Report #34 Neiafu, Vava'u, Tonga November 29 ,2019 (1st) Friday Mostly sunny & 81 degrees

Our port of call for today is Neiafu, the capital of Vava'u. It is located in the northern group of 61 Tongan islands belong to Vava'u.  By the looks of it, this has to be their yachting playground, thanks to their many sheltered coves and atolls.  There is deep-sea fishing for blue marlin, as well as sea caves and shipwrecks to explore while snorkeling.

But their biggest attraction is swimming with the humpback whales from June to November.  They arrive here from Antarctica to calve, raise their young, then breed for another generation.  Unfortunately, we think the season has ended, and the likelihood of spotting whales is slim.

We calculated that this is our fourth time to visit here.  On our first visit, we took a tour of the island which took use to a vanilla plantation as well as the Ene'io Botanic Garden.  The second time, we actually walked to the plantation, although there are two tours that took folks snorkeling on a ten acre motu, Nuku Island.  Then there was a boat ride to Swallows' Cave and coral gardens for snorkeling.

Doing some research online, we found a good restaurant that was not on the ship's port guide.  That would be our last destination today. 

The Amsterdam was early to sail into Koko Bay, and as this was a tender port, the ship was positioned within a 20 minute ride to the city.  The tender ticket pick up point was once again in the Ocean Bar, but since we had arrived early, those who were in line were allowed to go down to deck A, and board the boats.  Then there was a window, where those who were ready to go, could do so immediately.  After that, the tickets were handed out like usual.  As for us, we were in no hurry.  Nothing opened up that early, so by the time we were leaving around 10am, many people were already coming back to the ship.  

This can be a tricky tender process, because of the tides.  But now that we are using the newer tender boats, access to these piers have been a bit easier.  Once ashore, we walked to the produce and craft market near the dock.  There we saw the usual fruit and veggies, but we also saw something different.  It was a massive root, similar to taro, but four feet long, and really thick.  Turned out to be hearts of palm, although you would never recognize it the way we see it when served.

The back half of this building was set up with craft vendors selling tapa cloth and mats.  Tapa cloth is made from the mulberry bark, and  is considered a very important traditional gift.  They offered fans, artwork, paintings, and even boxes or purses made with this cloth.  Another part of Tongan crafts are the woven mats. The mats are woven by women that gather in small groups, and are treasured possessions.  They can be presented at births, weddings, funerals, and any special occasion.  And there was jewelry which included blister pearls, which look like a buried pearl that did not develop correctly.  They fuse to the shell, and are covered with nacre, mostly creamy white.  They had many pearl and shell jewelry sets, which were quite affordable.  The more you bought, the cheaper they got.  And of course, later in the day, the prices fell.

We got to talking to one of the nice vendors, who explained about the whale migration.  She said that most of the whales will hide from the tourists, because they really don't like to be bothered, especially when they have their young.  There are green turtles here, and the locals are allowed to harvest them.  And finally, when we asked about the kids, she said they were out of school today, and off for the entire month of December.  It is the beginning of their summertime.  Ended up buying three sets of shell and pearl jewelry for a really good price, then left before we did any more damage.

Going up the steep road, we walked to the church of St. Joseph Cathedral.  It is the landmark of the city.  From there, we followed the road, going in the same direction we always walk.  We must have had at least 10 offers of rides from the locals.  Yes, they are that friendly, and no one walks here on this island.  They think we are crazy to walk in the hot sun.  Actually, today was pleasant, and there was a wonderful breeze coming off of the water.  

Going about half of the way we usually go, we made it to the high school before turning back.  Our time was limited, with all aboard by 2:30pm.  And we did want to stop at the seaside restaurant on the way back.  Taking enough island photos, we found the sign board for the Mango Restaurant, which was accessed by a steep driveway, or a flight of stairs.    It would be worth it for the cold beer and breeze that blew through the open-air restaurant. The Mango was far from fancy, but the food was really good.  Can't go wrong with their Hawaiian pizza and Maui draft beer.  It was nice watching the yachts and small boats in the bay right at our feet.  We ended the meal with sharing a banana split.

Walking back to the pier by the way of the main street in town, we saw their fire and police departments.  Straight down the road was the pier once again.  This time we checked out the souvenir tables set up on the dock area. We found much the same items we saw yesterday in the Nuku'alofa market, only some things seemed to be much higher here.  There were more things for the ladies, and very few t-shirts for the fellows. 

We were back to the ship by 2pm, and stayed on the veranda until we sailed out of the harbor. The scenery was beautiful here as the island has many coves and bays, all covered in jungle-like foliage.  We even saw some tropic birds with their long tail feather streaming behind them.  Spotting a whale or two would have been nice, but that did not happen.

At 6:30pm, we were invited to a small gathering of the President's Club members in the Lido Pool area.  They had cordoned off the grandstand where the band plays, since our group only numbers 12.  Henk wisely set up two stand-up tables, since he knows that Howard and Gyl and the two of us prefer that to sitting in chairs.  That way, the officers can move freely and easily join us.  The Captain was the first to arrive, and shared some info about the cruise.  When he moved on to the rest of the group, we had Thomas, the new Food and Beverage manager join us.  He is from Germany and was fun to talk with, as he shared photos of his family and his two big dogs at home.  He admits that he is not missing the cold weather at home.

We were served drinks of our choice, and three different types of sliders.  They were like mini burgers, but quite filling.  After the party, we did go to dinner in the dining room, but had one appetizer and the entrée.  The marlin they served tonight was excellent again, and the small chicken Caesar salad was good as always.  A little dessert, and we were on our way.

Showtime was a performance by the singers and dancers with "On Tour", which we have seen on past cruises.  It seems that this group has been onstage way more that on the grand voyage.  Their shows are still popular with the crowd.

Tomorrow, will be a repeat of today, meaning that we will cross the International Dateline on our way to Niue.  So the date will be November 29^th, the second time around.  Confusing, huh?

Bill & Mary Ann 

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Report #33 Nuku'alofa, Tonga November 28, 2019 Thursday Partly cloudy &76 degrees

First and foremost…..Happy Thanksgiving to all!

There are 176 islands in the country of Tonga.  And this is the only country in the South Pacific that is still ruled by a monarchy…..King George Tupou I in the 1800's and his many descendants.  The present day ruler is King George Tupou VI, and he recently turned 60.  Captain James Cook arrived here in 1777, finding the natives to be among the friendliest of the Pacific Islanders.  Eventually, missionaries came here, converting the locals to Christianity.  So Tonga has many types of churches. 

Most of the population lives in the capital city of Nuku'alofa on the island of Tongatapu.  It is a walkable city, and easy to locate the points of interest within a two mile walk around downtown.  Maps handed out on the pier were excellent.  One nice thing is that most all of the city folk speak English, and they drive the British way as well.  Good thing they drive slow, because it takes us tourists a while to get used to the opposite flow of traffic.  

Outside the city, you can find beaches, snorkeling, sailing, and swimming.  Going out to some of the islets are great places for water activities.  There is an area of water-spouting blowholes (when they are working), and trees with fruit bats, called flying foxes.  Traditional food is cooked in the underground ovens, and kava ceremonies also happen here.  Shore excursions included many tours to see some of these sights and activities.  

On past visits, we went on an island tour, as well as took a boat to  Fafa Island for the afternoon.  The best reason for the small island visit was that we were here on a Sunday, and most everything was closed.  However, Sunday church services are well worth seeing and hearing, as the church choirs are pretty good.  The one time we strolled to the newer Free Wesleyan Church, we ran right into the King and his family exiting the parking lot in their limo.  He rolled down the window and said hi, while waving to the crowd.  Good timing. Truthfully, we were really there for the sighting of the fruit bats that hang in the huge tree next to the church.  We got to see both the king and the flying foxes.

So today, there was a welcome group of singers and dancers at the spacious pier, Vuna Wharf.  Years ago, we used to share the commercial and ferry dock, which was much further from the center of town. We followed the map and went directly to the produce and handicraft market called Talamahu Market.  It is a huge 2 story building quite close to the pier.  Half of the lower section has the Tongan arts and crafts, baskets, and tapa cloth items.  The other half is a produce market, while upstairs has clothing and island jewelry.  We took photos, but bought nothing today.  Some of the wood carvings, tapa products, and woven baskets can be pricey, although they are willing to bargain here. 

Many historic buildings are in this section such as three churches, government quarters, the Royal Tombs, and many shops and cafes.  Doing some internet searches, we found a new pizza place has opened at the beginning of the year.  The name was a funny one…..Fatty Boys Pizza.  That should not be hard to find.  On the way to the produce market, we had passed by Marco's Pizza, but it looked totally closed.  It is still on the ship's map, but these are not always reliable.  Like for instance, Little Italy, a lovely small hotel and restaurant, is recommended on HAL's list.  However what they fail to mention is that is opens for dinner at 5pm.  No lunch.

So we happened to walk by what looked like an ice cream stall with the sign, Fatty Boys Pizza on the outside wall.  Boy, this sure did not look like what we saw on the internet.  So we asked, and they said yes, this was it.  Perhaps they sell the pizza by the slice, but there was no café attached to it.  So we changed our minds, and went for our long walk as usual.

This hike took us past the bat tree and the newer Wesleyan Church.  We did see a few bats hanging, but nothing like we usually see in February.  Perhaps when the fruit is gone, so are the bats.  Across the road from the church is the Royal Palace, used only for official functions.  Built in pieces shipped from New Zealand, it was erected in 1867.  It sure makes for a good photo, even if the king and his family do not live there anymore. 

Continuing up Vuna Road, the seaside road, we followed the path for a few miles.  At least the weather was not extremely hot today, and there was a saving breeze. Hoping to see the swimming pigs, we only spotted two small piglets.  Seems that the adult pigs were gone, probably turned into bacon and ham by now.  What we did see were more dogs than people.  They seem to be attracted to people along this street, because many locals will come here for a picnic or lunch break.  And they feed the dogs.  Most of the wandering dogs today were females with puppies.  We only saw a couple of males, and hoped they stayed clear of us.  Remember, a friend of ours did get bit here several years back, through no fault of his own, other than the dog did not like his bike.

We went as far as the mangroves, watching some of the locals walking out in the low tide to gather the sea worms.  Some shore birds were working the sand and rocks for these delectable treats.  The few boats that were in this shallow surf seemed to be stranded until the tide came up.  One nice thing about this hike is that there are many benches along the way.  And we gladly utilized them even if it was for only a couple of minutes.  

Turning back once we reached the now-closed Little India, we made or way back to the Seaview Restaurant and Lodge, which faced this same area of the ocean.  A few years back, we also stopped here for beers.  Today they had plenty of space in their screened dining room, so we took a table inside, and ordered the local beer, Maui.  Cold and refreshing, we really needed to re-hydrate.  Although we had water, it was not enough.  Then we ordered two interesting open-face sandwiches of toast, ham, pineapple and cheese.  A side salad came with it, and it was a perfect lunch ending with a shared dessert of ice cream and fruit.   The original owner had sold this property a year ago, and the new locals have taken it over.  In our conversation with the waitress, we found out that the closed Little  India was sold to the Chinese, and they would be developing it soon.  Instead of Indian and pizza, they will serve Asian cuisine.  Anyway, spending an hour here was most relaxing.  Or maybe it was the beer…..

Downtown has hustle and bustle, so we were happy we had left town when we did.  Back on the pier, we checked out all of their treasures and added one more t-shirt to the collection.  Coming back around 4pm, we never left the comfort of our room and veranda.  Watching the sail out of the harbor, while listening to the local singers, was really nice.  We caught the sunset before we headed for dinner.  

The dining room entrance was dressed up with a real cooked turkey displayed on a platter.  The chairs were decked out with gold and orange covers, and the wait staff were wearing long sleeve shirts and aprons.  One of us had the traditional turkey dinner, while the other one had the fish entrée of arctic char.  The comment was it was excellent…again.  Dessert was pumpkin pie and one cranberry clofoutis.  Then our assistant waiter brought an extra dessert of pecan pie with ice cream.  We had not ordered it, but shared it anyway.  

We even had time to watch some of the show, Abba Fab, four singers that sure sounded British.  They sang the familiar Abba songs from years ago.

One more Tongan port tomorrow……Vava'u.

Bill & Mary Ann

Pictures 

Report #32 Day at Sea November 27, 2019 Wednesday Mostly cloudy & 75 degrees

The seas have remained rocking and rolling as we get nearer to the Tongan islands.  Temperatures have stayed comfortable, and at times chilly when the clouds covered the sun.  The folks that have the lanai rooms on deck three were using towels over them or wearing light jackets.  In fact, most of their reserved lounges have been empty recently.  Today while walking, we noticed a sign on one of the deck three windows to please not wash their windows early in the morning.  We certainly do remember having  an upgrade to one of those rooms while on a 14 day Alaska cruise.  One of the downsides had to be the window washer, who appeared every morning before the sun came up.  First you heard the hosing, then they  followed with the squeegee going squeak-squeak-squeak.  We sure didn't need an alarm clock to wake up.  And we never took a complimentary upgrade to that deck again. 

There was a bunch of mail outside our door before we headed for breakfast.  Normally, all we get is a newspaper.  But today we had the paper, plus our reservation for dinner in the Pinnacle, a fat envelope with our shipboard account statement, a letter explaining that we needed to make corrections, and finally, an invite to yet another private party for the President's Club members.  This one is a Crazy Day Sliders-n-Sides Carousel, or a cocktail party with finger food in the Lido Gazebo on Friday, the 29^th at 6:30pm.  Should be fun.  We had a similar one on the world cruise, and most everyone that went to dinner afterwards ordered light.

Finally caught up with downloading photos and creating reports, we just had fun researching things online, now that we have the best internet plan.  And hopefully this good connection lasts until we get back to San Diego. 

The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent at the pool.  Windy again, we stayed clear of the pool spray, and laid low.  Did not notice anyone going into the pool, so it is either cold, or if you got wet, it would be cool upon getting out. 

Lectures are into Alofi, Niue and Rarotonga, Cook Islands now.  For these ports coming up, they are selling New Zealand dollars and Central Pacific Francs for French Polynesia.  Currencies for Tonga will be available on the pier when we get to Nuku'alofa.  In all of the times we have been to Tonga, we never got their money, since they gladly accepted the US dollar.  And certainly credit cards are taken, but not all of them. 

Before dinner, we went to the Mainstage to listen to Strings Alive, a duo of musicians from Australia….one playing the piano and the other the violin.  High-energy was a good description, but they should have added that it really, really loud too.  Keeps the folks awake for sure.

This evening's dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill at eight o'clock.  One of us has grown accustomed to the earlier dining time of 7:30pm, and do hope they keep this for the grand voyage.  There has been a few new items added to their menu since the year began, so one of us tried the braised short rib.  It was tender, but also crispy on the outside.  Our guess is that it is put under a broiler right before it is served.  There was a gravy over it, with a pile of macaroni underneath.  Next time, ordering the gravy on the side might be wiser.  This dish was well-seasoned and quite tasty.  The lamb chop entrée was equally as good.  Both of us had the small slice of key lime pie served on a huge plate. 

With two days of relaxing, we are ready for some walking in Nuku'alofa tomorrow.

Bill & Mary Ann

Pictures 

Report #31 Day at Sea November 26, 2019 Tuesday Mostly cloudy & 76 degrees

It was noticeably cooler this morning, as the Amsterdam has taken a direct course to the east.  Our position is 20 degrees below the Equator, and it seems we have lost much of the sticky humidity we experienced in Samoa and Fiji.  And we aren't complaining either.  If it stays this way, we would be surprised.

 

Last night, we hit some pretty good swells and strong winds.  Around midnight, there was a really loud bang, that woke us up with a start.  It must have been hitting a wave wrong, or a wave hitting us.  We listened for any announcement like we hit a coral reef or something, but thankfully, it never came.  We have friends onboard that were on the  Prinsendam several years ago when it was hit with two rogue waves around the bottom of South America.  Now that was something to talk about with damages and injuries.  These same friends were with us on the Volendam when we had 55 foot seas in the Dutch Harbor area of Alaska.  Despite these scares, we still keep coming back, don't we?

 

Anyway, by this morning the seas calmed down, but the winds stayed.  When we went to the Seaview pool, we literally had to clamp down the towels, shoes, and bags to keep them from going overboard.   When the sun did come out of the clouds, it was warm, but not enough to go swimming.  In fact if you weren't careful where you sat, the water from the pool would blow out and get you rather wet.

 

The ports of Nuku'alofa and Vava'u  were the subject of the lectures today.  Since we have visited these cities several times, we know the area well.  And now that we have used the last of our free internet minutes, we purchased the premium package to last until the end of the cruise.  Now we have the freedom to look up anything and everything online, and not ration the minutes. That is, if it is working good. The first thing was checking to see what pizza places we can find in both Tongan cities.  What surprised us was the fact that the megabyte internet speed was so much faster than the old minute plan.  We're still trying to figure out why they have two such systems in operation, and we wonder if this same situation happens with other cruise lines as well? 

 

When we got our documents for this cruise, we found that there were four gala evenings.  Thinking that was a small amount, we discovered today that there will be a total of seven galas.  They usually occur about once a week.  Anyway, tonight was # 4 gala, and many folks dressed for it.  So nice to see when the dining room dresses up their tables and chairs for the occasion.  There have not been any dining room decorations this trip, but we have not really missed them.  We do miss the flowers on the tables however, and will be surprised if they do not show up on the Grand Voyage. 

 

Dinner was the special gala menu with shrimp cocktails (no caviar yet), soup, salad, and petrole sole and surf and turf without the turf.  The fish was especially good, and had no bones.  Unlike the Dover sole that so many people rave about, it usually has many bones that don't get removed.  When Philip and chef Peter came by, as they often do, we complimented them on another success with the seafood.  Philip said he is still working on the swordfish we missed the other night, and we promised to bring him a banana leaf to use with its steaming.  Of course we are joking, because it is fun to tease them a bit.  Years ago, we had a maître'd that would say how was your meal, then go to the next table without listening to any comments.  Not so with Philip.  If you have questions or a request, he whips out his pad and pen, and writes everything down.  And he always has an answer for you within a day. Doesn't get much better than that.

 

Tonight should  have been another one to put the clocks ahead, but there was no card left on the bed to do so.  Technically, we have entered the new time zone that was 2 hours ahead of Vanuatu.  But the Captain can choose to do this in two or three days instead of going ahead 2 hours all at once.  It must be better for the crew and the guests we suppose.

 

We checked out the show of That's Life with the singers and dancers.  Energetic and colorful, they did a fine performance, even if we have seen it a few times…or more.

 

One more day at sea, and we will be in another South Pacific country – Tonga.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

Report #30 Anelghowhat (Mystery Island), Vanuatu November 25, 2019 Monday Scattered showers & 81 degrees

This tiny island called Mystery Island, or Anelghowhat by the Vanuatuans, is about one mile in length, and quite narrow.  It is surrounded by coral reefs and home to parrot fish, moon wrasse, sea cucumbers, as well as corals and anenomes.  There is a legend here that in the 1850's Australian men captured local natives to transport them from this island to Australia's Queensland  sugar cane plantations.  During World War II, the US Army developed an airstrip so they could utilize this island as a re-fueling station.  That same grassy airstrip takes up the center portion of this island.

There are no people permanently living here, but when a cruise ship arrives, natives from the nearby and larger Aneytium Island come here to offer tours, island clothing, handicrafts and beverages.  Another service offered here are the massage tables like we saw on Dravuni Island. 

It was written in the port guide that there is no electricity, running water, and internet or cell phone service.  We would discover after we arrived there that is not exactly correct.  This was our first visit here, so we did not know what to expect.

The ship arrived early, and dropped anchor around 7am.  The tender boats were lowered and were ready to go.  Shortly after that, the cruise director began calling tender tickets.  The weather appeared "iffy" early in the morning as there were light showers  passing over while we ate breakfast.  It sure dropped the temperature, which was nice.  The heavy muggy humidity has left us for now.  We did hope the sun would peek out, as that makes all the difference with the color of the water.

There were shore excursions here like two tours that ended up at the larger island to meet the Chief and his warriors.  They taught the visitors all about survival on these islands and the history of cannibalism.  On one of these tours, they took passengers into their homes, talked about arranged marriages, and displayed their gardening and cooking skills.  The other three tours were water-related with glass bottom kayaks and snorkeling.  Fairly expensive, for one to one and a half hours, these tours ran from $80 to $100.  These same excursions would be available directly on the island, and we are certain the prices were much less.

So we went over around 10:30am, after all of the tender tickets had been called.  Much easier than fighting the crowd that insists on being first.  All aboard was 4:30pm, so we had plenty of time.  The ride was fairly short, and despite some wind, it was easy getting off at their new pier.  There were more folks relaxing on the sandy beaches, than in the water.  The beach was not the same as the beach in Dravuni.  Here there were huge areas of coral and volcanic rock, so unless you were prepared with aqua shoes, getting in and out of the water could be dicey.  Even those snorkelers who wore flippers had a difficult time with the sharp rocks. 

Once off of the pier, we saw numerous stands of souvenirs and tour offers.  A band of singers welcomed everyone with island music.  We took a right turn to get out of this crowded area, and ran right into Howard and Gyl, who said they had been here years ago.  Back then, it did not look like a mini-Disneyland.  It was laid back with a few tents of treasures….not like what we saw today.  Touristy is the word for it.  Oh well, can't blame the locals for wanting to make a few bucks, as you can take it or leave it.  All we intended to do was take a walk and get some photos.

One thing that was stressed with the island was that there was no protected bay like on Dravuni.  This was open to the coral reefs and strong currents.  For that reason, some of the upper part of the island was off limits for swimming.  Unfortunately, not everyone saw these small signs.  We learned this fact by watching the lecture on the island before arriving here.  Not a problem for us, as we did not go swimming today. 

Now on the subject of no electricity.  This island had solar panels, water tanks, and we did see people using their cell phones.  Whether they had wifi, we don't know.  When we reached the grassy runway of the airport, we saw two tall communication towers.  There was even a local worker climbing one of them for a repair, we assume.  What we did find were well maintained sandy walkways, clean sandy beaches, outhouses, and even small individual cabanas to rent near a few bars with drinks.  Part of the beach was covered with volcanic rocks, exposed from low tide.  Difficult to walk on, but probably not as hard as walking on the sand.  Sand that is not wet is not favorable to a knee problem.  Just took one of us longer to circle the island. 

As far as wildlife is concerning, we may have seen one bird.  But what we did spot were many giant spider webs with some fierce-looking spiders in the middle.  One had to be careful going through the palm trees and brush to get to the surf, because these spiders had webs everywhere.

Yesterday, while hiking back in Port Vila, we met a nice staff member that joined the ship the previous day.  He is the new acupuncturist, and said his contract will see him through the end of the world cruise and more.  He is from the state of Oregon, and seems happy to be onboard.  His services will begin tomorrow, the next sea day.  Anyway, we ran into him again on Mystery Island, and he said he is ready to go, and over the jetlag.  Of course, he has youth on his side, which really helps.

At one of the souvenir stands, we did find a very nice t-shirt that was hand painted.  Probably will have to hand wash it to preserve the painting on the front.  The rest of the items were the same as we saw in all of the Vanuatu ports, although some things said Mystery Island on them.  And near these stands was the highlight of the island…..a huge  cooking pot for cannibal soup.  If you wanted a photo taken, it would cost $5.

The clouds were beginning to move over the area again, so we decided to go back before the tenders got too busy.  Back on the ship by 2pm, we went to the Lido for our salad and pizza lunch.  No dining room or Pinnacle lunch once again.  At least that gave some of the crew a chance to stretch their legs and go swimming for a few hours.  The ride back took a little longer, because we had to wait for another tender to off-load their guests.  The wind was blowing good by now, and transferring to the ship was slower.  Better safe than sorry.

The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing on our veranda, and working on photos.  There was a sail away gathering at the aft pool, but we went up to deck nine to get some better shots of the islands.  Once the ship turned around to leave, we knew people might blow off of the Seaview pool area.

Dinner time had yet another fish entrée called opakipaki or something close to that.  One of our waiters said it was OK, but not all of the early diners raved about it.  Then Tama said it was good, so he did bring the chicken Caesar salad, but he also brought the fish dinner.  Turned out to be excellent…more like a seasoned mahi-mahi.  Dessert was a scoop of macadamia nut ice cream with one small but rich chocolate cake.

Something we have just recently noticed was that the after dinner treats of mints, dried prunes, ginger, and dried apricots are no longer manned by the uniformed "yum-yum" person by the dining room entrance.  Tama said he may be there on the lower level, but now they wear the dining room vest like the assistant waiters.  Another longtime tradition has bit the dust.

The ship has traveled as far west as it will go on this trip.  So tonight, we began the first of the clocks ahead for one hour.  We really don't like this, but what they gave us with hours back, they are taking them away now.   

With a couple of days at seas, we will be re-energized for the ports in Tonga.

Bill & Mary Ann

Pictures

Report #29 Port Vila, Vanuatu November 24, 2019 Sunday Scattered showers & 81 degrees

Sure looked like rain when we looked out the dining room windows this morning.  Actually, drizzles were occurring while we dined.  Guess we have been lucky up to now, since rain has not happened on many port days so far.  It's not a big deal to pack the umbrellas, and if we do, that will guarantee it will not rain.

The Amsterdam arrived to the harbor of Port Vila around 7am, and the ship was cleared by 8am.  As the tours were going off, we watched the "sticky" people (tour groups with the stickers) run for the shuttle vans.  It appeared all of the tours were using the mini vans, and not buses.  This is something you don't always know when you book these tours. 

While we were catching up on yesterday's report and photos, we had our 2 week delivery of sodas for our PC perk.  Our wine steward in the dining room, Oliver, brought them to our room with a smile.  Even though we never drink wine, he always stops by our table every evening and says hello and wishes us bon appetite.  Nice fellow.  Anyway, on with the report…….

Port Vila is the capital of Vanuatu, and the seat of government.  Located on the island of Efate, it is the largest city in the country.  As far as the population is concerned, we could not locate that information.  Compared to Luganville, this city was the opposite of yesterday's port.  As well as sandy beaches, lagoons, rivers, waterfalls, and green rainforests, it has a more modern city.  What we liked best was having the choice of over 40 restaurants and cafes in the downtown area.  And despite the fact that we were told that not much would be opened today because it was a Sunday, we discovered most everything was opened.  Perhaps instead of opening at noon, the cafes opened at 2pm. 

Perhaps that is why the shore excursions had 29 tours here today.  Nine of them were sightseeing and culture, while 20 of them were adventure and water tours.  Many of these were the highest activity level and recommended for the younger and more agile of the guests onboard.  Horseback riding, zip lines, ATV driving, or a jet boat ride were best left for the able-bodied.  Four different scuba dives were also available.

So what did we do?  In 2007, we had taken a tour of the surrounding countrysides with a dugout boat trip up a river.  And we visited the set for the Survivor TV show.  Our guide swore us to secrecy at the time, because we got to see their campsite across from the small island where the show was filmed.  It was a real campsite with an outdoor kitchen and full restroom facilities. Hmmm….interesting.  Also happening on that same visit was a boycott of the taxi and van drivers, who blocked the exit of the pier, and stopped the tours from leaving.  Took an hour for the police to break it up, and allow us to proceed. Today we chose to walk to town, which was as least 3 miles from the ship to the furthest point in downtown.  We don't have the fancy step counters, but we do have the knowledge of how many miles we walk in an hour.  With the uphill climb from the port, we estimated it took us 1 ½ hours to make it slowly to the start of town.  The weather was in our favor, because the sun had peeked out of the clouds, and there was a refreshing breeze.

One nice thing was that the information lady at the pier gladly gave us a map….no charge.  Not like yesterday, where they wanted $5 for the same type of map.  She also pointed out some restaurants that might be opened today.  As it turned out, some of them were opened 2 hours later, and perhaps would close earlier.  The museum and produce markets were closed, but all of their modern supermarkets and other shops were opened for business.  By the way, had we taken a taxi, the charge would have been $5 per person.  That also applied to a water taxi, which was picking folks up next to the ship. 

Checking out every café along the way, we had decided if we could not locate one we liked, we would go to the Ramada Resort further up the hill.  Many restaurants boasted the best pizza in town, but they appeared to be opened for dinner, not lunch.  So we made our way all the way down to the busiest part of the harbor, finding everything marked on the map.  Views across the harbor revealed a neat little island called Iririki Island.  It is a small retreat with huts on the water, a casino, and probably a restaurant.  You can purchase a day pass for 1500 vatu or about $13 USD, which would give you use of their water equipment, pool, and tennis courts.  Then the value of the day pass would apply to food and beverages there.  A water taxi would get you there and back. 

The water in the bay was clear and looked extremely clean.  So when we saw a sign posted saying to stay out of this water until further notice, we were surprised.  Actually, there is no beach on this side, just a volcanic rock wall and deep water.  And no one was swimming.  The only ones in this water were the jet skiers.  The recommended restaurant was a place called The Rossi, but when we looked inside, there were too many folks from the ship, most of whom were getting free wifi.  So we decided against going there, and began our hike back.  More than halfway back, we ran into Philip, our dining room head honcho, who was coming out of a nice small café on the water.  It was called the Waterfront Bar and Grill, and he said they had great beer.  Maybe the fish was not up to his standards, but we were in search of pizza, and they offered it.  We ordered Tuskers draft beer, and one large Hawaiian pizza with ham and pineapple.  Boy was it good.  And the best thing was it was not crowded, we had a breeze, and the dessert of coconut pie with coconut ice cream was delightful.  Can't get much better.   But maybe it did…..

After enjoying this wonderful break from or hike, we walked past another place that looked promising, but was closed earlier.  This was the War Horse Saloon.  Now our friends, Denise and Howie, had opted to take the Vila Pub Crawl, where they visited four pubs and had four beverages as well as some snacks.  Since this place was on our way back, and we had time, stopping for one more ice cold beer was a great idea.  And it happened to be the final stop for the fun group of pub hoppers.  We could hear our buddies laughing when they spotted us sitting on the balcony of this country western bar.  Country music was blasting with tunes we love.  Who knew….country western in Vanuatu?  So we stayed for a while, munching popcorn that appeared, watching some of the brave ladies attempt karaoke with the guides.  Some couples were even dancing.  Someone has asked the average age of the passengers on this trip.  A total guess, we would say perhaps mid 60's to low 70's.  Yes, much younger than on the world cruise.  Time to move on, since all aboard was 5:30pm, and we wanted to check out the treasures being sold on the pier.

That's another thing we were told….there may be no vendors on the pier today.  Guess what?  Most all of them were there, selling much of the same items as yesterday.  A new t-shirt and another sarong were added to our collection.  Back on the ship, we relaxed in our room and watched the sail out of the harbor from our veranda. 

Frankly, we could have passed on dinner in the dining room…it had been a very vigorous day.  But they were serving trout and an entrée salad that changed our minds.  Room service just would not do.  Actually, we have not tried room service yet on this trip.

The entertainer this evening was Jeff Peterson and his cute little dog.  Since our dinner was served quickly, we could not stay up to watch the performance.  He will be back on later in the week, and we will see it then.  He is usually on every world cruise as well, and his comedy-magic show is a good one.

Tomorrow……Mystery Island, which is a mystery to us, since we have never been there.  Also, thanks for the correct info on the delivery vessel in Fanning Island.  We did not know that, but now we do.

Bill & Mary Ann

Pictures 

Report #28 Luganville, Vanuatu November 23, 2019 Saturday Scattered showers & 82 degrees

It seemed strange that we were arriving an hour later to the port of Luganville, Vanuatu.  That's when we realized the "clock setter" had forgotten the big wall clock when changing the hour back last night.  So by the time we were ready for breakfast, it really was only 6:30am.  Oops….It's not the first time, nor will it be the last.

Anyhow, Vanuatu is a country of 83 islands. The largest one is Espiritu Santo, and where Luganville is located.  With a population of 13,000, Luganville is the largest city on this island, and the second largest in Vanuatu.  In the 1800's, sandalwood was the main trade product, as well as coconuts and their by-products.  Reportedly, there are uncrowded beaches and clear waters for the divers and sun lovers.  However, you will not find either of these in the town of Luganville.

Actually, the town we see today was built by American troops in 1942 during World War II.  The main street in town was made extra wide to accommodate four big trucks  Again, this settlement has a "50's" feel and look about it, as nothing is modern.

We paid a visit here back in 2007 while on the world cruise.  Today we both agreed the pier area had been enlarged.  The easy way out was roped off, and the guests were channeled through a string of taxi and van drivers offering independent tours.  There was no pressure when we said no thanks.  One annoying thing was that the info ladies tried selling us a local map for $5, when everywhere else we have visited handed them out for free. As we would discover later, there is a big difference with the people here compared to Samoa and Fiji.  There were no huge greetings like we heard in Fiji.  If you were lucky, you may get a smile from the younger locals.

Leaving the ship around 10am, we found the weather was not the best.  Despite warnings of scattered showers, it never did rain.  Heavily overcast, it was windy as heck.  The tents of the local souvenir vendors had come loose last night and half of them blew away.  One of the nicer vendors told us this story, and added that when it is this windy, it never rains.  In fact, she said the last good rains they have seen were last June.  The town folk are hoping for it since it has been too dry.  We know the feeling with the dry conditions in Northern California.

More than one guest that was returning from town claimed there was nothing there, as they headed back to the ship.  Even though we also remembered it was like that, we still enjoyed the walk.  Passing Sue, she gave us some good advice about coming back to the port.  Take the lower road, and it would be a shortcut.

So we took the long way around, because the other way was roped off.  Basic shops lined the wide road such as hardware, lumber, food, clothing, cafes, and pharmacies.  Most appeared to resemble dollar stores.  Many of these stores are owned by investors from Asia, and the local cafés reflect it.  No McDonald's here, although we did see a few small places with free wifi.

Near the end of Main Street, we found Unity Park, grassy grounds that face the water of his inlet of the Coral Sea with a grand stand and numerous food stalls.  Town events are held here.  Next to the park, we located the produce market, only to find that the area was under construction, being re-modeled.  There were a small number of vendors near the road, selling coconuts, papaya, bananas, and mangoes.  Root vegetables like sweet potatoes, plantains, cassava and taro were spread on the ground.  Breadfruit and jackfruit were plentiful, and it can be boiled, roasted, fried, baked, or barbequed.  Coconut milk is used freely in most all of their dishes.  Seafood is their main protein in the form of lobster, crabs, prawns, and fish.  We did not see that market today.

Going a little further, we crossed over the Sarakata River, then thought this was a good place to turn around and head back.  It was slower going back, since we ran into many friends on the way back.  Many of them were searching for beer and free wifi.  We did see two places that had both, but they were already stuffed to the gills with Amsterdam guests.  By the way, the beers were $4 to $5 a can.  And their currency is the Vanuatu vatu at 115 to one US dollar.  US and Australian dollars were accepted and probably credit cards, although we did not have lunch anywhere in town today.

This time we did find the street that took us directly back to the pier, without taking the main road, going down the hill, and walking back.  Looking through the souvenir tents, one of us found an African print sundress for the pool.  Really looks like it came from Mombasa instead of Vanuatu. And another reason for the purchase was to use it as a pattern for other fabrics that wait to be sewn at home. There were a few wood carvings, but the vendors were not enthusiastic in selling them.  The ladies quoted prices very high, and despite the fact that we had heard they do not bargain, that was not the case here.  They were cutting their prices, but still too high for us.  And to tell the truth, our house looks like a museum already without adding more.  Now we understand why many seasoned travelers purchase only magnets.

Back onboard by 1pm, we had a very nice lunch in the Lido.  We have been practicing saying thank you in Thai, since we have gotten to know some of the new Thai crew members.  One young lady by the name of Som is proud that she has taught us well.  She tests us every morning in the dining room.

Working on photos kept us busy until the ship left the dock around 5pm.  Although it never rained today, the winds remained strong and the clouds never lifted.  The Captain warned of seas up to 12 feet, so we might be in for some rocking and rolling.

Dinnertime was good again, like that is a surprise.  One of us tried the barracuda, a first, and the other had the prime rib.  Both were quite tasty.  On the way to the show lounge, we ran into former tablemates, Annie and John, who we met on this same type of voyage back in 2016, we believe.  They are from Alabama and always have great stories to share. So we did not make it to the show of the singer, Lumiri Tubo.  However, with her powerful voice, we could hear her all the way to the atrium on deck five.   

Tomorrow's port will be Port Vila, the capital.  However, it is Sunday, and we have been warned that most everything will be closed.  Oh well, that the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.

Bill & Mary Ann  

Pictures 

Report #27 Day at Sea November 22, 2019 Friday Mostly sunny & 82 degrees

Three things were good about today.  First, it was a day at sea…..much needed by all.  Then we had put the clocks back one hour last night, getting much needed sleep.  Finally, there was a special lunch in the dining room at noon with a Seafood menu, which brought a smile from many folks.  And actually, there is a fourth thing, as we will be putting the clocks back again tonight.

Now that we have left Fiji behind, the next country to visit will be Vanuatu.  Shore excursions gave a lecture on their tours in the upcoming ports.  Then later in the day, the culture and the general port information was discussed.  We can always catch these presentations on our TV, which we always do.  If the sun is out, so are we.

And for the first time in many days, the humidity was much less this morning.  There was a freshness in the air, making it very comfortable at the aft pool.  Lots of folks are working on their tans, as well as enjoying the pool.  We have a team of four Polynesian ambassadors onboard that have been giving dance and ukulele lessons in the morning on sea days.  Later at 4pm, they have a sunset music hour at the Lido pool.  So during their free time, they relax at the Seaview pool, the fellows sipping cold beer sometimes.  They are very friendly, and love interacting with the guests.  But today, they broke out with a Polynesian song (not loudly), which was very good, and a couple of fuddy duddies asked them to move away from them and stop singing.  How rude was that?  With that, other guests moved away from the rude folks.  The foursome quietly picked up their things, and left the pool area.  Guess they cannot afford to offend anyone, or they might lose their job here.  Takes all kinds…..

The seafood lunch sounded good, but since we had eaten a hearty breakfast, we kept with our routine of the 2:30pm lunch in the Lido.  Having custom salads have helped keep the calories under control, as long as we stay away from those cookies.  They are finally marked with nuts, or no nuts.  And they are smaller than they used to be.

We are finally getting to the end of our complimentary minute vouchers, and will need to purchase one of the internet plans soon.  The megabyte internet really is the better system, because with the premium plan, you can accomplish what you want without watching the minutes disappear.  Some days the internet works OK, and other times, well it leaves a lot to be desired.  Anyway, they are selling the plans now at a better rate as the days get less to the end of the cruise.  No doubt about it, the internet has been a sore subject with most everyone that bought one of their plans.  And now we understand better why so many people search for free internet in the ports.

The sunset was just OK, but Denise captured a gorgeous sunrise this morning.  Still nothing like in Kauai.  Dinner followed the sunset, and it was kingfish for one of us, and wienerschnitzel for the other. The warm German potato salad was perfect with the veal dish.  The swordfish was not available since they ran out of the banana leaves for that special entree.  Hope they serve it again.

Also, thanks for the finding the meaning of beche-de-mer. Who would guess it was sea cucumbers?  Certainly, not us.

Ready to turn those clocks back again.

Bill & Mary Ann

Pictures 

Report #26 Lautoka, Fiji November 21, 2019 Thursday Scattered thunderstorms & 85 degrees

Lautoka is situated on the west side of Viti Levu, the same island as the capital of Suva.  It is Fiji's second largest city after Suva.  The population is around 50,000 people of mixed origins.  Native Fijians, Indians, and Chinese worked in the sugarcane plantations in the early 1900's, and many of them stayed.  And sugarcane is still grown, milled, and exported from here.  In fact, Lautoka's sugar mill is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.

More of a "1950's" look about it, the town has ethnic shops and restaurants, as well as a gigantic produce market.  The highlights in town are the sugar mill, a botanic garden, a Hare Krishna Temple, and a Sikh Temple.  The largest department store was Jack's of Fiji, again with the nicest clothing and souvenirs.  They are a chain that we have seen in every Fijian city, with the exception of Dravuni Island.  And they did accept most credit cards, although not all of the shops did, we heard.

There were 10 ship tours offered which included firewalking, visits to nearby trendy Nadi, a day at a mudbath spa, and more cultural villages.  Adventure and beach tours included two sailings to a private resort with lunch, and one zipline.  We have seen the firewalker show and thought it looked painful.  The fire pit was dug out between 12 to 15 feet in diameter, and 3 to 4 feet deep.  Large smooth river stones were placed in the pit, then eight hours before the ceremony, a log fire was lit over the stones, heating them up.  It is considered a sacred celebration and definitely part of Fiji's charm.

The Amsterdam arrived around 7am, and when we were cleared, Justin, the cruise director, came on with the usual warning about no fruit, sandwiches, meat, or animals were allowed off.  And in addition, he had another warning concerning passport stamps.  It seems that some folks in town will offer to stamp passports with the Fiji stamps that are unauthorized.  Most folks do not realize that this infraction can make your passport unacceptable and void.  Who knew?

When we were here in 2007 and 2016, the store, Jack's of Fiji, supplied buses to shuttle the passengers to the center of town (and their store) for free.  But last night, the shore excursions staff offered a round trip ticket for $15 per person.  They stated that the distance to town was 2 ½ miles, but we remembered it was closer.   More like 1 ½ miles.  So around 11am, we went off the ship, picked up a map, and headed to town on foot.  Yes, it was warm but there was a breeze.  And as far as the thunderstorms predicted, it never happened.  Of course, we did have one umbrella with us just in case. 

This was a very commercial port with a pine wood chip factory near the pier. Also close by was the sugar cane factory where huge trucks were bringing their loads of cut canes from the plantations.  We even saw a train arrive with several cars full of cut canes.  In the mountainsides, we could see smoke coming from  the fields being burned.  It sure put a haze in the air, along with other factories spewing smoke from tall stacks.

Along the main road were murals depicting the history  of Lautoka and its part in the success of the sugarcane plantations and factories.  Most interesting.  Had we taken the shuttle, we would have missed all the info and photos.  And the street trees were beautiful…in full bloom.  Vibrant reds of the flame trees and bright yellows added much color to this industrial area. 

A popular spot in town was McDonald's, and the only recognizable fast food restaurant we saw.  It had the most traffic even this early in the day.  Within 15 minutes, we reached the center of town and the busy main street of small businesses and cafes.  Most every restaurant was either Indian or Chinese food.  Our main destination was the gigantic produce market…even bigger than the one in Suva.  They had most every veggie and fruit you can think of, even some apples, which have to be imported.  They cost about 25 cents USD.  The fresh cut pineapples looked the best to us.  Heaps of peppers and coconuts were numerous.  Imported sacks of spices were sold by the kilo, like we might find in Mumbai for instance.  The vendors and local customers greeted us with "Bula" over and over.  Many asked where we were from, and liked to hear about the United States.  After taking a gazillion photos, we made our way to the main street, ducking into some larger department stores, mostly to cool off in their air conditioning or fans. 

If there were any suitable restaurants, we might have looked for some cold beer.  But we did not find any in this part of town.  Heading back down towards the water, we found a nice bayside walkway with trees for shade.  But the best part was the strong breeze coming off of the bay.  This stretch of tree-lined walkway continued almost all of the way back to the pier.

Checking out the pier souvenirs, we found nothing we needed.  Usually Jack's had a collection of their clothing and wooden products, but we did not see their products here at all.  With Lautoka being the fourth stop in Fiji, we think the folks are shopped-out.

Back on the ship by 2pm, we relaxed on the veranda until time for lunch at 3pm.  The Lido was pretty busy, since the dining room was closed once again, and many folks had just returned from their tours.  The line was a bit longer for custom salads, but well worth the wait.  Pizza was not ready, so we skipped it today.

Before we left the ship this morning, we noticed that there was a major leak in the ceiling halfway down the hallway.  Water was coming out of one of the light fixtures outside a room.  That cannot be a good thing.  But there were at least four crew members beginning to fix it.  We hoped that the water would not be turned off in our section, as sometimes they do.  Probably a good time to leave, although it was still being worked on when we got back and our water supply  was never affected.  

Working on photos and reports kept us busy until all aboard at 4:30pm.  The Amsterdam left on time, and the Captain mentioned that we might be headed into some rough weather. If he kept the speed at 16 knots, we might be able to outrun it.  He did not elaborate beyond that, but we heard that the dining room waiters were told to put everything on the floor tonight after dinner service.  That says it all.  

Dinner was good with another new fish entrée of mahi-mahi.  One of us ordered the pork piccata with spaghetti and marinara sauce.  Really good.  Philip stopped by, as he does quite often, and since we missed the swordfish last night, he said he would try to serve it tomorrow if there is some left.  Tama, our waiter, said it was covered with a banana leaf and grilled with spices.  Everyone who ordered it was pleased with the flavor and the moistness.  So we shall see.

Crossroads was the theme of the performance of the Amsterdam entertainers in the Mainstage.  We caught some of the show, but it had been a long day, so we turned in.

Tomorrow will be a most welcomed day at sea before we arrive to Vanuatu.  And since we are traveling further west, the clocks went back one hour tonight.

Bill & Mary Ann 

Pictures 

Report #25 Dravuni Island, Fiji November 20, 2019 Wednesday Cloudy & 79 degrees

Leaving the port of Suva last night at 11pm, we figured we had a short distance to sail to our next stop at Dravuni Island.  This tiny spot of paradise is located in the Kadavu Island group, which is south of the large island of Viti Levu.  It also happens to be part of the Great Astrolabe Reef, where experienced divers come from all over the world to do scuba and snorkel excursions.  Volcanic in nature, this island is a mere two miles from tip to tip.  And surrounded by white sandy beaches with swaying palms. 

The village there consists of around 300 people, most of whom work in Suva, the capital city.  The majority of the local vendors are the ladies, who stay here to tend the family.  There is a primary school for the little ones, and we have been told that the older kids go to Suva for higher education.  Our first visit here was about 5 years ago.  Back then, we found a few tables of sarongs and t-shirts, as well as island trinkets.  We would discover that things have changed since then.

The ship dropped anchor about 7am, and the tenderboats were off and running.  Ticket numbers were called immediately, but it became apparent that although guests had gotten the tickets, they either went to breakfast, or back to bed.  The cruise director called at least 10 ticket numbers in a row, then eventually announced more, since the folks were not coming.  And since the last boat back to the ship was at 4:30pm, there was no rush to go over.  We headed over around 10:30am under mostly sunny skies.  Despite the nice breeze, it was obvious that it was going to be a warm one, compared to our stop in Suva yesterday.  Bet there will be some pretty bad sunburns at the end of the day.

Like we said, there were four times more tables of treasures, and way more massage areas set up.  That seems to be a big thing here, although we did not see anyone getting one.  So we headed for the hike that took one of us up to the peak.  Along the way, were cages of domestic white pigs.  At least they were in the shade, but really bothered by a million flies.  Near the halfway mark uphill, we noticed there had recently been a fire.  Whether it was deliberate or not, who knows?  When the going got rocky and steeper, one of us decided it best to stay back under the shade of trees.  Guessing it would take at least a half hour to make the summit, the adventurous one of us just had to do it.  Several other folks did it as well, even some in their swimsuits, flip-flops, or even barefoot….insane.

Resting against a tree turned out to be fun as the friendliest people stopped and chatted.  Some even joined me, and told their husbands to go ahead.  Like me, pictures would make us happy.  When my adventurer returned, he was covered with ash from the burned brush, mostly because he continued to another peak where most people did not go.  Good thing we have Spray and Wash.  Going downhill was tricky, but with a little help, I made it back unscathed.

Back in the village, we searched for the special t-shirts we purchased on our first visit.  New styles were sold, and nothing caught our eye.  Except for one sarong that had the entire map of the Fiji Islands on it.  Eight US dollars was a good deal, even if the name Dravuni was not on it.  Guess it is just too small to count as one of the 333 islands.

We made our way through the village houses to the opposite end of the narrow island.  Few people went this way, because it led us into the deeper mangrove forest.  That is where we located the old cemetery and the raised graves made with volcanic rock.  On top of each grave, was a strip of cloth and empty plates, cups, and silverware.  There must be some meaning to this.  Most of the graves had no markers, while some were dated as recent as 2000.  Following the trail further, we came out to a secluded beach where some passengers were sunning and snorkeling.  Back at the tender pier, some locals were giving a $10 boat ride around the island.  We remembered they tended to speed around the end of this island, and that happened today.  At least four people were further out in the water, when the boat almost ran them over.  Freaked them out so much, they got out of the water, and left.

It would have been nice to go for a swim, but we did recall that the sands were peculiar here.  You tended to sink to your knees, making getting out hard.  With a compromised knee, well, that was not worth taking a chance of further injury.  Even too much walking on the beach was much more vigorous, so we limited that to a minimum.  We did not pack sand back in our shoes, but we sure did pick up some nasty sticky burrs walking back to the village.  Took a while to get rid of them. 

Thank goodness the ship set up a drink stand on the beach.  Even though we had brought plenty of water, it was not enough.  The ice cold water and lemonade was great.  Also, some local fellows were selling cans of beer for $5, and plenty of people were happy as clams with that.  The restrooms left a lot to be desired, but there was always the water, if get the drift.  Talking to some of the guests on the way back to the ship, they reported the fish sightings were hit and miss.

Back onboard, we cooled down with several sodas, then went to lunch in the Lido.  It was more crowded than usual, since both the dining room and Pinnacle were closed.  The salads we have custom-made there are really good, especially when you add a few slices of pizza. Since there were too many hands in the cookies, we had the fruit in our room for dessert.  So much of the fresh fruit and berries have disappeared, so we hope the delivery they got yesterday will bring it all back. 

Sail away was accomplished right from our veranda, since the scenic sailing was on the port side today.  Other than a few flying fish and three birds, the view was of the several islands and islets with remote resorts on them.  The colors of the water revealed where some of the shallow reefs were.  They even stationed a small motor boat where one of the dangerous reefs was.

This evening we were invited to celebrate Denise's birthday in the Pinnacle Grill.  The four of us met at 7:30pm, and we were escorted to the back room at a special table.  We all had a wonderful conversation about how we had spent the day.  Howie had stayed in the village, and actually joined the head of the village and a few locals in a pow-wow.  He learned a lot about island life, while Denise climbed almost to the summit, a lot further than one of us.  What a way to spend your birthday.  Our meals were excellent, and Denise was even presented with a chocolate mousse cake with Happy Birthday on it.  Oh boy…double desserts….and more walking will be needed tomorrow.

It was nearing 10pm when we left the restaurant, so we did not go to the show which featured singer Stephen Clark with music from around the world.

One more Fijian port of Lautoka will end our visit to this part of the Pacific Ocean.

Bill & Mary Ann 

Pictures 

Report #24 Suva, Fiji November 19, 2019 Tuesday Cloudy & 82 degrees

Did you know that Fiji has 333 islands, that are situated in an area of 19,995 square miles of Pacific Ocean?  The largest island, Viti Levu, is where the main port of Suva is located.  It is the capital of Fiji as well.  And it happens to be our port of call for today.

Europeans and Chinese traders came here for sandalwood, hardwoods, marine life, and beche-de-mer.  There goes that name again.  Even Captain Bligh sailed here in search of supplies after his crew mutinied on the Bounty in 1789.  The British ruled from 1874, and were responsible for bringing indentured laborers from India to work the sugar cane plantations.  By 1970, Fiji gained their independence and declared themselves a republic.

The most recent census was in 2007, where the population was recorded as 837,271.  English is the official language, and Christianity, Hindu, and Islam are the main religions.  Suva is a modern city with trendy shopping malls, restaurants, entertainment and cultural activities.  However, you can still find a huge farmers market and fresh flowers.

There was a big crew drill this morning that took over an hour we heard later.  We left the ship in the middle of it hoping the elevators were still working.  They were, and we were off by 10:30am.  This port area is busy, and we were channeled out by going through a dark building as work was being done nearby.  Outside the gate, we encountered the taxi fellows who always want to give you tours.  Been there, done that, we just wanted to explore on our own today. 

Entering the downtown area, we found it was hustle and bustle with lots of people and traffic.  Typical big city.  Located right on the corner was their extensive produce market, where we took a spin through first.  The vendors had every  type of fruit and veggie piled on plates and calling their piles "heaps".  Everything was sold in heaps, except for the eggs which were crated.  On the outside corner, was the flower market, where we promised one vendor we would be back.

Then we passed by their movie theater and the shopping mall, which we avoided visiting.  The most popular places were Burger King and McDonald's, which were already full of passengers doing free wifi.  A bit further up the street, we walked past Albert Park, where a government building faces a huge soccer/cricket field.  Right across the street from here was Thurston Gardens.  These gardens opened in 1913 and was the original site of the first Suva village.  The museum on the property houses some artifacts from the MS Bounty and samples of the cannibal history of the island.  This museum is the oldest of its kind in the South Pacific.  One nice lady vendor was selling her wooden jewelry there, and we did pick up a set. 

It was heavily overcast today, and it even began to rain a little.  It sure was not the best day for snorkeling.  By the way, the ship offered 16 tours today.  Speaking of rain, we learned that the summer months of December through April is the wet season.  Then May to December is winter and the days are warm, but mostly dry.  Just the opposite of where we live. 

We walked the seawall passing the official residence of the President of the Republic of Fiji.  He and his family reside in a beautiful white home on top of the hill.  The entrance is guarded by a soldier who stands with his rifle, and occasionally marches back and forth at the gate.  Across the road is a helicopter landing area, which is off limits to all.  Then we passed by the Chinese Consulate and Embassy houses.  Locked gates and security cameras revealed high security here. 

We reached the end of the seawall where a river drains into the bay, and figured it was a good place to turn around.  Bet we were greeted with two dozen "bulas" from the locals as we walked the few miles around the bay.  Many people like taxi drivers, moms with kids, or workers come to this stretch, park their cars, and have lunch.  Or even take a quick nap in the heat of the day.  Some young ladies were fishing from the wall, but we would guess the waters were questionable with sewers draining into the bay.

Lunch was on our minds, so the best place for that would be the Grand Pacific Hotel, an icon of Suva.  Walking through the lobby, we entered their elegant patio which faced the ocean.  A lovely swimming pool stretched out from the center of the garden, and sure looked inviting.  Not one person was swimming today. 

Ordering beverages first, we both had their Fijian Gold draft beers.  Then we shared a chicken and avocado burrito with cornmeal fries.  Adding one order of French fries, and finally a slice of spiced cake with vanilla ice cream, left both of us happy.  But a strange thing happened when we paid with our credit card.  It would not work in the server's handheld little machine.  She tried it twice, so we asked to pay in US dollars.  She said fine, but then tried one more time.  Well, the third attempt worked.  Sometimes when the process is tied to the internet, and if that is slow, it fails.  One other thing we found out was that they did not accept American Express.  Fijian dollars would have been better, but we did not have any. 

On the way back, we did stop at the flower market, where we picked out an assortment of tropical flowers.  The friendly vendor proudly trimmed the stems and made a lovely arrangement.  All of this for a mere $10 USD.  We may have gotten a bonus of a few ants in the deal, but a bit of spray will take care of that.   

We had an invitation for a special cocktail party for the 12 of us President's Club members.  It was held at 7pm on the aft deck nine, above the Seaview Pool.  We did learn that one couple had to fly home due to poor health, which was sad, since they had intended to stay on until May.  Anyway, six small tables were set on the railing, and each had an assortment of canopies and nuts for us to munch.  Waiters took our drink orders, and offered more hot treats.  Hosts included Henk, Christel, Shiv, Philip, and the new sommelier, and food and beverage manager who recently joined the ship.  By now the sun had actually appeared, but was ready to set.  It gave all of us a treat when it did go down below the horizon.  We stayed until 8:15pm, but had warned our waiters that we might be a bit late.  Well, we were a lot late, but they took good care of us as always.

Dinner entrees were a breaded haddock and one hamburger stuffed tomato.  That was different, but it should have been the cabbage wrapped entrée.  Actually, the tomato was much better.  So was the apple tart with vanilla ice cream.  OK…..more walking will be needed tomorrow on Dravuni Island.

Bill & Mary Ann

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Report #23 Savusavu, Fiji November 18, 2019 Monday Partly cloudy & 80 degrees

Fiji is an English-speaking country, since it was colonized by Britain.  It gained its independence in 1970, but still retained some of its British customs.  Along with Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia, Fiji is part of Melanesia.  Located on the south coast of Vanua Levu Island, Sausavu is a harbor town, which was once a trading center for sandalwood, copra, and beche-de-mer (not sure what that is).  Something of the sea, we assume.  Tourism is their newest industry with many luxurious resorts with some of best diving or snorkeling in the world.

Shore excursions offered six tours to see the copra factory, where coconut oil is made, or visit a traditional village to witness the process of kava-making.  Visit waterfalls and swimming holes with a hike through a rainforest.  Snorkel to see marine life at a lighthouse reef.  Two excursions were described as challenging and came with warnings like steep, slippery, muddy, and unpaved.  Also a few village tours required the ladies to dress moderately – knees, shoulders, and midriffs covered.  No shorts allowed as well.  The best hint:  restrooms are rustic.  All of which is best known before booking.

This is our third visit here, and from what we see from the ship, not much has changed.  Before we left the ship, we felt we better get some local Fijian money.  Seems that we recalled the vendors did not accept the US dollars.  However, we were told at the front desk that they had run out of money temporarily.  So we went over without it.  This was a tender port, and the guests had lined up to get their tender tickets.  First the tour groups went over, then they announced the tickets by number and color.  It was very early on, that an announcement was made that guests could go down without the tickets.  There was no rush to go there since few things opened until after 10am.

On the way over in the tender boat, we practiced saying "Bula", the Fijian greeting.  Most every native we passed greeted us with bula, meaning hello and welcome.  The boat dropped us off at the Copra Shed, which was once the place copra was loaded onto ships for export.  These days, it houses restaurants, small shops, and the Savusavu Yacht Club.  A table was set up next to the welcome band of singers.  They were handing out maps of the town and the outskirts.  There was one main street full of typical markets like grocery, housewares, and hardware stores.  Small cafes were also on this street with Indian and Chinese food among them. 

We took a left turn and followed the main road where many locals had set up a craft fair.  The tables were full of trinkets, mostly shell jewelry, some wood carvings, and knick-knacks from Fiji.  One colorful sarong caught our eye, and the seller admitted she handmade all of her clothing items, adding that nothing was made in China.  Why she said that, we don't know.  Other things unique to Fiji are the carved wooden cannibal forks, which we already own.  How many cannibal forks does one need?  Gruesome thought….

Our first stop ws at their local produce and frozen fish market.  Much smaller than the one in Apia, they still had the same assortment here.  Some of the more unusual fruits we saw were passionfruit, pawpaw, jackfruit, and the prickly green soursop.  They also sold the roots used to make the kava drink, a type of peppermint if our memories are right.  Two sizes were sold, $25 to $50 Fijian dollars.  That is $1.88 to one US dollar.  Most of the fish we saw in their deep freezers were barracuda.  One nice lady was selling some fashion jewelry, along with honey and jams.  A necklace and earring set she claimed her daughter made was tapa cloth with a painted design.  Quite unique, we purchased it for $10 US. 

Continuing along the edge of the bay, we took photos of the pleasure boats in the sheltered cove while walking on a path under the shade of the trees.  Locals stopped and greeted us, shook our hands, and asked where we were from.  They were most welcoming.  At the end of the trail, we joined the main road again.  Across the street was the road to the airport, and the other side of this peninsula, where the high end resorts were built along the beach and hillsides.  Too far to walk, although, the weather was more tolerable today compared to Samoa.  The skies had started out overcast, but later in the morning, blue sky appeared along with a nice breeze.

We did pop in and out of the local shops, discovering that most places did accept US dollars, as well as New Zealand and Australian dollars.  Credit cards were happily accepted, except for Discover.  One of the nicer stores was Jack's of Fiji, which you can find in most of the larger cities on all of the islands.  It is more like a department store, with a small section of quality souvenirs.

The sidewalks at the other end of town were being fixed, so walking became harder.  With the traffic opposite ours (British), we were uncomfortable walking in the street to get around the barracades.  So we headed back to the Copra Shed in hopes of getting some beers.  We were seated on their patio over-looking the harbor, but there appeared to be no waitresses to take our order.  We waited for 20 minutes, and decided to leave.  The place was filling up with more customers, but with no servers, no one was going to have fish and chips or beers anytime soon. 

We were back to the ship by 1pm, and eventually went to lunch in the Lido.  The dining room has been closed most all of the port days on this trip.  Guess it depends on the percentage of folks that book tours for that decision to close it.  Besides the Lido, there is always the Pinnacle Grill (most afternoons), the Dive-In Grill, or room service.  None of which we have done yet, except for the Lido.  Have we mentioned how good the pizza has been?  And their custom-made salads are the best.

All aboard was 4:30pm, and we left the harbor shortly after that, sailing along the coastline of the island.  We are now headed to Vitu Levu Island, and the city of Suva, one of the largest commercial cities in the South Pacific.

We stayed on or veranda to watch the sailing out of the harbor, instead of going to the sail away at the Seaview pool.  We doubt that having this veranda will be in or future, so we must take advantage when the best scenic sailing is on the port side. 

Dinnertime had another favorite entrée for one of us…..chicken parmegiana with spaghetti and marinara sauce.  Salmon was the other choice.  Both excellent.  More walking will be in order tomorrow.  And a new singer by the name of Lumiri Tubo was entertaining in the Mainstage.  She had a powerful set of lungs for sure.

Bill & Mary Ann

PS  In regards to the question on the measles outbreak in Samoa, we have not heard anything about it.

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