Thought it might be a good time to add some info on the area we will be seeing tomorrow. As we stated previously, this will be a new stop for us. The Marshall Islands consist of an expanse of slender, flat coral atolls with the smell and feel of salt air and water no matter where you go. It is considered a neon-blue water world. To say it is remote is an understatement. It is an environment for navigators, fishermen, and canoe builders. Over the centuries the British, Spanish, German, and Japanese have claimed these atolls. However, the Americans have a huge US military presence there these days. But even this Pacific paradise still stings from the lingering effects of bomb testing decades ago, specifically on Bikini Atoll.
The dry season is December through August, although it can rain at any given moment……common around the equatorial regions. Stand-out things to see are the sun setting over the lagoon in Majuro. Too bad we won't be staying that late (6:34pm). At the little museum, they have model canoes and shell tools. Twisted wreckages of Japanese WWII bombers can be seen if you are a diver. Then there are the local crafts which consist of masks, fans, baskets, and something called "kili" bags. Since these were made famous by Jackie O, we will certainly learn what they are tomorrow.
If we were here longer, perhaps we might have the chance to dive the WWII wrecks off Bikini Atoll. Something we are sure will be offered by locals is a traditional canoe ride in the lagoon waters of Majuro. There's always the chance to have a picnic on the beach or perhaps go deep-sea fishing.
A special treat they eat here is a boiled sweet pandanus fruit. It comes with a warning to watch out for the hairy insides. Not sure we have seen this fruit anywhere. Their favorite drink is coconut served ice cold.
The trademarks are canoes, stick charts, sports fishing, diving, nuclear testing, US military, and the bikini, no less. That leads to the random fact of Bikini Atoll. It was the sight of the first peacetime explosion of the atomic bomb many years ago. The two-piece swimwear, the bikini, was thought as awe-inspiring as the blasts, so the story goes.
So with no tours offered, we will have fun exploring on our own. A map was passed out today that shows the layout of the capital Delap. The full proper name is Delap-Uliga-Darrit or DUD for short. By the way, the population is a little over 63,000 with the official language being English and Marshallese. All the atolls are within an area of 70 square miles.
We had a visit with Henk, our hotel director, at the Seaview Pool today. Quite often, he will come out for lunch with his wife Christel, and make a quick go-around the deck. We mentioned that we noticed the guest speakers were not listed by their names in the Daily Navigator. Henk said it was an over-sight, so today was the first day they began adding the names. He also mentioned that their lectures are repeated on channel 39 during the rest of the day. This recently began about four days ago. A few years ago, someone decided that the lectures should not be on TV, and lots of us complained. Speaking for us, if the sun is out, we like to be out with it. So it is much more convenient for us to catch the talks later, sometimes after dinner. So we thanked him for that change.
Somehow, we had missed the itinerary that was printed for the next segment. Henk sent 2 copies to our room, then had Philip deliver enough for all of our tablemates. Not everyone had seen that itinerary to Osaka. Nice to know he is quite willing to get our opinions and suggestions, although there are some things he is powerless to change. Only the folks in Seattle can do that.
Tonight we tried the fried chicken with French fries. Not featured as Kentucky-fried anymore, we found it tasted even better. You will not find anything but legs and thighs now. No white meat. Perhaps it is easier the fry pieces that are of similar size. Dessert was refreshing with one mint-chip ice cream, and a chocolate muffin-size cake with a side of vanilla ice cream. Serving sizes have been just right….more on the small side.
The entertainers this evening were three young ladies we happened to meet on the night we sailed out of the Honolulu harbor. Tre Bella is their stage name, and they sang popular Italian songs to rock and roll. Great voices. Anyway, they had asked if we could be kind enough to take a photo of them with the Aloha Tower in the backround. Using only their cell phone, we hope the photos came out OK. Hard to capture a good picture with the fading light. Whatever, it had to be better than the selfie they were attempting.
When we got back to our room, we found a letter that went over the "no" photography or video-taking at the evening shows. It seems that there have been numerous complaints about people using their cameras, phones, and tablets to take forbidden photos. Yes, we agree, as it is distracting to the folks sitting behind these people. A warning was given that the staff will ask those who do not comply to cease doing it, or otherwise, be invited out of the lounge. We did see this happen while on the Disney cruise a few years ago. Oh well, rules are rules.
Bill & Mary Ann
