French Polynesia

It is Sunday and we are in Papeete, Tahiti. We spent 5 days traveling from Hawaii to Tahiti. The voyage is over 2000 miles, almost due south, and slightly further than the distance from LA to Hawaii. Tahiti is somewhat east of the Hawaiian Islands so there has been no further time-change this week. The weather between Honolulu and Tahiti was good and we were able to swim on board. We spent Saturday in Moorea. (See photo of Cook’s Bay.) I also took a picture of a breadfruit tree (picture)in Moorea. Papeete is but 20 miles from Moorea and you can see Moorea from the harbor in Papeete. (See photo.) These are part of the Society Islands, named by Captain Cook. In the word, society, you can hear the word, association, and what Cook had in mind was the proximity of these islands to one another. Of course they are volcanic in origin, and sit on top of a “hot spot” relatively close to the earth’s moving crusts. Admiral Bougainvillea visited here in 1768, before Cook. A picture taken in the park, named for the Frenchman, is included.See the statue behind me. As it is Sunday, all the stores are closed. But a crafts/fresh-food market was open in downtown Papeete this morning.(Photo)By the way, there is a Tahitian Franc, although the Euro is the official currency. Tonight we are off to Bora Bora (several hours’ cruise) and then to Raratonga in the Cook Islands. We will cross the dateline later in the week to arrive in Nuku Alofa. More about that next.

Hawaii

Day 7 Sunday We arrived in Honolulu last night after 5 days at sea. The crossing was uneventful. I’ve resumed my Spanish lessons and Eiko is busy with her knitting. The ship is not crowded and there are only about 175 World Cruisers. Our first day in port, we took a trip to the Ala Moana Shopping Center. Eiko found books at the Shirokiya department store. Liberty House has become Macys and a Nordstrom was added to a shopping center which easily surpasses Rodeo Drive in terms of world brands. The scene is very much the same… many Japanese tourists. The skyline has become more crowded with high rise apartments. Th weather is beautiful and the green volcanic mountains are gorgeous. Tonight we head off to French Polynesia. First stop, Moorea……then Papeete. It is 5 days of sailing.

At Sea in the Pacific

World Cruise 2011 Segment 1 LA to Papeete

Day0 Sunday 16 Jan. We were up early to catch the stretch-black limo at 745. It arrived a few minutes early and we were at the airport at 8 for the 945 flight. Curbside checkin was easy without any weight issues. The bags were not put on a scale. The flight was maybe 40% full and we had seats in the front row. The 55-minute flight was a few minutes early and we were at the hotel by 11. The room, 604 at the Beverly Hills Wilshire -Four Seasons was a corner, facing east and south. It was a beautiful day with temps into the 80’s. We took an hour’s walk down Rodeo Drive. The hotel faces Rodeo Drive, on Wilshire Blvd. We returned to the room about 2 with 5 hours before the party. Eiko put my cuff links and shirt studs into the wrong suitcase but the concierge came to the rescue. We used bobby pinks to link the cuffs. The cocktail party was way too noisy but we met Ian and Marilyn from New Zealand. We were seated at table 8 next to Angela from London and Jim and Jane. The dinner was tasty with crab cakes, gorgonzola/pear salad, beef and lemon tart. The dancing was good and Eiko was very happy with the evening. We saw many of 2008 travelers. There are 176 World Cruisers this year, down from the 330 of 2008. Eiko recognized most of the Japanese contingent and they, her.

Day1 LA Weather beautiful. We were up early to eat The Blvd, the hotel’s restaurant. Crystal provides transport to the ship and we arrived about 1pm, to find Larry Reich and Joyce Hagin at the terminal. Check in was rapid and no immunization cards or visas were requested. ?? We had lunch with Larry and Joyce and proceeded to room 7057 for the unpack. Ana from Montenegro is our cabin stewardess. Everything arrived intact and we were squared away by 4pm. I found Eiko’s favorite books in the library and went up on deck to watch the USC Trojan band perform. I took a few pictures of the port of Los Angeles. We have a nice table by the window, 114, at the far end of the dining room,starboard. When the Hagins dine with us, we will sit at a table for 4 just adjacent to 114. There was a welcome party in the atrium with balloons and a little dancing. The ship is about half full for this first segment.

Last Friday in Sunny Arizona

Today was our last swim in the Gainey Pool before our trip to LA on Sunday. It is a beautiful day.