Did I tell You How Hot It Is?

Sunday, January 25. Lautoka, Viti Levu, Fiji. Clear, docked. 28 C.

We are not ones for the heat at the best of times, but this is pretty wicked. After a lazy early morning coffee on the deck, before sunrise, we had a bite to eat and then sauntered off the ship and took a wee stroll down the dock. They had vendors set up and most approached us, nicely, mainly offering tours around the Island, etc. The last thing we wanted was to get seated in a car for an hour or more and buzz around the island, or, sit on a beach and fry.

No, I am not being a grump, but one's expectations of a decent day change when you get older. We have seen some of the best beaches in the world, and at one time we have enjoyed them. [By the way, the best beaches in the whole world are in Maui, Hawaii in my opinion.]

It was nice to get onto solid land today after a few tough days for me, but strolling around a South Pacific Island Town is not as great as it was to us 40 years ago. The tranquility of the ship will do very nicely thank you until we hit civilization in two weeks. I am not being condescending, but developing and such countries do have some rough edges to them, that we, at this time, are not looking for. It was enjoyable chatting with the pleasant Fijians, I must confess that. No, I am not being a grump, just a little weary from 90 years of life experiences. Fellette is in heaven here, what woman wouldn't be?

Son Wally, and Katrina met Nathan, Haley and great grandson Miles at the Maui airport this afternoon where they are spending some time at the same Resort, Maui Hill. 

A Sea Day tomorrow, then on to New Caledonia! A french Island group.

Our clocks go BACK another hour tonight, we are now four [?] hours behind West Coast time. And, a day ahead. I seem to have lost track of the darn time but who cares? 

A Good Day.

Be Happy in your work!

The Fijian Flag is a gorgeous one!

'Ship Day' is a working opportunity for the locals.

Tour and Shuttle buses lined up at 8:00 am this morning, it was even hot at 5:30 am!

Like a toaster-oven on the pier.

Be Careful What You Say...

Saturday, January 24. Docked in Suva, Vita Levu, Fiji. 

29 C.

I remember months ago when we booked this cruise, Fellette and I said that "Even if we never got off the ship it would be fine, we could just relax and rest."  Be careful for what you say or even think! It may happen. But now, who would have thought that that may actually be the case. Fellette is now recovering very nicely and this dude's body is slowly coming back to normal.

I saw a view of Fiji when I was having my troubles yesterday. I saw a High Rise or two. I suppose that even the south sea islands change and build new buildings just like at home. Of course they do, but you have to see it to believe it. However it sort of takes the Bloom off The Rose to see it in person. We did not go on our Long Boat Ride down a river in the bush today. I was too weak to go through all the stuff to get there and back and it is still a hassle with Fellette.

A Great Day Working on Our Relaxing Technique!

Where did the sunny skies go?

There sure ain't no more Cannibals here!

Drippy today in the local market.

Kind of lonely on the sun beds too!

A Bummer Today...

Friday, January 23. Lovely day. 28 C.

It must have been the food that caused me a day of wretched nausea and dead tired. I had a bite to eat in the morning lay on the bed for hours feeling just plain sick. I told Fellette that I could not eat lunch so she grabbed a bite and came back to the room to be with me, now I am the sicko!

I don't know how to describe what happened next without being a bit crude, I will attempt to be gentle with you. I have not had session with vomiting for years and years. I felt bilious and went to the bathroom grabbed the sink and some spontaneous self projectile vomiting just came out. Five times, each, just bang, there it was ! In the sink.

I have no idea at all what happened to cause it. I did have a small piece of German Meatloaf as they had an Oktoberfest-Themed dinner up there last night. Even at that, I left more than I ate.

We are docked tomorrow at another island in Fiji and are scheduled to go on tour in the morning, we will see how things are in the morning. There is not much worse a situation than being sick on a bus or a tour boat I can tell you!

Do you think that we are perhaps cursed for 2026? First the truck write off and Fellette's injury, then today's episode...

A Very Interesting Day.

That's it folks, another exciting day in the South Pacific!

Fiji Tomorrow...

Thursday, January 22. Hot of course. 29 C.

Once again, we had the sleep of the exhausted. Today is a sea day so we just dragged our bodies around until the caffeine kicked in, along with the food, and we got organized.

We also think that we have finally gotten the Shore Excursion business sorted out and in a form that it is on a piece of paper instead of it being on a bloody App. on my iPhone, the way the Ship seems to think is best. They are plain and simple wrong! Until they can get the internet working reliably on the ship they are causing multiple issues with their most important people, their Passengers! There, got that off my chest!

Tomorrow is a Tender Port which Fellette has never been to. Daughter Jeanette and I were here once for a day or two on a layover to Melbourne, Australia. We were exploring a business venture with another gent whom we knew. The venture did come to fruition and it was a small part of Canada Ticket, for some, until we realized it was a good try but would never be successful. In Fiji at that time, 1988, Fiji was in turmoil with a feud between two rival coups. We were hardly aware of it.

I started to do something about getting some exercise regime going. This learning to relax thing, combined with Fellette's chest issue put a damper on anything at all exerting and we became sluggish and have to do something about it. I checked out the gym today and spotted the exact machine I need to use. After lunch I went to the gym and did what I wanted to do. It was trying but I did what I wanted to do and the next time will be easier!

I found out today that I am not the oldest person on the ship, there is a 94 year old aboard. That made me feel better, the same as an 88 year old man celebrating his birthday today, he was so happy that there was somebody older than him aboard!

A Good Day.

Last night's dessert for me. Italian Gelato Ice Cream! Fellette assisted me on this job.

Sunrise this morning, we are now two hours off of Melbourne, Australia time.

This is the machine I used for some shoulder strengthening.

Presto Magico, we searched for and found this collapsible tripod today, missing since we came aboard. It was in a suitcase under the bed, where we put it when we came on board. We were obviously more stressed than we thought. Fellette was also delighted to find that suitcase full of clothes to wear. It was like Christmas to her.

This is a tile mosaic in a walkway by the Buffet Dining Area. Just something pleasant to fill the space.

The Real Samoa...

Wednesday, January 21. Warm, not too bad. 27 C.

We were on tour this morning for the first time on the cruise. It was a complimentary tour done by our Travel Agent. We were away and touring around from 8:30, arriving back home around 1:30.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous in spite of early morning showers. We were in three mini buses holding about 12 passengers each. We toured the Town of Apia, which is a modern town, not as tired looking as Pango Pango yesterday. We ended up at the Home of Robert Louis Stevenson, that he built for himself and spent the last five years of his life. He was a smoker and died of a lung issue.

It was a very grand sprawling home with lots of open spaces and large opening as breezeways. Unfortunately it was impossible for me to get a good photo. During the whole day I was taken by the welcoming nature of the Samoan people, of all ages. We went to a huge market where the lower class working people were not as jovial where they were there, likely every day, just trying to make a living.

We later went to lunch at a very swanky resort on a man-made island. It was very upmarket. 

This Samoa is an independent Samoa, ex German, when Germany asked the population to come back to Germany to fight in WW l, they  lost, and Lost Samoa, the British took it over, then Samoa got its independence from them and remains so to this day.

Today was a bit of a rough day for Fellette and I, physically speaking, we have been pretty laid back since coming aboard on January 4. Today was a grinder and I find myself comparing with all the wonderful things that we have seen and experienced since we took up travelling in 1985. Life is good here, don't get me wrong.

We got cleaned up later and went out for dinner at The Italian Restaurant tonight, The Canaletto.

Clocks go back another tonight. That means we will be Four hours behind West Coast Time and A Day Ahead!

A wonderfully Busy Day Today!

German Era splendor, not South Sea style.

And the Catholic Church, not sure where that came from. 

The outside of the Catholic Church, it is breathtaking, something one would not expect in Independent Samoa, or anywhere else out in the middle of this Big Ocean!

And of course, our floating Hospital Ship and Floating Palace.

In the market, hot and endless fruits, vegetables, staples and lunches etc., etc., etc.

We did not recognize most of the produce.

Yes, we knew some of what was on offer.

Swanky place for lunch.

Moma is getting tired, just like me!

Could be Hawaii.

Rained Out In Samoa...

 Monday, January 19. Cloudy with some rain. 28 C.

Today turned out to be a bit of a bust for the ship. The rain was on and off today, no doubt many passengers may not have been to American Samoa and were deterred by the rain today. It was on and off, entirely by chance if you got wet or not.

'Miss America Samoa' and her fellow dancers were lined up and performed for us as we docked, before the rain. Unfortunately just about the time the passengers were coming off to go on tour or walkabout, the rain started to come down, not in torrents but not pleasant to walk around a South Sea Island town in.

Looking over a record that I bought with me, we first visited here in 1999. We have since been here a few more times over the years. My memory kicked in this morning when we were sailing in. There was a few distinctive building that looked so different but familiar.

This place has about the biggest Tuna Fish Cannery in the world, and a fleet of Tuna Boats. And, there is also a smell of fish in the air. 

When we go to bed tonight, on Monday, January 19, at midnight we lose a day and wake up on Wednesday, January 21. Poof, there goes Tuesday as we cross the International Dateline.

Our walk around did not take long, but we had Windbreakers, hats and an Umbrella, which we never bothered to open but we did get a bit wet. It felt good!

A Good Day.

That is Miss America Samoa and her throng of heavy-set male and female dancers to greet us as we docked. There is no doubt that Samoans are very large people.

There was an ambulance to take someone off the ship this morning as there was a medical emergency last night.

Off we go.

And there is Doug stepping out.

Typical sort of old fashioned tired buildings.

Samoan Wildlife.

Here is a typical cluster of buildings around the perimeter road that circles the island.

We once walked up to that lookout, a zillion years ago.

The ship. Our suite is second row from the top about the third lifeboat from the front area.

Land Ho Tomorrow...

Sunday, January 18. Sun. 29 C.

Nothing but ocean to look at it seems. 

I think that we may have this sleep situation under control now, I hope. Fellette is a very early riser, me, I need at least one hour a day more sleep under normal conditions. Since we got on the ship,16 days ago I have been getting up to let the waiter in with the coffee at 5:30, then serving coffee to Fellette, who at first could not even lift the coffee pot. Fellette now lets the waiter in, pours her own coffee and I just roll over and go back to sleep! Perfect.

Regarding my inability to relax. I think that I am now relaxed, however it feels like I am just lazy. So, maybe I have just been confusing the words. So, now I can say "Today  I had a relaxing day." But it just means "Today I had a lazy day." Relaxing sounds a bit more sophisticated methinks!" So much for that nonsense!

We will be up a little early tomorrow, with coffee on the balcony. I/we [?] want to be up for the sail-in into Pago Pago, [pronounced Pang Pango] American Samoa, the Captain says it will be a rather pretty sail-in, just as the sun is rising. I am eager to see how my memory will be as we have been here before.

A Very Relaxing Day! 

The Early Bird in her usual routine of having two or three cups of coffee before starting the day. That is yours truly in the background of course.

This sort of stuff grabs your attention as you walk by the Lido buffet up one floor from us.

I thought that you may need to have a picture of our great grandson to refresh your memory.

Getting Close to South Sea Islands...

Saturday, January 17. Hot, smooth & Blue sky. 26 C.

Another day of rest and recuperation for Fellette, and I. We seem to be doing a lot of that!

Our quest for rest has certainly been fulfilled on this trip, it seems like we spend a great deal of time in this very nice cabin. I cannot believe the amount of sleep that I seem to 'need' or 'want'. Fellette keeps reminding me that it is something to do with my age. At home, I never can relax as there is always something that I can do. I think I have mentioned this before. As a result. I really don't know how to relax. 

Life aboard is wonderful, especially for a woman! Gad, what is not to like. Need I go through the list? The beds are fantastic, the room is gorgeous, the food is superb, the service is top drawer, and my wife is happy, what more could we ask for?

This evening we are off to a Cocktail reception for people on our floor before going down to the Dining Room for dinner. The dinner is a bit dragged out, but very nice, [and relaxing].

The coming Tuesday, January 20, we cross the International Dateline, where we lose the day. We go to bed on the 19th and wake up on the 21st. Travelling east around the world is great as you gain many hours of extra sleep, but, when coming westward it is terrible as you lose so many hours sleep.

I witnessed an incident in the shop on board the other day. We walked into the shop while the clerk was just packing up a very expensive bottle of Cognac [A very, very, very expensive bottle.] The bottle was super fancy and it went into about the most expensive  cardboard  box I have ever seen! After the man left, who was an Englishman, I asked the clerk, who was a black South African, how much the bottle was. He said, $4000, " Then, I could buy a house back home with that!!!" Boy, we sure live in a world of disparities don't we! [According to the clerk, the bottle sells for $7000 back home.] I recognize that we too are part of the inequities in life.

A Good Day, Wow, Two in a Row!

5:30 am out on the balcony while still cool!

Doug in the dressing room, doing the blog.

Tonight, before dinner. It seems strange that the Captain of this ship is the age of our oldest child!

Just an interesting picture somewhere on this ship. Of course, an earlier Holland American Ship.

We Crossed The Equator Today...

Friday, January 26. Clear, bumpy sea. 26 C.

Good nights for both of us again. We had our first and second coffees on the balcony this morning, watching the sun pop over the horizon, before going inside to try and get a sense of which Shore Excursions we may go on. We have purchased a few for things we certainly want to see. A few of them are to do with WWll. They are not inexpensive for sure, ranging from maybe U$110 to $300, per person. That adds up in a hurry for sure. However we have some substantial credits that are not available as credits to take home, so we want to make as much use of those as possible.

There was just a slight bump as we crossed the equator today, it was boiling hot and with the breeze, easy to get a burn even after a short time in the sun. There was much merrymaking and frivolity as the Pollywogs, the crew members that have never crossed the equator, went through The King Neptune Ceremony of Crossing The Equator.

As our Toyota Pickup is written off, I have been doing a little research to see what is available that is NOT made in the USA. And I guess that that means what pickups are made in Canada, Mexico and Europe, [not likely!] It is just something to pass the long days here, kind of fun.

Easy day again, just plugging along, two more sea days until we hit Pago Pago, Tutuila, American Samoa.

An Easy Day, Again.

Jervy, our Filipino Concierge in the Neptune lounge.

Fellette a bit tired after being up on deck too long after a walk, an interesting speaker, and lunch. She still takes pain pills every six hours.

On the balcony watching sun up.

There comes the sun, still warm out around 5:30 am.

I have not yet mastered this darn picky internet on the ship, it behaves funny in my efforts to get the pictures in the right order, sorry!

Close to the Equator...

Thursday, January 15. Cloudy and warm 26 C. 

We are now three days behind West Coast Time, we cross the Equator tomorrow.

A lazy morning, starting with a light breakfast in the Neptune of berries and yogurt in an attempt to get some food that is not full of sugar or salt. They seem to think that the more salt and the more sugar there is the better it tastes! [Which it does, but is not good for my health, Fellette seems to be able to eat anything.]

The expected rather boring routine of live on the ship seems to be settling in now that the concerning couple of weeks regarding Fellette's health is slowly fading. I/we had fully expected this  months ago when we booked this cruise. We even anticipated this would be our last cruise as the involvement in picking out our clothes and packing up is a very involved process, draining actually, especially during the Christmas Season. Our advancing years has a lot do do with it as well. We are no Spring Chickens for sure and we have certainly had our share of fun and adventure over the years, including cruising. There is no punch line to this paragraph and I do not want to sound jaded or mournful about being aboard, we would rather be aboard than anywhere else!

We took in a talk by an on-board guest speaker this afternoon. This afternoon's talk was on the true story of the Mutiny on The Bounty and the Captain Bligh and the Mutinous Fletcher Christian.

We had an employee working at our Company for several years whose maiden name was Bligh. She was indeed a descendant of Captain Bligh. Son Craig ended up buying the Bligh House, as we called it, when Mr. Bligh passed away. Craig lived next door the Mr Bligh for several years. It was a tiny old house on two acres right next to Craig's three acres. We, as a family, did a complete reno of the house, down to studs. Daughter Jeanette took it on as a personal job and challenge that took us all several hard months of work, with Jeanette the driver and main worker.

One of Jeanette's daughters  moved into the house when the reno was finished a few years ago and now runs a Flower Farm from the property, right next door to her Uncle Craig. Nice!

We no longer call it Bligh House, but: The Flower Farm, at the insistence of others!

A Better Day Today.

Day by day, getting better, a bit of exercise and bit of reading and relaxing and lots of good sleep.

Greenhouse number 4 went up this summer at The Flower Farm. There we see Jeanette on the scaffolding and Fellette I believe  down below, assisting Jeanette.

This is a Very, Very Big Ocean...

Wednesday, January 14. Some cloud. 25 C.

We both had a solid nine hour sleep, unusual for both of us, but nice to have. We are heading almost due south now and we have four more days of nothing but ocean before we get to Pago Pago, American Samoa. Looking at my Blow Up Globe is is farther from Maui to American Samoa than is is from San Diego to Maui. So, we have five days at sea before we get to American Samoa, four more sea days to go.

The temperature is climbing as we venture south, however the ocean has a method of cooling things down and the ship creates a strong breeze in just ploughing along at about 18 knots or about 20.7 miles per hour. It is impossible to sit outside on our balcony, in the direct sun, there is no breeze at all there. It is great in the morning as the sun comes up, that will no doubt change our heading through the trip.

We found out today that our Toyota Tacoma is a write off, sad to say, but maybe it was time for something else anyway.

Tonight is a Formal Night on the ship. We hope to go to the dining room at least. Methinks my coughing, that seems to be activated when in close proximity to people, will not be activated. [I kid you not, do you think I could be Allergic to people???] Seriously, this only happens when I am at the tail end of a cold, as now

A Good Day, The Best so Far.

'Throw-up-bags' abound this morning, apparently last night was a bit bumpy

We went for a deck walk this morning, and again after lunch

Not many walkers yet.

Looking North to Hawaii!

A Computer Station where you can download and the print, but from the internet, not from your own device. 

Nasty rain over there, the ship will deviate wildly to avoid a rain storm like that.

Two oldies practising taking Selfies!