December 16, 2025
This is an usual day, it's our second December 15th! We crossed the international date line last night around midnight and therefore we get to live December 15th, twice in 2 different locations. Freaky Monday! We also lose our 18 hour time difference of being ahead of the east coast of the USA, and will now be behind them in time. Time zones drive me crazy on this trip - trying to coordinate with the folks at home and keeping a relevant calendar!
The above is a photo of a friend of a friend as we came into the harbor of Pago Pago, American Samoa this morning. We were greeted by dancers and Miss American Samoa. Additional fire dancers and the local chief came by for another performance at dinner time! Such friendly greetings and nice people. These are also some of the largest people I have ever seen. Many of them came on board and breakfast looked like a linebacker convention. I have never seen so many egg orders stacked up!
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We got up at 6:45am to get to National Park Forts Walk trail in the hope of seeing koalas . Prior walkers mark trails with tree branches pointing in the direction of their sighting and we were luck enough to see 3 markers in our first hour of hiking. It is so stinking hot and humid the success we had made it bearable. The koala population on the island started with 20 brought over in 1930, to escape fur hunters. Today, the island boast 800 to 1000, and they are so cute and drowsy. They need 20 hours of sleep a day! The early morning is when they are the most active.
Just off the coast of Townsville, Australia is a special little island (that used to be part of mainland, hundreds of thousands years ago). The island was formed by molten granite that was pushed to the earth's surface with volcanic force.Over time the volcanic overlay weathered away leaving an extraordinary landscape of rounded domes and boulders, many as big as a house and spectcularly perched. Over Seventy Percent of the center of the Island is a National Park. There is lots of wildlife here too - koalas, rock wallabies, snakes & birds.
This is my third time in CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA and I really enjoy how walkable, clean and charming it is. The waterfront esplanade and lagoon area is a nice walk day or night. We had 2 nights here in the waterfront Shangri La Marina Hotel while waiting for the Ship to arrive and then 2 additional days in Port.