A little island called Wala

Wednesday 23^rd January, 2013. Wala.

Banging and clanging awoke us early this morning. The tenders were being lowered for our ride across to the little island of Wala. Being very wary of the sun after yesterday’s bit of burn, we make sure we lather up with sunscreen, clothes and hats. There didn’t seem to be a continuous stream of calls for passengers to head to the tender boarding area so we didn’t think many people were going over early. P&O ask you to wait until you’re ready to go before you collect your tender ticket from the Connexions Bar. The bar was packed with people waiting for their number to be called. We must have waited half an hour once we picked up our ticket. Once we arrived on the island, we didn’t really know which way to go. There were people snorkelling and swimming just to the left of the floating pontoon dock that P&O must have taken over for the day and more people in the water on the point to the right. We went left, because on the map we were given, there was a swimming area marked around that way but the path seemed to be blocked by a fence and being respectful of the cultural feelings of the locals we had been told about, no-one ventured any further. We got a good view of the ship and not too many people bothered to walk around there. 

Our first swim was to the left of the pontoon (as you disembark). It was a bit difficult to get into the water here as it was quite rocky – big rocks – and the water was a bit stirred up so it was hard to see where you were stepping. The water was so warm and it seemed really salty. The bottom was sandier closer to the pontoon and that would be a good spot to go for a dip. The locals had lots of stalls set up selling sarongs, leis, stone carvings, shells, woven headbands, drinks and fruit. Cooked lobsters were also for sale, but they were $50 so I don’t think they would have sold too many. There was plenty of shade right the way along the beach with benches to sit on.  We grabbed a Tusker beer each, $4AU if you went to the right bar, $5AU if you didn’t, and found a spot in the shade to sit and watch all the bodies beautiful parade past (not). I thought I was white!! There’s going to be a lot of very burnt people around tomorrow.

Our second swim was to the right of the pontoon and it turned out to be the better place. Lots more colourful fish and deep holes to explore. At one point, there was a school of black and white stripped fish right near the surface and some very excited kids watching them. Once the kids left, we just hung in the water, motionless. After a minute or so, different fish started to emerge from the coral where they had been hiding. There were soooo many, it was truly amazing! 

It was after midday by now so we started heading back towards the tenders to go back on board for lunch. I saw a stand with some more stone carvings and saw a big one for $25 and a bigger one for $35. We always seem to bring back little bits and pieces, usually because of weight restrictions when flying, so today we (that'd be I) decided to go for the big one. We got talking to the fellas selling them and they told us that the face’s name was Na-mun-ki and that the people on Wala were the only people allowed to carve that face. It was taboo for any other island to copy. They were very happy to have a tourist show so much interest and also happy to accept $30AU for him. I imagine there was a replacement Na-mun-ki under the table, ready to take our one’s place as soon as we were out of sight. Can’t wait to put him on the scales when we get home, he’s a heavy little bugger.

Picture postcard stuff

The Waterfront Restaurant is closed for lunch on port days so we had to go to the buffet, there wasn’t much on shore that you could call lunch. This will make me sound like some sort of snob, but I don’t know how people eat every meal up there. It can be a bit of a bunfight at times, looking for somewhere to sit, and getting there without being bumped into hard enough to drop your tray. We took a cuppa out on deck to free up a table for others and we wandered down towards the New Zealand Ice Cream kiosk on deck 12 midships to find a seat. There was a bit of to-ing and fro-ing by the staff around the ice cream cabinet and we realised that the glass display window had completely shattered. Apparently around midday, the cold from the cabinet reacted with the tropical sun beaming down on it and although the glass remained intact there was quite a bit of concern from the staff as to whether it would completely give way or not. I didn’t understand why it was situated on an open deck when on the Pearl it was inside just off the open deck, a much safer place by the looks of things.

Trivia was on at 3.30 today and the usual gang gathered, although we thought for a minute that Jenny and Steve weren’t coming. We only scored 17 today, who knew that the dearest seats at a bullfight were in the shade?? Shuffleboard was on next but when we went out on deck, the pushers were missing. I went down to Reception and they didn’t know why they wouldn’t be there. The lady went ‘out the back’ and came back with 3 wooden pushers that must have floated up off the Titanic. They were like pared down pizza paddles! Anyway, Jenny and Steve had never played before, but they dashed to the lead and quickly took the first game. Another 4 ends and we won a game which meant a decider had to be played. Jenny scored a -10 but Steve was able to knock it out but they scored zero for that end which really damaged their chances of a win. Trevor and I played 2^nd and we made a really good score and took out the championship! We all deserved a drink after that so it was off to the bar until it was time to go to dinner. 

shuffleboard fun!

We had to change course tonight which I think is something a bit out of the ordinary. Pacific Cirque were to perform their high flying acrobatic show up on the top deck but the wind was too strong for it to be safe. A change of course reduced the wind speed and strength enough for the show to go on. Immediately after they finished, the wind picked up – we were back on our original heading. The Captain CAN change the weather!!

Vila tomorrow.

Something must have happened.

Tuesday 22^nd January 2013. Sea day.

Gotta love these sea days! After breakfast, I got all energetic and hit the gym for 20 minutes on the cross trainer, then went for a quick swim (1/2hr) during which time I got a touch of sunburn. 10am to 10.30, man this tropical sun is strong. Mind you, we wouldn’t have stayed in as long as we did except we got talking to our dinner companion from last night. We got changed and went to claim our champers, played some shuffleboard and then, off to lunch. We’re getting the hang of doing very little. While we were playing shuffleboard, deck 7, starboard (smoker’s side) aft there was an announcement that we were about to pass the Sun Princess to port. People literally jumped off their deck chairs and bolted for the other side of the ship. We finished our game of shuffleboard then wandered through to the port side to see said ship off in the distance. Not sure how close we got, I can’t imagine it would have been too close, but it was a little bit of unscheduled excitement. We had a very interesting chat with a lady from Perth who works in the royalties section of the Mining Dept  of the W.A. Govt who told us a lot about the mining industry and how it affected the state. 

While we were at lunch a call from the Bridge: Code, Alpha Tango, deck 12 by the pool. Something must have happened.

Every day the Captain gets on the P.A and tells us interesting things about our cruise, the weather, the ports, whatever, and he always finishes up with a comment about our beautiful white lady, ‘Pacific Jewels’. He’s a very proud old sailor. Not that he’s that old…………………

The afternoon saw us back in the thermal suite for the relaxation room, and when Trevor had finished trialling all the different thermal rooms, we went back up on deck to settle in with our books and relax till it was time for trivia. We teamed up again with Jenny and Steve from yesterday’s win, and another woman who tagged in yesterday and today her daughter joined us. Jenny said there was a second ship passing behind the Sun Princess today, but it didn’t get a mention. We were beaten by 1 point!! Bugger! No stubby holder today. Today’s prize was a very handy P&O keyring/bottle opener. Jenny and Steve are going to give us a game of shuffleboard tomorrow if we can arrange it. Port day tomorrow, so not sure how things will run. Probably hit the island in the morning and chill out back on board in the arvo. It’s only a little island – Wala in Vanuatu.

9pm, up on deck after doing our 6 laps, we finally track down Stacey.  Looks like she’s met up with some new friends and having a great time. And that’s all I’ve got to say about that……………….

A Terribly Hard life!

Monday 21^st January 2013. Sea day.

I wake up feeling a bit hungry!! Wow! Who would have thought? Deciding though that I’m not having a big breakfast, we head for the Waterfront and are seated with a nice English couple and another Aussie couple. No comedy this morning, just some good humoured conversation and a light breakfast for me. The waitstaff seem very distracted this morning, service is not up to the standard set so far. The toast is nearly inedible and I am seriously concerned that I might break a tooth on it, so only eat a little. It’s also difficult to get a cuppa. Very strange.

After breakfast I find a spot on a shady bit of deck to read my book – the only thing I have to do this trip, as book club is the week after we get back. It’s called “The Secret River” by Kate Grenville, an Aussie author and I’m about half way through and enjoying it. I really keen to see what happens next, so that’s a good sign. Before I know it, it’s lunchtime………. More food! As tempting as it is to have dessert at every meal, I decided last time to only have it at dinner, but as the lunch menu has better choices so far, I may have to review that decision. I have chicken pho and some poached salmon. The pho has more chilli in it than expected, but edible. We’re used to a fairly plain broth to which you add whatever amount of heat you want. The salmon is good and Trevor has the lime and pepper cali which is also very tasty.

We are trivia winners again!! Already!! Like seagulls on a hot chip, we team up with a couple we met at the wine tasting, Jenny and Steve, and tie with another team for first place. There will be a sudden death question. Jenny goes up to the stage for our team and she gets the answer first. Yay! Winners!! Another P&O stubby cooler to add to the collection which will actually be quite handy, I could have used one the other day when we bought a beer from the pool bar. The bottle was so cold, I could barely hold it.

A complimentary glass of champers is included with the thermal suite pass, so not being ones to turn down a free drink at sea where a glass of wine starts at about $9, we head up to Aqua, hand over our cruise cards, which have been marked with the secret sign of the thermal pass people, and head for the bar. We claim our bubbly then head into the Relaxation Room, the only part of the suite we think we’ll use. It’s lovely and quiet with padded deck chairs to stretch out on and read some more. We must have got there at just the right time because the room was empty but within half an hour or so, most of the seats were occupied. Everyone whispers and you can see out the window to the ocean which has been remarkably calm so far. Our cabin is midships, so any movement there is, is felt less in our cabin.  The English couple from breakfast are there, they only booked their cruise on Friday! More and more I see the value of child-free zones on the ship. Being January, it’s school holidays and I know there are many children on board because you do see them ocassionally, but it’s nice to know that if ever their prescence got to be too much, there is an escape other than your own cabin. And before anyone gets all precious, I am the mother of 2 boys who were usually well behaved when required, but could also tear around with the best of them! Having done the hard yards, it’s nice to totally escape is all I’m saying…………..

Before we know it it’s time for dinner. Again we eat at the Waterfront, it’s our form of portion control, although you could order 2 of everything if you wanted. Aussies all round this time, a couple from Melbourne and one from Sydney. P&O have this new idea on their menu where there is a main designed to be shared by 4 – 6 people. Tonight is slow baked lamb shoulder with all the trimmings of a baked dinner and I hear the Melbourne couple talking about it but then realising it’s too big for them by themselves. Trevor sounds keen as well, so we agree to share it between the 4 of us. Garlic snails for entrée and apple strudel for dessert rounds out the meal. Seriously reviewing the ‘no dessert at lunch’ policy. The desserts offered at dinner don’t really grab me again.

Top deck movie screen

After a quick change into shorts and t-shirt, I’m off upstairs to do the 6 laps of the deck which equate to 1km. Trevor doesn’t see that it would do him any harm, so comes along too, but wants to walk backwards on the port side so he can watch the movie on the big screen! Once we finish our walk we find a couple of deck chairs and settle in to watch the rest of the movie. I don’t think we missed much of the start. Cowboys & Aliens starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. They’ll be doing zombie apocalypse movies next!!

Bring me some food!

Sunday 20^th Jan. 2013

Entertainment at breakfast was never part of the deal, I’m sure, but we had a great entertainer at our table this morning! We were the first to be seated at a table for 6. 2 couples travelling together soon filled the other seats. The 2 girls had cruised before, the 2 guys hadn’t.  The guys had never had eggs benedict before, so decided to give it a try. One guy took the standard path and used his knife and fork, the other guy thought that seeing it was food on an English muffin, he could save on the washing up and just pick it up!! Who knew that a poached egg would be have a runny yolk? Not this guy!! Talk about hilarious! It went all down his beard and hand!! We all had such a good laugh. Round 2 – he also ordered some croissants and was disappointed when there was no chocolate inside, like the ones he had ‘before’. Putting butter on them didn’t really solve the problem, so I suggested he get some jam. He caught the waiter’s attention and asked for jam. A plate was brought over with about 4 bowls of different jams. The waiter gestured for him to select a jam. The guy didn’t specify what sort of jam he wanted, just ‘jam’. This went back and forth a couple of times until I asked did he want strawberry jam? Yeah, he says – jam. So the waiter dobs a spoonful of strawberry jam on both croissants and left. Again we all laughed and the girls said they would have do some serious training before formal night tonight. Jam is jam, unless it’s figjam! Cue more laughter……………….

Did a bit more exploration until it was time to go to the Waterfront Restaurant at 11am for ‘The Taste of the Grape’. $16 pp with tastings of a sparkling wine, a chardonnay, sauv blanc, shiraz, tempranillo and a blush moscato. The waitstaff from the restaurant hosted the event, with one being the MC and others introducing each wine and telling us what to look for with regard to colour, smell and taste.  A fair amount of humour was thrown in, one waiter becoming so embarrassed when the Captain walked in on his talk he couldn’t continue and struggled to regain his composure. He was leading up to saying something a bit risqué and was so worried as to how much the Captain had overheard! 

As always, there’s a marketing op at these things, apart from letting you taste wines you might not ordinarily buy on the cruise. 2 wines were well over our budget, and 2 were at the top end, considering the price for the wine we had last night at dinner was at the lower price point but still well over what we’d pay at home. The other op is a very detailed explanation of the Chef’s Table, another dining option on board. For a price, you meet in a bar for a pre-dinner cocktail, be taken on a tour of the galley while it’s in dinner service mode, then head to the Chef’s Table in the main restaurant to dine with the chef +/-  the Maitre d’. Apparently the Maitre d’ might be too busy, whereas the chef has nothing much to do!! The meal is a 7 course degustation menu with matched wines to each course. Sounds tempting, so we sign up for it, and instantly we are invited to another passenger’s 50^th birthday celebration. That’s on the 25^th, so we’ll wait and see how it goes.

After lunch we wander outside to see what the weather’s like. Still a bit cool and cloudy but slowly warming. We worked our way forward, past some young cool dudes playing shuffleboard and found our way to the only forward vantage point, an almost secret door on deck 10. The sun is starting to shine and it’s actually quite warm out the front, especially with the reflected heat from all the white painted metal behind us. We spot some flying fish which is always an amazing sight. Heading upstairs, we turn up at the day spa to check out the facilities we now have access to. Looks pretty good if you’re into that sort of thing. The relaxation room looks like about the only bit I’ll be venturing to, a quiet room with comfy sunlounge type chairs. The lure of complimentary champers on request is also a bit of a draw card. 

The plan to do nothing this cruise is working so far.  Except for the excessive eating and drinking!

Tonight we have a booking at Salt Grill, Luke Mangan’s restaurant. We heard so many good reports about it on our last cruise but were unable to get a booking. Things got off to a less than ideal start when the wine we chose was out of stock. On the 2^nd night of the cruise!! Mr Waiter said it had been so popular on the last cruise that it had sold out. What the….??!!  Anyway, letters will be written! Not happy Jan! On the upside, the food was fabulous and the service was pretty good. We both ate so much that we were on the verge of exploding! It’s been a long time since we were served tea and coffee with the sugar served in cubes! I had to get changed and do a couple of laps of the deck to offset the meal. I can’t imagine I’ll ever need to eat again, but I’m sure I’ll be over that by breakfast! 

It was a bit weird to lay on deck on a sun lounge looking at the stars swaying in the sky, not fixed in position like they usually are. The ship is rocking and rolling so little that it’s easy to forget we’re the ones that are moving. Not like last time, I was not feeling too good at this stage of the trip.

Off we go again!

I found this file. It's a blog I wrote while we were away in January 2013 and I realised I never uploaded it, so, here goes.

Saturday 19^th January, 2013. 

Who can believe we're going on another South Pacific cruise? We were offered a 'Godfather' deal - the sort you can't refuse, so after quickly arranging leave from work, we're off!

Boarding went very smoothly. We caught the train to Wynyard and walked down the hill, after dropping into a supermarket to pick up a few last minute things. A 1.5 litre bottle of water on board is $4.95, which is a bit rich, luckily we had room in our suitcase for 2 x 2 litre bottles that we got at the supermarket. In the small park at Wynyard station there is a glass and metal dome. Directly below is a Coles supermarket, so now we know it’s there, I think we’ll stop in there again if we ever do another cruise.

At 3.30pm we were all expected to attend the safety drill where the Captain addressed us over the P.A. His name is Stefano Ravera and he is Italian. I thought we were on a P & O cruise, but according to the Captain we are on a Pi-a-no cruise. Even though he is Italian, he must come from a different part of the country to our captain on the last cruise – their accents are so different. 

After suffering through the hottest day on Friday, 44+ C or something, today is around 20 degrees cooler and overcast and by the time we cast off, it’s drizzly rain. Doesn’t stop everyone from going up on deck and enjoying sailing out of Sydney Harbour. It’s beautiful in any weather.  We’re on the Pacific Jewel this trip and the bad thing is that the best vantage points on the ship aren’t public lounge areas, but the day spa (forward) and the kid’s club (aft). The adult’s only area is on deck 10, aft, and is called Oasis, just like on the Pearl, but there are no spas. At least we could go into the outside deck area of the kid’s club for sail out because the club wasn’t functioning.

A treasure hunt is a fun way of finding different locations on board. We have to get 10 stamps on a card and have the card into the ‘treasure chest’ before 8.45pm. The draw is at 9pm. I wouldn’t have minded winning many of the prizes but it looks like we’re not going to be lucky tonight. The final prize is a double pass for the duration of the cruise to the “Thermal Suite” in the day spa and just as I say to Trevor, ‘well, they can keep that one’, my name is called!! It’s valued at $200, so I guess we’ll just have to go and check it out. I’m not into saunas or steam rooms, but there’s a ‘relaxation’ room and a ‘meditation’ room, who knows, maybe there’ll be a good view out!