Pitcairn Island: easy to see why it appealed to the Bounty mutineers and to very few since…

Here’s an interesting factoid: more people have reached the top of Mount Everest than have landed on Pitcairn Island – including those lucky few cruisers who have made it through the surf.
Unfortunately, we are not among them. Although we received encouraging news early in the morning from the Captain, by the time we anchored offshore (Pitcairn is not big enough to have anything resembling a dock or pier) the surf had started up again and we would not be making landfall. We would, however, continue to monitor the seas and, if in the Captain’s opinion, it became calm enough, we might be able to land a shore party later in the day.

As you can see, Pitcairn is another of those “remotest places on earth.” It does have a much more interesting history than some others, but it is still just a relatively small rock in a very big ocean. Actually, Pitcairn is one of a four-island group that makes up the Pitcairn Islands:

Here is a better view of this tiny archipelago that has a bit more description:

We anchored in Bounty Bay just off the only real town on Pitcairn, Adamstown. Adamstown is named after, of course, John Adams, the last surviving member of the Bounty’s mutineers. Along with Fletcher Christian’s bible, one of the Bounty’s anchors, and Adams’ grave, there is not much to see on Pitcairn. One visits this remote remnant of the British Empire more for bragging rights than for stuff to do or see – sort of like Mount Everest.
If you look at some of the place names on the island, you might be able to conjure up your own version of what took place to justify the name. For instance, Fletcher Christian’s Cave is, in fact, where he hid out when he had thoughts that the British Navy might be coming by. One must wonder, however, about Where Dan Fell, Bitey-Bitey, and Oh Dear…
Although we could not get ashore, we did have the islanders, all 48 of them including the children, visit us. They came out in their longboat and it created quite stir as they approached and pulled alongside.

On the left you can see the longboat (about 35’ long with about a 10’ beam) heading out from the relative seclusion of a tiny cove in Bounty Bay. As they got closer, we realized that literally the entire island had come to greet us.

Here is what the longboat looked like as they pulled alongside. They would be tying up at our tender platform, transferring all of the people to our ship, then unloading their “trade goods” for a mini-market in the main reception hallway and bar area. Although it may not seem like the seas are very rough, my pictures simply cannot capture the eight- to ten-foot swells and small breaking wavelets that they had to adjust to simply to pull alongside, let alone unload and disembark. It was actually a little thrilling to watch them work the boat and it proved just how dependent they are on being able seamen – women and children included. They have a supply boat that comes around from New Zealand every three months. Everything must be imported as they have no farming or manufacturing on the island. They do have some small gardens, but they cannot sustain themselves without importing everything - except honey which they make on the island and which is reputed to be among the finest in the world…
Meanwhile, back to tying up and unloading:

On the left you can see them try to maneuver close enough to get the ropes (oops, in sailors’ lingo that would be “lines” matey…) up for our people to grab. On the right you can see several boxes of goods thay they will attempt to trade for other needs (read: $$$$).

Here, on the left, all the people are on board, except for the longboat’s crew, and they are just about finished bringing everything on board. Note that the platform on which everyone was sitting in the prior pictures is actually a false deck and the entire hollow hull was filled with additional trade wares. On the right, the longboat, now empty, rides high and the crew will take it back ashore until later this afternoon when they come back to get the islanders and their really neat trades ($$$$).
Bonnie and I did a bit of retail therapy with the natives – actually, very nice people who were not only glad to see us, but were patient about pictures, questions, and all the things that tourists do to annoy the natives… Of course, the fresh juices, cookies, and other goodies that the Hotel Manager had set out for them might have been a slight influence, but we found them to be delightful folks.
Our foray into the trade goods business consisted of two tee-shirts, three postcards, and a refrigerator magnet. The magnet is a small piece of local driftwood in the outline of Pitcairn Island that has been sanded to a gloss, polished with some sort of native brew, had a local postage stamp affixed  for decoration, and polished once again. Each magnet was signed by the maker. Here is a very poor picture of our magnet with its creator:
 
Just as I took the picture, I was bumped slightly, but must not have noticed it. Unfortunately, this was the only one I took. The lady is Carol Christian, a sixth generation Pitcairn Islander. Another interesting factoid: there are only three surnames among the 48 islanders - Christian, Adams, and Browne. Everyone is related to everyone else...

This will give you some idea of what the reception salon and bar looked like on “market day.”
Later that afternoon, the seas settled enough that the Captain announced that anyone who wanted to go ashore in the Pitcairn Island longboat could do so, but you would have to ride up top as did the islanders, with a life preserver. Once ashore you could say you landed on Pitcairn, but then would have to immediately get back in the longboat for the ride back to the ship. It turns out that the trip over was very wet, the landing was very wet, and the trip back was very wet. After watching one batch of our fellow passengers getting on and off the longboat and then finding out just how hairy the trip over and back and shoreside landing was, we opted to be part of the watchers rather than the doers. Maybe next time…
Since we did not actually land on Pitcairn, and since we also missed a landing on Rapa Nui, we will have had 11 straight days at sea by the time we reach our next port later this week – Fakarava, French Polynesia. I believe everyone, crew included, will at least go ashore and walk around for a few minutes.
Stay tuned to see what adventure lies ahead…

The Pacific Crossing: beauty in blue and white

Crossing the Pacific Ocean is a little different from crossing the Atlantic. For one thing, it is a lot bigger; therefore, the crossing takes longer. If we were not planning to stop at Rapa Nui and Pitcairn Island, then we could probably do it in seven or eight days rather than the five or six that the Atlantic takes. I thought it might be interesting to learn about some of the things one does on an ocean crossing since you can’t just say “I’ve had enough sea and sky, I’m getting off!”
We have been listening to lectures, playing bridge (and for our bridge-playing friends, we have been scoring points!), eating, drinking, socializing, and just loving the sea and sky. The other evening we were invited to have dinner with the Captain and his Senior Staff. Wow! Then we found out it was in the crew mess… However, this turned out to be one of the highlights of the cruise so far. Last year we also had a crew mess dinner, but I do not remember it being such fun and such great food.
We began by making a stop in the crew bar for a cocktail and a nibble. Then we proceeded to the crew dining room and laid out on each table was an antipasto (after all, this is an Italian line). That was followed by fresh-made pasta and sauce. Pasta was followed by dinner! Dinner was a buffet of ethnic cuisines representing most of the eastern nationalities on the ship: Thai, Indonesian; Philippine; Indian. Dessert was, of course, Italian: tiramisu; cannoli. We were fortunate to have been seated with the Captain and the Hotel Director. 
We sit on the pool deck to read each day for a while and sometimes I just put my book down and look at the passing scene. The sky is usually bright robin’s-egg blue with tufts of fluffy white clouds looking like so many spurts of KoolWhip. Sometimes one feels like one can just reach up and pluck a handful right there on deck. The sea is a much darker shade of blue; somewhat like a royal blue or even a navy blue. Always with little white-capped wavelets. Since the seas are fairly calm – 3-5 feet most times – we can just relax and loll around as much as we please.
Here are a few pictures of the views from our veranda:

The view on the left is from our veranda about mid-afternoon. On the right, it is beginning to get dark about 9:30 PM. As we sail west and as we change time zones, it stays lighter out later. This was on the night of the full moon in January.

The view on the left is a sunset about 8:45 PM. The sub has just sunk below the horizon and it is twilight. On the right is the full moon at about midnight over the water.
Sunday evening is “Family Night” in the Italian-themed restaurant on board. We were asked by some friends to join them for a table of eight. What fun! Again we started by browsing a buffet of antipasti – hot and cold. One could easily make a meal on that in about two passes (OK, maybe two and a half…). To do so would, however, be a BIG mistake. After the antipasto course, came – you guessed it – the pasta course: fresh-made spaghetti and meat balls served in large platters family-style. The spaghetti was perfectly al dente and the meatballs were just right. Again one could gorge on that, but be making yet another mistake. The pasta course was followed by the main cours(es). That evening it was eggplant parmigana and shrimp gorgonzola, again served in large platters family-style. The main course changes every week as does the style of pasta. Dessert was again the ubiquitous tiramisu and cannoli.
By the way, every meal is accompanied by the appropriate white and red wines. All Italian meals are also begun with a flute of Prosecco sparkler. Every meal is ended with coffee, cappuccino, or other after-dinner drink of one’s choice, if desired.
Enough about food!
Among the things to do while whiling away the days at sea are listening to enrichment lectures by people with some rather impressive credentials. Thus far we have had a series of lectures on an eclectic mix of topics from a British journalist, Michael Bruert. Michael has been around the world in journalism for almost fifty years and gives a rather unique perspective on some of his adventures – and miss-adventures. We have also heard from Bruce Riedel – not of wine glass fame, but a 30-year veteran of the CIA – not the Culinary Institute of America, that other CIA. He has some interesting things to say about ISIS, the Middle East in general, and most recently, the Saudi Royal Family. We also have my friend Jon Fleming, the Destination Lecturer. Jon is a young – by most standards, since I do not believe he has yet passed the 50 mark – historian by training who has been traveling for over twenty-five years. He writes, blogs, lectures, and in recent years, serves as the Destination Lecturer for many of the Silversea cruises – especially the World Cruises. Jon is entertaining, educational, and most importantly, very approachable for questions, suggestions, and restaurant recommendations.
After the bummer with Easter Island, we hope to be able to actually land on Pitcairn Island. We have been told that that landing is just about as dicey as Easter Island. After all, Pitcairn was chosen not only for its remote location, but because it has no natural harbor – merely a small cove – to allow safe anchorage for ships of any real size. Actually, Pitcairn was originally plotted almost 140 miles from its actual position when it was discovered. That was an error of the skills of the times, rather than deliberate. Today we know exactly where it is, but it sure came in handy for Fletcher Christian and his band.
Here’s one last look at the sunset from our veranda:

Stay tuned for our adventure on Pitcairn Island and its lively capital of Adamstown, alive with the hustle and bustle of all 48 inhabitants of the island…

Rapa Nui, Isla de Pascua, Easter Island: no matter what you call it...it's AWESOME!

We have been making our way across the Pacific Ocean toward a flyspeck of land in the South Pacific – Easter Island. It is one of the remotest places in the world. I thought that last year when we were to land on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic that we were in one of the remotest places in the world, but I think the Easter Island has it beat. See what I mean:

 This is where Easter Island is with respect to most of the other island groups in the South Pacific. It is called Easter Island because it was discovered on an Easter Sunday. The Spanish for Easter is Pascua; however, the Polynesians – who have laid claim to it for hundreds, if not thousands, of years – call it Rapa Nui (wrap-ah new-ee), meaning….something important in some Polynesian dialect, I imagine…

We are just a bit concerned that the weather will permit us to do a landing on Easter Island since it will be a tender operation and if there are too many swells, the Captain may not let us ashore. Safety first, last and always. Today’s weather report is a good sign and tomorrow bright and early will tell the tale once we get within anchorage of the island. The real danger is that we can get on the island, but if the seas begin to roll up, we may not get off… Easter Island has no sheltered harbor as do many of the Caribbean islands. The situation will be the same later in the week when we get to Pitcairn Island.

Here is an idea of what we expect to see on Easter Island:

We will anchor off the only town on the island: Hanga Roa.

Rapa Nui is thought to have been discovered by and inhabited by people from Chile or some adjacent part of South America. In 1947 a Scandinavian explorer, Thor Heyerdahl, made his way on a balsa raft, the Kon-Tiki, to Rapa Nui in an attempt to prove that this version of discovery was feasible. He made it to the island (and got a best-selling book out of it) and made his claim; however, in the ensuing years, archaeologists and other scientists have pretty much determined that the native Rapa Nui ancestors were Polynesian and that they were the original discoverers.

The Rapa Nui call their piece of paradise “Te Pito oTe Henua”, or “The Navel of the World”. They believe that all life originated here – and they may be right. The sun, the sand, the waters, the everything about this place just seems like it could be the original Eden.

The Moai (mo-eye) are the major point of interest on Rapa Nui for most visitors. We hope that we can get some up close and personal shots of these huge stone figures.

I picked up this blog post the next morning as we approach Rapa Nui -

Bummer! The Captain just announced that the seas are too rough to make a safe landing. That means that we will circumnavigate the island and our Destination Lecturer, Jon Fleming, will make comments from the bridge on the ship’s PA system.

Although we are very disappointed that we could not get ashore – after all, Rapa Nui was one of the highlights of this itinerary – we understand the need to maintain a safe passage. We spoke with one lady who has tried four times in four cruises to get ashore and has not yet made it. One other passenger mentioned that the only sure way to get ashore is to take an “expedition” trip and go ashore in the zodiacs that are used for the close-up exploration.

This should give you some idea of the potential landing conditions.

These were the “officials” that were to come aboard to check us in (Rapa Nui is owned by Chile), but as soon as they realized we were not going to do any landings, they turned around and went back ashore. Their small longboat is much better suited to getting in and out of the unprotected landing site.

We did manage to get a few pictures of the island and the Moai from our veranda since the trip around the island was clockwise and we are on the starboard side. The following pictures will have just slightly more meaning if you reference this map:

The red ovals are the three sites we could see clearly from the ship. Most of the other sites are either obscured by the landscape or have Moai that have been toppled and it is difficult to determine which are merely rocks and which are statues.

Our first Moai sighting! I had found a pocket-sized Panasonic Lumix at Costco that has a 30X zoom lens and this was the first opportunity to see how well it performs. I think I made a good buy! These Moai are the Ahu Tahai group that sits just to the north of Hanga Roa on the map above.

These are the Ahu Te Pahu group further up the coast.

The most spectacular group still standing is this one: the Ahu Tongariki. It is located on the side opposite the main landing area at Hanga Roa. The group consists of fifteen Moai that have been restored to their original location and positions. The Moai groups on Rapa Nui do not face the sea. Unfortunately, due to the location of the group and the position of the ship, I had to go all the way out with my zoom (30X optical extended to 60X digital). At that resolution, the pictures tend to be much more pixelated, but hey, it’s still as close as we’re going to get!

Notice that in all of the pictures of Moai, the statues face inland. So far the various scientific explorers and pundits who have been investigating Rapa Nui have no rational explanation as to why they appear to “moon” passing ships, so I will not offer one either…

Tomorrow is another sea day and the following day is Pitcairn Island. Since we couldn’t get into Rapa Nui, I don’t expect that we will be able to get into Pitcairn – but there is always hope!


Stay tuned…

Lima, Peru: Where driving (and being driven) is not for the faint of heart…

We have just had two days in Lima. Lima is Peru’s capital city and is a marvel of Spanish Colonial architecture, beautiful gardens, great beaches, fantastic food, and almost unbelieveable squalor, all dwelling aside one another. Lima is a metropolitan area of over 10 million people. There is no exact figure since Lima has grown by leaps and bounds since the 1980s when a lot of people came in from the contry to escape the Communist insurgents (the Maoist Shining Path and one other whose name escapes me).



Prior to the migration, Lima had a population of about one million. Lima, particularly, and Peru, in general, are interesting for a number of reasons. The entire country is about 30 million (so 1/3 of them are in Lima alone) and the religion, like most of South America, is predominantly Roman Catholic. In addition to Catholicism they also practice a modern form of Shamanism. Thus,there are thriving businesses selling amulets, icons, tokens, folk medicines, and services to appease what many believe to be “natural forces” that govern parts of their lives.

One other part of Liman’s lives that must be discussed is their driving. As noted in my title, driving is not something one takes for granted in Lima. In fact, you are best off not driving at all. Leave the driving to others. Unfortunately, public transportation is, at best, spotty – no underground, weird bus lines and schedules, and taxis that require negotiation each time you get in. This last issue is true even if you are going to ot from the same place twice in a row the fare can be very different depending on your negotiating skills.



We were, fortunately, on buses for all of our forays into the city. Buses are big, but that really does not count for much in a society that seems to see driving as a game of pure oneupmanship. One of our guides, when queried about the chaotic street scenes in traffic said that the traffic signs and signals were not only not obeyed nor thought of as, in some places we have visited, merely suggestions, but are more decoration alone. To sit in a bus and watch as mini-cars, three-wheeled scooters, smaller buses, vans, pickup trucks, and even pedestrians cut you off, make left turns from the right lane, and vice versa, only solidifies one’s desire to leave the driving to others.

Yet amid all this apparent chaos there seems to be a ballet-like reasoning to the vehicular and pedestrian movements. We saw only one slight crash – really a minor drivable fender bender- in the two days we were there and no peds getting bowled over. It is really rather thrilling to watch as cross traffic begins to move on their green light or traffic cop signal while the other direction traffic is still moving at roadway speeds. At one point I actually saw five lanes of traffic on a three-lane road. 
One of our first visits was to a local market, the Suquillo Market in central Lima. Huge can’t describe it. It is a rabbit warren of stalls, aisles, entrances, and bustle. We saw, and tasted, fruits and vegetables that are unique to Peru and some that, although known and grown in the US, seemed to taste fresher and more alive than what we are used to.



One of the several market entrances on the left and a typical produce stand on the right.



The produce stand on the left was intriguing due to the many peppers on display and the Peruvian corn, of which there is a closeup on the right. Those corn kernels are each about the size of a dime and about three dimes thick.



On the left are only a sample of the dozens of different types of bananas available in Peru. On the right are fresh scallops – literally hours from the sea – to be served Peruvian style: with the coral (roe) still attached.



A meat stall on the left and the chicken lady on the right.



If you look carefully at the picture on the left, you can count nine different types of potatos hanging in bags. On the right is the space under the same stall’s counter with another five types of potatos. There are several thousand different types of Peruvian potatos!



The purple corn on the left is a natural product – not dyed or otherwise treated. It is too tough and fibery to be eaten, so it is boiled and the liquid is drained off, mixed with sugar syrup and a little lime juice and sold as a non-carbonated “soda pop” treat. On the right is a plan of the first floor of the market. As you can see, it takes up an entire city block - on two floors!

We then retired to a local restaurant overlooking the Pacific Ocean, El Seniorio de Sulco Cocina Puruana. It turns out that this is one of Lima’s most popular restaurants. Before lunch we were witness to a cooking demonstration, complete with recipes, for the luncheon we were about to enjoy.

We learned how to make authentic Peruvian Ceviche with just five ingredients. That was followed by historically important and authentic Causa Pollo. Causa is a dish commemorating Peru’s fight for freedom from the Spanish Empire. It consists of well-seasoned mashed potatoes, avocado, and chicken salad layered in  a bright, flavorful patty (really much better tasting than I can describe it). Causa can also be made with seafood salad, beef salad, or anything one can imagine; after all, what doesn’t go with avocado and mashed potatoes??

The main course was Lomo Saltado. Lomo Saltado is a stir-fried dish made in a wok. It consists of the best grade of beef tenderloin, red onions, tomatos, and a sauce made primarily of light and dark soy sauce. If you have never had Peruvian food, you are in for a real treat.

Fortunately, we have been eating these delicacies ever since the first Peruvian restaurant popped up in Naples several years ago. Believe it on not, a lot of Peruvian food has had an Asian influence and the marriage is a good one!



Ceviche! Served with a slice of yam boiled in orange soda (yes, orange soda, not orange juice) and a few boiled Peruvian corn kernels. Yum!



Causa Pollo. The yellow layers are the seasoned mashed yellow Peruvian potatos. The green layer is sliced avocado. The white layer is a simple white meat chicken salad. Seafood salad, meat salad, tuna salad, etc. can be substituted for the chicken salad.



Lomo Saltado. Flash wok-fried a la minute, that is, to order – never on a steam table or large batch. Peruvian food is probably the world’s next “great food discovery.”



I had to include a Pisco Sour. This is an authentic one. If it doesn’t have the egg white froth, then it is only a pale imitation of a real one.

The actual luncheon meal was superb – and big! We started with Peru’s “national” drink, the Pisco Sour. Pisco is a liquor-like concoction that can run up to 45% alcohol. Fortunately, this one was a little lighter – just 42%. The Pisco liquor is mixed with lime juice, bitters, and egg white. It is actually frothed rather than mixed and the resulting liquid refreshment goes down much too easily. After the obligatory toast, we were served a very lovely plate of the ceviche and the Causa. One serving of each at either end of a long narrow plate. This was followed by the Lomo Saltado. A hefty portion served with yellow french fries (the yellow Peruvian potato tastes a lot like a Yukon Gold, but has more “body” and makes a super french fry) and a scoop of steamed white rice. Hmmm….beef mixed with vegetables along with two starches. Well, a potato IS a vegetable…

We were not expecting anything more. Beside that, we were really stuffed from the three-course lunch, but out came dessert! The dessert was the richest, creamiest, gooiest pudding we have ever tasted. It is called Suspiro de Limena. It had a dollop of vermouth-spiked merengue atop and after about three small spoonsful, I was done (OK, Ok, ok…four or five really small spoonsful…). The best way I can describe it is as the richest Delche de Leche syrup that has been thickened to the point of almost not pouring – think caramel that really sticks to the roof of your mouth.

OK, enough of food. We also took a City Tour that hit the highlights of the city center and the Miraflores district. Miraflores is the relatively wealthy section of Lima that fronts a lot of beach property. To start we visited the Monasterio de San Francisco (St. Francis Monastery) that has been in active use since 1546. Today, there are only a handful of monks still carrying on centuries-old traditions.

We then made a short visit to the Lima Cathedral, the resting place of the body (really just the bones) of the Conquistador Francisco Pizarro.


Pizarro's tomb in the Lima cathedral. Strange that one of the conquistador’s has acheived hero status for his subsequent work in assisting in the revolution against Spain.

The highlight of the tour was a visit to the oldest continuously-occupied home in the western hemisphere: the Aliagra House. It has been owned by and occupied by members of the Aliagra family since it was granted to them by Pissarro in 1535. The original Sr. Aliagra was one of the few in Pizarro's landing party who could read and write – since Pizarro could do neither. As a payment for his service and counsel, Pizarro gave Aliagra the land on which to build the house and the funds to defray the expense of building. The home is magnificent even by today’s standards.



Two views of ther home’s interior: the entry hall on the left; the family dining room on the right.



The family’s private chapel on the left and the ficus tree growing in the interior courtyard on the right. Since Peru only gets about 5-10 millimeters of rain a year, there are no screens, few windows, open-air courtyards, and little, if any, air conditioning.

Our final stop of the day was at El Parque de Amor (Love Park). This area along the beachfront overlook in Miraflores was built in the late eighties in the style of Gaudi’s Park Guell in Barcelona. The statues of the lovers is meant to suggest that love conquors all and we just need to love one another. Simplistic, but every Valentine’s Day there is a kissing conterst held in the park. There are prizes for several categories including: best kiss; longest kiss; cutest kiss; most stylish kiss. I never thought about getting style points for kissing. Oh dear, what have I been missing???



This giant statues of the lovers and the ceramic mosiac wall running along the rear of the park were meant to invoke the Park Guell in Barcelona designed by the great Spanish Architect Antoni Gaudi. The artist that designed this installation was a great fan of Gaudi’s and felt the love as you can see.
Gaudi, by the way, is (was, he has been dead since the 1920s) the architect of the Sagrada Familia Catedral (Sacred Family Cathedral) in Barcelona along with many of Barcelona’s greatest architectural delights. In case you haven’t guessed, we are great fans of Gaudi and visit some of his work every time we get to Barcelona.

P.S.: One of our fellow passengers took our picture kissing at the park, but we can't remember who it was. If we can get a copy of it, I will amend this post.

We now have five days at sea before our next stop: Rapa Nui. Rapa Nui is a little speck in the middle of the Pacific that is home to one of the most spectacuular archeological finds of the past century: the Moai. You may know Rapa Nui by its westernized name: Easter Island.

Stay tuned…