5/2/2013

OK, so I am going to cheat a bit.  Yesterday was busy, so I am posting today to talk about yesterday.  Today was just a day.

Yesterday however, was the King Neptune ceremony for crossing the equator.  So, I'll talk about that.

We actually crossed the equator for the first time on the way down obviously, but for some reason they wanted to hold the ceremony on the return trip.  I told them that the kids and I were pollywogs. They weren't interested in the kids and couldn't have any participants that weren't actually HAL employees for insurance reasons.  I get that now.  And the kids wouldn't have done well anyhow.  At least they got to watch me.

So, the only thing I know is to go to the Crow's Nest on deck 10 at 0930.  Being me, I show up a little early.  On the advice of one of my coworkers who apparently didn't know anything, I changed into my white shirt uniform.  When I arrived, they sent me back down to change.  So I changed into my work scrubs and white coat.  When I get back up there, the other pollywogs have largely arrived and they are all wearing shorts and bathing suits and such.  Once there, they wrapped a plastic chain around our wrists.  thusly lashed together, we were paraded around the ship and back to the aft pool area. 

Once at the pool, they led us to a large cargo net and had us sit underneath it while they threw buckets of ice water at us and the crowd boo'ed.  A funeral dirge played over the loudspeaker.  Sarah and the boys managed to find a seat even though many of the spectators had camped out since 6 am to be front of the line for the spectacle. 

 They took us out from under the nets in small groups and read a bunch of trumped up charges.  I was charged with replacing the motion sickness pills with viagra.  And I thought no one knew.  Then we were forced to kneel while they threw more water on us and the crowd was prompted to chant, "Kiss the fish".  Then the judge, who was totally corrupt I tell, ya, read the verdict.  They drug us over and made us kiss this huge fish before they lifted us up and threw us down onto plastic card tables. 

They drug me along, conveyor belt style, applying a thick layer of gooey, slimey, smelly, and yet oddly colorful, foodstuffs into ever cranny, crevice and earhole they could reach. 

Then they turned the corner and hit me with the rotton bananas. 

At this juncture of the rigged proceeding, the staff officers were asked if we should stink or sink.  If they said stink,  your group was made to sit at the side of the pool while all this goo dried and crusted over.  If they said sink, you were tossed into the pool to marinate in the now opaque and frothy water.  I got sink.  Pretty lucky actually.  Eventually, we were all tossed in.

Then it was a quick shower and back to work.  I was first call today.  Laura watched a very busy clinic so I could be a part of the fun.  I think I was grateful. 

Oh yeah, the fish.

That was one sexy fish. 

4/29/13 Nuku Hiva

Sometimes you just get lucky.  Something weird happens and it comes out in your favor.  Today was kind of like that. 


Yesterday I was first call and a man comes in to the infirmary to be seen for a cough/cold.  During the routine vital signs something is noticed that is critical and requires the man to be immediately disembarked.  Of course, we were at sea yesterday and couldn't.  So, we spent a good portion of the evening working with the local travel assistance/medical evacuation team.  We had already done several successful disembarkations with them.  This one wasn't going so well for reasons I can't really mention.  In the end, after several hours of working on it, we called in a U.S. based air ambulance company we have worked with before who agreed to fly in from San Diego.  They rock. 

So, instead of having the local people come out, possible in their own boat, and transfer the patient over, we had to do it.  This was somewhat problematic because Nuku Hiva is so small that there is only one spot on the pier to which a tender can pull up.  And it was low tide causing about a two foot step up to be taken.  Our tendering operation was taking a long time.  So, we had to arrange a priority tender just for this medical evacuation.  Well, he had to be escorted over by medical. Since there would be room on the tender, I was allowed to take my family on and go ashore early.  Cool.

So, we get the guy ashore and off to the local hospital. 

When we arrive at the pier we were greeted by a line of school children doing a Haka for the arriving passengers.  It was brilliant.  I have some video I will share some day soon. 

 They set up the drums and the arriving passengers walked a gauntlet between dancing and chanting kids. 

You can see that the kids just hated all the attention. 

After dancing, the kids went off to school.  Apparently this was their last show of the day.  We were lucky to catch it. 

You could rent a horse ride along the beach.  This is one of the young ladies taking care of her horse. 

So we went to the little market area that seems to arise at every cruise port.  The people there were busily hand crafting and selling their wares.  I finally broke down and bought my own little trinket souvenir:  A little tiki pendant.

Then we wandered around and found some tide pools.  The only real problem was the oppressive heat.  Man it is hot here, the ocean breeze was what kept us alive.  I am happy we decide to do this instead of our original hike up the mountain because of the heat.  We didn't have time for a long hike either. 

Then we paused in the market on the way back to the ship.  Note the Tiki in the background.

It was a fun day on a beautiful island and a memorable send off to the South Pacific.  When we made it back to the ship we discovered that due to the long tender times, no crew had been allowed ashore.  Only the doctor, his wife, and us made it ashore. 

4/27/13

Today was a 2nd call day that felt much like a 1st call day. 

I didn't get off the ship.  Sarah and the boys did, but only for a short time and they didn't bring the camera because we were all going to go out later.  Didn't turn out that way.  So Sarah went off and got a few pictures of things around the harbor that I asked her to, she is sweet like that.

Tomorrow is a sea day and I am first call.  Next day I am off in Nuku Hiva.  Then we are back at sea and headed back to the US.  I am looking forward to being back around familiar things for a while.  It will be nice. 

So, not much to report today. I haven't even looked at the pictures Sarah took yet.  Maybe there will be a picture post later. 

4/26/13 Mo'orea

What a day.  Wait, what a night and day.  Yesterday just never seemed to want to stop.  I got the emergency call at 1900 that lasted 2 hours plus cleanup. Then I got the 0030 call that lasted two hours plus cleanup.  Then I got the 0630 call that lasted...wait for it,  just about two hours. Which meant that I left the seat warm for the Laura, who took the call and clinic over at 0800.  Ok, so the last one was only 86 minutes or so. 

Then, back to the room to wake up with Sarah and the kids.  After a weary and bleary breakfast, it was open tenders and away. 

We hit shor right around 1000 and picked up our rental car.  We decided first to go up to Belvedere, which they say is French for 'lookout'.  It is pretty scenic.


Of course, we all aim and crop and try really hard to get this picture...

When what you are really dealing with is this...

Tour busses and crowds and cars.  This is the most public viewpoint and the most easily accessible.  So, it gets a lot of traffic.  Desiring to leave that traffic, we took the Annana Road (Pineapple Road)  It is a dirt backroad usually reserved for 4 wheel drives.  Our Citroen was more than up to taking us through farmland so we could see scenic vistas.

Back on the main road, we found a scenic turnout over the Sofitel Resort.  Across the straight there is Tahiti.

Not too much further up the road, we stopped at a grocery store for baguettes and mixed nuts, lunch snack of champions.  We sat on an oceanside bench to eat.

Then we drove down what we hoped was the right road for a, wait for it, waterfall hike.  It was the right road and where the road stopped, we got out and walked.  At first the trail was easy and still almost a road.

Then it got tougher and much more awesome. 

It kicked us out at the plunge pool for a tall, but not too voluminous waterfall.  I can't recall the name right now, no sleep will do that to you.  There was a middle school class there doing an art project. 

I like waterfalls. 

We all had a great time.  Michael and Max waded about the pool exploring the life there and found ghost shrimp, crawfish and...

This guy.  He was an eel that was very curious about us and kept creeping closer and closer. 

Then we began the trek back to the car.  Michael and Max loved tromping through the forest this time and it was all we could do to keep them slowed down for safety.

Then we found a passion fruit that had dropped from a tree, perfectly ripe.  We enjoyed it and headed back to the car. 

We finished the circle drive around the island and took tons of pictures, but they will have to wait for another day.  Tonight we are in Pape'ete, Tahiti.  More to come tomorrow. 

4/25/13 Bora Bora pt2

Just a quick note tonight. 

I was first call, and at 9pm am still working.  So, Sarah and the boys went to the beach and snorkled and had a good time.  Then Michael got caught by a sea urchin.  He's just fine.  No worries there. 

I did manage to get up to watch some of the sail away, which was pretty.  Too bad I was getting interrupted by questions every minute or two.  Oh well.

Tomorrow is Mo'orea and I am going to do my best to have a good time.

Maybe more pictures then.

4/24/2013 Bora Bora

Or, as we like to call it, the island of Banga...Boonga.  Thanks Hoops and Yo Yo. 

First, I want to clear something up.  After looking today at the mountain on Bora Bora, there is no way our climb yesterday was that high.  Maybe 1600 feet.  Still a pretty solid climb. 

Today I was 2nd call and had to negotiate for time with the doctor.  It turned out that I didn't even use all the time I bargained for.  Bora Bora is expensive.  I don't think it is better than any of the other islands, but it is certainly more famous.  Therefore, more touristy and expensive.  So, we wandered the port area for a bit, then gravitated toward the seawall so the boys could look for crabs and snails and fish.  Turns out that more people = more litter as well.  Bags and broken bottles littered the landscape. 

Our only real option was to climb the mountain, but alas, we didn't have enough time. So we goofed off and then headed back to the ship for lunch.  Sarah took the kids to the pool while I did the afternoon clinic and we wrapped it up by watching The Amazing Spiderman on TV. 

And after looking at the wreck of pictures I took today, I really should just let Sarah always carry the camera. 

Of course, despite all the natural beauty, we are entranced by small lizards and watching how bananas and flowers grow.

Max hanging out with his Gnomie homie. 

So we end up in the rocks looking for crabs and fish among the bottles, and trash.  Sometimes the problem with traveling on a cruise ship is that, wherever you go, you bring a cruise ship full of people with you.

Raiatea, Society Islands and 300th post

Yeah for me!  300 posts in the life of this blog.  I had no idea at post 1 what post 300 would bring. 

So, on with it.  Enough self congratulatory twaddle. 

Today was one of those days with everything I like about this job mixed right in with everything I don't like.  Well, most everything. 

I was third call and yesterday was ridiculously busy.  I ate lunch at the desk in the infirmary so I could watch this morning's disembark and catch up on the paperwork from the morning clinic.  So, we woke up this morning, I set the alarm for 0630 because Sarah wanted to get up and watch us pull in because it was supposed to be really pretty.  She did and it was, I slept.  Then up for breakfast and in to the clinic to check and make sure all was well.  Called down during breakfast to do cabin calls.  Do a couple of cabin calls and then off to a presentation on environmental stewardship in the upcoming Alaska season. 



Then time for a boat drill for Sarah and the kids. 

Then we checked back in with the clinic.  Of course, there was something they needed me to do with the disembarking patient that would keep me around for a while.  I helped out and then we finally got cleared to hightail it out at around 11.  So, we get off and Sarah looks at some shops and the kids and I wander around looking for lizards and exloring a park.  Then we get hungry.  Of course, none of the food looks very good and 500pf sounds like a lot to pay for some questionable looking food. We have a Lido deck full of free food right there, so we decide to head back aboard and eat lunch before we head back ashore.  Ooops.

Because of course another seriously ill patient has come along since then and I will be asked to stick around and help with the disembark.  Because I just had to walk right in front of medical on the way to the dining area.  So, I was stuck. 

It took a couple of hours to get everything done that needed to be done to get the patient stable and paperwork in shape enough that I could leave.  By this time is was around 2.  All aboard was 4:30.  So, again, we left the ship and decided to hike up the nearest mountain.  Of course we did. 

Along the climb we were met with a variety of exotic birds, horses (they spoke french), cows, chickens, dogs and pigs.  They didn't seem to even notice we were there for the most part, but they lent a certain pastoral air to the day.

It was hot, we had to stop for rest, even though we were tight on time.

The mysterious 'Hill Cow', reclusive by nature.

It's not safe to go alone, take this...

On the way up, a couple coming down offered to take out picture.  Max did get a ride up the last 1/4- 1/5 of the way.  Sarah and I took turns.  In his defense, his legs are awful short.  Also, we were so short of time, he could have done it all himself had we had another 45 minutes or so.

Finally, at the top.  It was beautiful up there and there was a nice, cool breeze.  We could see Taa'ha and Bora Bora. 

Of course I have to be me. 

We shared a quick smooch and headed back down.  The ship was leaving in less than 90 minutes. 

Back down to sea level, we looked back on our trip.  2600 feet up and then back again in just 2.5 hours.  It was a nice visit, if short.  Then back on the ship to sail away for Bora Bora tomorrow. 

And a beautiful sail away it was.  Of course, Sarah took the last picture because I was down in the infirmary taking care of some paperwork.  Tomorrow I am second call and splitting time with the doctor.  I don't know what that will end up being. 

Not bad for 300 posts.  I wonder if I will get another 300.  Wish me luck,