Finally, though, we made our way to the Cabaret Lounge for Douglas Pearson's 10:15am lecture on the Marquesas in general and the island of Nuku Huva in particular. I have to say that, of all these French Polynesian island groups, the Marquesas really have the most fascinating of all the fascinating island histories. It's fairly accepted that the first settlers in what is now French Polynesia came to the Marquesas from Asia via Tonga and Samoa, and then moved south and west to the other island groupings. But what is really fun is that in 1813 American Commodore David Porter claimed the Marquesan islands for the US, naming them the Washington Islands, but the US Congress was simply not interested enough to ratify the claim. How different our travels in this region would be today if they had!
The history of this area is really good stuff!
We returned to our cabin just long enough to get dressed a little more nicely for the MTP luncheon, which is always a fantastic effort on the part of the galley and dining crews. Really, it's a good thing we don't have them on every cruise (only if there are at least 40 Elites, we were told) because such pampering and attention could really give one a warped sense of entitlement and those of you who know me know I am not all comfortable with that sort of stuff. I was lucky enough to sit next to our new (this cruise) captain, Fabrezio Maresca, who we knew from the Emerald Princess when he was the Staff Captain under Captain Pomata. He told us of the challenges he had just faced as captain of the Diamond Princess sailing in Japan when it was affected by not one but two typhoons. I also asked him why, in all the time I have spent on an upper deck watching the Pacific Princess approach these islands, I have never seen the local pilot being brought out to the ship by boat. Apparently there is a local pilot on the Pacific Princess the entire 10-day cruise on these itineraries. When we return to Papeete, that pilot disembarks and another one joins the ship. Interesting! It was an excellent meal with fun conversation, and, as always happens at these sorts of things, our table was the last to leave.
But then it was 2pm, and G's early morning was catching up with him. We retired to the cabin for me to start this post and him to nap. The day's bright start had ended as clouds rolled in bringing a few brief showers. I started my second book of the cruise, Robert Louis Stevenson's In the South Seas, which I have on my iPad and which seems particularly appropriate given that he and his wife traveled to the Marquesas Islands. I do love the classics, in movies or literature!
I had received an email from one of Mom's dearest friends this morning, telling me she was ok but would not be able to send me her morning email update until later in the day, but not to worry. So, of course, I worried, checking emails every 30 minutes or so until I did finally hear from Mom by mid-afternoon, and she really is OK, or, at least, better than she had been, so thank you, Lois, for keeping me in the loop, and, Mom, did you really think that telling Lois to tell me not to worry was going to make me not worry? Puh-lease. In the end, there were a few stressful hours but all is fine again, which is good because I probably couldn't get home for nearly a week regardless of what was happening.
My mind finally at ease, I turned on the TV in search of football scores, and was thrilled to see the Broncos-Patriots game was being shown and was in the 4th quarter, and then I saw the score and my happiness balloon quickly deflated. Not pretty. In the back of my mind, I'm feeling I won't be watching the Broncos play in the Super Bowl on the Royal Princess MUTS in February, but whether that's because they won't be there or I won't be there, or both, I'm not certain.
It was Breeza Marina night in the Elite lounge. Bartender Tyler, one of only two American bartenders in the Princess fleet, was teasing me that I am there, like clockwork when he opens the doors only one night out of ten on these cruises. Hey, I know what I like! We ate a quick dinner in the Club Restaurant, wanting to go to the 7pm show in the Cabaret Lounge (vocalist Claude-Eric) and then be early to bed. The alarm is set for 5:30am tomorrow; so we can be on the open deck to watch our arrival into our last virgin island of these cruises, Nuku Hiva.