ALOHA TO HAWAII

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We steamed into Nawiliwili harbor on the island of Kauai and decided to rent a car and tour some of our old haunts. We’ve spent a lot of time on the Garden Isle and it is high on our list of lovely places. We picked up a Hertz jeep and headed south to Poipu Beach. Since Hurricane Iniki in 1992 the entire southern part of Kauai has been basically redone. The apartment we once rented was swept away by a tidal surge from the most destructive storm to ever hit Hawaii. Sheraton’s small beach bungalows, which we loved, have been replaced by a multi story hotel. Brennecke’s Restaurant, a long time favorite hangout for surfers and tourists, survived Iniki . We stopped by Spouting Horn to see the blowholes and were treated to a few geysers. Then we drove down to Waimea Canyon...the Hawaiian version of the Grand Canyon. On the way back to Lihue we stopped at the Waimea Plantation Cottages. We stayed there shortly after they were converted from cabins for the workers at the sugar cane factories. The cottages are decorated with formica furniture and linoleum right out of the 1950s. The cost per night was under $100 for our sugar shack. After an article in Travel and Leisure magazine featured the resort, the prices shot up dramatically. We found a mom and pop Japanese restaurant for lunch in Hanapepe. We then traveled north of Lihue to the funky village of Kapaa. On the way back we got caught up in a traffic jam. That amazed us since it is the off-season right now but the two-lane road circling most of the island just can’t handle the number of cars. Fortunately we were able to return the car and get back to the ship before departure time. Our last port of call was Lahaina, Maui. This old whaling town is filled with historic sites and jewelry stores. Something to suit everyone’s tastes! We went to Bebe (baby) beach and then strolled Front Street before taking our last tender ride of the cruise back to the Sojourn. We had six days of ocean cruising before reaching LA. Again, we were fortunate with the weather during the crossing and Seabourn pulled out all the stops to make it a memorable passage. There were several interesting lectures every day on a variety of topics and stargazing at night. A wonderful classic operatic concert was held outdoors under tropical skies along with an on-deck dance party. There were arts and crafts classes and bridge and galley tours. I celebrated my birthday at sea. After some packing and swimming, we watched the sunset from the hot tub and saw a pretty amazing green flash. We met up with friends Ralf and Anne Vargas for dinner and luckily it was still warm enough to dine outside. Being on a ship is a wonderful way to make your special day extra special. We went to the show featuring Tim Rice music (Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, The Lion King, etc) and then we cut a rug. When we returned to our cabin it was filled with balloons and rose petals and even a bottle of chilled champagne. Kevin penned some wonderful thoughts in a card and then it was off to dreamland. This is the first time we have been on Seabourn since we took the world cruises in 2001 and 2002 on the Seabourn Sun. We were very pleased with this beautiful ship, the great staff and crew and the activities and dining experiences. Restaurateur Thomas Keller of French Laundry fame is Seabourn’s patron chef. Thus many of his recipes and his cooking style are incorporated into the menus on board. There are three indoor dining areas and two al fresco venues. There appeared to be many happy passengers. It was a wonderful, tropical journey to some of the most beautiful islands in the world. A dream cruise! Aloha.

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Photos

WAIMEA PLANTATION COTTAGES
We spent a memorable week in one of these charming cottages that once housed sugar cane workers on Kauai.

WAIMEA CANYON
Kauai's version of the Grand Canyon.

VETERANS DAY
Armistice Day ended WWI in Europe on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month in 1918.

BLOWHOLES ANYONE?
We always seem to capture a few of these on every cruise we're on. This one near Poipu Beach, Kauai.

RICHARD AND KIMMY.
Living the life in Lanai.

IN THE WAKE OF SOJOURN
Our kind of music.

NY NY--A WONDERFUL TOWN
John and Jonathan from the Big Apple renewed old friendships while on the month long voyage.

CAPTAIN TIM's FAREWELL
Stepping out with my gal!

CRUISE DIRECTOR SOPHIE
The lady in red does it all.

KAY ❤️ WILL
Southern Californians who know how to enjoy life and each other. Will is still an avid softball player.

AFT FANTAIL DECK 5
Our "go to" haven on Sojourn where we could escape crowds, music and wind....usually!

CHANTEUSE KATIE FROM UK
Katie channels Amy Winehouse.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUSAN
We love those birthdays at sea!

RABBIT DUDE
Our stewardess Olga created a fantastic setting for Susan's bedtime Birthday celebration.

RED SKY AT NIGHT
Sailor's delight.
Red sky at morning,
Sailors take warning.

TRACEY
Such fun, enthusiasm, energy and smile wrapped up in a very professional lady. One of the best.

FRENCH LAUNDRY MENU
Thomas Keller is the patron chef of Seabourn

RODOLFO
Talented Filipino chef whipped up some special Pork and Chicken Adobe for us. Took us back to our flying days in Manila.

ELAINE AND TAN
Dr Tran and his wife Elaine are avid travelers.
They retired from the medical field of radiology.

MYSTICAL MAUI BY SEA
Warmer temps on the islands attract the clouds.

RALF and ANNE
Col. Ralf Vargas educated us on world affairs while Anne charmed us with intriguing stories.

Comments

[Loretta and Mort Friedman]

Aloha to Hawaii
Love reading about all your adventures. Wishing you both a Happy Thanksgiving.

[Rocky & Wanda]

Happy Birthday Susan
Very enjoyable reading. The Pacific side has never been explored by the Robinson's but in reading, We will make it a point. Captain Tim's farewell photo of both of you is awesome, again, something we need to Arendt ourselves. Thanks for sharing your story and photo's, very enjoyable. Happy Holidays.

[David & Mary Anne Stubenberg]

Another Great Trip!
You guys look great as usual and you hit a lot of our favorite islands. We sailed over to Hawaii in September for family business and along the way, stopped in Lahaina as well as Kona and Hilo. Not nearly as nice a ship as the Sojourn but a good trip anyway. We are currently planning a trip in April, 2019 from Tokyo to Vancouver on Regent. John Dobrosky is planning on joining us along with one of my cousins and another friend. Next year is mostly road trips except for 2 trips to Hawaii for a class reunion in June and then a family reunion in November. Hope we catch up with each other somewhere along the way.

[Kevin and Susan]

Ahoy David and Mary Anne! We always have a good time in the islands. Sounds like you as well. And we like them all, in their own way. Sounds like you have some good cruising ahead of you. Happy Holidays--we're still eating turkey leftovers!

[Rocky & Wanda]

Very enjoyable reading. The Pacific side has never been explored by the Robinson's but in reading, We will make it a point. Captain Tim's farewell photo of both of you is awesome, again, something we need to Arendt ourselves. Thanks for sharing your story and photo's, very enjoyable. Happy Holidays.