed disjointed. Perhaps it was due to the collaboration. Or perhaps it was due to the plot.
This book is four separate stories that come together in the end. But only at the very end. The main story line has Reacher in Gerrardsville CO, to visit a museum. But he witnesses a murder – a woman being shoved in front of a bus. No one else saw the shove. He not only saw the shove but saw the shover steal the woman’s purse. He followed the murderer, confronted him in an alley, whipped his ass and was going through the purse when reinforcements arrived. Reacher never loses a battle, even when greatly outnumbered, but in this case a fire escape fell on him and he was knocked unconscious. When he regains consciousness the murderer and his accomplices have disappeared and so has the purse. But Reacher had seen enough in the purse – most importantly a note referencing a meeting to occur on the Friday following – that he resolved to figure out what was going on. And why the woman was murdered.
The second story involves the management of a for-profit prison corporation. It is clear that they are up to no good. And are concerned about Reacher sticking his nose into their business. They are determined to stop Reacher from attending the meeting. But it is unclear what they are up to or why Reacher poses a threat to them.
The third story is a 16-year-old orphan and runaway who is on a journey from L.A. to find his birth father. How does this relate to the Reacher plots? It is revealed with about 50 pages left in the book.
The fourth story is that of two men – an arsonist/assassin and his sidekick – who are on a vendetta to track down the people responsible for his son’s death on a ship off the North Carolina coast. How does this story connect to the others? It becomes clear only in the final two chapters.
The four stories are interwoven like a deck of cards being shuffled. I felt whiplashed, going from a runaway to an assassin to a prison management meeting. Keeping track of the varied characters was a challenge.
The body count in this book is relatively low for a Reacher book – about 10. The usual larger-than-life Reacher heroics (and vigilantism) are present and the plot is deep and twisted, as always. But it all seems a bit disjointed.
#3 of 4 books by Baldacci featuring FBI agent Atlee Pine. John Puller – one of Baldacci’s biggest heroes – is also featured.
This is a book with two interwoven and interrelated plots – Atlee’s search for her twin sister who was violently abducted 30 years before and a mystery involving a fake cop, a young black man who was set up to take a murder rap and, eventually, blackmail involving powerful people. The nexus between Pine and Puller is a combination of the two – Pine thinks a drug dealer (or, more accurately, the drug dealer’s father) is involved in her sister’s abduction and Puller thinks that same drug dealer is involved in the big mystery. They team up. The book ends with resolution of the mystery but only a partial resolution of what happened to Pine’s missing sister.
The intertwined plotlines were often confusing. And keeping track of characters was sometimes daunting. The plots bordered on the absurd.
Not very satisfying. 5 out of 10. Probably the worse Baldacci book I have read.
This 35-day journey was epic, made more epic because it directly followed a month in Massachusetts. I packed for 12 weeks on the road. I repacked a bit in the two days at home between those two journeys, but it certainly felt like 12 weeks of continuous travel.
Highlights:
Marlene and I pretty much enjoyed each other the entire time. We had some rough patches but worked through them.
We met some fun folks aboard the Carnival Luminosa.
We both stayed relatively healthy throughout. I had a brief cold at the start and Marlene had a cold when it ended, but we were able to enjoy the ports completely.
We got a complete tour of Japan, from Otaru in the north to Okinawa in the south. The highlight for me was Hiroshima where I felt immersed in one of the most dramatic events of the past century.
The people of Betung, Indonesia. They made us feel like rock stars.
The beautiful city of Brisbane and the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.
The music on the ship. Both the Luminosa Rockband and Take Two were terrific.
The Luminosa crew. Always pleasant, always helpful
The dining room food. We had some terrific dinners – prime rib, filet mignon, lobster tail.
My losses in the ship’s casino. I expect to lose and didn’t lose much, considering the length of time on board. But the last week was brutal – over $400 in losses with only one minor bonus in that span. Not fun. Casinos are supposed to be fun.
Lowlights:
Skipping Alaska. This is the only state I have never set foot in and I have always been interested in an Alaska cruise. I expected to get the Alaska experience on this cruise and was very disappointed when bad weather forced the ship to skip it.
Skipping the Philippines. This was less painful than the loss of Alaska, but also disappointing.
The ship. The Carnival Luminosa is a mediocre vessel. Is is bland. The artwork is dreary and the facilities are barely adequate. It was built by Costa and purchased by Carnival and as a result feels more like a Costa ship than a Carnival ship.
The sightseeing. This may have been partly our fault because we booked no excursions. But we did not hear any stories from other passengers who took the excursions that left is feeling like we missed something. We enjoyed both Japan and Indonesia but didn’t see anything that made us say “Wow!” The sightseeing was mostly in the “that’s nice” category.
The buffet food on the Luminosa. The breakfast menu was always the same and the lunch and dinner menus were uninspired. The pizza was inferior to the Pride’s.
The weather. Besides forcing us to skip both Alaska and the Philippines, the storms produced some very rough seas that made me queasy.
But, overall, a success. I would do in again, in a heartbeat.
Another day of air travel. This one was less grueling than Day 34 – only(?) 8 hours. But we were already dog tired so it seemed longer.
Marlene in the San Francisco terminal
We arrived in San Francisco around 11am and our flight – to New York – did not leave until 9:30pm. That gave us nearly a full day in San Francisco, a city Marlene had never been to and a city that I had not visited in over 10 years. I wanted to hop on a cable car. But we had to overcome weariness and find a place to store our carry-on luggage for a few hours.
The weariness was a problem, but one that we probably could have overcome. The luggage was the big problem. The facility for short-term storage was outrageously expensive – $20 for each bag. It would have cost us $80 to visit the city, not counting subway and cable car fares. Dottie and Maureen did not want to go and perhaps we could have enlisted them to watch the bags. But they had already gone through security when we learned that they were our only option. Going through security one extra time was onerous. And by the time we considered that option our window had shrunk to about 6 hours. We decided to just hang out in the terminal and play some cards.
The layover in New York (JFK) was blessedly brief – just an hour. The flight to Fort Myers was on time and smooth. We arrived at 10:30am and were driven home by Maureen’s daughter and granddaughter.
And then we slept. We needed it after 28 hours in the air over 2 days.
This was a travel day. By air. 20 hours on two flights: Brisbane, Australia, to Hong Kong, China, then to San Francisco CA with a 6-hour layover in Hong Kong. Both flights on Cathay Pacific, an airline that I had never used before. Did I enjoy being on a plane for 20 hours? No. Did we survive and, after 35 days, did we get back into the US? Yes. So call it a success.
But if I have to fly back from Australia ever again I will look for ways to enjoy it more. Maybe a couple of days in Bali or Hawaii?
The flights were fine. Both were on large Boeing 777 craft. I read a bit and both Marlene and I watched several movies. The food on the first flight was horrible; better on the second. The most significant event was the near-loss of Marlene’s passport – she couldn’t find it as we were approaching Hong Kong. But the passenger behind us, seeing the cabin attendants helping us look, noticed it lying under my seat, It must have fallen out of her bag and slid back as we flew. Disaster averted with no damage other than a few missed heartbeats. Getting to China without a passport would have been… interesting.
Big bright terminal and designer shops in Hong Kong
The Hong Kong airport was a surprise. Very large, Very modern, Very clean. And very western – most signs were in English and the shops were nearly 100% American or European. One entire floor of high-end designer labels such as Breitling and Tiffany. We did a bit of shopping – on the other floor. The one for normal people.
Because the food on the first leg had been awful we decided to have lunch in the terminal before boarding our second flight. Marlene found some good Chinese food. I found some good coffee.
The security was annoying. We went through security in Brisbane, of course, but had to go through security again in Hong Kong to get to the gate for our second flight. And then a third time before boarding the flight (just a passport check, really). I can only assume that different countries had different security protocols and we had to satisfy them all.
The weather in Hong Kong was dreary. Which is too bad as we could see hints that the surrounding landscape was pretty dramatic. But we got only a glimpse of the ragged mountains through the fog.
Hong Kong food courtTerminal artHong Kong tarmacPedestrian bridge to satellite terminal
This was our last day in Brisbane. We had to vacate our room by 11am, which we did after our free breakfast. But our flight did not leave until 1am so we had a full day to sightsee. We decided that the best option would be to hire a taxi for the day. That would allow all 4 of us to stay together and would keep our luggage with us. So we arranged to have Ish, the driver we met on our trip to the hotel when we arriivd in Brisbane, drive us around.
Brisbane is a beautiful city, but we saw what we wanted to see in the city on the first 2 days. The one attraction that was a “must see” for all of us was the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary which was located nearly 20 miles from downtown. So that was our first destination.
Lone Pine offers up close and personal encounters with koala bears, kangaroos and raptors (hawks and falcons). There are also sheep dog demonstrations (sheep dogs being very important to the Australian economy) and some other native animals, such as crocodile and platypus.
Upon arrival we immediately headed to the “free flight raptor show”. This was a demonstration of the skills of three different birds – a barn owl, a hawk and a peregrine falcon. All were “free flight” which meant they were free to fly about the venue – no cage. And the flight paths were often very close to us in the audience – close enough to touch the bird as it flew by. Very cool.
Entrance to Lone PineMarlene in the crocodile viewing tunnelBarn owl in flight
The kangaroo encounter was special. They live in a large fenced area which we could enter. We were able to walk among the kangaroos and even pet them. Also very cool.
Peregrine falconSheepdog demoMy kangaroo encounterRoo at restMarlene and friends
The koala encounter was not so intimate. It is possible to hold a koala, but that privilege costs $15 and has to be reserved in advance. But there are many koala bears (which are not actually bears) in open pens where we could get within a few feet. The platypus was elusive. I should have taken a video as they move too fast to get a good still shot. We also saw some HUGE bats – the size of kittens.
Koala diningPlatypusBats
After Lone Star we jointly decided on a dinner venue, recommended by Ish – Charcoal & Co. It was basically a fast food place serving Arabian fare. Very good.
He then drove us to Mount Coot-tha which overlooks Brisbane. We got a nice nighttime view of this beautiful city. Dottie thought she lost her phone while there, but, fortunately, it was in the taxi. Ish then drove us to the airport so we could begin our long journey home.
All of us at Charcoal & CoThe view from Mt Coot-tha
Another beautiful day in Brisbane – high around 80 with bright, sunny skies.
We had a free breakfast at the hotel – nice but not spectacular – then the 4 of us went in search of a river ferry. It was a short walk to the river, but construction (which is EVERYWHERE in Brisbane – this is a city in the midst of a transformation) prevented us from going as Google directed us. We asked for directions and were pointed in the opposite direction. We eventually got to the dock but then learned that the CityCat – the larger, toll ferry – did not take cash. So that option was out. Marlene was convinced that there were 3 ferries – a CityCat, a KittyCat and the CityHopper, the last two being free. I thought there were just two – the CityCat (toll) and the CityHopper (free). I thought “KittyCat” came from Marlene not hearing “CityCat” correctly (those Ausie accents can be tough). That led to a new dispute and a new round of chilliness.
When the free ferry arrived it had a banner saying “CityHopper” on the front and a painted “KittyCat” label on the side. So I tried to reconcile with Marlene by admitting that I was wrong about there not being any ferry named “KittyCat” but also felt that she was wrong about there being 3 ferries, believing that the KittyCat and the CityHopper were one and the same. I later learned that “KittyCat” was the name of the smaller CityCat boats. And they were sometimes used to provide the free CityHopper service. All very confusing. But no reason to argue.
We got by all that confusion and had a nice 90-minute free river ferry ride up the river then back down again. When we got back to the starting point (North Quay), Maureen and Dottie got off but we continued on for two more stops, exiting on the South Bank. We walked to a church that Marlene had spotted from the ferry and found it closed. But it had a nice cafe (“Under the Clock” because the church has a clock tower) in the basement and we had a light lunch of almond croissant and iced tea.
CityCatOne of Brisban’s lovely bridgesDowntown BrisbaneA view from South BankChldren’s Hospital, from the cafeUnder the Clock Cafe
We then walked along the South Bank which is a public park that runs for miles along the south bank of the Brisbane River. The area is dotted with restaurants, gift shops (yes, Marlene bought some magnets), museums and art venues. It is also where the Brisbane Wheel is located. We considered taking a ride but decided the cost ($20 US) was too high.
Along the South BankSouth Bank pathBanyan treePlaygroundAustralian shepherdElevated boardwalkBrisbane WheelDowntown from South BankRobot server
We walked back to the hotel and, having a couple of hours to kill, decided to visit the Treasury Casino. I lost a bit more (about $15 Australian, $10 US) but Marlene did spectacularly well, winning about $140 US.
Having worked up an appetite by walking and gambling, we invited Dottie and Maureen to come to dinner with us. We chose the Jackpot, a Chinese place near the hotel and had a fine dinner for relatively little – about $10 US each.
At the Jackpot you order up front and the meal is then delivered to you at your table – by a robot. I have never been served by a robot before. But at least I didn’t need to leave a tip.
Actually, tipping is rare in Australia. I left a tip on the bar that first day, for my Kilkenny Red Ale. But it was still there when I returned later to place a food order. I took it back.
After dinner Marlene and I strolled the streets of Brisbane, taking photos. We found one other robot of interest – a machine that serves up a variety of fresh milk tea products. We didn’t get any.
Queen Street MallMarlene on the mallMilk tea robot
This day marks the end of the 30-day cruise on the Carnival Luminosa, but not the end of the TP1 – we still have 2 nights in Brisbane and the trip back to Florida (which I am NOT looking forward to).
Our last look at the Luminosa
Disembarkation was relatively smooth, especially in light of the fact that Carnival has never docked here before and Brisbane is not a major cruise destination. We got up early (4am – more on this below), packed our bags then had breakfast on board, said farewell to both the ship and the friends we met during the month of cruising. We took a taxi into Brisbane, to the Ibis Styles Hotel, and checked into our room by 10:30am.
I was, I thought, prepared for the 220V electricity in Australia but I was wrong – Australia uses a different 220V socket than Spain. So my first task was to find an adapter. I asked the front desk at the hotel but they had nothing. They suggested Target, just down the street. Went to Target, no adapter. They suggested another store in the same, large 5-story mall. Nope, none there either. I was then directed to JB HiFi in another nearby mall and they had an adapter. But I realized, belatedly that the adapter I had gotten in Spain was not, in fact, a 220V-to-110V transformer, so I felt uncomfortable plugging my lapton into it for fear of blowing it up. Consequently, I avoided using the laptop for 2 days while I continued to look for a transformer (which I never found). That accounts, in part, for the delay in posting to the blog (I am 4 days behind). I eventually concluded that I didn’t need a transformer for the laptop (I recalled using the adapter in Spain without setting the laptop on fire) and, with some trepidation, tried it and found that it worked fine.
The shopping trip, though not very successful, did give me a chance to learn about downtown Brisbane. It is a lovely town with pedestrian malls and some nice public art.
As for waking at 4am… that was an unfortunate accident. I used my phone to set an alarm for 6am. But my phone was on Indonesia time – 2 hours earlier than Brisbane time. So I set it for 4am Indonesia time which was 6am Brisbane time. But the phone automatically updated while we slept and went off, as directed, at 4am. But Brisbane time. The fact that it was dark then should have been a clue. But we rose, got ready for the day, packed the bags and only when that was all done did I realize that it was 5:30am and not 7:30am. So we went back to sleep for an hour. After I apologized to Marlene for waking her too early.
Ah, the complexities of life that result from time zone changes…
I don’t know if the time zone changes were responsible, but we had another problem to deal with when I returned from the adapter hunt: Marlene could not find her jewelry. We searched the bags. Not there. We thought back to the packing and I recalled distinctly that she had moved the bag containing the jewelry from her suitcase to a backpack, to save weight in the suitcase (which we knew, instinctively, was pushing the 50lb airline limit). But the bag was not in the backpack which also contained 6 cans of Pepsi and an insulated container of medicine that had to remain chilled. I had put the medicine in the minifridge when we got into the room, before I went shopping, and she had put the Pepsi in the minifridge while I was out.
Anyway, we could not find the jewelry and became convinced that, somehow, we had left it on the ship. We spent an hour trying to figure out how to notify the Luminosa that we may have left the jewelry bag on board. I found a way to file a lost item claim online and did so. But Marlene wanted to try to reach the ship by phone and went down to enlist the front desk in assisting in that task. While she was out I got a Pepsi from the minifridge – I needed a drink of some kind – and found the bag of jewelry on the shelf below the sodas.
Yeah, chilled jewelry.
Anyway, Marlene explained that she thought the bag contained the medicine which I had already put in the fridge.
Disaster averted. But it was a rough start to the morning and it tainted the entire day. The entire beautiful day. I went to lunch with Maureen and Dottie but Marlene said she wasn’t hungry. We had some wonderful fish and chips at Irish Murphy’s, an Irish pub on the corner of the hotel’s block. And a heavenly pint of Kilkenny Red Ale. We ate lunch while listening to some Irish music. A fine lunch. But without Marlene.
Public art in downtown BrisbaneOutside Irish Murphy’sA fine fish and chips lunchBrisbane by night
When I got back to the hotel Marlene was gone. And didn’t return for several hours. She was a bit miffed at me for going to lunch without her (though she was invited) and decided to explore the city on her own.
I went out, too, and got some lovely shots of a beautiful city at night. I also ventured into the Treasury Casino and was amazed to find penny slot machines which actually let me make a 1-cent bet. I bet a bit more than that and did well for a while, but ended down $10 Australian (about $7 US).
We never did have dinner that night but had more or less made up by the time the lights were turned out
This was the last full day aboard the Carnival Luminosa. After breakfast I attended a couple of trivia contests where I did poorly. I made one final attempt to break my losing streak in the casino and failed – lost $30 (down $590 with one small bonus in $430 in losses). I should have just stayed out of the casino this last week on board. The machines just ate my money.
At lunch we saw the passenger who gives gifts to the crew. He has given out hundreds – maybe even thousands – of dollars in gifts and cash to the crew. In the afternoon we attended the crew talent show where crew members who are not part of the regular entertainment staff get a chance to show their skills. They were all terrific. The surprise was an operetta duet with Captain Binacchi and Mikka, one of the “fun crew,” who demonstrated a fine soprano voice. Very impressive.
Gift GuyServer singingMikka and Captain Binacchi
Most of the rest of the day was spent saying goodbye to friends we met on the ship. In the evening we attended the final show – three mediocre comedians.
