January 16th – Marvellous Moorea

I've always thought that Moorea was my favourite of the French Polynesian islands, and today confirmed why. We had an absolutely idyllic day in the lagoon and out on one of the remote Motus (islands) just inside the reef.

The mountainous centre of the island was shrouded in clouds, but luckily enough the coastline was largely sunny, which meant that the lagoon was looking truly spectacular – all kinds of shades of blue, turquoise and aquamarine. But, if it looked good above the surface, then what we saw below it was even more impressive when we stopped off at a shallow sandbar.

As we approached, we could see the tips of about 20 sharks circling menacingly in the water, plus a few dark splodges underwater that could only be stingrays. Then we were told that we should get in the water to swim with them!

So, we had the unnerving experience of going face-to-face with a whole load of sharks, looking into their dead eyes as they swam towards you, swerving away at the last minute as they were toying with your levels of fright. The rubbery stingrays were marginally less threatening, although as they glided past your legs the amount of times that people mentioned Steve Irwin's sad fate was a little disconcerting. Over time, the fear level subsided and it was just fascinating to observe these creatures and to think that we were the ones who were invading their environment – if anything goes through the mind of a shark, what does he make of a bunch of well-fed cruise passengers splashing into his home?

After this stomach-churning experience, it was time to re-fill our stomachs by having a delicious picnic lunch on a deserted motu. The setting was so picture-perfect that it simply felt unreal – sitting next to the turquoise lagoon, eating delicious food, enjoying a cold beer, it felt like something from a film. However, after a bit of relaxing and some more snorkelling, the fantasy had to come to an end; and so we reluctantly boarded our boat to take us back to the ship.

An absolutely fantastic day in a really wonderful island.

January 15th – Rangiroa’s Blue Lagoon

From the sea, the atoll of Rangiroa just looks like a thin typical desert island covered in coconut trees; but, once you sail in through a break in the coral reef that surrounds the atoll, you've entered into one of the biggest lagoons in the world, containing an incredibly diverse underwater world.

On land, there really isn't much to Rangiroa – home to about 3,000 people scattered around its ring of little islands, with only a couple of very small, untouristy towns. But, people don't come here to experience Rangiroa's land-based attractions (such as they are), they come to see the sea life that inhabits that enormous lagoon.

While Tracy went snorkelling in this "natural aquarium", going face-to-face with huge amounts of colourful fish, sting rays, and even the odd shark; I went on a lower octane tour to see what's become one of Rangiroa's chief source of incomes – its black pearl farms. Here we learnt how man has a stronger hand in the cultivation of pearls than Mother Nature. Because, for pearls to develop naturally in the oysters, it's actually a fairly rare occurrence, so the pearl is given a much-needed helping hand by the pearl farmers.

We saw how a donor round ball (of mussel shell) is carefully inserted into the oyster, which will hopefully accept it and then cover it with layers of black pearl to produce what's sold in the shops for hundreds of Euros. Now, before you start to think that these are mass-produced beads, you need to consider how labour-intensive a process it is to graft the donor ball into the oyster in the first place, how long it takes to grow the pearl (18-24 months typically), the unique conditions that Rangiroa's pristine lagoon provides, and the fact that they can't control the colour, size or shape of the pearl that will eventually be produced.

All these factors combine to justify the high costs of the pearls on sale in the farm's shop – I saw prices ranging from about €60 Euro for a small, imperfect pearl, to over €2,000 for one of the big specimens – needless to say, even the cheapest was too expensive for an old skinflint like me.

After the tour, I met up with Tracy and James to find a beach to do some snorkelling from. So, we wandered down the island's one road, and found a public beach to explore (successfully thumbing a lift from a kind local when the going got too hot). As ever, the waters were warm and clear, and there were plenty of fish to see down there.

Having watched the fish, it was now time to eat some, so we headed to a shack by the beach for some lunch. It looked fairly unpromisingly scruffy, but the food was great – we wolfed down some really excellent poisson cru. Then, as we worked off our lunch and wandered slowly back to catch the tender, we were befriended by a lovely dog who acted as our escort, protecting us from the numerous other stray dogs on the island.

Rangiroa is all about the lagoon – gorgeous pearls, colourful sea life, tasty fish – what a combination!

January 13th – Dry Land at Last in Nuku Hiva

An island as remote and unspoilt as Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands doesn't change much. In a sleepy place of less than 3,000 people, the pace of life slows down to a virtual standstill, and you get to appreciate the simple pleasures in life – warm sea breezes, friendly people, and some truly spectacular scenery. To be honest, if you want something more than the simple pleasures in life, you're in the wrong place!

We joined the ship's tour that took us out of the island's quiet capital Taiohae, and into the precipitous hills that make up most of this volcanic island. Taiohae is surrounded by a ring of jagged mountains (making up the crater of a former volcano), so our drive out of town was incredibly steep – pretty much every car here is a 4 x4 by necessity.

Once we'd got up to the top, we stopped to enjoy the amazing views back down to town, with its bowl-shaped harbour playing host to the Silver Whisper, looking like a little dot in the distance. From there, the landscapes flattened out a little, before we descended into the fertile Taipivi Valley – which had loads of coconut plantations, banana and other fruit trees, and hardly any people. Before the westerners arrived, the valley would have been home to thousands of Polynesian tribes people, but sadly the impact of western diseases almost wiped out the island's inhabitants completely.

Vaccination programmes in the early 20th century stabilised things, but the biggest problem these days is emigration – mainly to the "bright lights" (such as they are) of Tahiti. Nevertheless, as long as you like peace and quiet, then this is a good place to live – crime is a rarity, so the team of 4 local policemen and 5 French gendarmes don't have a lot to do. Seeing a "Je Suis Charlie" slogan was a sad reminder of what a dangerous world we live in, but also a reminder of how far removed from many of the cares of the world that a place like this is

Perhaps the biggest problem with living here is the high cost of living – petrol is 280 Francs per litre (£1.81, $2.76, or €2.34), while the price of a small beer ($5.00) was enough to turn you tea-total. However, the people seem content with their lot, and they live peaceful, uncomplicated lives where everyone knows everyone.

After the tour, as we wandered around town, we called in at one of the few restaurants in town for a much-needed cold beer (it was H-O-T today), and the local speciality dish - a delicious poisson cru. How the locals afford these prices is a mystery to me, but after 7 days at sea, I think we deserved a bit of a treat.

Finally, we made sure we got back on board in time for the local show in the Viennese Lounge. It was a wonderfully exuberant display of the local culture, song and dance - full of energy, precision and enthusiasm. A great end to our first port of call on this World Cruise.

January 6th to 12th – Seven Sea Days

When you sail from Los Angeles to French Polynesia, there's an awful lot of sea to cross before you hit dry land. But, those 7 days at sea don't drag – what with cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, Crossing The Equator ceremonies, Destination Lectures, exercise classes, dance classes, and language lessons amongst many other activities (aside from the usual eating and drinking like royalty).

We've been blessed by smooth seas and warm temperatures which always ensures a happy ship, and there seems to be a very jolly atmosphere onboard - which is a good thing, seeing as many of us will be spending the next 4 months together!.

January 5th – The 2015 World Cruise Commences!

After a fabulous Gala Dinner at the palatial Beverley Hills Montage Hotel the night before, we set sail on the Silver Whisper from Los Angeles to start the 2015 World Cruise. The weather has been beautiful, let's pray it continues as we make our way across the Pacific.

We have seven days at sea to get over jet lag, to catch up with old friends, to meet new ones, and to listen to some great Destination Lectures!

Next stop, Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands.

November 16th - Flying Home

So, our voyage from the Mediterranean to Arabia is over. We've seen so many wonders from the ancient world, and visited some wonderful cities too.

We now have 6 weeks back in the UK, before flying to LA to join the Silver Whisper and the 2015 World Cruise.

http://www.silversea.com/destinations/world-cruise/cruise-2015/

November 15th - Looking Down On Dubai

Dubai is a crazy place whose existence seems to have no relation to logic. That they've been able to create the most modern city in the world in the deset sands - from nothing - just has to be admired.

Our first glimpse of that Toytown skyline from the sea is always an inspiring one, with the impossibly tall Burj Khalifa looking down on everything - it's so ridiculously tall that it doesn't seem real.

Our mission today was to get to the top of the World's Tallest Building (or at least to its Observation Deck which is "only" on the 124th floor of this 160-storey building). To get there, you need to pass by the World's Largest Aquarium in the World's Largest Shopping Mall, and then catch the World's Fastest Lift up to the top (shooting up at 10-metres per second). Visiting here is like browsing the Guinness Book of Records.

Once you're at the top, the views are breathtaking - lines of exotically-shaped skyscrapers (looking tiny from this lofty vantage point), ridiculously-shaped man-made islands sitting out to sea, and sand everywhere.

Last time we were here (in 2012), everyone was saying that Dubai was on its way out - the bubble had burst, the skyscrapers were empty and people were leaving. Yet, somehow the city's turned it around and it's back on the up again.

Whenever I come here, there's a slight feeling that it's all good to be true, that there's not much to back all these flashy buliding projects up. But, despite my cynicism, Dubai keeps growing and keeps building. What an amazing city!