Talofa and Bula, Bula

Ahoy Mates!

As we continued our nautical journey through Oceania, Day 20 had us 775 nautical miles from French Polynesia, headed west to American Samoa just 340 miles away. It was another beautiful day at sea for relaxation and some research.

American Samoa or Tutuila Island which is under U.S. sovereignty is a quite striking with its natural beauty. 1,600 nautical miles from Hawaii and 840 miles south of the Equator, the island boasts coral reefs offshore, rainforests, waterfalls and a Star Kist Tuna factory, which is how Nancy Pelosi funds her sartorial spleandor.

The island has a population of about 65,000. Pago Pago ( pronounced Pango Pango), the  capital has 9,000 residents. By the way, Samoa is pronounced “Sam wah”, not “Sam oh ah”. We were told that when pronounced “Sam oh ah”, it is the native word for the ocular discharge also known as “eye oogies”. Now you know!

After docking in Fagatogo, we were greeted by cries of the local greeting, “TALOFA”. We started our walk into town in the 85 degree heat and humidity and thought that taking one of the local brightly painted tour busses was a better idea, even though they lacked air conditioning and padded seats.

Our tour guide was a very pleasant Samoan woman who was also a school teacher. A fairly young woman with six children, she told us that having many children was the norm. . .  her brother, the driver, had 9. They do receive assistance from the U.S. Government, but from what we saw, they live quite modestly yet happily. We were relieved to hear that there has been no evidence of cannibalism for years!

We drove along the coast and visited legendary “Flower Pot Rocks” and learned some of the Samoan way of life where the head of the extended family enjoys great respect.

 

Our tour took us past the Tuna Factory and onward to beach resorts and the famous $2 beach where the entry fee is $5.00 . . . inflation, we were told.

 

It was back to the ship once again we enjoyed the usual pleasures of cruising. . . having a wonderful staff indulge your every whim while eating wonderful food.

Oceania Cruises operates only six ships famous for its voyages around the world on its award-winning mid sized ships offering fine cuisine at sea.

 

The Oceania Insignia was built in 1998 and just refitted just two months ago. Every surface of every stateroom is entirely new and public spaces have a refreshed color palette of soft sea and sky tones with the renewal of all fabrics as part of a sweeping rejuvenation. It is the embodiment of simple elegance. It is 593 feet long with an 84 foot beam, hosting just 684 passengers with a staff of 400, a 1.7 to 1 ratio.

About one half of the passengers are on a World Cruise lasting 180 days and visiting over 100 ports. The cruise originated in New York in early January and will terminate there in July. Robin and I joined the ship for the 33-day Los Angeles to Sydney leg of the trip.  After enjoying the ship for just over 3 weeks and 7,500 nautical miles, I can understand the allure of a World Cruise.

INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE

Day 22 found us at sea having crossed the International Date Line overnight.

The International Date Line is an imaginary line on the Earth’s surface separating one day from the next. The Line is located half way around the world from 0˚ longitude (Greenwich, London, UK).  This is also where Greenwich Time or Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) as it is now known, is established.

Then it gets a bit confusing. When you cross the Line from east to west, as we did, you add a day. Last night we crossed another time zone and the Line, so we set the clocks back one hour and up one day. So we then moved from UTC–11 hrs to UTC-12 hrs to UTC + 12 hrs. In other words, we moved from Tuesday to Thursday and lost Wednesday!! Luckily, we’ll gain it on the way back.

To illustrate, we live on the east coast of the US (EST or UTC -5 hrs.).  Now, approaching Fiji, we are at (UTC + 12 hrs). or 17 hrs. ahead of EST.

When we arrive in New Zealand (UTC + 13 hrs.) we’ll be 18 hrs. ahead of EST.  Alternatively, EST will be 6 hrs ahead, but one day behind. Got it?

Does anybody know what time it really is?

The archipelago of Fiji has 340 islands and we arrived in Suva, Vita Levu the hub of entire island grouping. Suva, the capital and home to the majority of population is a energetic, colorful city with a confluence of ethnicities and cultures.

“Bula” is the traditional Fiji greeting. Armed with our new language skill, we thought it best to indulge ourselves with a trip to the Pearl South Pacific Resort on Pacific Beach, known for its expansive beach and sapphire waters.

We boarded a modern air-conditioned bus for the 1 hour drive and narrated tour to Pacific Beach. After a hearty welcome with a traditional song and festive dance, we enjoying a long beach walk and an invigorating swim was a welcomed change from life in a lounge chair.

After a day at the resort, we returned to the ship and readied ourselves for the three day sail south to New Zealand.  We will arrive in the Bay of Islands in the Northland after logging 1060 miles. We’ll be leaving the warmth of the South Pacific Islands and heading for cooler climes.