Just a note regarding this post before I get started. There are photos missing from the early days of this post due to the poor internet. I will add them later when things improve and re-post it.
Well, Dear Reader, it's time to catch up. Today is Tuesday although where you are it may be Monday. You see, 2 nights ago, as we sailed from American Somoa to Samoa, which means that we had no Sunday. The tragic part of missing Sunday is that the NY Times Games app ended my 151 day streak on Wordle! Oh well, I'll have to start a new one.
So it has been a while since I posted, mostly due to the poor internet on the ship. And, yes, there have been busy days. Let's get going.
Tuesday we were in Raiatea, French Polynesia. The day started out cloudy and then the rain came once again.
Thankfully, we had an afternoon excursion and the rain had mostly stopped by then. Actually we had originally booked a morning kayak excursion but with the heat we had been experiencing, we decided that 2 hours of paddling in the sun would be too much. Of course, it turned out that the sun would not be the issue but rather the rain. In the end, it was a good thing that we took the Sacred Island by Le Truck excursion. Le Truck turned out to be more comfortable than we had anticipated.
The first stop was at the Jardin Botanique. It was picturesque but the stop was too short. We felt that we had to rush through it.
The next stop was the highlight of the excursion - the Marae Taputapuatea. There we were led around by a man who we had had as a guide on a previous excursion some years ago. He was fantastic. He told us of the history of the Marae and the not so pleasant history of missionaries who tried to destroy their culture. The word Marae is derived from an expression of clearing the mind. It was a very spiritual experience as he talked about communicating with the ocean, the mountains, and the birds. And who couldn't benefit from clearing the mind? I asked him about their belief in a supreme being and they had none. Their spirituality comes from the environment around them. I love that!
Wednesday was a planned sea day. Pretty uneventful except for Linda finally having a bingo win.
Thursday we were supposed to be in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. It is a tender port and we knew that there was a good chance that the weather and sea conditions could prevent them from having safe tender operations. And, indeed, that is what happened.
So, it turned into another sea day though the weather did get a bit better later in the morning.
Friday - just another sea day with a small bingo win.
Thanks to smooth seas and favorable winds, the sailing has been quite good. And, with the passing showers, we've had a few good rainbows and nice sunrises and sunsets.
Another good aspect has been the fresh fish they have brought on board to grill in the buffet restaurant.
Saturday, we were in Pago Pago, American Samoa. Last time we were there, we did an excursion. This time we just did a walk around. It was quite sunny and humid, so we only lasted for about an hour and a half out there. Walking around we came upon some young folks performing native dances. We were told that there were auditioning to provide the entertainment on the pier when cruise ships come in. We continued our walk past the churches and markets.
We liked American Samoa until we saw this:
Soon after we returned to the ship the rain started and poured most of the rest of the afternoon.
Monday we were in Apia, Samoa. The entry to the port required tricky maneuvering through a narrow channel. We were greeted once again by youth dancing on the pier.
We did an excursion - Coastal Villages, Falefa Falls & Tropical Gardens. The first stop was at Falefa Village where we visited the Cathedral.
Then it was on to Falefa Falls.
This was a day of dodging the rain but it did come down hard as we drove to the next stop - Aggie Gray's Garden where we had breadfruit, taro and other fruits. They demonstrated how they process the coconuts.
Later in the afternoon, I went for a walk into Apia where I found crabs. Yummy!
Samoa is the 97th country that we have visited. That's based on a list of countries that I put together some years ago. I might have to revisit that list to make sure that it is up to date.
Today is a sea day as we sail to Vava'U (Neiafu), Tonga.
Peace and blessings,
Linda and Larry
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