We are at sea headed for Sydney Australia, having left Noumea, New Caledonia where it is now Valentine’s day. So here are some pictures from Noumea, including some “Love Birds” for Valentine’s Day. Joe

New Caledonia                                                          Sat. Feb 13, 2016 4pm local time Yesterday and today we visited 2 islands that are part of New Caledonia (NC has 4 large islands and many smaller ones). NC was discovered by the Brits but later became a French territory. (Caledonia was the old name for Scotland, hence the New Caledonia name.) […]

Talk about service. We made a quick side trip to Mystery Island, a very small island that is part of a chain of islands known as Vanuata. The cruise ship set up a bar on the beach for cruise guests and the staff waded into the Pacific to serve drinks. See the picture. Joe

Some shots from Lautoka, Fiji, including: orchids from the Garden of the Sleeping Giant, created by Raymond Burr of Perry Mason fame; local traders showing their wares, and the house of a village Chief.

Just a note about cannibalism, in case you are interested.  Our guide in Fiji told  us that the reason cannibalism was practiced in Fiji was because of the belief that if you did not consume the person you wanted to kill (your rival or enemy), that person’s spirit  would just be transferred to his sibling, […]

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 […]

Fiji is stunningly beautiful. Here are some pictures.

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 […]

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 […]