Advertisement
Published: February 16th 2009
Saturday we were in Fiji, our first island which geologically was once part of a continent. The previous ones were formed out of the ocean by volcanoes or coral reefs. Fiji was very hilly and lush and hot. The people are much darker skinned and have crinkley hair compared with the Polynesians of the earlier islands. Mom stayed on the ship, but I decided to go in to the town, Suva. We had been warned that there were a lot of con artists and pick pockets who loved to prey on cruiseship passengers. I took a shuttlebus to the main shopping area where I actually bought some things! (For those who don't know this, I hate to shop.) Fiji is famous for brightly patterned cotton shirts. I ran into another woman from the ship and we walked back together, ignoring the guys who tried to pester us. I think this is another place where you would probably have a wonderful vacation if you went to a resort on an out-island, but you sure wouldn't want to stay in Suva.
Yesterday the housekeeping department installed a very nice medicine cabinet in our bathroom. We had complained the first week of the cruise because we only have one tiny shelf for storage. So we were happy when they arrived with this new cabinet until they placed it on the FLOOR and duct-taped it to the wall. Absolutely worthless! You'd have to kneel on the floor to open it. We love so many things about this ship and cruiseline, but our room is not one of them!
Today we were in Noumea, New Caledonia. Also very hilly and hotter yet. I am getting used to sweating buckets. The ship was tied up in their container port area along with a couple of container ships so we got to see (and hear) how they move those train-car type containers off the ships and on to the pier. Really ugly. Also makes you wonder how long they sit there. Weeks? Months?
Mom and I took the shuttle bus into town. It was hot, hot, hot. Mom tired out quickly, but we did manage to buy nice cotton skirts at a grocery store. There's a first time for everything, I guess. New Caledonians speak French which made it difficult, too. A native group performed alongside the ship before we departed -- dancing and pounding drums.
I think everyone on board is looking forward to arriving in Australia (Brisbane) the day after tomorrow. These South Sea islands are not as civilized as I expected. I know that makes me sound like a horrible traveler, but the unrelenting heat really made visiting them difficult. I have heard that Brisbane has been having temps around 105, but at least there will be air conditioning and, I hope, WiFi access.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.11s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 7; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0783s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Pat Eldred
non-member comment
Just Tuning In
Hi Suzy, I just found your blog address (appropriately tucked into a book) and have been reading your posts from many ports. It sounds as if the trip is going wonderfully well. I'm glad you are seeing so much and also having time to relax and enjoy the ship, the sun, and the sea. You don't need to respond; I just thought I'd let you know I'm keeping up with you on your journey. I wish you continued smooth sailing. Pat Eldred