MOOREA

How can this tiny island, only twelve miles from Papeete, be like another world? I guess less people DO make a diiference, but I think there's more to it than that. We got to tender to the dock again, so it was fun for Tiny Kona and I to start our journey to this beautiful place with an awesome view as we 'drove' up. Moorea is (another) volcanic island. This one is unique because half of the island either blew off when the volcano erupted, or it just eroded away, no one knows for sure (TK says it happened quite a while ago - even the oldsters on the ship weren't around when it happened). The shape of the island is described as either heart-shaped or likened to a butterfly. Either way it is atypical with its two bays and large peaks. I hope everyone who isn't familiar with the islands I'm describing, google them for more info. I would add links for you, but the internet reception is so slow (which makes it even MORE expensive for me).
Anyway, I digress. Back to the lush and sleepy island of Moorea. Dancers greeted us as we got off the tenders and there were some small craft booths set up for our shopping pleasure. Right next to that area was the 'octagon' church. It was actually quite amazing, with this HUGE arched ceiling. The picture doesn't do it justice! The Polynesians love their churches and on Sundays they fill the aisles and singing spills out the open windows and doors (TK used the opportunity to give thanks).
I decided I was going to the beach today. I have been missing my beach time in Maui, so it seemed appropriate, especially after my busy Papeete day. I started walking toward one of the hotels, being told it was about 2 or 3 kilometers. There were cute little houses and SO many flowers and plants. I had to stop and take some pictures of the rusted out construction equipment, covered with vines, that was sitting along the road. It was such a picturesque sight, I couldn't pass it up. It kind of tell you how slow life is on Moorea. I also just had to take a picture of the coconut cemetary, there were innumerable coconuts left to die there! TK thought it was abit wasteful...
Soon after, a taxi driver asked if I wanted a ride, but I refused (he was heading the other direction). A few minutes later he came by again (going my way this time) and told me it was a 5 MILE walk to the beach (is the island EVEN that big?!). I wasn't sure if I could trust him, but I got a good look and realized I could flatten the dude with one good punch (plus he was at least sixty), so I hopped in the car and made him a deal. I told him to pick me up at 2 (this was about 9:30 or so) and I would pay him 1000 francs (about $10) when he gave me a ride back to the ship. About a minute later we went past the hotel I was walking to, but he took me to a different place that he said was better. It was very nice and TK and I enjoyed a wonderful day in the surf and sand.As you can see in all of the pictures, we enjoyed the 'Frenchness' of the island, and all the beachy things that surrounded us. There were 'motus', which are very small islands, all around the outer reef. I took photos in all directions, sorry if the sun is bright in some of them. We had a great time sunning, reading, swimming and napping, then met up with the taxi dude and headed back to the ship, but not before I took pictures of more of the flora I walked past. I like how resourceful they are with coconut husks! And speaking of resourceful, don't you just LOVE the bus?! It was a heavenly day.
TINY KONA'S TRUISM of the day... Moorea has more colors than a 64 count crayola box

PAPEETE

If this is just the start of my island bliss, well, i just don't know how I can go on! As the ship approached Tahiti, I couldn't help crying a little. Not sure if it made me homesick for Maui (it looked very similar) or if maybe my heart was bursting, seeing this island with my own two eyes, after longing to come here for SO long! At any rate, it was quite spectacular cruing into Papeete harbor. There was another cruise ship docked near us and the port area was bustling. It was nice to be able to just walk right off the ship and we were greeted by musicians and dancers and even a fresh flower to place behind an ear! We were right where all the action is, so we walked just a few blocks to the marketplace - called 'MARCHE MUNICIPALE'. It reminded me a bit of the 'International Marketplace' in Waikiki. There were tons of people, both locals, doing their shopping (mostly on the first floor) and the tourists shopping mostly on the 2nd floor. Downstairs there were flower stands, with tropical flowers of every color, size, smell and configuration. If you were going to a funeral, wedding or airport gretting - or even just a bag of petals to make your own lei you could find whatever your heart desired here. There were pastry (patissiere) counters, with mouth watering treats, fish stands, with their fresh catch chilling on beds of ice, and a plethora of fruits and vegetables. It was quite lively and most everyone speaking French ( Emily, I could sure use your verbal skills this week!). If someone bumped into you, it was 'pardon', or people greeting you with a friendly 'bon jour' (you MUST say these words -even in your head- with a French accent). Upstairs, we shopped for pareaus, pearls, and numerous woven crafts. Lots of carved items and jewelry and other items made out of shells. One interesting thing was that many shops had (emptied) water bottles filled with sand or different kinds of shells. I guess they were for doing your own craft thing, but it was just kind of funny because they were just used water bottles filled with the stuff.

Of course, for those who know me, you would not be surprised that I would be looking for a fabric store (as my family lets out a collective groan ;-) ), but my French-speaking skills lacking, I had a hard time finding one. Then someone says 'tissues?' and a lightbulb goes off in my head - that must be the french word for fabric, I've seen that word on patterns for years. So I am directed to the store, only to find it closed for lunch (these people really know how to live!). We are a bit hungry, so we go back to the market and head upstairs to their equivalent to a food court. I really don't want much to eat, and they have french bread cut in one inch pieces, in a large bowl, and I ask if I can buy some. The darling girl tells me I can have any I want. Then she gives me a plate of fresh fruit - pineapple, mango and banana - all gratis! I did buy a bottle of water, and mom got something to eat, but the girl was so nice and adorable and the boy in the 'kitchen' is the first in my long list of 'bruddah-licious' boys that will be making appearances on this blog - teehee!

We sit at a table and consume our goodies, while a couple of guys are singing, with a tv behind them showing pictures and videos of these beautiful Society Islands. Tiny Kona was grooving to the music and then, out of the blue, they start singing 'Hanalei Moon' - which is one of my hula songs! I was going to get up and do my hula dance for the crowd, but TK gave me stink-eye, so I decided I better save my talents for the passengers on the ship on 'talent night!

We noticed some girls getting their costumes on and figured out we were going to get some REAL dancers, so even though we were done with our food, we decided to wait and watch the show (the fabric store wouldn't be open from lunch for another 30 minutes anyway). Our table needed to be moved to the side for the dancers, and more people were coming, so we shared our table with an American guy who was from the other cruise ship. His wife was getting a tatoo, so he was just relaxing, drinking a beer (just in case you see it in one or two of the pictures, you KNOW it couldn't be mine or Tiny Kona's!). One of the highlights of cruising is meeting great people. Even though Mike and Sherry weren't on OUR ship, it was still fun to talk to them. I will be posting later about some of the people we have met on this cruise, namely our tablemates, so be on the lookout for that later. The dancers were a pleasure to watch, and maybe one of these days I can learn to do THAT with my body - hahaha.

After the girls were done shaking their hips, we headed back to the fabric store (it's near the 'BIP BIP BURGER FAST FOOD - is that a roadrunner?!). After an hour or so, we got out of there with only a couple of bags of goods. It was really fun for me as they had lots of cool stuff. Now I'm gonna have to bust out the sewing machine!

We headed back to the ship with our wares (besides the fabric, we bought a pareau, a 'haku' (lei for the crown of your head), a straw hat, REAL Tahitian vanilla beans, and some tahitian tiare oil and soaps. The traffic was getting pretty crazy as we were going back to the ship. No stoplights here, just roundabouts. Lots of cars, trucks and scooters zooming aroung. Luckily a couple of gendearmes were there to keep things moving along.

After dropping off the stuff, I decided I was going to find a way to get to the temple. I put on a skirt and decent shoes and headed out on my quest (me and TK). After talking to a number of people and not getting anywhere, I finally found a taxi driver that knew where it was. He took me straight there - it was maybe ten minutes away - and WOW! There it was, pretty much in the middle of a neighborhood. Kind of a large complex though, with a church (or two?), geneology library, mission home and offices. The front of the temple was fenced off because they are redoing the gardens, so I couldn't get the whole 'picture', but it was still beautiful - and I was THERE! Everyone was SO nice, and I wish (again) that I had French-speaking skills, but I did my best to understand the language and everyones smiles went a long way. What wonderful people, and I truly mean that!
I was given a ride back to the ship by a brother and his 2 daughters. And, of course, it's a small world as he mentions that a missionary companion he had in 1984 was someone I knew from Arizona! The beauty of the islands is so awesome, but the connections with the people are truly magical!

Before getting back on the ship I see there is some action in this large open area at the pier where there is also a bandstand. I'm not sure if this is a typical Friday ritual or not, but it was quite festive. A band was playing in the bandstand (quite good) and kids were dancing, playing tag, riding bikes, scooters and rollerblades. People were dancing and talking and chasing their munchkins around. They were all nationalities, including scores of people off the cruise ships. They had dozens of food booths selling all kinds of food. One of the pictures shows the bandstand with my ship in the background.

After 45 minutes or so, I get back aboard the ship, then grab a bite to eat and go watch the night show of Tahitian dancers (another group came onto the ship). They were excellent. Lots of costumes and beautiful girls and bruddah-licious guys. And you can't forget the drummers and musicians! After the show I went up to one of the higher decks to look out over the city and take it all in. Papeete is one of the ports we get to stay overnight in, so it's a treat to be docked and see the island at night. So as I am soaking in the twinkling lights and listening to some techno music spilling from a club a block away, I see something orange that is quite puzzling to me. As I look closer, I realize the moon is coming up over the mountains in the background of the city. It was like a half pumpkin rising over the city. It had to be one of the most spectacular moonrises I have ever witnessed! Sorry the picture doesn't do it any justice, but trust me when I say it was INCREDIBLE!

TINY KONA'S TRUISM of the day... Fletcher Christian KNEW what he was doing!

My day and evening in Papeete couldn't have been better scripted. I would have loved to stay FOREVER, but the little island, just over my shoulder about 12 miles, is calling...

more NUKU HIVA

*sorry things are not as organized as they should be - the internet connection goes in and out and sometimes it just doesn't work out on here like I want! Try to enjoy my musings and photos anyway!*

After six marvelous days at sea, it was 'land ho!' when we spotted NUKU HIVA. The second largest (and capital) of the Marquesas Islands (part of French Polynesia) is Nuku Hiva. The cute little port town is called Taiohae.

These remote islands have connections to long ago as well as recent past. You may remember the name Marquesas because one of the 'Survivor' seasons was filmed here. It may also ring a bell because of authors Herman Melville and Robert Louis Stepehnson lived here. Herman Melville actually was a hand on a whaling ship and deserted and lived there for a time where he was inspired to write accounts of his experiences in books titled 'Typee' and 'Omoo'. Artist Paul Gaugin also lived his last years in Nuku Hiva after leaving Tahiti. As far as the island is concerned, it is of volcanic origin. There are ten islands that make up the chain (with only six that are inhabited). It was too shallow for our gigantic ship to pull into the pier (well, the pier wouldn't have been able to handle a ship that large either). When we can't dock, we get to have the fun experience of 'tendering' to shore. The 'tender' is actually one of the many lifeboats that they lower and herd the passengers onto and then take everyone to the dock and deposit them there for their island adventures. There are pictures of Tiny Kona riding in the tender.

The ship is in the background (doesn't it look HUGE?!). Part of the fun of tendering is going down to the bottom deck of the ship (well, the last deck before the waterline) and taking about ten steps down to a platform where the tender is pulled up next to. The tender is bobbing up and down in the waves and the platform is relatively still, so it is a bit tricky for many of the passengers to step on the tender. Then there's the ones with their canes and walkers (what?!?!), but the crew is awesome and makes sure everyone is safe. After piling into the tender, the 'driver' takes us to the island. You can see the picture of TK with the boat driver.

The dock area where we got off the tenders was pretty little. There were a few small shops, the visitor center and a small outdoor market. When we got off the tender, it had just started raining, but it was the usual light tropical moisture that mostly just feels good. It quit after a few minutes, but the humidity was extremely high. The islands, sans white sandy beaches, reminded me a bit of Hawaii, since they are volcanic. As you can see in the pictures there are rugged mountain peaks and lava outcroppings along the coast. The vegetaion included mango trees, papayas, bananas, guava, breadfruit as well as hibiscus, bouganvillia and plumeria (called frangipani in the southern hemisphere). You can say it felt a bit like Hawaii, but maybe the Hawaii of 100 years ago, except for maybe the cars, cell phones and power poles!

The people were extremely friendly and the little kids all waved at us as they rode by. I was surprised at all the new vehicles, but have since surmised that it's not been all that long that they've actually even HAD cars on the island! I missed taking a picture of the school bus ('le infants transport', or something to that effect), its front looked mostly like the front cab of a truck, but the back was a WOODEN structure, open - no windows - and bench seats! Who wouldn't LOVE riding to school in THAT! Some of the things they sold in the markets were jewelry (made out of seeds and shells), carved tikis, swords, turtles and such, and my FAVORITE - pareos (sarongs). I got one that looks very traditional for the islands and a handpainted one too.

I took a little walk down the main road that goes around the bay. There were houses, the bank (note picure, with TK sitting on the front steps) that is open from 9AM to 1PM, then 4PM to 6PM. Nice siesta. I walked past the elementary and secondary schools. There was a really cool church there, probably the biggest structure on the island. There are a bunch of pictures taken there. Note TK sitting on the back bench saying her prayers. There were cool carved details all around, as well as some big carved fellas out front.

One of my favorite things in Taiohae was this little hotel (?) that was made up of numerous 'grass' huts. So cute! I would totally live in one of those (if it had a REAL bathroom). Check out the photo with the guy's shorts hanging out to dry.

I saw many stone carvings, some looking ancient, worn down and covered in moss. There were also some newer ones - TK was a bit embarrassed to have her picture taken with one that was obnoxiously phallic (see if you can spot the offender).

It was a beautiful little place. Roosters and chickens hanging around, a limping mamma dog crossing the road and the total feeling of peace and tranquility. Tiny Kona thought for - only a minute - that she may jump ship - but with Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora and Raiatea coming up, there was no contest getting back on our beautiful home away from home, the Amsterdam.

TINY KONA'S TRUISM for the day... them's some BIG papayas!

First Island-NUKU HIVA Marquesas

ENTERTAINMENT PT II

Please indulge me as I go on and on about the entertainment we are enjoying on our sea days. The other night we had a guy named Jeff Trachta do an unbelievable show. Remember his name (or you may know it already), because he is a multi-talented STAR and maybe you can tell everyone that Tiny Kona knows him! He has had a long career in soap operas (namely the Bold & theBeautiful), but his acting abilities are only the tip of the iceberg. He also sings, is a comic and does zillions of impressions. He had a segement in his show where he did a bunch of cartoon character impressions, and when he said 'what the deuce?!', I almost fell out of my chair! (All you fans of Family Guy will get this). The real thrill about the show, for me at least, was that I even got to be a part of it! Yes, I got to do a little dance with Jeff and he gave me a DVD and an autographed picture! Hmmm, poor Tiny Kona was in her cabin and missed the whole thing! But I had fun with my 84 seconds of fame! haha

Anyway, here's the 'specialness' about this post - today - because it's Jeff's BIRTHDAY! If you are facebookers, I think you should just give him a shout out - then, if anyone doesn't know who he is, they can google him and find out! So, JEFF,have a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Another exciting moment, about 10 pm last night, was crossing the equator. They didn't make a big deal about it because when we cross back next month, they will do the ceremony then. Here's a funny story about our crossing tonight, though. Our little group was in one of the lounges, and we knew it was around the time we were supposed to cross and I felt a big 'bump' (sometimes it feels that way on the ship), and I said to my gang, "did you feel that bump?" and they reply that they felt it. So I say "that was the equator" (which gets a little chuckle), but then Jim (one of our dinner table mates - and newfound friend) says "and I always thought that was just a line on the map!" Thanks for the laugh, Jim! (and I am certain there will be more of his quips quoted here in the future!)
Things are great on the ship. I will be posting more about the awesome entertainment and life aboard the Amsterdam. We will be in the Marqueses soon, so get ready for some AWESOME reports and pictures!

Long Beach

Our stop in Long Beach was quite interesting. The stop was mostly to pick up supplies and passengers (along with dropping off a few passengers who just took the coastal cruise down from Seattle or Vancouver). For me, however, it was a QUEST, a quest for STUFF. It seems there are always a few last minute things to pick up, so off I ventured to find Jelly Bellies (to deliver to someone in BoraBora - more on that later) and who knows what else. Four bus rides (or was it five?), 2 HUGE Costco bags, a stop at the post office and 4 hours later, I made it back on the ship- feeling good about getting everything taken care of before heading out for my six sea days and life away from stores, shops and maybe even a semblance of civilization! I had time before the ship departed to take a picture of Tiny Kona in front of the Queen Mary, which we were parked very close to. (if you click on the picture, you may see the dot just above TK's head, on the right-that just happens to be the Goodyear blimp!) Everyone was excited to say bon voyage and set sail for the south pacific!

SHIPBOARD TALENT

If you've ever been on a cruise, you know that one of the best things is the live entertainmentevery night. If the first few days are any indication, this voyage is going to be full of laugh out loud comedy and sing along music.I will tell you about a couple of them so you can get an idea. Tiny Kona was lucky enough to get her picture taken with the 'talent'. (She is talented in her own right and is getting plenty of attention of her own on this ship, by the way!)
The guy on the right is named Woody Pittman.He was a comic magician (Heath, you would LOVE this guy!). He was SO funny I could hardly STAND IT! He told me he has some stuff on YOUTUBE, so if you need a laugh, I suggest you check him out! Really, my cheeks were sore from laughing.
The guy on the left is named Emile Pandolfi. He played the piano and did some comic stuff along with it. I can do the man no justice by describing his talents. I bet you can google him and find out stuff, but the coolest thing was when I asked him if he knew of the opening ceremonies of the 1984 Olympics in L.A. and how all the people were playing 'Rhapsody in Blue' on white grand pianos, wearing white tuxedos with tails. His reply to me...he was one of the 4 pianists that were actually heard on TV. (logistically they had to only use those 4 pianos for broadcast purposes). Anyway, I thought it was SO cool. We bought some of his CDs and have since learned what a talented guy we got to know for a few days. Both of these gentlemen got off the ship in L.A. Too bad for us!