Adventure Bear Log - Western Pacific
Thursday Island, Torres Straight, Australia November 2007

On Thursday Island I made friends with the Customs Officers. Their names were Matt and Chris. They came on board and checked us in to Australia. They were great guys. Chris taught me that the word "Malu" means deep sea. Lots of the boats around here are named Malu something, like Malu Titan and Malu Warrior. Speaking of boats, Matt told us about a raft race between the two islands here. They had a boat in the race. We followed the race in the dinghy. Here I am in their raft at the end of the race. They didn't win, but we all had a good time.
Coral Sea, Halloween, October 31, 2007

This year for Halloween the guys and I dressed up. Can you find me? Here's a hint, I'm the pirate. Ron was a doctor and Felix was an Arctic Explorer. We had a lot of fun and got good treats. At our favorite stop they were giving out sardines!

Port Vila, Efate, Vanuatu October 2007

I learned about this great game called rugby. The rules seem simple. You are supposed to get the ball away from the other guys and take it across your goal line to score. You can carry it or pass it to a teammate or you can kick it far away. Once in a while the guys would pile on top of each other to get the ball and then I had to watch carefully for someone to push the ball out from the bottom of the pile. The crew went to a cafe at six in the morning to watch the final game of the World Rugby Cup. We saw the team from South Africa win! Now I'm a rugby fan. I may have to look for a more bear-size ball though. Go Springboks!
This was the biggest mooring ball I've seen. I could have lived on it like a raft. I thought about spending some time out on it fishing. I could see the fish swimming by the boat. In the end I stayed aboard the big boat with the captain and the crew and let the fish have their harbor.
On Vanuatu you can go for a ride in a dugout canoe. Our ride was down a river to a village. In the village I met all these friendly guys. They all came over to say HI. At least that's what I think they were saying. They asked me to come for lunch too.
I've been on lots of boats. I decided to try a horse. I went riding with some friends on Vanuatu. My horse was named Egypt. Even though Egypt hadn't tried fish we found lots of things to talk about. Egypt likes jumping. And Egypt also likes to go fast. She let me ride her over a few jumps, it was very fun, but I had to hang on tight.
Fiji September, 2007

We stayed at Musket Cove in Fiji. Not everyone who stayed at Musket Cove came on a boat, some people came in airplanes. There was a sign at the end of the runway telling people to watch out for airplanes. How could someone not see an airplane? In fact, after reading the sign I started seeing airplanes all over the place.
Here is a boat that belongs to friends of mine. They call the boat Coconut, but I couldn't find any on board. I looked for fish too, but they were out.
One day in Fiji our dinghy got stuck under a bridge. The captain had to let the air out to get it unstuck. Guess who got to pump the air back in?
Vava'u, Tonga August- September, 2007

I went hiking with the crew and their friends in Tonga. We climbed up this BIG hill. And then we found a chasm. I looked over the edge and decided they could go down it without me.
Alofi, Niue August, 2007

Our captain and crew and some friends rented a van to go touring. I got the map and was a good navigator. We stopped at a cave. Bears like caves. I felt right at home. Later we found this message in the sand. Whoever left the message had to eat a lot of coconuts. And they must have had a lot of extra shoes too. I don't think they were in trouble because all you had to do was climb a ladder or the rocks to get out and walk to the path. It was a nice place for a coconut picnic.
These little kittens lived in the house behind the ice cream shop. They were very friendly. We took a small nap together. I told them fish stories to put them to sleep.
One day in Niue, the village of Lafuka was having a "Show Day." Show day was a chance for the people to get together, play games, eat good food and buy things. I didn't see any fish for sale, but look what I did find, Taro and Coconut Crabs. Then I noticed that the crabs were alive and that they have big claws. I didn't buy any. I was hungry and I found some coconuts. The captain said I had to work for my food. I got busy grating coconut. It was good and sweet. They also had some games. I played ball toss and won a shell necklace. I wear the necklace all the time now. Can you see it?
Rarotonga, Cook Islands August, 2007

This helpful sign was at the start of our hike. I was excited to be able to hike across the top of the island. Lucky for me I could get a ride when I was tired. We found rocks to climb at the top of the island. The warning was serious. The trail was small and we needed ropes to help us climb. My paws got tired. We were very careful and got a good view.

This guy is great! He has a sailor suit, like me. He has brown hair, like me. He lives on a boat, like me. He like cookies, like me. AND he likes to eat fish too. We met in Tahiti and have been sailing to some of the same places. Next time we meet we'll have to talk about all the fish we've caught.
Rarotonga was celebrating Constitution Day when we were there. People were doing special things to celebrate. We went to a special dance contest. People came from all of the neighboring islands to dance. The pretty girls and strong men were good dancers. They must have practiced a lot. They had colorful costumes. I got a headband made out of flowers just like the dancers.
Finally, I found a table at a restaurant that recognizes how important I am. Ssshhhh, don't tell Captain Geoff that I said that.