Tag: Journal
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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 —…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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.
-
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?
-
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…
-
Honolulu sightseeing – famous statues and landmarks
King Kamehameha I A great warrior, diplomat and leader, King Kamehameha I united the Hawaiian Islands into one royal kingdom in 1810 after years of conflict. (From goHawaii.com) Aliʻiolani Hale Iolani Palace under the Hawaii state flag Queen Lili’Uokalani It feels like more and more places have QR codes with links to more information. I take pictures…
-
Honolulu – Birds we saw near the Capitol building and port area
cattle egret Another cattle egret — I found these thin birds quite remarkable to watch. Great myna bird pacific plover two cardinals Red-crested cardinal House sparrow Zebra Dove Spotted Dove A pigeon and white pigeon (I’m hearing these white pigeons are often mistaken for doves and referred to as doves, I would love to understand…
-
Visiting Honolulu — Capital of Hawaii
Have you heard someone say “a picture is worth a thousand words”? This is a time when I feel that way. Not only does this picture capture the State Capitol building, with the state seal on the BIG round piece of metal hanging out front, but it also shows something really special about the people of…
-
Kona — the big island
There is a LOT to see and do in Hawaii. On our day in Kona we walked around, enjoyed the warm weather, the sun was hot against our skin (except for the people who went further from the harbor and got rained on), and the waves crashed against the shore and splashed up on to…
-
Nawiliwili, Kauai – flowers and birds
Flat Hal and Flat Stanley went in to my backpack and my camera (as opposed to my cellphone) came out, and I started taking pictures of flowers and birds. Often, when I travel, I get to see flowers and birds that don’t grow or live near my home. (These are Plumeria for example) This is…
-
Hawaii!
Did you figure out our first stop was going to be Hawaii? There are websites where you can follow the daily progress of a cruise ship. This is one way my friends and family can “follow along” when I travel. In this second map you can see the Hawaiian Islands, and San Diego… we had…
-
Another day at sea — do you know where we are sailing towards?
There are several places a cruise ship can go to from San Diego, can you think of some of the possibilities? We could be heading North. We could be sailing South… or even going on a cruise through a Canal. After catching the end of a pretty sunset tonight Flat Stanley, Flat Hal and I…
-
Sea Day! A fun way to spend a day traveling
Flat Stanley has bumped in to some old acquaintances on our trip, and he and Flat Hal having been making new friends. There is lots of stuff to do on a ship… There are places to play games, with new friends, or those you are traveling with. Or you can find a book to read. …
-
All Aboard! Flat Stanley and Flat Hal are taking a cruise!
There are many ways to travel. Planes, Trains and Automobiles used to be the answer for most people… but more and more are going out on boats, and taking cruises on ships. Flat Stanley and Flat Hal headed straight for an outside deck after boarding in San Diego to get a view of the Harbor. A…
-
Flat Hal and Flat Stanley went to see the USS Recruit at Liberty Station in San Diego
It is officially a toss up who got the better selfie with the recruit, though both Flat Stanley and Flat Hal gave it a good try. The recruit is a landlocked ship the Navy used for YEARS to train its recruits. It is now in the parking lot of a hotel and shopping center near the…
-
Flat Hal and Flat Stanley are San Diego bound!
A three hour delay was not a lot of fun, but it meant, as we flew west, we chased the sunset across the country, and had this pretty view for most of our flight. Can you think of a time when something seemed like a bummer, but in the end something fun or exciting happened,…
-
Flat Stanley takes off on an Adventure with Flat Hal
Traveling, whether it is with family or friends, can be a lot of fun. Flat Stanley posed for a picture as soon as we boarded our plane, and instantly ran in to an old acquaintance who offered to help him pose for a fun picture! Unfortunately, the plane had mechanical difficulties and all of the…
-
Ready to travel? We got our physicals to be sure!
Flat Hal went with us to our Doctor’s offices as we got our physicals and checked in with our doctors to make sure we’re in good shape to travel. We have some big plans, and wouldn’t want to miss out on some fun because we forgot to take care our ourselves. My doctor has a big…
-
Birds on the grounds of the Capitol complex — Austin, Texas
The grackle ( Great Tailed Grackle I believe) is a bird I am starting to recognize, sometimes. Flat Hal and Flat Stanley respected the birds personal space, and opted not to pose with them, but we got some nice photos. There was another bird that I am still trying to identify. When I tried identifying this…
-
What do you do with friends and family from out of town when they come visit?
When I was growing up my parents joked they saw more of our hometown when others were visiting than any other time — in part because it is fun to share our city with others. We also felt like we could see these local places “anytime” and somehow that seemed to me “not now, later.” Flat…
-
Flat Stanley arrived from Canada for his visit!
Flat Stanley arrived from Canada with a packet of information about his homeland, some treats to share with his new friends, and one of his books — which led to an impromptu book club his first night in town. Is impromptu a new word for you? Do you ever hear the words spontaneously or improvised? …