From Cool Alaska to the Balmy South Pacific, Sail with Bill & Mary Ann on the Volendam 9-6-23 to11-22-23 77 days

[oakridger]

@WCB Thanks for the Moorea information as I will be going back there in February 2025.  I've made note of the restaurant you went to.

 

I wonder if the Intercontinental Moorea will be reopened any time soon.  It's such a beautiful location it seems like some company would be interested in buying the property!  Did anyone there mention if they had plans for it?

 

~Nancy

[Galley Slave]

How are you finding the condition of the Volendam?  The reviews are not very good.  We can deal with the usual signs of the ship's age, just concerned when reading about plumbing issues and not being able to use the bathroom in the cabin.  Have you seen or heard of any major issues?

[CruisingGrandmaW]

Ia Ora na  Bill & Mary Ann:

Your stop at Moorea - is my excuse for going back down memory lane.

Please excuse my long post - but OH the memories.

DH & I had our honeymoon aboard the Windsong - back in 1995.

(My first visit - DH # 3visit)

 

Back then only Paul Gauguin & Windstar sailed these waters.

How the islands have changed over the years.

(You may have seen this as I know the two of you have been cruising for decades)

In 1995 these were our encounters on Moorea:

No cars - only mopeds & the public wooden open air Le Truck

Not many tourists - except those coming off the ships & from France.

Islanders were much poorer - & housing was more like the "shacks" with larger open areas that the families/friends would gather at night & on weekends.

If you walked past a home, where locals were gathered - they would wave you in to their yard & offer you a beer/food.  We conversed via smiles & hand gestures as we only spoke English & they spoke NO English back then.

Many of the younger Mothers - would wade thru the shallow shoreline at Dusk.  Wearing only a pareo tied around their hips with a Floral Lei & headpiece on top.  Holding their young daughter's hand - dressed like her Mom.  (Was a common beautiful innocent sight)

We'd extend our stay at the Sofitel.

The Fare's were more like huts back then with NO A/C.

There were no over-water bungalows nor any motor craft boats allowed in the lagoon.

Large Tropical fish were abundant & feeding on the Coral so close to the shoreline - you could see them just wading mid-calf into the water.

Walk down from the Sofitel to the Public Beach next to it on a Sunday & Locals would greet you.  Invite you to have a seat in the sand next to their ice chests.

Pull out beer & food for you & spend the afternoon enjoying their company listening to them play their instruments & sing their Tahitian songs.  Some of the women would also dance.  Magical times - of a more primitive French Polynesia.

 It was around 1996, when the French government was doing Nuclear testing in this area.  French tourists were boycotting islands in protest.

 

We were able to stay in a beachfront Fare @ Sofitel for 10 days @ $2800.

 

Over the years we were able to return twice a year & island hopped almost every island including the more primitive ones like Maupiti.

To me, French Polynesia captured my heart & will always remain the most special, beautiful place in the world.

[WCB]

Report #66  Thursday November 9, 2023  Day #2 Anchored In Bahia d' Opunohu, Mo'orea, French Polynesia Sail Out At 6pm Enroute To Huahine  Partly Cloudy 85 Degrees Part #1 Of 3......74 Pictures----Casual Dress

 

Day two in Mo’orea started off even warmer than yesterday.  There were fewer clouds, more sun, and less wind.  It might be nice for picture-taking, but this humid heat makes you “melt”.  We had a big treat after leaving breakfast around 8:30am.  Going down to the promenade deck, we saw some dolphins jumping in the distance near the moored sailboats.  They began appearing in larger numbers, and put on quite a show jumping and even spinning like the big spinner dolphins.  They must have been feeding as they do in the early part of the day.  Before we knew it, a few dolphin-watching tour boats arrived and they had the dolphins following the boats as they sailed in a big circle very slowly.  What spoiled the activity were 5 jet-ski people that sped around the pod and the boats, sending the pod elsewhere, not to be seen again until later when they were not bothered.  At least we were able to see them frolicking, happy in their element.  We doubt we could have gotten better pictures if we were in those boats.  Simply the luck of the draw.

 

We were in no hurry to go to shore, and we took advantage of the time working on the computer.  We were scheduled to have our carpet cleaned between 10:30am and 2pm, although we did not have to leave the room.  According to the notice we got last night, it would take 10 minutes for the shampooing and it would be under the supervision of a housekeeping officer.  We gathered our stuff at the same time we had the knock on the door.  Perfect timing. 

 

Once off of the tender boat, we headed to our lady friend’s table to search for matching earrings for the necklace we bought yesterday.  Matching the purple shell was impossible.  Actually none of the vendors had that particular shell in their creations.  That will give one of us something to look for tomorrow in Huahine.

 

Being that it was so much warmer today, we decided to take a shorter walk, but turning left at the intersection this time.  Even checking what was available up that way online , it appeared that there was little in the way of restaurants or shops.  We had hiked this way many years ago, but had forgotten what we saw.   Truthfully, it was much the same as turning right yesterday.  Shoreline homes with green gardens and plenty of mango and breadfruit trees.  One house had a side lot full of banana trees. 

 

About a mile or two up the road, we found the road that goes up to Magic Mountain or a good lookout with a vigorous hike straight up.  We have been up to Belvedere Lookout many times, but this one is closer to the ship.  We had heard that someone would collect a fee to go through a gate on private property.  Sure enough, a lady came out of a house/roadside shop, to collect 200 Pacific French francs or $2 US dollars.  She laughed when we said no thanks – it was way too hot for that climb today.  Best to leave it to the youngsters onboard (crew members).  She agreed it was too warm, and gladly went back to her chair in the shade of a tree. 

 

By now it was after 12pm and a good time for a beer.  Right next to this side road was a place called Fare Tutava.  It appeared to be a take-away counter, but was in fact an outdoor eatery with picnic tables under the shade of a roof and plenty of trees.  Studying the menu, we saw they served beer, so we took a table for two and ordered two bottles of ice cold Hinanos.  Perfect.  Most of their food items were fish, but they did have burgers and fries.  We shared one and saved room for a dessert.  There was a bit of a language problem, since the waitress spoke more French than we could understand.   Showing us a dessert menu, we indicated a banana split would be fine.  She said OK and took off, coming back with a wooden monkeypod bowl in the shape of a pineapple with the banana split.  It was vanilla ice cream with rum-cooked bananas, topped with whipped cream, and sprinkled with coconut.  Good thing we were sharing.  Part of the screening for the outdoor restaurant were island pareos hanging on clotheslines.   Of course, some of them were very pretty, and we ended up buying one on the way out.  It is a piece of clothing I use all summer at home, and have to admit the collection is growing.

 

We headed back to the pier, stopping in the shade of the old mango and breadfruit trees.  Frangipanis scented the air, but so did the several fires that created smoke.  One of the first times we sailed into Bora Bora, we noticed the smoke coming from the shoreline.  It smelled pungent, so we thought they were firing up the BBQ’s.  Nope…it turned out to be burning of the dried leaves and trimmings from the jungle foliage.   Upon a closer look, we saw piles alongside the road where eventually they would dispose of the trimmings with fire.   Good thing the mountains and valleys are so green, or these islands could burn up like what happened in Lahaina this year.  One other observation we made while sailing away this evening was that many more fires were creating thick smoke everywhere.  It is possible the smoke helps keep the biting bug population under control, especially at dusk. 

 

We are still trying to figure out the correct spelling for the bay we are anchored in.  Is it Bahia d’ Opunoha or Opunohu, as it is spelled locally?  If it is in fact Opunohu, then HAL has been spelling it wrong for several years.  Perhaps one of our readers has the answer.

 

We got back to the ship by 2pm, and chilled out in our room until we left the bay.  Opunohu Bay to be exact.  Captain Paul came on the speakers at 5pm, and said the ship had been at anchor and spinning on the it for two days.  That saves fuel since they did not have to use the engines to stabilize our position.  We have 82 nautical miles to reach Huahine tomorrow at a speed of 6 knots.  The seas have calmed down and the sailing was smooth.  We are now heading northwest where we had an excellent view of the sunset at 6:10pm.  The Captain even came back on the speakers to remind the guests to look out a window to see that dramatic sun go down on the horizon. 

 

Tomorrow’s port will be a new one for us, and many other guests and crew.  Having TV access to the port talk given by Kimberly really is a help with a new stop.   Having saved a local tour booklet from last year’s cruise has been invaluable for information. 

 

Dinner was in the dining room with one order of chicken noodle soup and a pork belly appetizer.  The salads have been skimpy, so we will wait until Papeete before we order one.   Mains were the beef bourguignon meal with roasted fingerling potatoes and carrots with pearl onions.  Very tasty and tender, we ate all of it.  Our waiter, Mario, was a bit under the weather according to Risman, so we had a new man take over tonight.  We think standing in the heat on the pier got to Mario yesterday.  Just too warm.  Desserts were one bowl of coffee ice cream with chocolate syrup and an orange-flavored panna cotta.  Small, but just the right size.  By the way, we thought we might add that there are Morimoto specials every evening on the menu. They offer Epice lobster tails with lemon foam and veggies for $25.  And fresh halibut with Asian veggies, dried shrimp, and a scallop sauce for $25 was the other choice. 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

[Joan and Harry]

Hi Bill & Mary Ann, We will be on the Volendam in January with some of these same stops and have been enjoying your posts. I read something about a blog with pictures.  Would you mind sharing where we can see your blog? Thanks so much.

Joan

[Petunia1950]

3 hours ago, Joan and Harry said:

Hi Bill & Mary Ann, We will be on the Volendam in January with some of these same stops and have been enjoying your posts. I read something about a blog with pictures.  Would you mind sharing where we can see your blog? Thanks so much.

Joan

I'm not Bill or Mary Ann -- but the blog can be found at https://cruisingwithbillandmaryann.blogspot.com/2023/09/report-1-september-5-2023-tuesday.html.  It's pretty fabulous 🙂

[Joan and Harry]

3 minutes ago, Petunia1950 said:

I'm not Bill or Mary Ann -- but the blog can be found at https://cruisingwithbillandmaryann.blogspot.com/2023/09/report-1-september-5-2023-tuesday.html.  It's pretty fabulous 🙂

Thank you!

[The Other Tom]

5 hours ago, WCB said:

Is it Bahia d’ Opunoha or Opunohu, as it is spelled locally? 

I would guess the local spelling would be correct. In any event, Google Maps spells it Opunohu.  Perhaps the "Opunoha" spelling is Dutch?

[CarlaV]

2 hours ago, The Other Tom said:

I would guess the local spelling would be correct. In any event, Google Maps spells it Opunohu.  Perhaps the "Opunoha" spelling is Dutch?

Opunohu is the correct spelling( and I am Dutch)😜

[WCB]

Report #67   Friday  November 10, 2023  Huahine, French Polyneisa  Anchored In Maroe Bay 8am-6pm  Cloudy And Hot 85 Degrees With Some Sun Very Humid   Part #1 Of 5.......66 Pictures---Casual Dress

 

It doesn’t happen often, but today’s port of Huahine is a new one for us.  So what can we expect?  According to the Island Travel Guide, this particular island has maintained its rural lifestyle, sort of off of the beaten track as far as tourism is concerned.  “Authentic” is the word used to describe the few towns and villages on these two islands.  Actually, Huahine consists of two islands….one is Huahine Nui and the other Huahine Iti, connected by a bridge and enclosed in one big lagoon and coral reefs.  Together, the island is 10 miles long and 8 miles wide.  There is a total of 6075 native and the main village is Fare.  Together the islands are 74 square kilometers with a total circumference of 95 kilometers.  Mt. Turi is the highest point at 669 meters or 2200 feet in elevation. 

 

The Volendam sailed through the opening of the reef and into Maroe Bay where the anchor was dropped.  It was going to be one very hot and humid day as it was already 84 degrees at 8am.  There was barely a breeze.  We went off to breakfast like always, and had a visitor, Nancy, who showed us photos she just took of a few cows standing in the water.  From one photographer to another, she got a big laugh with these shots.  Of course, we had to take some when we got back to the room.  Even the cows were laid back.

 

There were a few shore excursions here beginning with two 3 hour tours to a pearl farm, vanilla plantation, and a marae (temple) for $100.  The second one was a ride to sacred sites and places, followed by a coral garden snorkel and a 4 wheel drive safari – both also $100.  Another 4 x 4 ride and snorkel was $120 for 3 ½ hours and a lagoon and motu picnic for $160 for 3 ½ hours.

 

There were no regular tour buses here, just open-air wooden school buses or le trucks.  And today was a tender port once again.  We stayed onboard until 11am, then ventured down to the tender platform for the 10 to 15 minute boat ride to shore on Huahine Iti.  At the old concrete pier, there was a welcome band, and a local gal handing out tiare blossoms to every guest.  The pier market consisted of a table or two of trinkets and across the road was a restaurant by the name of Rauheama Snack, which was closed.  Restrooms were there as well.  An added bonus was seeing the many tropical fish swimming right around and under the concrete pier.  We got good photos without getting wet.

 

We boarded a waiting school bus knowing there would only be two available since today was a school day.  Later on, there were a total of five trucks.  The ride took us across a bridge that spanned the two islands and north towards the town of Fare.  It was a 20 minute ride through dense forest jungle roads and island housing….some nice, some very old and rusting.  Views of many growing areas for fresh produce were here and there as well as in the local backyards.  Vanilla is a crop grown here along with pineapples, coconuts, and taro root and yams.  Watermelons and cucumbers do well as do avocados and mangoes of course.  We could have sworn we saw a small netted plantation of marijuana plants along the roadside in someone’s private garden.  Going too fast, we did not get a picture.

 

After the free bumpy ride with scenic views, we arrived to Fare, a quaint village with one of everything folks need here.  Like one supermarket, bank, pharmacy, a few cafes, and shops.  Once off of the school bus, we walked the main street looking for a suitable place for beers.  By now, it was noontime, and every place was full of customers.  Those cafes that had some available tables were rather seedy-looking.   Heading back to the bus stop, there was the recommended Huahine Yacht Club, but obviously over-whelmed with ship guests.  No way were we going to wait for a table, since it appeared most people were “parked” for the day.  The recommended sandy beach behind this café was flooded with the high tide….no sandy beach until the tide went out. The few souvenir tables had shell jewelry but twice the price of what was sold in Mo’orea. 

 

We figured that it was best to go back to the comfort of the ship and have lunch and ice cold sodas there.  On the way back, we passed a broken-down school bus with many guests standing along the roadside.  Don’t know what happened, but they were stranded and no other bus stopped to help out.  We took on the majority of guests and squeezed tight on the benches made for little kids.  Now we hoped our bus would not break down.   At this point we were close to the tender landing and we could have walked the rest of the way if need be.  

 

There were two boats waiting to load guests, and we got on the second one.  We guess there were twelve of us, so many seats were empty.  We took the seats in the center next to the opening where there was a breeze.  A strange lady came and sat right next to us….we mean right next to.  For heaven sakes, the entire back was empty.  But we did not say anything.  She talked incessantly and asked nosy questions, most of which we had to ignore.  When she started coughing, the ride was about over and it couldn’t have been too soon.  Perhaps due to the heat and several days of activity, many folks are getting cranky.  In addition to that, there are some older people that should assess their capabilities before trying to leave the ship.  One such elderly lady barely made it up the steep stairs to the upper platform.  No one, not even security staffers, made a move to help her either.  If she happened to fall backwards, she would have taken out at least six people behind her. 

 

We were back by 1:30pm  and ready for that room service lunch of salads and a shared panini.  While relaxing on the veranda, we saw the peaks cover over with clouds.  Eventually those passing clouds dropped some driving rain which was most welcomed.  It cooled the air off nicely.   It came down hard enough to hear it hitting the water in the bay. 

 

Captain Paul came on with his daily talk and said we had 105 miles to Tahiti from here and going 8 knots will get us there early tomorrow morning.  He said the winds were 15 knots and the temperatures should be 82 degrees.  What was not mentioned was the fact that Papeete is expecting up to 70% chance of rain on Saturday.  Even more on Sunday. Oh well, that’s what the umbrellas are for.  And the best part is we are docked….no tenders for two days.

 

Dinner was good.  We had cold Vietnamese wraps with pork and hoisin sauce…small but very tasty.  One of us ordered the shrimp quesadilla appetizer, and the Weiner schnitzel.  It appeared the serving of the pork had been cut in half, as they were probably running low on it.  The other entrée was rigatoni with chicken meatballs and covered with a marinara sauce.  All good.  Desserts were a hot fudge sundae and chocolate chip ice cream.  The dining room was half full.

 

Showtime featured The Knights, a singing group with their final performance.  We noticed that some folks had attended the 7:30pm show, then came to dinner at 8:30pm.  Anything goes in both levels of the dining room these days.  “Fixed seating” really means nothing.  The guests are seated where there are waiters available we guess. 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

 

[WCB]

Greetings fellow readers!

 

As far as we know the Intercontinental Resort in Mo'orea is not going to open any time soon.  We were told by locals that all of the bungalows have been stripped of everything.  So sad as it was the nicest place where you could have a good lunch and have full use of the beach complimentary.

 

We think the condition of the Volendam is very good, but then we have had no plumbing problems. We have been on decks one and six, and still had no issues, with the exception of poor internet reception on deck six.

 

Thanks for sharing the wonderful memories of your visit years ago to French Polynesia, cruising grandma.  

 

Also thanks for the extra research on the correct spelling of Opunohu Bay.  HAL has been spelling it wrong for years now. 

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

[WCB]

Report #68  Saturday  November 11, 2023 Day #1 In Papeete, Tahiti 8am-Over Night    Docked Port Side To The Pier    Sunny With Clouds 85 Degrees  Part #1 Of 4.......74 Pictures---Casual Dress

 

Well here we are in Tahiti and the capital of French Polynesia, Papeete.  Up very early, we watched as the Volendam sailed into the busy harbor.  Although it was cloudy, there was no rain, so that was a plus.  The Captain turned the ship around, backed in, and docked port side this time.  We think the reason for a certain side for docking has a lot to do with loading supplies and probably taking on fuel and water.  Normally, we are nose-in, but not so today.  This is better for us, because we will have a view of the town for two days now. 

 

So here is a little update on what we learned about French Polynesia.  There are a total of 280,000 inhabitants, living on 118 islands, on 5 archipelagos measuring 5.5 million square miles.  How’s that for massive numbers?  Most of the population here between Tahiti and Moorea as it is the administrative and economic center of the country.  Described as having majestic villages,  fabulous lagoons, volcanic mountains, restored ancient sites, hiking trails and even world-class surfing, what is not to like about visiting here?  Once again, it is all about the water, beaches, boating, snorkeling and diving as well. 

 

There was one big problem, however, and that was today happened to be Armistice Day in France and a holiday here.  And because of that most everything in town was closed. We did not realize this until we ran into our good buddies who came back steaming from finding the Municipal Market closed down tight.  We all agreed we should have been told that it was a holiday, but it did not happen, even when the staff onboard learned about it, nothing was announced.  In our way of thinking, had they known shops and cafes were closed today, the shore excursions could have sold a lot more tours.  Like duh?  And with tomorrow being Sunday, most things would be closed again.   Going back months ago, perhaps HAL could have re-adjusted the itinerary getting us here on weekdays and not a holiday and a Sunday.  But hey, what do we know?

 

Of course we still went off of the ship around 11am, and headed towards town, via Vaiete Square where the food trucks would be located later in the evening.  The new terminal building looks almost completed now, but is still not opened.  Most of the square is closed off with a cement wall, and appeared reduced in size.  Our first stop after crossing the main street was at the information office.  At least they were opened and also had excellent city maps and the Tahiti and Moorea Travel Guide for 2023. 

 

From there, we strolled the main street finding most of the shops and pharmacies closed.  A few street vendors had tables of souvenirs set up outside the closed businesses.  They had plenty of customers with the cruise ship guests that were not on tours.  Speaking of which, there were seven excursions offered today and tomorrow as well.  A west coast tour for 4 hours was $130, and the east coast one for 2 ½ hours was $100. We have done both in the past.   A 4 hour 4x4 thrilling adventure was $120, and a lagoon discovery was $140 for 3 hours.  Lagoon cruising was 3 hours for $140 while the Ohana Catamaran swim for 3 hours was $140.    A sunset sail with a refreshment for 2 hours was $140.  That seems to be the magic price. 

 

So we headed past the fabric store that has sold us so many yards to make blouses, but they were shut down.  Just as well, as one of us already has enough forever.  The big Marche or Municipal market was a ghost town….totally empty of shoppers, vendors, and cars vying for a parking spot.  The outside tables were void of everything we usually see.  Only some kids and a few homeless guys were laying around doing nothing since it was a holiday.  What did we miss at the Marche?   Besides the outside tables of black pearls and shell jewelry, we missed the fruit and veggie offerings which included breadfruit, taro, sweet potatoes, bananas (hope the ship get some today), pineapples, limes and mangoes.  The fish section always sells tuna, mahi mahi, swordfish, parrotfish and red snapper.  There are aisles of woven baskets, hats, monoi oil products, seasonings, and tropical flowers.   On the second level are the higher end jewelry shops and clothing stores.  They even have a small café upstairs that is popular with the ship guests.  We always buy flowers, and take loads of pictures.  Not happening today though.  By the way, they do not accept credit cards here we were told.  Cash only – Pacific French francs and US dollars work well.

 

Walking across the street, we went to the Notre Dame Cathedral (1875), the Catholic church always open.  Today, it was locked up tight.  Perhaps tomorrow it will be opened for Sunday masses.  Perhaps we might hear some of the participants singing during the service.

 

Guess what was opened for business?  McDonalds of course.  There were people dining outside as well as driving through for take-away.  Smart move for everyone.

 

Now came a big surprise.  The outdoor pavilion and the gardens of the French Polynesian Assembly were opened to the public.  It has been a few years since we have been able to visit here.  The Assembly Garden and the Queen’s pond are around the back and accessed by following the rocked pathway.  The High Commissioner’s residence is adjacent to this garden, but well fenced off.  Paul Gauguin’s banyan tree is planted there as well as a monument of General de Gaulle, but they are also located behind the tall fencing.

 

The garden has ponds that always housed eels…very large eels, but we could not find any today.  Among the almost ready to bloom water lilies were small fish and some koi carp.   There are a few benches to relax here and lots of shade from the mature trees.  Not many people had discovered this garden yet, so we had it almost to ourselves. 

 

At the pavilion of the Assembly building was a huge craft display with tables full of shell jewelry, woven hats, baskets, and artistic pieces of shell-decorated branches and trees.  Some of the pieces were quite pricey as were the heavy shell necklaces.  With so many tables of trinkets, you would thing  we could locate a matching pair of purple shell earrings for the necklace we bought in Mo’orea.  Nope not one set was right.  There were far more necklaces, bracelets, and even rings, and the least amount of earrings.  Looking closer at the locals, we noticed they did not wear earrings.  They did wear tattoos well though.  While we perused the treasures, we listened to the band and singers that were entertaining the customers.  We had stayed for at least an hour, happy to have found something opened. 

 

Crossing the street, we went into Bougainville Park to take more photos of the trees , flowers, and meandering creeks.   There were no eels here as well.  They must have been removed.  There may have been a memorial there today because the cannons of the Zelee and Seeadler ships were under a tent with a pillar of names near the bust of Bougainville, one of the early discoverers. 

 

From here we continued walking up the boulevard to find the biggest disappointment of the day – La Pizzeria was closed for the holiday.  No delicious Hawaiian pizza for us today, or tomorrow for that matter.  They are always closed on Sundays.  Darn…..  Passing the Evangelical Church, we crossed over to Paofai Park and Gardens along the waterfront.  Recalling seeing friends Rich and Peg dining at a nice-looking café called Le Moana along the harbor, we took a chance and went up the steps to check out their menu.   Surprisingly, it was not really crowded yet even though it was past noontime.  We ordered two large pints of Blonde Hinano draft beers, which went down easy.  There were many fish items on the menu as one might expect, but there were also burgers.  So we had a cheeseburger with fries to share.  They were generous with the fries and glad they were since they were piping hot.  Topping it off, we ordered one dessert of profiteroles, and they were wonderful as some folks walking by us agreed.  Time to head back to the ship, we got back walking the waterfront park by 3pm.  Sure was nice cooling off in the air-conditioned ship. 

 

Of course, it was a perfect time to process those photos and work on reports.  The one Kindle we own was not able to be updated since there was no wifi at the restaurant.  From our veranda, we could watch the activity on the waterfront as well as the city traffic.  Kept us occupied until it was time for the sun to set after 6pm.   Going to the front on deck six, we joined a small number of folks doing the same as us….catching the last rays of the sun.  There was a wide band of dark clouds on the horizon, so the sunset was not a great one.  We took photos anyway.  Checking out the night roulette area at Vaiete Square, we saw only one or two trucks.  Perhaps that was not happening at all tonight.

 

Time for dinner, we found the dining rooms almost empty.  We think it was due to the fact that there was one local show in the World Stage at 8pm with Mana – The Spirit of Tahiti – singers and dancers and musicians.  They always command a good crowd.  However, it was right in the middle of our dinner time, and being that we have seen the show many times, we enjoyed the quick and excellent service tonight.  We ordered the crispy spring rolls which Mario served with the extra sweet and sour sauce we like.  So good, they could have been our main tonight.  The Caesar salad was skimpy, so the chefs had not accessed the new lettuce yet.  One of us ordered the veal parmigiana with linguine and the other an Asian dish of sukiyaki with sliced beef.  Both were good and not too much.  Desserts were a little cheesecake with sliced strawberries (no sugar added) and one hot fudge sundae.  Just in case the cheesecake was too small, Mario brought over another sundae, which we split.  Not that we needed it, Mario and Risman always worry we don’t have enough.  Trust us, we are doing fine in the dining department.

 

We are overnight here, and have not decided what we will do tomorrow.  Whatever that may be, it will involve walking for sure.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

[Fred321]

If you feel like someone is looking over your shoulder it's only us. As usual, we are enjoying your posts but even more so since we'll be on Volendam in a couple of months for the Grand Aus. and N/Z which also has many of the same stops you guys are having. Trying to take good notes.

 

Glad you enjoyed your lunch today. That's a lot of pressure giving you two a restaurant recommendation.

We also remember the two of you walking by as we were enjoying lunch there. Stay well, sorry we won't see you in the near future but hope we can reconnect soon.

 

Rich and Peg 

[LouChamp]

Aloha. So happy you are enjoying your voyage. We have been blessed to visit Tahiti countless times and sometimes scoot over for a few days from Honolulu. We generally stay in Papeete at the Intercontinental since it is only one flight although Bora Bora is magical.  I believe Bloody Marys is still closed for renovations. The overwater Bungalows are no longer unique to Tahiti but priceless.  Anyway love reading your posts and writings because images flash in my mind. All the best!

[WCB]

Report #69   Sunday  November 12, 2023 Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia  Day #2   Docked On The Eleventh Leave Today At 5pm    Cloudy Very Humid Rain In The Mountains Sunny In Town  86 Degrees  Part #1 Of 2.......77 Pictures---Casual Dress

 

Our second day in Papeete began even warmer than yesterday.  The predicted rain of 30% never did appear in town, although we could see showers up high in the mountains.  That’s why it is so green everywhere.  Lots of water.

 

We stayed onboard once again getting some computer work done in our room.  All aboard was 4:30pm, so we still had plenty of time for a nice walk in the humid heat.  We more or less re-traced our steps from yesterday, checking the Marketplace in case they might open up for a few hours.  What we did find were a few of the flower vendors with what they had left over from yesterday’s bouquets and cut flowers.  The group was sitting outside the locked gates of the building.  This time we did not need any more flowers since we had a nice bouquet from the florist onboard.  And knowing they come with ants, we did not want those either. 

 

What we did find open was the tourist info office where we collected maps of almost every French Polynesian island for future use.  Along with the two travel guides, we are set when we come back here again.  So much of the useful printed maps and brochures are not around anymore, so none of this collection will be tossed.

 

There were a few more souvenir tables set up by the info office, which really reminded us of the ones that were always under the thatched-roof huts across the street.  Remember when the Tahitian singers and girls greeted you at the info center coming out of the dock area?  Well that is all gone now, but these vendors across the boulevard look the same.  And they did not have that special purple shell we are searching for.   Maybe next time……

 

Continuing up the side street, we walked past the Cathedral expecting it to be open for Sunday mass.  Well it was still locked up.  And we are not sure the Assembly Building was opened either.  Glad we discovered that area yesterday.   Of course, LA Pizzeria was closed, so we walked across the street to Paofai Park and Gardens.  Turning left, we followed the marina all the way to the end where To’ata Square is located.  There is a grouping of grandstands there with an open-air theater for concerts and the like.  We read that it can handle up to six thousand people, although we are not sure where that many people could park cars.  Nothing was happening there today, so we sat on the rock wall admiring the harbor down at this end.  It is very close to the airport and the planes were landing regularly. 

 

Making our way back along the waterfront, we stopped once again at Le Moana for a snack of crispy French fries, two more Hinano beers and a shared banana split.  Since we had reservations in the Pinnacle Grill this evening, we wanted to keep lunch light.  Maybe not the healthiest, but that’s what vacations are for, right? 

 

We did learn a few words that were helpful with ordering food and drinks here in Tahiti.  Taofe means Tahitian coffee with a touch of vanilla.  Firi firi means doughnuts with coconut milk.  Pia is beer and pahua is a giant clam.  Uru is the fruit of the breadfruit rich in vitamins, and mape is the Tahitian sweet chestnut.

 

Coming back along the marina, we noticed that several grids of steel have been “planted” along the sea wall with corals.  They attract the fish, and in time it will be a live reef.  Better than snorkeling and it is completely free.  We got back to the ship after 2pm, and had ice cold sodas to cool off.   By 4:30pm, the rain clouds appeared to be closing in over the mountains, and soon it was raining.  We could smell it before it came down.   The rain continued until we were far off of the island and heading northeast towards the atoll of Fakarava.

 

While downloading photos, we listened to Captain Paul with his plans for today’s departure.   He was still waiting for 30 people to get back from a tour, so leaving was close to 5pm.  He was turning the ship over to the third officer (under his supervision of course) to take the ship out through the tight reef opening.  From recently reading the book Typee by Herman Melville, we knew that there were a number of old sailing ships that sunk trying to access this harbor.  Many of them were whaling boats.  And some of the remains are still there we understand.

 

We will be sailing into the atoll of Fakarava, located in the Tuamotu Archipelago tomorrow morning.  We have 245 nautical miles to go and need a speed of 17.1 knots to get there.  The Captain added that we might expect some squalls and showers along the way, but tomorrow will be another hot and humid day.  He did not mention if it would rain.  Last year was a different story.  We had sudden hurricane winds and torrential rain while there.  The coral road turned into a flowing creek going over and into our shoes as we walked back to the tender area.  We still laugh about it now, but we got soaked to the bone.  Umbrellas were useless.

 

As we stated, dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill with our favorite wedge salads and candied bacon.  Honestly, that is quite enough to fill us up these days, but we did add the smallest filet mignons and potatoes.  We shared the almost Baked Alaska while visiting with friends Bill and Leta who happened to be eating at our breakfast table.  Always a pleasure to reminisce over the last 21 years of sailing together on many long voyages. 

 

Only two more ports left, and we will making that long sailing back to San Diego.  Where has the time gone???

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

 

[WCB]

Report #70    Monday  November 13, 2023   Anchored At Fakarava, Tuamotu, French Polynesia 8am-5pm    Sunny And Hot With Some Clouds 86 Degrees  Part #1 Of 5.......70 Pictures---Casual Dress

 

We have arrived to a new archipelago – the Tuamotu islands and atolls which number 80 in total.  This area is the most spread out compared to the other archipelagos we have visited so far.  The total population of this area is 16,880 inhabitants within 20,000 square kilometers, but only 775 square kilometers of dry land.   Only 6% of the total of French Polynesians live here and have jobs linked to tourism, fishing, copra production, and even nuclear testing by France in the past. Pearl farms produce the most luxurious black pearls in the lagoons, and they supply the market with 98% of the gems.   But the real wealth, it is said, comes from the underwater world, also known as their lagoons. 

 

Today’s port of call is the atoll of Fakarava, meaning beautiful in Tahitian.  It is the second largest atoll, with Rangiroa the largest as well as the capital.   There are about 845 residents of this atoll with only 16 square miles of dry land, but has a massive lagoon with 1121 square kilometers.  There are 30 kilometers of coral-packed roads on this atoll.  We suppose the best way to describe an atoll is comparing it to a string of pearls.   The land portion is a ring of coral (the pearls), while the center of the necklace is a lagoon.  Much of one side of this lagoon is not a solid coral reef, but consists of a series of motus, making circumnavigation impossible.  Many places can only be reached by boat. 

 

There are a few cars, several pick-up trucks, and one wooden school bus like “le truck”.  There were no HAL shore excursions offered here today, however some folks were able to book something independently prior to the cruise.  The tours would be strictly related to the water like snorkeling, diving, or boating.  It is reported that Fakarava has some of the best diving in Polynesia with hundreds of reef sharks.  Kimberly mentioned that these “harmless to people” sharks have only had 24 recorded attacks here, which is way too much for us.  She said these reef and grey sharks are called foxes of the seas.  There are also nurse sharks that hang around the shores of the lagoon in the village, as we would find out on our walk.

 

One thing for sure was that it was going to be a most uncomfortably hot and humid day.  Like oppressive heat with little breeze.  Nothing like last year’s visit where we had record hurricane winds, thunder and lightning with a tropical downpour.  Today there were passing clouds, but no rain in sight.  It was so hot, we almost wished it would rain.   Temperatures reached 86 degrees but felt a lot more than that with the humidity.

 

Very early this morning, passengers began to gather on the bow to watch the entrance through the north opening of the atoll.  It is called Garuae pass and it the widest pass in all of French Polynesia at 1.6 kilometers from end to end.  The other pass is in the southern part of the ring of coral and is called Tamakohua.  The turbulence created in these passes is massive, causing a rushing flow of water that comes in and out with the tides.  It can be tricky getting ships through it.  Many times dolphins like to hang out in these passes because the fishing is good.  However, we saw none today.  Sailing into the center of the lagoon outside the village of Rotoava, they dropped anchor, and we had to use the tenders to get ashore.

 

We stayed onboard until 10:30am, then headed down to the boat.  It was easy boarding as the waters were calm today and the ride only took about 15 minutes to the village.  We were all greeted with island ladies handing out the fragrant tiare flowers with the band playing in the backround.  We did not choose to go swimming here, but many of the guests did just that.  Remembering that there were sharks lurking in the shallows, we were just as happy with a long walk.  There were a few shops at the pier landing, but we knew there was nothing we needed.  Many of the over-heated guests went inside these shops because they had air-conditioning and fans. 

 

Turning right at the main road, we passed by the primary school and a nice-looking restaurant called Hirinaki Lounge.  It looked closed, but may have opened for guests later in the afternoon.  Most all of the cafes along the road would not open until dinnertime.  And that included the place that had pizza.  The shoreline of the lagoon began here, and was already filled with folks swimming and sitting on their striped blue and white beach towels from the ship.   It looked like the invasion of the body snatchers.  We sure hope these folks knew to wear aqua shoes or flip-flops because it is mostly broken sharp coral and volcanic rocks to navigate to get into the water.   The waters are shallow and covered with smooth dark rocks with some sandy spots.  If you watch long enough, like we did, you can spot the nurse sharks as they slither over the smoother rocks in search of the small fish.  Some of these can measure over 7 feet in length.   We spotted one within a few yards of walking the beach.  Most people think they are harmless, but we did hear a story from friends that actually saw a nurse shark jump up at a woman who was taking a picture bending over to do it.  The shark caught her in the chest, and both the lady and shark had to be pulled out of the water and have its jaws pried off of her.  Harmless, don’t think so.   Never underestimate a wild animal in their own element.  As swimmers, we are prey, and out of our element. 

 

Continuing up the road, we passed many homes and a few shops, mostly closed as they always are this time of year.  We came across the Catholic Church that was built with coral rocks in 1874.  The interior is painted a soft blue and gives one the feeling of coolness even if it was not.  On the outside, there were a few island ladies selling some shell jewelry.  Some people were checking it out when another lady guest from the ship was going to enter the church with only an open shirt over her swimsuit.  The local ladies actually yelled at her and stopped her in her tracks, reminding her it was a church and she should not go inside dressed like that.  Sometimes people are clueless.

 

We took the time to walk to the back of this church to see the old cemetery.  People still decorate the grave sites with silk or plastic flowers, since they last almost forever.  Also in the back were public restrooms, about the only ones we saw today.  Good thing we brought some water with us, as the heat was melting us rapidly.  Kimberly had warned everyone not to drink any island water since it is from rainfall.  Even the locals drink bottled water.

 

Going onward from here, we noticed several people had gotten rides in local pick-up trucks and even rented bikes.  Some of the cruise passengers rented bikes, but should not have attempted that without some prior thinking.  We have seen a man fall while riding a bike a few years back, and when he went down on the coral-based road, he was cut to ribbons.  Something did happen later on involving bike riding, but not until we had boarded the tender for the ride back.

 

So our destination was Havaiki Pearl Lodge where a small outdoor eatery is located by the name of Snack Le Requin.  It was noontime by now, and there was a line of eight or more people ordering food and beverages at the shack’s window.  It was more crowded than we expected, but we were in need of something cold to drink, and while we were at it, we may as well share a cheeseburger and a pile of fries.  We had forgotten, but they did accept credit cards here, as long as the internet stayed running.  There was a 20 minute wait for the line to move, but we did get some nice seats at a table in the shade to eat our food.  Since there were six chairs, a nice lady and her friends asked to sit with us.  They did not speak English, only French, but we recognized them from being at the Seaview Pool every day we went back there. By the time we finished our meal, they were still enjoying their drinks.

 

Heading back, we came across more nurse sharks, and actually got some good photos of them lurking around the many swimmers.  Not sure these folks saw the sharks as they blended so well with their surroundings.  If nothing else, we could stand in the shade of the casuarinas and palm trees watching these creatures doing their thing.  On past excursions, we have gone on tours where we swam with white and black tip sharks and did not really like the feeling of being possible snacks for them.  Viewing from the shore was just fine with us. 

 

We did see a little dog playing with what we thought was another fat dog.  It turned out to be a small pig, who stopped in its tracks when we whistled.  Must have been a pet or next Christmas’s dinner, who knows?  Many folks were on their way back to the tenderboats like us.  The sun and heat could really take a toll on you.  While we waited for the tender to take off,  a police vehicle arrived with an injured lady and her friend.  What a shock to see it was the two ladies that joined us at lunchtime. She could barely walk, and it took three crew fellows to lift her carefully into the tender.   It just so happened that one of the most helpful crew members was our waiter Mario.   Later on, he told us she had an accident while riding the bike, falling on the coral road.  Ouch, that must have hurt.  Mario thought she may have broken an ankle because he said it did not look right.  Lucky that the police officer had driven them to the pier.  Within 10 minutes of getting off of the tender, we heard the call for the medical staff.  Hope she will be OK.  There is a hospital in Nuku Hiva, but we are not sure how much can be done there as far as complicated broken bones are concerned. 

 

All aboard was 4:30pm, and Captain Paul came on the speakers with the sail away info.  The plan was to lift the anchor, then turn around and sail out of the north passage the way we had come.  We now have 514 nautical miles to reach Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas in two days from now.  The speed needed will be 14.8 knots.  Hot temperatures can be expected tomorrow as well.  Finally, the clocks would need to advance ½ hour, one of those few places in the world we have to do that.  The extra ½ hour ahead will be in a few days, followed by the final hour forward before reaching San Diego. 

 

Sailing through the turbulence was interesting, but not as bumpy as the one in Rangiroa.  We had hoped to see some dolphins, but there were none.  What we did enjoy was watching the sun go down before the ship turned northeast.  There were considerable clouds blocking the full sun, but it was just as nice as a clear horizon. 

 

Dinner was back in the dining room where we were greeted by a new head waiter Koes.  He has taken Bayu’s place and remembered us from many cruises.  Now he will join the band of greeters as we all enter through the doors on deck five.  We try sneaking by them, but they see us every time.  It’s their fun for the day.  Mario greeted us with the details of the accident this afternoon.  We told him he was a good guy for being such a big help.  We ordered one grilled shrimp appetizer (really good), and a bowl of tomato soup (even better).  Salads were a panache of greens with tangerines and pear slices.  Who knew how nicely they go together?  Mains were one Club Orange roasted lamb and one duck entree with smashed red potatoes and peas.  Both quite tasty.  Desserts were a small slice of a chocolate cake and sliced pineapple…both with a side of a tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Service was quick because our fellows only had us and another table of guests.  Guess the heat got to most everyone today.

 

There was a show tonight with a group called Gravity, three singers from the UK taking folks on a musical journey.  And with the clocks going forward, we called it a night.  Really looking forward to a lazy day at sea tomorrow.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

[WCB]

Report  #71  Tuesday  November 14, 2023   Sea Day Enroute To Nuku Hiva, Taiohae, Marquesas  Sunny With Broken Clouds 81 Degrees   Sea State: 6' Swell  Part #1 Of 1.......42 Pictures

 

Finally, a day at sea to kick back and do as little as possible.  It was going to be another warm day with temperatures in the low 80’s even at 9am.  The humidity is still 73%, but much better than what we had yesterday in Fakarava.   Light rainfall was predicted, and we did see it on the horizon, but they were able to steer the ship around it.  We recall the days of not so long ago, when a favorite beverage crew member, Manny, would come and warn all of us at the Seaview Pool that a giant squall was up ahead, and we needed to get our stuff gathered and run under the overhang.  Sometimes it began as a drizzle then turned into a sudden downpour flooding the decks.  These days we doubt there would be any warning.  In fact, seeing everyone suddenly getting soaked might be entertainment for the crew and those crew members in the navigation deck with the cameras.  Just kidding of course.

 

Breakfast was at 8am, which is better than 7:30am.  No rush to go anywhere, we took our time and enjoyed several cups of coffee.   The almost daily cappuccino for one of us will be a hard habit to kick when we go home.  After breakfast, we went to the promenade deck for a mile or so walk.   It happens to be the same time that the hosted deck walk happens, and some of the folks sure don’t know the rules of passing.  Where we come from, a polite “on your left” is nice.  But here, some people just storm around you in the most inconvenient places, such as rounding the corners.  The best part of this walk is that most of the rude folks leave after once or twice around the deck.  Today there was a 10am cooking demo in the World Stage, so that drew the folks back inside thank goodness.

 

Yesterday we all received a notice that the passports would be handed back to us between 10am and noon.  We were asked to bring our passport receipts to the mid elevator landings on the deck you lived on.  As we were just coming back from our walk, we ran into our Mariner host, Arnold, who gladly gave us the passports without the receipt.   Good timing.  We will not need these until we leave for home on November 22^nd. 

 

Working in the room until 12pm, we headed off to the Seaview Pool to get some fresh air and sun.  It was warmer than we thought in the sun as compared to sitting on our shaded veranda.    We had learned from a friend that there was an Indonesian lunch in the dining room at noontime, but it was not advertised anywhere.  Checking the lunch menu in the dining room on the TV we saw that the menu was totally Indonesian.  Checking the Daily newsletter revealed not one word about this special lunch.  Someone has been dropping the ball on some of these events.  Even during Kimberly’s pep talk at 9am, she did not mention it.  

 

We have been forgetting to check our shipboard account on TV since their accounting is not always detailed enough.  And for some unknown reason, a few of the charges had been put on from September, then taken off…not once, but twice.  Looking closer, it looked as if one of our credits for the internet package had not been credited.   The best thing was to take an older statement down to the front desk, and have them explain it.  They could not figure it out, so took it to their finance department, who would get back to us later.  That was fine, at least it was in motion.  An hour later, we had a phone call saying a new statement would be sent to our room.  Someone had gone back and removed the charges and credits, and added three credits for the internet, which should have been four.  So confusing, they promised to check deeper, discovering that the initial cost for our package was already credited and printed at the lower rate.  No one told us that in the beginning, so now we know.  And due to the poor conductivity in our room, they promised somewhat of a credit for our inconvenience.  Anything credited is better than nothing.  All of our buddies have admitted they have never had such good connections to the wifi, but then their rooms are situated better than ours is on deck six.  We learned later that other folks on decks 6 and 7 are having issues as well.  It’s not just us.  We have been told that in time, all of the staterooms will have their own hotspot, the same as the newer HAL ships.  Now we have to rely on the hallway hotspots, which in our case, is blocked by too much metal they told us.  That’s why propping open the door helps sometimes.

 

Lunch was Dive In burgers – one hamburger and one chicken.  No fries, even though they said they were cooked fresh.  We can live without them.   Finishing up yesterday’s photos and report, we enjoyed the sunset again tonight.   Even with the dark clouds, it was pretty when the rays hit the water.   If we continue sailing in this direction of northeast, we should see the sunsets all the way back.  So much better than last year, when it rained most of the way back to San Diego.

 

Tonight’s suggested dress was “dressy” and there was a Volendam Ball – a gala dance with the officers and crew.  The trouble with that was it was scheduled at 8pm, right in the middle of our dinner time.  Would we attend it?  Probably not, but normally the time would be 9:30pm.  A few years back, it was 10pm.  So we figured that the early time targeted the early diners who could attend the dance, and still be in bed at a decent time.   We found it funny that this affair would be scheduled now, an evening before the final port day.  Since we have eight more days left, seven of them sea days, it might have been better to have the ball on one of those evenings.  Again, what do we know?

 

Anyway, dinner was good with offerings of new appetizers.  We ordered coated and fried ricotta cheese on a bed of spinach and a tomato sauce.  They were small servings, but really tasty.  One of us had the chicken broth soup and the other the Caesar salad which finally came with fresh romaine lettuce.  Mains were one chicken alternate dinner and the other was the crispy roasted pork belly.  It does sound strange, but it was good.  We have been told  by those who know that pork belly has been one of the popular items on the Australian menus lately.  Desserts were the lemon custard-filled phyllo dough pouch with a strawberry and pineapple slice.  Very good as well.  Desserts will be another thing to stop when we get home, as it has become a sometime habit while onboard.  This time we are happy with the reduced portion size of the sweet treats.

 

Tomorrow we will be in Nuku Hiva, our very last stop of this long cruise.  Where has the time gone???

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

[The Other Tom]

Nice pictures from report 170, especially the sharks and the sunset.

[WCB]

Report #72  Wednesday  November 15, 2023  Anchored At Taiohae,  Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia 8am-5pm  Partly Cloudy With Sun  90 Degrees  Sea State -Calm  Part #1 Of 6........74 Pictures---Casual Dress

 

What a better way to end the South Pacific ports than with a visit to Nuku Hiva located in the Marquesas Islands.   There are 12 islands that make up this archipelago, but only 6 of them are inhabited.  There is a total of 9350 people that live here in an area that is spread out over 350 kilometers.  Due to the distances between the islands, each one has kept its own personality, customs, and even language.  Access to these remote islands is by boat or airplane. 

 

Our destination today was Nuku Hiva, the second largest island in all of French Polynesia with Tahiti being the largest.  The size of this “high” island is 330 square kilometers with about 3000 people.  The main village and administrative center of the Marquesas is Taiohae and our port of call today.  All of the Marquesan islands are considered high due to the fact they do not have lagoons, but are volcanic mountains so to speak.

 

Sailing into the scenic and protected Taiohae Bay, the bow was opened at  6:30am for the folks that wanted to enjoy the voyage into the harbor.  Watching from our veranda and the bow channel on the TV, we could see a handful of people that showed up for this sail-in.  From a distance, the island was in the typical sun haze, until we got closer.  It was a spectacular view, as always, coming into the bay that was filled with many small and medium pleasure craft.   It is quite common to see the “yachties” living on these boats, and using a small dinghy to come shopping in town for food and supplies.  Also spotted were many birds…mostly white terns, noddies, and a few frigatebirds.

 

We left the ship about 10am when open tenders were announced.  It seemed to be taking quite a while for the ticket numbers to be called, and we soon found out the reason why.  Our boat filled quickly, and we were waiting at the tender landing before leaving right away.  They needed to stall for the other boat to come back before we could proceed.  The problem turned out to be a very high step from the tender to access the concrete landing at the dock.  There was an usually low tide this morning which did not help.  To prevent any accidents, the crew was taking extra precautions helping the folks out of the boat and also going back into the boat when it was empty.  Lucky we have long and strong legs, but not every one does.  There was at least one elderly couple that decided not to attempt it, and stayed on the boat to ride back to the ship.  Can’t say we blame them, as they knew their limits and despite all of the talks and warnings, we sure do not remember anyone saying there was a big step to get ashore today.  It was mentioned in Fakarava, but not here.

 

There was one HAL tour offered here today at two different times.  It was a scenic 3 hour drive to Taipivai Valley for $140.  Private vehicles were used, as there are no tour buses here.  It took the folks from Taiohae to the lush vegetation of the valley above the village with stops at many viewpoints.  The roads were winding, steep, and rocky. And if you are subject to car-sickness, don’t go.  Besides small villages you would see churches and maraes,  and there was a stop at Hooumi for a cold beverage.  If we remember right, there is a small black sand beach there.  In addition, the drivers may not speak good English and their cars and mini vans may not have air-conditioning.  Can’t be picky on such a small island.

 

Kimberly’s talk also mentioned the fact that there were Marquesan horses here, and also wild pigs and goats.  And fish was in their diet of course.  There was no snorkeling here and few beaches.  The murky waters can hide sharks such as hammerheads and sometimes the great whites.  For that reason, few of the local people venture far into the bay.   This island is also famous for the filming of a Survivor series back in 2001.  Colette Beach or Bay was mentioned although it is abandoned now and it is not easy to access.  Complicating the search for this beach, is the fact that “no seeums” or biting insects are rampant there.  According to Kimberly, these almost invisible insects can leave you with big itchy welts.  She suggested if you were going there, you would need insect repellant and lots of it. All good advice, but we think it was best not to go there at all.

 

First of all, it was much hotter than it looked.  We think the high topped out at 90 degrees, and being closer to the Equator, the humidity was up.  We took our normal walk through the produce market, craft store, and the info desk shop.  Then we headed towards the old church, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Catholic church built in the 1800’s using wood and stones from all of the Marquesan Islands.  We learned from one of our buddies, that some of the stones were brought here from as far as Europe.  But there was a problem, because the church was not opened to walk into the interior.  There was re-modeling and construction going on, and according to the sign, it would not be completed until December of this year.   Oh well, we did have the chance to look through the opened doors along with the crowd of people on the morning tour.  There were at least one dozen vehicles parked in the lot when we arrived, with each one holding four to six customers.  We got photos, then left.

 

The breeze was a bit better by the water, but that’s when we ran into more road construction.  There were a few backhoes and a lot of men working on a huge project of re-configuring the road.  Much of the seawall property with the fields, moais, and outdoor patios were detoured by a new road.  Not wanting to climb more hills than we needed, we stuck to the dirt path and around the workers.  This brought us to the school area, the local beach front, and the old cemetery.  There used to be a monument for the writer/sailor Herman Melville (1819 to 1891) whose book Typee put this place on the map.  One of us was fortunate to have found this book in the library and read it thoroughly before our arrival here.  Although some of his writing about he and his friend, both teenagers at the time, being held captive upon leaving a whaling ship, may have been stretched to make it more appealing.  But most of his writings were factual concerning the natives he met and how they managed to live with them for a time.  The subjects in his book dealt with basic survival, cannibalism, warfare among the natives, and relationships with the tribe.  It sure put a different face on what we were seeing today.  There used to be a Herman Melville memorial near the cemetery, but sadly, it was removed as it was deteriorating over the years.   Perhaps a new one is part of the road project.

 

Finding our way back to the main road, we followed it until we reached the sign for the Nuku Hiva Pearl Lodge.  It was quite a climb to get up the steep and rocky road in the worst heat of the day, but we made it.  We ran right into friends Rosie and Randy who had also come up here for the cold beers.  We told them a story of a man from the ship that was coming up here to go to Colette Bay, which we knew was not this way.  He insisted it was, and we said nothing.  Near the lodge, we found him asking some local girls where the way was to this bay and beach.  As far as we know, there is no road that goes that way, so we do not know where he ended up.  

 

Entering the resort restaurant, we were greeted by the waiter/waitress? who recognized us from being here often.  Welcoming us back, we were seated in the shade and the million-dollar breeze.  We ordered Hinanos, which came in cans that were ice cold.  Even the glasses were frosted.   We shared a Neapolitan pizza with fresh rolls with butter as starters.   Staying for 1 ½ hours, we ended our meal with a shared chocolate volcano cake with vanilla ice cream.  Upon leaving, we were invited back and we said – same time and same place in a year from now, God-willing.  Sadly, it was time to head back into the heat, hoping for a better breeze along the way.

 

Going down on the exposed beach, we walked halfway back in the wet black sand before going back to the road.  Very few folks were coming our way now, as we think the majority of them had already gone back to the cooler ship.  Going from tree to tree for shade, we got back to the dock by 2pm just missing the tender that left.  A line of 20 or more folks were already there enjoying the water and lemonade drinks while they waited for the next boat.  A crew member was handing out wet chilled washcloths to help cool us off. Usually we do not use them, but today it was nice.  

 

Sitting at the middle exit area of the tender, we were lucky to be the first ones off and heading up the platform steps.  That first blast of air-conditioning was very welcoming.  Cooling off in our room was even better with the help of a cold shower and more than a few sodas.  All aboard was 4:30pm, but the loading of the final guests took longer than expected as a swell had come up, and loading was slower than earlier. 

 

Captain Paul came on the speakers around 4:30pm, and congratulated his crew with the tendering operations today.  Reading between the lines, it sounded as if some guests were not happy with the slowness of the ride going and coming back.  He apologized for the inconveniences, but that can be expected sometimes.  He added that the 3^rd officer, a female that joined in Papeete, would pull the anchor she had dropped 130 meters, and sail the ship out of the bay.  Under his supervision of course.   We have 2929 nautical miles to reach our final destination of San Diego, and it will take 18.4 knots of speed to arrive there.  It will also take three engines to do it.  Finally, sunset would be 5:50pm and sunrise would be 5:20am tomorrow. 

 

Dinnertime snuck up on us, and we ordered excellent mixed salads, a bowl of chicken dumpling soup, and one shrimp/pork spring roll.  Mains were fajitas with seasoned rice, peppers, sour cream, guacamole, and slices of tender and tasty steak cooked medium rare.  We heaped it all in the flour tortilla, savoring every bite.  What fun for a change.  This chef does Mexican cuisine quite well.  Maybe we can ask him to serve enchiladas, a favorite meal for us at home.  Desserts were one brownie cheesecake, and a plate of sliced pineapple with vanilla ice cream. 

 

Looking forward to six lazy days at sea as we head towards home.  Well, not quite lazy as we will have to begin packing……

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

[The Other Tom]

36 minutes ago, WCB said:

we were greeted by the waiter/waitress? who recognized us from being here often.

Wow!  I'm surprised they recognized you.

[WCB]

Report #73  Thursday November 16, 2023    Sea Day Enroute To San Diego, California USA  Mostly Sunny Clouds And Showers Late Afternoon 80 Degrees  Sea State: 3'-6' Swells  Part #1 Of 1.......18  Pictures---Casual Dress

 

Well we have begun the 6 day run towards San Diego, and all seems to be going OK.  It was a mostly sunny day with temps in the low 80’s.  It did cloud up in the late afternoon, but so far, no rain.   For that we are glad.

 

We had a little surprise on our veranda early this morning.  Opening the drapes, we spotted a bird that had taken refuge on our deck.  It appears to be a bridled tern, and possibly injured.  We could not see anything visibly wrong with it, but obviously that is not a normal behavior.   It did not seem to have any fear of us , although we did not go outside to check it.  Sometimes, these birds are attracted to the lights that are on during the night.  Usually they fly into a window by accident, so we don’t know if that was the case today.  On our way to breakfast, we informed our room steward that we had an unexpected visitor.  He promised to check it out.  When we returned an hour later, the bird was gone.

 

Working on photos and reports, we spent most of the morning in the room.  There was another 10am brunch in the dining room, which we never attend.  In a way, that gives the early morning waiters a chance to sleep in a little later, we assume.  That meal lasts until 12:30pm, and there is no regular lunch served in the dining room.  It’s like a 2 for 1.  Of course, there is always the Lido breakfast and lunch.

 

Our biggest project of the day was washing our shoes.  After a day of walking the roads and the detour with the construction, our tennis shoes were noticeably soiled.  Using the bathtub worked quite well, although it may take a day or so for them to dry.  Putting them outside helped when the sun hit our deck.  Otherwise, with the high humidity, they take forever to dry.  Good thing we remembered to bring spare shoes. 

 

Before we are out of the tropics, it is a good time to mention the practice of tattoos.  The word “tattoo” comes from the Tahitian word tautau or tattow, the actual sound made by the tapping of their ancient tools.  It is believed that the reason for these permanent markings of the skin was indicate hierarchy or one’s rank within a society.  It could indicate sexual maturity, family lines, and one’s interests.  Tahitian tattoos are based on the four elements of Water, Earth, Wind, and Fire.   They are meant to give each and everyone their own identity. 

 

When the Europeans brought Christianity to the South Pacific, tattoos were frowned upon.  They were banned and considered a desecration of the body.  After years of suppression tattoos have returned as cultural symbols of Polynesia.  These days, you see them everywhere in every country. 

 

The main tool used was a comb of sharp needles carved from a bone, shark teeth, or seashell.  The second tool was a wooden stick to tap over the comb, puncturing the skin thus inserting the pigment or ink.  This would take two sets of hands, since the skin had to be stretched for the artist to tap in the ink.  Must have been painful, but both men and some women did it.  Mostly the men. 

 

In Samoa, the tattoos were geometric patterns representing people, animals, seagulls and centipedes.  Typically the Samoan warrior would have tattoos that began at the waist, then extended to just below the knee.  In Tonga, the patterns were geometric patterns of triangles and bands of solid black.  Once again they went from the waist to the knees.   In some cultures such as New Zealand, the Maoris will tattoo their faces to appear fierce to their enemies.  It works.  Will there be tattoos in our future?  No way Jose…..

 

We sent some time at the aft pool enjoying the nice weather.  While there, a good friend joined us and we chatted for a while.  Then Captain Paul came on the speakers for his daily report.  He mentioned that the sea swells were between one and two meters, and there was a current preventing us from achieving the speed of 18 plus knots for the moment.   We were doing around 17 knots, and would eventually need to make up the lost time in the following days.  None of us wishes to be arriving late to San Diego with all of the flights and travel plans set now.

 

Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill, which we did enjoy more since we had skipped lunch today.  It was a bit of a surprise to see the restaurant full of customers this evening.   Anton came out to greet us in the hall, asking permission to delay our seating for a few minutes.  It seems that someone had accidently given our table away, not that our name is on it, but he knows we like the window tables.  This time we were seated in the booth next to the window tables.  Not a big deal, we were happy to be seated.  The service was a little slower than usual, but we did get our usual salads and bacon starters.  Both of us ordered the lamb chops with a side of fully loaded baked potatoes.  Very good as always, we split an almost Baked Alaska for dessert. 

 

We also had a time change of ½ hour forward tonight.  Now we only have one more hour to go to be on home time.  Everyone received the notice about the process of going home concerning luggage tags and times to debark.  More details will arrive in a few days from now.  There was an invitation to a mariner’s brunch on Saturday as well.  And tonight, Joice the assistant hotel manager, found us at dinner and said we were invited to a special event tomorrow for the seven President’s Club members.  She said another invite had been sent, but we did not find it by 9:30pm.  We will have to hunt her down and ask the details tomorrow.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

 

[WCB]

Report #74  Friday  November 17, 2023    Sea Day  Enroute To San Diego California, USA   Sunny And Warm 85 Degrees   Sea State 6'-9' Swells  Part #1 Of 2.......38 Pictures---Casual Dress

 

Day two at sea revealed it must have rained during the night, as our veranda was wet.   It was even more apparent when we took our morning walk on the promenade deck.  The port side was soaked, while starboard was dry.  The clouds that were floating over, appeared to be breaking up and we could see some blue sky.  It would be a warm day after all.  Checking the weather channel on the TV, we saw that the temperature was 81 degrees and the humidity was 78% still rather high as we sail north of the Equator now.  The wind speed was 8.7 mph and it looked like the ship was moving along at 18 knots.  This should be good enough to get us to San Diego as expected.

 

At 11am, the Captain did a lecture in the World Stage with the subjects of the navigation of this cruise to this point, Antarctica voyages, and the Ukraine charter where he was the Captain at the time.  We sure hope it is televised and we can catch it later. 

 

During his noon talk, Captain Paul mentioned that we were sailing the Doldrums, referring to the flat seas and little swell in the waters on this side of the Equator.  The lack of wind also kept the name appropriate.  But there was one factor that we learned later on that we are fighting a current coming from the north, which is causing the ship to pitch quite a bit.   The rolling has been controlled slightly due to the use of the stabilizers, but we still need to be careful walking.  That was a good enough excuse for us to stay at the Seaview Pool chatting with good friends until our assigned time for the Bridge Tour. 

 

At a little before 1pm, we met with our fellow President’s Club members on deck eight near the spa.  From there, we were going to be led to the navigation deck, however, there was a problem.  It seemed that there was an engine that lost power due to a pump leak.  The officers went into motion to solve this problem, and the tour was cancelled for one hour.  We thought we felt some strange vibrations at the aft pool that were new to us.   By the time we went back for the tour, the problem was resolved and the speed picked up to almost 20 knots.  Thank goodness for that good news.

 

We went back to the pool and waited out the hour by drinking ice water and watching the one and only booby that seems to have followed the ship since leaving Nuku Hiva.  This bird would swoop over the waves, then disappear for a while.  We bet this masked booby was at the bow, sitting on top of the flagpole.  At 2pm, we gathered once again to be led to deck seven and the navigation deck.  We were all greeted by Sharon, the 3^rd Officer, who had piloted the ship out of the bay in Nuku Hiva, as well as bringing up the anchor she had dropped early in the day.    Today she was the leader and an excellent officer to explain with great detail everything we were seeing on the bridge.  The ship was actually on “auto pilot” as we saw all of the controls set to keep the ship going in the right direction, correcting any deviations that occurred by the second.  Every security camera was visible from multiple screens.  Communication devices had more than one back-up in case of power failure.  Compasses are still used in addition to computerized gauges and satellite connections.  One large power board showed every deck and every set of fire doors, which can be closed with a touch of button here.   As well as joy sticks to control the direction of the ship, its propellers, and side thrusters, there is also an old- fashioned wheel, although small, that can do the same thing with the steering.  As you can imagine, every single thing is documented every minute of the day.  We saw the watchman, who keeps his eyes on the horizon, a hard job for sure, and the several officers who have their specialized jobs.  Many of them were sitting and working in an office behind the bridge.  We asked several questions one of which was what were the “barber” chairs for.  Set against the back wall, these chairs are meant for the pilots and their team that board the ship in every port.  And for tired officers too we suspect.  And by the way, one of the first things we spotted was the masked booby resting on top of the pole in the bow.  We were right with our guess.  The Captain mentioned that they were not pleased with the mess the bird was making, but the bird would have a ride until it either flies elsewhere, or ends up in San Diego.  And we did hear that the Captain wants to give every passenger the chance for this same tour, which will be a nice gesture.  It is seldom, if ever, done these days.

 

We had quite a nice sunset this evening……a very different type to be exact.  It began around 5:30pm with a sky full of small clouds, well below those nasty-looking black clouds.  The sky lit up and lasted for a long time.  It faded as the sun dipped down below the cloudy horizon, but re-appeared 20 minutes later with almost a repeat performance.  This one was a keeper.

 

Dinner was back in the dining room, although the tables were spotty to say the least.  We believe that the guests are going to the Pinnacle for a Tamarind pop-up or to the Canaletto for a change.   The appetizers were good again with smoked chicken slices and a rutabaga/cauliflower base.   Salads were mixed with oranges, asparagus, tomatoes, and lettuce – hold the blue cheese please.  Mains were the veal chop with a tasty mushroom gravy.   Sides were mashed potatoes, snap peas, and asparagus, which they must have a lot of.  We did have this entrée while on the world cruise, but tonight these chops had been cut in half widthwise.  Just as well as it was more than we could finish.  Saved a little room for sliced pineapple and vanilla ice cream and one snow berry chocolate tart with meringue on top.  

 

Tonight the entertainer was Comedian Sid Davis with a performance titled “Common Sense”.  The other three choices were entertainers in the Mix, Ocean Bar, and Explorers Lounge.  Never a dull moment here.

 

Tomorrow we have been invited to another event with the Mariner’s Lunch.  Should be interesting.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

 

[LouChamp]

Aloha. As always I enjoy your reports.  Have been blessed to be invited to private bridge tours over the years and am intrigued by the changes over the years with technology.  

[oakridger]

Your Captain sounds like one of the most outgoing and passenger focused captains I have heard about!  I hope to have him on a future cruise.  Nothing wrong with other Captains I have experienced, but Captain Paul really does extra for everyone!

 

~Nancy

[jsn55]

9 hours ago, oakridger said:

Your Captain sounds like one of the most outgoing and passenger focused captains I have heard about!  I hope to have him on a future cruise.  Nothing wrong with other Captains I have experienced, but Captain Paul really does extra for everyone!

 

~Nancy

A question for more-experienced cruisers.  Announcements are made in public areas, not in my cabin.  Why don't they pause a few seconds after the 'bong' so we can open our doors and hear what they're saying?  Announcements of special sales on watches don't interest me, but I definitely am interested in what the captain has to say.  I miss the start of the announcements because I can't get to the door fast enough.  They just start rattling on.