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  1. Report #63 Monday November 7, 2022 Fakarava, Tuamotu 8am-4:30pm Heavy Rain ALL Day 80 Degrees Part #1 Of 6......Text Only....Pictures In Parts 2,3,4,5,&6 Very early this morning, one of us watched from the veranda as the Zuiderdam sailed into the massive lagoon of Fakarava. Mostly cloudy and blue skies were on one side, but on the other side were the most ominous clouds ever seen in these parts. Eventually the rain arrived, sometimes light, then with a vengeance. Yep, it is going to be another wet day, and we will just have to make the best of it. Little did we know how bad it would get….. Here is some info about this very different port of call. Fakarava is the second largest atoll and ex capital of the Tuamotus Archipelago. There are two main villages and the total population is about 845 people. Their main industry is tourism with some resorts, restaurants (seldom open), but no big hotels. Their next industry is pearl farming where 98% of the black pearls of French Polynesia are produced here. Along with the six nearby atolls, this atoll has been named a National Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. And that is due to the deep dives that can reveal colorful corals, groupers, dolphins, moray eels, leopard, manta, and eagle sting rays, and barracudas. The sharks found here are grey, nurse, lemon, tiger, hammerhead, and reef sharks, as well as a million of the smaller tropical fish. The circle of dry land surrounding this lagoon measures only 16 square km. The lagoon is 1121 square km. The old name of this atoll was Havaiki, and is still commonly used for businesses. There are two passes into this lagoon, the north one being the largest opening in French Polynesia. The southern one is smaller. We assumed we entered in the north or Garuae passage and passed by the airport on the way into the main village of Rotoava. This is where we would tender later. With the rain falling, we decided to wait until after 10am to go ashore. We had been informed by our good buddy that very few guests had shown up to get tender tickets. One of the reasons for that was that there were no ship tours here today. Instead, people opted to go to the dining room for breakfast because the line went down the hallway before 8am. We found that to be the case when we went to deck one to walk down to deck A and board the tenderboat. There was only a handful of us waiting to go down after some guests were already coming back. Guess it was open tenders already. It wasn’t hard getting into the boat, and soon the entire quota was met, and we were on our way. It seemed that mostly the dedicated snorkelers, the hikers, and the beach-seekers were on the single coral-based road in the village. In the area of the tender landing are several small shops selling souvenirs from t-shirts to pearls. As soon as we left the tender, it began to rain, so we skipped the shops. They were already crowded with folks trying to escape the rain. Also in this area was a small grocery store, a gas station, and a snack shack, where we dined on French fries and ice cream one of the last times we were here. Going up the road, we soon found where some of the snorkelers had gone into the water. There are no real beaches here, but strips of sand mixed with coral. The roadside has somewhat of a grass, but that is loaded with coral too. Once in the water, you really just stay in it. Even in the rain. Did we mention sharks? We had just begun walking up the road, watching the water, and there it was – a six foot nurse shark, moving along in the shallow water. The dorsal fin was the first clue, then you could see the rest of the body and the elongated tail. A few years back, we did see some locals feeding about five of these sharks, actually stroking them as they came close. Treating them like pets is not a great idea, but the locals will do it for the photos people like to take. The one we saw was probably trolling for a handout. Luckily one of us followed the shark taking photos, until a hut or something was blocking the water’s edge. As much as we tried, we never did see another one today. We came across the first Catholic Church that had been built out of coral rocks back in 1874. But first, we went around the back to pay a visit to their local cemetery. Every grave had bouquets of silk flowers decorating them. Great idea, as they last far longer than any other flowers. Then we entered the small church which has a baby blue ceiling giving the impression that you are in the cool clouds. This church has been maintained beautifully. Despite the darkness in there, the photos came put surprisingly bright. The waves of rain continued to wash over the atoll, actually stopping at times. It did not hinder the snorkelers that were in the water offshore. Wonder if they knew many nurse sharks were circling those same waters? A few other beach-goers were along the slender stretch of coral-laden beach. Dodging major puddles on the road was challenging, but it would get worse. Most of the road walkers had turned back at this point, but we continued up the narrow, but flooded dirt road to the Havaiki Pearl Lodge and the Snack Le Requin Dormeur. The last few times we were here in Fakarava, this resort was closed for the season. What a nice surprise to find it opened, which had been confirmed by Diane and John who were just coming from lunch. By now the rain was more than showers and we were glad to get a table in the center under their thatched-roof palapa. Every possible chair was taken. Some were on the outside under umbrellas, but that did not last long when there was lightning followed by major thunder. Like right over our heads. Thrilling to say the least. Now getting food here is like going to a fast food place. You order and pay for it at a counter, bring your beverages to your table, and wait for the buzzer to go off for your food. Then one of you goes to the window and brings it back. Easy peasy…. We split a huge cheeseburger on a homemade bun with a pile of French fries and a small portion of coleslaw in the center. The beers were Hinano, of course, but the 50cl. size. More thunder and lightning occurred, then the deluge began in earnest and did not stop. We did stay protected from the driving winds under the protected hut, which was a miracle. But at some point, we knew we had to head back. To say we got drowned in cyclone-like rain with 44 knot winds is an understatement. Sure the umbrellas helped, but the water was blowing under them as well as over them. The dirt road had flooded, so we skirted the side of the road as much as we could. Taking refuge at a little bus shelter along the road, we decided we knew why this was happening. It was the fact we missed doing the King Neptune ceremony the first time we crossed the Equator. He was getting his revenge on us now…. The deluge was so encompassing, we could not see the ship from the shore. The driving rain hit the metal roofs so hard, it sounded like dump trucks coming. Ducking behind the biggest casuarina trees helped to block the blasting winds…no kidding. The longer we stalled, the more flooded the road got. Puddles were ponds now, especially around the houses. Everything was flooded. We did pop over to the church again, but even they were under water in the front. Very near the tender area, the entire road was under water, and we had no choice but to slog in water over our ankles to access the waiting tenders. Guess our shoes were getting washed, like it or not. By now, there was a brief stall in the rain, of course. But it didn’t matter, we were as wet as could be right down to the bone. What an exhilarating adventure we had on Fakarava today. Unlike our previous visits, we will remember this one the most. The tender boat was bobbing quite a bit with the swells, so once we had about a dozen people in it, the driver left. It was good to get back to the ship. And here’s another story of the day. Ever since last night, we had no cold water in our bathroom again. The bad news is that the hot and cold both ran scalding hot, with no chance of taking a shower. We called the front desk, where they offered to provide an empty room we could use until it was repaired. Getting a key for the room up the hall from us, we never did have to use it, since the temperature was fixed before our dinner time at 8pm. Just in case it went wrong again, we kept the key overnight. We hung all of our wet clothing on the veranda, until it could be bagged up for the laundry. By now, it was already time for the ship to leave, and Captain Frank came on with his talk. His speech was filled with apologies beginning with the unfortunate bad weather conditions today. We will have to tell him our theory of missing the King Neptune Ceremony, and that might take the blame off of his shoulders…. as if he has control over that anyway. Then he addressed the failure of the internet onboard informing us that HAL was sending a technician to Nuku Hiva to help solve our problem. They are suggesting giving the ship a hotspot that is on the island already. How they will manage that remains to be seen. In the meantime, all of us will have loads of emails to answer, emails to send, and people to contact as far as airlines and rides are concerned. Thank goodness we thought to secure our ride home in October, knowing that we always have internet problems sailing from Nuku Hiva to San Diego. Captain Frank made everyone laugh when he said if he tried to make light of the bad weather and internet problems, we would think he was on drugs. He did, however, promise us better seas and weather ahead as we sail north-easterly towards the Marquesas. Leaving the lagoon through the north passage, the Zuiderdam sailed through the turbulence of the warmer lagoon meeting the cooler waters of the Pacific Ocean. The currents create a turbulent churning of the water which can be treacherous, especially for smaller vessels. A small boat followed from a distance to pick up the pilot once we were through the pass. It was most impressive as we all watched from our aft verandas. With the backdrop of the sun setting, it was surreal. Dinner in the dining room revealed a nice menu, which had a few repeats, but many new items too. Both of us had the arancini appetizers with salsa, one salad, one bowl of soup, and mains of wahoo and small veggie tacos. A vanilla pudding resembling a flan and one scoop of orange sorbet finished the meal nicely. The clocks went forward ½ hour this evening, and we will do the next ½ hour after leaving the Marquesas. Dance Fever was the show tonight, but we were more than ready to call it a day….and what a day it had been. Bill & Mary Ann
  2. Greetings all readers, We are getting intermittent service at the moment, so we do want to thank all of you that were concerned about the missing reports. When we finally got the 15 minutes of email time yesterday, we had no time to read any posts here. So again, many thanks....we do care. Bill & Mary Ann
  3. Report #62 Sunday November 6, 2022 Day #2 Pape'ete, Tahiti, French Polynesia Sailaway @ 5pm Cloudy With Afternoon Heavy Rain 80 Degrees Part #1 Of 4 ....Text Only....Pictures In Parts 2,3,&4 During breakfast this morning, we heard some chatter among the Pinnacle Grill waiters concerning phone cards they had bought onshore last night. Attempting to use them, they found that their cell phones had gone haywire with incorrect data. Some of the fellows were late to work, because the time had changed to another zone and their wake-up alarms did not go off. Whatever happened to good old fashioned watches and alarm clocks. Maybe they are going extinct, but they are still dependable. And guess what? It wasn’t raining. Would be a great time for a walk in town. On our way out, we stopped to see Shiv in his Housekeeping Office. Always nice visiting with him, although on this ship, the meetings have been too far in between due to his location on deck one. We are all experiencing the internet failure, as Shiv and all of the staff had no computer success either since 1pm yesterday. It is crippling and there is no promise of when it will be fixed. We are not even sure they know what caused the failure yet. Another problem we saw were the several buckets in the hallway catching dripping water leaks. That sure reminded us of the problems they had with leaks on the Amsterdam. Later on, we heard that the Casino had the worst of the leaks and it was traveling down to the lower decks. Today would have been the better one for the ship’s tours that we forgot to mention yesterday. Briefly, they are a west or east coast drive around the island or a tour to see the islands treasures. The most rigorous was the 4x4 drive up into the mountains, and a lagoon swim. The best bet would be a ride around the island with a stop for lunch. The excursions ranged from $100 to $210 per person. More than likely we suspect some of these tours had been cancelled due to the heavy downpour. Leaving the ship at 9am, we were not allowed to turn right out of the gate to access the Paofai Park walkway. Why, we all asked, since we had gone this way yesterday? Even one fellow with us had gone off the ship earlier, and did in fact walk out this way, and now the guards are saying no. It did not take us long to figure out why. There was a handful of local hawkers selling tours to the folks from the ship. We had no choice but to pass by them, taking this longer way out of the dock area. Some people challenged the guards but the answer was still NO. In a way, it worked out better for us since we crossed the boulevard and headed up a different main street. There was no use going to the marketplace because our good buddy had just come from there having bought a handful of tropical flowers. The market was closed when she left. Boy, what a difference a day makes. It was like a ghost town this morning. Everything was closed with a few exceptions because it was Sunday. The churches would be opened as well as a few cafes and the pharmacies. This walk did give us the chance to see a part of the downtown area to photograph many of the local murals that had been painted on the walls of big buildings. We could call it the “walk of the graffiti”. We could hear singing coming from a small church nearby. It was Protestant and the people were sitting all the way to the front doors. Further down the street, we heard more music coming from Notre Dame Cathedral, where we discovered that a baptism was in progress. That group was singing also. Passing McDonalds, we saw that they were opened for business, although no where near as crowded as yesterday. Further down this street we crossed the boulevard and entered Paofai Park to walk the gardens and waterfront. Turning left, we made it all the way to the end where the Maison de la Culture and the big theater is located. This has to be the place that can seat up to 6000 people. From reading the flyers, it looks like a Tahitian performance is expected to take place here December 3rd. Turning around, we headed back to the ship and made a visit to the Ocean Bar for beers. We will miss the have-it-all perk on the world cruise, even though we have barely used it to the full advantage. For a change, we had some sun on the veranda until about 2pm. Then the dark clouds came over, and the rain came back with a vengeance. Our newly-cleaned veranda was flooded haflway to the door. So much for the better day, even though the sun had lasted longer today. Good time for lunch, we ordered room service salads and one sandwich. And a few cookies. By 4:30pm, Captain Frank came on the speakers to give his usual talk. He apologized for the inclement weather, (as if he could change it), and apologized for having some of yesterday’s tours cancelled. After sailing the night in fairly rough seas, we will be in Fakarava tomorrow with much of the same weather. Then he addressed the internet shut down, and made an attempt to explain what happened. Bottom line, it failed to work, but he assured us it was being worked on. When it will be up and running….who knows? Finally, he mentioned the current Covid situation. Our numbers had been down, but since arriving to Tahiti, they have gone up slightly. He never mentions numbers, so we do not have a clue how many folks are involved. Few, we are hoping. The ship was on her way out of the harbor, when we spotted the Norwegian Spirit arriving to take our spot, we assume. The sun was just going down behind a mass of clouds, but we did capture a brief sunset. Now we are headed towards a different archipelago – The Tuamotus, which are all coral atolls. Much different from the islands we have been visiting, these are coral rings with huge lagoons in the center. Anyway, dinner time came about quick, and we headed back to the dining room for one shrimp appetizer with a Caesar salad, and a bowl of udon soup. Mains were one moonfish plate and one of veal meatballs with spaghetti, a favorite for one of us. Both were quite tasty, and we cleaned our plates, leaving no room for dessert. The entertainer of the evening was Tom Crosbie, an international man of memory. That is different for a change. Bill & Mary Ann
  4. Report #61 Saturday November 5, 2022 Pape'ete, Tahiti 7:30pm 11-4-22 Till 4:30pm 11-6-22 Cloudy With Heavy Rain 78 Degrees Part #1 Of 5......Text...Only Pictures In Parts 2,3,4,&5 After leaving the island of Moorea at 6pm yesterday, we arrived to the harbor of Papeete by 7:30pm. The city of Papeete is the capital of all of the French Polynesia Islands. At least 75% of the population is concentrated between Tahiti and Moorea. Tere are two parts to this island….Tahiti Nui and Tahiti Iti, the smaller part has most of the resorts. The city was lit up in all of her glory last night, despite the constant falling rain. Even the airport was a pretty sight. As we mentioned, the ship was cleared after 8pm, and we shall stay docked here until late Sunday afternoon. Walking the drippy promenade deck after breakfast, we noticed that a large area across from the ship had been torn up and under major construction. This is where the tourist office was located and the big tents that housed some nice souvenirs. It is all gone now, but we bet it will be replaced with a nice new tourist center. In the meantime, the bunkering of fuel and re-provisioning was in progress as this is our final stop to re-stock. While we were outside, we decided to check out tender boat #12, the one that was stranded on the reef yesterday. It did have some minimal damage, and was already being repaired. It was nothing compared to tender boat #9 on the Grand World Voyage in 2016 when it hung up on a coral shelf in Rarotonga, Cook islands. There was considerable damage to that vessel. Just as we were getting ready to leave the ship, there were problems with the internet, like that is new? We placed a call to the front desk to report the problem, and very soon after that, an IT officer was knocking on our door. Finally we were able to point out that we were constantly being asked to upgrade to premium, when we already had that plan from day one. Ever since we boarded on September 7th, we have been pulling our hair out over this mystery. Explaining how we arrived at a plan that would work for 71 days, the IT fellow verified this info with a phone call to someone. It appeared that too many packages had been applied to our account, even though we only have one device, as well as one email address. The IT tech said he would cancel the incorrect packages, and come back around 4 to 5pm to check it out. We thanked him for coming to the room, even though we did not request it. Hope this finally works. We did leave the ship before 11am when the rain began to sprinkle. Of course. We had a much longer walk to get out of the pier because one whole side was closed off with the corrugated metal fencing. We did find that Vaiete Square was still there but about flooded with all of the rainfall. We crossed the main boulevard at the stop light, where we found a lot of traffic. Our first stop happened to be at the Maghawai Fabric Store just to look. Yeah sure….Turned out that two new fabrics were just what one of us was looking for. The Chinese shop owner recognized the blouse I wore was made from a bolt from her store. She asked if we had been in her shop in 2020, and we said yes. She seemed to remember us, since at that time I wore another blouse made from her fabric. Now I just need the time to make them. Still working on the pieces that were bought in the Caribbean last spring. The Marche de Papeete (or the marketplace) was our next stop. It is a 2 story building with 7000 square meters. It is chock-full of everything Polynesian. Today the market was really crowded with locals as well as guests from two cruise ships. We may have forgotten to mention it, but the Paul Gauguin was here as well. We took some photos, especially of the produce and fish tables. The upper level is mostly clothing and jewelry, so we skipped going up there. From here, we walked the traffic-laden side streets to the Notre Dame Cathedral, built in 1875. We also think a lot of the traffic was headed for McDonald’s drive through window, as it is a most busy place in downtown. The Territorial Assembly is located here surrounded by parklike grounds. Place Tarahoi was where a craft fair was happening. There were tables set up with products from the Austral Archipelago. Their shell jewelry seemed to be quite similar to what we saw yesterday in Moorea, but twice as expensive. We had begun walking to the Queen’s Gardens and ponds in the back, but were stopped by a guard. He said the gardens were only open during the weekdays, and closed on the weekends. Carefully crossing the street, we strolled through Bougainville Park which was really flooded by now. We went straight to the statue of Bougainville surrounded by two canons from the Zelee war ship of 1914. We were the only ones in the park. It was already noontime, and we had to decide whether to go to lunch early or go back, dry off, and come back in an hour. Not hungry yet, we chose to walk back to the ship. We were soaked even with umbrellas. What we won’t do for a pizza? Facing the ongoing rainstorm, we headed back down the steep gangway at 1pm for lunch at L’Apizzeria. It took us about ½ hour, but this time we stayed and walked the marina and Paofai Park instead. Once we reached the Paofai Church, we knew there was a stop light to cross Boulevard Pomare. Thank goodness the restaurant was opened. Seated by the high window opening , we ordered two Hinano beers and a Hawaiian pizza with ham, peppers, cheese, and pineapple chunks. They have a real wood-fired brick or stone oven and that makes all the difference with the taste and texture of the crust. That is why their pizzas are the best. We added one banana split to share for dessert, which was actually fun. Too bad we cannot come back here tomorrow, because they are closed Sundays. We got back to the ship by 3pm and dried out for the second time. It had been a three soaked t-shirt day due to the inclement rain. There were still problems with the internet with it working some of the time and some not. Eventually it must have crashed , because nothing worked. It had been shut down probably for the rest of the evening we were told. There was a special performance of The Spirit of Tahiti, a local group, in the Mainstage this evening at 8pm. However, we missed it because we had reservations in the Pinnacle Grill for their pop-up Tamarind Dinner. Oh well, we have seen the show more than once. The wait staff were dressed casually in Asian clothing for a change. We think they liked it. Dinner was good, although not exactly like the Tamarind on the N. Statendam. The choices on the menu were different, which could mean all of the menus have changed. Missing were the excellent crispy egg rolls we always order. And there was no Thai beef salad on the list of appetizers. Usually we could order two appetizers if we wished. But now, there is a charge of $7 for additional orders beyond one. We ordered one soup and one assorted plate of assorted meats - steak, chicken, ribs, and a shrimp. While waiting, we were given the warm washcloth, followed by tiny cups of green tea. Our mains were the wasabi-crusted steak with onion rings, grilled asparagus, and a teriyaki dip. The steaks were delicious and served on a very hot plate. We have been told they are marinated and taste different from the regular filet mignon served here. For dessert, we both enjoyed their lemon cheesecake, except it resembled nothing close to cheesecake. Filled to the brim, we thanked them all and went home. It had been a busy day for sure. And tomorrow will be another day, we suspect quite the same as today…..rainy. Bill & Mary Ann
  5. Greetings everyone! The internet died here three days ago. So a hotspot was set up temporary in Nuku Hiva today. They flew in specialists to try to fix the problem on the ship. Hope it works. One way or another, the reports will return...stay tuned..... Bill & Mary Ann
  6. Report #60 Friday November 4, 2022 Bahia D' Opunohu, Moorea French Polynesia 8am-4:30pm Cloudy Morning & Heavy Rain In The Afternoon Part #1 Of 5....Text Only ... Pictures In Parts 2,3,4,&5 Considered Tahiti’s little sister, Moorea is the true vacation spot in the Windward Islands, according to their brochure. They have it all, except for traffic jams. There are accessible beaches, jutting mountain peaks, and nautical activities galore. The road that circles the island is 37 miles, and there are over 17,000 residents. The island is 134 square km and the highest point is Mt. Tohiea at 3621 feet in elevation. This island is full of highend resorts – those with bungalows over the water. However not all of them survived Covid. Opunohu Bay is where we are situated this morning and although it is not as famous as Cook’s Bay, it is the bay that Captain Cook first anchored in 1777. The good news of the morning is that it’s not raining….yet. On the other hand, there was little sun if any. Most of the shore excursions here are water-related such as a lagoon cruise in both bays, or snorkeling the reef. A ride around the island or a 4 wheel drive trek into the interior might have been better choices. They ran from $60 to $150. Also the selling of the Tahitian pearls is a major business here. We have taken the island drive tour several times, as well as snorkeled the coral reefs. There is nothing like seeing the colorful tropical fish, then spot the sharks swimming under you….where your fins are dangling. Then you find out the access to the boat is not easy, and getting away from those sharks seems to take an eternity. Guess you can tell once was enough for one of us. Most of the tour groups went off by 10am, and we followed them. When the open tenders were announced was the best time to go. The tender ride over was short and smooth, as the drivers go slow. Once off of the tender, we walked the pier to a welcome band as well as a pretty Moorean gal handing out tiare flowers to the ladies. The pier looked as if there had some improvements done since we were here last. For one thing, the souvenir building seemed to have expanded. The very first vendor we came across happened to be a local elderly lady who we have purchased jewelry from for several years now. Her face seemed to light up when she saw us, and she actually got up to greet us with Bonjour. We understand a little French, and her English was not the best. But we still managed to communicate, especially when it came to buying one of her seashell creations. No two were alike. Of course we did find a nice pendant and some earrings to match. She always gives us a deal when we add the earrings. And the collection grows….But we will not find these types of necklaces and earrings anywhere but in these islands. We know that she makes them because we always watch as she works on the pieces right at her table. We left by saying maruru or thank you. We hope to see her again someday. And we were secretly happy that she survived the pandemic. Weaving our way through the crowd of guests searching for their tour groups, we walked up the road to the main drag. While doing some research on Moorea before we left the ship, we discovered that the Intercontinental Resort had closed their doors. That has always been our destination lunch spot after the walk long to get there. We did check this out online before we left the room, and it was confirmed they were no longer in business. Oh well, it was still a pleasant walk, and since it was not raining, we did it anyway. The village where we tender to is called Papetoai where there are a few homes, a small convenience store, a post office, a couple of snack shacks, and a lot of roaming dogs. Walking a block or two, we passed by several local homes, roadside produce stands, and sleeping dogs. In between the bungalows we could see the lagoon and the reef where the waves break. This is the best spot for the snorkelers to see the fish, coral, sting rays, and even some various sharks. The guides tell you the sharks are harmless, but there is always the first time for everything. Going close to the lagoon, we actually spotted a single sting ray as it swam very near us. That is something we have never seen here. We did pass by a home where the owner happened to be sitting in a chair under several palm trees. We did not see him when we took a photo of his flowering tree. He insisted we pick a flower, which we said thanks, and did pick one yellow blossom, hoping it was not full of ants. That is often the case with fallen plumeria blooms. Anyway, we continued up the road, watching the locals cleaning up fallen tree debris. They often dispose of it by burning the branches and leaves in a metal barrel. It does smell good and might even keep the bugs away. We have found this to be the practice in almost every island we have visited over the years. Others were selling the breadfruit, mangoes, pineapples, bananas and coconuts outside their homes. Easy money for them since the fruit is plentiful. There was work being done on some buildings as well. We finally reached the property of the Intercontinental Resort and found the road closed off with a gate on one side and corrugated metal sheets blocking the other driveway. It was indeed out of business. Too bad since it was such a beautiful property with waterside bungalows and large units on the hillside across the road. All abandoned now. The Dolphin Center that is situated next to the resort is still operating. When a tour group arrived, someone came to open the locked gate. It was then we asked the gatekeeper what happened to the resort. He claimed it was the pandemic that shut it down back in March of 2020. It is a miracle that everything did not fold, since these islands were off limits to most every country for quite a while after the virus was getting better. We did walk a bit further, but the road went downhill to some shops, so we headed back the way we came. It had been a long walk, but we did stop along the way taking more photos. What surprised us was how busy this road was for a Friday. But when there is only one main road, it is understandable. We got back to the pier by 1:30pm, just in time for a light rain to begin. We could not help but notice there were a lot of people milling around the tender boat area. A whole group of folks had on orange life jackets from the ship, so we assumed they had just gotten off of a tour. Little did we know, they had just been transferred from a stranded-on-the-coral reef tender boat. They had used a whale and dolphin tour longboat to take on the stranded guests and bring them back to the shore pier. From there, this group boarded the ship’s tender back. Looking out at the reef, we could see the stranded boat with the two skiffs from the ship helping them to get loose. Apparently it worked, because by the time we loaded on to the next boat, the tender was gone and the skiffs were speeding back to the ship. Surely we will hear about this incident when we get back. It sure brought back memories of the boat accident in Rarotonga back in 2016, except this one got resolved a lot easier we think. Did we mention the rain began in earnest by the time we got back to the ship. Big rain, like we had in Bora Bora. It only got worse when we got to the room, as we could not see the land from our veranda. Ordering room service, we enjoyed excellent Cobb salads and a shared club sandwich. It wasn’t exactly the resort lunch we expected today, but the price was right. And the food was excellent as always. The deluge did not let up much for the rest of the day. Since we were so close to Papeete, Tahiti, the ship left the bay at 6pm, and sailed slowly to Papeete, where we were docked by 7:30pm. We did get a few photos even though it was dark. So we will spend Friday night in Tahiti, and also Saturday night. We will leave Sunday around 5pm. At dinner, Ian announced that the ship was cleared and we were free to go shore. Not us…it was raining and it was dark with no where special to go. We can wait until tomorrow. So for dinner , we had doubles of crispy veggie egg rolls. Once again, several of these might have made the entire meal. One of us had the hake fish, and the other a beef fajita dish with rice and salsa, sour cream and guacamole. Both were excellent and just enough for dinner. No dessert again. Now we pray that impending rainstorm goes away. According to the Captain, it will not be the best two days here, but that’s what umbrellas are for right? Bill & Mary Ann
  7. Report #59 Thursday November 3, 2022 Uturoa, Raiatea, French Polynesia Cloudy With Rain Showers 80 Degrees Part #1 Of 4.......Text Only......Pictures In Parts 2,3,&4 The island of Raiatea is another one of the Leeward Islands and our port of call today. The Zuiderdam docked in the town of Uturoa, the main village and administrative center of the Leeward Islands. This 238 square km island has 12,250 residents, and a drive around the island would amount to 98 km. The island is surrounded by motus or small islets with “fishy” lagoons. There are towering mountains covered with vegetation as well as a navigable river, the only one in Polynesia by the name of Faaroa. The highest point is Mt. Tefatoaiti at 3051 feet in elevation. The largest ancient marae exists here, which is an outdoor temple used for ceremonial, funeral, and religious functions. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017. This island is a nautical base for yachties, and is connected closely to Tahaa, its sister island. Smaller in size, this island shares a lagoon with Raiatea. Tahaa is an island that grows vanilla and has many pearl farms. There are coral gardens perfect for snorkeling, kayaking, and fishing. Tours today included the highlights for 3 ½ hours, or a visit to a vanilla farm and a motu picnic. Kayaking their only river was an option, or a catamaran ride was offered for 3 ½ hours. We have done the drift snorkel in Tahaa years ago, and it was fun. The prices ranged from $90 to $150. Today, it might not have been so great, due to the rain. We left the ship at 11:30am when it was NOT raining. Guess what? Within 15 minutes, it began to drizzle and proceeded to get heavier. We must have brought this with us from Bora Bora. Oh well, we had our umbrellas and we did not mind getting a little wet. There is a small marina right across from the dock and that is where most folks board their various boats for swimming and snorkeling. We had seen this exodus of tour groups going off the ship while we ate breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill. The weather could have been better, but at least the worst of the rain had held off until noon. Without the sun, the color of the water and the tropical fish are usually a wash. Walking around the small marina, we followed the seawall and the grassy area alongside the road. Huge puddles in the parking lot was evidence that it had rained here a lot recently. And there was more to come. We followed the road passing some wind surfers and a few snorkel boats near the reef. We made it as far as a mobile pizza trailer and that is where we took shelter to get out of the driving wind and rain. Even standing behind mature tree trunks helped. Eventually the worst of the storm let up, and we just kept going. Other locals were also walking, but without umbrellas. They wear clothes that dry quickly and flip-flops for shoes. Smart….. As we were watching some fellows with their wind surfing equipment, friends Jack and Sandy came from across the road, dripping wet from hiking up to the tallest peak out of Uturoa. We have to give them credit for being the best and happiest explorers on foot. By the time we passed the big church, we figured we had better head back to town. We still wanted to explore there too. The first place we went to was the Catholic Church, St. Andre. It is quite small, but had beautiful stained glass windows. We were the only ones inside, and were surprised to see they still light real candles at the base of the statues. From here we went to the marketplace, a two story complex with the produce market on the main level, and the souvenirs stalls on the second floor. There was not much left to sell downstairs. Going up the side stairs, we checked out the souvenirs, clothing, and jewelry on the top level. Most everything was pretty expensive. Next on the agenda was lunch, if it wasn’t crowded. There is one café where we know they serve good pizza and that is Raie’Gate, right on the end of the terminal building. They do it differently now….more like a fast food place. You place your order at the counter, pay for the food, then sit anywhere you wish. Then a runner finds you, and serves your food and drinks. Today we ordered a pepperoni pizza with two Hinano beers. Once again, the American Express was not accepted, but they happily took US dollars. Later, we added a dessert of chocolate lava cakes with whipped cream drizzled with raspberry sauce. During the entire time we enjoyed lunch, the rain never let up. The café was open-sided but we stayed dry. With all of the times we have been here, we never saw the rain like this. Only wish we could ship it home to California. We climbed the steep but short gangway and were back on the ship before 3pm. Drying off in our room, we spent the afternoon as we always do….computer work and writing with a little relaxing on the veranda in between jobs. The ropes were dropped after 5:30pm, and we looked forward to some scenic sailing in the Tahaa lagoon. We read that the lagoon is 30 to 90 feet deep and ships are able to navigate between the lagoon and the island. The only problem with that was the sun had gone down, and it was rapidly getting dark. Denise and Howie had also come outside to watch, as we all like to do. We enjoyed it despite it getting dark, and even got some good photos of Tahaa. The ship took a very big turn to the left, and exited the reef at a wide opening. Too bad most folks were at dinner, since they missed the scenery. Dinner had some good and new choices tonight. We both tried the tostada appetizer, as it was filled with guacamole, sour cream, chopped tomatoes and onions, with beans on the bottom. Sprinkled with cheddar cheese, we could have ordered a bunch of them and called it quits. Salads followed then one of us had the mahi mahi, and the other a pasta dish with sliced roasted chicken breast. Both were good. We passed on the dessert since we did the chocolate cake at lunchtime. Checking the weather in both Moorea and Papeete, we were not happy to read that tons of rain is expected. And once we left the lagoon, the seas have begun getting a bit rough. Hope we are able to tender tomorrow in Moorea, although it will be another wet day for walking. We shall see…… Bill & Mary Ann
  8. Report #58 Wednesday November 11, 2022 Vaitape, Bora, Bora Heavy Rain In The Morning With Some Afternoon Showers 80 Degrees Part #1 Of 4...Text Only....Pictures In Parts 2,3,&4 Today’s port of Bora Bora almost did not happen. It was on the itinerary for months, then it was cancelled, much to the disappointment of everyone. That changed after the cruise began in San Diego, when we found out it had been re-instated. We do not know why, but no one cared at that point. There are five archipelagos of French Polynesia. One of them, the Society Islands, consists of the Windward and the Leeward Islands. Bora Bora is one of the Leeward Islands, and one of the most beautiful. There are 10,550 inhabitants that live on the 38 square kilometer island. The circumference of the island is 32 kilometers. The tallest mountain peak is Mount Otemanu at 2400 feet. Mount Pahia is close to that. What sets this island apart from the others has to be the lagoon and reefs that surround the entire island. It has been described as a tropical dream with shades of blue, turquoise and sapphire waters complete with coconut palms and sandy beaches. But that is when the sun is out. Today, not so much, because we had one heck of a rain storm before noon. The main village we tender to is Vaitape. During our early breakfast, we noticed all of the Pinnacle Grill staff was very excited since many of them have never been here before. We were told a group of them had a private plan for heading to Bloody Mary’s, Matira Beach, and a day pass at the Intercontinental Resort and Spa. We had similar plans, but not with that hotel. The tours offered today were Le Truck – a 2 ¼ hour drive around the island, and a glass bottom boat ride for 1 ½ hour. A 4x4 ride inland was 3 ½ hours, but the shark and ray swim was 3 hrs. A motu beach break with snacks was 3 hours. The tours ranged from $70 to $170. We have done them all except the 4x4 ride. Some more than once. At 9am, we were visiting with Denise and Howie from our veranda when a school, no a “university” of dolphins appeared right before our eyes. We could all hear some odd noises like a dog barking, then we realized it was coming from the dolphins. A few of the smaller tour boats were herding the various dolphin groups towards our way. Some began jumping as they swam right below us. What a treat to see this display, as well as get some great photos. Eventually, they began to leave, then we saw no more. We did not see them again, but consider ourselves lucky for the free show. Having difficulty with the internet, we stayed onboard to hopefully complete sending the reports and photos from yesterday. We had hoped that with many folks on tours and on shore, we would have more bandwidth. Finally, we had success. But it was a good thing we stalled going ashore. By 10:20am, the sky opened up with torrential rain, the likes of which we have not seen since being in Luganville, Vanuatu back in 2014. The heavy showers hung on until noontime, then let up. Good time to go. It was an easy short ride to the pier, which by the way, was being shared by the tender boats from the Paul Gauguin that was also anchored in the lagoon. It had started to sprinkle again, so we headed right for the shuttle bus that took the folks to Bloody Mary’s or Matira Beach for $5 each. Well worth it. It filled up instantly. The bus stops at the parking lot at Matira Beach now, and does not drive down the street to the Intercontinental Resort anymore. From here, we continued walking up the road to see if there were any changes from the last time we were here in 2019. The Sofitel Resort was completely closed down, and looked half destroyed. The Royal Bora Bora Resort was open for business. And the Maitai Resort was up and running. They have several bungalows either on shore or built over the lagoon. And this is where we went to lunch. We figured that Bloody Mary’s would be over-crowded with two ships in port. And one of us was not up to sitting on the unstable coconut tree stumps they use for chairs. The Maitai has an open-air patio for dining with clear panels that drop to keep the rain out. We ordered two large Hinano draft beers, ice cold, along with a margherita pizza. We even shared a plate of profiteroles for dessert. Sure was good. We did have company of a stray dog, who insisted on staring at us, begging for food. He went from table to table, and we are certain someone feeds him. From here, we walked to Matira Beach, and discovered the old restrooms had been replaced with a modern facility with everything new inside. Most all of the sunbathers and swimmers were crew from our ship, and they were having a marvelous time. They deserve it. We took off our shoes, and walked the surf, mostly because the tide was up. The sands here are full of broken coral and we stopped about halfway to put the shoes back on. And that’s when the rain began again, although it was a light drizzle. We arrived to Bloody Mary’s, the famous restaurant and bar from the 1970’s. It was already 3pm, and they had closed the dining area at 2pm. The only part open was the bar and those seats were all taken. So we checked out their t-shirts, finding nothing new. Time to catch the shuttle back, we went outside and waited for 10 minutes. While waiting, we spotted two large rats running alongside the road in the grass. Now we wondered how do they keep these rats out of the restaurant when there are no doors? Wish we had not seen that, but these islands are probably loaded with rodents. They need more cats and fewer dogs. The shuttle arrived and had room for 6 people, so we climbed onboard for the ride back. Of course as soon as we got back to the pier area, it began to rain once again. We gathered some brochures in the tourist office, then decided to walk the town a bit. There were too many people waiting for the tender boat, and we were not in a huge hurry. We went to the church with the stained glass window. Took some photos, then headed towards the shops. Most of the parking lots were under water from the rain, but it did not stop the ladies from looking at the Tahitian pearl collections. They are gorgeous, but quite pricey. What we were looking for was not jewelry or souvenirs, but bananas. The little ones are the best eating, and we bought a bunch from a vendor in town. Now all we need is some ice cream and nuts, and we can make banana splits. At the pier, the security folks used the facial recognition tablet once again. We did not have to show our cards until we got back on the ship. The tendering here was easy on and easy off. Being in a protected lagoon sure makes a difference. Back in the room, we got the rest of the sand out of our shoes on the veranda, and began working on the computer until dinnertime. Tonight it was in the Pinnace Grill, where we enjoyed every bite of our usual salads and filet mignon steaks. The ½ baked potato, a spoonful of sauteed mushrooms, and the accompanying tempura onion rings made the meal complete. Desserts of ice cream and one crème brulee topped it off nicely. We noticed that there was a group of what appeared to be a family dining in the side room of the restaurant. There were two kids, one a small baby, and a few ladies. They must have been family of Kainoa’s since we spotted him at the head of the table. Obviously they were visiting. All aboard time was 10:30pm, and the ship left around 10:50 in the drizzling rain. We hope to be back here on the 23 world cruise. Maybe the sun will be out then. Bill & Mary Ann
  9. Report # 57 Day at Sea Enroute To Bora, Bora Tuesday November 1, 2022 Cloudy With Rain And Rough Seas 80 Degrees Part #1 Of 1.......0 Pictures This morning started promising with partly sunny skies, although we had lots of motion due to the deep swells and we suspect high winds. By 10:30am, it was raining. So much for the sun part. It was the perfect time to work on yesterday’s photos and report. Our biggest job was turning in the laundry before breakfast. It is no longer returned the same day, but the first thing the following morning. It sure beats doing it ourselves. And just about every batch returned has a hidden note from one of the laundry staff thanking us for sending it in. Really? We return the notes thanking them. The port talk was given by Ian and Kainoa about Tahiti, Fakarava and Nuku Hiva. These are all in the South Pacific but in different areas of Polynesia. They even have different cultures. And we are looking forward to visiting these various islands beginning tomorrow in Bora Bora, French Polynesia. The Captain’s talk reaffirmed our estimate of the sea swells. They were 10 feet or better and 35mph winds. The temperature remained the same all day abuot 80 degrees. Checking the weather report on the interactive TV revealed nothing about the upcoming ports. No temperature or prediction of rain. Judging by today’s mixed bag, we do expect to have some rain. Years ago, one of our friends re-named Bora Bora Poura Poura since the rain came down in buckets. The one good thing about Bora Bora is that the ship can actually enter the massive lagoon and be protected from the sea swells. Except for a few walks around the promenade deck, we did not do much today. The most frustrating job turned out to be trying to send emails. Obviously, the signal was not the best, so sending and receiving became impossible. Even the folks at the front desk were having problems. It should get better the closer we get to the islands. Dinner was “dressy” this evening. It appeared that most guests followed that suggestion and put on their best. We were almost surprised to see so many people show up in the dining room, because the waves had gotten worse, making walking a straight line impossible. We all looked like drunken sailors. Anyway, we ordered the shrimp cocktail, a crab roll, tomato soup, and a small Caesar salad. Mains were one fusilli pasta dish with veggies, and one yellow fin sole on a bed on couscous. Served very hot, it was the tastiest fish so far. And no bones. Desserts were a chocolate brownie/mousse and one apple streusel slice with a side of vanilla ice cream. It was a very nice “dressy” meal. The show was a return of the singers and dancers with Chart Toppers, hits from the greatest music groups. With the movement of the ship, we doubt there will be a lot of dancing. We had our two pillow chocolates like we always get, and another currency exchange rate pamphlet for Pacific Francs. One Pacific franc is worth $.01 USD. And the money was available on board as they have been in all of the foreign ports. In addition, the port agent info is written on the back of the money scale. This replaces the small cards we always got on the world cruise. Bill & Mary Ann
  10. Report # 56 Monday October 31, 2022 Aitutaki, Cook Islands Happy Halloween! Cloudy With Rain And Sun 80 Degrees Part #1 Of 6......Text Only....Pictures In Parts 2,3,4,5 & 6 Our port of call today was a new one for us, Aitutaki, Cook Islands. And because we had to miss our visit to Rarotonga, we had our doubts about successfully tendering to this island. However, the weather gods had cooperated and during breakfast, Captain Frank announced it was a “go” to the island today. After taking into consideration the sea swells, winds, and the ability to hold the ship in a fixed position, he felt reasonably sure it could be done safely. The only change he would make was to amend the all aboard time an hour earlier, due to the tides and possible problems loading the four tender boats. So with that, the guests had to gather their tender tickets like they did on every tender port. We never want to be the first ones off of the ship, so we waited until after 9:30am before we headed off. Spending some time on our veranda, we had the good luck of seeing a couple of tropic birds close -up as they flew around the aft of the ship. Better yet, one of us got some great photos with the good camera. The Captain came on the speakers before we left the room to let us know that due to the tides going out, it was necessary to reduce the number of passengers on each boat. Instead of 70 people, they took on 60 guests. We went down the center elevators to deck one, and showed our room cards. The front desk girl motioned us to go down the stairs to deck A, where we were greeted by Shiv and eventually Henk who was monitoring the boat loading. Safety comes first, and they take it very seriously. We were about the last ones to board, but we were not stuffed in like sardines. The weather was the big surprise today. It had rained earlier on, but eventually the clouds lifted and we actually got sun. Hot sun at that. Every now and then, it clouded up, and we did have a few showers, but they were brief. With the heat, it actually felt good. And the sun made all the difference in the world with the shades of blue and turquoise in the waters. There are about 2000 residents living here, and most of the jobs are tourist-related. The ride was fairly short, but the boat driver had to navigate between a tight opening in the coral. Not as tight as the landing in Rarotonga back in 2016, when the boat landed on top of the sharp coral rock. But it sure reminded us of that incident. Today we cleared the opening, but we definitely drug bottom as we headed towards the landing pier. Perhaps the following tender will have fewer people. Once tied up, getting to shore was easy. The first building we noticed was their church, which is reportedly the oldest one of all of the Cook Islands. Aitutaki was the first of the Cook Islands to embrace Christianity in the early 1800’s. It is said that the most beautiful singing will be heard from their churches every Sunday. That is the case in most all of the South Pacific islands. From this side of the island, southwest, we could only see the outer ring of the lagoon, which was beautiful when the sun finally peeked out. There was a convenient info center with maps and brochures to help the folks figure out what to do and where to go. Since we have never been here, these local maps are a god-send. Especially when you do not own a cell phone. There were more booklets with lots of info, but we decided to pick them up on the way back and not carry them all day. Wrong again. They were all gone a few hours later. With umbrellas with us, we headed up the west coast where most all of the resorts and bungalows are located. The info lady had suggested we walk to some of the resorts with restaurants a good hour up the road. By the way, there were no HAL shore excursions here today. But there were locals on the shore offering rides to beaches for swimming and snorkeling. There were a few open bed trucks that took the folks to the resorts along the road. It was easy walking since most of the island is very flat. Houses and huts line the roadsides, and we had to be careful walking since the traffic is opposite of what we know in the states. This island reminded us of Rarotonga, only smaller in scale. There are no big cities here, just a series of villages. The shops are postage stamp-sized and there were a few gas stations. We could not help but see the price of regular on the pump. It was $3.49 NZD for one liter. Ouch….that’s $13.96 for an imperial gallon. Diesel was worse at $3.99 a liter equaling $15.96 a gallon. It’s no wonder that a lot of islanders drive motor scooters and small cars. Of course, the NZD $1 equals $.58 USD. Homes here are basic, made with wood and concrete with metal roofs. Their gardens are free-flowing as there are no fences. Many have coconut palms and breadfruit trees. Bananas grow wild as do bougainvillea, hibiscus, banyan and flame trees. There are no dogs. Like in zero. They are not allowed on the island. Cats must be OK, since we saw one. Goats are all right to own. We saw three white ones grazing the weeds around the homes. Sure beats mowing them. With the rain they get here, everything is green and lush. In between the houses, you can access the sandy beach and swim anywhere on this coastline. This is where many folks left the road, and went to find the perfect spot on the beach. We kept walking, and soon came upon the Pacific Resort, which appeared to be a large complex. Thinking a lot of guests might have headed there, we continued to the next largest property which was Tamanu Beach Resort. Just as we approached the driveway, it began to rain. Good timing. Entering the lobby, we inquired about their restaurant and if it was opened to the public. The answer was yes, and we could also take advantage of their beachfront and restrooms while there. Sometimes, these resorts ask for a day pass fee, which could be from $20 to $80 we understand. The most important question we had was do they take American Express? The answer was yes, but they did not accept US dollars. She showed us the way down towards the beach, and we found it. Once again, we asked about using the American Express credit card, and the manager of the restaurant said yes. A few years back, we had a problem when this very same thing happened to us in Rarotonga. The restaurant people did not accept the credit card or US cash. If it was not for a very sharp local travel agent, who offered to pay for us, and let us reimburse her with dollars, we would have been up a creek. Anyway, we ordered two Heinekens and a club sandwich with fries to share. We spent an hour relaxing on their outdoor patio watching many HAL people swimming and snorkeling in the shallow reef. Then the time came to pay the bill, and guess what? No, they did not take the Am Ex. It did not matter what we had been told, now they denied it. But they did take US cash, and not at the going rate. It was a one to one exchange. Not fair in our minds, but still reasonable as their prices were not outrageous. There will not be a next time, since we will do our homework prior to going. Instead of walking the road, we figured we could beach comb most of the way back. That way we did get to see all of the properties with hotels and huts right on the beach. The sand was packed, but full of sharp and broken coral. Those that knew this wore aqua shoes or else they could not have snorkeled. This was also a great place for bird-watching. We saw noddies, cranes, white terns, and even a tropic bird near the tall trees. One of these birds had snagged a small fish and dropped it. When we came across it, the little thing was still alive. So it got thrown back into the surf. Saved it for another day we guess. We also passed some huge volcanic boulders strewn from the roadside all the way down to the lagoon. There has to be a story to this, and we decided to look it up back on the ship. Back to the landing pier, we got on the tender boat around 2:00pm. The last tender would be at 3:30pm, and we did not want to come back that late. If we had more time and energy, we would have explored the Blue Lagoon on the opposite side. That is where the high-end resorts are with all of the water sports. Maybe next time…… On the way back in the tender boat, we had a good conversation with world cruise travelers John and Diane. When we asked where friends Ginni and Rich were, they said they had decided to go home, due to Ginni’s recent shoulder surgery and an injury to the other shoulder. Not a surprise, but when you are hurting that badly, home is the best place to be. They should be in better shape by the time the Grand World Voyage begins in January. We had a really nice surprise of a bag of Halloween candies in our mail slot. Gee, we wonder who left that bag of goodies, as there was no note included? Of course, the suspects had to be Denise and Howie, and that was confirmed when we looked over the railing outside to thank them for being so sweet….literally! Spending the afternoon on our veranda, we soon discovered that the temperature had risen to a very hot 95 degrees. Little did we know that the winds had been 35mph all day, as the Captain informed us during his pm talk. He had a tough time holding the ship all day, and was also concerned about the difficulty loading the tender boats. He also added that the Zuiderdam was the largest cruise ship ever to tender guests ashore to Aitutaki. And we have never seen this port on any HAL itinerary. But we do know the smaller luxury vessels come here such as Seabourn, Silverseas, Regent, and many expedition-type ships. And appropriately, Captain Frank gave thanks to his crew who took such good care of the tendering guests. They are well-trained as well as a thoughtful group. There were a few, but not many guests wearing Halloween costumes at dinner tonight. One lady wore a skeleton dress and a fancy mask, like Mardi Gras. Another gal wore an 18 inch high witch’s hat, getting a big reaction from the waiters. The entry to the dining room had been decorated for the occasion, but not everybody was “into it”. There is one single elderly lady sitting near us who waved away every waiter and yelling “Get that Halloween “stuff” (not her real word) away from me’…..loudly for everyone around her to hear it. Jaws dropped. We have secretly named her Miss Sunshine. There is a story there, and we suspect it is not a happy one. Her companion at her table is always a computer tablet or a book, and there is no communications with the waiters or wine stewards. Sad…. Anyway, ignoring it all, we had quesadilla starters and Caesar salads, no anchovies thank you. One of us had the crispy coated rockfish, reportedly excellent, and the other had a shredded beef tortilla with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. A really good Mexican dinner for one of us. Slices of spicy pumpkin pie finished the meal nicely. At 9:30pm there was a Halloween costume party in the Rolling Stone Lounge, but by then, the seas were really rolling making even walking hard let alone dancing. With all of the sun, water, walking, and exploring, we slept really good…or maybe it was the candy? We have a welcomed day at sea tomorrow. Bill & Mary Ann
  11. Report #55 Sunday October 30, 2022 Avatiu, Rarotonga, Cook Islands Rain And Wind And Rough Seas 70 Degrees 7am-9am Part #1 Of 2.....Text Only.....Pictures In Part 2 Today’s port should have been Rarotonga, Cook Islands. But when we woke up early, we knew the conditions were not looking any better than yesterday. Not one tender boat was put on the water as the waves and wind were significant. We would learn a bit later that the wind was a seven on the Beaufort scale and the swells were 10 to 11 feet. And it was raining. Breakfast service began at 7:30am, although it appeared that many guests had slept in, at least in the Pinnacle Grill. Sometime after 8am, Captain Frank came on the speakers and announced that this port had been cancelled. No surprise there. Since we had time to spare now, he circled the island doing about 13 knots. He also added that the ship would have to maintain a certain speed in order for the stabilizers to operate correctly. He assured us that we would have a more comfortable ride. The ship was still rolling with the swells, and we were getting wet from the constant drizzle as we watched from our veranda. The island was really shrouded in the misty rain, and there was no sign of any island activity. Of course, it is Sunday, and the biggest event everyone does there is go to church. That is one aspect we will miss, since we always stop at their cathedral during our walk. It has been more than twice that we had been invited to their gathering afterwards. Very friendly people. We spotted only one frigate bird as it flew past the aft of the ship. Also flying by way too fast were what we thought could be tropic birds. Upon closer inspection from their photographs, we decided they were gulls. On past visits, we have seen some tropic birds here, always a pleasure to capture their flight. Cruising around the island, we did get some snapshots of the shoreline and the harbor. Too bad we could not tender today, but there is always tomorrow. We hope….. Taking our walk around the promenade deck at noontime, we tried our best to hear The Captain’s talk, but due to the pounding of the waves against the hull of the ship and very poor speakers outside, we missed his whole message. We did, however, receive a revised copy of today’s events now that we were captive on the ship. The guest speaker did a talk at 11am on differing language between men and women. And a movie, Amelia, was shown in the Mainstage at 2:30pm. One of these days we might have to check out Coloring for Adults. We kept busy the rest of the afternoon, once again having a light lunch in our room. Walking the promenade at 7pm was nice because very few people were outside in the blowing wind. The Captain had advised everyone around 5pm that he would be turning the ship in a northerly direction around 7pm, and we needed to be careful walking inside the ship. He expected to hit some good sized waves, which he did. The motion continued through the night. Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill where we did our usual salads, and enjoyed one order of filet mignon, and one of the chicken jadori. Both were very delicious, cooked perfectly, and served on the hottest plates ever. And we thanked them for that. Dessert was light with coconut ice cream and lemon sorbet. All of us are keeping our fingers crossed that tomorrow will happen as planned. Not very many of the crew have ever been to Aitutaki and are looking forward to seeing it. So are we…… Bill & Mary Ann
  12. Report # 54 Saturday The Second October 29, 2022 Sea Day Enroute to Avatiu, Rarotonga Heavily overcast and rain 78 degrees, windy, rough seas Part #1 of 1.....0 Pictures Well, today seemed to be the carbon copy of yesterday with light showers, choppy seas, and deep swells. The temperature has dropped to about 76 degrees at 8am. While eating our breakfast, one of the sister ships to the Zuiderdam, the Noordam, passed us going the opposite way. Having just come from Rarotonga, Cook Islands, she was heading towards Nuku’alofa, Tonga. We’re trying to find out if the Noordam really made it into Rarotonga, and if they did, we may have a chance. This morning we each received a certificate for crossing the International Dateline….the first one skipping Monday, October 17th, then repeating Saturday, October 29th. They were signed by the Captain and Hotel Director, Henk. They are not the first ones we have gotten, and hopefully, not the last. Taking our walk this morning was challenging as the winds had picked up and the rolling of the ship made walking difficult. While having our sodas in the Ocean Bar, we listened to Captain Frank’s talk. He said the winds were currently 37MPH, an 8 on the Beaufort scale. As well as rain, we had 10 foot swells. The chance of tendering tomorrow pretty much evaporated in our minds. It would be iffy at best, although the Captain never put that in words. He did, however, plant that idea with the guests and crew that it would depend on what the local officials recommend tomorrow. We took the time to catch up on the port talks given by Ian and Kainoa with both Rarotonga and Aitutaki. We know Rarotonga well, since we have visited many times, but the other Cook Island, Aitutaki, we have never seen. After reading The Happy Isles of Oceana written by Paul Theroux, it was one place we would like to visit. It’s still two days away, so maybe……. In the meantime, we have noticed fewer people walking outside and also far less at dinner in the dining room. The rougher it got, the more cautious some people got, which is a good thing. Dinner was good tonight with starters of lettuce wraps, a Caesar salad, and an arancini cheesy rice ball with a red sauce. Cheese raviolis were one of the mains, and fish and chips with haddock was the other entrée. It has been really nice having so many various entrees offered, instead of a seven day rotation, like what they served on the Alaska runs. Desserts were one serving of butter pecan ice cream and another butterscotch panna cotta . Last night it was chocolate, but made differently. They are getting creative in the dessert department as well. Then we had to turn the clocks ahead one hour. Hate losing that hour of sleep, so will wrap this up. You never know, it might be a busy day in port tomorrow, or not…… Bill & Mary Ann
  13. Report # 53 Saturday The First October 29, 2022 Sea Day Enroute to Avatiu, Rarotonga Heavily overcast and rain 78 degrees, windy, rough seas Part #1 of 1.....0 Pictures We lingered over breakfast, as we usually do, giving our very efficient room steward, Putu, a chance to tidy up our room. There has been some extra cleaning happening shipwide in regards to sanitizing all surfaces such as walls and railings. The elevators have gotten thorough cleanings, and we appreciate it. Captain Frank may have mentioned that our Covid count is low during his afternoon talk yesterday. He never gives the numbers of Covid cases as some captains do on other HAL ships. We had a job to do this morning between 9 and 10am that involved passport collection for the upcoming French Polynesian ports. In lieu of a face-to-face inspection with the local officials, it will be done on the ship behind the scenes. Once again, desks were set up on every passenger deck, and we simply handed the passports over to the staff, and we were given a receipt. The documents will be kept in a secure place until November 10th when we leave French Polynesia. Then we can retrieve them with our receipts. On the Grand Voyages, our passports are always kept by the staff from the day we board, and only be given back when it is required by some countries. A few of those are Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and maybe India. If you are going on an overland excursion, either through HAL or independently, you must have your passports with you. The weather today remained overcast, cloudy, and rainy. On the other hand, it was not too hot or humid. Actually the sea temps are 82 degrees, while the air temperature was 78 degrees at the highest. The seas acted up all night, and we have continued having deep swells with high winds. If this continues, we rather doubt that tendering in Rarotonga will happen as planned. In fact, during his noon talk, the Captain mentioned that the sea conditions would worsen as we get closer to the Cook Islands. That’s not going to help. Currently, we are sailing close the Niue, a tiny island that had originally been on this itinerary. It had been removed a long time ago, since ships have trouble tendering their guests to shore. And that’s on a good day. We know because we have been there several times, and also missed it several times. We recall the tendering to be dicey, if not downright dangerous. Glad we are not going there, even though people like to claim it as another country under their belt. We took our usual walk and found more folks out and about. There were two lectures in the Mainstage…the first was a guest speaker by the name of Dr. Karen Woodman with the subject what is language. Following her, was Kainoa speaking about the history of hula. The end of his talk would be about 11:45am, and that’s when the promenade deck gets busy. The folks can take a stroll before the dining room opens for lunch at noontime, then the crowd thins out. We always stop at the Ocean Bar for cool drinks, which was sodas with lemon. Many of the chairs by the windows were taken with guests relaxing, sipping drinks, or playing cards. It was something to do on a dreary rainy day. Later in the day there was a movie in the Rolling Stones Lounge showing Charming the Hearts of Men. With popcorn. Three sessions of trivia kept the guests on their toes as well. The Cellar Master Dinner was held in the Pinnacle Grill by reservation of course. It is pricey, but if you like the wines, it is a special meal for sure. Dinner for us was back in the dining room. It did not seem crowded as usual, but that could be due to the rougher seas and the ship rolling. We both had the crusted brie appetizer, a salad, and a bowl of cabbage soup. Entrees were a barramundi fish plate, but with sides of red potato salad and sauteed zucchini. One of us tried the pork piccata with spaghetti and a red sauce. It was delicious, but enough for two of us. Dessert was one chocolate panna cotta and one serving of orange sherbet. Quite refreshing. As we will cross the International Dateline going from the west to the east, we shall gain back the day we lost. Therefore tomorrow will be Saturday October 29th once again. Funny huh? Bill & Mary Ann
  14. Report #52 Friday October 28, 2022 Day #2 Nuku' Alofa, Tongatapu, Tonga Rain And Wind All Day 75 Degrees Part #1 Of 4......Text Only....Pictures In Parts 2,3,&4 We woke up to showers this morning, and expected it to continue. It did until after breakfast, then the rain stopped and we saw some blue skies with fluffy clouds. OK….will we be lucky like yesterday ? One thing different today was that the wind was blowing a gale. Getting off of the ship at 9:45am, we almost blew away. Usually that means the rain will return. Doesn’t matter because we did bring those umbrellas. This time when we reached the main road from the pier, we took a left turn. First thing we passed was the Bus Station complete with a board showing all of the fares for students and adults. There is no set timetable for buses since they do the same route and the destination is on the front of the bus . There are no designated bus stops either, and the people simply wave down the bus and it will stop. In this same area is Fa’onelua Park that used to have a children’s playground. If there was equipment for the young ones, we sure did not see it. Perhaps it was washed away in the tsunami. There are many picnic-type benches on this stretch of green lawn. And another paved pathway follows along the coral rock seawall like we walked yesterday. For some reason we had expected to see a more city-like town center, but it was not like that. On this stretch of town, we saw local businesses….some opened but many closed. We could see evidence of the storm damage with the smaller buildings. And a few were in the process of being restored. One building that looked intact was the Tanoa International Dateline Hotel, although it was written in the brochure that only the guests can dine in the hotel. There was a banner on the outside showing a convention was in progress. Further up the road we spotted a very nice sidewalk produce market covered with a tent. This was much nicer than the marketplace yesterday, because it was light and bright, and in the fresh air. Everything the locals would need for fruits and veggies was right here. And every now and then, we passed small convenience shops. Along this same stretch were some embassies too. On the water side, we came across a small boat harbor, followed by the old pier at Queen Salote Wharf. A container port was also located here. Fishing boats were moored here as well as larger fishing vessels. Along the roadside, we saw an open-air flea market, where locals were selling clothing and accessories under tents. Didn’t appear they were expecting rain. We could have turned around here, but curiosity killed the cat, and we continued on to see what else was up this road. The Naval pier was here and a few restaurants that looked closed. Across the road, we came upon a large church by the name of St. Mary’s Cathedral. There was a group of locals cooking BBQ chicken and putting together what looked like lunches to go. Later on, we watched as cars pulled over, and purchased the packaged food. It is typical to see people buy food, then go park near the seawall and eat their lunch either in their cars or on the picnic benches. Another interesting spot was a section of water enclosed with a coral bulkhead and separated from the open ocean. Things were set up for young kids as well as a food tent and restrooms. Picnic tables and benches were everywhere. There were no families today, but it is Friday and the kids are in school. Perhaps this place is for the weekends, especially Sundays. We continued, but the town seemed to be behind us now. Studying the map yesterday, we knew this road would eventually end near the big lagoon. So we went a bit further and found some really nice estates which probably belonged to the ambassadors from the embassies. We did see one gated driveway that led to the New Zealand estate. And that is when the showers began lightly at first, then heavier. We found a huge casuarina tree to block the driving wind and rain and with our umbrellas, we did not get too wet. We also knew not to stand under those palm trees full of coconuts. We might not survive being struck by one of those. At least four different locals stopped and offered us rides back to the pier. Two were moms with kids, one was a lady with a big van, and the last was the Fire & Rescue vehicle. We thanked them, but said we would be OK walking. Not one taxi pulled over to solicit a ride. Time to head back, we eventully dried out since the worst of the showers had ended, or so we thought. Perhaps if one of the restaurants were opened by 12pm, we could duck inside for beers and lunch. The Billfish was one place we saw in the brochure, and they did look open. Except the place appeared empty and we did not check it out. Further up the road another place looked interesting called the Waterfront Lodge & Restaurant. Entering through a gate, we saw outdoor eating as well as the restaurant. There was no greeter, so we checked out the menu. They did have typical lunch entrees but no draft beer. And still no greeter, we decided to leave. Struck out again. We got to the green park area when the rain began again. This time it was not a mist, and it turned out to be a real heavy shower. It took about five minutes to reach the gate on the pier where they take the facial recognition. Bill’s would not register, so he had to dig out his room key. The wind was blowing the rain sideways, so we were getting soaked despite the umbrellas. Finally to the gangway, we were held up with very slow people boarding taking their sweet time. Oh well we could not have been any wetter at this point. Back onboard, we headed for the Ocean Bar and had a beer and one daiquiri. Sure tasted good. So did the peanuts that Ray provided. We dried off somewhat before heading back to the room. The rain had continued for at least an hour, so we were lucky to have gotten back by 2pm. We ordered room service, and stayed on the veranda and worked online. Everyone onboard was required to visit their muster station on deck three this afternoon between 2:30 and 5pm. For those of us that began our journey in Vancouver, it had been thirty days since we did our last muster. We were required to repeat it, so they had everyone do it. These days it is easy to just have your room key scanned by the deck people. Then we had to watch the safety video in our room to completion before the TV would advance to the main menu. Even after 4:30om, Ian was still calling guests who had not complied with the drill. All aboard was 4:30pm, and Captain Frank gave his daily talk then. We have two days at sea now, and they will both be dated the same, as we will be crossing over the International Dateline once again. Remember we lost one day? Well, in the next two days, we will gain that day back. Finally after 5pm, the ship left Tonga behind, but not the rain. It will remain this way for a few days we were told. Dinnertime had some special treats. One was split pea and ham soup and crispy chicken tenders with a honey-mustard drizzle. Could have made a meal of these two by themselves. One of us ordered the steak with a side of steak fries, and the other had the fish entrée. Both were good. Dessert was a slice of carrot cake and a small side of vanilla ice cream. Also good. The ship has begun rocking and rolling, and will put us to sleep instantly….well at least one of us. Bill & Mary Ann
  15. Report #51 Thursday October 27, 202l2 Nuku'Alofa, Tongatapu, Tonga Cloudy With Rain 78 Degrees Part #1 Of 5.......Text Only...Pictures In Parts 2,3,4,&5 If you hear the words “Malo e lele”, then you will know you are in the country of Tonga. Located just west of the International Dateline, Tonga is the first Pacific nation to greet the new day. Tonga is the only monarchy in the Pacific since 1875, and has never been conquered or run by a foreign power. Tongatapu, where we are docked today, is a raised coral limestone island with a population of over 101,000 Polynesian residents. Their favorite foods are pork, chicken, lamb ribs, lobster, crabs, octopus, and fresh fish. They also like raw fish that has been marinated in lemon and coconut cream, as well as sea cucumbers, and sea urchins. Their produce includes yams, taro root, sweet potatoes, cassava, tapioca, plantains, breadfruit, bananas, mangoes, and pineapples. Locally made beers are Maui, Tiki, Tangaloa, Pulotu, Hikule and Hina. Special souvenirs are items made with tapa, a decorative bark cloth that is painted with traditional symbols and designs. When the Zuiderdam arrived by 7am, it was raining, and it sure looked as if the entire day would be a wet one. But by the time we finished breakfast, the skies broke up, and the sun peeked out. While the ship was docking, the local band, singers, and dancers put on a show pier side. We watched from the promenade deck as they sang and entertained the folks piling off of the gangway. We suspected this was the first of the tour groups heading for the buses, but they were not. Turns out they were the ones headed for the souvenir stalls to buy the best of what they offered. The last time we were here was on the 2020 GWV, and there were stalls lined up side-by-side all the way to the street. Today there were half of the tents. Actually, it is somewhat of a surprise that the ships are stopping here again. Not only did they weather the pandemic, but the islands were hit with a volcanic eruption and tsunami called Hunga Tonga Hunga Haapai (HTHH). It caused a lot of damage to businesses and homes, and they have not fully recovered yet. Much in their brochure is outdated, and they asked to please bear with them during this difficult time. At least two popular resorts were destroyed on the west coast, as well as some of the smaller outlying islands such as Fafa Island and similar properties. They were completely destroyed. We have such fond memories of boating to Fafa Island on a Sunday morning with friend Martha, who found a very large dead sea snake in the lagoon. Now all that is left are the memories. Leaving the ship around 9:30am, we followed our own path through the town, starting with a visit to the craft and produce market called Maketi Talamahu. This is one place that the locals sell their tapa cloth items like fans and purses, woven baskets, mats, and even jewelry. They are fairly expensive, as a lot of labor goes into making the cloth. Only about half of the area had vendors today. Then on the other side, they sell a variety of veggies and fruit. Only half of this area was occupied. There is a ramp that takes you to the second level, but it is mostly t-shirts and shoes, with some costume jewelry. We did not go up there today. Our next visit was to the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua, built in 1980. On the bottom level is the elementary school where kids were in class. Up a flight of steps, the church is fairly modern and built like a tent. The conical ceiling has stained glass windows letting in the natural light. The altar, baptistry, pews and tables are carved from coconut wood. And today they were setting up for a wedding that would probably start at noon. There was an orchestra already there, as well as some of the family members. Not wanting to disturb their occasion, we took some photos and quietly left. As we were crossing the street, we could hear a stream of cars with blowing horns, which we assumed was the wedding party. Up the street we saw the large acreage where the Royal Tombs are located. Considered sacred ground, the first king, George Tupou I was buried here in 1893. Several more kings were also buried here, all with the same bloodline. Surrounding the sacred grounds are the Queen Salote Memorial Hall that can hold 2000 people. Next to that is the 1200 student high school, which burned down in 2000, but was rebuilt by the Chinese government. Then Queen Salote College is a girl’s school with 1000 students. A comment added is that the girls are neatly dressed with their hair always plaited. Directly across from the Royal Tombs is the oldest church, Centennial Church built in 1888 with coral blocks. It really had some damage from the tsunami with every window broken. It has been closed to the public for several years now, and does not appear to be in any process of restoration. From here we made our way to the Centenary Church built in 1952, which has become the known as the Royal Church. This is the church where the king and his family attend Sunday services, as we have seen on past visits. By the way, there used to be several large trees that housed fruit bats or flying foxes as they call them here. Those mature trees have been cut down, and the bats are gone. Passing His Majesty’s Army Forces building, we came upon the Royal Palace (completed in 1882) and the official gates to the palace. There was no flag up today, and that meant that the king was not here. This palace is used for official functions and to house the Royal Archives and artworks. From every angle, this palace is probably the most photographed building in Nuku’alofa. This is where the long walkway begins on the seawall over-looking the lagoon. It was high tide today, so there were few sea birds around. New signs had been put up forbidding fishing here. In the past, when the tide went out, people would come with buckets to gather sea worms and other crustaceans in the muddy puddles. Now this is forbidden. We have two theories on that. One idea is that the waters are polluted. The second thought is that in order for the corals and lagoon creatures to return after the tsunami, a significant amount of time will have to go by with the waters not disturbed. We tend to think this is more the case. Some of the cemented walkway had been undermined from the storm, and is now just coral rocks. The benches are still there, and we tested several of them. We passed by the old colonial British High Commissioner’s residence, called the White House, along with the adjacent Mala e’aloa Cemetery for royal people only. From there on, the Vuna Road is full of old and some remodeled bed and breakfast inns. One of them is called the Seaview Lodge Deck & Restaurant. This is the one spot we can always depend on being opened. But passing it today, it looked closed up. According to their website, they opened at noon for lunch. We continued on passing many folks sitting in their cars and vans catching the breeze. We had brought the umbrellas, but the rain miraculously stayed away all day. If anything, we could use those umbrellas if the local stray dogs began to chase us. That is one thing we learned is not to engage these dogs as they are out for whatever they can get foodwise. The people that come to lunch here, will leave them some scraps, and the dogs know it. The next big property was Little Italy, another hotel and restaurant, but we know for sure they open only for dinner. We went past the middle school, a church, and several homes that were showing a lot of storm damage. Some were being fixed, while others were beyond help. We did pass a sign showing the tsunami route, but the entire island is really flat. The thought of trying to escape injury must have been a nightmare. Near the end of the walkway, we saw what used to be Little India, another restaurant that we liked. It also appeared to be closed or is a private home now. The seawall walk ended and we took to the road until that ended as well. Back-tracking, we looked forward to that stop in the Seaview Lodge, but it was not to be. Like we said, their website showed them opened, but they were not. Not a soul was around. So if these websites are not updated, the info could be incorrect. Oh well, there’s always the ship where everything is free….even the ice cold beers for us. We got back around 1:30pm, and headed for the Ocean Bar. Luckily they were opened and the coldest beers were Coors Light. Having never tried that beer before, we found it pretty good…and as cold as Ray promised. Back in our room, we found that our veranda had been hosed off as we were advised last night. We ordered a salad and a Dive In burger to share. It was great sitting outside and working on the report while one of us worked on photos. The afternoon evaporated and before we knew it, the sun was going down. Ian had announced something about a fire dance on the pier around 7:45pm. So at 8pm, we went out the promenade door to find the show was about over. Without any notice, they had started earlier. Even our waiter was outside watching. Dinner was good tonight with appetizers of small shrimp and a bowl of a favorite chicken noodle soup. Caesar salads were tasty, and the tuna plate and roast beef with Yorkshire pudding were also good. The sliced beef was so tender, almost did not need a knife. Desserts were a scoop of chocolate ice cream and a slice of chocolate cake or torte as they call it. There was no entertainment in the Mainstage, but a movie was shown….Six Days, Seven Nights. Old, but still funny. Tomorrow we plan to take a left turn out of the port, and explore that area. Bill & Mary Ann
  16. Report #50 Wednesday October 26, 2022 Sea Day Enroute Nuku' Alofa, Tongatapu, Tonga Rain And Clouds All Day 75 Degrees Part#1 Of 1.........25 Pictures Today was one for relaxing, but it would not be in the sun. From the minute the daylight began, it was raining and overcast. Even the temperature had cooled off, as it was only about 75 degrees. The seas had become rough last night, and continued that way most of the day. Our morning consisted of breakfast in a booth, since all of the window tables were occupied by 8:05am. Seems that the folks are getting earlier for the line-up. We figured some people might sleep later due to the time change, but no, even some new folks were here early. We did our morning walk, and very few people were outside. It had turned cool, but the decks were mostly dry. But by the time Ian and Kainoa’s talk on Tonga and the Cook Islands was over, the people poured out the doors to walk at least one lap. Then they head for the line in the dining room since it was lunchtime. That’s when we go to the Ocean Bar for refreshments. But it did not happen today, because the entire place was full of drinking customers. Still too crowded for our comfort, we went back to the room for cold sodas. There was a movie in the Rolling Stones Lounge at 3pm called “Picture Bride”. Not sure we saw this, but it sounds intriguing. We still have a ton of movies we have not watched on our interactive TV. The nice thing about that is if we want to watch it in sections, we can. Then resume it later. One good thing is that the internet is working OK now. We are sure that everyone that uses it is much happier. Hope the service continues. We do know that when we hit the final port of Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas, the connection might be iffy at that. Dinner was back in the dining room. There have been some interesting appetizers and even main courses on this cruise. Tonight we both tried the empanadas which had a masala seasoning. Not sure we would like it, you never know if you never try it. They were great. The fish entrees have been good…..tonight’s fish was cobia – no bones. One of us had the penne pasta with prosciutto and parmesan cheese. It was light and not filling. Desserts were a chocolate torte with fudge tracks ice cream. We forgot to mention something that happened last night in the Pinnacle Grill that was funny. It was very cool, as it has been in all of the dining venues. A lady eating few tables away from us asked for a small tablecloth to wrap around her shoulders….and they gave it to her, laughing all the way. There must have been some wine involved here. Tomorrow’s port will be Nuku’alofa, Tonga, and we will be staying overnight until 5pm Friday. We understand there will be a special ceremony with a plaque exchange honoring the maiden visit for the Zuiderdam. Will have to be on the promenade deck at 10:30am to see it. Bill & Mary Ann
  17. Report #49 Tuesday October 25, 2022 Lautoka, Viti Levu, Fiji Rain & Clouds All Day 80 Degrees 8am-5:30pm Part #1 Of 5.....Text Only......Pictures In Parts 2,3,4,&5 We are afraid it will be a dreary day in Lautoka, since the skies are heavily overcast, and it rained for a lot of the day. During breakfast, we heard Ian announce the warning about taking food and beverages, etc. off of the ship (water excepted) or there could be stiff fines. Then he said the ship had been cleared after 8am, and rain was expected by noontime. We had to laugh since looking out the window from the Pinnacle Grill, we could see the rain falling. Some of the staff was outside directing the tour folks to their buses, and even they were using umbrellas. Actually, as it turned out, the rain fell lightly until noon, then it let up somewhat. We never did see the sun. There were some excursions here today which included an eco park and wildlife tour with a stop at an aquarium and included a light lunch for $120. The caves and zipline was $165, but was more for the adventurous younger crowd, such as Remco, the Pinnacle Grill manager who did go there and loved it. Homestead and history tour was $130, while traditions and beauty with a kava ceremony with shopping was $145. A ride to nearby Nadi for shopping was $70, but with so many shops and cafes closed, why go there? A mud pool experience with a kava ceremony was $150. Did we ever explain the kava ceremony? If we did, it is worth repeating briefly. Kava is made from the roots of the peppermint tree or bush. These roots are soaked and squeezed into what appears to be a muddy water. It is placed into a large bowl, and shared with the group, all drinking from that same bowl. To refuse is rude we understand. And to be totally truthful, the first ceremony we attended, we pretended to drink the concoction, which numbed our lips. It is like drinking alcohol we think. The stronger it is, the most intoxicating it can be. After most of the tours groups went off, we left the ship after 10am. There was a complimentary shuttle service to downtown Lautoka, and it ran every 60 minutes. When we were here three years ago, we did not take the shuttle, but walked to town. That’s what we did today using the umbrellas to stay dry. The rain was more like a steady drizzle, but it was still close to 80 degrees and humid. We had been told that the town would be closed down for the last day of Diwali, but we found that to be only partially true. We knew that Jack’s, the local department store, would be opened, because they are the ones that provide the shuttle. The bus stop is right on the same corner of the store. We walked deeper into town and came across the marketplace, that was basically shut down. At least the meat and fish areas were closed up, but the outdoor produce market was in full swing. All of the fruit and veggies were laid out on tarps on the sidewalk. They were even selling the roots of the taro plants, as well as peppers, onions, ginger, tomatoes, corn, okra, and long beans. Most of the fruit included very large pineapples, bananas, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and other varieties we did not recognize. The largest and most popular place for the folks and families to go is the City Sugar Mall. But that was totally closed today. Walking the side streets revealed that most all of the Indian shops were opened. We made a pass through Jack’s, but it was so crowded with cruise ship passengers we went right back outside. Many of them were not wearing masks. It was not required in town, but why take chances? The line for the shuttle was very long, and we never intended to use it anyway. We ran into friends Sandy and Jack, who usually do the same thing we do as far as hiking goes. We have operated on such a different schedule, this is the first time we have seen them since they boarded in Vancouver. Where has the time gone??? We saw a few young Hindu ladies drawing intricate designs on the sidewalk with colored chalk. They did this in front of the shops and even the barbershop. One lady even had the small candles called diyas lit in the middle of the designs. It was all tied to the Festival of Lights. Passing by one Indian shop by the name of Jaipur , one of us spotted a nice pareo with favorite colors. The friendly vendor invited us inside to show us her variety of patterns and colors. I ended up buying two for a mere $10. Best buy of the day, and we were not even shopping. There was no chance for lunch, since the only restaurant that came close to recognizable was McDonald’s. They have a fairly modern one here. And besides, the eateries were closed. As we were walking through town, kids were lighting fireworks in the park across the main street. They really sounded loud, and were unnerving. Sounds too much like gun shots. The local pigeons sure did not like it. Making or way down to the water, we walked the seawall path which is lined with a strip of park with benches. Normally, this is full of locals enjoying the sun during lunchtime. Today it was practically empty. Better for us since it gave us the chance to use some of the benches. This was a shortcut to the ship, which was only a few blocks away. We got back after 1pm and spent a lazy afternoon working on the photos and watching the bay. Lunch was room service, and dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill. Sometimes mistakes are made with our shipboard credit. Checking to see what the refunded port charges were for missing Dravuni, we found that $18.79 had been credited for each of us. However, we spotted charges for the Pinnacle Grill dinner two nights ago. These meals were complimentary. So we called the front desk and reported it and were told it would be taken care of. So at dinner tonight, our waiter said they had taken the charges off of our account, and apologized for the mistake. It happens sometimes, so it is important to check the account often. Our meals were excellent tonight. Our mains were hot as could be making the halibut and filet mignon taste even better, if that is possible. We thanked them for going the extra mile tonight. The clocks went forward tonight, losing one hour of sleep more than likely. But with tomorrow being a sea day, it won’t matter a whole lot. Bill & Mary Ann
  18. Report #48 Monday October 24, 2022 Dravuni, Island, Fiji 8am - 10am Could Not Tender Cloudy With Rain 78 Degrees. .....Part #1 Of 3.....Text Only.....Pictures In Parts 2&3 Well, one of the things we will not be doing is writing about our day on Dravuni Island. It was cancelled, due to 35 -40 MPH winds, a 7 on the Beaufort scale. In addition, the currents were such that holding the ship’s position was not possible. And it definitely was not safe for the guests to board the boats. One of the tenderboats had its rope snapped earlier on, according to Captain Frank, who carefully explained the entire scenario. We know a lot of folks would be disappointed not being able to spend the day there, but considering the dismal weather conditions, it might not have been the best day for the beach, let alone sunbathing. Waking up at 4am, one of us was able to get internet, sending and receiving was working well. Then later, we watched as five tenderboats were milling around the aft of the ship. A few locals were also following the ship in their small motor boats. They were being tossed around like toy boats. We already guessed that this island would be impossible to access. It happened to the folks on the Westerdam yesterday we read. Oh well, better safe than sorry. We had an early delivery of President’s Club sodas delivered by Evelyn from the beverage department. She had been knocking on our door, but we were outside, and never heard it. Then we did hear the phone ring. It was Evelyn calling from outside in the hallway. When we answered the phone, we could hear her talking outside the door. Funny…..now if they had doorbells that rang on the veranda, that might be a good idea. Other ships do have them. A new bouquet of flowers arrived shortly after that. Now we have a real garden. We stayed on our veranda, watching the boats hanging out, then one by one, they were loaded back up where they belong, and we were on our way before 10am. We believe the plan is to circle the big island of Viti Levu slowly (9 knots) until we reach Lautoka on the northwest coast tomorrow. Captain Frank mentioned that we could experience some rougher seas and rolling as the afternoon advanced. He was totally correct. A revised itinerary was delivered for the remainder of the day. Some activities were created, and the shops were open for business. Then a few lectures were added, and some game-type shows were offered. At least with the heavy cloud cover, the temperature dropped to about 77 degrees. It sure made it pleasant walking the 2 miles on the promenade deck. We had lost our end stools at the Ocean Bar at noontime, so we ended up in the middle. There is not a whole lot of knee room, so we prefer the end seats. Actually, most of the chairs were occupied with people drinking cocktails. Guess enjoying cocktails is a good pastime as it is 5 o’clock somewhere, right? It was Coke Zeros for us. The one good thing about the port cancellation was the fact that we all had internet access all day. That makes a lot of people happy, since a lot of emails can back up in a few days. And besides just doing internet for fun or research, a lot of guests do bank work and conduct a business. It will be interesting to see if we are shut down when we arrive to Lautoka tomorrow. We always seem to have weird things happen in our room. Once again, we were without cold water. No matter where you turn the faucet, it came out boiling hot. Had we not reported it, there would be no showering tonight. The plumber did show up, and admitted working on the system close to us….maybe on a different floor. He re-adjusted something, and bingo….we had cold water as well as hot. We are back in business, but for how long? It was a good afternoon for chicken noodle soup and sandwiches. We still prefer dining in our room and have not visited the Lido at all. Too many possible hands in the food we are afraid. Captain Frank did say in his noon talk that we seem to be doing well with mask-wearing and washing hands a lot. Perhaps reading between the lines, that means the cases of Covid are down….we hope. Anyway, we had some time to do some research on the Diwali Festival that is occurring right now in Fiji. It is known as the Feast of Lights and the start of the Hindu New Year. It is celebrated over 5 or 6 days with the actually holiday on October 24th this year. In a few words, it is the triumph of good over evil, and good thoughts and wealth for the new year. The tradition is a holiday where they dress up, eat good food and sweets, and celebrate with lights or candles. Now we understand why we were seeing fireworks in the Suva skies a few nights ago. We do expect to see the continuation of this holiday when we visit Lautoka tomorrow, since a large portion of their population is Hindu. So Happy Diwali to all. Dinner was back in the dining room, where the menu has many different items. The best appetizer had to be the BBQ chicken and veggie spring rolls. Could have made a meal with the appetizers alone. We both ordered the spinach mushroom salad, followed by a rockfish (no bones) entrée and one vegetarian Asian noodle dish. It was even better with a dash of soy sauce, although it was a bit on the salty side. Sometimes you just have to do it. Mint chip and vanilla ice cream with one toffee date pudding was the perfect ending. One last day in Fiji, and we hope it will not rain. We have not seen the sun for a few days now, and it can be depressing at times. Bill & Mary Ann
  19. Hi Peg and Rich, Yes Twinkle will be on the 23 GWV as far as she knows. Hi Barbara, we will send your message to Howard. Bill & Mary Ann
  20. Report #47 Sunday October 23, 2022 Suva, Viti Levu, Fiji All Aboard 10:30pm Cloudy With Rain Part Of The Day 80 Degrees........Part #1 Of 5....Text Only....Pictures In Parts 2,3,4,&5 We learned a few things about Fiji we did not know. First, Fiji has 332 islands, but they also have 522 islets. The volcanic island of Viti Levu is the largest with a population of 94,000 people. The capital is Suva, where we are docked, and has about 75% of the total population living here. There are three official languages. You will see the Union Jack on the Fijian flag. There are lush parks, British colonial buildings, a huge municipal market, a museum, and a beautiful garden all in Suva. The biggest sport is rugby, and the favorite foods are rice, sweet potatoes, taro, coconuts, cassava, breadfruit, and fish. The major hotels include Westin, Hilton, Intercontinental, Sofitel, Sheraton, Radisson, and Shangri-La. Kava is the traditional drink….try it at your own risk. Fiji is home to the monkey-faced bat, and the collared lory, a very colorful parrot, is the national animal. Cannibalism was indeed practiced here, but no more. We began the day with a leisurely breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill, while watching the action below on the dock area. The shore excursion folks were making a beeline to the waiting buses. Perhaps they have the right idea, since many things will be closed today…..it’s Sunday remember? Some of the ship’s tours included a longboat ride to waterfalls and a kava ceremony for $180. A day pass at the Pearl Resort was $150 and included lunch. An eco tour walk was $90 and a simple beach day was $40. The internet remained shut down, and we all had a letter explaining why. It was interfering with the local wifi, so we were shut down. The same thing happened to us while we were in Barbados last spring. Our system on the N.Statendam was interfering with the local wifi, and messing up the banks we were told. We were instantly refunded some of the fee we paid for the internet. The same will happen here after we have left the area. We stayed onboard until 10:30am, then decided it was a good idea to take the umbrellas. Glad we did, since the rain started within two blocks of leaving the ship. Passing by the Municipal Market, we saw that 90% of it was closed. Only a few vendors were there to sell flowers, and we did promise to come back later. Downtown was about shut down. We did not see a restaurant or shop opened, except McDonald’s. They had customers from the ship that were trying to go online there. This is the only McDonald’s that has a police guard by the door. There used to be a nice small park across the way, but we found it totally boarded up with a plywood wall. Last time we were here, this area looked seedy. There were many street signs saying “Happy Diwali” for an upcoming Hindu holiday we heard. About every Fijian man passing us said “Bula”, directing the greeting more to Bill than me. It must be a guy thing. We passed by the Holiday Inn, so reminiscent of the 1950’s. Right next to that was the Grand Pacific Hotel, a very impressive hotel, and most proper in the British vein. Just as we walked by, a bus full of tourists filed into the hotel lobby, just as we did many years ago while on a tour here. One of the things they head for is a restroom, which is outside near the pool. Our plan was to stop here for lunch on our way back. Across the road, we entered the Thurston Garden dating back to the early 1900’s. Although the museum is being re-done, the garden was still open. Many specimens of over 100 year old trees are here. Two of these mature trees happened to be full of large black fruit bats. If you did not see them right away, you could listen for their noises they make. We have never seen them in these garden trees, but in the roadside trees. There was a stray dog, who had fun following us. We think it was the bag of umbrellas we packed. The dog associated the bag with possible food. He did not leave us until a police van passed by, and went after it barking. From there, we walked past the palace with a Fijian guard outside the gate. Right across from the palace is a helicopter pad near the oceanside. We continued up the seawall road, which really reminded us of the coast of Nuku’alofa. There are many destroyed pipes (sewer or drainage we assume) along this body of water. No one would even think of swimming here. Eventually, the road was closed due to construction, so we turned back. We stopped at the Grand Pacific Hotel and were seated at a nice table for two under the patio covering. We ordered two Fiji Gold drafts, ice cold. When we saw they had pizza on the menu, we chose a Margherita. It was a bit of a wait, but was well worth it. The pizza was delicious. The pace here is laid back and very relaxed. The wait staff were about the friendliest we have encountered. Our waitress told us about the effects of the Covid pandemic. Since the country shut down at that time, the city dwellers had no choice but to move back with family in villages. It was their only means of survival. Now that things are opening up, they are pleased to see the tourists coming back. And most of the locals have gotten their jobs back. Finally ,we ended the meal with one slice of pumpkin pie with a side of vanilla ice cream. Then it was time to move on. We walked back through town, passing many of our crew members. It was close to 3pm now and we still wanted to stop at the flower market. We bought two bunches of cut tropical flowers for a total of $10 US dollars. Since we had already checked out the policy of bringing back fresh flowers, we had no problems bringing them onboard. We may have a few stray ants, but for the most part, the vendors spray the bouquets before selling them. Doing offline photo work, and report writing, we relaxed until it was time for dinner. That would be in the Pinnacle Grill. We ordered our usual wedge salads, and one filet mignon, and a plate of grilled lamb chops. Both of us had small baked potatoes with the toppings. We saved a little room for one crème Brulé and a strawberry sorbet plate with blueberries. It seems that most of the blackberries and strawberries are gone now. The all aboard time was 10:30pm, then we will be headed for Dravuni, a very small island with a nice beach. Yesterday, we understand that the Westerdam was unable to tender guests there, due to high winds and rough seas. Hope we do not have the same problem. Bill & Mary Ann
  21. Report #46 Saturday October 22, 2022 Sea Day Enroute To Suva, Viti Levu , Fiji Arrival 5pm-Overnite Cloudy With Rain 80 Degrees Part #1 Of 3.......Text Only.....Pictures In Parts 2&3 The Zuiderdam maintained the higher speed throughout the evening in order to reach Suva, Fiji earlier than expected. Even Trusty, a new Pinnacle Grill waitress, admitted she liked the rolling of the ship since it rocked her to sleep like a baby in a cradle. We agree. One of us was up with the chickens again, and did get some sunrise photos. The clouds were thick and dark, and the rain began early. It was still close to 90 degrees on our deck. Mid-morning, we took a promenade deck walk in the drizzle with wet decks. Eventually the rain was left behind and it looked like a promising day. We were given more forms to fill out for our visit in Tonga. The health declaration cards were already filled out with most all of the information . All we had to do was answer a few questions, and sign the forms. Once again, we were able to turn them in to the staff that was located on each passenger deck between 9 and 10am. That was a great idea, and kept the line at the front desk at a minimum. At his noontime talk, Captain Frank gave today’s game plan as far as our early arrival to Suva, Viti Levu, Fiji. The ship would be close to the island around 3pm, but we could not dock. What we thought it was the Crown Princess docked in Suva, was actually the Grand Princess. So we stayed in the harbor for a while, expecting a tender boat to debark the patient. We do not think this happened exactly that way, but we did see the pilot boat as well as another boat, which we guessed to be a local medical boat. The Grand Princess left the berth around 4:30pm, then we took her place shortly after that. This is when the patient eventually left the ship for the hospital. Guess there is a lot of red tape with this procedure, and it took time to get it right, we were told later. The ship was not cleared for the rest of the guests until much later. It was nice watching all of this activity from our veranda. And we were not alone. Our neighbors are usually outside like us, and then we could hear talking on most all of the verandas. One couple below us, looked up at all of the decks back here, and said it looked like tenements. We were thinking more like Laugh In. We had to get dressed for the President’s Club Social Party at 6pm in the Retreat. We are not even sure we know how to get there, since it is located on deck 11. This evening was slated for a “dressy” dinner, so even though we really did not feel like putting on the fancy clothes, we did it anyway. It’s not often we get these nice invites, so it is a way to show respect for everyone involved. And being that this event was held outside, a jacket might be a good idea. We walked to the very front set of elevators, which only went up to deck 10. That’s when we ran into Michelle, guest relations manager, and a few dining room staff, who were also on their way up. We saw the small elevator that went up one floor. There was only room for two of us. It was probably 2 minutes after 6pm, and we figured we would be the first there. Well, everyone was there, most all seated in deep armchairs in the center section of the surrounding tents. Each table of four had a host, so we walked over to the opposite side, and were soon joined by Shiv and the purser. Besides Howard, we really did not know the other President’s Club members well enough to join them. Twinkle, the assistant beverage manager, offered us drinks, then a couple of trays of fancy appetizers were passed around. Not sure what they were, we passed. One of us has a severe allergy to shellfish, so if anything was close to having those ingredients, it is better to say no thanks. We did not expect to see Captain Frank, with all of the things going on, but he and his wife did appear. The Captain joined our group, while his wife stayed on the other end. We discovered he is quite easy to talk to, and seemed to enjoy going down memory lane with us. That’s when the subject of the medical debark came up in the conversation. Apparently, the woman who needed to be hospitalized had not gotten on a boat, but was able to go off on her own, along with her husband. However, within minutes, the two of them were coming back up the gangway demanding to have their passports stamped. In the confusion, it was wondered why the need for such a fast speed, burning up all of that fuel to get here in a hurry, and now they are delaying the exit? Anyway, they did leave and we all hope it will turn out well. The Sommelier also came over, and shared some pertinent info on wine, which we do not drink. Ian entered the scene, and joined us as well. The ship had been cleared, and he said he was required to announce to all onboard that it was advised not to wear jewelry or bring a lot of cash onshore this evening. He will have to repeat this message several times tomorrow as well he said. Guess that can be said about any city in the world. You can’t be too safe. We also took the time to thank Ian for getting his and Kainoa’s port talks on TV. He agreed it was a great idea for those who did not wish to go into the Mainstage. And that’s when the rain started….lightly at first, then it came over in a shower. All of us retreated to the cabanas, which are separated of course. Maya and the Captain’s wife came with us, and we had a very good conversation with questions and answers. Henk arrived, and sent the Captain’s wife to another tent, being politically correct, she had to spend at least two minutes with one of the guests. Reluctantly, she left. We stayed until 7:40pm, thinking most all of the other guests had left. But they had not…..they stayed in the protection of the tents. Dinner for us was in the dining room with entrees of the Orange Club special……short ribs with smashed potatoes, and green beans. Simple and delicious. Flourless chocolate cake was the dessert. We could have gone to the Cantere Presents: Timeless, but we have seen it. It seems that this group has performed perhaps once a week at most. We will spend a full day in Suva tomorrow, but being tht it is a Sunday, not much will be opened. Bill & Mary Ann
  22. Report # 45 Friday October 21, 2022 Day at Sea Very warm and humid 90 plus degrees Part # 1 of 1.........15 Pictures Last night, we all received another letter stating that the Covid cases are on the rise on the ship. However, the masks are not required inside the ship, only recommended. Now we are concerned about the upcoming ports in Fiji and Tonga, as the letter indicated that each destination may require additional health protocols. One sentence buried in this healthy advisory said any one of us may be required to undergo testing for Covid at any time during this voyage. In our opinion, if one is tested, then we all should be tested. At 11am, Captain Frank came on the speakers stressing the importance of this entire warning. It was really warm during our promenade deck walk this morning. Checking the veranda thermometer at 7:30am, it read 92 degrees. By 11 am, it was 94 degrees. The ship is doing a steady 10 knots with little winds. If anything, the winds are following us, making it uncomfortable. It has been nice stopping in the Ocean Bar for cokes to cool off. We are learning mixology tricks by watching bartender Ray mixing some complicated beverages. Especially the blended ones. For a change, we attempted to order burgers from the dining room lunch menu. Since it was only 12:40pm, we understood that we could do this during the serving time. Well, it was a good idea, but when we phoned, we were put on hold……for 15 minutes. By the time we placed an order (if they ever answered the phone), the serving time would be over. So we gave up. If there is a trick to placing this kind of order, we sure do not know what it is. We ended up with our room service lunch at 2:30pm. Captain Frank came on the general speakers once again after 5pm. But this time, it was an announcement that there is a medical emergency requiring a debark in Suva, Fiji. We had noticed that the ship had sped up, and we were doing 19 knots now. If we heard this correctly, we will be arriving to Suva tomorrow by 3pm, but anchoring. There is another ship docked there right now. Then at some point, the ship will be docked around 8pm. We are not sure if the Zuiderdam will be cleared for other guests to go off, but that late at night, we know that we would not go off. In addition, we had been invited to a special President’s Club cocktail party on Saturday in the Explorers Lounge at 5pm. Then by the afternoon, the time and location had changed. It will now be on deck 11 at the Retreat, but at 6pm. With all of the changes arriving early to the Suva port, we wonder if this party will still happen, since it involves many of the top officers. Taking a late afternoon walk, we stayed on the promenade deck until the sun went down. It wasn’t spectacular, but still nice. And it was still warm outside. As we were about to go back inside, a younger couple recognized us from the blog. They asked if we were the ones that have been doing that blog, and we said yes. Sure is nice to meet people this way, especially when they got some good hints for stashing stuff in their the room. Dinner was a hard choice tonight. We had one marlin dish, which was good, and one lamb entrée that was so-so. The best part were the scalloped potatoes. Dessert was nice with an almond cake and a side of vanilla ice cream. No, the better part was finding out the clocks went back one hour tonight. This might be the last time we “go back”. So tomorrow will be mostly a sea day, with an overnight in Suva. Bill & Mary Ann
  23. Perhaps this comment about the "free" show was misunderstood. We have also seen the show (more than once), and did leave a tip. It was meant as a heads up, so the guests are prepared ahead of time, and are not embarrassed. It appeared that he start of the show depended on the amount of people they could gather for it. There was no set showtime. Bill & Mary Ann
  24. Report #44 Thursday October 20, 2022 Apia, Upolu, Samoa 9am-5:30 Sunny And Hot 82 Degrees Part #1 Of 5......Text Only.....Pictures In Parts 2,3,4,&5 Even though land was in sight early this morning, it would not be until close to 9am before the ship was docked. Then it wasn’t until well after 9am before the ship was cleared for our port today of Apia, Upolu, Samoa. Remember when we were in Alaska complaining about the cold weather? Wish we had some of that now, as it is going to be a most hot and humid day here. In giving his instructions for this port, Ian mentioned that it would be sunny, and if it rained, it would not be until late afternoon. OK, with that we left the umbrellas home. One thing for sure, we had to wear our masks off of the ship as well as in town or on the tour buses, etc. Now the strange thing we noticed was that not a single local had a mask on today. No one. Oh well, they must assume we are bringing the virus onshore, and they have to be protected. And maybe, some of us are, who knows. We left the ship around 10am, and can say we never saw so many taxis and vans outside the Apia Wharf & Cruise Ship Terminal. We had to say “no thanks” at least 100 times as we made our way towards town. Once we reached the seawall, we were free to walk without any problems. There was a breeze blowing, but at our backs. Looking across the road after we crossed the bridge over the Vaisigano River, we noticed that the Aggie Grey’s Hotel (run by Sheraton) appeared to be closed. We would find out later that it was. Oh well, so much for enjoying their great pizza and beers for lunch. As we rounded the end of the harbor, we saw the imposing Immaculate Conception Cathedral. Kainoa must have really talked it up, because that was where everyone was headed. We decided to go inside the church on our way back when the crowd thinned. Right across from the church was a very nice information hut complete with some maps and tour info. Just as we arrived, there was a “free” show about to begin in the backyard. Free doesn’t always mean free, as we found out the first time we visited Apia. Our first destination was the fish market, a few blocks further up the road. The fishing fleet is moored there, and the vendors display their catch on stainless steel or tile counters. One can meet some of the nicest people here, and that occurred today. The vendors were fanning their catch with large palms trying to keep the flies away. No one objected to having their pictures taken with their catch for sale. One fellow was wearing a baseball cap with the American flag on it. He asked where we were from and we said San Francisco. With that, he told us he was from Utah, but recently returned here as he was Samoan. Among other things, we asked him what happened with Aggie Grey’s Hotel, and he said it had closed this last summer. Covid, then bankruptcy he said. Then he added that there have only been two ships here recently…the Westerdam a few days ago, and now today, the Zuiderdam. Now that explains the long line of taxis we saw. Continuing on, we walked back to the Town Clock, then up the street passing McDonald’s. Yes, they have one, and it appears to be the busiest eatery in town. Looking for the Fugalei Market, we had missed the street and were heading up the wrong one. Knowing our mistake, we could not find a side street to cut over, so we ended up going a lot further than we expected. However, we did find a nicer small fruit and veggie market and an open-air hall where the local fellows were playing billiards. Going into the Fugalei Market, we found that several tour buses had stopped here, letting their guests flood the marketplace. They sell produce here, but they also have row after row of souvenirs like wood carvings, clothing, and jewelry. We did not stay long, since it was hot and crowded, and really, there was nothing we needed. Heading back, we made a stop at McDonald’s but found that you had to have their money to buy it, or credit cards. No pizza or beer here, so no lunch. By the way, we had received the exchange rate for the Samoan Tala which was 1 tala to the USD $.35. We do recall that the vendors at the Fugalei Market were happy to take the US dollars. The final stop was at the cathedral where the noontime mass was in session. Taking a few photos from the entrance of the church, we headed back towards the ship. By now, it was unbearably hot and sticky, and without the lunch stop at the hotel, we were in dire need of something wet. On the plus side, we did have the breeze in our faces on the walk back. Once back on the ship, we headed for the Ocean Bar, and enjoyed two Heineken’s in bottles, followed by 2 Coronas also in bottles. Even though we had brought water with us in town, it was barely enough. Back in our room, we ordered room service lunch and worked on the computer and enjoyed somewhat of a breeze on the veranda. The ropes were dropped by 5:45pm, and we were on our way for two days at sea, then the Fijian Islands. Dinner would be somewhat of a test, as we returned to the Pinnacle Grill. If you recall, the our last meal was lukewarm and disappointing. Would they remember we liked hot food? Well, we both ordered the filet mignon with French fries, and guess what? All of it was served on a very hot plate, and the food was as hot as could be. It tasted so much better, and we let them know it was most appreciated. Bill & Mary Ann
  25. Report #43 Wednesday October 19, 2022 Sea Day Enroute To Apia, Samoa Cloudy With Some Rain And Sun 80 Degrees Part #1 Of 1........33 Pictures We woke up to perfectly blue skies, but by 9am, it was raining. This too shall pass, we hope. And it did. The temperature has been remaining a steady 80 to 82 degrees, and drops little by nighttime. A strange thing happened at breakfast this morning. Our plates were so hot, you could not touch them. Hmmm, last night during dinner in the dining room, Johnny, the maitre’d stopped by and asked how our dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill the previous night. Well, since he asked, we told him our experience with the not-so-warm entrees. We asked him not to say anything, since we had registered our complaint right then and there with the PG manager. He agreed, but now we are not so sure, since breakfast was so good and hot. Coincidentally, we happened to read some comments on Cruise Critic regarding other folks having problems getting hot food, especially the soups. Always nice to know we are not alone. Also, we read that there have been complaints about the air-conditioning, which tends to be on the chilly side in the larger venues. It is possible that this will be addressed when the ship goes into dry dock in December. The decks were still wet from the morning rain, but we took our walk outside anyway. We are still seeing some flying fish, but not the amount we spotted yesterday. The one bird was gone. We did pass an atoll belonging to Kiribati we believe. But with such a tiny population, the internet service was no better here. In fact, there was another message in the daily program warning about the connectivity to the satellite. It is spotty at best, and can be lost without warning. We hope it gets better soon, as a lot of guests are quite unhappy about paying for a service that does not deliver. Having been in this area numerous times over the years, it has not changed, and we are not surprised with the lack of service. Once again, we stopped at the Ocean Bar for ice cold sodas, and also to gather some more cans of water using our Have-It-All perk. So far, we have not come close to the max of 15 beverages per person. Sitting at the end of the bar top, was a silly rubber chicken, which had been dressed in fancy clothes last night. This morning, she was wearing a white napkin, resembling a nightgown. Now we remember this chicken that was a mascot of the Crow’s Nest on the Amsterdam. We asked the bartender, Ray, who said, yes it was from the Amsterdam. And he is responsible for the change of clothing and jewelry on the bird. There has to be a story to this chicken, and for sure, we know she has a name. The speed of the ship has been around 19 or 20 knots ever since we left Maui. Keeping that pace, it has caused more vibration and noise at the aft end of the ship. Earlier in the cruise, we were asked if we noticed a difference from being on the port or starboard side of the ship. We really had not been bothered by the noise, but then, we did spend a week in an aft cabin on the N. Amsterdam last fall. The only difference we notice now is that it is hard hearing each other talk outside on the veranda. And during the night, sometimes it sounds as if the ship is dragging its bottom over rocks. Simple earplugs work miracles for me. Checking the dinner menu in the dining room, we could not find anything exciting to order. However, there is always the one choice for Orange Club members on the special menu. We do get that menu every evening, and their special has been very good. Tonight’s offering was a butter roasted chicken dinner with mashed potatoes and green beans. So we both ordered it, and happy we did. Close to our table, is an oval table for six guests. It has been empty for most of the cruise, and we did not realize it until tonight, how quiet it has been with that table empty. A group of ten singers and dancers filled two such tables, and really livened up the area. Kind of nice to be surrounded by a group in their very early 20’s we would guess. They were all good eaters too. Tonight was the Cantere Presents: All In. We did see this more than once while on the N. Statendam, and we think the show is the same. One of these days, we will check it out. We are still leary of big crowds, and this crew has not removed their masks. Perhaps that will come in time. Tomorrow we will be in Apia, Samoa, and be glad to be on land for a while. Bill & Mary Ann
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