Well, one of the things we will not be doing is writing about our day on Dravuni Island. It was cancelled, due to 35 -40 MPH winds, a 7 on the Beaufort scale. In addition, the currents were such that holding the ship's position was not possible. And it definitely was not safe for the guests to board the boats. One of the tenderboats had its rope snapped earlier on, according to Captain Frank, who carefully explained the entire scenario. We know a lot of folks would be disappointed not being able to spend the day there, but considering the dismal weather conditions, it might not have been the best day for the beach, let alone sunbathing.
Waking up at 4am, one of us was able to get internet, sending and receiving was working well. Then later, we watched as five tenderboats were milling around the aft of the ship. A few locals were also following the ship in their small motor boats. They were being tossed around like toy boats. We already guessed that this island would be impossible to access. It happened to the folks on the Westerdam yesterday we read. Oh well, better safe than sorry.
We had an early delivery of President's Club sodas delivered by Evelyn from the beverage department. She had been knocking on our door, but we were outside, and never heard it. Then we did hear the phone ring. It was Evelyn calling from outside in the hallway. When we answered the phone, we could hear her talking outside the door. Funny…..now if they had doorbells that rang on the veranda, that might be a good idea. Other ships do have them. A new bouquet of flowers arrived shortly after that. Now we have a real garden.
We stayed on our veranda, watching the boats hanging out, then one by one, they were loaded back up where they belong, and we were on our way before 10am. We believe the plan is to circle the big island of Viti Levu slowly (9 knots) until we reach Lautoka on the northwest coast tomorrow. Captain Frank mentioned that we could experience some rougher seas and rolling as the afternoon advanced. He was totally correct.
A revised itinerary was delivered for the remainder of the day. Some activities were created, and the shops were open for business. Then a few lectures were added, and some game-type shows were offered.
At least with the heavy cloud cover, the temperature dropped to about 77 degrees. It sure made it pleasant walking the 2 miles on the promenade deck. We had lost our end stools at the Ocean Bar at noontime, so we ended up in the middle. There is not a whole lot of knee room, so we prefer the end seats. Actually, most of the chairs were occupied with people drinking cocktails. Guess enjoying cocktails is a good pastime as it is 5 o'clock somewhere, right? It was Coke Zeros for us.
The one good thing about the port cancellation was the fact that we all had internet access all day. That makes a lot of people happy, since a lot of emails can back up in a few days. And besides just doing internet for fun or research, a lot of guests do bank work and conduct a business. It will be interesting to see if we are shut down when we arrive to Lautoka tomorrow.
We always seem to have weird things happen in our room. Once again, we were without cold water. No matter where you turn the faucet, it came out boiling hot. Had we not reported it, there would be no showering tonight. The plumber did show up, and admitted working on the system close to us….maybe on a different floor. He re-adjusted something, and bingo….we had cold water as well as hot. We are back in business, but for how long?
It was a good afternoon for chicken noodle soup and sandwiches. We still prefer dining in our room and have not visited the Lido at all. Too many possible hands in the food we are afraid. Captain Frank did say in his noon talk that we seem to be doing well with mask-wearing and washing hands a lot. Perhaps reading between the lines, that means the cases of Covid are down….we hope.
Anyway, we had some time to do some research on the Diwali Festival that is occurring right now in Fiji. It is known as the Feast of Lights and the start of the Hindu New Year. It is celebrated over 5 or 6 days with the actually holiday on October 24th this year. In a few words, it is the triumph of good over evil, and good thoughts and wealth for the new year. The tradition is a holiday where they dress up, eat good food and sweets, and celebrate with lights or candles. Now we understand why we were seeing fireworks in the Suva skies a few nights ago. We do expect to see the continuation of this holiday when we visit Lautoka tomorrow, since a large portion of their population is Hindu. So Happy Diwali to all.
Dinner was back in the dining room, where the menu has many different items. The best appetizer had to be the BBQ chicken and veggie spring rolls. Could have made a meal with the appetizers alone. We both ordered the spinach mushroom salad, followed by a rockfish (no bones) entrée and one vegetarian Asian noodle dish. It was even better with a dash of soy sauce, although it was a bit on the salty side. Sometimes you just have to do it. Mint chip and vanilla ice cream with one toffee date pudding was the perfect ending.
One last day in Fiji, and we hope it will not rain. We have not seen the sun for a few days now, and it can be depressing at times.
Bill & Mary Ann
