Wherever We Go

Beautiful skyline & Sky Tower in Auckland, NZ Ok, it is apparent that LeRoy has been having too much fun living this journey rather than blogging about it.  It is true.  I am currently sitting at our desk, looking out at an ocean that is churning rather lively, trying to figure out how to tell you about how great this trip is.  How we have come across the Pacific ocean visiting little island paradise after little island paradise; now coming into Auckland where we experience a little culture shock since it is more of what I would call westernized civilization.  Yet even here, the ancient Maori people's influences reach deep into the culture.  In fact, it is the culture here.  New Zealand is a fairly new country with most of its history only reaching back to the early 1800's.  There were people here before that but not in great numbers. Maori board the Amsterdam! Auckland is a large, beautiful, clean city.   It has a beaut...

Since our last post, we have lost a full day as we crossed the International Date Line. And since I, Vialula, who is geographically challenged and can barely find her cabin, here is the definition from the National Ocean Service ... The International Date Line, established in 1884, passes through the  mid-Pacific Ocean  and roughly follows a 180 degrees longitude north- south  line on the  Earth . It is located halfway round the world from the  prime meridian —the zero degrees longitude established in Greenwich, England, in 1852. There you have it.  It was really discombobulating, but as our neighbor's daughter who lives in New Zealand told us, "home is yesterday plus 7 hours".  So as I am typing this, it is 2/25/19 at 11:47 a.m. For most of you reading this at home, it is yesterday, 2/24/19 at 3:47 in the afternoon.  We aren't quite to New Zealand yet.  We will pull into Auckland tomorrow morning. I know you are wondering where we've b...

Bora Bora, my place, the one I love, As beautiful as the most precious pearl Motu Tapu I miss you The place of the rainbow The freshness of your breeze that gently caresses Above the gentle wave of blue waters I smell your perfumed scent Bora Bora, my land, the one I love Bora Bora, my land, the one I love.     Bora Bora, my place, the one I love, As beautiful as the most precious pearl Motu Tapu I miss you The place of the rainbow The freshness of your breeze that gently caresses Above the gentle wave of blue waters I smell your perfumed scent Bora Bora, my land, the one I love Bora Bora, my land, the one I love.

Oceans, the final frontier.  These are the voyages of the ms Amsterdam.  Her 113 day mission to seek out and explore this big blue marble.  To accept strange and established cultures.  To boldly learn strange old customs,  (music starts low and crescendo's),  To eat as much as can be eaten.......then we go to commercial.... Ok, had to do it.   LeRoy grew up being a Trekkie and like several of my past posts, they tend to reference a TV theme.   Are you beginning to think I watch too much TV?  Yeah, me too. Colorful dancers greet us in Tahiti! Ahhhh Tahiti.  Ahhhh, Moorea.  Ahhhh, Bora Bora.  Otherwise known as French Polynesia.  You have all heard of these tropical paradises.  Perhaps you have imagined yourselves one day being there.   Perhaps you have been lucky enough to already have done so.    Well... There are some good reasons they are considered paradise.  ...

Hello from the Beautiful South Pacific.. New address maybe? Ok, show of hands.  Who has ever thought about being stranded on a deserted island, out in the south pacific, and who would you want to be stranded with?   We have all imagined or played that game.  Maybe long ago you saw or read about Robinson Crusoe and his man Friday.  Or perhaps a little later than that it was the Swiss Family Robinson gang where the family was marooned and still managed to have a very highly sophisticated treehouse, etc.  Later still it was good old Gilligan leading an eclectic little group who obviously benefited from Hollywood giving them whatever they needed except a way off the island. Well today Vialula and I witnessed the actual thing.   Pitcairn Island.   While you can't really call it deserted, due to the 38 people who live there,  it is absolutely as close as you can come to it.   38 people.  85% of these people the...

Sunrise at Easter Island (aka Rapa Nui or Isla de Pascua) Everyone woke up early today ... after five days at sea, everyone is so excited to see land!  LeRoy has been up since 4:45.  He's like a little kid on Christmas morning.  We had an early tour, only to find out that the swells were very big, and it was going to be very tenuous to board the tender boats.  Our 9:15 tour left out at 11:30.  There was so much that could go wrong, and did.  It rained, a tender boat got hung up in a cable at the dock, a lady fell .... you name it, but believe it or not .... we smiled all the way through it.  There are lots of times that people have stopped here, and were never able to get off the ship and to the island!  We are blessed to be on the island, and we know it. Our tour began at the site of five of the Moai statues called Tahai.   They welcomed our ship this morning, and we could actually see them through our binoculars from...

If I may be so bold as to steal the first lines of Melville's Moby Dick in my title. The epic sea adventure of Ishmael and his battle with the whale.  Vialula and I are in day 5 of our 5 straight days at sea on our way over to see Easter Island.   We have a date with Dum Dum, another stolen reference, this time to the movie Night at the Museum.  Dum Dum is the large Moai statue in the movie that loves his gum gum.  Our gala night last night had a much smaller scale statue as our table center pieces.   Ours was named Tom, but he was the silent type. Vi and Tom at dinner We have spoken to many people on board and for several of them this stop is one of their bucket list items.   And these are people who have made several around the world cruises.  So Vi and I are looking forward to it. Days at sea.  These are some of my favorite times.   You make yourself as busy or as laid back as you want but the one thing you cann...