Fiji, Dravuni Island

After a stormy night at sea, we arrived late in Fiji. This small island is a tender port, which means that there is no proper dock and the ship is moored at sea and you are taken by small tender boats to the island. To further complicate our arrival, the pontoon on the dock had been damaged by the storm, so engineers on our boat were sent to fix it. We arrived on the Island about 11. The sea was rough!. Fiji is a beautiful place. Less then 200 people live on this tiny secluded Fijian Island. Not even 1 square kilometer in area, you can walk around the entire island. The islanders told us it had been raining for 3 weeks, this had been the first day of sunshine and the paths on the island were very muddy. One of the pictures is Syed drinking Kava with the locals, it is made from the root of a plant, they use it in ceremonies, and made his tongue numb.

Fiji, Dravuni Island

After a stormy night at sea, we arrived late in Fiji. This small island is a tender port, which means that there is no proper dock and the ship is moored at sea and you are taken by small tender boats to the island. To further complicate our arrival, the pontoon on the dock had been damaged by the storm, so engineers on our boat were sent to fix it. We arrived on the Island about 11. The sea was rough!. Fiji is a beautiful place. Less then 200 people live on this tiny secluded Fijian Island. Not even 1 square kilometer in area, you can walk around the entire island. The islanders told us it had been raining for 3 weeks, this had been the first day of sunshine and the paths on the island were very muddy. One of the pictures is Syed drinking Kava with the locals, it is made from the root of a plant, they use it in ceremonies, and made his tongue numb.

Coming of Age in Samoa

Friday February 10. We arrived in Pago Pago early in the morning. It is a spectacular harbor. Ever since I was young and read the Margaret Mead book about Samoa, I have longed to visit here.
It is a beautiful island with genuinely warm and friendly people The Samoan island chain lies in the center of the South Pacific about 2300 miles southwest from Honolulu. Since 1899 it has been divided into Western and Eastern or American Samoa. The islands comprise the only American territories in the southern hemisphere.
We took a native local bus around the island, went to a local village, where we tasted the Samoan food. There staple food is bread fruit which is starchy like a potato and they eat coconut and drink coconut milk. This probably explains why the majority of the Samoans are overweight.
After our tour of the island we visited the Jean P. Haydon museum to check out Samoan art and artifacts.

Fiji, Dravuni Island

After a stormy night at sea, we arrived late in Fiji. This small island is a tender port, which means that there is no proper dock and the ship is moored at sea and you are taken by small tender boats to the island. To further complicate our arrival, the pontoon on the dock had been damaged by the storm, so engineers on our boat were sent to fix it. We arrived on the Island about 11. The sea was rough!. Fiji is a beautiful place. Less then 200 people live on this tiny secluded Fijian Island. Not even 1 square kilometer in area, you can walk around the entire island. The islanders told us it had been raining for 3 weeks, this had been the first day of sunshine and the paths on the island were very muddy. One of the pictures is Syed drinking Kava with the locals, it is made from the root of a plant, they use it in ceremonies, and made his tongue numb.

Tuesday February 14 Day at Sea

After we sailed off from Fiji we were suppose to set a westerly course through the Herald passage, eventually setting on a south easterly course towards the Pacific nation of Tonga which was our next port of call. Unfortunately, as sometimes happens on cruises, plans are changed, the Captain came on the loudspeaker to announce to our dismay that our trip to Tonga had been aborted due to the fact that the Cyclone Jasmine was bearing down on Tonga. The Captain was forced to hastily alter our course to avoid the disasterous weather. We set a revised track to Bay of Islands, New Zealand. We will pass well behind the wake of cyclone Jasmine, but the sea is rocking and rolling, and the swells are high. Thank god we don't suffer from sea sickness. I, of course was disappointed, because being a country collector, I was eager to add Tonga to my list of places I have visited. Oh well, another trip perhaps.

No tonga

After we sailed off from Fiji we were suppose to set a westerly course through the Herald passage, eventually setting on a south easterly course towards the Pacific nation of Tonga which was our next port of call.  Unfortunately, as sometimes happens on cruises, plans are changed, the Captain came on the loudspeaker to announce to our dismay that our trip to Tonga had been aborted due to the fact that the Cyclone Jasmine was bearing down on Tonga.  The Captain was forced to hastily alter our course to avoid the disasterous weather.  We set a revised track to Bay of Islands, New Zealand.  We will pass well behind the wake of cyclone Jasmine, but the sea is rocking and rolling, and the swells are high.  Thank god we don't suffer from sea sickness.  I, of course was disappointed, because being a country collector, I was eager to add Tonga to my list of places I have visited.  Oh well, another trip perhaps.

After we sailed off from Fiji we were suppose to set a westerly course through the Herald passage, eventually setting on a south easterly course towards the Pacific nation of Tonga which was our next port of call.  Unfortunately, as sometimes happens on cruises, plans are changed, the Captain came on the loudspeaker to announce to our dismay that our trip to Tonga had been aborted due to the fact that the Cyclone Jasmine was bearing down on Tonga.  The Captain was forced to hastily alter our course to avoid the disasterous weather.  We set a revised track to Bay of Islands, New Zealand.  We will pass well behind the wake of cyclone Jasmine, but the sea is rocking and rolling, and the swells are high.  Thank god we don't suffer from sea sickness.  I, of course was disappointed, because being a country collector, I was eager to add Tonga to my list of places I have visited.  Oh well, another trip perhaps.

Days at Sea Thursday Feb 9 Crossing the Equator

We have been cruising the Pacific for the last few days enjoying our time at sea. Today we crossed the equator. This is a big ceremony on a ship. The Equator divides the earth into the northern and southern hemispheres and because it is perpendicular to the earths rotational axis, it is known as latitude 0 degrees. Each ship has a special ceremony and here are some pictures from ours!

Re: Whatever happened to Saturday Feb. 11

We were continuing on south westerly course towards Fiji. During the passage we crossed the International Dateline. The Dateline sometimes known as the Greenwich is a generally North South line that runs from Pole to Pole. So when we went to sleep Friday night on February 10, when we woke up the next morning it was Sunday February 12. We omitted Saturday 11, the day that never was. We have a woman at our dinner table whose birthday is on February 11, however this year she was fortunate enough to skip her birthday. As I really have no pictures of the missing day here are a few more of Samoa. Hope you enjoy them.

Re: Whatever happened to Saturday Feb. 11

We were continuing on south westerly course towards Fiji. During the passage we crossed the International Dateline. The Dateline sometimes known as the Greenwich is a generally North South line that runs from Pole to Pole. So when we went to sleep Friday night on February 10, when we woke up the next morning it was Sunday February 12. We omitted Saturday 11, the day that never was. We have a woman at our dinner table whose birthday is on February 11, however this year she was fortunate enough to skip her birthday. As I really have no pictures of the missing day here are a few more of Samoa. Hope you enjoy them.

Tuesday February 14 Day at Sea

After we sailed off from Fiji we were suppose to set a westerly course through the Herald passage, eventually setting on a south easterly course towards the Pacific nation of Tonga which was our next port of call. Unfortunately, as sometimes happens on cruises, plans are changed, the Captain came on the loudspeaker to announce to our dismay that our trip to Tonga had been aborted due to the fact that the Cyclone Jasmine was bearing down on Tonga. The Captain was forced to hastily alter our course to avoid the disasterous weather. We set a revised track to Bay of Islands, New Zealand. We will pass well behind the wake of cyclone Jasmine, but the sea is rocking and rolling, and the swells are high. Thank god we don't suffer from sea sickness. I, of course was disappointed, because being a country collector, I was eager to add Tonga to my list of places I have visited. Oh well, another trip perhaps.

Days at Sea Thursday Feb 9 Crossing the Equator

We have been cruising the Pacific for the last few days enjoying our time at sea. Today we crossed the equator. This is a big ceremony on a ship. The Equator divides the earth into the northern and southern hemispheres and because it is perpendicular to the earths rotational axis, it is known as latitude 0 degrees. Each ship has a special ceremony and here are some pictures from ours!