Mar 10 - Onboard

March 10, 2008

Today is a day of total relaxation. It is a sea day without plans or appointments. Karen woke up at 8 and headed to the gym. I woke up at 9 when she returned and we headed up for breakfast. I can tell we are close to the equator, as the weather outside is getting progressively hotter. After breakfast we went to a very educational and interesting lecture on tsunamis. Karen then headed up to the pool while I headed to the cabin to “read” my book. I managed to read the back of my eyelids for a while J. It is now early afternoon and I’m about to go upload the last couple of days’ blogs and check my e-mail and do my online bill-paying. Tonight we’ll probably have lobster and steak for dinner and maybe hit the casino or dance club… Rough life, huh???

March 09 - Bora Bora

March 09, 2008

As we pulled away last night from Tahiti, we went topside to watch the sail-away. The view was magnificent. The sunset was incredibly beautiful behind the sister island of Moorea (the Yellow Dragon) with an incredible blend of reds, yellows, and oranges. The BBQ was excellent, and the movie gave me a new perspective n England’s relationship to its monarchy. We fell asleep tired but ready for the next port of call.

We woke up early to the sounds of the bow thrusters maneuvering our ship closer to the port. We had arrived at Bora Bora!!! The view from our cabin only whetted our appetite for the whole view. After a brief breakfast we headed topside to get a good look at this beautiful island. The view from the highest point on the ship was breathtaking. “Bali Hai,” the impressive remains of a collapsed volcano, overlooks this pacific paradise. We boarded one of the ship’s lifeboats for the short trip to the docks. I would hate to have to be stuck on one of those for a significant amount of time. Then again, I guess it would be better than going down with the ship. On arrival to the docks we browsed the stalls at a small craft market, and then a group of 19 of us boarded a large outrigger pirogue for our tour. The island of Bora Bora consists of a central island made up of the remains of a collapsed volcano surrounded by a myriad of small motus (small islands) with a barrier reef around them. As a result, the water between the motus and the central island is incredibly calm and clear, with coral reef heads dotting the lagoon floor. Our first stop was at the edge of the barrier reef where we got the chance to swim with and feed sting rays. They feel very smooth, almost slimy, and these particular bunch are accustomed to humans and weren’t aggressive at all. Like puppies, they gathered around us and would come up onto our chests looking for handouts. It was scary at first but very cool and exciting. We then stopped off at a beautiful beach where there were hotels and dive shops. We picked up a few coolers for our lunch and the proceeded to a spot called “the fish garden.” They should have called it something else, since in addition to swimming with a multitude of tropical fish and sting rays, we got the opportunity to swim with a few dozen black-tipped reef sharks. A few of us stayed in the water to feed them. It was amazing, and I didn’t feel scared at all. At one point I swam out from the boat and was swimming amongst them. According to what the rest of my companions said when I got back onboard, they were very concerned for my safety since the sharks were actually circling me. At no time did I feel threatened, however. After that unique experience we proceeded to a private motu where our guide and his helpers prepared lunch while we swam in the lagoon. We were out at least 500-600 feet and we were still thigh-deep in water. Lunch was a Polynesian feast of grilled marlin marinated in soy and oyster sauces, a fresh fish (raw & marinated in lemon) salad, boiled taro and plantain, taro bead, poe (a mixture of ripe banana, tapioca flour, and coconut cream), and fresh fruits. The dishes were all hand-made from coconut fronds and large round leaves. There was no silverware so we ate with our hands native-style. They played Polynesian music for us – enchanting melodies of ukulele, guitar and drums. We stayed for another hour after lunch and then continued our tour. We circumnavigated the central island and had wonderful views of a variety of motus, from large ones with luxury hotels to small, uninhabited ones. The majority of the luxury hotels have long jetties that jut out into the lagoons, each jetty with cottages that have steps out into the tropical waters. My hope is to some day be able to stay in one of those… We also saw the airport that was built for WWII and some gun emplacements that have been conserved. We had some excellent views of the local villages, each marked with its own church steeple. After return to the docks, more shopping was available, then we tendered back in to the ship. After quick showers we went topside for tropical drinks, then Karen went for a pedicure while I watched the sail-away and then went to deal for the watches we want. We met up at the cabin and got ready for dinner. We went to a pre-dinner show by Dennis Blair, a comedian. This guy toured with Rodney Dangerfield and was very funny. We had martinis after the show, and dinner was, as usual, excellent. It felt that dinner was endless, though, since Karen and I were both exhausted. We should’ve just went to the grill and had pizza or pasta and then headed for bed. Karen passed right out and I stayed up just a little longer updating you guys…

March 08 - Pape'ete & Onboard

March 08, 2008

This morning we woke up at 7AM and had a nice breakfast of Belgian waffles. We headed out to the port where we boarded a boat with a group from the ship. We went on a snorkel outing. We toured the local barrier reef and stopped to watch a large pod of spinner dolphins play and jump around our boat. We snorkeled first at a site where the depth was 20-30 feet. There was a nice reef and lots of sea life to be seen. There were 2 boat wrecks and a small airplane at the bottom. Pretty cool. The next spot was a shallow area that was 3-4 feet deep. There were lots of coral heads with plenty of fish and plants to be seen. On the way back to the dock it started to rain. It seems that we are here during the local rainy/hurricane season, which runs January through March. After the snorkeling tour we went back to the ship, showered & changed, had lunch, and headed back out for an afternoon of sightseeing and shopping. We bought a few t-shirts and souvenirs then went looking for black pear bargains. We visited many shops, large and small. We finally found the prices we were looking for at the local farmers/flea/craft market. After a long afternoon of walking, we found a nice pub where we relaxed over drinks/beer. We boarded the ship again shortly before 5PM. Karen promptly fell asleep in our cabin while I update this blog. The plans for tonight are a Polynesian BBQ dinner under the stars (unless it rains) and then we are watching the Oscar-winning movie “The Queen” in the main theatre. We’ll probably go to bed early tonight since we’re pretty tired. Tomorrow we go to Bora Bora, where we have a day-long excursion planned. I didn’t find an internet café, so pictures will have to wait some more…

March 07 - Onboard

March 07, 2008

I woke up at 8AM and Karen was already off to the gym and spa. There was a lecture at 10AM on rogue waves I wanted to see, so I went back to sleep for a little longer. I woke up again at 10:32AM and missed it L. After a quick breakfast I went back to the cabin and watched a few travel shows. I also got Karen’s MP3 player to work by recoding all the music from WMA files to MP3 and reloading it. She is now a happy camper. While I lounged about in the cabin, Karen was hanging out at the pool with Christine, where they were “volunteered” to be judges for the belly flop contest. They had fun. After lunch I went to a lecture on tropical reefs and then headed to the shops to a seminar on Omega watches. Afterwards I started haggling for the watches we want. They came down a little but I think there’s more room for haggling so I’ll visit again in a couple of days. Karen had an afternoon massage and I hit the gym again in the late afternoon. Dinner tonight was formal again, so I donned the tux again and Karen wore a very nice dress. We met our friends for pre-dinner martinis and had a lovely dinner. The shows and movies weren’t really that interesting today, so we headed to the cabin after dinner. I watched “Sicko” on my laptop after Karen fell asleep. Tomorrow we have to wake up early for our shore excursion in Pape’ete, the capital city/island in Tahiti/French Polynesia.

March 06 - Rarotonga & Onboard

March 06, 2008

We woke up early today at 7AM in order to be ready and waiting when the tenders started to shuttle passengers to Rarotonga. The seas looked pretty rough with 7-foot waves. The ship dropped anchor in a beautiful spot just in front of the port and immediately started to swing about and lean over to the left side because of the strong winds (gusting to 35mph). They pulled up anchor and tried repositioning two more times, but no luck. The seas got rougher and it started raining. The weather report for the afternoon predicted worsening rain and wing with the seas even worse, making it impossible to transfer passengers safely, so the port of call was cancelled for safety reasons. As disappointed as we were, it was for the best – I wouldn’t have wanted to be out there on those conditions. The ship cruised around the island to give us a scenic view, then proceeded onwards to the next port. We have one sea day, then dock at Pape‘ete, Tahiti. We relaxed today on the ship. Karen & Christine did the pool and spa thing while I lounged, read and listened to music. Lunch was buffet style and a nap in the afternoon felt just right. Late afternoon included a good workout at the gym (my arms, chest and back have been sore for 2 days now) and a very relaxing session at the spa’s saunas and pool area. We went window shopping at the onboard duty-free shops. We both saw watches we really like. My plan is to go back every other day or so and try to haggle with them. Even at the listed price they are good deals with 15% off and no sales tax… Dinner was casual and very tasty. After dinner I headed to see a movie (The Illusionist – Great!!!) and Karen & Christine went to see The Newlywed/Not So Newlywed Game. Tomorrow is a sea day, so waking up early is not in the plans (for me at least).

March 05, 2008 (#2)

March 5, 2008 (#2)

I again slept in till 9:30AM this second Wednesday of this week. I woke up when Karen returned from her morning workout. We met Christine & Ed for breakfast and today I tried the Belgian Waffles with mixed berry sauce. Mmmmmm! They were yummy! Karen had a mid-morning massage so I went to one of the lectures put on by the Celebrity Discoveries Enrichment series. It was about Rarotonga, on the Cook Islands – our next port of call. Very interesting. After, I lounged on one of the decks watching the last episode of OZ on my iPhone. After Karen returned from her massage we headed up for lunch. We had planned on lunch at the main dining room, but after seeing the choices on the menu (squid, turkey, and calf liver) we decided to go topside. I had a wonderful salad and a reuben sandwich. We then headed back to the man theatre where there was another lecture about dangerous marine animals. It was quite educational and entertaining, by a retired USN Captain who has plenty of experience in the field. Karen then headed to meet Christine at the movie theatre to see “Becoming Jane” while I headed up to the cabin to update this blog. The plan for the rest of the day is a good workout followed by a therapeutic pool session. Dinner tonight is casual and we’ll probably head to the theatre for a show by a well-recommended concert pianist. We also might head up to the Navigator’s Club for a night of jazz, dancing, and a late-night wine & cheese tasting. We hope you’re continuing to follow us on our journey via this blog…

Luis & Karen

March 05, 2008 (#1)

March 5, 2008 (#1)

You’ll notice that it says “#1” next to today’s date. That is because on this cruise, this week we will have two Wednesdays. Tonight we cross the international date line and go back in time 24 hours. So, we will go to bed tonight on Wednesday night and wake up tomorrow on Wednesday morning. Weird, huh? Today I slept in late, and woke up at 9:30 only because Karen woke me up after she got back from the gym.. We went to breakfast and then sat on loungers by the pool. I had my iPhone with me and was listening to music when I promptly fell asleep. Karen & Christine did a “cocktail mixology” class and brought me back some kind of sweet cocktail. I drank some of it and went back to sleep. They woke me up for a 2PM lunch, after which I headed down to the cabin for – guess what? – a nap!!! I planned on getting up by 5PM to go work out again, but my plans fell apart and I woke up after 6:30PM. Karen had her first massage today while I “napped” and she reports that it was very therapeutic. Tonight’s dress code for dinner is “informal” so I have to wear a jacket but no tie. We met our friends for pre-dinner martinis and got the “martini tasting” which has 6 different martinis to sample. The green apple martinis tasted pretty good… Dinner was excellent as usual. Our new friends Paul and Angela are entertaining conversationalists and have plenty of stories to keep us amused throughout dinner. I have my arsenal of jokes and tell a few every evening. I have made Angela (who is the very proper English lady) blush and raise her eyebrows quite a few times. Oh, well… After dinner Karen and Christine went gambling in the casino while I went to see a new western at the theatre. The movie was called “The Proposition” and promised to be exciting and full of action. It really sucked!!! By the time I got back to the cabin Karen was already in bed. Apparently she didn’t win big at the casino.

G'nite!!!