Report # 34 Sailing Towards Pago Pago January 31, 2014 Friday Partly cloudy, a very warm 85 degrees

Two messages on the front page of the daily newsletter caught our attention this morning. The first one dealt with the ongoing mess with the internet service. Those of us having problems with log in and log out are required to fill out a form in the Explorers Cafe to get our mysteriously missing minutes refunded back to us. A shoreside team of IT experts are working on the fix. And this should be accomplished in the next couple of days. Hmmmm, we have heard this before......

The next message was too long in coming......it's about wearing bathrobes in public places on the ship. We don't know how you feel about this, but it is unnerving to see people in the elevators, sometimes shoeless as well, as they make their way to the Lido pool area, for instance. Then they pop into the Lido restaurant to get food, and that's where they get busted, we hope.

Other events of the day included another Mongolian Cookout for lunch, which was held in the Lido Pool area. We heard that the line was quite long today, although, it must have been unbearably hot in there with the wok cooking and all. Now that we are sailing in a hot and humid zone, the outdoor areas of the ship have been very uncomfortably warm and sticky. At least, we had a good breeze blowing across the back deck all afternoon.

We have a strange story to tell regarding a most unusual passenger. Perhaps we need to begin with two great experiences we have had with clergy members on previous cruises. Specifically, Catholic priests on a holiday. One such man was on a cruise with his nephew, and they happened to be our tablemates. Dressed like the rest of us, we never knew the elder of the two was a priest, although, being Catholic ourselves, we suspected that to be the case. He was afraid that the conversation at our table of eight may have been stiffled knowing that he was a man of the cloth. Not the case with any of us. We welcomed his knowledge and stories he had to share. Our other experience was with a traveling Canadian priest, whom we have kept in touch ever since that Caribbean trip several years ago. So you know where we are coming from.

Rendition of crazy Russian priest

This case is far from a good experience. Absolutely no one believes this long-hair, bearded man is truly a Russian Orthodox priest, even though he dresses the part in a long black robe every day, wearing open-toe sandals. We doubt that he would pack a large soda bottle full of wine, and drink it all day in public places around the ship. We doubt he would curse passengers having a friendly game of cards in the Hudson room, telling them they were all damned. Nor do we think a priest would approach other passengers and solicit money for his church. He has even been heard doing the same begging onshore while in French Polynesia. It is no wonder that the security team was summoned to the grand opening of a pearl exhibit today, where he made a scene and was escorted out by two officers. Why in the world is this man still on the ship, we ask? It must take a lot more to legally debark him, or HAL could be sued. If we heard correctly, he should be ending his trip in Sydney, the end of the first segment. We have only touched on a few of the nasty things he has done, since some of it has been too disgusting to put in print. Let's just say he has a habit of putting food in his robe pockets and leaving it there forever. Pity his poor room stewards, who reported that his room was so filthy, a team had to go in and strip it of rotting food stuff. No kidding...........

Changing the subject (probably forever), there was a special Pinnacle Polynesian Dinner in the Pinnacle this evening. Six courses were paired with suitable wines....all for the price of $79. per person. At that price, we are not certain how many folks dine there, but a clue to that is the fact that we received the menu and an invite to join them a day ago. Since the Pinnacle is closed for regular diners on these special days, they are probably having trouble filling it.

We have been trying some different items on the menu at dinner in the main restaurant. Last night, we had the spicy chow mein entree, and tonight, we shared a rice ringed Schechwan(sp?) vegetarian entree. We have to have a new cook in the kitchen, because these items were simply delicious. So far, the food choices have been very good, well, except for the Maine lobster which was not a Maine lobster on formal night. Something tells us that they ran out of those, and we were served a substitute.

The entertainer tonight was a mystery one....a lady by the name of Liz Layton, who will tell it like it is. So, what is she? You have to attend to find out.

Report # 33 Sailing Towards Pago Pago January 30, 2014 Thursday Partly cloudy, lots of sun, 77degrees

After spending three days in a row in port, we needed today to rest up. There were a few things going on, such as a talk on upcoming ports in American Samoa and Fiji. Two guest speakers have joined the ship. John Gascoigne spoke about the cultural history of Tahiti, before and after European contact. In the afternoon, Dr. Denny Whitford., a retired US Navy Captain and oceanographer presented a photographic introduction to ocean waves. It would be useful to learn how to read the waves as we sail. One thing we do not ever want to spot is a rogue wave. We are sure that the folks on the Prinsendam have some frightening memories of the waves that hit them out of Punta Arenas a few years ago.

It took quite a while today to download photos from yesterday, and even more time trying to send emails. The internet on the ship is still not working correctly. There has been a notice in the newsletter for those who are having problems to bring their computers to the techsperts, and signing a waiver for them to check it out. We sure are not comfortable with doing that, since we have a very old computer, and it is extremely sensitive to any tampering with settings. We don't see an end to this any time too soon, and the natives are getting restless, we hear. It's no wonder that so many passengers are taking their computers to each and every internet place along the route so far.

The dining room was decorated for a formal evening with the theme of Tropical Paradise. Emerald green palm trees with gold streamers for the trunks hung from the ceiling, along with mobiles of parrots swinging in the breeze from the air-conditioning. At least the dining room has been much more comfortable since we reported how hot it has been in there. Bet the waiters are happy for the cooler temps, because tonight they were wearing vests and heavy felt parrot hats during the entire dinnertime. It could have been much hotter for them too.

We had a special birthday celebration for Margaret tonight. When our waiters brought her cake, two of the Pinnacle Grill waitresses came to our table and presented Margaret with two yellow Asian lilies for her birthday. Since she and Keith are in a room on deck seven, they eat breakfast and lunch on the starboard side of the dining room every day. It is reserved for deck seven passengers. And their waiters are from the Pinnacle Grill, so they have gotten to know them well. We were happy to be able to celebrate this special day with her.

The group Black Tie from Australia had their first cabaret performance this evening. We will give a review tomorrow on them and the latest entertainers for the previous week.

And, tonight the clocks went back one wonderful hour.

By the way, our windowsill garden is thriving this year. Should have sunflower blooms before springtime at this rate.

Windowsill garden

Amaryllis, sunflowers, & wildflowers

Report # 32 Bora Bora, French Polynesia January 29, 2014 Wednesday Cloudy, chance of rain, 88 degrees

Mt. Otemanu..the highest peak at 2400 feet

Visitor's center at the tender landing in Vaitape

The artist's market

Artisanat Center

Excellent map of Bora Bora and lagoon

Bora Bora is another "big wow" for sheer beauty....one of the best nature provides. It only took us sailing overnight from Moorea to arrive here, since it is located around 170 miles from Tahiti. Depending on the source, there are anywhere from 5800 to under 9000 folks that live here. They work primarily in the tourist and hotel industries.

Rain clouds were on the way

Swaying palms

Volcanic peaks of Bora Bora

More pretty settings

The island is reportedly over 7 million years old, and considered one of the oldest of the Polyhesian Islands. It is not large, with only 32 kilometers of road that circles the island. This volcanic island is surrounded by a wide reef with only one opening into the massive lagoon. It would be really difficult to find waters so gorgeous in multiple shades of blue to turquoise anywhere else in the world. The lagoon itself is three times larger than the land mass of the island. Seven hundred species of tropical fish, manta rays, gray sharks, turtles, dolphins, and barracuda reside in these waters. And one of the most outstanding areas in which to snorkel or dive.

Looks cool, but it was unforgivingly HOT

Shallow aquamarine waters

Too hot for sunbathing

Bill enjoying the walk

Paradise for sure

In 1942, the American armada arrived to this island to set up a military outpost after being drawn into the war after the Pearl Harbor attack. Roads were built, and the water supply was renovated. Eight canons were fixed on the hillsides, and an airstrip and base were completed in 1943. Some of these signs of war relics are still visible today.

We tendered to shore once the main portion of the crowd was already over there. Gosh, it was going to be a hot day, although rain was in the forecast. Of course, we brought the umbrellas to be sure the rain would stay away. We walked up and down the main street via the handicraft market by the tenderboat landing. 

Locally-made shell jewelry

Most all of the seashell jewelry was the same as what we have seen for the last two days, only it was more expensive. Did we mention that the Amadea was also anchored in the harbor? Well, that meant at least 400 or 500 more people here today. The craft market was stuffed with shoppers, so we made our way out the back door as soon as we could.

Some palms for shade

Little boat activity

Compared to Moorea, Bora Bora is much more suitable for the tourist crowds with shops and boutiques in the town of Vaitape. Certified pearl stores will guarantee authenticity and quality, but the pieces come with a hefty price. When you see a pendant with a perfect black pearl, set in gold, and surrounded with small diamonds, nothing else will compare to it. One such necklace we saw in a store window ran about 162,000 French francs. Matching earrings were even more........184,000. That would be a grand total of about $3900. Hmmmm, maybe next time......

Nice shops, but expensive

Each pareo is different

Tahitian tea

Cool bottle of coconut oil

Matira Beach

Our destination this morning was Matira Point, where Matira Beach is located. The best way there is by shuttle for a mere $5. per person. You can walk the highway, but it would take a couple of hours one way, carefully navigating on a narrow seaside road. In this humid heat, it was not a wise choice to attempt this. So we joined the convenient shuttle bus that stopped right by the tenderboat landing. We had a short wait, while the driver tried to pick up more folks going our way. 

Interesting church in the center

Beautiful inside

Stained glass with mountain in background

Church cross

Evangelical church

Shelter for shade

Lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel

Pathway to the rooms

Lone palm

The ride took perhaps 15 minutes, and we were dropped off right at Matira Beach, reportedly the nicest white sand beach on the island. It is also a public beach, even though the Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort and Spa is built right there. We discovered that if we wanted to use the resort's lounges, towels, restrooms, and beachfront, it would cost about $40 per person on a day pass. That did not entitle us to the pool area or provide any drinks or food. 

Finally at Bloody Marys

All we wished to do was walk in the surf on the beach as we made our way back towards Bloody Marys, the most popular stop on the island. Had we been thinking, we should have brought our aqua shoes with us, because the white sandy beach was full of sharp coral and broken shells. Even accessing the water to swim was dicey. But once the sunbathers got into the deeper water, they simply stayed there. The beach water was so warm, you barely felt it when you walked in it. This is one of those places where the sea temps equal the air temps. We remember it well with all of the snorkeling excursions we have done in the past. Bet we see a lot of sun burnt folks back on the ship this evening.

Shoreline abode

Many private bungalows lined the shoreline. Some even had patios where they served the tourists beverages....the most popular being Hinano beer. Sure looked appealing to us, as by now, our water supply was dwindling. We finally reached the end of the sandy beach, and the end of the shoreline. 

A pearl shop along the roadside

Pareos in the breeze

Tikis tell a story

White sandy beach with lots of coral

Idle sailboats

Really idle hot dog

One of Patrick's dive boats

From there, we popped back up on the road, and followed it to famous Bloody Marys. Expecting it to be over-crowded with diners, we were pleasantly surprised to find most of the tables were available. As the friendly waitress took our order, we did see busloads of people coming inside to take photos, buy a drink or t-shirt, and use the restrooms facilities. The restrooms are a novelty in this establishment, because they have interesting decorations and fountain-like wash basins. The "decorations" can be considered x-rated, and for that reason, the tourists line up to take photos.

The restaurant

Whimsical palm at Bloody Marys

OK, ready for anything cold and wet

Tables and chairs made of solid wood

Hinano beers

Until the Amadea group arrived

Not crowded

Restroom sign in the men's bathroom

Nice t-shirts

Chicken quesadillas with sour cream, salsa, guacamole, & beans and cheese

Ready for lunch

Well, we were there for the beer and the food. Usually we indulge in their hamburgers, but today we wanted to try something different. So we went Mexican with an order of a chicken quesadilla with guacamole, sour cream, refried beans mixed with melted cheese, and a tangy salsa. We were in heaven......about as good as having a margherita pizza. The best part was sitting under an overhead fan, and not being rushed. We do know that we are in a lot of photos and video from the Amadea crowd, who stumbled inside and did not hesitate to snap away. The time flew by all to quickly, and we knew we had to start back to the pier.

The dock across the road from Bloody Marys

Standing on the dock of the bay...is that a song???

One of the shuttles was waiting to transport guests back, so we hopped on. All aboard time today was at 4:30pm, and we did not want to wait until the last tenderboat. Did we ever use the umbrellas? Of course not, even though the rain did pass overhead while we dined. Like we said, if you bring them, you will not need them.

Look who's here.....the Amadea again

Oops....letting off steam (not us)

Native kayakers

The sun was still penetrating when we went to the aft deck for the sailaway. The Amadea tenders were stilling running back and forth, obviously staying later than us. 

Two surfers and the tenderboat

Riding the waves of the tenderboat

It was fun watching the local kayakers paddle to get in the boat's wake, and ride the wave. By the time the Captain was heaving anchor, the sky opened up and the rain came down hard. That sure cleared the decks. We took refuge down on deck seven aft on the narrow strip of balcony overlooking the back. It's a nice place to sit and stay out of the elements. Not that we minded getting wet, but the cameras don't like it. We stayed there, blissfully relaxing on one of the teak lounges until the magic was broken by a lone passenger who decided to crowd us out.

Some of the choices at dinner were not really to our liking, so the alternate steak entree worked OK. One of us had the poblano and cheese stuffed chicken breast, which was hot and spicy. This is the first time we have noticed that the cooks are not afraid to season the food. You just have to have a full glass of ice water on hand to counteract the hotness. And the double scoop of rocky road ice cream for dessert helped also. Great excuse, right?

We now have two days at sea to relax before reaching American Samoa....Pago Pago to be exact.

The best place for the sailaway

Rainbow over the island

Terraced gardens

Abandoned huts over the water

Major hotel resort of huts 

Small boat launch

A motu (small islet)

One resident lives on the motu

Sailboat

Until the next time

Leaving the bay

Goodbye Bora Bora

See you next fall!

The rain felt so good