	*Hawaii 2003 ~ Memories in Picture ~ The Big Island*

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	Fanning Island-- what can I say. On past Caribbean cruises, ships would often dock on "private islands" where we would sun-soak, engage in all manner of water sports, recreation, relaxation, and general frivolity. Fanning Island (aka Tabuaeran) of the Republic of Kiribati was not that at all. We were tendered off the ship and walked down a long dockway, where we were greeted by a choir of local church-goers singing acapella in their native tongue. A bit further along the path, more locals were performing traditional dances under an open thatched pavilion. As today was my birthday, we were soon sipping at pineapple-filled piña coladas while wading in the shallow waters of the rocky-bottomed bay. For the first half hour, all was going nicely, and then... A rain storm swept in and pretty much blew us out of the water, and right off the beach. By the time we got to cover, the storm passed and it was time to eat-- some incredibly mediocre backyard barbeque food. (Not the island feast I was expecting at all-- what a drag.) Next, it was time to explore the island a bit, and souvenir shop. But it soon became obvious as we stepped away from the beach/food area, that we were on a substantially impoverished island. While Johnny's local general store and the post office were advertised as places of interest, they were really no place for tourists looking for a cushy taste of the local culture. At the souvenir bazaar, a collection of crude tables with local wares, and located not far from the path leading back to the dock, it was not uncommon to espy a vendor taking a toke or two while we perused the goods. It was quite an awkward affair. Suddenly, we were being hailed back to the ship due to an emergency situation. We soon learned that one of the ship's crew slipped off the dock and had his lower extremities mangled in the tender's propeller. Nightmarish-- and an incident that would tarnish the remainder of our cruise... So that was the Kiribati experience. I am not surprised to see that NCL is not taking cruisers down there any longer. *** Note to future Norwegian Cruise Line passengers: The crew member's accident subsequently halved our shore-time on Maui, and caused complete cancellation of our stop on Kauai. Despite our requests for restitution, NCL refused to acknowledge that our cruise was ruined, and never compensated us for missing more than half our shore time on Hawaii. Needless to say, this writer will not be sailing with NCL in the future.