In fact, our private name for the trip was Hawaii Five-0
(I know a few days have been skipped in the blog sequence, but they will appear soon)
The day would start early as we had to leave the ship at 6.20 for golf.
So we charged off for a walk around the boat to get the blood flowing, quick bite at the Cadillac Diner, and then met with Cory, the golf pro and organiser. Again, everything was organised well.
Once at the course, we had a sense this golf resort would make Rel’s day feel special.
Our carts were all organised before we got there, even labelled with the golfers name. Note that John was only listed as ‘Rider’. John knew his place in life.
The carts had towels, cold water, tees, and Cory even provided a flower for the ear.
And Rel had her own hot driver/caddy/general slave for the day
This was a classy course
In fact it was one of the most beautiful courses we had ever played on.
Those who enjoyed the series MASH will be fascinated to know that the mountains in the background were used for the opening scene of MASH, where the helicopters appear from behind the mountains. In fact it was surreal as a lot of helicopters fly over the course during the day. The only thing missing was the theme song from MASH.
Rel’s playing partners from a few days ago enjoyed playing with Rel so much, they signed up to play with Rel on this day.
Somehow John found himself spending most of the day with 3 ladies… again. :-)
So Rel hit off at the first tee, and her driving was on song from the get-go.
Interestingly enough, the bunkers on the first 9 used the red soil of the area, rather than the traditional white sand.
Rel’s play on the fairways was awesome, and she rarely strayed too far from the centre of the fairway
How much was Rel loving this day?
The course was quite hilly at times, and we would have struggled without the cart
John loved the challenging drive
Although on this steep descent perhaps John should have focussed on driving, rather than driving and taking photographs at the same time
This course was in immaculate condition
There may not have been too much to celebrate on the putting green, but some of Rel’s drives off the tee were sensational
Rel mainly stayed out of bunkers, but when she did find a bunker, she left herself with a real challenge to get out.
The back 9 was almost an entirely different course in terms of the scenery and layout.
But Rel’s driving was still on fire.
We then stumbled across this hole, which can be best be described as tee + deep rainforest valley + green.
There was no fairway. But Rel’s confidence was high.
And she landed the ball on the green! One of the shots of the day!
The birdie putt was a good attempt, but the putter was not on fire today. The tee can be seen in the background. This was a tough hole.
A nearby airport made for interesting scenes at times
It was then onto the signature hole of the course. And Rel hit a sensational drive off the tee.
After the second shot it was then a long downhill walk to to the green, whilst admiring the views, including the cruse ship.
This really was an amazing golf hole
Rel then went duck hunting, and nearly cleaned one up
We think these were Canadian geese
On the last hole, it was time for the happy snap
Rel finished with another sensational drive.
The final green had a ‘golden bear’ statue, not the bundy rum bear that John first thought it was
And finally a putt sank for Rel, on the 18th.
We then headed back on board the ship, where we had a bid’s eye view of the signature hole of the golf course.
We were ramped up into birthday party mode, so we played some games
Chilled in the deck chairs
Rel wore her swimsuit with bling
We found something to drink
Today’s room cleaning treat was our towels in the shape of a penguin
We then settled in for a long lunch in one of the classy restaurants, where we had seats next to window at the stern of the ship.
The boat pulled out of port as we had lunch, offering us a quite amazing view as we celebrated Rel’s birthday
After a quick rest to recharge for the rest of the day, we returned to the deck to see some amazing views of this island.
Was Rel enjoying this birthday ?
And then a rainbow appeared
Rel almost had a tear in her eye as she just marvelled at this amazing sight.
It was then time to watch the sunset from onboard the ship
Rel was just soaking it all up, and feeling so special.
Then the lights started to kick in on the boat
Eventually we left the deck to continue our celebrations
At some stage, Rel had done some secret shopping, and took John back to the store to show him some things of interest. Yes, they have jewellery stores on board the ship.
How could John say no to buying this gorgeous ring for her birthday. Was it expensive? Rel is priceless, and how often does one turn 50?
Rel had been disappointed that she did not get a photo with Cory, the golf pro. But John tracked him down, and there was yet another birthday treat.
So we headed off to the French restaurant for dinner. We were offered the chance to try escargot for free, so we jumped at the chance. We were feeling adventurous. And they were so yummy.
Had a glass of Rel’s favourite champagne
Then finished off with creme brûlée and chocolate fondue for 2.
Rel was then sung to by the waiters for her birthday.
To finish the Birthday of Rel, we went to a musical after dinner. Rel loved it. John loved the small part he saw. He had given his all for the Birthday, and sadly fell asleep he was so tired.
But this was a birthday for the ages for one very special lady!
