Susie's Meanderings

Christmas

Christmas was a very quiet affair onboard this year, one or two quiet parties, but all the passengers were tucked up in their cabins riding out the storm we were sailing through, and the ship was doing a really interesting pitch/roll combo that had even some 17 year veterans being quietly ill all over the ship. As for me, I spent most of the day in the medical center working on our entry for the Christmas lantern competition. Here's a not very good picture of some of the entries - the big star took second place. Our entry is the big blue one in the back. It's maybe hard to envision it, but it's meant to be a volcano with a starry sky in the background. I assure you, it looks much better in the flesh.

Gearing up for Christmas

Despite the plastic evergreen decoration pinned to my door, I'm having a difficult time believing that Christmas is just two days away. Though mind you, I've been invited to become an honorary member of the medical staff for the Christmas lantern competition, so no doubt once I'm up to my elbows in papier mache and lights I shall feel a little more seasonal. In the meantime, it's just more days at the beach, lying in the hot sun sipping mango juice. Though from what I'm hearing about the weather back home, I can't say I have too many regrets....

Raiatea Hike

Lest you all think I'm living in sloth - I did hike up the big hill in Raiatea yesterday. Circumstances dictated that we go in the heat of midday, so I'm a little crispy around the edges today, but the view was fantastic, and we ended in the ocean. Here's the view from the top. That's Bora Bora in the background.

Rarotonga breakfast

I must stop making excuses. But I've honestly just forgotten about my blog lately. I hop on to email, my battery dies, and my blog goes unwritten another day. I have some nice pictures of huahine, but I've decided to stop torturing you all for a couple days. Suffice it to say, it's blisteringly hot and I'm getting a fantastic tan. Yesterday was Rarotonga again - and I went ashore for breakfast (at roughly 1:00) - as extensive as the buffet is on the ship, breakfast is generally felt to be a disappointment. The eggs are, well,liquid. The bacon soggy. The pancakes, um, unlike anything I've ever eaten before. Denny's its not. So this breakfast ashore was like manna. Big fluffy eggs, proper English bacon, fresh whole grain toast, real brewed coffee. I thought I was in heaven. Here I am, halfway around the world, and what makes me happy? Fresh eggs.

Quick Link

For all you former and current teachers out there. A good friend of mine has just put together a website meant to link teachers who want to work internationally with schools that are looking for them. You can post a profile for free. Anyway, here's the link

www.globalteachingjobs.co.uk

Cruise 3

Okay, it's just lazy to let my pictures do all the talking for me. We wanted to go to the Bora Bora Nui hotel the other day which is a boat ride across the lagoon from where the ship drops us. We were having no luck getting a water taxi, so one of the girls I was with flagged down a passing motorboat and we had an amazing ride across the water to the hotel. Once we got there it was idyllic - infinity pool, crystal blue water, and on and on. I really had the worst time convincing myself it was real.
Now it's back to Papeete and some form of civilization, loud cars, oppressive heat, unlimited internet....and it's still gloriously beautiful. Sat out on the docks last night eating the best Chinese food I've ever had out of the back of a dodgy van labelled "Chez Mamy". The food comes so quickly from pan to table it burns my mouth, but I can't stop myself from eating it. I dream about it all ten days of the cruise. So here goes round 3. Huahine tomorrow and then back out to sea.

Bora Bora

I'm sorry - I have been lax lately - but who wants to play on a computer when I can spend my day here....

Nuku Hiva

I have been most remiss, and there's really no excuse except that all my days are blending into one. We've had excessive sea days on this cruise, due to high swell and not being able to safely tender ashore, so I've actually been working ocassionally. However, I did get ashore in Nuku Hiva - and it was much more amazing than I remembered. Somehow, last year when we were here it always just seemed dark and hot and depressing, and my friends I would go ashore and kick the dust and grumble and then go back to the ship and lie by the pool.
This time I went ashore alone in a rather contemplative mood, and got to walking along the shoreline, and came across the marae (I think) and all these fantastic statues just scattered around, and miraculously there was no one around, and I just sat in the shade of a palm tree watching the waves crash in until I was once again overrun by people. Here's my favorite of the statues.

Sunsets

I'm going through a bit of a panoramic phase with my pictures these days. We had the most incredible sunset I've ever seen last night, so here it is. That's Moorea in the background.