2010 World Cruise - Seven Seas Voyager - 2010voyagerworldcruise

 

 

We hope you have enjoyed following along with Karen and me on Regent's World Cruise on the Seven Seas Voyager. We embarked in San Diego on Jan. 12, and arrived 119-days later in Ft. Lauderdale on May 12.

As regular readers of this site will recall, this was our second World Cruise on the Voyager, having done the 111-day journey in 2007. I believe there were about 264 world cruisers at the beginning of the trip. The cruise was broken into five segments, so we had new people getting on and off every two to five weeks

Below are personal reflections regarding the World Cruise. I plan to share it aslo on the Regent boards on the Cruise Critic and Luxury Cruise Talk web sites; and with Regent. I hope these comments are helpful to those who may be contemplating a world cruise and/or travel on one of Regent’s ships.

 

Itinerary: We traveled westbound from San Diego to Ft. Lauderdale, making 45 port calls in 27 countries. I thought the itinerary was well thought out and offered a good balance of familiar places that everyone likes to visit, exotic ports and out of the way ports that people probably wouldn’t visit unless on a cruise ship. We missed three ports due to weather issues: Apia, Soma; Thursday Island, Australia; and Cotonou, Benin. We had to miss Zanzibar and Kenya due to Somali pirate threats; but we added Port Louis, Mauritius and Reunion Island. (You can see the full tinerary on my web journal, above.)

Ship: By today’s standards, the 49,000 ton, 700-passenger Voyager is a relatively small ship. There are no inside cabins and every suite has a balcony. Launched in 2003, it went through a $20 million upgrade in late 2008. Generally it is in good condition and the crew works hard to keep it that way. They are continually working on and cleaning the decks, furniture and pool; wiping down all the interior surfaces and doing a good job in maintaining the suites. The attention to detail is appreciated. For example, all the tables in the restaurants are always fully set, no matter what time of day or whether being used.

We particularly liked the new and expanded outside furniture on the pool deck, as well as that aft and alongside the Horizons Lounge. These outside locations on Deck 5 were our favorite spots for reading. One of the sides was always in the shade and had a cool breeze – whereas, since we were frequently in some very warm weather areas, the pool deck could get quite hot and humid.

We heard quite a few negative comments about the “paint chip” paintings in the main common areas. We didn’t mind them. However, the modern art paintings outside the Compass Rose restaurant didn’t seem to be appreciated by anyone. The art prints from old magazines in the short corridor outside our Suite 713 were almost non-descript. The one outside our door was only a partial print of a John Wayne cover. What’s that all about? In my opinion, many of the suite corridors could use some better art decoration. But I understand art is a major interest of the president of Prestige Cruise Holdings, Regent’s parent company, and that much of it was selected by him personally. So….

At the outset of the cruise the lack of abundant flowers and greenery throughout the ship – compared to previous times – was noticeable. It got better as the cruise pushed onwards. Maybe the negative comments were heard.

Cabin: Ours was Category F, standard-size suite, # 713, on a short corridor forward of the forward elevators. This requested location was perfect. The corridor has no through traffic and the suite is quiet. The only sounds we heard were the bow waves and a bit of squeaking in the wood trim during rough weather (but that’s to be expected). We didn’t notice any more ship movement in this Deck 7 forward position than in the center of the ship. We tried to take the stairs most of the time, but the more convenient, four forward elevators are ganged together; the two aft ones are not.

Our standard suite was 306 sq. ft., with a 50 sq. ft. balcony. We also had a work desk for the computer and printer; overhead cabinets and shelves for storage; a small refrigerator; two chairs and a sofa; a cocktail table; and a king size bed and bed tables with drawers.

The walk-in closet was ample as was the rest of the storage in the suite. By using three, three under-the-bed suitcases for storing warmer clothes and purchased gifts, we had plenty of room. I had one drawer that I didn’t even use! The large marble bathroom had both a glass walk-in shower and a tub (where we stored our lifejackets and backpacks).

We had maintenance remove the framed picture at the foot of our bed and used magnets to hold up a giant world map (where we were tracking our voyage), family photos, a calendar tourist magnets, etc. Our room stewardess kept the fridge filled with our favorite beverages and refreshed the fruit bowl and flowers on the cocktail table.

We believe the standard suite on the Voyager makes a very comfortable “home” for long voyages.

Crew: There are roughly 450 crew members on the Voyager. It appears to be a well-run team led by the captain. We had two during this cruise, with a switch out in Cape Town. We also had two different staff captains; that’s the officer who runs the ship operations. Michael Coghlan was the general manager for the entire cruise, running the hotel and service operations. The cruise director was Jamie Logan. From our viewpoint, all did a great job.

The maitre des in the three restaurants ran tight operations and were very gracious to everyone. The wait and beverage staffs were friendly and mostly on top of their games. We understand that there has been somewhat of a shortage of crew staff in the industry, but Regent seems to be attracting, training and keeping good people.

Lecturers:  On sea days there were generally lectures in the theater at 10:00 and 11:00. We attended a majority of them. The presentations were replayed on the cabin TVs, usually beginning the afternoon of the same day.

In general, I don’t believe the quality of the enrichment lecturers was as good as those in 2007. I won’t mention names, since I did that on segment evaluation questionnaires. However, special accolades should go to two long-time Regent lecturers – Sandra Bowern and Daniel Silke. Invite them back!

Excursions: Almost all shore excursions on Regent are now complimentary. We signed up on-line for most of ours before departure. I don’t believe the quality has suffered one iota since Regent made them complimentary (as a successful marketing move) a year ago. Much of the guests’ experience depends on the quality of the on-shore guide and adherence to a timed itinerary.  This is difficult for Regent to directly control since they have to depend so much upon a shore-side travel company hiring the right people. In general, we were very happy travelers.

With the complimentary tours, more and more people are taking excursions; therefore Regent probably needs to add at least one more person to the busy Excursions team. Suggest they also spend time redesigning the manner in which bus or shore transportation tickets are exchanged for the paper excursion tickets. By not handing out the bus numbers until all the shore-side transportation is set, there is quite a hassle in the theater, particularly when multiple tours depart at the same time. The operation just needs to be smoothed out a bit.

The excursion information on the in-suite TVs needs more work. The slideshows change at a snails’ pace and the images are not sized correctly for the wide-screen TVs. For example, some of the text was frequently cut off.

Entertainment: The 10 Regent Singers and Dancers and the Regent Signature Orchestra did a great job. Jerry Vasi, who mostly performed early and late in the Observation Lounge, was a very good entertainer. The Duo in the Horizon Lounge was good.

The evening main show headliners were in general just OK to good. Better were the vocal performances of homegrown JR Lustig, the new cruise host and Stephanie Baldwin, the wife of Michael Coghlan.

JR has performed on stage in both musicals and straight theater. Previously he was performing on sister-line Oceania (and was a cruise director there) before joining Regent just as we started the World Cruise. He is a great addition to the cruise director’s staff and is a terrific added performer. I hope Regent realizes (and rewards) his value.

Stephanie is a former Miss California who is a classically-trained singer. She moves from operatic arias to pop music with ease. She did one of the Dinner and a Show gigs as well as two solo shows and several performances for special events. She is a real gem.

Special Events: Regent advertised three special events for full World Cruiser guests and five added events for everyone:

    For All Guests:

1.  Traditional Feast, Nuku Hiva, Marquesas: OK. Nothing really special, very similar to a luau one sees at a Hawaiian hotel. There were some concerns for food safety in the warm temperatures.

2.  Komodo Dragons, Komodo, Indonesia: Fair (as an “event”). Don’t know why this was categorized as an “event.” This was a scheduled port on the itinerary and the only thing to do was to go see the dragons. We loved the remote stop and really enjoyed seeing the dragons during our short visit.

3.  Chinese Acrobatic Show, Shanghai: Great. The Chinese are the masters and always provide a thrill with their unbelievable stunts and skill.

4.  Overnight in the Royal City of Bangkok, Bangkok: Lucky! Everyone was treated to an overnight stay in the five-star Shangri-La Hotel. We were lucky in that the Red Shirts were in the initial stages of their deadly demonstrations and that we were able to even visit the city. We had great rooms, just not enough time to really enjoy it. In the future, Regent might want to consider making this a two-night visit.

5.  Dinner Under the Desert Stars, Walvis Bay, Namibia: Terrific, but unfortunate timing. We enjoyed a fabulous dinner in tents among the huge sand dunes, accompanied by local entertainment around campfires. The only problems: we arrived after dark and couldn’t see that we were amongst the dunes; nor could we ride the camels that were there with their handlers. We did the same event on the 2007 World Cruise and were able to climb the magnificent dunes and ride camels before darkness and dinner. The ship did not arrive in Walvis Bay late, so that didn’t have a timing impact. In my opinion, there should not have been afternoon excursions scheduled prior to this event.

 

 

For Full World Cruise Guests:

1.  Ethnic Fashion Show at Three on the Bund, Shanghai: OK. The venue wasn’t very special; it included cocktails and canapés, with a parade of models in Chinese ethnic “minority” costumes, dancers and acrobats. This was followed by a special riverboat fireworks display viewed from the shore on the other side of the river in Pudong. The Bund esplanade was closed due to reconstruction for Shanghai Expo 2010. And it was cold, so not many of us took the bus over to Pudong for the fireworks -- that was a shame because the fireworks were great.

2.  Sunset Cocktail Reception in Bangkok: Terrific. We all enjoyed a scenic cruise along the Chao Praya River on two boats. They were overflowing with way more than enough food and drink. Afterwards we were provided a lavish buffet dinner in the Shangri-La. (Regent could have skipped this portion of the event; we certainly didn’t suffer for lack of food.)

3.  Vintage Fair at Blaauwklippen Estate, Cape Town. Terrific. Wine tastings, food and music in and around a beautiful wine estate in Stellenbosch. We were driven back to Cape Town in a parade of vintage cars.

Food: This is a controversial subject on all the travel boards I peruse. So I am not going to get into many specifics, other than to say I believe the food was very good. I do not think it has “slipped,” as others have complained about on some travel web sites. We could always find things we liked or wanted to try in all four of the restaurants.

The addition of the Prime 7 specialty restaurant can be labeled a success, because it has great seafood as well as steak and other meats. The stemware is outstanding; the heavy, bulky menus should disappear.

We liked the addition of the permanent ice cream cabinet on the Pool Deck…though we were successful in not using it very often. Just for special treats!

Our top favorite change was the variety of barbeque and special lunches served in addition to the Pool Deck Grill on just about every sea day. They almost always had the best grilled fish.

The new coffee corner and snack bar on Deck 5 in the forward of the atrium was well-used throughout the day and became a regular gathering point for many.

We did not make much use of room service. We only had about five dinners in our suite. But delivery and pickup service was timely and excellent.

We tended to eat outside as much as possible…since we were escaping a Chicago winter. We ate one breakfast in the main dining room, Compass Rose. Otherwise we used the buffet in La Veranda and sat on its aft deck as much as possible.

Lunches were mainly taken on the Pool Deck or, if too hot or in inclement weather, in La Veranda. We had just two special group lunches in Compass Rose.

Special Items:

·   Communications: After 21 nights on Regent, guests are provided free Internet access. It’s a great perk, but even when satellite coverage is available (and it was most of the time), the Internet was very slow and the connection frequently dropped. Regent would be wise to invest in better equipment or pay for enhanced service. At other tiers, frequent cruisers get different amounts of free telephone access. This is another appreciated perk, when the phones work. Satellite phone was very spotty in some areas, particularly off the west coast of Africa and across the Atlantic.

·   Park West: Regent still has this onboard art vendor who sells art, holds auctions and provides some lectures. In my opinion, it something they should have done away with when they dropped the onboard photography vendor. The current vendor is the subject of lawsuits and has a bad reputation on many websites. Thankfully, the displayed art is now limited to a small area of 6^th Deck near the atrium. (On our 2006 Mariner Alaskan cruise it was displayed throughout much of the ship.)

·   Accident: Though I didn’t mention it in my web journal, the night we left Hong Kong, Karen slipped on some of the tile that intersects the wooden planking on the Pool Deck near the entrance to La Veranda. She fell hard on the left side of her face. She needed three stitches around her eyebrow and had a huge bump above the gash, a swollen lip and marks on her cheek and chin…all of which turned ugly black and blue for a couple weeks.

I ran into the restaurant to get a towel and alert the crew. The initial emergency response from Linette, the maitre de, and Roxanna, a young sommelier, was terrific. Dr. Andrew and his team were on site very quickly. Karen had three stitches and excellent care from Dr. Andrew and his nurse, Carmenchita, that night and during subsequent visits.

The indoor tile that is used on portions of the pool deck around the food service areas and in portions of La Veranda is a known hazard. It gets very slippery when wet and even during times of high humidity.

We met with General Manager Michael Coghlan and Regent’s President Mark Conroy, while he was onboard for a couple of days. Apparently this tile is treated with a liquid at certain intervals that is supposed to make it non-slippery. Either it isn’t being applied correctly or at the proper intervals because there have been several reported slips over the past two years and many that haven’t been reported. We have encouraged Regent to find a better solution to the issue.

·   Flooding: One night a water pipe burst in the maintenance cabinet outside our suite. Although the water had been shut off after the guests in the adjacent cabin noticed water in their suite. We slept through that emergency. It was only sometime after 3:00 a.m. that we discovered water also had entered our suite. The night crew helped soak up as much water as we could with towels. Since the water service still worked in our bathroom, we declined the offer to temporarily move to another room.

When we returned from an all-day excursion later that day, we found that the carpet had been torn up in our cabin and the bed removed. We moved to another empty cabin and were told the repairs could take a couple days. Thankfully when we returned from our excursion the next day, we found our cabin had been put back together again, with new carpet installed in half of it. Michael Coghlan and his crew were on top of the situation and did amazing work. (We had two non-related maintenance issues during the four months and each time, Michael had them taken care of within an hour. Three cheers.)

·   Shipboard Life: Karen and I do not partake in a lot of the numerous shipboard activities held on sea days…the organized games and such. So we can’t comment on them, except to say they have a strong following. I really enjoyed the tap volleyball games in the pool on sea day afternoons (when they could be held) and Karen enjoyed her afternoon Mah Jongg group that met in the Observation Lounge on sea days. And as stated above, we attended most of the enrichment lectures.

Sometimes people ask us, “How can you spend four months on a cruise ship?” Leading up to our 2007 World Cruise, we had some of the same concerns. You get excited about the itinerary and you start planning you excursions and look forward to traveling to so many exciting locations. But the real, unexpected bonus is the shipboard life on a small compact ship.

Much of that enjoyment centers around the friends you make along the way…some are with you for the whole cruise, while others get on a segment or two and then depart. Another factor is the camaraderie that develops on extended, small-ship cruises between the crew and the passengers.

Where else can you walk into a restaurant at any meal and know the majority of the guests and much of the staff? Over the course of the cruise you end up having deep shared experiences with so many people. Whether it’s on excursions, at the lectures, on the pool deck, enjoying shipboard activities, sharing meals or conversations in the lounges, friendships develop quickly. The all inclusive beverages and no set-seating at mealtime add immeasurably to the overall family-like cruise experience.

With some of the recent actions that Regent and its parent company’s leadership have been taking, I am not too sure the value of these relationships and the loyalty it engenders to the cruise line is fully understood. Time will tell.

·   Capt Dag: I would not be honest if I didn’t state upfront that replacing Capt. Dag as the master of the Voyager in Cape Town was a major disappointment. Just previous to that action, but when Capt. Dag’s impeding departure was well known, Regent President Mark Conroy told an assembled Voyager town meeting Voyager that Dag’s upcoming vacation was because the company was strictly adhering to the policy that all captains (who are on 12 month contracts) work three months on and then three off.

In my estimation, when he took us out of San Diego in January, I do not believe Capt. Dag thought he would be going on vacation once he got us to Cape Town. He believed he would once again, as he had for all the Voyager’s previous world cruises, be the master for the full voyage. As I’ve said before, from an outsider’s perspective, I believe this fine seafarer, strong leader and engaging ambassador for Regent was treated shabbily. Apparently, Capt. Dag felt the same. He left Regent three days after departing the ship. There are probably more pieces to this puzzle, as there are many times in senior officer departures. But this much is known, he will be missed by many.

We feel lucky to have sailed with him twice and to be able to call him a friend.

·   Future Plans: We plan to spend next winter in San Diego so that we can become more involved in the lives of our young grandchildren. We hope to someday again sail with RSSC. We like the all inclusive nature of the product and the smaller, friendly ships and crew.

 

Final Thoughts: We feel very fortunate to have had the time and resources to again experience a world cruise. Circling the globe in this manner has its own certain rhythm.  You are always sailing towards a new horizon, anticipating what new experiences await you as you explore new places. You are continually making new friends on the ship and in stops along the way. It truly is a wondrous world. And a day didn’t go by that we weren’t thankful, that for the luck of the draw, we were born where we were.

(Sorry for the delay in posting this arrival report, but we’ve been busy & winding down.)

We pulled into Ft. Lauderdale shortly before 5:00 a.m. – completing the 9^th World Cruise of Regent Seven Seas’ Voyager. Since embarking in San Diego on Jan. 12 for this 119-day voyage, we have visited 45 ports in 27 countries.

(In fact we completed the circumnavigation of the globe by air today, as we flew back to San Diego for a grand-twins fix before returning home to Chicago on May 17.)

Regent did an excellent job of making preparations for the disembarkation of so many passengers – particularly the world cruisers with their huge amounts of luggage and the many who had exceeded their $800/person duty-free customs limit.

Full world cruisers from the US were provided complimentary use of Luggage Free to ship up to 135 lbs. of luggage to and from the Voyager. In preparation for the ship’s arrival in the US, the president of Luggage Free joined us in Cape Verde. He met with each individual, ascertained how many pieces of luggage we would be shipping and prepared bar-coded FedEx luggage tags for each piece. Regent made advance, special arrangements with the customs folks and longshoremen in Ft. Lauderdale to ensure that enough personnel would be on duty to handle the large load from this relatively small ship.

Immediately after docking – while the luggage was being unloaded – customs officials boarded the ship. They met individually with everyone one who had exceeded their duty-free limits and collected the duty. Meanwhile the longshoreman off-loaded tons of luggage from the cargo hold and – using a crane – from the pool deck where the ship’s crew had stacked it the night before.

All of the luggage had been color-coded as to the guests’ onward travel plans. We had a scheduled 12:35 flight and received notice that we could expect to be off the ship by about 9:15, if everything went according to schedule.

We had to vacate our room by 8:00, so we enjoyed a last breakfast on the aft deck of La Veranda, said a few more good-byes and waited in the Card Room for our color code to be called. Though some folks got antsy, we were called at about 9:20, and quickly found a porter and our Luggage Free bags in the dockside shed. We handed in our (nothing to declare) custom forms to the agent (there was no line), had the porter give the bags to Luggage Free, then jumped into a Regent-provided Town Car and were off to the close-by Ft. Lauderdale airport by 9:35. Smooth as glass. Thank, you Regent.

Though we were on a Southwest milk-run – with stops in Raleigh and Phoenix – we arrived on time in San Diego at 6:35 PDT. Much to our surprise, waiting for us at the exit were 24-month old Charlie & Natalie yelling our names – with balloons, smiles and hugs. What a wonderful end to a long day and a great experience.

Note: For those who are interested and follow my blog, I will be posting some of my final reflections on the World Cruise and Regent on this site, as well the Regent board on www.cruisecritic.com and www.luxurycruisetalk.com

Well, here we are; our final full day of the 2010 World Cruise. We are scheduled to arrive at Ft. Lauderdale tomorrow morning at 5:30 a.m.

We enjoyed breakfast and lunch at our favorite spot on the back deck. We spent part of the a.m., doing some final tuning of our packing and completed our customs form. Our purchases are under the personal limit, so we won’t owe any duty. Our bags were out in the corridor by 2:00 p.m., and were picked up soon thereafter. Some will be stored overnight on netted pallets on the pool deck and be taken off tomorrow by crane. The balance will be taken out the deck three cargo door.

Since the seas turned a bit rougher this a.m., the final water volleyball game was canceled. However, Karen did get in final playtime with her Mah Jongg group. Later in the afternoon, Jamie and his team put on a terrific variety show where all the entertainers performed. Intermixed were short video clips from each of the five WC segments. We will all be getting a two-hour video of the complete World Cruise at home in a couple weeks.

Tonight we are celebrating our final dinner onboard with Debbie & Henry in Prime 7. Rather than watch the main show entertainment, I believe we will spend some time wandering the ship saying good-bye to friends. Then we will be in bed early, so that I can get up to document our arrival back in the U.S.

Our Internet access will be cut off later this evening, so this will be my final posting for a day or two. I will probably post a report regarding our 119^th day of this WC, as we complete the circumnavigation to San Diego via Southwest. Later I will post a personal review of the 2010 Voyager World Cruise. It some ways it will probably be Regent’s last in the present form – more about that later.

 

 

Well, that dreaded day is finally here: Packing Day. Since we weren’t scheduled to get into Grand Turk until 2:00 pm., we spent the morning packing. And with concentrated effort we were successful! It was somewhat complicated, since on Wednesday we will be flying directly to San Diego to see our daughter’s family – which includes our only grandchildren. (The twins, Charlie and Natalie, celebrated their second birthday in March while we were on “a boat.” Karen’s sister from New Jersey will also be visiting during our four days on the West Coast.) The rest of our luggage will be shipped by Luggage Free directly to our Chicago condo and should arrive the day we do, Monday, May 17. (As part of our World Cruise fare, we were allowed 270 pounds of free shipping.) But we got everything sorted out and are glad that it is behind us.

One of the saddest moments was taking down the large wall map at the foot of our bed. We had used it to track our voyage and had surrounded it with colorful magnets from many of the stops, along with family photos and postcards.

We arrived at tiny Grand Turk on time. This low island is only seven miles long by just one and a half miles at its widest point. Its 3,200 inhabitants depend primarily on the new industry of tourism. They have built a very attractive cruise terminal complex and last year attracted 300,000 cruisers. We didn’t add as much to that total as did the 2,600 passenger behemoth Carnival Magic that was loading up next to us. Their reboarding line stretched way down pier.

We walked over to an 80-foot cat for a 3-1/2 hour sailing and snorkeling cruise. Several of our close friends were on the same excursion and it was a great way to enjoy our last port. The wind was good for sailing and the crystal clear, blue-green waters made for a beautiful late afternoon in the Caribbean.

After a sunset sail away on the Pool Deck, with Beatles music for dancing, we enjoyed dinner outside on the aft deck of La Veranda with four of our Canadian friends, Debbie & Henry and Nancy & Larry. It was a perfect evening on the balmy high seas.

Our short five-hour visit to Tortola was lots of fun. Upon arrival, we clambered aboard a high-powered catamaran for a 30-min. crossing to the island of Virgin Gorda (Fat Virgin). Our destination here was The Baths. This famous cove is ringed by picturesque rock formations. To visit the adjacent Devil’s Bay, you have to transverse a series of caves created by the jumbled rock pile. Both beaches were beautiful, but the snorkeling was better at The Baths; Larry even saw a barracuda hanging around under a rock ledge. After climbing up from the cove we enjoyed some refreshments on the pool patio of a small restaurant overlooking the blue-green waters.

Tonight was our last formal evening, which included Captain Mario’s farewell and the final Crew Capers show. These kids really put their heart and soul into these productions. Each time there is usually a new number or two. This time it was a solo dance number by our friend, Sunil. He brought down the house. We enjoyed a fine dinner in Compass Rose with our close companions Sandra & Bob and Helga & Ziggy. It was fun remembering all the great experiences we have had during these past four months.

We then watched the Regent Singers and Dancers’ last production show. Several of them have a family member on for these last four ports. Although these performers are just at the halfway point of their 10-month contract, they seemed to put some extra zip in their final show for their parents and us. Afterwards, we enjoyed our last formal dance to the music of Jerry Vasi up in the Observation Lounge

Antigua is a beautiful little island. Larry went on zip adventure…a first for him. There were nine zip line runs...ranging from 30 feet to more than 300 feet long, transversing over a verdant gorge in the rainforest. Karen joined Sandra and Bob on a taxi adventure around the island. It was quite an afternoon. Their elderly driver was a character. And after riding in the old, rickety car without air conditioning and seat belts, Karen -- who had been worrying about the safety of Larry’s zip line adventure -- conceded that she may have been having the more dangerous experience! (The zip line company would not let participates carry a camera on the tour, so there are no pictures of his fun afternoon.) All the photos of the island tour were taken by Sandra.

We spent the day on a large catamaran with 13 other folks from the ship. “Capt.” Bruce, from Houston, made an advance booking with Cool Runnings for a private charter. It was a terrific day on the water, with a wonderful three-man crew. And we actually sailed -- rather than motoring that we had done on previous snorkeling excursions on this World Cruise.

We sailed up the west side of the island, to a shallow spot where we snorkeled with Green Back turtles and larger Hawksbill turtles. In amongst the turtles, and at a depth of only 3-10 feet, were several large 5-6 ft. Tarpon. Our captain estimated them at 100-110 lbs.

Then we motored a bit more north and pulled into an area just off a sandy beach. After a wonderful buffet lunch on board, we all swam into the beach and back.

Then we moved a short distance further north where we dropped anchor over two wrecks and an adjacent reef. Two ships had been scuttled there some time ago to provide an artificial reef for coral and fish. And the fish were very plentiful. They swarmed all over you just for some bread.

From here we sailed all the way back to Bridgetown and beyond, before heading back to port. We enjoyed a sunset sail away on the jogging track and pool deck, with Jerry Vasi providing the entertainment.

Now, it’s just three more ports and a sea day before we arrive in Ft. Lauderdale.

 

 

We’ve had four wonderful sea days crossing the Atlantic Ocean towards the Caribbean. The seas have been relatively flat with a very light following wind…and it has gotten progressively warmer…back into the 80s.

On Tuesday afternoon we had another County Fair, where each of the ship’s departments sets up a booth with carnival-type games for the guests to play. It was great fun. One could feel a much stronger camaraderie between the crew and the passengers in comparison to the same event held near the beginning of this four-month cruise. That closeness is another aspect that makes a world cruise so special.

Yesterday we enjoyed a special Cinco de Mayo luncheon that friends arranged in Compass Rose. Larry had managed to squeeze in pool volleyball and Karen played Mah Jongg. Then, we were fortunate to be invited to a private show that Asst. Cruise Director JR Lustig performed for friends who were successful bidders in the Crew Welfare Fund auction. JR sang songs of the sponsors’ favorite artists for a pre-dinner show before about 40-50 of us. Then we attended the Dinner & a Show event with a terrific Las Vegas lounge singer, Clint Holmes. After that we ventured to the theater and listened to Pearl Kaufman, who has played the piano music solo for tons of films and TV shows. Just another action-packed “lazy sea day.”

This afternoon the Crew Talent Show played to a full house in the theater. There were 10 acts…and they we all crowd pleasers. One included three pool guys in drag, lip-syncing to sexy music. In another performance, one of our favorite waiters, Sunil, let loose with a wild dance number. Our favorite singer was Rica, a stewardess in our short corridor. (Larry had heard her practicing her song this morning as he walked by on open door where she was changing a bed.) She was dressed as Pocahontas and sang “Color of the Wind” from that musical. She brought forth the loudest applause. She was terrific!

I’ve included photos of each performer; readers of this journal who cruise on Regent may recognize some of their favorite crew members.

An explanation of the title photo in the today’s album: It is a picture of the world map we have at the foot of our bed. Before leaving we marked our intended route in red and have been filling in the actual route in black as we move along. You can see that we are just about to the Caribbean; and last night we caught up so that now the ship’s time is EDT. We have surrounded the map with family photos; souvenir magnets and postcards from along the way; and some photos of shipboard friends and experiences. We have so many great memories.

 

Cape Verde is made up of nine islands, eight of which are inhabited. The islands lie off the coast of Africa, west of Mauritania and Senegal. They were uninhabited when the Portuguese arrived in 1460. Cape Verde became an important watering station, then a sugar cane plantation site and later a major hub for the trans-Atlantic slave trade. In times of British steam navigation the town of Mindelo on St. Vincent was a major coal station.

The islands gained their independence from Portugal in 1975 after a long struggle in the jungles of Guinea-Bissau on mainland Africa. The move to unite Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde failed and in 1980, Cape Verde became its own nation. Mindelo has the major deep water port and is surrounded by brown deforested mountains. St. Vincent is very dry; all its drinking water is produced via desalination. Most of Cape Verdes fruits and vegetables are grown on just four islands, the closest of which is a 45-min. ferry boat away.

We toured downtown Mindelo on a small bus with a personable 22-year-old guide. Josemo’s English was excellent; he would like to be a translator. Unfortunately it was Sunday and hardly anything was open in town; it was particularly quiet, because the day before was Workers Day (May 1). Jose says everyone partied very hard and most were sleeping off their hangovers. We had fun walking around some of the buildings and listening to Josemo’s humorous stories. Many of the buildings were brightly painted, in sharp contrast to our recent experiences in West Africa.

We then rode over one of the Mountain passes to Catfish Bay Beach to join a large number of our cruisers for some beachside refreshments, viewing a few women demonstrating their fancy Carnival costumes, and enjoying some local music and dancers.

In the evening we joined longtime world cruisers Elaine and Peggy, plus Jamie (the cruise director) for dinner in Compass Rose. We asked to be seated right next to the table where our friends Sandra & Bob were hosting five of their favorite crew members to a very special dinner. Sandra & Bob generously won this opportunity with their generous bid in the recent crew welfare auction. We knew four of the five crew members they selected and knew how excited they were. One of them was so proud that he had called his parents to tell them the news. We were not there when they arrived in the restaurant, but we understand Paolo, the manager, had walked them around the entire circumference to great applause. What a special opportunity for these dedicated, hard-working folks. I think the smiles in the photos reflect that they had a great time.

We now have four days at sea…probably will use some of it to start thinking about packing…compiling a list for customs…bubble wrapping a few breakables…but I don’t want to call for the suitcases yet (as some have)…that is signaling defeat!

We had a nice quiet relaxing day together. Through spotty telephone connections we were able to call Heather and Kristin so they could wish their mom birthday greetings. And Karen received many welcomed electronic greetings from relatives and friends.

We enjoyed a dinner in Prime Seven made special by being with our friends Helga & Siggy and Sandra & Bob. JR Lustig, the assistant cruise director with the fabulous voice was able to join us, but Cruise Director Jamie had to cancel at the last minute because he was needed elsewhere. However he was able to join us at the end of dinner for a few moments in costume from his previous engagement – thus the frightful photo.

Kevin, the pastry chef, out did himself with a delicious, special order, chocolate pecan tart birthday desert (a first for him he said). And Nerissa decorated our door and suite with balloon. The photos show some of her wonderful creativity. Karen had a great day…thanks to all who made it so special.

Yesterday it was confirmed that Capt. Dag, after 18 years with the line, has left Regent Seven Seas Cruises. He will be missed by many of his followers who have been sailing with him for years. Although this was only our second cruise with him, we believe it is Regent’s loss. He was a great captain, leader, gentleman and friend. I hope our paths cross again…and maybe they will…for it truly is a small world.

I have added some of my favorite Dag photos to my photo site…including one just after he docked the Voyager for the last time (in Cape Town) on April 14.

Below is the classy letter he sent to all at Regent:

 

Dear friends,

 

As we cruise through life we frequently get to crossroads - in nautical terms we call it way points, where we have to decide the proper course to continue.

 

After 36 years of sailing the seven seas I have reached one of those way points and I have decided to select a different course.

 

On April 19^th, I left Regent Seven Seas Cruises after 18 years with the company.

 

Reflecting on my life at sea generally, I must say I have had an interesting and diversified time and in spite of some stormy days in between, I have enjoyed almost every minute of it. Since I joined my first freighter M/S Taronga, in Singapore, a warm September day in 1974 I have seen many changes within the shipping industry and I feel fortunate to have been a part of it.

 

My first experience with the cruise ship industry was launching the Sea Goddess cruise line. After about 3 years with Sea Goddess Cruises, I was approached by another cruise line in the making, Wind Star Sail Cruises. Having the opportunity to be part of the launch of yet another new cruise line was too good to pass up and in April 1987 I sailed out of Le Havre as Captain with The Wind Song bound for Tahiti – a dream come true. After 5 years with this line, I was approached by Seven Seas Cruise Line to take command of the Song of Flower. This was the beginning of today’s Regent Seven Seas! Among many highlights of my time with RSSC, was the building and successful launching of the Seven Seas Voyager.

 

Now, signing off from RSSC, it is with a wealth of good memories – the thousands of fine people that I have had the pleasure of either sailing with as guests, or working with as part of the crew. The friendships that were established are too many to mention. Let me take this opportunity to thank all the fine people that I have come to know during my time with RSSC. To all the crew I have sailed with, thank you for your support, I am, and always will be, proud to have been part of such a fine group.

 

 To all of my fellow RSSC team members, I thank you for all the memories and great team work over the past 18 years.

 

 

Warmest regards,

Captain Dag Dvergastein

 

We spent a very interesting day in and around Banjul, the capital city of The Gambia. This is the smallest country in Africa – slightly less than twice the size of the state of Delaware – with a population of around 1.7 million. Located in West Africa, the former British colony has a small north to-south coastline of about 50 miles and then runs narrowly east following the Gambia River plain. It is surrounded on three sides by Senegal (a former French colony). Banjul is on an island close to the mouth of the river and is connected to the northern shore by a bridge and to the south by a ferry.

The Gambia won its independence from the UK in 1965. The head of the military junta, General Jammeh, took over in a military coup in 1994. Elections under a new constitution were held in 1996, and Jammeh was elected president, a position he has held ever since (through two additional elections). The country is still very poor, unemployment is high and it is on a watch list because its lack of its enforcement against significant human trafficking of young children. In a departure from the other West African nations, the country is 90% Islamic and only 8% Christian.

Soon after arrival at 10:00 a.m., we took the shuttle bus to the local Banjul Craft Market, along the seaside next to the larger, Albert Market. We had some local guides there as well as a few Gambian security forces. The crafts were mostly wood carvings, colorful cloths and beadwork. We returned to the ship for a quick lunch and then set out on a four-hour tour labeled “Banjul Highlights.” We visited an interesting small historical museum at a crocodile park. The highlight was petting the famous “Charlie” one of the very docile river crocs. (We had to have a picture for our two-year old grandson of the same name.) There were several crocs just lazing around outside a fenced pool that contained another 50-60 of varying sizes. We never did learn why they were so docile.

 

We stopped at the Banjul Crafts Market and then “Sinatra’s” for a local JulBrew beer and peanuts (the major cash crop). It was a surprisingly nice local establishment. Next we visited an open air Batik “factory,” where we met some of the nicest children.

 

One young fifth grader, Abdoul-Azize-Njie, was very interested in talking to me and asked if we could send his school some materials. He wasn’t interested in the candy handouts some of our passengers had, he just wanted books and things for his school. I gave him a pen and he off to get some paper to write down the post office box in the next town where he could receive mail and the e-mail address of a relative where I could send some pictures and correspond with him. I promised that, once I got back to the US, I would send his school some things.

 

We made a short stop at a small, silver jewelry factory and Arch 22 that commemorates the country’s independence in 1964. Our final stop was to the small National Museum. Once we got back to the ship, we found the pier covered by vendors selling similar wood and craft items to those that we had seen in the morning.

 

We enjoyed our visit to this tiny country. We were struck by how well the people dressed for their Friday prayers at the mosque. Almost all the Gambian women wore very colorful dresses and many wore bright scarves wrapped around their head. The friendly children were again a highlight.

Sunny, smooth seas. Second day for the return of pool volleyball. Yeah! Jamie was busy, but was kind enough to set up the net for us; and we played without “adult supervision.”

It is hard to believe that we have just two weeks left on our World Cruise. That seems like such a short time, however in our working years that was just about the longest vacation we ever took. Hooray for retirement!)

This morning in the atrium there was an auction to raise funds for the Crew Welfare Fund. In a new wrinkle, Jamie and the staff thought up 20-25 special opportunities for passengers to bid on, with all the proceeds going to the fund. A few examples:

·     “An Interactive Debut” – Be the day’s host for Regent Interactive TV and interview who you want for the Voyager Today program.

·     “Quiet in the Storm” – Enjoy a special dinner for 2 in the Main Galley during full dinner operation, hosted by the Executive Chef

·     “Goodfellas Past Co.” – Two of you may join the Captain and General Manager and his wife, Stephanie, for an Italian dinner served in the captain’s suite. (During the bidding, Capt. Mario said he would cook and Stephanie agreed to sing a couple songs.)

·     “King or Queen for a Day” – Treat your favorite crew member to one night in a suite with breakfast in bed.”

·     “Please Wait” – Reward 4 of your favorite crew members and serve them dinner in Compass Rose.

You get the idea…it was great fun and some really stiff bidding jacked up all the prices…all for a very good cause. Jamie also auctioned off White Elephant items that passengers donated…things that seemed like a good purchase at the time, but folks had decided they really didn’t want to take home.

All in all, more than $30,000 was raised. And more will be added as the cruise draws to a close. Unlike many cruise lines, Regent includes gratuities in the price of the cruise. If passengers want to reward excellent service, they are encouraged to contribute to the Cruise Welfare Fund. The fund is used to help crew members with bereavement expenses, illnesses, emergency leaves, etc.

Today was a so-so day in Sekondi-Takoradi, the twin-city capital of the Western Region of Ghana. Takoradi is the largest city closest to the Equator and Prime Meridian…making it the most central location on the world map. It’s also Ghana’s fourth largest city and used to be the country’s main seaport. However, much of that business has moved east to Accra, the nation’s capital. The twin cities don’t appear very prosperous. The port of Takoradi is still the terminus for shipping bulk prime materials such as magnesium and bauxite. Cocoa is Ghana’s second-largest export and there are several cocoa producing plants in Takoradi. Oil was recently discovered offshore and there is great hope that its production will jump start the local economy.

Our excursion first stopped at the West African Mills Company (WAMCO), the oldest cocoa processing factory in Ghana. Cocoa is Ghana’s main food export. It was an interesting tour, but the production facility wasn’t really set up to handle our four buses of tourists at one time. The information on how cocoa beans are turned into cocoa butter and cocoa cakes (which are then turned into powder) was quite interesting. We drove around the city’s major Circle Market. No stops were made, but we really didn’t see much to entice us to make plans to return on the shuttle after our tour. Our last stop was at the Raybow Hotel for a traditional dance presentation and light refreshments.  The colorful costumes and spirited dancing was an enjoyable cultural experience.

Our excursion through the twin cities was quite disheartening in that the colonial-era buildings were either in major disrepair or abandoned, and the vast majority of the population seemed to be living shanties. The only brightly-colored buildings were those that had been painted by advertisers and then plastered with advertising. The ads must not cost much, since telecommunications companies such as Vodophone, have hundreds and hundreds of ads everywhere throughput the city.

The people we met and saw through the bus windows as we wended our way through winding streets were excited to see us, and smiled and waved vigorously. Again, we were reminded of just how fortunate we are for having been born where we were.

 

Since we arrived in the container port of Lome last evening, we were off the ship promptly at 8:10 for our 6-hour “Rural Togo and Akpesse Folk Dance” excursion. It was a bright sunny day and really not too hot. But more importantly, it was a terrific tour. If you aren’t interested in pictures of adorable children, you can skip the photos.

Togo is a small West African county that extends 365 miles inland and is just 4o miles wide at the coast and 90 miles wide at its widest point. Togoland, of which modern Togo is a part, was colonized by the Germans in 1894. After WWI, the country was divided into a French controlled eastern region and a British-occupied western sector. In 1956 the French part chose to be a republic and was granted full independence in 1960. The 50^th anniversary of which will be celebrated on Tuesday. The civilian rule lasted but seven years before a military coup in 1967. The son of that military leader is now the “president” and this poor country is still somewhat of military dictatorship though there are “free” elections.

Our tour visited two villages in the Rural district outside of the port and capital of Lome. In the first village, Atti Noufoe, we visited a school and thatched-roof, mud-brick village. The school was an airy, three-classroom, concrete building, and the upper three classrooms where in thatched-roof huts. There was no electricity and the cooking was all done by wood and charcoal stoves. Friday classes had been canceled so the children would be in school for our Sunday visit. It was great fun visiting the classrooms where the children sang for us.

Next, we visited the village of Tove-Atti, where we were formally greeted by the chief and provided with a special Akpesse dance by most of the villagers. Again, the beautiful kids stole the show. Karen was standing behind the crowd watching the adults dance and quickly had an audience of 7-8 small children hanging around her. Karen’s former schoolteacher instincts kicked in and she soon had all the kids mimicking her dance. Then she would mimic theirs. Then more and more children and Regent passengers joined in. It was great fun.

We visited Togo on a Sunday. As a primarily Christian country, almost all the businesses and markets were at the beginning of our morning tour. The roads were filled with adults and children dressed in very colorful dress going to and from church. We passed Presbyterian, Baptist, Catholic, Pentecostal and Methodist churches, plus two or three mosques. The most modern building in the countryside was the new Chinese Institute of Farming Technology. One of our lecturers had told us this week that the Chinese are moving into Africa in a big way. They have an economic investment plan and are following it. Our guide told us that in the last two years that both of the country’s universities have added Chinese language to the curriculum.

 

 

 

We arrived at the pilot station off Cotonou, Benin, somewhat before 7:00 a.m., a bit early for our scheduled 8:00 docking. My friend Bob and I were outside on Deck 12 to watch the activity…but we saw none. The captain just maneuvered us to face the swells and we kind of bobbed around like a duck. There was no sighting of the harbor pilot. Then Capt. Mario and Jamie entertained us with a series of announcements as the situation deteriorated through the morning:

·     At 7:30, we were told there was a cargo ship still at our berth, but it was getting ready to depart.

·     Then, the harbor pilot was on his way out.

·     Then, he wasn’t.

·     Then, the cargo ship began moving.

·     Then, the cargo ship had engine problems.

·     We would be delayed further in entering the harbor.

·     Then, the cargo ship was being moved to another berth; we should be docked in time for the excursions to operate.

·     Jamie started adding morning activities to the schedule to keep everyone occupied. Breakfast in La Veranda was extended and lunch was moved up. Everyone could eat all morning!

·     Time marched on; but we still hoped to be docked by 11:30 or noon.

·     Jamie roused the Regent Orchestra out of the rack and, at 10:00, JR Lustig performed a wonderful concert of memorable tunes from the 40s, 50s and 60s. It was a great show for the demographic of this audience! It was a super way to spend the morning.

·     During the show a rain front moved in and the winds kicked up to over 30 knots. Ships are restricted from entering Cotonou’s narrow harbor when winds are above 20 knots – so we continued to mark time off the port.

·     At about 12:30, the captain announced that even though the front had passed, an even larger one was expected soon. Therefore, we would be cancelling the stop in Benin; because if the winds persisted, we might be trapped in Cotonou’s small harbor for some time.

·     However, we had received permission to use our tender to disembark a couple entertainers who were scheduled to depart in Benin and to embark a couple passengers who were rejoining the ship here. As soon as that operation was complete, we would sail for Lome, Togo.

·     Jamie adjusted to schedule to add back in all the normal sea day afternoon activities, plus a popcorn matinee screening in the theater of “The Blind Side,” as well as a pre-dinner musical performance by Stephanie Baldwin. (We thoroughly enjoyed both the movie and Stephanie’s singing.)

·     Lome, Togo, is only about 71 nm from Cotonou and we have received permission to dock there overnight.

·     Though we are disappointed not to chalk up another country on our march toward 100 visited, we have to remind ourselves that “we aren’t in Kansas anymore!” As Jamie likes to remind us: “We are travelers not tourists.”

We have sailed four days north and northwest in the Atalntic heading towards four exciting ports in West Africa. We have been advised that “West Africa does not consist of many major landmarks, but is instead interesting for its countryside, villages, traditions and general way of life in these ports of call.” When people have asked us what were some of the things were most looking forward to on this voyage, we have answered the four stops in West Africa. For we expect that they are not places we would ever visit on a land vacation. We shall soon see.

It has turned markedly hotter the past four days. We crossed the equator for the last time last night.

A couple of weeks ago, Mark Conroy, the president of Regent, held a town meeting on board for all passengers. I know that many of the readers of this journal are regular cruisers on Regent. And since I had some free time, I thought you might be interested in a summary of the meeting. For the other readers it might not be so interesting, but here goes:

These are some summary notes that I took at he session and, in italics, a few personal comments.

 

·     Regent and Oceania form Prestige Holdings (PCH); its president is Frank Del Rio. PCH is owned by Apollo Capital Management Fund 6. Apollo has several entertainment properties in its portfolio, including 75% of Norwegian Cruise Lines and Harrah’s Casinos. It also owns Clair’s Jewelry and had a portion of the now defunct Circuit City.

·     Aollo usually deals in 10 year funds. Although they were in Vail Resorts for 12 years.

·     Oceania has two new ships coming on line: Marina in Jan 2011 and Riviera in Mar 2012. They have an option in Italy that has to be exercised by the end of year for a third ship. There have been some internal discussions about the possibility of exercising the option and building it as a ship for Regent. They would use the same hull structure and bridge apparatus as the Oceania ships (more efficient for parts availability & maintenance), but modify it more to Regent standards from the public decks upwards. Capacity would be about 800; standard suites would be larger, in the range of 400 sq. ft. -- 40m vs. 35m; and there should be room for single-bedded cabins. PCH is also talking with shipyards in Finland and France.

·     Apollo’s aim is to help management improve quality of the product and profitability. They have sunk $100 million into the Regent ships, including the retrofits and the unscheduled drydock that ended the last year’s Voyager WC. There could be some restructuring of the Apollo investment with a private placement after Marina comes on line to rebalance the equity position. And then further down the line there could be an IPO or sale, who knows?

·     Bookings are going well – 80-90% full for 2010; hope to be 75% full for 2011 before the end of this year. The marketing plan is to offer better deals up front and stay ahead of the booking curve.

·     The free shore excursions have been a huge marketing success. It has created value for the customer and has been a differentiator for Regent in the luxury industry. Mark admitted that it has overwhelmed the system a bit. Since so many more people are taking tours, the Destinations staff spends all its time handling tickets and getting arrangements made. He understands there has been some slippage in destination talks and information. (In response to comments, Mark said their might be a need for added staffing.) In order to be fair to all the other passengers and help the staff, Mark implored passengers to turn in their tickets if they decide not to go on a tour and not to double book.

·     Mark said some passengers had expressed to him that they felt there had been a cutback in staff. He said there has not been. However, there has been more turnover. It is harder for crew members to get physicals and there are lots of new ships – many of which are larger than Regent’s. So there is more competition for staff. He admitted that maybe Regent hadn’t been as diligent as they should have been in obtaining new staff and in their training. However, he said that despite all this Regent has some of the lowest turnover in the industry.

·     Mark said he also has heard complaints about the communications system onboard. He said MTN is the largest provider of such services. They, too, have been limited by the availability of satellite bandwidth. Fewer satellites have been built or systems expanded during the recession, and the military & gov’t have buying more and more commercial access. Once again, he asked folks to sign off from their computers because they continue to use bandwidth until the computer finally disconnects them.

·     Mark acknowledged that many of the people he talked to were disappointed that Capt. Dag would be leaving the WC in Cape Town rather than at the end in Florida. (And if body language can tell you anything, it was apparent that Dag – who was sitting on stage with Mark – felt the same way.) Mark explained that now that Regent is part of a bigger company with [soon to be] 7 ships that he was been required to keep his 6 Regent captains to the industry work standard of 3 months on and 3 months off.  He said his boss wanted him to be more structured and disciplined than in the past. Then Mark basically had private deals with each captain. Mark said he used to have 1-1/2 captains per ship. (The captains are actually on 12 month contracts, being paid for 6 months of work and 6 months of time off. In my opinion it would have been better for Regent/PCH to start this crackdown in 2011, when the World Cruise is 145 days and the majority of the long-time World Cruisers have opted for the shorter South American cruise. Since Capt. Dag had done all 8 of Regent’s previous Voyager WC’s the expectation was there that he would be doing the same this year. I still contend that PCH doesn’t realize that this was a PR goof; that they needlessly shot themselves in the foot and added more substance to the grumblings about the “new owners” But they didn’t ask for my opinion!)

·     Mark said that they have 100 full World Cruisers booked for 2011…and hope to have 150-200 by the time it sails. (No one asked him what the drop off rate is before final payment.)

·     Mark asked whether folks were interested in having the WC start earlier? Or start from LA or not? Or start from South Florida and go to Buenos Aires? He got not definitive reaction one way or the other. Folks did seem to prefer a preference for not going completely eastbound. Others commented that it can’t be a real WC if it doesn’t circumnavigate or if it ends in Europe.

·     As to the ending the WC in Europe, Mark explained that just about everyone else does this. The problem is selling the trans-Atlantic repositioning trips. He says Regent’s average per diem is about $600/ day. On the trans-Atlantics it is $300-400. He also stated that there are currently 65 single guests on board. Also, 23 suites are occupied by lecturers, extra staff – at $1,200/day that is significant lost revenue. All these factors play into itinerary decisions.

·     Someone raised the question about the antiquated slot machines in the casino. The way I understood the answer, the current vendor’s contract is up at the end of the year and he would expect another contractor or improvements.

The above is not all inclusive of the session, just a summary of the points that most interested me. In my opinion, it was a good session and provided some interesting background as to Regent’s operations and corporate thinking.

 

Our tour today was a seal and dolphin tour. Did we luck out! Yesterday it was windy and cool, and the bay was enveloped in clouds and mist. This morning the weather was clear, it was warmer than expected and the bay was like a lake. The tour was spectacular. Our captain, Nick, was a burly fellow, with a terrific sense of humor and a wonderful knowledge of all the wildlife we saw.

Right off the bat, large pinkish pelicans swarmed our boat. They were followed by a couple of very tame Cape Fur Seals. Two of the seals actually climbed up onto the back of our boat for fresh-fish handouts. A couple of others, on command, washed their faces with their flippers before being fed. Nick also had a cormorant step onto his outstretched arm for a fish. We passed by hundreds of flamingoes in shallow water and on the shore. The latter quickly moved to the water when three jackals strolled along the shoreline.

We watched as a group of seamen hauled up some of their oyster baskets from their farm in the middle of the bay. This industry is currently struggling. One of a variety of reasons is that the oxygen levels in the bay are currently quite low, thus many of the oysters are dying.

In parts of the bay we passed over lots of large, red, medusa jelly fish. At the outer tip of the long spit of land that forms a natural barrier, we came upon three large colonies of seals. Some were sleeping and barking on the shore. Others were frolicking in the surf. However the groups that had moved further off shore provided the most entertainment. We’ve never seen so many swimming seals at one time. They were leaping out of the water, slapping and clapping their flippers, and doing headstands with just their tails poking out of the water. It was a wonderful experience.

Enroute back to port, we got close to another seal colony – the kindergarten – of just mothers and youngster learning to swim and hunt.

Earlier in the morning Nick offered our group small glasses of “Namibian coffee.”  I told him I didn’t drink coffee. Well, it wasn’t coffee, it was the most wonderful sherry. Most of us had two shots! Later, as we moved closer to the port, Nick throttled back and put out a spread of snacks and two plates of shucked oysters. He showed us how to put on a couple drops of Tabasco, some fresh ground pepper and some squeezed lime juice onto the oyster before slipping it down the hatch. Needless to say, the oysters were a hit among most of the group.

Though we only saw one dolphin, this was one of the more memorable excursions of our voyage. It was a great morning. We kind of lazed around this afternoon…played some cards, Karen did some laundry and I have been working on two days of blogs and photos.

Tonight we will be having dinner with Helga & Siggy and Rose & Bill…four fun people.

We sail at 6:00 p.m. and have four sea days cruising up the west coast of Africa, before we visit Benin, Togo and Ghana on successive days. These three countries, and Gambia, are ones that I have been looking forward to for sometime…because I doubt that we will be coming back here again.

We arrived about noon and the bay was blanketed in low-lying clouds. But soon after we headed north and inland on our bus trip to the Namib-Naukluft National Park, the sun shone brightly. This was real desert…flat, sandy and barren. The rough road eventually led us to a drop off with mountains in the distance. In between was a moonscape-like region. In its own way, it was quite beautiful.

Our guide showed us samples of lichen that grow on the small rocks that are strewn around the ground. This lichen only grows a millimeter or so per year. It survives on the morning mist, as there is hardly any rainfall. What rainfall there is, evaporates quickly in the extreme heat. (Luckily for us it was only about 60 degrees.) The lichen folds up holds minute amounts of water and provides it to the springbok and small animals as they lick the rocks.

Next we learned about the amazing welwitschia plant. Some of these were 8-9 ft. across and were marked by a ring of stones to hopefully keep people from destroying them. Why? They are reputed to be the world’s longest living plant and can live up to 1,000 years. Many of them were tiny when Columbus was sailing to the New World and the Portuguese were exploring this part of Africa. The plants only have two leaves, though they look like they have many more. That’s because over the centuries the leaves have been shredded by the winds and animals.

On the way back to the Voyager we used the inland road that lies behind the row of high dunes lining this area of the coast. Though we weren’t able to stop, I did get some fairly decent photos of the curving shadows on the dunes created by the setting sun.

Around 6:30 p.m. just about everyone on the ship returned to the desert and the dunes for dinner under the stars. The 20-30 minute ride into the site included some very rough roads. Regent’s tour company did a beautiful job of setting up amongst the dunes some tents, campfires and a wonderful local buffet. There were some native dancers, a student choral group and even four camels to ride. The crescent moon was beautiful and the bright stars, including the Southern Cross, made it a special evening.

(A major downside: We arrived at the dinner site after dark and could neither see nor climb the dunes. I don’t believe that anyone, other than some of the crew who came out early to help serve dinner, rode the camels. With the scheduled on-time, noon arrival and afternoon tours, the timing of the everything could have been better planned.)

 

Today was a sunny day at sea…though a bit brisk in the mid-60s. It was my birthday. Karen and I spent most of it together…and with friends. She attended a lecture, while I worked on the blog. Our lunch on the pool deck was a South African barbeque. We were offered kudo, ostrich, warthog sausages, leg of Impala, chicken and lamb kabobs…with SA beer and wine. We enjoyed sharing a table in the sun with Helga & Siggy.

We then read for awhile on the pool deck before returning to our room to get some playing cards. We found that the room had been filled with balloons by our stewardess. While we were there, a small cake and two glasses of champagne were delivered from the Captain. We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon playing “Shanghai” in the Observation Lounge.

We dressed for the formal optional Captain’s Welcome Reception in the theater. Capt. Mario seems very personable. (Though we hadn’t seen him, we understand he had spent portions of the day walking around the ship introducing himself to folks. A nice touch)

We had cocktails and dinner in Signatures with special friends Dodi & Larry, Jenny & Kevin, and Nancy & Larry. Three Larrys at one table! The chocolate cake we had requested of the pastry chef, Kevin, was to die for. Anna and her team in Signatures made it a special evening. We went to the show with Larry & Nancy; then to the Observation Lounge for some conversation with Marji & Dave…a dance or two.

When we returned to our room, there were even more balloons and notes from our new stewardess, Nerissa.

We were also able to talk to daughter Heather & Ron in San Diego, who were celebrating their 5^th Wedding Anniversary. We also talked to the twins – Natalie & Charlie and daughter Kristin & Jim in Brooklyn.

I also received best wishes via e-mail from my siblings and several friends. It was great to spend some time with, and be in touch with, so many people. Thanks to everyone for making it a memorable birthday on the high seas!

Today broke bright and clear with just a white a wisp of a tablecloth on Table Mountain. Our 30-minute powered catamaran ride to Robben Island out in Table Bay afforded us some wonderful views.

For more than four centuries, Robben Island has been a place for punishment for exiles and prisoners, as well as a place of confinement for lepers and mental patients. In the 1960s it became infamously synonymous with the struggle against apartheid. Brutal acts of murder and inhumane treatment were carried out against the purely political prisoners held there.

Upon arrival we boarded buses for a tour around the island by a very energetic young guide. Most of the buildings of  the island’s early years are gone, though we did see one old church and a portion of the leper colony graveyard. We stopped at the rock quarry where the political prisoners were made to break up rock for years and years.

We then stopped at the small prison that was built for just one man: Robert Sobukwe. He was one of the founders and first president of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) in 1959. This movement broke away from the African National Congress (ANC) and believed they had to liberate themselves from the apartheid regime without the air of non-blacks. Therefore, at times they even disrupted the more moderate activities of the ANC.

In 1960, Sobukwe and the PAC led a nationwide protest against the Pass Law. Under it, all blacks had to carry a pass book with them at all times. It restricted where and when they could be in certain parts of the country and their local area. That protest led to the Sharpeville Massacre, where police shot into a crowd of demonstrators and killed 69 and wounded hundreds more.

Sobukwe was charged and convicted of “incitement.” He was jailed for three years. Upon his release as a “free man,” he was immediately arrested again and sent to Robben Island as (in the government’s view) its only “political prisoner.” He was jailed under a special law that allowed him to be jailed for an indefinite term. His status was renewed annually at the discretion of the Minister of Justice.

On Robben Island, Sobukwe was kept in solitary confinement for six years. He was not allowed to talk to his guards or any other prisoners who might pass by his small house and fenced-in yard. His health finally failed and, rather than have him die on Robben Island and become a martyr, the regime moved him to Kimberly and placed him under house arrest. He finally died in 1978 from lung cancer.

Of course, the most famous prisoner of Robben Island to most Americans was Nelson Mandela. He spent 18 of his 27 years in jail in the maximum security wing of Robben Island. He was finally released from prison in 1990 and served from 1994-1999 as the first fully representational and democratically elected president of South Africa.

Our guide for the walking part of the tour through the main prison grounds was a former political prisoner, as are all the guides for this museum. He served four years of a 14-year sentence before all the prisoners were freed by the regime in 1990.

During our tour, we were able to visit the small cell in which Nelson Mandela lived from 1964-1982.

Sorry if I have carried on too long about South Africa’s recent history, but we found the visit to Robben Island both interesting and a very moving experience. Hopefully the upcoming FIFA World Cup championships will be another unifying act for this diverse nation that still has monumental challenges.

In the afternoon we enjoyed high tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel, a colonial landmark of the Mother City. It is set amidst nine acres in a park-like setting at the foot of Table Mountain.

Then it was back to the wharf for a sail-away into the setting sun. Later we enjoyed cocktails and dinner with our good friends Jenny and Kevin from New Zealand. We became fast friends and did lots of things together during our 2007 World Cruise. They joined the ship here and will be with us for the four-week journey to Ft. Lauderdale. They will then continue on to South Hampton, England.

Luckily, today we did not plan to go to either the top of Table Mountain or Robben Island, since both tours were cancelled due to high winds and (the latter) the resultant rough surf.

We had chosen to go to an ostrich farm and winery in the morning. We headed north along the Atlantic to the West Coast Ostrich Show Ranch. It turns out ostriches are very interesting birds. This ranch had about 200 mature adults and many young babies. As the pictures will show, Karen even got to sit on one!

Next we visited the Durbanville Hills Winery which is set among rolling grasslands. It was amazing that only 14 permanent employees run this large winery. They buy their grapes from nine farmers (who are partial owners) and then produce the varietals that are transported to the parent winery in Stellenbosch for bottling.

Upon returning to the wharf, Larry got a haircut in the adjacent mall at an old-fashioned English barbershop that he had visited three years ago. Guess it was time to get another one!

At about 2:00 p.m., we got on the buses for a special World Cruise event at the Blaauwklippen Wine Estate in Stellenbosch. Wow, what a beautiful afternoon and wonderful event! Stellenbosch is nestled in the wooded foothills of some jagged granite mountains. The morning clouds and haze had cleared and the strong winds had disappeared. The greenery and white Dutch-styled buildings set among the vineyards and trees made for a magnificent approach to the area.

At Blaauwklippen we were greeted with champagne and a classical music quartet. In an outdoor garden we tasted several wines before moving to the large main estate. Here we were treated to a wonderful selection of canapés, more wine, a couple of music groups and a few local craftsmen selling their wares. About two hours later we were all driven back to the ship in vintage cars. This was definitely a first class World Cruise event.

 

Last evening was the Captain’s Farewell Reception, honoring those cruisers leaving us in Cape Town…most of whom who had joined us for the 35-night segment from Hong Kong. We made some good friends, whom we hate to see go….particularly Galen & Tracy, Brian & Juli, John & Gail, Don & Suzie, and John & Pat.

It also was a double farewell…since Capt. Dag is going on vacation and turning over his duties to a new captain before our departure from Cape Town. As a measure of how much he is respected and loved by the passengers, Capt. Dag received two sustained standing ovations during his remarks at the reception.

Capt. Dag again kindly invited Karen and me to the navigational bridge for today’s magnificent sail-in to Cape Town. We spent two hours watching the beautiful approach and tricky docking maneuvers in the city’s small inner harbor. What a privilege it was to be with Capt. Dag on his final port arrival. My photos don’t do justice on just how tight a spot this is to get the Voyager into. The entrance to the basin is only 75m wide – we are about 28m. Then he had to spin 90 degrees to port and back around the end of a pier into the berth. It was made even more difficult due to the 200+ foot yacht parked close to and directly perpendicular to our stern. (The yacht is purportedly owned my Larry Ellison of Oracle and is for sale for US$200 million.)

Since our arrival was a bit delayed, it was a hustle for our “Sundowner on Signal Hill” tour to make it to the summit for the actual sundown. Our four busses arrived just in time to see the last rays of the sun through the clouds. However, the after glow as we enjoyed sparkling wine and canapés was terrific. The views of the city lights, the new soccer stadium and the Voyager at rest were spectacular. It was a fine tour.

We returned to the Victoria and Alfred Mall on the quay where the Voyager is docked and has a good seafood dinner at Willoughby’s, which lived up to our lecturer’s recommendation.

After again picking up our harbor pilot via helicopter, we sailed into Durban on a bright, cloudless morning. Just north of the central business district, along the shoreline, is a new, gleaming-white soccer stadium. Seven soccer matches for the FIFA World Cup – including the semifinals – will be played here. Across South Africa more than 9 new stadia have been built or completely renovated for this event that begins in mid-April. I am sure we will catch more of the World Cup fever in Cape Town, which also has built a massive new stadium since we were there in 2007.

Durban is the third largest city in South Africa and has its largest container port. Downtown Durban seemed somewhat dilapidated and dirty. But we spent all day outside of town visiting a Zulu village and crocodile/snake park, and at the Tala Private Game Reserve.

The Zulu village is on a ridge in Valley of a Thousand Hills – a region of plunging gorges, hills and valleys. There we saw traditional dancing and learned a bit how the tribes live. We then wandered through the compact, but very well-populated, crocodile park. Some of them were really huge. The snake museum was nothing to write home about.

Then we drove to the Tala Private Game Reserve. It was developed several years ago by a billionaire from nine pieces of property, much of which had been a potato farm. The rolling landscape (7,400 acres) of grasses and trees, and a few small lakes, is now teeming with wildlife. For example, on our two-hour game drive, we saw several herds of zebra and a grouping of at least 15 giraffes, including three babies. We also got close to the following: blue wildebeest, impala, kudu, warthog, waterbuck, nyala, ostrich, and African blesbok. At the last water hole we saw three white rhinos peacefully eating amongst a variety of animals and birds…quite a marvelous end for our game drive.

Since safety preparations for the helicopter pickup of our harbor pilot kept us off Deck 12 and 11, we decided to watch the ship’s departure from the darkened navigational bridge. From the extended port flying bridge, I was able to get a good nighttime shot of the pilot being hoisted on a sling up into the hovering chopper.

Unfortunately at about 9:30 p.m., a little more than 3 hours after our departure from Durban, we heard an emergency call for the doctor. Karen and I had had a light dinner in our suite and were already stretched out in bed. We could hear the emergency response team running down the corridor on the deck above us. I switched on the TV to the channel that depicts our position, direction, wind condition, and temp. I could see that we had made a 180-degree turn and were heading back towards Durban. Karen and I fell asleep and learned the next morning (Tuesday) that a passenger was airlifted in a basket off the pool deck at about 11:30 p.m. Neither of us heard the chopper do the emergency air evac. We understand the woman is now in a hospital in Durban, but her condition is unknown.

 

Yesterday, we had a very rough afternoon and evening as we approached the coast of Africa. The seas were slamming us around and quite a few people were feeling the effects. Karen took a pill and hung in there for our last dinner with Capt. Dag. It was an intimate gathering of five, as three of the others had to cancel due to sea sickness.

The rough seas lasted just outside the massive bulk cargo harbor of Richards Bay. Our harbor pilot came out to the ship via helicopter…being dropped onto the pool deck in a sling. First time we’ve ever seen that.

Through our Signature travel group, we had a private tour to the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve. That included a private driver for the 1:15 min. ride to the reserve and then a private guide in an open, four-wheel drive, safari vehicle. (We invited our van driver to come along…plus, another set of spotter eyes was an advantage.)

Larry had visited Hluhluwe on the 2007 World Cruise. The rolling landscape was very green and quite beautiful…and it was sunny for most of the morning. During our 3 hr. drive around both the co-joined parks we saw quite a few animals. The variety was quite good, though there were not masses of them. We saw: white rhino, zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, impala, warthog, baboons, cape buffalo, vultures, turtle and one huge elephant.

We missed seeing the lions and the large panther that our guide says is so huge that he can pull his zebra kills up into a tree.

We have another private safari tour from Durban tomorrow. Hopefully the animal sightings will be just as good or even better!

We’ve had three sea days heading towards Africa. The first two were great – sunny and bright. Today, Saturday, turned ugly in the late morning. The seas kicked up and we’ve had some rain, thunder and lightning. So we are bouncing around quite a bit. Let’s hope it clears up for our half-day safari to the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve tomorrow from Richards Bay, South Africa.

The night before last we enjoyed a Dinner and Show evening. The entertainment was “Forbidden Broadway” direct from New York City. Four very talented performers and an excellent pianist, in a fast-paced show, spoofed just about every musical of the last 20-30 years. We had seen one of their productions in Chicago a couple of years ago and this cast was just as good.

Mark Conroy, the president of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, joined us in Mauritius. Yesterday we had a scheduled private meeting with him. In our 30-minute session, we raised a couple of issues that we have had. He was very open and attentive to our concerns and promised some feedback after some further review. Today, he held a 70-minute Town Hall Meeting where he brought us up to speed on the changes since Regent was purchased by Apollo Capital Management in 2008 and folded into Prestige Cruise Holdings. He answered passenger questions until the group ran out of things to ask.

Conroy made it very clear that Capt. Dag is leaving the ship in Cape Town because of strict adherence to the three-months-on, three-months-off policy for captains across the seven ships within Prestige Cruise Holdings (Regent and Oceania). It was obvious this response did not sit well with the vast majority of the audience, but that’s the way it is. It’s obvious Conroy is caught a hard place. He and Dag have worked together and have been friends for years, and previously there was some flexibility. New standard polices have been instituted, Conroy now has other bosses to answer to and he can only fight them so far.

We are looking forward to having dinner again with Captain Dag tonight, which I am sure will be our last opportunity before he leaves.

Early Tuesday morning at about 3:00 a.m., Karen got up to use the bathroom and stepped into water on the carpet. It wasn’t just damp, it was “squish, squish.” I called Reception and was told that there had been a pipe broken in our area. The night stewardess was there in a flash. She explained that our neighbors had reported water in their cabin a couple hours previously. A water service pipe had burst in the hallway maintenance cabinet between Suite 715 and our Suite 713. The plumber had shut off the water and they had moved the occupants of 715 to a spare cabin.

At this point the water had soaked our entrance hallway, the entire walk-in closet and halfway into the room as far as half of the king-size bed. The attendant asked if we wanted to move. When she assured us that the water service in our bathroom was not affected, we declined. We moved the low-hanging things in our closet, took out the shoes from the closet and got the suitcases that we use for excess storage out from under the bed. Luckily, only the bottoms of the cases were wet.

The stewardess and a helper brought a stack of 15-20 pool towels and we soaked up as much of the water as possible. We then put down another series of folded towels and went back to bed. We were told that in the morning they would use suction hoses to take the water out of the carpet, then shampoo it and bring in a couple of blowers to dry the area.

When we arrived back from our 9-hour tour of Mauritius at 5:00 p.m., we found the cabin was all torn up. The bed had been removed, as had the carpet and padding in half of the cabin and in the closet. Reception told us that they had a spare room for us down the corridor and that it could be a couple of days before the repairs were complete. So we carried some clothes and toiletries down the hall to the new cabin.

Upon returning from dinner at 9:00 p.m., we found water on the floor of the new bathroom. (Was a dark cloud following us around?) Apparently there was clean water leak from underneath our toilet. So, once again, we called for assistance. A plumber was there within minutes. He quickly found the problem in the maintenance closet and replaced a major part. By 10:30 p.m. we were finally able to crawl into bed.

Thankfully, on Wednesday when we returned from our tour of Reunion Island, we found that our original cabin had been repaired and we were able to move back “home.”

We thank the Regent staff for their quick attention and concern to make things right as soon as possible. In particular, we thank Michael Coghlan, the Hotel Manager, for being on top of this issue and seeing it through. We’ve had three other minor maintenance problems during our three months on board and each time Michael has seen to it that immediate action has been taken to rectify the situation and followed through with us personally. He is super.

 

Reunion Island, our second “substitute port,” was another delightful experience. This small island is just about 120 miles further southwest of Mauritius and is very European. It is an Overseas Department of France and thus, in recent times, has received a lot of French and European Union money for roads, infrastructure support, schools, and social services. However, while looking quite prosperous, the island’s unemployment rate is still 26% and lots of the younger people are leaving to find work elsewhere.

The island is dominated by two volcanic massifs. We drove up the valley created by the rivers emanating from a collapsed caldera of the oldest volcano. Though there were a few volcanic cliffs of exposed rock, almost all of the mountainsides were covered in lush vegetation. The valley was sprinkled with spectacular waterfalls. It was a bright sunny day, with passing shower clouds. The views of the sharp and folded green mountains were dramatic.

Enroute, we stopped at a small vanilla plantation. The vanilla vine is a member of the orchid family. The farmer was growing the vines on dracaena trees and under shade screening on wooden supports. The vines have to be tied up, trimmed, hand-pollinated and hand-picked at just the right time. It is a very labor-intensive product. However, Reunion’s small vanilla crop is of exceptional quality and is very sought after in France.

We also walked around the mountain village of Hell Bourg with its traditional Creole-style wooden houses. We enjoyed a traditional Creole lunch while overlooking the valley below us. Enroute back to the ship we made the obligatory “shopping opportunity” stop in the main city of St. Denis.

Our “substitute stop” in Mauritius was a wonderful surprise. The Republic of Mauritius is an island nation in the southeast Indian Ocean about 560 miles east of Madagascar. Several islands make up the country but the country takes its name from the largest and its capital is the northwestern coastal town of Port Louis. The island is lush and mountainous; sugar cane is the major crop.

We crossed over to the southeast coast to visit two islets. The first was Ile-aux-Aigrettes, a 25 hectare nature reserve managed by the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. They are protecting endangered native plants and introducing back onto the island those that had been pushed out over the years by non-native vegetation. We saw some large and small tortoises, lizard-like skinks and shrews.

Once back on shore, we went to another boat landing for a short ride to Ile des Deux Cocos. Here we enjoyed snorkeling in the lagoon and a glass bottom boat ride. We spent the rest of the day resting on the beach while enjoying a fine Creole barbeque lunch. One highlight was sampling (some of us more than others!) the flavored rums. On the bar were a set of large jars filled with rum. Each one had different ingredient – such as: pineapple, coffee, vanilla, orange and cloves, litchi, coconut – that had been sitting in it for 3-4 months. Just use a small ladle and help your self! It made for a very relaxing afternoon.

We enjoyed a very relaxing Easter Sunday at sea. When we returned to our suite on Saturday evening there was a small Easter Bunny and some chocolates from Regent on our coffee table. On Sunday morning we enjoyed a well-attended Easter Service with Pastor Ned. Larry was disappointed that the afternoon volleyball game was canceled since the pool had been drained due to too much water movement from the rolling seas. However, we did have our planned volleyball team reception around the Pool Bar at 5:00 p.m. to honor and say good-bye to Capt. Dag.

Unfortunately Capt. Dag got tied up in an extended conference call regarding our security situation and was only able to join us for a very short time. But he was able to cut the beautiful volleyball cake and pose for a few pictures before dashing back to his conf call.

(When we had planned this event a week ago several of our regular players were playing to depart the ship in Mombasa for a four-day overland safari. Of course that has been canceled due to our changed itinerary .Hopefully our teams will get in a few more matches before Capt. Dag departs in Cape Town.)

Later, we enjoyed cocktails and a great Easter dinner with special friends from our 2007 World Cruise.

Monday was spent doing our usual things: workouts, a lecture, reading, computer work and Mah Jongg. (The pool is still drained. The staff captain believes it’s still unsafe to fill it due to the rolling seas. Boo!)

In a phone call this a.m., we learned that our daughter, Heather, in San Diego got pretty well shaken by the 7.2 magnitude Mexican earthquake Sunday afternoon. Ron was driving back from a boys’ golfing weekend in the desert, so he wasn’t home. Heather ran upstairs, grabbed the sleeping twins from their cribs and rushed outdoors to join the neighbors in the street. Little Natalie’s first words, “Ut-oh!” We are glad everyone seems to be OK; just a few things on shelves fell over.

 

Just after sunrise we dropped anchor off the island off Praslin – just some 25 nautical miles from Mahe, where we had slipped away at about 4:00 a.m. From the tender dock, we got on a large, 60-person catamaran just like the previous day. We had a delightful 45-min. ride past several islands before dropping anchor just off the small Coco Island.

Here, unlike the previous day, the water was crystal clear. From the boat we could easily see the bottom some 25 feet away. Both of us were in the water as soon as possible and enjoyed the most spectacular open water snorkeling experience of our lives! As the reef approached the small beach on Coco Island, the reef was only2-3 feet below the surface and we were face to face with loads of fish of magnificent variety and colors. We also saw more colored coral than ever before. Our friends Bob and Sandra keep lists of their most spectacular snorkeling spots. This was #2 for one of them and #4 for the other. It was number #1 for us….even beating out the Great Barrier Reef….though that, too, was such a memorable experience because of the location, its immensity and the effort it took to get there.

After another enjoyable 45-min. catamaran ride back to Praslin, we took the shuttle bus to Cote d’Or Beach. We had a mediocre pizza lunch in an open café besides a beautiful sandy beach. However the water was very shallow and the sandy bottom extended out quite a ways and then turned into shallow sea grass. Thus the water was cloudy and much too warm to be very refreshing. After a bit, we headed back to the pier for the tender back to the Voyager.

Important News: At 6:00 p.m., shortly before dinner, Capt. Dag made a significant announcement over the public address system. After consulting with security consultants in the US and London, and in coordination with Regent’s home office, he said it has been decided that we should change the itinerary and no longer travel westward towards Kenya and Tanzania through the increasingly dangerous Indian Ocean waters in this area.

As many of you have been reading in the media, the Somali pirates have been ratcheting up their activities in this area. In fact they were even dumb enough to attack a US Navy guided missile ship a few nights ago. Three pirates were captured and their skiff was sunk. Then their mother ship was captured along with another two pirates. In addition, the Seychelles Navy has captured several pirate skiffs within the past week east of Mahe and has imprisoned the pirates in Port Victoria.

In the Maldives we picked up a security team of Israelis and installed the ship’s special acoustic sound device on the back deck. Even with these precautions, it was felt that we should cancel the port stops in Mombasa and Zanzibar and head south. Now our two stops will be in Port Louis, Mauritius, and Pointe des Galots, Reunion. Get out your atlases! These are small islands east of Madagascar.

We will pick up our original itinerary in Richards Bay, South Africa…arriving there, as planned, on Apr 11.

We feel sorry for those who had planned to take overland safaris for a couple of days from Mombasa and rejoin the ship in Richards Bay. However, everyone seems to have taken the changes in stride and to realize that Regent is thinking of our safety first. I also thought that is was classy of Capt. Dag, who was not hosting table at dinner last evening, to circulate through the dining room just visiting for a few moments with each table.

Update from Apr 1: Last evening was one of Jamie’s signature events: “Jimbo’s Truck Stop Diner” dinner. Everyone is invited to dress up in the most casual of clothes – as red neck as you have – and invited to enjoy diner food and dancing. (It is being held in the La Veranda restaurant on Deck 11 for 4 nights. We signed up for the first one and had a fun time.)

The room is decorated in with humorous diner-type signs, and the cruise director’s team, the entertainers and wait staff are all dressed in costume.

The rock and roll dance music is from the 60s, 70s and 80s and everyone joins in, including the wait staff. It’s a fun evening. (Though, due to insurance regulations, it can no longer – as it was in 2007 – be held in the crew mess and crew bar where Capt. Dag was the bartender.)

Today was Good Friday. Since 90% of the local population are Catholic, all but two small stores downtown were closed. A major event of the day was a 2-1/2 hour procession through town to the church. Several hundred worshippers followed the priests and two men carrying a wooden cross draped in a purple sash. A sound truck provided some music while the people in the procession sang hymns and recited Biblical passages. It was quite moving.

We walked with the procession for awhile, then skirted around it and went directly into town. We walked through the two souvenir stores that were open, visited the Episcopal Church where a children’s service was just getting under way and then ended up at the Catholic church. We were able to go through it before the procession arrived. It was a moving morning for us and one that we will always remember as a special Good Friday experience.

After lunch we boarded a large catamaran to visit the 15 sq. km. underwater national park that is close by. We got on a semi-submersible boat for viewing the fish and the reef. We also fed some fish from our catamaran. Then some of us snorkeled off Cerf Island, while the others spent an hour or so on the beach. The conditions were not the best. The water was a bit cloudy with sand and the reef was a bit too deep…but, all and all, it was a fun afternoon. Who can complain here 4 degrees south of the equator when parts of the northern hemisphere are still being buffeted by rain and snow? (However, it was supposed to reach 80 degrees in Chicago today. Crazy! It will probably be back in the 30s there next week.)

Tonight we will still be docked and it should be a perfect evening for our special pool barbeque. We will move off to Praslin Island at about 4 a.m. It is only 25 miles away and we have some more snorkeling planned there tomorrow.

 

We have enjoyed three glorious days cruising in the Arabian Sea. The water was absolutely flat with just a few gentle rolls, the winds were fairly light, the clouds were beautiful and the sun shone almost non-stop with the temps in the mid-80s. The sunsets and moonscapes were terrific.

The past two days we skipped the lectures and spent each morning enjoying the outside deck lounges on Deck 5 alongside the Horizons Lounge. We finally got some reading done while enjoying each other’s company, the cooling breezes, the shaded location and the absolutely beautiful passing scenery of emptiness. It is a difficult scene to describe until one experiences it. The horizon has been so sharp, the air so clear and the sea so glassy and calm. It’s easy to see why early peoples thought the Earth was flat.

At noon today we passed north of the northern-most small island in the Seychelles and turned south from the deep waters of the Arabian Sea (about 5,800 ft. this a.m.) into the island chain where the depth is mostly 120-150 feet. Many of these 115 coral and granite islands have never been settled by man.

Around 4 p.m., we entered harbor of Port Victoria on Mahe, the largest island in the Seychelles. It is the capital and home to almost 90% of the nation’s population of 81,000. It is covered with lush green vegetation, lots of trees and has granite mountain peaks reaching 3,000 feet.

The Maldives is a nation of more than 1,000 islands spread across a necklace of beautiful atolls straddling the equator in the Indian Ocean. More than 99% of the total area of the country is water. The capital city of Male is on a one-mile square island and is very different from the rest of the country. It is a strict Islamic city of about 60,000.

The other half of the Maldivian population lives out on 87 of the atolls that have been transformed into luxurious and intimate resorts. We opted to spend the day at one of them, the Chaaya Island Dhonveli Island Resort and Spa. It was about a 30-minute speedboat ride to the north of the Male and the adjacent island that contains its bustling airport.

We spent the day relaxing under palms trees, swimming and snorkeling in the warm water, and enjoying a beautiful fresh water pool. It was a great change of pace.

Capt. Dag is leaving the Voyager in Cape Town. What a bummer.

This information started as a rumor about 10 days ago and has been confirmed in individual conversations with various officers and staff. I had hoped (and advised so) that there would be some public confirmation, but as of yet there has not been. The reason given in those private conversations is simply that Capt. Dag’s current contract is up. However, the situation has not been well received by a large number of the passengers. It was fully expected by many that he would be our captain for the entire four-month voyage. And in my conversations that view was also held by of some of the senior crew.

I believe Regent has a PR problem brewing. Mark Conroy, the president of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, is scheduled to get on the ship in Mombasa, Kenya. I expect he will be getting an earful from disappointed (angry) passengers.

Personally, I think it is an unwise move by Regent or Prestige Cruise Holdings/Apollo and is one that could have been avoided through better crew management (scheduling) or advance communications. I am sure there will be more to report on this situation.

We’ve enjoyed three languid days at sea as we head out across the Indian Ocean towards the small island nation of Maldives.

Today, Palm Sunday, Capt. Dag pulled off another of what he calls “surprises & delights.”

In the late afternoon, Karen and I were reading and enjoying the view in the Observation Deck lounge after our games of pool volleyball (Larry) and Mah Jongg (Karen). At 5:00 p.m., Capt Dag came over the loudspeaker inviting everyone at 5:30 to come to the railings along the bow of the Voyager for a “Sundowner,” one of his trademark special events. It’s a time for drinks and music while watching the sunset from what is normally a restricted area of the ship.

We have been sailing almost due west (264 degrees) since rounding the northern tip of Sumatra on Friday and entering the Indian Ocean. The seas have been calm and the breezes light. And on this beautiful evening the sea was that oily flat and the wind non-existent, except for the gentle breeze created by our forward movement. Capt. Dag couldn’t have picked a better day. I hope you enjoy the photos. The evening was perfect!

Penang, an island state of Malaysia, is known as the Pearl of the Orient. A long bridge now connects it to the northwestern part of the nation. It is another UNESCO World Heritage Site and is becoming a busy tourist destination.

Since we toured the downtown sites of colonial-era Georgetown during our 2007 WC, we opted for a bus excursion to the more remote parts of the island. We passed along the northeast coast’s beautiful small beaches. This area is experiencing a building boom of large luxury hotels and condos for vacationers. We then climbed a winding road into the island’s interior. We stopped at a small batik factory, a spice and fruit farm, walked through a small village, and visited snake temple. At the temple there were several small vipers on coiled towers around the altar. They appeared to be somewhat “drugged” due to the burning of incense; others were living in a pit on some trees. In another room visitors we able to handle a couple pythons and get their picture taken with one coiled around their neck. We also visited a small museum that housed all sorts of different snakes, including some cobras.

Our short port call in Georgetown was delayed for almost two hours while some late-arriving provisions were loaded aboard. It was worth the delay, since it’s a long way across the Indian Ocean to Africa, with only island stops at the Maldives and the Seychelles. We would hate to run out of wine!

 

 

We had a passing rain shower in the morning and another around lunch time. In between though we had some bright sunshine, but the afternoon remained cloudy. I spent two hours on the bridge, at the special invitation of Capt. Dag, as we transited the main part of the Singapore Strait. On approaching the city, the number of ships that could be seen increased exponentially. However, most of them were at anchor, awaiting assignments. This is an indication that the worldwide recession is still severely impacting worldwide shipping.

We sailed past the city on our starboard side as we headed towards the Straits of Malacca. It is hard to believe that it has been almost a full month since we were in port here. Time does fly…even on the high seas. To think of all the sights we have seen – in Brunei, two Chinese ports, Hong Kong, three ports in Vietnam and Bangkok – since Feb 26 is mind-boggling. I am so glad that I am writing a journal, it helps to keep them straight in my own mind.

Instead of taking a tour into the capital of Kuala Lumpur (which we visited on the 2007 WC), we headed off to Putrajaya. This is the nation’s new Administrative Center.

Although the Parliament is still 16 miles away in KL, the Prime Minister’s Office and residence, all the government ministries, and an additional palace for the king are part of an extremely modern, planned city. It was carved out of the green countryside beginning in 1993. It is amazing what petrol dollars can do in such a short time.

We visited the Taman Botani (Botanic Garden) and then the downtown area. At the latter, we toured the Putrajaya Mosque. It was the first in the new city and is alongside a long (man-made?) lake.  Each of the bridges over the lake is spectacular. The Prime Minister’s Office (!) dominates the hill above the mosque. As the photos show, his “residence” isn’t too shabby either.

Next to Putrajaya they are building another planned city, Cyberjaya, to attract even more foreign investment in the country’s burgeoning electronics industry. In between the port and Putrajaya we passed hundreds of very nice, modern, tile-roofed, “terrace” (what we would call townhouse) communities. The prosperity of this area is in direct contrast to so much of what we have seen in this area of the world.

Our Internet has been very spotty…so the postings haven’t been very timely. Also, I have added another series of photos for Day 66 covering our special evening cruise along the river in Bangkok.)

No much to report, though it was good to be back at sea again. The Internet has been spotty, but I did manage to get some of the Bangkok materials up on the web.

No much to report, though it was good to be back at sea again. The Internet has been spotty, but I did manage to get some of the Bangkok materials up on the web.

No much to report, though it was good to be back at sea again. The Internet has been spotty, but I did manage to get some of the Bangkok materials up on the web.

After a quick pass through the extensive and beautiful breakfast buffet at the Shangri-La, we boarded buses for the drive to 1-1/2 hr. ride to the Damnernsaduak Floating Market. Along the way we saw large expanses of salt farms, where the farmers flood small paddies with sea water and after it evaporates rake up the salt. Some is bagged for immediate sale; the rest is to a plant to be cleaned.

Arriving in Damnernsaduak, we got into another long-tailed boat for a ride through a series of man-made canals (klongs). It was interesting to see how the people (primarily famers) lived with their houses facing the klong and their small farms out back. We got to see people and kids enjoying their daily life. Almost all the homes and docks were decorated with blooming flowers.

The market seems to have changed a bit since I saw it in 2007. (Karen was ill that day and I had visited alone; so that’s why we came back this year.) Maybe it was because it was a Sunday, but there didn’t see to be as many people selling vegetables, fruits and hot food from their boats. The market seemed be more oriented towards selling merchandise in more permanent vendor stalls along the sides. But we had fun there.

On the way back to the Shangri-La, we stopped at the Nakhom Pathom Pagoda which has the tallest stupa (tower) in Thailand. Even though is going under major renovation it is quite stunning. We also, by chance, came upon an interesting religious (indoctrination?) ceremony for young monks that seemed to be attended by family and friends.

We were back to the Shangri-La by about 12:30. After a light lunch in the lounge, Karen and Helga went off to do bit of shopping in the surrounding neighborhood before our 3:00 departure for the port. At the Voyager, the staff and band were on hand to welcome back each of the buses with hot towels and folks to help with the luggage. Once onboard we were offered champagne or cold fruit drinks. A very nice touch.

We had a few moments to rest and shower before church service. Then we enjoyed a very nice dinner at a table hosted by General Manager Michael Coghlan and his wife, Stephanie.

All and all, a special stop.

 

Everyone on the Voyager was offered the opportunity to spend overnight in a hotel in Bangkok. About 80 guests decided not to…some because they have been to the city many times before; some because they didn’t want to make the 2-2/12 hr. bus trip; and others because they were concerned about the Red Shirt demonstrations that have been ongoing in the city for the past 10 days. From what I have heard, I believe everyone that did venture out had a terrific time. There were no security issues at all and we are thankful that Regent, who had been monitoring the civil unrest situation, did not modify its plans.

We chose a 10-hour tour to Thailand’s ancient capital of Ayutthaya. It was a super excursion. We first visited the Bang Pa-In Summer Palaces…where we used golf carts to explore the beautiful grounds. From there we walked to the canal (klong) and got into 6-8 passenger long-tail boats for a 20 minute ride. Then we enjoyed a delightful Chinese luncheon, before driving the remainder of the way to Ayutthaya.

This World Heritage Site of ancient Buddhist temples is right in the middle of a city. The city was founded in 1350 and remained the capital for 417 years until it was conquered by the Burmese in 1767 and the temple set afire. Over the centuries all the gold-leaf, much of the plaster covering the bricks and almost all the heads of the many Buddhist statures have been vandalized. Still, it is an amazing sight.

On the other side of the park was the Elephant Camp where we rode on an elephant for about 20 minutes. It was quite touristy, but lots of fun. Enroute back to Bangkok we stopped at some more temple ruins…maybe the prettiest of the day.

We arrived at the Bangkok Shangri-La just in time to check-in, take a fast shower and board the second of two fancy river dining barges for an almost 2-hour cruise along the river. This cocktail reception was a special event for all the full World Cruisers. It was spectacular. The river was swarming with gaily-lit boats. We passed all the fancy hotels and beautifully-lit temples. The buffet of snacks and desserts was amazing…more than any of us could eat, particularly since there was to be a private dinner in the hotel upon our return. As we pulled in front of the Shangri-La’s dock, we were treated to one of the best fireworks shows we’ve ever experienced. The concussions could be felt and the colorful displays were right overhead. The buffet in the hotel was equally spectacular in its presentation. The long day was extra special because we shared it all with our good friends Helga and Ziggy. 

Soon it was time to get to our very luxurious room with its wonderful river view. But our time to enjoy it was short, since our next day’s tour started at 7:45 a.m.

 

Nothing much to report. Though it was good to get back into the pool again for our three games of water volleyball on a near perfect afternoon on the South China Sea.

Our bus took about 2 hours to reach the Upper Mekong. Just prior, we stopped at the Vinh Trang Pagoda in My Tho. The inside was beautiful, but it was the outside that captured one’s immediate attention. In the midst of sculptured trees were huge white Happy Buddha and a tall Goddess of Mercy.

The Mekong River originates in Tibet and flows through China, Burma, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia and Vietnam. When it reaches Vietnam, it divides itself into 9 tributaries (hence the name: 9 Dragon River) that form a huge fertile area. A large canal area in the marshland and forest has enabled the reclaimed land to be used to raise rice, fish, soybeans, maize, peanuts, tobacco, melons and more.

From a small boat, our bus group crossed the main channel of the Upper Mekong to a small island line with small fish farms. Then we followed a small path along the shore that was lined with vendors and a very active tourist trade. There were all sorts of small covered outdoor dinning and sales areas. At one, a honey farm, we were invited to sit at small tables and sample lotus nuts, peanut candy, dried banana and ginger candy while sipping honeyed tea. Of course, we could then buy the products. The next stop down the trail was a coconut candy operation…with free samples, of course. We sat down at the next dinning area for some fresh fruits, and some local music and singing. Then we wandered through the interior of the island where we boarded small, 4-passenger sampans that were paddled by two women down a narrow canal. At the entrance of the canal, we again boarded our larger boat for a ride to another island. There we had a delightful, multi-course, lunch at an outside riverside restaurant. The highlight here was a whole elephant fish that was presented standing up on a platter. A waitress prepared, at tableside, rice-paper spring rolls using fish that she deftly scraped off the fish along with other condiments.

Then it was back on the boat, to the bus and then back to the ship for our 4:00 p.m. departure. Once again, our guide added immensely to the excursion. This time it was a young, bachelor named Hai. He was very knowledgeable and spoke perfect English. He could also easily be a stand-up comedian. He knew all our idioms and his sense of humor was terrific.

I found it interesting that all four of our guides in Communist Vietnam were not hesitant in their criticism of the current political system and its faults. They all talked freely of corruption within the government and the general populace. At the same time they seemed fiercely proud of their country and the changes that have taken place.

Now it’s on to Bangkok. Everyone has been invited to spend the night off the ship at the riverfront Shangri-La Hotel. Hopefully most of the Red Shirts will have gone back to their farms by the time we get there on Saturday.

 

We entered the Saigon River in darkness for our 3-hr. cruise up to Ho Chi Minh City. Larry watched the sunrise and interesting trek with Capt. Dag on the bridge. For the first couple hours the river was narrow with sharp bends…which made interesting passing of vessels headed in the opposite direction. The river was lined with jungle on both sides and small fishing boats waiting for the tide to change. Upriver, we saw lots of fish farms. It was only on the outskirts of the city that we see some industry. We docked in a small shipyard about 20 minutes from smoggy downtown. (The larger Golden Princess and the Queen Victoria had to go up another branch of the river to a container port that was still 2 hrs. from Saigon. Another reason to be on a small ship!)

Today we enjoyed another private car from our Signatures travel group. We had a great day, with another wonderful guide, Thanh. Our first visit was to the Reunification Palace. This was the former Presidential Palace…the one in 1975 where the famous photos were taken of Viet Cong tanks knocking down the iron gates to enter the grounds as the Republic of South Vietnam fell. Next, we took photos outside Notre Dame Cathedral and visited the Central Post Office on the City Square. Both date from French Colonial times. We visited Ngoc Hoang (The Jade Emperor) Pagoda. This Hindu site was unusual in that it included a section displaying the netherworld and a room where young women who were having trouble getting pregnant could pray to the Mother deity. It was also filled with smaller statues of women with babies. In the temple’s courtyard there were birds, turtles and fish for sale that worshippers could purchase and then set free. Setting some live thing free is supposed to bring good luck.

After a 5-star Vietnamese lunch at the beautiful Nam Kha restaurant, we visited the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum. This was at our request, since we had been scheduled to visit the Military History Museum. We opted out of that because we thought we would be subjected to similar American War propaganda such as that which we received in the morning at the Reunification Palace. Well, the Fine Arts Museum is in really sad shape and sparsely visited. The windows are open to the heat, grime and humidity. Almost half of the museum is filled paintings of heroic Vietnamese war efforts against the French and Americans.

Next we visited the vast Central Markey and Thanh explained lots of the local food items to us. Out last stop was at the old Rex Hotel. It was here during the Vietnam War that the daily press briefings were conducted. It was also the hangout for many of Larry’s former USAF Public Affairs friends who served here at that time. We also visited the hotel’s Rooftop Garden where folks from the military, media and CIA infamously watched in the evenings the glow of firefights wit the advancing VC.

Tonight we had dinner with some friends and watched a Vietnamese folkloric show (it was just OK). Tomorrow we explore the Mekong Delta.

 

What a beautiful day in a really interesting, clean, resort city; miles of sandy beaches, green mountains and pleasant people. During the Vietnam War, Nha Trang was a bustling in-country R&R spot for the American military. And it remains a tourist spot today, particularly for the Vietnamese. And they are making a great effort to attract more international visitors. (The large wartime airport and huge seaport at Cam Ranh Bay is only 35 km away; an international airport is located there today.)

On our “Nha Trang Ancient Civilizations” tour we first stopped to walk across the Had Ra Bridge to photograph the colorful boat people. That brought us to the Po Nagar Cham Tower complex, built by the ancient Cham people in the 7^th century. It is still a Hindu place of worship. Some Cham descendents danced for us while we toured the site. Next we visited the Long Song Pagoda where we saw a large reclining Buddha and climbed a long series of steps to see a gleaming white 40-ft. tall Buddha sitting on a lotus blossom. Next we strolled through the vast Dam market. From there it was to a beautiful beachside café that was situated around a swimming pool. We were served coconut drinks and, since it was also a brew house, some of us may have had a draft beer. We walked along the beach and through the brilliant blue waters of the South China Sea. Our final stop was at the XO embroidery shop. Here young girls bend over their fine handiwork for 8 hours a day…with a 15-min. break every two hours. Their work is magnificent.

Once again, our tour guide Thao, added immensely to the enjoyment of the tour. He was seven when the SEA war was over. His dad worked for the US military at Cam Ranh Bay, so he had to serve a hard, three-year prison sentence (but is till alive today). Because of that, neither Thao nor his family will ever be able to work for the government. However, he was “allowed” into the infantry where he fought in the jungle for three years against the Khmer Rouge! Thao also taught us a new term for the various knock-off products we have seen…”copywrong” (instead of copyright).

We were back to the ship by 1:00 and enjoyed lunch amongst a nice breeze on the aft deck. We returned to the wharf for a bit of shopping with the string of vendors who had set up stalls.

This evening, after a beautiful 4:00 p.m. sail-away, we had this segment’s “block party” where we all gather in the corridors for wine and cheese and an opportunity to socialize with our neighbors, particularly the newcomers.

Tomorrow we overnight in Saigon.

Nothing much to report on a nice, warm sunny day at sea. We enjoyed the Dinner & A Show cabaret event last evening with Larry & Nancy and our new friends, John & Gail. John is a retired USAF colonel who served in Legislative Liaison in the Pentagon and on the Hill. Though our times in the DC area overlapped, they had never met before; though they do have some mutual friends. Gail has taught school and is friends with one of our daughter’s former teachers. We also met a couple who live in the condo next tour ours in Chicago. Two more examples that it really is a small world!

Ha Long Bay outside the port of Hong Gai is one is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Set among the emerald green waters of the Gulf if Tonkin, it is comprised of 2,000 limestone and dolomite island formations cloaked in tropical foliage rising majestically out of the sea. They are dotted with magnificent caves, grottos and natural arches. Disappointingly, we entered and left Ha Long Bay relative darkness. I did manage to get a few pictures in the pre-dawn mist. But because we chose to take a 10-hour excursion to Hanoi, we didn’t get to enjoy the bay's full magnificence.

Due to the long ride into Hanoi, we chose to use one of our 5 optional private cars through the Signature travel group. Still, the transit time was 3 hours. However, it was a bit faster than the bus and we were able to have extensive conversations with our guide.

This part of northern Vietnam, at least, is still very poor. The villages we passed were gray, dusty and dirty, and strewn with trash. Almost everyone ran some sort of business on the ground floor, or in front, of their 3-4 storied, narrow homes. We didn’t see much industry at all until we approached the outskirts of Hanoi. Most of the Red River delta is comprised of rice paddies. Even though it was a Sunday, we saw someone working in almost every plot. Some were plowing behind a water buffalo; others were spreading fertilizer, planting individual plants or harvesting the rice. All this back-breaking work was done by hand, including scooping water from the irrigation canal into the rice paddy.

Hanoi is getting ready to celebrate its 1,000 anniversary on 10-10-10. The government has made plans for 1,000 weddings on that date. Companies and organizations have been invited to decorate the street-side of the he dikes that partially surrounded the city with mosaic tiles. That is just about the only beautiful side of the city.

We rode through Hanoi to see some of the buildings left over from the French colonial era, and the lake and statue where John McCain was shot down. We visited the Temple of Literature, the first University in Vietnam, which is now a Confucianism temple. We had lunch in a small Vietnamese restaurant and afterward had a ride around the center of the city in a trishaw. On the way back to the ship we spent half an hour with a famous Vietnamese author who, due to time constraints, crammed a 60-minute lecture on the history of Vietnam into 30 minutes. Truthfully, that was enough.

The highlight, and primary purpose for our Hanoi excursion, was a visit to Hoa Lo Prison…the infamous Hanoi Hilton. This is where the American POWs were imprisoned during the Vietnam War. Hoa Lo was built by the French and was where the Vietnamese political prisoners were tortured during their fight independence. At that is the story the Vietnamese want to tell. The portion of the prison were the Americans “were temporarily detained” (seven years!!!) has been torn down and has been replaced by a business center and hotel.

We knew this going in, but we still wanted to visit.

Larry knew several close USAF Academy graduates and friends who had ”lived” here for several years. In addition, he was an adviser to an award-winning documentary, “Return with Honor,” that dealt with the entire Vietnam POW experience. Our visit was very emotional. Only two rooms in the existing complex house exhibits about the American prisoners’ “temporary detention.” They are filled with photos of the pilots playing soccer and basketball, decorating Christmas trees, reading letters from home, etc. There are also photos of large anti-war protest marches in the US. The strident propaganda was quite disconcerting. As one of our crewmates said later, at least the Germans owned up to their atrocities. Propaganda in Communist Vietnam still takes center stage. I am sure that our guide (who was born in 1975) has no idea why some American tourists to Hoa Lo have such a visceral reaction to this depiction of the treatment our POWs received during the “American War.”

I am glad I made the trek, but don’t think I need to go back. Folks say that Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is much different. We will look forward to that. But before then, we visit Nha Trang.

Not much to report. We enjoyed a lecture by Morton Dean, former foreign TV correspondent for CBS and TV. He made a great presentation and showed dome clips of his Vietnam War reportage. We look forward to his subsequent lectures and talking to him about some of the mutual friends he and Larry might have from when Larry dealt with the Pentagon Press corps as a public affairs officer in the mid 70s and 80s.

Our last day in Hong Kong was warm, but very hazy. (And it showered for a bit in the early afternoon.) But the first two days of sunshine were such a relief – from both the cold of China and the fact that during our 2007 visit the clouds were so low that we never got to even see the top of Victoria Peak.

We pulled back from the Ocean Terminal on time; right about 5:00 p.m. Capt. Dag gave a few long blasts on our deep horn. He started forward, passing the busy Star Ferry terminal on our port (or left side). What happened next could have been disastrous.

A ferry was pulling out of the terminal going towards HK Island and apparently thought he could pass in front of us. When he saw he could not, he did a U-turn. In spinning around he almost passed from sight under our bow (as my photos show). Capt. Dag threw us into reverse and used our bow thrusters for a starboard turn.

I was quite sure that we were going to hit the ferry very hard. Luckily he missed the large bulb that protrudes under water at our bow. Once we separated, you could see that the closest signals mast of the ferry was canted to the side. It apparently scraped our bow.

We continued on for a bit out of the main harbor and then stopped out where some of the old gambling cruise ships anchor. We stayed there for about 2-1/2 hours with two harbor boats from the marine authorities close by. Some of those folks visited the Voyager and the boats circled to see if there was any damage and ensure we were seaworthy.

Capt .Dag told us the next day during two comments on the incident, that Voyager did in fact have a small 4” scrape on the bow, about 4-5 meters above the water line. He referred to it as no more than a lady scraping her nail polish. He said that our Chinese harbor pilot had cleared us for our direction and slow speed. He also said that pilots of small vessels sometimes try to see how close they can come in front of larger ships. He didn’t know if that is what the ferry captain was doing or if for some unknown reason was he not paying attention and didn’t see us?

Capt. Dag was emphatic that the international rules are very clear: That when ship paths merge the ship to the starboard (the Voyager in this case) has the right of way. Later he said that if the ferry pilot had continued to cross our path he probably would have been fine. But halfway across our bow he panicked and did a U-turn to starboard. Dag threw us into reverse and used full starboard thrusters. Thus we ended up basically parallel to each other. He maintains that it looked more precarious than it actually was, primarily due to our slow, 4-knot speed.

We are so thankful that apparently everything turned out OK and no one was hurt.

(Please stay tuned. Our Internet has been down. I will post other reports and photos from our 3 days in Hong Kong as I have time and access.)

After an early morning return visit to Chinese Arts & Crafts to make a couple purchases, we met Helen, our British friend, for some “off the beaten path” touring of Kowloon. We took the rapid transit – which is clean, modern, silent and efficient – north to the Mongkok Station. This is close to Boundary Road, which would have been the boundary with China, if the Brits had let the 99-year lease on the New Territories expire in 1997 without handing over the NT, Kowloon and Hong Kong to the PRC.

Our first stop was the extensive flower market. It consists of several streets lined with small flower shops/stalls…featuring, among other beautiful things, more orchids than we have ever seen. Crossing over to the Bird Market, we stopped into a Taoist Temple for Karen to have her fortune told. For $HK 5, she received a cup of sticks. She knelt among the smoky incense and shook the cup. The first stick to fall out was read by an attendant and she was presented with her written fortune. Unfortunately, we will have to see if one of the Voyager’s Chinese can interpret it for us, since Helen, who is fluent in Chinese, could not interpret the dialect.

The Bird market was a fascinating place. Caged birds are very popular in HK. Most people live in small quarters, so they take their birds (in cages) out for walks. Some of the parks have poles for hanging the cages -- there the birds can sing to their delight in the fresh air while the owner contemplates the world. The vendors at the market sell a wide variety of birds, plus ornate wooden cages, fancy porcelain cage cups for food and water, and live food. The latter consists mainly of mesh bags of crickets and worms.

Next it was to the Goldfish Market. This is somewhat of a misnomer, because besides fancy gold fish, there all sorts of large and small tropical and salt water fish were for sale. What I found most fascinating were the shops that specialized primarily in aquarium plants. They had large lighted tanks filled with “grass farms.” It was unique.

After a light Chinese/Japanese lunch in a new shopping center, we took the rapid transit back towards the harbor to the Jade Market. Helen and Karen had a marvelous time poking around the many covered stalls and bargaining with the owners. We then walked through the Night Market, which was just being set up for its daily evening run.

We thank Helen for a wonderful day…we believe we got to know a side of the Hong Kong area that is so much different than the HK Central Business District and fancy Kowloon waterfront.

 

Our Signatures Travel Group offered us a complimentary private car, driver and English-speaking guide in 5 of 10 ports. We used the first of them to spend the entire day touring Hong Kong Island. It was a great experience, particularly because of our interesting guide, Victor, and expert driver.

We started off in the Sheung Wan dried food & herbal market. What an interesting place, plus Victor knows a lot about cooking, so he and Karen really hit it off. The most expensive thing we saw: huge, dried abalone; 6 pieces for $US 3,000! It’s the only food Chinese serve with a knife & fork. The most interesting: dried gecko – splayed out on crossed sticks – don’t eat the poisonous head!

Next stop was the oldest Taoist temple on the island: the Man Mo Temple. It is named for two principle deities: Man, the god of literature, and Mo, the god of war. The temple was filled with lots of incense burners, including hanging, long-lasting coils. Inside the building is an adjacent Hindu temple. It was a special holy day and Hindu worshipers were queued up to make their offerings.

We then drove to the top of Victoria Peak and looked over the Central Business District and Kowloon in the daylight, plus the various bays on the south side of the island. We had a wonderful lunch at the Aberdeen Marina Club, where Victor is well known and ordered a variety of Chinese food. Afterwards, we took a sampan boat ride. Aberdeen, which is now surrounded by hundreds of high rise condos, is still home to a dwindling number of fishermen who live on their boats amongst grand yachts. The floating restaurant Jumbo can accommodate 3,000 diners and runs its own Sampan ferry.

We then visited the beach at sun-drenched Repulse Bay. This is primarily a well-to-do residential area. We finished up the day with an hour or so of shopping in the famous Stanley Market. This is a winding, cramped area with all sorts of small vendors.

After returning to the ship for a bit of a rest and a quick change, we headed over to the Star Ferry for our dinner at the eclectic China Club in the old China Bank Building. We were the guests of our British friends, Andrew and Helen. They were our former neighbors in Chicago. Andrew is the Consul General in Hong Kong and is in the midst of his third posting here. He was here (in a lesser position) during the 1997 handover of Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories to the PRC. They both offered some very interesting perspective on the changes and the future of the “one country, two systems” policy.

 

What a wonderful sunny day for one of the most beautiful sail-ins in the world. Capt. Dag had graciously offered me to watch if all unfold from the bridge. He pointed out several landmarks that I would have never have known about if I had been taking photos from my normal spot on Deck 12.

For example, as we enter the outer harbor there are what appear to be large excavations on a hillside. In actuality, it is a large cemetery. A bit further on there is a small fishing village of shacks at the base of the hillside. Looming behind them is a wall of high-rise condos. It is quite a contrast – not everyone it seems lives in a condo. These folks are fighting eviction which would be an end to their way of life. (I found out later that efforts to move these people have been stalled. People love to make excursions to this village where they can choose their live seafood from tanks and tell the fishermen to deliver it to one of the many restaurants in village.) We also passed the old Kai Tak airport where a new cruise terminal will be in operation next year. Capt. Dag says it will be better for the larger ships that now have to dock in the large container port, a 30 min. ride into Hong Kong. Dag said that thankfully the Ocean Terminal, where we dock on Kowloon next to the Star Ferry, would remain open to smaller ships such as the Voyager.

As Capt. Dag approached the terminal I was extremely pleased to see that our starboard-side cabin would be facing across to the picturesque Hong Kong skyline. Lucky us!

Karen and I spent the afternoon exploring the shops of Kowloon on Nathan and Canton Roads. Shaggy Larry got his first haircut since leaving Chicago in early January and we had lunch in a small Chinese place where we were the only non Asians. Just what we were looking for! We made our first visit to the Chinese Arts and Crafts store. We had been to it in 2007 and it could qualify as a museum. It is stocked with some of the most beautiful objects, clothing, silk painting, etc. Some are very old and some new. It is definitely our favorite store in HK.

At 6:30, we boarded 4 buses for the tram ride up Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island. We got there just before the famous 8:00 light show. We were somewhat underwhelmed with the show (maybe it looks better from the Kowloon side); however, enjoyed the city lights, and the wine and canapés from Café Decco.

Our port call at Xiamen on the western shore of  the Taiwan Strait was an unexpected pleasure. Xiamen is a bustling city of 4 million. Designated a Special Economic Zone in 1980, it has been a major port city since the 16^th Century. It is recognized as one of China’s cleanest cities. Its busy bay contains many sandstone outcroppings and small islands, and lots of industrial and shipping activities.

Just a short 7-minute ferry ride from the many tall buildings of downtown lays the beautiful island of Gulangyu. Home to some 20,000, the entire perimeter of the 0.7 square mile island is a national park, with peaceful walkways, beautiful plantings and playful sculptures. Gulangyu was once used as the region’s international foreign settlement. In the early 1900s, some 14 foreign consulates were located here. These large colonial buildings have been maintained and are used for tourist activities. Now the island, which only has a few electric vehicles, is called the “Piano Island” by locals because piano music drifts from the villas and lingers throughout the island’s narrow lanes. It is a very popular destination for both locals and tourists.

Our five-hour visit included a variety of activities:

·     Short ferry rides to and from Gulangyu

·     An electric tram ride around most of the perimeter national park

·     A visit to the 51-ft. statue of General Koxinga on a hill crop in Haoyue Garden.

·     A Tai Chi demonstration.

·     A visit to Haitian Tanggou Villa, which contained five buildings blending Chinese and European architectural styles.

·     A three-piece, classical music presentation with tea and sweets in the courtyard of the villa’s building that housed the original owner’s concubines.

·     A traditional Chinese music presentation in another of the villa’s buildings that now houses a famous puppet theater and museum.

·     An amazing puppet show.

Our ride and walk around this beautiful island was a wonderful tour. Our tour group was a bit late getting back to the ship and Capt. Dag pulled out 10 min. after our return.

Karen and I were invited by Siggy and Helga to have dinner with Olympian and actress Cathy Rigby and her husband, Tom McCoy. Cathy and Tom will be leaving us in Hong Kong. We were also joined by a British lecturer on spying and security matters. The seven of us had a great time.

Nothing to report today. I may have bored folks with my long-winded Shanghai reports (which I actually wrote today). So I am taking the rest of the day off.

Luckily, today was dry; so, the cold didn’t seem as bad. We spend the day on our own. We took the ship’s shuttle bus to the center of the city. We enjoyed a 15-minute walk through the busy city streets to Tao Bao – the four-story “knock-off” mall. What a frenzy this is: Small stalls selling “brand name” bags, purses, watches, shoes, clothes, golf clubs, electronics and souvenirs. You name it. Haggling is a must. Final sales are agreed upon at 50-75% off initial “good price.” The place was filled with passengers and crew from the Voyager. It was like old home week. Several of the big shoppers were back for a second go – having been there the day before, too. Some folks actually bought suitcases to haul out their purchases. Consumerism gone mad! Though I must admit, we made a few small purchases, mostly for gifts.

We enjoyed a small Chinese lunch in a huge “quick meal” emporium. We didn’t see any other non-Asians, so felt we were amongst the people on this Sunday afternoon. We walked down Nan Jing Road towards the Bund – including the pedestrian stretch that is the Rodeo Drive of Shanghai and in the evening is brightly lit with neon signs. We got back to the ship in time for our sparsely attended Protestant church service. We sailed at just about 8:00 p.m. – turning 180 degrees in front of the brightly-lit colonial buildings of the Bund and modern Pudong. For several miles after leaving the two downtowns, the river continued to be lined with neon-trimmed apartment buildings behind the industrial areas.

It is hard to adequately describe how this city of 20 million attacks the senses. It is vast, vibrant, beautiful and always surprising. Preparations for Shanghai Expo 2010 that begins in April are extensive. Some 80 million visitors are expected during the six-month run. Entire neighborhoods of old houses have been, and are being, torn down; new buildings, roadways and parks are being landscaped with thousands of additional trees; the esplanade on the Bund is closed and its renovation, after burying the roadway beneath it, is almost complete. The thousands of apartment buildings more than 15 stories are almost inconceivable. The visible wealth in the condos and shops would be unimaginable 10-20 years ago. The tall business buildings (the world’s second tallest is already coming out of the ground), the continuing development in Pudong, the rapid completion of tunnels and subway lines, and the heavy industry lining the Huangpu are all indications that China is still on the move. It’s certainly an open question as to what this will mean for the rest of the world.

 

Our second day in Shanghai was cold (around 37-39 F) and mostly rainy. However, that didn’t prevent us from having a good time. This year we were a bit better prepared than we were on our 2007 WC…at least we brought gloves and heavier, layered clothing.

Our “Shanghai from a Lofty Perspective” tour included visits to both old Shanghai on the western banks of the Huangpu and “new” Shanghai on the east (the Pudong area). In colonial Shanghai, the city was divided into three main areas: the French Concession, the British/International (primarily the business center) area and the Chinese area.

(My grandfather, who was a medical missionary in China for 40+ years, and his family lived in the French Concession area. During a 2005 land tour to China, our family was able to find the medical school he started at St.John’s University, the Community Church in which they worshipped, and the brick house they built in 1924. It had been renovated, was surrounded by a wall and cameras, and was being used for visiting high gov’t officials.)

After driving through the French Concession and past the modern buildings surrounding the People’s Park, we crossed under the Huangpu to Pudong. From the river walk there one gets a great view of the colonial buildings lining the Bund on the opposite side of the river. Due to the wind, chill and rain, this was a very short stop. Then we walked over to the iconic Oriental Pearl TV Tower. We visited the very fine Shanghai Historical Museum located in its base. It was filled with dioramas of early life in Shanghai, most of which used using life-size wax figures. We took a high-speed elevator to the tower’s second large sphere to a revolving restaurant – to the 267 meter level, about the equivalent of 86 stories up. We all enjoyed an extensive and delicious lunch buffet. Due to low visibility, the views weren’t as spectacular as they would be on a beautiful day; however, it was still fun.

Next we traveled back under the river to Old Town. Only a few of our group elected to tour the Yu Garden, which extends from the times of the Ming Dynasty. We had seen this spectacular garden in 2005 and 2007, so decided to spend some extra time shopping in the great bazaars of charming Old Town.

In the evening, Regent put on a special event at a fancy restaurant, Three on the Bund. We were greeted by Chinese music, Lion dances, wine and canapés. Next was an ethnic fashion show by models dressed in the traditional costumes of 30 Chinese minorities. There were also performances by a magician and some young acrobats. Lastly we saw the Bian Lian, which literally means the “Face-Changing.” This is an ancient dramatic art that is part of Sichuan opera. Performers wear brightly-colored costumes and move to quick, dramatic music. Their faces are covered with vividly colored masks. Within a fraction of a second, their masks change, revealing new, vibrant visages. They are amazing.

Afterwards we were transported again under the river to Pudong, where we toured around the brightly lighted buildings to the riverfront. From there we enjoyed a terrific fireworks show launched from a small paddle-wheeler just off shore. It was a private show just for us, but enjoyed by all the dinner boats plying the river and by people on both sides of the river…including those who went back to the Voyager to watch it from the warmth of the ship. We enjoyed our up-close viewpoint – ending a very special day in Shanghai.

Early in the morning we had some thunder and lightning. We awoke to a cold, rainy, foggy day. The temps dropped from the 50s to 45 degrees currently (at 10:30 p.m.).

It takes about 6 hours to come up the winding Huangpu River to the berth in Shanghai, just short of the colonial Bund. We picked up the initial river pilot about noon. Then we switched over to two harbor pilots about 2-3 hours later. I joined some friends in the Observation Lounge to watch most of the mid-voyage past a naval port and the extensive container port. Shortly after 4:00 p.m., when the river began to narrow, I went to the bridge to watch the rest of the voyage. This was a privilege Capt. Dag had extended to me a couple days ago.

Capt. Dag was very gracious in explaining everything that was going on. The two Chinese harbor pilots were calling out directional and speed commands…just like aircraft controllers…so many degrees and so many knots. Capt. Dag would repeat the instructions and then enter the info into the computer system. There was a small patrol boat ahead of us clearing the way through the traffic. But in reality the traffic was some of the lightest Capt Dag had seen in his many years of plying these waters. And much of it…the small coal barges…was anchored waiting for the out flowing river to change direction so they could use the current to carry then upstream.

When we got close to the berth, Capt. Dag took over completely and docked us easily from the starboard flying bridge. It took a couple of hours for us to be cleared by the Chinese authorities, who required a face-to-face look at us and checked for the proper visas. However Jamie and Claudia had it set up so that it really wasn’t an inconvenience for those of us who waited to be called in turn.

We have a full day excursion tomorrow and then a special evening event for full World Cruisers on the Bund. We will dress warmly and not let the lousy weather stop us from enjoying this wonderful port of call.

Not much to report today. The temp has been dropping all day. Currently 57 degrees at 3:30 p.m. One could hardly see the sun through the haze this morning and we have been in fog all afternoon…with the fog horn being used intermittently.

During his morning “Vords of Visdom” at 9:00 a.m., Capt. Dag said the forecast for Saturday night in Shanghai is 32 degrees and snow showers. Glad I threw in a pair of gloves while packing in Chicago.

Capt. Dag has invited me to be on the bridge during port arrivals and departures. I plan to take him up on it tomorrow (it should be warmer in there) as we make the long voyage up the Huangpu River in the afternoon. I remember on the 2007 WC what a fascinating sight this was. I had never seen so much heavy industry, commerce and activity in any one port. The sides of the river are lined with large clusters of tall high rises that would overwhelm many US cities. And the arrival at the Bund (the colonial downtown) and the new modern development of Pudong on the opposite bank are unbelievable sights.

Not much to report today. Water volleyball was quite exciting as the afternoon winds picked up. Even though Capt. Dag lowered the water level in the pool, the sloshing back and forth  made for some pretty interesting moves.

Our visit to Manila was a big day for our crew…one of joyous homecomings with children, parents, family, fiancées, etc. It was great to see such happy faces…though it was tough to witness some of the sadness as we pulled away from the dock with beautiful Filipino music blaring from the Voyager and responses coming from the energetic high school band on the wharf. It was quite an experience.

Filipinos seems to be such happy people – with ready smiles and such pleasant dispositions. Our tour into the countryside to visit Villa Escudero though brought home to us once again how poor a country the Philippines actually is in terms of comfortable housing, sanitary conditions and the ability to earn a decent wage. No wonder, that even with the long family separations, our Filipino crew loves their jobs.

The 1-1/2 hour ride to and from Villa Escudero provided much of the day’s entertainment. Our two buses had a police escort of two daring motorcycle patrolmen. We spent much of the time riding on the left hand side of the two yellow lines staring down on-coming traffic.  The policemen with sirens blaring would stand on their cycles and wave traffic over to each side. Those that didn’t comply got their sides or mirrors smacked. (It reminded us of our ride to Kandy in Sri Lanka in 2007 and some of the motorcades Larry rode in with Secretary Weinberger on overseas trips in the mid-80s.)

At the villa, we toured a fairly boring museum that was in the replica of a church built by the Escudero family in the late to house their collection of religious art and other items from the Philippines and around the world. The estate is now being run as a small resort, a tourist destination and a coconut plantation. We enjoyed a beer at tables set in the water in front of a hydroelectric plant’s waterfall. We then were provided a light snack before watching an excellent folkloric show put on by the workers of the villa. Part of the transportation within the grounds was by water buffalo-pulled carriage.  

Then it was back to the Voyager with our wild police escort. Both times we made the listed 2 – 2-1/2 hour trip in just 90 minutes.

Then we watched a tearful departure at 7:15 p.m. from Deck 5 as crew and passengers lined the railings. Now it’s on to China. The weather is predicted to turn much colder by time we arrive in Shanghai on Friday.

We enjoyed a morning lecture by Cathy Rigby. She related how she grew up in a dysfunctional family, found her passion for gymnastics, became a champion and national icon, survived an addictive eating disorder, spent 7 years in voice and drama training and became a Broadway actress and singer. She is a multitalented and lovely human being.

But Cathy is still very competitive and it has been fun playing water volleyball with her and her husband, Tom. We had three good games again today. That will probably be it for awhile as we are heading towards colder weather after tomorrow when we head form Manila to Shanghai.

We had some sort of technical difficulty last evening which caused us to cut back our speed for a few hours. So we will be 90 min. to two hours late arriving in Manila. Hopefully that won’t disrupt the greatly anticipated homecomings for so many of our wonderful crew.

I’ve heard that are only 50 family members will be allowed on the ship at any one time, and then just for an hour. (Therefore, some passengers have chipped in to rent a hall in the Manila Hotel for crew members to relax in with their families.) This is a very disheartening change from 2007, when multiple family members could visit and had full run of the ship…including all the ice cream the kids could eat. No one is too sure who is responsible for this more restrictive visitation policy -- local Philippines or Regent security concerns, new management’s decision, or what. But it stinks. Hopefully everyone will be allowed to congregate on the dock as we depart and serenade them with Filipino music. If so, there won’t be a dry eye on either side of the widening gap.

We had a very hot, but fun day in this small and extremely wealthy country. The Sultan is one of the richest men in the world, with a personal wealth estimated at more than $10-$20 billion. The riches come from offshore oil and now worldwide investments (including the Beverly Hills Hotel, London’s Dorchester Hotel, among other iconic world hotel landmarks). He takes care of his subjects and that love is returned. There are no taxes and medical care is free (even if the patient has to go out of country). If you need housing and can’t afford it, you get 0.2 acres and a house. If you work, you get a salary, plus a gov’t payment. Higher education anywhere in the world is free, plus the student gets a gov’t stipend. That’s all well and good, but some folks certainly live better than others.

Three years ago we visited all the main tourist sights, including those having to do with the royalty. This year we visited the rural Kampong Sungai Matan fishing village along the Brunei River. About 500 people live in 40 houses over the water on stilts. They are connected by a narrow boardwalk running in front of them. The villagers carry on many local traditions dating back 400 years. They catch fish, shrimp and crabs which they sell or barter in trade. The village leaders recently started a small tourism business. We were their first cruise ship tour and they were extremely excited. The guide for our 16 pax bus was the village leader’s son. The father’s home now houses a small performance stage, a library, a tour center and demonstration areas. The village kids performed a couple dances for us; we crushed dried shrimp for the flakes to make shrimp crackers; and we saw how they caught crabs, threw out their nets and fed their small fish farms. We also took a tour on the river to see a modern water village that has been constructed across the river on an island and some larger fish farms.

Serendipitously, we also attended a wedding celebration that was just getting underway two houses away. We all paraded through the house, met the bride, sat in the wedding chairs and were given the small gifts that all guests were given. Along the road behind four of the houses were canopies and several hundred chairs. Already the narrow road was lined with cars of the first of the expected 1,000 guests. This was the final day of a 6-event, 14-day wedding celebration.  

We returned to the village leader’s home where we were treated to local homemade dishes and sweets. It was a great local experience.

 

(Our Internet satellite connection has been down for 36 hours. It was finally up when we returned to the ship this afternoon. I have gotten the past three days worth of journal entries posted and the Singapore photos. Plan to post Brunei info tomorrow.)

Today was a pretty normal sea day...though the sunrise Larry viewed during his early morning walk was spectacular. (Sorry, I didn’t have a camera.) Our satellite Internet has been out all day…and we don’t have an estimate when the service provider (MTN) will get it fixed.

From 8:30 – 9:00 we enjoyed our first interdenominational Christian devotional with Rev. Ned. He and his wife got on in Singapore and will be with us for the rest of the voyage. The plan is have morning fellowship every sea day.

Larry played pool volleyball with former Olympic gymnast and actress Cathy Rigby and her husband, Tom. Cathy is also a motivational speaker and will be giving some presentations during this segment. Though she says she’s “height disadvantaged,” Cathy and Tom played well and are quite competitive. We had a great time.

At 7:30 we were on the bus for a half-day of sightseeing in busy Singapore. Our first stop was a beautiful Chinese temple all decorated for the Chinese New Year – the “Year of the Tiger.” This 15-day celebration began on Feb.14 (Valentines Day) and ends Sunday. Then we visited the gold-domed Sultan Mosque on Arab Street and the Malayan Heritage Center. Driving through downtown we admired grand colonial buildings, the old and new Supreme Court, City Hall (where the Japanese surrender in 1945 was accepted) and the new Parliament building.

Then it was back on a bum boat ride along the same route we did the previous evening. From there it was back to the Raffles Hotel. This time, we were all treated to a free Singapore Sling. They were OK, but nothing to write home about; it’s always about marketing, no matter where one travels!

Our three tours in Singapore certainly added to our understanding of this amazing nation state…and its importance in the region and the world. Our three tour guides were wonderful and were so proud of Singapore’s remarkable achievements. They were also humorous. One said that Singapore women used to look for the 5 C’s in a man: Cash, credit cards, condominium, car and country club. Now it is 8. The three additional: Career, confidence and charisma.

Our scheduled 1:00 departure was delayed for about two hours, due to the need to change some sort of valve and get all the passports cleared. That allowed us to have our “sea day” pool volleyball game in calm waters while still being docked. A first! We also gained two young men players. They are members Debbie’s and Henry’s extended family who are joining them for this 14-night segment.

Before dinner there was a block party (where everyone joins together in their corridor neighborhood for wine and cheese). We found that Debbie’s and Henry’s family members are in our block…lowering the average age considerably! After dinner with Larry and Nancy, we enjoyed another terrific concert by JR, the assistant cruise director. He sang a wonderful medley of Broadway songs. I hope Regent realizes what a great talent he is and has been adding something to his normal paycheck.

We enjoyed a full day and night in Singapore on two tours.

Our all-day around the island tour enable us to see some more of this island nation than just the downtown. At Tong Bauru hawker’s market we saw how locals go daily to buy fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and seafood. Plus there was dry goods section and a food court. We were extremely impressed with the market’s cleanliness…particularly when compared to other recent stops.

We traveled to the northern part of the island to look across into Malaysia. This is also the area when the Japanese attacked and subsequently overran Singapore in Feb 1942. We visited the Kanji War Memorial, where some 24,000 Allied servicemen are either buried or memorialized on large walls. The plantings among the gravesites were both unusual and very beautiful.

We enjoyed a nice Chinese lunch in a restaurant set in a park along the water. From there we visited a replica of one of the 15-inch gun emplacements that were meant to protect the city, but couldn’t since they were pointed toward the sea and the Japanese came down thru Thailand and Malaysia. Next we visited the Changi Chapel and Museum. Changi was a prison that the Japanese turned into a POW camp during their 2-1/2 year occupation (1942-1945). More than 3,000 POWs (men, women and children) were kept under horrible conditions in a prison built for 600. The artifacts and stories told in the Changi Museum were very illustrative of life within the prison and on the island during those years. (Changi Prison was the basis for James Clavell’s great novel, “King Rat.”)

We got back to the cruise terminal at about 5:15. Instead of going back thru passport control, customs and security, we elected to share a quick “chicken rice” plate that our tour guide had recommended as a true local dish. It was very tasty.

At 6:30, it was back on tour. We rode past some of the downtown sights to the river walk area. We boarded a bum boat for a 30-minute cruise along the river past many of the new high-rise commercial buildings, restored colonial buildings, fancy hotels and restaurants. The Convention Center looks like two durians – described as large fruits that “smell like hell and taste like heaven.” There are actually signs banning durians in certain public areas. We cruised past the spouting Merlion – the Lion City’s famous symbol. We were awed by the construction of the huge Integrated Resort area. Three tall, curved hotels are connected at the roofline by a large outdoor garden. At the base there will be a large casino, a theater hall and many restaurants. It is a vast project being directed Las Vegas Sands. (A second casino and integrated resort, including a Universal Studios theme park is being constructed on Sentosa Island…the city’s playground on the island just opposite the cruise terminal.) The timing of this tour was just perfect. The sunset afterglow provided enough light to see the cityscape, but all the decorative lighting was on.

From the bum boat the 23 of us climbed into individual or shared trishaws (three-wheeled bicycles) for a ride to the famed Raffles Hotel. Our caravan of trishaws, many of them decorated with lights and each one blaring different rock music, was truly a sight as we wended our way thru the streets and traffic of downtown. It was great fun.

Karen and I had been to the beautifully restored (and expanded) Raffles Hotel for lunch on our 2007 World Cruise. At that time, we could wander through the main hotel and its lobby. Now the lobby is closed off to residents only. I think that is only appropriate….who wants gawking tourists tramping through a hotel where you have paid S$1,000-S$4,000 a night? There were lots of other shops and bars in the hotel that were more than happy to take the tourist dollars. And we went to one of them – the famous Long Bar, original home of the Singapore Sling. We didn’t have one. They now cost $$29.50 – or UD$20.93! However, my pint of beer was almost as bad – S$18! But you get to throw the shells of the free peanuts on the floor!  At about 10:15, we finally returned to the ship – hot and tired, but exhilarated.

 

Today was another nice smooth day of sailing. Sandra Bowern gave an excellent presentation on the history of Singapore. We were only here for a day in 2007; our tours this year during our two-day visit will enable us a bit more outside the immediate downtown.

Sadly, today was the last time to play pool volleyball with two fun passengers – Trenton and Barbara. Both will be leaving us in Singapore. We all wish them a safe trip back home.

At 6:15 we had an abbreviated pool deck celebration to indoctrinate all the pollywogs, those who had not sailed over the equator before (something we wil dol again at about 10:30 p.m.).  The Pirate King and King Neptune made all the first-timers kiss the fish as the rest of us enjoyed Equator cocktails. It was great fun. Then we had dinner with JR, the new assistant cruise director, along with Marji and David (fun cruise buddies from 2007). We ended the evening listening to Karen Beckett, a great Australian song artist. And that brings to a close the second of five segments on the Voyager’s 119-night 2010 World Cruise.

Today we had a wonderful full-day excursion to Borobudur. For about 1,000 years the Buddhist sanctuary of Borobudur had existed unnoticed, overgrown in the tropical climate of central Java. It was ordered to be constructed around 70 A.D. by a powerful and wealthy ruler. Its name, Borobudur, is still somewhat of a mystery. It might be the modification of two words form Sanskrit – “Complex of temples on the hill.” Or, from an inscription on the monument dating back to 842, “Borobudur” could mean “Accumulation of Virtue in the Ten Stages of Bodhisattvas.”

The decline of the Mataram empire in 919 A.D. and the transfer of the political and cultural center to East Java seems to coincide with a mysterious depopulation of this part of Java. But what they left behind surely shows that at one time there were a people with great artistic, architectural and construction knowledge.

The huge stupa of Borobudur was rediscovered in the 1800s when Lord Raffles (of later Singapore fame) was the Governor.  It was overgrown with trees. Some of the walls had crumbled and collapsed due to water seepage into the hill it had been built on. Many of the Buddha statues had been partially vandalized with lost heads and arms. The British and Dutch began some restoration efforts, but a full blown effort was only undertaken in the mid-1970s by the Indonesian governemtn and UNESCO.

Today, this preserved Buddhist monument sits in what I call a “golf-course-like” setting in a 90% Muslim country surrounded by high volcanoes and lush mountains.

We climbed to the top and around the many bell-shaped stupas and walked around the various concentric plateaus with their wonderful stone carvings, Buddha niches and drainage gargoyles.

Our caravan of 10 buses, escorted by two police cars with flashing lights and sirens blaring, made the windy, hilly trip in about 2-1/2 hours each way. We didn’t stop for a single red light in the many towns along the way and several times drove on the wrong side of the road…we were waving and getting waves all along the way. We both enjoyed the ride, how the Javanese live and go about their lives.

One could say we truly did make a “spiritual journey to enlightenment.”

 

Capt. Dag announced this morning that we would be docking at Semarang, Java, Indonesia at 5:30 this evening instead of tomorrow morning. He is doing this since many of us are making an 8-1/2 hour trek to monumental Borobudur tomorrow. This will allow us to get an earlier start (6:30 a.m.) and possibly beat some of the heat. (More about that in the next installment.)

We spent the day catching up on our blog and photos, Karen did laundry and played Mah Jongg and Larry played water volleyball. We had a gift team card for our special player Trenton, who will be celebrating his 23^rd birthday on the 23^rd. We will all be sorry to have him leave in Singapore, because playing with him has made the games so much fun.

We ate lunch in Compass Rose for the first time and enjoyed the company of Bob and Sandra. Tonight we are enjoying our formal dinner in Prime 7 with Larry and Dodi.

The highlights of our sea day off Java were phone calls with both our daughters and their families, and with our friend Marylou. To have Charlie and Natalie say “I luv you” for the first time was extremely special (and brought a tear to Larry’s eyes)!

Our 8-1/2 hour “Discovery of Bali” tour was excellent. It was in an 11-pax van with just 6 of us and a guide, plus driver.

One thing about Regent, they don’t load their transportation to capacity. One always has room to spread out; and with the larger buses, it doesn’t take as long to load and offload. Most of the Regent tours are now “free” (except the more exotic, such as helicopter rides).

Our first stop was at Kerta Costa, the Ancient Court of Justice at Semarapura, which featured elaborate painted ceilings. We then visited a compound of wood carvers and showroom. Larry picked up a small mask of the God of Education that’s made of local crocodile wood. We also toured the Neka Art Museum, which is located several buildings within a beautiful garden setting. We particularly enjoyed the works of Arie Smit, a Dutch-born artist who perfected his “broken colors” technique while living in Bali for more than 40 years.

We made a special stop to observe some folks harvesting their rice. It is all cut by hand with a scythe. Then it is hand-thrashed. The stalks are saved for feed or burned to be returned as fertilizer. Then the rice is tossed in a flat basket to get ride of more chaff. Then it is wrapped in large cloths or bags and taken to a flat concrete area to dry for a day or two before it is finally milled. It is a very labor intensive process and we enjoyed the opportunity to see it all up close.

We enjoyed a typical Indonesian lunch at the Tepi Sawah Restaurant. The setting was beautiful…covered eating platforms next to lush rice paddies.  

Enroute to our next stop the guide pulled over in order to let Larry observe men building a rather large family temple. The carved statues are delivered to the site, as are some of the larger temple towers. The latter are then set up without cement to ensure everything is there and to give the on-site workers a guide to work from. The bases, walls and gates are assembled from the basic brick and concrete block. The family temple we saw was going to take five men a whole month to build.

Our last visit was to the very old, Kehen Temple at Bangli. On the way down the steep steps, we stopped to watch a group of women and men preparing elaborate offerings for a big ceremony in 10 days.

Bali is a beautiful spot and it is not surprising it is so popular with tourists. We did not get to visit any of the posh resorts, but we heard from some who did and they said they we magnificent. Now we are off to Java.

(I’ve uploaded quite a few photos. I just hope they don’t bore you, but we really liked Bali.)

 

Upon leaving Lombok yesterday we had our second pool party. The crew really works hard to make these special evenings and it truly was.

Today we hired an SUV and driver to take us around Bali. Let’s just say it wasn’t the best experience we’ve had with a private driver. However, we did get to see a few special things. We visited one of the public Hindu temples. This one fronted a bat cave that is 50 meters deep and in the daytime is filled with millions (?) of bats, as well as lots of snakes. We had a delightful guide and watched part of a funeral service.

We visited a family run wood carving center in Mas and a small silver jewelry manufacturer in Celuk. We enjoyed our drive through the countryside with its terraced rice paddies and thousands of picturesque family temples. The highlight of the day was finding Nadya’s place in the outskirts of Ubud, a center for handicrafts. Nadya has lived in Bali for more than 35 years (she also has a condo in Chicago!). She makes fabrics and clothing. Most amazing was her home…which goes on and on, from one open room to another, connected by fish pools, bird cages, flowers, and a handmade mosaic tile walk. Each room is filled with Balinese art and furniture. It was a real delight to visit Nadya and see her home…plus, Karen now owns an original, dressy, batik jacket!

We had a quick lunch in Ubud, looked through some shops and then returned to the ship in the late afternoon.

The evening was filled with two special events.

The first one was the celebration of Dr. Lloyd Tinkle’s 100^th birthday in the Constellation Theater. As a law professor in Joliet, Ill., Lloyd got in the habit of wearing costumes to class in order to spark the interest of his students. Now he is famed for them and has made hundreds of friends in his 12+ world cruises, many of whom wore  costumes of their own to celebrate this occasion. Jamie arranged a wonderful hour-long tribute to this centenarian from Sioux City, Iowa. There were poems, songs, dance numbers, and video tributes from fellow passengers and staff. Sandra Bowern, our morning lecturer, put together a funny multi-media presentation on all the changes Lloyd has seen in his first 100 years. Jamie and many of the entertainers worked long and hard to make this a special program for us all. At dinner, the head dinning staff from all the restaurants paraded throughout the room to present Lloyd a large baked Alaska with sparklers.

After dinner, we were entertained in the theater by a 40-person group of Balinese musicians and dancers. It was a fun-filled first day in Bali.

 

Lombok Island has a population of almost 3 million and is about 25 miles to the east of Bali. The very green island’s topography is dominated by Mt. Rinjani, which at 12,224 ft. is the third highest in Indonesia. The island is roughly circular and is about 42 miles across.

Some 80% of the population is Muslim and the majority of the rest are Hindu.

We spent a good part of the day on a tour of three temples and two markets. Some of the best fun was interacting with, and taking pictures of, the children. We also enjoyed seeing our first extensive rice paddies, Lombok is definitely a Third World agrarian society. It has not yet been dominated tourism as the locals say Bali has. However, the vendors can be fairly aggressive. Some of them followed us on motor scooters from stop to stop. Though many were selling handicrafts, colorful sarongs, pearls and T-shirts, the numerous DVDs of “Avatar” prove that they are in touch with the rest of the world!

 

 

 

Postscript to yesterday: While sitting in the Observation Lounge last evening everyone saw the Green Flash as the sun set into the ocean. It was the first time we had ever witnessed this phenomenon. We all erupted in a unison cheer!

Later in the night we experienced heavy rain and brief claps of thunder. This a.m., passing in and out of showers, we ran the length Flores Island with its green and ragged peaks. Luckily, just as we approached the beautiful bay leading into the small anchorage at Komodo Island, we ran out of the rain and into bight sunshine…though it was quite hot and humid.

Komodo Island is 22 miles long by 9 miles wide. It is a national park and in 1992 the park was declared a World Heritage Site. This desolate domain is home to 2,500 Komodo dragons, the largest lizards on earth. These dinosaur-like reptiles are believed to date back to the Jurassic Age and were thought to be extinct until rediscovered in 1912.

Male dragons can reach 13 feet in length and weigh 300 pounds. Komodo are carnivorous and can live up to 50-60 years. They have sharp hearing and a keen sense of smell that can pick up the scent of carrion from 7 miles away. These fierce lizards use their tail to down prey; they have serrated teeth that are filled with deadly bacteria that will ultimately kill an animal they bite; and they use razor sharp claws to slash through their victim’s belly. That’s why we went looking for them in small groups and only with a guide. We successfully found five during our walk through the tropical forest and one more near the ranger station. We weren’t lucky enough to see any of them walking, though other groups did. Deer and wild pigs – two of the dragon’s favorite meals – were also spotted.

Only about 600 people inhabit Komodo Island. Our cruise out of the bay with more wonderful cloud formations was as equally beautiful as our arrival. We feel very fortunate to have been able to visit this remote spot and see these creatures in the wild.

Today was another bright, sunny day, with relatively flat seas. It’s still warm and humid. Not much to report – laundry, an interesting lecture on Indonesia, reading, Mah Jongg, pool volleyball, dinner with friends and an Australian pianist. Next up, we have four days in Indonesia before another sea day. Tomorrow, it's seeing the Komodo Dragons. All the ports on this segment, prior to ending in Singapore, are new ones for us.

We pulled into Darwin’s modest harbor just before 8:00 a.m. Our excursion was a “Jumping Crocodile Cruise.” We drove through the outskirts of town out through very lush countryside to the Adelaide River. The cruise lived up to its hype: wild crocodiles jumping after bait. Even though it’s the nesting season, we didn’t have any problem finding crocs. Our guide dangled the large pieces of pork out on a long pole from the top of the boat and the croc would jump and snap at the meat a couple of times before she let it have the food. Some of the smaller females actually jumped high enough to get their hind legs completely out of the water. (One time a large white-bellied sea eagle made 3 passes at the meat, so it had to be fed, so we could get on with the crocs.) The largest, meanest male croc was more than 20 feet long. He was too heavy to actually jump. He rules about a 2 km stretch of the river and has lots of girl friends. These salt water crocs lay about 40-60 eggs. During the 3-month incubation period only about 50% survive (losses are due to changes in temp, land predators, birds, etc.). Of the baby crocs, only 1-2% live thru the second year. Life is tough for these ferocious almost prehistoric creatures. Nevertheless, there are about 7,000 of them on the Adelaide and its estuaries.

We visited a small interpretive center on the return to Darwin where we learned about the river flood plains and the life, fauna and animals it supports. Right now, the folks in the area are breeding water buffalo. A previous attempt to turn parts of the area into rice paddies was a disaster when all the birds (primarily the magpie geese) ate the rice.

Our bus dropped us off in Darwin. It’s the capital of the Northern Territory and the surrounding area is referred to as the Top End. It is closer to Indonesia than the major coastal cities of Australia. While the area around Darwin is green, most of the NT is harsh desert and includes Alice Springs and the huge stone monolith, Ayers Rock. It is one of two territories, the other being the Federal capital of Canberra (similar to Wash DC). A movement towards statehood was voted down some years ago, though there is some talk of mounting another referendum. Although the Aborigines make up only 1-2% of the nation’s population, they comprise 30-35% of the folks in the NT.

Darwin was the only area of Australia bombed by the Japanese during WWII. The first two raids were on Feb. 19, 1942, by planes from four aircraft carriers – the same forces that had attacked Pearl Harbor 10 weeks before. There were 292 people killed that day and during the next 18 months there were 62 more attacks and much of Darwin was destroyed. On Christmas Eve in 1974, Cyclone Tracy again destroyed much of the rebuilt city. Several buildings now incorporate remnants of the old, including the beautiful Christchurch Anglican Church. We walked by the Old Town Hall, Government House and the new Parliament House, called locally the “Wedding Cake.” During our walk back to the Voyager we went by the Convention Center and a large outdoor wave pool complex and some very modern condos that have been built in previous commercial port area.

All and all, this was a worthwhile stop in the Top End of Australia. Now we are off to several stops in the vast, diverse archipelago of Indonesia that stretches some 3,000 miles from west to east.

A pretty normal sea day…it’s been quite windy, but the seas are surprisingly smooth. Temps are around 86…which Capt. Dag says is also the water temp.

The highlights of the day were telephone calls with both our daughters and grandtwins. At least were heard Natalie and Charlie as they recognized our voices and responded with “Pop Pop” and “K” – the latter being Natalie’s pronunciation of “Grandma Kay.” Heather said yesterday Natalie keep going to the telephone and picking it up and saying “K” and “Pop Pop.” If that doesn’t melt one’s heart what would? Our tier status on the Regent’s frequent cruiser program allows us three hours of out-going telephone time per segment. So that is a very nice perk.

We are looking forward to dinner tonight with annual world cruisers from Houston who are the parents of a couple and their son with whom we had so much fun during two segments of our 2007 World Cruise.

We hope everyone on the other side of the Dateline has had a wonderful Valentines’ Day. When we set our clocks back another 30 minutes tonight we will be 16 hours ahead of Chicago time. (Thank goodness for the little clock in the bottom right-hand corner of my laptop screen that keeps track of Central Standard Time.)

Happy Valentines Day! We started off our bright Sunday with a caviar and champagne (at least for Larry) breakfast in La Veranda. Jamie’s well-attended Protestant church service was held in the Observation Lounge. His very meaningful message was centered on all the Biblical aspects of “Love.” God’s beautiful creation – as we passed by the many islands of northern Australia set amongst brilliant emerald and turquoise waters – certainly added to the significance of the day.

The afternoon was taken up mainly with pool volleyball and Mah Jongg. Then we enjoyed a special Valentines dinner in Signatures with our friends Larry and Nancy from Edmonton and new-found Canadian friends, Debby and Henry, who joined us in Sydney. They, too, are from Edmonton and will be going with us all the way to Ft. Lauderdale. After dinner, the women were given roses to celebrate the holiday. When we returned to our suite, Melinda had set out red balloons, hearts and towel decorations. We hope everyone reading this also had a similarly special day.

We awoke with news of another missed port. Capt. Dag announced that the crew was dealing with a small technical issue. An electrical generator needed some maintenance work. This would require shutting down one of the four engines that drive the two electrical propulsion pods. This would take some time and cause us to reduce speed. Thus, we would have to cancel our six-hour stop tomorrow at Thursday Island and continue on to Darwin. (It is one of a series of small islands just west of the York Peninsula that is the northern part of Australia. Visits require tendering, plus tides and swells can make it a lengthy operation. Thus, with the delay and the short scheduled stop, the Captain had to regrettably cancel the visit.)

We left Cairns last night at 11:00. It’s the first ship operation I’ve missed, since by then we were asleep. The great day on the reef wore us out. After our return we had done a bit of window shopping and had walked through the Night Market. Upon returning to the Voyager we enjoyed a light meal from the antipasti buffet, eating out in the tropical breezes on the aft of La Veranda. The end to a perfect day.

Upon departure, Capt. Dag headed outside the reef and turned north. He did so in order to dump our gray water (tap water). In most cases this can be done four miles off the coast, but here one must be 12 miles outside the 1,250 mile long Great Barrier Reef. Sounds reasonable to me. We then followed the reef northwestward. At about 11:30 a.m. today we headed back inside the reef going through a place called Two Mile Gap.

The changing colors of the much shallower water were spectacular…something one has to experience (since amateur photogs like me can’t capture it). While we were enjoying the view from the railing on Deck 12, Capt. Dag joined us. The three of us had a wonderful 20-min. conversation as we enjoyed the view. Dag has sailed these waters for more than 25 years, and he said our weather in Cairns and along the reef has been some of the best he has seen. He was in a story-telling mood about the area, his life, the Voyager and cruising in general. We had a great time.

 

What a spectacular day of adventure. Now we know why it truly is The Great Barrier Reef.

Thankfully the day dawned sunny and bright. We heard that more than a dozen people had the night before cancelled this 8-hour excursion due to forecasts of bad weather. Granted the 90 min. ride out to the reef would not be fun on a choppy day.

But that was not to be the case! We had a wonderful day. About 120 folks from the Voyager joined 30 or so other tourists on the Marine World excursion and had a fabulous time.

It was the best snorkeling we have ever done.

The ride to the Marine World pontoon was not very rough. We did get sprayed a few times on the upper deck…but it was 82 degrees and we were in our swimsuits! As you can see from the photos, the multi-use platform is anchored in the midst of the reef and offers plenty of shade. Due to the presence of stinging jellyfish, everyone wears a protective wetsuit or light Lycra suit.

We had a terrific morning of snorkeling where we saw an amazing variety of both fish and colorful coral. You could chose to be right among the fish in depths of 2-3 feet or view the coral foundations going down 10-20 feet or more. After a provided buffet lunch, Karen took a ride on a semi submersible for additional underwater views. We both watched a fish feeding demonstration (Larry from the water), where some very large fish, including two resident Maori Wasse came right up to the entry platform. Some other took helicopter flights. Then Larry and eight others were taken out for a long, guided snorkeling safari of the reef wall. We saw many schools of large fish anticipating the tide and multitudes of smaller fish scooting over the tops of the reef.

By 3:15 it was time to get out of the water and head back to shore. We then we walked back to the ship as very happy campers. We couldn’t have asked for a nicer day!

PS: Marine World is a family run business and they did an excellent job. We can see why they and their staff have the reputation of being the best in the reef expedition business. If anyone reading this is planning a Great Barrier Reef adventure, I wouldn’t hesitate using this crew.

During our early morning walk it looked like it would be a full day of rain. Larry got his walk completed before the rains came; but, Karen had to finish her exercises in the gym after breakfast. By noon the skies had cleared and it was a warm 82 degrees. We have light, following winds and have reduced our speed a bit. Therefore, the pool was the calmest we have had for pool volleyball. We are having dinner this evening in Prime 7 with two women who play Mah Jongg with Karen and their husbands.

Though the clouds have reappeared here late in the afternoon, we are hoping for clearing weather tomorrow. We are scheduled for an 8-hour excursion to a pontoon on The Great Barrier Reef. It involves a 1-1/2 hour ride out in a powered catamaran and then 5 hours on a large floating double-decked pontoon. From here folks can swim, SCUBA dive, snorkel, ride in an amphibious vehicle, etc. We have heard so much about The Great Barrier Reef we are hooping for calm seas and at least a partially sunny day.

I guess we really shouldn’t fret about the weather so much when so many areas of the States are getting hit time and time again with heavy snows…including places that aren’t used to such stuff. We also heard there was a mild earthquake today 40 mi. northwest of Chicago…we will have to go on-line and read about it.

Today was another pretty normal sea day…though we skipped both lectures in the morning. We both got our walks and exercise in. Larry got caught up on his blog and photo albums. Karen did a bit of laundry. In the afternoon, Larry had a pool volleyball game…it was quite adventurous at times since the pool was sloshing around quite a bit. Karen played Mah Jongg. Both of us also got some reading in. We enjoyed dinner in Signatures with two couples from Oregon who use the same travel agent that we do. The show was a new Australian singer performing show tunes. He was quite good.

It was a long route into Brisbane. We had to go north and then turn south to enter the channel and then through a large bay, before heading into the river and the outskirts of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland.

Our tour today was a visit to the Australia Zoo, home to TV’s late Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. (A refresher: he was killed in a freak accident when speared in his heart by a sting ray’s stinger.)

The Croc Show was quite entertaining, though right in the middle a driving shower forced everyone into the upper, covered seats. They rotate the crocs for the performances and ours was a very mean, large 40-year-old. This educational show also included elephants, brightly-colored flying cockatoos, a large flying crane, pythons, etc. Afterward we strolled around the large grounds and got to be close up to – and pet – kangaroos, wallabies and koalas.

Enroute back to the ship we stopped at Ettamogah Pub, which is a crooked building styled on some Aussie cartoon. It’s set amongst a small strip of other tourist businesses along the highway. Our shared a beer from the eclectic pub and Beefy’s steak pie hit the spot.

Upon returning to the ship, we jumped on the 20-min shuttle into downtown Brisbane. We took some pictures of buildings, walked along a pedestrian shopping mall and enjoyed a Lamington. The latter is a small chocolate iced sponge cake sprinkled with coconut. According the very inofmative shuttle bus driver, it’s named after the first governor of Queensland and was a mistake. A chef was making a sponge cake desert for a government function and it slipped into some chocolate, so he rolled it in coconut. Walla! A new dessert was born. Who knows? It was delicious.

Our 6:00 p.m. departure from Brisbane was delayed 45-min., while the crew dealt with yet another medical emergency where a passenger needed to be put off into a hospital.

As we headed out the river we enjoyed a serene dinner on La Veranda’s aft deck with Larry and Nancy, our new friends from Toronto. Karen and I loved our grilled Barramundi, an excellent Australian whitefish, topped with minced clams. It was one our best meals yet – especially so, since it was outside in 70 degree-plus weather.

It was a bit rough in the early a.m., but then settled down. We had a fairly routine sea day…though we all did get in a game of pool volleyball. The evening was formal optional and the Captain’s Reception was held in the Atrium. It was in honor of for those who joined us on the second segment, which began in Sydney.

We then enjoyed a special dinner in Signatures with Dodi and Larry, plus mutual friends Fay and Al, to celebrate Dodi’s birthday. We didn’t get to do this in 2007 since we had already made other plans. So we were doubly pleased and honored to be with them Dodi and Larry are both “more senior” than us; but, one can’t tell it. They both enjoy life to the fullest.

Gudrun, the onboard Cruise Consultant, confirmed that there are 260 full world cruisers onboard. I also believe that this segment is virtually sold out. I haven’t been to the bridge yet to see how the onboard count has changed for this section of the voyage.

After a restful evening docked, we were up early Sunday for an 8:30 tour. We again took a city highlights excursion that hit some of the same areas we saw yesterday, but also a few new communities. This time we got to spend 40 minutes walking along Bondi Beach on a warm, but cloudy morning. Larry had a good time talking to a couple folks on the volunteer life saving patrol. They were holding several competitions among the 17-year-olds in their community club and some of the others were taking their surf rescue tests….which can be done from age 16 on. The woman Larry was talking to was 66, still swims daily, officiates in the competitions and participates in the live saving patrols. Strong stock here in Australia!

The highlight of the day was an excellent, one-hour guided tour of the Sydney Opera House. There are five main venues under one roof. It’s a busy place, with more than 2,500 performances each year and an annual audience total of more than 2 million. Someone said it is the most identifiable building in the world…with an 80% recognition factor. (Those other 20% must be from those interviewed on Jay Leno’s “Jay Walking” bits.)

After the tour, we walked through a portion of the Royal Botanic Garden and had a light lunch in one of its pavilions. Then it was a good hike over to Darling Harbour in Cockle Bay, which is the next bay over after passing under the Harbour Bridge. Darling Harbour is Sydney’s favorite entertainment center. The circular promenade is filled with restaurants, the world’s largest IMAX theater, the Aquarium, Wildlife World and the National Maritime Museum. We visited the close-by Chinese Garden. While in this tranquil space it began to rain…so, when finished, we took a cab back to The Rocks, where the Sunday Market was still in progress.

We returned to the ship in time to rest a bit and then attend the Protestant church service at 6:00. Afterwards, we walked back to The Rocks for a pizza dinner at an outdoor Italian restaurant and enjoyed some music.

As our 10 p.m. departure approached, the rains reappeared. After getting some nighttime shots from the upper deck, we repaired to the Observation Lounge to watch the sail-away with friends from that dry, beverage-served, vantage point. Pulling out from Circular Quay, with the Harbour Bridge and Opera House in close view and past Ft. Dennison was a very memorable experience. After about 40 minutes, as we approached the open seas, we headed for our room. About 10 minutes later, the captain made an announcement that we were returning to port due to a medical emergency. We pulled up to the terminal without tying up; using his directional thrusters, Capt. Dag just held the ship against the pier while two patients were loaded into waiting ambulances. After their accompanying family members, assistants and luggage were offloaded, we pulled away from the dock, about 2-1/2 hours after our original departure. We pray that the two patients will make an excellent recovery in Sydney.

We now begin a 19-night segment that will end in Singapore on Feb 24. We met some nice folks on the first segment and are sorry that we didn’t get to say good-bye to many of them. We know two of them, Rick and Nora, are readers of this journal and we send special good wishes as they return to NJ.

 

Wow! We picked up the harbor pilot under gray skies and 100 knot (60 mph) winds. And they didn’t subside until we got well inside Sydney Harbour (almost to the Opera House). By that time it was raining, too! BUT….what a glorious ride. We wouldn’t have missed if for the world. We were on the upper deck and just held on tight!

The Voyager tied up just about 8:00 at the prime spot at the Overseas Passenger Terminal, directly between the Opera House and the Sydney Bridge and near the ferry terminal at Circular Quay. We were ashore by 9:00 and headed up tony George Street towards China Town. Due to the rain, we eventually took a cab to Paddy’s Market (a multi-story indoor bazaar). We enjoyed window shopping at a beautiful Chinese bakery and colorful fish market. We decided to walk down the length of George Street to the ship. We had three not-to-be forgotten highlights. First was the beautiful St. Andrews Cathedral where 56 Episcopal (Anglican) priests were being ordained. We observed a portion of the service from behind glass doors in the narthex and had a delightful15-min. conversation with an attendant. Next we visited the magnificent, five-tiered Queen Victoria Building. Though the shopping arcade has been modernized, they kept the beautiful stained glass, marbled floors, clocks and outer structure of the original. Next we stopped at The Strand. The last of the city’s Victorian-era arcades to be built, this is the only one that remains in its original state. It is full of beautiful woodwork. After picking up a few souvenirs along the street, we returned to the ship for lunch.

Our afternoon group tour included a bus ride through the surrounding communities to the South Head and a stop at the world famous Bondi Beach. The site of many surfer competitions, it also hosted the 2000 Sydney Olympics beach volleyball competition. It was so rainy and windy that only a few of us got off the bus. The drive through the Royal Botanic Gardens included a visit to Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair, sandstone rock cut into a bench, where the homesick wife of the colony’s first governor general used to watch for the boats from England. We concluded the tour with an hour-long cruise on Sydney Harbour. On the way back to the ship we walked through The Rocks. This old section is just off the starboard side of our ship and is the spot where the first prisoners were settled in 1788. Over time, as the city expanded, this original settlement became one of the rougher and somewhat seedier areas of town. Now it has been restored and is another entertainment area.

Though it rained off and on all day, it didn’t dampen our spirits or enthusiasm for this beautiful city.

 

Today started sunny…with a beautiful rainbow off our starboard balcony. But we soon ran into rain. However, it cleared shortly after lunch and we managed to get in three vigorous games of pool volleyball with Dag and Jamie. We are all looking forward to Sydney tomorrow and the sail-in to the spectacular harbor. This is Karen’s first visit to Australia. I was here in the late-60s and mid-80s…so I expect to see lots of changes. But the iconic Opera House and Sydney Bridge I am sure will still dominate the scene. We have the prime docking space right between the two.

By the way, if anyone wants a wonderful book about Australia, try Bill Bryson’s, “In a Sunburned Country.” I just finished it in time. What a fun read.

We are still supposed to have two days of rain while in Sydney…here’s hoping for the best.

 

Today was a beautiful, bright sea day…a day for a long early morning walk around the upper deck, lectures, a bit of laundry, Mah Jongg, and reading on the aft deck. Unfortunately the direction of the gentle swells was such that the sloshing in the pool caused the afternoon pool “tap” volleyball game to be cancelled.

The evening was our third formal optional night. We all gathered in the theater for Capt. Dag’s farewell reception in honor of those leaving on us on Saturday in Sydney, the end of Segment 1. About 25 crew members put on a 30-minute show, called “Crew Capers.” It included Filipino songs and stick dancing, Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley impersonations, fan dancing and a Thai dance number. It was great fun for the crew and guests.

Karen and I, and six others, then had dinner with Capt. Dag and Gudrun, the cruise consultant. It was a good group and great conversation…Dag and Gudrun are very gracious hosts.

We are keeping our fingers crossed for a bit of good weather in Sydney, because the forecast is for two days of rain. We also heard that a cyclone passed close to Bora Bora resulting in some evacuations, especially tourists from those over-water bungalows.

 

Capt. Dag said the 3-hour passage through the lagoon and by the long islands of New Caledonia would be worth an early morning rising. And he was so right. We picked up the pilot at 7 a.m. as we rounded the southeast tip of the south island. The earthy mountains (containing vast supplies of nickel, cobalt and other minerals) were surrounded by low-lying hills with immense columnar pines (what we call Norfolk Island Pines). New Caledonia has the world’s largest lagoon and second largest reef (Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is number one). Noumea, the capital, has been called the Paris of the Pacific. While very French that description was hard to believe on first inspection during our morning walk around the downtown. However, on our afternoon tour, we drove along a 12-mile promenade that circled through five magnificent bays. They were ringed with fancy yachts and sailboats, posh hotel resorts, shops, restaurants, bars and night spots. There were several tree-lined beaches with swimmers, para-surfers and wind-surfers.

The highlight of our touring was a visit to the Tjibaou Cultural Center. It is the work of the renowned Renzo Piano, who also designed the Pompidou Centre in Paris and the Chicago Art Institute’s new Modern Art Wing. It is named after Jean-Marie Tjibaou, the most famous leader of New Caledonia’s native Kanak people. He was the force behind the independence movement that has resulted in an interim compromise agreement that will lead to a national independence referendum in a few years. Tjibaou famously supported the cultural heritage of his people, and the $100 million center was named in his honor.

The Center is comprised of 10 soaring structures that represent traditional Kanak village houses. From a distance the structures look like they are all metal, but they are primarily wooden ribs and slats on a metal structure. The 10 structures are in three villages and house an art museum, presentation hall, research library and children’s area. They are surrounded by beautiful gardens and three traditional – but distinctly different – thatched houses of the north, south and middle islands.  

Last night we had dinner with Evy and Mike from Incline Village, Nevada.  Karen plays Mah Jongg with Evy and it turns out Mike graduated four years after Larry from the US Air Force Academy. He spent five years in the service in the computer and electronics area before leaving to do similar work for a contractor. Then he started his own software company. He developed a tax program that many of us now use – TurboTax – and then sold it and the company. We have also met a couple who live in the Water Tower condo, two blocks from us in Chicago. And the daughter of another man on board lives two floors above our condo. You just never know who you will meet on a world cruise.

I must admit, before preparing for this trip, I don’t believe I had even heard of Vanuatu. It is a Melanesia archipelago of 83 islands between New Caledonia and Fiji. Many of the different island people have their own languages and cultures. Port Vila, on the island of Efate, is the capital and largest city (pop. 38,000) in a country of roughly 220,000. It is still dependent on foreign aid from Australia, New Zealand and, more recently, China.

We had a wonderful visit to the very authentic Ekasup Cultural Village. It was an amazing experience. A tribe of 500 people subsist off their land and the sea. They are really one big extended family, with three chiefs. Our native guide led us through the village of low volcanic walls and lush vegetation to five different presentation areas. It was all very low-key and non-commercialized (although they did sell handicrafts in two additional areas).

Upon returning to the ship we found that there will still spots left for the last 20-minute jet boat ride. Unfortunately it was too bumpy and wet to get photos (plus, we needed to hang on!), but it really was a blast. And as the last excursion of the day and with the Regent tour leader onboard, we got an extra long ride and a few additional 360-degree spins where all 8 passengers got soaked. Karen’s brother-in-law Dan passed away in South Jersey last October. He loved his boats – the last being a small Kawasaki jet boat. He always likes to go extremely fast…so, Dan, Karen took this one in memory of you!

Our Cruise Director Jamie and his wife Dana had a free evening and asked us to join them for dinner. We had some great times with them in 2007 and look forward to adding to those experiences on this voyage. We are bringing along some new friends from Canada, who are going all the way with us.

Monday was another sea day. We have settled into a pretty normal routine. This includes various workouts in the early a.m., followed by breakfast, some “free” time, and then 2 morning lectures or other activities. Then we usually have lunch around the pool with friends (today it was a Polynesian fish barbeque), followed by afternoon activities. For example, today, Karen skipped her sea-day afternoon Mah Jongg group and went to a special presentation on wine and food pairings. Larry has had lots of fun playing four games of pool “tap” volleyball with Jamie and Dag. I hope we have lots of opportunities for these fun times during the next 3+ months.

Before dinner the Regent Orchestra is playing Big Band favorites in the theater. Then we have reservations with four friends in the Prime 7 specialty restaurant. We thoroughly enjoyed our first experience in this new steak and fish venue. We are looking forward to a fun evening getting to know these two new couples.

As we approached Fiji on a beautiful Sunday morning, the brightest full moon of the year greeted us just before daybreak. (It was an appropriate lead-in to the special speaker at our church service.) We enjoyed a long sail into Lautoka past many islands in the Fijian archipelago. Breakfast on the aft deck was especially beautiful.

Our early interdenominational church service included a very personal Christian witness by Charlie Duke. He shared how his marriage was heading towards divorce before and after his moonwalk. He related how after his return Dotty became depressed and even contemplated suicide. He admitted how he was not the husband or father he should have been and; how his job became the primary focus in his life. Then he gave witness to how they both turned towards God and Christ; Dotty first through their Episcopal church, and then he through a couples retreat weekend. Now they have their own Christian ministry and give witness to groups all around the world. This is all explained in the last four chapters of his book, “Moonwalker,” and in a short, small paperback written by Dotty. It was a very meaningful service after which we had to say good-by to our new friends.

By 10:00 we joined about 40 others on a launch and set out for a snorkeling excursion to a small 1-1/4 acre island about 20 minutes from the port. We enjoyed a very enjoyable morning on this small islet. Larry snorkeled into the island from the reef and said that the colorful coral was the best he had ever seen. There was not an abundance of fish, but those that were there were very colorful as were the near perfect coral…all at about 3 feet under the surface of the water.

After a quick lunch back onboard the Voyager, we took a shuttle into a small, one-store, touristy mall in Lautoka. Almost all the other shops were closed as it was Sunday and it was very hot.

When back in the cabin, we had a long telephone call with our New York daughter, Kristin, and her fiancé, Jim, who had met today with the owner of the site where they plan to have their wedding in October. It’s an apple farm along the Hudson River, about two hours north of the city. It was great hearing their excitement as plans are finalized. (As part of our “frequent cruiser,” tiered benefits, we get 3 hours of free phone time per World Cruise segment. It’s a great perk.)

We were back in time for an almost private 5:00 Sail Away (Where was everybody?) during which we enjoyed our first tropical drink. The craggy mountains, green hillsides and billowing clouds were terrific. During an early dinner in La Veranda, we stepped outside a couple of times to capture the beautiful sunset. It was a very memorable day in Fiji on multiple fronts.

Yep…in blink of an eye we will change from Friday to Saturday. It is early evening on Friday, Jan 29 and in minutes it will be Saturday, Jan. 30. A 24-hour time change in the blink of an eye. The International Date Line is an imaginary line where the date changes from today to tomorrow or from today to yesterday, depending on which way you cross it. Going west, as we are, we jump to tomorrow.

It can be somewhat confusing. Instead of divdiing time zones, the International Date Line separates days. The International Date Line roughly follows 180 degree longitude, but it does do some zigzagging thru the Pacific. In fact it bends somewhat so all of the Fiji Islands are to the left of the line.

Last evening upon entering the Observation Lounge, Dotty and Charlie Duke invited us to join them for a drink before dinner. Then the four of us had a delightful dinner in Compass Rose, after which we sat together for the evening’s entertainment. Charlie gave his last presentation this a.m., which was basically a 50-min. Q&A session. In response to questions he made a cogent and passionate case for further manned space exploration (which apparently is not going to be funded in the President’s soon-to-be-announced FY 2011 Budget.) We look forward to hearing more about the Duke’s Christian ministry tomorrow morning at the Interdenominational Protestant service before they leave us in Fiji.

Jamie and Capt. Dag made a valiant attempt to get a pool “tap” volleyball game organized this afternoon. We tried it in the shallow end and then in the deep end, but there was just too much wave action to make it safe. Will have more opportunities in the days (months) ahead. Larry really enjoyed these games on the 2007 World Cruise.

The Platters put on their second and last show this evening. It is sure to be a hit.

Thankfully we awoke to much calmer seas today. Capt. Dag in his daily 9:00 a.m., “Vords of Visdom” from the bridge confirmed that the winds yesterday reached 60 mph (“Just a normal autumn gale where I live in Norway!”) and the crashing seas were 30 feet high. Today things are just about back to “normal.” It’s a sunny warm day, low 80s. We are rolling a bit with a few bumps, but no whitecaps and the wind from the port is a manageable 40-45 km/h. This afternoon, we are 171+ degrees west, south of Samoa. Tomorrow we will cross the international dateline and should be able to make our scheduled arrival time Sunday in Fiji.

After laying low most of yesterday afternoon and having a light dinner in our suite last evening, Karen is feeling much better today and we are both of up and about. We enjoyed an impromptu lunch on the aft deck with Charlie and Dotty Duke. Charlie has one more presentation scheduled (a Q&A session about his astronaut years) before departing us in Fiji. We will certainly hate to see them go. They are a very gracious and friendly couple.

 

It’s not always paradise out here on the high seas!

We awoke to cloudy skies and rolling seas. Half-way through Charlie Duke’s entertaining 11:00 lecture on the Apollo space program, the seas and winds increased dramatically – with large pounding noise in the two-story theater that is in the bow of the ship on decks 4 & 5. At noon I took some photos and video of the huge waves from the Casino’s window on deck 5. This is normally were the bow wave break normally occurs. Today the waves are breaking way forward as we plunge from wave to wave.

At 1:00, Capt. Dag informed us that we would be late into Apia, Samoa, due to our having to reduce speed and make a small correction to our direction. At 4:00, Capt Dag announced that we were going to have to bypass Soma and continue on to Lautoka, Fiji, which is further to the west and slightly southwest of our position.

We skipped lunch and spent most of the afternoon on the bed watching the President’s State of the Union address (we are six hours off EST). Karen was feeling some effects; however, we have not been nauseous. Due to the lack a lot of things to safely grab onto, the bridge was not open in this afternoon. The TV shots from the bow camera have been quite dramatic, with wave spray boiling over the starboard side of the bow. I did make a sojourn out at about 6:00 to take additional wave photos.

By the way, the Platters’ concert last evening was terrific. I recognized most of the hits, but Karen knew all the words. The theater was packed. Hopefully the seas will have calmed by the time of their second show on Friday.

We will probably rock and roll all evening. The max winds have been gusts of 100 km/hr (that’s about 60 mph). Though the Capt. hasn’t quantified the sea state, we’ve been guessing the swells are probably 20-25 ft. from trough to crest.

We are disappointed to miss our first visit to Samoa. On an extended cruise like this, one has to just keep pushing on in order to stay on schedule.

 

Luckily (?) today broke cloudy…so we could get to work on our journal and photos without depriving ourselves. However, we did take time to attend a morning lecture by Sandra Bowern about Pacific landmarks and lifestyles on some of the upcoming islands we will be visiting between here and Sydney.

We thoroughly enjoyed a lunch date with Charlie Duke and his wife, Dotty, who will be leaving us soon in Fiji. You may recall from an earlier posting that Charlie is one of only 12 men to walk on the moon. He was the pilot of Apollo 16 from April 16-27, 1972 that spent three days on the moon’s surface. During their 20-hours outside on the moon they explored the surface in the Roiver-2, took core samples, collected 231 lbs. of rocks and conducted various scientific experiments.

Though Charlie graduated from the Naval Academy, he chose a career in the US Air Force, becoming a fighter pilot and then a test pilot under Chuck Yeager at Edwards AFB, before volunteering to become an astronaut. He retired from NASA in 1975 and later became a brigadier general in the USAF Reserves. He and Dotty now live in New Braunfels, Texas. Over lunch we talked about some shared Air Force experiences and friends we have in common. Karen and I both look forward to reading our inscribed copy of “Moonwalker.” It was written by both of them and describes their life together (it was not all a bed of roses), as well as their deep Christian faith. We look forward to two more lectures by Charlie and to him being our “preacher” at Protestant service this Sunday just before they depart in Fiji. It was truly an honor to get to know them a bit better today.

Tonight, we plan to enjoy hearing the Platters in the main theater as they relive the music of the 50s and 60s. Larry met in the atrium and had a great conversation with one of them, Willie Nash, who has been singing with the group for the past 10 years. Will was an aspiring professional baseball player who, at age 17, was hit by a pitch and lost his sight. Will’s son is an Army sergeant on his second tour in Afghanistan and who also spent two tours in Iraq. Will says there will be a big party when he returns home in April. We must continue to remember Will’s son and so many others in our prayers that that happy day will safely come for all of them.

Talk about perfect days in Paradise. This was it…from sun up to sunset (and beyond).

We awoke to clear skies and the dramatic sight of an island near Bora Bora during sunrise. Then we serenely sailed into Bora Bora’s expansive lagoon shortly before 8:00. Soon we were off in a motor-powered, outrigger canoe to the Lagoonarium located on the opposite of the island from the small port village of Vaitape. The ride through the lagoon – with its ever-changing, multi-hues of greens, blues, and turquoise – is an unforgettable experience in itself.

The Lagoonarium is a fenced off water area off a private motu that. I thought it was somewhat hokey at first, since we just stood in the water to view 5 or 6 sea turtles, followed by a visit to another pen with several sting rays. However, the experience got much better. For then we snorkeled in a large protected area (about 200 yards by 30 yards) that was filled with many species of beautiful fish – there were hundreds of fish, large and small, including the large lemon sharks, eagle rays flapping their “wings,” large pencil fish, schools of jacks, large parrot fish, etc. It ended up being a very good experience. We concluded with our circumnavigation of the lagoon. We went past the Sofitel resort where, in the mid-90s, Karen and I had stayed for 4 nights in over-water, thatched-roof bungalow. Though there are more of these resorts now, including many out on motus, the economy doesn’t seem to be doing too well. The world famous Bora Bora hotel closed a couple of years ago our guide told us that the large St. Regis and Le Meridien resorts on either side of the Lagoonarium currently had only 10-15 rooms occupied. Ouch!

Larry spent the afternoon at the pool, while Karen tendered back to shore for a little window shopping. During our sailaway, Capt. Dag circled the Holland American Rotterdam and directed Polynesian music at it. The captains traded several rounds of blasts on their horns.

Then we enjoyed a special “dinner and a show.” Under this concept, over a period of 5 nights, guests enjoy a special dinner in Signatures followed by an intimate cabaret show in the Horizons Lounge. For this segment, the entertainer is Marilyn Maye. Though in the advanced stages of her long career, she is still an elegant jazz singer. She holds the record of appearing on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson a total of 76 times and was the first singer to make “Cabaret” a hit.

So, all in all, our three-day visit to French Polynesia was a resounding hit!

I apologize for the slowness in reporting, but I think you can understand that I didn’t want to pull myself away from Paradise to work indoors on a journal and sorting photos. However we did manage a phone call to our daughter Heather to wish her well on her birthday and listen to her 22-month old twins in the background. What a joy!

We enjoyed an early morning transit from Papeete across to Moorea…even though both islands were partially obscured by dramatic clouds. Although Michener and celebrities have deigned Bora Bora as “the most beautiful island in French Polynesia,” I’m not entirely convinced. Even though we didn’t have an abundance of sunshine, the craggy, jagged peaks (including the improperly named Bali Hai), two tranquil bays and the lush overgrowth make this a truly a spectacular place on an even less-than-perfect day.

We spent a wonderful morning with Dr. Michael Poole, Ph.D., on his dolphin watching tour. Michael is a scientist who is living his dream and more. He is a world-renown expert on whales and dolphins and has conducted research on the Tahitian spinner dolphins for more than 20 years. We spent 2-1/2 hours in his boat just outside the reef observing and learning about the behavior of the spinner dolphins. There were about 20-35 of them around the boat all the time. One could almost reach down and touch them…though that would have upset Michael! The spinners are about ½ the size of  “Flipper” or bottlenose dolphin. Spinners are the world’s most acrobatic dolphins and the only ones to spin vertically and horizontally in the air like ballerinas. They are extremely active, show-offs – jumping, spinning, rolling on their backs, and doing fin and tail slaps. Michael was a terrific tour guide and provided so much information in a non-professorial way. (Unfortunately, the lag time on my digital camera did not allow me to adequately capture the fast acrobatic antics of these amazing creatures.).

We beat a passing shower back to the ship for lunch. In the afternoon we set out in a fairly steady rain for our “Lagoon Discovery with Snorkeling” tour. However, the rain stopped as we approached our in-the-water encounter with the sting rays and black-tipped reef sharks. Standing in shallow water, we had great fun touching and feeding the rays, after which the sharks were fed…initially, as we all stood in a straight line, but then as they swam amongst us. We then motored over to a near a small motu (islet) where had an opportunity to snorkel. Due to strong current and very cloudy rainy skies, it wasn’t the best of snorkeling. (The air and the water temp have been about the same for days…82-84F).

Unfortunately, Capt. Dag’s planned “sundowner sailaway” from Cook’s Bay out past the reef and then back into the beautiful Opunohu Bay – with everyone out on the normally restricted bow of the ship or the upper deck rail with Polynesian music and drinks – had to be canceled because the bays were completed enshrouded in low clouds and light rain. It’s not always “paradise in paradise,” but can we really complain? It was a great day!

We had a beautiful entrance to Papeete just before 9:00, although the mountains and Moorea, 14 miles in the distance were somewhat hazy. We spent a very hot morning exploring the downtown of this largest city in French Polynesia. We visited a couple of churches, a vertical shopping center and the local market which sold fresh produce, fish, hats, clothing flowers and everything in between.

 We retuned to the ship for lunch, just before a downpour. Our afternoon tour, “In the footsteps of Paul Gauguin”, visited the Museum of Tahiti and Her Islands, the Arahurahu Marae (an ancient outdoor temple) and the Paul Gauguin Museum. The latter was where he lived from 1891 to 1893 and from 1995 until the time of his death in 1903 in the Maquesas Islands. The tour in the midst of intermittent rain was very good, mainly due to our excellent and knowledgeable tour guide.

This evening we had a wonderful pool barbeque that only the Regent crew can pull off. Tables and chairs are set all around the pool with ice sculptures, carved fruits and vegetables, and all manner of barbequed delicacies. I especially enjoyed the grilled lobster tails! Some light showers made us crowd under the covered areas around the pool, but everyone had a great time. The crew puts a great deal of effort into these events and they seem so pleased to do it. It was a special evening.

But is wasn’t over…Tahiti’s premier dance group, O Tahiti E, put on a terrific show in the Constellation Theater before a packed house. Tomorrow we set sail early (5:30 a.m.) for Moorea which looms in the distance…only 14 miles away.

 

Last evening was very balmy and we enjoyed a stroll on the upper deck with a brilliant half moon beating a shimmering path across the sea to the ship. We also saw a couple of shooting stars. This a.m., we awoke to a partial rainbow emanating from a small passing shower off the starboard side.

The day quickly turned very warm. Though it has remained about 83F, there just wasn’t very much of breeze this a.m., even on the upper deck.  My one-hour walk, even though it was early (8-9 a.m.), just about did me in. Interestingly, the water temp is also 83 degrees.

Charlie Duke gave us a terrific talk this a.m. about his work as part of the ground crew on the almost-disastrous Apollo 13 mission. Then he provided some very engaging details and video of his Apollo 16 mission – where he spent 3 full days on the moon. He is only one of 12 people to have set foot there (of which 9 are still alive). His presentations have brought back wonderful memories of that exploratory effort and the brave men who took those missions. Charlie made us very proud.

We should pass by some islands north of Tahiti this later this afternoon and if they provide some photo opportunities I will include them tomorrow. (No added photos today.)

Finally about 6:00 a.m., we could spot Nuku Hiva coming through the haze a few degrees to our starboard. We had a beautiful approach from its desolate northern side. This is the largest of the Marquesas…about 125 sq. mi., with a population of 2,600. We tendered ashore in the protected cove on the greener south side of the island to the village of Taiohae, the administrative center of the Marquesas.

The islanders put on a special event that included traditional crafts, food, singing and dancing. The fest site was less than a mile along the shoreline. Many of us eschewed the caravan of a small school bus and RVs that were shuttling passengers back and forth. We are so glad we did. We really got a feel for this small, tropical island. Our photos show some of the things we saw: small children, a beautiful church and young grade-schoolers enjoying a snack break. The latter scene reminded Karen of her first teaching job which was on a sugar plantation in Ewa, Hawaii.

The traditional dancing, singing and music was great fun. It was a beautiful morning and this afternoon we set sail for Papeete, Tahiti, still 1,000 miles away.

Last night, just prior to midnight, we crossed the equator. We didn’t even feel the speed bump! We enjoyed a pre-dinner piano recital by the excellent young pianist Panos Karan. This was followed by a fine dinner in Signatures with Marji and Dave, 2007 WC fiends who live in Long Boat Key, outside Sarasota. We’re pleased to report that Signatures is still a great French experience, with wonderful service, wine and food. We capped the evening with the Frankie Valli tribute group singing show tunes.

Today’s main event was the funny, pool deck initiation ceremony for all the “pollywogs”—those pax and crew who had never crossed the Equator by ship. After a trial in front of King Neptune and the Pirate Captain – where all pollywogs are found guilty of heinous, humorous crimes – a selected few are severely hazed and then dunked in the pool…thereby becoming “hardbacks.” The remainder of the pollywogs had to parade around the pool and “kiss the fish” to receive their certification as hardbacks. It is all great fun and entertaining…something Jamie (the Pirate Captain) does with great humor. I’ve posted some pictures, but slipped up and didn’t take one of anyone being thrown into the pool.

Karen and I had an enjoyable pool-side chat with Astronaut Charlie Duke and his wife. He is a very interesting hero. It turns out that we had some mutual friends during our Air Force careers…though his was much more celebrated than mine!

Tomorrow morning we are scheduled to drop anchor off Nuku Hiva, the Maquesas, at about 8:45 a.m. In our six days at sea were have not seen a single ship…just lots of flying fish, a handful of dolphin and a couple birds (who left evidence that during the night they rested on the Voyager’s railings).

Still cruising along to Nuku Hiva. This afternoon the ship’s crew put on a Country Fair on the pool deck. Each of the 14 departments designed a booth, game of chance or competition for all the passengers to enjoy. However, I believe the crew even had more fun than the pax – which was fun to see.

We enjoyed a pre-dinner classical music recital and then dinner at Signatures, the Cordon Blue specialty restaurant with Marji and Dave Osborn from Sarasota, friends from the 2007 WC. It was great fun catching up with them. Then it was a return concert by the Unexpected Boys, the Frankie Valli group, doing a series of Broadway numbers.

Last night we had a fun time with Rick and Rebecca, from Dallas, who Larry met in an on-line forum, and are on their first WC. They both worked for American Airlines previously, but like us have decided to eschew airline travel for the sea…but they have us beat by a long shot…this is their 64^th cruise.

Tonight we expect to go bump in the night…as we cross the Equator. Tomorrow will be the fun initiation ceremony for the pollywogs.

I have uploaded photos from the last three days…just click to URL in the photo section above.

Today was another balmy sea day. Temp about 80F; some white caps, but the following wind just causes the pool to slop about from end-to-end. The sun was out in the early a.m, where we took up our (hopefully) daily spot on the aft deck for breakfast. That’s something we certainly can’t do in Chicago! Now, in the late afternoon, the sun is again breaking out in full.

Today, Karen and I attended two lectures. The first was a world affairs presentation on Iran and the legacy of Ayatollah Khomeini. It was much more interesting than I expected. Then Apollo astronaut Charlie Duke entertained us with stories about the early space program from Sputnik to Apollo. A retired USAF general, he plans three subsequent talks where he will cover Apollo 13 and his Apollo 16 mission where he spent 3 days on the moon’s surface.

Tonight is the “block party” where everyone comes out into their hallway, the stewards serve wine and canapés while Capt. Dag and Jamie make a dash from the top of the ship through the halls to deck 6 to greet as many folks as possible in 45 min. It’s a great concept started several years ago by Jamie as an effort to get everyone to know their neighbors better. The plan is to have one on each of the five segments.

After the block party, we will have dinner with Rick and Rebecca. Rick is a retired Boeing 777 pilot for American Airlines. We originally met on-line thru a Cruise Critic forum, as he and Rebecca prepared for their first world cruise. His blog is: http://weilerworldcruise2010.blogspot.com

As of now, only 6 people have registered to be members of this journal…but I know there are more readers than that. Some probably just have the site bookmarked.

If one wants to be a member, you just need to check the “Join” button at the top right of the main page and follow the instructions. Once one does so, I believe you get a notice when I post a new entry. Also, as the “owner," I see a list of members and their e-mails, and can reply directly via e-mail to any questions or comments.

I’d like to ask those who are members to:

n  Comment on the sign-up process. Is it easy?

n  Does the sign-up process require you to join Shutterfly with an account?

n  Are the posting alerts bothersome?

Thanks for this help.

 

Larry

Today was our first, mostly-cloudy day; but the temps still rose to 77F. The seas remain relatively calm. Two sea birds found us and have been soaring around us all day.

Last evening, we had a very enjoyable dinner in the (new since our 2007 cruise) Prime 7 restaurant with Dodi and Larry. It looks like a steak house, but also has a wide selection of other meats and seafood. I can attest that the Alaskan crab legs were excellent. After dinner, we enjoyed the Frankie Valli tribute group.

This morning, Jamie, the cruise director, ran a well-attended, short, non-denominational Protestant church service. Karen used the free laundry machines (some on each deck) for a load of our “whites.” We unexpectedly were granted a limited daily allotment of complimentary laundry service which we are using for our things that need to be pressed.

Karen played Mah Jongg with her new friends; while Larry watched the Chargers lose to the Jets this afternoon. At least one of our daughters is happy! Tonight we have a reception with others whose travel agencies are members of the Signature group. Through that relationship we were able to select from 10 cities along our route, five private car/guide excursions. It should be a nice benefit.

We have set our clocks back one hour since leaving San Diego. However Capt. Dag did it twice over the space of three evenings, by going back 30 minutes on two of them. Isn’t it nice to be “captain,” with the power to set the time? (It does make the adjustment easier and can be done on long stretches like this.)

We are still on a straight south southwest course heading for the Marquesas. Today was marked by calm seas and a nice sunny 67F day. Larry attended the first lectures this a.m. One was on the geopolitics of the Pacific area and the other was about the settling of the Pacific, particularly the areas of Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia. The latter talk was by Sandra Bowern, a former BBC presenter, who also was on portions of our 2007 WC. She does a terrific job of tying so many facets of history, art, music and culture together. She will be on for 2/3rds of the voyage as we look forward to many interesting sessions with her. Karen, meanwhile, met up with a Mah Jongg group that will be playing on sea day afternoons. Also, she is really enjoying her morning stretching sessions with the Canyon Ranch instructor.

Larry also took advantage of the open bridge and found that there are 618 pax and 449 crew currently aboard. We still haven’t seen any ships and the only sea life was a school of about 6 dolphins during lunch yesterday. We are receiving an NFL playoff games live thru a hookup with ESPN International. The Colts Ravens are on right now. If the satellite reception holds, we should be able to root for the San Diego Chargers tomorrow.

The Captain’s Reception and dinner with Ziggy and Helga from Long Island was great fun last evening. About half the pax took advantage of the opportunity to dress up (as did we) during this first formal optional evening. Following dinner, a wonderful ballroom dancing show was performed by the ship’s singers and dancer. The featured dancers were especially beautiful while reminding us all of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. Tonight we are having dinner in the Prime 7 specialty restaurant with friends from WC 2007, Dodi and Larry from Ashland, Oregon/San Diego. This evening’s entertainment following dinner will be a quartet singing music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.

Life is good!

We’ve enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing sea day. We have been on a steady 207-degree southwesterly course all day. Gentle swells from the west diminished during the day (it rocked us somewhat last night and this a.m.). Temps have ranged from 59-62F with generous sunshine among high, thin clouds.

 

We each did early morning workouts, enjoyed reading the satellite-provided, large format copy of the NY Times, read our books, enjoyed time in the sun, walked the deck track and visited with friends from our 2007 World Cruise. We continue to be amazed at how many people we recognize and are able to pick up conversations quickly. Tonight is the Captain’s Welcome Reception. Following that we have dinner plans with Ziggy and Helga, acquaintances from 2007. Last evening, over drinks and dinner, we enjoyed getting re-acquainted with Dodi and Larry, our excursion and picture-taking buddies from 2007.

We are now looking forward to the Captain’s Reception this evening and our first formal dinner.  Life is good!

We awoke to a beautiful Chamber of Commerce Day. We took advantage of it for a long walk along the embarcadero thru Sea Point Village to the Hilton and then back thru town – our last feel of terra firma for seven days.

Upon arriving at the Voyager we were informed that the 2:00pm departure had been delayed until 4:30. There were still many pallets of provisions to be on loaded. At 5pm the longshoremen walked off the job, their day was over. By 6:30 some replacements started up and finally at 9:15 we set sail. No fancy 360 degree turn (Capt. Dag’s trade mark departure in beautiful ports), no music or even a horn blast.

Not a very auspicious beginning for the world cruise!

We boarded the Voyager about noon and were joined by family and friends. But this was not without some delay. The local port crew took more than an hour to re-locate the gangway due to tide changes. We enjoyed lunch with my brother Jay and Jane in La Veranda and then were joined by Heather, Ron and their 22-month old twins, Charlie & Natalie. It’s certainly hard to leave those cuties for four months!

After touring the ship, everyone departed about 4 pm. We unloaded our bags and stowed everything away in time for dinner in Prime 7 with our travel agent and her other three client couples on the WC.

Then it was time for Jay Leno and The Beach Boys. Jay told rapid fire jokes for 45 minutes. He was quite funny, though we were a bit disappointed he didn’t deviate from his standard Las Vegas routine, interact with the audience, or mention the current NBC late night controversies. The Beach Boys played all their memorable songs for about an hour. Though it appears that only two of the “originals” are left in the group, they really had the place jumping with all of us dancing in the aisles. It was a fun kickoff party for the World Cruisers and the Regent Council of top travel agents.

Tomorrow is the day we board the Seven Seas Voyager in San Diego. The ship arrives in the a.m. after having transited the Panama Canal on a cruise that began in Ft. Lauderdale on Dec. 28^th. We plan to board shortly after noon. We will be joined in the afternoon by my brother and sister-in law; our daughter, husband and 22-month old twins; and a couple from Pt. Loma whom we met on our 2007 World Cruise. It should be a fun afternoon showing them all our “home” for the next four months.

When we left snow-covered Chicago today along the shores of partially-frozen Lake Michigan for sunny San Diego it was hard to believe that when we return in May the trees will be budding and everyone will be fretting about the Cubs instead of the disappointing Bears! Now we have a week getting a grandparenting fix with our 21-month old grandtwins before departing on our 119-day adventure.

Our six pieces of luggage were picked up today by LuggageFree. Hopefully the next time we see them will be on Jan 13 when we board the Voyager in San Diego. This is a service included in our full WC fare. It allows us to take personal items, desk supplies, a few books, etc., as well as clothes for various climates. I’ve also included on the photo site a couple photos of why it’s good to spend most of the Chicago winter below the equator!

We leave for San Diego on Wednesday.

In two weeks, Jan 13, we will be departing San Diego on our second world cruise. We won't be sad to say good-by to the cold Chicago winter.

We are almost in the final stages of preparation for this four-month adventure. LuggageFree will be here Monday afternoon, Jan 4, to pick-up those suitcases being sent directly to the ship. Then on Wednesday, Jan 6, we fly for San Diego for a week with our daughter Heather, Ron, and our grandtwins – Charlie and Natalie.

On Jan 13, we board the Voyager to get settled in for our departure the next day. We will be joined by all those going on the entire world cruise. We’ve heard there will be about 280-308 of us. We will get a final count after we board. That evening there will be a gala celebration to include performances by both Jay Leno and The Beach Boys. The next morning those pax going on just part of the world cruise will embark. We are scheduled to depart the dock at 2:00 p.m. for our 119-day voyage.

We are getting excited!

Last week we received our cruise docs...tickets, luggage tags, detailed info on excursions already booked, etc. We are scheduled to have our luggage picked up on Monday, Jan 4. As a full world cruiser, Regent will ship 135 lbs. per person from your home to the ship and back.

We have made our final payment for the cruise. Our visas for China and Australia have been obtained.

I've been working on this beta "Shutterfly Share" site. I've found that it's eaiser to upload, caption and organize photos using Google's Picasa system. Therefore, readers of this journal will have to use the directions just below the "Welcome" section to connect to the photos.