WCB

Report # 32 2-23-07 Friday Darwin, Australia

The Amsterdam arrived to the port of Darwin, the capital of the most populated city of Australia's Northwest Territory. This has got to be the hottest and most humid places we have visited yet. We understand that this time of year is called "The Wet". Despite the high temperature of 90 plus degrees, it felt that it could rain at any moment. And if we lug our umbrellas on our tour today, then maybe it will not rain.

The tour we chose this morning was to Litchfield Park and Crocodiles. Lucky for us, Ken and Gloria also booked the same tour. This should be a fun day! There were three buses waiting for us, and compared to previous stops in Fiji and Samoa, the buses were comfortable, air-conditioned, and had lots of leg room.

We passed by the area near the pier where new docking facilities were being built. It was a muddy mess. Good thing that the ship is running a free shuttle today. Our buses made their way to the Stuart Highway, passing the old World War Two airstrips and army camps. We also followed a railroad track, which our guide said took 100 years to complete. It goes from Darwin to Adelaide, a distance of 1400 kilometers. We arrived at the old mining township of Batchelor, where we had a brief comfort stop. This camping ground area is popular for the "gray nomads" or what the Aussies call their senior citizens who caravan in their trailers for vacation. Hmmmm, come to think of it, that's probably what they are calling our buses right now!

Next, we drove to the magnetic and cathedral termite mounds. The magnetic mounds can reach 12 feet, and oddly resemble tombstones. We stopped to take pictures of the huge cathedral mounds, which towered up to 20 feet. These are created by the secretions from the termites, becoming hard over time. Even monsoon rains do not destroy them.

We passed through miles and miles of wetlands of Litchfield Park, a 700,000 acre forest of eucalyptus, jim-jim, and mahogany trees. Tropical foliage and grasses fill in the spaces giving the area the look of a lush, green rain forest this time of year. The park is home to wallabies, crocodiles, ostrich, emu, and tropical birds like the cockatiels and kookaburros (sp?).

At the top of Table Top Range, we stopped at the majestic Florence Falls, where we walked a short distance to a viewing platform high above the water. We could see a few people swimming in the deep pond below the falls. Sure would have felt good to do this, but there was no time. Actually, we were told later, that one fellow did sneak down there from bus # 2, and kept the people waiting while he slowly came back. He probably got "booed"!

The next stop was at Wangi Falls. This time we were at the bottom of the falls, looking directly at the pool under the falls. This area was taped off, due to crocs in the water. No swimming here! The boardwalks continued through the surrounding tropical jungle where we spotted several black fruit bats called flying foxes. They were hanging upside down, sleeping. That is until we invaded their territory, making them restless. We got some good video and photos as they unfolded their large wings, and climbed through the branches fighting with each other. It was so hot here, that we figured that they were cranky! We continued to the spot where the wooden walkway stopped, but as we went on, it was apparent that no one had used the trail for awhile, because Bill got tangled in a nasty, sticky yellow spiderweb! Judging from the size of the web, we did not stay around to see the size of the spider!

Continuing on, we drove to a nice outdoor restaurant near the falls, and were treated to a steak or barramundi lunch. A long table was set with potato and macaroni salads, green salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions, and fresh slices of bread with butter. Watermelon was the dessert. And we had a choice of soda, wine or beer. We took the beer and it was ice cold Victoria Bitters. Boy, was that good!! We enjoyed eating with Ken and Gloria, recalling our good times on the 2005 world cruise.

After lunch, we had a two hour ride to Crocodylus Park, near Darwin. While listening to nice up-to-date music on the bus, we passed orchards of mangoes, cattle stations, farms, and ranches. One ranch had a collection of water buffalo. Some of the largest bulls were trying to cool off under trees, while some young ones were rolling in little ponds. Sure would not want to mess with those bulls! We briefly spotted a few wallabies in the forest, but since it was so hot, we think the animals sleep days and are active at night.

After a brief comfort stop again at Batchelor, we arrived to Crocodylus Park and Zoo. This park is one of the world's leading crocodilian research facilities with a breeding program for crocodile harvesting. At 3 - 4 years of age, the crocs are harvested for their leather, meat, and fat. The hides are turned into very, very expensive leather wallets, belts, and purses. The meat is shipped to restaurants, and the fat is exported to Japan, where they make it into a delicate face cream. Nothing is wasted. We saw the many pens and ponds of the breeding adults, and the huge lagoons of one to four year old crocs. We had been told that we would arrive too late to see the feeding, but the park rangers arranged a special showing just for us. They let us dangle a chicken wing on a fishing pole, and get the big crocs to jump for it. And that they did! In a heartbeat! Boy, do they move fast. Even the young ones. They literally propelled themselves out of the water to snap the chicken off the string.

We broke away from the crowd and saw some of the other attractions such as the iguanas, peacocks, wallabies, emus, and birds. While at the souvenier store, we were able to hold a small croc ( snout taped ), and have our picture taken. This time, we both did it separately. The poor little croc was comatose after being handled by dozens of people!

We had about an hour drive back to Darwin, where the driver took us through town past the few surviving buildings of the 1974 cyclone, the downtown area, and hotels and restaurants. Bicentennial Park lined the Darwin port, making for a scenic drive back to the ship.

The ship left around 6 pm, and headed out to sea and into a dark thundercloud of lightening and rain. After dinner, we walked the promenade deck and ran into a new addition to the deck...............a LRAD, short for the long range acoustic device. We will have to find out about this tomorrow. Hope we're not expecting pirates?????

Until then,

Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 31 2-21-07 Wednesday Day at Sea

This morning we woke up to see azure flat seas with small islands or shoals on the horizon. We are guessing that the ship is sailing in the area of the Torres Straits, a point of Australia that comes wthin 350 miles of Papua New Guinea. The waters here must be shallow to reveal such a beautiful color of water. And this also explains the reason we needed a reef pilot to navigate here.

Our speed has been reduced to 18 knots creating little breeze on the outside decks. Our port lecturer mentioned that from here to Darwin would probably be the hottest, wettest, and most humid part of Australia that we would experience. We can agree to that, since when we opened our balcony door, the mirror immediately fogged over, and the ceiling dripped like rain. Better not do that again. That can't be good for the camera, computer, and the printer. It also keeps us from taking pictures or video when we want, because the cameras are room temperature, and will fog up until they reach outside temperature. It's quite frustrating!

All afternoon long, we sailed this beautiful, peaceful strait. We did see a few flying fish, but the best sighting was a sea snake. He surfaced briefly to get air, then dove down out of sight. Glad we are not swimming here! Even though we were surrounded by the darkest of rainclouds, we remained in the sun. And it was HOT! By late afternoon, we were out into the open water once again.

We have had the chance to talk to many more people that took the Great Barrier Reef snorkeling tour in Cairns two days ago. This included Judi and Bob from our table. They all reported similar stories of mass sea sickness on their 90 minute catamaran cruise to the pontoon. Some were so sick, that when they arrived to the reef, all they could manage was laying down flat on a lounge, covering up with a towel, and sleeping it off. A buffet lunch was served, but very few were able to eat anything. They said they could forget the snorkeling, because the waters were murky. One fellow told us that a group of passengers asked if they could be helicoptered back to shore. The answer was NO, unless they were critically ill. We imagine that when the tour desk opened the next morning, all of the unhappy campers were lined up to lodge complaints. They felt that if the tour operators knew that the conditions were so bad for the ride, and not to mention the snorkeling, they should have cancelled the trip. Apparently, Holland America must have agreed, but only to the tune of a 10% rebate per person. Better than nothing, we suppose.

We were invited to the first evening CSI party at 7:15 pm in the Crow's Nest. We decided to go about 7:20, not wanting to be the first at the door. Surprise..........most everyone was already there with drinks in hand! Our group took over half of the lounge, and it was fun visiting with our fellow travelers and our gracious hosts. We did notice that the bartenders poured good drinks, which is a bit different from their regular service. We have gathered that early-on tips helped some people get preferential treatment. That's too bad for the rest of the crowd.

Mark, the security officer, joined us again for our formal dinner. He feels a bit more comfortable with our group now, as he talked about our upcoming ports from the security point of view. And he assured us that as of today, all of the promised stops will happen. We have been curious about the docking procedures in each port. So Mark explained that the choice of starboard or port docking depends on the decision of the pilot. He knows the tides, currents, and positioning of the gangway set-up. Very interesting.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 30 2-20-07 Tuesday Day at Sea

The Amsterdam will be traveling 1437 nautical miles from Cairns to Darwin over the next three days. The captain mentioned that in order to navigate these waters, we have an Australian pilot onboard. Despite several showers today, the temperatures remain warm at 82 degrees, and getting more humid by the hour as we sail north towards the Equator again.

Today happens to be Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, and is celebrated worldwide. That applies to us here in the middle of the Coral Sea! We learned that the official colors of Mardi Gras are purple (justice), green (faith), and gold (power). Fat Tuesday is always 47 days before Easter Sunday, based on the lunar calendar used by the Catholic Church.

When we entered the dining room for breakfast, we could see the decorations were already in progress. Drapes, balloons, masks, and streamers of purple, green, and gold were strung everywhere. It's going to be a fun dinner tonight, we suspect.

A rumor has been circulating that Dick Cavett, the late night TV host from the 60's, was joining the Amsterdam. And, this time, the rumor was true. Today, our stateroom TV had a clip from his famous interview with Katherine Hepburn several years ago. Tomorrow, he will be the speaker in the Queen's Lounge, giving the history of his career. It is apparent that he was a favorite of the older crowd here, since they are excited about his appearance.

As we expected, the dinner tonight was a festive occasion. All the maitre'ds and waiters were dressed like jesters in colorful costumes. Many guests also donned the colorful masks you would see in Carnival. Tri-color necklaces awaited us by our plate settings. After the main course was served, there seemed to be a lull in the service. Then we realized that all the waiters and their assistants were gone. Out of the blue, we heard the trumpets playing, pots clanging, and trays clinking as the parade of the kitchen staff wound its way through the upper and lower dining room! What fun for all. We had seen this on the Maasdam last summer, but we think this is the first world cruise to do this new activity. It sure made the passengers happy as they clapped and whistled to the song, "When the Saints Go Marching In".

To be continued..........

Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 29 Monday Cairns, Australia

Cairns, Australia is our port of call today. Once the settlement for gold miners in the 1800's, it was also the place for exportation of sugar cane, precious metals, and agricultutal products. Today, their claim to fame is being the stopping off place for snorkeling and diving on the Great Barrier Reef, one of the world's greatest natural wonders.

Even though the daily program said the weather forecast called for a chance of rain, we think this was printed way before we arrived here. On our sail into the area last night, we encountered a huge thunder and lightening storm. The rain was still with us as we entered Trinity Bay. The surrounding mountainsides were hidden behind black clouds. No wonder they are called a rain forest. We are sure that hundreds of people have booked the pricey Discover the Barrier Reef tour ($259 each), and may be disappointed if the water is murky due to the recent storms. And by the time we arrive to a port, it is too late to cancel or change your tour without penalties.

Since we have snorkeled the reef on two separate occasions, we opted to take the Green Island tour. Two busfuls of us were dropped off at the Reef Fleet Terminal, just a few blocks away from the ship. Here we waited for an hour in the misty rain for the ferry to arrive. One factor that we did not consider, is the fact that Sunday was Chinese New Year, and scores of Asians are on vacation here. And it became clear that many of them had the same excursion planned to Green Island. It felt like we were in Tokyo or Bejing instead of Australia!

By 11 am, we were allowed to board the luxury catamaran for a 45 minute ride to the 6,000 year old coral cay. And what a ride it was!! The winds, rains, and giant waves, had us all yelling, " Ride 'em cowboy ", as we were almost catapulted off of our seats! And to add to the thrill, all the people sitting on the sides in the back of the boat were getting drowned from the spray! Two Asian teenagers,sitting in the back side seats were soaked to the bone. They just kept wringing out their T-shirts, and drying their hair, and laughing the whole time. Even though they did not speak English, their antics were universally understood!! Glad we did not sit there!!

This beautiful island is a one stop tropical experience. However, most of us were surprised that we were given no instructions as a group for the day's itinerary. We were basically on our own, which is not a good thing for the shore excursion department. Prior to boarding the boat, we had been handed two red canvas backpacks for a souvenier, and tickets that outlined what we were entitled to when we reached the island. This was our guide for the day, we guessed.

Our first stop was at the information booth, where we studied the map of the island. The buildings were arranged near and around bungalow-type hotel rooms. A few stores had souveniers, a dive shop that had our complimentary snorkeling equipment, and the swimming pool with nearby bathrooms and lockers. The rest were a pool bar, ice cream booth, and two restaurants. One was fancy for hotel guests, and the other Canopy Grill was a buffet (both regular and Chinese food). That was where we ate lunch later on. We were supposed to have the opportunity to go on their glass bottom boat, but it had been cancelled due to murky water. So instead, we had a free pass to the Marineland Melanesia Crocodile Habitat, usually costing $12.50. We strolled through there after lunch, and we saw giant sea turtles in large ponds, a variety of aquariums filled with reef fish and corals, and a fascinating collection of artifacts and treasures from the Coral Sea. But the best part were the numerous crocodiles they had in separate wired enclosures. Some were small, but others were giant. We all had a chance to hold a young one, and have our picture taken with our own camera. Of course, they also took the same picture, which was for sale before we left the complex. Then the guide went into the enclosure of the monster croc, and fed both the male and smaller female raw chickens from a pole. These crocodiles came alive when they saw the birds dangling from the line, and slowly moved in for the treat. We would not want to run into one of these animals in the wild! There was a shocking display of a crocodile that had attacked and eaten 14 people not too many years ago in Australia. It was a little too graphic for us and the many young children that were there. Good reason to fear these creatures! Glad we got to see this section of the island.

Since the water was not clear, and the sun was obscured by clouds, the snorkeling was out. We decided to walk the beach that surrounded the island. At one point, we lost the beach, and had to walk the slippery rocks. One poor lady slipped and cut her knee badly. That was probably why there was a first aide station on the island also. As we continued on walking in the surf, we came upon the helipad with a helicopter about to land. Many of the Japanese tourists were lined up to go. We found out that it cost $125. for a 10 minute flight. Wow!

Beyond the helipad, was the jetty where we started.

Having walked enough, we joined a couple from the ship and sat on the lounge chairs on the beach. There was a posted sign that they cost $10 a chair, but since the day was almost over, no one bothered us for the money. Actually, our tickets stated that we had the use of day visitor facilities, so we figured that applied to the chairs. It was relaxing enjoying the almost sun, and watching the Asian tourists snorkeling and playing on the beach. Then we saw one of the funniest things we have seen people do! An Asian man actually picked up a huge chunk of coral from the water, and carried it up to the beach to show his wife! It only took 15 seconds for the lifeguard to come over and tell him he could not do that. He asked him to return it immediately, but the Asian man just answered him in rapid Chinese. The lifeguard then had a backup ranger join him, who also insisted that he put it back. With a lot of arm-waving, the man finally said "OK". We think he did understand, but was pretending not to. So he brought the piece back and deposited it where he found it. About a half hour later , while they were packing their stuff to leave on the ferry, we saw them reach into their large beachbag, and discard two more large chunks of coral. What part of "Do not collect shells and coral by threat of law" did they not understand?? By the way, we found out the rangers had passed out brochures written in English, Japanese, and Chinese. Now we know why. Eventually, the entire island would disappear!

Our day on Green Island ended by 4:30 pm when our catamaran arrived to take us back. While walking out on the jetty, we saw a blue spotted stingray, among other fish, large and small. Some coral was visible as well since the tide had gone out by then. Since the rain has stopped, the ride back was much smoother. We are sure that many passengers were happy for that, since on the ride over, several got sick. The timing was right again, because by the time we reached the buses, it began to rain heavily. Once we got back to the ship, we decided it was too late to take a walk back to town.

The ship left at 10 pm, an hour earlier than expected. We watched the quiet sailaway from our balcony. It was still very warm that late at night, and once the pilot had climbed down the rope ladder to get onboard his pilot boat, the rain came down in sheets. Guess we got lucky in Cairns today, even though we did not snorkel, the weather was tolerable and the day enjoyable.

We look forward to three days at sea on our way to Darwin. Oh yes, we received two Holland America beach bags with the 2007 World Cruise logo on them last night. Just love these gift

Bill & Mary Ann

AussieGal,

The Veggiemite wasn't so bad for the first time tasting! Similar to what I use for a beef gravy base at home. The sultanas were good.

As for the extra Dam Dollars used for getting prizes, maybe saving them from previous cruises is what they did. Makes sense.

Sorry for the double post....the internet went down, then came back.....

Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 28 2-16-07 Saturday

Today and tomorrow should be a good chance to give you all an idea of what keeps us busy on sea days.

We participate in the Walk A Mile event at 9 am, however, our walk starts at 7:30 am and we cover over six miles. Well, OK, at least one of us does that much. That is the beauty of sailing on a Holland ship - their wraparound teak promenade decks. We miss this on most other ships. And we had a surprise that made our day this morning...........a large school of dolphins jumping and swimming around the ship! Besides seeing a few flying fish, this was our first sighting of sealife since we left Ft. Lauderdale. Sure hope to see a lot more as the trip progresses.

Breakfast is always in La Fontaine Dining Room, although, many go to the Lido or have room service. We have not tried room service yet, but it may work out well for port days when we have early tours.

A mandatory muster drill was cancelled at 10:30 am, due to inclement weather. We were asked to watch the drill in our stateroom on our TV's. This drill is always done either before or after a new segment begins. In this case, it would bring the 60 new passengers up to speed.

While games like shuffleboard, pingpong, and ring toss are being played, we enjoy our time by the pool, usually reading our books. There seems to be the same group of passengers doing just what we are doing there, and we've gotten to know some of them well.

Lunch is usually in the Lido around 2 pm, and we try to keep it light and healthy. We do cheat by splitting a yummy chocolate chip cookie.

Then we try to walk it off with another Walk a Mile jaunt at 2:30 pm. Love getting paid the Dam Dollars just doing what we do anyway.

Writing the journal and selecting the photos takes a bit more time than you would think. So between 4 and 6 pm, we create, write, and e-mail from the atrium area of the ship. Sure would be nice if Holland added the internet hot spot to all of our staterooms. More passengers would probably use it more if they had their laptops along for the ride.

Cocktail hour and dinnertime end our day by 10 pm or so. Many people go to the show or go gambling. So far, we have only heard of a few shows that were outstanding, and the gambling experiences have been on the negative side. Best to stay away from there!

And, like tonight, every few days we get to set the clocks back one hour as we head west. Works for us!!

2-17-07 Sunday

The total dstance from Sydney to Cairns is 1344 nautical miles. Not sure the conversion to miles, so we will let you do the math. We have been flying at the speed of 22.5 knots since we left Sydney Harbour in order to accomplish traveling this distance in two days. The seas have been choppy with moderate waves of 7.5 feet. The easterly winds are force 7, a near gale, but the temperature remains warm and humid at 79.2 degrees. How do we know this??? We can read the information on the huge map that dots our progress on deck five near the Ocean Bar, or on our TV in our room.

Today we had a Cruise Critic meeting in the Crow's Nest, hosted by "Blue Whale", Dorothy and her husband George. They are the nicest people you would want to meet. We have a very lively group on this cruise. Dorothy invited us to share any interesting stories that have occurred while on the Amsterdam so far. We could think of some good ones, but can't repeat them in mixed company. Maybe later...... No officers were present, like we had on the Maasdam last summer. We couldn't believe that the captain, hotel manager, head chef, guest relations manager, a nurse, and several other officers greeted us in the lounge. What a nice surprise. We suppose that this ship has different priorities. As a group, we have the power of reaching out to thousands of people worldwide, and it should be in their best interests to humor us for a few minutes. Hope the word get outs!!

By the way, Happy Chinese New Year! The only mention of this occasion is a Chinese High Tea in the Crow's Nest this afternoon. A large styrofoam dragon and a decorated Buddha were being arranged in the Crow's Nest while we were at our meeting.

Judi, our tablemate and neighbor from Pleasant Hill, is celebrating her birthday today. They have invited all of us to their suite on deck seven for a cocktail party before dinner. Should be fun............they are a nice, friendly couple, and we're all nosey to see their 556 square foot cabin with verandah!

Tomorrow................Cairns, Australia!

Mary Ann & Bill

Report # 27 2-16-07 Friday, Australia

We've been lucky to have nice weather in Sydney these past two days. It is warm, but there is a beautiful breeze coming off the water in the harbour. On our last trip here, we had thunder, lightening, and driving rain, so these sunny days are a blessing.

After a leisuurely breakfast, we walked up George Street, and headed towards Darling Harbour. It is situated on the other side of the Sydney Harbour bridge, and houses the Sydney Aquarium, the Powerhouse Museum, the Maritime Museum, and more eateries and shopping malls than you can possibly see in one day. If one is in the market for opals and pearls, this is the place to buy them. However, we have noticed that prices here have climbed over the years, and there aren't many bargains.

Our destination was the Market Place near Chinatown. This huge three story building has 250 stalls of fashion, art, crafts, and jewelry. Most all the vendors were Chinese or Vietnamese. We did not see or hear any bargaining, but the prices were already good. T-shirts and shoes were packed high to the ceiling! We found a few goodies, but already have the T- shirts, so passed this time. The produce and fish markets were situated at one end of the building. Everything in this market was as fresh as can be. We even found an affordable bouquet of lilies and daisies, and packed them all the way back to the ship. (Felt like Queen for a Day!)

Part of the fun of exploring on foot, is watching the local people. The majority of walkers were from the financial district, and were going out to lunch. They grow them "big" down under. Many fellows and the ladies too, are well over six feet tall. The best, though, are the groups of young school kids we passed. Every school has different uniforms, and are colorful. With teachers leading the pack, it reminded us of our little chicks following the hens at home.

Needing a rest, we had a quick light lunch, then headed out again to walk the waterfront. Native Aboriginal fellows were playing their didgeridoos, and street artists were singing and juggling for dollars. Ice cream must be the afternoon treat, since every other person we passed had one. Walking around the bottom of the Opera House, we entered the Royal Botanical Gardens. This park is an oasis, much like Golden Gate Park is in San Francisco. Once inside the tree-lined paths, it is as if the city is miles away. The park is home to a variety of birds. The most interesting are the ibis and yellow and white cockatoos. The ibis are much like a seagull, scavenging for food. They have such a long beak, that they can reach into the middle of a garbage bin!! Disgusting to us, but smart for him. One crazy male cockatoo was dive-bombing people's heads as they walked up the paths. These birds can be very destructive, since their chewing habits include wood, wires, rubber gaskets, or anything hard. We had an experience with owning a bee-bee parrot...a very short experience. He chewed the mouldings of the doorways, and squawked so much, we found him a new home!!

Our time was dwindling, so we walked back to the wharf, looking for a kangaroo leather wallet. The ones we found were not the same quality as the one we bought in 1998. So off we went to The Rocks, a former prison-turned-shopping village. Mixed with historic pubs and restaurants, The Rocks is a neat place to shop for souvenirs. However, we had no luck for finding the wallet here. We will have two more stops to look in Cairns and Darwin over the next week.

The ship left a bit late under cloudy skies. We were flanked with sailboats and taxis filled with Aussies waving us farewell. As we turned to sail out towards the sea, we had a good view of the Harbour Bridge. Way on top were several climbers dressed in overalls doing the bridge walk. Barb, our tablemate and a few friends accomplished the climb this morning. She said it was incredible! She had pre-booked the climb well before she left home. And that was smart, since the shore excursion office was asking $249. to do it with them! Wow!!

We're looking forward to a few lazy days at sea now, since we're exhausted after our two day stay here. In order to see the city completely, it is a must to spend at least a week here!

Until later,

Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 27 2-16-07 Friday, Australia

We've been lucky to have nice weather in Sydney these past two days. It is warm, but there is a beautiful breeze coming off the water in the harbour. On our last trip here, we had thunder, lightening, and driving rain, so these sunny days are a blessing.

After a leisuurely breakfast, we walked up George Street, and headed towards Darling Harbour. It is situated on the other side of the Sydney Harbour bridge, and houses the Sydney Aquarium, the Powerhouse Museum, the Maritime Museum, and more eateries and shopping malls than you can possibly see in one day. If one is in the market for opals and pearls, this is the place to buy them. However, we have noticed that prices here have climbed over the years, and there aren't many bargains.

Our destination was the Market Place near Chinatown. This huge three story building has 250 stalls of fashion, art, crafts, and jewelry. Most all the vendors were Chinese or Vietnamese. We did not see or hear any bargaining, but the prices were already good. T-shirts and shoes were packed high to the ceiling! We found a few goodies, but already have the T- shirts, so passed this time. The produce and fish markets were situated at one end of the building. Everything in this market was as fresh as can be. We even found an affordable bouquet of lilies and daisies, and packed them all the way back to the ship. (Felt like Queen for a Day!)

Part of the fun of exploring on foot, is watching the local people. The majority of walkers were from the financial district, and were going out to lunch. They grow them "big" down under. Many fellows and the ladies too, are well over six feet tall. The best, though, are the groups of young school kids we passed. Every school has different uniforms, and are colorful. With teachers leading the pack, it reminded us of our little chicks following the hens at home.

Needing a rest, we had a quick light lunch, then headed out again to walk the waterfront. Native Aboriginal fellows were playing their didgeridoos, and street artists were singing and juggling for dollars. Ice cream must be the afternoon treat, since every other person we passed had one. Walking around the bottom of the Opera House, we entered the Royal Botanical Gardens. This park is an oasis, much like Golden Gate Park is in San Francisco. Once inside the tree-lined paths, it is as if the city is miles away. The park is home to a variety of birds. The most interesting are the ibis and yellow and white cockatoos. The ibis are much like a seagull, scavenging for food. They have such a long beak, that they can reach into the middle of a garbage bin!! Disgusting to us, but smart for him. One crazy male cockatoo was dive-bombing people's heads as they walked up the paths. These birds can be very destructive, since their chewing habits include wood, wires, rubber gaskets, or anything hard. We had an experience with owning a bee-bee parrot...a very short experience. He chewed the mouldings of the doorways, and squawked so much, we found him a new home!!

Our time was dwindling, so we walked back to the wharf, looking for a kangaroo leather wallet. The ones we found were not the same quality as the one we bought in 1998. So off we went to The Rocks, a former prison-turned-shopping village. Mixed with historic pubs and restaurants, The Rocks is a neat place to shop for souvenirs. However, we had no luck for finding the wallet here. We will have two more stops to look in Cairns and Darwin over the next week.

The ship left a bit late under cloudy skies. We were flanked with sailboats and taxis filled with Aussies waving us farewell. As we turned to sail out towards the sea, we had a good view of the Harbour Bridge. Way on top were several climbers dressed in overalls doing the bridge walk. Barb, our tablemate and a few friends accomplished the climb this morning. She said it was incredible! She had pre-booked the climb well before she left home. And that was smart, since the shore excursion office was asking $249. to do it with them! Wow!!

We're looking forward to a few lazy days at sea now, since we're exhausted after our two day stay here. In order to see the city completely, it is a must to spend at least a week here!

Until later,

Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 26 2-15-07 Thursday Sydney, Australia

The Amsterdam entered the famous harbour of Sydney, Australia, very early this morning. Even though this will be our fifth trip to this huge city, we thoroughly enjoyed the sail in. Over 4.2 million people live in this metropolitan area, and many of those commute over the well-known Sydney Harbour Bridge. Another popular means of transportation is by ferry at Circular Quay.

Before any of us were allowed to debark, we had to go to the custom's check. Entry and exit forms were given to us last night to fill out, then we lined up by our deck number to pick up our passports. In the Queen's Lounge, we were seated in groups, then released to go to the immigrations officials, who stamped our books. Once completed for the entire population of the ship, we were free to go onshore.

As we came off the ship, we loved seeing the many ferries, boats, and water taxis zooming back and forth alongside the ship. Looks like it will be a busy day as usual in Sydney.

There are so many excursions to be taken in and around Sydney, and we think we have done most of them. So we just took a long walk off the ship to buy a phone card, and check with family at home. We were successful in reaching everyone, despite the 19 hour time difference. All was well, thank goodness. The rest of our afternoon was spent supply shopping and picture-taking. One of the historic places we visited was the Queen Victoria Building, five levels of uptown boutiques, food, art, jewelry, and antiques. A practical store we shopped at was Woolworths. We needed a big clock to hang on our wall, and the new sticky hooks we brought from home worked well for hanging it. While we were browsing, we noticed the Veggiemite, which looked like a pasty glue, and sultanas, which appeared to be raisins. Our Aussie tablemate, Greg, promised to bring some to the table tomorrow night for us to try. The clerk at the store knew where we were from by our accents. Accents from California??? Yes, she said she could spot us a mile away!!

At 6:45 pm, we met with our CSI group for an evening at the Summit Restaurant. Thirty of us boarded the bus for a 10 minute ride up George Street. The restaurant was located on the 47th floor of the Australia Square Building. In the square were dozens of partying business men and women, chilling out after a day of work. We noticed that Sydney has a large population of young people.

The slowly rotating restaurant completed a 360 degree circle in one hour and 45 minutes. What a stunning view it was to see, especially when the sun went down. We could see Sydney Harbour with the Amsterdam parked there, coastal beaches, the Harbour Bridge, Darling Harbour, and the Blue Mountains in the distance. We accompanied Shirley, our "young" senior tablemate, who decided to sit next to the window. At first, she was disappointed because she was looking at a mirrored column. Then a minute later, the column was gone, and we realized that the floor was moving about 3 feet a minute. Then she decided to put her pashmina on the rail in front of the window. A few minutes later, her shawl was three feet away near the next table!! We got a big laugh at that one, and so did Shirley.

The menu included a choice of lobster soup or salmon tartar, steak or barramundi fish, rolls and butter, and dessert of Creme brulee or chocolate cake. Two glasses of wine were included as well as tea or coffee. Service was quite slow, but that was probably deliberate so we could enjoy the view. The only problem we encountered was the poor accoustics in the restaurant. It was very difficult to hear each other talk. The restaurant could hold up to 375 diners, and it appeared that it was mostly full .

The dinner lasted almost three hours, and we were back to the ship by 10 pm. Lovely evening!

More to come tomorrow................

Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 24 2-13-07 Tuesday Day at Sea

Today was busy with an early morning 5K walk for cancer called "On Deck for the Cure". We saw this for the first time last summer on the Maasdam, so it must be on all the HAL ships. A fair amount of people participated, and those who did not were welcomed to donate anyway. The captain usually leads the pack, but we only saw Appolonia in the front. Come to think of it, we have not seen the captain around the ship at all. We heard a rumor that he has been having trouble with a pinched nerve in his neck, so he has laid low.

Later in the day, the Shipbuilding Sea Trials took place at the Lido Pool. We are proud to announce that our friends, Gloria and Ken Moon were the winners with their perfect ship named the "Dumpsterdam"!! We could tell that a lot of prior planning went into the construction, as well as Gloria's artistic touches. Congratulations guys!!

Guest speakers Clint van Zandt and oceanographer Denny Whitford continued their series of interesting lectures. They have been the best so far, better than we can remember.

The Dam Dollar redemption took place on the atrium deck late in the afternoon. We're trying to figure out how some of these little elderly ladies had at least 100 dollars to spend??? We have earned $48 between the two of us, and it will only be enough for a T shirt. And we've been told that the extras will not hold over into the next segment. There may be a war over this rule....

On a sad note, we have had two deaths onboard the ship. With ambulances waiting, they debarked the people and their spouses in Tahiti and one in Samoa. Five others were so ill or injured, that they had to leave the ship and go home. And it is for this reason that it was wise to purchase trip insurance prior to sailing. The policy can be costly, but so is the price of losing the rest of the voyage, not to mention the associated medical costs (Medicare does not cover out of the country expenses). Anyway, life carries on, the good and the not so good, no matter where we ar,. at home or on vacation. There's no escaping it!

All through the day, we experienced rough seas, some rain, and high winds (force 6) on our way to Australia. It has been said that this area of the Coral Sea is usually turbulent. We agree!

Report # 25 2-14-07 Wednesday Valentine's Day (Day at Sea)

Happy Valentine's Day to all! Last night we were given two beautifully wrapped boxes of Leonidas chocolates for the occasion. And to add to that, CSI also delivered a one pound box of yummy See's candy. Are we sweet now, or what????

With the end of segent one coming soon, the last bingo was today. The final snowball jackpot was over $3000, and we heard that two people won it. Lucky them!

A kitchen tour was given in the morning, but we missed it. And a special concert with all the ship's bands was performed in the afternoon called "Bouquet of Love Songs".

Then out of the blue, the captain announced that an emergency pickup would be conducted with a helicopter lift of a critical patient onboard. The first flight over the ship, a few paramedics were lowered onto the bow of the ship. The copter took off, and we learned later that they were concerned about running low on fuel. About a hour later, they came back, lifted the patient and the medics, then took off to shore, somewhere near Sydney. It caused quite a commotion on the ship, since loads of people went running for their cameras to take pictures. Hope we do not see this again. It's happening too often!

The highlight of our day was an exclusive invitation to a private Valentine's Day party given by two sisters, Zelma and Delhis, longtime travelers of the Holland America Lines. We had met them on the 2005 world cruise, along with their dear friends Ellen and Frank. Sadly, Frank passed away suddenly last year, but his memory is still with us all.

Around 300 of us gathered in the festively decorated Crow's Nest at 6:30 pm. Awaiting us were cocktails of our choice, special hors d'oeuvres, a heart-shaped ice sculture, and the band serenading us. All the officers were there, as well as many fellow CSIers, and the "suite people" we have yet to see this last month. With everyone formally dressed, it was a nice affair to behold. And we are sure that it cost a "pretty penny" to host such a huge party. It was agreed by all that it was a huge success.

The dining room was brightly decorated in red and white streamers, hanging foil hearts, and red balloons everywhere we looked. What fun! Later in the evening, the Valentine's Day Ball took place in the Queen's Lounge. We didn't attend since tomorrow's port is Sydney, and we need some rest to tackle that city!

Until later,

Bill and Mary Ann

The Amsterdam arrived to the Baie de la Moselle in Noumea, New Caledonia early this sunny, but cooler morning. We enjoyed the fresh breeze for a change, while we watched the approach to the cruise ship terminal from our balcony.

A French territory since 1854, this beautiful island was first used as a penal colony, then the source of nickel and gold mining later on. During World War 2, US military headquarters were situated here, and eventually became the South Pacific Commission, a regional intergovernmental development organization.

Today New Caledonia houses indigenous tribes called Kanaks. Other citizen come from France, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu. One third of the population of over 500,000 is under 15 years old.

Noumea seems to offer it all..........chic boutiques, restaurants, nightclubs, casinos, parks and gardens. For the sports lovers, there are gorgeous beaches, tropical little islets, kayaking, diving, and windsurfing. It was told to us that these warm waters have some of the most dangerous and deadly creatures one should avoid. A few are the coneshell, rockfish, sea snakes, and of course, a large variety of vicious sharks. Guess you won't find us snorkeling today!

Since we booked an afternoon tour, we decided to walk around the nearby pier area. Leaving the ship, we passed the late-arriving welcome band and singers, then went through a newly constructed terminal building. Many vendors displayed their wares for us to buy, which was nice if you didn't want to venture into town. By 11 am, the day had heated up more than we wanted. However, we found out that it had rained buckets the day before, so we guess we got lucky today.

We continued up the street to the Place des Cocotiers, a local meeting square lined with huge red flame trees. Surrounding this park were hundreds of souvenier stores, some willing to accept US dollars, and some not. Bill found his perfect T-shirt, and I purchased a piece of island jewelry. We had spotted a neat bamboo vase in a handicraft store, but the owner would only take French francs. So we headed back to the local market/department store, Casino Marche, and bought a small item, and got French frans for change. That was much easier than trying to exchange at the busy banks. Even the ATM machines had long lines. We bought the vase, then headed back to the ship to get ready for our tour.

We took a 2 1/2 hour scenic drive of the city's landmarks, bays, and beaches. At the first lookout point, we could see several yacht harbors, bays, and offshore islands, as well as churches and a few colonial buildings. Due to monsoon rains and hurricane winds, our guide said that just a handful of original structures have remained intact. Infestation of island termites also have contributed to their demise. All new buildings are now made of concrete and stone.

Our guide gave us some basic information while on our ride. He explained the differences between the South Pacific Islands. "Nesia" means islands, and Polynesia means islands of many races. Micronesia means many small islands, while Melanesia means islands of darker-skinned people. Indonesia means islands between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. See, we're never to old to learn something new!!

We drove south to the gorgeous Le Meridien Hotel and Beach Resort on the Anse Vata Bay. After walking through the lobby, we followed a tree and stream-lined path to the landscaped pool area and bar. The pool and beach were "to die for"! On an upper terrace, a small group of Japanese people were celebrating a wedding. The blushing bride thanked all of us as we marched by and wished them good luck.

Our next stop was at a small intimate restaurant, the Le Millesime, near the Baie des Citrons. Here we were offered red and white French wines, assorted creamy cheeses, and delicious crusty French bread. Very civilized! Our guide made a comment while we were at the restaurant that was funny. He asked if we knew how to describe French cuisine? Little plate = big bill !

The last leg of the drive took us to Ouen Toro Lookout with a World War 2 memorial cannon at the top. There were fantastic views of the lagoon and outer islands. We headed back to the ship via the coastline, passing restaurants, beaches, nightclubs, hotels, and the older city. One fellow passenger teased us by saying he had taken all the pictures, and there were none left, so we could get back on the bus!

The Amsterdam pulled away from the pier by 6 pm, with the music and dancing Kanak performers singing farewell.

Au revoir, New Caledonia, a beautiful island to visit, in our humble opinion!

Mary Ann & Bill

Report # 22 2-11-07 Sunday Day at Sea

The Grand Show Buffet was displayed in the La Fountaine Dining Room today at 11:30 am. The centerpiece of the event was a huge (styrofoam) Easter Island moai, from the floor to the ceiling. Excellent likeness! Surrounding him were tables full of fancy appetizers, decorative breads, assorted meats, and tempting desserts. Ice sculptures were placed among the trays of food, as well as white and dark chocolate creations of castles, boats, and the Eiffel Tower. Not as many people were there to take pictures as we expected. These well-traveled passengers have "been there and done that" numerous times, we suspect. However, we are sure that by 1:30 pm, all the food was consumed, and then some!

Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 20 2-08-07 Thursday Crossing the International Date Line

Sometime during the wee hours of the morning, we crossed the International Date Line. This line is a standard means of making the needed time adjustment, so that local noon corresponds approximately to the time at which the sun crosses the local meridian of longitude. The end result for us? We had to advance our clocks and watches 23 hours ahead and we lost February 9th completely. And we all received an official certificate to verify the crossing. That seemed like a good enough reason to celebrate by having dinner in the Pinnacle Grill tonight.

Report # 21 2-10-07 Saturday Suva, Fiji

"Bula" or hello in Fijian! Suva, Fiji, on the island of Viti Levu, was our port of call today. Fiji is located 719 nautical miles from American Samoa, and is every bit as hot and humid as Pago Pago. Suva, with 400,000 people, is the capital of 50% Fijians and 45% Indian, and 5% Europeans and Pacific Islanders. The island is covered with coconut and banana trees, cotton, and sugarcane plantations. But their main industry is tourism.

Many warnings came across by the port lecturer, Barbara Haeni, in regards to personal safety in Suva. Even though practically everyone waved at us, we were told to watch our packets and purses. There was a noticable presence of military checkpoints and police everywhere. This may be due to the fact that military coups are common place in this part of the world. At least we shouldn't have to worry about cannibals in Fiji! Yes, can you believe cannibalism was practiced as late as the 1920's??

Our tour today should take us out of the congested city, through the countryside to the west coast. With about 60 of our fellow CSI travelers, we boarded two very nice air-conditioned buses. Once clear of the Saturday morning traffic, the buses headed inland towards the township of Nausori. The scenery along the way was much like Samoa........very lush, green with steaming hot valleys and mountains.

The buses left the main road, and onto muddy dirt lanes. The houses here were colorful, but small in size. It must have been laundry day, since every house had lines full of it.

When we arrived to Nausori, we had a 15 minute stop at the local produce and fish market. This place was quite a sight to see. Walking through the maze of vendors, we saw a huge variety of vegetables, fruits, and staples of rice, grains, and flour being sold. Saturday just happened to be their biggest shopping day, so the market was very crowded. And it seemed to us that most of the vendors and their customers were of Indian descent. When we passed the fish section , many of the people proudly held up their catch for picture-taking.

We continued on to the banks of the large Rewa River, and boarded several small boats. They were not really water taxis, but more like canoes and longboats with outboard motors. It was a miracle that we all got into these boats without taking a spill in the murky waters. As we got into the boats, Fijian ladies put beautiful garlands around our necks. We figured the colorful flowers would help locate us if the boat capsized!! There were no lifejackets to be seen.

We had a 20 minute ride to reach the Vutia Village on an isolated island across from the mainland. We were treated to a traditional welcoming ceremony by the villagers. The elderly chief led us down a concrete walkway to their meeting house. Fijian warriors and their families performed their preparation of Kava, a potent drink made from the roots of the pepper tree. It looked like a muddy, milky, unappealing drink, but some brave souls in our group did try it. Later on, they said it tasted awful, and left their lips and tongues numb. Glad we stayed outside filming the ceremony, because to refuse to drink the Kava would have been considered an insult.

As we exited the meeting house, we were handed a coconut filled with coconut milk. It's not sweet like you would expect, but almost salty and refreshing.

The chief offered to take us on a walk to their schoolhouse. The narrow trail took us past crops of taro root, bananas, coconuts, and rice. It was so hot and humid, that it felt as if the ground was steaming under our feet. There was barely a breeze. The schoolhouse was located under several large trees. We happened to be lucky and got to meet the school teacher, who lived nearby. He explained the type of life the villagers lead in this remote area. There were no cars or roads, but they did have boats, electricity, and a supply of fresh water. And that was about all. Compared to the city, this village was as primitive as it gets. Despite it all, they seemed happy and proud as they sang a farewell song as we left.

Well, back in the boats, we headed back to Nausori and the waiting buses. We learned something important today. If you don't want to get thoroughly soaked, don't ride in the front of the canoe! The faster we went, the wetter we got. Lucia, our host, got the wettest, since she was riding point! Oh well, it was so hot that it felt good.

On the way back to the ship, our guide pointed out the nicer residential neighborhoods of Suva, and the Government House with guards at the gate. The traffic was at a standstill the closer we got to the ship. After such a vigorating tour, we were happy to be back to the Amsterdam.

By the way, parked in front of us was P&O's ship, the Oriana. She is also on a world cruise that started in Southampton, England. After lunch, we had a short time to take a walk to see the other ship, and talk to some of her passengers. Most of them were British, and were glad to share cruise news with us. We had run out of time to shop for souveniers. Since we had been here two years ago, we already had some treasures from Fiji. But the one thing we were missing was the replica of the cannibal fork! However, we thought that was one item we could do without!

We left the harbor around 4 pm with a complimentary wine and cheese sailaway on the promenade deck. Funny how FREE brought out the people to this deck! They were packed like sardines trying to get their wineglasses filled as the waiters passed by. We got to see the Fijian police band parade up and down the pier, dressed in their native skirts, marching to the sound of the music and the drums.

We weren't more than a mile away when the skies opened up and it poured. Perfect timing, we'd say!

Presents tonight............two framed Delft tiles with the first segment, Ft. Lauderdale to Sydney, printed on them.

Mary Ann & Bill

Report # 19 2-07-07 Wednesday Pago Pago, American Samoa

The Amsterdam sailed in the scenic harbor of Pago Pago, American Samoa early this morning. This island called Tutuila, along with 6 other nearby islands are a territory of the USA. In the late 1800's to 1951, it was a coaling and repair station for the US Navy. Nowadays, it is tourism and tuna canning that are the main industries.

The scenery was beautiful as we entered the quaint bay. Volcanic cliffs covered in dense jungle growth jut straight up into the clouds. It reminded us of Kauai, Hawaii, only on a smaller scale. The temperatures were already high and the humidity extreme, even at 8 am. We're pretty sure that we will see rain today.

The tour we chose started with 22 of us, loaded into a "funky" bus (wooden open-air island style transportation). Our friend, Lynn, the ship's dentist's wife, was our fearless leader today. We don't envy her job!

There were a total of seven little wooden buses that convoyed to each stop. One of the island's most photographed landmarks were the Flower Pot Rocks, strange volcanic rock formations with lush vegetation on the top. We were given 5 minutes to off load, take a picture, then jump back on the bus. The wooden ceiling was so low inside the bus, that many of us hit our heads with each seam if we weren't careful. This tour was fine for short people!!

The next stop was at a church, one of the first founded on the island in the 1700's. It was plain-looking on the outside, but surprised us when we went inside. It was beautiful. This island seemed to have more churches than houses! Speaking of homes, the majority we passed had graveyards in the front. Apparently, it is the custom in Samoa to keep your deceased loved ones buried on their property. The families believe that their ancestors protect them that way. Many homes had an open-air roofed building that becomes a guest house when needed. No privacy there.

We continued on the the Turtle and Shark Vaitogi, a point on the coast where the natives sang songs to lure the turtles and the sharks to the surf. It was very frustrating to try to listen to the stories surrounding this area, since only one guide they called the big lady, gave the explanation. By the time the seven buses arrived at one place, she was halfway through her talk. All we could do was stumble along the jagged lava flow and take pictures. Each bus did have a cute Samoan tour guide, but they did not talk much. Our girl just wanted to sing songs as we drove the island.

Continuing on, we drove to the former governor's residence. It was a stately 2 story home where we saw many interesting displays of Samoan artifacts that explained the culture and traditions of the past. Nearby, we drove to a private residence with landscaped grounds facing the ocean. Here we were served Hawaiian punch, tropical fruit, and yummy sandwiches. After snacking, we walked the grounds taking pictures and checking out their little souvenier stand.

Our last stop was at a monument garden that was the site of royalty games of the past. The men would compete in catching pigeons from the rocky monument. Those with the most birds would get to chose a wife or daughter of their choice, even if they were married to someone else. That must have caused a few wars, or maybe not!!

Finally, we drove back to the pier via the airport, hotels, and familiar restaurants like McDonalds and KFC. One good thing here, the postage was cheap, 24 cents a postcard, thanks to being part of the good old USA.

Back at the pier, we visited the numerous souvenier stands, shopping for the T-shirt and trinket. Found some again!! We did not last too long, because the heat was horrible. By the time we left, some welcome showers blew over the island, cooling things off a bit.

All in all, we really enjoyed this island!

Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 18 2-05-07 Monday Day at Sea

The clocks went back again last night. We are now three hours before Pacific time, or the same time as Wellington, New Zealand.

The Amsterdam needs to cover 1242 nautical miles in the next two days to reach Pago Pago, Samoa, so the "pedal is to the metal"! It does help create a much appreciated breeze, since the themometer has been climbing every day.

Also, a new segment has started - Tahiti to Sydney. About 40 passengers left in Tahiti, and about the same amount came onboard. One new guest speaker is Clint Van Zandt, a former FBI profiler. He will be giving lectures until Sydney, and we suspect that he will pack the house.

This evening our whole table plus 75 more CSI passengers were invited to the Pinnacle Grill restaurant for a special dinner. The menu was set with the choice of filet mignon or salmon entrees, mini appetizers, crab cakes, beefsteak tomatoes, clam chowder, and chocolate volcanoes for dessert. Red and white wine was poured so often, that our glasses never went dry. Ellen, one of our hosts, joined our table of 15. What a fun night!

A new entertainer, Marty Hill, played numerous wind instruments in the Queens Lounge this evening. We heard that his show was pretty good.

Oh boy, we got two more presents tonight.....wooden shoe horns. They are long enough to have a sword fight in our cabin! Just kidding!!

Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 17 2-04-07 Sunday Papeete, Tahiti

The largest island of French Polynesia, Tahiti, is our port of call for today. The city of Papeete is the capital for all of French Polynesia. It is the primary center of government, commercial, financial, and tourism services. Compared to sleepy Bora Bora, Papeete is a bustling town with beautiful hotels, shopping centers, museums, and black pearl boutiques. And to be honest, everything is very expensive here. Their currency is based on the French franc, but Euros and US dollars are gladly accepted.

We could tell that it was going to be a scorcher today, while we watched the local Tahitian entertainers perform their welcome dance early on the pierside this morning. It was fun watching the passengers try to dance with the costumed performers. Our friend, Jordan, was the first one to be chosen. We took his picture while he tried to imitate the girl's dancing. What a kick! Later on, we surprised him two photos we had taken of him and his lady dancer, made from our handy printer we brought from home. He was thrilled!

Every tour that had been offered by the shore excursion department would have been a repeat for us. So we decided to take a leisurely walk instead. Another small cruise ship, the Van Gogh from the UK, was docked across from us. We're hoping that with two ships in port today, some of the stores will stay open, since today is Sunday. We have visited Papeete on Sunday in previous trips, and found the only thing open were their churches.

Our first stop was the tourist center located in the Place Vaiate, a well-manicured park setting. The center was well stocked with maps as well as tourist information. They even offered a variety of local fruits, buffet-style, inside the small building. An artisan market was conveniently outside the back door. They sold mostly seashell jewelry, some necklaces costing as much as 30,000 francs, or $300. US dollars! We found a conservative necklace to buy for far less.

Continuing on, we walked the boardwalk around the marina. At least there was a welcome breeze there. The day had become oppessively hot and humid, just as we had expected. The boardwalk ended at a beautiful small park, where local families were relaxing in the shade of the palms, while their kids swam off the walkway. Several ferries were running from here to nearby Moorea. If the ship had offered a tour there, that's where we would have gone. However, to take the chance of going there, not knowing if we could make it back in time for the ship's departure, was not an option for us.

We made our way back towards the food and craft market. This is a tourist's dream place. Even though many stalls were closed, enough were open to handle the crowd. Basketware, food, flowers, and jewelry were on the main floor. Upstairs, were dozens of stalls of clothing, more jewelry, assorted Tahitian souveniers, and a restaurant. We found another perfect Tahiti T-shirt there, of course. On our way out of the building, we stopped to buy some flowers, mostly ginger and bird of paradise.They were a mere $5 a bunch. Hope we are allowed to bring them onboard!

Back at the ship, we ate a quick light lunch, drank gallons of ice water and tea, then headed back to town. Right before leaving home, we had purchased an "instavase", which arrived flat as a pancake. When filled with hot water, the heavy plastic opens into a large vase. Since the vase was 19 inches tall, the flowers looked lost. That's why we went back to the market for more. Then a funny thing happened when we came back to our room. We had unknowingly brought back a few dozen ants with us in the first batch of flowers!! Oh boy, never thought about that?? Luckily, in a short time, we had them all gone. Our cabin steward is going to love us if we didn't!! Now we just hope that these flowers don't have the "no-see ums" bugs we've heard about. Big problems then!!

The ship was set to leave at 5 pm, but was delayed by an hour, due to a late tour bus. This worked out better, because we were treated to a beautiful Tahitian sunset on our way out of the harbor. It appeared that Moorea had been rainy all day. The black hovering clouds over the volcanic peaks made for the best sunset colors. Great way to end our visit.

One of our tablemates celebrated a birthday this evening. Barbie turned 39 again too. Ha-ha! Her friend, Susie, had set the table with "Barbie napkins and whistles", making for a fun party. We all felt like kids again.

Bill & Mary Ann

Report #16 2-03-07 Saturday Bora Bora, French Polynesia

The ship sailed into Povai Bay of the island of Bora Bora early this morning. Words escape us in trying to describe the absolute beauty of this volcanic island and its surrounding lagoons. And it is because of these multi-colored lagoons, that we chose a snorkeling tour today.

These waters are some of the most beautiful in the world. Even though we have been here six times in the past, every visit is an adventure. Sharing the bay today was the Tahitian Princess, a former Renaissance ship, that sails Polynesia year round.

Our original tour was cancelled today, for reasons unknown, so we booked the shark and ray feeding tour at 8:30 am. We know it sounds crazy, considering the recent tragedy with the Crocodile Hunter, but we trust our native guides, and the semi-tame nature of the sharks and rays here.

Our group of 18 brave passengers tendered the short distance to shore, then walked 50 feet to the waiting motorized outrigger canoe. Looks like we are going to be blessed with partly cloudy skies, and maybe some sun, which makes for the best viewing of the coral and reef fish. The boat sped around the the smaller island of Toopuai, and dropped anchor when several stingrays were spotted. Actually, they spotted us and gave chase directly behind the boat! At least a dozen very large gray stingrays watched us as we descended the ladder from the small boat. Ooooh, we felt like shark bait!! While the guide asked us to hold onto the anchor's rope, he proceeded to bait the water. And to our instant surprise, six black-tipped lagoon sharks appeared from out of nowhere. They frantically devoured the fishbait no more than 15 feet away from us. We're talking 6 foot long sharks here folks! With our masks and snorkels on, we dipped below the surface and watched the feeding frenzy. As soon as the guide stopped baiting, the sharks were gone in a flash. Now, that made us more nervous, since we couldn't see them anywhere. Hopefully, they headed for another outrigger!

In the meantime, the stingrays wanted their share of the frozen fish. We moved to the other side of the boat, where the depth of the water was about 4 feet. As the guide started feeding the rays, they practically swam up our backs and chests looking for food. The rays lifted their heads out of the water just enough to look us straight in the eyes! So eerie! We petted them, yes petted them, and they semed to enjoy it. Holding a small piece of fish under the water, a ray would swim over our hand, and suck it up from our fingers. Thankfully, they have no teeth, and we were to keep our fingers!! Sure was exciting.

When the bait was gone, so were the stingrays. We continued to swim over the lagoon's multi-colored coral gardens. Hundreds of reef fish were feeding and swimming here. Just spectacular. All too soon, we had to board the boat, which wasn't exactly easy, but better than the boat we had a few years ago.

The last stop was at a deserted beach on Motu Tevairoa. Our guide said it belonged to his uncle, which is the same story we have heard from other guides in the past. A small hut-like house was almost hidden in the palm trees. Only a little female Queensland Heeler dog greeted us as we walked in the shallow water to the white sand beach. We took a walk along the shoreline, while most of the others headed for the shade of the palm trees. Our guide set a table with fresh pineapple slices, shredded coconut meat, and the best mini bananas we have tasted. It was a welcome treat, since it had become extremely warm in the sun. Thank goodness we remembered to bring our aqua shoes, because the sand was blistering hot, and full of sharp coral and tiny hermit crabs. As we snacked on the delicious fruit, the little dog begged bananas from us. She loved them! Then she followed us into the warm surf, and appeared to be searching for fish. Smart little puppy!

With our visit time over, we reboarded, and sped back to the pier at breakneck speed....like 0 to 100 mph! We jumped on a waiting tenderboat and headed back to the ship for a quick Lido lunch. Then we went back to town for our required souveniers....a T-shirt and a trinket. When we got to shore, the sky opened up and it poured BIG TIME! So, shopping in the reed-covered huts was our best option. All the jewelry was created from colorful seashells, and was not expensive, for the most part. We did find a pretty one right away. Hundreds of pareos, or cover ups, hung on lines along the walls, no two alike.

Running across the road, with one umbrella between us, we found the perfect T-shirt, then headed back to the tenderpier. By now the rain became torrential, flooding the roads. People waiting for their afternoon tours on Le Trucks, were not happy campers. We had hoped to take a leisurely walk through town, but not liked drowned rats! The rain continued off and on all afternoon, making us appreciate the perfect snorkeling conditions we had in the morning.

The Amsterdam hauled the anchors at 6 pm, and sailed southeast towards the nearby island of Tahiti. We should arrive there tomorrow around 7 am.

Bill & Mary Ann

PS We have heard some disturbing news about the Prinsendam on her circumnavigation cruise around South America. She was hit by two consecutive 60 foot waves, making her list 22 degrees. Some passenengers were injured and much of the kitchen and dining room crockery was destroyed.. We, here on the Amsterdam, wish them a safe continuing journey.

Report # 15 2-01-07 Thursday and 2-02-07 Friday Two Days at Sea

2-01-07 Thursday

We can't believe the month of January is gone already. Life onboard continues to be pleasant with partly cloudy skies, occassional light showers, and temperatures climbing towards the 80's. The seas have been slight as we sail into the northeasterly breezes. Couldn't be better, well maybe, if it wasn't so humid. Can't have everything!

A funny thing we forgot to mention is that every morning in the dining room, we enjoy eating breakfast with the sound of birds singing and chirping in the backround. Sounds like our menagerie at home has followed us!! All we miss are the roosters crowing!

The clocks have gone back 2 hours in the last few days. It is truly a gift, as opposed to sailing east, where you lose an hour every couple of days. We are now on Hawaii time......aloha!!

Through the grapevine, we have heard that the Amsterdam missed a few cargo shipments back in Lima. As a result, berries and some veggies are becoming scarce. Just as long as we don't run out of peanuts and cocktail napkins, we will survive!

Dutch Lunch took place in the Lido today. We sampled the little pancakes, and they were good. All the waiters were wearing the black Dutch caps, and they seem to enjoy dressing the part.

The ship's doctor and his wife joined our table this evening. He was "tight-lipped" when asked about the Amsterdam bug that has been spreading. We did learn a bit more about the quarantine law. The inflicted passengers sign a promise not to leave their staterooms for 24 hours. They receive a $150. shipboard credit if they comply. And, yes, they DO enforce it. Knock on wood, we're still OK.

2-02-07 Friday

Today's theme is Mutiny on the Bounty, with an invitation for all to dress as pirates tonight. All the games today had a buccaneer title, and the cruise director assistants were all dressed like pirates. Some passengers, including most of the kids, were running willy-nilly trying the find the hidden treasure during the Buccaneer Treasure Hunt at 2 pm. They must have hidden GOLD somewhere! The day's activities will end with a pirate passenger talent show at 10:15 pm. That should be amusing!!

And speaking of talent, here's the list of entertainers so far. Norm Crosby, the comedian from the Ed Sullivan days, was the most well-known star so far. Then came Dima Belinski, a pianist, Dana Daniels, a comedian/magician, and Jim Curry, a John Denver singer. Another magician, Mel Harvey performed, David Copperfield, not the one you think, did magic tricks, and Radim Zenkl played the mandolin and flutes. Morry Coleman strummed the banjo, UK's Darren Lynton sang, Ralph Heid played the xylophone, and Donny Ray Evins sang Nat King Cole melodies. There have been two productions shows by the Amsterdam singers and dancers. Since we have not attended these shows yet, our friends have reported that the entertainment has been good for the most part, and some not so great. Guess it's all in the eyes of the beholders!

Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 14 1-31-07 Wednesday Scenic Cruising Pitcairn Island

On Tuesday evening, we had a wonderful dinner with Gloria, Ken and Hank in the Pinnacle Grill, all dressed in their finest! It was like old home week. And the food was delicious once again. Hope to meet there again during the trip.

The Amsterdam quietly slipped into Bounty Bay on the eastern side of Pitcairn Island, situated 1290 miles west of Easter Island. This isolated island is so small to have such a big reputation for the tale of the Mutiny on the Bounty saga. But what a beautiful paradise in which to hide the mutineers and their wives or girlfriends after abandoning the HMS Bounty back in 1789. Even though they striped, burned, and sunk the vessel in order to remain unnoticed, only one mutineer, John Adams, was alive by 1800. However, many descendants over the centuries still remain on the island today. And we had the pleasure of meeting one of them today, as we'll talk about later.

Since we couldn't visit the island, the Pitcairners came to us with all their treasures in an old motorized long boat........at least 48 of them. This was the bulk of their total population! They had to climb a rope ladder to get onboard, and not all of them were young either. There were four youngsters in the group, and all ages up to 80. Dozens of crates, bags, gunny sacks, ice chests, and old luggage full of souveniers were hauled out from under a huge tarp in the boat. About the same time they embarked, a sudden downpour came upon the ship, and the deck sale was moved to the lido pool area. In the precious minutes before the "deck sale", we had the chance to talk with one native lady who lived on this island for 20 years. She relayed some quicks facts to us. She told us that the power on the island was supplied by diesel generators, and ran only 10 hours a day. Most homes there had a back up power source. Their water supply is rain collected in man-made wells and 55 gallon drums buried in the soil. There are 9 families, all remotely related to each other, and they celebrate birthdays and holidays as one large group. When the children reach high school age, they are sent to New Zealand or Australia for further education. Most of them return only to visit. Pitcairn, along with three neighboring islands are the last remaining British overseas territories in the Pacific Ocean.

Now, to the deck sale. Several tables were set up around the Lido pool, where the Pitcairners attempted to display their items. When we viewed this scene from up above on deck nine, it looked like an agitated red ant's nest!! Picture a 2 for 1 sale at your local department store, only 10 times worse! It was a miracle.............suddenly some of the aged and infirmed came alive again, shoving and pushing the younger crowds out of the way to get to the post cards and t-shirt tables. No kidding!! Things for sale were hats, T-shirts, stamped postcards, simple shell jewelry, wood carvings, woven baskets, books, seashells, rocks, and paintings. There seemed to be plenty for all to buy, but obviously, some people did not realize this. Ever notice that some people just have to be FIRST? And to add to the madness, it was so hot and steamy in the pool area, everyone was melting from the heat!!

Here's our highlite of the morning. We purchased a cookbook from Irma Christian, an 80 year old descendant from Fletcher Christian of the HMS Bounty! She was proud as a peacock when we asked to take her picture. In her book, she described life on Pitcairn, where she was born and lived her entire life. Typical food here includes various fruits, vegetables, and citrus. Chicken, eggs, goat meat, and fish are served, but no fresh beef, unless it is canned or frozen. Supply ships come every two months, and they have 6 to 8 cruise ships stop here in January and February. A doctor from England stays on the island for 3 months, then is rotated back home when another doctor arrives. We heard by the grapevine, that their dentist was in jail, so our dentist, Buddy, did some much needed dentistry for a few fellows.

We bid farewell to the Pitcairners as they loaded their boat (much lighter now), and sailed away back to their paradise. We know for a fact, that they packed many, many dollars back with them! By noontime, the Amsterdam headed northwest for the island of Bora Bora, and Pitcairn Island became like a dot on the horizon within 10 minutes!

What a fun day!

Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 13 1-29-07 Monday and 1-30-07 Tuesday Two Days at Sea

1-29-07 Monday

Just a short one today to catch up on two lazy days at sea on our way towards Pitcairn Island. The biggest news of Monday was that the clocks finally rolled back one hour last night. This is great because it gives us an extra hour of much needed sleep. We are sure that the crew likes it even more!

The weather continues to be warm and slightly humid as we head due west. Many more passengers have discovered the back pool, and it is getting busier, since the pool water has warmed up to 82 degrees.

One bad thing is that some people are coming down with a 24 hour bug. We don't believe it is the Norwalk virus, just a stomach upset for a day or so. When they seek help for medication, these passengers have been quarantined in their cabins for 2 days. Our queen bee at our table, Shirley, from Florida (not NY), told us she had the virus on the QE2 last year. She was quarantined for 3 days , given medicine for free, and was checked on by telephone every hour. A special bland menu was delivered to her daily for ordering. After the three day confinement period, the ship's doctor visited her and released her. Then once she left her room, a cleaning crew spent 5 hours disinfecting her entire cabin. Quite an experience! We are all washing our hands frequently, and using the Purell often. Also, a new addition to the public bathrooms..........little towelettes of a hydrogen peroxide based disinfectant, that we use to wipe the door handle before leaving. We truely hope all these precautions work!!!

Two more presents appeared on the bed tonight.................dual time clocks, just like the ones we got in 2005. Very useful. And another good thing, the clocks went back again tonight. Good deal.

1-30-07 Tuesday

We have a funny observation on the early morning walking a mile for a Dam Dollar at 9 am. We usually start our walk around 8 am, and there are a handful of people with us. Now, at 8:59 am, all the doors open to the promenade deck, and out pour the people to collect the money! The assistant cruise director comes out the door near lifeboat # 6, and the people line up. We heard one elderly man ask for the dollar for his wife, who he said was just there. Oh really?? Anyway, they walk to the next door, and go back inside, never reaching that mile! It is just too funny!!

We're joining our 2005 tablemates tonight in the Pinnacle grill for dinner. Gloria and Ken and Hank will be there, but it sure would have been nice if Janice and Mike were there too!! We miss you guys!!

Bill & Mary Ann

Hey, thanks for the bump guys!! It is so much easier to find when pasting our reports in with the touchy internet.

Grumpy, So many people have asked us how you are doing?? We said fine, since you are still typing frequently! Paul and Maria send their hellos.

Talk to you soon, Bill and Mary Ann

Report # 12 1-28-07 Sunday Easter Island, Chile

The Amsterdam sailed into the bay of Easter Island, 2800 miles west of Chile, in the darkness of early dawn. We could smell the smoke of cooking fires already in the breeze, so typical of tropical islands around the world. Dark clouds hung over the entire island, and it was evident that rain would be in the forecast today. Even though our daily newsletter predicted 73 degrees with a few clouds, we should not have believed it! Figuring that we wouldn't need umbrellas, we left them behind. Big mistake!

Anyway, this is our first visit to Easter Island, so it should be an exciting day. And with wanting to "see it all", we booked a pricey seven hour tour that promised to take us around the 45 square mile island to see the most important sites.

We got to ride the tender boats to shore, since there is no pier for large ships here. The Queen's Lounge was jammed with people waiting the get "stickered" for either the three hour tours, or the all day tour. Later, we found out that the shore excursion staff booked 900 tours here today. Pretty good business, since there are about 1300 passengers total. Several friends we know opted to do their "own thing", which we will talk about later.

The mode of transportation here were dozens of minivans that held eight people, and with 2 window air-conditioning (which may as well have been NO air!). Three nice couples joined us, as did our polite non-English speaking driver.?! OK, what goes here? It turned out, that for every four vans, there was one guide, who gathered us together at each stop. He was a well educated Chilean fellow, who spoke English quite fluently.. We were lucky, according to other reports we heard later.

Well, our first stop after leaving the large village of Hanga Roa (population of 3000), was at an unrestored archaeological site of Ahu Vaihu. Here we saw the toppled remains of ther famous moais, the volcanic-carved monolithes that can reach up to 18 to 71 feet tall, and weigh up to 145 tons! Each moai was carved, presumably, in the image of a venerated hero. What looked like hats on top of the statues, were actually their red hair, which was piled on top of their heads in real life. In most sites, human remains are buried under the rock platforms that hold the statues. The rest of their bones were carved to make useful fish hooks. When these moais are fenced with rocks on the ground, we were not supposed to walk up to them. And each area like this had a park ranger guard. We called them the moai police. They did not hesitate to yell at people or blow their whistle to warn us away! So embarrassing!

Our next stop was at the ancient abandoned quarry, Ranu Raku, where natives carved the moais directly from the rock. It was quite a hike to reach to the top of mountain to see these carvings. Our guide explained to us that once carved, the statues were slid down the steep slopes on rollers made of tree trunks. Once in place down below, they were levered upright with the help of rocks and sticks. Amazing.

After we took a million pictures, we hiked back towards our waiting van. However, remember our friends who did their own tour? We spotted a small pickup truck with four people sitting in the truck's bed, all covered with pool towels. They had gotten drowned from the sudden rainstorm! Yes, that's the type of adventure you can expect when you don't book through the ship. Afterwards, they told us that they had a wonderful adventure, and they enjoyed it despite the rain. Good for them!!

Continuing on, we drove down to the seaside to Tongariki, where we saw a row of moai erected on a tall platform, all facing inland. These were said to be 800 years of several generations of carvings. Our guide said that a village would have been built in front of the guarding statues. However, these villages are long gone now. Tribal wars and diseases from visiting Europeans, reduced the native numbers from 20,000 to 300, sadly enough.

With pictures taken, we loaded into the van and were off the Anekena Beach, where a buffet BBQ lunch awaited us. We arrived to the tented area after a walk down the palm tree lined hillside. Sure a pretty setting, although it is probably not a native growth here, the palm trees made the tourists happy. Lunch started with pisco sours, then we lined up for delicious platters of fruit, such as sweet pineapple, fresh melons, and huge strawberries. Next to this was salad with carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers (all imported from Chile, we suspect). The main course was BBQ tuna, swordfish, chicken, and steak, although some people suspected the steak was horsemeat.........yes, they do eat them in Easter Island. White and red wine, Coke, and water flowed freely at each table.

After we finished our meal, we had ample time to take pictures of the few moai there, and shop, of course, at the nearby tables. The souveniers being offered were several types and sizes of moais, wood carvings, postcards, T-shirts, and seashell jewelry. For the most part, everything was very expensive.

By 3 pm, our two hour lunch was finished , and we were supposed to be on our way to the lake-filled volcano, Ranu Kau. However, that did not happen. Our guide told us that the road to the volcano was closed due to muddy, unsafe conditions. Instead, we visited Ahu Tahai, a moai site that was situated near the pier. These statues still had their coral and obsidean eyes, which were believed to give them "divine powers".

The tour ended at the craft market, where we found some neat treasures. The line was long, waiting to get back to the ship, so because of that, the Amsterdam left late, at 6 pm. By then, the rain had returned, and it looked about the same as when we arrived. Great day for all!!

Bill & Mary Ann

JohnnyB We did not forget anything this time. We have developed a list for all the small stuff....about 125 items. As they get packed, they are crossed off.

KAKCruiser Found what you asked for. The name is Omar Torres Collection color me Lorenzo

Report # 11 1-24-07 to 1-27-07 4 Days at Sea

1-24-07 Wednesday

There is a birthday for one of us today! Yes, Mary Ann turns 39 again!! When we went out of our room this morning, a large Happy Birthday sign with a pink balloon was hanging on the door. Our travel hosts are busy in the wee hours of the morning!

The specialists from Seattle had their first group party this morning at 11:15 in the Queens Lounge. Our large group of over 350 people were handed a mimosa or a bloody Mary as we entered the door. Magnetic name tags were lined up on tables for each of us to wear.

Tom and Ellen greeted us with a welcome onboard speech, and they introduced us to Henk and Lucia Barnhoorn, their assistants on this cruise. After this big gathering, the parties will be broken into smaller groups and held before dinnertime.

We had our first dinner in the Pinnacle Grill this evening. The food was spectacular, and the 16 ounce rib-eye steaks were superb. When we finished, or tried to finish our entrees, the waiter brought a birthday cake to our table, complete with a candle. The maitre'd also brought two cards and a photo to us. Barbie, our tablemate, and Susie and Woody sent birthday cards and a copy of the first formal photo of our group. Very thoughtful, considering we just met these nice people ten days ago!

1-25-07 Thursday

The weather is still overcast and muggy, but there is a cool breeze. When we scan the horizon, we could see isolated rain showers. The captain always seems to be able to steer around these squalls for the most part.

We spent a few hours by the back pool. There are still many empty lounges, so it is quiet. Well, except for the muted backround music, which is good sometimes, and other times, not. The pool water is cold, and is now saltwater. Only a few brave people attempt to go in it.

The ship has informed us that the satellite connection will be lost until we get closer to Australia. That means no CNN, TNT, ESPN, etc. Our only source of news will be the daily Times Digest that is delivered to our room each day.

Tonight, our hosts, Ellen, Lucia, and Henk joined our table for dinner (Judi and Bob ate elsewhere). We did enjoy getting to know them better. And to our surprise, another birthday cake arrived, along with several waiters who gathered to sing the two birthday songs ( one in Dutch). So much for keeping the birthday quiet.

Two new presents were waiting for us when we came back from dinner............wooden cases with various games, like dice, checkers, chess, cards, poker, etc. Hey, this is like Christmas!!

1-26-07 Friday

Thought we would give you some quick information on the Amsterdam. She is 61,000 gross tons, 780 feet long, and 105.8 feet wide. She carries 1380 guests with a friendly crew of 647. She was built in Italy in 2000, and has pod-propulsion. This makes for a much smoother and quiter ride with hardly any vibration. The Amsterdam's top speed so far has been 23 knots.

The guest speakers so far have been Mike Millwood, a history professor, and Colonel Stephan Bauer, a military social aide from the White House (1970's era). We prefer to watch their talks on TV from the comfort of our stateroom. Hate to be inside the lounge when the weather is so nice outside.

When we went for our stroll this morning, Elizabeth, the cutest assistant cruise director, was handing out the Dam Dollars for the one mile walk. She laughed when Bill reached for the whole stack instead of the two bills! Just kidding..........

The Black and White Ball was this evening. The dining room was decorated with billowing white sheets, draping the entrance, along with a curtain of shimmering silver foil threads. Our dinner table grew to 11, with the addition of the enviromental officer and his lady friend from the spa,we believe. Even though we did not attend the dance after dinner, we heard that it was very nice.

1-27-07 Saturday

Today was quiet and restful for us, since the weather was just right for sunbathing.

We had an invitation for a 12:30 pm lunch with six other Cruise Critic members. Dorothy and George have made several meetings like this in order for us to get to know each other. It was fun and we hope to meet again soon.

We got 2 more presents last night............2 HAL pens with the 2007 logo on them. Sort of knew they would arrive shortly after the journals. Oh yeah, we also have had different "towel animals" on our bed every evening. Who would think that so many animals could be created with a couple of towels?? Someone is very clever.

Looking forward to Easter Island tomorrow!

Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 10 1-23-07 Tuesday 2nd Day in Lima

After a really, really good night sleep, we planned a "goof-off" day! So after breakfast, we took a tour that took us to the Artesanias "Indian Market" located in the upscale district of Lima. Every time we left the gate, a guard boarded the bus, and we had to show our keycards. Security is tight here. Did we mention that the ride from Callao to the city of Lima is very tedious with numerous stop lights and loads of traffic? Along the way, we passed military barracks, hospitals, colleges, restaurants, stores , and numerous casinos. This city is bustling with activity day and night.

The huge handicraft market was a maze of stalls (one could easily get lost). The vendors offered interesting jewelry of gold, silver, copper, and bronze with precious stone settings. Carpets made of llama hides, sweaters, t-shirts, hats, paintings, and leather and wood articles filled the stalls to the ceiling! An attractive piece of jewelry that appealed to us was made from a seashell called condra del mar espondilo. The shell is fist-sized, and dense with red to orange striped coloring. When cut and polished, they made beautiful pendants set in silver designs. Couldn't leave here without a set of these. Also nice, were the bowls carved from olive wood and jewelry boxes made with wood and stamped leather. Had to buy one of each of those too. The prices were so reasonable, and we always have fun bargaining. After two hours, we were shopped-out, and joined our group on the bus for the ride back to the Amsterdam. From the looks of all the bags, it appeared that everyone had parted with some serious cash here!

At the pier, we had one last chance to see more souveniers. A handful of stands were set up on the pier, one of which was H Sterns. They offered a free shuttle ride to the Marriot Hotel, where their store is located. This is one thing we would like to know ahead of time, but the ship never tells us until we arrive. In many cities, the taxi union is very strong, and they will not let shuttles run for free.

Right next to the stalls, a large pier building housed more stalls selling the same things as the Indian Market. It was so warm in the building that the vendors were falling asleep and barely willing to bargain. Guess they don't have to, since many ships stop here, such as the Silverseas ship that was in port yesterday.

The Amsterdam left promptly at 6 pm, with the help of a "whirling dervish" tugboat. The tugboat operator was having so much fun literally spinning the boat in circles and tooting their horn, that we wondered what they were drinking! Must have been good stuff!

Bill & Mary Ann

Report # 9 1-22-07 Monday Callao for Lima, Peru

Our arrival to Callao, Peru, was around 5 am and in the dark. It didn't matter much, since the port of Callao is a huge working port and not pretty. In fact, it is a down-right dangerous place to exit the well- guarded gates. Mark, our security officer, mentioned at dinner the other evening that even the ship's crew had to stay in groups, day or night, when going into town. We will have two days to explore here, but safely in big groups!

We booked two tours with Holland and one trip with our travel group. The day long trip we chose today will bring us to a museum, ancient temple ruins, and lunch and horse show at a hacienda in the outskirts of Lima.

The first stop was at the National Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology. There, we saw a large collection of pre-Columbian and Incan tapestries, pottery, tools, weapons, stone carvings, gold and silver relics, and even real mummies. One room housed a huge replica in small scale of the area of Machu Picchu, a place we hope to visit someday. Bill disappeared for a while, and thinking he was taking pictures outside, I soon learned that he was purchasing a beautiful lapis and silver necklace for my birthday. What a nice surprise!

While enroute to the ruins, our guide educated us on Peruvian history. We could tell that she was a school teacher on summer vacation. We joked with her that we were afraid she was going to give us a test later! Strange that it is summertime here. There is a constant high fog everyday in Lima. Rain is almost non-existant here - maybe four inches a year. All the water for the coastal cities and farms comes from the Andes mountains. When we crossed the Rimac River, it was roaring through the city. Both Bolivia and Peru have been having some serious torrential storms the last few weeks, causing massive hillsides to slide and destroy many homes.

Passing thousands of tenaments built on the shoreside, sand dunes, and hillsides, we reached the ruined city of Pachacamac. Built around 700 AD, these temples were dedicated to the Sun and the Moon. As we climbed the steep pathway towards the top, we saw the burrowing owl that lives in these sand dunes. He blended so well with the rocks, that we could barely see him until he moved. Nature is amazing!

As we rounded the crest of the temple, a beautiful view of the ocean appeared. This was probably the last sight that the young virgins saw as they were being sacrificed to the Sun god once or twice a year. Yikes! They believed that the killings guaranteed them of good health, many babies born, and successful crops for the coming year. They don't do this anymore.

Then we were off to the best part of the tour........an Andean-style hacienda, called Tres Canas, and a typical buffet lunch. Actually, we have been to this same ranch 10 years ago, while we were sailing on the old Pacific Princess, the love boat. Instead, this time our group was greeted by by the son. Unfortunately, his father had died last year, leaving the reigns to him.

Peach daquiris were served along with snacks of mini bread sticks made from manioc flour. Once inside the ranch, we felt as if we were in the countryside, not surrounded by millions of homes on top of each other. Our host gave us a brief tour of the grounds, while we waited for all three buses to arrive. Lunch consisted of salad, a potato-veggie dish, chicken, beef, rice and potatoes of several types. Water, soda, sangria, and wine was poured at each table of eight. A bowl of ice cream topped off the delicious meal.

Now the best part........the Peruvian Paso horse show. What fun to watch these horses move. Their naturally high stepping gait allowed the riders a smooth ride. No bouncing at all. The performance lasted about one half an hour, and included a horse and rider dancing with a Peruvian girl in native costume. It ended all too soon, and we had to say adios. The bus whisked us back to the ship by 5:30.

Now, you would think that the all day excursion would have been enough, but, no, we booked a tour through our travel group the same evening. So we ran up the gangplank to do a quick change, then went to the Ocean Bar to meet our group. About 60 of us went to the candlelight dinner at the 16th century Los Descalzos Convent in old colonial Lima.

Opened to the public in 1981, the convent houses "jewels" of pictorial art. These huge paintings lined the dark hallways that eventually led us to the inside patio. The hallways were supposed to be lit by candles, but we saw none. Ellen inquired later as to their whereabouts, and was told that the priests were afraid of accidental fires. Anyone ever heard of battery powered luminaries? Anyway, we were seated under a large, corner draped canopy in the middle of the open- air courtyard. We were served pisco sours, mouth-watering hors d'oeuvres and a beef entree. Only red wine was served, but Ellen soon took care of that. White wine soon appeared out of the blue! We were attended by white gloved waiters, but there was no violin music as described in the tour book. Oh well. Dessert was a local fruit pudding with chocolate sticks in it. Coffee was poured and the evening was complete. We had a quiet ride back to the ship. Wow, what a day.

Mary Ann & Bill

Report # 8 1-20-07 Saturday Manta, Ecuador

The Amsterdam quietly slipped into the port of Manta, Ecuador, around 6 this morning. It was pouring rain, but very warm. Hope the rain lets up for our tour at 8 o'clock. Remember, King Neptune promised yesterday!!

We had booked a four hour tour to Montecristi, a nut factory, a weaving facility, and a museum. To our surprise, our group #10 left right on time to head down to the gangplank from the Queens Lounge. When we boarded the bus, we were shocked to see that the windows were heavily tinted with red paint. Fringed blue and white scalloped curtains hung halfway down these windows. Felt like we were inside of a delivery truck! Anyway, you could hear the grumblings starting within 5 minutes all around us. We did luck out, however, because the Holland rep on the tour with us was Appolonia, the captain's wife. She had a quick conversation with our tour guide, and arranged with him to have a better bus pick us up at our first stop.

Our guide for the day, Patrick, gave us a little history and interesting fact lesson about Manta and Ecuador. As we witnessed when the ship arrived to the pier, fishing is the number one industry here. Their abundant catch includes tuna, seabass, shrimp, octopus, tilapia, and trout. Tourism is next, followed by exports of bananas, coffee, and roses. Patrick said that no man had an excuse for not buying his wife roses in Ecuador...........they cost $1.50 a dozen. And speaking of money, their currency is the same as ours, the US dollar. Only their coins are different. The next largest industry is car assembling, mainly Chevrolet, Mazda, and Kia.

The tagua nut factory was our first stop. This cream-colored nut, about the size of a large walnut, grows on a special palm tree. After harvesting, they are left to dry in the sun for at least a week. The next step is cracking, then into the factory for slicing. The meat of this nut is so dense, that they have been used for button-making for many years. The largest nuts are transformed into carvings that are ingenious works of art. Rows and rows of men and women, sat at tiny stations with their slicing machines running full blast. The noise was alone was very uncomfortable, not to mention the fine dust from the nuts in the air. Some workers wore masks, finger protectors, and earplugs. Some wore nothing. The first room of workers did nothing but slice, the next area, the people were cutting the slices into round discs. These are the basic buttons, which are bagged in gunny sacks, and shipped world-wide for final hole drilling and dyeing. The workers do this for a total of $5.60 a day! Wow. Appolonia, a former European model and HAL hostess, said that Turkey has become the dress designer center of Europe recently, and that is where a lot of these buttons end up going. And nothing was wasted. Our guide said that all the leftover nut cuttings are ground into a milky feed for animals, since it is a high protein nut.

Guess what we found when we left the factory? Yes, tables of tagua nut carvings and jewelry for sale, of course! Bargaining for carvings and jewelry was right up our alley, and we did pick up a few more to add to our collection at home. It was so incredibly inexpensive, that it was too hard to resist.

When we left the factory gates, a new bus with big picture windows was waiting for us. It was so much nicer, and we doubt that it would have happened if it were not for the captain's wife. After we happily boarded the bus, a native-clad lady joined us for the ride to the next town. Our guide invited her to sing for us,and that she did. Then she follow up with selling her pile of colorful scarves, that she claimed her father made. Really? Well, we were a trapped group, and most people bought some, since the price was right.

Continuing on, we had a short drive to the foothills and the village of El Chorillo. We pulled alongside a small building where a demonstration was given on agave fiber weaving. The equipment that was used for this process was really antiquated, but functional. First the fibers were combed, spun on big spools, and woven on a manually operated loom. The last step was sewing the bottom and sides, then adding a cord at the top. The entire process took 8 minutes for one bag. Pretty industrious. With that seen by all, we boarded the bus. Just as we got on, three little pigs went scurrying up the dirt street. It was really rural here.

Our next stop was at the colonial town of Montecristi, founded in 1628. It is now the center of the Panama hat industry. The name implies that these hats are made in Panama, but they all come from Ecuador. The driver dropped us off at a craft market, the same one we visited four years ago, though it looked different. They had moved their stalls into the street, instead of the courtyard, making it much bigger. Two rows of tents were set up tightly down the street, and each end was guarded by armed policemen. Now either they have us corraled like criminals, or they are keeping out the beggars (there were a few). Table after table had silver jewelry, sweaters, blankets, dolls, whistles, paintings,jade carvings, a few t-shirts, clothing, and thousands of tagua nut items. And every other table contained millions of Panama hats. One lady was oddly bent over a stand, weaving the hat. Looked painful to us! Patrick said the hats range in price from $10. to $800., depending on the tightness of the weave. We do believe that the cheaper ones are done by machines, not hand woven. The vendors tried to entice the ladies to buy a hat to match their outfit. When that didn't work, they tried to match the color of our bus sticker on our shirts! Very funny. Forty minutes was enough time to do damage to many wallets here.

The final stop was back in Manta at a small archaelogical museum. Here we learned more about the ancient cultures of the nearby coastal towns. It was interesting to find out that the oldest signs of human settlements in South America were right right here in Manta. Displays of pottery and weapons, along with murals of natives told the story,since all the descriptions were in Spanish. One other nice thing about the museum...........it was air-conditioned!

Heading back to the pier, we were ready for lunch. A complimentary shuttle was running every 15 minutes, so after eating, we jumped on and went to the Plaza Civica, a short ride from the pier. There was a much larger display of souveniers, but also a lot of begging for dollars.

A big tented stage was set up at one end, and we understand there were some performances by the locals earlier. by now, the sun was out and it was scorching hot. So we headed back to the ship to attempt sending e-mails.The flower arrangement in the picture below is near the Ocean Bar, across from where we do internet work.

Ellen, our group host, joined us again for dinner. the conversation is always lively when she is with us. Sometime during the course of dinner, the thundering sound of a train whizzed through the dining room (obviously a taped recording). Our quick reaction with all 10 of us was to say "woo-woo", thinking everyone else would too. It was funny when no one else did, and all eyes were on us! Oh boy, we are going to be dubbed the "naughty table"!!

See you all later.

Bill & Mary Ann