Lautoka, Fiji                                                                Feb 9, 2016 5pm local time

Today is a day that justifies a trip half way round the globe – it has been beautiful, informative and interesting, and eye-opening. We have seen how old and different parts of the world and cultures co-exist with new and familiar ones, all on one island.

Dawn at 6:01 local time was rosy-fingered and pretty; now that we are at the time zone closest east to the international date line, we saw Feb 9 start at the earliest time that it could be seen anywhere in the world.   A fine start to a full day.

We are in Lautoka today, which is the 2^nd largest city in Fiji, and sits on the biggest of Fiji’s 300+ islands (Viti Levu, which is the home of golfer Vijay Singh). This island gets a lot of rain on one side and is drier on the other. On the rainy side, the jungle is often used by non-Fijian governments to train combat troops because there are no snakes, no poisonous spiders and no malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

Sugar cane grows on the island and is a major export; because of its purity, processing is simpler and less expensive than in other locations, so Lautoka is a major regional hub for sugar export. Over the years many Indian immigrants have come to Fiji to work in the sugar processing industry, and the population of Lautoka is a mix of many immigrant and native people. Railroad tracks run around the island to transport the sugar cane to the processing plant in Lautoka. Dense forests on the island produce another big export – wood pellets, which are exported to Japan and elsewhere to produce furniture and other products.

On the other hand, fuel for driving, cooking and other purposes, as well as wheat and other foodstuffs, must all be imported. Hence Lautoka has a major port, not only for tourist ships but also for necessities. Near to the port is the commercial center of Lautoka, which reminds us of a very large district similar to NYC Chinatown – lots of stores, restaurants, etc. crowded together (but well organized and clean). The islands use hydroelectric power, and you can see cell phones and satellite dishes everywhere. The type of government buildings and services you would see in developed areas (hospitals, schools, government offices) are all present and seem very modern. Government programs to ensure free education, health care and other services are in place. Fiji is largely a Christian country, with a large Hindu population and a smaller percentage of Muslims and those of other faiths.

We left the port and commercial center to make 2 visits today, and each was very interesting. First stop was Garden of the Sleeping Giant, which is a large tropical area showcasing orchids and other flowering plants, lily ponds that are just as beautiful as Giverny, palms, trees of all types and beautiful gardens. This is the garden created by Raymond Burr and then turned over to the public. Joe took a lot of pictures and he’ll post whatever he can upload (given the bandwidth restrictions with our WIFI connections on the ship).

After the visit to the Garden of the Sleeping Giant, we went to the largest village in Fiji, where about 900 people live. Fiji’s history is one of clans and tribes, and despite many years of British rule (Fiji is now independent), this clan/tribe culture still exists and governs local life. Each village has a chief and a council of elders who make decisions for the village. In the village we visited, as in most, the church is the central and largest structure, as Fiji natives credit the Christian missionaries with ending cannibalism and promoting the true love of neighbor that allows for peaceful coexistence in the nation. A village green is near the church, together with communal meeting buildings. Houses radiate out from this central church/green area, and the housing stock is a mix of wood structures with thatch roofs, tin houses, and more sturdy stone and cement structures. The village chief’s house has the highest foundation, and no one else’s house is permitted to have a higher foundation. Flowers and gardens abound, very neatly organized.

Most of the residents of the village we visited work in the local tourism industries (there are several hotels and guest houses on the island). Several of the clan/tribe leaders have made deals with hotel developers; the tribes sell the land for development and make arrangements to supply local labor to the developers. A strict record of tribal land ownership is maintained, and there is a system to settle ownership disputes.

Notably, Mutiny on the Bounty (the real occurrence with Captain Bligh) occurred near Fiji in the late 1700s.

I know – this is way more info than anyone needs. It was just so impressive to see old cultures and primitive land at the same time as modern and sophisticated practices and approaches.

A fascinating place, this Fiji.

Best,

MA

Happy news after the big outing in Samoa –  the Crystal folks, within about 20 minutes after the first guests returned from the “coastal walk,” advised everyone on that trip that a partial refund was already processed, so no one would pay more than 50% for that trip.   Helped to establish that the early complaints prompted a quick response.

Yasawa-I-Rara Island, Fiji                                  Monday, February 8, 2014*

*We are now a day ahead of USA

We landed today in Fiji on one of the northwest islands of Fiji, Yasawa-I-Rara. I’ll let Joe’s pictures do all the talking – words are not adequate to describe how beautiful this place is.

Fiji is comprised of a lot of islands, and Yasawa-I-Rara is one of the least developed. That is why the island is used by Hollywood, and you might know that the 1980s Brook Shields movie “The Blue Lagoon” was filmed on a tiny island off the cost of YIR (sorry but I can’t keep typing out the whole name). There are several villages on the island, and about 2000 people live on the island. There is only one resort on the island.

The weather is hot (over 90F), the water is very clear and very warm (high 80s), and there are people all over snorkeling among the coral. If you get into a shaded area (and there are many, since the island is full of palm trees and vegetation), the breeze is delightful and it’s easy to understand why you’d want to stay here.

The tender boat took a lot of the cruise visitors to the island on continuous shuttles, and we landed on a nice long wooden pier that leads to the beach. The village closest to where we landed has a population of approximately 600. The local residents set up a market along the beach, selling colorful fabric and sarongs, shell jewelry, fans, etc. I walked through this market and into the nearby “neighborhood” – about a dozen corrugated tin shacks, many thatched huts, chickens and goats in a few yards, a cemetery with a few graves (no names, dates, etc., just crosses on top of white markers), no vehicles in sight, and local folks bringing goods to the beach market for sale. The locals greet everyone with the Fijian welcome “bula bula” so I will have to ask Brandon if there is some Yale connection here that has gone unnoticed….

Tomorrow we go to the large island of Fiji (Viti Levu), and plan to visit the “Garden of the Sleeping Giant.” This is where Fiji’s largest orchid garden is located – it was founded by Raymond Burr (the actor known for Perry Mason and Ironside), to house his collection of orchids. So I’m thinking that if a guy like Raymond Burr can live in Fiji, maybe I could get used to this, too.

Hope you all have a Happy Chinese New Year (year of the Monkey)!

Best,

MA

Apia, Samoa                                                                                       February 5, 2016

Today we landed before Noon in Apia (Samoa’s capital) and spent the afternoon seeing parts of the Island of Upolu. This is a lovely island, and reminded us of St Martin/St Maarten many years ago, before it was developed to its current extent – jagged lava mountains rise high in the sky, and are carpeted with lush vegetation. Reefs and pools of water provide great snorkeling (no, we didn’t snorkel), and there are lovely waterfalls in several places (Joe will post pix if they are worthy). Apia is a city of about 37,000, with a harbor and pier, as well as schools, houses of worship, government buildings and embassies of Australia and USA (there may be others but those are the 2 we saw today).

Samoa is considered the “cradle of Polynesia” and you might already know that Robert Louis Stevenson lived here (and is buried here) after he left Scotland to find a climate more suitable for his tuberculosis.

This afternoon we visited a national park and 2 waterfalls, and took a “coastal walk” which was about as far from a stroll on the Spring Lake boardwalk as you can imagine. A large crowd from the cruise ship took off in 5 or 6 vans run by a local tour company. Small excitements began to occur – one van had a flat tire, one van had all the water bottles and no other van did, another van was pulled over by police and ticketed for running a red light. The drivers seemed to lose communication with each other and common meeting points along the trip were scenes where one van waited and no one else showed up until after the first van left.

None of these little issues was really any problem, but the “coastal walk” (you can tell by my use of quotation marks for a second time how I feel about this tour!) almost turned into a mutiny by the cruise guests. The short trek to some scenic overlooks was fairly treacherous – some of the more energetic guests stopped about 25% of the way through the walk, which caused the less energetic guests to reconsider the entire event. The “paved path” was more of a trail through the forest, complete with lots of fallen trees to step/jump/climb over, and ascents and descents that wound up being a group effort as guides and guests helped each other up and down.

When the entire large cruise group finally got to the same place at the end of the trip, people started asking if they could return early to the ship, since they were hot, weak, exhausted, etc. It took some arguing to convince the tour operators to let people end their excursion 30 minutes early, but it was done (kind of reminded me of a great international convention as people from various countries joined forces to ensure that liberty was had for all).

Now we are back on ship, where tomorrow we cross the international date line. Tonight it is Friday, and tomorrow will be Sunday.   Early next week we will be in Fiji – hope we have some good pictures for you!

Best,

MA

We have crossed the Equator!                                                        February 3, 2016

This morning we crossed the equator, and we are on our way to Samoa (we’ll be there Friday). There is a ton of water under this ship and it’s warmer than the air that surrounds us (water is about 90 degrees F, air is about 88 degrees F). As you look out from the ship, all you see is water, nice blue sky, and puffy white clouds. Joe will post some pix so you can see what we are seeing. It’s like there is no one else in the world. Just amazing.

After we visit Samoa, our trip gets a lot more active, with fewer days at sea, and more frequent stops for the next 90+ days. This has been a good vacation thus far, but we’ll be on the move after this. Hopefully we’ll have some good pictures to show you.

The vibe on the ship is changing over time. It seems that people got settled in during the first few days, and are now in a very friendly state of mind. Doubtless the many classes have provided people with a chance to know each other, so now we see each other outside the classroom and have time to meet, introduce spouses and friends, etc. The US Presidential race provides every single person on this ship, regardless of nationality or political preferences, an opportunity to comment on the situation. A constant source of amusement, tinged with concern about events in the world.

I heard someone say that the average age on the ship is 87, and that might be true. I hope that when I am 87 I am in the condition of most of these fellow passengers!

Best,

MA

January 31, 2016

We’ve been at sea for almost a week now, and were on land yesterday for the first time since last Sunday, when we left San Francisco. Being in the Pacific Ocean has been a great time for reflection, as we cruise along with no land in sight, no birds, and only the noise of the waves. But a busy time, too – there are things happening all day and night on board.   We have met many nice folks from all over, and there are about 350 people who will be onboard for the entire 100+ days (others join us for specific segments of the trip).

Lectures abound, many focused on the conflicts in the Middle East as do classes on a wide range of topics (photography, bridge, computer, piano, Spanish, knitting, health and wellness, history, geology, etc.). Fortunately, many of the lectures are taped so you can watch them on TV if you are busy when the original lecture takes place. Agonizing decisions every for us: Joe – whether to take a photography class or a lecture; MA – whether to take Spanish or pilates.   Tons of sports classes and clinics too (golf, paddleball, etc), as well as an onboard Olympic Games challenge.   Happily, clergy of various faiths are on board, and Mass is celebrated every day.

Yesterday we saw Honolulu during a brief visit. Enjoyed the Lyon Arboretum and a great party at the USS Missouri (where the papers ending WWII were signed on the Surrender Deck).

Tuesday we reach Fanning Island in the Republic of Kiribati, but we won’t yet be at the Equator. This Pacific is one big ocean!

Best,

MA