Travel The World with Bill & Mary Ann HAL's Grand World Voyage 2007

[zaandam_2]

this is still giving me a good chuckle. i wonder where they would've drawn the line? what if someone wanted to take their piano?

[senator6]

Enjoying hearing from Bill and Marry Ann, but the Lazy Boy story got me thinking does HAL provide free shipping of the luggage back to their home?

[zaandam_2]

bump to fix thread...

[Grumpy1]

Enjoying hearing from Bill and Marry Ann, but the Lazy Boy story got me thinking does HAL provide free shipping of the luggage back to their home?

Yes they do. All verandah cabins received UNLIMITED FREE LUGGAGE DELIVERY SERVICE from your home to the ship and back home. Lower categories received 100 lb free, if I recall correctly, and a price per pound for additional baggage shipped. The baggage service only applies to passengers embarking and disenbarking at Fort Lauderdale or New York

[WCB]

Greetings all! We have been having problems posting on the ship due to internet access problems. We also noticed that CC was shut down for awhile. So here comes a few reports. WCB

 

Report # 6 1-18-07 Thursday Panama Canal Transit

 

Today will be an exciting day as we leave the Caribbean Sea and sail south through the famous Panama Canal and into the Pacific Ocean. This will be our third transit in the last fourteen years, and we know this trip will be just as interesting as the previous ones.

 

In a nutshell, the canal construction was begun by the United States many years after the failed attempts of the French. Despite the devastating obstacles of deadly yellow fever, malaria, and cholera, the canal was opened for service in 1914. The total cost of the canal - 387 million dollars, and the loss of lives - over 6,000. In 1999, the Panamanian government took full authority of the enterprise, keeping operations running smoothly with the help of 9,000 workers.

 

Here is the plan for our transit today. The pilot boarded at 6 am, we entered and exited the Gatun Locks by 9am. We sailed the length of the Gatun Lake past Gamboa at 11:30, then entered and exited the Pedro Miguel Locks at 3 pm. We traversed the Miraflores Locks by 4 pm, passed Balboa and Panama City by 6 pm. In the end, we ran about an hour late, even though we were the second ship to enter the locks. Another Holland ship, the Volendam, was the first ship to start. They only went as far as Gatun Lake, anchored, and tendered passengers ashore. Then they were to exit the same day, but back to the Caribbean.

 

The Amsterdam's newsletter warned " the heat is on"! We had to take extra care to watch the intensity of the sun, wear hats, slather on the sunscreen, and drink lots of water. Heatstroke is a very common occurence here in this part of the world.

 

For the viewing of the Gatun Locks, hundreds of passengers jammed the ships bow and outside decks to watch the giant gates open for us. These gates are 7 feet thick, made of compartments of leaves (huh?), and moved by a 40 horsepower motor. Wow, hard to believe. The ship was then hooked up to four motorized trains, called mules, then dragged into the narrow lock. Each lock chamber is 110 feet wide, and 1000 feet long. Once the rear gate closed, the Amsterdam seemed to be in a large swimming pool. Water, gravity fed from Gatun Lake, rapidly filled the chamber until the ship was equal to the next chamber. The process was completed once more, and the ship was free to sail into Gatun Lake.This massive body of water is filled continuously from the runoff of the nearby rainforests. It is the true heart behind the canal operations. Brilliant engineering, considering the era of which the canal was built.

 

Did we mention that we had an excellent narrator for the 48 mile trip? On previous transits, we had speakers who we could barely understand. This time was so much better. Guess it should be, since it costs the ships a gazillion dollars to transit. And all in cash, no less!

 

As we traversed the picturesque lake, refreshments were served on all the open decks. Very nice and quite necessary, because it was so hot out. You could have fried an egg on the bow of the ship by noontime.

 

We actually got to see two saltwater crocodiles on the banks, while sailing past the narrow Gaillard Cut. The only other wildlife we spotted were birds, and knowing that the canal is a military zone, we suspect the shores were lined with armed guards, out of sight.

 

Outside crowds were thin by the time we made it through the last locks. It was so nice to view the remainder of the transit from our veranda balcony. Before we knew it, the ship went under the newer Centennial Bridge, then past Balboa, under the Bridge of the Americas ( the Pan-American highway), and finally past Panama City and Fort Amador. We were now in the mighty Pacific Ocean, and heading south to Ecuador. Quite a memorable day!

 

Dinner was even better tonight, if that is possible, as well as finally being on time. There were dozens of empty seats in the dining room, leading us to think that many people went to the Lido for dinner. Whatever the reason, the service was swift and the food marvelous. We were done by 10 pm, and that was a wrap for us!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 7 1-19-07 Friday Crossing the Equator

 

We woke up this morning to gray, overcast skies, mild seas, and warm humid temperatures. As we near the Equator, the sun's heat evaporates water from the oceans, leaving the hot tropical air extemely moist.

 

As we walked the promenade deck this morning, it seemed like we were "melting". Well, OK, maybe one of us more than the other. We got a kick out of the Dam Dollars we were handed by one of the cute assistant cruise directors as we completed a mile. Never having collected these before, we're not sure what you can get with them, but it will be fun finding out.

 

How many of you have witnessed a King Neptune Ceremony? Well, it is pure slapstick, hilarious fun. First, you have the shellbacks, or fellow passengers who have crossed the Equator already. Then, you have the pollywogs, who are first time crossers. King Neptune and his Queen conduct the ceremony, while the captain and some of his officers sit on the side as judges. A group of the pollywogs are collected (all are crew members), locked up in a cage by the pool, and judged for supposed crimes they have committed. They all have to "kiss the fish". Yes, a real smelly big ugly fish! Then they proceed to the surgeon's table. Here the convicted ones are smeared with copious amounts of food-colored eggwhite meringue. Then they are dusted with cornmeal flour until they are unrecognizable. When done, the crowd cheers for them to be thrown in the pool. And usually, they are thrown in head first. We have seem some captains "walk the plank" in full uniform and take a dive, but that didn't happen today. Darn! With all the merrymaking done, King Neptune declared the day a success, and we are assured of a safe passage and smooth waters for the rest of the cruise. Hope it works!

 

Around 5 pm, it was apparent that a group party was in progress in the Explorers Lounge. We had been sitting in the adjacent Rembrandt Lounge, when to our surprise, a familiar officer strolled by. He was Stephane Carriere, our favorite maitre'd from the 2005 world cruise. We also knew him from a 2001 Seabourn Sun trip. He always had trouble remembering our name, and it was fun watching him turn crimson while trying again. No different this time! He told us he had been promoted to a teaching job in the food and beverage department, and he quite happy with the change. So lucky to have seen him, since he will be working behind the scenes for this trip.

 

In a follow-up to the missing scotch bottle, we stopped by the guest relations manager girl again. She assured us that she would take care on our request. Low and behold, the bottle appeared in our room after dinner. Good deal. Along with that were two certificates of the Equator crossing, signed by Captain Edward.

 

By the way, we got our first presents last night! Two Holland America canvas bags were on the bed, along with two light blue journals. However, the pens were missing. Maybe they'll come later.

 

Tomorrow's port is Manta, Ecuador, so we had better call it a day.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 8 1-20-07 Saturday Manta, Ecuador

 

The Amsterdam quietly slipped into the port of Manta, Ecuador, around 6 this morning. It was pouring rain, but very warm. Hope the rain lets up for our tour at 8 o'clock. Remember, King Neptune promised yesterday!!

 

We had booked a four hour tour to Montecristi, a nut factory, a weaving facility, and a museum. To our surprise, our group #10 left right on time to head down to the gangplank from the Queens Lounge. When we boarded the bus, we were shocked to see that the windows were heavily tinted with red paint. Fringed blue and white scalloped curtains hung halfway down these windows. Felt like we were inside of a delivery truck! Anyway, you could hear the grumblings starting within 5 minutes all around us. We did luck out, however, because the Holland rep on the tour with us was Appolonia, the captain's wife. She had a quick conversation with our tour guide, and arranged with him to have a better bus pick us up at our first stop.

 

Our guide for the day, Patrick, gave us a little history and interesting fact lesson about Manta and Ecuador. As we witnessed when the ship arrived to the pier, fishing is the number one industry here. Their abundant catch includes tuna, seabass, shrimp, octopus, tilapia, and trout. Tourism is next, followed by exports of bananas, coffee, and roses. Patrick said that no man had an excuse for not buying his wife roses in Ecuador...........they cost $1.50 a dozen. And speaking of money, their currency is the same as ours, the US dollar. Only their coins are different. The next largest industry is car assembling, mainly Chevrolet, Mazda, and Kia.

 

The tagua nut factory was our first stop. This cream-colored nut, about the size of a large walnut, grows on a special palm tree. After harvesting, they are left to dry in the sun for at least a week. The next step is cracking, then into the factory for slicing. The meat of this nut is so dense, that they have been used for button-making for many years. The largest nuts are transformed into carvings that are ingenious works of art. Rows and rows of men and women, sat at tiny stations with their slicing machines running full blast. The noise was alone was very uncomfortable, not to mention the fine dust from the nuts in the air. Some workers wore masks, finger protectors, and earplugs. Some wore nothing. The first room of workers did nothing but slice, the next area, the people were cutting the slices into round discs. These are the basic buttons, which are bagged in gunny sacks, and shipped world-wide for final hole drilling and dyeing. The workers do this for a total of $5.60 a day! Wow. Appolonia, a former European model and HAL hostess, said that Turkey has become the dress designer center of Europe recently, and that is where a lot of these buttons end up going. And nothing was wasted. Our guide said that all the leftover nut cuttings are ground into a milky feed for animals, since it is a high protein nut.

 

Guess what we found when we left the factory? Yes, tables of tagua nut carvings and jewelry for sale, of course! Bargaining for carvings and jewelry was right up our alley, and we did pick up a few more to add to our collection at home. It was so incredibly inexpensive, that it was too hard to resist.

 

When we left the factory gates, a new bus with big picture windows was waiting for us. It was so much nicer, and we doubt that it would have happened if it were not for the captain's wife. After we happily boarded the bus, a native-clad lady joined us for the ride to the next town. Our guide invited her to sing for us,and that she did. Then she follow up with selling her pile of colorful scarves, that she claimed her father made. Really? Well, we were a trapped group, and most people bought some, since the price was right.

 

Continuing on, we had a short drive to the foothills and the village of El Chorillo. We pulled alongside a small building where a demonstration was given on agave fiber weaving. The equipment that was used for this process was really antiquated, but functional. First the fibers were combed, spun on big spools, and woven on a manually operated loom. The last step was sewing the bottom and sides, then adding a cord at the top. The entire process took 8 minutes for one bag. Pretty industrious. With that seen by all, we boarded the bus. Just as we got on, three little pigs went scurrying up the dirt street. It was really rural here.

 

Our next stop was at the colonial town of Montecristi, founded in 1628. It is now the center of the Panama hat industry. The name implies that these hats are made in Panama, but they all come from Ecuador. The driver dropped us off at a craft market, the same one we visited four years ago, though it looked different. They had moved their stalls into the street, instead of the courtyard, making it much bigger. Two rows of tents were set up tightly down the street, and each end was guarded by armed policemen. Now either they have us corraled like criminals, or they are keeping out the beggars (there were a few). Table after table had silver jewelry, sweaters, blankets, dolls, whistles, paintings,jade carvings, a few t-shirts, clothing, and thousands of tagua nut items. And every other table contained millions of Panama hats. One lady was oddly bent over a stand, weaving the hat. Looked painful to us! Patrick said the hats range in price from $10. to $800., depending on the tightness of the weave. We do believe that the cheaper ones are done by machines, not hand woven. The vendors tried to entice the ladies to buy a hat to match their outfit. When that didn't work, they tried to match the color of our bus sticker on our shirts! Very funny. Forty minutes was enough time to do damage to many wallets here.

 

The final stop was back in Manta at a small archaelogical museum. Here we learned more about the ancient cultures of the nearby coastal towns. It was interesting to find out that the oldest signs of human settlements in South America were right right here in Manta. Displays of pottery and weapons, along with murals of natives told the story,since all the descriptions were in Spanish. One other nice thing about the museum...........it was air-conditioned!

 

Heading back to the pier, we were ready for lunch. A complimentary shuttle was running every 15 minutes, so after eating, we jumped on and went to the Plaza Civica, a short ride from the pier. There was a much larger display of souveniers, but also a lot of begging for dollars.

A big tented stage was set up at one end, and we understand there were some performances by the locals earlier. by now, the sun was out and it was scorching hot. So we headed back to the ship to attempt sending e-mails.The flower arrangement in the picture below is near the Ocean Bar, across from where we do internet work.

 

Ellen, our group host, joined us again for dinner. the conversation is always lively when she is with us. Sometime during the course of dinner, the thundering sound of a train whizzed through the dining room (obviously a taped recording). Our quick reaction with all 10 of us was to say "woo-woo", thinking everyone else would too. It was funny when no one else did, and all eyes were on us! Oh boy, we are going to be dubbed the "naughty table"!!

 

See you all later.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[DFD1]

Thank you Bill and Mary Ann. It is great fun reading your reports and I look forward to each and every one.

 

You are in a part of the world where I have not gone....making your reports all the more interesting.

 

I hope you are having a grand time.

[Cruisergal1208]

Bill and Mary Ann,

 

From another Mary Ann, thanks for a wonderful journey report. We are thinking of doing a world cruise in 2008 or 2009 and are trying to glean as much information from folks like you as we can. I do not recall if you have posted this information or not, but did you have to get visas before the trip, which shots are required and what perks were included with the cabin you booked? Which cabin are you in, as I want to check out the deck layouts. We have done 4 HAL cruises but about 28 total. Look forward to your future postings.

 

Mary Ann

[cruznon]

Thank you for sharing with us! I enjoyed your description of the King Neptune ceremony and the colorful details of your Ecuador local marketplace! :) It's so great to "come along" on this wonderful adventure!

Peggy

[Nancy&Frank]

This is the closest I will ever come to a World Cruise, thanks for sharing Mary & Bill :D

[WCB]

Report # 9 1-22-07 Monday Callao for Lima, Peru

 

Our arrival to Callao, Peru, was around 5 am and in the dark. It didn't matter much, since the port of Callao is a huge working port and not pretty. In fact, it is a down-right dangerous place to exit the well- guarded gates. Mark, our security officer, mentioned at dinner the other evening that even the ship's crew had to stay in groups, day or night, when going into town. We will have two days to explore here, but safely in big groups!

 

We booked two tours with Holland and one trip with our travel group. The day long trip we chose today will bring us to a museum, ancient temple ruins, and lunch and horse show at a hacienda in the outskirts of Lima.

 

The first stop was at the National Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology. There, we saw a large collection of pre-Columbian and Incan tapestries, pottery, tools, weapons, stone carvings, gold and silver relics, and even real mummies. One room housed a huge replica in small scale of the area of Machu Picchu, a place we hope to visit someday. Bill disappeared for a while, and thinking he was taking pictures outside, I soon learned that he was purchasing a beautiful lapis and silver necklace for my birthday. What a nice surprise!

While enroute to the ruins, our guide educated us on Peruvian history. We could tell that she was a school teacher on summer vacation. We joked with her that we were afraid she was going to give us a test later! Strange that it is summertime here. There is a constant high fog everyday in Lima. Rain is almost non-existant here - maybe four inches a year. All the water for the coastal cities and farms comes from the Andes mountains. When we crossed the Rimac River, it was roaring through the city. Both Bolivia and Peru have been having some serious torrential storms the last few weeks, causing massive hillsides to slide and destroy many homes.

 

Passing thousands of tenaments built on the shoreside, sand dunes, and hillsides, we reached the ruined city of Pachacamac. Built around 700 AD, these temples were dedicated to the Sun and the Moon. As we climbed the steep pathway towards the top, we saw the burrowing owl that lives in these sand dunes. He blended so well with the rocks, that we could barely see him until he moved. Nature is amazing!

As we rounded the crest of the temple, a beautiful view of the ocean appeared. This was probably the last sight that the young virgins saw as they were being sacrificed to the Sun god once or twice a year. Yikes! They believed that the killings guaranteed them of good health, many babies born, and successful crops for the coming year. They don't do this anymore.

 

Then we were off to the best part of the tour........an Andean-style hacienda, called Tres Canas, and a typical buffet lunch. Actually, we have been to this same ranch 10 years ago, while we were sailing on the old Pacific Princess, the love boat. Instead, this time our group was greeted by by the son. Unfortunately, his father had died last year, leaving the reigns to him.

 

Peach daquiris were served along with snacks of mini bread sticks made from manioc flour. Once inside the ranch, we felt as if we were in the countryside, not surrounded by millions of homes on top of each other. Our host gave us a brief tour of the grounds, while we waited for all three buses to arrive. Lunch consisted of salad, a potato-veggie dish, chicken, beef, rice and potatoes of several types. Water, soda, sangria, and wine was poured at each table of eight. A bowl of ice cream topped off the delicious meal.

 

Now the best part........the Peruvian Paso horse show. What fun to watch these horses move. Their naturally high stepping gait allowed the riders a smooth ride. No bouncing at all. The performance lasted about one half an hour, and included a horse and rider dancing with a Peruvian girl in native costume. It ended all too soon, and we had to say adios. The bus whisked us back to the ship by 5:30.

 

Now, you would think that the all day excursion would have been enough, but, no, we booked a tour through our travel group the same evening. So we ran up the gangplank to do a quick change, then went to the Ocean Bar to meet our group. About 60 of us went to the candlelight dinner at the 16th century Los Descalzos Convent in old colonial Lima.

 

Opened to the public in 1981, the convent houses "jewels" of pictorial art. These huge paintings lined the dark hallways that eventually led us to the inside patio. The hallways were supposed to be lit by candles, but we saw none. Ellen inquired later as to their whereabouts, and was told that the priests were afraid of accidental fires. Anyone ever heard of battery powered luminaries? Anyway, we were seated under a large, corner draped canopy in the middle of the open- air courtyard. We were served pisco sours, mouth-watering hors d'oeuvres and a beef entree. Only red wine was served, but Ellen soon took care of that. White wine soon appeared out of the blue! We were attended by white gloved waiters, but there was no violin music as described in the tour book. Oh well. Dessert was a local fruit pudding with chocolate sticks in it. Coffee was poured and the evening was complete. We had a quiet ride back to the ship. Wow, what a day.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[earl_m]

Great review!! I check this thread everyday . This will be the closest that I get to be on a world cruise.

[Johnny B]

About halfway through your cruise, I'd like to know what you should have brought but didn't or the most important thing you learned about bringing things. We're on the 2008, and I know we'll forget somethings, but I'd like to hear about yours to avoid the same mistake.

 

We really enjoy reading your blog. Thanks for keeping it up, especially at the rates charged for internet access.

[Flyingfish]

Thanks so much...keep it up, this may be the only world cruise I sail on.

[nikkin]

Your stories are wonderful!

[KAKcruiser]

Bill & Mary Ann - I'd like to ask for a favor. I was on the Amsterdam a few weeks ago and am trying to remember the name of a designer of gemstones that were displayed in the jewelry store. At that time it was in the jewelry case that was closest to the perfume. There was his name and it said he had designed this collection and he used to work for Movado. I think his first or last name was Lorenzo but I could be completely wrong. If you could find out his name for me, I would sure appreciate it. Thanks.

Kathy

[WCB]

Report # 10 1-23-07 Tuesday 2nd Day in Lima

 

After a really, really good night sleep, we planned a "goof-off" day! So after breakfast, we took a tour that took us to the Artesanias "Indian Market" located in the upscale district of Lima. Every time we left the gate, a guard boarded the bus, and we had to show our keycards. Security is tight here. Did we mention that the ride from Callao to the city of Lima is very tedious with numerous stop lights and loads of traffic? Along the way, we passed military barracks, hospitals, colleges, restaurants, stores , and numerous casinos. This city is bustling with activity day and night.

 

The huge handicraft market was a maze of stalls (one could easily get lost). The vendors offered interesting jewelry of gold, silver, copper, and bronze with precious stone settings. Carpets made of llama hides, sweaters, t-shirts, hats, paintings, and leather and wood articles filled the stalls to the ceiling! An attractive piece of jewelry that appealed to us was made from a seashell called condra del mar espondilo. The shell is fist-sized, and dense with red to orange striped coloring. When cut and polished, they made beautiful pendants set in silver designs. Couldn't leave here without a set of these. Also nice, were the bowls carved from olive wood and jewelry boxes made with wood and stamped leather. Had to buy one of each of those too. The prices were so reasonable, and we always have fun bargaining. After two hours, we were shopped-out, and joined our group on the bus for the ride back to the Amsterdam. From the looks of all the bags, it appeared that everyone had parted with some serious cash here!

 

At the pier, we had one last chance to see more souveniers. A handful of stands were set up on the pier, one of which was H Sterns. They offered a free shuttle ride to the Marriot Hotel, where their store is located. This is one thing we would like to know ahead of time, but the ship never tells us until we arrive. In many cities, the taxi union is very strong, and they will not let shuttles run for free.

 

Right next to the stalls, a large pier building housed more stalls selling the same things as the Indian Market. It was so warm in the building that the vendors were falling asleep and barely willing to bargain. Guess they don't have to, since many ships stop here, such as the Silverseas ship that was in port yesterday.

 

The Amsterdam left promptly at 6 pm, with the help of a "whirling dervish" tugboat. The tugboat operator was having so much fun literally spinning the boat in circles and tooting their horn, that we wondered what they were drinking! Must have been good stuff!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

JohnnyB We did not forget anything this time. We have developed a list for all the small stuff....about 125 items. As they get packed, they are crossed off.

 

KAKCruiser Found what you asked for. The name is Omar Torres Collection color me Lorenzo

 

 

 

Report # 11 1-24-07 to 1-27-07 4 Days at Sea

 

1-24-07 Wednesday

 

There is a birthday for one of us today! Yes, Mary Ann turns 39 again!! When we went out of our room this morning, a large Happy Birthday sign with a pink balloon was hanging on the door. Our travel hosts are busy in the wee hours of the morning!

 

The specialists from Seattle had their first group party this morning at 11:15 in the Queens Lounge. Our large group of over 350 people were handed a mimosa or a bloody Mary as we entered the door. Magnetic name tags were lined up on tables for each of us to wear.

 

Tom and Ellen greeted us with a welcome onboard speech, and they introduced us to Henk and Lucia Barnhoorn, their assistants on this cruise. After this big gathering, the parties will be broken into smaller groups and held before dinnertime.

 

We had our first dinner in the Pinnacle Grill this evening. The food was spectacular, and the 16 ounce rib-eye steaks were superb. When we finished, or tried to finish our entrees, the waiter brought a birthday cake to our table, complete with a candle. The maitre'd also brought two cards and a photo to us. Barbie, our tablemate, and Susie and Woody sent birthday cards and a copy of the first formal photo of our group. Very thoughtful, considering we just met these nice people ten days ago!

 

 

1-25-07 Thursday

 

The weather is still overcast and muggy, but there is a cool breeze. When we scan the horizon, we could see isolated rain showers. The captain always seems to be able to steer around these squalls for the most part.

 

We spent a few hours by the back pool. There are still many empty lounges, so it is quiet. Well, except for the muted backround music, which is good sometimes, and other times, not. The pool water is cold, and is now saltwater. Only a few brave people attempt to go in it.

 

The ship has informed us that the satellite connection will be lost until we get closer to Australia. That means no CNN, TNT, ESPN, etc. Our only source of news will be the daily Times Digest that is delivered to our room each day.

 

Tonight, our hosts, Ellen, Lucia, and Henk joined our table for dinner (Judi and Bob ate elsewhere). We did enjoy getting to know them better. And to our surprise, another birthday cake arrived, along with several waiters who gathered to sing the two birthday songs ( one in Dutch). So much for keeping the birthday quiet.

 

Two new presents were waiting for us when we came back from dinner............wooden cases with various games, like dice, checkers, chess, cards, poker, etc. Hey, this is like Christmas!!

 

1-26-07 Friday

 

Thought we would give you some quick information on the Amsterdam. She is 61,000 gross tons, 780 feet long, and 105.8 feet wide. She carries 1380 guests with a friendly crew of 647. She was built in Italy in 2000, and has pod-propulsion. This makes for a much smoother and quiter ride with hardly any vibration. The Amsterdam's top speed so far has been 23 knots.

 

The guest speakers so far have been Mike Millwood, a history professor, and Colonel Stephan Bauer, a military social aide from the White House (1970's era). We prefer to watch their talks on TV from the comfort of our stateroom. Hate to be inside the lounge when the weather is so nice outside.

 

When we went for our stroll this morning, Elizabeth, the cutest assistant cruise director, was handing out the Dam Dollars for the one mile walk. She laughed when Bill reached for the whole stack instead of the two bills! Just kidding..........

 

The Black and White Ball was this evening. The dining room was decorated with billowing white sheets, draping the entrance, along with a curtain of shimmering silver foil threads. Our dinner table grew to 11, with the addition of the enviromental officer and his lady friend from the spa,we believe. Even though we did not attend the dance after dinner, we heard that it was very nice.

 

1-27-07 Saturday

 

Today was quiet and restful for us, since the weather was just right for sunbathing.

 

We had an invitation for a 12:30 pm lunch with six other Cruise Critic members. Dorothy and George have made several meetings like this in order for us to get to know each other. It was fun and we hope to meet again soon.

 

We got 2 more presents last night............2 HAL pens with the 2007 logo on them. Sort of knew they would arrive shortly after the journals. Oh yeah, we also have had different "towel animals" on our bed every evening. Who would think that so many animals could be created with a couple of towels?? Someone is very clever.

 

Looking forward to Easter Island tomorrow!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Grumpy1]

Just a quick thanks for the update and a bump back to page 1:)

[WCB]

Report # 12 1-28-07 Sunday Easter Island, Chile

 

The Amsterdam sailed into the bay of Easter Island, 2800 miles west of Chile, in the darkness of early dawn. We could smell the smoke of cooking fires already in the breeze, so typical of tropical islands around the world. Dark clouds hung over the entire island, and it was evident that rain would be in the forecast today. Even though our daily newsletter predicted 73 degrees with a few clouds, we should not have believed it! Figuring that we wouldn't need umbrellas, we left them behind. Big mistake!

 

Anyway, this is our first visit to Easter Island, so it should be an exciting day. And with wanting to "see it all", we booked a pricey seven hour tour that promised to take us around the 45 square mile island to see the most important sites.

 

We got to ride the tender boats to shore, since there is no pier for large ships here. The Queen's Lounge was jammed with people waiting the get "stickered" for either the three hour tours, or the all day tour. Later, we found out that the shore excursion staff booked 900 tours here today. Pretty good business, since there are about 1300 passengers total. Several friends we know opted to do their "own thing", which we will talk about later.

 

The mode of transportation here were dozens of minivans that held eight people, and with 2 window air-conditioning (which may as well have been NO air!). Three nice couples joined us, as did our polite non-English speaking driver.?! OK, what goes here? It turned out, that for every four vans, there was one guide, who gathered us together at each stop. He was a well educated Chilean fellow, who spoke English quite fluently.. We were lucky, according to other reports we heard later.

 

Well, our first stop after leaving the large village of Hanga Roa (population of 3000), was at an unrestored archaeological site of Ahu Vaihu. Here we saw the toppled remains of ther famous moais, the volcanic-carved monolithes that can reach up to 18 to 71 feet tall, and weigh up to 145 tons! Each moai was carved, presumably, in the image of a venerated hero. What looked like hats on top of the statues, were actually their red hair, which was piled on top of their heads in real life. In most sites, human remains are buried under the rock platforms that hold the statues. The rest of their bones were carved to make useful fish hooks. When these moais are fenced with rocks on the ground, we were not supposed to walk up to them. And each area like this had a park ranger guard. We called them the moai police. They did not hesitate to yell at people or blow their whistle to warn us away! So embarrassing!

 

Our next stop was at the ancient abandoned quarry, Ranu Raku, where natives carved the moais directly from the rock. It was quite a hike to reach to the top of mountain to see these carvings. Our guide explained to us that once carved, the statues were slid down the steep slopes on rollers made of tree trunks. Once in place down below, they were levered upright with the help of rocks and sticks. Amazing.

 

After we took a million pictures, we hiked back towards our waiting van. However, remember our friends who did their own tour? We spotted a small pickup truck with four people sitting in the truck's bed, all covered with pool towels. They had gotten drowned from the sudden rainstorm! Yes, that's the type of adventure you can expect when you don't book through the ship. Afterwards, they told us that they had a wonderful adventure, and they enjoyed it despite the rain. Good for them!!

 

Continuing on, we drove down to the seaside to Tongariki, where we saw a row of moai erected on a tall platform, all facing inland. These were said to be 800 years of several generations of carvings. Our guide said that a village would have been built in front of the guarding statues. However, these villages are long gone now. Tribal wars and diseases from visiting Europeans, reduced the native numbers from 20,000 to 300, sadly enough.

 

With pictures taken, we loaded into the van and were off the Anekena Beach, where a buffet BBQ lunch awaited us. We arrived to the tented area after a walk down the palm tree lined hillside. Sure a pretty setting, although it is probably not a native growth here, the palm trees made the tourists happy. Lunch started with pisco sours, then we lined up for delicious platters of fruit, such as sweet pineapple, fresh melons, and huge strawberries. Next to this was salad with carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers (all imported from Chile, we suspect). The main course was BBQ tuna, swordfish, chicken, and steak, although some people suspected the steak was horsemeat.........yes, they do eat them in Easter Island. White and red wine, Coke, and water flowed freely at each table.

 

After we finished our meal, we had ample time to take pictures of the few moai there, and shop, of course, at the nearby tables. The souveniers being offered were several types and sizes of moais, wood carvings, postcards, T-shirts, and seashell jewelry. For the most part, everything was very expensive.

 

By 3 pm, our two hour lunch was finished , and we were supposed to be on our way to the lake-filled volcano, Ranu Kau. However, that did not happen. Our guide told us that the road to the volcano was closed due to muddy, unsafe conditions. Instead, we visited Ahu Tahai, a moai site that was situated near the pier. These statues still had their coral and obsidean eyes, which were believed to give them "divine powers".

 

The tour ended at the craft market, where we found some neat treasures. The line was long, waiting to get back to the ship, so because of that, the Amsterdam left late, at 6 pm. By then, the rain had returned, and it looked about the same as when we arrived. Great day for all!!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[zaandam_2]

bump... WSOD

[Old As Dirt Mom]

bumping so that Bill and Mary Ann's thread will show....

 

ps Thanks, Zaandam, you beat me to it.......

[WCB]

Hey, thanks for the bump guys!! It is so much easier to find when pasting our reports in with the touchy internet.

 

Grumpy, So many people have asked us how you are doing?? We said fine, since you are still typing frequently! Paul and Maria send their hellos.

Talk to you soon, Bill and Mary Ann

[DFD1]

Great read, Bill and Mary Ann. Keep 'em coming!...and Thanks