Our September cruise began as all good trips should: with an orchid and tuberose lei greeting at the airport (thanks, Nancy) and mai tais on the beach. Sailaway sunset on the Rhapsody of the Seas was spectacular and we began a pleasant at-sea life of laps around the deck and pools, visits to the gym, breakfast in the Solarium and morning lectures by Dr. Veronica Hendrick, professor at City College, NYC. We enjoyed getting to know her and her Mom Ronnie.
Afternoons brought reading and naps, movies, sunset boozies, dinner and entertainment. I was smitten with the violin and guitar playing of the Rosario Duo and became somewhat of a groupie, catching nearly every performance in the Atrium.
The sixth day brought us to the verdant island of American Samoa, where, as with all the islands visited, we were greeted at the dock with dancing and song. We took a tour of America's most exotic national park with Ranger Sam, who grew up on the island. He took us to a roosting spot for fruit bats, which chattered in the trees like birds, and described local legends and folklore on a hill overlooking the offshore islets where red-footed boobies nest. We watched coconuts husked and shredded, the meat strained to make coconut cream, which we enjoyed on cooked green bananas. Ranger Sam promised to send me a nature quiz, so I could get my Samoa junior ranger badge, to add to those I have from Grand Teton and Yellowstone parks.
Downtown Pago Pago embodied the South Pacific of dreams, with friendly locals in colorful pareos, funky buses in psychedelic colors and dogs sleeping in the shade of giant banyan trees.
We snorkeled in crystalline waters alive with technicolor creatures. Along with the usual array of colorful reef fish were royal blue starfish and coral of all colors and shapes: one resembled blooming lavender, another fresh-baked panettone, yet another looked like a pool of melted butter. One coral was shaped like the fingers of an upturned hand, each tip glowing an electric blue. It was spectacular.
In Apia, Samoa, we visited the fish market and beheld some of the colorful fish still glowing on the counters, sadly out of their element. Nancy and I hired a cab to explore part of the island and visit the cave pool outside of town, where we swam back to the farthest reaches of sunlight in the cool, clear water.
We visited the market in Suva, Fiji and bought a delicious soursop. I wanted to bring a second one onboard the ship, but was busted by the gangway guard and had to eat it on the dock. In a hired van, we visited a park and took a trail through the forest, stopping enroute to search for kava. All we found was the powder and since none of us knew how to mix and ferment it, we passed.
Our day in Vanuatu began with a visit to the beach, where Nancy and I took a boat to Hideaway Island for more spectacular snorkeling, while Terry and Jack hit the beach bar ashore. We next toured the Secret Garden, a garden, wildlife park and cultural center. This was somewhat momentous for Terry and I, because we got to encounter two exotic creatures we'd known only from the Travel channel and Andrew Zimmern: the fruit bat (aka flying fox) and coconut crab, the world's largest arthropod, reaching up to three feet across.
I found the bats adorable, although they smelled like skunks, and wrangled a slice of papaya so I could feed them. Terry got to hold a smallish coconut crab. Best of all, our driver knew a spot where we could, like Andrew Zimmern, eat one, and we did, seated aside a beautiful lagoon. Fruit bats were not on the menu.
New Caledonia was tres francais, with lovely beaches. Poisonous sea snakes are known to inhabit the island's waters and we saw one, dead, floating near the quay. Still, Nancy and I did go into the water at the Baie des Citrons, although not for long.
Arrival at Sydney meant the end of the cruise, and new adventures -- Nancy and Jack flying off to New Zealand and Terry and I staying in the beautiful city, taking ferry trips to Manly and a day excursion to the Blue Mountains, where we stopped enroute at Featherdale Wildlife Park for close encounters with iconic Australian critters.
Most people think koalas win the cuteness contest, but I'd say echidnas are a close second. We were able to pet a koala in a rare waking moment. The marsupials sleep 20 or more hours a day, since their diet consists soley of eucalyptus leaves, which provide few nutrients and little energy.
It's no surprise everyone loves Sydney, which is a beautiful (and pricey) city. Strolling on weekends, one can't help but notice how many Aussies are tall, blond and good-looking enough they'd fit right into a Nicole Kidman or Elle Macpherson family reunion.
I took the ferry to the famed Taronga Zoo, where I met fellow animal lover Caroline, a charming visitor from Quebec. We spent the day seeing all of the Australian oddities like echidna and platypus, stumbling in each other's language to express our delight.
Terry and I walked across the famed Sydney bridge, which afforded a spectacular view of the harbor. We loved Circular Quay, with its flurry of boat traffic and didgeridoo players, and The Rocks, the oldest part of Sydney, discovering a wonderful rooftop bar, where we spent our last night, watching a full moon rise above the iconic Opera House.
Photo video on YouTube at: http://youtu.be/ZJjL0M6YxZo
