Regardless of what Thomas Wolfe said, you can go home again... well, if it is within a couple of months of when you left!
Flights from Sydney back to Tampa all worked out. We were an hour late leaving LA but we had plenty of connecting time in Dallas so it turned out OK! We've learned it always works out best to allow lots of extra connecting time!
As we arrived at the bottom of the escalator at Tampa International, the limo driver was there with the "FLINN" sign. Great for us as we then knew another part of "the plan" "was coming together"! Our bags were some of the earliest coming off the carousel. We'd described them to the driver and shown him the multi-colored boa that would be on each.
No glitches getting out of the airport and home! By 9:15PM or so, we were home. And, as comfortable as beds were on the ship and in the hotels, none is better than the one at home!! YES, you can go home again!
Tom was up around 10AM, I slept until almost 3PM... tomorrow, we'll think about getting into a regular "home" routine!
What a magical, wonderful trip. Hope you all enjoyed our sparodic updates!
This is the last update on this blog. Please do send comments, questions, etc. I'll be happy to respond!
R
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Homeward Bound!
We are now at the Sydney International airport and the beginning of our trip home! If we calculated the time zones correctly, we'll be home in about 27-28 hours!
Our last day in Sydney was totally awesome! We started the day with a backstage tour of the Opera House (a truly fascinating building) ending with breakfast in the "green room"! We learned a new term. Apparently every large theater / performance house has a "green room", typically off limits to those not performing or working at the theater, where stars and workers can gather, eat, etc. It was early, before rehersals start so we only saw the worker bees.
After the Opera House tour, we took a water taxi to Rose Bay, boarded a Seaplane and took a 30 minute flight up the coast from Sydney then back down and up the harbor for a pass by the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Again, we had a beautiful sunshiney day and could see "forever"!
Last night, our last night in Australia, we had dinner at the 360 Dining at the Sydney Tower. What a delightful way to spend our last evening! We were there high above the city looking down on the lights below for about 2.5 hours, long enough to make almost 3 rotations of the dining room.
It has been a WONDERFUL trip that we have thoroughly enjoyed and, we're certainly looking forward to sleeping in our own bed tonight (whenever that is!)!
Ruth
ps - it is currently 9am Saturday in Sydney!
Our last day in Sydney was totally awesome! We started the day with a backstage tour of the Opera House (a truly fascinating building) ending with breakfast in the "green room"! We learned a new term. Apparently every large theater / performance house has a "green room", typically off limits to those not performing or working at the theater, where stars and workers can gather, eat, etc. It was early, before rehersals start so we only saw the worker bees.
After the Opera House tour, we took a water taxi to Rose Bay, boarded a Seaplane and took a 30 minute flight up the coast from Sydney then back down and up the harbor for a pass by the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Again, we had a beautiful sunshiney day and could see "forever"!
Last night, our last night in Australia, we had dinner at the 360 Dining at the Sydney Tower. What a delightful way to spend our last evening! We were there high above the city looking down on the lights below for about 2.5 hours, long enough to make almost 3 rotations of the dining room.
It has been a WONDERFUL trip that we have thoroughly enjoyed and, we're certainly looking forward to sleeping in our own bed tonight (whenever that is!)!
Ruth
ps - it is currently 9am Saturday in Sydney!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Now in Sydney!
What a whirlwind the past few days!! Melbourne was marvelous! Flight was on time and we saw "Super Shuttle" before we found a taxi so we took it in to town... quite efficient! Turns our our hotel was right on the edge of China town so after getting checked in and having a couple of drinks, we headed out for a little walk around the block to explore th neighborhood! We felt quite safe. Well, except that we're still learning to look for oncoming traffic in "backwards" lanes!
We found a little Chinese restaurant where some 18-20 young folks had congregated. They were talking and laughing and it made us feel young again.
On Sunday, the weather was PERFECT for our hot air balloon ride! We were picked up around 4:30, yes AM and had an hours drive out to the winery. There, we checked in and along with some 46 other folks we headed out to the launch site. Three balloons were going up each with 16 people. Having other balloons in the air certainly gave the flight more perspective. And, once we were up, we could see another group of 4 balloons off in the distance over the valley. And, we could see a couple over Melbourne some 40-50 miles away! What an exhilirating experience!
After the flight, we all went back to the winery for the traditional champagne toast and a fabulous breakfast... yes, the champagne continued to flow freely!
Back at the hotel around 11am or so, we laid down to finish the prior night's sleep! We spent Sunday afternoon at the Melbourne Museum. Wish we could have spent more time as there was so much to see. There we did learn about "concession" rates! Anyone over 60 gets the senior discount!
Dinner on the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant was very good and a delightful experience. I would highly recommend it! There were 3 separate tram cars each which held 36 passengers. We did learn that the booths are completely stationary thus folks of large girth could get wedged in! We'd eaten a lot on the ship, fortunately not THAT much!
Monday was a "free" day. Fortunately we'd done the museum on Sunday as we had more time to explore other areas. We learned about a free tourist bus that makes a 1.5 hour loop around the city and has "hop on - hop off" privileges. And, we always like "free"! One place we for sure wanted to see was the Eureka 88 Skydeck. We got off at the nearest stop to there.
Like the museum, they offered a Concession rate and the 10% off coupon we had also applied! Saving a few dollars never hurts!
Up 88 floors is less than 40 seconds. The "lift" works with hydraulics rather than cables and was an extremely quiet and smooth ride. On the 88th floor, you can walk around and see all of Melbourne spread out for miles. Also on this floor is "The Edge", a glass "box" that slides out about 3 meters (10') from the building! Tom wasn't up to it but I couldn't resist! Looking straight down, I could see the ground some 1,000' feet below! Actually, I was a bit disappointed that I felt no fear whatsoever!
Wednesday 2/9, we took the train up here to Sydney. It was about 11.5 hours and almost all the way was in daylight. What a relaxing way to get from Melbourne to Sydney... going through the beautiful south eastern Australia countryside and a beautiful sunshiney day! And we did see a couple of wild kangaroos!
It was a short taxi ride to our hotel, another Marriott, this one right at Circular Quay (pronounced "key"). Circular Quay is adjacent to "The Rocks", where the original colonization of Sydney took place. And, this is all in a harbor between the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the point that the Opera House sits on. Where I'm sitting as I write this (the 30th floor of the Marriott), I'm looking out on the Bridge.
Yesterday (Wednesday), we took an all day tour out to the Blue Mountains. Fortunately, the sun came with us and we had a beautiful sunshiney day! When we'd arrived in Sydney on the ship last Saturday, it was rainy and dreary!
There were 12 of us on a mini-bus. We could not have had a better driver/guide than Jim! He is very proud of his state and country and truly knows the history of the area. And, on top of all of that, he had a delightful, albeit dry and a touch "corn-ball", sense of humor. In addition to the Blue Mountains, we got a mini-tour of the 1996 Olympic grounds. Extremely impressive! From there, we left Jim and boarded a ferry down the Parmetta (?) River back to Circular Key to end an exhilirating day!
Back at the hotel, we freshened up and went to the Lounge for a couple of drinks. We totally splurged on our hotel here and have access to the Executive Lounge. And, that includes breakfast, cocktails and snacks in the evening and water and soft drinks in the afternoon!
Today (Thursday, 2/11) has been a "free", i.e., nothing pre-planned, day. We walked over to the Opera House, about 15 minutes, and from there into the Royal Botanical Gardens. We must have spent 2 or more hours just wandering through there... so beautiful. And, hearing birds we recognized, we looked high up in a ficus tree to see a pair of yellow crested cockatoos! Yes, they are wild birds here.
That's it for now! It is 3:43pm on Thursday as I sign out here in Sydney! Two more days and we'll be headed home!
ruth
We found a little Chinese restaurant where some 18-20 young folks had congregated. They were talking and laughing and it made us feel young again.
On Sunday, the weather was PERFECT for our hot air balloon ride! We were picked up around 4:30, yes AM and had an hours drive out to the winery. There, we checked in and along with some 46 other folks we headed out to the launch site. Three balloons were going up each with 16 people. Having other balloons in the air certainly gave the flight more perspective. And, once we were up, we could see another group of 4 balloons off in the distance over the valley. And, we could see a couple over Melbourne some 40-50 miles away! What an exhilirating experience!
After the flight, we all went back to the winery for the traditional champagne toast and a fabulous breakfast... yes, the champagne continued to flow freely!
Back at the hotel around 11am or so, we laid down to finish the prior night's sleep! We spent Sunday afternoon at the Melbourne Museum. Wish we could have spent more time as there was so much to see. There we did learn about "concession" rates! Anyone over 60 gets the senior discount!
Dinner on the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant was very good and a delightful experience. I would highly recommend it! There were 3 separate tram cars each which held 36 passengers. We did learn that the booths are completely stationary thus folks of large girth could get wedged in! We'd eaten a lot on the ship, fortunately not THAT much!
Monday was a "free" day. Fortunately we'd done the museum on Sunday as we had more time to explore other areas. We learned about a free tourist bus that makes a 1.5 hour loop around the city and has "hop on - hop off" privileges. And, we always like "free"! One place we for sure wanted to see was the Eureka 88 Skydeck. We got off at the nearest stop to there.
Like the museum, they offered a Concession rate and the 10% off coupon we had also applied! Saving a few dollars never hurts!
Up 88 floors is less than 40 seconds. The "lift" works with hydraulics rather than cables and was an extremely quiet and smooth ride. On the 88th floor, you can walk around and see all of Melbourne spread out for miles. Also on this floor is "The Edge", a glass "box" that slides out about 3 meters (10') from the building! Tom wasn't up to it but I couldn't resist! Looking straight down, I could see the ground some 1,000' feet below! Actually, I was a bit disappointed that I felt no fear whatsoever!
Wednesday 2/9, we took the train up here to Sydney. It was about 11.5 hours and almost all the way was in daylight. What a relaxing way to get from Melbourne to Sydney... going through the beautiful south eastern Australia countryside and a beautiful sunshiney day! And we did see a couple of wild kangaroos!
It was a short taxi ride to our hotel, another Marriott, this one right at Circular Quay (pronounced "key"). Circular Quay is adjacent to "The Rocks", where the original colonization of Sydney took place. And, this is all in a harbor between the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the point that the Opera House sits on. Where I'm sitting as I write this (the 30th floor of the Marriott), I'm looking out on the Bridge.
Yesterday (Wednesday), we took an all day tour out to the Blue Mountains. Fortunately, the sun came with us and we had a beautiful sunshiney day! When we'd arrived in Sydney on the ship last Saturday, it was rainy and dreary!
There were 12 of us on a mini-bus. We could not have had a better driver/guide than Jim! He is very proud of his state and country and truly knows the history of the area. And, on top of all of that, he had a delightful, albeit dry and a touch "corn-ball", sense of humor. In addition to the Blue Mountains, we got a mini-tour of the 1996 Olympic grounds. Extremely impressive! From there, we left Jim and boarded a ferry down the Parmetta (?) River back to Circular Key to end an exhilirating day!
Back at the hotel, we freshened up and went to the Lounge for a couple of drinks. We totally splurged on our hotel here and have access to the Executive Lounge. And, that includes breakfast, cocktails and snacks in the evening and water and soft drinks in the afternoon!
Today (Thursday, 2/11) has been a "free", i.e., nothing pre-planned, day. We walked over to the Opera House, about 15 minutes, and from there into the Royal Botanical Gardens. We must have spent 2 or more hours just wandering through there... so beautiful. And, hearing birds we recognized, we looked high up in a ficus tree to see a pair of yellow crested cockatoos! Yes, they are wild birds here.
That's it for now! It is 3:43pm on Thursday as I sign out here in Sydney! Two more days and we'll be headed home!
ruth
Friday, February 5, 2010
What Time Is It?
I hadn't noticed before that the time on the post is US time. As I post this, the local time here in Sydney is Saturday, 10:42am! So for our friends back home, it is tomorrow!
R
R
Australia Here We Are!
We have now set foot on the continent of Australia! Coming into the port in Sydney, we were really "rocking and rolling"! Sea and into the harbor seas were probably 20-25'! We arrived around 8am and disembarked just before 9. We docked right at the Sydney Opera House! Even with the dreary rainy weather, it is a marvelous site to see. We'll be back up here to Sydney on Wednesday and have a visit planned there for Friday morning.
What a surprisingly smooth exit! A Regent porter carried our "carry-ons" down the ramp, into the terminal and up the escalator to where luggage was waiting. We claimed our bags, walked through security/customs as a dog sniffed everything we were carrying. Oh so much simpler than the US processes!
Walked right outside, got a taxi for the airport and were on our way! In less than an hour, we were off the boat, at the airport with bags checked and through security. It's about 4 hours until flight time but we can just relax now. Sydney is an excellent airport, well organized, lots of places to eat/shop and the seats are comfortable.
The cruise was wonderful! So happy we made our trip to Australia this way. Tom made lots and lots of notes and plans to put them together when we get home. With his writing style, I'm certain it will be a wonderful read!
And soon we'll be off to Melbourne, (Australia that is, not Florida!)
R
What a surprisingly smooth exit! A Regent porter carried our "carry-ons" down the ramp, into the terminal and up the escalator to where luggage was waiting. We claimed our bags, walked through security/customs as a dog sniffed everything we were carrying. Oh so much simpler than the US processes!
Walked right outside, got a taxi for the airport and were on our way! In less than an hour, we were off the boat, at the airport with bags checked and through security. It's about 4 hours until flight time but we can just relax now. Sydney is an excellent airport, well organized, lots of places to eat/shop and the seats are comfortable.
The cruise was wonderful! So happy we made our trip to Australia this way. Tom made lots and lots of notes and plans to put them together when we get home. With his writing style, I'm certain it will be a wonderful read!
And soon we'll be off to Melbourne, (Australia that is, not Florida!)
R
All Packed
Just a quick update! We disembark somewhere around 9am tomorrow (2/6). Everything is packed and our bags are in the hall! We beat the 11pm deadline by a long shot. We said farewell to some dear friends this evening... after 3 weeks of wonderful shared memories, there were lots of tears!
Tom's sleeping already and I'm using up the rest of our internet minutes! When I purchased a 250 minute package, I thought I'd run out in no time. Here it is less than 12 hours before leaving the ship and I have over an hour left!
Next update, if access is free or cheap will be from Melbourne or Sydney. We're off to Melbourne tomorrow.
R
Tom's sleeping already and I'm using up the rest of our internet minutes! When I purchased a 250 minute package, I thought I'd run out in no time. Here it is less than 12 hours before leaving the ship and I have over an hour left!
Next update, if access is free or cheap will be from Melbourne or Sydney. We're off to Melbourne tomorrow.
R
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Next stop Sydney!
Update 2/4:
Incredibly, the cruise is almost over. Two days from now, we’ll be arriving in Sydney. It seems like we’ve been gone forever and just left yesterday! I must say, it will be good to be on land long enough to get land legs again. Today’s update covers our last two ports of the trip.
2/2 (Tuesday) – Port Vila, Vanuatu
We walked/climbed about half-way up, stopped at an overlook that would have been quite pretty on a sunny day if there hadn’t been so much smoke from the locals burning their gardens in preparation for re-planting. When it got to the point that we had to wade in the streams and walk on potentially slippery stones, we chose to return back down to the “base camp”. Folks who made the whole trip, said it was quite nice and refreshing.
After everyone came back down, the locals served up native fruits (bananas, papaya, coconut, pineapple, passion fruit, and one I didn’t recognize) for us to taste. They served what tasted kind of like tang to drink. A 5 piece band played some local music for us. Amusingly, the bass was a wooden box with a stick and a couple of strings. The controlled sounds that one can get out of such rudimentary instruments never ceases to amaze me.
We were back on the ship in time for lunch and to muster for our excursion at 1:30. It was a nice 2 hour trip on a air conditioned coach (large tour bus) that was less than half full. We made 3 stops for photos at places high enough up to get some great views of the bright blue water and surrounding islands. One stop was where there are still cannons from WWII where the Americans and French had an encampment to fight against the Japanese.
Incredibly, the cruise is almost over. Two days from now, we’ll be arriving in Sydney. It seems like we’ve been gone forever and just left yesterday! I must say, it will be good to be on land long enough to get land legs again. Today’s update covers our last two ports of the trip.
2/2 (Tuesday) – Port Vila, Vanuatu
Our shore excursion today was Cascades & Waterfalls. I’d talked to our new friends Dick & Nora and they said they’d cancelled it after a similar trip a few days back. We should have heeded what they said. It took 20-30 minutes to get to the site in a van that was not air-conditioned. (Did I mention that it is HOT here!?) The description had cautioned that might be the case; guess we were just hoping for otherwise!
We walked/climbed about half-way up, stopped at an overlook that would have been quite pretty on a sunny day if there hadn’t been so much smoke from the locals burning their gardens in preparation for re-planting. When it got to the point that we had to wade in the streams and walk on potentially slippery stones, we chose to return back down to the “base camp”. Folks who made the whole trip, said it was quite nice and refreshing.
After everyone came back down, the locals served up native fruits (bananas, papaya, coconut, pineapple, passion fruit, and one I didn’t recognize) for us to taste. They served what tasted kind of like tang to drink. A 5 piece band played some local music for us. Amusingly, the bass was a wooden box with a stick and a couple of strings. The controlled sounds that one can get out of such rudimentary instruments never ceases to amaze me.
We were extremely happy to get back to the cool air of the ship! Perhaps in the cool of winter, same as our summer months, it would be more pleasant.
We caught the pre-dinner show, “Martinis & Bond (007)”, presented by the Regent Singers and Dancers and the Orchestra. Screens above and beside the stage showed clips of Bond movies, the entertainers were dressed in “Bond Formal” and the waiters were serving several varieties of martinis. An awesome show!
One of the waiters who knows us, came by upstairs and offered us a martini, he then said “I think this is not your kind of drink. Scotch and water, scotch and soda?” We of course said yes, and he was back in a few minutes with our drink of choice.
2/3 (Wednesday) Noumea, New Caledonia
Scheduled arrival time was 10am and we were in on schedule! Today was the clearest most beautiful day we’ve had.
Our scheduled tour was at 1:15pm and as we pulled in to port, we saw that the dock is right in town!
Tom and I went off the ship around 10:30am and found the terminal quite inviting. As we entered the terminal, we were greeted by a couple dressed in the very stylish garb of the French colonists of the early 20th century. And, inside the terminal were native musicians and dancers. All very friendly!
The cruise terminal here is the nicest we’ve seen on the entire voyage, including San Diego’s basically cargo terminal. To San Diego’s credit, they are building a new one!
We noted a “Casino Johnston Supermarket” right across the street from the dock and headed off to check it out. It was somewhat similar to our WalMart SuperCenters. They carried everything but a wider variety with smaller quantities! They totally beat out any market I recall ever seeing in the US when it comes to fresh fish, crabs, vegetables, etc.
We were back on the ship in time for lunch and to muster for our excursion at 1:30. It was a nice 2 hour trip on a air conditioned coach (large tour bus) that was less than half full. We made 3 stops for photos at places high enough up to get some great views of the bright blue water and surrounding islands. One stop was where there are still cannons from WWII where the Americans and French had an encampment to fight against the Japanese.
Our last stop was at the aquarium. It was very small by comparison to our Florida Aquarium in Tampa but is very nicely done. They had quite a few of the blue starfish I’d seen while snorkeling in Fiji as well as other starfish varieties we’d not seen in any other aquarium. This aquarium housed an incredible collection of the many varieties of fish and coral in the waters around New Caledonia. I could only think of friends who have expressed interest in diving / snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef. On going there, New Caledonia might be a good stop along the way.
Noumea was by far the cleanest, best organized, most industrious, most modern island area we have visited since leaving the US some three weeks ago. This was accompanied by a beautiful sunshiny day with relatively low humidity and fairly heavy wind. Thus, I think Noumea was my favorite port followed way back by Bora Bora, purely for its natural beauty. And, Noumea was HOT as well! The luxury of an air-conditioned transport and the beautiful breezes kept us feeling cool.
2/4 (Thursday) – At Sea
This morning, Australia Immigration Officials were on board and we have now cleared immigrations… guess they’re getting a nice two night cruise from Noumea back to Sydney! What a tough job!
And, in preparation for our arrival in Sydney, one of the lecturers gave a presentation on “Sydney – Past & Present”. Sandra Bowern is quite a knowledgeable polished speaker. When we’re back to the land of no additional charge for unlimited internet, I shall Google her to get more information on her background!
Having purchased a pareo in Bora Bora and a sulu (same thing, different name) in Fiji, I decided to attend a “How to tie a pareo” class this afternoon. This was given by the Tahitian wife of our Chief Executive Chef and he was there to help her and to translate! What fun!
Tonight was our next to last night aboard and the rpe-dinner even was the Captain’s Farewell party. This included a show named “Crew Capers”. Choreographed and director by one of the crew members, it was incredible! Our stewardess was one of the main Philippine dancers! We have been extremely fortunate to have Theresa!
From the pre-dinner show, we meandered to our favorite lounge then to dinner. By 10pm, we were back in our room and ready for beddie bye! What a couple of old faxds we’re becoming!
That’s today’s “ramblings from Ruth”!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Fiji & A Day at Sea
Sunday, January 31st – Lautoka, Fiji
Fiji was not quite what we expected after having visited the beautiful islands of French Polynesia. Can’t wait to get home to do some Googling to find out more about the Fiji Islands. We docked in Lautoka which is primarily an industrial city (Sugar) with a totally industrial wharf. Perhaps it is the other side of the island that has all the aspects we’d anticipated.
Tom was still not up to getting off the ship so we turned in his shore excursion ticket but I chose to make our planned excursion… a visit to an out island with an option of snorkeling. I’d not snorkeled in probably 20-25 years and do know how to swim so took the snorkeling option! Well, my excellent swimming skills of years ago have faded along with the rest of me! No more attempts at Olympic swimming medals!
The waters were pleasantly cool compared to the extremely warm air but somewhat murky due to the runoff from the mountains during the recent rains. However, as I approached a large reef area, I could make out some of the bright blue and bright yellow fish that before, I’d only seen in an aquarium. The most amazing sight was that of bright blue starfish! Had not even heard of those before! Once again, I thought, “So much to learn, so little time!”.
Some folks skipped the snorkeling and went straight to the island. The others donned provided gear some 2-300 yards off shore and swam to the island. The “island” turned out to be what we would call a sand bar with a few scrub trees on it. They’d erected a 10’ pole (looked like a cutoff telephone pole) and strung coverings out to other smaller poles for shade.
Back at the ship, I freshened up a bit, had a bite of lunch and took the ship supplied shuttle into town to the only store open. It was a department store and I’m guessing they’d opened only to accommodate the tourists from the ship. There were however, quite a few locals taking advantage of having a store open on Sunday! We’ve learned that the islands all have high religious beliefs and still follow the old rules that many of us grew up with… Stores close at noon on Saturday and don’t open again until Monday. While the French Polynesian islands are primarily / heavily Christian, the Fijian Islands are primarily Buddist.
Monday, February 1st – At Sea
A lazy day at sea! Tom’s much better and we actually went up for breakfast and lunch! There was nothing on the day’s agenda that excited us enough to get involved so continued another lazy day!
Tomorrow (2/2) will be Port Vila, Vanuatu. I didn’t do any research on it but it does have an exotic sounding name! We shall see!
To date, one piece of advice: If ever you’re planning a trip to the South Pacific, do it in their “summer” / dry season which, I think, ranges from late June to mid-September!
R
Fiji was not quite what we expected after having visited the beautiful islands of French Polynesia. Can’t wait to get home to do some Googling to find out more about the Fiji Islands. We docked in Lautoka which is primarily an industrial city (Sugar) with a totally industrial wharf. Perhaps it is the other side of the island that has all the aspects we’d anticipated.
Tom was still not up to getting off the ship so we turned in his shore excursion ticket but I chose to make our planned excursion… a visit to an out island with an option of snorkeling. I’d not snorkeled in probably 20-25 years and do know how to swim so took the snorkeling option! Well, my excellent swimming skills of years ago have faded along with the rest of me! No more attempts at Olympic swimming medals!
The waters were pleasantly cool compared to the extremely warm air but somewhat murky due to the runoff from the mountains during the recent rains. However, as I approached a large reef area, I could make out some of the bright blue and bright yellow fish that before, I’d only seen in an aquarium. The most amazing sight was that of bright blue starfish! Had not even heard of those before! Once again, I thought, “So much to learn, so little time!”.
Some folks skipped the snorkeling and went straight to the island. The others donned provided gear some 2-300 yards off shore and swam to the island. The “island” turned out to be what we would call a sand bar with a few scrub trees on it. They’d erected a 10’ pole (looked like a cutoff telephone pole) and strung coverings out to other smaller poles for shade.
Back at the ship, I freshened up a bit, had a bite of lunch and took the ship supplied shuttle into town to the only store open. It was a department store and I’m guessing they’d opened only to accommodate the tourists from the ship. There were however, quite a few locals taking advantage of having a store open on Sunday! We’ve learned that the islands all have high religious beliefs and still follow the old rules that many of us grew up with… Stores close at noon on Saturday and don’t open again until Monday. While the French Polynesian islands are primarily / heavily Christian, the Fijian Islands are primarily Buddist.
Monday, February 1st – At Sea
A lazy day at sea! Tom’s much better and we actually went up for breakfast and lunch! There was nothing on the day’s agenda that excited us enough to get involved so continued another lazy day!
Tomorrow (2/2) will be Port Vila, Vanuatu. I didn’t do any research on it but it does have an exotic sounding name! We shall see!
To date, one piece of advice: If ever you’re planning a trip to the South Pacific, do it in their “summer” / dry season which, I think, ranges from late June to mid-September!
R
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