ZECO TRAVEL TALK

Having graduated from the University of Hawaii, I lived for several years on both Oahu and Maui. I have always been interested in the chain of islands to the north which leads to Midway Island; I eventually did visit Midway. Equally fascinating to me was the southern group of islands leading from Kona. These are the Line Islands, a group of low-lying and extremely remote coral islands, atolls, and reefs straddling the equator in the Central Pacific. There are eleven islands in all, with most of the 425 square km being comprised of the large atoll of Kiritimati. Eight of the islands – Flint, Kiritimati, Malden, Millennium Atoll, Tabuaran, Teraina, Starbuck, and Vostok – are part of the Republic of Kiribati. The group forms one of the remotest island chains on Earth.

Why the interest? At age 16, I become a certified diver at Pearl Harbor. I learned about the Line Islands and how it was one of the most pristine reef systems in the world. I was never able to reach the Line Islands because logistics are near-impossible. So when Zegrahm Expeditions decided to travel to this part of the South Pacific enroute to such other South Pacific voyages as the Tuamotus, Marquesas, Tahiti, Pitcairn, etc, I just had to go. However, for the first time ever, I decided to travel as a passenger on a Zegrahm Expeditions trip. On many of our trips I will work as snorkel-master while our excellent staff of dive masters look after the divers. And so I am on holiday…as a diver. One of my life’s ambitions will be finally realized – over 40 years later.

Imagine my surprise when my July 2008 National Geographic magazine arrived with a photo of a Mountain Gorilla gracing its cover. Inside is an article about the Line Islands – be sure to look up the article; you may have overlooked it as it’s the last article in the magazine entitled: Kingman Reef.

Stand by on the blog for first-hand reports of the voyage and the Line Islands which I’ll be sending from the Clipper Odyssey later this month.

Aloha,
Shirley

A much-revered Galapagos Islands resident, the giant tortoise “Lonesome George” was thought to be the last of his kind. That this conservation icon might soon produce offspring has created as much buzz in the naturalist world as Brad and Angelina’s offspring have in Hollywood. The importance of the impending event reaches back to Charles Darwin who was the first to notice distinctions among tortoises from different islands in the Galápagos, further advancing his theory of evolution.

Found in 1972 on Pinta island, George is estimated to be in his 70s—middle age for a giant tortoise. The Galapagos National Park recently announced that a female tortoise, keeping company with George since 1993, has laid three intact eggs presently being cared for in an artificial incubator. The female belongs to the closest existing phenotype to that of George. It will take about four months to know precisely whether the eggs bear George’s offspring. Considered by many to be the world’s rarest creature, George has given us new hope!

We awoke to another stellar sunrise, warm breezes, and the standard early morning wake-up call. After a delicious breakfast and much appreciated coffee, we prepared for our landing on Tower Island. We immediately found ourselves in a swirl of wildlife – frigate birds and red footed boobies greeted us, filling the sky overhead. The number of birds was almost overwhelming. Sea lions were lounging on the beach and lifted their heads briefly in greeting as we passed. Exploring the island on foot, we ended up at a gorgeous lagoon with only knee-deep water, allowing us to walk through it. Flanked by a high rock wall on one side and a forested beach on the other, we were joined by a huge male sea lion, barking loudly as he swam circles around us. The birders were pleased to capture some outstanding pictures of baby boobies and the day ended on a high note as we spotted the elusive short eared owl. We had seen a pair of mating Galapagos hawks earlier on the voyage but I think this perhaps trumped that show. The snorkelers have also been thrilled, swimming with sea lions and turtles, and spotting the Galapagos shark, octopus, and scorpion fish. As one of our guides said on our first day “Welcome to the biological Disneyland!”

Larry Taylor explored Melanesia & Micronesia onboard the Clipper Odyssey with Zegrahm Expeditions and wrote an insightful article about his travels in the region. As Larry so cleverly explains it ‘Going from one intense experience to the next–that is travel at its best.’ Read the article, Sailing the South Seas to Fun and Adventure for his views on the myriad of natural wonders and friendly islanders he encountered along the way.

Sunshine and blue skies added to our fantastic morning at Ossora Town on the coast of Karaginskiy Island off the Kamchatka Peninsula. On shore, all the Koryak people were waiting for us… We watched a fish gutting demonstration and three passengers tried their hand at gutting their own fish. Afterwards, we were treated to wonderful traditional dancing and a reindeer lassoing demonstration.

Another sunny day made our landing in Glybokaya Bay nothing short of spectacular. Even before breakfast, as we cruised into the fjord, we saw several bears up on the snowfields. Ashore, we had more excellent sightings and good photo ops; even those who stayed on the ship were treated to some great bear watching. Our Zodiac tour later in the day yielded yet more bear viewing—and quite close up—and we didn’t know where to look first. Our tally, for this one day alone, was 25 bears—give or take a couple!

At Peters Bay we went ashore for beautiful nature walks—towering volcanoes under a blue sky and no mosquitoes made the day extra great. In the afternoon, at Bogaslov Island, we jumped into Zodiacs, zipped right up almost to shore and watched and photographed more than 100 walrus! This trip has been such an incredible wildlife extravaganza…

When we scouted Algeria more than 18 months ago, we knew we would be visiting a land only recently opened to outside travelers. As shore excursions were established, we sought to make the experience as personal as possible for our travelers. We wanted to share with you what amazing things can happen when simple face to face interactions occur between people who often see the world through different eyes. This is the letter we received from our local tour operator in Algeria:

“Thanks to your insistence that your travelers visit both the Koranic School and Great Mosque, along with the Basilica of St. Augustine in Annaba, we managed to draw together the leaders of the two largest religious institutions in Algeria. Father Raphael and the Imam, Cheikh Sid Ahmed Kaila, knew of each other but had never had the occasion to meet, so inevitably there were some misconceptions. We invited them both for dinner (it was quite a job to find a good restaurant that does not serve alcohol—which would have offended the Imam), and they got along remarkably well. The Imam mentioned that he buys delicious Hobz tal-Malti (Maltese Bread) from a local bakery, something Father Raphael loves but was not aware it even existed in Algeria. Well, since then, the Imam has sent Father Raphael several loaves at the Basilica.

So, in the moment when there has been growing religious tension in the country, the Muslim community thought the Rector of the Basilica was causing problems… once these two holy men sat down together and, while breaking bread, discovered the source of their misunderstanding, they began to enjoy each other’s company so much that close to midnight we had to remind them that other groups of travelers were arriving early in the morning. You can imagine how relieved we were to have this encounter turn out so well… we were terribly worried that their meeting could have been a PR disaster, but in fact it was a great success. If there was wine on the table, you can be sure we would have toasted you. Thank you for bringing our two worlds together and allowing us to give cruise passengers an insight to Islam—a religion that is often misunderstood and misreported by the media. Enjoy the photo of that special evening.”

After cruising the Kiel Canal and officially entering the Baltic Sea, we were excited to begin our adventures in some of Europe’s most historic cities and towns. Ronne, on Denmark’s Bornholm Island, was so quaint and we walked past colorful houses capped with clay tile roofs and gorgeous blooming gardens before sitting down to an amazing lunch—a banquet of local dishes with fresh vegetables from local gardens, and a Danish apple crumble dessert that practically had us moaning!

We spent the next day in fascinating Gdansk, Poland and our morning tour gave us a somber lesson in the history of Solidarity, well-presented by local guides. We then strolled the pedestrian-only streets of Old Town, enjoyed delicious coffee and some fun shopping, and visited magnificent St. Mary’s, the largest brick church in the world. Our next country is Lithuania!

We’re into the Russia part of our Japan to Kamchatka adventure—or so says the map. If it wasn’t for the Russian writing on the side of a building, you’d think we were in Antarctica! Northern fur seals and Steller’s sea lions by the thousands covered the beaches of Tyuleniy Island off the coast of Sakhalin—the island’s name means “seal.” On Shimushir, while we were exploring an old Soviet base, a beautiful little Siberian rubythroat put in an appearance and we all had the chance for a good close-up look. The weather was wonderful, clear and calm, and in the afternoon many of us walked to the top of Yankicha Island for incredible views across the sinking volcanic caldera. A bonus photo op (though blackmail also comes to mind!) was the impromptu hot spring dug out by our expedition crew who could be spotted huddled in the little pool in their undies—“researching the hot-bath bird list, ” they later explained. Hmmmm.

We stayed at anchor in the evening and saw the most amazing site. All three species of auklets came in to nest overnight on the island. It was like a huge haze of birds, so many it looked like a swarm of locusts and not like birds at all. Truly awesome. The next day was chilly and foggy, but our Zodiac explorations of Srednego Islands rewarded us with hundreds of seals and sea lions surrounding us in the water. And, as we sailed to Matua Island, we had the most incredible encounter with more than 30 orca—the photos should be fantastic!