R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 144

Port 5 Apia — The Samoa Cultural Village and Robert Louis Stevenson

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Sign post

Our hurry was to get to the Samoa Cultural Village in time for the next native dance and cooking demonstrations, and we made it with just minutes to spare.  Food was cooked in the traditional Polynesian manner of burying the meats and vegetables in a heated pit.

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Samoa Cultural Village

Included in the village are demonstrations of siapo making.  Siapo is the Samoan version of tapa cloth, the strands for which are derived from the inner bark of various trees.  It’s a very laborious an...

Port 5 Apia — Our first visit to Samoa

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Sailing in Apia Bay

The Crown Princess left Nawiliwili in the afternoon of October 25, 2015.  We sailed south-southwest four full days at sea, crossing both the Equator and the International Date Line.  During this portion of the voyage our ship needed to slow, delaying our arrival to our next destination.  The problem was the intense El Nino that year.  The engines of the Crown Princess are cooled by sea water, and the unusually warm water during that year’s El Niño required the ship to redu...

Fun Photo Friday — Nawiliwili Favorites

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Kaua’i Marriott’s advanced weather station

Nawiliwili on Kaua’i was our last port of call in the Hawai’ian Island chain.  Next week we move on to Samoa.  Until then, here’s today’s gallery of Nawiliwili favorites:

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Port 4 Nawiliwili — Kaua’i Marriott and Duke’s delectable Hulu Pie

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Kaua’i Marriott Resort

As I mentioned on Monday, neither Ursula nor I are strangers to  the Kaua’i Marriott Resort, and Duke’s Canoe Club Barefoot Bar and Restaurant.  We stop by both whenever we hit Nawiliwili.  Why stop at a resort at which you’re not staying?  For the beauty of it all.  Inside the resort is a very impressive garden, which views such as these:

There’s also a very nifty weather station on the grounds, but you’ll have to wait until this week’s Fun Photo Friday for that....

Breaking the 10,000 Barrier — 10,068 and counting

Just a tad under two years ago I posted my first YouTube video.  That would be my demonstration on spin-cocking a Rossi Ranch Hand and a full-size clone of the Winchester Model 1892, also made by Rossi and converted for me by the late Mike DiMuzio.  That video hasn’t exactly “gone viral”, but it hasn’t done badly, either.  Today it surpassed 10,000 views.  Here’s that video:

For information on the Rifleman’s Rifle and the television show that inspired this video, see:

Firearms — Television...

Port 4 Nawiliwili — Reaching Kaua’i

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Sun, Fun, and Breezy Palms in Nawiliwili

Ursula and I have spent some time over the years here in the Crown Princess’ next port of call — Nawiliwili on the island of Kauaʻi.  Indeed, you can read more on this island on by previous articles listed at the end of this one.

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Crown Princess in Nawiliwili

We arrived on October 25, 2015, the morning after the Crown Princess departed Lahaina, Maui.  The Nawiliwili Beach Park is home to a previous non-cruise destination, the beautiful Kaua’i Marriott,...

Fun Photo Friday — Lahaina Favorites

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Island Paradise

Below is today’s Fun Photo Friday gallery of Lahaina favorites:

Filed under: Fun Photo Friday, Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation Tagged: Crown Princess, Fun Photo Friday, Lahaina, Maui, photography, R. Doug Wicker, South Pacific, travel photography

Port 3 Lahaina — Part 2

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Lisa Fittipaldi and Ursula in Lahaina Banyan Court Park

Front street in Lahaina is a lot of fun.  From art galleries, to jewelry stores, places to grab a bite, and enjoying the pure beauty of surf pounding against black lava rocks, there is just much to see and do here.

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Cheeseburger in Paradise

Yes, you can get deals here on jewelry if you shop and haggle.  Ursula managed to snag for an incredibly low price a beautiful and rather massive 14-carat gold bangle at Lahaina Jewelry at 845 Front St...

Port 3 Lahaina — Part 1

 

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Largest banyan tree in the United States — Shades on an acre

The Crown Princess’ next stop on this 28-day Pacific voyage occurred on October 24, 2015.  We anchored off the coast of Maui and tendered in to Lahaina.  Anyone who has followed this blog for at least a couple of years will know that this is far from our first trip to Lahaina:

Arriving to Lahaina, Maui Walking Downtown Lahaina Fun Photo Friday — Lovely Lahaina

Nevertheless, this is one stop I always enjoy.  And if you click on...

Solemn Photo Friday — Memorial Sites of Oahu

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Flying the Flag

I hesitate to call this another entry in my Fun Photo Friday series.  The subject is just too serious for that.  Here are some of my favorite images from our visit to the USS Arizona Memorial and the Punchbowl Cemetery:

Filed under: Fun Photo Friday, Photography, R. Doug Wicker, vacation Tagged: Fun Photo Friday, Honolulu, Pearl Harbor, photography, Punchbowl Cemetery, R. Doug Wicker, South Pacific, travel photography, USS Arizona Memorial