A 100 yard dash holding my pants up with one hand and my belt and coat with the other heralded my entry to the United States.
This was the American Airlines x-ray security check at Los Angeles LAX Airport working its magic again.
It is situated in a huge hall rather like a museum, with an enormous American Flag draped on one wall. The x-ray outfit is on the first floor but the queue is often several thousand people long and extends downstairs and out into the street for hundreds of yards.
This might appear daunting to anyone not used to American efficiency in moving lots of people. I have seen over two thousand people cleared in twenty minutes at this check point when the eight x-rays are working.
I had cleared passport control, customs and American Airlines check in with alarming speed. The plane from Auckland had been late. Even so I had forty minutes for the big one. That is the dreaded xray check.
There were only about three hundred people in front of me and the line was moving. Then I realized that it was moving in circles. A man who was in front of me was now behind me. He, and several others, complained to the security guard about this and was waved through the barrier. I quietly joined this group.
At least I could see the bank of x-ray machines. Unfortunately there were only two teams working. I think it was lunch time.
The time ticked by and air crew joined the group. The queue behind extended out of site. Desperate people began calling their flight time. I had about ten minutes to go and called 1.45 a few times.
I had everything ready.
All metal objects in my hands including my belt.
My shoes off.
"Come on." somebody said.
There was a mad dash to shove everything though the scanner while I went through the metal detector.
On with the shoes left with laces untied, I grabbed the rest of the gear and was off running for gate 48B, the furthermost point of the terminal. (Of course).
It did occur to me that I was attracting a lot of attention and might stop a bullet from some gun toting guard but none came my way.
At the boarding point I was puffing too much to speak but they just waved me onto the plane where I dressed in the aisle before sitting down.
We left almost immediately, leaving behind the rest on the short list the cabin attendant was holding. If I had not run I would have missed it.
This would probably have caused me to miss the Cruise.
We were soon flying over the Grand Canyon which gave way to cowboy country.
Endless desert.
The clouds took over and I dozed off and on. Soft drinks are free and a turkey roll can be purchased for $5 US.
There was a credit card telephone on the back of each seat.
Four and a half hours later it was 9.30 PM Miami time and we were there.
A shuttle bus or large van whisked me to my hotel at South Beach where I met my sister Beverley.
We had lots to talk about.
Beverley had taken a tour to the tourist town Key West few hours drive to the south. It was not as she expected. It turned out not to be an air conditioned tour bus but an air conditioned van with bench seats.
Well it was air conditioned until one of the passengers went insane and attacked the air conditioning demolishing it completely and then turned his attention to one of the passengers.
The police eventually arrived and carted him off.
Beverley was so unnerved that she abandoned the tour and caught a Greyhound bus back to Miami where she was put down in a very bad looking street where she eventually managed to get a taxi back to the hotel.
The following morning we checked out and met up with our nephew Kevin who took us on a sightseeing tour on the way up to Fort Lauderdale where our Cruise ship was leaving.
The weather was just perfect. Not too hot blue skies and just the suggestion of a breeze.
We checked the bags aboard the "Lirica"and went to lunch at an upmarket waterfront restaurant.
I enjoyed an American steak amongst the luxury cruisers.
Kevin works for a pool installation company and is a permanent resident of the US along with his wife Lisette and 10 year old daughter Samantha
Back to the "Lirica" we farewelled Kevin and picked up our ships credit card. The ship is cashless. Lock your wallet in the safe unless you want to gamble.
A standard tipping fee of $132 per person for the trip covered all tipping. We each gave our waiter and the cabin attendant $20. The service througout had been excellent.
All food is included in the cruise cost and the only items that can be bought with the card are drinks served by a waiter, ice creams, duty free items from the shops and photos etc.
The ship was almost brand new having been launched in France in 2002 60,000 tons does 40 kph with 2,100 guests and 700 crew.
We only had 1,600 guests on our cruise.
Two 13,000 horse power diesel electic motors work the two main propellers plus 2 other electric propellers in the stern which can point in any direction and are used for steering instead of a rudder and two electric propellers in the bows that go left or right.
All this means that it It can go sideways and never needs a tug to berth it.
It can turn 360 Degrees in less than its own length. and coupled with the extremely shallow draft of 20 feet it can visit ports previously inaccesable to cruise ships of this size.
The stabilizers are very much like aeroplane wings that protrude from the side of the ship when it gets going.
Always well below the water line they use flaps to couneract the roll of the vessel. The pitch fore and aft caused by the ocean swell or waves is not controlled.
In moderate seas the result is almost no movement sensation at all but occassionly an unexpected lurch.
We did have one bad night where the ocean swell was quite dramatic and a lot of people were sea sick.
The motion is nothing like a regular vessell like the Manly Ferry. It is no movement and then a severe movement.
As we were cruising in calm waters for the whole 3,000 miles it was a very stable journey over all.
Now, 4 days after leaving the ship I am still feeling the movement.
There are 13 levels on the ship and for excercise I would walk from 5 to 13 several times a day up the stairs ..
Below 5 was out of bounds
There were numerous restaurants and bars. An 800 person auditorium where there were several live shows each night.
At least 3 singers or pianists plus a 14 piece big band played at night
On the main deck there were 2 swimming pools, spas, saunas and gymnasium, childrens play room etc.
On the very top level there was mini golf.
The main activity was doing nothing, eating and then doing nothing again.
The eating part started at 6 am with early morning coffee. Two restaurants serve smorgasboad breakfast at 6.30. All you can eat.Bacon,eggs sausages,pancakes fruit, cornfakes, The list goes on and on.
This can be eaten in the restaurant,on the deck or bought to your cabin at no extra cost.
All food and drink is delivered to the cabin at no extra charge. It is just that the breakfast must be ordered the previous night.
Tea and coffee is available 24 hrs near the pools.
From Noon there are two restaurants serving smorgasbord lunch plus 2 with a la carte and the poolside snack bar serving 3 types of Pizza,roast pork or beef,vegs, hot chips, hamburger, hot dogs and occassional batches of cakes. There is a man with a stand who will make a pasta of your choice while you wait.
This goes on till sometime in the evening.
At midnight there is another smorgasbord open till the wee hours.
The passengers were mainly from the US but several came from Australia and NZ.
Mianly it was a cruise for wedding anniversaries and the like.
Very few singles.
Everybody was quite friendly and the crew were very couteous.
Some people spent much of their lives on cruise ships.
One man was staying on the ship and going to Italy.
Ours was the last cruise of the season. Hurricans are due shortly.
After Italy the ship was going to Norway or somewhere like that.
The officers were Italian and the others were Indonesian.
There were a few problems with the Italian speaking crew.
Mainly with written instructions,
The Italian crew and Italian passengers would group together and carry on shouting matches at any time. These would go on and on.
They were always very polite and well behaved apart from this.
There was always entertainment.
Craft shows, dance lessons, games of all sorts.
Our cruise had Basketball Greats. Retired Basketball stars giving lectures. Plus the 15 piece Big Band which played slow dances every night.
Numerous live shows, some of a very high standard. The entertainers must have gone from island to island working the cruise ships for the season.
All in all, a well organised and enjoyable trip.
My only complaint was the overpriced, slow and ineficient internet.
60 cents a minute and it lost numerous mesages.
Later.
Back home in Sydney planning my next trip.
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