World Cruise 2010 - Seven Seas Voyager

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Dear Friends,

We are frequently asked about where we have been and where we are going. As I write this, we are getting ready for the Regent Seven Seas World Cruise that will take us to exciting and exotic places on five different continents.

Several of our friends will be traveling with us, but for those of you who have other plans during this period of time, the best way to check to check our whereabouts is to access this forum to share our adventures and enjoy our travels through our eyes.

We hope you will consider joining us on one of our future voyages, and that you will either call or email us to assist you with your travel plans.

Until then, we hope that you enjoy reading about our adventures and our travels as much as we enjoy experiencing the different cultures, history and geography of the places we are visiting.

We look forward to seeing you soon. Until then, we wish you good health and much happiness.

Sincerely,

Jay W. Silberman
Cruise Consultants Company

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Attending the Regent Seven Seas Cruises Council Meeting before World Cruise

Monday was the day we flew to San Diego to participate in the 2010 Regent Council Meetings. The members of the council are the top Regent producers and it is an honor to be invited to this special event. During these sessions, the top corporate executives present the current financial and operating statistics, and then set forth the marketing plan for the upcoming year. There is also a session where the members are invited to set forth their ideas and concerns.

It was one week ago today that Regent sent a representative of the shipping company to our home to pick up our luggage. We had 7 suitcases packed and ready for them. In addition, we are each checking one bag and carrying another on the flight to San Diego today. Our airline schedule, which operated on time today, left San Antonio at 9:50am. We changed flights with a short wait in Dallas Fort Worth, and then continued to our destination, arriving there at 1:30pm.

Regent had meet-and-greet staff waiting for us as we collected our checked luggage, and we quickly boarded a coach, along with other council members who were on our flight, for the half-hour ride to the Grand Del Mar resort and country club where we would be spending the next two nights in a beautiful king sized room overlooking the pool and garden area. After checking out the health club and getting our room organized, everyone met in the lobby for the ride to the San Diego Zoo where we had a cocktail reception, dinner, and an exotic animal presentation by author, television personality, and conservationist JACK HANNA.

The drinks and hors d’oeuvres were served in the garden by costumed waiters dressed like wild animals. It was a colorful and elegant party, but quite chilly and I was glad that I was wearing a jacket. After an hour’s time, we were invited to enter the dining tent where we were served a delicious dinner. The presentation, by Jack Hanna, was very interesting and included videos of his visits to Rwanda and other exotic places, plus appearances by several endangered species that are represented in the zoo including a cheetah, several other cats, a python, and a prehistoric dragon several feet in length. Afterwards, we were entertained by a Senegalese musical group who sang and danced to African rhythms as we enjoyed our dessert. All in all, it was a wonderful start to our meeting. We returned to our coaches for the drive back to the Grand Del Mar Resort and a comfortable evening’s sleep in our luxurious accommodations.

The following morning started with a delicious breakfast buffet at 7:30am, during which we sat with Terry Waite. After breakfast, everyone assembled in one of the meeting rooms where the Council meeting was called to order. After a welcome address by Randall Soy, Senior VP of Sales, we listened to a report by Mark Conroy, President of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and then received a Vessel Operations Update by Steph Armengol, Director of Hotel Operations, and Bernhard Klotz, Culinary Director. After a short break, the meeting continued with an extensive marketing update by Kari Tarnowski, Sr VP of Marketing. This completed the morning schedule and we adjourned for a Council luncheon after which we returned to the meeting room for a Regent Executive Panel and discussion. In the late afternoon, we were treated to a presentation by Terry Waite, humanitarian and author. The meeting adjourned at 4:30pm leaving just two hours to relax before getting together again for cocktails on the terrace followed by a lovely dinner in the resort’s Five Diamond Restaurant overlooking the golf course. We did not return to our rooms until after 10:30 pm.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010—was another day of meetings at the Resort. We reconvened after a 7:30am breakfast. Our luggage was picked up from our rooms while we were in the conference room listening to a Passenger Services update by Victor Gonzalez, Executive VP. The rest of the morning was spent in a give and take meeting wrap-up, and concluded just before noon.

Everyone checked out of the resort before proceeding to a buffet luncheon that had been moved from the lawn to one of the restaurants because of the cool weather that had blown in. At 2pm, we all boarded coaches for the 45 minute ride to the pier where the Seven Seas Voyager had docked this morning, and upon arrival, we boarded our ship and were escorted to our rooms by smiling and friendly ship’s staff.

We were greeted warmly by the many crew members that remembered us from our past cruises. It was like returning for a college reunion; there were so many familiar faces—not only crew and staff members but also other world cruisers that we recognized from our previous 4 world cruises, and other voyages, that we have made on Regent. Many of these friends made the reunion feel like we were returning home to members of our family.

Wednesday evening, we met for cocktails, had dinner with friends, and then went to the Constellation Theatre for the world cruise exclusive performance by Jay Leno, followed by the Beach Boys. It was a fantastic evening. Jay spoke non-stop for 45 minutes, and the Beach Boys played for more than an hour to a wild group of over-aged teen agers who filled the aisles with their singing and gyrating. After listening to the loud music for all that time, I had problems hearing anything because the intense sounds were still reverberating in my head. But I still say “It was a great show”! I don’t think that we got to sleep before midnight.

Tomorrow would be day #1 of our 115 day world cruise.

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We got up early today because we were signed up for an early morning trolley tour of the city and Del Coronado. The weather was cooler than expected but fortunately, I did bring a jacket with me. The tour was very interesting and also educational, setting out facts about the history of the city. San Diego is a beautiful city with a lot of things for tourists to do, and to explore.

We returned to our ship in time for lunch. However, it was not easy to reboard because security was very intense. This created a delay but we knew that the ship would not leave without us. After everyone was back on board, the first order of business was to execute the passenger lifeboat drill so that in the case of emergency, everyone would know what to do and where to go. What we did not know at the time was that our original departure time of 2pm had been delayed because there were so many supplies and foodstuffs that had to be loaded onto the vessel for our extended voyage.

Eventually, an announcement was made that the departure time had been delayed until 4:30pm, but even this was overly optimistic because the dock workers went home at the end of their shift leaving tons of supplies still sitting on the pier. Fortunately, the ship’s crew took over, picked up the slack and volunteered to do the job of loading everything themselves. They did this without so much as a single complaint. Thanks to them, but with no thanks to the dock workers, our crew finished the job, but it took them until 9pm to do so, and that is the time that we were finally able to pull away from the dock. This was 7 hours later than scheduled, but everyone was in a good humor, and as we pulled away, everyone in the dining room applauded in anticipation of a wonderful cruise that we were starting, and in appreciation of the work of our crew.

We were now on our way, and tomorrow would be the first of six consecutive days at sea before we would reach our first port of call on one of the Marquesas Islands.

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Today was the day that most of the passengers, including us, finally finished unpacking their suitcases and organizing their suites for the world cruise. The lecture program was scheduled to start tomorrow, but Jamie Logan, our cruise director did organize a mid-morning session where he introduced the key staff members who would be on the world cruise; he also discussed the various daily activities that would be available to us. During the presentation, it was also disclosed that there were 282 passengers aboard who would be on the ship for the full 119 days of the world cruise. The other guests traveling with us, who fill the remainder of the ship, will be on board for one or more segments of the world cruise.

This dress code tonight was “formal optional”; most passengers dressed in formal attire. The evening started with Captain Dag’s welcome reception in the Constellation Theater after which the guests spread out for dinner to the four evening restaurant locations. The after dinner show was a production show, “ballroom Bravo” that was enjoyed by everyone. It was a great start to our four month voyage.

Saturday-Wednesday, January 16-20, 2010—(Day 003-007)
Cruising Westbound
The outside temperature increased daily as we continued to cruise south westerly toward our first port of call. Meanwhile, on the Voyager, the programs for the passengers started in earnest. There was a daily morning stretch class at 8am, followed by a sketch class at 9:15am, taught by the art director, CAROL FINKAS. Next came the morning lecture program with a host of interesting speakers:
• Guest lecturer PHILIP HURST whose subject matter was “hot topics in world affairs”,
• Destination lecturer SANDRA BOWERN,
• Guest lecturer, ANDY HEATH whose subject matter was the past, present and future of the markets, economy, and investments, and
• Astronaut, GENERAL CHARLIE DUKE, who discussed the early space program—Sputnik to Apollo.

The rest of each day was filled with trivia contests and games, health and fitness, and most important of all, a variety of specialty tea times. The evenings just reinforced the extent of the entertainment options starting with the Regent Seven Seas creation, “the original shipwide block party” where the bells rang, announcing that it was time for everyone to leave their suites and go into the corridors to meet their neighbors over a glass of wine and a plate canapés while Captain Dag, General Manager Michael, and Cruise Director Jamie quickly moved through the hallways to shake hands with the men and kiss the girls. This party is the ultimate ice breaker and a lot of fun.

The evening entertainment was also very special, headlined by the celebrity musical group, “THE UNEXPECTED BOYS”, who performed a tribute to Frankie Valli and the four seasons, and the talented performances of resident guitarist and entertainer, Jerry Vasi

Two very special events during these six sea days were:
• The Tuesday afternoon “Country Fair” where all of the shipboard departments built booths where the passengers competed for prizes. There was also a contest to see which department built the best booth. In my opinion, every department did an outstanding job. They all should have received a blue ribbon.
• The Wednesday afternoon “equator crossing ceremony” where King Neptune and his consort arrived for the trial whereby all the “polywags” (those who have not previously crossed the equator by sea) were converted to “shellbacks” (those who had previously crossed the equator by sea)

Sea days are very enjoyable, and it is amazing how quickly the hours go by on those “lazy” days. With this week becoming part of history, tomorrow we will start exploring the first of the ports-of-call that make up the itinerary of this 2010 world cruise.

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It was a beautiful clear day on which, after 7 consecutive days at sea, we finally spotted our first port of call; it was Nuku Hiva, one of the main bodies of land in the Marquesas Islands . The Voyager dropped its anchor at 8am. We went to the Constellation Theater to exchange our tour tickets for tender passes, and soon thereafter, we boarded one of the tenders for the short ride to shore. As we walked ashore, we were greeted with a lei ceremony. There were several shops nearby that were selling locally made wood carvings, and although I promised Mary Pat that I would think twice before buying any more treasures, there were a couple of wood sculptures that were really appealing and I could not resist purchasing them.

Although there were air-conditioned motorized vehicles available to take us to “Piki Vehine”, the open-air museum site, where there was to be a Polynesian festival of eating, dancing, and singing, we chose to take the 15 minute walk along the shoreside to the site. It was a lovely morning, and although the temperature rose quickly during the day, it was not uncomfortable at all.

We enjoyed the folkloric program thoroughly, and took a lot of photographs of the magnificent stone sculptures and the beautiful view of the Bay of Taiohae and our ship. However, we did not partake of the local foods. It was noon when we decided to walk back to the tender landing, and return to our ship for lunch on the open deck. The Voyager lifted anchor at 4pm and sailed toward Papeete, Tahiti where, after a day of cruising, we have reservations for two nights at the St Regis island resort on Bora Bora.

This evening, there was a pre-dinner musical theater performance of the romantic musical comedy farce, “Romance-Romance”. This one hour show was derived from a 1988 Broadway Musical theater production.

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Papeete, Tahiti to Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Yesterday was a day of calm seas and pleasant weather as we covered the distance between Nuku Hiva and Papeete, Tahiti. The Voyager docked in the middle of the city at 9am while we were having a quick breakfast, after which we returned to our room for some last minute packing of our carry-on luggage for a two night visit to the St Regis Resort on a nearby island to Bora Bora. We were ready to go at 11am, the same time that the pool bar opened for lunch. Since we were not scheduled to leave the ship until 11:30am, we still had time to eat a hot dog and French fries, my favorite lunch time meal.

After downing our sandwich, we met the friends who were going with us and disembarked the ship. We found a taxi and off we went for the 10 minute ride to the Papeete airport. The fact that it was raining did little to dampen our spirits as we started our adventure.

The Air Tahiti turbo prop took off at 1:00pm, and barely made it to flying altitude before starting its descent for its landing at Moorea. After a minimal wait there, we made another short hop to Huahini, and from there, made our final flight of the day, landing on Bora Bora.

We had prearranged for a transfer by water taxi to the resort, but were very pleased to find out that our “water taxi” was, in fact, a beautiful, well equipped, yacht. It was waiting for us, and as soon as we collected our overnight bags from the carousel, we were escorted onto the vessel and cruised away to one of the most beautiful and romantic resorts we have ever visited.

The ride took just 15 minutes to get us to paradise. After a welcome lei ceremony and a quick registration, our butler took the four of us on a tour of the property. The rain that had been falling all day finally stopped and the sun came out. Afterwards, we climbed into a golf cart for the ride to our adjoining deluxe over-the-water bungalows. During the ride, she told us that there were only a handful of guests at the resort because this was the off-season.

The accommodations faced the mountain that gives Bora Bora its name. They were lovely—a living room with flat screen TV, a huge bedroom with another flat screen TV, and a huge bathroom, with a tub for two plus an open shower stall that easily accommodated two people. We also had an outdoor shower on one of our two decks over the wide water expanse, and an outside dining area where we would have a full breakfast on each of the next two mornings.

At sunset, we, along with the other six guests staying at the resort, gathered to see a very enjoyable cultural folkloric show that was organized by the resort, and before we knew it, we were soon participating in the dancing. We were such a small group that it was like having a private show; as a result, none of us were too inhibited to display our Polynesian dancing skills as the boys swayed to the beat of the drums while the girls displayed their talented hip movements. Charlie and I got a boy’s lei from the native girls. After the performance, the four of us enjoyed a welcome dinner at the resort’s deluxe Lagoon restaurant, operated by the famous French chef, Jean Georges, before being driven back to our suites for the evening.

Sunday was a day of relaxing, sketching, swimming, snorkeling, eating, and drinking. During the afternoon, I had an 80 minute hot stone massage while Mary Pat had a two hour spa session. Our friends, Charlie and Joan both had morning and afternoon spa sessions. The day was capped by dinner at the intimate 5 table exclusive sushi restaurant, but since I do not eat that kind of food, I ordered a chicken breast and steamed vegetables which my companions thought was very humorous. There was a beautiful sunset this evening that inspired us to take several magnificent photographs of the early evening sky. With such an active day, it was not difficult to fall asleep instantly in our comfortable beds that evening.

Monday came too quickly! Another delicious breakfast was followed by a walk to the beach for a swim in the warm shallow waters, and then another tub bath and shower before packing our belongings and calling for the cart to take us to the front desk to settle our account. We left by motor launch at 2pm, and 30 minutes later, we were in the bustling metropolis of Bora Bora where all the black pearls were on sale at 50% off. They were still quite expensive. After walking through the shops for a short time, we walked to the Regent tender stop, and took the boat back to the ship and rejoined the world cruise.

This evening was also a fun night. The four of us had been invited to dine with Captain Dag and Gudren Werner, his hostess. Charlie and I wore our Captain’s uniforms that were enhanced by a Regent name badge furnished to each of us by Michael, the general manager. As we walked into the observation lounge, Jerry Vasi, the entertainer playing there noticed our dress uniforms and played a special tune to acknowledge our rank. Several of the passengers who did not know that we were guests approached us to see who the new officers were, and those friends who did know us requested pictures with us. When Captain Dag arrived, we had our picture taken with him on the main staircase before going to the dining room for dinner. It was a lovely evening, all around. The day ended with a situation that was very funny: As I was returning to our room with Mary Pat, a woman walking behind us who we did not know, commented to her husband, “I’m telling you, this is a different Captain, and not only that, this officer is going into that woman’s room with her”. We got a real chuckle out of that one.

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Tuesday-Wednesday, January 26-27, 2010—(Day 013-014)
Mary Pat’s Birthday

The sea was smooth as glass as we left Bora Bora on Monday evening, but with the awakening of the sun on Tuesday morning, the sky darkened and the storm clouds rolled in. The sea became restless with large swells and larger breakers that pushed our ship around like a cork. Eventually, Captain Dag got on the public address system and reported that because of the storm, now the equivalent of a category one hurricane, we had fallen several hours behind schedule. This would affect the time allotted to being in Samoa on Thursday. The motion of the ship also caused many of the passengers to become uncomfortable, and the constant shudders that we experienced had dishes crashing to the floor, and people falling throughout the ship. There was also a concern for the performers on the stage in the Constellation Theater, so the entertainment schedule was cancelled in favor of a movie.

The day got worse and the winds picked up throughout the day. Passengers showing up for dinner were at a voyage low. By the time we woke up on Wednesday, Mary Pat’s birthday, Captain Dag announced that he had abandoned any ideas of going to Samoa because we were so far behind schedule, and that the Voyager had changed course to head for Fiji, which would be reached on Monday, January 31 after we had passed the International Date Line during the previous night.

Meanwhile, even Mary Pat had come down with mal d’ mer, and had stayed in our room all day Tuesday; she even missed dinner, and this is something that is not usually her choice. However, Wednesday morning she was determined to attend her birthday dinner. She was excited about her gifts, her cards from several passengers, her spray of balloons, and her many wellwishers. She got up from her sick bed, and spent the day up and about. Several of the invited guests were not able to attend her birthday dinner because the ship was still rocking and rolling, but those who felt well enough to have dinner did sing happy birthday to her, along with the waiters in the Prime 7 steakhouse.

Thursday-Friday, January 28-29, 2010—(Day 015-016)
Crossing the International Date Line

After the Voyager turned to the south, the seas did calm down. It was almost like our improved weather was dependent on our abandoning any intentions of visiting Samoa. As a result, the day that was planned for us to relax in Apia, Samoa ended up being a lovely day at sea with all of the passengers finally coming out of their suites, and smiling again. The schedule of events for this extra sea day included the morning sketch class, several hours of lectures, and lunch, followed by the typical afternoon of champagne tastings, games, trivia, specialty tea times, and bingo. Many passengers enjoyed an afternoon nap, or spent time on their balconies reading books or listening to music on their iPods.

The schedule continued on Friday, but included three special evening events, a dinner and a show featuring the vocal talents of Marilyn Maye, a return performance by “the World Famous Platters”, and the crossing of the International Date Line.

When we turned out the lights on Friday evening, the Voyager crossed the 180 degree meridian of longitude that separates two consecutive calendar days. At this exact moment in time, the ship’s clocks moved forward 24 hours so that we completely missed January 30, 2010. We had gone to bed on January 29, 2010 being 5 hours earlier than the time in San Antonio, TX; and in that same instant, it became January 31, 2010. Simultaneously, we were now 19 hours ahead of the time in San Antonio, TX. It is hard to explain this change to the passengers on the ship let along to people back home who have no idea how this could be possible. When we woke up the following morning, it was definitely

Sunday, January 31, 2010—(Day 017)

and at 9am, we docked at Lautoka, Fiji
where I had signed us up for the Eco Tour to the rainforest and waterfall in the valley of the Mountain of the Sleeping Giants. If anyone would ask why I selected this tour, I could not give them an intelligent answer. There was a written warning in the guide book that:
• this was an extremely active tour,
• that it involved travel over rough and uneven surfaces, and
• that it was recommended ONLY for guests in excellent physical condition.

Normally, this warning would have been enough for me to move onto a different page in the guide book, but for some unknown reason, it did not impact me when I agreed to this excursion.

The tour, including us, left the pier at mid-morning for the one hour drive into the heart of the Sabeto Mountains, from where we continued through a rainforest, sugarcane fields, and villages along the Queens highway en route to the Mountains of the Sleeping Giants. We left the coach at the foot of these mountains to hike to an ancestral Fijian village. I should have known that I was on the wrong tour when the guide explained that to get to the village, we would have to cross a fast flowing river, and jump from rock to rock to reach the other shore. Fortunately, there were local tribespeople there to assist the aged and the infirm, of which I was obviously one.

Once across the river, we started our trek to the village, traveling a path that only went uphill. It never went downward. After 15 minutes, and a lot of perspiration, the group reached a remote Fijian village, where in a traditional kava ceremony; permission was sought from the chief to venture onto his land. After the grant of permission, our guide led us on a rainforest trek to see an ancestral cave, to learn more about traditional herbal medicine, and to take a swim in a cool, cascading waterfall that was some distance away.

This should have been my second opportunity to say “where am I, and why am I here?” This trek took us to another branch of the river that required a crossing in even faster waters, and a climb to the top of a mountain with a 45 degree incline, from which we would descend to another valley and then climb a second mountain before reaching the waterfall.

I made it to the top of the first mountain, but thought I was going to pass out. I could not breathe, could not catch my breath, my legs and knees cramped, and I crumpled to the ground, not able to go any further. I truly felt stupid because almost everyone else kept on going, but I had gone as far as my legs would carry me. I just sat on the ground and let my breathing return to normal. Mary Pat opted to stay with me, and we just sat on a towel for more than 20 minutes.

I must say that the scenery was spectacular, and there were some funny moments also. As we sat there, two cows came along the mountain path, chomping at the grasses, but stopped a short distance away to stare at us. Mary Pat thought that they were going to attack us, but I tried to tell her that cows do not eat people. She then tried to stare one of them down until she remembered that you should not lock eyes with a wild animal, so she lowered her eyes to look at the ground. I tried to reassure her that these were not wild animals; they even had ropes around their necks, but she was uneasy until they passed by in search of greener grasses beyond us.

At this point, one of the locals came up and offered to assist us back to the village. He broke off a branch from a nearby tree and offered it to me as a walking stick to assist me. I really appreciated it! Slowly, we made our way down the mountain, across the river, and back to the village where a barbeque was being set up. After drinking a bottle of water and eating some fruit, I was feeling better. When the trekkers returned to camp, the villagers put on a Fijian dance demonstration and served the barbeque to us before we bid them goodbye and returned to our coaches over the flowing river. We got back to our ship at 4:30pm after which I returned to my room, and slept until 7pm.

It’s funny, but I really enjoyed the tour. The ride was beautiful, the guide was super, and the local tribespeople were very kind and considerate. It was a good experience and one I will remember fondly.

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PORT VILA, VANUATU

This was a new port for us—one that we have not visited previously and it proved to be a very interesting first impression. We chose to take part in the Ekasup Cultural Village tour that explored the ancient Melanesian lifestyle in Vanuatu’s rainforest in a visit to Ekasup Village. The village was awarded Vanuatu’s best tourist attraction for the past two years.

We departed from the pier in a ten passenger van. There was not a guide in the van, just a driver. It was 20 minute ride to the Erakor rainforest where villagers in traditional dress provided us with an insight into the magical and mysterious world that they survive in. Upon arrival, we were introduced to the local chieftain who led us through the forest to the center of the village while warriors watched us through the underbrush. After acknowledging to the tribe that we were welcome visitors, he took us on a guided walking tour while explaining various cultural and custom demonstrations. We learned about traditional remedies and how they are derived from herbs, roots, bark and leaves. We also were shown how the villagers trap game, preserve and prepare the foods, weave baskets and mats. While at the village, I asked about the necklace that the chief wore indicating his position in the tribe. He indicated that it was not for sale and was handed down from father to son as each generation took their place as chief of the tribe. I was able to purchase a hand carved seashell in the local market before we left.

During the tour, we heard tales of cannibalism dating from as recently as 1969. The tour ended with a musical performance by Futuna youths before we rejoined our van for the drive back to the shopping area near the pier where the Voyager was docked.

We reboarded the ship at 1pm for lunch, and spent the afternoon responding to lots of emails that had accumulated during the morning.

This evening, we celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary with Francisco & Ephraim, Charlie & Joan, Hank & Sondra, and Pat Crain joining us for dinner in Signatures. Everyone brought us a gift which was unexpected but very nice.

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NOUMEA, NEW CALEDONIA

This was our second consecutive maiden call of this world cruise which has allowed us to make two additions to the number of countries that we have visited on our travels, bringing our total world wide experience to 135 sovereign nations. At least, I had previously heard of New Caledonia whereas I had never heard of Vanuatu before reading the name on our world cruise itinerary.

New Caledonia was a total surprise to me in that it is absolutely beautiful. The guide on our tour told us that it is frequently called the “Paris of the South Pacific” and I can understand why, with its charming buildings, beautiful scenery, and happy people. But the real reason for its success are the deposits of Nickel and Cobalt, plus the French government subsidies, all of which are responsible for its clean, modern, and wealthy position. In fact, the country has one of the highest gross national products, and income per capita of all the islands in the Pacific. The wealth here rivals economies like Japan and New Zealand.

Mary Pat and I did not have a morning tour, and so took a leisurely stroll through the city, stopping at a jewelry store to select an anniversary present to commemorate the anniversary that we celebrated yesterday. Afterwards, we returned to our ship for lunch after which we enjoyed a charming city tour.

The tour that we had selected was the 2 hour Le Petit Train, a miniature tourist road train, or tram, open on the sides, but covered on top with comfortable seats that included commentary transmitted from the locomotive.

It was a lovely afternoon with pleasant weather and a cool breeze as we rode past the city center and on to the Notre Dame Lookout point, then to an area where we could view the French colonial architecture and the South Pacific lifestyle. We also ascended a hill that serves as a World War II memorial where we had fantastic photo opportunities of the bays, beaches, surrounding islands and coral reefs. During this stop, we were served soft drinks, bottled water, and delicious French pastries. On the return trip, we drove along their famous Anse Vata beach, and observed the residents and vacationers who were enjoying the white sand beaches, while others were fishing, parasailing, and sail boating in the crystal clear waters that surround the island. We returned to the ship terminal at 5pm. We were at dinner, enjoying a pleasant evening with friends, at 7:30pm, as the Voyager left New Caledonia and headed for Sydney, Australia where the first segment of our world cruise ends. We are disembarking 300 passengers there; 250 new people are joining the ship there, including two couples from San Antonio who are good friends.

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At Sea—Celebrating the Coober Pedy 4th annual reunion

This evening, after a leisurely day at sea, 5 couples who met on a 2006 Regent overland excursion visiting the Barossa Valley and the opal fields of Coober Pedy, plus riding the Australian Trans-Continental railroad between Adelaide and Fremantle/Perth celebrated the 4th anniversary of their meeting each other. Jim & MaryAnn Todd, Richard & Marjorie Rowe, Sam & Phyllis Pierson, Joan & Charlie Davis, and Mary Pat & I met for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, wearing matching t-shirts that were given to us by Charlie & Joan. It was a wonderful reunion as we reminisced about the tour, and the other times we have spent together over the four years.

From there, we proceeded to the dining room where Charlie had arranged for a table of 10. All of the other diners in the restaurant turned their heads to see the 10 world cruise passengers decked out in identical blue tee shirts and asked to know the story of the group. The fun continued throughout the meal, and we all decided that we should plan to celebrate our 5th reunion during the 2011 South America cruise on a specially arranged tour that I set up with between now and then. It was sure a fun evening.