The Largest Ocean in the Solar System?
While other planets and their satellites may have water, Earth is the only one with oceans. The largest of Earth's oceans is the Pacific. The name means "peaceful." That seems like a strange name for an ocean that has tsunamis, typhoons, earthquakes and volcanoes. It was also the scene of violent conflect in the second world war.
Somewhere in the middle of the Pacific, is the state of Hawaii, a chain of beautiful islands with a perfect climate. Those islands were formed by volcanic activity which continues today. I just returned from my 13h visit to Hawaii, and would go back today if I could.
This time, Willette and I made the trip by ship instead of by air. It was different. We flew to the Los Angeles airport and took a van to San Pedro where the Port of Los Angeles is located. There we boarded the Infinity, a cruise ship of the Celebrity line. It is the same ship we took through the Panaman Canal recently.
A jet takes less than five hours to fly from LA to Honolulu. A ship does it in less than five days.
On the airplane, you are in a cramped seat. You may not get anything to eat and if you do, it's -- what else? -- airplane food. You share a cramped bathroom with a bunch of stangers, and the view is usually obscured by clouds. On the upside, you get there more quickly.
On the ship, you have a compact room with a compact bath, but they are private and comfortable. Gormet food is available and there are swimming pools and hot tubs. There is music and comedy. So who cares if you travel less than 600 miles a day?
An empty ocean.
They tell me that oceans are teeming with life. If this had been my first cruise, I would wonder about that. I saw a humpback whale the first day out of San Pedro, and not another living thing until we reached Maui. Not a dolphin, not a bird, not a fish. I never saw another ship. It was the same on the return trip. Cruising near a coast line, you are more likely to observe wildlife, but this was the open ocean.
Maui
Infinity anchored off Lahina on the west side of Maui. We tendered in and spent a few hours walking around the old whaling town. We are very familiar with Lahiana, having been there a number of times. It has not changed greatly. There are old historic buildings and a banyan tree that covers a city-block sized park.
Hilo
The next day we docked at Hilo, on the wet side of Hawaii. It was the first time I had ever been in Hilo when it wasn't raining. Early in the day, you could see observatories on top of Mauna Kea, but by noon they were obscured by clouds.
We left Hilo at dusk and sailed past the place where lava was pouring into the sea. It was very dark, but the lava glowed bright orange against the black background. We have also seen in daytime, when we went to Kalapana many years ago. The town was completely destroyed a few weeks later.
Kona
On the dry side of the Big Island, we stopped at Kailua-Kona. The tender dock was next to the King Kamehameha Hotel where we stayed on our first trip to Hawaii in 1982. We walked through the lobby which is practically a museum of Hawiian art. We also strolled down Alii Drive and I got my picture taken in front of the same banyon tree where I was photographed 24 years ago.
This was the area closest to the epicenter of the recent earthquake, but we saw no sign of damage.
Honolulu
We docked at pier 2 near the Aloha Tower in Honolulu. The best way to tour Oahu is on The Bus. With a Medicare card, you can go anywhere for a dollar. We went to Pearl Harbor and Waikiki Beach. There were major construction projects going on in Waikiki, so I guess we will have to go back soon to see what they are building.
On board Infinity
Cruise ships are the most comfortable way to travel. You have good food and good service. The state rooms are small but very comfortable. To entertain you, they provide a show each evening. We saw a couple of singin' & dancin' reviews, piano concerts, a violin performance, comedians, singers, and a ventroquilest. Some of the performers also did an afternoon show.
Also in the afternoons, there were lectures by a naturalist. He was one of the highlights of the trip and I'll probably write more about him later.
We saw several movies, but none of them were worth remembering.
When there was nothing else going on, there were three swimming pools and six hot tubs. The pool in the spa was heated salt water with bubbles. Several lounges had musical entertainment and a string quartet played in the main lobby. The ship even had a library.
As always, my favorite passtime was to go up in the big lounge on deck 11 at the front of the ship. There I could sit in a comfortable chair and watch a panaramic views of the Pacific ocean. I only saw one whale, but that didn't really matter.
Celebrity tends to hire Indonesians for service staff, and our main dining room servers were both Indonesians. They are friendly people and it is easy to get attached to them. There were over 50 nationalities in the crew.
If you don't see pictures with this article, come back in about a week. I took over 100 photos, but I promise not to post them all.
Somewhere in the middle of the Pacific, is the state of Hawaii, a chain of beautiful islands with a perfect climate. Those islands were formed by volcanic activity which continues today. I just returned from my 13h visit to Hawaii, and would go back today if I could.
This time, Willette and I made the trip by ship instead of by air. It was different. We flew to the Los Angeles airport and took a van to San Pedro where the Port of Los Angeles is located. There we boarded the Infinity, a cruise ship of the Celebrity line. It is the same ship we took through the Panaman Canal recently.
A jet takes less than five hours to fly from LA to Honolulu. A ship does it in less than five days.
On the airplane, you are in a cramped seat. You may not get anything to eat and if you do, it's -- what else? -- airplane food. You share a cramped bathroom with a bunch of stangers, and the view is usually obscured by clouds. On the upside, you get there more quickly.
On the ship, you have a compact room with a compact bath, but they are private and comfortable. Gormet food is available and there are swimming pools and hot tubs. There is music and comedy. So who cares if you travel less than 600 miles a day?
An empty ocean.
They tell me that oceans are teeming with life. If this had been my first cruise, I would wonder about that. I saw a humpback whale the first day out of San Pedro, and not another living thing until we reached Maui. Not a dolphin, not a bird, not a fish. I never saw another ship. It was the same on the return trip. Cruising near a coast line, you are more likely to observe wildlife, but this was the open ocean.
Maui
Infinity anchored off Lahina on the west side of Maui. We tendered in and spent a few hours walking around the old whaling town. We are very familiar with Lahiana, having been there a number of times. It has not changed greatly. There are old historic buildings and a banyan tree that covers a city-block sized park.
Hilo
The next day we docked at Hilo, on the wet side of Hawaii. It was the first time I had ever been in Hilo when it wasn't raining. Early in the day, you could see observatories on top of Mauna Kea, but by noon they were obscured by clouds.
We left Hilo at dusk and sailed past the place where lava was pouring into the sea. It was very dark, but the lava glowed bright orange against the black background. We have also seen in daytime, when we went to Kalapana many years ago. The town was completely destroyed a few weeks later.
Kona
On the dry side of the Big Island, we stopped at Kailua-Kona. The tender dock was next to the King Kamehameha Hotel where we stayed on our first trip to Hawaii in 1982. We walked through the lobby which is practically a museum of Hawiian art. We also strolled down Alii Drive and I got my picture taken in front of the same banyon tree where I was photographed 24 years ago.
This was the area closest to the epicenter of the recent earthquake, but we saw no sign of damage.
Honolulu
We docked at pier 2 near the Aloha Tower in Honolulu. The best way to tour Oahu is on The Bus. With a Medicare card, you can go anywhere for a dollar. We went to Pearl Harbor and Waikiki Beach. There were major construction projects going on in Waikiki, so I guess we will have to go back soon to see what they are building.
On board Infinity
Cruise ships are the most comfortable way to travel. You have good food and good service. The state rooms are small but very comfortable. To entertain you, they provide a show each evening. We saw a couple of singin' & dancin' reviews, piano concerts, a violin performance, comedians, singers, and a ventroquilest. Some of the performers also did an afternoon show.
Also in the afternoons, there were lectures by a naturalist. He was one of the highlights of the trip and I'll probably write more about him later.
We saw several movies, but none of them were worth remembering.
When there was nothing else going on, there were three swimming pools and six hot tubs. The pool in the spa was heated salt water with bubbles. Several lounges had musical entertainment and a string quartet played in the main lobby. The ship even had a library.
As always, my favorite passtime was to go up in the big lounge on deck 11 at the front of the ship. There I could sit in a comfortable chair and watch a panaramic views of the Pacific ocean. I only saw one whale, but that didn't really matter.
Celebrity tends to hire Indonesians for service staff, and our main dining room servers were both Indonesians. They are friendly people and it is easy to get attached to them. There were over 50 nationalities in the crew.
If you don't see pictures with this article, come back in about a week. I took over 100 photos, but I promise not to post them all.
posted by Howard at 9:27 PM
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