Jan 29:  Blogging is an old skill.  Ship captains did it 500 years ago.  Today some of us blog, others text. No patience for lengthy discourse - we are a tweet society.  No point in conducting research into this.  No one would read the studies.  Brevity is a problem when blogging about a world cruise.  So much world, so few syllables.  How to compress the rich tapestry of human existence into short bursts of haiku-like tweets?  India, 11 days - spicy.  China, noodles.  So I compromise.  No novels, but nearly complete sentences.

Lazy day in Papeete, Tahiti. Seems appropriate.  Hang out on ship - enjoy two helpings of Torta Santiago for dessert.  Get busted for this, but worth it.  Walk around town for a few hours. City population is 131,000.  Tropical climate, intense sunlight.  Moderate traffic.  Pleased to discover that drivers in this town are very courteous.  A welcome change from the crazed warriors driving in many urban locations.  Tea-time trivia in the afternoon. Dinner with new friends, a great evening.

Jan 30: Bora Bora.  Arrive early at this tropical gem surrounded by sparkling blue waters.  Excursion in a small glass-bottom boat to view sharks and stingrays. The local tour owners have trained these fish to gather in a small shallow area several hundred yards offshore.  They've fed them daily for twenty years so they don't attack humans.  Like cruise ship passengers, these fish are well-behaved.  Provided with hassle-free food, they cheerfully pose for photos and relinquish their rightful place in the food chain.  We relate.

Sail away at sunset watching Bora Bora disappear past the horizon. Next three days at sea.  We arrive in Tonga in 4 days after sailing for 3 days.  You ask how?  On Feb 2 we'll cross international dateline.  We will skip ahead 23 hours. Brings up lots of philosophical questions.  It's late, I have no answers.