2/26/24 Cruise Day 79 - Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia

The island of Tahiti if far more commercial that Mo'orea. This morning I joined an outing to see more than just the city.

We started at the James Norman Hall (1887-1951) museum. He was the coauthor of the Mutiny on the Bounty trilogy. There have been three movies based on the books (1935 Gable, 1962 Brando & 1984 Gibson). For a guy from Colfax, Iowa he had a fairly exotic life, even serving in three militaries (England, France and USA) during World War One, moving to Tahiti in 1924.

Next was Point Venus Lighthouse at the Bay of Matavai, built in 1857. James Cook built an observatory here in 1770 to observe the once every 120 years transit of Venus. There were some idyllic settings and holes dug by nocturnal land crabs. There were hand crews and one guy in a Kamatsu (for Dad) front-end loader clearing every bit of fallen vegetation and driftwood within the park boundaries. Mo'orea is visible, about 11.5 miles away.

Our last stop was at the bay's scenic overlook, Belvédère du Tahara'a above Arue. There's a huge banyan tree at the top of the stairs. Many on the island are several hundred years old and brought from India, via Hawaii. When we got back to the dock there was a huge (Scientology owned) yacht tied up on the opposite side of the walkway. 

We left port about 8:00pm (ship time) on our way to Aukland, New Zealand.

2/25/24 Cruise Day 78 - Papetoai, Mo'orea, French Polynesia

This island was such a treat after so many areas that have been built up to excess. Not even the Hilton has accommodations higher than one-story. So many variations of green. It was a tender port, with out and back shuttles until 7:30pm.

I joined an afternoon 4WD excursion. We were four to a side in the little pickup truck's bed. It was at hot muggy day, but the saving grace was the cover (to keep out the sun) and padded seats. Some of the terrain was rough.

First we went up a steep driveway to a small family vanilla farm, where they'd also set up a small snack bar. From there we went to a freshwater stream, where the lead truck parked on the water crossing to lure eels out of the deeper pools. Next was a pineapple plantation, with nicely spaced rows (and overgrown) pineapple plants, with a beautiful mountain backdrop.

On our way to the Opunohu outlook (and trail head) we drove through a big, loud party of teens and 20-somethings, that just seemed so out of place in this tropical forest. Back down the windy road we stopped at an archeological site with a low rock wall. And last was back to the dock, to catch a tender and take a pre-sunset picture and one with the name of the cruise in on.

2/21 - 2/24/24 Cruise Days 74 to 77

We've been at sea since we left Honolulu. There's only ocean to see (albeit still amazing), as the sun seems to just pop up at the horizon in the morning and set without fanfare each night. We've gone through a few squalls, and sunny or cloudy or dark, it's on the edge of hot, with a big helping of humid.

I finally found places for all the clothes and new items I brought onboard in Honolulu. We requested our cabin only be cleaned once a week, and Friday was selected. This gave me the incentive Thursday night to get things put away. 

Due to ongoing problems to ships in the Suez Canal/Red Sea, the world cruisers were provided information about rerouting options. Both involve going all the way around Africa. One is "full immersion" with many countries. The other was a lot of sea days, but a port in Egypt, with access to the pyramids would still be on the list. The decision will be made on the 27th.

Today's Saturday. Below are this morning's sunrise and this evening's sunset. Our tender (small shuttle boats to and from the ship) port of call tomorrow is Mo'orea, French Polynesia. I've signed up for a 4WD excursion to see more of the island. The plan is to take lots of great pictures!

*** HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SALLY ***

2/11 - 2/20/24 Cruise Days 64 to 73 - Los Angeles, California to Kaneohe, Hawaii - USA

We docked in San Pedro at 6:30am. My wonderful sister Darlene had come down the night before and had quite the story about her nearby accommodations. (Don't ever stay at the Portside Inn) We were off the ship and through Customs before 8:00am. Darlene pulled up a few minutes later and out of the port we went.

My flight out of LAX wasn't until 1:10pm, so we had time to catch up and change suitcases. She'd brought me lots of colorful clothes and I sent other stuff home. I still had two large and one medium (put inside one of the large) suitcases to check in for Honolulu. Many hugs later, I went inside the terminal and found my Gate. Roger and Darlene headed for Paso Robles. 

My flight was on Delta and it's been decades since I flew out of LAX. We came in opposite how we do from San Francisco, over Diamondhead, Waikiki and downtown Honolulu. I arrived about 6:00pm in Honolulu and set out to find my rental, a new Nissan Rogue. Back to baggage claim I saw and grabbed my bags, then loaded them in the little SUV. It was early evening on Superbowl Sunday and the streets were nearly deserted. One of the best drives I've ever made from the leeward to windward side of Oahu. 

I stopped for some essentials at the grocery store and got to Susan's, after dark, about 7:00pm. Her sweet Border Collie, Buddy, greeted me at the top of the driveway. Susan and I stayed up until after 1:00am!

2/11-2/20 con't

Over the next week I got a lot of things that are needed onboard the ship, visited my island dermatologist and helped complete projects around Susan's place. She's been dealing with repairs to her house since an April 2023 wind and rainstorm. Furnishings had finally been returned and some order was restored. On the 15th I bought a new iPhone 15. Core group member Leslie sent me a text on the 16th letting me know her medical issues needed attention, she'd be staying in Sheboygan and wouldn't be returning to the ship. She'd gone to Wisconsin from Los Angeles.   )-:

Roger flew in late night on the 18th, after a delay made him miss his connecting flight at San Francisco. We stayed at an older hotel near the airport to avoid the in-city traffic (that can be so bad). The 19th was a federal holiday Monday and also the day the Serenade of the Seas arrived in port. Late morning I checked back in and put the three (now full) suitcases onboard.

We stopped to get flowers before going to "Punchbowl" National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific to pay our respects to my mom (2012) and her husband Rehman "Remy" Scholz (2009). From there we went to the older part of downtown, then the Pali Lookout, before going onto Susan's. Our timing was good, as tools had already been repaired and the computer in her Ranger pickup reset by her son Nick. Her backdrop is the Koolau Mountains. 

Roger, Susan and I met Jessica, her boyfriend Andy and his mom Nancy at my favorite Japanese restaurant on Oahu: Kizuna in Kaneohe. Great food, atmosphere and company was had by all. After dropping me at the ship late Tuesday morning, Roger got to meet up with Jessica again. We just don't see her enough. Wednesday morning Roger flew home and had another delay, because Air Force One was on the tarmac at San Francisco International Airport. He made it home about 7:00pm. The ship left Honolulu at 2:00pm with five sea days until our next port. 

2/10/24 Cruise Day 63 - Ensenada, Mexico

We arrived about 9:00am and went ashore 11:00am-ish. There were shuttle buses from the dock into town, with the drop off/pick up spot at the end of the Plaza Civica de la Patria, dedicated to past heroes, honored with giant heads. 

We wandered for about an hour. There were a lot of people calling out about their eatery. We chose one that looked like a locals' favorite. I ordered guacamole and chips. It came right away and had the guacamole had the consistency of think yogurt. Tasty, but not mashed avocado concoction I'm used to. Roger order fish. It was quite a while until he was served, but it was a whole fish!

Satiated, and having had enough wandering, Roger headed back to the ship. I stayed a while longer and picked up a few items. I asked to be dropped off near the colorful Ensenada sign. The sun was going down, the wind had come up and it was almost cold.

We left port after dark and the city lights were lovely.

2/9/24 Cruise Day 62

Our Captain disembarked yesterday, to go home to Norway for a while. We were hoping to meet the new Captain this morning at the informational meeting about what we have to do in Los Angeles. Actually, the presentation was helpful. We have the earliest disembark time at 7:30am. We spent most of today deciding what to take off/pack or leave/put away in our cabin. I got our passports and we're as prepared as we can be for the end of the first leg of this world cruise.

Today is also one year since we lost my dad. We "kids" all miss you, Dad! This sunset's for you.

2/8/24 Cruise Day 61 - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Roger didn't sleep well and wasn't in the best visit a busy tourist town mindset. This was first stop where using the tenders was possible. I was in Group 5 and Roger was in 6, but he got to land before me. Then we had to find each other. 

I'd been waiting to go to a fish spa and had directions that showed it was 3/10th of a mile from the pier, so we walked into town. The place no longer exists, so we started toward the next closest seen online. A lady was standing in the doorway of her tiny salon, calling out, "15 minutes for $10." I glanced in and there were the tanks and the little Garra rufa/doctor fish. Thankfully there was a chair for Roger while he waited.

To me the sensation was like tiny masseuses, as the fish suck, not bite, to remove dead or callused skin. I liked it so much I gave her $20 and that made her smile.

Since Roger prefers not to window or actually shop, I suggested he go back to the ship. He seemed relieved. I wandered around and it seemed every third shop sign was for a pharmacy. No prescription needed, so a lot of foreigners get medication while visiting. As with anytime I'm left in a shopping area, I shopped, get other locally made items. And since calling wasn't the $5.99 per minute it had been, I called and talked to Kit. When I got back aboard, I called my sister. 

Roger rested, but didn't actually fall asleep, so he remained tired. We had dinner, then I worked on posting here until about 10pm. It was finally bedtime and Roger slept deeply. 

L-R: pelican being fed while flying off the back of a boat, closer view and the pelican waiting for the next boat

2/7/24 Cruise Day 60

All better this morning, as we cruised for another day. Roger and his buddy, Gary, walk a few laps around Deck 12 on sea days.

Roger's dad, Bud, talked to his doctor and his vascular leg surgery is being scheduled for March 11th or 12th. Roger was already going home from LA for a week, planning to reboard in Honolulu. He'll now be staying in Paso until Bud gets the All Clear and is getting around well on his own. That means the earliest Roger could rejoin the cruise on March 27th in Hong Kong. That's only two weeks post-op, so things are pretty "iffy" at the moment. He is going to Oahu on Feb 18th to spend a couple days with Jessica and see me off, returning to Paso on the 21st. 

I'd already booked a flight from LAX to Honolulu on Feb 11th, the day we dock in San Pedro, to avoid the five continuous sea days to get to the Big Island and help my friend Susan reclaim her home after storm damage restoration.

Darlene will come down the night before and meet us outside the terminal once we clear Customs/CBP. That should be about 8:00am and will give us a few hours together before I catch my 1:10pm flight. 

2/6/24 Cruise Day 59

The sea day started nice enough. I was at my third enrichment lecture and felt a bit unwell. The rest of my day was spent lying down (when I should have been bringing this up to date) and bypassing dinner. A minimal involvement day.

2/5/24 Cruise Day 58 - Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala

We arrived in port early morning and were off the ship by 8:30. It was sunny and progressed from comfortable to hot as the morning went on. The dock is connected to a walkway to the pleasant and solid portside area with shops, restaurants, music and greenery, however, we couldn't find a way out if we didn't go through the industrial area of the port. Wandering around was okay, but persistent sellers of their handmade items can get tiring. What a difficult way to make a living. I bought several things (like I do) from various places and we headed back to the ship.

(L to R, then down) The port's country sign, and our view from the balcony of an LPG ship in the harbor.

(L to R in one picture) Coal storage for making electricity, walkway to the visitor's/shopping area, welcome sign, two guys painting pipes and the cargo port area. (Note the oasis surrounded by non-tourist friendly commercial properties.)

No exits found

Our pretty "home"

2/4/24 Cruise Day 57

Cruising along the Central America coast. Between spending time with our group, I finished a book. There's a reasonably good library onboard, with mostly recent publications, but without a list of titles. This often means there's the third book of a trilogy, without the first two for reference. As passengers finish a book they brought along they often add them to the stacks. There still seem to be a lot of us who like holding a bound book and turning paper pages.

A then there was this rather dramatic sunset:

2/3/24 Cruise Day 56 - Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Having crossed the equator, going north this time, it was a hot, humid day here. We walked into town as soon as we were allowed at 10:30am and it became increasingly uncomfortable as the day progressed. It was still nice to put feet on real ground though.

A nice lady gave me a walking map of the peninsula, keeping us oriented. The pathway is along the beach that's bordered by vendors selling their wares and shaded outdoor restaurants. By staying out of the sun and close to the water, the weather wasn't as oppressive as when we ventured inland. 

It's a pretty standard Central American country port town. This one had a lot more green than other recent docks. We went up a few blocks to the local cathedral that was built in 1852, a park where people had tied quite a few CDs to one tree, a Supermarket and then kind of crisscrossed back to enjoy the sea breeze, in a square next to the police station. We then boarded the tram from the gate to the ship, checked in, enjoyed the beverage of the day (goomba smash) by the pool, and then the air conditioning in our cabin. 

As soon as the sun went down, the temperature decreased. We pulled out of the harbor before the stated "gangway up" time, meaning everyone was accounted for and back onboard early. With the added breeze from the movement of the ship, it's a comfortable evening outside.

2/2/24 Cruise Day 55

And you guessed it, another sea day. I don't give much a daily recap, because a cruising day doesn't tend to be very busy. Each one reminds me of the vastness of the oceans, in this case, the Pacific. 

I did go to an enhancement presentation on writing, but basically they're just days to relax, maybe take a nap.

Again, the obligatory (fabulous) sunset.

2/1/24 Cruise Day 54

An at-sea day, which let me get this caught up, again. From this point on, I'm going to change how I post, so the oldest are at the bottom and the newest at the top (what a concept). When I started, I hadn't thought about having to scroll to the bottom each time, for me to add or you to see. Apologies, with the hope this will be better for us all.

We saw a large pod of dolphins this morning, but they were too far away to tell what they were in a cell phone picture. One of our group has an iPhone 15-plus, and it takes the best phone pictures I've ever seen. I see an upgrade in my future.

*** HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRET ***                                *** HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUSAN ***