Around the World Again

Alofi, Niue – January 28, 2018

Although we arrived at about 8 am, I had decided to wait until tender tickets were not needed so I got my swim in first thing.

We needed to have special approval to tender in today and for some businesses to be open because it is Sunday. Normally nothing is open on Sunday which is a day for church and family.

Open tendering started at 10:35 but I was still in the pool at that time. I arrived on Niue about 11:30. Even if it wasn’t Sunday, there is not a lot to do on the island – there were not even any excursions available. How many ports have you been to where the cruise line does not offer any excursions?

The steps at the tender dock were a bit difficult but there were plenty of crew members there to help you get off the tender and up the steps. There were two island ladies handing out maps before we started uphill to get into the town of Alofi.

The few stores that were going to open were not supposed to do so until noon so I started walking. To my arthritic hip it felt like I walked for miles and miles (I forgot to take an Alleve before leaving the ship) but in reality I walked about two miles.

On the way back a few things were open including an Indian restaurant, a store that sold SIM cards, and the Information Centre. The Information Centre had a few artifacts on display.

There were lots of dogs running around but all seemed to be friendly. There were also lots of flies that were not so friendly. Any time you stopped walking they descended on you. At least they were flies and not mosquitoes!

Although it had been mostly cloudy all day – there were even a few sprinkles – it was very warm and humid. When I returned to the ship I took a quick shower before heading to the Lido for a late lunch.

I started a new book today so I sat by the Lido pool and read until it was time for trivia at 3:30. Not one of our better games with only 8 points – the winners had 13 out of 15.

1)What is the national bird of India?

2)How many gold medals did Carl Lewis win in the 1984 Olympics?

3)How many pawns are on a chessboard?

4)Name all 7 of Snow White’s dwarfs.

5)What color is the Golden Gate Bridge?

Not much time between the two trivias but I used it to return to my cabin and get a bag of laundry ready to go and to take some pictures from my deck. Just before I came in the captain announced that our good weather and smooth seas were going to abandon us for a day or two. Tomorrow is scheduled to be rainy with 40 mph winds (gale force) and this might carry over into the following day.

We had a little better showing at 5:00 trivia with 11 correct. Winning team had 14 out of 17.

1)What is the name of Batman’s butler?

2)Who cannot be on a US postage stamp?

3)What is the highest waterfall in the world?

4)According to Greek mythology, who was the first woman on Earth?

5)What color is a Himalyan poppy?

Changed for dinner and was second in line to see Claudia about my photo issues on my laptop. Turns out she had no idea what was causing the problem and suggested I visit the Microsoft Store in Sydney. Not what I wanted to hear. I am going to try to load the pictures onto the blog using my iPad although it will take much longer. I may be a few days behind on pictures until I see if they can figure out my problem in Sydney.

Listened to the “Broadway Extravaganza” by Jamm in the Piano Bar before dinner. I had a shrimp cocktail (no more shrimp until Auckland we were told – they are also out of spinach although nobody at our table was much concerned about that), beef brisket, and a mixed berry strudel for dessert.

“The Knights” performed their second show with songs from Tom Jones, Rod Stewart, as well as others. Another great show.

Day at sea tomorrow.

Some pictures from my walk...