California/Australia/New Zealand/Carribean

29 January 2019 - Tuesday Roatan Bay, Honduras - 8:00am to 6:00pm Mahogany Bay in Roatan Honduras After a day at sea -- we anchor off Roatan, Honduras, tendering into a harbor area built by Carnival for its cruise ships to dock.   Mahogany Bay is full of   "duty-free" shops, restaurants and bars.   Caribbean music plays in the background as passengers visit the fenced in area with flamingos or the pool where anyone can swim with the dolphins for a price.   Also here is a marina with plenty of party boats for hire. Selling Clothing and Hammocks in Roatan. Phil and I wander Just outside Mahogany Bay into Roatan where real people try to make a living selling: coffee -- cigars -- jewelry -- hammocks, and clothing to the tourists.      Coconuts Reading to Drink complete with Straws. We come across a shop called "Made in Roatan" with a tagline of "Helping Islanders Help Themselves".    This non-profit shop se...

26 January 2019 - Saturday Embarkation Day - Oceania's Riviera Departure 6:00pm We're up -- packed and ready to go to Cruise Terminal J at the Port of Miami just after a quick breakfast at Starbucks in the lobby of the Pullman Hotel. We take an Uber to the Port -- unload luggage and by 12:15 we are on board Riviera in the Terrace Cafe having lunch.     Our luggage arrives in short order --- we unpack and get ourselves organized --- give ourselves a tour of the ship (we've traveled on the Riviera one other time) -- Phil checks on our alternate dining dinner reservations -- and we have our mandatory safety drill just before leaving Port enroute to Key West.   Dinner is in the Main Dining Room --- then to the show, which is a medley by the onboard Entertainment Team showcasing each of their talents.   It is very good.   We are exhausted -- so I'm proud we made it to the show -- still dealing with jet lag. 27 Ja...

24 January 2019 - Thursday We are up early this morning -- breakfast at hotel -- on the shuttle to the airport and by 9:45 am we are sitting on Flight AA 4430 Jacksonville to Miami. Flight is uneventful except when the guy in front of Phil spilled his Starbucks coffee and it dripped down under his seat all over Phil's iPad case -- luckily no damage done. This is a short flight and the Pullman Miami has a free shuttle -- but room is not ready when we arrive so we have lunch in the hotel. Miami Flordia on Approach to Airport. It is raining this afternoon so it's a good time to reorganize our luggage -- setting aside items to send back to Boston before boarding Oceania's Riviera.    Luckily there is a Laundromat and a UPS store within walking distance.       We will take care of all that tomorrow morning. For dinner, it is tapas in the bar at the hotel -- in bed by 8:00pm since we are dealing with the jet lag ...

Up early this morning -- breakfast with Colette and Marc as we say our goodbyes.   Just heard that the TSA in the US is calling in sick leaving airports with long security lines.    We are staying at the Pullman Auckland -- flying out early tomorrow morning.   Colette and Marc are staying in another hotel until Saturday.    Azamara conducts an efficient disembarkation -- we take a taxi to the hotel where the room is not ready so we drop our luggage and take a walk.    I had forgotten how hilly parts of Auckland are particularly near the Pullman sitting on top of one of these hills.   We have a lovely walk around Auckland -- through the University of Auckland campus   -- back to the hotel about 11:00 am -- room is ready. After getting settled, we walk towards the waterfront for lunch and see The Crab Shack, which we enjoyed in Wellington so in we go.     Nice lunch and view of the harbor.   A...

Today is a leisurely day as I attend a destination lecture and another on the life of Agatha Christie -- both enjoyable. We dock at 5:00 pm in Mount Maunganui, a suburb of Tauranga.    We all have dinner in the main dining room after which we attend the show --- Greg Moreland, a magician -- surprisingly entertaining.    Mount Maunganui, Bay of Island, New Zealand 20 January 2019 - Sunday Mount Maunganui (Tauranga), New Zealand - depart 5:30p Mount Maunganui is a residential, commercial and industrial suburb located on a peninsula north east of Tauranga.   We dock at the base of a large lava dome formed 2 to 3 million years ago -- everyone just calls it The Mount. Colette and Marc are off the ship early for an all day tour to Rotorua -- an area with geysers, bubbling pods, and a red wood forest.     Phil and I visited Rotorura when we were here in 2012. Pat by Herrie's Arch on waterfront of Taur...

Napier on the east coast of the North Island has a population of 64,000 and is known as the Art Deco town.   In 1931 this town experienced an earthquake measuring 7.8 and lasting for more than two minutes -- 256 people died.   Everything within 5 blocks of the downtown area was destroyed   -- not from the actual earthquake but from fires caused by the earthquake that could not be extinguished because water was not available.     The earthquake also raised 10,000 acres of land above sea level enlarging the downtown Napier.   Pat and Colette by Hawkes Bay Express After the dust settled -- four architectural firms in town got together to rebuild the town in the Art Deco style.   The reason for Art Deco was:   fashionable at the time, cheap and a non-controversial design.   It worked.   At the time there were only two people on the City Council so decisions were made quickly and the town was rebuilt in record time. Phil ...