The Federated States of Micronesia – Colonia Yap

This is the first Micronesian country we have visited on this cruise.  We have worked in Micronesia before, twice for BYUH.  When compared to Polynesians and Melanesians, Micronesian people are culturally the most reserved.  We were warned before landing on Yap that the women passengers should be covered down to their knees because a female showing their thighs is considered vulgar.  However, it is not unusual to see island women topless.  That’s cultural differences for you! 

Our ship is the largest ship to ever dock at Yap.  The captain indicated that the passage through the reef is more difficult than he thought and he hopes not to have to do it again.  Chances were the first Holland America Ship to dock there and more than likely the last.

 

Yap is famous for stone money.  The stones come from Palau and are still used as currency although paper money is also used. The top picture shows how the money was transported.
 

Mangrove trees are abundant and important for the ecosystem.

 

 

Ann with her Yapanese nunuw.   The last three ports have been very small cities.  Now we head for Manila, Hong Kong, and Singapore, some of the largest cities in the world.

More Yap Photos

The dancers of Yap – Again, this post is National Geographic rated. The dances and dances were very colorful.  These dancers usually don’t perform for outsiders.  It was a treat for them to share this part of their culture with us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And now, after leaving Alotau and Madang New Guinea and the Micronesia island of Yap (pop. 7,000), three of the smallest cultures we have visited, we leave for Manila, Hong Kong and Mainland China, and Singapore.  These three countries and cultures together comprising a vast number of the world’s population.   

Shipboard Life –

Friends ask us “What do you do on a cruise ship during the day?  Isn’t it boring?  So, finally we have found time to answer.  We have taken the equivalent of a one credit hour class in the geology of the pacific rim, volcanoes, plate tectonics, astronomy, migration patterns of the peoples from Asia to the Pacific and South America, migrations of peoples in Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia, ocean currents and how they affect weather, Tsunamis, Earthquakes, mapping of the ocean floor, history and the engineering of space flight, and the political problems related to the question, “who owns the oceans?”. 

 

Don is taking computer class and is learning to bond with Windows 8, and Ann is taking a drawing class.  These classes are all electives.  Other people have chosen to spend their time doing some of the following: Yoga, Tai Chi, indoor cycling, water color, meditation, knitting, bridge, aerobics, spinning classes, culinary classes, line dancing, wine tasting, poker tournaments, mixology, crafts, ballroom dancing, pilates, bingo, trivia tournaments, or just vege on the deck by the pool or in the library.  On a typical sea day there are 64 separate activities available.  Our other choice is to read and lay by the pool all day.  Whew!, with that said, we still have time to eat three meals a day in one of five restaurants. 

 

 

          There is lots of night entertainment on board, including singers, comedians, dancers, and there are three different bands playing different styles of music around the ship.  There is a Show Time in the theater each night featuring major motion pictures.  One of our favorite spots is the Piano Bar.

          As our son Ryan says, “You can do anything onboard a ship except go to Wal Mart.  So, the question becomes not what do you do on a cruise ship all day, but what will be do when we get home?

 

          On a cruise it is important to have a compatible table group for dinners.  Our group has some of the nicest people we have met.  We really enjoy our table mates.  Last night we decided not to eat in the dining room.  It was a formal night, and nobody wanted to dress to the 9’s, so we dressed casually and met on the Lido Deck for dinner as we sailed next to the sunset, and celebrated crossing the equator for the second time. 

          We still celebrate special events aboard ship.  We had an awesome Super Bowl party with unbelievable food.  Of course we saw the game live, but for us, the game was on Monday. 

 

          A week or so ago we had a 5K (11 laps around the deck) walk for “On the Deck for the Cure” to raise money for cancer research. 

          We are enjoying meeting interesting people from around the world; Americans, Canadians, Australians, and Europeans.  Many of our fellow passengers have done much more traveling than we have and we enjoy hearing their stories and travel hints.  Last night one of our new friends, Jay, happened to mention that he had been to the Titanic.  “You mean you sailed over it?”  “No,” he said.  He took a Russian research ship to the Titanic site and went in a submersible 12,000 feet below the Atlantic and spend 12 hours exploring the Titanic wreckage.  His pictures were fantastic.

          We have also met Utahans.  One couple, Kay and Paul, live 30 blocks from us in Sandy.  There is a couple from St. George.  The Cruise Director is from West Jordan via BYU.   

          Life aboard ship could become additive!       

Papau New Guinea-Madang

 

Wow!!!  To start with, our ship was a major town event.  There were hundreds of people on the dock to greet us and the ship.  A 65% unemployment rate fueled the adult onlookers.  Madang has no tourist infrastructure.  Our tour guides knowledgeable and were recruited from the local college.  They were charming and reflected the happiness of the peoples.  We found Papau New Guinea to be an absolutely lush land.  If the politics could remain stable the future for tourism would be greatly enhanced.  

                                    School bus from the outer islands

We had opportunities to visit a World War II site where the Allied Forces fended off the Japanese invaders.  Also, we visited two villages.

The children of the villages were excited and fascinated to see the “white” visitors.  The kids captured our hearts.  The villages shared their culture with us in a number of ways, mostly by song and dance.  We found the people to be outgoing and happy. 

 

 

The children ran out to bus to greet us.  They loved to see their picture in the camera view finder.

After spending considerable time in Polynesia and Melanesia, we are now sailing out of the Bismark Sea northward to the island of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia.  We will there arrive after two full days at sea.

This has been such a wonderful voyage of exploration as we have traveled approximately 14,000 miles at sea so far.   

See more pictures in part II of this post.  Warning: It is National Geographic rated!

 

More pictures from Madang!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Papau New Guinea – Alotau

 

 

Alotau is at the very southern end of Papau New Guinea.  There are no roads connecting it with other parts of Papau New Guinea, thus very isolated.  We love this port stop.  There were no big attractions so interacting with real people going about their everyday live was what it was about.  Alotau is peopled by the 12 tribes from their province.

These guys were found gardening with their machetes the road stop grounds at the lookout area to the city.  They were very friendly and eager to talk.  We had a lovely conversation with them.  Each of them described their tribe.

 

We visited a secondary school and had a great time interacting with faculty and students.  Dwellings consistent with the houses from each tribe have been constructed on a large field at the school.  One faculty member while describing his indicated that “200 years ago we would have invited us here for dinner.  We would have eaten you”.  We would have been the main course!

One of the people we met, Florence, was very interested in the Cousin’s Camp shirt that Don was wearing. Now a day at sea and on to Madang!

Queensland - Brisbane and Cairns

Our ship sailed 50 kilometers up the Brisbane River to dock in this fun city.  Unfortunately, due to the bush fires, the air quality was very poor.

 

 

 

 

We then sailed two days through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Sanctuary to reach Cairns.  It was a visual treat.  In Cairns, we spent the day walking the city. Got to love the flying foxes.

Note about Australia:  All three stops in Australia brought back wonderful memories.  We didn’t want to repeat our past experiences but have new ones, thus some important sights such as the Opera House in Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Daintree Forest, and Kuranda, were not visited this time.  Any first time visitors though, the above should be on your “must do list”.

 

Valentine’s Day on the Amsterdam.

We sailed away in the Coral Sea toward New Guinea and new adventures.  Going forward, except for Hong Kong, all the ports are new for us to explore!

Sydney, Australia On the morning of February 11, 2014 we arose early to get to the bow of the ship. And there it was, Sydney Harbor in all its glory. The sun wasn’t quite up, and the city and Harbor lights were still visible. What a visual treat. The Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Bridge, both right in front of us. The pictures below can’t begin to describe the beauty of
what we saw.

We spent a week in Sydney in 2001 and have done most of the “must do” items there. We decided to climb the Sydney Bridge this trip. We booked it online before we left home, rather than booking it through the ship. With great anticipation we got up early because we couldn’t sleep any longer and had a substantial brekky (Australian for breakfast), knowing that we had a full day. We arrived at the office for the bridge climb almost three hours early just to make sure we knew how to get to it later for our 11:30 appointment. We were asked if we wanted to go early as there was space in a group leaving at 9:30. Yes! we responded, thinking that a three hour wait would give us time to chicken out. We found the guides and other workers at the Sydney Bridge Climb office to be thorough and very helpful. After almost an hour of getting ready for the real thing we were ready to go. Note, that almost immediately walking out of the office to begin we were belayed to a cable. This attachment to the cable remained secure until we completed the climb.

 

 

Ann admits to being terrified. She has a fear of heights, as many of you will testify. We loved the whole thing. In the afternoon we enjoyed the ferry to Manley Beach. Our second day in Sydney we visited China Town, and walked around putting many miles on the flip flops. A great city!

New Caledonia

Sailing west from Fiji we arrived in New Caledonia after two days.  New Caledonia is made up of several small volcanic islands.  It is a French protectorate similar as is Puerto Rico to the US.  The indigenous population, the Kanak, are not altogether happy about this arrangement and have fought many civil wars to gain independence.  New Caledonia is a major exporter of nickel, probably why the French have been reluctant to relinquish control of New Caledonia.  We had two port stops in New Caledonia.   

Noumea – The island of Grande Terre is the main island with its capitol, Noumea, a very modern city.  We spent our day learning about the Kanak culture and had a wonderful tour of their cultural center.   

Isle de Pins – This island is a small island of incredible beauty.  Kanumera is its main city on the Kuto peninsula. The Norfolk pine trees are predominate throughout the island along with dense tropical foliage.  The people are friendly.  The beaches were the best we have seen so far including those of French Polynesia.  It was a place of unexpected beauty.  We spent the day thoroughly enjoying the beach and the water.