February 2 and 3, 2013 International Date Line

February 3, 2013 International Date Line Crossing

Today we crossed the International Date Line and lost an entire day. Yesterday was Friday and Today is Sunday. The International Date Line follows the meridian of the 180-degree longitude roughly down the middle of the Pacific Ocean, although it deviates to pass around the far east of Russia and various island groups in the Pacific. The International Date Line mostly corresponds to the time zone boundary separating +/- 12 hours Greenich Mean Time.

Bruce Linder’s lecture today was on: The Cruise of the Great White Fleet during the beginning of the twentieth century under the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt. It was the first time that the U.S. had built a fleet of naval ships and paraded them around the world in a show of power. It was also a time when the navy gained incredible knowledge about how to manage a fleet of ships that needed coal to propel them and how to re-supply the ships on a regular basis. We began to have agents in ports around the world to negotiate and procure supplies, which is still done today.

In the afternoon we went to see the movie: 2016 Obama’s America in the movie theater. This was the propaganda movie that was released during the 2012 presidential campaign to discredit Obama. It does everything to make you believe that Obama is a communist with an agenda to overtax and support the Muslim extremist agenda. Several people walked out during the film and many were outraged after it was over. In particular Canadians and Germans told us that they thought it was outrageous and that in their countries people thought that we were crazy if we elected Romney. They seemed happy and pleased that we had re-elected President Obama.

Tonight was Classic formal night in the dining room. The tables and chairs are decked out in Black and White and everyone was dressed up. The entertainer tonight was a gentleman by the name of Andy Bunger. Andy is a multi-instrumentalist from Germany who plays the panpipes, marimba, steel guitar, drums, saxophone and trumpet. He was an excellent musician.

February 1, 2013 Sea Day

February 1, 2013  Sea Day

We are sailing towards New Zealand now but will not arrive in Auckland for several more days. Jonathan Mercer, the Captain of the ship was the featured guest at the Good Morning Amsterdam show today. He is from England although he is married to an American woman and has resided in Florida for the past 17 years. He had a great sense of humor and was a delightful guest.

Charlie Urbanowicz lectured on “World War II in the Pacific” today. He discussed some of the important battles between 1941 and 1945, including Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and the bombing of Japan.

Bruce Linder’s lecture today was on: The Intriguing Voyage of the U.S. Frigate Essex during the War of 1812.

Tonight twelve of us went to dinner in the specialty restaurant onboard called the Pinnacle. We were seated at a large table in a private dining room at the rear of the restaurant, which was beautifully decorated. The walls were lined with gorgeous oil paintings; the chairs are painted gold and are upholstered in a red velvet fabric. The service was exceptional with several waiters tending to our table. The menu is a step up from the main dining room and the food is prepared by a chef that only services the Pinnacle restaurant. The portions of filet mignon, lobster, pork and steak Diane were very large. After dinner they brought us trays of homemade chocolates of which we needed just a few more and they were happy to bring us.

The entertainment on this night was a couple of International Ballroom Dancers by the name of Natalia and Michael. He is from Wisconsin and she is from Moscow. They live in LA where they have a dance studio and entertainment company. The show was a variety of Latin dances.

January 31, 2013 Rarotonga-Cook Islands?

January 31, 2013  Rarotonga, Cook Islands Cruising

We were scheduled to stop at Rarotonga on this day to take a tour of the island however the seas were too rough for us to stop. Here is what we missed. Rarotonga is the most populated island of the Cook Islands. Although Cook Islanders are referred to as Rarotongan, they may in fact come from any of the 15 islands in the group, such as Aitutaki or Mangaia. The island of Rarotonga stands over 14,750 feet above the ocean floor and is 20 miles in circumference. At a depth of 13,000 feet, the volcano is nearly 31 miles in diameter. Te Manga, at 2,140 feet above sea level is the highest peak on the island. The island contains many resorts and hotels for tourists who enjoy swimming, diving and boating. The perimeter of the island has beautiful white sandy beaches while the interior of the island is mostly unpopulated with forbidding terrain, dense green vegetation and lacks dependable roads. No roads cross the island and there are only two bus routes: Clockwise and Counter Clockwise.

The ships crew quickly changed the day’s agenda to accommodate our early departure after a quick cruise around the island. Unfortunately the skies were gray and rainy and the seas were rough so there was not much that we could see of the island.

Bruce Linder lectured on: How the West was Won…..by Sea. He discussed how ships played an important role in the Pacific during the nineteenth century when the northwest was largely unexplored and uninhabited. At the same time Americans were traveling west by wagon train, ships were busy exploring the coast and even trading furs in the Oregon Territory.

Charlie Urbanowicz lectured on: Gauguin, as well as other Europeans, and the Pacific. He discussed how Gauguin was one of the most romantic observers of island life in the Pacific and how he drew inspiration from Easter Island, New Zealand and Tahiti. Gauguin was only one of several artists at this time that all shared ideas and painted very similar themes but each with a unique perspective.

The evening’s entertainment was a group of three Celtic Tenors from Ireland who performed a variety of music from traditional Irish songs to opera. They put on an excellent show and were well received by the audience, especially the one who sang the whole show with his zipper open.

January 30, 2013 Sea Day

January 30, 2013  (Sea Day)

Today was another busy sea day with a couple of new lecturers. The first lecture we attended was by a man named Charlie Urbanowicz who is a Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the California State University at Chico where he has taught since 1973. His lecture on this day gave insight into how the islanders arrived at their locations and how they have dealt with changes since contacted by Europeans. He also gave us some information about what to expect tomorrow at our stop in Avarua, Rarotonga.

The next speaker was a Maritime Historian named Bruce Linder who lives in Coronado, California. He gave a lecture on the Spanish Galleon named San Salvador, which was used to explore the west coast and discovered San Diego in 1542. In San Diego the maritime museum is building a replica of the San Salvador, which they hope to have finished and ready to launch by year’s end.

The afternoon included a Polynesian tea with treats from Polynesia. Every afternoon tea is served at 3:00 but some days there is a special theme or a high tea is served. When the high tea is served they have a much more elaborate assortment of treats and it is served as a buffet rather than the usual silver trays brought to each table by the wait staff.  We had a bunch of treats at tea with some of our friends.  Life onboard a ship is so hard to get used to.

Tonight’s Vive La France dinner is formal so we bring out the tuxedos and get all dressed up for dinner. Nearly every evening we meet friends in the Crow’s Nest bar for drinks with other gay travelers at 7:00PM prior to our 8:00PM dinnertime. The dinner menus on formal nights are generally a bit grander with items like lobster and filet mignon. The entertainment this evening is a concert pianist who accompanied a slide video with photos of different countries from around the world as he played songs from each of the featured countries. He played non-stop for the entire 45-minute show and was accompanied by the Amsterdam Orchestra’s drummer and horn players. It was a very nice evening.

When we returned to our cabin we had another gift awaiting us. Tonight’s gift was a pair of binoculars for each of us to use on our trips.

January 29, 2013 Bora Bora

Motu at Bora Bora

Motu at Bora Bora

Bloody Mary's on Bora Bora

Bloody Mary’s on Bora Bora

January 29, 2013  Bora Bora-French Polynesia

Bora Bora is an island in the Leeward group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia and is an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The island was settled by Tongan people about the 4th Century. While the island was sighted by earlier explorers, James Cook led the first group of Europeans to visit the island in 1777. In 1842, Bora Bora was officially made a protectorate of France. The island is located about 162 miles northwest of Papeete and is surrounded by a lagoon and a fringed reef. Remnants of the island’s extinct volcano rises to two peaks, Mount Pahia, and the highest point, Mount Otemanu which reaches 2,385 feet.

Today the more desirable part of the island is the fringed reef at the outer edge of the lagoon. The reef has many small islands, which are called motu’s. Over the last several years, seven high-end resorts have been built on the small islands surrounding the lagoon. Most of these resorts are built on stilts with small individual thatched cottage rooms, each with direct access to the lagoon where the water is calm and beautifully colored.

We took an open-air trolley like bus here, which took us on a tour around the island with a guide. We visited a roadside shop where they make the local pareo, which is a piece of cotton fabric which has been beautifully dyed in beautiful colors and is used similarly to a sarong. They look something like a cross between a batik material and a tie-dye. The island is filled with small tupa crabs, which live in the ground in the mud. The locals hate them because they eat most anything that their mouths come in contact with.

We stopped at Matira Point where you find the most beautiful white sand beach on the island. This is the largest sand beach that we have seen on any of the islands. The sand leads into the lagoon with its gorgeous multi-colored waters. Our next stop was the famous restaurant and bar called “Bloody Mary’s”. The restaurant has been visited by many a famous person, many of them listed on a sign out in front of the restaurant. Inside you find the floor is covered in sand and a very casual restaurant and bar with a Polynesian theme. They sell tons of t-shirts like you might find at a Hard Rock Cafe around the world.  The men’s bathroom has an unusual urinal flush device—a 10 inch wooden penis…..very interesting.  Many women were in the men’s room photographing it.  We did too!

The island was lush and green but the water was what makes it so spectacular. Otherwise the island looks a bit run down and dirty. It appears as though its time has passed and it is ready for a makeover. Hopefully when the world’s economy improves more tourists will once again visit and things will get spritzed up.

The entertainment on this might was another show by the Amsterdam cast called “Supergroups” which was a celebration of the music of some of the biggest groups and hits of all time. The music included groups like The Commodores, The Monkeys, Bee Gees, The Carpenters, etc.

Death at Sea—We have been told by the experienced cruisers that it is customary for there to be at least 3 deaths on board a ship this size during the cruise.  We understand one has happened already as a casket was offloaded some time ago.  There have also been several people sent home due to injuries from falls or some other illness, which might be best treated at home.  It is always good to have that travel and med evacuation insurance!  One of the entertainers who plays the violin in the Explorer’s Lounge was sent home.  The Explorer’s Lounge is one of our favorite places on the ship.  Classical music in the form of piano and violin duets, or string quartets play while liquors and home made chocolates are served.  Kent volunteered to replace the entertainer sent home.  He is perfecting his talents, which compare to the Great Pugol, an early French entertainer.  (Google it).

Wait Staff—Our dining room wait staff are mostly from Bali.  Some are from other Indonesian islands or the Philippines.  They have been well trained to great us with smiles and warm greetings and to always say “Enjoy your meal or Enjoy your day.”  Most are men with 4 letter names like Jaya, Asep, Tiro, Gede, Tiya, etc.  Some are a little more complex like Prass or Usman.  Our cabin attendants are similarly friendly. They all try to learn our names quickly and seem eager to please.  We try to learn and remember their names, but it is difficult for us.

January 28, 2013 Moorea

Bali Hai-Bora Bora

Bali Hai-Moorea

Hotel Resort in Moorea

Hotel Resort in Moorea

 

Gauguin Copy at Tiki Village-Moorea

Gauguin Copy at Tiki Village-Moorea

January 28, 2013 Moorea-French Polynesia

Moorea is located only about six miles from Papeete so we spent the night drifting at sea until morning when we headed to the island of Moorea. There is no dock large enough for our ship so we need to tender ashore today on the smaller lifeboats while the ship is moored nearby. Moorea is one of the South Pacific Islands that is part of the Society Islands, one of the five major island groups that form French Polynesia. The island was formed as a volcano 1.5 to 2.5 million years ago, the result of a geologic hotspot in the mantle under the oceanic plate that formed the whole of the Society Archipeligo. The weather is in the high 80’s and the humidity is some of the worst that I have ever experienced.

We took a tour around the 38-mile perimeter of the island. We were taken to an observation point called Belvedere, high above the sea where we could get a birds-eye view of both Cook’s Bay and Opunohu Bay where our ship was anchored. The island is lush with tropical vegetation as well as a large number of wild chickens and roosters with beautiful colored tail feathers. We saw several villages along the way with a few small shops or markets and a number of hotels. Unfortunately many of the hotels have closed due to the lack of business from the world’s poor economy. Being a volcanic island the islands perimeter road is very near the waters edge as there is not much level ground before the terrain begins to climb to the 1,500 foot peak of Mt. Rotui.

We stopped at a replica of a pre-European Tahitian Village where we found a cluster of small shops selling local handicrafts, a gallery of Gauguin reproductions (the Gauguin reproductions were far superior to those we saw in the Gauguin museum yesterday) and a gallery of A. Sylvains famous black and white photos of the local women—bare tits to the wind. (They say the local women used to line up outside his house so they could be photographed). The village also has an outdoor amphitheater overlooking the water where they have a traditional Polynesian feast and folkloric show. No doubt more hip shaking!

Many of the guests onboard the ship chose to take a snorkeling tour, which included swimming with the stingrays. They all seemed to love the beauty of the velvety creatures and the warm beautifully colored water.  Some also swam with the local harmless sharks.  Kent wasn’t allowed in the water, or on that tour,  as he would have scared off the creatures.

One of our fellow passengers and her husband spent $300 each to take an hour’s dive in a submarine to see the local sea creatures.  Once they got in the sub, another passenger decided she was claustrophobic and puked all over the place soon after they departed.  No doubt a lovely ride for our friends.

The entertainment onboard the ship this evening was an award-winning comedian named Ian McLaren from the UK. He was extremely talented although some of the British humor and vocabulary escaped us.

Report from the Bridge—Every day at 12:45 PM, the captain reports sailing info from the bridge:  how deep and warm the water is, how many miles we have traveled and how many miles to our next port, ship speed, etc.  We were surprised to learn that the ship travels only about 14 to 18 miles per hour on average.  It can go up to 24 miles per hour.  No wonder it takes 4 months to travel around the world…the ship has a heavy load….more as the days pass and meals are eaten!