VOYAGE to the SOUTH PACIFIC ... Amelia, where are you?

Nearing Nuku Hiva Oct 6, 2009

“A little amateur painting in water-color shows the innocent and quiet mind.” - Robert Louis Stevenson

My water color experience is progressing. Our instructor Frances and her friend Lillian are trying really hard to deal with people with varying degrees of experience. I still consider myself a beginner even though I have quite a few of the basic techniques down in my bag of tricks. However, if Frances thinks you are too experienced, she banishes you to an alcove around the corner because she doesn’t want to have anyone discouraging the pure neophytes (it’s that right-brained thing of hers again). In any event, I’ve now done two flowers (ugh), and finished a doggie and a kitty cat (double ugh). Frances says we are going to do wild animals next (oh joy).

Since we have been on this trip there have been some serious natural disasters in the Western Pacific, a severe typhoon with devastating floods in the Philippines, and earthquakes in Indonesia with a resultant tsunami that struck both American and Western Samoa (and those are two places we are scheduled to visit). The service staffs on Holland America ships are Filipino and Indonesian and some of the families of these crew members have been severely impacted by these disasters. Many of the passengers have approached the front office on the ship to ask if there was anything we might do to aid those families of crew members in need. A collection box for cash donations was set up by the front desk two days ago and this afternoon, a benefit “Amsterdam-Aid” concert was held on stage in the Queens Lounge show room. Performances were made by the Rosario Strings Trio, a Filipino cocktail and dinner music group (where did Filipino’s ever learn how to play Orange Blossom Special?), the pop music quartet Crossover, who play with a singer every evening in the Ocean Bar, the Amsterdam show band featuring a steel drum virtuoso, an Indonesian folk dance group made up of cabin and dining stewards in native costume, and finally Cruise Director Bruce Scudder who is a piano soloist with a dual masters degree from Julliard (whatever he does this job for, I don’t know). The whole event lasted just under an hour and it was truly a moving experience.

As far as what will be in store for us once we get to the Samoa’s, the cruise line is in touch with the American authorities in Pago Pago where we are scheduled to be on October 17th. So far it appears we will still make the port call. Early reports are that the tsunami hit the other side of the island from where we are supposed to be. We are scheduled for a Taste of Samoan Life tour there which may or may not go. Our trip to Western Samoa will not be until November 20, after we’ve been to Australia and New Zealand. We’ve already heard that some of the ship’s scheduled tours have been cancelled since some beaches have been completely wiped out. We had not planned any formal tours there in Apia (the capital) so the effect on us should be minimal if anything. - RBM