July 13, 2005

• Weimea Canyon and Shipboard Life

  Our next port was Nawiliwili (don’t you just love the name of that town?) on the island of Kauai. The big attraction there is Weimea Canyon, otherwise known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. Up to this point, we had been renting cars and driving ourselves, something we have never done in the Caribbean because they only issue driver’s licenses to insane people there, but this day we booked a tour through the ship, so we boarded a big bus in Nawiliwili and headed for the canyon.

  I have never been to the other Grand Canyon – shocking, I know – so I don’t have any comparison to make with this one, but Weimea is very lovely. I took lots of pictures of it, but I am only going to post 2 because they are basically pretty similar and photos, at least at my level of expertise with a camera, do not do this place justice.

  

  

  One of the advantages of booking tours through a cruise ship rather than driving yourself is that you have a tour guide who tells you about the area. The canyon is located in Kokee State Park, which also houses a wildlife preserve. The animals there seem to know that they are protected, because they are not afraid of people and will pose for pictures.

  Among the species we saw were these chickens. Yes, the chickens are a protected species. Their genetic line is thought to be the ancestral line of all chickens. They are different from the domestic chickens we know on mainland farms because they are monogamous and the roosters help raise the chicks.

  

  Our tour guide told us that when he was a boy, he incurred the wrath of his father because he caught, cooked, and ate one of these chickens. Hawaiians do not look kindly on that!

  

  We also saw NeNe, the state bird of Hawaii and a type of goose. We were pleased to see them because we had been hearing about them on the other islands. Supposedly, there are quite a few of them living in the area around Kilauea, but we did not see them there. They were nearly extinct but have been making a good recovery since they have been protected.

  

  These little birds were also offering photo ops. Some kind of cardinal, maybe?

  

  As I said, one advantage of an organized tour is that you learn about the area. There are very few native Hawaiians left. Before other people came to Hawaii, the Hawaiians had little or no disease. When the first outsiders arrived, that changed. A large percentage of the Hawaiian population succumbed to illnesses that were not a threat to the newcomers. It seems the Hawaiians had not developed effective immune systems because they had not been exposed to disease. Because of that, the government of Hawaii encouraged its residents to intermarry with the “outsiders” to improve their immune systems. I was impressed that they were able to figure that out in a time when not much was really known about immunity. Anyway, it created a mixed race in Hawaii which the tour guide credited with the extremely low rate of racial prejudice.

  As other people moved in, the government of Hawaii began to provide home sites for native Hawaiians. I believe the guide said that you have to be at least 50% Hawaiian to be eligible for one of these lovely homes and that the waiting list for them is quite long. That problem is rapidly correcting itself, though, because the number of eligible people is declining.

  Niihau, or Forbidden Island, off the coast of Kauai is one place where the population is still almost entirely native Hawaiian. The island is owned by the Robinson family who own large plantations on Kauai. Visitors are not allowed on the island unless they have relatives there, and, even then, they are not allowed to stay overnight. Through these restrictions, the Robinsons hope to preserve the native people and culture of Hawaii.

  When we returned to the ship at the end of our day in Kokee State Park, we set sail for 2 days at sea. I love days at sea because they give you an opportunity to relax and enjoy all of the things the ship offers. Life on board a ship can be just as busy or just as lazy as you want it to be. There are always several games, lectures, food or drink tastings, dance lessons and other activities from which to choose. There is also a pool and hot tub, and of course a variety of deck chairs on various decks for reading, chatting with other passengers, or dozing. I don’t take many pictures on ships anymore, but here is a little sampling of life at sea:

  Ice sculpture demonstration poolside. It only took this chef about 20 minutes to make this Indian Chief. Ice sculpture has to be done quickly because the ice melts, and that is even more true when you are doing it out in the hot Hawaiian sun by the pool instead of in the galley!

  

  

  Mystery Dinner. This is an activity we enjoy doing at home with friends. It’s lots of fun, so we were pleased to have the opportunity to sign up and participate on the ship. 150 passengers formed teams of 8 (I know 150 is not divisible by 8. I don’t know why the cruise staff chose that number) to solve the mystery of the disappearance of the Captain. It was a popular activity, so another 150 people were turned away. Dan and I are the couple on the far right. The couple next to us are Darrel and Cathy, one of the couples with whom we were traveling.

  

  Showtime! There is a show every night. Shows tend to be bigger when the ship is at sea because more passengers attend. These Polynesian dancers were wonderful!

  

  Chocoholic Buffet. These pictures are actually out of order. The Chocoholic Buffet on this cruise was held on the afternoon of Father’s Day, which was the day after our next port, but I am putting all the shipboard pictures together. I don’t know whether holding it on Father’s Day afternoon was a special treat for the fathers aboard or whether this is now an afternoon activity on all sailings. It has been a midnight buffet on our other cruises.

  

  Everything was made of chocolate on this gigantic buffet!

  

  Even these life sized people were chocolate!

  

  The only things that weren’t chocolate were the ice sculptures! Do you think this sea monster is intimidating?

  

  I am one of the few people in the world who does not crave chocolate, but I did eat a bit. I like the chocolate covered fruit. Most people pile as much as possible onto their plates (they give you a dinner plate!), and many go back for more. And, yes, we did eat dinner after all that!

  Bedtime. At the end of a day at sea, and at the end of every day for that matter, the cabin stewards turn down the beds and place a little chocolate on the pillows to wish the cruisers sweet dreams. Sometimes they also make towel animals to wish you good night. It’s fun to walk into your cabin and find one of these little fellows waiting to greet you!

  

  Nest stop, Fanning Island in the Republic of Kiribati.

  (Something funny – the spell check Xanga uses does not recognize the names of any of the places in Hawaii, but it recognizes Kiribati! I bet Hawaii has a lot more visitors than the Republic of Kiribati!)

  • 12:19 pm
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