South Pacific Cruise 2013 #1

5/25/2013 San Diego to Rarotonga 

How do you start writing about a trip this long? I can hardly remember the first of it these days. As I write this we're on day 25 of our 35 day cruise. But our trip actually started a few days before our departure on the Westerdam from San Diego. 

 We left Kauai on April 2nd with four very full to the limit checked bags and as much hand-carry as is possible. Luckily when we arrived at the rent a car destination they were able to upgrade us to a vehicle that could handle the load. Our flight arrived around 9pm so we weren't able to get to our friends, Tom and Celeste in Oceanside, until around 11. We got lost once and that didn't help our timing. 

They were kind enough to stay up to greet us but we all went to bed soon after. We always enjoy visiting our Oceanside friends. We all seem to have so much to chat about. 

I finally met their two kitties, Lily and Spike. Lily is shy but I was able to get several photos of Spike and to lay a little kitty love on him. We mostly hung out locally, driving around Oceanside and having drinks at the harbor along with a little shopping. Stopping for lunch at In and Out Burger was a must and a trip to Trader Joes's. The next day we went to a lovely winery and sat out in the garden experiencing the sunshine and good wine with dear friends. Had a killer dinner at a favorite Mexican restaurant. 

Tom and Celeste were getting ready to go to New York for a week or so and we got out of their way the day before our ship was leaving on the 6th. We first went to Costco, of course, and bought liquor to sneak on board the ship. Naughty but economical. We drove down the coast hiway taking photos and enjoying the beautiful scenery. It was a lovely day and we found a parking spot right near the Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach. We walked for an hour or so and had a great lunch before walking some more and checking out the pier. I'd love to stay there sometime. It's sorta San Diego's answer to the bungalows built out over the lagoons of Bora Bora!! Less expensive though. 

We had a room reserved near Mission Bay where we poured liquor into smaller bottles and repacked all our stuff.....which by now weighs more than we do I'm sure. Did a little load of laundry so we could start off fresh, walked to a Pollo Loco (another of the "must eat at" places according to the word of Michael) for dinner. 

Next morning we got a text that the ship was loading a couple hours later than we originally planned so.....we got to go shopping. We surly needed more stuff! Ross and Target were like heaven to us store deprived Kauaians. Mike even bought a camera and he's taken lots of photos. I scored a few items as well. Cram it all into the suitcases and off we go. 

Boarding took a while but went smoothly. OH - except for the part when we were finally to the front of the line and the officer that was checking passports took one look at Mike's and shut the gate and told us to "wait right there". Even if you've done nothing (well maybe smuggled some booze on board hopefully) the guilt starts creeping in and your heart goes pity pat. She finally came back and said that it was another Michael Hughes they were told not to allow on the ship. Alrighty then. See....we hadn't done anything we told all the folks behind us in line. 

There's not a better feeling in the world that getting on a ship at the start of a cruise. It's akin to being a kid in a candy store. Especially for someone who enjoys food as much as my husband. He was a little disappointed that the Taco Bar wouldn't be open for the first couple days....health requirements. Unpacking was a trip! Our cabin is tiny which is good practice for the camper we will be living in next.....and we had lots of stuff. But we did it! It took a while and our cabin steward, Rony, kindly supplied us with an additional 65 hangers! Hey, it's a long trip. 

Sea days become a sort of blur, especially when they happened weeks ago now. It was a four day run to Honolulu and we went to various shows and lectures and ate the equivalent of our oversized luggage! One of the lecturers we especially enjoyed is a man by the name of Bill Harris. He was formerly a Hollywood Reporter for, I believe CBS. (He'll set me straight if I booboo as he's on my email list now) 

Anyway, he did four presentations about old time Hollywood and interviews he did with all the old greats. He had some wonderful stories and slides. And a very personal and amusing delivery. His final talk was about the making of "The Wizard of Oz" - wonderful stuff Since Michael is related to Alexis Smith we went up and inquired if he'd every met her. He had met but never interviewed her. She was a very private person. He told a story about a photo taken of her and she had asked that he only use the good one and destroy the other. 

He had great stories about Mae West, Roy Rogers, George and Gracie Burns, Lucille Ball and so many others.......so fun. We had by now found a favorite bar that had a late happy hour and seemed to attract lots of nice fun people. Probably because the bartender, Henry, is such a performer. He does magic tricks and has a lot of very funny lines he uses on all his followers. A couple days before our Honolulu arrival, Bill was walking by our little bar and stopped to chat. After it was obvious that we all had a lot to talk about with one another we decided to have dinner together. What a delight. 

He told us some stories that he couldn't tell on stage and we told him our silly stories as well. It was obvious to all three of us that we hit it off but the clincher was when we were talking about our cats. When Mike mentioned that we will get another Abyssinian one day, Bill shared with us that he has an Abby! Leo (after the MGM LION) and he also had Carlisle (named after Kitty Carlisle) before he went to kitty heaven. He loves Abby's and we're already sharing cat photos and stories. 

His breeder is in Apple Valley near where Leah (Mike's stepdaughter) lives so you can be sure that we will be learning more about that. I know we're on the path to finding our next baby. Cool, right? Another funny thing is that Bill had mentioned he'd met someone on board who worked at the Howdy Doody show when he was a young man. Well, Bill introduced me to him as well. This guy said it was so amazing to be on location and see the show live in color as it was only black and while on TV at that time. He actually knew Princess Summerfallwinterspring and Clarabelle the Clown. Amazing stuff. And we've made a new friend. 

We arrived on Oahu on April 11th. Seemed sorta silly to have traveled about five thousand miles to arrive eighty miles from where we started! We contacted Audrey and Joyce and then caught the Hilo Hattie bus so we could go say HI to Jerry over at West Marine where Audrey would be picking us up in a little while. We also had to stop by K-Mart and buy Mike a new belt. He broke his already!!! Must have been defective, couldn't be from the strain, right? 

We hooked up with Audrey, picked up Joyce and headed to the Waikiki Yacht Club for champagne and lunch. We made plans to later meet Tom and Holly, and Joanne, at La Mariana Sailing Club. It was a very nice chance to visit with everyone. Well, except Joanne.....she didn't show up. I love that girl and wish I could see her more often but that's life. A crazy thing was that the "singers" that used to be at La Mariana have returned and were performing that night. I used to love to go hear them and did so a great many times. I learned from the blind piano player that my friend Joe had died. The group was way different than I remember but it was special to hear and see them once again and know that they're still doing their thing. Sweet Holly and Tom drove us back to the ship after a special evening- Aloha. 

Next day we met up with Joyce and Audrey in Chinatown for dim sum. At the Golden Palace.....way good and Joyce just happened to have a cooler with champagne. Once again 'it doesn't suck being us'. Mike went to the ship and Audrey had errands so Joyce and I walked around Chinatown until thirst got the better of us. I took her to Hank's for a beer. Joanne and I had gone there the last time I visited Honolulu and it's very funky but fun. Joyce liked it. It seems a bit rough but the regulars are super nice. Fun. 

We all met up at Gordon Biersch for a goodbye drink. Jerry was working and got there not too long before our hasty departure. We were among the very last to board the ship and we saw our friends waving at us from the pier as we headed to the Big Island. There was talk of Jerry mooning us but we didn't see it so can't verify. 

It was market day in Hilo. We walked from the ship through Liliuokalani Park and old town. Stopped to have lunch at a great Mexican Restaurant that I can almost remember the name of, haha.The open market there is amazing. It makes the one's on Kauai look pitiful. The beautiful flowers and giant fruit. Amazing. We tasted samples of local chutneys and jellies...so ono. 

The meals on board are pretty wonderful. We typically eat in the dining room, especially at dinner. Many nights are formal but most are casual. It's fun to not always look like a slob which is our typical lifestyle! We have open seating so we can just show up whenever we wish and either be seated alone are with another table. Sometimes there are six more folks to meet and sometimes only two. 

A couple of the interesting ones that stick with me are the couple from Panama (Diana and Scott) who are interested in doing a home exchange with us. They actually have two homes in Panama and are set up for short term rental. I've got the site and all the information and that could very well be a possibility. I think once we sell our camper we will probably look at doing home exchanges quite seriously. Another night we were sitting with two charming gentlemen and I was relating how much I was looking forward to seeing the South Pacific, especially Bora Bora. I had learned to sail and dreamed of sailing to Bora Bora when I first read Michener's Book, Tales of the South Pacific while quite young. Michener had declared Bora Bora to be the most beautiful island in the world. Well, one of our table mates, Jim, says."Michener was my patient" Apparently he is a retired dentist and not only had Michener (who he claimed had good teeth) for a patient but Hemingway! Goodness. Goodness, Howdy Doody, Michener and kissed by a man (Bill) who has kissed Lucille Ball......I'm feeling quite overwhelmed! 

Lahaina was fun but not my favorite place. It's just so very busy. We had lunch at Cheeseburgers in Paradise along with a thousand other people, bought some wine we won't drink onboard since we have so much already. I got some little necklaces for ten bucks for 3 of them. And two small prints that I will get framed and hang somewhere in our home when we ever get there again. 

OK - on to Fanning. We visited Fanning several years ago when the cruise ships were stopping there regularly. Not so many now...only three or four a year. Fanning is near Christmas Island in the nation of Kiribati and is located 1,000 miles South of Hawaii. It is a lovely, totally remote place with the nicest and most polite people imaginable. The facilities for visitors are nonexistent but the singing and the crafts are still available. The children were so cute. In Honolulu we had bought some little toys and things to give to the children. They especially got a bang out of the rubber noses of different animals they could wear. I got some good shots of them having fun with a pig nose etc. 

The lagoon is so beautiful....very special to see this island once again....never thought I would and it seems more unlikely than ever now that Holland American has taken it off their itinerary for at least the next couple of years. The same is true of Rarotonga I understand. Wow, after a few days of cruising and crossing the equator for the first time, here we were at Rarotonga. 

What a beautiful place. It's about one fifth the size of Kauai and it was a Sunday, so not much going on. We were able to take a bus to the very popular Muri Beach. Our friends, Bob and Allison, had told us to try the iki mata which is their version of Poisson cru and that Sails was the best. Well, we found the place and enjoyed. The beach was beautiful with off lying islands and white sand. Being Sunday no beer with our lunch, but it's all good. The iki mata was wonderful....fish marinated in lime with veggies and coconut cream. 

We got off the shuttle near the famous Trader Jacks restaurant and walked back the mile or so to the ship tender area. Trader Jacks's was closed being Sunday, as were most of the shops. We noticed a young women with a big camera across the street and she shouted over to us inquiring as to where we were from and what we thought about everything being closed on a Sunday visit. Later we found out that she worked for the local TV station and she interviewed us on camera to get our impressions of this lovely place. She and I will become Facebook friends once I'm able to get back on the internet regularly. Her name was Jeanne CITV - she said if we air on the local TV it will be on her page! We'll be famous in the Cook Islands. Ha ha ha. 

I bought a red cloth bag with hibiscus from a local vendor before heading back to the ship and a beautiful "sail away" up on deck. The morning that we arrived in Roratonga as we were waiting for our number to come up to take the tender ashore, I was talking with a couple sitting next to us that were from Port Ludlow. I remembered that the lovely women, Min, that was in the hospital with Wendy when she had her brain surgery and that we kept in contact with until first Wendy's and then shortly thereafter, Min's deaths, was from Port Ludlow. In fact we had gone over and visited here there the year they both passed. Anyway, as is my custom, I asked these people if they by chance know Min. Yes, she was very good friends of the women's mother and had in fact visited them in California at their home years ago. Small world, really. 

I thought very strongly about my Wendy all that day on Rarotonga and kept a close lookout for her. I'll see her sometime. 

So that’s the first installment. I’m limited by the number of photos I can send with each of these. Next stop.....the islands of Tahiti. Aloha for now...Gayle and Mike