BORA BORA to the Two SAMOAS

Our second day in Bora Bora was also very pleasant.  We rode around the island on the back of a truck and then stopped at a nice beach for a swim.  Bora Bora has a single road that circles the island and everyone lives along that road.  The center of the island rises to 3000 ft., and only a serious mountain climber could scale the peaks.  Nonetheless, it is very beautiful.

After returning to the ship in mid-afternoon we started down a slide into gluttony.  We had kobe burgers at the pool and then a little later attended the Captain’s cocktail party where we washed down hot hors d’oevres with copious champagne.  Then we went for dinner to the Polo Grill where I worked through courses of pork bellies, clam chowder and whole Maine lobster.  Each day I swear that I will do better tomorrow.

On the morning of Feb. 7 we sailed to the island of Raiatea (part of the Society Islands of French Polynesia).  The island looks very lovely but as it was raining we were unable to do any touring.  We had hoped to take a boat up the Faaroa River but because of the rain the current was too strong.  We wandered around the town of Uturoa for a bit while I used up some of my funny money buying not very good French wine.

SEA DAYS:  Between Raiatea and the Samoas there is about 1100 miles of empty water to cross.  In two days we didn’t see a bird, an island or a ship.  Nonetheless the days off touring are very pleasant.  I rise early for some brisk rounds on the walking track.  Then I pick up a latte or a cappuccino for Betty.  This morning she complained, while sipping her coffee on our private deck, that there was too much cream.  The day is partly spent reading/sleeping in the shade by the pool and partly spent attending “enrichment lectures.”  There are four lecturers on the boat and during the two sea days I attended  5 lectures on the history, art, and culture of the islands of the South Seas.  It is almost like being back in university except the lectures are more interesting and there are no exams.  The day before yesterday Betty took in a class on Polynesian cooking.  We usually dress for dinner, listen to a string quartet while I think about the perfect wine for the meal and then after the meal attend a floor show before retiring.  A couple of nights ago I tried to be good and only ordered some fruit and a main course.  However, the woman next to me had the waiter bring me a cheese tray when I refused dessert.  Food has improved on these ships in the past 300 years.  When Magellan sailed through here on his way to the Spice Islands the crew survived on maggots ground into a meal which was mixed with sawdust prior to being marinated in urine.

AMERICAN SAMOA:  Yesterday morning we docked at Pago Pago which is on the largest island of American Samoa.  This is an American Protectorate (somewhat like Puerto Rico).  There are only about 65,000 people on this beautiful island and we spent most of the day taking a tour by private bus, complete with wooden seats.  The culture is very interesting and can best be described as chauvinistic and deeply religious.  There is universal suffrage but only village chiefs can be elected to the legislature and only men can be village chiefs.  The current generation is the first without polygamy. 

There are two main religions on the islands with the largest group being Christians and a much smaller group being Catholics (note the dichotomy).  All around the island rusty and empty oxygen tanks hang from wooden supports.  Each night at 6:00 p.m. these tanks are struck making great noise to announce a general curfew, when everything stops and people pray and sing.  There is a general curfew from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.  Swimming is forbidden on Sundays.  Our tour stopped at noon for a picnic lunch but our guide would not let us eat until we had said Grace.  Women keep their bodies well covered but shorts are o.k. for tourists.  Tourism is just starting here and when a cruise ship docks people from all over the island come to the dock is take pictures of the ship and to look at the strange looking people.  Cruise ships are relatively new and infrequent.  Our guide was a primary teacher who took the day off work to be our guide.  She also took her children out of school to help with tours.

Obesity is rampant so it is a feel good place for overweight people like me.

Last night we sailed for Samoa (formerly called Western Samoa).  This is an independent country with the same language and culture as American Samoa.  However, the two Samoas are separated by many things beyond 50 miles of water.  This includes history.  Whereas Americans have been in charge of American Samoa for a long time, Samoa was ruled by the Germans in the 19^th century and then by New Zealand after WWI.  Also the international date line runs between the two countries. 

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 12:  Nothing to tell about the 11^th.  We crossed the international date line and missed Tuesday altogether.  This morning we took a tour from the Port and travelled around the island, feeding gigantic turtles, seeing a waterfall, swimming in the ocean, etc.  Samoa is larger and has more population than American Samoa; yet it has many of the same customs including the 6:00 and 11:00 p.m. curfews.  On the beach even female tourists cannot wear bikinis.

OCEANIA CRUISELINES:                 We have travelled with different cruiselines and find Oceania to be the best.  They are very concerned with service.  A couple of days ago we got a questionnaire to complete.  Under comments I complained that there were no bargain wines to be purchased.  Two hours later the chief sommelier called me to invite me to a special wine sale which is to take place tomorrow.  Betty’s complaint was even more trivial than mine.  She commented that the shape of the shampoo bottles made it hard for her to squeeze out shampoo from the bottom half of the bottle.  This morning we were visited by the Head Housekeeper who explained that they couldn’t change the shampoo bottles during the cruise but be assured that there will be extra bottles in our room so that Betty only has to use shampoo from the top half.