Friday, 16 February, 2018 Papeete, French Polynesia

Good morning from paradise! Fortunately, we dodged the cyclone that was brewing in the South Pacific that decimated Tonga. Before arriving in Bora Bora yesterday, we had several days of spirited seas. It wasn't rough enough to put away anything breakable, but one definitely knew that one was at sea.

We had 4 sea days from Honolulu to Bora Bora. In my last transmittal, I published a list of sea day activities, and they vary from day to day, primarily with the speakers.

11 February, our Celebrity Speaker was Major General Mark V Rosenker USAF (ret) who spoke on: “The Care and Feeding of the President of the United States: a behind the scenes look.” One would think our current President would need a keeper.

Ken Lennox, spoke on “The Royal Family, 1958-2018. Ken was a photographer assigned to the Royal Family and gave interesting insights into the different personalities of the Royal Family.

Our evening meal was in The Veranda, the elegant French specialty restaurant onboard. We had dinner with our friends: Lin and Bryan , Paul and Andy and Evana and Andy. The food and service was very good, and we enjoyed the company, the conversation and the laughter.

12 February, was Shrove Tuesday or “Pancake Day” in the UK. The two teams competing in the Pancake Race Relay were the Bridge Staff and the Galley Staff. It was a stiff competition with racers with frying pans transferring the pancake to a waiting pan. The Galley Staff was the winner! Just a note, the “pancakes” traditionally served on this day in the UK are more like crepes, not the flapjack kind of pancakes served in the US. There are sweet or savory pancakes, and the sweet ones are traditionally served with sugar, butter and lemon.

Murder on the Orient Express (new release) was the movie of the day.

13 February, we had a very interesting Celebrity Lecturer, The Honorable Mark V. Rosenker who spoke on “Trains, Planes and Automobiles. The NTSB's Role Investigating Catastrophic Transportation Accidents.” His talk was encouraging because he shared the technical innovations that may prevent these tragic accidents from ever happening again.

This evening's entertainment was a Variety Show with the Magician, Stephen Garcia and Violinist Gary Lovini. We really enjoyed Stephen's first show a few nights ago, and he performed some very clever and very funny tricks. We were fortunate to have drinks with him the the night after the show. He's a very talented and funny guy.

13 February

Today was the Crossing of the Line Ceremony to mark crossing the Equator for the first of three times during our World Cruise. There was a very large group of both guests and crew who were “polliwogs” (had never crossed the Equator before) who were convicted of silly crimes and made to kiss a fish and then doused in what appeared to be colored frosting and spaghetti and made to jump in the pool. Then two officers and the Captain, dressed as a pirate were “convicted” and thrown in the pool. It is all fun and now those participants were “Shell Backs.” We first crossed the Equator on our Grand Voyage around South America and to Antarctica on Crystal Symphony. The food coloring stays with you for a few shampoos!

14 February, Valentines Day! The ship was decorated with hearts and red and white balloons and dinner had a special heart-shaped desert. Each woman was given a long-stemmed red rose when we entered the dining room.

There was a delightful live interview with Captain Aseem A Hashmi, MNM, our favorite Captain ever! His life was an interesting one and this interview presented more detail into his career as a Pilot for British Air and ultimately, at a very young age, Captain of the Cunard ships. His sense of humor is delightful, and we will miss him when he leaves the QE for a well deserved vacation on 16 of February in Papeete.

15 February, Anchored in Bora Bora, French Polynesia. What a fantastic day!! Bora Bora must be the most beautiful place on earth, and each time we visit it, I fall in love with it again. Our friend, Evana, organized a private tour for 24 of us in two boats with Patrick, whose tours are legendary. Today, Patrick himself captained our boat. Our first stop was snorkeling and swimming with black tipped sharks and stingrays. The stingrays followed Patrick around like a puppy, because they knew he had fish for them. They are huge and feel sort of slippery. We then proceeded to deeper water within the reef where we snorkeled and saw an incredible array of blue, yellow, silver fish and a huge moray eel as well as an octopus. We all are sharing photos, so I will post more later in the cruise. After this adventure, we docked at Patrick's motu (island) for lunch. This motu of more than 24 acres has been in Patrick's family for many years. Lunch was a French Polynesian BBQ where a hole is dug and lava rocks are heated for several hours. Then food is placed on top of palm leaves, covered with more palm leaves and then sacks to seal in the heat and cooked for several hours. Patrick unveiled the food and identified the types we had: a full suckling pig, pots with poi and spinach and chicken, plantains, breadfruit, taro root, and tapioca (just the fruit, not the pudding). Additionally, fresh fish was grilled and there were bowls of fresh pineapple, grapefruit and banana pudding. There was an open bar with local beer, wine and soft drinks. We sat on picnic tables whose legs were in the water so that our feet dangled in the crystal clear water. Tiny 4-5 inch long silver colored fish came to investigate. After lunch we were treated to a Tahitian man with a fire “baton” doing an amazing routine. We had one more stop to snorkel or swim and then back to the dock. It was an absolutely glorious day with water so turquoise and so clear. Bora Bora had been plagued with rain for several days before our arrival and we were treated to blue skies and a gentle breeze. Patrick said they sacrificed a virgin for the beautiful weather for us—and it took a lot of work to find one. Our tour of the island took us passed gorgeous resorts with over-water bungalows that start at over $1000 per night. Patrick pointed out a nearby island that has a boarding school for the children on Bora Bora, the hospital and the jail. We also saw Bora Bora's airport on a motu, where boats ferry passengers to and fro.

16 February, Papeete, Tahiti. Papeete is the largest city in French Polynesia. One must really get out of the city to experience Tahiti. The natural beauty in the mountains and the views are spectacular. The city itself is crowded, with lots of traffic, but with a definite French flavor. At noon today, Captain Hashmi turns over command of the Queen Elizabeth to Captain Inger Thorhauge, one of the few female captains in the cruise industry. Captain Thorhauge began her career as a stewardess onboard a cargo ship to earn extra money during school vacation. She quickly determined she liked a life at sea, but not cleaning and enrolled in DFDS Scandinavian Seaways as a cadet. She rose quickly from captaining ferries to employment with Seabourn and Cunard and has been a Captain with Cunard for 7 years. She lives in Denmark with her husband.

I wanted to end this post with a comment about the tragedy that occurred in Florida yesterday. Another school shooting—this time with 17 students and teachers killed. We have become desensitized to these tragedies. What does this say about us as human beings? I am tired of the rhetoric of our “thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.” Prayers will not work! We need new laws controlling the manufacture and access of guns, particularly automatic weapons or bump stocks that convert guns to automatic weapons. Automatic weapons are not used for hunting or for sport, they are only used to injure and kill. Those who hide behind the Constitution and the “right to bear arms” need to realize when that was written, they were referring to muskets not automatic weapons. The NRA should have NO control in Washington. Our President (strangely silent on this matter) and representatives in Washington on both sides of the aisle need to stand up and say “NO MORE!”