Westerdam
Captain: Souter van Hoogdalem
Cruise Director: Nick J. Hollevoet
Service Crew:
Dining; Duryat and Iman
State room 4101; Juko and Fathuri
It is a 14-day trip, and the ship is only a little more than half full. That suits us fine. Passengers are mostly old and in poor heaith, which also fits
in well with us. In fact, being able to walk freely without using a walker or stick may even make us feeling somewhat superior among our sickly shipmates.
We are heading north to Juneau and sailing through the relatively calm water of the inner channel. Nevertheless, slight wavering of the ship is inevitable. I barely notice it, but for Betty, it is enough to induce uncontrolable imbalance and upset stomach. So much so, she must undertake various anti-seasick measures such as chewing green apples, using special wrist bands or tiny behind-the-ear buttons. Once we are out in the ocean going southeast toward Japan, she definitely will need medication to survive the more violent trans-Pacific water upheavals.
Juneau is the capital city of Alaska, and the second largest city in size in the USA. That was not the impression we got when we arrived. The main street was only about one mile long and, from end to end, there seemed to be nothing but jewelry stores. On our arrival, we totally overwhelmed the downtown area, and could hardly find a local native on the street to ask for directions. Fortunately, the city library is right by the
cruise ship terminal. We love the local library when we come to a new place because that’s where we may have the safest internet services, the most reliable local information, and the cleanest toilet facility.
It’s the 3rd sea day after Juneau and a rough one. Fighting 18-foot waves, the ship swayed widely, groaning in bone-grinding agony. When the waves hit the ship head-on, the groaning became thunderous booms. For Betty, that meant seasick nightmare and time to take medication.
On Captain’s night, instead of letting people asking him stupid questions, the Captain starts by giving a detailed description on ship operation, from engine maintenance to control room setup, which is actually very informative and educational. The captain also takes the opportunity to honor loyal passengers with extended histories aboard Holland Cruise Lines. Those on top of the list, with over a thousand total cruise days, are recognized and given plagues. It is reported that more and more people choose to reside on cruise ships, because the cost is affortable, actually comparable to living in New York City.
Deck 3 has a walkway circle. Three laps around the ship add up to about one mile. As up there it is always windy, shaky and slippery, people on deck walk like drunks —- never in a straight line. It takes me half an hour every day to cover that 3-lap mile, rain or shine, for my daily exercise.
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As we gain one hour every time we travel west by one time zone, would we be getting younger if we keep going west? Well, we have just crossed the International Date Line, thereby losing one full day on record. In other words, to cancel the time gains, the day 10-08 is now skipped. No gain, no pain, no problem!
The crow’s nest on desk 10 is my favorite hideout. It is located at the tower in the forefront of the ship, with a 180 degree viewing lookout points. People there playing games, reading, or just doing their own things. Mom rarely shows up because supposedly this location sway the most and could cause the worst seasick for her. For me I just love it here and I spend hours sitting in front of my iPad, writing my reports or communicating with the outside world or just relax doing nothing.
Arriving in Kushiro
Supposedly, as a well known city, Juneau is on the map, large and small, and serves as a landmark for Alaska, while Kushiro is just the opposit and a little obscured off-shore island in Japan. In reality, as mentioned earlier, Juneau is hardly impressive, with only a mile-long main street and not much else. On the other hand, this obscured Kushiro is surprisedly noticable. First of all, it is sparkling clean. Even in Japan, where cleaness is a national norm, Kusiro stands out. As usual, I visited the city library. And as expected, everything is super clean. Then I went to the rest room. In front of me, labled as a toilet room, is a pure white elaberate facility. A crystal clean paradise. So clean, in fact, it is intimitating. I was scared I might contaminate it if I walk in, let alone to pee and poo in there. ＇
Your report is as good as what we could get if we were there physically. Above all we do not have to travel thousands of miles to be there to take pictures. Thanks.