Tuesday - February 20, 2018

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Today we arrived at Albany, Western Australia. A free shuttle took us on a short ride to the Town Square. It was cloudy and very windy, but not rainy. We had donned our fleece jackets, so we were quite comfortable. Many local crafters had set up booths on the green. The principal offerings were jewelry, gemstones and photography. All of the products were high quality and reasonably priced. The priceless aspect was the great conversations with the crafters. They freely explained their techniques and showed off their tools. They were as happy to converse, as they were to sell their wares.

On one side of the square was the library. Many people were seated around the front of the building trying to connect to the free Internet. This was a lost cause. We moved on.

The main street was very nice. The shops were nicely stocked. Again the people were eager to explain what a great place this was to live. We made our way to the shopping center. It featured a Coles (groceries and things), K Mart (yes the same as ours only bigger) and a large discount pharmacy. The latter was of interest to us because we learned in our last visit that a pain relief medication, Voltaran, was available over the counter here. At home it requires a prescription, and costs 3 times what it costs here. We got a large tube. It was even on sale, making it an even better buy. Who needs jewelry anyway?

After several hours of visiting and walking we headed back toward the ship. The sun had come out. We shed our fleece as we left the main drag and headed toward the boat harbor. Several tuna boat and sailboats were docked here. The sea plays a big role in the economy. Back at the cruise terminal we were treated to a jolly farewell.

As we sailed away the captain explained that the large siloes across the road from our dock were for wheat. This is loaded onto grain carriers for shipment to China. Piled high just beyond the granary was silica sand. It is shipped to Japan where it is used in making glass for automobile windshields. Finally there were high piles of wood chips. These are also shipped to Japan for making paper.

We left Albany behind and set course for Fremantle. This is just a short hop away. We will arrive at 4PM tomorrow.