Papeete

PAPEETE TAHITI

This island is MUCH larger than Bora Bora and is much more developed and busy. You see many houses marching up the side of the extinct volcano;the sides are more sloping than in Bora Bora. Thereare more people here too: probably 10,000 alone on the streets of Papeete on a given day. They have traffic jams from 6-8 in the morning and 4 to 6 in the evenings.

We had breakfast in the cabin and then were lucky enough to be on the first tour to go out: Highlights of Tahiti. This was an air conditioned motor coach and there were about 36 of us. The architecture here is very suggestive of French but not overwhelmingly so. The colors are vibrant as many Caribbean ones are. The minister of one church has paint sent to him from China each year to paint his church (the weather is very hot and humid) so whatever color is his church will also be seen on many folks’ homes as the extra paint is distributed.

58 percent are Christian, a smaller percentage Catholic, and less than 1% Muslim, or Jewish, or others. Polynesians are the majority but 38% are Chinese who again own many of the businesses. French are a smaller number.

It was in the 80s today with humidity even higher. That simply wipes us out.

Our first stop was the home of one of the co-authors of Mutiny on the Bounty and it has been renovated to the exact way it looked when the book was written. The docent was very informative and I quite enjoyed this more than I expected. His name was James Norton (?) Hall.

Other stops included the blow hole (not much of one this stop I’m afraid). We saw this years ago when we were here but it is so built up around it now and the spray was much less impressive. Last time two people got drenched and their cameras were ruined. We also went deep into a valley to see a gorgeous waterfall. And also stopped at a lighthouse and toured the displays there. Ed and I had seen these latter two stops last trip here (2008? 2010?) both both areas are so much built it up it made us wonder until we began to recall specifics such as the fact that I twisted my ankle in a crab hole at the lighthouse last time. We had previously visited the Gaugin home here but it was destroyed sometime ago in a typhoon and was never rebuilt.

They have had a lot of rain and flooding recently as has Bora Bora so you saw a lot of construction and dead wood which had been washed down from the mountains or on the shore. There is a lot of volcanic rock around here. While the sands in Bora Bora were white (very fine) sand, they were all black sand beaches here. We saw many folks swimming in the surf and Ed got a great photo of a mother and child emerging from the surf.

There were many small shops and the usual kinds of things for sale.

When we returned from the tour we had lunch on the ship and then went into town to see what was there. Not much exciting I’m afraid but Ed bought a shirt and I got a cute and very different top; now to find something for the bottom that matches! Then we went into this covered open air market which had everything from soup to nuts. But nothing that enticed us. There was an internet café at the top where you could use the internet for an hour for $2 but we didn’t have any of our devices with us to make it worth our while. So we returned to the ship, my face beet red and soaked. I showered and felt marginally better. This meant a lot of laundry going out tonight too. Thank theLord for laundry privileges!

We had supper with only one other person at our table but he is great fun. The waiter has such a dry sense of humor he makes it all fun.

Ed just told me we did 3.6 miles today. Still not enough to keep ahead of the calories I’m taking in, mostly in the form of fruits so I try to justify it. I’m still working on balance.

We are both moving along in the resolution of our lung issues. I have fewer and fewer coughing episodes and I have lots of company. You hear a lot of coughing around on these tours.

Both islands talked a lot about the impact of 9/11 and the 2008 economic crisis from which they have still not recovered. Tourism is still their major industry and while they are a part of the French Polynesia, they have no French benefits.

Tonite’s Show: was a comic and he was very good. Had me laughing so hard I surely cleared out of a lot of my lungs. Found the photos we’ve been doing with the ship’s staff and put them into our folder for later.

Bora Bora

BORA BORA

We got up at 7:30 as our dining couple wanted to see the sail into Bora Bora from a good vantage point. You could see something in the distance but it could have been a figment of the cloud shapes. Gradually it begins to get a definite shape and intensity of color and it looks like an island in the distance. Eventually, it’s clear it’s an island but is the one we’re headed for? After some adjustments, it was.

Our friends came and along with other souls willing to brave the hot sun without shade, we sailed in and drooped anchor as this is a tender port. You could smell the wood fires a few miles out and I so love that odor.  We had lunch in our cabin and then headed for our tour, a 22 mile around the island tour in a truck---with a top and open windows. Getting on to the tender, all you could smell was sunscreen. You must remember this isn’t civilization as we know it. Don’t expect A/C and don’t expect many comforts. The seats looked like they had been salvaged from a classroom for 2^nd graders and mounted on steel bars. Mercifully there were foam pads (covered in local designs) on the seats. But think sardines.

The lush tropical plants are everywhere and the houses are usually under canopies of such trees and plants. What sun could get through is usually kept at bay by low slung corrugated roofs with large overhangs. It looks cool and cozy under these areas and people seem quite at ease.

The temp was up to 88 and the humidity over 80%. We tenderfoots are not used to this. We do bring water along and Princess always has cool water near the tender port. They also greet your return with cool wet wash cloths which are greatly appreciated.

The water is quite indescribable. You can tell the depth easily by looking at the colors which range from sandy white to dark navy blue. If there had been time and opportunity, this would have been a great swimming opportunity as the water was warmer than a shower one lady said. We saw their sewage plant and where they make water. We were stopped at a locals house where they tie dye cloths and sell them to us. The $10 pareo starts out with cotton that looks like gauze and then is dipped into various plant dyes. They are then hung out to dry in the sun sometimes with blanks over them in the shape of turtles and such which create even more pattern. We were told the colors were permanent. Heavier material was $35. They were pretty but I have one from Hawaii years ago that is of better quality. There were many local necklaces and such made of shells. Many dresses and shirts that we could find anywhere probably. Nothing is cheap here. Gas is $8 a gallon though Ed was muttering something when we were told those so…

The final stop was “Bloody Mary’s” of South Pacific fame where their version of a Bloody Mary is a must so Ed bought one: $8 for about 7 oz and you get to keep the plastic glass which might last two dish washer loads I estimate.

We saw many of the houses on stilts including one that is (or was) Jack Nichelson’s. There was much discussion of the filming of Mutiny on the Bounty here with Marlon Brando and all of that history. (well they have to have something to tell the tourists!)

Their major income is from tourism, followed by copak (?) made from coconut husks, and other coconut related products.

While this is French Polynesia, most locals spoke a native dialect(s), some French, and passable English. Ten percent of the population are Chinese and their presence is visible in the names of markets and restaurants.

You know we were tired as we passed up the offer of free WiFi in some nondescript bar to return to the ship where we couldn’t get into the shower fast enough. Thank the Lord for free laundry.

before land

LUNAR NEW YEAR

There was a party up by the pool with a champagne water (?) fall. The only new year décor were Chinese lanterns strung across the deck from the jogging track, and Oscar dressed again in his Chinese robe with sparkly slippers, pink parasol and coolie hat. The band is a very good one we see around the ship and they are quite good. Many of the staff, especially the dancers, were dressed in Hawaiian type dress (we were supposed to have been in Honolulu before now). A fair representation of passengers of all ages appeared and we smiled broadly when Willie was dancing with the girls who were around. The pool sloshed a little and so seats were limited in the middle.

We visited again with our table mates from No Cal. We got lucky with them. Just so much fun and so many perspectives in common. He is a Cal grad but we don’t hold it against him. Ha.

We got our “crossing the equator” certificates and I have my Kiss the Fish photo for you doubting Thomases.

Entertainer: John Bressler again. Please take a minute to look him up as his story is quite interesting. He is a marvelous pianist with a voice worse than Rod Stewart but it adds character to his singing. I have so enjoyed him. We especially liked that he gives the story behind songs and tells you about the composers, lyricists, and singers.

We missed the navigation engineers talk yesterday so we are listening to it on the TV in the cabin right now.

Weather: it was raining and overcast when we awoke this am but is it now sunny and lovely with brisk wind. The rocking of the ship has been modest for several days now so you see more people moving about.

The weather around the pool last night around 10 pm so was balmy and nice. Absolutely perfect weather.

We are moving along to Bora Bora at more than 18 knots which is a good clip but the seas are forgiving as well.

ED: he now has what I got several days ago. I’m encouraging him to go to medical center early so it can be cut shorter hopefully. I am still have unpredictable coughing jags and taking my cherrytussin far more regularly than I’d like. IF we had to have these, I’m glad it was early. So many people have had it and in this population, it can be very serious. We already had Flu type A and had our shots but there is no guarantee that we would not contract another strain.

Some other time I’ll share many of the activities on board. It’s your fault if you are bored. We have spent more time resting these days because of our various weaknesses and so we’ll be ready for the touring and hiking. Can’t recall using the elevator more than once and then I had a drink in my hand.

WATER ON BOARD: they make it on board and use the heat from the engine to create it. Real cogeneration! 320 tons per day produced. It is all potable. All water if potable. When it becomes less than that, there is a bacterial and other methods to purify it.

FRUITS are delivered to our cabin regularly so we are both eating more fruits than usual. You can tell what is reaching its “use by” date as we get more of them. Right now it is bananas.

PAJAMA BUFFET: I have a few pics of crazily dressed staff and the beautiful ice and food carvings ships are known for. I plan to upload them to photostream when we reach “civilization” as the photog said to me.

He also introduced me to AirDrop. What made it so funny (in addition to the fact neither of us knew about this great feature) is that I said to him: it’s just like the old Palm Pilot. There was this incredible blaank look and he said: I don’t know what you’re talking about. Generation gap for sure.

Trivia has been very difficult and we’ve been close but no banana. We are often 5 but they are a fun group so we keep enjoying it. The prizes are really not things we crave very much.

Dinner is usually but not predictably, just the 4 of us. The waiter is very funny in a dry sort of way. I usually order a fruit plate for dessert and he makes a face. He told  us tonight that tomorrow in Bora Bora the staff are going out on a boat. Even he saw the irony in that.

We did not go to the entertainment tonight. It was the young lady from the other night and none of us wants to sit through that intensity again. She would be great for a small Vegas venue with a committed following.

BOOK CLUB: I went to the discussion of the book “the Nest” this afternoon. Most don’t recommend it so I’m not bothering to try to find it on my sources when I am back in civilization.

The Hula class had a show today and it was cute. The lady (Maori by origin) is quite good and explains a lot.

You’d think we’d be chomping at the bit to get off on land tomorrow in Bora Bora, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the time on the sea and we have gotten more rest than we would at home which is probably good for both of us.

Ed went to the medical clinic today with the same thing I have had. He got expectorant and some other goodies so hopefully his will be better than mine. I still have unexpected coughing jags but it is a loose cough and the MD told Ed that I probably have about 2 more weeks of this before it’s gone. So I’ll be ready for Sydney.

A lazy day

Chinese New Year: I wore a Chinese jacket and they have a celebration planned. The Matre De of the d Chinese coolie with diamond studded sandals on and dark nylons. Later he appeared in his usual uniform.

WHAT I LEARNED SO FAR TODAY

TMI: it takes me at least 30 min and more to take all my sprays, inhalers, cough medicine, etc. to clear out my lungs and UR tract in order to be human around people. Still coughing attacks are brought on by breads and cold drinks. Sigh…

DOWNLOADING: Do not try to download a magazine and the audio. I ate up 3-45 min this morning trying to download the Economist. So I’ll still with what I already have downloaded and wait until we are near free WiFi when on shore in some civilized area which won’t happen for at least week.

TV feeds internationally: are more measured than those feeds domestically. It’s all relative of course but it is interesting to see that there is less and some visible attempts to be more balanced.

OPINIONS: it is important to withhold impressions of people until you have a number of opportunities to get to know them. I am reminded of this over and over.

AGE Groups: We have such a spread of ages on this cruise, more than in the past I think. The diversity, in whatever category you might choose, is more than in the past.

I try to learn the names of each person I meet including (and especially) staff. A very tall young man in photography from eastern Europe has a very difficult (for me) name to pronounce. So yesterday I finally got it right. The big grin on his face was worth it. The name is Urush; that’s phonetic as I can’t see his name tag. It is pronounced like Ur (as in your) roosh.

Laundry: at this point, we are getting it back within a day. Nice.

GLAD we took: all of our prn meds as they have all come in handy. They were among the bulkiest things we carried but at this rate, most will be consumed by the end of the cruise.

Perfume: Don’t let the lady spray you, especially on clothing, or you will be terribly sick of the fragrance pretty quickly. And nothing short taking it off and laundering it will make even  a part of it go away.

Our own celebrity: there is a man who always dresses in light colored suits (baby blue, yellow, cream), wears a white fedora, and a pink lei. The other day I told him he looked like Truman Capote. I’m not sure if ge took offense or not but he clearly wants to be remembered and noticed as he dresses this way every day.

Hula dancing: is held just before trivia in the morning so I am learning some of the moves and their meanings. The teacher is delightful and speaks loudly enough she is easily heard. But it seems so incongruous when she laughs as it is more like a guffaw. She’s doing a great job with a group that includes men, women, and all age groups.

Harmony group: the director of this group we have seen on other cruises’ and he is VERY good he takes these disparate people and they perform a beautiful selection of songs periodically. Quite amazing.

Pets: the farmer to the day said her kids made a pet out of a calf on the farm. They raise Charlais a quite beautiful animal. But one of the calves grew to be over a 1000 pounds and still thought it was a pet so the kids had to be careful when it brushed up against them.

Observing men entering the lounge for trivia: it is as if they have a string tied to their umbilicus and are being pulled ahead with it.

Kiss the fish: found my photo. Man that fish was ugly.

Well duh!: Ed and I have long tried to figure out how to have one part of the cabin cooler than the other. So tonight I was storing some stuff in an obscure part of the cabin and lo and behold there is a second temperature control. Who knew?

I’m including a formal portrait here so you can see how spiffy Ed looks in his La Cosa Nostra tux ensemble.

Day 7 cross the equator

CROSSING THE EQUATOR

It is a tradition to hold a ceremony on the deck beside the pool when a ship crosses the equator for the first time on a voyage. People who have never crossed the equator before are called pollywogs; those who have been through the ceremony are called Shellbacks. It is great fun with staff and passengers having a ball watching people have ice putdown their pants, Whipped cream (with fish and garlic supposedly) smeared all over your face and body, … you get the picture. At the end is the “kiss the fish” routine. We’ve never done this part before, but I did today. The fish was long and pretty ugly with it’s mouth agape. I expected it to be slimy, but it was dry. The photographers were there to memorialize the experience. It takes a long while to set up the pool area for this and a long time to clean it up. The cruise director, captain, and another officer were dunked in the pool. There is a long script with outrageous remarks and silliness. One of the characters on this ship was Nurse Listerine. There was a “surgeon” who pulled out dead chickens, spaghetti, fruits, vegetables, you name it, out of the surgical site. All of them were past date and so it was not a waste of good food.

We had lunch again with Willie (who also kissed the fish) and his parents and couple from Victoria BC.

COUGHING JAGS

I’m still at a stage where I cannot drink iced drinks or eat breads as they trigger awful coughing attacks. I am still taking my CherryTussin (sounds like the name of a stripper) from November to modulate the coughing fits. I didn’t tell you that the package for the lozenges I received in the medical clinic the other  day also has the name (I presume) in Braille. My chest muscles are really sore.

We are both still moving stuff around in the cabin to try to organize things so we can find things as we wish. It’ll get there. Ed got a copy of the 2 page newspaper just now to catch up on US news.

BOOK OF INTEREST: I just finished listening to: The Professor and the Madman. It is a true story of the development of the Oxford English Dictionary. The madman is a prolific contributor to the OED who was criminally insane. He was American and was eventually returned to his family in New England. At the end is an interview with the current editor of the OED and I found both intertwined stories to hold my interest.

I started on The More of Less but found it agitated me so perhaps I’ll come back to it. Earlier I finished the Bill Bryson Collection. He is one of my favorites. I also listened to the summary of Hillbilly Elegy which I will read later in the voyage. So now I think I’ll move on to Stuff Matters.

Flowers: I put Ed’s Boutonnière and my wristlet in water the other night and they are still looking good though the boutonnière looks far better.

Moods: the anxiety and nerves about getting the house in order packing properly have gone away but our energy levels are still lagging. My URI issues explains some of that but if I am puny, I’d rather it be at this point where we have all these sea days than later.

Entertainment: last night was a marvelous harmonica player. Yes you read that right. He plays with symphonies and makes that little instrument sound mighty. The Young lady the night before was too intense and has a singing style that is very annoying so we’ll see what happens when they bring her back.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR OF THE ROOSTER!

We gain another hour tonight so we are 2 hrs difference than LA.  Bora Bora is our next stop and the day after that, Papeete, Tahiti. After that 6 days to the Bay of Islands in New Zealand. Along that route we cross theinternational date line at which point we begin the day before yosudo.

Day 6 somewhere on the Pacific

INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW.

I’m often asked what channels we have so here goes:

Princess Channel, TV Guide, Movie channel, Special Interest Channel, Romance Movies, Family Movie, Pacific TV Channel, Discovery Communications, Princess shopping channel, Photo/Video channel, Future cruise channel, Animal Planet, Tour info, Princess Lifestyle Channel, CNBC, MSNBC, FOX news, BBC World News, Prime US Channel???, ESPN, ESPN2, Special Event channel, Spare Channel with Princess Logo, Oasis/Riveria/Med/World Beat Mix (audio only), Traditional Irish/UK Blend (audio), Intermezzo Classical (audio), Unforgettable/American song book mix (audio), GEO/Voyage/Nav channel (maps of our cruise with moving ship), Webcam Public Announcements, Weather (which today is 80 with strong wind).

Musings on an open sea

BATHING CHALLENGES

This cabin has a Jacuzzi tub shower combination. First of all, it is a high hike to get into it. It has two hand held wands, one on each end of the tub and there are shelves around the tub. There are hand grabbers on the right side but you must use the hardware to stabilize yourself otherwise. There are two handles in the wide part of the tub to help hoist yourself up if sitting.

The normal shower on these cruises barely gives a normal sized person enough room to turn  around. But you are secure in them.

So I have gotten to the point where I am sitting and use the hand wands. Getting out of the tub is safer if you enter and step out in the same position using the hand rail.

TRIVIA

We met two couples from Georgia: one from Athens and the other from just north of Tallahasse Fla. Both of the men are morticians so we had some funny discussions about their business. We weren’t the worst team but we weren’t close to the winners. One man said, I’ve embarrassed myself before. So have we all. One lady was an elementary school teacher for almost 30 yrs. I don’t know about the other lady but I immediately liked her. I’d enjoy being in a team with them again. Just fun and relaxed and cooperative. Some of these teams are so intense and question every answer except theirs.

LUNCH

We had lunch in our cabin since I’m taking meds to cut down on the coughing and runny nose. Thank goodness for all the pharmacy I saved from the flu episode. It is doing right by me.

THURSDAY JANUARY 26

International Date Line: we will cross it tomorrow afternoon.

Movies: We saw Infiltrator with Branston yesterday. I watched it only because of him. It is based on a true story. Not uplifting I’m afraid. They have movies on the TV too but I haven’t made out any yet.

Sniffles update: I’m better today. Using all my meds. But a woman at trivia said she had been puny, went to the clinic a few days ago, was dx with Flu type A and put on Tamiflu and she is doing well now.

Small world: I was going down the staircase earlier today and a lady stopped me and asked if I was on the 2010 cruise. It turns out she also knows one of our favorite people from that cruise, Chuck Howard, as he was at their table on that cruise.

Crafts: they have them twice a day. I sometime look in but it’s hard for me to do because of vision. Willie however loves it;he is the 18 y/o I spoke of earlier.

Entertainment: it’s all over the ship in various forms. Neither of us was impressed with the young female singer last night. Ed stayed while myself and a parade of others left. That is unusual as they go to great effort to provide good entertainers.

Port talk: Ed went to the one on Bora Bora and Papeete this morning and said she was very good. They also show these presentations on the TV.

Population: We have more mixed race couples on this cruise than I recall on any other. A few single ladies, all older than me, travelling together.

Dancing: there is a couple on board who teach classes. We are spoiled I think because the previous teachers we have had were excellent. This couple dances before every show in the evening. She is very dramatic (Certainly not Fred and Ginger) and he is “walking” it as Ed said. There are other passenger couples, who are very good and we love watching them. They are fluid, seem to genuinely enjoy what they are doing. And seemingly not interested in being the “stars”. The instructors on the other hand tend to take up the whole dance floor and so few folks stay to dance. Sad.

Photos: we had formal pics taken on the stairs the other night and tonight they have casual portraits again. We may do them this time. You can accumulate your photos and decide what you want to do later so that’s what we do.

Walking on the sea: Weather is better today but lots of wind still and the bobbing around is still present. Almost no one with seasickness at this point but I see lots of patches.

This take some getting used to. Lurching from one wall to the other as you walk down the corridor is de riguer. It is disconcerting to begin to step down and the deck rises to meet your foot unexpectedly. Same the other way, you think you’ve got the hang of it, and suddenly you are headed forward before your foot meets a solid surface.

Sitting near the window in the dining room, which is deck 5 aft (back of ship) sometimes feels like a ferris wheel as the ship rises and then dips by down and the water skims the window.

Watching the prow of the ship from our balcony is similar as the prow rises up and then slams down into the water. This view is almost exactly what you will see on the web cam as I believe the camera is just above us.

Book club: they are reading “the Nest” and will meet to discuss itlater. The ship provides the books and they must be returned at the discussion group.

There are lots of special interest groups that meet.

Trivia: the staff has a tough job with this and as we’ve cruised they’ve gotten more organized and firm about how it is done. They get their questions and answers from some unknown source (many are around these days) and their answer is always right even when it’s not. But the other day a question was based on Faux News. We all suspected as much so I used my internet minutes to look it up and it was faux news. I have no problem with whether or not a satellite qualifies to answer what is the name of a body that orbits around a planet (moon was the answer but others objected and wanted satellite). But when it’s right out of the National Inquirer, I’m disappointed to say the least. So someone suggested a note to Princess.

And while I’m at it: we have met people of all political persuasions on this cruise. We have had respectful and considerate discussions with most. I was, however, amused the other day when I made a remark about something entirely different and the woman assumed my beliefs were hers as well. So I smiled nicely, listened acutely (as I wanted to understand her rationale) and never said anything that would clue her in.

a quiet day (we hope)

PERSONNEL

Last night was formal night and so they had the captain’s reception. The lady next to us was on her third glass of wine and was feeling no pain when we finally found a seat.

Almost all of the heads of departments are Italian. I don’t think that has ever been so true on one of our voyages. The Captain is British, and the ship’s doctor So African. Interestingly, the purser did not appear. He is the first off at each port and the last on as he is the one who pays the local fees. Last time it was this incredibly tall, lanky Scot named Angus. He was memorable. I want to see the purser at some point because Ed has international currency from way before I met him and I want to know whether it is useful or not. This includes a few of the bills that India has eliminated! Whether we can get value out of them is questionable. And much of it was a jumble so we had to use a magnifier to determine the country and put them into bags. Then I sorted out those countries we will not be visiting to put that currency aside. I am astonished at how much is here!

But back to the ship’s personnel: the staff with whom we mostly interact are from the following countries so far: US, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Aruba, So Africa, Croatia, Romania, several Asian countries including lots of Philipinos, India, Japan. So far that’s all I can recall.

Among the passengers, I found their backgrounds interesting. Since we have open seating often we are put with people we haven’t seen before.  I mentioned the labor union rep and his wife who placed foster children and adoptions. Our other table mates are a postal worker and mid level manager of home care for KP. Yesterday at lunch there was a farmer and a truck driver. Previous cruises had elementary school teachers and nurses. So the population quite reminds me of the people we spend a lot of time with at home: SAGE and red hats.

AGES: one couple is travelling with their 18 y/o son who has Downs syndrome. He is very sweet and delightful as they usually are. He has graduated from high school but is still studying in transition for his next school. So he has homework on the ship. There are3 babies on board: two infants and a 2 yr old (?) who is the Captain’s daughter. He was on his honeymoon in Hawaii when the itinerary was changed. Initially the plan was that he’d join the ship in Honolulu. So they had to fly to LA and so his new wife and daughter are on board. They dress her in nautical clothing. She is dark haired and really cute.

The age range for adults is probably around our age. There several younger by 10-15 yrs and some older of course. There is some fragility in many. There were two men frantically looking for a woman the other day and it turns out she is in the stages of dementia and wandered off and they were frantic to find her. It is not uncommon for family to bring such a person along on a cruise. It seems a good compromise to me.

RUNNY NOSE

While my throat feels better today, my nose is needing constant dabbing. My energy level is somewhat down and I dread those stairs but I’m determined.

Ed ordered room service for breakfast so

SPEAKING OF STAIRS

We are on deck7. The number of stairs between each deck is 16 EXCEPt for 5-6 where it is 22. So when we go from deck 5 where many activities, to deck 10, where trivia is held, we are getting a minor workout.

WEATHER TODAY

First off, we got an extra hour today. We are having to reset our iPhone times manually as there is no way to do it otherwise. The temp outside is around 70, wind speed 25 knots, I think ship’s speed is around 18 knots, seas are wonderful, probably moderate. Sun is SO bright.

Sky is sometimes overcast.

we thought we were through with URIs

THE MEDICAL CLINIC

Well you just knew it was coming. I started getting a severe sore throat yesterday afternoon. So it kept me awake sometimes during the night and Debated on whether or not to be seen. Eventually I said yes becauseWhile there I didn’t want to regret waiting later. The tall, far too young, Aussie RN named Dane checked me in.

Before I forget, the medical clinic is on the 4^th deck close to amidships. There’s hardly any ship’s motion down there! The place was busy. One guy clearly with the flu, another lady with a cough that wouldn’t stop, and a man who ran in with an almost cut off thumb. One of the room stewards was there as well. So I was still questioning my decision.

There is also a pretty young nurse from Durban so Africa. All of them work like such a great team. The MD is fraom Cape Town, young, very good looking, educates well, soft, calm voice. Thorough. I liked him.

So I have viral pharyngitis. Gave me lozenges for the throat pain and after seeing my personal pharmacy, declared, along with the pain med I got on the Caribbean Princess in September, I was all set. So now I am at the runny nose stage. Yuk.

While there they used a small portable X-ray machine on the man with the cut thumb. It was about the size of laptop but stacked 4 high. Quiet ingenious.

Beautiful weather today. We are over a 1000 miles SWof LA now. Seas are better each day. Temps in the 60s. Wind is moderate as are the seas between moderate and high but so much better than previous days.

mind games

MIND GAMES

We slept in late and I went to mental quiz. This game was new to me. People volunteer to participate. We were 7. The first person starts by completing the sentence “I like….” The next person in line starts I like cruising and (adds their word). So this continues all the way around and then begins with the first person again. If you can’t accurately recall all of the words in order, you are out and this continues until only one person is left. I was a finalist but was defeated nby the word “chocolate”.  Didn’t make a good associative link for that word. So the other terrific lady won a water bottle.

From there I went to trivia. We partnered up with two other couples. This was not an easy trivia session. It was fun working with these other people. Lots of analysis and sharing and no egos tried to prevail. In the end our group, the Dynamites, came in second. Good enough for us.

In the dining room we shared a table with 3 other couples. Two sisters-in-law, and two couples, one from BC. The food is always terrific. I had a white bean and vegetable soup that I wish I could have more often. We do different things for breakfast,but usually do the dining room for lunch (open seating) and for supper where our assigned table is 26. It is a table of 6 and we have only met one of the couples. They are from the San Francisco area. He worked with unions his entire career and she was in adoption and placements for foster children. She also went to South Africa to work to elect Nelson Mandela.  Fun conversation over dinner.

WEATHER TODAY

Temp is around 60-65, wind is brisk enough, sea is a navy blue, sky is very blue, sea is moderate so still enough swaying and dipping which means you have to hold onto the rails. You forget how very bright the sun is until you try to look outside. And speaking of which, we are  now allowed outside on the decks.

LIBRARY

I walked through the library upstairs. Lots of dozing men, a few folks putting a jig saw puzzle together, others reading the small newspaper that is put there every day; Legal size paper, 1 page, both sides. They have maps and travel booksup there. I have a wall world map in our cabin and a world atlas book and neither Ed nor I could find Bora Bora though it is in the French Polynesia and we found Papeete. So I need to look it up there.

The workers came in today and took care of the door that doesn’t stay shut with the weaving of the ship. The lights that went out and they pointed out that our electric toothbrush base doesn’t charge because the cord (mine) isn’t competent. Sigh.

SPA

We took a tour. Ed signed up for yoga classes but had to stop half way through because of neck pain. I attended a few raffle opportunities but didn’t win. It was fun to see the people who did. So glad for them.

MOVIES

We saw Florence Forrest Jenkins with Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant. Very well done. But I’d love to know the real story. This afternoon had Blood Father and I left after 30 min. too much blood and violence and depressing scenes.

ENTERTAINMENT

The comedic pianist last night was an old rocker but lots of fun and boy could he play that piano!

REPAIRS

Yesterday one of my bracelets had a broken link, so I prevailed on the jewelry store to make the repair. They were very nice about it. Today my earpiece came off my cheater glasses (yes I brought back ups) so I checked with the boutique first and “Dulce” (she’s from Mexico) sold me an eyeglass repair kit. Ed made the repairs but I’m not carrying anything that would seal it like nail polish so I have to think about this dilemma.

POOLS

There are several on this cruise. The spa and pool in the middle of the ship have been empty for the days when we weren’t stable. Today they have water again but the splashing is considerable. Kind’ve funny actually.

BOUTIQUES

There are the predictable ones but their prices overall are unbelievable. They had inexpensive Tshirts on sale today with world cruise on them: 2 for $20 and we get some discount so Ed and I each got home. But I met a lady at the rack and she mentioned the dress (I could find it at Ross for $20 if lucky) for over $300. We were both a little stunned by this.

Connectivity

The advances in technology are interesting to see. We have an internet café: 8 booths and computers. A tech on site a few hours every day.

We are able to put Princess@sea on our iphones and we can do a number of things on the ship with that such as check the daily schedule, make a

calendar of our events we want to remember, IM each other, check your shipboard ac

count, and much more. When we want to connect to the internet, we do it through that portal.

It is really important to remember to disconnect or you’ll lose all your minutes!

So when the ship left LA, we had to put our connective appliances into airplane mode. Then you set up an account on our ship and connect to that internet. If you remember to log off the external internet connection, you are OK.

When we get into port, if we have access to cellular data or WiFi nearby, we have to undo airplane mode and then identify on-shore wifi to connect to. More and more there are cellular (we have T-mobile) and WiFi available in foreign ports. We try to save our up and downloads for these free local sources.

musing on a sea day

MIND GAMES

We slept in late and I went to mental quiz. This game was new to me. People volunteer to participate. We were 7. The first person starts by completing the sentence “I like….” The next person in line starts I like cruising and (adds their word). So this continues all the way around and then begins with the first person again. If you can’t accurately recall all of the words in order, you are out and this continues until only one person is left. I was a finalist but was defeated nby the word “chocolate”.  Didn’t make a good associative link for that word. So the other terrific lady won a water bottle.

From there I went to trivia. We partnered up with two other couples. This was not an easy trivia session. It was fun working with these other people. Lots of analysis and sharing and no egos tried to prevail. In the end our group, the Dynamites, came in second. Good enough for us.

In the dining room we shared a table with 3 other couples. Two sisters-in-law, and two couples, one from BC. The food is always terrific. I had a white bean and vegetable soup that I wish I could have more often. We do different things for breakfast,but usually do the dining room for lunch (open seating) and for supper where our assigned table is 26. It is a table of 6 and we have only met one of the couples. They are from the San Francisco area. He worked with unions his entire career and she was in adoption and placements for foster children. She also went to South Africa to work to elect Nelson Mandela.  Fun conversation over dinner.

WEATHER TODAY

Temp is around 60-65, wind is brisk enough, sea is a navy blue, sky is very blue, sea is moderate so still enough swaying and dipping which means you have to hold onto the rails. You forget how very bright the sun is until you try to look outside. And speaking of which, we are  now allowed outside on the decks.

LIBRARY

I walked through the library upstairs. Lots of dozing men, a few folks putting a jig saw puzzle together, others reading the small newspaper that is put there every day; Legal size paper, 1 page, both sides. They have maps and travel booksup there. I have a wall world map in our cabin and a world atlas book and neither Ed nor I could find Bora Bora though it is in the French Polynesia and we found Papeete. So I need to look it up there.

The workers came in today and took care of the door that doesn’t stay shut with the weaving of the ship. The lights that went out and they pointed out that our electric toothbrush base doesn’t charge because the cord (mine) isn’t competent. Sigh.

SPA

We took a tour. Ed signed up for yoga classes but had to stop half way through because of neck pain. I attended a few raffle opportunities but didn’t win. It was fun to see the people who did. So glad for them.

MOVIES

We saw Florence Forrest Jenkins with Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant. Very well done. But I’d love to know the real story. This afternoon had Blood Father and I left after 30 min. too much blood and violence and depressing scenes.

ENTERTAINMENT

The comedic pianist last night was an old rocker but lots of fun and boy could he play that piano!

REPAIRS

Yesterday one of my bracelets had a broken link, so I prevailed on the jewelry store to make the repair. They were very nice about it. Today my earpiece came off my cheater glasses (yes I brought back ups) so I checked with the boutique first and “Dulce” (she’s from Mexico) sold me an eyeglass repair kit. Ed made the repairs but I’m not carrying anything that would seal it like nail polish so I have to think about this dilemma.

POOLS

There are several on this cruise. The spa and pool in the middle of the ship have been empty for the days when we weren’t stable. Today they have water again but the splashing is considerable. Kind’ve funny actually.

BOUTIQUES

There are the predictable ones but their prices overall are unbelievable. They had inexpensive Tshirts on sale today with world cruise on them: 2 for $20 and we get some discount so Ed and I each got home. But I met a lady at the rack and she mentioned the dress (I could find it at Ross for $20 if lucky) for over $300. We were both a little stunned by this.

Connectivity

The advances in technology are interesting to see. We have an internet café: 8 booths and computers. A tech on site a few hours every day.

We are able to put Princess@sea on our iphones and we can do a number of things on the ship with that such as check the daily schedule, make a

calendar of our events we want to remember, IM each other, check your shipboard ac

count, and much more. When we want to connect to the internet, we do it through that portal.

It is really important to remember to disconnect or you’ll lose all your minutes!

So when the ship left LA, we had to put our connective appliances into airplane mode. Then you set up an account on our ship and connect to that internet. If you remember to log off the external internet connection, you are OK.

When we get into port, if we have access to cellular data or WiFi nearby, we have to undo airplane mode and then identify on-shore wifi to connect to. More and more there are cellular (we have T-mobile) and WiFi available in foreign ports. We try to save our up and downloads for these free local sources.

livingon a ship

ON THE SEA

Saturday a little after midnight, the ship’s engines became seriously engaged. We did go to sleep and about the time the ship’s thrusters were taking us away from the pier, I had a GI issue. Ed and I have eaten essentially the same things for several days so it didn’t make sense but that meant not much sleep the rest of the night for either of us.

When the ship is quiet, you don’t really find out about all the issues related to a moving vessel. Such as doors that start swinging with the motion of the ship and drawers that slide in and out, some more noisily than others.

Walking in the cabin is a real challenge. I’m thinking of taking out my trekker sticks just to maneuver. Taking a shower is a real experience in new balancing tricks. Walking down corridors means estimating the next swing of the ship so you don’t fall or trip someone else.

It is somewhat like riding an elephant: forward, back; left, right.

We have high seas with foam. In the dining room, the waves are higher than the table and that’s deck 5. We will have another day of this we are told. You hear frequent “boom”s as the prow flaps down onto the sea surface. The outside doors are all locked and crossed with yellow caution tape. Amazingly, idiots would be out on the outside decks but for this.

Because we didn’t really rest last night, and the effort of managing mobility around the ship, we are both tired. I will catch you up on activities, people, and such in future entries.

day before

JANUARY 21, 2017 San Pedro still

We ate a quick snack for breakfast and then walked to the USS Iowa, a WWII battleship which was about ¾ of a mile walk from our ship. I should digress and tell you that the Ruby Princess. One of those behemoth ships, is also here at the adjacent pier, and we believe it is headed for the Mexican Riviera. But is us also just dockside.

There are many volunteers, almost all veterans of several of our wars, who escort you around the ship and keep you going in the right direction. Compared to even Pacific Princess, it seems small and when we saw the cabins, it was REALLY small. Many of the sailors lived in closets with 3 bunks on each side of a narrow aisle with small holes to keep their meager belongings. No hangers here.

They have done a nice job getting this ship ready for visitors with many videos, including of men who served on the ship telling what it was like. They were so cute and it added so much. It is worth the time to see it and because we were on adjacent ship, we got a considerable discount (less than senior rate even) to tour.

PORT OF CALL

I recall this area with great fondness but boy what a shock. ¾ of it is like the markets of Mexico. We finally found Ports of Call restaurant and it seems they are going to tear down all of that area and build a more inviting area that reflects what it used to be like with small boutiques, toy stores and a lot of places where you could enjoy a stroll and fun afternoon. The area that remains beyond the restaurant is like a New England village but all the stores were closed. We then walked over to the fisherman’s pier to view the rocket across the way. I’ll let Ed tell you about it as it is a private rocket that landed on a barge somewhere. He wonders how they are going to get it to Hawthorne. Theban is Elon Musk, Ed’s current god of technology.

Then we walked back to the ship. Ed says his apple watch says he did over 10,000 steps today. Supposedly it also does flights of stairs. So he is glowing.

We decided to go for the pre-dinner cocktail party snacks (I couldn’t bear to try to spell the name of that French word for the snacks.) as we had a much larger than we wanted lunch at Ports of Call today. This made us feel very self-righteous.

Went to the show and the same comedian as last evening was on. We had many good laughs and the couple next to us, from Connecticut 12 miles from Sandyhook, were jolly and great fun. They said that the first responders all quite after the school shooting there.

We are supposed to leave after midnight for 8 more days at sea. Should be fun.

A few pics from the USS Iowa including FDR wheelchair, and Ports of Call.

The perils of packing

We had been saving things in luggage for a while and in the process of deciding which luggage we would be using, we switched many things. I am now finding that things I knew I had packed, are not here such as an umbrella. This is disconcerting but also a warning for the others. Perhaps only one person should take care of their own luggage.

I am not yet on the internet but since we are in the port of Los Angeles, Ihave cellular data access. Later today I hope to setup the internet access on all the devices. Ihave to look up the instructions and find out where the internet center is on board. As things change and advance, they have to change around how space is used. Internet was very difficult last time I sailedonthis ship and Ididit differently then. IPhones and iPads were not something we had or used much.

ENTERTAINMENT
We went to the first "show" last night. It was a basic hello and orientation. But we got samples of some of the dancers' routines. On a small ship like this, the dancers have to do several jobs not all dancing. This was an opportunity to seethe ship's band which is led by a woman. And Finally, there was a fairly decent comedian who we will also have this evening. He is basedinLA so thisis easier ref for him than usual.

DINING ROOM
Last night and tonight are open seating. We sang with a Korean couple from Orange country. They lived most of their life onthe East Coast where they have l3 grandchildren. A very close gamily friend recommended they retire out here because of the weather. They have a great band of friends here and are very happy. The lady was hoping we'd be table mates but we found we hve different assignments. This is their second world cruise but they are leaving at Ft. Lauderdale.

The other couple are from a small town in Ohio. This is their 4th world cruise. Both ice people. The conversation at the table was fun. One of the things we like about Princess is tthe population. YOu see lots of flannel shirts, baseball caps, and justordinary people who are enjoying their lateryears.

We are still relearning the layout of the ship. We have met many Croatian and such areas and Pillipino staff. OUr room steward is Rolando. It's hard to tell their ages. it was a very busy day yesterday so we'll know more about him later.

We plan Togo to theUSS Iowa today since it's walking distance from the ship.

EXERCIZE
We almost never take the elevator so we are building up our endurance gradually.We are on deck 7 so the buffet is 2 decksup (wealmost never go to buffet but while in port it's the only lunch sites). The dining room and most of the other activities: casino, photos, dining room, shops, etc. are on deck t5.

No photos yet though we did check out the laundromat yesterday and I'll makea special post for my brother in law Michael Feldman who always expects a report on the laundromat.

Ohboy

Iwill update with more details tomorrow but we are both hassled. Not many drawers in this stateroom though it is lovely. So we are trying to figureout logical ways to store things. Getting electronics setup to charge and so on.

Will write more tomorrow when computer is up and can begin a routine. We do not sail until tomorrow night. With luck we will walk over to the USS Iowa tomorrow and tourist since we are stuck in port another day. Thatwill give us time to get more organized.

changes already!

AH THE EXCITEMENT BEGINS

We both got a notice from Princess that there have been a few major changes beginning Friday. Because of the two severe weather fronts coming into LA, we will have the following changes:

We will still board the ship as planned. However, since the first big storm is scheduled to begin on Friday, we will not sail right away. In fact, the ship will wait for the break between the two fronts. So they predict that we will not sail until 4 am on Sunday morning.

Additionally, we will not go to Honolulu as planned (no Walmart for last minute forgotten items). Instead they have adjusted other ports of call adding Papeete Tahiti (we’ve been there before) and Bora Bora (don’t think we’ve been there before and the order may differ in terms of which one to see first.

This is because the Pacific between here and Honolulu is sometimes rough even if weather is ideal, but with these storms they want to get south of them.

Will keep you posted. We continue to hope we don’t forget something crucial.

HOW DO YOU PACK FOR SUCH A LONG TRIP?

This is one of the most common questions we get. The consumables: tissues, make up, medications, etc. etc. you purchase enough for the total time. Since we have a stop in Ft. Lauderdale a few weeks before the end, we can pick up necessities there if not before in some previous port.

In terms of clothing: the secret is to mix and match. So I have a few standard colors in pants and I rotate tops and jackets to (hopefully) make a different look. The “smart casual” requirement for clothing at dinner becomes a little more challenging but I work on it. The formal wear for men is easy: Ed has a tux from long ago that fits nicely and over time he has accrued 3 cummerbunds with bow ties. I’ve gone to basic black palazzos pants with colorful different tops for the most part. I am taking more shoes this time than I usually do: good walking shoes and a few all-purpose dress sandals.

But having free laundry is the best of all the perks we now have. It is a saving grace. Ed packs underwear for two weeks. I don’t do more than 10 days usually. I carry Dreft detergent as I must wash my medical devices in it so I can do some handwashing if I need to. A portable clothesline and some clothes clips are also very handy for many uses.

We look like we’re setting up a computer lab when we first arrive and laptop, iPhones and iPads require regular charging. I’ll write more later about how we have connectivity on the ship and on shore as that is a full course in itself.

Will keep you posted.