Lifou Island or Drehu in the local language is the largest, most populous and most important island of the Loyalty Islands in the archipelago of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. With a total area of 1,207 square kilometers, Lifou is located east of Australia.

​The term Kanak is used for natives of the islands and their native language of the island is Drehu with people descending from Melanesians and Polynesians. With a total of 19 different tribes inhabiting the three Loyalty Islands, six of which are on Lifou.

The next day we arrived in Suva on the other side of Viti Levu island, the largest of the Fiji chain. Suva, the capitol of Fiji, is a harbor city perched on a hill between Laucala Bay and Suva Harbor in the southwest corner of th island. The city has modern building balanced by traditional colonial architecture. Almost entirely surrounded by ocean, much of Suva's coastline is lined by mangroves. Suva has 78 parks in full bloom and lush greenery made possible by the rain.

We did not have an opportunity to visit the Fiji Museum in Thurston Gardens. It houses ancient Fijian artifacts interesting exhibits from its past, including its cannibal heritage.

After doing a bit of sightseeing on Cumming Street and vising the shops, I found a good Wifi spot in the Tapoo Shopping Mall. Good Wifi is difficult to find in Fiji, but finally found one at the Vodaphone cell phone store in the mall at a reasonable price. also sampled the local Fijian beer.

Later, we hired Sammy, an Indian taxi driver who took us on a two hour ride to visit the sights. We stopped at the Colo-I-Suva Resort which is in the middle of a rainforest. There are nearby trails which lead to gushing waterfalls.

We were surprised that Sammy stopped at his house near Nausori City to offer us coffee and Indian treats made by his wife. It turned out he was a wood carver showed us items he made for sale. Then, finally he had a room devoted to trinkets and costume jewelry which probably was made in China. It seemed he brought his passengers here to sell his wares. We did not buy anything and did not mind it too much but it seems he should have asked us first if we were interested in this diversion.

​The most widely spoken language is English, but Fijian, Hindustani, Cantonese, and other Indian languages are also spoken by their respective communities

After six days at sea, we looked forward to stepping on tera firma on Laukota, Fiji, otherwise known as the "sugar city." On the first day we learned two words "bula" and "vinaka" which meant hello and thank you. The Fijians are very friendly. With a population of about 50, 000, Lautoka remaibs laid back with no rush hour to speak of.

The capital of Lautoka with its palm-line streets and 100-old banyan trees was easy to explore since the town center was only 20-minute walk from the ship dock. The main part of the small city was about six blocks long and three blocks wide. It was apparent from the inset that this was definitely a tourist town.

The Colonial Sugar Refining Company of Australia (CSR) opened a cemtralized sugar mill Laukota in 1903, as well as a jetty for off-loading the sugar. The company began operations in 1882 with the opening of the Nausori Mill. Later other mills were established. The company set up large scale sugar cane plantation farming, centralized milling, and began worldwide distribution of sugar.

The company brought indentured cheap labor from India to work in the sugar industry. Eventually, 60,000 Indians were on Fiji working the plantations. In 1920, the laborers were freed and a large percentage of the Indians stayed un Fiji creating the multi-cultural environment which exists today. The so-called Kanak or black-birded labor from the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and other Pacific Islands were an integral part of the labor force for CSR during its early days.

Local legend has it that the chiefs of two tribes in the area got into a no-holds barred fight due to rising tensions. One chief speared the other, screaming victoriously Lau-Toka." It meant "spear hit" or "hit to win." That's how the city got its name.

Anthrpologists believe Fiji's original inhabitants came from Southeast Asia via the Malay Penninsula more than 3, 500 years ago, long. A complex Fijian society existed long before Europeans arrived.

After an early sighting by Dutch navigator, Abel Tasman, in 1643, Fiji was explored and charted by Captain James Cook in 1774. This eventually led to European settlement in the mid-19th century. In 1874, Fiji was ceded to Britain in 1874.

The next seven days were sea days as we cruised towards Fiji.. There was never a shortage of activities on cruise ships. You can choose from armchair activities, such as a variety of trivia games (usually held in the bar lounges throughou the ship), personal enrichment seminars, port destination talks, card/board ganes/games, and big screen movies.

For the more active, sports activities abound. We played table tennis, shuffleboard, and did workouts in the gym. We also did walking laps around the deck. The FlowRider is the featured sport activity on this ship. It is basically surfing machine that takes a bit of practice to learn. Other sports include: wall climbing, volletball, basketball, mini-golf, and others.

We did not partake in casino activities, art auctions, and various shopping venues. Spa treatments/massages, specialty restaurants, alcoholic beverages and espresso drinks were extra cost activities.

I was cajoled into participating in the "World's Sexiest Man" competition. Five men are selected from the audience who are judged by four women volunteers. It was helpful thart Debbe was one of the judges ... at least I could count on one vote, I thought. The idea was that the contestants do various routines catering to the whims and desires of the judges to get their vote. Debbe said that "buns"was her favorite male attribute...or was it a reference to baking? I did a strip tease routine that left me in my speedos. It was a suprise that I won the contest. Later, I learned that one of the judges had Alzheimers and could not remember what the contestants did.


On day 13th day of the cruise, we crossed the international Date Line wchich is an imaginary degree line of lomgitude that lies approximately d8wn the middle of the Pacific. One can think of it as aplace where a day begins. When you cross it from the East, you lose a day. Venture past it, from the West and you will gain a day.

We arrived in Honolulu, our first port stop, amind sunshine and calm waters. We took the city bus to Wikiki where we were to meet up with Gyongyi, my sister, at Royal Hawaiian Hotel. It is one of the original resort hotels in Waikiki...90 years old. It is very nicely restored with its trademark pink stucco look. Gyongyi flew in for the day to spend the the day with us in Honolulu.

​We had lunch at the Island Vintage Coffee restaurant. This self service restaurant which offers organic and natural dishes is located in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center.  Debbe and I had spicy poke dishs ($14.95), and it was one of the best poke salads I had...very tasty and very fresh (5 stars). It was a lucky selection that we chose this particular joint.

We did an ocean swim at a beach by Duke's (the surfer) statue.  Later, it was time to bid adieu to my sister who caught a bus to the airport and we caught a bus to Costco.  We purchased a bottle of wine and coffee for our Gold Coast stay.

Honolulu is busier and more touristy than ever. Waikiki has bars, restaurants and shopping on every corner. Call it a Las Vegas with beaches.  It is not everyone's cup of tea.

Bus tip:  seniors can get a day pass for $2.00 by showing their medicare ID.  Just buy it on the bus and they will hand you a piece of paper.  Otherwise, it is $2.50 per ride.

We departed Seattle at 5:00 PM and started our five-day voyage to Honolulu on the trans-pacific cruise. This is a "re-positioning" cruise so we got a good deal on a bacony cabin on the 7th deck. The first two days out were moderately rough as we sailed on Southwesterly course away from land and making our way south. Nothing terrible just a bit of motion.

By the third day, we were almost at the latitude of Los Angeles and winds/waves settled down. The temp was warmer and spent more time on deck.

The Explorer of the Seas js the biggest ship we sailed so far. It felt a bit more crowded than smaller ships but still can find quiet space. The best feature on this ship, and possibly Royal Caribbean as a cruise line, are the very excellent shows in the Palace Theater. There two shows a night and are performed as well as Las Vegas Shows. We attend the first show every night after dinner.

​As far as cuisine, it is OK but not spectacular. The sit-down dinners at 5:30 PM in the Sapphire restaurant with waiter service are above average and much better that the alternative cafeteria-style Firs restaurant. For breakfast, Debbe and I have a continental breakfast with coffee in the cabin and have it on the balcony. The Kirchners (Doug and Suz) are next door and the first thing I hear every morning is Doug's voice.

You are probably wondering how we keep from getting fat. It is not too difficult to put on one two pounds a day on these cruises. Debbe and I vowed to these principles: No carbohydrates, no sweets, no sugar, and only a few drinks. I further decided to fast a day here and there and to skip some lunches. So far, we have been sticking to this regime.

Activity wise, there is no shortage of things to do. The Cruise Director, nicknamed Dan-Dan, has organized a full schedule from morning to late night. In addition to shows, we play table tennis, participate in various trivia games, go to seminars, work out in the gym, do steam baths/sauna, Jacuzzi, and watch movies on the outdoor big screen. Debbe attended a cake decorating workshop with Suz and said that that final product was very delicious. I found a chess layer and we play chess almost every day (mental energy burns calories too).

We are taking the Bellingham Airporter shuttle downtown Seattle at 8:00AM to meet up with Doug and Suzanne Kirchner who are flying in from Denver the night before departure.  Our journey begins today.  The weather looks good to Hawaii with forecasted winds of 15-30 knots coming from astern.  As we approach the Hawaiian Islands, the winds will calm down.

The Royal Caribbean ship we are boarding around noon is the Explorer of the Seas which is a Voyager-class cruise ship completed in 2,000.

Length: 1,020 feet
Construction started: August 1, 1999
Capacity: 4,029 passengers
Crew: 1,180
Speed: 23.7 knots (27.3 mph)

We will arrive in Honolulu, our first stop of the 24 day voyage, on October 12th where we are meeting up with Gyongyi (Steve's sister) who is flying to Honolulu for the day from the Big Island.