Today was spent entirely at sea, leaving Komodo, Indonesia and heading for the first port in Australia - Darwin.
However, the day was filled with fascinating activity. First off was a lecture on "The History of Astronomy" by the Resident Astronomy Lecturer, Dr. Alan E. Wright. In a fast-paced hour, he traced the path from ancients' star-gazing to satellite technology to radio astronomy, which is his particular field of expertise.
The second fascinating lecture was delivered by Dr. Paul Scully-Power, the first Australian astronaut. He flew in the first Challenger spacecraft to be on a scientific mission and had great stories to tell. His observations of the excitement of the loaunch and the incredible views of earth from orbit were made real from some photographs he personally took while on the mission. Viking has a knack for choosing eminent individuals for their guest lecturers and we are the beneficiaries.
And the third guest lecture was by Dr. Peter Donovan on "Australia's Aboriginal History". With some minor variations, the story seemed to be very much like the treatment of the Native American Indian population, except a century later. He reported on recent progress in the national recognition of the place of aborigines in Australian society, with much more to be accomplished.
Interspersed between the lectures were our appearance before an onboard Australian Immigration Officer to take care of the immigration and customs details, a delicious lunch at our favorite place - an elegant snack-bar called Mamsens, a walk around the ship's running track and mid-afternoon cappuccino. And this evening, we will dine at Manfredi's Italian restaurant, one of the two specialty restaurants onboard. Passengers are allotted one, two or three reservations at these places according to the cabin level.
The photo is of the sundown over the ocean last evening. Tomorrow we land in Australia. More to come...
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