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Ali and Jeff Carithers
Ali and Jeff Carithers

Ali and Jeff Carithers

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  • Ali and Jeff CarithersAround the WorldAli and Jeff Carithers
    1

    Bangkok, Thailand

    March 2, 2015 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    March 2nd and 3rd.
    Bangkok is a bustling city of 19 million people who all seemed to be making street food at the same time. From fairly elaborate cooking set-ups to a small bowl with a couple of coals and a makeshift grate, you could get almost anything imaginable to eat, mostly in a skewered or ball delivery.
    We enjoyed a very long day of walking and seeing much of the local culture through the street life, the shops and the apartment buildings and homes. We even delved into getting some clothing custom made (completed and delivered to the ship within 24 hours!). The surprise about that adventure was the wonderful people we met at the tailor shop including one young man who picked us up for a fitting in the afternoon; he managed to get us from the meeting point and back to the shop by using the sky train during rush hour and a tuk-tuk (see photo below). Another surprise was several young, professionally dressed women who approached us if we were studying a map saying “can I help?”. (As Caucasians, we do tend to stick out like sore thumbs.) In any case, the whole experience was a feast for both the senses and the eyes.
    We have begun to have a true appreciation for this part of the world. It is such a different lifestyle than any we have ever seen. We have been lucky even to have had several guides who have been very sharing as far as what life is like for them. We have been comparing gun control, education, religion, and health care among many other topics.
    This part of the trip has been quite overwhelming with one big city after another, but it is interesting to sample the flavor of each as each has such a different and rich culture.
    Also, it has been a real challenge to get around Bangkok since the map and all the street signs are in Thai characters. Hmmmmm........
    The first photo is a tuk-tuk amongst the motorcycles on the street.
    The second photo is an outdoor street food vendor with various cauldrons of things cooking.
    The third photo is a street scene in Bangkok - not easy to tell what the
    signs say, bu the managed to find our way around.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersAround the WorldAli and Jeff Carithers

    Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (from Jeff)

    February 28, 2015 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 36 °F

    We had heard Ho Chi Minh City (still called Saigon by most here) has exploded in economic development in the past 15 years, but were stunned by the cityscape on our approach up the river to city center. The photo shows the impressive development that changes the skyline on a yearly basis and demonstrates what can happen with an 8% annual growth in GDP per year.

    A far cry from communist, this city of nine million inhabitants is swarming with street vendors and local businesses that combine with five million motorcycles to create a raucous, exciting, and rather overwhelming environment. All 5 million motorcycles appear to be on the streets at once and crossing the street is an art form involving a steady, slow pace as they swarm past you. Even the sidewalks aren’t safe since the motorcycles tend to intermittently spill onto them. We saw 4 people on a motorcycle several times and the most dramatic load was a big screen TV in a box.

    I fulfilled a long-term dream of eating durian, a fruit that smells like rotting flesh, but tastes heavenly if eaten while holding one’s nose. It smells bad enough that it is banned from many markets and all restaurants and you can smell the vendors that have it while walking by. It is kept in plastic wrap to stifle the stench and the lady who sold me my durian wore plastic gloves to hand it to me. I ate my nice, ripe durian (the taste was not particularly heavenly) and paid the price the rest of the day. Ali was concerned I wouldn’t be let back on the ship.
    The first photo is the approach to Ho Chi Minh City from the ship.
    The second photo is of the ever-present motorcycles.
    The third photo is of the night market in the heart of the city.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersAround the WorldAli and Jeff Carithers

    Mekong Delta, Vietnam (from Jeff)

    February 27, 2015 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 32 °F

    The draft for the Vietnam War ended the year I turned 18 and became eligible; a fortuitous situation for me since my birthdate in the lottery was #3, meaning I would have almost certainly been sent to Vietnam. For some reason, when thinking about the possibility of being sent to war, I always imagined I would be on a gunboat on the Mekong Delta being targeted from the shoreline.

    Fortunately, things change over time and here we are, 42 years later, on the Mekong Delta cruising the narrow channels through mangroves in a longboat and visiting floating fruit and vegetable markets. Superstitions prompt many of the boats to sport evil eyes to ward off danger and carry a yellow chrysanthemum for good luck in the new year. These adorn the already colorful paint schemes and funky boat designs. Ours and many others were powered with a put-put motor announcing their presence.

    The country is officially communist but private business was allowed starting in the late ‘90s and free enterprise is definitely thriving. The hard working and entrepreneurial Vietnamese have done much, leading one to ponder the changes the next 10 years will bring. It seems that time, rather than war, is the real threat to communism.
    The first photo is riding on the long boat through the canals.
    The second photo is of the boats painted with the evil eye.
    The third photo is of the shanties along the delta.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersAround the WorldAli and Jeff Carithers

    Hoi An, Vietnam

    February 25, 2015 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    Today Jeff and I stepped out into a new world, and instead of taking one of the ship’s excursions, we located a local driver on the internet and had him take us and another couple, Rod and Margaret from Sydney, to a small town called Hoi An. They are always a bit jumpy when people take off on their own, but we were given strict instructions to make sure the car we get into looks road-worthy (apparently many in Vietnam are not), and we were off. The day was great with a guide that was very informative and spoke English very well with a remarkable vocabulary.
    We went through the city of Da Nang, which in 1968 had the busiest airport in the world, bringing American troops in to fight in the war. We saw China Beach, where the soldiers used to have some R&R time. It is now called Da Nang beach - Vietnam no longer speaks or writes the word China. It sounds like it is a very difficult situation with China and we gained some insight into the problems that Viet Nam currently faces.
    Hoi An is a delightful town that was an international trading port and the store fronts are much like they were in the past. The town has beautiful silk and paper lanterns hanging over the streets and there are many different types of architectural details due to the influences from all over the world that came with the people trading goods here.
    Today brought another meal of mostly unidentifiable foods, but all delicious. A non-Asian family sat down at the table next to us, looked with puzzlement at the menu, and said to the waitress, “we’ll have what they’re having”.
    The Kleinschmidt’s broke from the pack today to take a land adventure to Ankgor Wat in Cambodia for a couple of days so we will have lots of new information to share when they get back.
    The first photo is a street scene in Hoi An, lanterns everywhere!
    The second photo are women transporting their products with baskets that are suspended from poles that they rest on their shoulders.
    The third photo is a typical fishing "boat" used in this area. It is really no more than a woven rattan basket that is paddled much in the same fashion as a gondola.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersAround the WorldAli and Jeff Carithers
    2

    Hong Kong

    February 22, 2015, South China Sea ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    February 22 and 23.
    I think that Hong Kong was the part of the trip that both Jeff and I were expecting to be one of the highlights of the whole cruise - it did not disappoint. Hong Kong is at once modern, ancient, pristine and grimy. The shear mass of humanity is impressive, but the demeanor of the masses is remarkably polite, considerate and helpful.
    The sail-in to the harbor was quite foggy, but it lent a bit of a mystical air to the morning.
    When we got off the ship, the port building itself dumped you right into Hong Kong in that it housed 300+ stores, 50 restaurants, etc. We quickly learned that much of Hong Kong is based of consumerism. We were stunned by the high-end shopping that was available. For example, there are 50 Chanel stores in Hong Kong, but there is one particularly favorite location. At that location, people will line up outside the store for hours for the privilege of shopping there. Also, the line outside the Apple store is unbelievable and it is like that whenever the store is open.
    Our approximately 40 hour visit seemed to break into sections. The first section was getting through the very cosmopolitan, high-end shopping district. We saw every high-end brand we’d ever heard of. After that, we took the 8 minute ferry ride to Hong Kong Island and began to wander up (Hong Kong goes from waterfront to hillsides), turning down any street that looked interesting. We got into a district called Soho, which was not unlike NewYork’s Soho in that it had a funky, young vibe with many art galleries and small restaurants.
    Our next adventure was to get a taxi to a market on the other side of Hong Kong island called Stanley Market. This was a fun shopping experience that was the polar opposite of what we had seen that morning. Silk bags for $1 and scarves for $8 were more our speed of shopping. Our taxi driver had taken us there through a tunnel, but suggested that we could take the double-decker public bus back for $1. It was a stunning ride up over the mountain and above the beach.
    We had planned to take a walking tour with a British guide that evening, but since it was pouring rain, we postponed it to the next day and had him drop us at his favorite restaurant. We proceeded to have food, which you would call “Chinese food” :-). It was a real treat, and since we were the only non-Asians there, we simply looked at the other diner’s plates and ordered based on that.
    The next day was a 7 hour walking tour (the 4 of us plus another couple we met on the ship). The British guide had lived in Hong Kong for 40 years and was a wealth of information. He discussed the daily lives of people in Hong Kong as compared to people in China. We learned about the heavy influence of Feng Shui in the placement of everything from small items in the house to skyscrapers. We were also surprised to learn the pervasive nature of numerology - there are no 4th(death), 14th, or 44th floors. And in business, nothing happens in April (the 4th month). You would never have a car license plate with a 4! However, you will see 8’s(wealth) everywhere! In any case, every number has a meaning.
    We were there during Chinese New Year, so our guide brought us to a non-denominational temple that was packed with people walking with lighted incense and kneeling with offerings of food and number sticks that they would shake and spill out, hoping for a lucky number for the new year. There were many statues and we rubbed so many bronze feet, noses and backs that I think we will have good luck forever.
    We finished up with our guide at a very traditional dim sum restaurant. There was a large lazy susan in the middle and things just kept appearing. About 75% of it was unidentifiable, but all pretty tasty. We might not want to know what it was - sometimes ignorance is bliss.
    We spent our last evening in Hong Kong by discovering what we all agreed what we thought was the definition of the city. Lots of locals eating at open-air, tiny restaurants with live seafood outside to choose, the night market, families gathering for meals at tables on the sidewalks and hundreds of lighted signs in Chinese characters. The tall apartment buildings were well-worn and displayed the universal sign of life - drying laundry hanging out the windows.
    I believe that Hong Kong has placed on my list of my top 5 favorite big cities. It had an exuberance and liveliness that left you wanting more.
    All in all, it was a cacophony of sound, scents (I'm being kind), color, lights, rushing and people, people, people!    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersAround the WorldAli and Jeff Carithers

    Haikou, China

    February 21, 2015 in China ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    Haikou is the capital and most populous city of Hainan province, People’s Republic of China with about 2,000,000 people. The southern end of the Hainan province is considered the Hawaii of China. I’m not sure we agreed with that, but hey, our standards are a bit different.
    We had to do a "face to face" with our passports to disembark the ship, and for some reason, they didn't like Jeff and I. We got pulled aside while Jim and Nancy watched closely. There was much discussion, all in Chinese and whatever the decision was, they let us go.
    We were only here a short time, but we wandered into a park, and it being a Saturday morning during the Chinese New Year celebration, it was packed! There were probably 8-10 dance events taking place. We weren’t sure if these were classes, had someone leading a group or were just for fun. As we continued to wander through the park, there was croquet, numerous pingpong games, cards and ball games involving 2-3 people. Then we came upon an area that had dozens of pieces of permanent exercise equipment – all in use! It was fascinating!
    The only ones having a better time than us, were all the locals taking pictures of us!
    There was even one mother that gathered her childen around us to get a photo. So, if you see us on Facebook, don’t be surprised!
    In any case, this fairly busy city broke us in to the crowds we will encounter in Hong Kong tomorrow. We have become fairly complacent, sailing around small islands here and there throughout our trip. Even some of the bigger cities didn’t seem too intense. We’ll let you know how it goes.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersAround the WorldAli and Jeff Carithers

    A Slow Boat To China

    February 20, 2015, South China Sea ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    Today is a sea day and it’s my chance to talk about a couple of the things that happen on the ship regularly, but don’t necessarily rate getting on the blog.
    First, the pilot boats. The pilot boat approaches our ship outside the harbor and the pilot will board the ship to assist the captain in getting the ship into the harbor and docked. More dramatic is when we leave a port, the pilot rides out with us till we are safely out of the harbor, the pilot boat pulls up alongside of the ship and the pilot leaves our ship and reboards the pilot boat. Now that all sounds good, but throw in some 15’ waves and the whole exchange gets to be much more challenging. When the pilot met us in Sydney to bring us in, it almost didn’t seem possible that the small pilot boat could remain upright! In any case, we never get tired of watching the whole exchange. When the pilot boat pulls away after we leave a port, there is much waving and goodbying.
    Another thing we enjoy at each port is the tugboats. We have decided that they remind us of border collies. They sit out a little ways from the ship, crouched and ready to spring to action at any second should one of it’s sheep/ship get out of line. Sometimes they will get right up to within 10’ of the ship because they want to do something so bad! They have such cute shapes and colors – we never get tired of seeing them either.

    The third photo is one of the "border collies" ready for action.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersAround the WorldAli and Jeff Carithers

    Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

    February 18, 2015 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    February 18.
    Today’s port was a short visit to a city on the northeast coast of Borneo Island in Malaysia that faces the South China Sea. The start of the Chinese New Year was last night so there was a certain energy about the city. We visited the market here and it made the markets in French Polynesia look like Wegman’s. It is a jumble of some of the most unusual looking (and smelling) foods we have ever seen! Aside from all the wonderful vegetables, there are exotic bottled items, brightly colored baked goods and butchered meats that I don’t even want to know about! I drew the line when it came to walking down a meat aisle that had more blood on the floor than I cared to subject my shoes to.
    We walked through a mall and discovered that electronics, hair salons and “Hello Kitty” stores seemed to be the most popular. It was crowded and we thought that we might start feeling prepared for Hong Kong, which we will be visiting in 4 days.
    We are impressed that almost every port has local singers and dancers awaiting us. There is a period of time after we dock that local officials come on board and clear us through customs before we can disembark. The music is always interesting and puts us in the mood of the local flavor. It is nice that we are a small ship in that we don’t overwhelm any port we are docked at and we rarely see another cruise ship in the same port.
    The first photo is of some interesting items in the market and the second is the shopping mall – can you guess what the lucky color is for the Chinese New Year? The third photo is showing a little catching up with the news!    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersAround the WorldAli and Jeff Carithers

    Muara, Brunei, Darussalam

    February 17, 2015 in Brunei ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

    Brunei was a very interesting stop. As we sailed near the coast, we were reminded of the economic base of Brunei – oil. There were dozens of drilling platforms and many boats affiliated with them.
    The city is extremely opulent while also being rather spare. Brunei is one of only two total monarchies in the world. It is a little hard to get a real feeling about the Sultan, but he does have some pretty specific rules that are to be followed. One is Sharia, which was instituted in May. We attended a dinner at the Brunei Polo Club that was very nice. We were offered an array of delicious fruit juices as there is no alcohol served in Brunei. That was a change! There were quite a few musicians that played a very haunting and mystical song as they greeted us for dinner.
    There is a “stilt village” that is on the waterfront in Brunei. It appears somewhat ramshackle at first, but it is actually quite nicely restored, with the owners having an interest in preserving the village as it had been.
    There is a Mosque that was built by the current Sultan.
    Whenever we come back from a particularly long day out and about, the crew is always there to greet us with a "welcome back" sign.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersAround the WorldAli and Jeff Carithers
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    Semarang City, Java, Indonesia

    February 14, 2015 in Indonesia ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F

    Happy Valentine's Day!
    Today we visited the country of Java, specifically the Borobudur Temple, which is the largest Buddhist Temple in the world. It was built of lava rock in the 9th century and was designed to blend the Javanese architecture with the Buddhist concept of achieving Nirvana. There are 504 Buddha statues as part of the temple. There is evidence the temple was abandoned in the 14th century during the decline of Hindu kingdoms in Java and the conversion to Islam.
    There are a number of active volcanos on Java, and it is thought that the temple was covered in ash and was undiscovered until 1814 and was then restored between 1975 and 1982. By the way, there seem to be volcanoes erupting either right before we get somewhere or right after we leave. I hope our luck continues to hold out!
    In any case, the temple was an incredible sight if only in the sheer massiveness of the building. The over 2000 carved panels serve to tell/teach a story as one walks around the temple and up the levels.
    The drive to the temple through Java’s cities, villages and coutryside was quite hair-raising at times, but fascinating in the variety of sights along the way. Our bus had a police escort which meant we could drive right up the middle of a narrow 2 lane road with car careening to the shoulders to avoid hitting us. This must happen fairly frequently as it was quite a long ride to the temple and you have a limited amount of time to see it.
    It is getting quite steamy as we approach the Equator again – not a complaint, just an observation. The Java Sea remains extremely calm – it almost doesn’t even feel like we are on a ship.
    We have learned to eat an Indonesian hot sauce called samba olec. It is quite hot and we have enjoyed putting it on many things here on the ship. When we were out to lunch in Java, Jeff and I spied a bowl of samba olec and piled it on our plates. WOW! It was a lot hotter and took a lot of rice and water to put the fire in our mouths out!
    Nancy and I are giving a Valentine's kiss to our dear Emerson, the host at the main dining room. His main job for us was catching us as we came back from a bathroom visit during dinner and escorting us back to our table. With the amount of wine they pour for us, we didn't have a clue where our table was once we left it.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersAround the WorldAli and Jeff Carithers

    Benoa, Bali, Indonesia

    February 12, 2015 in Indonesia ⋅ 🌧 79 °F

    Benoa, Bali, Indonesia
    I’m not sure what I expected from Bali, but the magic of Bali enveloped all of us. The Balinese are Hindu and there are over 1,000 temples on the island that ascribe to their beliefs. Each temple is an individual work of art. I was aware that there would be a great deal of Asian and Hindu inspired decorative elements and architecture in Bali, but I had no idea how pervasive it would be. Literally every family housing compound, hamlet (multiple family houses) and villages (the group of hamlets) are covered with decorative elements and ornament. The roof peaks, the window surrounds, the gates, the fence posts, etc. are all heavily ornamented. Also, each house has it’s own shrine complete with “offerings”, fringes, statuary and fabrics. These fabrics (poleng), as well as curbs, light posts and other various public items sport alternating black and white patterning, representing the balance between good and evil.
    The Balinese believe that every living thing has a spirit and will even pray to a flower as they pick it. Each day an offering is made to the spirits – it is a small leaf plate containing flowers, food, candy, etc. and it is placed at the entrance to the house or place of business.
    We visited 2 temples, a traditional, rustic inn at the edge of a rice paddy and a local woman’s house. We wound up our trip at an orchid garden. We all agreed that if all we had done was take the bus trip, we would have been happy even if we didn’t make any stops. It was truly a sensory overload and my head is still whirling with the exotic nature of Bali, especially after the ship hosted a group of Balinese musicians and dancers before we sailed.
    The first photo is of the inn along the rice paddy where we had lunch.
    We knew that when we left Australia, all bets were off as far as seeing familiar,
    Western things. It is an amazing culture shock.
    Often before we leave a port, there are local people who come on board and put on a show. They are generally very good and we appreciate the work that goes into their performances.    Read more

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    Fremantle, Australia

    February 8, 2015 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 97 °F

    Our final stop in Australia was in Fremantle/Perth, which has the distinction of being the most remote city in the world. Having said that, Fremantle certainly makes the most of what it's got. It is considered a suburb of Perth, but it held our attention for 24 hours without us feeling as though we wanted to make the train trip into Perth. It had some very lively night life, "cappuccino" row and a very interesting maritime museum. On the advice of one of our favorite staff members Guarev, we had some of the best Indian food ever which helped to negate the worst fish and chips ever. Somewhere in between, we had a pizza with big chunks of pumpkin on it. Who knew?
    The first photo below is Mr. Napkinhead (Jim) who celebrated his birthday yesterday in a typical fun fashion. We are not subtle.

    The bartender in the photo is Albert, who is always at the ready with a drink when we come back to the ship parched.

    We are now going to be headed north in the Indian Ocean with a following sea, leaving the organized and English-speaking Australia for our first stop in Indonesia which is Bali. We enjoy looking at the Southern Cross in the night sky and are headed into much warmer temperatures as we get closer to the Equator.    Read more

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    Port Lincoln, Australia

    February 4, 2015 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    Port Lincoln is primarily known for it's tuna business and oysters. Jeff was brave enough to have a big plate of their famous oysters at 9:30 in the morning! The landscape is more like what I expected Australia to look like with it's sandy, scrubby hillsides. It was a short stop of about 4 hours so we all took the opportunity to walk about 6 miles on ground that wasn't moving.
    The evening brought a special treat. If you give the chef 24 hours notice, they will prepare any type of meal you would like. Since we have enjoyed so many ethnic and local meals on the ship, we asked for a Philippine meal-it was fantastic! And served by our favorite Philippine waiter.
    We are now sailing through the Great Australian Bight which is an expanse of windswept sea that is known for it's roughness. It is calm as can be and we are happy! The captain seems to be making a beeline west to get past it as quick as possible. We have heard that the temperature at our next port, Perth, is 101 degrees. Not a complaint, just an observation!
    The second photo below was in the "bait" section of the convenience store.
    It looks like Sara Lee sells different types of things here in southern Australia than in Woodstock!    Read more

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    Adelaide, Australia

    February 3, 2015 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    Adelaide is a smallish city compared to Melbourne and Sydney. About 1.5 million people. It has a mix of old and new buildings, the older ones being primarily from the gold rush days. There was a very lively market there that had a beautiful array of fresh vegetables, cheeses and breads. We had some Algerian food that was a treat.
    We are still enjoying great weather and good times.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersAround the WorldAli and Jeff Carithers

    Melbourne, Australia

    January 31, 2015 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    February 1
    Melbourne is a very cosmopolitan city with many eighteenth century buildings adjacent to modern, dramatic architecture. Multiethnic, it has a peculiar claim of having the third largest Greek population of any city in the world. Even on a Sunday, it was full of activity with coffee houses, pizzerias and chocolateries being very popular. They have an extensive tram system and the central loop with its quaint 100 year-old tram cars is free for use.

    We all agreed we had the best pizza we had in our lives at a streetside pizzeria. For those who are counting, we walked 30,000 steps today (almost 15 miles).    Read more

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    The Tasman Sea

    January 31, 2015, Tasman Sea ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    As we left Sydney Harbor yesterday, the captain used some words like "pitching" and "groaning" to describe our upcoming journey through the Tasman Sea on our way to Melbourne. So we quickly finished our Proseco (first things first) and battened down the hatches. The seas last night were 20' swells and we are going through a gale today. Talk about drama! It is a challenge to do almost anything - it's hard to keep your food on your plate much less to try to walk anywhere. There are crashing sounds at times that we simply can't figure out! We are all feeling fine except for being a little (or a lot) sleepy. Jeff has been taking some video so we can share it when we get home.Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersAround the WorldAli and Jeff Carithers
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    Sydney, Australia

    January 31, 2015, Tasman Sea ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    January 29th and 30th.
    We spent the past 2 days in Sydney. It is a very vibrant city teeming with people. The Sydney harbor is the largest natural harbor in the world and quite breathtaking. We sailed in early in the morning through the headrocks that protect the harbor. The intricate small bays and lush hills greeted us as we moved toward our docking area. As we progressed, we saw what is probably one of the most iconic pieces of architecture in the world-and there was a collective gasp from everyone. No matter how many photos of the Sydney Opera House you've seen, it still takes your breath away when it comes into view. We were fortunate enough to attend an opera there preceded by an unexpected harbor tour. The weather could not have been better (we hear that is not always the case) which allowed us to explore the city and botanical gardens extensively. We also ferried to Manly Beach, which has some very dramatic waves and is a big draw for surfers. Australia's rugged, natural beauty is incredible with carved rocks and crashing surf.

    We enjoyed our time here, feeling quite overwhelmed that we were in Australia!    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersAround the WorldAli and Jeff Carithers
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    Noumea, New Caledonia

    January 26, 2015, Coral Sea ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    January 26, 2015
    We spent the day on the island of New Caledonia. It is at once French and Melanesian. There are baguettes and bistros alongside Kanak people with their brightly colored clothing. We walked and snorkeled and had a pleasant day in what seemed to be the biggest city we've been in since LA.
    We are currently headed to Sydney through the Coral Sea and into the Tasmanian sea which are typically rough so it will be an interesting couple of days!

    The evening before arriving into New Caledonia, the World Cruiser's were invited for cocktails and dinner in the crew bar and dining room. It was a special time because we have gotten to know many of the crew and it was fun to see where they spend their time off.    Read more

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    Nuku'alofa, Tonga

    January 25, 2015, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    January 25, 2015.
    Tonga is an country I never thought I would see. An archipelago in the South Pacific, it is a monarchy that was never a colony of European powers. The traditional woven plant fiber wraps men and women wear around their waist were more common than we expected and Ali convinced me I wouldn’t have anywhere to wear the getup in Virginia so I resisted the urge to buy. Some of the wraps have been passed down for generations so the ragged ones are often the most treasured.

    There are some interesting South Pacific island customs that carry over from the Southeast Asian settlers several thousand years ago. One common custom is that if the first two children in a family are boys, the third born child is raised as a girl, regardless of the birth sex. We have encountered this a number of times on many of these islands and it is typical. The woman in the photo with the magenta dress is an example. She was in charge of the dockside local entertainment activities in Tonga.

    The men are often impressively large and proud of it. This may account, in part, for their highly successful rugby teams.

    While in Tonga we explored the main town of Nuku’alofa and went kayaking to an offshore island where we snorkeled and enjoyed meeting some local people.    Read more

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    Somewhere in the South Pacific

    January 22, 2015, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Hey, what happened to Wednesday? We crossed the International dateline last night and Wednesday simply disappeared! We decided to call that our fasting and no drinking day - sounds pretty convenient.
    We will arrive in Tonga tomorrow morning for a day of kayaking and snorkeling.
    The South Pacific Ocean has been delightfully smooth and is a spectacular cerulean blue, so different from the water we saw on the way to French Polynesia.
    The first photos are of Papeete, Tahiti, where we visited the market and saw some quite unusual fruits, vegetables and fish.
    The last 4 pictures are of Bora Bora. It was a lovely island - we biked about 10 miles and got to experience the sounds and wonderful cooking smells on a Sunday morning.

    As you can see, Nancy and I have embraced our potential French Polynesian roots and had dinner in flower headdresses! Later on, Jeff and Jim explored their possible Polynesian roots, perhaps a little less successfully, but they looked awfully cute.    Read more

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    At Sea in the South Pacific (from Jeff)

    January 22, 2015, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    While at sea between Los Angeles and French Polynesia, I turned 60. The day before my birthday, Don and Trish surprised me in LA and we had lunch at a resort and visited some beautiful coastal sights. It turned out I was to have several other surprises on my birthday at sea.

    One was a very prominent green flash on the horizon at sunset. The green flash is when a brief beacon of green light is visible immediately after the sun sets. It is caused by the prismatic effect of the atmosphere and conditions must be right for it to occur, such as an unobstructed view (over water, for example) and a clear sky.

    The other very special surprise was a quilt Ali gave me with contributions from many of the most important people in my life. She started organizing you to make personalized squares over a year ago, assembled the quilt top and then she secretly worked with her quilting club friends to do the hand quilting while I was gone to a meeting for several days last summer.

    I became emotional when I initially removed the wrapping of this wonderful gift and got teared up again as I read all the personal squares. Thanks to all of you for taking the time and effort to make something so special.

    The accompanying photo shows the finished product with Tanzanian fabrics outlining all the heartwarming squares. I used it the first night because that is good luck, but it now graces the arm of our sofa since it is kind of hot down here in French Polynesia.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersAround the WorldAli and Jeff Carithers
    2

    Moorea, Society Islands

    January 17, 2015 in French Polynesia ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    We sailed into Moorea this morning and it is everything that you would envision French Polynesia as. It is dramatically mountainous and the water is crystal clear. BTW, as we were sailing here, the captain's report was that the ocean was 3 miles deep. That's a little too much to comprehend while on vacation.
    Moorea is the island that "Bali Hai" refers to.
    We spent the day doing the best snorkeling
    we have ever done. The colors of the coral were fantastic and the fish are different than any we have seen before. We also learned that the sun is unforgiving here no matter how much sunscreen you have on.
    We sailed to Papeete, Tahiti this evening and will shop at the local market tomorrow.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersAround the WorldAli and Jeff Carithers

    Rangiroa, French Polynesia

    January 17, 2015, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    This island is the opposite of the island we were at in the Marquesas. It too is an ancient volcano, but it has evolved into an atoll. It is a rim of land that is about 1/4 mile wide with a huge lagoon in the center which is about 10 miles in diameter. The second and third pictures are a comparison of Nuku Hivo and Rangiroa. The photo on the left is Nuku Hivo and the right is Rangiroa. The center of Rangiroa is the sunken crater of the ancient volcano. Two completely different islands.Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersAround the WorldAli and Jeff Carithers
    1
    22

    Nuku Hiva, Marquesa Islands

    January 13, 2015 in French Polynesia ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F

    As much as we have enjoyed our 7 days at sea, it was a real thrill to see land today. We could hardly take our eyes off the beautiful and dramatic volcanic cliffs of the Marquesas. Here we are at yet another place that we never thought that we would visit.
    The island is quaint with lots of interesting rock sculptures and quiet roads. Gorgeous day.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersAround the WorldAli and Jeff Carithers

    At sea, January 12

    January 12, 2015, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌧 77 °F

    We are at the end of our 7 days at sea and we have enjoyed even more than we thought we would. You can be as busy as you want to or just relax, read and look at the water-and there is a lot of it! The ocean has been changeable-sometimes smooth and sometimes pitching and rolling. It will be interesting to walk on actual land tomorrow-we may be pitching and rolling ourselves!
    An observation-we are hundreds of miles from land, yet we see various species of birds flying around us-what are they thinking? Sometimes they land on a deck and look quite puzzled.
    We crossed the Equator yesterday so now we are officially shellbacks instead of polliwogs.
    We will get up early tomorrow to watch as we sail into Nuku Hivo, Marquesas Islands.    Read more

  • Ali and Jeff CarithersAround the WorldAli and Jeff Carithers

    At sea

    January 6, 2015, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌙 66 °F

    We are having our long stretch of time at sea. It is 7 days that we have all been looking forward to since we booked this cruise. Once we left LA and celebrated Jeff's 60th birthday (you'll hear about that from him), we have settled into a nice, but busy routine. We are all committed to 2-3 hours of fitness each morning in hopes of still being able to wear our clothes throughout the trip.
    There are many interesting lectures each day. There is a travel/historian that speaks about each of our upcoming ports and we have recently been joined by a wine expert who lectures while we are drinking particular wines! There is an artist on board giving classes and next week several of us will be joining one of the chefs going to the market in Tahiti.
    We are all doing a lot of reading and Jeff will be fluent in Swahili by the time we get home.
    The Pacific Ocean is very peaceful and we are loving the tranqility. The 4 of us witnessed the elusive green flash at sunset yesterday in honor of Jeff's birthday.
    A few notes from me about Jeff's 60th. Since the actual start of the World Cruise was in Los Angeles, I had asked Trish and Don if they could possibly meet us there as a surprise for Jeff. I can attest that he certainly was surprised to see them once we got off the ship. Jim had kept in touch with them as we were waiting for the ship to clear. We had a great visit. We saw a beautiful church that was all glass and then had a wonderful luncheon overlooking the Pacific Ocean. My gift to Jeff was a quilt that I had made. Months ago I had sent out plain squares with a pen for everyone that is special to Jeff to design/write on. I compiled them into a quilt and while Jeff was out of town, collected all my quilting ladies to get it quilted. He loved it.    Read more

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