Iwo Jima

February 28, 2008

Yesterday we did a sail by Iwo Jima Island. There are no permanent inhabitants of this island. There are naval and air force installations here. As we were sailing around the island, we had commentary by one of our lecturers. He told us of the heavy shelling and bombing by the US Navy and Air Force followed by the US Marines storming the island to defeat the Japanese during WWII. This was called the bloodiest Pacific battle of WWII. On February 20, 1945 six marines raised a flag on Mt. Suribachi. This is where the famous photo was taken that later was cast into a bronze statue. This event has become the symbol of the US marines who gave their lives in defending their country. We had a ceremony also today for the fallen military as we reached Suribachi mountain peak.

While sailing around the island, we also saw some large whales which were spouting water. This was quite a sight. Also by happenstance, we saw 5 Japanese air fighter planes doing a flyover while we were looking at the island.

We again have been experiencing very rough seas, but we are doing pretty well as we sail towards Kagoshima, Japan.

Chuuk and Guam

February 27, 2008,

On February 22nd we reached the island of Chuuk, formerly called Truk. This was another island that was occupied by the Japanese during WWII. This island, like many neighboring ones, have been frequently hit by severe tropical storms/typhoons, so
The islands are quite devastated and houses dilapidated. Traveling on the island was not the best. At the same time other than some remnants of the war, there was not much to see. It also seems to be an island that is quite poor with no income other than some tourism.

After Chuuk we traveled 2 days at sea, which were good days. On February 25th, we reached Guam. While touring the island we found that it was originally taken over by the Spanish until the Spanish-American war when it came under the jurisdiction of the United States. It was then taken over by the Japanese during WWII. During the war, the US invaded and retook the island. This island shows signs of some prosperity due to US armed forces presence on this island. In its downtown area, there are many beautiful hotels and luxury retail stores. At times we felt as though we were in the US with the ease of making phone calls, currency, and American restaurants and businesses being prevalent. It has become a very popular place for vacationing Japanese. Many advertisements, stores, etc. cater to these tourists.

Last evening we were invited to share in the birthday celebration of one of the passengers with whom we dine. It was a nice party and her husband managed to make it a surprise for her.

Today we are at sea and it again has been a rough one. Both of us needing medication and just taking it easy. Tomorrow we will be in the Iwo Jima area. There have been more lecturers who have enlightened us on WWII events and on the present day Japanese culture.

New Guinea

February 21, 2008

We have learned from a lecturer onboard the ship some of the historical significance of the islands in this area. Rabaul Island of Papua New Guinea was occupied by the Japanese during WWII and was a strategic island they used for their attacks on the Allied forces. There are many ruins left here from the War after the Japanese troupes were devastated by Allied attacks. The Japanese exploited the islands and the natives for decades here. Unfortunately, after the war they have not bothered to help rehabilitate and reconstruct the islands. The natives are just as poor as ever.

The island also has a volcano that still actively emits great amounts of smoke and ash since it erupted in 1994 covering what once was the capital city in layers of ash. The native islanders who now remain seem to not be concerned although the volcano is huffing and puffing every day. The lifestyle here is simple and there are still different tribes who from time to time have disagreements. We were supposed to have a tour of the island that included visiting a tribal village; but due to one of these conflicts, this part of the tour was cancelled. Consequently we were able to only view much of the island from a distance. We did have a great view of the volcano from our stateroom and enjoyed watching it much of the afternoon. Every few minutes the volcano would roar with loud and deep rumbling noise while spewing out a thick and white smoke many meters high.

We will be at sea for two days and then arrive at the island of Chuuk. These sea days have been calm and from time to time we can see other islands as we are headed north.
We are still learning how to play the game of bridge while at sea. We also go to lectures about the islands, people and their cultures. Quite educational. Each night there is an entertainment program. Until this week there was never an entertainer that we knew who it was. Well last night the entertainer was Marty Allen and his wife. We did not know he was still alive!. Age 82. Some of you might recognize his name. He still looks much the same with wild hair that is still black! He was quite entertaining actually and his wife is an excellent singer and straight man for Allen’s comedy act. We also have met lots of fellow travelers, most of whom are from the US, but also from Canada, Australia, UK and France, etc.

Cairns, Australia

February 19, 2008

We stopped in Cairns, Australia today. It is a very tropical region to the northeastern costal part of the country. While here we visited the Barron Falls and the rainforest area. This is the summer and rainy season, hence the waterfall is a very large rushing one of reddish-colored water due to the runoff from the soil and all of the rain. This rainforest is declared one of the world’s heritage sites It was very beautiful and lush with many kinds of trees and birds that we saw as we rode in a cable car that rose over the rainforest for approximately 7 miles. We also learned that there are many snakes, wild pigs, and rats here also, but fortunately did not meet up with any of them. This area also has large sugar cane farms, which is their main export here. Even though we have been to the countryside, we have not seen a single kangaroo, koala bear or croc. We are disappointed, needless to say.

We also saw the base for the flying doctors service of Australia, which services the remote areas. I believe this is the service that one of our friends, Dr. Poppens, may have worked for while he was in Australia. It is still an important service for the people who live in the remote areas.

During the time we were here, it was also the “Sorry Day” for all of Australia. This was the time designated for the Australians to say that they were sorry for the treatment of the Aborigines lost generation. This was designated by the government but is not necessarily very popular with some of the people, because they are afraid of the reparations that may be asked for by the Aborigine people.

Cyclones were sighted on the northwest side of the continent, but we were fortunate to avoid them. Luckily it has remained calm for most of the last 2 days. After enjoying all of the French, Polynesian, Chinese, Italian, and Mexican cuisines, we felt something was missing so today we had a good old-fashioned hamburger with all the fixings and French-fries. They surely did taste good. Tomorrow we will reach some of the islands collectively called Micronesia, specifically Papua New Guinea.

Sydney, Australia

February 15, 2008

On the 13th of February we reached Sydney. We were very fortunate as the ship docked right across from the Opera House. It certainly is as beautiful as we have always seen in photos. The tour that we had chosen for this port was a harbor cruise. It has been said that this is one of the most beautiful harbors in the world and we certainly would agree. In many areas the harbor is lined with multimillion-dollar homes that are built up the steep hillsides. The city is quite large as it has one-fourth of the entire country’s population. After the cruise, we walked into the city and visited many of the interesting shopping arcades, found the Chinatown, and then walked along the harbor near the Opera House. The only problem we had was that we did not have enough time here.

During the next 3 days we will be at sea on our way to Cairns, Australia, we decided to take the classes offered in learning how to play bridge. We have only begun to learn, but we have decided it is a game that requires a lot of concentration, a good memory, and strategy. Well we will have fun trying to learn anyway even if we are not that good.

The weather has improved from rain but we have heard that there may be more cyclones on our way. Well hope we make to Cairns without too much swells.

Auckland

February 12, 2008

We arrived in Auckland at 5 p.m. and went straight to see an ophthalmologist for Tin. The morning of February 9th Tin awoke with a ruptured blood vessel in his left eye. It was not particularly painful but it was the worst one he has ever encountered. He saw the doctor onboard who then told him it would just have to resolve but it would also be a good idea to see an ophthalmologist. To make a long story short, this doctor examined him and determined the same thing and said it would probably take 2-3 weeks for it to resolve. We then had about 2 hours to spend in the city so we took a short taxi ride, had a nice dinner, walked along the wharf area and then returned to the ship. It really was a shame because Auckland appeared to be a very nice city and we would have liked to explore more. Back onboard the ship we saw a performance by a local Maori dance group and learned about their tribal rituals, which include a dance that includes much wide-eye staring and tongue protruding to scare off any intruders. We set back to sea for the next 3 days before reaching Sydney, Australia. These past days have been much smoother sailing.

Papeete, Tahiti

February 1, 2008

Today we were in Papeete, Tahiti. This is a very beautiful island with lush foliage, flowers, and trees. We also saw a beautiful waterfall that came from the top of a mountain. Another part of our tour took us to the home of James Norman Hall who was one of the authors of Mutiny on the Bounty. His daughter is still living and was at the home to give us a tour. Her brother also won 3 Oscars for the movies Mutiny on the Bounty, Sundance Kid, and the Road to Perdition. We were also treated to a Polynesian dance troupe after the tour.

We will be at sea tomorrow on our way to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. We will be there on Sunday but still hope to see the Super Bowl; however, our satellite reception for the TV channels has not been that good. I am hoping the Giants win, while Tin is hoping the Patriots win.

We also have entertainment each evening on the ship. Some better than others, but one of the most interesting acts we have seen is a juggler who is able to solve a Rubik’s cube while juggling it with 2 other objects in less than 5 minutes. The food has also been very good. Tin and I are both trying to exercise but it is still difficult not to gain weight with all the good food.

Hope all of you are fine. We have heard that there has been quite a bit of cold and/or snowy weather. We miss all of you.













February 3, 2008

Today was quite a busy one. We landed at Rarotonga, Cook Islands this morning and took a guided tour around the island. It is quite beautiful with lush foliage. They have many tropical fruits including coconuts and papaya. Part of our tour included picking our own papayas. We then had a demonstration on how they use coconuts for may things besides eating. After this, they served the fresh papaya, coconut milk, and coconut meat. They were all very delicious. A staple on this island is the taro root, which we saw growing. Tin and I both like this food as it is also a staple of the Chinese diet. It is used much like a potato. I bought some jewelry that is made of seashells and has accents of black pearls.

As soon as we returned from the tour, we went to the large lounge onboard the ship to watch the Super Bowl. It was nice to finally get to see some sports after a week of little to no satellite television reception. They decorated the hall with balloons and streamers and made it into a tailgate party with hot dogs, hamburgers, chips and salsa, ete. Pretty good for an English ship! The game was not too exciting, as most of you probably already know, until the 4th quarter. Although we are Packers’ fans, we did root for the Giants, because we like the Manning brothers. (I convinced Tin that rooting for the underdog was more fun.)

We are leaving the Cook Islands today and will be at sea until February 9th when we will arrive in Auckland, New Zealand. Looking for to this as we have heard that it is a beautiful country.
February 8, 2008

Well we have hit our first snag. After leaving Rarotonga, the sea became quite rough due to hurricane Jean that was between Rarotonga and Auckland, New Zealand. Because of this, the ship had to take a longer route to avoid the hurricane. Even with this the swells were as big as 10-12 feet, things were sliding or flying in some cases around the cabin and ship in general. Needless to say Sue was not feeling so good and even Tin who usually is alright had to give in and take some medicine. This detour caused us to lose time of course and as such we will not reach Auckland until the evening of February 9th and all tours had to be cancelled. We are disappointed as we were especially looking forward to seeing New Zealand. In the meantime we also crossed the international date line, so we lost a day. We are now 18 hours ahead of the Eastern time zone. As I write this, it is 3 pm here on the 8th and 9 pm in the Eastern time zone on the 7th. Wish us well as we still have 1 day to go to reach New Zealand.