Saturday, January 31, 2009
Cabo, Los Angeles to Honolulu
Cabo San Lucas was so beautiful! We saw the famous rock formation “los arcos” which can be seen as you enter the bay. This is one of the best fishing regions in the world: there are over 800 varieties of fish and Cabo is often called “marlin alley.”
What a hectic but wonderful day in Los Angeles! My son Paul and his wife Denise picked me up at the pier in Long Beach where we were docked for the day and rushed me home to pick up another suitcase and check my mail! We returned to the ms Rotterdam where they were guests of Holland America. We took them on a tour of the ship and our “digs” for the next 4 months, followed by lunch on the Lido deck overlooking Long Beach harbor. It was so sad to say goodbye.
After 4 days at sea and 3000 miles at approximately 18-20 miles per hour (16-18 knots) we arrived in Hilo, Hawaii where we all made a mad dash to the local Walmart to replenish personal supplies. The next day was spent in Honolulu.
The things you see at the Honolulu Costco parking lot!
Hawaii was settled by the Polynesians thousands of years ago and entered the Union as our 50th state in 1959. There are 8 main islands, covering 11,000 square miles and a population of over one million. The state flower is the hibiscus. We learned that the most dangerous enemy of the rainforest in Hawaii is the feral pig. It destroys the natural flora & fauna as well as rainforest and domestic animals. Hundreds of years ago the Polynesians brought in small domestic pigs and much later they crossed with the European boar and produced a wild pig which has no natural predators. Today they are hunted by forest rangers with dogs and shot on the spot.
My sister Svata & I were fortunate to find a free internet café at the Bikini Cantina overlooking Honolulu Bay so we caught up on news from home. The internet connections from the ship are erratic, unpredictable and very expensive so be patient with me. It may take me days to reply to you.
We are now in the 7th of 8 days at sea and are due to dock in Luganville, Vanuatu in the South Pacific on Tuesday, Feb. 3rd and will have covered 3000 miles from Honolulu. That will make a total of 6000 miles we have sailed from Los Angeles.
Ship facts: The ms Rotterdam (ms = motor ship; ss = steamship; sts = steam/turbine ship) was built in 1997. Length: 780 feet; 62,000 tons; passenger capacity 1300, crew 590; registry: Netherlands. 150,000 gallons of potable water is produced daily from sea water.
Life at sea on the ms Rotterdam is very busy. There are so many things to do, choices to make. It’s something like going to camp! Daily activities include exercise classes, lectures on destination ports, eating, art & music appreciation classes, swimming, sunbathing, eating, flower arranging, (did you know that cut flowers will last longer if you add I tablespoon bleach & fresh water every 2 days) cooking classes, eating, making towel creatures, arts and crafts (“Mommy, look at the pin-cushion I made in class today!”) and more eating. We even have to dress up for formal night dinner once a week! Our latest formal was last night, the Black & White Ball which was spectacular.
We are fortunate to have celebrity guest chef Mr. Recipe Aaron Isaacson on board to teach us how to make crab crostini, spaghetti arrabbiata, vanilla lobster with bowtie pasta, insalata caprese and much, much more. He has also given us a lecture on spices and where to buy them in the spice markets of Indonesia, Mumbai and Madagascar. (Joy you would have loved this!)
Today, Friday January 30, 2009 at 12 oclock noon, we witnessed a rare phenomenon: we passed the equator which divides the earth into North and South Hemispheres and at the very same time we passed the international date line (180 degrees west). This is known as “the golden line.” Since we crossed the date line on a westerly course, we lost a day! Later in the cruise we will cross it again on an easterly course and we will experience the same day twice! At high noon today the captain made his announcement, gave one long blast of the ship’s horn and we were all treated to a “golden line” toast.
What a hectic but wonderful day in Los Angeles! My son Paul and his wife Denise picked me up at the pier in Long Beach where we were docked for the day and rushed me home to pick up another suitcase and check my mail! We returned to the ms Rotterdam where they were guests of Holland America. We took them on a tour of the ship and our “digs” for the next 4 months, followed by lunch on the Lido deck overlooking Long Beach harbor. It was so sad to say goodbye.
After 4 days at sea and 3000 miles at approximately 18-20 miles per hour (16-18 knots) we arrived in Hilo, Hawaii where we all made a mad dash to the local Walmart to replenish personal supplies. The next day was spent in Honolulu.
The things you see at the Honolulu Costco parking lot!
Hawaii was settled by the Polynesians thousands of years ago and entered the Union as our 50th state in 1959. There are 8 main islands, covering 11,000 square miles and a population of over one million. The state flower is the hibiscus. We learned that the most dangerous enemy of the rainforest in Hawaii is the feral pig. It destroys the natural flora & fauna as well as rainforest and domestic animals. Hundreds of years ago the Polynesians brought in small domestic pigs and much later they crossed with the European boar and produced a wild pig which has no natural predators. Today they are hunted by forest rangers with dogs and shot on the spot.
My sister Svata & I were fortunate to find a free internet café at the Bikini Cantina overlooking Honolulu Bay so we caught up on news from home. The internet connections from the ship are erratic, unpredictable and very expensive so be patient with me. It may take me days to reply to you.
We are now in the 7th of 8 days at sea and are due to dock in Luganville, Vanuatu in the South Pacific on Tuesday, Feb. 3rd and will have covered 3000 miles from Honolulu. That will make a total of 6000 miles we have sailed from Los Angeles.
Ship facts: The ms Rotterdam (ms = motor ship; ss = steamship; sts = steam/turbine ship) was built in 1997. Length: 780 feet; 62,000 tons; passenger capacity 1300, crew 590; registry: Netherlands. 150,000 gallons of potable water is produced daily from sea water.
Life at sea on the ms Rotterdam is very busy. There are so many things to do, choices to make. It’s something like going to camp! Daily activities include exercise classes, lectures on destination ports, eating, art & music appreciation classes, swimming, sunbathing, eating, flower arranging, (did you know that cut flowers will last longer if you add I tablespoon bleach & fresh water every 2 days) cooking classes, eating, making towel creatures, arts and crafts (“Mommy, look at the pin-cushion I made in class today!”) and more eating. We even have to dress up for formal night dinner once a week! Our latest formal was last night, the Black & White Ball which was spectacular.
We are fortunate to have celebrity guest chef Mr. Recipe Aaron Isaacson on board to teach us how to make crab crostini, spaghetti arrabbiata, vanilla lobster with bowtie pasta, insalata caprese and much, much more. He has also given us a lecture on spices and where to buy them in the spice markets of Indonesia, Mumbai and Madagascar. (Joy you would have loved this!)
Today, Friday January 30, 2009 at 12 oclock noon, we witnessed a rare phenomenon: we passed the equator which divides the earth into North and South Hemispheres and at the very same time we passed the international date line (180 degrees west). This is known as “the golden line.” Since we crossed the date line on a westerly course, we lost a day! Later in the cruise we will cross it again on an easterly course and we will experience the same day twice! At high noon today the captain made his announcement, gave one long blast of the ship’s horn and we were all treated to a “golden line” toast.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Hi Everyone!Greetings from the ms Rotterdam somewhere in the Pacific Ocean approaching Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. What a trip this has been! We left Fort Lauderdale, Florida on January 5th and our first port-of-call was Cartagena, Colombia where we searched for the famous emeralds and explored this old city.
Passing through the Panama Canal from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean was so exciting! We entered the canal at Gatun Lake and went through the first of 3 sets of locks, the Gatun Locks, Pedro Miguel and Miraflores. It took 8 hours to travel the 50 mile length of the canal. An unbelievable engineering feat!
Our next stop was Costa Rica. They are very ecologically aware and their rainforests have been well preserved to protect monkeys, raccoons, scarlet macaws, iguanas and crocodiles and thousands of species of birds.
The next port-of-call was Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. We visited the ancient city of Antigua, learned all about coffee on our visit to a plantation. We even got to pick some of the beans! I learned that jade is mined in Guatemala and was discovered here long before the Asian jade.
We relaxed on the beach at Huatulco, Mexico which reminded us of Acapulco’s early beginnings. We toured beautiful Acapulco with its coastline of tall resort hotels and clear blue-green water of the bay.
We enjoyed a wonderful classical piano concert this afternoon and look forward to our stop in Los Angeles on Monday.
The next port-of-call was Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. We visited the ancient city of Antigua, learned all about coffee on our visit to a plantation. We even got to pick some of the beans! I learned that jade is mined in Guatemala and was discovered here long before the Asian jade.
We relaxed on the beach at Huatulco, Mexico which reminded us of Acapulco’s early beginnings. We toured beautiful Acapulco with its coastline of tall resort hotels and clear blue-green water of the bay.
We enjoyed a wonderful classical piano concert this afternoon and look forward to our stop in Los Angeles on Monday.
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