Day 11: Raiatea

Raiatea – what a lovely little island.  We were only there for a few short hours – all aboard was at 12:30.  So we made the most of it.  In the native language, Raiatea means “bright sky”.  The locals call it the “Sacred Island”.  Folklore believes it to be the birthplace of the gods.  It’s much less touristy than the other islands, so it feels more like an unspoiled paradise.  It’s very neat and tidy.  They’ve done an excellent job of making an appealing first impression when you get off the ship.  They made an intriguing sidewalk from inlaid stones.  It was so precise!  

We didn’t have time for any tours, so all we did was enjoy the quaint little town.  After walking past tons of French pastry shops in all the ports, I finally decided this was my last chance to sample something.  Mmmmm. It was yummy.

Very near by is a sister island called Taha’a.  We sailed past her on the way out and the photos I got are so beautiful.  I promise to post all the pictures on Snapfish when I get home.  But for now, I’ll share just a few of the best ones.  Both islands are surrounded by a reef and the colors are just extraordinary.  That's Bora Boring on the horizon.

We set sail for Sydney at 1:00.  Six and a half days at sea.  That’s the longest stretch we’ve ever had.  The swells are up to 8 feet and much more noticeable, especially as you walk around.  They’ve already put the barf bags out!!  They’re attached to the railings of all the stair ways and at other convenient locations.  I do fine with this until we get up on the upper decks.  I took a Bonine just as a precaution.  Happy Hour on deck 11 is a bit of a challenge for my tummy.  We met a delightful young couple from Brisbane, Australia and learned a lot from them.  I’m so excited to reach Australia and see all the sights!  We also had a nice conversation with a couple from Hot Springs, Arkansas.

It was a formal night, so we got all dressed up for a Surf n Turf dinner.  S’all good on board the Rhapsody.

Day 10: Bora Bora

Bora Bora - I called it Bora Boring.  Very small island, not much to do or see.  The tours were the same as the past 2 days: drive around the island, snorkel, or take a jeep ride.  We walked around in the town for a bit, bought a magnet, and went back to the ship by noon.  After you've seen one or two of these islands, they all start to look alike.  I find the high humidity very taxing and both of us were starting to be drained.  We napped, and that was nice.

We found more of those huts over the lagoon, but most of them are closed after a hurricane damaged them. 

I caught some lovely sunset photos. 

 Tomorrow we visit Raiatea, then we start our 6-day stretch at sea on our way to Sydney.

Day 9: Moorea

Moorea - according to the brochure:  Most who visit Moorea are immediately awestruck by its natural beauty.  A windward island, Moorea is part of the much larger archipelago of islands known as the Society islands.  Located just 12 miles west of Tahiti, the island is a mix of scenic attractions.  Volcanic peaks, tropical flowers, and the smell of vanilla floating on trade winds are all part of the island's south pacific flavor.

Well... they got this one right!  What a lovely place.  The people are very friendly, and it was so beautiful.  I took lots of pictures, and it's hard to decide which ones to share today.  We came here with no preconceived notion and it was everything we thought yesterday should have been.  The islands have redeemed themselves!

And look what we found... those huts over the water that we thought would be in Tahiti.  Oh, and also the brilliant blue water that we didn't see yesterday.

The ship was anchored off the shore a ways as there is no pier here.  We were taken to shore in "tender boats". 

We decided to take a bus tour again.  We circled the island and saw so many gorgeous beaches and other interesting sights.  We got some beach time and the water was so warm and nice.  It was a wonderful experience.  I think the photos say it all...

I would definitely like to return here someday.  I could call this "my" island for sure. Tomorrow is Bora Bora.

Day 8: Tahiti

It was the perfect beginning for a day we have long anticipated...

We got our first glimpse of Tahiti...

 Tahiti - at long last.  We've dreamed of her for most of our lives.  We imagined how romantic she would be.  We planned this trip for 2 years.  And finally, we have arrived.

The town is called Papeete - pronounced Pah-pay-AY-tay.  It's the capital city of the South Pacific paradise, the gateway to the Tahitian islands.  Tahiti is the largest and most populated of the 118 islands and atolls that are associated with the name Tahiti.  The many islands comprise the vast territory of French Polynesia. The post-impressionist painter Paul Gaugin captured Tahiti's timeless beauty and remarkable spirit in vivid color.  [If you've ever been in my downstairs powder room, you've seen one of his works on the wall.]  Authors Herman Melville and Robert Louis Stevenson also found their muse here in this island of enchantment.  Tahiti offers brilliant blue lagoons, jagged cliffs, endless groves of coconut trees, and a hit of gardenia in the air.

Okay, all that was taken from the brochure.  Yeah, right!  We learned a lesson today - don't over-romanticize the islands.  To put it bluntly, Tahiti was a huge disappointment.  And we weren't the only ones who felt that way.  That's been the buzz on board this evening.  I have no idea where they take all the beautiful photos that I've seen, but Tahiti looks nothing like that.  We didn't see any gorgeous beaches, blue lagoons, thatch huts out over the water, or any of that.  Papeete is a city in every sense.  Half of the 120,000 on the island live in Papeete.  It's over-populated with unfriendly people, traffic jams and all.  With it's French influence, everyone smokes.  I didn't smell any gardenias - how could you with all the smoke in the air?

The first thing we did was explore the town.  I had my heart set on buying beautiful pearls here.  But even that was a disappointment.  The pearls looked drab, dull and uninteresting.  Gold and diamonds were priced beyond belief.  So I came away without any jewelry.  I did find a magnet, but that was a real challenge as well.  It's the most expensive magnet I've bought in all our travels.  Bruce enjoyed a local beer.

One thing that will always stand out in my mind about Tahiti is all the stray dogs.  They were everywhere!!  Skinny little things.  It was sad.  It makes me want to move here and open a shelter for them.  Roosters were prevalent, too.  They eat the centipedes.  There are no snakes or poisonous spiders on the islands.

We hadn't signed up for any tours from the ship.  Everything seemed very over priced.  After we had walked around in Papeete for a bit I saw the Dept. of Tourism.  They had a very nice demonstration of music, dancing, local crafts, etc.  There was a tour company next to that with a bus tour around the island.  We paid 1/3 the price of the ship's tour for the same thing.  We went to the other side of the island to see the big waterfall which included a hike through the forest.  We were supposed to see the blow hole, but it was pouring rain and they said it wasn't safe to stop there.

We saw the place where Capt. Cook first landed which houses a light house and is by a black sand beach.  It was still misting and the pictures aren't very impressive.  Bruce has a theory about the Mutiny of the Bounty.  The sailors didn't fall in love with the island, but with the women.  There certainly wasn't anything exceptionally beautiful about the spot where they landed.

I also had an expectation that I would have some kind of deja vu experience or something.  Nada again.  Bruce didn't, either.

So, I guess I'm glad we got to see Tahiti after we fantasized over it for years.  We have the "braggin' rights".  But I sure wouldn't go out of my way to return here.  There are so many other places that I thought were spectacular - like St. Thomas, Oahu, Kuaui, and Aruba.  But I believe my favorite place of all remains Cabo San Lucas. 

Tomorrow we will be at the neighboring island of Moorea.  We have no preconceived notion about it, so we'll probably love it.  It sure can't be any worse...

Day 7: Another Boring Sea Day

This is our fifth day at sea.  We enjoy the sea days, but our shipmates are starting to go stir crazy.  I expect it to be a shoving match tomorrow when we land in Tahiti.  Rhapsody is the second smallest class of ship in the fleet and doesn't offer as many amenities as the really large ships do.  We appreciate having all the necessities conviently at hand.  But we're learning that not everyone feels that way.  We have 4 port days in a row, and then we go into a 6-day stretch at sea before we arrive in Sydney.  If they're losing it now, what will they be like by then????  I'm just glad we have projects to occupy our time so we don't become claustrophobic. Hopefully sanity will be restored with the port days.

It was a great writing day.  I've almost wrapped up the ending of my screenplay.  I still have room to add in some cute antics for the charachters and I need to clean up some continuity issues.  That's the easy part.  After that - it's a matter of polish.  Bruce worked on the re-write of a Counterfeit Bill episode.  He's feeling pretty good about it.

Bruce has to be online at 5:30 AM to have a chat with one of his clients.  That's probably a good thing so we won't oversleep and miss any time in Tahiti.  I'm looking forward to watching us sail into the port.  The islands always look so beautiful as we arrive in the morning light.  We're supposed to be cleared to go ashore around 9 AM.  We'll probably blend into the mob and go as soon as we can in order to max out the day.  We don't have any real plans other than just walking around and taking it in.  I'll be on my usual quest for the perfect fridge magnet.  My psychic friend Sally once told me that I have a strong karmic connection to Tahiti and that I should go if I ever got the chance.  I will be on the lookout for those "Twilight Zone" moments and see if anything happens.  I'll take lots of pix and be sure to post some in tomorrow's blog.

Day 6: Pollywogs and Shellbacks

Last night around 9 PM we crossed the equator.  We went from being "Pollywogs" to "Shellbacks", in nautical terms.  This event was acknowledged today in a celebration led by the Captain.  It was pretty silly, actually.  They took members of the crew who were passing over for the first time and humiliated them in front of everyone on the stage by the pool.  First they had to kiss a fish.  Then they had various food poured on them:  spaghetti sauce, flour, raw eggs, and such.  The mess on the deck was pretty disgusting.  King Neptune and his Queen returned to the deep (i.e. jumped into the pool) at the end. Personally, I was hoping for a charm for my RCCL charm bracelet.  Nope, didn't get it.

This morning at breakfast I had a cute encounter with a little old British lady.  I was standing in front of the biscuits and gravy at the buffet when she walked up and looked at it.  Our conversation went something like this:
Her: Wha' IS that - "gravy". Is it like porrage?
Me: No, it's more like a sauce to put over biscuits.
Her: Wha's in this gravy?
Me:  It's milk, flour, and crumbles of sausage.
Her: Oh my, it's very fattening - that.  And biscuit, is that like a scone?
Me: No, it's not sweet at all.
Her:  How is it made?
Me:  Flour, buttermilk, shortening...
She wrinkled up her nose, shook her head, and muttered something about how fattening it must be as she walked away.  It's always interesting to see our world from the eyes of others.

At last, I've started writing more than this blog.  I had written myself into a corner and spent some time today figuring out what to do about it.  A few more tweaks and I can get this story back on track.

It's been another lovely day at sea.  One more sea day and then we'll finally arrive in Tahiti on Tues.  Everyone is ready for some solid land under our feet.

Tonight we want to look for the Southern Cross.  I'd like to see it for the first time...

Days 3-4-5: Water water everywhere...

Water, water everywhere and not a drop... of land in sight.  If your dream vacation is to truly get away from it all, well this one's for you.  It's pleasantly warm with a nice breeze, sunny with just a few puffy clouds, and the ocean is calm and gorgeously deep blue.

If you think you might have missed a few posts, well.... you didn't, I did.  I've been battling with severe nausea for 2 days.  We were at a loss for the cause.  The sea is barely rolling - swells are about 2-4 feet high.  That's nothing.  Certainly not cause for sea sickness, even though motion sickness is a family trait.  Yet, I couldn't shake this very queasy feeling.  We missed dinner for 2 nights including the first formal night.  Our dinnermates probably wonder if they offended us.

Recently some marketing person decided we were having a baby and we ended up on all the lists - we've  been getting samples of formula, diaper coupons, photography ads, and endless calls from insurance agents for a few months.  I was starting to think maybe they knew something I didn't! Heaven forbid!

Finally - I remembered.  One of the side effects of the flu shot was nausea and flu-like symptoms about a week after getting the shot.  Bingo!  It was exactly one week after.  Mystery solved.  I had planned to get it much sooner, but the timing didn't work out.

Today I woke up feeling much better - and STARVING!!  We're finally back to vacation mode.  Of course, the writing is yet to come.  I can't believe I haven't written one word on the screenplay yet.

I'm so sad, there's no Port and Shopping Guide on board.  My dear friend Jimmy, who was our guide in the Bahamas, had been on Rhapsody all summer in Alaska.  But, he left just before we boarded so we missed seeing him.  He was the guide who assisted us when we bought Penelope (my ring).  I guess I'm on my own for the 4 ports we'll be in this time.  There's not much to buy in these small ports anyway.  I think we'll pick up a new guide in Sydney for the next leg of the trip.  I have my heart set on buying Australian opal and pearls on this trip.

The captain informed us during his noon update that we'll be crossing the equator tonight about 9 PM.  There'll be a lot of noise and celebration.  This will be my first time below, so I'm excited. 

Still 2 more sea days before we get to Tahiti. The Polynesian and Tahitian musicians and dancers are getting us ready with performances and dance classes.  I was finally feeling up to it today, so I tried it.  So much fun!
                                     

That's me in the blue sarong