Thursday April 7th. 2011

COOKS BAY, MOOREA

Good morning all, 

It's a spectacular morning with the sun creeping over the mountain. We had a great night, no nasty interruptions and slept right through. The ship is anchored at Capt. Cook's bay this time, giving us a different view than from Opunohu Bay where we were on Tuesday. It is where he 1st. set foot on land at this Island, a  very sheltered  narrow bay and ideal for ships of any kind to anchor.

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We have no tours planned for Moorea and Bora Bora and will tender ashore after the tours have departed and do our own thing. Nothing could surpass the tours we took earlier in the week and I can honestly say that the shark and stingray experience would take a lot to beat.

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I was asleep long before Dorothy last night, she said that people were still embarking very late into the night which leads me into a segue and an apology for saying the ship was due to sail at 9pm. This was not true, and if I paid more attention to the Princess Patter, I'd have known that due to flights arriving very late, and the nearness of Moorea the 1st. Port of call on this segment, it presents no problem if flights are delayed.

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We stepped off the tender at the pier and were greeted by another group of Polynesian dancers, backed up by drums and ukuleles. I'm wondering if the hip vibration technique is in the genes. The same jewelry vendors were at the pier in their little huts, all selling the same trinkets, one wonders how they make a living.

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These Islands have the most expensive cost of living, than any we've ever visited, pina coladas were $17 US here. I was talking to a jewelry vendor who turned out to be Australian, married to a local FP. Her husband fishes for a living and she worked at the local Club Med till it closed due to lack of business. She said they barely scratch out a living now and things like shampoo, tooth paste etc. are so expensive, she gets her mum to send over care packages. She loves it here though and finds it a good place to raise her daughter.

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Tonight we met our new dining room table mates. Walker, a retired pilot and his wife Jo from Tampa Florida, and Roy a retired County Sheriff from Los Angeles and his sister Shirley. Conversation flowed so it will be another good cruise. We have the same table and wait staff, both excellent.

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No show for us tonight, the humidity is sapping my strength, and I'm quite happy go up and read. It's easy to tell that this portion is a longer cruise, the age demographic is older and early seating is full even though the ship is not. Dorothy picked up a couple of packages of those plastic bags that you put clothing in and when the air is vacuumed out they squeeze quite flat. Before anyone asks, "did you pack a vacuum" No, we will borrow our cabin steward's :)

Time to get this away

Hasta Manana

Tony