Day 19, Suva, Viti Levu, Fiji

Today is Canadian Thanksgiving. 

 Today we visited Suva, the capital city of the island of Fiji. Very interesting view of the island. We visited the museum where we saw utensils used during the cannibalism days on the island along with pictures of cooked specimens. Nasty. But history is history. We also saw some pretty local birdlife and plants.

Last night, we heard the dulcimer played by a gentleman from China. What a masterful performance.

We have stopped gambling in the casino because the machines don't pay anything to anybody. Carnival Ships casinos pay-off better. The internet is extremely slow like we have found on other ships.

Tomorrow we have a quiet day on the island of Dravuni where we will spend the day on the beach.

Crossing the International Date Line

Last night we crossed the ID Line. We went from Friday Oct 8^th to Sunday Oct 10^th. Interesting phenomenon.

Today we were invited to a luncheon hosted by the Captain. Good food and gifts. Later in the afternoon we attended a champagne and hors d'oeuvres toast hosted by the Captain, as well. It's a first – today Roakie got blitzed with his new friend Maria Consuela from Alaska. It's a long story.

Tomorrow we spend the day in Suva Fiji. The next day we go to a small island – Dravuni Island Fiji.

Pago Pago (pronounced Pango Pango)

Today we had a wonderful 3 hour (4 hour island time) tour of American Samoa. It was a very special adventure. Our tour guide David, was a little light in the sandals but he provided us with a unique view of the myths and culture of Samoans.

We stopped at a number of nature venues and also visited the official mansion of the prior Governor of the Island and the local art gallery/museum. The orchid paintings were phenomenal. We also saw spathiglottis growing naturally. What a special treat for any orchid enthusiast. Tomorrow we have another day at sea and then Fiji.

Roak mentioned that we save the tops from cans and now 3 bars are saving them for us. We expect that when we get off the ship in another 2 weeks we will have quite a collection all going to Taylor. TTYL.

Day of the Pollywogs (crossing the equator for the first time by sea)

Satellite connection disrupted for 3 days.

What a strange event. About 50 of the ships crew and their children travelling with them were initiated by King Neptune. Their short comings were announced to the assembled crowd of about 1,000 people on deck and then the initiation began.

They were all forced to either kiss, bite, or lick a large 100# Opa that had been mounted in a block of ice. Then they were forced to pass through a gauntlet where fellow crew plastered them with cooked spaghetti and mush coloured yellow, pink and blue. Then they were forced to go before the Captain who ruled that they either jumped into the pool or were made to sit in the sun where the mess caked and dried on their bodies. It was quite the experience.

Roak shared that when he was three his parents took him from Batavia (Jakarta) to Amsterdam and he crossed the equator and was taken to the pollywog ceremony. During his initiation he was handed to King Neptune and Roak bit him.

What a strange event. About 50 of the ships crew and their children travelling with them were initiated by King Neptune. Their short comings were announced to the assembled crowd of about 1,000 people on deck and then the initiation began.

They were all forced to either kiss, bite, or lick a large 100# Opa that had been mounted in a block of ice. Then they were forced to pass through a gauntlet where fellow crew plastered them with cooked spaghetti and mush coloured yellow, pink and blue. Then they were forced to go before the Captain who ruled that they either jumped into the pool or were made to sit in the sun where the mess caked and dried on their bodies. It was quite the experience.

Roak shared that when he was three his parents took him from Batavia (Jakarta) to Amsterdam and he crossed the equator and was taken to the pollywog ceremony. During his initiation he was handed to King Neptune and Roak bit him.

At Sea

Hints: When applying eye drops or contact lenses, consider sitting on a chair, bed or stool rather than standing while the ship is moving to and fro.

Tomorrow we cross the equator; King Neptune-Chief of the Water deities, comes onboard and novice crew (gollywogs) are inducted by Neptune into his realm.

Helpful hint - Dining

We will be at sea for the next 5 days on the way to Samoa.  So we thought that we would share some hints with you over the next few days. 

Dinner Seating:

In the past we have selected assigned seating. As many of you know, on one occasion we had the misfortune to be seated at a table with Lady and Lord McDud. She was a Lady and he was a Dud. Into the cruise, we requested to be moved to another table away from the odious Lord McDud.

On this cruise we chose open seating and we have met a fabulous array of different dinner companions and on occasion we have eaten at a table just for two.

So our advice: Chose Open Seating-It is the only way to go.

Don't be fooled by first impressions!

A magical day in Kona!!

The ship dropped anchor at Kona early in the morning. We tendered to the port. The sea was a little rough but nothing too intimidating. We toured a Seahorse farm. When we arrived at the site, everyone on the bus seemed abit curious and surprised. The venue looked like a group of prefab huts hooked together.

We were given an introduction by a nice young lady and then our guide appeared. A very knowledgeable young male worker guided us through the site. At this site, they have pioneered and achieved the impossible-hatch and raise seahorses in captivity.

Until the work pioneered by this non-profit enterprise, no seahorses had been raised in this manner. This facility has now reduced the harvesting of seahorses, in the wild (provisioning the pet shop industry), from 1 million per year to 25,000 per year.

The longevity of these fish kept in aquariums has gone from one year up to 12 years. Contrary to our first impressions, this venue is a MUST see when you visit Kona. Wait until you see our pictures.

Note for the day: Always travel with rain gear, you never know when you may need it. Sometimes it only rains for a few minutes a day but rain in the tropics isn't like rain at home.

TTYL.