Rabaul and sea days

Now we are in the midst of two sea days until our port of Rabaul. Yesterday was very gray and windy - high seas due to a cyclone somewhere out in the Coral sea. Lots of rocking back and forth all day, with a definite list due to the high winds off the port side. While it's a bit tricky walking, we aren't having issues with motion sickness, so that is a good thing.

We currently have several good insight speakers, so generally have 3 or 4 lectures to choose from each sea day, in addition to other available activities. Our reef pilot has done several talks about being a ship pilot, the reef and the areas around this part of the world. It's been good to have someone currently actively working in the area. He has also done live commentary in particularly scenic areas and narrow passages.

Due to the high seas, the dance-focused evening program (lots of fast steps ands awesome high lifts) was cancelled last night and was replaced by a vocalist that we hadn't enjoyed. Instead, we went to the Queens Room to watch some of the ballroom dancing and the beginning of the Ladies Night Ball.

Today is much calmer with some swells, but very foggy. We were able to see the shore as we sailed through the China Strait this morning, so we got a glimpse of the mainland of Papua New Guinea, some villages and a few canoe style boats. Rabaul is quite a ways further north on the north side of another large island, so we will arrive there in the morning.

Rabaul was a wander-around town for us. It's a very poor place, having once been a fairly large town. Several volcanic eruptions in the past 100 years (and ongoing) have destroyed much of the town. There's still an active community, but small and poor. Most people relocated to a town about 10 miles away. The people are quite friendly and speak at least some English  I wasn't feeling well overnight, so between my very low energy level and Stan's slow walking (plus heat and humidity) we only managed a few miles - basically to the open market and back. The hills around this harbor are beautifully green - with one black cone of the most active volcano.

Off on our longest sea-day stretch - 5 days to Japan.