The Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Days

Pacific Ocean, Fanning Island, and More Pacific Ocean

I. Tuesday is spent at sea on our way to Fanning Island. Marilyn and I sat in the sun by the pool most of the afternoon. Lunch poolside and dinner that evening at La Tratoria, the ship's Italian restaurant.

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II. We arrive early Wednesday. Here is the inlet to the lagoon at Fanning Island--the photo was taken from our balcony.

This place is far too small for our ship to dock, so we went ashore on a tender or in one of our lifeboats. We went ashore on a life boat and returned later to the ship on a tender. This was a moderately interesting place. It's part of the Republic of Kiribati, a country of which until recently I had never heard, and lies only a couple of hundred miles North of the Equator--this is thus the furtherest South Marilyn and I have ever ventured.

Here are Peg, Marilyn, and I waiting to go ashore. I don't know where Cliff was.

We were met by native musicians and dancers--no hula here, just some strange dancing and singing in no known tongue.

   

Peg and I were anxious to send a few postcards from this exotic Pacific locale to family and friends. Thus did we spend two weeks in the "Post Office." Quite an experience. The building in the center is the post office.

Here are Marilyn and Marilyn and I having fun on Fanning Island.

               

And here are Cliff and Peg.

You can see from the signs that Fanning Island is a long way from everywhere.

While here, I went swimming in the lagoon. The water was much colder than I expected--much colder than Caribbean or even the summertime Gulf of Mexico. Marilyn and Peg bought some stuff from native craftsmen, and then it was back to our home-away-from-home, the Norwegian Star. These pictures were made from the tender on the way back to the ship.

       

III. Wednesday night was tepanyaki dinner at the Japanese restaurant, Ginza.

IV. Thursday was another day at sea returning to Hawaii. During the afternoon, Marilyn played Bingo in the Spinnaker Lounge while I sat in the front of the lounge, sipped refreshments, and watched the ocean go by. This room is just above the bridge and provides a nice vantage--I even spotted two whales.

This was one of my favorite rooms on the ship. As mentioned, it is directly above the bridge and you can look through an observation window down into what I suppose you'd call the wheel house, although there is no wheel or other traditional bridge items--no speaker tubes, engine room telegraphs, etc--only computer equipment.

Tonight it was dinner in the Hawaiian restaurant, Endless Summer. A show, more Roger Carr in Gatsby's and then to bed.

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