Tuesday, February 10, 2009
photos
PS: if you had trouble getting to the photos try www.gallery.me.com/herrlk/10017; PSS: Fran and Beth - be sure to look at my comment after yours.
from Tonga en route to Auckland
To me it’s Feb 11th. We’re now at 32 degrees 40.61 S and 177 degrees 19.11 E. [To you it may be a different day.] We’re over 12,000 miles from New York.
One of my goals for this trip was to figure out what I wanted to do after I get home - I’ve made little progress on that. I have accomplished something surprising, however. From the first week, I’ve working out with a personal trainer on a regular basis. Those of you who know me know how unusual that is for me. Whatever my future I will be in better shape to face it. Darlene, I’ll be ready for bike rides next summer! Yonnie, I’m looking forward to golf. By the way, we drove past a golf course in Tonga - very flat. [New pictures will be posted today on my gallery. www.gallery.me.com/herrlk/10017]
Tomorrow we’ll be in Auckland, New Zealand. Already it’s cooler and less humid. Samoa and Tonga tested my tolerance for a hot climate! Those two nations are quite different, as it their geography. Samoa is mountainous, Tonga flat plantation land. Somoans buried their loved ones in the front yard; Tongans use highly decorated cemetaries. In both cases, however, the people I met were quite friendly, and the tour guides provided good information. Schools are important, especially on Tonga, and there are many church-run schools, primarily Methodist, Catholic, and Mormon. Other churches dot the landscape as well. There are few jobs however and not much economic development. Each of the islands here has a story to tell. One of our lecturers today covered the history of who has controlled what in terms of the islands of the South Pacific and how that has changed, especially with respect to WW II.
Occurs to me that for all their good intentions, foreigners meddled with the cultures over the past 200 years without planning for the consequences.
One of my goals for this trip was to figure out what I wanted to do after I get home - I’ve made little progress on that. I have accomplished something surprising, however. From the first week, I’ve working out with a personal trainer on a regular basis. Those of you who know me know how unusual that is for me. Whatever my future I will be in better shape to face it. Darlene, I’ll be ready for bike rides next summer! Yonnie, I’m looking forward to golf. By the way, we drove past a golf course in Tonga - very flat. [New pictures will be posted today on my gallery. www.gallery.me.com/herrlk/10017]
Tomorrow we’ll be in Auckland, New Zealand. Already it’s cooler and less humid. Samoa and Tonga tested my tolerance for a hot climate! Those two nations are quite different, as it their geography. Samoa is mountainous, Tonga flat plantation land. Somoans buried their loved ones in the front yard; Tongans use highly decorated cemetaries. In both cases, however, the people I met were quite friendly, and the tour guides provided good information. Schools are important, especially on Tonga, and there are many church-run schools, primarily Methodist, Catholic, and Mormon. Other churches dot the landscape as well. There are few jobs however and not much economic development. Each of the islands here has a story to tell. One of our lecturers today covered the history of who has controlled what in terms of the islands of the South Pacific and how that has changed, especially with respect to WW II.
Occurs to me that for all their good intentions, foreigners meddled with the cultures over the past 200 years without planning for the consequences.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
29th day
Now 10,576 nautical miles from New York. . . in the southern hemisphere [15 degrees 49.76S and 172 degrees 52.23 W] We today pass the International Date Line, which for our present latitude actually lies at 172 30W and not 180 W as is mainly the case. This adjustment is made to avoid dividing certain island groups which lie astride the 180 Meridian, incuding Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand. Tomorrow - Sunday - will not occur here and we go directly to Monday when we arrive at Tonga. It was 83 degrees F this morning at 6, so you can guess what it will be at noon!
Western Samoa a great place to visit - friendly and scenic. Apparently they get only one or two cruise ships a year at Apia, so our visit was indeed welcome. Highlight of my tour was visiting the home of Robert Louis Stevenson and hearing about his relationship with the Samoan people. I'm posting new pictures this morning - later today you can probably see them at http://gallery.me.com/herrlk/10017.
Western Samoa a great place to visit - friendly and scenic. Apparently they get only one or two cruise ships a year at Apia, so our visit was indeed welcome. Highlight of my tour was visiting the home of Robert Louis Stevenson and hearing about his relationship with the Samoan people. I'm posting new pictures this morning - later today you can probably see them at http://gallery.me.com/herrlk/10017.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Crossing the Equator
February 5 - Now below the equator. Crossed it at 3 pm yesterday. Event marked by a ridiculous tradition. Enough said. We arrive in Apia (Samoa) at noon tomorrow - it was 81 degrees at 7 am today. Six hour time difference from PA, by the way - that will change in a major way when we cross the international date line on Sunday (we don’t have Sunday).
Did you know the Queen Victoria is 964.5 ft long and 106 ft wide? She has a capacity of 1980 guests. Right now there are 1827 (it changes as people get on and off at various ports). Currently there are 776 UK, 406 US, 195 Australia, 192 Germany, and 98 from Canada. All in all there are 35 nationalities among the guests.
Did you know the Queen Victoria is 964.5 ft long and 106 ft wide? She has a capacity of 1980 guests. Right now there are 1827 (it changes as people get on and off at various ports). Currently there are 776 UK, 406 US, 195 Australia, 192 Germany, and 98 from Canada. All in all there are 35 nationalities among the guests.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
photos
New photos posted on http://gallery.me.com/herrlk/100017. ENJOY! We cross the equator today with appropriate festivities!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
still at sea
Finished Defoe's Robinson Crusoe - thought that would be an appropriate read - a good story for adults - insights into life choices and consequences. Now have Conrad's Victory to read. Tomorrow we cross the equator, with appropriate ceremony. In the 80s today and partly cloudy (sorry folks back North). We do have 8 ft waves, however, so we rock and roll a bit. We're going by the Line Islands (Kingman, Palmyra, Christmas, etc) and the Marshalls (though they're a bit further west. We almost 9000 nautical miles from NY.
Monday, February 2, 2009
2/1/09: At sea now 8380 nautical miles from New York [17 degrees 38.72 N, 159 degrees 15.97 W]. Here it’s warm - 74 at 7 am and never boring. Our speed is about 20 knots - wonder how that compares with the WWII ships?
Yesterday’s tour of military sites on Oahu included the Arizona Memorial, Wheeler Field, Schofield Army Barracks, Ft. Shafner, the Punchbowl Memorial, and the Home of the Brave Museum - particularly interesting to me because of the Dear Coach book. Anyone who watched From Here to Eternity saw these places. Our guide showed us some scenes from that movie and others like Pearl Harbor that matched where we were. Few of the Dear Coach writers served on Hawaii but several probably passed through here. I know that Roy Herr and Phil Lowell were here; Althouse, Sauder, Horning, and others probably passed through.
We have some lectures on board about the Pacific wars - and I go to some of them. Other times I opt out for exercise or sitting in the sun. Or meeting people. had breakfast, for example, with a couple from England who are taking the segment from LA to Sydney and then flying home. We do have Rotary meetings every Monday too. I usually sit in the Commodore Room to write these blogs - it’s two floors above the bridge, so you can imagine the view; actually right now I’m seeing exactly what you’d see if you logged in to www.cunard.com and clicked on Queen Victoria, and then the live bridge cam. NOTHING BUT SEA. The sea is always in motion - somehow I expected more glassy calm “pacific” seas. They say the waves are 4.9 ft but from up here they don’t look that big. There are white caps scattered about and lots of clouds today. Around Hawaii the sea is miles deep I’m told. I know there’s lots of life down there but we don’t see it. No whales or dolphins, no birds around here - but I think you’d have to be watching all the time to see them if they were here - the sea around us is so immense. From this room I have about a 200 degree view. The earth must be round - either that or there’d be an immense waterfall all around us.
Four days at sea and then we will reach Apia. While we’re out here in the Pacific satellite TV service is poor so I really don’t know much about what’s going on at home. We do get a news sheet in the morning - I’ve noticed that it’s prepared in English, German, and probably other languages - with appropriately different news. Sunday one of my friends brought a New York Times on board so I did get to catch up a bit. I use internet mostly to post this blog and not to surf. Decided to spend my money on my personal trainer and get in shape. Yes, some of you may be surprised that I’m still doing that. I never thought I’d take a cruise to get in shape - most people do the opposite. I knew the trip would be a life-changer but this is not the change I would have predicted! I am motivated when I’m out by the pool - there are lots of cruise bodies out there, and I don’t mean skinny.
Yesterday’s tour of military sites on Oahu included the Arizona Memorial, Wheeler Field, Schofield Army Barracks, Ft. Shafner, the Punchbowl Memorial, and the Home of the Brave Museum - particularly interesting to me because of the Dear Coach book. Anyone who watched From Here to Eternity saw these places. Our guide showed us some scenes from that movie and others like Pearl Harbor that matched where we were. Few of the Dear Coach writers served on Hawaii but several probably passed through here. I know that Roy Herr and Phil Lowell were here; Althouse, Sauder, Horning, and others probably passed through.
We have some lectures on board about the Pacific wars - and I go to some of them. Other times I opt out for exercise or sitting in the sun. Or meeting people. had breakfast, for example, with a couple from England who are taking the segment from LA to Sydney and then flying home. We do have Rotary meetings every Monday too. I usually sit in the Commodore Room to write these blogs - it’s two floors above the bridge, so you can imagine the view; actually right now I’m seeing exactly what you’d see if you logged in to www.cunard.com and clicked on Queen Victoria, and then the live bridge cam. NOTHING BUT SEA. The sea is always in motion - somehow I expected more glassy calm “pacific” seas. They say the waves are 4.9 ft but from up here they don’t look that big. There are white caps scattered about and lots of clouds today. Around Hawaii the sea is miles deep I’m told. I know there’s lots of life down there but we don’t see it. No whales or dolphins, no birds around here - but I think you’d have to be watching all the time to see them if they were here - the sea around us is so immense. From this room I have about a 200 degree view. The earth must be round - either that or there’d be an immense waterfall all around us.
Four days at sea and then we will reach Apia. While we’re out here in the Pacific satellite TV service is poor so I really don’t know much about what’s going on at home. We do get a news sheet in the morning - I’ve noticed that it’s prepared in English, German, and probably other languages - with appropriately different news. Sunday one of my friends brought a New York Times on board so I did get to catch up a bit. I use internet mostly to post this blog and not to surf. Decided to spend my money on my personal trainer and get in shape. Yes, some of you may be surprised that I’m still doing that. I never thought I’d take a cruise to get in shape - most people do the opposite. I knew the trip would be a life-changer but this is not the change I would have predicted! I am motivated when I’m out by the pool - there are lots of cruise bodies out there, and I don’t mean skinny.
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