Rod continues his specialisation in small ship, adventure and expedition cruising with recent voyages along the Columbia River in the US Pacific NW, Fiji, Rajang River in the wilds of Borneo and across the top of Australia from Cairns to Darwin via Cape York and Arnhem Land.

Read Rod’s Expedition and Adventure Cruising Blog and his regular column at Yahoo!7 Travel

The main street, Beach St, Levuka

Guns, God and Gin:
Ingredients for the first capital of Fiji

Walking down the main street of Levuka wasn’t always such a blissfully quiet and peaceful affair. The first capital of Fiji was born into anarchy and the sort of wild life only created by stir-crazy seamen and hustlers. Roderick Eime walked the verandas and lush pathways of the little town, soaking up the history.

The tranquil and verdant lanes of Levuka hide a turbulent past. The flame trees lining the canal and the immaculate cream woodwork of the heritage buildings suggest, but do not fully reveal, the turbulent birth of Fiji as a nation.

Almost 200 years ago, Levuka became the first permanent European settlement, a status that made it the de facto choice as capital when Tui Cakobau and the chiefs ceded the islands to Queen Victoria on10 October 1874. The monument to this occasion is located at Nasova village, the site of the signing, about a kilometre south of the wharf.

Early view of Levuka (fijiphotos.net)

For most of the 19th Century, the streets of Levuka were awash with all the human flotsam of the Pacific; deserters, shipwrecked whalers, escaped convicts, prostitutes and plain rogues. Missionaries, planters, merchants and fishermen tried to instil a sense of civilization, but clearly their task was a Herculean one. Some scallywag remarked that an approaching ship could find passage through the reef by following the floating gin bottles. However, despite the lawlessness, Fiji’s first bank, post office, school, private members club, hospital, town hall, and municipal government sprang from this unlikely outpost.

“WANTED, at the Star Chamber, Levuka
- informers, spys and scandalmongers.
Apply early, as the situations are
likely to be eagerly filled up.”
– Fiji Times, Oct 8, 1870

Fiji’s pre-eminent newspaper, the Fiji Times, was first printed in Levuka in 1869. Unsurprisingly, the first hotel was also built there and, perhaps more surprisingly, the Royal Hotel still serves a chilled Fiji Bitter today amid quaint decor and wicker chairs. The oldest Masonic lodge in the South Pacific still stands in Levuka, but only just. It was gutted by fire in 2000 by nearby Lovoni villagers determined to exorcise its supposed evil spirits.

Levuka occupies almost all of the rare, flat section of land in the shadow of towering, jungle-shrouded cliffs, cradling the settlement and its ornate buildings in a protective nook. This geographic shelter cut short Levuka’s life as a capital, but preserved its architectural integrity. By 1882, Governor Sir Arthur Gordon and the workings of government were fully transplanted to Suva.

A walking tour, either self-guided or escorted, is the first thing you should organize when you arrive in Levuka, but a local interpretation will give you an insight into the life of real Fijians, both indigenous and ‘imported’. Be sure to say ‘bula’ wherever you go, it’s the polite thing to do.

Allan Roxburgh grew up in Levuka

“Mum used to stand out there on the balcony and call us in for dinner,” says Allan Roxburgh, recalling happy times as a child growing up in the little town, “we’d play all day on the field here if she let us.”

Roxburgh, nearing 70, has spent his entire life in Fiji. Born to European parents, his Scottish father was a copra trader, and young Allan would jig school to go with him on trading journeys throughout the islands in the ‘40s and ‘50s while Levuka remained the copra capital of Fiji.

“Levuka’s only a little town, but there was always something going on.”

Testament to the town’s colourful past is laid out on the walls of the Ovalau Club, the South Pacific’s oldest private members’ club and still serving today. Flags, photographs, autographs and caricatures from bygone days adorn the bar. Visiting warships, aircraft and dignitaries have all left their kindest regards in some personalised form.

One of the most noteworthy characters to have paid his respects was Felix Graf von Luckner. This famous German sea captain from the Great War was remarkable for several reasons. Not only did he conduct a fearsome commerce raiding campaign throughout the South Pacific and Atlantic, he did so with just one accidental casualty. He arrived in Levuka after his legendary open boat sailing from Tahiti where his ship, the three-masted windjammer ‘Seeadler’ (Sea Eagle), was wrecked on a reef. He was captured on nearby Wakaya Island, about 10kms east of Levuka, after the local police bluffed him with a coconut trunk rigged to look like a deck gun.

Did you know?

• Fiji’s first Indian immigrants arrived at Levuka aboard the Leonidas in 1879.
• Fiji is seeking UNESCO World Heritage status for Levuka to help preserve the remaining historic buildings

Levuka may have reverted to a sleepy backwater, but any visitor can still find plenty to do.

• Walking Tour – allow two hours
• Visit the museum in the original Morris Hedstroem building.
• Go Scuba diving with Ovalau Watersports
• Take an inexpensive taxi tour around the island
• Hike to the top of Nadelaiovalaui for a breathtaking view (626m)
• Stay at one of the quaint lodges, guesthouses or homestays

Getting there:

Pacific Sun, Air Pacific’s Fiji regional airline, flies daily from both Nadi and Suva to Bureta (Ovalau).

Alternatively, both Blue Lagoon and Captain Cook Cruises include Levuka as part of their extended cruising programs.

Stop Press: As of June 2010 Blue Lagoon Cruises have dropped Levuka from their itineraries.

Further reading:

Moon handbooks: Fiji, by David Stanley

Activities, accommodation and information:

www.levukafiji.com

www.fijime.com >> Discover the Islands >> Lomaiviti Group

The author travelled to Levuka as a guest aboard Blue Lagoon Cruises’ MV Fiji Princess.

© Roderick Eime 2010. All rights reserved

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The E-book Travel Writing and Travel Photography – from Dreams to Hard Reality is priced at just USD 8.95 or AUD 9.95. http://www.globaltravelwriters.com/e-book

Tower Bridge

For me travelling to international travel hubs like London is not only an opportunity to become immersed in another culture but to throw yourself into a lot of great shopping.

Seeing London’s Carnaby Street is like visiting the birthplace of cool with designer fashion labels and exclusive boutiques lining the streets. But if the constantly changing exchange rate gets you down, then try Oxford Circus for a taste of the great British high-street that will leave you struggling to close your suitcase. For high class luxury without having to walk too far, then the Harrods department store is a place that you must see.

Now I understand that shopping can cause lot of stress on your bank account but have no fear because London has many more activities and sites that you can visit.

For an easy overview of the city, I highly recommend going on one of the many guided boat tours that cruise along the Thames River. As you make your way down, you will surely be able to spot the iconic Tower Bridge that breaks the horizon. However, if you are looking for a more personal exploration of the city, then get your map, walking shoes, London Pass and Oyster Card ready.

One of the many tourist attractions within walking distance of each other is Buckingham Palace and Westminster. You’ll find that it’s easier to spot Big Ben from outside Buckingham Palace than it is to find Wally with a magnifying glass.

Being one of the oldest urban cities in the UK, London’s rich culture and history can be found at every turn with double decker buses, the London Tube complex, their small taxis, architectural marvels such as St Paul’s Cathedral as well as historical centres like the British Museum and the Tate Modern art gallery. London is indeed the place where the delicate mix of the classical and modern is fit for a king or queen.

Words and pics by Roderick Eime. Additional photography from Helen Wongs Tours

River cruising is the perfect means to explore the great Yangtze River.

The Yangtze River is a massive tempestuous monster. For centuries it has been both the life and death of the Chinese people, providing food, water for irrigation and a critical transport route, but turning fierce with immense and destructive floods. In 1998, the last destructive flood, some 2000 people were drowned and millions made homeless. This final malicious act of the Yangtze would be the last.

If China was to grow and prosper, the beast must be tamed and made to work for the masses. The might of the new China is setting out to tame this fearsome beast with concrete, steel and seemingly limitless manpower.

Our journey begins in Chongqing, a vast, sprawling metropolis now bearing the title of world’s largest city. With a population of 32 million it is three times the size of New York City thanks mainly to the relocation of former riverside inhabitants displaced by the Yangtze’s rising.

Our vessel, the 4600 tonne, 150-passenger Princess Victoria is the Victoria Cruise Line’s flagship and quite likely the fanciest cruiser on the river. Most cabins have cute little balconies, there’s a European hotel manager, Christof, and more than sufficient culinary variation and quantity. The attractive young crew are chosen, I’m certain, for their cabaret performing talent as much as their domestic diligence.

As HRH proceeds majestically downstream, we pass floating car carriers laden with sparkling new Volkswagens, one of the many products of the newly industrialised city. Both shores are undergoing momentous transformation with great cranes and concrete pourers working overtime to construct new apartment blocks and shopping centres. The ancient riverside villages are gone, replaced by the energetic and progressive new 21st Century China.

We visit some of the few remaining archaeological sites en route and the Ghost City of Fengdu is a standout. Every so often, you visit a place that defies description, and this is one. Visitors are welcomed by a parade of stone demons each depicting unholy vices and terrifying acts. Displays inside the temple include torture and demon gods and are guaranteed to leave you squeamish.

The Three Gorges themselves are so named for the gorges Qutang, Wu and Xiling occupying a section of about 120 kilometres of the river between Fengjie andYichang. Despite their reputation for stunning scenery it was one of the most hazardous stretches of the Yangtze. As river levels rose and fell with the seasons, navigating the fury of its waters was a white-knuckle experience for crew and passengers alike.

We divert from the main channel to the Daning River and proceed up the “Lesser Three Gorges” (Dragon-Gate, Misty and Emerald) where former farmers and river traders are now tour guides for the many passengers who come to see one of the most scenic locations in all of China. The few farms and dwellings we see are slowly being consumed by the rising waters. Residents must dismantle their own homes and move the materials above the water line to avoid flotsam fouling the dam.

Mr Zhang, our boatman, now sports smart leather shoes and trousers but dons a traditional fishing jacket and headdress as he sings a song and poles us up the narrow tributary bordered by dizzying, sheer cliffs. He’s happy that his boat is full of paying travellers, but the notes of his song are tinged with sadness. He’ll never sing this tune like his father and grandfather did, hauling in the nets and selling the fish.

After four days cruising, we meet the manmade monster designed to subdue the Yangtze and in the middle of the night, we toast the new Great Wall as Princess Victoria descends 100 metres via a series of locks to the old riverfront at Sandouping.

Any way you look at it, the Three Gorges Dam is one of the world’s engineering marvels, easily rivalling the Panama Canal or even the original Great Wall itself. Always controversial, the dam was first proposed in 1919 but many events have intervened to delay its arrival.

Proponents argued that flood mitigation would save many thousands of lives and improve irrigation, navigation and water utilisation The hydro-electric plant would produce 22,500MW or the equivalent of ten per cent of China’s industrial requirement.

Opponents cited the dislocation of millions of residents, hundreds of tonnes of damaging sediment, loss of historic relics and the danger of catastrophe due to earthquake or landslide.

“Of course, the new project was welcomed by the younger, ambitious Chinese who did not want to work hard fishing and farming anymore,” says Cathy Huang, our onboard guide with refreshing candour, “but the older people find it very hard. They don’t like living in big apartment buildings and miss their life on the river.”

Begun in 1994 and completed in 2006, the dam comprises 27 million cubic of concrete, all of which had to be laid in one continuous pour. The dam wall is 2335 metres wide, 101 metres high and contains 39.3 cubic kilometres of water.

As the Princess passes through the multi-gated lock system, we fall xx metres to the river beyond the wall and tie up until morning in anticipation of our ‘great tour’.

After breakfast we gather our cameras and floppy hats and prepare to embark a fleet of buses. One passenger is clearly unimpressed. “Why would I want to go and see another damn dam,” he remarked scathingly. “Yeah,” I sympathised, “a bit like dragging yourself off to the opening of the pyramids.” Regardless of your environmental leanings, viewing the dam has to be up there with the Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building or Colosseum.

Clearly visiting the dam is a popular outing for the Chinese. Hundreds of folk are jostling and nudging, as is the Chinese way, for the few vantage points and I hurriedly snatch a few photos before my arbitrary time limit expires and I’m moved on. In a country with more than a billion people, personal space is a luxury few can afford.

Downstream of the dam, the river is much less effected and the water levels are more-or-less unchanged. Traditional villages reappear and there are glimpses of what life must have been like once upon a time on the other side. While we can lament how the Three Gorges Dam has transformed the Yangtze forever, the enormous upheaval thrust upon those along its course is indicative of a rapidly changing China, a country throwing off the ancient shackles of reluctance and charging headlong towards a prosperous future with the promise of plenty for all. Let’s hope the Eastern wisdom doesn’t repeat the many mistakes of the West.

Come to Me – or be damned!

Near the Three Gorges Dam site, in the Xiling Gorge, was the infamous Kongling Shoal, once one of the deadliest sections of the river.

In the low season, a savage rock protruded from the waterway, known to the locals as “Come to Me”. It earned this name as a result
of the unusual navigation technique required to avoid striking the rock whilst passing. Instead of trying to circumvent the protrusion, captains must aim directly at the rock so the rapidly flowing current will then direct the vessel around.

In December 1900, the brand new 826-ton German steamer, Sui Hsiang, was attempting to negotiate the Kongling Shoal. The German captain was struggling at the controls when the Chinese officer pleaded with him to aim directly at the rock, but the captain lost his nerve at the last minute and attempted to go around and the current drew the ship against rock, fatally puncturing the hull. All were saved except the captain.

[Image: HMS Kinsha. A typical river steamer of the very early 20th Century.]

Fact Box

Helen Wongs Tours offers a range of Yangtze River cruises from 9- to 24 days duration aboard the Victoria Cruises’s luxury fleet of six vessels with multilingual Western cruise directors and well trained local staff, all outside cabins with picture windows, lower berths and private bathrooms, fine Chinese cuisine with Western selections, lectures on history and culture, Tai Chi lessons, painting and calligraphy demonstrations, a full range of facilities including business centre, bar, fitness centre and health clinic, and live entertainment.

Cruise prices range from AU$2680 (9 days, cruise only)

For information and reservations, phone Helen Wong’s Tours +612 9267 7833, or visit www.helenwongstours.com

Images: http://rodeime.fotopic.net/c1697402.html (Lo res gallery)

There’s something almost suicidal about Vanuatu’s famous land divers. Bungy jumpers have the benefit of an elastic cord to cushion their fall, but not so the legendary N’Gol (land-diving) natives of Pentecost Island.

The origin of this dangerous ritual is clouded in tantalizing mystery. One of the more romantic tales tells the story of the abusive husband Tamalie who, in pursuit of his recalcitrant wife, followed her up a tall tree as she fled from him. She, whose name seems to have been mislaid in the passage of time, refused to come down knowing that another beating was in store. Driven by pride and rage, Tamalie lunged at her, but she jumped. Tamalie, intoxicated by fury, lunged after her not knowing she had tied vines to her legs and he plunged to his death while she survived.

Some liberal doses of artistic license may have embellished this tale, but it remains as intriguing as ever. Apparently the village men began to re-enact the nameless wife’s heroic plunge to prepare themselves for a similar challenge from their own wives. A slight variation says she repeated her stunt, along with other women, presumably to mock the incompetent men, but was ultimately forbidden to perform the dive along with any other women who might attempt it.

What is clear today is that the death-defying feat is the sole domain of the men and is equally believed to usher in a bountiful yam harvest as it is to ensure the jumper is never accused of cowardice or lacking manliness. Boys as young as seven or eight may jump, albeit from a much lower level, and then work upward as they get older.

The ‘rite of plummet’ is performed annually in the southern region of the island of Pentecost around April, May and June as the yam harvest begins. The enormous 30 metre towers are built immediately prior to the event and can take up to five weeks to construct. Jumpers will sleep on the ground the night before to ward off any evil spirits. They attach carefully selected vines to their legs being careful to approximate the length required. Wet vines will stretch and dry vines will snap, so the selection process is critical and is often left entirely in the hands of a trusted village elder. Beside the vines, there are no safety measures whatsoever

With vines attached, the almost naked jumper will make a short speech before throwing himself off the platform. The assembled crowd listen intently knowing these words may be his last. All the while the village men sing, chant and stomp to create a trance-like atmosphere. Then he jumps.

Like a rag-doll, his body flies toward the ground and at the last minute the vines tighten and arrest his otherwise fatal fall. A properly executed jump will result in the man’s head and shoulders gently caressing the tilled soil beneath the tower. Such a landing is considered lucky (no kidding) and is a good omen for the yam harvest. He staggers to his feet, assisted and congratulated by attendants at the base. A new hero is born.

“If you come and the two vines break, it means you break your neck, or your backbones, or maybe your legs,” said village leader Luke Fargo in an interview with US network, ABC.

But Fargo says they have to do it, despite the dangers. “It’s our traditional thing, so we must do it from year to year.”

If you think this sounds like fun, think again. Foreigners are expressly forbidden to participate, presumably because of the inherent danger, but also to preserve the allure for the islanders whose sacred rite this is.

“They tried to ask us to do it, but we don’t allow them, because if they miss, maybe they get injured and sometimes they die,” said Fargo.

And if you don’t believe it’s dangerous, just ask our Queen. During the 1974 Royal Visit the islanders were keen to put on a show for the visiting royalty. Only problem, it was the wrong season and the vines were dry. Not wishing to disappoint, they dived anyway, with vines snapping more often than not. The injury toll mounted and one diver later died. This, apparently, is the only such fatality in recent memory.

Westerners were first introduced en masse to this hair-raising spectacle via the camera of celebrated documentary filmmaker, Sir David Attenborough. In the 1950s, his BBC crew were bringing the strange and mysterious animals and people of the world into the living rooms of the English-speaking world.

The ‘Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club’ claim to have performed the first ‘bungee jump’ modelled on this ancient spectacle and it wasn’t long before it became commercial thanks to the ebullient Kiwi entrepreneur, AJ Hackett. His headline-grabbing stunt on the Eiffel Tower in 1987 ensured the new extreme sport’s success and by 1988 he was in operation in Queenstown New Zealand. Even James Bond has bungy-jumped (Golden Eye 1995).

Only in recent years has the event been regularly witnessed by visiting western travellers and P&O are fortunate to be able to offer this as one of their most exciting shore excursions.

P&O Cruises time their program to witness this spectacle in April, May and June

See cruise information for Pentecost Island

If you were a Viking in the Middle Ages of European history, chances are you were not much of a diplomat or humanitarian. Roderick Eime reflects on the Nordic influence.

The fearsome Viking reputation is not without substance. Beginning around the ninth century until well into the eleventh, the Norse mariners went on an aggressive land grab that often resulted in bloodshed, abduction and pillaging. Today’s mild-mannered and infinitely cultured Scandinavians have countered this unfriendly perception somewhat by reminding us that the Vikings were also skilled seafarers, advanced agriculturalists and energetic traders who advanced the culture and civilization of Europe generally.

No matter which angle you embrace, Vikings still evoke a powerful mystique with their bold and robust architecture and design as well as pagan worship. Just like the Greeks and Romans, Norse mythology is chock-a-block with mighty deities and gods like, Thor (god of thunder), Odin (god of war) and Freyr (goddess of love and fertility). Our days of the week are still named after Norse gods. True.

Vikings and Norse culture has experienced several periods of renaissance over the years with the 1870 Wagnerian opera, The Valkyrie, perhaps the most memorable. A notoriously long and arduous production, the phrase “it’s not over until the fat lady sings” refers to the final act of the buxom Norse queen, Brünnhilde.

Away from the grand opera and comic books, it’s out on the water that the Vikings had their biggest influence. Their penchant for raiding, trading and colonizing spread the Norse culture and genes deep into Russia, North Africa and as far as modern Canada. Great explorers like Erik the Red and his son Leif Ericson, took the Norse influence west of Iceland to Greenland and North America and even created settlements as far away as L’Anse aux Meadows on the tip of Newfoundland. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, it is believed the Vikings lived there around 1000AD.

Passionate historians or even just the curious can recreate their own “Viking trail” by interconnecting the various Norse settlements with modern cruise ships, enjoying a form of sea travel Erik and his crew would never have dreamed of.

Starting in Newfoundland, such cruise lines as Silverseas and Regent Seven Seas include L’Anse aux Meadows on itineraries that may also include Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland from where Erik & Son fled in the late 10th Century. Far from being constrained by its name, Iceland is far more than frozen water. Visits to ports like Djupivogur, Isafjord, Seydisfjordur and Akureyri aboard vessels from MSC, P&O and even the smaller boutique and adventure lines such as Seaborne and Cruise West will reveal a land rich in natural and cultural treasure. One of the most popular excursions is the geothermal lake, The Blue Lagoon, where you can swim in 40 degree, mineral rich waters just 40km from the capital.

Greenland, the world’s largest island, nearly 300km west of Iceland, was also visited and colonised by Erik and Ericson but these villages only existed until the early 15th century, when the Norse were either evicted by the Inuit or died out. Not limited to small expedition vessels, Nanortalik and Qaqortoq are two ports visited by the larger liners including Princess, Holland America and Saga. Visits to Greenland are becoming increasing popular and even a little urgent, as the massive glaciers disintegrate in the planet’s warming climate. The destination provides both a natural and cultural feast when combined with the rich and colourful Inuit who ultimately prevailed over the Viking invaders.

If you were sailing toward Iceland from the northern tip of Scotland, it would be hard not to stumble across the remote Faroe Islands. Still a domain of Denmark, the first Vikings are thought have arrived in there in the 7th century, not by boat but from a migration north from the Orkneys and Shetlands, which themselves experienced centuries of Scandinavian influence that persists to this day.

Look for itineraries that include ports of Torshavn (Faroes), Kirkwall (Orkneys) or Portree (Hebrides) to fully experience the Norse influence of Northern Britain.

Fact File:

As an Arctic destination, most ports are only visited during the northern summer cruise season, typically May to September. The ideal months are June to August when the weather is warmest.

Cruise Lines:

MSC, Saga, Hurtigruten, HAL, Oceania, Silversea, Seaborne, Cruise West, Costa

The Solomon Islands are a mystery to most Pacific Island vacationers. Adventure cruiser, Roderick Eime, reckons all it takes is a little bit of curiosity and a sense of history to be bewitched by this emerging destination.

The ghostly group approached us timidly, looking curiously in all directions. Mainly young men and a couple of boys, all smeared head-to-toe in lurid orange mud, they scanned the bushes, the tree tops and the tall grass. Clearly in fear of being observed, they moved cautiously as if any or every movement would betray them.

While these orange interlopers patrolled the gathering, women and men in traditional village attire danced and chanted energetically. The women, in particular, cavorted in a way that would have the missionaries covering their eyes and rushing for their bibles. Their hands firmly on their hips, they gyrated unambiguously, throwing their heads back in mirth.

But it wasn’t long before the orange mudmen’s imagined bogeymen materialised. Slim, lithesome and painted as black as the proverbial, their mouths were bright crimson as if full of fresh blood. They stalked the citrus-coloured troupe, snarling and mocking the orange men with menacing, wide-mouthed laughs and jabbing long, sharp spears. Forced into a terrified huddle, they ducked and dodged the increasingly nasty thrusts.

The scenario played out for a just a few minutes and our alarm grew as the younger ones clung nervously to the quivering legs of the elders, but the finale was approaching and the assembled local villagers cat-calling and laughter grew more enthusiastic as the bewildered mudmen scurried off into the bush at the point of a lance.

The final act played out, the entire cast reassembled for a curtain call and our cameras clicked furiously. Those without cameras applauded appreciatively.

Here on Santa Ana Island in the eastern province of Makira Ulawa, the ancient traditions are preserved and gleefully recreated for the occasional tourist group. The significance of this performance is explained as a representation of the arrival of foreign people and their disruption of local custom. There is some dispute however whether the new arrivals are Europeans or Polynesians. I imagine they’re interchangeable.

Santa Ana is one of several outlying islands that maintain strong cultural traditions, as much for themselves as a marketable commodity for visitors. Either way, all parties are winners and our visiting group display great interest in the multitude of artefacts and handicrafts set out for perusal.

The islands in the immediate vicinity are theorised to have been first settled by the ubiquitous Lapita people around the time the Romans were getting underway in Europe. Scattering their trademark pottery throughout the Pacific, anthropologists still debate the actual migration route, but it is generally believed to have been from the west and dependant on the sea levels current at the time.

At the Busu Cultural Village on Alite Island in Malatia Province, the centuries-old tradition of shell jewellery and currency has its home – a kind of shell mint Again we are met by energetic dancers, although instead of mud, coral and animal teeth, these handsome performers are draped in intricate shell ornaments.

Certainly the most prominent example of shell currency is in the payment of bride price and to illustrate this ritual, a nervous young girl clings to her booty clad in a veil of tiny shells painstakingly woven together to form calciferous garments. She doesn’t appear too pleased at the drawn out ceremony and I must assume she’ll be more enthusiastic when the real day arrives.

The men of Busu Village adopt a decidedly threatening pose. Their job is to protect the women during any exchange or barter that involves transactions of the shell currency which they produce laboriously in the huts behind. Weapons and the skills required to use them are displayed, just in case we get any ideas.

The most significant confrontations and combat synonymous with the Solomon Islands are the furious and bloody battles fought between the Allied and invading Japanese forces during the Second World War. Some of the most ferocious fighting took place around the capital, Honiara, on the island of Guadalcanal throughout 1943.

The war history of the Solomon Islands would easily occupy several articles and the history of the campaign and the many relics, wrecks and material left behind continues to attract amateur historians and sightseers. Overgrown and abandoned tanks, crashed aircraft, sunken vessels of all types and forlorn fortifications draw curious visitors all year around.

Many of the most interesting artefacts are below the waterline, particularly around the island of Gizo (also sometimes spelled Ghizo) in the Western Province. Local dive operator, Danny Kennedy, regales us with wartime tales, particularly his favourite one, that of his namesake President, which took place not far from his little shop in the township.

While patrolling nearby Blackett Strait in August 1943, the President-to-be was in command of PT-109 when it was cut in two by a speeding Japanese destroyer in the middle of the night. The surviving crew swam to what was then Plum Pudding Island before finally being rescued thanks to heroic efforts by two local village boys. The island is now named Kennedy Island.

Danny regularly takes divers to visit his catalogue of dive sites that includes both natural and manmade attractions. Fighter aircraft and various shipwrecks make up most of the program, but the Toa Maru, lying virtually intact in just a few metres of water is the piece de resistance. At 7000 tons, the Toa Maru is possibly the largest, best preserved and divable wreck in the Pacific.

The best way to travel the many islands that make up the Solomons is by small ship expedition. The experience of arriving by ship is hard to surpass as each arrival is usually accompanied by a flotilla of local canoes decorated with flowers and costumed “warriors”. Coral Princess Cruises’s flagship, Oceanic Discoverer, is now a familiar sight in Melanesian waters as she completes her itineraries between Papua New Guinea and Auckland.

Like its neighbours Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands share the natural hospitality and friendliness of its Melanesian population while offering greater depth and richness to the entire region thanks to its many natural and human attractions.

Getting There:

Fly Solomons

Cruising:

For information about small ship expeditions throughout the Solomon Islands and Melanesia, contact Coral Princess Cruises [www.coralprincess.com.au]

A late starter in the cruising stakes, Seattle is more than making up for it with a visitor-friendly persona and weekly cruises to Alaska and beyond.

Words and pictures: Roderick Eime

“Chop its head off!” “Cut out its guts!” and a lifeless carcass is hurled through the air. No, this is not some sadistic pirate ritual, nor some bizarre black magic chant, it’s the Pike Place Fish Market, one of Seattle’s most talked-about tourist experiences.

The market came about in 1907 when consumers, up in arms at skyrocketing produce prices, turned directly to farmers to eliminate profiteering middlemen and created the Pike Place area as the meeting place. Over one hundred years, the market has grown beyond its original trading mandate, survived several demolition orders and become a tourist attraction in its own right.

Customers order their fish from the ice tables in the front of the stall, the order is called out and the entire fish is tossed to the packer behind the counter who wraps it for the customer. This theatrical procedure draws delighted crowds and there’s plenty of audience participation.

Along the lines of many similar developments at the world’s most cruise-friendly cities, Seattle’s waterfront has evolved to service and entertain the thousands of cruise travellers who pass through the port each season. Yet despite Seattle’s long maritime history, cruise travellers have only recently visited the city of three million inhabitants in any measurable number.

In the mid-1990s, the old Pier 66 was demolished to make way for a brand new Bell Street cruise terminal directly adjacent Pike Place Market in anticipation of the growth in cruise tourism. The optimism was a bit premature and cruise passenger numbers have only grown since 2000 when just six vessels and 6000 passengers used the terminal. In 2005, the new Pier 91 facility at Smith Cove was brought online to accommodate the new superliners and annual numbers now regularly exceed 800,000 passengers and 200 sailings.

Seattle is becoming the jump-off port of choice for US passengers travelling to the neighbouring US state of Alaska, bypassing the traditional port of Vancouver, Canada. Currently Celebrity, HAL, NCL, Princess and RCCL home port 11 vessels there, with Celebrity and HAL using the more conveniently located Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal at Pier 66.

Once onshore, passengers can enjoy an enormous range of sights and attractions. In the immediate vicinity of Pier 66 is the Seattle Aquarium and a bevy of novelty and curio businesses in and around the Pike Place complex including Ye Olde Curiosity Shop and the original Starbucks Coffee Company store. If you have time to wander beyond the pier precinct, there’s plenty to see just strolling the interesting streets. Shopping, dining and drinking are attractions in themselves throughout Seattle and there’s never a shortage of boutique beers like Rogue Dead Guy and Arrogant Bastard Ale at Vons Roasthouse or gourmet coffee at scores of cafes besides the ubiquitous Starbucks.

Head up Pine Street to the classic monorail station where the 1960s-era electric tramway still transports visitors from downtown to the Seattle Center, site of the 1962 Worlds Fair and Century 21 Exposition. The centrepiece of this historic area is the Space Needle, a futuristic tower that is now the signature landmark of this forward-facing city. Aim for sunset for best effect.

If you are embarking or disembarking your cruise in Seattle, the strong advice is to arrive early or stay on to fully enjoy the attractions outside the immediate CBD. Seattle has some superb hotels within a stroll from harbourside like SLH’s trendy Hotel Ändra and the historic boutique property, The Mayflower Park. All the major names are represented too, but it’s these unique, standalone establishments that define Seattle.

Public transport throughout the city centre is free and very reasonable outside that with bus, trolley and a brand new light rail opened in July.

Seattle’s aviation heritage makes it something of a mecca for aircraft buffs with the iconic Boeing Company’s first factory opened there in 1916. There are two sites which must be seen; the sprawling Boeing factory and Future of Flight Aviation Center north of the city, and the Museum of Flight at the old Boeing field to the south. The latter is a magnificent museum with a staggering array of aircraft from every era of flight, while the former includes a tour of the modern Boeing manufacturing facility where you can see the new 787 Dreamliners rolling off the line.

Even a stay of three or four days will leave you wanting for more, so if you plan to spend that amount of time at each end of your seven day cruise, you’ll be assured of complete exploration of this fascinating and futuristic city with a healthy respect for tradition and history.

Space prevents detailing every conceivable option, but consider these;

• Take a Victoria Clipper fast ferry to Victoria, BC if you missed Canada elsewhere.
• Savour a bowl of clam chowder at any of the signature waterfront restaurants
• Visit the 92-acre, animal friendly Woodland Park Zoo with over 1000 animals in a botanic park-like setting.
• City museums include the Seattle Art Museum and its companion outdoor sculpture park, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture and the Experience Music Project, dedicated to Seattle’s vibrant music culture and history.
• Ride a hand-operated 1914-era elevator to the top of Smith Tower for a superb view of the waterfront
• Take a Duck Tour in a WWII-era amphibious landing craft
• If on an extended tour, consider a backcountry excursion to Mt St Helens or a river cruise along the Columbia
• Purchase a Go Seattle™ Card. This multi-attraction pass gives you access to over 30 attractions including the Space Needle and lots of museums.

Seattle is a city where Australians will feel comfortable and at ease. Navigable streets, a sensible transport system, friendly people, great dining and entertainment options, enriching sightseeing and a modern, environmentally responsible outlook that makes for a relaxing and rewarding experience.

Getting There:

Cruise lines visiting Seattle include;

Celebrity, HAL, NCL, Princess and RCCL, Cruise West, American Safari Cruises, Fantasy Cruises. Plus numerous day and charter operators like Argosy and Victoria Clipper

Cruise Season: April to October

Official tourism site: www.visitseattle.org

Sailing Schedules: www.portseattle.org

Airlines serving Seattle:

AirTran Airways American Airlines Frontier Airlines JetBlue Airways Midwest Airlines US Airways Virgin America Continental Airlines Hawaiian Airlines Horizon Air Southwest Airlines Air Canada Air Canada Jazz Alaska Airlines United Airlines United Express operated by SkyWest Airlines Aeroméxico Air France Asiana Airlines British Airways Delta Air Lines Delta Connection operated by SkyWest Airlines EVA Air Hainan Airlines Horizon Air Icelandair Korean Air Lufthansa Northwest Airlines Sun Country Airlines