Dianne and I returned a few days ago from a cruise that originated in Tahiti and ended in Australia. The Oceania cruise stopped at islands for us to explore. The cruise started on Feb. 4th, and ended on Feb. 23rd. Forty-three hundred nautical miles were covered on the cruise. Dianne did most of the research for the trip, and we wanted to see how people on the various islands we visited lived. We were interested in their culture, and how their lives differed from ours. We also wanted to explore the various islands. Finally, we wanted to swim and snorkel in pristine water where we could see abundant numbers of reef fish. All those goals were accomplished. The trip exceeded our expectations in every aspect. Several people who knew we had taken the trip have asked me after we returned home when they were going to see slides of the trip. The slide/video show at the end of this email lasts for just over 6 minutes, and explores the first part of the adventure when we visited the French Polynesian islands of Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, and Raitea. These islands compose a part the Society Island archipelago of French Polynesia. I purchased an underwater camera for the trip, and have some terrific photos and short video clips of beautiful reef fish, and sharks. I probably got a little too close to the sharks, but I got the photos that I wanted. The great thing about sending slide / video photos via email, is that there are no captive audiences, and only those who are interested will watch. James Michener stated that Bora Bora was the most beautiful island in the world. Many travel experts think that Moorea is equal in beauty to Bora Bora. We started our adventure three days early by staying on a beautiful over the water bungalow on Moorea. Lucky for us it was the off travel season, and prices were greatly reduced, so we took advantage of that. The islands of Tahiti are all surrounded by coral reefs that form large lagoons between the reefs and the beaches. The lagoons are stunning in their beauty as the water varies in colors from ranging from a dark blue to very light and turquoise colors. The final color is an abundance of light green water. The mosaic that results from these colors is breathtaking in its beauty. Life on the islands revolves around the villages. Each village elects a chief, and each village meets on a regular basis. The villagers handle disputes, settle problems, and complete the business of the village at these meetings. The police are seldom involved in issues as they are resolved in the village meetings. If the issue cant be resolved the village may permanently remove the individual from the village. The deceased are buried in the front lawns of the village homes. I have a photo of a burial site in front of a home. The homes are not sold but are handed down to family members. I found all of this to be so interesting. Mainstream Christianity, i.e. Methodist, Catholic, etc. compose the religious faith. Church attendance is mandatory on Sunday. That is followed by a feast for the village that the men have prepared the previous day. The feast usually consists of a pig, and chickens that are placed over coals and covered with banana leafs. We ate a couple of these meals, and they were very good. After we departed Raiatea, our fourth and final Polynesian island, we were at sea for two days covering the 1260 miles to American Samoa. The next, second, slide show will highlight life on the ship. After that Ill put a third slide program together from visits to the remaining islands which are American and Western Samoa, Fiji, and New Caledonia. The fourth and final slide program, will highlight our visit to Brisbane and Sydney Australia. Ive got some terrific photos of the world famous opera house in Sydney. We were fortunate and were able to get tickets to a performance in that amazing facility. Finally, after a 14 hr. and 30 minute flight from Sydney of 8,589 miles we landed in Dallas where we cleared Customs. As the Customs officer was stamping my passport, he looked up at me and stated, Welcome home Mr. Wasmuth. My heartfelt reply was, Thank-you sir, it is great to be home again. Best wishes and much love to everyone, Phil The Society Islands of French Polynesia: philwasmuth.phanfare/6435798
Posted on: Fri, 28 Feb 2014 03:52:24 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015