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| typical village church |
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| at entry to ship's restaurant |
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| the drums |
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| our cozy cabin |
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| view of the cargo operations from the 9th deck bar |
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| The Aranui 5 |
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| at the "famous" Bloody Mary's |
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| our cabin porthole |
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| made me think of our twin grandsons |
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| making tapa |
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| Polynesian Night |
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| Bora Bora |
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| with Lyn and Paul Hoskins |
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| a private home on Bora Bora |
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| Moorea - first a van, then a takeout place, now an eyesore |
Our last day started with breakfast at our hotel, continental for Michael and American for me. We took a short walk but it was quite muggy and hot so that didn't last long. We reversed our trip back to the the ferry for Papeete where we were picked up and brought to our day room at the Tahiti Pearl Beach Resort. It's raining which is too bad because the pool looks quite nice. We ran into Pat and Nancy who were on the Aranui with us. They are from Iowa and know the town of Renwick, which I think is the hometown of our friend Phyllis. We'll see them again later at the airport for the Los Angeles flight.
I'm hoping once I get home with good WiFi that I can post a few pictures.
This has been a wonderful trip. We've met so many nice people from other parts of the world and I think it's so valuable to experience other cultures and see life from another perspective. You certainly realize how much you have to be grateful for, but also that there are other points of view. And even more importantly, you realize that we are really all alike in the most fundamental ways.
Today was Bora Bora, which is one of the most beautiful places we've ever seen. Another easy barge over to the town where we hired a taxi driver to take us and Paul and Lynne Hoskins, our Australian friends, around the island. It's not very large, so even with a few stops for pictures and a bloody mary at the famous bar, Bloody Mary's (who'd have thought), the whole trip took only less than 2 hours. I have never seen ocean water in all the colors there are here, from pale aqua to the deepest blue and everything in between. I hope our pictures do it justice. The ship held a barbecue lunch on a motu (small island) which I went to. Michael had arranged to see the engine room with the engineer so he stayed on board. Serendipitously, I ate at a table with John and Norma, the couple we first ate lunch with on embarkation day, but haven't had the pleasure since. The lunch was excellent and swimming in the water was heavenly. It was more floating than swimming because it was so shallow, but the fish you could see even without a mask were beautiful and plentiful.
For our last dinner they put on one final show with the staff and some of the passengers. Native drums play a large role in every dance and, once again, we managed to have the seats closest to them. I don't know how the drummers don't go deaf within a few years. But it was a lovely show and the crew really seemed to be sad to see us go.
Today we arrived in Rangiroa, the second largest atoll in the world. We barged in, which was the easiest yet since the water was like glass. First stop was at the Gaugin Pearl Factory which was quite interesting. They explained how they catch the baby oysters, since they aren't allowed to take them from the bottom of the sea. They grow for 2 or 3 years, then are seeded. The seed they use is mussel shells from the Mississippi which is sent to Japan for shaping before it comes to Rangiroa. After seeding, it takes 2 years to get the pearl. If it's a really good pearl, they will seed the oyster again and maybe even one more time. We watched a seeder and a harvester at work. Really good ones can do 450 a day. There's a store there, of course, and I bought a couple of little things.
Then we went to a beautiful beach for a little swim. The water was perfect, warm and calm. After lunch on board (quiche salad, lamb and raspberry tart) we had a lecture by one of the crew who started with Aranui at the beginning over 30 years ago as one of the cargo handlers. He's now on the hotel side of the business working as a guide, but still misses the old days slinging cargo by hand from the ship to the small boats for delivery.
Last night's dinner ( lobster bisque, fish and a pastry) was with 2 Australian couples that we hadn't eaten with before. Too bad, because they were fun and we would have liked to get to know them a bit more.
Tomorrow, our last day, will be in Bora Bora.
Today is a sea day so it's very laid back. There are couple of activities and a documentary this afternoon, but mostly reading and staring at the seas is the order of the day. There's a bit of rocking, but it's not bothering us. I'll miss the rocking to sleep.
The passenger mix is mostly Australian, then American, French and finally, German. When they give the briefing on the next day's plan every evening, the English speakers gather in the largest bar/lounge and the other groups meet in much smaller conference rooms. Usually the larger group went to the large restaurant in the village and the others went somewhere else because they couldn't accommodate all of us. Ships announcements were always French first, then English . I guess the Germans just had to figure it out.
On the other cruises we've taken there are always unhappy people who complain about the dumbest stuff. I've only heard two complaints here. I think these passengers are more adventurous and open minded. We just sort of shrug when things don't go quite as planned and accept it as life in this part of the world. The staff have been wonderful, always smiling and eager to make sure we are taken care of
Last night we returned to Nuku Hiva so that we could have the Polynesian night party in the calm harbor. This morning while they loaded cargo to bring back to Papeete we went back to the village and the cyber cafe. I was able to check email and update the blog. No more internet until Thursday, although I just learned that the ship had a satellite signal last night at 11:00 pm. Jeesh. They should make an announcement or something. (Just kidding)
Back to the ship to do another load of laundry and a little reading. During lunch (salad, roast beef and fruit pastry) we moved to Ua Pou again. The seas were the roughest they've been since the first day. We went back to the cabin and watched The Queen with Meryl Streep. Well, I watched it and Michael napped. We leave this afternoon and have a sea day tomorrow so I hope it calms down soon.
Tonight's dinner was the first meal that I didn't care for. The starter was a nice pea soup, but the fish entree was overcooked and tough and the vegetables were like a frozen mixed vegetable medley. Dessert was a nice mango ice cream custard thing. The seas have quieted some so tonight should be one of those where we're gently rocked all night.
We get small bars of soap and shampoo replenished. We brought our own shampoo but we still get a new one frequently. There are now six bottles in the bathroom. On the other hand, she took our slightly used bars of soap every day and once didn't leave a replacement. When I tried to tell her she could leave the used soap, I think she said that it was "required" that she replace it. So we started hiding the soap in Michael's dop kit and leaving the new one as a spare. Now she must think we never wash our hands.
