Tahiti

Murphy’s Law says that if something can go wrong, it will.  Well, today was the day. 

We arrived in Papeete at 8am.  Today was THE day to go to the beach.  I have been to French Polynesia before and have never touched the water, and today was the day.  I am rubbing my hands together and licking my chops, ready to dive into that beautiful aquamarine blue water and lay on the white sand beach. 

The trick was to find a place to go.  So Michael talks to the excursion director, John, and gives him our requirements.  As I mentioned before, there are no public beaches.  John says we should go to the Intercontinental Hotel Resort.  We have to pay $60 per person for beach access, but it includes lunch and a towel.  So we decide to bite the bullet and pay for this.  Hanita and Morrey went with us.

We pay $25 for a taxi ride to the resort, only to find that the charge was $75 per person.  Grumble, grumble – but whatcha gonna do.  I whip out my Visa card and it is denied.  Before we left on the trip, I forgot to call Visa and let them know we would be going out of the country – grrrrr.  Michael then gives them another card (we learned from our last trip to always carry different credit cards and an ATM card – smart, we remembered to do this).  Anyway, the $150 charge was gnawing away at Michael, but he let it go.

The hotel is beautiful.  The pool is beautiful.  The ocean is beautiful.  We get down to the pool cabana to get our towels and ask directions to the beach.  Pool attendant points to a sandy blob in the middle of the pool!  THERE IS NO FREAKIN’ BEACH!!!!!!!!

See sandy blob in middle of pool

Pool in foreground fresh water; pool in background salt water

Beverly, Michael, Hanita, Morrey

There were some sandy areas around the pool, and large lava rocks along the edge.  After much discussion among the four of us, we decided to stay.  The pool we selected was actually salt water and had fish in it.  It was good for snorkeling, so Morrey took off with his gear and carefully climbed over the rocks and got in the water.  By this time, I was roasting, so I decided to get in.  I climbed over the rocks and slid in the water.  It was very pleasant, and very salty.  Michael sat on a chaise being petulant.  I guess the heat got to him, because he finally got in the water.  I got out and noticed blood dripping down my shin.  I cut myself on a rock while getting into the water.  It was a small cut, only about one inch long.

We moved to this spot so we could get in the pool.

This concerned me because a friend of ours (Neil) got cut on a rock in Viet Nam and wound up in the hospital for 3 weeks with a very serious infection that almost cost him his life.  Hanita got one of the pool attendants to come over and put some Betadine (sp) on it.  I hope there were no cooties on that rock.  We finally moved to another area that had easier access to the water.

Everyone now is mellow and we are enjoying ourselves, taking pictures and chatting away.  By this time, several hours had passed and it was time to feed again.  The hotel has a beautiful restaurant, open to the view, with many ceiling fans to move the hot and humid air around.  We ordered our lunch and waited, and waited, and waited.  Finally, I hailed some waiter and complained.  Then another waiter, and finally the manager.  By this time, I had gotten my lunch but Hanita got something she didn’t order.  It was a big mess.  I got so hot sitting there, that I excused myself and went for a dunk in the pool – Hanita joined me.  After wasting time at lunch, which by the way, was very good, we finally left to go check out the “other” pool.

Now, this was more like it.  Apparently, there are no “real” beaches close by on the island of Tahiti.  This infinity pool had sand all around and you walked into a FRESH water pool that HAD SAND ON THE BOTTOM.  That’s right, the bottom of the pool was SAND!  It was like being at the beach.  The edge of the pool went right to the breakwater so you felt like you were in the ocean.  In the background, we could see the island of Moorea and Bali Hai.

See the sandy bottom.  That's a swim up bar in the background.

Standing against the backwall of the infinity pool

Hotel Rooms

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Hanita and Morrey

Moorea and Bali Hai in the background

It was time to head back to the ship.  We all agreed that the day started out rough, lunch was a mess, but in the end we all had a great time.

Rangiroa

Yesterday, the captain announced that he had never sailed to Rangiroa, but he was confident that he could find it!  Ha ha ha, he is really a funny guy.  Well, we did find it and the weather conditions were such that we actually were able to enter the lagoon to anchor.  To enter Rangiroa's interior lagoon, you sail through one of two main passes.  I understand from the excursion people, that this can be tricky to do; all the conditions have to be right or it’s a no go.

Passage out of the lagoon and into open ocean

So here we are, on Rangiroa, an atoll located 220 miles northeast of Tahiti, in the Tuamotu Archipelago.  From the air, the atoll - the second largest in the world - seems to be a giant pearl necklace laid upon the water.  More than 415 motus (tiny coral islands) surround this atoll, each no more than three feet in elevation, encircling an interior lagoon -- a lagoon so vast that the entire island of Tahiti could comfortably fit within it.  With fewer than 3,000 citizens, sleepy Rangiroa is perhaps what you've always imagined as a tropical island hideaway, complete with a pink-sand beach and a spectacular blue lagoon.

Rangiroa is a paradise for divers and snorkelers who will thrill at the sight of sea turtles, bottlenose dolphins, hammerhead sharks, manta rays and stingrays.  Some of the guests did either a snorkel or glass bottom boat excursion and told of the many beautiful fish, sharks and eels they saw. 

So what is the big attraction here besides diving and snorkeling?  PEARLS – BLACK PEARLS.  There was an excursion to the pearl factory and I did not go because these are usually places to get you to buy.  I understand from one person who went, that they demonstrated and actually showed how the oyster was seeded and how they extracted the pearl when done (after 2 years).  I would like to have seen this.  Besides tourism and fishing, this is the big industry on the island.  Here is the process of making a black pearl:

“The breeding of pearl oysters in the lagoon can produce black pearls. In fact, black pearls (meaning the marine cultured pearls produced from the black lip pearl oyster shell, Pinctada margaritifera) are abundant in the atolls of French Polynesia. These pearls, which have a wide range of natural colors, from white to dark and all kind of grey, are the only cultured pearls in the world with so many different natural colors as the famous green rose peacock.

The technique to produce marine cultured pearls was developed in Japan and, except some minor details, is similar in French Polynesia. A mother of pearl bead is inserted in the animal together with a piece of tissue (mantle) taken from another pearl oyster. The piece of tissue, as a graft tissue, will develop quickly and will form a skin around the bead and then will deposit mother of pearl on the surface of the bead. Bead rejection is important and concern about 30% of the seeded shells, mainly because the graft tissue is not enough close to the bead. Even with perfectly round beads, only 20% of the pearls will be perfectly round at the harvest, about 2 years after the seeding.

Pearl farming is done in more than 30 atolls of French Polynesia and is the main activity for numerous families in the Tuamotus Archipeligo. In Rangiroa, a few farms exploited about 1,000 acres (4.0 km²) of water surface in the lagoon loan by the Tahitian government. The biggest farm, Gauguin's Pearl employed more than 50 local workers, with a strong impact on the economy of this 2,000 inhabitants atoll. A school dedicated to the pearl farming techniques and a research center on pearl oysters are also implanted on the atoll of Rangiroa, which make it a kind of pearl center for this industry.”

Like many atolls, there is no running or fresh water; each household must retrieve and store rainwater in tanks.  There is only one main road and you can ride it in one half hour by bicycle.  That’s about all I know about Rangiroa living.

So now that the geography lesson is over, what did we do today?  Since we had no plans, we checked with the destination people to find out what to do – perhaps there was a nice beach we could go to.  Nope, the good ones are privately owned, usually by a resort.  We could see a resort from the ship with nice sand beaches and huts built out over the water.  There are few public beaches, and the one suggested was rather rocky and had no shade.  So that idea was scrubbed.  Well, we are here so we go ashore anyway.  It is hot and humid.  We get to where the tender docked and found a few booths selling trinkets.  AND THAT’S IT.  There was really no town to go to, no taxi to hire.  We could see the unprotected side of the atoll, so I put up my umbrella for portable shade (which I could have sold many times over) and off we walked down the main road. 

We passed a “grocery” store that was clean, but not well stocked (everything has to be imported except fish and coconuts).  There was a slight breeze but it didn’t take long for both of us to get hot and sweaty.  We passed houses that were rather rundown, yards that were unkempt, and fences made out of coconuts!  Palm trees were loaded with coconuts. There were piles of coconuts everywhere. 

Coconuts growing low to the ground as well as high up in the trees

Coconut fence

 We had no idea what we would see when we got to the ocean side of the atoll.  Being formers boaters, we were delighted to find “overfalls.”  The water was running in and out at the same time, causing six foot waves in the middle of the water.  While watching this phenomenon, we saw dolphins jumping out of the water, executing a perfect 10 high dive in the waves created in the overfall.  It was quite exciting to watch.  People brought towels and wore bathing suits thinking they would swim and beach.  Not this beach.  It was totally composed of coral, and the water was quite wild.  I picked up a few pieces of coral (my souvenir) and we enjoyed watching the water and dolphins. 

Overfall was here; saw dolphins jumping out of water

Coral Beach

There was nowhere else to go, so we headed back to the tender pier.  By this time, sweat was dripping down my face (which NEVER happens) and my clothes were soaking wet.  Even Michael, who rarely sweats was dripping.  At this point, we were both thinking POOL.  And that is exactly what we did when we returned.  Ah, so refreshing.  You know that I have to be HOT, really HOT to get in the pool.  By the way, the pool is filled with filtered seawater. 

Cleaned up after a hot and sweaty day

The evening breeze came up and cooled things down for the sail away party on the pool deck.  Tahitian dancers and singers entertained us as we made our way out of the lagoon and into the open ocean.  We capped the evening off with a fun filled and mentally stimulating dinner outside on the pool deck with the Simpson sisters, Deb and Nan.

Tahitian entertainers

Michael with Nan (left) and Deb (right) 

Nuku Hiva

What and where is Nuku Hiva?  It is part of the Marquesas Island group and is in the middle of exactly nowhere (only 6 of 11 islands are inhabited).  It is 500 miles from its nearest neighbor (the Tuamotu group) and 3,700 miles from the nearest continent (South America).  The TV show, Survivor, was filmed here in season 4.  The island was formed from several volcanoes, and the highest peak rises to 3,888 feet.  This island is noted for its stone relics and tikis. This is a tropical island, but doesn’t really look like one from where we sit anchored in Taiohae Bay.  I think this is a port-of-call because if we didn’t see land soon, people might go crazy and mutiny? 

                                                                   

There is not much to do here, but it is land and we can walk on it.  The scenery is ho hum, but it is nice to see after 10 days of only ocean and sky for scenery.  There were no scheduled excursions, and if you wanted to explore the island, you could hire a local to take you around.  So what did we do here?

We anchored in a well protected bay on the south side of the island.  After a leisurely breakfast, we tendered to shore and were greeting with locals serenading the arriving passengers.  The weather was somewhat overcast and it was a bit humid, so it wasn't too bad for a stroll around the area.   Our plan to go to the beach and swim was dashed due to the overcast weather and the cannibals*, and frankly, because we weren’t sure about where to go.  We did see a beach that was within walking distance, but it didn't look too inviting.  Apparently, there are black sand beaches here, but they are loaded with sand fleas.  I think going back to the ship and sitting by the pool makes more sense.  Anyway, we walked around the principal village on Nuku Hiva, and looked through the craft market; there were beautiful wood carvings, and necklaces and bracelets.  There was nothing I wanted or needed. 

There was a produce market selling the largest fruit I have ever seen.  Bunches of bananas were hung from posts, and the vegetables were mutants, they were so large.  Some items I did not recognize.  Since it was Sunday, most stores were closed.  However, in our stroll around the bay and the village, all we saw was a bank and a small grocery store.  Maybe we saw the whole village and that was that.  We by-passed going up the hill to see a church with carved wood decorations.  We found out too late that this was something worth seeing.  Oh well, next time.  It was getting quite warm, and I was getting overheated.  I don’t do heat and humidity very well.

There were many children, and they seemed curious about us and would wave.  I saw some little girls making small flower bouquets wrapped with ribbon, and I asked if I could take their picture.  Kids are natural hams and they agreed.  I showed them their picture and they really enjoyed seeing it.  The girls in this picture gave me one of the bouquets they were working on.  That is my souvenir -- photos and my words.

There was a troupe of Tahitian singers and entertainers that board the Quest for the trip to Tahiti.  We sat on the pool deck, enjoying the entertainment during sail away. 

I had a foo foo rum drink and I now understand that was a dumb move for me.  I have absolutely NO tolerance for alcohol.  I just want to curl up and take a nap.  Unfortunately, I have to go to dinner at Restaurant 2, the prefix specialty restaurant.  I DO NOT WANT TO EAT ANYMORE FOOD!!!!!!!  Addendum:  I did go to dinner, but only lasted through the first course.  Jan and Fred were gracious hosts and said to go to bed.  Michael gave me a look that I interpreted as:  why on earth did you eat a snack and have a drink earlier when you know how it affects you.  As I write this, I don’t know if what I did eat is going to stay down.  It was a foo foo drink and I was thirsty….. I had no idea that something with a little rum would make me feel sick.

I am going to teach two more iPad classes on the next two consecutive days at sea.  I am OK with doing this.

*Prior to the Europeans arrival, the locals practiced human sacrifices and ritual cannibalism.  They were heavily tattooed to frighten their enemies and fought inter-tribal wars.   I saw one man today who was heavily tattooed, and I suppose the nature of humans hasn’t really changed that much as inter-tribal warfare is still going on around the globe.  I did not see any cannibals.

One funny aside, people waiting in line for the tender kidded me about going to shore to open an iPad stand to give advice to the locals.  Ha ha!

Our 10th Consecutive Day at Sea

I am sitting at the desk, looking out the window of our suite watching the waves roll by.  Tomorrow is a port day at Nuka Hiva, an island in the Marquesas.  Both Michael and I are totally exhausted after 10 straight days of working:  two bridge lessons and a bridge game every day, plus prep and clean up time (this also includes shuffling 24 decks of cards and putting them into the boards – very labor intensive), plus hosting, plus my iPad lectures.  Hanita, the Rabbi’s wife, has been so very helpful; she stays after the game and helps me shuffle the cards (and we get to kibbutz).  I think we are the hardest working non-crew members on the ship. 

I have some miscellaneous thoughts and ramblings to share.  I am constantly being asked if I have a moment to answer iPad questions.  Most people are pretty respectful about it and generally I can answer their questions pretty easily.  Folks are now requesting a photo workshop.  I tell them, let the cruise director know what you want.  I really don’t mind doing it, and I will be ever so grateful when we can move the lectures out of the conference room and into the Grand Salon when we get a VGA connector.  I don’t know what the cruise director has planned for future segments.

I have been able to do FaceTime with Deborah and Isabelle.  I sure do miss that little granddaughter of mine.  I need the connection with my loved ones at home.  That is important to my health and well being.  I have also done FaceTime with friend, Mary Lynn in Port Ludlow and with Carol and Rick, who are staying in our condo in Rancho Mirage.  I enjoy receiving emails from everyone, so continue to write!!  I don’t care if you don’t have anything to say, just keep in contact!

I have been having a lot of trouble sleeping.  I don’t think it has been all the wacky time changes we have experienced over these past two weeks.  I have asked for more padding on the bed and so hopefully this will help reduce the aches and pains I have each morning.  I am struggling with back spasms and a stiff neck, and when I use the stairs, my knees hurt.  These problems, while always there, are not so bad when I am home and can get regular massage to keep me loosened up.  But here on the ship, who can afford to do that every week?  I avoid taking pain medication and muscle relaxants so I don’t dull my mind in case I have to play bridge.  So far, I have only had to play a few times (yippee!).  Michael has had a sore throat, but has recovered. 

  

Yesterday, the crew had a tug-o-war contest between the different departments.  It was loud, noisy and lots of fun.  The captain of the ship is quite the character.  I have never seen a captain jump in the pool fully clothed (see previous post Crossing the Equator), nor dressed in a getup like this one.  I like the socks.  The crew loves these activities as they get to take some time off their regular jobs, and blow off steam and just have fun. 

Bar staff vs. the dining room girls -- girls gave it a good go!  Won 2 out of 3!  (they had a little help)

Our natty captain.  Check out the socks (green = starboard; red = port)

I am really looking forward to not wearing make-up tomorrow, lounging around in the morning until I am ready to go out, and walking on terra firma.  I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow because we want to find a beach to relax on and maybe swim in the turquoise water.  We have been incredibly lucky as the seas have been pretty flat the entire 10 sea days.  I dread to think how awful things could have been if the seas were rough.

Epicurean Delight or How to Bust Your Gut

Not much goes on during regular sea days.  Oh, there are the usual activities like bridge and trivial pursuit. And then there is the food.... And marathon eating. Yesterday was the marketplace lunch, a special event whereby you go one of two directions:  you pile your plate high with delectable morsels or you do the survey first to see what looks good and then pile your plate with delectable morsels.  What to choose?

This event is where we get to walk through the kitchen and stop at different stations offering such fare as sushi, pasta, prime rib and fish entrees.  The salad and bread tables were at least 20 feet long and the center of the dining room held magnificent displays of desserts.  Lobster claws and crab legs filled never ending platters.  There was a white and dark chocolate globe of the world with a diameter of four feet – magnificent!  Waiters came around offering champagne and wine. Waiters also carried your plate to your table; maybe they think the plate is too heavy to carry because of all the food piled on top of it.   Only joking, but I find it uncomfortable to have people do what I can do for myself even though it’s their job. 

No one can eat like this for four months. I find that the size of my portions has stabilized to something resembling a reasonable amount. At dinner, I asked for ONE ravioli and got three.  I only ate 1-1/3 of them. I ask for small portions, but they look at you as if you had offended them somehow. I hate to waste food.  I remember my mother telling me to eat everything on my plate because there were starving children in China (or India). Then when you don't clean your plate, they ask if everything was satisfactory. Yep, satisfactory, BUT WAY TOO MUCH [sigh].

On top of all this, we have to host more dinners.  We will have done it three times this week alone.  Dinner doesn't start until 7:45 pm.  At home, I am usually in my PJs, relaxing with some TV before bed.  Here, we don’t get done with dinner until 9:45 pm or 10 pm, and then it is time for the show (which I rarely go to).  This schedule absolutely does not work for us as we have to start the beginner bridge class at 9 am.  Both of us are tired as we have worked seven straight days with three more to go before we get a break and walk on terra firma.

I had to play bridge today and even scored!  Michael has a sore throat from all the talking he has done, and I think the air conditioning doesn't help the throat.  I found out today that I will be doing iPad classes tomorrow and the next day.  They will be by sign up only as they are going to limit the class size due to the room constraints.  I can’t go anywhere without someone asking me a question or how to fix this or that.  They have even started calling my room requesting help!  I get asked all day when and where is the class going to be held.  What in the world have I unleashed? 

We are out somewhere in the middle of the South Pacific.  There is nothing out there to see.  We are over 1,300 miles from the nearest land.  There are no ships.  There is nothing but our vessel and the sea.  I am so thankful that the seas have been kind to us.  The weather has been on the cool side.  We are out here at the mercy of the elements, surrounded by water and sky. We can hear the swish of the ship as it plows through the ocean.  It is a very lonely feeling; very desolate.  I can only image how the sailors of yesteryear, who sailed into parts unknown, felt the isolation and fear of never seeing land again.  With modern technology, we know exactly where we are, but we are just a small blip in a huge ocean.

Crossing the Equator -- and Party Hardy

Any excuse for a party.  It is crossing the equator day.  As each sailor knows, you are a pollywog until you have answered to King Neptune before you “cross the line.”  You must pay the dues:  you are hazed, then you must kiss the fish, and then you are dunked in the water.  This is a lot of fun with the crowd cheering the pollywog to “kiss the fish.”  The pool had been cleaned and prepared for the messy fun.  King Neptune and his court appeared, and the pollywogs were dragged in to kneel before the court and receive their sentence.

Here is a link to the YouTube video I shot showing our cruise director and captain completing the ceremony.  There is a little surprise at the end of this 1.16 minute video, so I hope you will watch it. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIIjxHS6r9Y

This is our second equator party, and boy are they a lot of fun.  Crew members who have not crossed the line are fair game for the rest of the crew, as well as “volunteer” passengers.  Once you have been initiated and cleansed, you now have the distinction of becoming a shellback. *

The ceremony was held during bridge time.  Before bridge started, Michael took a survey to see if the group would be interested in taking a 15 minute break to watch the activities.  Would you believe that about half groused about doing this!  These bridge players have no sense of fun.  They took the break anyway, and Michael had to round up a few strays who lingered to enjoy the spectacle.  I am glad he had a chance to see at least a few minutes of it as he missed it the first time around. 

King Neptune and  Amphitrite.  Our captain is on the left.

Pollywogs begging for forgiveness

The pollywogs being punished before turning into shellbacks

The pollywogs have to kiss the fish

The cruise director's turn

Well folks, that was the excitement for the past two days.  We are probably the hardest working people on board.  We have another straight seven days of work before we hit our next port of call, Nuka Hiva.  I am besieged with requests for help on iPad problems and people are asking me when the next class is.  I don’t know.  I know there will be another one, but I think they are waiting to get a connector so I can use the Grand Salon so people don’t have to crowd into a tiny room and sit on the floor.  After all, this is Seabourn, and people do not sit on the floor – except for me!!

Both of us are tired.  We had to host a table for 12 at dinner tonight.  Most of them were bridge players.  Michael went to the show, but I came back to write the blog.  There just doesn't seem to be much down time for us right now.  Ten sea days in a row is exhausting; being “on” takes a lot of work.  We have also had five time changes since boarding the ship in Fort Lauderdale, and three in the past five days, and let me say that it really screws up sleep, especially for me, who has a hard time sleeping anyway.

*Here’s a little history of the ceremony: 

In the U.S. Navy, when a ship crosses the equator, a time-honored ceremony takes place. This is a Navy tradition and an event no sailor ever forgets.  With few exceptions, those who have been inducted into the "mysteries of the deep" by Neptunus Rex and his Royal court, count the experience as a highlight of their naval career.  Members of Neptunus Rex's party usually include Davy Jones, Neptune's first assistant, Her Highness Amphitrite, the Royal Scribe, the Royal Doctor, the Royal Dentist,  the Royal Baby, the Royal Navigator, the Royal Chaplain, the Royal Judge, Attorneys, Barbers and other names that suit the party.

Officially recognized by service record entries indicating date, time, latitude and longitude, the crossing of the equator involves elaborate preparation by the "shellbacks" (those who have crossed the equator before) to ensure the "pollywogs" (those who are about to cross the equator for the first time) are properly indoctrinated. This involves grossly concocted food and slime that is smeared or doused all over the pollywogs in the presences of the shellbacks.  All pollywogs, even the Commanding Officer if he has not crossed before, must participate.

A Golden Shellback is one who has crossed the equator at the 180th meridian.

iPad Redux and Let's Party

The day got off to a rocky start -- I could barely get out of bed due to muscle spasms in my back. Oh joy!  Michael had already left for breakfast and to get ready for the day, and I was wondering if I could make it to the bridge lesson today. Being the good trooper that I am, and knowing that staying in bed is the worse thing for a bad back, I downed some muscle relaxant, Advil and put on my pain killing lotion to dull the pain and spasms. There were a couple of really strong spasms that practically brought me to my knees - if I could actually move and get down. If you have never had back spasms, hoo boy, when they hit, all you can do is ride it out until the pain passes and you can unfreeze your frozen-in-position body.  After a while, the meds kicked in and I was able to get ready for the day, and actually arrived at bridge on time!

I did not have to play bridge today so I got some knitting in. I like to sit in comfy reclining lounge chairs on deck 7 located at the stern looking out at nothing but water.  I also needed to rest up a bit and get ready for the second beginner iPad class. 

The iPad class, redux, was held in the too small conference room again.  This time, I got staff to move tables and bring in more chairs, which they ran out of.   I had another full house and people were sitting on the floor. This was another 1-1/2 hour session.  I am becoming quite popular.  They were lined up after the presentation so they could ask me how to fix this and that.  One fellow said I deserved to be moved into the owners suite!  Right on!  They want more lessons, and I told them classes were at the descretion of the cruise director.  I am preparing for the next class, whenever that might be.

Tonight we had a south seas themed party out by the pool deck. The air was pleasantly on the cool side for the tropics with a strong breeze.  The entire pool area and Colonade dining room were decorated with a south seas theme, including a steam belching volcano.  Strings of colorful lights were strung over the pool, and tropical flowers, tiki torches and candles (battery operated one as real candles are dangerous on a ship) lit up the entire deck casting soft shadows over grass covered tables topped with delicious pupus.  The wait staff wore costumes directly out of the movies and sung songs from South Pacific.  It took the crew most of the day to convert deck 8 into a tropical paradise.

Dinner was served in the Colonade restaurant buffet style. OMG, The food was incredible.  Everyone in our party raved about the fish soup.  There was a whole roasted pig, steamed fish wrapped in bamboo, baskets of different breads, exotic fruits -- an amazing selection of different types of foods common to the South Pacific -- all presented in a beautiful and appealing manner.  We sat on the back deck, eating at a candlelit table.  It was quite the romantic spot.

After dinner, we went back out to the pool area for dessert and after dinner drinks.   There was pineapple flambé, truffles, and many different types of pastries.   The band cranked up the music, and there was singing and dancing.  All I can say is this was a memorable night.  Seabourn sure knows how to throw a party.

iPad Madness

We are heading west again toward French Polynesia.  This is the second day of the 10 sea days until we see land again.  The seas have been gentle and the breezes light.  The humidity is starting to rise as we near the equator.

There are plans for a crossing the equator party.  This usually involves dunking someone or a few someones in the pool where King Neptune and the Mrs. hold court.  I am really looking forward to this.  We cross the equator either tomorrow or the next day.  

Michael had a full house for bridge today.  If more people show up, I don’t know where he will put them.   I helped make some new handouts on the computer and didn’t have to play today.

I spent the afternoon cogitating on how to teach the iPad class.  I went down to the room allotted for the session and was not happy with it.  It was set up for the art class, with tables taking up most of the floor space.  My class was to begin at 5pm and the room was full by 4:45pm.  The room was full with about 50 people, and we had to turn away another 50!  The staff brought in some chairs, but even that was not enough.  People were sitting on the floor.  I am quite sure the cruise director had no idea how big this class was going to be.  It seems that the only monitor that has an HDMI cable is located in this room.  At the last minute, they wanted to move the class to the Grand Salon – hoo ha!  I’m moving up in the world.  However, that did not happen as I needed a VGA connector to connect the iPad to the screen in that room, and neither they nor I had one.  I heard that they were going to get one when we arrive in civilization.  I think that means they plan on me teaching quite a few more classes.

So there I am with a room packed with people who want to know how to use their iPads.  I usually limit my beginner classes to 8-10 people so I can help them when they follow along with me.  But I could not do that with 50 people!  So I went to Plan B.  I created some slides on the iPad (gee whiz, I am really good at this device – I impressed myself with what I did).  I mostly lectured and demonstrated what you can do with the iPad.  Then I went on to describe the different settings, and then ended with some snappy emailing photos and manipulating the icons on the home screen.  My 45 minute class lasted 70 minutes and I was asked to do some private lessons.  I have to check with the cruise director (CD) to see what to do about that.  I am repeating this class tomorrow for the folks that couldn’t get in today.

We went out to the Grill for dinner and I was told by many people that they heard the class was great.  People came up to Michael to report the same. This is way good for my ego.  Others told me they couldn’t get into the room and were very disappointed, and told the CD about it.  I have a funny feeling that I am going to be giving multiple classes during each segment of the cruise.

Update on the "dead guy."  The guy is NOT dead; it was just a rumor. We got back to Panama late the night before last and he was removed from the ship and sent to the hospital. He had had a heart attack.  He is doing well.