Lahaina, Maui

Rising gently from the sea, covered in a velvety green blanket, the towering mountains of Lahaina greeted us this beautiful morning.  The Voyager dropped anchor, and we were surrounded by humpback whales cavorting and playing with the whale watching boats.  Seriously, we were having breakfast on the fantail watching as the whales breeched every minute or so!

Lahaina has a notorious past.  Lusty whalers pitted against the Christian missionaries who were determined to save souls.  The town retains much of the flavor of the whaling days, and buildings have been renovated, many which date from the time when it was Hawaii’s capital.  Much of the town has been designated a National Historic Landmark, and new buildings must conform in style to those built before 1920.

We didn’t have any tours scheduled today so this was a good morning to get the laundry done.  Our next six days are sea days and there is no way you are going to get me into the laundry room during this time.  After lunch, we tendered into town and walked from one end to the other.  There are restaurants and souvenir, jewelry and clothing shops along the main drag.  We have been here several times and have seen most of the highlights, most recently as two years ago, so we didn’t feel deprived that we didn’t have a tour.

There was an open air art show in the main plaza, which is famous for its Banyan tree.  We tried to take a picture of this massive tree, but there is no way to do so.  The tree was planted in 1873 to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the first Protestant mission in Lahaina, and is the largest Banyan in the United States and the second largest in the world (India has the largest).  Aerial roots drop vertically from the branches and eventually plant into the ground and form massive additional trunks that supports the tree’s large canopy.  This enormous tree has 16 trunks in addition to the original trunk in the center, and covers an area over one acre!  One Tree!!  I am sorry to go on and on about Banyan trees, but they are just amazing and so unique.

Our captain has a funny little habit:  he leaves before the appointed time.  That is, the ship is due to sail at 5 pm, he leaves at 4:45 pm.  This has happened every single time we have been in port.  Today, the tender had to chase the ship because it had left before the tender could be pulled on board.  This is one ship you better not be late getting back from touring.

I am going into BlackBerry cell phone withdrawal.  Since Verizon eliminated the unlimited data package, it is not cost effective to use our phones for email and web.  I will use the ship’s internet (which is slower than a slug).  I made my last minute phone calls today.  I talk to Deborah almost every day and try to talk to Isabelle (who hardly ever will talk to me on the phone); this is going to be a nail biting time as I am addicted to my phone.  I will miss Facebook, too, as that is how I find out what’s going on with everyone.  I need to stay connected, therefore, I implore all of you to please email with news, gossip, etc. -- any news.  What say you folks in Palm Springs?

We are heading south to Tahiti.  This is where the trip starts getting interesting for me as we have never been to French Polynesia.  We still haven’t hit the beach yet, but I hope that changes when we arrive in Moorea. The captain promised good water the entire 2,700 miles until we arrive.  Keep your fingers crossed he is right!!

This is my best picture of the entire trip.  The parrot was sitting on a perch with his owner nearby, and using a long lens, I snapped the pictures.  It wasn't until after I took the pictures that I saw a sign hanging right next to the birds, "DO NOT TAKE ANY PICTURES."  Oh well......

Honolulu Hawaii

Aloha!  Greetings from paradise.  The sun and warm temperature made for a picture perfect couple of days in the 50^th state’s capital city. 

Honolulu is derived from the native words hono, meanings “a bay”; and lulu meaning “sheltered.”  It is 2,397 miles from San Francisco.  Tourism is the leading industry.  The yellow hibiscus is the state flower.

The island of Oahu is bisected by a mountain range.  The leeward side of the island receives 25" rain, while the windward side receives 170”.  The mountains on the windward (wet) side have vertical cliffs and it is cool and windy; the leeward (dry) mountain side gradually slopes to sea.  The city of Honolulu is running out of buildable room, so you will see huge swaths of the leeward mountains covered with houses.  Three quarters of the state’s population live here on Oahu.

 

The west or windward side is where moon doggie (surfer dudes) ride the gigantic waves.  The ocean water temperature is 76* and the average depth between the islands is between 14,000 and 18,000 feet.

Waikiki is located on the leeward side and this is where all the big resorts and high rises – and shopping -- are located.  Waikiki means “spouting water built on coral reef.”  There are no private beaches; all are open to the public, and houses built on the beach have to provide beach access.

In the many parks and gardens, you will find Indian banyan trees and an assortment of exotic plants and flowers.  There are 120,000 species of trees and plants.  There are mango trees everywhere, and right now they are in season.  I wanted to shout out to the bus driver to stop and let us pick some as the fruit was hanging on decorative trees lining the streets of the business district.  Forgot your lunch and have no money?  Just step outside and pick a mango!


Today, both Michael and I had tours, but we went as guests not as escorts.  It felt weird not having anything to do.  We had a city tour, and stopped at some scenic overlooks for picture taking (wild chickens included), saw Diamond Head, and the National Cemetery in the Punch Bowl crater.  The National Cemetery was beautiful.  Michael’s tour included a stop at the Pearl Harbor memorial.  We had last visited the memorial almost 30 years ago and much has changed.  In fact, most of it was brand new, having been opened only three weeks ago.  The somber and sobering experience one cannot help but take away from here has not changed though.  For those of you who have been here, the oil continues to leak from the Arizona!

 

Regent put on a special BBQ on the pool deck.  The chaise lounges were removed and replaced with dining tables covered with white table cloths and china.  Flags and banners were hung across the deck.  There were five ice carvings, and watermelon was sculpted into pirates, dogs, and owls.  A local band played Hawaiian music and there were hula dancers, too.  Lobster tails were BBQ’d along with the ribs, chicken, and steaks.  There was roast beef, turkey, salads, taco bar, shrimp, crab legs and desserts.  We had dinner with Gerald and Robin, the folks from Boise and had a wonderful time swapping travel and work stories.  Michael got in a few good jokes and ate at least seven and maybe nine lobster tails; we lost count!





Hilo, Hawaii

Land Ho!  Terra Firma!  What a joy to walk in a straight line.

Michael and I both had escort duty on the same tour, different bus.  We were in Hilo two years ago, and it rained.  Today no rain, but no sun either.  Our tour took us to Akaka Falls, the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory, and Nani Mau Gardens.

Hilo is located on the east side of the big Island of Hawaii and is the center of government and commerce for the island.  It is also a very rainy place with lush vegetation – 120” of rain per year, making it the rainiest place in Hawaii.  The west shore only receives about 40” per year, thus the resorts are on the Kona side of the island.  There are 132 islands in the Hawaii archipelago, but there are only eight named ones.  The Big Island is 4,000 square miles and is still growing, courtesy of Kilauea, the youngest of the five volcanoes that make up the Big Island.  Stay tuned to this blog for an exciting narrative about Kilauea.

Not far from Hilo is the Kilauea Volcanoes National Park.  Here you can visit the lava tubes and if lucky, see lava flows.  We didn’t go here on this trip.  Our last visit here was disappointing; we didn’t see Kilauea because of the heavy rain clouds and the VOG – that’s volcanic smoke.

Much of original downtown Hilo was washed away in a tsunami in 1960.  What has survived has been restored to its characteristic 1920’s and 1930’s rustic plantation style.  We drove by Banyan Park where 50 huge banyan trees with their aerial roots dangling from their limbs were planted some 60-70 years ago by visiting celebrities such as Babe Ruth and Amelia Earhart.  By the way, a collection of the dangling roots make up the trunk of the tree. 

There are no more sugar plantations, but you will see wild sugar cane plants in the countryside along the roads.  The last plantation closed in the 1990s due to competition from other countries where the labor was cheaper.  Today, Hawaii produces 60% of the world’s macadamia nuts, and is the only state in the nation that produces coffee, vanilla beans, and cocoa.  Fact:  the macadamia nut shell is the hardest nut shell known to man and Hershey owns Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory.

Everywhere we went, you could see how nature could overtake the entire populated areas.  Everything grows here except for Arctic and Saharan vegetation.  Ninety five percent of all vegetation has been imported, much of it from the sailors of yore who would use the tropical islands as a supply depot to repair their ships, the 1800s version of West Marine.  There were vines and ferns draped from utility lines strung over the street, some with bright flowers and berries. 

The houses all have either tin or metal roofs.  There are two main reasons for this:  it rains a lot and it is a cost effective material; and, it is used as a water collection device.  Most homes are not hooked up to a water supply company so they collect the rain water for irrigation, and cooking and cleaning (after a filtering and purification process).

I always seem to pick up obscure trivia and this is no different.  In the Hawaiian language, beef is called pe pe; appetizers are called pu pu.  Beef appetizers are called pe pe pu pu!  Oh, I crack myself up!

Our first stop was Akaka Falls, an impressive 420 feet high (by contrast Niagara Falls is only 200 feet by really, really wide).  OK, there is no comparison. J  We walked down several sets of stairs and walked about ¼ mile to see the falls.  Poor Michael wound up carrying a lady’s walker back up the many sets of stairs.  What a gentleman!  Yours truly navigated this walk splendidly.

We then took a guided tram ride at the Nuni Mau Gardens and saw some incredible plants and trees.  There was the cannonball tree, the sausage tree, the cocoa tree and many different flowering plants, palms, bamboo and stuff I had never heard of.  And, of course, the orchids, in all colors and sizes.

Our final stop was to the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory.  Free Samples!  Both Michael and I received a gift bag of goodies from our guide – we have already broken into the can of nuts.  I think I’ll save the chocolate covered nuts for another day.

As we were leaving Hilo Bay, we were greeted with gray whales breaching all around the ship.  By the time I got the camera out and opened the veranda door, we had passed them.  Drat, no pictures. 

Here is the exciting narrative I was talking about earlier:  the Captain decided we would skirt the shore of the Big Island and cruise by the lava flow from Kilauea about 9 pm.  After a nice leisurely dinner with a lovely couple from Boise, we went on the pool deck to wait.  The evening air was mild and there was no wind.  The Captain finally comes on the PA and announces that we are abeam of Kilauea.   It is dark and the lights from the ship interfered with visibility, so up to the top most deck to get a good view.  Camera in hand, we spot something red.  The Captain nudged the ship closer to shore and as we closed in you could see a river of molten red lava flowing down to the sea and actually see the steam cloud as it hit the cold ocean water.  Plumes of red hot lava were shooting high up in the air.  We were so close you could almost roast marshmallows from the heat!  Click click went the camera shutter, trying to get a good shot of this thick, viscous goo.  In your wildest dream -- another dud, just like Vesuvius last year in Italy.  So disappointed; the weather did not cooperate and all I am left with is my imagination.

Sea Days to Hawaii

What is it like to be at sea for 4 days?  It is like walking on a rope bridge, like the kind that crosses a gorge.  We have been lucky so far that the seas have been relatively calm.  This is a smaller ship than we are used to and it rides the seas differently than a larger ship does.   Depending on where you are on the ship, it can seem motionless; other places, it pitches, vibrates, and rolls.  Even in bed, your body is in constant motion.  As I mentioned before, our cabin is in the stern on deck 9 – all the way in the back as far as you can go.  It is bumpy, lumpy, vibrates, rattles, squeaks, groans and moans.  For a person who is so in tune with her body as it recovers from major back surgery, the constant motion, even when one is sitting or lying down, it starting to take its toll.  I feel everything now.  My back is very fatigued from the constant adjustment the muscles make to keep the body upright.  Most people do not feel this at all as it is automatic.  I continually look like a drunken sailor as I walk down the halls and at times I feel a little queasy. Michael says I am turning into a wimp.  I try to get back to my cabin whenever I can to lie down and rest.  I am ready for terra firma!

We walk stem to stern several times a day.  The bridge room is on the lowest passenger deck, forward.  It seems as though all our time is spent there as I have had to play every day!  Michael has had excellent reviews on his teaching.  We have had full houses for the classes and games.  There is one lady who needed a partner, but anyone Michael sent her way was rejected.  So he has been playing with her, which is something he does not like to do when he is the Director, although he is enjoying playing.  I actually have to work on this cruise so far!  With so many people, I am filling in for beginner and intermediate lessons as well as playing.  Geesh, I was looking forward to some knitting time.

Our typical sea day goes like this:  get dressed, eat breakfast, work, eat lunch, work, eat dinner, go to the show.  I think we are the hardest working people from the entertainment staff!  People love their bridge.  I try to schedule some fitness time, but that is not working for me.  I went to the gym and met with the trainer to get some fine points on my exercises to strength my back and legs.  For one half hour, she ran me       through some new, refined exercises and I just about got seasick.  I cannot work out inside the gym or on a moving ship.  I walked the top deck where the track is and the movement is such that I am afraid to lose my footing and trip.  So while at sea, I am content to walk from one end of the ship to the other looking like a drunk, which I do several times a day and do some of my exercises while in bed. 

We have not had internet access since the second day at sea.  So if you don’t hear from me that is generally the reason; or else, there is nothing to write about.  The weather is getting warmer and more humid.  The pool is closed and drained because the water sloshes wildly and makes for a water hazard.  I don’t have much to say about the food because I haven’t eaten a real dinner yet.  There was the “famous” Regent block party last night where you meet your neighbors at a cocktail party held in the hallway. 

San Francisco and Sail Away

Yesterday, we made it to San Francisco only 2 ½ hours late.  It took two trolleys to hold all our stuff, and both were piled high.  We previously made a reservation with Super Shuttle and were very pleased with the fast and efficient service.  We had an enjoyable, but bumpy ride into town with some interesting people.  One fellow had never been on a cruise and by the time we reached our hotel, he was ready to sign on.  Maybe we could have a little side business…cruise referrals by Walker. 

By this time we were famished.  Do we eat or rest?   It was so tempting just to lie down and rest my back, which gets “tired” after I have been sitting too long, and then it starts to spasm and ache.  If I lie down and get some of the pressure off the spine, then I feel much better.  I usually lay down two or three times during the day and apply an ice pack.  If I lie down, then the adrenaline stops flowing, I get stiff and poof, the energy is gone; it is so much harder to get going again. 

Not one to let grass grow under my feet (and see paragraph above), off we went to find an Italian restaurant recommended by Leny and Moshe.  The concierge said it wasn’t very far at all.  The next time someone says that to you, I give you permission to laugh in their face.  It was at least 1 ½ miles up hill, both ways and the streets are at crazy angles and must of been laid out by someone who was tripping.  The rain had stopped and the temperature was pleasant for a long walk – and there wasn’t even any wind!  For those who know SF, our hotel is down by Fisherman’s Wharf.  We walked up Columbus Avenue, through North Beach.  We passed one Italian café or bistro after another – we could have been in Italy.  I didn’t realize there were that many Italian names!  We turned right on Kearney (per the concierge) and found ourselves in Chinatown. We had to backtrack and consult Google for the address.  Moshe told us to look for an adult bookshop, which is right next door to Tomasso’s.  It was turn left on Kearney dumb dumb concierge guy.  We had a deliciouso pizza, with biscotti as a chaser.  We cabbed back to the hotel for a well deserved rest, and for Michael, a game of online bridge.

This morning dawned bright and clear.  Michael went to Boudin’s for breakfast treats to bring back to the hotel while I was getting ready for the day.  Oh boy, it was a tough morning.  I ached and hurt and needed some chemical help to get going.  I have been told that recovery for my surgery takes six months to a year, and today I believe it.  The laundry, flu, packing, flying, shuttle, walking, etc. has added up.

Kelly took a day off of work to come and play with Mom and Dad.  What a treat for us to have her spend the day with us.  Michael managed to get all of our luggage into her car (minus me) and drop it off at the ship.  We then spent a couple of hours wandering around Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39 in SUNSHINE.  The sea lions, who if you remember took over an entire marina, were barking and sunning themselves and  putting on quite a show for the spectators.  It is amazing to see these behemoths lift themselves out of the water and onto the dock.

Showtime!! On to the Regent Seven Seas Voyager for lunch.  We previously obtained a visitor pass for Kelly so embarkation went fast and smooth.  After lunch, we toured the ship, trying to remember where everything was located.  We last sailed on Voyager to the Baltics in June 2009.  By this time, I am really dragging fanny.  I was not looking forward to unpacking, but if you want to lie down on the bed, you need to unpack.  In fits and spurts, I would alternately unpack, lie down, unpack a few more things.  Then we had to have the mandatory lifeboat drill.  The lifeboat drill on Regent is so civilized; there is no need to bring the life jacket from your room if you don’t want to.  They will provide one for you!  The muster station is in one of the lounges, so there was no need to stand outside on the deck in the elements wearing your bright orange neck wrap. 

The nice comfy bed beckoned me so I snuck out early.  I wish you could see what this looked like:  two suitcases with the tops open, stuff in and on the top, and about 50 wooden hangers dumped in the middle of the bed.  While we were at the lifeboat drill, our room stewardess “dropped” off the extra hangers I requested.  I just pushed things around until I had a little space to curl up on as the exhaustion hit really hard.

A little after 4pm, we sailed out of San Francisco Bay, past the city, under the Golden Gate Bridge, and right smack into the fog.  There were wisps of fog swirling around the bridge while the sun was shining on it.  What a beautiful sight!

Sail away party, not me.  Dinner, not me.  TV, no sound.  TV fixed, room service, and now I am dutifully writing.  The seas are supposed to be mild for the entire four days to Hilo; however, we are in the stern (at the very, very back on deck 9) and there is quite a bit of movement.  The ship is creaking and groaning, a shutter here and there, and I can hear the swish of the ship as she moves through the sea.  While lying in bed, I feel the ship’s vibration – it’s just like “magic fingers!”  (for you youngsters, magic fingers refers to a coin operated hotel bed that causes the bed to vibrate, all for 25 cents). Michael was down on the lower decks and said he didn’t feel anything.  If you ever get to choose your room on a ship, get one that is midships on a lower deck.

Our room is the same kind that we had on the Baltic cruise.  Very roomy and pleasant, with a veranda and walk-in closet.

Late at the Gate

As only the Walker’s can do, we packed like we were moving.  I don’t know how this happens every time?!  Since we are flying United, where Michael has lifetime premier executive privileges, we could take three suitcases at 70 pounds and two at 50 pounds.  It’s Parkinson’s Law:  the amount of stuff expands to fill the weight available in the suitcases.

I don’t think Bud imagined, when he picked us up this morning, that his “big” car would hold all the suitcases and people.  Somehow Michael got everything in even if that meant he had to put his briefcase under his feet.  We even had room for one bag of last minute garbage!

We get to the airport early.  No rushing, have a leisurely breakfast.  After going through security without a hitch (Palm Springs has got to have the friendliest TSA people I have ever encountered), we find that the flight to San Francisco has been delayed.  And delayed.  And delayed again due to thick fog in San Fran. 

It is a good thing we are going in a day early.  Regent wanted to book us on the same flight except for a day later (the day of ship departure).  If we were going straight to the ship today, I doubt we would make it.  We will have a comfortable evening and not have to worry about getting to the ship on time.

Now we wait.

Walker’s Always Start Things off the Hard Way

Yep, our pre-cruise getting ready week started off with a bang -- my flu, a caput heat-pump, and a hacked email account. 

We had dinner on Saturday night with Leny and Moshe, our friends from the Adventures on the Other Side of the World cruise.  After a pleasant evening, we returned home and I got everything set up to do the laundry first thing Sunday morning.  Knowing me, you know there is a story attached to this:  around 10:30pm it started – violent vomiting along with, well you know the rest.  I didn’t know which end to face the toilet.  At one point I was on the pot with a bucket under my chin.  I tried really hard not to hurt my back as the spasms racked my body.  Then the sweats and chills started.  By 6:30am there was nothing left.  I braved some ice chips and thought OK, it’s over.  It was only food poisoning.  By 2pm I was shivering, and had a temperature and headache.  Oh no, it can’t be – I had my flu shot.  I, thankfully, only had the 24-hour variety. 

On Monday, we got a call from Anne, our housekeeper in Port Ludlow, that the red light on the thermostat was blinking.  That meant the heat pump was not working and that the auxiliary furnace was.  We thought the problem had been fixed (we did this just before leaving for the desert).  Can you see the $$$$$$$ just floating away from our hands to PSE.  After much consulting, phone calls, and an assessment of the situation, the heating contractor pronounced the unit dead.  What do we want to do?  Michael did an analysis of the $$$$$$ and decided we needed to replace the heat pump now.  More phone calls, signed contracts and a deposit sent, we left the repair process in our son-in-law Alan’s capable hands.  Can you picture Mr. Anal Retentive at this point?  A hair pulling experience for him.

To add insult to injury for Mr. A R, someone hacked into his email account and started sending spam to everyone in his address book.  It took a few days to track down a solution.  He spent the better part of Wednesday (the day before we left!) changing passwords, etc.  A side benefit to all this was that he heard from people he hasn’t talked to in ages!