Author: Flat Hal
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Bora Bora – the Flat Fellas explored an island so many have heard of
Before heading ashore with Flat Hal and Flat Stanley today we tried to think of why Bora Bora is an island so many people have heard of, and know the name of, even if they don’t know it is in the Society Islands, or French Polynesia. We started our learning with the help of Gemini…
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The Leeward Islands, part of The Society Islands in French Polynesia
Flat Stanley and Flat Hal had a good time walking around Uturoa, Raiatea, French Polynesia. It was a very warm day, with an occasional breeze that almost cooled us off. The Society Islands include the Leeward and Windward Islands… names that are interesting. With a little help from AI to understand better, The names “Windward” and “Leeward”…
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Uturoa, Raiatea, French Polynesia – Flat Stanley and Flat Hal saw some new birds, along with some familiar ones
This was the first port in a while when the flat fellas noticed a flock of pigeons. Pigeons seem to be everywhere back home in Texas, according to Flat Hal, but for the past few ports the Common Myna bird seemed to be taking their place.
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Good-bye Cook Islands, next stop the Island Nation of…
Our next stop is visible on the included map. The map shows Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands, all of which we have visited, as well as marking our path towards our next port of call. We are headed East / North East. We have several stops planned at various ports that are in the…
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Flat Stanley and Flat Hal tried to find a $3 note and a $2 coin in the Cook Islands
The Cook Islands have their own currency. However, they also accept the New Zealand dollar at a 1 to 1 exchange rate, or equal value, and the New Zealand dollar felt like it was the currency most people were using. As a result, trying to get a Cook Islands $3 note (otherwise known as a…
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Avarua, so many flowers to see as we walked this peaceful community’s streets
Our ship arrived in Avarua on a Sunday. The majority of businesses were closed, and families were enjoying the day together, relaxing, swimming at the beach, enjoy ice cream, and generally seeming minimally aware nearly 2,000 people had come to see their island home. Avarua, Rarotonga, Cook Islands… everywhere we turned there were more flowers,…
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Avarua, Rarotonga, Cook Islands – the flat fellas visited another capital!
When we got back to the ship Flat Stanley and Flat Hal were surprised to discover we had been in another Capital city. Our tender dropped us off in Avatiu Harbor. On shore we flipped a coin and walked to the left – mostly because we were told the airport was to our right. The airport sounded less…
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Avatiu, Rarotonga, Cook Islands – A relaxing community to walk around and enjoy the tropical sunshine
Flat Stanley and Flat Hal might not worry much about sunburns, but they travel with someone who does. Today we spent a lot of time finding shade as we walked beneath a powerful mid-day sun to see what this charming community had to offer. We found incredibly kind locals, children swimming, playing and enjoying ice…
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Aitutaki Flowers — a rose by any other name… is just as pretty
Do you recognize the quote I was inspired by? Can you get it right, & know who wrote it? Flat Stanley and Flat Hal have taught me a LOT about birds and flowers this trip. Among other things, the way I look at the world around me is changing. I look up in to the…
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The birds of Aitutaki- at least the ones our cameras saw
Flat Stanley and Flat Hal have seen the Common Myna bird so many times now that he just barely rated a picture, and not a pretty pose to share in our journal with friends. The Pacific Plover is one we are still learning to recognize, so he got a photo, along with new-to-us (though similar…
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Aitutaki… The Cook Islands, did you guess this island nation was our next stop?
Flat Stanley and Flat Hal had a fantastic time at their first stop in The Cook Islands. The water here is amazing, it is different colors based on the depth, if there are coral reefs beneath the water, etc, so it has a variety of colors spread out in an amazing display. The population of…
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Flat Stanley and Flat Hal crossed an invisible line and get to repeat a day!
The flat fellas crossed the international dateline, and returned to the Western Hemisphere. Instead of changing their clocks one hour forward, or backward, we moved the entire calendar one day backward and get to repeat yesterday. The International Dateline is typically referred to as being at 180 degrees longitude… but when I asked Gemini AI to…
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Tonga is behind the flat fellas, where to next?
Flat Stanley and Flat Hal have been to the Hawaiian Islands, American Samoa, Fiji and Tonga. Where to next? They are staying in the South Pacific, north of the Tropic of Capricorn… and (unsurprisingly) headed for another island. Where do you think the next stop might be? It only seems fair to give a hint: Vava’u, Tonga…
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Part of traveling is embracing unexpected changes in plans
It is very rare for everything on a trip to go the way it was planned. Whether a flight is delayed, a port is missed, or the ship needs to stay longer than planned in a port for one reason or another, part of traveling is learning how to roll with these unexpected changes. Some travelers…
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Flat Hal and Flat Stanley enjoy Christmas Eve book club with a timely selection
#flatstanley #flatstanleychristmasadventure Screeech… Wait a second, Flat Stanley and Flat Hal aren’t snug in their beds! They’re huddled up with their friend Halena for a Christmas Eve Book Club. Flat Stanley received a Christmas surprise from home! A package full of books, and an ornament to add to the tree. What are your favorite winter…
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Vava’u, Tonga shared their culture and community with Flat Stanley and Flat Hal
Many of the ports Flat Stanley and Flat Hal have visited on their cruise have welcomed the passengers with local music, dance, residents in native dress sharing a glimpse of a life different than ours back home and taking time to talk with us and make us feel not just welcome in their community, but…
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Some of the birds in Tonga made an appearance for our cameras…
Flat Stanley and Flat Hal are good sports about respecting the personal space of wild animals, even when we wish we could get closer for better photo opportunities. The birds in Fiji seemed to master the art of blending in with the trees, and staying well away from the sun and heat, but a few…
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Flat Stanley and Flat Hal visited the capital of Tonga!
This is the fourth capital the flat fellas have visited since we left Texas. Can you list the four? In the past four weeks, Flat Stanley and Flat Hal have made their way to four unique capitals in the Pacific: Honolulu, Hawai’i; Pago Pago, American Samoa; Suva, Fiji; and Nuku’alofa, Tonga. While all are capitals,…
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Learning to be polite, the local way, when you travel…
Flat Stanley and Flat Hal have learned a few words from the locals at each of our stops. With a little help from Gemini AI here is a table that shows several words we have learned, words that are wonderful to learn anywhere you travel. Here is how to say hello, goodbye and thank you in…
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SOLAS – Safety Of Life At Sea
Flat Stanley and Flat Hal mustered again… this cruise is over 30 days, and it was time for a little reality to come in to our vacation. Here is an explanation, with some help from Gemini AI for why Cruise ships conduct safety drills every 30 days, there are a few important reasons: It’s the…
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Savusavu Fiji turned in to a day of rainbows for Flat Stanley and Flat Hal
The day started with a rainbow peeking out amidst the sunrise, and ended with a huge rainbow ending in our wake. To some we may have looked like the cruise ship at the end of the rainbow. In between, a rainbow appeared between our ship and one of the islands we were anchored off of —…
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Savusavu, Fiji — even on rainy and foggy days there are new discoveries to be made
Flat Stanley and Flat Hal started their day in Savusavu, Fiji before the ship arrived by seeing the sunrise— but that glimpse of a rainbow above Flat Hal was a warning of rain to come, not just a celebration of the rain that had already fallen. Since the flat fellas don’t do well in water…
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Dravuni Island, Fiji – where the locals teach visitors how to take life as it comes
Part of the magic of Dravuni Island is the people who live here. Children who are not in school move about Dravuni Island with a freedom and joy like the entire community is their playground. Any adult appears willing to lend a hand, and seems to have one eye on what they are doing, the other on…
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Seen while in Lautoka, Fiji
Flat Hal’s home doesn’t have a $7 bill, does yours? Coccinia grandis, the ivy gourd, also known as scarlet gourd Phainopepla, the silky flycatchers Rhizophora mangle, also known as the red mangrove Euphorbia tithymaloides has a large number of household names used by gardeners and the public. Among them are redbird flower, devil’s-backbone Pride of…
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Lautoka, Fiji – where trees can survive in salty water, and Flat Stanley and Flat Hal visited the Western Regional Library
The flat fellas stopped in at the Library and dropped off a copy of Flat Stanley’s original book along with an explanation of the Flat Stanley project, and Flat Hal’s url FlatHal.xyz so they can catch up online… and start following along on the adventures. These two guys have traveled a long distance together. They’ve…
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Thurston Gardens and a walk around Suva with Flat Stanley and Flat Hal
The flat fellas were reminded it is good practice when traveling far from home to have a buddy, someone to help read a map to find where you want to go. A friend to joke around with and share new discoveries with — a fellow explorer to recall favorite moments from the day with when it…
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Flat Stanley and Flat Hal on a 1.4 mile piggyback ride through the tropical rainforest at Colo-I-Suva Forest Park
Honestly, the Flat Fellas had the right idea. Piggyback ride is how I wish I had gone, but instead I carried our Flat Friends over rugged terrain on a challenging, and beautiful hike through the rainforest. There were times when the trail was narrow, and steep, but it ended in a natural pool everyone had…
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Help Flat Hal share the world with others
When a teacher in Canada asked if I would take Flat Stanley on my next adventure I was unsure what answer to give. Kids are sponges—soaking up knowledge and new discoveries in a way I both envy and enjoy being around. As a result I love fueling their curiosity, providing what I can for them…
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Samoa and American Samoa are on different sides on the International Date Line.
Samoa is on the same side as Australia and New Zealand. America Samoa is on the ‘other side’ with Hawaii and the rest of the United States. Have you traveled somewhere and changed your clocks because you crossed in to another time zone? Imagine, instead of moving the time just one hour or two,…
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Flat Stanley and Flat Hal saw the Great Frigatebird flying and playing near the pier in Pago Pago
Watching these birds in flight was positively delightful. There were times they were gliding on the wind, having positioned their wings such that they were almost impossible to find against the water, as if they were blending in with it. We found an informative webpage about them at: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Magnificent_Frigatebird/lifehistory and are sure there are other sites…
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the difference between Eastern and Western Samoa, a U.S. Territory vs. a Commonwealth member country
Flat Stanley is from Canada, a country that is part of the British Commonwealth, like Samoa. Flat Hal is from Texas, part of the United States… but Texas is a State, where American Samoa is a U.S. Territory. We decided to see if Artificial Intelligence could help us understand what the differences were for the people…
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Pago Pago, American Samoa… it’s not a state, but it is a U.S. Territory
Flat Stanley and Flat Hal had a full day in Pago Pago. First stop was the Visitors Bureau, a great place to get a map and some local information. It was there we saw this plaque explaining how long the island has been a U.S. Territory. (https://www.americansamoa.travel/) The National Park of American Samoa is part…
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Our Flat Friends toured the bridge of the cruise ship!
Flat Stanley, Flat Halena and Flat Hal toured the ship’s bridge together! The view from the starboard wing of the bridge (the wing extends out past the rest of the ship so the Officers on the bridge can see the pier as we tie up. Don’t worry, the officers turned off the controls before letting…
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the Power of Shared Experiences… a ship full of Golden shellbacks
The ship had a ceremony with King Neptune for the crew members who crossed the equator for the first time. Less formal that graduating from one level of school to the next, a ceremony like this is a fun way to celebrate not just the shared experience of Crossing the Equator, but everyone on the ship…
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Flat Hal and Flat Stanley crossed the Equator at the International Date Line
Early this morning we crossed the Equator at the International Date Line. For 38 seconds one half of the ship was in the northern hemisphere, the other half was in the southern hemisphere… for those same 38 seconds it was different days on the two sides of the ship! Thanks to some helpful crew members,…
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Fanning Island, Kiribati – the port that turned out to be scenic cruising
Have you ever heard of Kiribati? Or Fanning Island? This atoll is out in the Pacific Ocean. It doesn’t receive many cargo ships — which it relies on for supplies, food, and fresh water, and only a handful of cruise ships try to stop at Fanning Island each year. Atoll: a coral island consisting of a reef…
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Hawaii is behind us…but there is still more adventure ahead.
We have sailed around the Hawaiian island and now we are headed West and South… any theories where our next port might be? Take a look at a map and you will find a lot of possibilities. We have several countries yet to go on our adventure, so you may not figure out our next…
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Thoughts after photographing plants & birds in Hilo, Hawaii
A lot of these plants and birds were new to me. I didn’t expect to get a chance to see, much less photograph, so many birds in particular. That was a real highlight for me — doubly so when I saw how many of the photos were in focus and looked nice. Each of these…
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Hilo — Photos from Liliʻuokalani Gardens, Kuhio Kalanianaole Park & walk there
Lantana Red Ginger – Above and Below Cassia – Golden Shower Tree – Above and Below Hibiscus- Above and below (the yellow one isn’t actually the state flower, but similar to it.) Ti Plant I am still trying to identify this beauty.
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Hilo at Lili’uokalani Garden and Kuhio Kalanianaole Park
At Liliuokalani gardens, and near it we saw quite a few birds. In Hilo, within 2 miles of the port, we saw: Nene Goose – State Bird of Hawaii Nene Geese Japanese White-Eye Wandering Tattler Short-Billed Dowitcher Pacific Golden Plover Saffron Finch Common Myna Bird Great Myna Bird House Sparrow Each of these birds has an…
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Hilo — walking to, and in, Liliʻuokalani Gardens
The sunrise was incredible as we sailed towards Hilo. Can you see the sunrise, or sunset, from where you live? Do you have a favorite place to sit and see the clouds light up with color? I walked over to the gardens from the port… it was nearly a mile and a half walk. Along the way…
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Maui – a day for roaming near the port
Some places have lots of mountains, making it hard to see a great distance away. Other places are wide open, and flat, and like when you are at sea, you can see storms moving across the horizon, and sometimes you can spot bursts of rain in the distance. We were sailing away from the BIG clouds…
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Honolulu – eye-catching plants and flowers
When you travel do you notice plants that don’t grow where you live? Animals that don’t live in your area? Is there a plant or animal you really want to see, or enjoy reading about?
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Halloween At Sea — the ship is not haunted, but the passengers get up to tricks & treats
Flat Stanley didn’t pack a costume, so he borrowed one of Flat Hal’s shirts and dressed up as him, and Flat Hal dressed up as Flat Stanley! Halloween at sea varies by ship, and passenger. Some decorate, some passengers offer candy at the doors for trick or treaters, and many people bring costumes with them…