Unplugged

After nearly a fortnight offline while we cruised through Australia's Kimberley area on the Coral Adventurer I am now back at my keyboard playing catchup.  I considered buying an expensive internet package several times during the cruise but  was cautioned by those who had done so that it was a waste of money for poor and patchy connections. 

Ready to board our floating home in Darwin, NT

On my "to do" list today was an update of my GeniAus Travel Map on Google's My Maps. I was so disappointed to find that many of the remote places we visited are not in the Google maps database so my update is not complete. I am loathe to add the places now as I'm not sure how to determine correct GPS coordinates - a task for another day. I wish I could have added them at the time I was there so I could gauge accurate GPS locations. 

Some people find being unplugged from the internet and mobile phones restful. I found it most frustrating returning to a world where I wasn't able to connect with my family, share the joy of my journey with friends, post to my blog and find answers or seek information on many topics. I was concerned that the kids would hear about the Covid cases on board and worry about our health and welfare. I wish I could have been able to avoid this.

This display which didn't provide much info was only available in the ship's lounge

In the cabins or on the ship there were no TVs with access to news channels. I missed knowing what was going on in the world but was pleased that I wasn't being bombarded with pre-election nonsense. As the journey's itinerary was flexible it would have been helpful to have been able to follow a livestream of our journey's progress and the view from the bridge. 

I have travelled on other cruise lines eg Regent Seven Seas, Scenic and Viking that include internet in their packages and/or have TVs in the rooms. While we don't overuse the TV or access the movies on offer it's a facility I love to have. Being able to have reasonable internet access (no need for super high speeds) would have further enhanced our wonderful journey of discovery.