Friday was act like a tourist day. We celebrated by signing up for a full day cruise and tour. (I knew better than to get only a three hour tour - we all know how that went.)
We met up in the early morning with our tour companions. Magnus, a telecom expert from Sweden and Vidia, a doctor from Malaysia who was in town for a conference where she was advocating for a standardization of nutrition care in premature infants.
(I explained that I was promoting the standardization of crunch berries to crunch squares in a box of Captain Crunch. Can't stand it when you get to the final bowl and there is a disproportionate number of squares to berries. Hey, it's a serious cause, man!)
On the way to Port Arthur to catch our cruise we stopped for morning tea, and swapped adventure stories. Magnus shared that just a few weeks ago, he and his wife were skiing when they got caught in a blizzard. They had to dig a snow cave to wait out the storm.
Not to be out done, I regaled them with a tale about the time I endured staying at that one hotel with the lumpy pillows. I think Magnus was impressed with my fortitude and courage under such dire conditions.
We then met up with the rest of the cruisers, got into our waterproof overalls, and set out for a ride to Tasman Island.
The sun still hadn't made an appearance, and we were warned that the boat may not be able to make it all the way to the island due to the inclement weather.
But despite facing swells as tall as the boat, we did indeed make the full journey, managing to add dolphins, seals, sea eagles and albatrosses to our experience. No one shot at the albatross, so we were also able to return without having to endure bouts of epic poetry.
The scenery along the way was awe inspiring and well worth the expenditure of a half day.
After lunch in Port Arthur, we split up for afternoon adventures. Cath, Magnus and I went to a Tasmanian Devil Sanctuary, where we saw the little devils in action (and in inaction, as some were asleep).
We also got to walk among a flock (herd? Pack? A hoppit?) of kangaroos.
The highlight was the bird show, which included not only a variety of birds, but tricks as well. I was most impressed by a bird that was trained to fly into a patron's hand, take a dollar coin in his beak and fly back to deposit the coin in his trainer's pocket.
I was less pleased to learn they trained the kangaroos to pick pockets, and the wallabies to run credit card numbers. How that wallaby figured out my pin I'll never know.
After the bus returned us to Hobart, we met up with John and Ros for a traditional Tassie meal - at a Chinese restaurant. A very good time, indeed!
Just my thoughts,
Sean
