9/24/08 Richmond to Los Angeles

Finally, after almost a year of planning and research, it’s time to go! I had begun preparing for this trip in late 2007, when I decided to see the South Pacific. I had always said “One of these days….” but had never gotten around to actually doing it. Then I noticed a cruise on Holland America’s website: forty-three nights from L.A. to Sydney, stopping in Hawaii, American Samoa, Western Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, New Zealand and Australia. It seemed like a great way to get an overview of the islands. Plus, everyone who has ever visited New Zealand seems to fall in love with the spectacular scenery so it was high on my “bucket list”. Australia was a bonus even though I would only have a few days in the three ports on the itinerary. So I said, “One of these days is now” and booked the cruise! Then it hit me that while I was in the neighborhood, I should check out French Polynesia as well. So I booked a ten night cruise on the Paul Gauguin beginning on November 12, five days after disembarking in Sydney. Of course, that required airline reservations and hotel reservations so they were booked. Lots of pieces to this little puzzle….

When all the pieces were in place, I had a two month trip which visited thirty-one ports on two cruise ships, four airline flights and four hotel stays. One thing to know about me – I am a very detailed person. I don’t simply leave things to chance. When I go somewhere new, I want to see and do everything. So the research and planning began immediately and went on right up until departure time. Hundreds of websites, articles, traveler reviews, etc. were visited, read, printed, filed, etc. Lists were made, items completed and crossed off, new items added, and on and on. I bought spare batteries and memory cards for each of the two cameras that I would take, a pair of travel binoculars for wildlife viewing, colored luggage handle wraps, etc. I joined “roll calls” for the cruises, chatting with others who were booked on the trip. That turned out to be an excellent move since I had a new group of friends before I even boarded the ship. And I had twenty-nine shore excursions booked! As each item was completed, it went into a file folder (in chronological sequence, naturally). Airline tickets, hotel vouchers, cruise documents, shore excursion descriptions and receipts, etc. all were filed away. There was even a map showing the locations of the smoking lounges in each concourse at the Atlanta airport. I was ready….

Just a quick word about packing. What does one take for a two month vacation? Especially when temperatures will range from very hot (Samoa, Fiji, etc) to almost freezing (New Zealand). My answer: virtually everything I own. Big mistake! I found that I lived in shorts and tee shirts for most of the trip, except during the time spent on the South Island of New Zealand. A lot of clothes came home wrinkled and never worn. Next time, I’ll take less and have more frequent laundry service.

Anyway, I’m standing by the door, bags packed, waiting for my friend who will take me to the airport. She arrives right on time, the bags are loaded and we’re off! The flights are uneventful, on schedule and I arrive at LAX twenty minutes early. I was doing a one-night pre-cruise hotel package (again, taking no chances) so I caught the shuttle to the Marriott, checked in at the desk and with the HAL representative and went to my room. A little later, I met up with Greg, a retired school teacher and principal, whom I had met on the roll call. He was also traveling solo, as his wife wasn’t interested in such a long cruise. We had a lot of similar interests and he became a very good traveling companion. We talked for a while, had a beer and a burger and, my body telling me that it was 1:00 am, I went to bed around 10:00 pm. Looking forward to tomorrow!