On our sea days, we were lucky enough to have a guest lecturer, Dr. Charlie Love, who educated and enthused us with information about the geology, archaeology, and anthropology of the South Pacific. Although Charlie was from Wyoming and a well-known expert on Easter Island far to the east of Tahiti and the Marquesas, he was quite knowledgeable about French Polynesia. The Aranui 3 also had four multi-lingual guides (Sylvie, Vi, Michael and DiDi) and a cruise director (Francis) who briefed us the day before each trip ashore and led the shore excursions. The guides held a group meeting each evening (6:00 for the English-speakers and 6:30 for the French-speakers), which was used to discuss the activities for the next day. Since almost all shore excursions are included in the fare, everyone usually does the same activities ashore. The Aranui does not have a daily printed schedule, so we took paper and pen to the evening meeting and made notes. Michael had some wonderful stories of the South Pacific, and he would spend 10-15 minutes talking about a relevant topic such as Captain Bligh, the Mutiny on the Bounty, Pitcairn Island, Paul Gauguin, or French Polynesian economy, history, religion, or education. It was very enlightening, and we came home better educated than when we left. Dinner was at 7:00 and often stretched for a couple of hours. The passengers were a diverse, educated, well-traveled group. This made mealtimes especially interesting, with lively conversations.
Sometimes at night a small band entertained by the pool and the pool bar. Another night we had a very interesting discussion on "Aspects of Marquesan Culture" led by Charlie Love and three professors who were on board for a few days in the Marquesas. Most of the discussion centered around the disappearance of traditional languages around the world such as Marquesan. They also debated the pros and cons of the French influence on the Polynesian schools. Several of the passengers got into the discussion, making for a stimulating, intellectual evening. One other element contributed to the interesting evening. Since many of the passengers and two of the three professors were more comfortable speaking in French, everything had to be translated. Although the guides were all multi-lingual, none of them were comfortable translating French into English. So one of the passengers from Belgium, who just happened to work as an interpreter for the European Union in Brussels, was happily "drafted" to do the French into English translation. She did an admirable job, but told us later that it was her first time translating into something other than French. That's what you call a working vacation!
Learning, leisure, and food. Time at sea seemed simultaneously to fly by and to drift along magnificently. Life at sea was delightful.
Let's take a closer look at the Aranui 3.
