Live! The Grouch on the Noordam for 38 days to New Zealand, Sept. 30, 2018

[erewhon]

Good to read updates of your Trans Pacific cruise.

[Mary Ellen]

Loving your ‘Live from...’ it is SO you.  I can just hear you.  Please say hi to Mrs. Whogo for us. 

[whogo]

Friday, October 12, 2018. At sea, headed toward Samoa

At 7:45 AM we were headed southwest, 204° at 16.9 kts position 04°08.98' N 163°41.82'. Still a fur piece from the 180° meridian, the international date line must make a big jog to the east. Getting close to the equator, the King Neptune ceremony is planned for tomorrow.

I have figured out when and how to do meals in the Lido with minimal aggravation. Breakfast was a snap. Sat outside at the aft pool in ideal weather, slight breeze, warm, pleasant temperature and near silence. Very peaceful.

I moved down to a promenade deck chair for more reading. These chairs are popular, I have always found one vacant. Lido lunch lamb was delicious.

Not much to report from Captain Henk Draper's question and answer session. He blamed the laundry for some of the vibration we feel, makes sense, the spin cycle on our washer shakes our house, the massive laundry equipment onboard could shake the ship. Captain Draper does not lose any sleep to worry. The barbells in the gym wake him up, though, his cabin is right below.

Played by myself at afternoon trivia, scored 13 out of 17. The smart team had 16.

The dinner menu did not appeal, not worth two hours of our time in the dining room. We dined instead in the Lido, lamb once again for me, will I ever tire of it? Had fun at evening trivia, Erica is a wonderful host, had even more fun at music trivia, again with Erica, an all disco 70's event with dancing and singing.

With the piano bar closed for the night, there was nothing left to do but cross the equator. We crossed from 00°00.01 N to 00°00.01 S at 11:24 PM, never saw 00°00.00 N/S, wondered if the system can handle that longitude. It is embarrassing to confess it, but crossing the international date line and equator by sea was one of the major draws of this cruise.

[Tinker's mom]

Whogo I open the forum just to look for your updates.  I enjoy your style of writing and your sense of humour.  Thanks for posting.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Loving your reports!!

[puppycanducruise]

So happy the site is back up and we are able to read your thread.

Keep up the good work, looking forward to reading more.

[GeorgesGal]

Wonderful funny read, Whogo!

[whogo]

Slowly catching up, not as much fun posting late.

Saturday, October 13, 2018.  At Sea Headed SSE to Samoa

Slept late, must be the weird spinning from being in the southern hemisphere. Tried to watch water spin down the drain backwards and it would not spin.

We were not interested in attending the Mariner's brunch at 11:00.

The King Neptune equator crossing ceremony was poorly organized, took me a half hour to register. The king was late. I floundered across the equator, lost my spectacles, recovered my spectacles, and kissed the fish, I have advanced from pollywog to shellback, received the certificate, no tee shirt.

When the internet is particularly sluggish, I assume that someone with the premium plan is viewing cat videos.

Lost at afternoon and evening trivia, no surprise there. Fairly quick dinner at a table for two in the dining room, she had swordfish, I rare prime rib. Listened to 30 seconds of classical (?) acoustic guitarist Fabio Zini's showroom performance, Mrs. Whogo lasted 3 songs. One critic said all the songs sounded the same. Listened to a few numbers at B.B. King's, I like the 45 minutes of nearly continuous good music, no idle chitchat. Ended the evening at the piano bar.

Apia, Samoa tomorrow, all ports and countries from here on are new to us.

 

[whogo]

Sunday, October 14, 2018, last sea day before Apia, Samoa

Sat down a little after 8:00 next to two saved deck chairs on the promenade deck and started my stop watch. The chairs sat empty for an hour and three minutes before the couple returned. Female subject managed to sit in it for 34 minutes before leaving for 23 minutes. Dibbed for two hours, used for 34 minutes. Lost interest in my stopwatch and chair hogs and stopped grinding my teeth, I have always found a chair, won't try to change the world.

Slightly more motion than previous days, occasionally stagger a bit, still nothing to speak of, have not heard of any motion sickness sufferers. Odd question of the day, “What religion are those people with the tan dots behind their ear?”

Read most of the day on the promenade deck. Finished Tim Dorsey's “Riptide Ultra-Glide” and started the second “Girl with...” book.

Lost twice at trivia, did well on a tough evening game. Closed the night again in the piano bar.

[kazu]

LOL on the people with the tanned dots behind their ears 😉

Sorry your King Neptune party was late but congrats on kissing the fish.  You are definitely a shellback if you did that 😄 

Glad you are back and really enjoying your posts.  Thanks for struggling through this new site to share with us.  We appreciate it.

[whogo]

Monday, October 15, 2018. Apia, Samoa

Land ho! The Apia harbor looks well protected, the dock well constructed to this landlubber. Green, hilly island, tie up about 7:30 with welcoming canned music and about 40 native dancers. Must be about a mile from the dock around the harbor to town, where an old, white, twin towered dome topped church is visible amid some larger modern buildings that I take to be hotels. The heat and humidity could be from summer at home, but not the palm trees and ocean. All the shore I can see is protected by black lava rock, I see no sandy beaches.

Our tour was a disappointment. There were too many of us, 120, maybe, 7 buses, 17 passengers on our bus. Our guide's tag read 'Gustav', she pronounced her name Gustava. She did not offer a whole lot of information.

Quote

Vailele Village & Museum of Samoa
Departs: 10:30 AM
Approximately 4 Hours
Adult $79.95; Child $39.95
Fifteen minutes from Apia you will enter the 'real' Samoa at Vailele Village. Once a plantation town and important commercial center, Vailele now simply offers an interesting glimpse of village life.
During your 11⁄2-hour stay in Vailele, you will be welcomed with a kava ceremony inside the Catholic Mission Compound. Once that is completed, guests will watch entertainment and the making of an umu, Samoan food cooked Samoan style over hot stones covered with banana and breadfruit leaves. Don't miss the chance to taste this delicious slow-cooked food.
The women's committee will teach you a bit of basket weaving, and show you how to make sun visors and picnic mats from coconut leaves. There are also stalls selling handicrafts and lava lavas (island sarongs) for sale. The funds generated are used for village projects such as schooling and potable water.
Returning to Apia you'll visit the Museum of Samoa. On display are some remarkable early photographs, traditional clothing, carvings, tools, weapons and artifacts. Spend 45 minutes browsing at this small but interesting facility.
Finally, you will head to the Mulinuu Peninsula, offering a lovely view of the capital city and the harbor; then, head back to the ship.
Notes:
Tour does not operate on Sundays.

The Museum of Samoa had few artifacts, difficult to view with all us crowded in at once. Framed old photos on the stairway were the most interesting. Drove around a while to kill time, we were not expected at the village until 10:30.

The village visit was poorly organized, any instructions given were ignored. There were maybe ten women and six men in lava lavas. As the last bus to arrive, we saw where the umu was, too crowded for me to see anything of the food or its preparation. The kava ceremony was held in a large pavilion open on four sides with a low railing around it. Despite instructions to sit down, many of our fellow tourists were unable or unwilling to do so. I saw the legs of the people standing in front of me, heard a bit of the ceremony, over the sound of a weed whacker outside, saw a native move a long stick around, have no clue what that was about. If I were chanting away in a tongue no one understood, I'd be chanting about idiot tourists who think that 120 people can take part in kava ceremony. A couple of performers dipped kava from a punch bowl, offered it to those who wanted it, rinsed the cups hurriedly in a bowl of water between offerings. I accepted one of the last servings, know I have been exposed to every bug the rest of my fellow tourists had on their lips and fingers. Kava had a woody flavor that lingered. Wish me luck. That which does not kill us...

Could not see the umu opened, either. Fish, taro, and something green that looked like creamed spinach were offered on paper plates. I ate with my fingers, as instructed, picking up more germs, wish me luck again. Food was bland, not bad.

The “stalls selling handicrafts and lava lavas” was a table with some fabric and fans for sale. If there was a basket weaving lesson, I missed it.

I had a good seat for the dance performance, the best part of the visit. Did not appreciate the repeated requests for donations.

Hey, guess what they added to the excursion itinerary? A shopping stop! We spent a half hour at the fruit and vegetable market, mostly closed, no locals shopping. Pumpkin like gourds and banana chips were the most interesting thing I saw. We drove through a small turn out for our “lovely view of the capital city and the harbor” at what might have been Mulinuu Peninsula. It was a relief to return to the ship for lunch.

Heard that the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum was open in spite of the national holiday (Monday off following White Sunday (Children's Sunday)), took a taxi to find it had closed 5 minutes earlier. Took a nature hike instead through nice forested land, nothing like home, highlight of the day. Trails were well maintained, wish I knew more about the local flora and fauna. Assume the mother-in-law tongue we saw was introduced. Made it back to the ship for a shower before afternoon trivia.

[Sailnsurf]

Hello Mr W

Have really enjoyed following your journey and your quirky humour which I sense has been a little strained today. I hope nothing that  some wine and lamb chops will not put right.

I recall the vibrations on the Noordam during a Mediterranean cruise in 2014. We had an aft cabin on deck 5. My She Who Must Be Obeyed (borrowed from John Mortimer) (SWMBO) was nearly bounced off the bed. The ship must have changed gear and suddenly accelerated or something. ( I know ships do not really do that) Fortunately, nothing as severe as that happened again but there was a constant slight but noticeable vibration throughout the ship. Flowers in a vase in the Crows Nest were visibly shaking. Hope its better now or that the planned upgrade in 2019 will fix it. She is a lovely ship.

Be hearted that there are more sheep than people living in your destination New Zealand. You should be able to feast well on lamb chops to your heart and stomachs content.  I look forward to your continued good humour - I reckon you could give Nelson Demille  a run for his money. Keep it up. 

[Bruinboy]

You are back. Apparently, the people who put together your Apia excursion in Samoa also were in charge of updating these forums in a timely manner. Keep the posts coming. I enjoy hearing your updates. Remember to look for me on November 8th. I’ll be the guy boarding as you are disembarking. I appreciate your keeping an eye on the folk in 6059 for me. Let me know if we need to bring extra disinfectant with us. 

[whogo]

Tuesday, October 16, 2018. At sea, headed towards Fiji.

Read most of the morning on the promenade deck under ideal conditions, for me, witnessed championship chair hogging.  Saw a couple of sea birds, (terns?) skim across the waves.

We heard a group singing “Edelweiss” as we approached the dining room, they were formally dressed Japanese. They switched to an Italian song as we continued on our way. Good company for dinner, rack of lamb was not the winning meal, flavorless again. Mrs. Whogo's sole looked good, as did the filet mignon, although I think that adding Bearnaise sauce is overkill.

Skipped “Soundstage” by the singers and dancers, listened a bit to BB King's and hung out in the piano bar when I wasn't reading.  Seas were a bit rougher today, saw some staggering, felt myself rise off the bed and fall back into it. Have not heard any reports of sea sickness.

Wednesday, October 17, 2018, Suva, Vitu Levu, Fiji

At the appointed time of 2:00 AM I set my watch back an hour. Raining, low visibility at 6:30 AM, I let the captain dock us at 18°08.00' S 178°25.42 E. Channel 40 erroneously reported wind speed of 21 kts from port.

It stopped raining, we headed down, found it had started raining lightly. Our umbrella was not doing the trick, went back for our raincoats, went back down and saw that rain was coming down in sheets. Postponed our walk until after lunch.

Bula!

Locals greet us with “bula” and we reply in kind. “Bula” is probably a friendly greeting, but you never know what foreigners are up to. Either way, exchanging the greeting brought a smile to my face. It rained lightly as we headed for the Fuji Museum on foot.

First stop: the covered vegetable market. We recognized most of what was on sale, pineapples, coconuts, carrots, okra, cilantro, eggplant and lots more. Also had some elixirs on sale.

Continued through the city, walked past the shops and banks. Second stop was at the Carnegie Library, didn't know Carnegie's generosity extended so far.

My card was no good at one ATM, withdrew FJ$100 (about US$50, I hope) from the next. Viewed the big government building, looked like it was designed behind the Iron Curtain. Just past we found the gardens and Fiji Museum. We looked for bats in the trees without finding any. The Fiji Museum was worth the walk and FJ$10 admission. I had not realized that Fiji was settled 3200 years ago, amazed that people managed to settle the Pacific islands, makes Columbus's accomplishment seem like nothing. Favorite exhibits were the canoes, war clubs and a helmet made from a spiny blowfish. Postcards were a bargain. Drank a cola and a water at the museum cafe, needed to rehydrate.

It stopped raining! The walk back to the ship was more pleasant with a warm raincoat. Lots of uniformed school girls out, got mixed up with a group who walked as if on a field trip, did not recognize a teacher with them. Did not see any uniformed school boys.

Avoided a loss at afternoon trivia, no game today, lost at night. I skipped “Planet Earth II in Concert” in the showroom, Mrs. Whogo gave it a good review.

 

[whogo]

Thursday, October 18, 2018. Dravuni Island, Fiji

Beach day today, Dravuni is a small island with few inhabitants only 43 miles from our last port of Suva. Overcast, but not raining, we are anchored at 18°45.12' S, 178°30.69 E. Cruise director Jai repeated the Fijian warning against bringing any foodstuffs ashore.

Picked up our tender tickets at BB King's and headed immediately down a couple of decks, was surprised that so many fellow cruisers could not follow directions to the tenders or BB King's.

Overcast skies (the Chamber of Commerce would term them partly cloudy) are ideal for me, I do not need direct tropical sun. Dravuni is a tropical paradise with palm trees, white, sandy beaches, clear water and few inhabitants. We climbed to the island's highest spot, the trail was popular with the German speakers aboard. Watched a group eating foodstuffs brought from the ship, I have given up hope for the human race. Steep climb in places, worth it for the views of neighboring islands, a long reef, and the ship. One couple completed the route barefoot, glad I wore shoes and socks.

They are filming the French version of the TV show “Survivor” on Dravuni, yellow tape kept us from intruding. Other cruisers reported some interaction with the contestants. Never watched a minute of the show, they filmed people standing on posts or something, if that makes sense to any fans of the series. I heard the large yacht anchored at a neighboring island held the production crew.

I lounged on the beach and headed to the ship for lunch, Mrs. Whogo stayed ashore longer.

Lost at afternoon and evening trivia, still fun to play. Good table mates for dinner, I had the always available steak, Mrs. Whogo the always available salmon.

Felt the Boys in the Band yelled their way through their songs in the showroom. Fellow cruiser Dave, a one-time trivia teammate, was selected to sing the “do do do do dos” with the Boys, stole the show, he can sing and dance.

Finished the night in the piano bar and BB King's. Have to admit that BB King's is a great addition to Holland America.

[erewhon]

Enjoying your reports. Thank you.

Pleased that cruise ships are returning to  Apia, following rebuilding  after cyclone damage.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Enjoying your reports.

[whogo]

Friday, October 19, 2018. Lautoka, Fiji

Lautoka is on Vitu Levu, the same island as our first Fijian port of Suva, 75 miles away as the crow flies. Yesterday's Dravuni Island is only 107 miles away. We have not traveled far the last couple of days. We are alongside at 17°36.28' S, 177°26.27' E. It is still weird to be in the southern and eastern hemispheres.

Mrs. Whogo hung up her raincoat inside out, just to annoy me. What part of my OCD doesn't she understand? She claims it does not bother her either that the vent in our cabin door is noticeably lower on the right hand side. She must be crazy, how can a crooked vent not bother her?

Repetitive warnings not to take foodstuffs off the ship were ignored, officials were checking and catching people. Oh, good, more warning announcements.

We alit on the dock at about 9:00 and hired a taxi for three hours to take us to Garden of the Sleeping Giant. http://www.gsgfiji.com/ Enjoyed the half hour drive there, our driver was chatty and Fiji is nothing like home. Followed a slow moving pickup for a while, it was acting as a hearse for a Hindu funeral.

FJ$18 admission each, about US$18 for the two of us to visit the lovely garden. Actor Raymond Burr started the garden, I remember his speaking of his love of orchids. The garden has lots of orchids, the variety was amazing, some grew taller than a man. I got a kick out of watching numerous frogs walking on lily pads at the pond. Nice walk through the forested garden, I would have appreciated some plant identification signs. The boardwalks could use some maintenance, too. We were offered fruit drink at the completion of our visit, the mix of tropical fruits was mighty sweet.

In contrast to our usual luck, it started to rain as we left. Met a couple of big cruise ship excursion coaches, surprised to see the Carnival logo on the windshield placards. We saw the Carnival Legend anchored in Nadi Bay from our covered table at First Landing Beach Resort. Sat at a shaded table and drank a Fiji Bitter beer (375 ml, best before March 13, 2019 at 1:36 PM.) and Diet Coke. Wrote postcards and relaxed.

Sugar is the big crop in Fiji. We passed a number of narrow gauge rails (my guess is about two feet wide) on our drive. They are for cane trains, used to move sugar cane to the mills. Our driver said the rails were more than 100 years old. I was flabbergasted to see them still in use, a little engine pulled a string of little stake cars. How neat is that? Will have to read up on them when I get home. There might be a tourist train excursion on the narrow rails.

Fiji's largest sugar mill is at the port, we also saw a huge pile of wood chips awaiting export.

Delicious lamb shank for lunch in the Lido, I don't know why the dining room can not cook a decent lamb chop.

There is always a question at trivia we have already heard, today's repeat asked for the author of “The Picture of Dorian Gray”. Got that one right each time it was asked, still lost.

Dined in less than an hour at a table for two. It pained me to order barracuda instead of rack of lamb.

Bayne Bacon had us in stitches in the showroom, he played the piano and guitar and told jokes.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Great report as usual.

 

The only lamb chops I like on HAL are those in the Pinnacle Grill.  They now get Colorado lamb chops.  They used to get Australian ones which I liked even better.  We are fortunate to get the Australian ones at home and grill them outside all year long.

[whogo]

Saturday, October 20, 2018. At sea, headed toward New Caledonia

 

At 8:15 were headed WSW, 255° at 19.8 kts, position 19°02.48' S, 173°02.35' E. I think the captain said we would average about 17 knots, expect to slow down.

 

Best t-shirt of the trip: “Dear Math: I am not your therapist. Solve your own problems.”

Heard the song “Chariots of Fire” during yesterday's taxi ride with lyrics... In Hindi.

 

Nothing much to report from a lazy day at sea, I read on the promenade deck much of it. Could not find an empty chair on the starboard side, found one on the other.  A woman interrupted my reading to ask if I would hold a couple of vacant deck chairs while she brought her husband over from the other side. I declined. The chairs were snapped up in a half minute. My own thought is that the only way to save a chair is with your own rear end.

 

We attended their heavily promoted Saturday brunch. Odd menu, I thought. I had a smoothie allegedly made of blueberries, sunflower seeds, papaya, and kale. Sure seemed like it had a lot of raspberry seeds. Our waiter could not give a good description of the ham a Gruyere sandwich, ordered it to find it was made with French toast. Too much bread, not enough ham and cheese.

 

Lost at afternoon and evening trivia. Erika had some poorly documented questions in the evening.

 

French onion soup with beef brisket was a repeat hit at dinner. I had corn flake crusted rockfish, good, Mrs. Whogo's salmon looked better.

 

Clarinetist Pete Neighbour performed big band hits. I like big band music, he played great clarinet, but the songs just weren't the same with only a piano, bass and drums for backup.

[whogo]

On 10/16/2018 at 11:26 PM, Mary Ellen said:

Loving your ‘Live from...’ it is SO you.  I can just hear you.  Please say hi to Mrs. Whogo for us. 

Thanks. Missed your post earlier. Mrs. Whogo says hi back to the two of you.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sounds like your sea day was a relaxing one.

 

I don't blame you for not saving loungers for that woman.

[Stratheden]

On 10/20/2018 at 12:32 AM, Krazy Kruizers said:

Great report as usual.

 

The only lamb chops I like on HAL are those in the Pinnacle Grill.  They now get Colorado lamb chops.  They used to get Australian ones which I liked even better.  We are fortunate to get the Australian ones at home and grill them outside all year long.

So that is where all our good lamb chops have gone.  🤣

 

[*Miss G*]

On 10/19/2018 at 7:36 AM, whogo said:

FJ$18 admission each, about US$18 for the two of us to visit the lovely garden. Actor Raymond Burr started the garden, I remember his speaking of his love of orchids. 

 

 

Coincidentally, Raymond Burr is buried at the same cemetery we recently interred my aunt at.  She was dead of course.

Edited October 21, 2018 by *Miss G*

[Stratheden]

1 minute ago, *Miss G* said:

She was dead of course.

I would hope so.    Sorry for your loss.