Papeete, Tahiti
February 16th
After 5 days at sea we arrived in Tahiti. Bruce scheduled an early morning dive so he was off the ship at 8 am. Little did he know that he was going to do a ‘shark dive.’ Surprised him too. Not great whites by the way, just Black tip and other small sharks. The dive company that he went out with feed them so they are not at all interested in humans and no cages had to be involved. He said it was pretty cool though. We did not have any excursions booked since we docked right in the downtown area. When Bruce got back to the ship we walked around town and did some shopping. Papeete is the capital of French Polynesia. It is a major shipping port, and it is pretty big with lots of people and traffic to go along with it. The primary language is French with most understanding some English. They have a huge market right off the dock where the locals shop for produce and tourists shop for almost anything. They are known for their vanilla and black pearls. We walked around there for awhile and bought some things. It was pretty run down and there were a lot of beggars. I guess they are trying to clean up the downtown area and fix up the buildings. Just by looking off the top deck of the ship you can see down the beach where all of the resort areas are and they looked pretty nice. Moorea is just a 50 minute ferry ride across the ocean. It seems like if visited here you would spend the major amount of your time in the resort areas which were all represented by most of the major hotel chains. It is the rainy season here, so it was hot, hot, hot. About 85 with 95% humidity and absolutely no breeze. After only a couple of hours out in the heat and even after constantly drinking water you are completely wrung out. It felt like you were in a sauna. The thunder storms started in the early afternoon, so that was a good excuse to go back to the ship. We were not sailing until 10 pm but the rain would not let up and it poured. On to Pago Pago.
Pago Pago, American Samoa
February 19th
After 2 warm wonderful days at sea we arrived in Pago, Pago. Which to be politically correct is pronounced ‘Pango Pango’. We were able to dock right at the port and they had a nice shopping area set up with lots of stalls selling local crafts. We were only here for 5 hrs and since it was Sunday, we were afraid that everything would be shut down. The Samoan people have a very strong family culture and most everyone attends church on Sundays. Walking around the small town we could hear singing and the church bells ringing. All of the women and girls were dressed up in their white dresses with flowers in their hair. Even the men and boys dress up in the traditional wrap skirt, which looks very comfortable and cool. It was lovely to watch. After church they have barbecues and family gatherings. According to their social laws, there is no swimming on Sundays. Only a few of the stores were open but I think that that was only because the ship was in port. They still have to make living, and 1200 people willing to spend lots of money is too good to pass up. The Island is beautiful, and the people are lovely. There are no major hotels on the Island, very few cars, and only about 4000 native residents in the town. It is part of the U.S. so everyone speaks English and the currency is the US dollar. This beautiful Island reminds me of how Hawaii might have been about 50 yrs ago. It does have a major airport and it is only a 5 hr flight from Hawaii. I think that Bruce and I will definitely think about coming back and spending some time here. It was very peaceful, tropical, and the people were very proud of their heritage. The experience of this Island was awesome. And I am very grateful. Onto Sydney…..
Shipboard Meanderings……..Formal nights and so forth….
The biggest thing so far was going across the International Dateline…Yes, We lost Monday Feb. 20th. It was the weirdest thing….first it was Sunday and then it was Tuesday. We lost Monday totally. And we are still going back an hour almost every night. Talk about time warp…Anyway… Welcome Fat Tuesday……and this ship had the most fantastic Mardi gras party. First of all, The President, and CEO came on board in Pago Pago. This was a huge thing. Everyone and everything was tip top and aboveboard. Then to celebrate Mardi gras, and Fat Tuesday….we had the most fantastic party, ever. Maybe we were all ready for a party, after so many days at sea. I did not realize that the Pacific Ocean was so huge. They flew in wonderful jazz bands and people from New Orleans. 5 hrs of eating, dancing, drinking, and partying……this was tip top and memorable. I guess rum drinks do rule the seas. Everyone was moving a little slow the next day, was it really Tues. or Wed? No matter, changes in attitudes, changes in latitudes ….On another note, we have 18 formal nights on this world cruise. I have to make 5 cocktail dresses interchangeable. Yes, it’s do-able with fun accessories. I am not here to impress people. I am just here to enjoy the moment, and without an attitude. Seriously, this is quite fun and challenging, and of course I love to take it out of ‘the box’ per say. There are theme nights….Valentine’s Day, and various Balls to accommodate the itinerary…..The Blue and Ice Ball…Antarctica, Black and white Ball…and I am sure something for St. Paddys Day, Academy Awards, etc….anything to keep the masses happy. I could really care less about dressing up, but some people take this seriously. But it is kind of fun to play dress up on the sea days. On world cruises there are ‘pillow gifts’ that they give you on formal nights. Now, you could say that you have to pack them home but it is a nice touch. We have had nice tote bags, journals, first aid kits, etc. but tonight we received crystal votives from Tiffany and Co. I have never received a ‘blue box with a white ribbon’ Very good form. Looking forward to the next segment. We are halfway through. Maybe the best is yet to come, and we have had some amazing experiences. Sydney, The Great Barrier Reef, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Egypt, and India. They still seem unreal to me. I can’t wait……
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