dsandrvk

[dsandrvk]

Thursday, October 17 - Santiago, Chile

Yesterday was a busy, fun and bittersweet day as we got ready to leave the ship and our friends. Amazingly, we were able to fit everything into our bags after jettisoning some items like extra sunscreen, Covid tests, and toothpaste (the first welcomed by the expedition crew, and the last two by our cabin attendants). We also distributed some of our "swag" that we had won in trivia and other activities to Nolly and Albert, and a couple of others. It's amazing what one can accumulate in 77 days!

We had our final crew tribute and video party - it's turnover time for a lot of the crew and most of the expedition staff and very few passengers are carrying on from here. The ship is headed down the coast of Chile and then begins its runs down to Antarctica from Ushuaia in less than two weeks. Our videographer, Patrick, is also leaving, and we have heard they will not be doing the voyage videos in the future, which is a shame, as they are a great memento and available to all on the Seabourn Voyage Tracker site. As a result, in addition to the official video of this last segment, he also did a one-off spoof of some of his favorite movies with the expedition crew as his cast. He spoofed everything from Star Wars to Star Trek to James Bond to The Godfather, and it was hilarious, especially since we know his cast so well, and he used the ship and on-shore locations. Unfortunately, this one will not be on the website, although I'm sure a few bootleg copies will float around the expedition staff. He is extremely talented, as well as a delightful presence, and will be missed.

We arrived in San Antonio while the videos were playing, and it is an true industrial port, with none of the charm of Valparaiso (but good deep water access, which is not true of Valpo). It was extremely busy in the evening, and also had a night shift. We could have gotten off after dinner, but there really was no place to go. We sat out on the deck one last time, completely surrounded by cranes.

This morning we got up early, had our last breakfast on board, and left the ship about eight to collect luggage, go through Customs and find our tour bus. Although the Customs form was extremely detailed about what had to be declared (all food, anything made from vegetable matter, including wood products, etc.), and I had grouped all my little souvenirs to make it easy to show, the folks at the port just collected our papers without even looking at them. So much for biosecurity.

Our original plan had been to reserve a hotel room in Santiago for the day, take a bus from San Antonio to Santiago, and then a taxi to the hotel, later taking an airport shuttle for our 10:55 PM flight. This was cumbersome at best, and when the ship offered an all-day transfer to and then tour of Santiago, dropping us off at the airport around 6, we decided to take it. Our guide was extremely chatty, and talked a lot about the political situation in Chile, which is still quite fraught. It was good that we were here on the 17th, because the next day was the 5th anniversary of the last major uprising, which resulted in major damage to the city, as well as lives lost. Tomorrow there will be major protests and gatherings, and the entire city will be pretty much shut down.

We spent some time driving into the city and stopped at the main racetrack where the horses are training for the upcoming race season. It seemed to be an impromptu stop, but it was good to get off the bus after a two-hour drive from the coast. Afterwards we headed downtown where we walked about a dozen blocks past some of the more iconic areas, accompanied by our own little security detail. It was an odd mix of office workers, vendors, street walkers and lots of tour groups. I wouldn't have felt unsafe on our own, and it felt a little weird to be herded in a tight group.

Afterwards we made a stop for an included lunch. I didn't expect much, but the restaurant was an upscale place in a lovely park, and everything was excellent, from the included pisco sours and wine to the chunky gazpacho and the perfectly cooked salmon. It was also interesting in that we got to chat with some of our fellow travelers that we knew by sight, but had never really had the chance to get to know.

We had a nice drive out to the east to the foothills of the Andes, still with a bit of snow, and made a stop at a crafts market. I was expecting something cheap and touristy, but once again I was surprised by the quality of the artisans and their wares. This market is set up like a little village with individual studio/shops and crafts ranging from wood working to photography to glass to weaving and knitting to jewelry to pottery and on and on. There was even a luthier with lots of partial and finished instruments. We had an hour, but I could have spent all afternoon, as there were probably about one hundred shops, and almost all were open. There was also an outdoor cafe area, and several book donation bins, such as the one shown, with its own library cat.

All too soon we headed for the airport, and a long wait for the American Airlines counter to open. Immigration was epic, security easier than in the US, and boarding was on time. Now if I can only sleep a bit on the plane, it will be perfect. A long day, but both relaxing and eventful.

[dsandrvk]

Tuesday, October 15 - Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile

What a perfect day. Today was our final stop on this incredible journey, and it was a fitting end. Robinson Crusoe Island is where Alexander Selkirk was marooned for over four years, and although it was uninhabited then, there is now a population of less than 1000. With inhabitants, there also came a variety of non-native plants and animals, much to the detriment of the native, endemic species. Being early Spring here, the gardens were in full bloom, though, and everything was colorful and lush.

We had a whole day here, and our morning choices were two different hikes (an extremely strenuous hike or a moderately strenuous hike), a town stroll, or exploration on one's own. We chose the moderately strenuous hike since it was going up into the forest, but also had terrific views, and more importantly, Joe, our ornithologist. There were ten of us with a local guide and we quickly broke into two groups - the fast hikers and the birders. Robinson Crusoe Island is home to two birds found no where else, and we were determined to find them. One is the endangered Juan Fernandez Firecrown - a fairly large orange-red hummingbird sometimes seen in gardens, but more often out in the forest. The other is the Juan Fernandez Tit-tyrant, a small flycatcher. It's nice to have a goal.

We started climbing through the town, as there is very little flat terrain on this volcanic hunk of rock. The highest point is just over 3,000 feet, which is considerable on an island of just 18 square miles. Eventually the concrete road became a dirt track and we entered the National Forest (most of the island is in the National Forest except for the town of San Juan Bautista and a few other places along the shore). We located several Tit-tyrants in some bushes, and continued on. Our trail finally led to a flat plazoleto with picnic tables, flush toilets and a grill and outdoor sink, at about 1000 ' elevation. From here there was a lovely circular boardwalk route that took us through dense native (and non-native) vegetation. Although we had had glimpses of the Firecrown earlier in the distance, here one chose to land on a branch right in front of me, and I got some good shots before he decided to fly off. We also saw the female as well as the Green-baked Firecrown, which has somehow made its way here from South America.

The boardwalk was well-constructed, and every step was edged in yellow, which was helpful in the dim light of the forest. The ground was covered in forget-me-nots, adding a blue carpet everywhere. We were lucky that the weather was perfect for hiking - in the upper 50's with mostly overcast, and very little wind. The temperatures here are tempered by the Humboldt Current, which runs between here and the mainland, over 400 miles to the east. It appears to be cold enough for some fruit trees, as they were in bloom, but also warm enough that the geraniums (pelargoniums) grow into bushes.

After our loop, we headed down the trail a ways, and chatted with our local guide (he is currently a teacher here, but did his Masters on the Juan Fernandez Fur Seal, and has worked with Nat Geo both here and in Antarctica, where he also did research on penguins). Unlike Easter Island, this island does seem to more resemble coastal Chile, as it was never settled by Polynesians, and the Chilean flag flies everywhere. Closer to town, we split off on our own to explore a bit in the various neighborhoods. Seabourn had scheduled a "pirate party" at a local establishment in the early afternoon, so we had time to try to find a trail we had on our map that would lead to another bay. We never really found it, but did manage to get more steps in climbing a few hills searching for it.

The party was a blast, especially since it was our last day on land together. Locals were dressed as pirates and we had lovely crab and chicken empanadas, as well as generous tastes of local lobster and octopus, and potent pisco sours. The live band played mostly local music and was excellent, and it was a great way to end the cruise. We even have a detour on our Zodiac ride back to the ship to visit some fur seals playing in the water in a cave down the coast line.

Once everyone and all the Zodiacs and subs were back on board we took our time sailing away, and the island was still visible to the west as the sun went down and we sat on the patio for dinner. Afterwards, Lupi and the two guest entertainers, Chris and Dave, put on a show, singing solos, duets and finally a three-person medley from Les Miz. What a great day.

One note on the pics - the round tank with the little gun reminded me of a Dalek, so I had to take its picture. Tomorrow we finish packing and get ready for disembarkation the following morning. There's a lot going on with activities, but we'll see how much we want to participate. It should be good whale and bird watching on deck, too.

[dsandrvk]

Tuesday, October 15 - Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile

What a perfect day. Today was our final stop on this incredible journey, and it was a fitting end. Robinson Crusoe Island is where Alexander Selkirk was marooned for over four years, and although it was uninhabited then, there is now a population of less than 1000. With inhabitants, there also came a variety of non-native plants and animals, much to the detriment of the native, endemic species. Being early Spring here, the gardens were in full bloom, though, and everything was colorful and lush.

We had a whole day here, and our morning choices were two different hikes (an extremely strenuous hike or a moderately strenuous hike), a town stroll, or exploration on one's own. We chose the moderately strenuous hike since it was going up into the forest, but also had terrific views, and more importantly, Joe, our ornithologist. There were ten of us with a local guide and we quickly broke into two groups - the fast hikers and the birders. Robinson Crusoe Island is home to two birds found no where else, and we were determined to find them. One is the endangered Juan Fernandez Firecrown - a fairly large orange-red hummingbird sometimes seen in gardens, but more often out in the forest. The other is the Juan Fernandez Tit-tyrant, a small flycatcher. It's nice to have a goal.

We started climbing through the town, as there is very little flat terrain on this volcanic hunk of rock. The highest point is just over 3,000 feet, which is considerable on an island of just 18 square miles. Eventually the concrete road became a dirt track and we entered the National Forest (most of the island is in the National Forest except for the town of San Juan Bautista and a few other places along the shore). We located several Tit-tyrants in some bushes, and continued on. Our trail finally led to a flat plazoleto with picnic tables, flush toilets and a grill and outdoor sink, at about 1000 ' elevation. From here there was a lovely circular boardwalk route that took us through dense native (and non-native) vegetation. Although we had had glimpses of the Firecrown earlier in the distance, here one chose to land on a branch right in front of me, and I got some good shots before he decided to fly off. We also saw the female as well as the Green-baked Firecrown, which has somehow made its way here from South America.

The boardwalk was well-constructed, and every step was edged in yellow, which was helpful in the dim light of the forest. The ground was covered in forget-me-nots, adding a blue carpet everywhere. We were lucky that the weather was perfect for hiking - in the upper 50's with mostly overcast, and very little wind. The temperatures here are tempered by the Humboldt Current, which runs between here and the mainland, over 400 miles to the east. It appears to be cold enough for some fruit trees, as they were in bloom, but also warm enough that the geraniums (pelargoniums) grow into bushes.

After our loop, we headed down the trail a ways, and chatted with our local guide (he is currently a teacher here, but did his Masters on the Juan Fernandez Fur Seal, and has worked with Nat Geo both here and in Antarctica, where he also did research on penguins). Unlike Easter Island, this island does seem to more resemble coastal Chile, as it was never settled by Polynesians, and the Chilean flag flies everywhere. Closer to town, we split off on our own to explore a bit in the various neighborhoods. Seabourn had scheduled a "pirate party" at a local establishment in the early afternoon, so we had time to try to find a trail we had on our map that would lead to another bay. We never really found it, but did manage to get more steps in climbing a few hills searching for it.

The party was a blast, especially since it was our last day on land together. Locals were dressed as pirates and we had lovely crab and chicken empanadas, as well as generous tastes of local lobster and octopus, and potent pisco sours. The live band played mostly local music and was excellent, and it was a great way to end the cruise. We even have a detour on our Zodiac ride back to the ship to visit some fur seals playing in the water in a cave down the coast line.

Once everyone and all the Zodiacs and subs were back on board we took our time sailing away, and the island was still visible to the west as the sun went down and we sat on the patio for dinner. Afterwards, Lupi and the two guest entertainers, Chris and Dave, put on a show, singing solos, duets and finally a three-person medley from Les Miz. What a great day.

One note on the pics - the round tank with the little gun reminded me of a Dalek, so I had to take its picture. Tomorrow we finish packing and get ready for disembarkation the following morning. There's a lot going on with activities, but we'll see how much we want to participate. It should be good whale and bird watching on deck, too.

[dsandrvk]

Monday, October 14 - Alexander Selkirk Island, Juan Fernandez Islands, Chile

Yesterday was a great sea day with lots of sun, light winds, and lots of wildlife to look at. We saw multiple whale blows about a mile from the ship - from the size and shape of the blows at that distance there is a good chance they were a Blue Whale and her calf. There were also dolphins, and we are seeing albatrosses again.

Today, after awakening to a beautiful sunrise, we were fortunate to visit Alexander Selkirk Island, named for the man who was the basis for the novel Robinson Crusoe. He was a Scots privateer (sanctioned by the British Navy to wreak havoc on Spanish ships and towns in South America and basically a pirate), and was sailing on a ship named Cinque Ports when he asked to be left on an island in the Juan Fernandez archipelago, fearing that the ship was no longer seaworthy (worm ridden) and having a conflict with the newly appointed captain of the ship. He had misread the grumbling of fellow sailors as belief that others would follow him in a mutiny, but when he got ashore, no one else followed him. He then supposedly begged the captain to be allowed back on board, but the captain was adamant, and so Selkirk (nee Selcraig) spent the next four years and four months on the island before being rescued by another ship. He had also wrongly assumed that when he was "marooned", another ship would be by soon, as the islands were well-known and frequently visited for lobster and other provisions.

He was right about one thing, however, and shortly after he left her in 1704, the Cinque Ports sank off the coast of Peru, with all but about a dozen men, including the captain, drowning. It's a little confusing, but the island that Selkirk was marooned on is called Robinson Crusoe Island, and he never set foot on Selkirk Island. Today the island is mostly uninhabited except for some seasonal cottages for the fishermen who come here to catch lobsters (actually a large clawless crayfish) which are shipped all over the world. It is a pretty vertical place - lush in some of the higher valleys we could see, but very rocky near the bottom, with little access to the interior. It is also shaped like a wedge, as it is part of a larger caldera.

It also is home to a great wildlife success story. Once numbering around four million individuals, Juan Fernandez fur seals were heavily hunted and harvested for their thick pelts and were thought extinct until a small colony was found in a cave here in 1965. Since then they have had protected status, and the population has rebounded into the thousands. After positioning the ship on the north coast of the island, the expedition team scouted to see if they could find some seals, and by the time we went out, we had a bit of a ride to an area off the southwest corner, but there were lots of them, in the water and on the rocky shores.

The Juan Fernandez Seal is the second smallest fur seal, and they are extremely playful iand acrobatic in the water. Fur seals are eared seals, meaning they are really in the sea lion family, rather than the true, earless seals. Once we got near their area, they swam out to our Zodiacs and proceeded to spin, leap, dive, do some flipper water ballet and come right up to our boats for a closer look. I got some good shots with my camera, but it was harder to get them with the phone, although I did take some short clips of their antics. Since we were the last trip of the day, we weren't in any rush and spent considerable time just enjoying them, and id like to think the feeling was mutual.

Earlier on our way out to the fur seals, we came across several Black-browed Albatross just hanging out. They, too, were curious about us - probably they hadn't seen anything but fishing boats, either, and this one swam right up to our Zodiac. We are back in much cooler waters and as such, there are more nutrients and therefore more sea birds.

One of the things that our crew wanted to do was look for a small German cargo ship, the Titania, that was scuttled here in 1914. It was having problems and couldn't keep up with the rest of the fleet, so was abandoned here, and mostly forgotten. The fishermen who come here did know of it, as they had accidentally found something on the bottom while trawling (or whatever they were doing) in 300 foot depths, and the fishing lineage goes back generations. As a result, an approximate location was determined using the topography of the cliffs as a starting point (there is one photo of the ship on the surface before scuttling). So, working with the locals, one of the on-board submarines went down to try to find the remains, and when they got down to about 300 feet they started to look around, only to realize they were right above it! What a find.

They did eight dives down to the wreck during our time here, and our friends Jon and Anne were on the second dive and said it was the most amazing dive they have ever done (and they used to SCUBA all over the world. Not only was it spectacular to see the ship, they said there were also more fish than they have seen in recent years. These dives are undoubtedly the first time this wreck has been seen, since the depth and remoteness of this location have made it nearly impossible previously. On the last trip of the day down to the Titania, the crew took the fisherman who had given them the idea of where to look, as he had been the keeper of the passed down lore. He was ecstatic about the experience, as the tales he had been told had taken on an almost mythic quality. A video was also made of one of the trips which we viewed tonight and are able to download to our flash drives, etc.

After a late lunch when all the Zodiacs were back, and while they were still running sub trips, our Cruise Director announced the first ever "Pursuit Regatta" where a team of guests would challenge a team of crew to an eight person Zodiac paddle race the length of the ship. Naturally, I was first in line, and as it turned out, only one crew showed up (from the spa) and so it was mostly passengers against other passengers. We had an expedition crew member to use the motor to the starting line, and potentially use the rudder of the motor to keep us straight.

When the ship horn blew we got off to a good start, but the other boat veered wildly and ran into us, and by the time we were disentangled, they were facing the wrong way and it took just a few strokes on our left to line us back up. I used my raft guide experience to call cadence and set the pace, and we sprinted down the entire length of the Pursuit, cheered on by pretty much everybody on board who were out on the decks. It wasn't even close, even when the other team got a little assistance from their outboard. It does help to be heading in the right direction!

When we were done and the submarine was put away, we had a sail-away around the island before heading off to the east for tomorrow's adventure. But the good fortunes of the day weren't over. A group of us diehards hung out on the foredeck watching for sharks and were rewarded with great views of at least five right by the ship in the crystal clear water. The water here is so clear that Anne said they could see the wreck from the sub at 300 feet without the submarine lights - an almost unbelievable depth for the light to penetrate. This truly is a magical area.

Tomorrow we visit the other main island in the archipelago - Robinson Crusoe Island. It is inhabited, and there are several hikes planned, plus a "pirate party" on land in the afternoon. Our weather looks to hold, as although we have had pretty heavy swells, the days have been cool, dry and mostly sunny, with just light wind. Just to the west of us is a nasty system with 30 knot winds, which will hit Selkirk tomorrow. Our incredible luck continues...

[dsandrvk]

Thursday - Saturday, October 10-11

Our reality has really changed. We have gone from hot and humid tropical weather, to a couple of days of moderate temperatures to downright chilly, in about 4 days. One day it was shorts and a T-shirt and too hot in the sun (the first picture, as we sailed away from Rapa Nui)- now it's long pants, sweaters and jackets and the heaters are on in the outdoor eating area (and they weren't even serving outside tonight to keep the staff warm).

We had a fun evening last night having dinner with the Captain and our Cruise Director. We had the chef do a Turkish theme dinner (the Captain is Bulgarian, but of Turkish descent), and it wasn't quite as massive as the Indian feasts we have had, which was good. And we have enjoyed performances by both guest artists, both of whom we have befriended. And we have enjoyed more games of Baggo and Trivia, as well as the hot tub, but we are winding down a bit as we get ready to organize and pack.

We had another fun fair with activities set up by departments, and that day, at least, was sunny, but we have hit a patch of rain and gloom yesterday and today, so suddenly everyone is having soup at lunch. And we also jumped ahead five time zones in eight days, which has left everyone a bit sleep deprived. As a result, it isn't even light at 8 AM, but it's still light at 9 in the evening - another change from the tropics. We are still hoping for a glimpse of the comet in the early evening, but there have been clouds to the west every sundown. We're also not going to see any aurorae at this latitude.

I've included a couple more pictures from Rapa Nui, as well as tonight's towel animal. We are thinking of putting our small penguins in the croc's mouth to check how friendly he really is.

We have one more sea day, then two days in the Juan Fernandez Islands and a final sea day after that before our debarkation in San Antonio. We really can't believe how fast this very long trip has gone.

[dsandrvk]

Wednesday, October 9 - Rapa Nui

The ocean swell had increased overnight, so much so that our entrance into the harbor was impossible today, as even in the relatively calm "slot" there were large breaking waves. It was a beautiful sunrise, however. A local boat has an accident outside of town we did yesterday, so we chose to find a better option on the north side of the island by Anakena Beach, where we stopped on our tour yesterday. Of course, this meant we were about as far from town and the main stops on today's tour as possible, but by the time we approached the little dock our mini-buses were already there.

Our tour today took us to the south end of the island as well as the only restored Moa with eyes. We had a different guide who was excellent, but once again the dates for settlement, Moai, and the birdman cult were all slightly different.

After the abandonment of the Moai, it appears that a new form of rule was established, with various clans competing for the honor (and right to rule for a year) of being the "Birdman". The activities centered on a ceremonial village located on the rim of the southernmost volcano. A designated individual from each clan competed in a competition that involved scrambling down the rim of the volcano and then down the cliff to the sea, swimming through shark-infested waters with the aid of a reed "float" out to the furthermost small offshore island, collecting an egg from a Frigatebird nest and bringing it back to the village intact. The first one back with an intact egg was named "Birdman", and the chief of his clan ruled for a year.

There are other parts of the story that are a bit more blurry. Legend has it that the chief actually lived in exile for that year, and there is another story that the young birdman was to marry the "whitest" virgin of several kept in a dark cave for several months prior to the competition. This was supposed to improve the bloodlines, by marrying the most skillful young man to the purest woman. How much of this is true is probably up for debate, but there are lots of petroglyphs on this windy volcano rim depicting the birdman (bird head and beak and human body), and the village of Orango has been rebuilt.

Here the wood and thatch huts have given way to circular stone structures, which resemble some in the Outer Hebrides - a coincidence of available materials, I think. According to our guide, this village was only occupied by the competitors, their trainers and a small entourage, but considering the size, that seems unlikely. What is known is that the competition appears to have been active from the mid 1600's to the mid 1800's, when the missionaries arrived and put a stop to it.

After our visit here and stops at a few overlooks towards the rest of the island from this vantage point, we headed down through town to another Ahu complex just south of Hanga Roa, near where we had arrived yesterday. This site was quite dramatic, with the waves crashing behind the statues. Here they had placed eyes on one of the statues - it is the only one they have restored that way. Eyes were put on the finished Moai, and only then was it considered that the ancestors inhabited the Moai. It is telling that after the statues were toppled, there was only one pair they found that were intact - all the others had been smashed. The eyes were made of white coral, with pupils of either obsidian or the red tufa that was also used for the top-knots. I find the eyes on this one somewhat unnerving, and prefer the statues without, but that was probably the idea when they were built - always watching.

We had the choice then of taking the tour van back to the ship (still positioned off the north coast) or spending time in town and getting a later shuttle bus, so naturally we went for the latter. We grabbed a quick empanada from a bakery for lunch with friends, and then wandered over to the waterfront and walked almost back to our last tour stop. Hanga Roa is a strange mix of island culture and Chilean food, mixed with shops selling sarongs and mod Moai, and because of the high surf all the dive shops were closed and not running tours. They have an interesting way of tying up the boats - the fronts are tied to the dock, but the stern is tied to a heavy cable strung across the boat marina area. Every boat was bobbing quite a bit, even in this protected area.

The cemetery was fairly interesting, with lots of do it yourself grave markers, and we got a kick out of the fiberglass (I think) Moa with the wooden framing inside. It certainly is easier to move than the many ton authentic stones. The "club sandwich" sign was advertising a restaurant, not the menu.

All too soon, it was time for the last shuttles and we got the ride back to the beach, where we waded along the beach one last time. Because the day was fairly warm, there were lots of people in the water in this protected cove, including quite a few from our ship. The water was definitely cooler than any we have experienced so far, and will only get colder as we get closer to South America.

Once on board, we had a caviar sail-away, and that evolved into dinner outside on the deck while it was still light. We have been moving through time zones fairly quickly, and as a result, sunrise is much later, but we also have some evening light. We finished off the evening with a performance by one of our guest entertainers, Chris, who we have gotten to know quite well. We didn't mind staying up a little later tonight, as we have four sea days ahead before we reach the Juan Fernandez Islands. Our days aboard are dwindling....

[dsandrvk]

Tuesday, October 8 - Rapa Nui afternoon

Rapa Nui is a rough 90 degree triangle shape. Starting at the south, one side goes mostly north from there, and then extends to the east, before connecting with a third side running roughly back southwest. The earliest volcano is on the far eastern corner and emerged from the sea about three million years ago. The second volcano formed on the southwest corner, and lastly the volcano on the northwest filled in the space between and formed the island. This volcano, named Mount Terevaka, is the highest point of the island at 506 meters, and was our goal for our afternoon hike. The route was around 6 miles, with a gain of about 1200', but it was a gentle, easy slope.

Our guide this afternoon had more facts and information about the island settlement, etc., some of it contradictory to what we had heard in the morning, so not even the guides agree on the "facts". There were only ten of us from the ship and a couple of expedition staff, so the group moved quickly up to the top, where we could see in every direction. We met several small herds of horses on the way up, as we hiked mostly on a two-track road that later turned into a mowed strip. All along the way were eroded minor craters from the volcanic activity that has created this island. We even passed a small lake that was covered with reeds. Many of these small lakes are fresh water sources, but the levels have dropped due to extensive droughts. It is thought there might have been some small rivers when the island was heavily forested, but not now. From the top we could also see a fire set in a field that had gotten out of control, not far from the quarry site. There was a fire a couple of years ago that did considerable damage in that area and charred many Moai near the quarry, although no damage is visible now.

Terevaka means back of the ship in the local language and was named because this was the best vantage point to see ships sailing away. It was quite windy at the top so we quickly ate the cookies we had bought at a mini-mart (late lunch) and headed down, taking a different route down to one of the few Ahu and Moai sites not on the coast. Our guide explained that the statues were looking in the general direction of the Marquesa Islands where it is thought the Rapa Nui people came from, but a more likely explanation was given by the anthropologist on our ship, who said it faced a village that is no longer there. Once again, no one knows for sure.

This last Ahu had statues with bigger eye sockets and shorter proportioned heads, and more well defined arms. It is interesting that although the Moai are similar, there seem to be differences that may be related to the clan that installed them or the time in which they were carved, but of course no one knows for sure. The long nosed ones that we typically think of and are still in ditu at the quarry are probably the latest version.

We got back to the pier around 6:30, and had a pretty exciting ride back out to the ship, as the swells had increased as predicted. Shortly afterwards, the last Zodiac returned and was hauled up and we made a turn into the wind that really made the ship heel, before heading back out to sea and more calm waters. We will return in the morning, but there was no reason to stay close to shore, considering the worsening conditions. Better to motor around away from the rocks and waves. We really hope to be able to land again tomorrow.

[dsandrvk]

Tuesday, October 8 - Rapa Nui (Easter Island) - morning

We made it to Easter Island! Our weather was spectacular, but there were serious swells that made getting ashore a challenge. There are two "harbors" on the west side of the island, where the only town is located, and our expedition leader and captain considered both before deciding on one that has a very narrow slot of water that only has moderate swell, but is between two areas of seriously breaking swells that dashed up on the rocks guarding the entrance. Each Zodiac had a local standing in the front to make sure the proper line was taken, since the "slot" was only about 20-30 feet wide. Once inside the harbor, there was very little swell so disembarking was much easier than at Pitcairn.

Most everyone on the ship was taking the first day included tour, and we set off in pairs of mini-buses, sharing a guide between us. Because of the challenges of finding the best landing, we were already about an hour behind schedule, which didn't affect much, as our afternoon optional expedition was also pushed back.

Easter Island was quite a bit different than what I'd been expecting, after reading about how desolate and treeless it was. Actually, there is a surprising amount of vegetation, and there are palm trees, lots of shrubs, and a lot of eucalyptus trees. All of these have been exported from the mainland, but seem to grow quite well here. There are herds of cattle everywhere, including walking down most of the roads, as well as lots of horses. In fact, there are cow and horse "leavings" everywhere, including town and archaeological sites, as although they are all privately owned, they can graze on all the public land.

A good part (about 42%) of the island is National Park, as that consists of any parcel not privately owned, although there are really only entrance booths and rangers at the arch sites of significance. The rules are such that one needs a ticket ($80 USD for 10 days) and a local or guide to visit all but the site in town, which was included in our tour(s). Our morning guide was very good, and we learned a lot from her, as well as from some of our lectures on board ship.

Knowledge about Rapa Nui seems to be constantly changing, and we haven't found any two sources that seem to agree on original settlement - we have heard anything from around 300 CE to 800 CE. The Moai, (statues) which are the first thing one thinks of about Rapa Nui, may have been started as early as 800 CE, or possibly a few centuries later, and some suggest as late as 1400 CE. What is more certain is that they stopped "production" abruptly around 1650, leaving some Moai still half-carved, and others on the way down the slopes below the quarry. Around this time, the ones erected on platforms (Ahu) were toppled face down and the eyes were removed and probably destroyed.

The thinking for many years was that the two major groups (there had been two waves of immigration from Polynesia to the island - the first group became the ruling class, and the second the workers) fought after overpopulation and extreme use of resources. The resulting conflict was thought to be one of slaughter and cannibalism, and later the population plummeted. As a result, Rapa Nui was held up for a long time as an example of the over extension of limited resources, amid a culture that kept focusing on religion and bad leadership.

Yes, the trees did disappear, but it is uncertain whether it was just cutting down the last few, or if there were other ecological problems such as rats to blame for some of it, since they have now learned that rats love to eat the palm tree seeds (rats were brought here with the Polynesians as a food source). And recent DNA study has resulted in a completely different story. It seems the population never really got that big, and was pretty stable, even after the arrival of Europeans, until the mid 1800's, when about a third of the island natives were "exported" to Peru as slave labor. And the violent conflicts and cannibalism probably also never happened. So why did they stop making Moai? That's still up for interpretation, but they did then move to another form of self-government focusing on a "birdman" cult, which we will learn more about tomorrow.

When Westerners "discovered" Rapa Nui, and saw the Moai for the first time, those that had been on platforms had been toppled. The platforms (Ahu) had also been ravaged, mostly for the stones, which were used elsewhere for walls, etc. These platforms were extensive built-up areas, and may have been used as burials for the higher ranking, although like everything else about this place, that is in dispute. It is thought by some that a Moa was erected over the grave of a ruler as a tribute, but considering there were close to 900 Moai carved or started, they were probably erected for other purposes, too. Only about half of the Moai on the island ever made their way to being installed originally on an Ahu. Since the 1960's, efforts have been made to restore many of the Moai to their original upright positions, facing inward towards the villages they "protected". There are currently upwards of 50 that have been reinstalled, at multiple locations across the island.

We started our tour on the north side of the island near the Anakena Beach, the only real beach on this rocky, volcanic island. Here there are a series of seven Moai installed, in varying condition, as well as a solitary, older Moa standing on its own. Although I have often thought of them as the iconic shape mostly found at the quarry, earlier Moai were slightly different, with different profiles, and in the case of the oldest, more rounded heads. At one time, they all had "top-knots" of a reddish stone quarried elsewhere on the island. The second picture is from that site. Another thing that is obvious in real life, but hard to capture in a photograph, is the detail regarding arms, and hands that cup the bellies of the statues. These hands have incredibly long fingernails, which are a sign of the leisure class.

From here we made our way to the most impressive installation at Ahu Tongariki, where fifteen statues were restored in the 1990's. This site overlooks the volcanic outcrop where the quarry is located. The setting is dramatic, although the Moai have their backs to the crashing seas, and the oldest volcano.

Our longest stop was at the quarry (Rano a Raraku), and it is a very evocative place, with the finished statues still half-buried, and some just lying where they were left in the midst of being transported down the slope. There were also some started inside alcoves that had been abandoned before being cut loose. The faces were always carved first, and then the rest of the body was carved until they were broken loose from the bottom "keel". Walking around we were able to get a true sense of how immense these statues are, and how challenging it would be to carve these with only stone tools. We could also look down on Tongariki, far below just above the sea.

Our last stop was brief and was an unrestored site, with the statues still face down, and the top knots scattered. Here there were also reconstructions of the typical village houses which resemble an upside down boat. Every site seems to have multiple dogs living there, and our guide explained that they are abandoned by people at these locations because they feel they will get handouts, etc. The dogs were all quite mellow, and happy to wander around the sites with us (except for the quarry, where they were not allowed). But like the horses and cows, there may be an animal overpopulation crisis coming.

We got back to the pier with about 10 minutes to spare before our next excursion - this one to the highest peak on Rapa Nui. No lunch, but after all we have been eating we can afford to skip a meal!

[dsandrvk]

Saturday, September 5 - Ducie Atoll

Because of the schedule change, we needed the morning to make the distance to Ducie from Pitcairn, but it was worth the wait. Ducie Atoll is comprised of four small islands with a shark-filled lagoon in the middle. Even at high tide there is not enough clearance over the coral to bring a Zodiac in safely, as there is no channel. The original plan has been to have a Zodiac cruise near the island, and also a snorkel on the outside edge of the coral reef. Our swell from yesterday was still persistent, and once the team had lowered Zodiacs and begun scouting, it became obvious that it was too rough to snorkel. In fact, it was a challenge once again just to keep the ship in position - the second shot shows the outrun from the bow thrusters.

We were originally scheduled to do the first snorkel of three on the schedule, and the last Zodiac of three, but since we had friends who weren't planning to go out at all (actually after yesterday quite a few people were hesitant), we ignored our color group and got out on the first Zodiac with our bird guru, Joe. We had spent an hour or so coming in towards the island with him on deck, and it was so helpful in identifying the many different species found here, including four kinds of petrels. Plus, his enthusiasm is contagious. And indeed, it was wonderful birding, although we couldn't get too close to the island because of the swell.

Since this is a very rarely visited spot, the birds were as curious about us as we were of them, and flew right over our Zodiac, checking us out. It was hard to take photos because of the waves, but I got some fairly good shots with the camera (not the phone). We saw the Zodiac with our photographer and videographer suddenly take off towards the eastern end of the island, and when we looked, we could see what had gotten their attention - humpback whales! At this point the bird part of the ride was over and we headed towards larger prey. We saw a mother and her calf swim quite close to us before it became clear that the mother was resting while the calf put on a great show, breaching and flopping around - full of energy. At this point, in these warmer waters, the mother isn't feeding at all herself, but is still nursing her calf, who is growing at an astounding rate. As such, she is pretty exhausted, while the calf has boundless energy. She is also trying to keep away from amorous males who are pursuing her, preferring to wait until next year to mate when her calf is on its own.

All too soon, it was time to head back to the ship, although our Zodiac had been out longer than the original schedule. We joined the others on deck to watch whales and birds and then looked at each other and thought maybe we could double dip and go out again, this time with our proper color group. Since it seemed lots of people were passing on the opportunity, we got to the end of the line for the last trip of the day, and it worked out even better, as they split the remainder onto two Zodiacs, and ours had only five passengers. There were still whales around, and Juan Martin, our driver, is the whale guy on the ship, so it was perfect. We tore off at full speed to the far west just beyond the island, spotted a few blows and found a mother and calf, as well as a single male, who was trailing them. We kept our distance, but they kept coming closer, and it was extremely special - we must have spent about a half-hour following alongside as they headed back towards the Pursuit, keeping in the shallow water until the mother finally fluked, and her baby followed suit - we think more to get away from the male than from us.

We then spent the rest of a slow ride back to the ship looking at birds, and thinking about how lucky we have been. Like yesterday, getting on and off the Zodiac was not easy, but this time the embarkation well was not filled with calf-deep water, which made it easier. The captain had trimmed the ship to list away from the island so the water did not slosh in, and also made the Zodiac access more predictable. He also did micro movements to move the ship away from the island when a Zodiac approached, smoothing the water a bit like smoothing a tablecloth to help reduce the effect of the swell.

Once we were all loaded (we were next to last to get back on, as we had been almost last heading out) the captain dumped the ballast in the back as in the last picture. Once we were trim, we were able to start moving away. From the deck we could actually see three sets of whale blows - one set at each end of the island and a set in the middle, as well as a couple more breaches. The breach picture is one our photographer took earlier when we saw them dash off and is taken off the TV from the talk this evening - the overhead shot is from elsewhere, but is close to what we saw with mother, calf and escort male.

All in all, it was a wonderful day, and we didn't really miss the snorkeling, which would have been quite cold compared to what we have experienced up until now. From here on, there will be no more snorkeling, as the water will definitely be too cold in the Juan Fernandez islands. The good thing is that the colder the water, the more food for birds and whales, so our chance of seeing a lot more sea life is pretty good. I don't think anyone thought we would see the kind of whale activity here today, though. What a treat!

We now have two sea days until Easter Island, where we will have two days, and a couple of included tours to most of the important spots on the island. We have also signed up to do a hike to the high point, as travel here is almost impossible on one's own, since most of the island is National Park and requires both an entrance ticket and a guide. We will also have three nights between now and then, and three time zone changes, so we need to adjust.

[dsandrvk]

Friday, October 4 - Pitcairn Island

After three lovely sea days with trivia, Baggo, lectures, music, and a lot of eating, we were ready for an adventure and we got it. There was a swell of up to three meters on the south side of Pitcairn Island, and slightly less on the north, where "Bounty Bay" is located. The "Bay" is a semi-protected area a little larger than an Olympic swimming pool, and the waves pound the small breakwater, sending the water thirty feet into the air. As a result, the approach has to be timed to ride waves in, but not the biggest ones, which would halve too much energy. Most ships that stop here are not able to get ashore, and the usual thing is for the locals to come out in their longboats, which are built for this, and bring folks and goods to the anchored ships for a meet and greet.

According to some of the staff, the last time Pursuit called at Pitcairn in May, the seas were better, but the captain at that time decided not to try to launch the Zodiacs to get passengers ashore. Our captain, who boarded in Papeete, is the main captain for this vessel and was instrumental in her design, and so knows what she is capable of. As a result, although it was quite dicey, the decision was made to go ahead. Boarding the Zodiacs was extremely tricky with the swell, and timing was everything, as they were sometimes eight feet below the level of the boarding area. But the captain used the Pursuit to try to block the swells, and the only way any of this was possible was with the advanced positioning thrusters and azipods.

Our expedition staff stressed how challenging the boarding and ride was going to be, so that folks could evaluate their abilities, and they look the smaller, more nimble Mark V Zodiacs with only 6 passengers to make it easier (we joked they would lose less of us if we flipped), and it was a wild ride! We hung back near the entrance until a lookout posted on top of the breakwater evaluated that the wave surges would be small enough to enter, and then Joe (our boatman) gunned it and we skimmed over the waves and cut left into the relative calm of the "harbor". Here there were still large swells and it was also challenging getting up onto the dock, but there was plenty of help.

From the dock to the town of Adamstown is "the hill of difficulty", as it is known locally, and it is an extremely steep concrete road. Most of the locals get around on what they call "quads", known to us as ATVs. They do offer to carry folks up and down this and other hills for a small fee, but it is quite precarious and not particularly safe. We preferred to just grunt our way up.

Pitcairn is, of course, known primarily as the island where the Bounty mutineers landed. It had originally been settled by the Polynesians, although none were living there when the Bounty arrived in 1790. At that time there were only nine of the original mutineers, accompanied by six Polynesian men and eleven Polynesian women, and that was the basis for settlement of the island. I won't go into a lot of detail here, but things have not always gone smoothly (most of the mutineers died violently or of non-natural causes), and there have been more recent scandals, although those days appear to be past. At one point the population had grown so large that many moved to Norfolk Island. Today there are only around 43 residents, of which 34 are permanent (the others are contracted, such as the doctor, or temporary, such as the UK representative). Pitcairn and the surrounding islands are a British Overseas Territory. There are no children currently, as any go away to boarding school after the closure of the local school, and the population is aging and they need new folks to settle here. As this is the second most isolated inhabited island (Tristan da Cunha is the first), the recruiting is not going terribly well. The only way they can travel is a 3-day boat trip on the supply ship to the nearest airport in Mangareva, French Polynesia.

We had the opportunity to do several guided hikes, and we decided to hike to the highest point on the island, at 347 meters, although we chose to go off on our own and took a different, longer route up there, where we met up with the guided hikers. We chose to hike along the main ridge on the south side of the island, which afforded great views. Only later did we learn that the ridge is actually the last remnant of the crater rim of the volcano that formed Pitcairn.

On our way back down we saw the oldest resident of the island - a Galapagos Tortoise named "Ms. T". She had originally been named for Mr. T of A-Team fame, but then was finally examined by a veterinarian. She had just had a treat of several bananas when we saw here, and she is somewhat of a messy eater. We also saw this crab down by the dock - he was a good enough size for eating, but didn't seem particularly concerned about us. We later did see the only resident songbird on the island, the Pitcairn Reed Warbler, and also saw a Pacific Long-tailed Cuckoo, which is at the very edge of its winter range. Other than that, any non-sea birds that may have been here are long gone with the introduction of animals from the settlers (and that may have been true even after the first Polynesians arrived).

We enjoyed talking with some of the locals, who all have interesting accents, although strangely, not all similar. Wood carving and basket making are two common crafts, and of course there were also T-shirts for sale, too. Before we left the ship, the mayor had come on board to give us a talk about Pitcairn, and they are extremely proud about the Pitcairn Marine Protected Area, which includes the four major islands in the group, and is three and a half times larger than the land area of the United States. Indeed, the water here is extremely clear and clean, and whales are often spotted nearby. The other three main islands are uninhabited, and have lots of nesting areas for sea birds.

We were on the last passenger Zodiac back to the ship, and leaving the harbor had been getting progressively harder as the day went on. Once again, we waited in the swells in the "harbor" until the incoming swells were no longer actively breaking, and then gunned it to get past the opening and two very large swells. From there on, it was just a thrilling ride through 10' waves back to the ship. As it turned out, 121 of the 160+ passengers got onto the island - a large percentage considering the challenges. It was a real success, and it took a determined captain and expedition crew to make it happen.

Tomorrow we are visiting another island in the Pitcairn group - the Ducie Atoll, which as its name suggests, is entirely different. It is a major nesting site for many seabirds, and the plan is for both a Zodiac cruise and a snorkel, but the weather will determine if either is possible.

[dsandrvk]

Monday, September 30 - Tahanea and Fakarava Atolls, French Polynesia

Today was a day that kept getting changed on our schedule, and as a result, we only wound up with a half-day on one island, rather than the original full day or two half-days on previous iterations. We were able to snorkel in the lagoon in Tahanea, but only did a "service call" on Fakarava to drop off our French Polynesia immigration folks. We were told the changes were due to French Polynesia constantly changing their requirements.

Tahanea has a couple of breaks in the atoll, and although the seas were plenty rough outside, once we got through the break (route shown in red), we had a lovely snorkel over sand and scattered coral. As always, there were fish I hadn't seen before along with old friends, and many of the fish were larger than in other places. This atoll is a reserve, and uninhabited, which gives it some protection. We weren't allowed to land, although we saw folks on shore from a nearby catamaran. The water was crystal clear and considerably cooler than we have had previously, and it will only get cooler from here on as we move further east.

Since we were on the first snorkel excursion (7:30 AM - not as bad as one might imagine since sunrise was around 5), we were able to also go out on a Zodiac cruise. The tide was really ripping through the cut in the atoll for both trips, and although there was a second cut we could have used to exit from the lagoon, our driver deemed it too rough to attempt (although our Zodiac passengers, unlike some others, were fine with getting really wet).

The lagoon, like yesterday, was an incredible blue, and we saw lots of birds in the few palm trees on shore, although nothing new. There had been a kayak excursion, but since time was limited, those who participated weren't able to do any other activity, so we opted to do the "double-header" of snorkel and Zodiac.

We left Tahanea and headed to the north around lunch time, and got to Fakarava well before dark, approaching along the east shore. The town and airport are in the lagoon on the northeast corner, which meant we needed to go west along the north shore to the cut and then back east to the town. We could see this strange "pyramid", and only later realized it was a lighthouse, rather than a tower for the "airport". Coming through the cut the tide was pouring out this time, and the lines of demarcation between waves and calm were really obvious. We came back out in the dark and could feel the boat really move when we hit it again on our way to open seas.

The evening entertainment was a performance by our Cruise Director, Lupi, and although we've all seen it several times before, he is so talented and such a delight that we always want to attend. Besides, he is always kidding that he wants to feel like Tom Jones with ladies throwing underwear before his encore, and we had decided to oblige. Because our gang sat up front, I think he knew something was up, but he wasn't quite prepared for the deluge of lingerie we tossed onto the stage. It didn't throw him for long, and the entire audience got a kick out of it, and his encore had even more energy than usual.

When we got back to our room we discovered Nolly had set up a camping scenario for the bears, etc. It was so clever and really looked like they were toasting marshmallows. We did have to move it before bed, however, so that we didn't trip over it in the night.

We now have three sea days ahead of us before we reach Adamstown, Pitcairn Island. I will try to post if something interesting happens, but we are looking forward to some nice weather and cooler temperatures and a lot of trivia.

[dsandrvk]

Monday, September 29 - Anaa, Tuamoto Islands, French Polynesia

We have left the hustle and bustle of the big city (and island) behind and are now in the Tuamoto archipelago to the east of Papeete, which is a large group of atolls. We didn't arrive at our destination until around noon, and it was quickly established that it was going to be too rough to allow snorkeling. Anaa is an enclosed atoll, with no channel into the lagoon, so our ship and Zodiacs had to stay outside, and we had a fairly good swell. They have built a couple of small breakwaters here and a good-sized pier, which made transferring to the island simple.

Anaa is a good deal more prosperous than the small islands in the other countries we have visited. Not only is there the dock, but there are several concrete streets that run through the village here, including one that runs from the dock about 3/4 kilometer to the lagoon. There are a few cars and small trucks here, as well as many bicycles and quite a few e-bikes. "Quell surprise"!

We had hoped to do a little birding on the island, but it was pretty quiet. There was a cultural performance, which we saw just a little part of before wandering away to find more "wild" paths. In addition to the paved roads, there were many dirt tracks and we followed one back to the outside of the atoll, looking (unsuccessfully) for a grotto that fills with rainwater, and birds (also unsuccessfully). We had seen a sign about it, but whatever path may have existed was so overgrown as to be invisible.

Like many of the atolls, the actual island is surrounded by a ring of shallow coral on the outside, which creates a sort of lagoon around the island that partially protects it from waves and tides. However, it is not enough in the case of typhoons, and all these islands are extremely vulnerable to storms. That said, the construction here is sturdier than in previous countries, being primarily concrete.

Atolls are basically the last remnants of volcanoes that have completely eroded away. When the volcano was still above the sea, the coral formed on the outside, and after the volcano was gone, just the coral ring remains. The best snorkeling is usually on the outside, where the coral ring is on the edge of the deep, but that area is also vulnerable to the weather, and that's why after the performance we were only able to swim in the lagoon, which had a shallow, mostly sandy beach and shallows. It also had the most amazing shades of blue. There were several crumbling piers sticking out into the lagoon which offered a vantage point back to the beach.

As usual, we were given beautiful floral necklaces - this time an arrangement on a leaf. We always wish we could bring them back on board, but of course they wouldn't last the night anyway. But they are beautiful and reflect a lot of work. There was also a table set up with lots of different foods to try, and coconuts for coconut water, which was refreshing after our birding excursion.

There is a small runway that we arrived at on one of our walks looking for the grotto - they get one flight a week that brings in supplies, etc. They also receive things by boat, but that may be less frequent. All in all, it is quite idyllic, and the people here were lovely and friendly. It would be nice to stay for a few days, but I fear I would go stir-crazy if I lived here.

Russ and I spent some extra time after swimming wandering around on the dirt roads and enjoying the cooler later afternoon, since we had a fairly late last Zodiac time, and were almost the last ones back on board. Tomorrow we will be at another atoll, but we won't be allowed to land, so this was our last chance to do a proper walk without going around in circles on the deck.

Notes on a few pictures. There are several little vanilla "plantations" here - the shade cloth helps protect the vanilla orchids. The bulldozer was parked by the dock and is used to "plow" the roads when the dead coral is washed ashore. Getting it to the island must have been interesting. We only saw the one church, but there is another smaller village a little way around the island which may have another. We don't have far to go tonight and tomorrow we will have an early morning, so early to bed!

[dsandrvk]

Saturday, September 28 - Papeete

We had our bus tour today, which as usual ran long, although we never seem to have enough time at any one stop. It's the nature of the beast, I guess, as these third party tours try to be all things to everyone and wind up with no one truly satisfied. That said, it was nice to get out of the city and ride halfway around the island. Because Saturday morning is the big shopping time in town, the traffic coming towards us was heavy and pretty much stop and go, and the same heading out of town when we were coming back in the early afternoon. Good timing on our part.

The island of Tahiti is an almost perfect circle with a much smaller circle stuck on it at what would be 5 o'clock on a dial. The main island is Tahiti Nui (big) and the attached smaller part is Tahiti Iti (little). They are connected by a narrow isthmus, and both parts are extremely steep in the middle, so the road runs around the coastline. A third island, Moorea, sits to the west, and the three (actually two) places make up the main part of the Society Islands, one of five groups of islands that make up French Polynesia. The area of French Polynesia is about the same as Europe, if the ocean is included, but the actual total land mass is only about the size of Rhode Island. It is an overseas territory of France, so its citizens carry French passports, although there is some home rule.

Our drive took us from Papeete (at about 11 o'clock on our imaginary dial) to just before the isthmus to Tahiti Iti, and our first stop was a private home and garden that was beautifully designed and maintained. We had great views of "Iti", and the house, gardens and swimming pool would be a nice place to live. We had a little talk about the plants and then were on our way to the next stop - a small botanic garden with a water theme. There was a beautiful waterfall and several ponds with water lilies, and what looked like a nice trail in and up to the top of the waterfall, which we couldn't take because of time constraints. We also stopped at a grotto with a swimming hole beneath - it was pretty, but hardly worth taking time away from other locations.

The last two stops were my favorites. The first was an archeological area with traditional walls and altar, which was restored in 1953. It is "guarded" by two tikis which are not original, but are still evocative. The plaza and stepped wall altar are quite impressive, as the walls are built of stone worked into roundish blocks. The walls are double faced, with rubble in between. There is also terracing on the surrounding hillsides. The whole site is at the end of a dirt road in a residential section, although it backs up to cliffs on all sides.

Our last stop was at the Museum of Tahiti and the Islands, and it is quite stunning. After years in a cramped, non-air-conditioned space, the collection now has a beautiful home, with truly first rate exhibits. It is well laid out, starting with flora and fauna (the latter fairly limited) and works through the Polynesians and their beliefs and traditions, before getting to the influence of the Europeans. There are beautiful artifacts, all well described in French and English and we could have stayed for several hours. There is a lovely courtyard and a exhibit hall for temporary installations which we didn't get to explore. Unfortunately, it was too far from Papeete to return to later, especially with the crazy traffic.

We had a quick late lunch when we got back and then decided to walk a little more around Papeete, but by mid-afternoon Saturday, almost all the shops were closed for the rest of the weekend. It was nice to walk a bit more regardless, since it will be a while before we have the opportunity to do much exercise on dry land.

We returned to our suite to see it bedecked with Happy Birthday stuff, as it is Russ' b-day today. The towel "birthday cake" also lights up, as we discovered after dark. There was also a lovely little cake at dinner, which we all shared and enjoyed. We had a caviar sail-away, and hoped to see the "green flash", but the sun sank into a cloud bank just to the north of Moorea and that was that. We did have a mini-lecture on what causes the phenomenon, but even with the mystery explained, I'd like to see one again. We will be heading east for over two more weeks, so there will be hope on the back deck every night.

Tomorrow we will be at a small inhabited atoll in the afternoon for a performance, some swimming and some snorkeling, and it will be nice to be back in a more rural setting. Today will probably be the last time we see another passenger ship until we dock in Chile. That's a good thing.

[dsandrvk]

Friday, September 27 - Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia

It was changeover day on the ship, so we decided to take advantage of being in Papeete and just wander around. We had thought to maybe take the ferry over to the neighboring island of Moorea, but it was threatening rain, and we also wanted to explore the town here.

After exchanging some money for what one of our friends calls the local "whoopies" (in this case French Polynesian francs), we set off to find the local market, which I had mislocated on my map. After checking out the cathedral and the city hall building, we managed to stumble upon it. A large, two-story that had at one time probably held mostly produce, meat and fish and other such things, it was now packed with folks selling clothing and pareos (sarongs), along with some food specialties and jewelry. There was music and a demonstration of how to wear the pareos for both women and men, along with commentary. As a market, however, there were no real bargains.

From there we moved on to a street that had lots of fabric stores, with tropical prints on cotton, polyester and rayon cloth, and one was more beautiful than the next, and not terribly expensive. Somehow I did find a shop with some really nice cotton prints at extremely good prices and bought several prints to make into shirts.

We then decided to walk along the waterfront to a large park which supposedly had a copy of the Hokulea, which was a double hulled canoe similar to that used by the early Polynesians when they set out for places like Hawaii or Easter Island. Hokulea was built and originally launched in 1975 to use traditional navigation to sail from Hawaii to Tahiti. After a successful voyage she went on to sail to many ports in the Pacific and in 2014 went on a three year circumnavigation of the globe with her sister ship. Unfortunately, the large-scale model has been removed for renovation while the ship, herself, resides in Hawaii.

We did see lots of outrigger racing canoes, as well as a beautiful water garden, and lots of civic artwork, though. At the southern end of the park they were setting up for an evening concert - we were reminded it was Friday night, since on board ship the days seem to blend into each other. We also passed a memorial to those affected by nuclear testing - that's the picture with the three structures.

Back in town, I couldn't resist a couple of signs . The Gobie (Goby) place was a fish restaurant and bar - I was reminded of the Goby and shrimp couple I had seen last week in their symbiotic relationship. And the potato box thing just makes sense!

We were back onboard by mid afternoon and had a late lunch and a lovely soak in a hot tub on the floor above our suite. The expected rain never really materialized and it was actually quite a lovely, although quite warm day. Tomorrow we have a bus excursion to several "undiscovered" places on the island. Of course, if they were truly undiscovered, we wouldn't know about them and certainly wouldn't be visiting them, but that's what sells tours, I guess. Seabourn is including it because we have to stay over another day to clean the hull before Antarctica. I think everyone would have preferred to have kept our original destination of Henderson Island (about a week from now) rather than spend another day in the city, but it wasn't our decision. It will give us a chance to see more of this island, at least. We will then get to see a bit more of French Polynesia before heading east

[dsandrvk]

Wednesday, September 25 - Sea days

We've had a busy three days (yes, three - since we repeated Tuesday, September 24, due to the date line), and it's been a lot of fun. We started off getting up around 5:15 on the morning of September 24 the first, as we off-loaded some Fijian officials in Tonga, and spent about an hour there. It was quite a set of small and one larger Islands and we saw lots of birds flying near the only village we could see. The islands all appeared to have vertical cliffs, and we saw only one area below the village where one could land and get ashore. Later, we saw a few beaches as we went around the main island, but they, too, were cut off from the rest of the island by cliffs. We did see one humpback whale dive just off our starboard side as we left our position. This area also had several whale watching boats out already at 6:30 AM - we have heard that they do "swim with sharks" tours, also. Surprisingly, with only one small village visible (there were others up on top of the island, along with an "airport", we had cellular service. Can we count Tonga as a new country if we have "Welcome to Tonga" as a text from T- Mobile?

We also had another round of "Baggo", which is the Seabourn version of Cornhole. Lupi has made it a bit more interesting by adding as an option getting the bag into the golden trash can, worth 100 points, while the highest on the board is just 40 points. He also sits there with his face exposed while we make our attempts, and deducts 100 points if we hit his face. Best shot was one that bounced off the wall, landed on top of his head and then fell into the trash can.

One afternoon there was a "fun fair" with each department hosting a table with a competition. Some were like "find our current location on a paper chart", but some involved knot tying (the expedition team), or pillowcase stuffing (our housekeepers who had fun switching genders for their participation). The doctor had a body cutout and pictures with puns to put in the right place, such as a picture of a hand reaching and an apple, which was "Adam's apple", and a plate of red beans, which were kidneys. And of course there was beer pong.

In addition to the talks given by our expedition team, today they also presented a small skit about a Polynesian lad wanting to build a canoe, which gave them a chance to explain something in a more humorous and fun way, especially since we have come to know the team so well, and could laugh at their dramatization. I also think they loved putting on Polynesian shirts, rather than their usual work polo shirts. And building a canoe does seem to be quite complex, since everything seems to have to be timed to various full moons. Not something you can do in a week or even a month.

Our bears also visited the bridge during open bridge hours and were drafted into being lookouts. Nothing to see except for the occasional flying fish or Booby.

The last two pictures are of our gang having a more informal dinner with the future cruise consultant, who one couple has known since he was a waiter. The other is a big birthday celebration in the dining room for three of the guys who have September birthdays, including Russ. Since our executive chef is Indian, we arranged an Indian feast, and it was completely over the top! The first picture is just the appetizer round, although it would have been fine as a meal, with three kinds of chicken on the skewers, and spicy noodles, etc. But following that, we had plate after plate of goodness - shrimp and scallops on scallop shells, tagine lamb, tikki marsala chicken, black cod, spicy tofu, cauliflower nuggets and onion patties, naan, chapatis and poppadoms, and some things I'm forgetting. After all this there were three cakes, as well as Indian desserts. This was all last night, and I'm still not hungry. Although we couldn't eat all of it (by a long stretch), we knew it wasn't going to go to waste, since the leftovers were going to be a special treat for the staff. And the whole thing was an incredible treat for us.

We have made some truly wonderful friends on this journey, and all but two of us at the table are continuing on to Chile, but we will miss our Aussie friends. Most of us are on the same trivia team, and we have been very successful because we all have different areas of expertise, but also trust one another. It's been great.

We have one more sea day before we arrive in Papeete, and say goodbye to some and hello to new folks (and crew - we are also losing some of our favorites, but are happy for them to be going home to family or off on an adventure). We still have one more leg ahead of us, and a lot of special, unique places to visit. There will be more when we get to French Polynesia.

[dsandrvk]

Monday, September 23 - Vulaga, Fiji

Today was a much better day in Fiji than our day in Lautoka, as we visited a wonderful limestone atoll with lots of small islands and "mushroom" rocks, in addition to a small village. We were lucky to have the sun come out and turn the water the most incredible shades of blue, turquoise and aquamarine. It reminded us of the karst formations in Raja Ampat, many weeks ago.

We had signed up for kayaking, since although Seabourn had never been to this particular spot, it had looked very promising on Google Earth. We started early, at 7:30, and as soon as we were in the boats we started threading our way through undercut rocks and over barely submerged sand bars. We came upon a small feeding frenzy by Black-naped Terns, and looked for rays in the shallow waters, but couldn't find any of the latter.

The rocks here are quite porous and "moth-eaten", and are stained red in some places by iron deposits. Some are so undercut as to defy gravity - far moreso than Raja Ampat, and there were also lots of sea arches - many that looked like they wouldn't last longer than another year.

We had a nice long paddle because our guides were also exploring and mapping for the future, and also because this was the only kayak trip of the day. We were only supposed to be here half a day, and there was also a village visit and performance scheduled, and possibly also a separate beach swim and snorkel, so we wanted to make the best of the time available.

After the kayak outing ended on a beach, we took a Zodiac to another shore where we could hike 3/4 mile up and over to the village. If we had hurried, we could have made it in time for the performance, but we opted to take our time and bird along the way. By the time we reached the village, we looked around briefly, said "bula" (hello) to a few locals and walked back to take a Zodiac to another small island in the atoll where there was a beach and potential snorkeling locations.

We had been told not to expect much in the way of snorkeling, but we actually found lots of fish, and since we have had several talks on other critters to look for in the underwater world, I found and watched a goby and his "excavating shrimp" show off their symbiotic relationship. I also saw several Picasso Parrotfish of differing sizes, which certainly live up to their name. Every time I get into the water, it seems I see something new.

We still had a little time to walk around our very small island before getting back into the Zodiacs and heading back to the ship for a late lunch. The tide was coming in, and since a lot of it comes through the small channel in the atoll, the waves coming out were at least two meter swells, and we got drenched by the waves. Good thing we were already quite wet!

We were shortly underway, and will now have four sea days ahead of us, since because of the date line, we get to do Tuesday, September 24 twice. Tomorrow morning we will stop briefly in Tonga to offload our local guides from Fiji, but that will be around 5:30 AM, so we'll see how many folks get up for it. Our next real stop will be Papeete on September 27, so I may do an update before then, if something interesting happens.

[dsandrvk]

Saturday, September 21 - Lautoka, Fiji

Our original itinerary had not had a stop in Lautoka, which is on the main island in Fiji, but rather we were supposed to go to a smaller island tomorrow instead. Although it was not really explained to us, we think that we had to get clearance here into Fiji, similar to our changing plans when we had to get clearance into PNG. Here, though, they had large buses and were set up for cruise ship tours, although I suspect many of us would have preferred a more expedition style experience on a smaller island.

We didn't arrive until around 11 AM, as the Island of Vita Levi is surrounded by coral reefs, and even with a pilot aboard, it took a long time to wind our way along the shore to the northwest corner of the island. Before we entered into the lagoon surrounding the island, we were treated to dolphins off the bow again, surfing the bow wave for about fifteen minutes until they got bored and pulled away. Our weather was also outstanding, with temperatures in the high 70's, lots of sunshine, and moderate to low humidity - like our last stop in Bougainville, we seem to have left the oppressiveness of the tropics behind.

Because of the change in venue, there was an included tour of several spots on this end of the island, and most folks on the ship opted for it. Our first stop was a traditional village where there was a kava ceremony and singing and dancing (yes, once again). The performers were quite good, and did seem to be enjoying themselves - more than in some of the places we have been. When they asked who wanted to try the kava, very few people were interested, but Russ and I both tried it, and it wasn't that bad - sort of like milky dishwater. Kava is made from the crushed root of the yagona plant, mixed with water, and is a mild narcotic, although I couldn't really tell, and has a ritual to accepting and drinking it.

We had just a little time to mix with the locals after the performance before being whisked off to our next stop, which was the Garden of the Sleeping Giant. This is a lovely garden featuring over 2000 varieties of orchids, although of course only some are in bloom at any given time. The garden was originally privately owned by Raymond Burr who lived in Fiji part time for many years, and was responsible for breeding and developing around 1500 new orchid varieties. Naturally, I could have spent all day here, but all too soon we had to move on.

From here we drove down to Nadi, which since it is near where all the major hotels are located, is a tourist shopping area. Here we also had time to "shop" at a "souvenir and handicrafts" store before meeting back at our bus. Many of us went rogue, exploring the local supermarket, pharmacy and other non-tourist venues to see more of the local color. The tour was obviously designed for the more typical cruise ships and not for our expedition ship and our interests.

The drive back took us past many more modern areas, where there were restaurants and nightclubs - once again, I had the feeling that most are for the tourist trade. There were more traditional buildings and businesses nearer our port area. Fiji is definitely more prosperous than the other countries we have visited, but there is still a lot of poverty. Because it is built on a village system, the villages that own land where resorts or hotels have been built have some income, since all non-villagers have to lease property, rather than buy it. The villages that don't have such desirable land have to turn to agriculture leases for crops such as sugar cane, which is a big business here. And the villages on some of the smaller islands lease out fishing rights, mostly to the Chinese.

As a result of the sugar cane, there are fires everywhere as it is easier to harvest after burning, and everywhere we went it was smoky. As a result, although there are some pretty impressive mountains, it was hard to actually see them, including the "Sleeping Giant", shown in my last photo. The water here is crystal clear, however, and on our way in towards port we were actually able to see the ship stabilizers, well below the surface of the water. On the edges of the reef are many small islands, many with small day resorts for fishing or snorkeling, all leased from some village, no doubt. Fiji has become an alternative to Hawaii for many, especially Australians. But the tourism here is more of what I would call "industrial", in that it relies on huge hotels and resorts, rather than local accommodations or lifestyle.

We will experience a different side of Fiji in two days when we visit a smaller atoll island and I hope it is more what I was expecting of Fiji. We have a sea day tomorrow, since it was too far to go in one day and we are not leaving port here until around 10 PM. Since we didn't get back from our tour until about 6:30, we were met on the dock with music and a nice cold drink by the whole hospitality crew (housekeepers and restaurant staff, etc.). They are doing their best to make something better out of a fairly mundane port visit.