February 9th - Pago Pago and February 12th - Fiji

FEBRUARY 9TH - PAGO PAGO


This morning at 4:30 AM an alarm on our ceiling started flashing and beeping followed by a telephone call with an automated message instructing us to evacuate our stateroom and proceed to our muster station! We were like Dodge'em cars run amok as adrenaline kicked in and we kept crashing into each other as we unproductively ran back and forth around the bed wondering what we should wear (you just never know when black-tie is required) and what we should take with us! Thankfully, we then received a call from the Bridge telling us it must be a malfunctioning smoke alarm and, no, we didn't have to bundle up and head for the lifeboats! But neither could we go back to sleep (visions of Titanic dancing in our heads!) so we started our exploration of Pago Pago in a rather sleep-deprived state. Not too sleepy, though, to pay a visit to the Pago Pago Yacht Club where Chuck acquired a new shirt which you'll see him sporting this summer!

We stopped in a coffee shop (no....no Starbucks here....and we desperately needed a dose of caffeine!) and struck up a conversation with a tuna fisherman. The economy here revolves around tuna....both fishing and canning. The harbor here is deep and well-protected so we were surprised to learn that there are only about five cruise ships coming into the port annually. No wonder there was so much excitement at our arrival with music, dancers and tents set up to sell local crafts.

We checked with several locals about where we should go....and the general consensus seemed to be Tisa's Barefoot Bar down toward the end of the island. We collected our friends, Leo and Reet, hailed a cab and headed for Tisa's. We wondered why many houses along the way had gravestones in the front yards. Our cab driver, Clarence, said it was all "part of the culture". The land is owned communally by family "tribes" and you can do whatever you like with your land, including burying Grandpa outside the living room window! It is believed that the heads of families, or "chiefs", are still watching over those left behind.

We knew when we saw lots of crew members at Tisa's that it was the place to be! Some of our new American friends were celebrating an important birthday and, never ones to miss a good party, we joined right in! Yes indeed!! Life is good here in the South Pacific!! Too soon it came time to shake the sand out of our flip-flops and think about finding a way back to the ship. We got our sunburned bodies out to the road and started looking for a bus or a cab when....Voila! A friendly islander who was heading in our direction offered a ride to as many of us as could squish into his car. How many of us jumped into his car, you ask?? Let me put it this way....we looked like clowns getting out (and getting out....and getting out....) of a little volkswagen at Ringling Brothers Circus!

(Note to self: Organize little bag of "stuff" to be used in event of ship evacuation!)

FEBRUARY 12TH - FIJI

We went to bed last night and it was Sunday. We woke up this morning and it was Tuesday! I know we passed over the International Date Line….but where did Monday go?? There are 12 people on board born on February 11th and Cunard issued apologies to all of them that they wouldn’t have birthdays this year. (Who knew?? All it takes is some creative scheduling each year and we could stay forever young!!)So here we are in Fiji. We opted to forego a beach day on one of the many resort islands (Fiji is comprised of over 300 islands!) and instead went into the town of Lautoka. We were amazed at the Indian influence. (…dot, not feather…) We felt like we were in Little Bombay, complete with a contingent of beggars. Indians are clearly the majority here….almost every shop specialized in saris and other Indian clothing….some being sold right out of stairways and alleys. It was also surprising to see mosques….apparently nearly a quarter of the population follows the teachings of Islam. It was 103 degrees in the shade….not our kind of weather….but we had fun with our new Australian friends, Jo and Greg. And yes….they’re teaching us how to speak Australian! We should be multilingual by the time we get home!

1 Comment:

Sarah said...
I just laughed out loud at work... dot not feather... and I am emailing Summit -- he will be so pleased that was included in your blog! Love you! Sade
March 3, 2008 7:25 AM