Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Navigator's office

During the two days we have been at sea Paul has been just about rushed off his feet with work.  He roped me in to design new folder labels in preparation for a new filing system, and standardising the labels.  Perhaps it may be ‘OCD’ but having the same style labels on files looks much nicer.  Ha!  Paul has just discovered that the colour printer has run out of ink so the labels may be printed in black/white until new ink refills are purchased.  Well, at least it’s better than nothing.

It was good to see land again, a nice bright sunny day compared to cool overcast skies that we have had of late.  Down on the pier there was Mexican music playing and there were a few colourful artisan stalls.

Paul was unable to get off the ship at any time during the day so I ended up taking a walk from the harbour to the shopping mall across the road.  There was quite a few staff from the ship in the mall making use of the free wifi to connect with friends and family.  One of them waived at me and pointed out to a nearby seat so I joined the group, checking my whatapp messages and system updates on my phone.  

After that I had a wander around the mall and then walked to Walmart next door (for those of you in England – a bit like the ASDA ‘superstore’, for those of you in South Africa – a bit like a Pick ‘n Pay hypermarket).  Wow!  The place was HUGE inside however I was not impressed.  The shopping isles made no sense and everything was a bit ‘all over the show’.  In order to find things I had to walk through the entire shop.  In the end I gave up.  Whilst in Walmart I also looked for some underwear.  Sizes in Spanish meant nothing to me.  Everything looked enormous – from huge boulder holders to knickers.  There must be some big Mexican mammas around!!  Eventually I found a label that had both English and Spanish (‘S’ and ‘Chico’) so I ended up homing in on labels with ‘chico’ on it.  With not many of them around I had quite a job searching but eventually managed to get 4 pairs of knickers.

I was quite glad to get out of Walmart and made a hasty retreat to the sanctuary of the ship.  On the way back one of the ship’s crew spotted me and kindly kept me company.  The Pilipino crew are really lovely and friendly; and I’m grateful for their kindness.

A couple (Judy & Fred) whom I’ve kept in touch with, since a previous Maasdam cruise, are sailing with the ship again.  I knew they were coming back but was still delighted to see them again.  

Our route to our next destination - Manzanillo, but by sea though!

San Diego, Californa

Today we have been docked in San Diego after quite a day at sea yesterday - rocking and rolling as the sea swell moved the ship around in all directions.  I ended up with a nice headache from it so took a seasick tablet.  What a ‘last day’ to remember for some!  It was quite funny seeing folks walking in a strange manner or clinging onto handrails, a friend or spouse.

The senior nurse (Maxine) from the ship's infirmary and I went ashore to do some much needed shopping.  She picked up bits and bobs from a small 'pharmacy'/grocery shop, and then we went to another shop so that I get some t-shirts. 2 of mine have holes in them, and another one has oil stains from the sunblock which I cannot get out despite washing the t-shirt a couple of times.  Pity ….

After that Maxine and I walked back to the ship and caught a taxi to outside of San Diego to Office Depot (also known as Office World or Office Supplies in other countries) where we picked up 3 chairs for the bridge, 1 for the captain's office and a small corner desk for the infirmary.  It needed 2 taxis to transport the flat-packed lot!  Office Depot couldn't deliver the items to the ship today so it had to all go in a taxi.  Maxine got in the one taxi and I went in the other.  The boxes were offloaded at the cruise terminal and I went to the ship and rang Paul (on their internal phone) to send someone with a trolley to fetch the stuff.  Three cadets rocked up minus a trolley.  I think the ones on the ship were all being used as it is a turnaround port day.  In the end one of the cadets asked a porter to lend us his trolley a few minutes.  The guy was reluctant but relented and we got things through to dock-side and the lads manhandled the boxes off the trolley, along the gangway and onto the ship.  We then took the precious trolley back to the car park.  Finally, for the 3rd and last time for me and 2nd time lucky for the lads, the terminal's security people let us back through yet again but without too much trouble this time, barely blinking when one lad’s steel toed boots set the alarm off again!

In the middle of a short afternoon nap I was rudely awoken to the sound of the emergency alarms. Time for the usual drill for guests, which I have to attend as well.  Groan.

It is supper time now but Paul's not finished on the bridge yet as the ship is heading out to sea now.  A new cruise begins - the "22 Day Panama Canal" cruise.  New places to see and explore.

Route to our next destination:  Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Sea days, heading towards San Diego

Bosun's store

Sunday night we met up with some guests for a meal.  Thanks to Peter and Karen Bodde, Kay Ahlbrandt, Louis and Joy Tuip, and Matthew and Celeste Sena we had a great evening.  They were all very down to earth people with a good sense of humour.  Strangely enough it turned out that they had some dealings with being in the navy or forces – a common thread for them which I didn’t know about when we sent the invitations out.  

Last night the captain and his wife invited us for a meal along with the 1st officer.  Oh dear!  It was kind of him but we were still already full from the previous night’s dinner.  Nevertheless we couldn’t turn him down.  On top of it Paul and organised a farewell ‘do’ for the boson in the boson’s store.  Our dinner with the captain ran a bit over time but we finally made it down to the boson’s store to say hello.  Shame, the staff had not started their meal until Paul arrived but they soon tucked in with great gusto.  Paul had some prawn crackers but unfortunately I couldn’t look at another morsel let alone eat anything more.  The staff was a jolly group and a home-made music video was playing of some of the staff playing as if in a band.  Microphones where paint rollers, guitars were brooms or plastic spades, drums were tins of paint and trays for the cymbals.  The real music came from a dvd as they played their air instruments.  It was very good and it looked as if they were having a great time making the recording during their few hours off.

There have been 2 people quite ill in the infirmary.  Unfortunately the Maasdam has been way too far out to sea for a helicopter evacuation.  Fortunately the people’s conditions have stabilised and being monitored closely.

Tomorrow we arrive in San Diego.

Sea days, heading towards San Diego

Ship's gym

Not much has been happening that I can update you on.  Admittedly I have been sleeping an awful lot – possibly my thyroid function is up the creek.  Occasionally I have gone up to the Crow’s Nest to read, with a nice view of Pacific Ocean as far as the eye can see until the horizon meets up with the sky.  We have been trying our best to exercise a bit each day, whether it be walking on the promenade deck or on the treadmill in the very hot gym.  If our resolve crumbles we then try to go for a swim.  At least it is exercise, if somewhat rather gentle.  I have of late enjoyed swimming after walking because I get so hot.

A new shuffleboard is being painted on the sports deck but unfortunately the lines are skewiff.  Very skewiff.  So they have to be redone.  If paint stripper can’t take the lines off then they will have to be sanded off and then repainted on.  Thank goodness it isn’t hot today otherwise the poor deck hands would be steaming.

Tonight we are meeting up with some guests for a meal.  It should make for a nice mixed evening.  There are a couple from New Zealand, another from the Netherlands and the other couple from somewhere in the US.

Anchored. Taiohae, Nuku Hiva

Today has been a short day arriving at 7am and departing just after 2pm.  The Maasdam dropped her anchor in a bay surrounded by the walls of a former volcano.  It was beautiful …  There was one excursion for the day and once the guests were on their way, off the ship via tenders, the rests of the guests were allowed to go ashore.  It was a slow process due to a heavy swell on the shore, making offloading and loading difficult.  In view of this crew were not allowed shore leave.  I didn’t go ashore and neither did Paul use checking tenders as an excuse to pop to shore.  There was not much happening in the village – it was very small – so guests were going back to the ship as fast as they were getting off!  It is a pity that it was only a short stay.  The islanders offer horse riding, quad-biking, hiking tours, and much more on this beautiful island.

You can see my pictures on facebook via this link:  Taiohae, Nuku Hiva

We have now set sail for San Diego, the last 6 days of this cruise.

Our route back to San Diego from Taiohae, Nuku Hiva.
For us, by ship, it is 6 days sailing. By flying, per google, it is a 22.25 hour flight

Anchored, Avatoru, Rangiroa, French Polynesia. Scuba Diving

A day in paradise again.  Rangiroa is one of the largest coral atolls with one of the main villages being Avatoru.  We dropped anchor ⚓ not too far away in the calm waters surrounded by the coral reef.  Wonderful.

There was a dive for certified divers advertised in the tour brochure but not one for beginners.  So Paul made enquiries with Shore Ex. who in turn kindly spoke to the company concerned and their staff were happy for us to come along.  Although Paul has a licence to dive – he didn’t have his paperwork with him so he opted to do the beginner’s session with me.



We took a tender to the pier where we were met by someone from Top Dive and taken by van 🚗 to their beach office a few kilometers away.  There we were kitted up with a short wetsuit, flippers and masks.  Unfortunately my feet were waaay too small for a pair of flippers I was given – supposedly the next size up from my usual size.  When we got into the rubber duck hard bottomed boat that a smaller pair of flippers was found – the correct size.  Unfortunately they were also too loose so in the end I was given a pair of kiddies ones with an adjustable heel strap.

We sped out into the blue of the lagoon to a small island/sandbank where there were quite a few people snorkeling or diving – a perfect place to see parts of the coral reef.  A guide took 3 guests, who were certified divers, on an underwater tour.  That left me, Paul and his work colleague with a dive trainer and his girlfriend.  The girlfriend went snorkeling in the reef as did Paul and I whilst the dive trainer took Paul’s colleague out for his first ever dive.  I had problems with the facemask I was given – it kept filling up.  In between emptying them I was able to see through the water down onto the reef and see colourful fish 🐠 swimming.  A shoal of fish hid underneath the shadow of our rubber duck!  In the end I ditched the facemask.  I think it was too big for my face.  When the dive trainer and Paul’s colleague got back from their dive Paul and I were kitted out with weights and a tank, and I borrowed the dive trainer’s girlfriend’s facemask which fitted a bit better.  We rolled backwards overboard to get back into the water, and we headed off.  Paul was allowed to dive freely but the instructor held my arm 99% of the time, due to diving regulations.  We saw a parrot fish eating the coral ‘sand’ on the bottom; a couple of times it wallowed in the sand in order to have a good scratch and possibly get rid of algae from its scales.  There were various sea anemones within the coral, some disappearing down coral tubes as they felt a change in water pressure as we swam by.  Paul’s colleague had seen a few sand sharks during his dive but we didn’t see any.  I found being under water so peaceful, a totally different ‘world’.  Our dive came to an end and it was time to head back to shore.  The dive company dropped us directly at the pier from which the ship’s tenders departed.

Paul and I had a bit of a wander around the few stalls that were near the pier and then took a local boat ride/tender ⛵ back to the ship.  Being open air, yet under cover, the local boat/tender was better than taking the ship’s enclosed tender.  The sea breeze was lovely and cool.

After a shower Paul had to get back to work, as did his colleague.  I think it was probably hard for them to get back into working mode after a lovely few hours off the ship.

Leaving the Avatorua, Rangiroa

The ship’s horn has blown to say goodbye to the islanders and the Maasdam is now on its way to the next port of call, Taiohae (Nuku Hiva)🌴, with a day of sailing before we get there.

Route from Rangiora Island to Nuku Hiva Island

 PICTURES

Going back to the ship on a local boat, commissioned to do tendering

Anchored,’Ōpūnohu Bay, Moorea, French Polynesia

It was a clear hot day when we anchored and the tenders were soon up and running within the confines of the bay and the protective coral reef.  Paul had organised for us to on a dive, but unfortunately the starting time was after lunch and the company couldn’t guarantee that we would be back in time for the last tender.  So we decided not to risk it and didn’t go.

I did some catching up on my diary and later on Paul and I went ashore for a bit.  Paul had to inspect a tender so it was a good excuse to take a ride to the island with him, and a good excuse for him to be on land for a bit.  Moorea is such a beautiful island , the people friendly.  There was a small shaded market next to the pier and despite it being a Sunday and Easter the stall owners were making the most of the ship being present to make a few pennies.  Children were jumping off the pier into the small harbour or swimming 🏊 just around the corner from where the tenders docked.  What a wonderful world ….

We took a walk to nearby church ⛪, its walls being of an unusual hexagonal shape.  It was quite pretty inside and well kept.  There was no service in progress so a few guests took the time to sit down for a few minutes in reflective silence.  We walked away from the pier and up to a road which we followed for a bit before turning around and heading back to the shade of the market.  We were steaming in the heat, perspiration streaming down from almost every available pore, but my skin was also starting to fry – I hadn’t put any sunblock on my exposed arms, shoulders and upper chest 😲.  We had a bit of a wander around the market then took a local islander tender, open but shaded boat, back to the ship.  On the way back I realised that I had forgotten to get something so we went with the tender back to shore.  A quick zip around the market again, 2 small purchases made, and we headed back to the ship on the islander tender ⛵ again.

It was good to get back to the ship.  The shock of the cool air-conditioning hit us – we realised how much we take the cool ship for granted.

Tomorrow is another day in paradise.

You can see my photographs on facebook via this link:  ’Ōpūnohu Bay, Moorea, French Polynesia

The Maasdam's route to our next destination:  Avatoru, Rangiroa, French Polynesia

Pape’ete, Tahiti. Excursion: Off the Beaten Track: Tahiti by 4WD

Despite the rain when we arrived in Tahiti, guests were still ready and raring to go ashore to do some exploring.  It was a bit of ‘touch and go’ with some of the tours as it would be pointless going if the rain caused a problem with sightseeing.  I really feel for the shore excursions team if they have to cancel – and deal with the wrath of some not-so-understanding guests.  Fortunately the clouds lifted and things started to look a lot brighter for everyone.

The atae tree

The excursion I was assigned to involved groups of 8 people climbing into the back of 4 large (if I can best describe them) pick-up trucks with a removable wall and roof canvas with seats along each side.  Our guides/drivers took us along Tahiti’s northeast coastline, stopping for a photographic session at One Tree Hill near where Samuel Wallis and James Cook once anchored.  Wallis originally named this hill "Skirmish Hill" because he fired cannonballs here on the Tahitians from his ship. However, Captain Cook renamed it to One Tree Hill because of a lone atae tree  that grew on the top of the hill at the time.

Diadem Mountain

From there we headed into Papeno’o Valley.    It was a very beautiful valley; the surrounding mountain sides carved by centuries of erosion were covered with rich thick green rain forest.  There were also plenty of waterfalls, more so because of the overnight and early morning rain.  We stopped a couple of times to take pictures, either from near the river or higher up the valley.  There were good views of Diadem Mountain as well, a very jagged looking outcrop of steep mountainside which was once the rim of a volcano.

Despite this morning’s early morning rain the muggy heat was almost unbearable at times .  We had hoped to have a swim in the river but unfortunately we couldn’t because the river water was too muddy.  When we got back to the ship after the excursion I headed straight for the shower to cool down.

During our time in the valley some insects had discovered a liking for my freckles and kept pestering me.  I sustained quite a few love bites   which ended up swelling like golf balls and itching tremendously.  My right ankle disappeared, only to make an appearance after I had put an ice cold bottle of water on it when I got back to the ship.  I’ve also taken an antihistamine to help stop me from going up the wall due to the itching.

Methinks I will have an early night.  My bed is calling me already ….  

We are now on our way to 'Ōpūnohu Bay, Moorea, French Polynesia

PHOTOGRAPHS

Ta Pahi Point

Papeno’o Valley

Diadem Mountain