MickeyandKimWorldAdventures

  Papeete Authored by Laurie Hardcastle Seil Welcome to where the palm trees sway, the water’s turquoise blue, and the sands can be black or white, Papeete, Tahiti. Located on the northwest coast of the island it’s the largest cruise port in French Polynesia.  We’ll dock at the Quai D’Honneur in the center of town where the waterfront and port serve cruise ships, ferries, yachts and cargo boats. Along the harbor there’s a very pleasant and walkable promenade. The tourism office is next to the terminal and will have all kinds of information on city tours and shore excursions. Formed by the eruptions of not just one but two volcanoes, Tahiti looks to me a bit like a turtle with its head out. The larger northern part of the island is called Tahiti Nut, or Big Tahiti, while the smaller southern part is called Tahiti Iti, you guessed it, Little Tahiti. It’s the capital of French Polynesia and the second largest city on the largest island in this group, it will definitely have a Fre...

  Moorea Authored by Laurie Hardcastle Seil It appears that once we’ve reached Mo’orea, the “Magical Island”, we’ve arrived in paradise. This should be pure tropical bliss as we tender to shore to the village of Papeotai in Opunohu Bay. There should be small booths off the tender dock that will be offering tours. Currency here is the CFP Franc, aka French Pacific Franc, and payment in cash is often required so check to see what you might need before you go as ATMs are few and far between (I looked on a map!) and banks will be closed on Sunday. Mo’orea is part of the Society Islands archipelago, part of the 118 islands and atolls that make up French Polynesia, or as it’s more commonly called, The Islands of Tahiti. These are scattered across the Pacific in an area roughly the size of Western Europe. Mo’orea is only 16 mi (26 km) long and 11 mi (18 km) wide. The island formed as a volcano somewhere between 1.5-2.5 million years ago, as did the rest of this chain, over a volcanic ho...

  Machu Picchu Cusco Peru Authored by Laurie Hardcastle Seil Just a little about Cusco, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, before I get to the star of the day. Located about 80 km (50 mi) southeast of Machu Picchu, three days walk for the Inca, this city is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the Western Hemisphere and was once capital of the Inca Empire. Located in a fertile valley in the heart of the central Peruvian Andes it is blessed to have water from several rivers, so different from the Altacama we so recently visited. We will be at an elevation of 11,150 ft (3,400 m) above sea level.  Cusco was considered the “navel of the world” to the Incas and the rest of their empire radiated out from this spot. There may have been a population of up to 200,000 living here at the height of this civilization. You can still see remnants of their incredible construction techniques in spots in the city as well as many structures that show the influence of their Spanish conqu...

  Honolulu Authored by Laurie Hardcastle Seil We’ll dock here on the south coast of Oahu near the Aloha Tower, right in the center of town, with Waikiki not far away. The nickname for Oahu is “The Gathering Place” and this leeward side of the island certainly is, lots of crowds, lots of sights to see, and pretty commercial. You couldn’t ask for a more lovely setting than Honolulu, which means “sheltered harbor” and apparently the Polynesians thought the same as it may have been settled as early as 2,000 years ago according to one source. It was made the capital city of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1850 and continues on as the state capital today. In years past it was an island known for sugar and pineapple plantations and while the former are mostly gone, the ones that grow the golden, sweet iconic fruit still remain. If you want to see pineapple growing you can visit the Dole Plantation, it’s kind of a tourist trap but it is interesting to learn about how one of my favorite fruits is ...

  Kona Hawaii Authored by Laurie Hardcastle Seil We’ll be tendering ashore to Kailua Village while Serenade is anchored in Kailua Bay. The village covers a pretty small area and is a nice town to walk around in.  Here on the leeward side of the island they get over 300 sunny days a year as opposed to Hilo on the wet windward side, it’s also known for calm, clear waters. The Big Island, the largest island in the U.S., is geographically diverse enough and big enough that it boasts eleven of the world’s thirteen climate zones in its 4,000 square miles (10,360 square km). Kailua itself is located at the foot of the Hualalai Volcano and is the home of the Ironman Triathlon every October. It’s believed that the Kona coast was discovered by the Polynesian explorers sometime between 100-600 AD and became beloved for its weather, fertile fields, and friendly waters. Kona became the home of many Hawaiian kings and was their seat of power from the 15th century onwards. It was with the ...

  Hilo Hawaii Authored by Laurie Hardcastle Seil Today we’re docking at Hilo port on Hilo Bay on the island of Hawaii, also just known as the Big Island. It’s the youngest in the Hawaiian chain and still growing, with Kilauea volcano adding new land every year as it continues to erupt. There is usually a traditional show with Hawaiian music and dancing to greet cruise ships on arrival, showcasing that welcoming spirit of the islands.  Hilo is located on the windward side of the island, the side that gets more moisture, hence the lush, green, tropical beauty you see everywhere. It’s the oldest city in the Hawaiian Islands and the name means “to twist, or braid”, but since history here has been passed down orally rather than written, apparently the reason why Hilo was called that has been lost. The city began around 1100 AD when inhabitants arrived from Polynesia. It was the political center during the time of King Kamehameha, warrior, diplomat, and leader who unified the isla...

  Los Angeles, CA The first segment of this world journey Around the Horn, ended today., and we are not tired of being on our ship yet.... Upon reflection it has been an incredible experience, hard to pick a favorite stop, but I am going with Antarctica first, Iguazu Falls and then the almost Machu Picchu experience...Rio and the fireworks were amazing as were all of the other ports we got to visit.  While the blog takes a lot of time, it is nice to revisit memories of this once in a lifetime journey.  After a great first segment, we landed back in the US.  Needed to go through customs - regardless of whether you wanted to get off ship or not - we originally were to meet Donna and Joe Pagano for lunch, as we had not seen them in quite a while, but schedules did not work out, so we missed them.  We will have to plan a get together in the future.  We took advantage of our short port time to stock up on some supplies and did a run to Costco, Best Buy...

  Ensenada Mexico It’s our last port before we land back in the U.S. of A., so welcome to Ensenada, Mexico. Ensenada is Baja California’s leading seaport, much of that traffic due to cruise ships who frequent the town as it’s the nearest foreign port to the United States. Originally a small fishing village, commercial fisheries still abound, but it is also now a popular beach resort, plus a Mexican naval base. Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was the first European to see the area by sea in 1542 and a village named San Mateo was founded here the same year. In 1602 it was renamed by Sabastián Vizcaino as he sailed north from Acapulco to explore the California coast. When he reached the bay here, he called it Ensenada de Todos Los Santos or Cove of All the Saints. On a side note, he also named San Diego Bay, the Santa Barbara Channel Islands, and Monterey Bay, among other places, on this voyage. A permanent settlement was established by the Jesuits sometime in the 17th or ...

  Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Authored by Laurie Hardcastle Seil One of Mexico’s top five tourist destinations here on the Sea of Cortez. The view is great here from the ship with the city on one side and the famous rocky point and arch on the other, you see it the whole time we’re in port since Serenade will be anchoring and we’ll be tending into the dock. The heart of Cabo, as it’s called by most people, is about a 10-minute walk down the waterfront. Cabo San Lucas is one of the safest destinations in Mexico and at restaurants, hotels and bars the water is typically filtered and safe to drink. The great thing about being in Cabo in February is that it’s whale migration season and it’s almost a guarantee that you’ll see pods of whales in the area if you do a whale watching tour. Lots of beaches here as well, along with shopping and restaurants, the entire vibe is definitely casual. The area has been inhabited since 13,000 BC when the hunter-gatherer Pericúes people lived here. Under ...