The following photograph and video, taken by Cheryl, were taken from the sliding door of our stateroom.
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Cheryl: It is sunny, warm, and humid – high of 82 degrees today. I like to open the deck door to let in some fresh air, but I need to be careful that I don’t heat up the room too much.
Cheryl: Today’s first lecture was on “Coral Reefs and Atolls”, with a focus on the South Pacific. Worldwide, coral reefs are dying off due to warmer ocean temperatures and rising acidity levels. In the South Pacific, approximately 25% of the coral reefs have been lost. We will be seeing many different types of coral reefs in the next few weeks – fringe, barrier, and atolls – and a variety of marine life that lives around them. Snorkeling here we come.
Bob: A very educational talk. Julian Dowdeswell is associated with Cambridge and is an entertaining and informative lecturer. Reefs have a geological lifespan closely associated with volcanoes. Volcanic reefs often start as a fringe, move to a barrier, and end as an atoll. An outstanding presentation, and I certainly learned a lot.
Cheryl: “The Origin of Whales” – the closest living land mammal to the cetacean family (whales and dolphins) is the hippopotamus. Scientists think that more than 50 million years ago, whales evolved from reverse evolution/migration, meaning living on land back to living in the ocean, when small dog-like animals started to live in water and eventually adapted into fully marine beings. The range of size, diet, intelligence, and habitat, etc., is extraordinary in this family of animals.
Cheryl: And finally, Captain Mike. He was in his usual good form, poking holes in several space movies that have been made, mostly in the last 70 years. He explained what was realistic and what wasn’t. For example, in the movie “Passengers”, the spaceship had a large swimming pool, which he said was ridiculous given how heavy the pool water would be to send into space, among many other technical issues. He seemed impressed that ”Apollo 13” tried to be realistic and had the actors rehearse and film inside the “Vomit Comet” zero-gravity NASA training aircraft. (Maybe this is one of those things where you needed to see it firsthand to be funny.)
Bob: Mike Foreman critiqued multiple recent space movies for scientific correctness (and not so recent, Flash Gordon, anyone?). This was a very lighthearted presentation and a lot of fun, really. Not much about NASA was learned, but it was a good way to spend 45 minutes.
Cheryl: We’re now in full vacation mode with our first stop in French Polynesia tomorrow and then on to Tahiti for the next couple of days. Before each port, there is a “Port Talk”, an orientation to our location in the port, with a quick primer on local culture and sights. The staff raves about the beauty of French Polynesia, and they should know, having traveled the world many times. There may be a black Tahitian pearl in my future.
Bob: The talks focus on both culture and logistics. For example, in Bora Bora, the ship will not dock, and we will be ferried from the ship to shore. This was covered extensively during the talk. They also emphasized arrival and departure times.
Cheryl: Dinner at Manfredi’s, and then I attended the guest comedian show by Helen Angley. Let’s just say she knew her audience (90% baby boomers), and she poked fun at both the audience and her millennial kids for 45 minutes.
Bob: I went back to the room and watched football. I can, and do, make fun of my millennial kids anytime.
Cheryl: Here are some pictures of our stateroom, all 270 sq ft of it. It is more functional and comfortable than I had anticipated, and we’re adapting well. Every inch of storage is wisely used!
