Last night we crossed the International Date Line. When we went to bed it was Saturday night and when we woke this morning it was Monday. We’re pretty sure it is still Sunday in Cincy and apparently we will continue to turn our clocks back as we sail westward until we again catch up with Eastern Standard time. Most people on the ship seem to be unclear about how this works and even the ship’s Daily Program gave us a vague explanation.
Today is the first time in 3 days that we’ve seen the sun. We seem to have gotten into a stalled weather pattern of rain, rain and more rain. But we weren’t bothered too much. We could sit around the pool with an iced tea or a mojito and watch the rain hitting the dome above.
Yesterday we spent the day in Apia, Samoa which is my favorite place so far on this trip. It isn’t that Samoa is more beautiful than other islands or that it has more to offer, but it’s the people that make it so wonderful. They are very attractive to look at, with golden skin and dark hair. They are very friendly and have an aura of peaceful joy around them. They seem very relaxed and comfortable with life. They are very religious people; we saw churches of every denomination, including a large Mormon complex.
The city of Apia is very small, just one main road and a few side streets, and it’s very clean. Each morning the police band parades through town as flags are raised over the government buildings and everything stops for the formalities. Then all the merchants and residents sweep the streets until they’re spotless.
It was raining almost all day. We got onto a tour bus that took us around the island to see the sights. We visited the vegetable and flea market, which was fascinating. The vegetables were large, varied and abundant. It was Saturday so it was a very busy place. Just outside the market there was a checkers tournament being played (men only) and they were quite serious about their game.
We visited the home of Robert Louis Stevenson which was a palatial house on gorgeous grounds. There we saw the first of two shows the Samoans put on for us. This was another thing that endeared these people to me. Their music, singing and dancing conveyed such enthusiasm and spirit that I just wanted to rush the stage and hug them and dance along with them. Back on the ship that afternoon a local church youth group performed for us and it was obvious that their lust for life begins at a very young age.
That’s all for today. Tomorrow: Nuku’Alofa, Tonga.
Today is the first time in 3 days that we’ve seen the sun. We seem to have gotten into a stalled weather pattern of rain, rain and more rain. But we weren’t bothered too much. We could sit around the pool with an iced tea or a mojito and watch the rain hitting the dome above.
Yesterday we spent the day in Apia, Samoa which is my favorite place so far on this trip. It isn’t that Samoa is more beautiful than other islands or that it has more to offer, but it’s the people that make it so wonderful. They are very attractive to look at, with golden skin and dark hair. They are very friendly and have an aura of peaceful joy around them. They seem very relaxed and comfortable with life. They are very religious people; we saw churches of every denomination, including a large Mormon complex.
The city of Apia is very small, just one main road and a few side streets, and it’s very clean. Each morning the police band parades through town as flags are raised over the government buildings and everything stops for the formalities. Then all the merchants and residents sweep the streets until they’re spotless.
It was raining almost all day. We got onto a tour bus that took us around the island to see the sights. We visited the vegetable and flea market, which was fascinating. The vegetables were large, varied and abundant. It was Saturday so it was a very busy place. Just outside the market there was a checkers tournament being played (men only) and they were quite serious about their game.
We visited the home of Robert Louis Stevenson which was a palatial house on gorgeous grounds. There we saw the first of two shows the Samoans put on for us. This was another thing that endeared these people to me. Their music, singing and dancing conveyed such enthusiasm and spirit that I just wanted to rush the stage and hug them and dance along with them. Back on the ship that afternoon a local church youth group performed for us and it was obvious that their lust for life begins at a very young age.
That’s all for today. Tomorrow: Nuku’Alofa, Tonga.
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