Mar 16 - Honolulu, Hawaii

Today was a blast!!! We rented a 4X4 Chevy TrailBlazer and drove around the entire island. The views were so amazing that I won't even try to describe them... We stopped at the Dole pineapple plantation and went to the end of the road on the northwest shore of the island - there were some guys kite-surfing...
We drove through several small villages that cater mostly to surfers, since the waves on the beaches here are huge!!!
We stopped all along the way to get pictures. There are panel trucks all over the island's roads that have been converted to rolling kitchens and restaurants. We stopped at one that was parked next to a field of ponds that they farm shrimp in.
They specialize in shrimp and you just can't get them any fresher. The size of those suckers is hard to beat, too.

Mmmmm - delicious!!!! We saw a blowhole and stopped off at a bay that has been preserved as a natural ecological preserve.

I wish we'd had time to stop and snorkel. We saw a pretty cool lighthouse overlooking some cliffs. We drove past the Magnum P.I. house!!!! After making our way back to Honolulu we drove the beach road, skirting around Diamondhead and into Waikiki beach. We didn't know there was some kind of street festival that closed some roads, so we wound up somewhere we didn't mean to be. We weren't exactly lost, but we also weren't entirely sure where we were. My navigation skills came in handy in reading those extremely detailed rental car company maps and I found myself telling Karen stuff like: "I think it's ahead of us," "it feels like we're almost there," "I'm pretty sure we're on the right road here..." We made it OK and got to see the whole Waikiki Beach area pretty well.
We then stopped at the Aloha Tower and Marketplace and walked around sightseeing... Finally, after dropping off the car we met up with our friends at the airport and they got us into Continental's Presidential Club lounge, where we promptly got drinks and got online to upload pictures and update the blog....
It's now 7:15PM and we take off at 9:30PM, so I'll try to get as many in as I can... (drinks AND pictures)

C U all L8R

Mar 16 - Honolulu, Hawaii

Well, it's 7AM and we're ready to disembark from our home for the last 15 days... We're going to miss the R&R... Soon we'll be driving around this beautiful island. I'm sure I'll have time to update this blog from the airport tonight....
Luis

Mar 15 - Hilo, Hawaii

March 15, 2008

There are whales off our bow!!!!! We went topside to watch the sail away from Hilo ad there were a bunch of whales all around us. We saw many spouts from whale blows, and a few tails slapping the water as well as humps showing above the waterline… Really cool!!!

We woke up early this morning and had a great breakfast. We met up with Christine and Ed and headed to the port where we were picked up by a van that took us to the airport to pick up a rental car. We drove to Volcanoes National Park and saw Kilauea, the most active volcano in the world which has been continuously erupting for over 20 years.

The size of the caldera (live crater) is awe-inspiring. We went to the Jagger museum and got to see the seismographs go wiggly while a couple of good earthquakes were going on. The change in vegetation type and amount is really interesting to see as we approached the top of the caldera. There is a road which goes all around it but half was closed due to life-threatening levels of sulphur dioxide gas being emitted from the volcano. We instead went to see the vent field which continuously puts out lots of steam from different vent holes – it was hotter that the steam in the ship’s sauna!!! We then proceeded to visit an old lava lake from lava flows of 5 years ago which continue to smolder to this day!!! After that awesome experience we drove back towards Hilo and stopped at the Mauna Loa macadamia nut factory.

This place is right in the middle of a 225,000-tree orchard and processes over 40,000 tons of macadamia nuts every year. There was a self-guided tour and a visitor/sales center where we were able to buy lots of macadamia treats to take back with us. There were all kinds of types and flavors. If I tried to list them all I’d probably go nuts (HAHA). Our next stop was at Hilo Hattie’s, a famous local shop where one can buy anything Hawaiian. We picked up a few things and continued on to Akaka Falls.

These falls drop 420 feet straight down and you get to them by walking through a trail that winds its way trough a rain forest. It was really cool to experience the nature and the scenic wonder. We then stopped at Akaka Falls Village, a picturesque little placid collection of houses and shops where we had lunch. We also drove thought a scenic road that borders the ocean. The views that we got of bays, beaches, rivers, brooks, waterfalls, forests and cliffs were gorgeous. Pictures don’t do them justice – I wish I had a hi-def video camera to capture as much of the splendor as possible to bring back with us. After dropping off the SUV we headed back to the ship. We watched the sail away and got to see some whales. Before dinner we went up to Paul and Angela’s suite where we’d been invited for champagne. Dinner was very good today and we headed back to the cabin after bidding our new friends adieu. We stopped off at the internet café and did the online check-in for tomorrow night’s flight back home. We then finished packing and put our checked luggage outside our cabin door for pickup. Tomorrow we debark in Honolulu early in the morning and plan to rent an SUV in order to drive around the entire island before out 9:30PM flight…

Mar 14 - Sea Day

March 14, 2008

Today was our last cruise day. I woke up at 8AM and decided I was going to sleep in late. Karen was already out and about so when she came back at 9AM I told her I was a little queasy and would be staying in bed. I finally got out of bed at 10:30AM and went topside for some coffee and a croissant. I then joined Karen at a Cruise Critic party that was going on. There were a couple of appreciative speeches about the efforts that went into the “mission of mercy” to Christmas Island. Then there were a few slide shows of the pictures that were taken. The rest of the day for me was rest and relaxation by the side of the pool where I read, listened to music, and (of course) napped here and there. Karen had her last massage session in the early afternoon and then went to “High Tea” with Christine. I went to the shops and bought a really cool (100% silk) Hawaiian shirt I’ve had my eye on. We decided not to get the watches, since we checked online and very easily can get them for the same price – I’m sure with some searching we can get them for significantly less. After dinner we went to the nightclub and watched the ship’s version of “Dancing with the Stars.” It was really entertaining seeing everyday folks actually getting out there and doing a great job after a half dozen practice sessions or so. Our major accomplishment today probably was packing the majority of our stuff so we don’t have to rush it tomorrow night after our day in Hilo, Hawaii, our next port of call…

Mar 13 - onboard

March 13, 2008

Today is another sea day as we sail towards Hilo, Hawaii. We should reach it by Saturday. Today I slept late and found a note directing me to a deck lounger poolside. I ate a quick breakfast and met Karen at the main theater for a lecture on whales. It was very interesting and I look forward to seeing some of these wondrous creatures as we approach Hawaii. After the lecture we lay by the pool and read, listened to music, and napped. I had a very tasty mojito and enjoyed the sea breeze. Lunch was a delicious jambalaya, tomato and cucumber salad, grilled eggplant, and grilled pork loin. A slice of baklava and some iced tea finished it off. We then returned poolside where Karen and Christine volunteered for pool games. They each got a nice pen out of it and we all enjoyed the games. After a couple of hours of continued lounging we have now returned to our cabin. I came straight down to update the blog and Karen stopped off at the Thalassotherapy pool. Plans for tonight include the cruise’s last formal dinner, then perhaps casino or dancing. Tomorrow is our last sea day, so we might finalize some shopping onboard….

Mar 12 - Kiribati

March 12, 2008

This morning I woke up to find a note from Karen telling me she was up at the pool and had a chair poolside. I went up and we witnessed and interesting ceremony that is customary whenever a ship crosses the equator. Anyone on board who has never crossed it before is known as a “pollywog”, and during the ceremony, the pollywogs are brought before King Neptune (the cruise director all dressed up) who anoints them with a variety of substances (chocolate syrup, pasta in red sauce, flour, raw eggs, mousse, etc.) before being taken to the side of the pool, made to kiss a large fish being held by one of the Sirens, and then are unceremoniously dumped into the pool. After this ceremony they are forever called “shellbacks” – since we crossed the equator at the 180^th parallel we are now known as “golden shellbacks.” It was really funny, and the pool was closed for the remainder of the day. We had skipped breakfast so we headed up for lunch and then got ready for the tender ride to Christmas Island. We were on the first tender off the ship, into an island this cruise line has never been into. Te tide was very low and the island is surrounded by a shallow-water barrier reef. We sat at the front of the tender and I could see parallel lines of buoys, red on the left and green on the right. The water between the buoys was darker blue – obviously a channel into the docks. After a while, I noticed that we were slowing down and were to the right of the green buoys, obviously outside of the channel. Before I could say anything there was a series of loud scraping and banging noises as we grounded ourselves onto the reef. After a few attempts we were able to power backwards and float again. They pilot managed to get back between the buoys and follow the channel to the pier, where we were met by another surprise. When tied up alongside the dock, the tender was about four feet below the surface of the dock. We literally had to climb out of the tender. The back of the tender was filled with nearly 100 boxed packed with school supplies, shoes, and linens for the island. We were received by the minister of education and welcomed by a dancing line of native children, decked out in grass shirts and flowers, singing welcome songs. We then boarded trucks that took us on a tour of the island, stopping at all the school we passed. We visited two each of the preschools, primary and high schools. At each stop we would present the children and the teachers with supplies and they would than us with cheers and songs. Since the main product of the island is coconuts we were offered fresh coconuts pretty much everywhere we stopped. I amazed my peers with my coconut-opening abilities and personally drank the contents of three large coconuts and ate the flesh of one. Our final stop was at a local welcome house where they island leaders had an official welcome ceremony. We all got “lei’d” and were given flower headbands and shell necklaces. The villagers had cooperated and each had cooked something to bring to the ceremony. I had boiled potatoes, lobster, taro bread, cucumbers, papaya, white rice, and fried breadfruit, along with a piece of welcome cake. For drinks they brought bottled water and fresh coconuts. A few of the local girls danced for us in traditional dress and we were serenaded by the local high school band that I unofficially named “The Pipe and Shoe” band. They had taken various lengths of plastic (PVC) pipe and tied them up in a “pan flute” arrangement. They did this also with a variety of pipe diameters. These instruments were played by hitting the top opening with the sole of shoes or sandals, making sonorous whacks of different pitch and timbre. When all played simultaneously, the result was an amazingly harmonious melody!!! I delivered the medical supplies to a local woman who promised to get them to the doctor, who was unavoidably occupied at the time. We then headed back to the ship without hitting bottom again. Upon boarding the ship we found out that we were a fortunate few. Only 2 tenders made it and the rest had to return to the ship due to the extremely low tide and dangerous shallow water situations. As tired as we were, we managed to make it to dinner, where we presented our tablemates with leis and flower headbands that we brought back from the island. Oh, I almost forgot: the ship’s stores had a $10 sale that brought havoc and mayhem to the midships area. There were women everywhere, pushing and shoving as they, with glazed eyes, attempted to gain access to the sale goods in crazed frenzy. Karen managed to snag a couple of beach bags while I hid behind one of the stores’ glass doors. While diving with sharks I felt no fear, but amidst that frenzied chaos I felt true fear… :)

Mar 11 - Onboard

March 11, 2008

Today was another sea day, so more relaxation took place. Karen had a massage today and I went to the gym in the afternoon. Last night we wanted lobster for dinner, but we were told that they couldn’t do it since the stores were low. What we did instead was have a lobster lunch today at our friend’s suite. The butler served the lunch and even brought us apple pie, something we’d been craving. We watched movies after lunch in our cabins. After diner, Karen & Christine went up to the “60’s sock hop” while I headed to the movie theatre. Tonight I watched “Night at the Museum” and last night I watched “Déjà vu” – movies I hadn’t gotten to watch. Tomorrow we stop at “Chrismas Island” – Kiribati. We’re looking forward to our visit…