BACK FROM ANOTHER TRIP. SECOND ONE THIS YEAR.
This trip was very different in that I was asked by a friend( my house sitter) to join her on a cruise because her cabin mate( whom she was put with by the cruise liner) had decided to pull out. She would have had to pay for 2 people if I didn't come. So I decided to come and just pay my share.
The cruise was from Sydney to Cairn and Port Douglas via the great barrier reef.
It also stopped at Airlie Beach.
We flew to Sydney on the 4th of August, stayed the night before at a motel nearby as it was an early morning flight.
The flight departed at 7.30 am. We got to Sydney and took the local train to the CBD.
Raining and we managed to walk from the station to the hotel without getting too wet. The Siesta Hotel is a very basic 2 star hotel with twin or double rooms with NO ensuite There is a commoin lounge and far in the end of the hall was a bathroom.
Quite a horrible bathroom actually. It has such a small cubicle that you can't dry yourself or change into other clothes. You have a run across to the toilet and change/dry there. How ridiculous is that?
In this trip, I had organised nothing. I just tagged along. Not what I am used to.
The next day we go to the ship by Uber( because of the luggage) and we finally get to board the ship. We met 2 nice young Canadian girls at that hotel who were also going on this cruise. We met them several times again during the cruise. Very nice girls.
I made google photo albums for each of the trips. We did B2B ( back to back) cruises and then stayed inn Sydney afterwards.
I'll put a few collages of the photos I have made.
The trip was 90% successful but found out that my friend has BPD ( borderline personality disorder) after 3 different outbursts of anger, suddenly and un expectantly about nothing much and the next day she would act as if nothing had happened. Also it's someone who " knows everything" and with each statement or story you tell or even a question, she will answer" I know" or I already knew that.
Even with strangers, she always said" I know" , no matter what it was they talked to her about.
Towards the end it became quite oppressive, and I felt like I was walking on eggshells worried about what would be the trigger to her next anger outburst. And when I would say" OK I say nothing then, she said I was " passive aggressive" sometimes you just can't win, can you.
But I still enjoyed my cruise, I made the most of it. I made new friends, I met my friend Janice here from Tauranga which was amazing, I didn't know she was here( on the 2nd cruise) I had dinner with them twice( her and her Mum) Another couple I met prayed for me while I had experienced my first shock of Wendy's outburst.
At the end of the 2 cruises Wendy had organised 6 days in Sydney( in that horrible hotel again) but I didn't think I would last 6 days. On the Sunday I had re-booked my flight from Thursday to Tuesday and I felt a great burden lifted off my shoulder. That night she did another anger outburst. She flips from " Oh I love you, you are like a sister" to " I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE" when she got all angry about me reminding her to turn off the light early in the morning" so the switching on and off the different personalities are what you call Borderline personality disorder, it often comes from a traumatic childhood which she definitely had . I have actually talked to a mental healthcare worker about this who did confirm that it sounded like BPD.
So I left on good terms and as " friends" but I know for sure that I will NEVER travel with her again.
I left on Tuesday and I was home on Tuesday night at 9:45 pm.
