Pitcairn Island:

Leaving Easter Island we traveled 1200 miles west to Pitcairn Island.  One of the most remote inhabited locations on earth, Pitcairn Island holds a special place in history.  It was founded in 1790 by the mutineers of the HMS Bounty, led by Fletcher Christian.  The mutineers abducted a small group of Tahitian men and women, and upon landing on the island, burned the ship, vowing never to leave.  Nearly all of the islands current 45 residents are descendants of these settlers.  Adamstown is the island’s only town.  

The residents make their living mostly from tourism and fishing.  The island is too small to handle passengers from a cruise liner, thus, the residents came to the ship to talk with us of their history, and to sell their wares.  Jacqui Christian, 7^th ggdaughter made their presentation. Very interesting day

The mayor of Pitcarin

 

                         

Easter Island:

What and incredible day!!  Cruise ships have a very difficult time accessing Easter Island because of its isolation.  The closest islands are 1200 miles and the Peruvian mainland is 2000 miles.  Also, there is no dock so the ships have to tender passengers from the ship to the island.  There are only two places on the island where the island can be accessed, either at the main city, Hanga Roa, or at a bay at the north end of the island.  Often the seas are so rough around the island that neither can be accessed.  We had talked to passengers who have been on this cruise multiple times and never have been able to go ashore at Easter Island.  Today, the seas were cooperative and we made it ashore.  Yes!

The big story of course is the Mois, the large stone statues that are all over this small island.  Exactly how they came to be and why is disputed by scientists and even the locals.  

Peruvian Adventures -

 Leaving the Panama Canal, we headed south crossing the equator to Manta Ecuador.  We have been to Ecuador twice before to work or to visit our friends Jan and Wayne Soppeland.   Our plan was to leave the ship in Manta to travel independently to travel to Machu Picchu, Peru.  We really wanted to have that experience.  The trip to the Inca ruins was offered by the ship from our next port, Lima, Peru at four times the cost of our trip.  However this adventure was not without challenges; arranging all the flights, trains, hotels and transfers.  AND if we don’t make it back to the ship by the time it leaves Lima, we are on our own to find our way to the next port, Easter Island! 

 We flew to Lima Peru via Quito Ecuador.  From Lima we flew to Cusco, a city at 11,000 feet in altitude, to begin our Machu Picchu adventure.  We found Cusco to be a wonderful place to visit.  A City of Inca descendants, with many archeological places of interest.  We definitely underestimated how much there is to see and experience here.  If you are planning a trip to the land of the Incas, we suggest three days in Cusco and one in Machu Picchu.  This group was a special treat to run into:

Such a visual treat!

       The Incas used a unique tongue and groove technique in building their structures.

Cusco is the gateway to visit to Machu Picchu.  We left our hotel at 5:00 am, it took several hours to get to Aguas Calientes at the base of the road up to Machu Picchu.  This included an almost two hour bus trip and then transfer to a train, for another two hours.  

We were in a group of travelers from Brazil who spoke little English.  When we started up the mountain, we were assigned to our own personal guide, John, who was an Incan descendant and spoke  Quachu, Spanish, and English.  He proved to be a knowledgeable and very helpful guide.  

First impressions of Aquas Calientes and the area.  This looks like our back yard in Hawai’i!  As we were traveling up the mountain we noticed the same flora we enjoyed in Hawai’i.  What! a rainforest at 9000 feet above sea level?  Yes, as we pointed out the ti plants, the bird of paradise flowers, the orchids, and the various kinds of ferns that made up our yard.  A bit of homesickness for Hawai’i.

From Aqua Caliente we boarded another bus for the thirty minute ride up to the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu. 

That’s when the real adventure began.  As we traveled up the mountain. We encountered a massive landslide about two thirds up the mountain.  The slide was at least a quarter mile long with boulders as big as our bus. It happened three days prior to our trip.  The slide prevented access to Machu Picchu, but it trended along the side of the switch backs.   Twice we had to exit the bus and hike up through steps hastily built into the mountain, to catch the bus at a higher altitude.  We would then get back on the bus and travel until again we had to exit and hike.  Might have been quicker if we had just walked the entire way.  The rain and the mud made the steps and pathway slippery and unstable. Plus it was very steep.  Actually an unexpected fun surprise. 

This place is mystical. It is difficult to describe, so we will let Machu Picchu speak for itself. 

Our travels back to Cusco were uneventful.  We arrived back at our hotel at 9:00 pm……a long day.

The next morning we left Cusco for our one hour return flight to Lima.  As we circled out over the ocean for our landing in Lima, we spotted our ship in the port.  We had left the ship in Manta to go to Machu Picchu and after three days at sea while we were on our travel adventure we were happy to see it.  

Yes! success, we had caught up with the ship.  After a short taxi ride from the airport to the port, we were back on our home away from home having experienced a wonderful experience off ship.

Impressions of Cusco and Machu Picchu.  Spend more time in Cusco…..Machu Picchu is outstanding, but the real story of the Incan Empire is in Cusco. Next time we will spend more time in Cusco.

Lessons learned – We can travel for at least 4 days with each a very small backpack.

Post One:Our home for the next four Months, is the ms Amsterdam--

We are cruising on the ms Amsterdam.   The ms Amsterdam is the third ship to bear the name of the Dutch capitol in Holland America Line’s 140 year history.  Built in Italy, the Amsterdam blends the very latest in shipbuilding technology with the artistry, personalized touches, and superior service that has made Holland America Line one of highest rated cruise lines in the world.  She is the Holland America Line’s Pacific flagship and a sister ship to the ms Rotterdam.

                      

The Amsterdam features a multi-million dollar art collection.  This includes a three story fully functional Astrolabe in the main atrium which took over 15 years to design.  The Astrolabe tracks constellations, the planets, world time, and ship time as we travel.  

During the summer, the Amsterdam sails around Alaska; during the winter, she makes grand voyages around Asia, Australia/New Zealand and the South Pacific.  Join us on the Amsterdam via this blog as we circumnavigate the globe on our Grand World Voyage.

Fun fact: Several years ago, Ann’s Aunt and Uncle, Tom and Dot Moore, took the Amsterdam on a grand Asian and Pacific voyage.

General Information about the Amsterdam –

Owner Carnival Corporation

Operator Holland America

Port of Registry Netherlands, Rotterdam

Maiden Voyage 30 October 2000

Tonnage 62,735 GT

Length 777.6 Ft.

Beam 105.8 Ft.

Decks 12

Top Speed 29 MPH

Capacity 1,380

Crew 647

Fuel Consumption 39,500 Gallons per day at 21 MPG

Our impressions of our ship, the Amsterdam, are excellent.  The size of the ship and the number of passengers appeal to us.  We have found that there are 950 persons on onboard, thus the ship is not near its capacity of 1,380 passengers. We are enjoying getting to know many of the passengers. Almost everyone is onboard for the full voyage, many have been on this voyage many times.  The ship goes to a different route each year, so that is attractive to many travelers. Three people at our dinner table have all been multiple times.

We have met legendary Dolly!  She extensively traveled the Holland America Line’s ships, mostly the Amsterdam.  At the end of this voyage she will have cruised 7000 days or just under 20 years.  She is spunky and very funny. She is the probably the source of the urban legend that many people live on a cruise ship.

From Florida through the Panama Canal - The first port of call was Puerto Limon, Costa Rica.  It is the port nearest the entrance to the Panama Canal on the east or Caribbean side.  Having spent time in the beautiful mountainous regions of Costa Rica before, we chose to walk about town for a while and people watch.  Most interesting was the local market, a huge conglomerate of small shops and stalls ranging anywhere from meat and produce markets to a zapateria (shoe repair shop).  We had a great walk along the beach.

                        

                             Great day at Puerto Limon

The transit of the Panama Canal, “the ditch”, is awe inspiring and fascinating with its beauty.  We went through the Canal for our first time three years ago.  This year is the 100^th anniversary of the opening of the canal.  It is difficult to grasp that this construction project was completed with the technology then available. The Canal presently is being enlarged to handle the bigger ships that are being built.  The completion date has been put back until 2016, creating problems for the ship lines that will have their newer “monster” ships in use before then.