If anyone had told me five years ago that I would be back in Tahiti three times and Moorea and Bora Bora twice in the next five years, I would have thought they were crazy.  Those were exotic places of the South Sea Islands in movies and legend.  No one I knew ever went to places like those and they were not even in my imagination as places I would ever visit.  But here we are again in what has become one of our favorite parts of the world. Because of the long flight, I knew I would never get to Australia and New Zealand which I had wanted to visit, but we had never entertained the notion of crossing the Pacific on a cruise ship and actually visiting these wonderful and beautiful islands! Yet here we are again.

The first and largest of our ports in French Polynesia was Tahiti.  I can’t think of friends at home who have visited Tahiti even once but compared to others on the ship, we have only been there three times.  The first two times, 2009 and 2012, we did shore excursions and saw different parts of Tahiti.  The first time we got deep into the interior on a four by four vehicle and saw things one wouldn’t otherwise see on the road.  Knowing we were going to visit Tahiti again in 2013, we had thought that we would skip a shore excursion there in 2012, but our friend Pam was traveling with us and it was her first time in Tahiti so we decided to do a shore excursion with her. It had been a nice round the island tour where we had seen a black sand beach, had a pleasant snack in a restaurant associated with the Gauguin museum, toured a lovely garden nearby, admired a large and powerful waterfall on the island, and watched a blowhole near the largest city in all of French Polynesia, Papeete.

So this was the year that we decided to be on our own in Papeete and not do an excursion.  But this year, we were there on a Sunday and in French Polynesia, nearly all businesses are closed on Sundays.  That included the large market, just a short walk from the pier in Papeete.  And we had heard there was a good chance it might rain in Tahiti this year as the outer reaches of Cyclone Gary might impact us.  When we arrived in Papeete, the clouds were low with a small patch of blue and there was a warm tropical rain. (No complaints as I had seen Sunday’s weather conditions in Chicago was to be ice!  I will take rain in Tahiti in January, thank you!)

To our surprise however, the sun and blue skies broke through and predominated over the clouds, so we went out in the hot (85°) humid weather and walked along the attractive Papeete waterfront, past several parks to our left and boats in the harbor to our right.  We had seen there was a Protestant Church near the shore in that general direction so decided to see if it was within reasonable walking distance.  Barb had found a welcoming church in Pago Pago, American Samoa last year where she had heard some beautiful Polynesian singing and it occurred to us that we might find the same here.  We arrived at the church about 9 AM and services we found started at 10.  Windows were wide open (that was apparently their air conditioning) and some were already arriving.  Not sure if we should enter as we were adorned in tee shirts, we figured we’d give it a try and would sit toward the rear of the large sanctuary.  We sat there for awhile watching parishioners arriving, most in their Sunday finest.  Women all wore dresses and every single one was wearing a colorful large straw hat with lots of flowers decorating them. Men were either wearing more informal tropical shirts or white shirts, ties, and jackets.  Were we ever underdressed, or what?  A lady came and told us in French (which Barb interpreted and I picked up some of it) that the choir was going to practicing soon right where we were sitting and that maybe we would like to go to the balcony where would have a better view of the whole service.  We went up there, found a seat but also found that the heat was absolutely oppressive as there were no windows and no air circulation.   We would have passed out from the heat after a couple hours, so we left and sat in a park across the busy street and listened to some of the music through the open windows.   We also watched and saw absolutely no one dressed as informally as we were.  After awhile, even the heat in the shade got to us and we returned to the ship, only to find that there was a staff drill going on and all of the elevators were out of service.  As hot and sticky as we were, we had to climb eight flights to our air conditioned room.

Later in the afternoon, a local folkloric show called “O Tahiti E” took place in the Queen’s Lounge for a packed and appreciative house.  The young men and women danced and chanted to the melodic Polynesian music, providing a wonderful show before we sailed about dinner time to the nearby port in Moorea.

When we opened the drapes on Monday morning, there it was!  Moorea!!!  Those that know me will know how good it was when I say that for me, Moorea is the South Pacific version of Geirangerfjord in the Norwegian fjords or the Island of Santorni in Greece.  These are the best of the best.  We were introduced to Moorea on our 2009 South Pacific cruise when we took a short cruise along Moorea’s coastline to a beautiful motu (small island) where we saw some gentle stingrays and had a wonderful island lunch.  At that time we weren’t on Moorea at all except to transfer from the tender to the boat that took us to the motu.  But Moorea is the site of the enchanting view of the “Bali Hai” mountain made famous in the 1950s version of the musical South Pacific. 

Like in Tahiti which lies only about 8 miles from Moorea, we were told to expect a good chance of rain in Moorea since cyclones had been blowing through the region.  We awakened to clouds that obscured Bali Hai but also blue sky and clear conditions at sea level and nearly to the top of the mountains.  We tendered a short smooth distance to the small Moorean town of Papetoa in the Opunohu Bay where we boarded several 4 x 4 vehicles.  Moorea is shaped like  a “W” with two fairly long bays, Opunohu Bay and Cook’s Bay that represent the spaces between the lines that make up the letter “W”. 

This time we wanted to go inland and the best way to see real beauty is to get off the road and go where only the 4 x 4 vehicles can go.  We got in our vehicle designed for 8 adults, four facing the other four and met our tour guide, Ron.  He provided an overview of what we would see and for the most part the place names won’t mean much to the readers of this blog.  The tour took us up narrow, rough roads (using the word “roads” very loosely).  It took us to a place where we had a steep but brief walk up to a magnificent viewpoint from “Magic Mountain” of the spectacular bay with its blue waters and reefs visible below.  We made a short visit to the Agricultural School of Moorea where we tasted several of their famous jams made with the abundant tropical fruits of the island.  We made another brief stop at an historical site known as Marae Titiroa where humans were sometimes sacrificed to the gods (fortunately practice ended about 150 years ago because they preferred to sacrifice strangers from other villages unless there was a particular naughty native that deserved to be sacrificed)!    We saw some huge old trees under which graves and markers were placed.  The ride took us over streams that covered the road, which reminded Barb and me of our 4 x 4 that got stuck on rocks near Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii in 2009.  We went up Belvedere Mountain to the lookout that showed us both Opunohu and Cook’s Bays for even more spectacular views.  Then it was on to Moorea Fruit Juice Factory where some exotic liquors made from tropical fruits were sampled and made available for purchase.  Finally we made a stop along the shores of Opunoho Bay for some sea level pictures of the palms, boats, and of course our home away from home, the ms Amsterdam.  Opunohu  Bay was the site of some of the filming of the 1984 Mel Gibson movie, The Bounty, which told the story of the Mutiny on the Bounty.

Since the French Polynesian islands were mainly created from ancient volcanoes, the islands are mountainous which adds dramatically to the beauty of the area.  Barb and I have commented several times about the lady on the Grand Pacific Voyage in 2009 who wondered why we had to stop at all these South Pacific islands.  “They’re just like Florida,” she whined.  We had never noticed the mountains of Florida when we have visited there!  Needless to say, we loved Moorea as much this time and with a different perspective than in 2009.  Like Tahiti the previous day, it was hot and extremely humid, but we must not complain because we are avoiding late January in the northern part of the US!  And one year ago on the same day, January 28, we were visiting the cold, windy Falkland Islands and were bundled in sweatshirts and winter coats!  And for the second time in two days, we escaped predicted rains.  Hurray!  We hoped for the same luck in Bora Bora and our three island, three day visit to French Polynesia. 

Our final day, Tuesday, in French Polynesia was spent on the island of Bora Bora, anchored at Vaitape, the largest city and main port.  Having done shore excursions on each of the two days we visited here in 2009, we chose not to do one this time.  Rather, we took the short tender ride to Vaitape and browsed a few stores. Stores hadn’t been open on Sunday in Papeete and we had a busy shore excursion in Moorea, so this was the first opportunity to go into some of the French Polynesian shops.   Like last time, everything was very expensive.  The cheapest of tee shirts went for about $30 (but still better than my most expensive tee shirt ever, at $37,  purchased at Bloody Mary’s Restaurant in 2009).  Simple fridge magnets were typically over $10.  Other prices were similarly high and few people purchased anything.  We wondered how locals could afford such high prices, particularly on what must have been limited incomes.  (In Moorea, a lady wanted to purchase a glass of Coke and had to pay either the equivalent of under $1 using French Polynesian Francs or $4 US.  Needless to say, she didn’t get her Coke!)

After browsing for awhile and looking for a post card to send to a child whose grandparents had given Barb some money to purchase and send post cards from throughout the world, she returned to the ship. By the way, this blog is in lieu post cards.  Post cards can easily run over $3 or $4 per card including postage.  Here in French Polynesia, one post card not including postage, would cost just over $1 US.  Furthermore they seem to take a disproportionately long time to get home.  We have heard people tell us that some have taken 8 to 9 MONTHS to reach their destinations.  I continued to walk to the outskirts of town, passing a doctor’s and dentist’s office which shared the same building but had separate outside waiting rooms, a school during passing time with kids running like crazy after they heard to bell indicating they were late (there are some constants everywhere in the world apparently), a couple of supermarkets, a veterinary clinic, several black pearl shops, as well as the basic services one would need anywhere.  But I observed no McDonalds anywhere in French Polynesia.

We know Bora Bora, a site of a major World War II allied military base, is stunningly beautiful.  We were at anchor surrounded by tiny islands filled with palm trees right up to the shore, volcanic mountains, and some of the bluest, calmest waters one would hope to see.  As we remembered, French Polynesia is a place one could easily almost hope to get lost and then decide to stay to escape the problems of the world.  The laid back life style and friendly French Polynesians could easily win those of us in countries with the fast pace of modern life.  And while it can be pretty humid, as it was during our visit, I doubt anyone here even owns a snow shovel!

Internet continues to be sporadic and slow and with some cable networks unavailable in this area.   Some are already speculating as to whether live Super Bowl coverage will be possible.  And now we look forward to our final South Pacific visit to the Cook Islands in a few days.

CT

Pitcairn Island: A Safe Haven for Bounty Mutineers, but Not for Us

After leaving Easter Island, our anticipation of turning the clock back – over and over – became a reality!   We have had five twenty-five hour days in a row, creating havoc in our sleep patterns.

One morning at Good Morning Amsterdam, the subject of Tim Horton’s came up.  Being big fans of Tim Horton’s, we eagerly tossed in our own comments.  We are not connoisseurs of coffee to say the least, but interestingly, most of the people who have tried Starbucks and Tim Horton’s prefer Tim Horton’s coffee.  And those of us who have enjoyed Tim Horton’s doughnuts find it a near insult to mention Tim Horton’s in the same breath with that American chain that’s famous for its doughnuts!  There is absolutely no comparison, and since that’s all we have in the Chicago area, it’s very easy for us to take a pass on doughnuts.  The little doughnuts one gets at that other doughnut chain are miniscule by comparison with the gigantic and mouth-watering ones we get from Tim.  Later in the day, we made sure we told Cruise Director Bruce and Hostess Adele that they absolutely must try Tim’s peanut doughnuts!  We sure do wish they’d decide to open a franchise in the southern suburbs of Chicago, but I guess it’s too far from Canada to even hope for such a thing!  Those people from Canada and Western New York (as well as other states that border Canada) will know exactly what we mean, I’m sure!

The day before we were scheduled to do our scenic cruising of Pitcairn Island, Captain Jonathan made a disappointing announcement.  We had missed Pitcairn Island last year due to a massive storm in the Pacific that caused a delay in our crossing and the necessity to eliminate a few stops, including Pitcairn.  Unfortunately this year the island’s inhabitants were visiting another cruise ship recently and contracted the flu.  Currently more than 20 of the 57 people are suffering from the H2N3 flu virus – the same one that has ravaged the US.  Since we have had no problem with this dreaded epidemic on board the ship, the captain and Seattle came to the mutual agreement that they didn’t want to chance the islanders coming on board and passing the flu on to the ship.  It is amazing to realize how interconnected the world is, even when we are in extremely sparsely populated and remote areas. 

One of our friends made a comment that had not even crossed our minds!  She told us that if we contracted the flu and a significant number of people were sick, port officials wouldn’t let us ashore, meaning that we’d have to sit floating at sea until the virus ran its course.  So far this year there have been absolutely no health issues on the ship, and everyone certainly wants to keep it that way!

We had so looked forward to visiting Pitcairn Island and being able to tell our friends, Jim & Kathryn Pitcairn of New Lenox all about our experience, but we can now only show them the pictures of this small island.  Pitcairn Island is named for the midshipman, 15-year-old Robert Pitcairn, the first European to spot it back in 1767.  Pitcairn Island is the second largest of four islands spreading out across 400 square miles of ocean (the others being Henderson, Dulcie, and Oeno) that make up the least populous and most remote jurisdiction in the world.  It is not a nation but is under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom.  Pitcairn Island is a very small island inhabited by descendants of the Bounty mutineers – Fletcher Christian and his compatriots (as of 2010, only four families remained: Brown, Christian, Warren, and Young).  They chose that island because it is virtually impossible for large ships to land, which afforded them the protection they needed after their mutiny.  Seeing it, we could definitely comprehend why this island was selected – it is virtually impossible for ships, or even tenders, to land on the shore without permission from those who live there.  We saw no docks, though there have to be some because they use small boats and outriggers to fish.

The islanders usually come to cruise ships to sell their handmade goods, talk with the passengers, and present a lecture as the ship does scenic cruising around the island.   Back in the late 90s the UK provided the islanders with bees so that they could produce honey; Pitcairn Island honey is among the highest quality honey in the world, so we were hoping to get a sample of this as well as well as other local handmade souvenirs, but that was not to be (no pun intended).  Although we would have thoroughly enjoyed welcoming the islanders aboard to speak with us as well as sell their wares, we did appreciate the opportunity to do the scenic cruising. 

As we approached, we were struck by the small rugged island rising up out of the water.  We observed a boat bobbing in the water and wondered if it was a fishing boat, but as we neared it, we realized that it was loaded with islanders coming to meet the ship and receive goods.  As a goodwill gesture, the ms Amsterdam donated the goods the islanders had requested to purchase.  After all, because they couldn’t come on board and sell their wares, they were definitely losing an opportunity not only to interact with the outside world, but to make a considerable amount of money.  With zoom lenses, we were finally able to figure out that there were 16 people on this boat – more than ¼ of the current population of 57!  (I visualized two of our fifth grade classes with an average size of about 27 or 28 students.  However this is the entire population: babies, children, adults, and senior citizens, not just 10-year-olds!) Apparently the island’s children are sent to New Zealand to get an education so we’re not sure if the population includes those who are off the island for academic endeavors or not.  But still, as Chuck commented, imagine a population that small and coming across someone you really didn’t like!  

After the transfer of goods, we enjoyed a scenic cruise around the island, a whole seven miles in circumference!  Having been told that it would be a clockwise circumnavigation, which meant that our stateroom was on the correct side of the ship for excellent viewing, so we searched out our friends Sally & Ange and Bob & Nancy and invited them to come up and enjoy the sights from our verandah.  They were very appreciative as this way they could get good pictures without dodging others to jockey for position.  We had lovely views of entire trip around the island and were struck by the sheer cliffs as well as the shoreline caves.  The mutineers had certainly chosen well! 

The whole scenic cruising experience took about two hours and soon we were on our way again, but the “Bounty” theme continued throughout the day.  Because they had anticipated having islanders on board, they had not scheduled any lectures so the day was pretty much free for other things.  The movie of the day was the 1984 version (Anthony Hopkins & a very young Mel Gibson) of Bounty.  I had seen it when it came out, but I enjoyed it much, much more this time, having been to Tahiti and Pitcairn Island as well as having had multiple lectures on our Pacific cruises on the subject of Captain Bligh, Fletcher Christian, and the HMS Bounty.  Dinner that evening was a themed formal night – you guessed it, Mutiny on the Bounty with dining hosts dressed as captains and stewards dressed as sailors and the dining room decorated like the bow of an 18^th Century sailing vessel.

Our days at sea have been relaxing yet full of activities to choose from.  The seas have been a beautiful ocean blue and very calm.  We were informed of Cyclone Gary in the South Pacific, but Captain Jonathan informed us that it will most likely pass about 600 miles to the south of us.  The only likely effects we’ll have will be more swell to the water and possible rains in our days in French Polynesia.  We would love to have the perfect weather there for such beautiful ports, but we are reminded that this is their rainy season.   We’ll have to keep our fingers crossed that the weather will cooperate!

BT

Mystical Easter Island - A Different Perspective

What a sight to behold it is to sit in our stateroom and look out to the shores of Easter Island.  As all of you sit glued to your televisions watching Obama begin his second term(!), we are stuck here with no tvs and only the image of the blue Pacific waters crashing against the rocks along Easter Island.  From our verandah, we can look straight ahead at the biggest village on Easter Island, Hanga Roa, and look straight down the major street in the village as well as the coastal road.  Along the coast are trees and buildings but beyond the coast, we see barren green hills in jagged formation.  To our left, going out of town, the number of homes dwindles and it becomes quickly rural. To our right, looking the other direction down the coast, there are a couple resorts and then land disappears behind a small peninsula and reappears as high cliffs and rock formations.  During the day, the skies went from misty at dawn to blue sky and sunshine, and now the gray clouds are again becoming dominant.  Had we been on the other side of the ship we would have seen the same sea we have seen the four previous days since we sailed out of Gen. San Martin, Peru.

As many know, this is our second visit to Easter Island, less than a year following our first last February.  Today we can look out at the five moai statues and the one separate one that we visited on our shore excursion last year.  This year we have a different view from anchor and most of us who are able to compare, feel things were better.  Last year, we tendered to a fairly remote beach with several moai not far from where we anchored.  Last year could be described as hot, hot, hot and none of us who did the cruise last year will forget standing in the broiling sun for over two hours to board tenders to take us back to the ship.  The makeshift dock had been damaged and tenders couldn’t board passengers.

This year in a different location, tenders are still having a very rough time because of the typical high swells.  The boats rock in the high waves and when on a tender, one feels like it’s a carnival ride instead of a real mode of transportation.  We were told that about 3 in 10 ships which schedule visits to Easter Island actually are able to get guests ashore. We have made it two years in a row, and with costly damage to tenders, but Holland America does absorb these costs to make a valiant effort to let people see one of the most talked about but least visited islands in the world.

Easter Island has a longitude similar to eastern Arizona but remains on the same time zone as Chile (which administers Easter Island) which is in the same time zone as New York!  Actually, we have not had a single time change yet since we arrived in Florida on New Year’s Eve, but after Easter Island, that will change quickly as we will need to cross through 15 time zones in 25 days before we reach Sydney in mid-February.  As we approached Easter Island waters around 6:30 AM it was pitch dark.  But when the sun came up, it revealed a mostly sunny day without the blistering hot sun we experienced last year.

Easter Island is one of the most remote populated places in the world and has a population of between 2800 and 4200 people depending on the time of the year.  The frequent sea swells make arriving by ship or boat difficult.  Its small population does not make it an economically practical place to schedule flights and there are only a few into and off the island per week.  Its nearest neighbor is the even less developed and populated Pitcairn Island (our next destination for scenic cruising), almost 1300 miles west.  Easter Island is only about 63 square miles in a somewhat triangular shape.  It has no natural rivers or streams but three freshwater crater lakes.  It is most noted of course for its nearly 600 Moai or unique statues that are found all around the small island.  Most were apparently carved between 1100 and 1680 according to radio-carbon dates and have religious and ceremonial significance.  Because they are unique to this remote location, it is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and most are found in the Rapa Nui (the native name for Easter Island) National Park.  Admission to the park is a major source of revenue as $60 per person is charged for park entry and is added to the cost of tours anywhere in the park.

Having done a shore excursion to Rapa Nui National Park last year and having seen several of the intriguing statues and visiting the location of a good view of Moto Iti (small island) and Moto Nui (larger island) from a cliff, we had decided if we went to the island, we would play it by ear as to what we did and saw.  We had remembered from last year that the tendering to and from the island was the most difficult we had ever experienced in any of our cruises.  We had decided we wouldn’t invest in a shore excursion in case the tour ran and we decided not to run the risk of the tender ride.  We anticipated going ashore at our leisure if we could, and if we couldn’t, at least we had been there last year!

As we watched the tenders being prepared to take people ashore in a hopefully better location than last year, we saw a tender struggle valiantly along the side of the ship to get in place to let people go ashore.  The swells and the tides made the boat bob up and down in the water like a cork.  Those on shore excursions were held for lengthy times before they were able to go ashore but finally the morning excursions went.  We were pleased for those who had invested in this cruise and were making their first visit to Easter Island.  But watching the difficulty in securing the tenders and how hard it was for some to board the tenders, we decided it was best not to risk life and limb to go ashore. 

But after lunch, we watched people get on the tenders with ease so made a quick reversal in plans and decided to get on land for a short time anyway.    We boarded a tender immediately but as Barb did, the wave pulled the boat down so she had an extra deep step into the boat.  (We had commented that a second trip to Easter Island wasn’t worth jeopardizing the ability to go to new places and favorite repeats!)  Thankfully, no harm done!  As we took our seven minute journey which we think was shorter than most had experienced, all of a sudden our seats in the pull down seats one uses when the boat is crowded, pushed us forward.  The metal grab bar from floor to ceiling had come undone and we noticed the screws that anchored it to the ceiling had come out.  We also noticed that the front window had been bashed, undoubtedly because of a collision with the ship tender pad or the dock on shore. There was even a crack in the wall of the boat that was open to the outside air!  But our tender driver was a complete professional and navigated the choppy waters with seeming ease.

As we stepped on land, we saw our friends Sally and Ange and our tablemates, Ed and Betty in line to go back to the ship.  Both of them told us quickly that this would be their second attempts as their return tender was so badly battered that it didn’t dare make the run with a full complement of riders.  Only after returning back to the ship later, did we find the full extent of the problems they and others had experienced.  On shore, we checked some of the sales tables, full of Easter Island treasures and knick-knacks.    After a few photos of the island and the one nearby Moai, we decided we should return to the ship earlier rather than later.  This time, rather than waiting in broiling sun with no place to sit as last year, we sat on folding chairs under tents until we were sent out to a waiting tender.  Boarding the ship from the tender wasn’t easy but was without incident, fortunately.

It was only back on the ship that we began to hear the experiences of others.  Both Sally and Ange as well as Ed and Betty told us that their tender had hit something with a crash and tender window was knocked onto the laps of nearby people.  A gaping hole brought lots of water into the tender so that as people evacuated, they were walking in ankle deep water.  We heard that one man had an expensive new SLR camera, purchased for this trip, completely submerged in water with undoubtedly a complete loss of the camera!  Sally told us she was glad she made it to Easter Island but that if she ever returned, she would stay on the ship!  We also heard from our friends Bob and Nancy, that the itinerary of their shore excursion was completely revised because a road was flooded and the same expensive shore excursion that they had done last year was substituted in its place. I am sure we will hear more stories in the next day or two. 

Between Peru and Easter Island, we have kept busy with a myriad of activities including the various speakers, events which included a 1960s Flower Power Formal Night and a Navigation Deck invitation to “Lunch with a Bunch” in the ship galley.  There is never a dull moment.  For those who chose not to go on land in Easter Island, they will have gone 10 straight days at sea between Gen. St. Martin, Peru on January 16 and Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia on January 27!  So we continue our long journey across the Pacific Ocean …

CT

General San Martin, Peru - Seems Like We've Been to the Moon and Back!

Our 2008 trip to Peru was our very first time to South America; we certainly have seen a contrasting view of this country on our second visit.  This time in Lima we saw the fascinating marine wildlife rather than the historical perspective.  In 2008 we also visited several locations high in the Andes Mountains as well as the rainforest.  This time we are visiting a barren desert.

General San Martin is a port (there’s no way you can call it even a village – there’s nothing there but a few port-related structures) named for the Liberator of Peru. Under his guidance, Peru gained its independence in 1821. He also played a vital role in the liberation of other South American countries so his name has shown up in our visits to other countries, particularly Argentina. 

When we opened the curtains in the morning to look out at the landscape, we thought maybe we’d been transported back to Egypt, but even our stop in Safaga last April, as well as our trip across the desert to Luxor, boasted more natural life than this port did.  We were literally looking out at a handful of structures at the foot of high slopes of sand and rock.  There wasn’t a plant in sight anywhere! 

As we departed on our shore excursion, Paracas National Reserve, we passed hundreds of long pipes awaiting transportation to other areas of Peru.  Our guide Brady explained that gas is transported between Gen. San Martin & Cuzco, and the pipes need to be changed every seven years.  Apparently this is the year.

Peru is divided into 24 departments (like our states), and each department is further split into provinces (counties).  General San Martin and Paracas are in the Inka department and in the department of Pisco (which gets its fame for the potent drink, the Pisco sour).  While the main industry of the majority of Peru is mining, in Pisco, the main industry is fishing.  There are two dominant languages in Peru, Spanish and quechua, as well as 46 dialects, and people from one region can’t always understand the dialect from another region. 

The word Paracas means sandstorm – something definitely believable!  Strong winds of about 65 km (or 40 mph) occur two or three times a year.  The rainfall is minimal – about 2.8 millimeters that occur about four times a year.  Our excursion took us into those slopes of desolate landscape that looked very much like we’d landed on the moon rather than the coast of Peru!  All we saw for miles were sand dunes, craters and small piles of wind-blown sand.   

Despite this, the tour was fascinating as we traversed the mineral-salt roads in our bus (rather than a lunar module).  Our first stop was at a location where there were likely thousands of fossils visible in the rocks.  Apparently this had been a sea bed millions of years ago, and the mollusk shells were everywhere!  This was also an area where ancient peoples of Peru were found nearly perfectly preserved in fetal position by tomb raiders.  The bodies were tied into fetal position as a ceremonial gesture to prepare them for rebirth into the afterlife. 

Looking across the barren land, we were taken by the browns and yellows and reds of the sand set against the blue of the sky.  Missing was the greenery we are so accustomed to, but you certainly can’t say that it was devoid of color!  The red comes from the iron present in the soil, and it makes for an interesting contrast.

Another stop at a cliff overlooking the ocean gave us a marvelous view of a rock formation named The Cathedral.   The Cathedral is home to hundreds of Peruvian boobies that nest on its edges.  In addition, other sea birds, Inca terns, cormorants, oyster catchers, Peruvian pelicans, and seagulls could be seen everywhere. Swooping low over all were the giant turkey vultures, hunting for any food they could find.  This area had been damaged severely by an 8.0 earthquake seven years ago, but despite this, the beauty was breathtaking.  It was also fragrant with guano, which is harvested regularly and sold for $35-40 a sack. 

A stop at a vantage point overlooking Playa Roha, or red beach, afforded a beautiful and unique seascape, showing off the red sand, which is created by the high amount if iron in the sand.  A lone sea bird (couldn’t figure out the name from what the guide told me, but another passenger called it a whimbrel) darted around the beach, dodging the incoming waves while searching for tidbits.  In the distance we could see a small fishing village around the curve of the bay. 

After a brief stop at a small museum that touted the geological and zoological history of the area, we continued inland, where we finally started seeing plants of various kinds.  We passed by a huge field of asparagus, which is one of the main crops.  Another important crop is paprika; according to our guide, Peru produces about 10% of the world’s paprika.  Most is exported for use in other countries.  A stop at Sumaqkay textile hacienda afforded us the opportunity to see a family business of weaving colorful cloth.  It was interesting to see several young men at work, using many different colored skeins of thread that they wove into patterned textiles.  Naturally this also meant the opportunity to buy various items made from the woven cloth.  I passed on that, but did take the opportunity to have a swallow of Pisco sour.  Ugh!  I told Chuck to remind me that the next time it is offered, I should take a pass.  I remember not caring for it in 2008, and this sample was no exception.  I was glad to get back on the bus and grab a snack bar to kill the strong taste.  I must be the exception to the rule because others really seemed to enjoy it. 

Since we had completed the tour earlier than expected, we had the opportunity to stop at a seaside village where we could do some shopping.  I browsed the wares and decided on something along the way, only to discover that when I went back I couldn’t find what I’d considered buying.  I guess I really didn’t need it after all!

This was our last port in Peru, and we were so pleased to have had the opportunity to make a second visit here.  The contrasts were really striking, and it was wonderful to see so many diverse landscapes in our two visits.  What a delightful country! 

We set sail late in the afternoon and are now headed toward Easter Island.  Four days at sea should give us a chance to relax a little while continuing with our favorite shipboard activities.  As we head away from South America, we will be entering what we call the “Internet Black Hole”.  We are not sure when we will be able to make our next post. 

BT

P.S. We are having email issues - for some reason can't send or receive. Hopefully this will be resolved sooner rather than later!  

Lima, Peru - Our Encore

Our focus for our second visit to Peru was decidedly different than the first time.  Peru became the first South American country that we have seen twice.  The first time was in June 2008 when we came with the Lincoln-Way teachers’ group with its focus on the Inca culture and tradition.  At that time, we had taken the city tour of Lima with its views of prominent government buildings and impressive cathedrals, the Inca ruins at nearby Pachacamac (where Barb had sprained her ankle coming down the uneven steps!), and and Incan archeological museum. 

Likewise, in 2008, we had flown across the Andes with magnificent views of the mountains to the Incan capital of Cuzco which we had used as a launching point for the tour of our favorite Peruvian city, the visit to Peru’s Sacred Valley,  and of course, Machu Picchu!  Before returning to Lima that year, we flew out to Puerto Maldonado on the banks of the Madre de Dios River, a tributary of the Amazon, where we had taken a motorized boat for a couple hours to Eco Amazonia lodge and our Amazon rainforest experience.  We could have opted for the three day, two night visit to Cuzco and Machu Picchu but we were glad we had done it in 2008 as it was every bit as expensive for the excursion off the ship as the entire trip 2008 trip had been, including airfare, three meals per day, and a lot of sightseeing in eight days.  But that was then and this is now.   

Peru is an amazing country, rich in culture and beauty, but most of that beauty is outside the city of Lima.  As we sailed into Callao, the busy port near the city of Lima, the foghorns were bowing and the fog obscured some of the islands we were passing.  Most of the day tours had included much of what we had seen in 2008 so we opted for a small tour of just over 20 people called Wildlife-Lovers’ Paradise.  Our tour was scheduled to leave at 9:15 AM, but we were put on first a 15 minute delay, then a 30 minute more delay, and finally another 5 minute delay while they determined whether the fog had lifted sufficiently for us to take the boat tour out to the wildlife habitat at Palomino Islands.  They assured us that if they had to cancel, it would run the next day at noon which would have been fine for us as we were planning to take the shuttle bus into Lima on our second day.  But for others with scheduled tours on the second day, it would have been impossible for them to have done our tour tomorrow.  Fortunately, the fog lifted enough and the tour departed an hour late.  We overheard a man waiting for the tour say that the tour was so good, this was the third time he was doing this same tour.  He was right!  It was a good tour.

A short bus ride through the port of Callao took us to the dock where we transferred to an open motor boat for our ride out to the Palomino Islands.  As we traveled out from the dock, there were hundreds of sea birds, including pelicans, terns, American oystercatchers, and many more. Even without all the wildlife, the rock formations on the islands would have been intriguing.  But the abundant wildlife was quite stunning, first with the birds nesting on the jagged islands as well as the many flying and others sitting on the water.

The naturalist on the boat called our attention to the flocks of penguins on the nearby rocks.  Not nearly as many penguins as we had seen in Antarctica, but still enough of these Humboldt penguins to be impressive.  What would surprise many was the fact that these penguins were to be found so close to the Equator (at around 12° South).  These penguins are about the same size as the Magellan penguins we had seen last year.

What captivated us probably the most were the literally thousands of sea lions on the jagged rocks and swimming in the water near our boat.  In Antarctica we had commented that we had seen more penguins in one day there than in the rest of our lives combined.  We can now make the same comment about the sea lions on and near Palomino Island in Peru!  There were so many that they were crowding each other for space on the rugged rocks of the islands.  Some had climbed much higher than we might have expected above the rocks and were amidst the birds!  Some of the sea lions were sunbathing; others were nuzzling each other; some of the bulls were becoming quite territorial and letting others know whose space it was.  One of the large sea lions had a large starfish between its teeth, shaking it around as a happy dog would play with a favorite toy.  We also saw the most enormous bulls we have ever seen.  I couldn’t even guess how much some of them weighed, other than to say they were big… real big!

We felt sorry for one of the sea lions because we saw it tumble off the rock, probably because there wasn’t enough space for all of them.  It had to have been hurt, but we quickly lost track of which one it was.  Many of the sea lions were playing in the water, swimming out to greet our small boat and jumping completely out of the water to entertain us.  Small groups of the sea lions were putting on their equivalent of a three ring circus every direction we looked from the boat.  I might comment that this was a multi-sensory display – the obvious visual with so many of them, the loud sounds of the barking, and, unfortunately the pungent odor that the large number that were there emitted.  Gratefully, the sense of taste was not a part of this test of the demonstration.

The excursion description had said that people, if they were prepared, could jump in the water as long as they were physically fit and didn’t try to touch the sea lions.  The naturalist jumped in first, as did two others including the ship videographer, Andrea.  They came nearly eye to eye with the large mammals as they took pictures with their waterproof cameras. And did the sea lions ever perform for them, jumping high almost as to say, “Look at me!  Look at me!  I can jump higher than anyone else!”  As the three got back in the boat, Andrea commented that she had gotten a jellyfish sting from one of the many jellyfish we had seen just below the surface of the water.

These animals we saw have no natural predators and are protected so have no fear.  About the only problems they seem to face, our guide said, was that sometimes the El Nino seasons warm the waters more than usual,  creating a warmer climate than the animals like.

It was a wonderful tour and gave us a natural perspective that nearly no one else on the ship would have received, of the abundant wildlife in and near Peru.  We enjoyed the day immensely.

Back on the ship, we enjoyed dinner in the LaFontaine dining room while most had a Peruvian barbeque on deck.  Barb chose not to go to the Peruvian cultural show at 9:30 PM as she felt the need to unwind after a very busy, but fun, day.  I attended it however, and the show was outstanding!  The music was upbeat and fast and the dancers were energetic and precise.  In one of the numbers, two men (they may have been brothers because they looked so much alike) were clicking two metal pieces together in the rhythmic sound of bells as they danced and even literally did somersaults and stood on their heads while playing their instruments.  It was really an incredible show which received a deserved standing ovation at the conclusion of the program.

Our second day was much more relaxed.   We took the free shuttle bus to the upscale Miraflores area of Lima which houses a large multi-level mall.  It’s the same one we visited for lunch on our first trip as well as our last dinner before boarding the plane to come home.  Today we had arrived before 10 AM assuming the stores would open at that time but found most, including the ones we wanted to at least browse didn’t open until 11.  So after wandering around doing window shopping, we came back to the ship on the hour long bus ride.

I think I liked Lima a bit better this time and the standard of living may be somewhat higher now.  The naturalist on our previous day boat ride had told us a little about the turmoil and terrorism in Peru in the 1980s. He commented that children are growing up in a more peaceful environment and have known nothing of the sacrifices those back in the 1980s had made (including many lives lost).  He commented that the Peruvian schools need to educate their children as to why they enjoy a better life today than if they had grown up during the 1980s.  And as a former history teacher I believe that’s why it’s important to study history.  I think in our own country, too many students have taken for granted the kinds of liberties we have today was the result of sacrifices of Americans decades and even centuries ago.  I was pleased to hear our guide make that statement.

CT

Ecuador - the Real Home of the Panama Hat

The ship arrived in Manta before sunrise in order to allow several passengers to disembark for an overland to the Galapagos Islands, an adventure we would have enjoyed doing.  However, never having been to Ecuador, we opted to stay and see what the area around Manta had to offer. 

Ecuador is so named because of its location right on the Equator, and our camera GPS systems verified this when we took our first pictures.  Latitude was 0° 57’.  The port city of Manta is the largest city in Ecuador that is not a provincial capital. 

Usually we choose to do a Holland America shore excursion, but this time we decided to go with tour organized by a fellow Cruise Critic member.  Karen Deacon had done an excellent job of researching and finding just the right tour that would optimize our time in Manta and allow us to see as much as possible.  

Our tour guide Diego, an English teacher in a private school, took the day off to show our group the sights.  Needless to say, his English was excellent!  Chuck told him that he had our whole-hearted approval because being substitute teachers ourselves, we appreciate it when teachers need subs (but don’t wish them to be sick with the flu or anything else)!   

Exiting the port, we were impressed by the great number of fishing boats and fishermen who were present.  But when we learned that over 60% of the Manta population relies on the tuna industry, we understood why they were so ubiquitous!  Between the port and our first stop at the fish market, we navigated several roundabouts, all of which had mosaic statues that represented the fishing industry.  The other two most important industries are bananas and petroleum (which means gas is less expensive in our eyes, but considering their cost of living, the average price of $1.75 to $2.50 a gallon is quite expensive for them).   Ecuador, by the way, has no currency of its own, but instead uses the American dollar as its own currency.  To understand how expensive gas would be, Diego told us that a beginning teacher might earn about $300 a month salary.

Wandering through the fish market, we were fascinated by the array of seafood that was on sale.  In addition to the various stalls of fish, many people tried to lure us into their eating establishments.  Since we’d just had breakfast on the ship, none of us was tempted to make any culinary purchases.  In addition to the fish, there was quite an abundance of birds.  One very large bird posed on top of a lamp post, and when I asked, Diego told me it was a kingfisher.  I had never realized they could grow so big – it was about the size of a red-tailed hawk!

As we headed toward our next stop in the town of Montecristi, we were reminded once again of our 2008 trip to Peru with the Lincoln-Way teachers.  Many of the houses appeared to be unfinished, with cables poking above the top floors as if another floor would be added.  We asked the guide if, like in Peru, this was a way for people to avoid taxes on homes, but he wasn’t sure.  We were also struck by the amount of graffiti on the walls – all with names of people and numbers.  Diego said that they were campaign signs as the country is approaching election time.  There was an audible groan from the Americans in the group!   All of us were pretty sick of campaigning! 

Many of the buildings we passed had small shops with colorful wares – most of which appeared to be wicker, hammocks, or Panama hats.  Bamboo is used a lot in Ecuador; in fact many of the structures were at least partially constructed with bamboo.

Our little bus climbed the steep streets of the colonial town of Montecristi to the civic center, which honors the man voted the most influential and prominent Ecuadorean ever:  General Jose Eloy Alfaro Delgado (whom they refer to as Eloy Alfaro).  Arriving at the site, we were all immediately taken with a group of about a dozen small children of about kindergarten age that were arriving at the same time.  As they disembarked the bus, we watched the teachers line them up in boy-girl pairs, holding hands.  The teachers didn’t seem to mind us snapping pictures, and the children were quite willing to pose for us.  They were adorable, and I can never see a group of little children on field trips without recalling my own experiences of escorting classes.  I used to love being out and about with my students and taking them to interesting locations, so I thoroughly enjoy watching others do the same.

But we weren’t there to see the children; we’d come to see the mausoleum, government building, and a Panama hat demonstration.  We were struck by a saying on the wall by Simon Bolivar of what appeared to be the congressional hall:  “Nada para nosotros, todo para la Patria,” which translates to “Nothing for ourselves, everything for our country.”  I know of many American politicians who could learn a lesson from that quote! 

We proceeded across the street to the mausoleum of Eloy Alfaro.  The approach is surrounded by large sculptures that represent the wings of a condor, and the interior, where the ashes of this prominent leader are housed, represents the body.  It was quite an impressive structure!

Just a few steps away was the largest Panama hat we’ve ever seen, surrounded by several people who were demonstrating the art of weaving these iconic hats.  It takes a lot of skill to produce a quality hat!   But the hats have been misnamed.  Back in the early 1900s when President Theodore Roosevelt visited Panama to witness the progress being made on the Panama Canal, he was given a woven hat that had been made in Ecuador.  When he arrived back from Panama wearing this hat, the press referred to it as his Panama hat!  So this misnomer can be blamed on the media.  Some things never change, I guess.

In Montecristi, we were given time to shop, and several people made purchases of hats.  Another typical souvenir is small buttons or sculptures made from the nut of the tagua palm, an indigenous Ecuadorean tree.  These nuts, when raw, are about the size of an egg, and when treated, soften up and can easily be carved into beautiful works of art that when dried become as hard as ivory.  In fact, tagua nuts are now used in place of elephant ivory. 

On our way to lunch, we passed through what Diego described as a dry forest.  Other than an occasional glimpse at the ceiba tree ,the national tree, also nicknamed the female tree because if its shapely trunk, everything else in the landscape was certainly brown.  But as Diego commented several times, Ecuador is a country of contrasts.  Within a few minutes, we had crossed from the dry forest to the Paroche Forest, with its lush green foliage.  We stopped at a hacienda for lunch, but unfortunately for Chuck and me, the menu consisted of seafood and more seafood.  Most of the people really enjoyed it, but we could only get a little down at best.  The shrimp cocktail was fine, but the main course was some kind of fish steak (swordfish?) smothered in a cream sauce and accompanied by more shrimp, as well as squid, octopus, and clams.  The only thing they had to drink was tap water, so we skipped that too. Others had beer, but since we were the last table served, they had run out of Coke by the time they reached us.  We weren’t worried about wasting away though, and it was certainly wasn’t anyone’s fault that we are not at all fond of fish or seafood.  The lime pastry dessert was yummy, though!   And we enjoyed the company of fellow Cruise Critic bloggers, Orlin and Barbara Stansfield. 

Back on the bus, we continued through the Pacoche forest, scanning the canopy in hopes of seeing the howler monkeys who live there.  We had been forewarned that they are much easier to hear than to see, but we neither heard nor saw them.  We enjoyed the ride through the forest, despite not seeing the local fauna!  A final stop was made at a fishing village where people were able to snap photos of the lovely seascape before the drive back to Manta. 

As we returned to the ship, we could see that fishermen were in the process of unloading a large haul of tuna.  We managed to observe the entire operation from our verandah.  It was fascinating watching them haul nets loaded with tuna from the hull of the boats and dump them into bins on the backs of trucks.  Once the bins were full, a tarp was placed over them, the truck pulled out, and another truck backed up to the boat to continue the process.  These fish had been packed in dry ice, and the vapors steamed the air as the nets reached the warmer tropical air. 

Captain Mercer told us that one of the boat owners lived part of the year in Florida, and as a good-will gesture, he gave the ship several fresh tuna.  Now that says a lot.  We heard later that the cooks on board the ship had brought pizzas out for the dock workers.  I guess that says a lot about the mutual respect between two contrasting seafaring groups! 

People often ask us if we ever get bored on our sea days.  The answer is a resounding no!!  On the first sea day after Ecuador, I literally began to wonder if I would ever find time to write up a blog because there were so many activities I wanted to participate in on the ship. I finally decided that the stargazing club would have to go on without me.  Those who know me well know that I love to stargaze, so this was a sacrifice!   We have had some wonderful lectures and entertainment so far – and HAL Chorale hasn’t started yet!!!   I’m not sure how I’ll squeeze that in!  The other night celebrity guest John Amos gave an extemporaneous chat about his career and how he progressed from being a garbage man in his home town in New Jersey to being cut from every imaginable football team to being a veteran actor.  (Our friend Merlin Lawson in particular will get a kick out of John Amos’s humble beginnings!  By the way, Happy Birthday to Merlin as well as Pam, with whom we enjoyed celebrating in the Pinnacle Grill last January 12^th.)  We’ve also had a very interesting speaker who has taken us through the history of several Broadway plays: The Music Man, West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, and quite appropriately, South Pacific, which he is including because our next several stops after Peru will be in the South Pacific.  This speaker is the third of three Explorations Lecturers, the other two being the Panama Canal expert and his wife, “the star lady”, all of whom will disembark in Lima.  We always try to stop in and listen to Debby Bacon sometime during the evening.  She has really developed quite a following, which is no surprise to those of us who enjoyed her musical talent on the 2012 cruise.  Last night I counted no less than 50 people squeezed into the piano bar to listen to her music.

So if a person is bored on sea days, it’s his own fault!  There is a wide variety of activities – lectures, music, lifestyle classes, book club, onboard games, watercolor and craft classes, just to name a few. 

BT

The Panama Canal -- An Engineering Marvel

Somewhere in the world, a baby conceived on April 7, 2012, the day we transited the Suez Canal on the last cruise has to have been born today, January 9, the day we passed through the Panama Canal. 

We had never been through either canal until last year and now have done both within a short period of time and it afforded us the opportunity to observe a real study in contrasts.  I did know that Panama was a much more complex operation than Suez from having taught Panama Canal diplomacy when I taught AP US History in Hamburg.  In fact when I told Barb that Panama Canal was one of my favorite topics in the entire course, her reaction was pretty much a quizzical “huh”?  But it’s true and I wish I had had the opportunity to have gone through the Panama Canal when I was teaching.  It’s so true of so many places, but Panama Canal was so closely linked to US History around the turn of the 20^th century.  However, I will spare most of the details that most of you could probably care less about. Back when I was teaching, I had a captive audience!

Suffice it to say that by the mid-19^th century when there was interest in a Suez Canal, many proposed something be done to cut the distance around South America to get between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.  With the California Gold Rush of 1849, pioneers had to choose between two daunting routes:  overland in wagons or 7,000 miles around South America by boat!  Panama at the time was a part of Colombia and initially the British, who ruled the seas, seemed to be the nation to build the canal.  But the French were interested in a canal, and then the US.  The French had made an unsuccessful attempt to build the canal, but Theodore Roosevelt was determined to have the US construct it.  The fact that when the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898, it took several months for the battleship “Oregon” to move from the Pacific coast to Cuba and by that time, the war was over showed the urgency in getting a canal. 

 Roosevelt was undaunted by the slowness and recalcitrance of other nations to act, so he fomented a revolution in Panama and orchestrated construction by the US.  Problems abounded, far more than Suez.  The hot humid climate caused many deaths from malaria and yellow fever.  The terrain was much more rugged than through Suez.  And as the canal was being dug, there were many land cave-ins that made construction difficult.  But at almost the exact time as World War I was breaking out in Europe, the Panama Canal was opened.  Until January 1, 2000 the US operated the canal but since that time, it has been under Panamanian operation.

One of the unusual characteristics of the Panama Canal is the popular impression that the canal cuts straight east to west.  In reality, the Isthmus of Panama curves back on itself so that the canal cuts more northeast to southwest and one has the illusion of the sun rising in the west and setting in the east.  Of course we all know that it’s not the case but because of the geographic feature, it just appears that the sun rises over the canal in the west.

Having gone through both Suez and Panama about nine months apart, similarities and differences were easy to identify.  When we opened the drapes in the morning about 6 AM, we were already in the channel near the Caribbean Coast ready to pass through the first of three series of locks.  Already there was a difference with the Suez Canal since there are no locks needed in Suez.  But in Panama, an intricate set of locks are needed, requiring careful coordination.  There are some areas that can accommodate just one way traffic if a large cruise or cargo ship is involved.  Another major contrast is the terrain.  In Suez, the topography was flat for the most part and barren and brown on the Sinai Peninsula side while on the west side of the canal it was somewhat more lush.  In Panama, there were hills on both sides (a major engineering problem), and the vegetation was dense and green.  After all, Panama is in a thriving rainforest.  Having grown up with green grass and trees, we enjoyed the beauty of the green landscape.  Furthermore in the Panama Canal area, there were beautiful islands which dotted the waters between the locks.  Early in the morning we passed through the first of the locks, the Gatun Locks before reaching Gatun Lake which contained a number of ships waiting their turns to get into the locks.

All this came before breakfast but we had enjoyed the “Panama Rolls” on the bow. Panama Rolls are mysteriously similar to Sydney Opera House Rolls, or Antarctica Rolls and are filled with a special cream flavor as well as some different fruit flavors.   After breakfast, we had time for a session of “Good Morning Amsterdam”.   Cruise Director Bruce asked the group of approximately 100 people how many people had never been through the Panama Canal before.  About a half dozen, including the two of us, were the only ones to raise our hands.  Although surprising to many of our friends, we truly are the rookies at travel with the world cruiser crowd!

       We then went through two more sets of locks, first the Pedro Miguel Locks after the Culebra Cut, followed by last set, near the Pacific Ocean, the Miraflores Locks.  In both cases, there was a huge cargo vessel going through the locks with us.  There were two parallel locks, and a ship is pulled by a couple of engines called “mules” while in the lock.  Our friend Sally told us she told someone that the ships were pulled by mules but gave no description.  She was sure the lady imagined the traditional mules pulling our large cruise ship.

       At each set of locks was a Webcam which would allow friends and family to watch us go through the locks.  We all waved for the camera and someone reported their family did pick them out as they waved from the ship in the lock.  While we were in the west lock in the Pedro Miguel Locks and the cargo ship was in the east lock, we reversed our position for the Miraflores Locks. We were told that was unusual but found the reason was that there was a medical emergency on board and that a passenger was being evacuated to a hospital which could be reached by ambulance only from the east set of locks.  Barb observed the man being taken off the ship and he seemed to be sitting up and waving as he left. It was just one year ago today, in our first port at Dominica that a lady was hit by a tour van, had her legs run over twice, then evacuated, a leg amputated, and subsequently died of her injuries.   Fortunately this man didn’t seem to be in such dire condition.

       It was a hot day, probably even hotter than in Suez, but the proverbial humid heat of Panama made it seem worse than the dry heat in the Suez Canal.  We likewise noted that the transit was much more relaxed as there were no gun placements or obvious armed military presence that we found along the Suez Canal.  And along the Panama Canal there were definitely no camels which we had seen in the distance along the Suez!

       It was a busy day, but one filled with new, memorable experiences.  For those who have traveled with us, Barb was talking with Hanz, our concierge that served in the same capacity last year.  Barb mentioned several that had been on our deck last year and commented on Sherry (pronounced like “Sher Eee”) and Ron.  Hanz told her that they had done the Grand Asia last fall and that Ron had become ill, evacuated in Bankok, Thailand, and passed away there.  We were sorry to hear that!  Hanz also remembered, of course, Al and Pam.  Barb told him that we stayed in close contact with Al, but since he’s in Arizona, we haven’t seen him since the cruise last year, but that we see Pam frequently and in fact had been out to dinner with Pam and Paul very shortly before we left home.

       Now, after a day at sea, we will be on to another new country for us, Equador.

CT

Cartagena, a Colombian Gem

We arrived at our first port of call, Cartagena, Colombia, right on schedule, and we were very happy to stop the rolling and pitching that we’d been experiencing for the past day and a half.  We wanted to get away from Chicago winters, and we certainly did!  It is very warm outside! 

Colombia has a population of about 48 million, and 1.25 million live in Cartagena. Thinking of Cartagena brings to mind one of my favorite movies from the 1980s, Romancing the Stone.  It’s been years since I’ve seen that movie, but I believe they arrive in Cartagena and venture into the interior of Colombia in search of emeralds. Colombia is certainly known for its gems, as well as its coffee.  Those who know me know which I prefer! 

Cartagena’s Old Town is the original settlement, surrounded by a wall to keep out the pirates that were prevalent in the 17^th Century.  Even the privateer Sir Francis Drake made an appearance here. 

Considering that this was our very first time on this cruise for a shore excursion, things went very smoothly!  We so appreciate the way this team handles getting people out on excursions, but we are not surprised since the same excursions manager is back again this year.  We were very quickly on our way for our tour, Medieval Cartagena by Horse Carriage.  We boarded a minibus that transported us through the narrow and bustling streets of the newer part of the town to the walled city.  In groups of four we climbed into the small horse-drawn carriages for our tour of Old Town.  If we thought the streets of the new part of the city were narrow, these were miniscule!  Despite this, though, the driver skillfully maneuvered the carriage through the cobblestoned labyrinth with seemingly little effort. 

Talk about a vibrant and colorful place!  In many ways, it reminded us of our visit to Cuzco, Peru, back in 2008 with the Lincoln-Way group. Everywhere we looked, we saw brightly-painted buildings, often with balconies laden with beautiful flowers.  It was amazing to see trees and vines snaking up the sides of the buildings, their roots having apparently been planted in tiny areas at the foundations of the homes.  The city was teeming with people, many of them street vendors with their vividly-colored wares.  The woven cloths and handbags were a veritable feast for the eyes.  Many opportunities were presented to buy Panama hats, none of which we took.  Tropical fruits were available at the turn of every corner, and many vendors were chopping coconuts in hopes of selling the tourists coconut milk.  One vendor had a juicer and a cart full of oranges.  It was hard to know which way to look first.  At one point we seemed to be riding under a canopy completely made of lace doilies, probably having just been made, washed, and hung on clotheslines that ran from one side of the narrow street to the other. 

All too soon, we were climbing down from the carriage and reboarding the bus.  There was an obligatory shopping stop so we could do some shopping, supposedly in order to purchase emeralds.  Despite loving emeralds, I passed on the opportunity to spend my entire duty-free allowance on one purchase on the first stop of our entire grand voyage!  

After one final photo stop at the Este Castillo San Filipe de Bara Jases Conservado (a castle of some kind), we headed back to the ship.

Cartagena was a very brief stop.  In order to make it to the Panama Canal at our scheduled time, we set sail at 1:00 PM.  This was only our third ever Caribbean port, and our first time in Colombia.  Having seen the lively city with its vibrant colors, it’s a place I definitely wouldn’t mind coming back and seeing more! 

During the explorations lecture on the Panama Canal, speaker Dan Ostler informed us that people at home could watch our ship passing through the Panama Canal in real time on Wednesday, January 9^th by visiting the website www.pancanal.com .  We will enter the canal at about 6:30 AM Eastern time, be passing through Pedro Miguel Locks at about 12:55 PM, Miraflores Locks at about 2:15 PM, and passing Balboa at about 4:15 PM. 

BT

Setting Sail from Fort Lauderdale

Saturday, January 5 had finally arrived – the day we had been anticipating since May 2011 when we first saw the itinerary for this cruise, even before our 2012 cruise.  It complemented so perfectly the 2012 cruise since it went through the Panama Canal which we had never experienced, spent time in Moorea, Bora Bora, New Zealand, and Sydney, all of which we had enjoyed so much during our 2009 Pacific cruise, and visited new ports in southern and western Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and countries in southern Africa including Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, and Namibia.

That morning in the hotel we decided to skip the $18 breakfast or the $5 orange juice and preferred to wait for the 10:30 brunch hosted by AAA, through which we had booked our cruise.  As last year, we were greeted warmly by Jack and Gloria Meerman, AAA hosts for the cruise before sitting down to delicious brunch at the hotel.  We were seated with several new acquaintances along with a few people we had met last year or on the 2009 South Pacific voyage.  People at home find it hard to comprehend doing one long cruise but there are so many people that do them constantly, that we would still be considered rookies by their standards.  I sat next to a lady that I had shared one of the best shore excursions I have ever done, a tour on the island of Vanuatu in the South Pacific in 2009.

After the brunch we gathered our most valuable items to board the bus to the ship.  The rest of the luggage we had brought on the plane to Florida was loaded on the bus.  We were told we would be leaving for the ship at noon and all but two people on the two buses were on at the appointed time, ready to go.  But of course one couple hadn’t heard the revised time and they were going by a printed letter that said we would depart at 12:30.  Naturally they chose to come to the bus about 12:25 and finally we were on our way.  When we got into the port terminal to get in line for security, we noticed the line was unusually long and the lines for check in were even longer.  A few minutes later, we saw that none of the lines were moving.  A man in an orange shirt was standing, waiting to go through the security check an no one was bothering to process him.  And then we noticed that the long snaking lines for cruise check in were not moving either.  A few moments later,  emergency crews were rushing in with equipment and a stretcher to take someone away.  Our thought was – all that planning and all that anticipation, and coming within a few minutes of boarding the ship, and she was being taken off to the hospital!

Once she had left the building, security checks resumed.  After moving through security without incident, we proceeded to the line for 4 Star Mariners and guests on the Navigation Deck.  That line is supposed to expedite the check in process, but the problem was that on this voyage, probably over half of the cruisers are 4 Star Mariners so that line took over an hour!

Finally on board, we went up to our stateroom and found two of our pieces of luggage had been delivered.  Gradually through the afternoon, more luggage came and when we returned after dinner it was all in the room ready to be unpacked!  However, I was unhappy to notice that a suitcase wheel on a large two year old suitcase had come completely off so now it was unable to stand on the three wheels!  On top of that, another suitcase had a partially detached buckle as well as two large rips which opened right into the suitcase itself.  Inside the suitcase a hard plastic box was broken.  We attributed this to careless treatment by either Fed Ex and/or Holland America handlers!

Just before the mandatory lifeboat drill, Barb realized that her jewelry case was missing. Frantically she ripped everything apart from our messy room full of unpacked luggage and it wasn’t there.  She had had it in the morning in the hotel!  We had to go down to the deck for the lifeboat drill and for the lesson on how to put on a life jacket instead of continuing her search.  Back in the room, after a few more minutes of searching, she solicited the help of the concierge to check the phone number of the hotel where we had stayed before we sailed off around the world.  He dropped everything to help but when she returned to the room and continued the frantic search, she found the lost item behind a bunch of the fuffee  and unnecessary pillows on the sofa.  What a relief to have that crisis averted.

We were pleased to see some familiar faces again but disappointed not to see others.  Concierge, Hanz, was back and so were favorites like Tina and Sari in the Pinnacle, but our wonderful dining steward from 2009, Herfan, who had been moved up to Pinnacle staff was not.  And neither was his 2009 partner and our 2012 dining steward, Yohat!  We had requested Yohat again but a family emergency had precluded his joining the ship in early December when he had been scheduled to return. We made a request that Yohat be brought on to the ship for the World Cruise, but the position had been filled by someone else in early December.  It was a huge disappointment for us not to see Yohat’s friendly face and his infectious laugh when we went to dinner the first night.

Other familiar faces we were pleased to see were Cruise Director, Bruce Scudder, and Travel Guide, Barbara Haenni.  Likewise we were delighted that Piano Bar pianist, Debby Bacon, whom we had just begun to get to know at the end of the last cruise was back. Her warm, friendly personality was a big hit and she made a genuine effort to get to know as many guests by  name as possible.  We took the opportunity to listen to her play the first night on board and know we will do so much more frequently this year.

We also connected with friends Nancy and Bob from West Virginia and North Carolina as well as Sally and Ange from Florida.  We had stayed with Sally and Ange near West Palm Beach last year just before our cruise. We were also pleasantly surprised to find Brenda and Bob who we had met last year were our next door neighbors this year!  However we really missed Al, our travel partner for the whole cruise last year from near Phoenix and Pam, our good friend from New Lenox who traveled with us as far as Sydney.

On Sunday, we decided to attend the Protestant interdenominational service and found a new chaplain who seemed to be able to take advantage of connecting our wonderful voyage with an inspirational message for those who attended. We then settled into the routine of sea day lectures (a speaker on the history of the Panama Canal as well as one on Broadway musicals).  We were going to try the popular shipboard trivia that we had enjoyed with Australian friends Ros and Gary last year but quickly found that the “serious” trivia players had their teams set and no one seemed to have room for two of us on their teams, so we just walked away.  We had anticipated just joining with others that, like us, had just come in for some fun and to see who needed partners and no one did.   It seemed pretty closed as far as we were concerned – kind of a surprise to us. Maybe someone will need partners as the cruise continues, but if not, no big deal.

When we got up on Monday, our second full day at sea, the ship was rocking and pitching.  On sea days I usually take an early morning walk, and today was no exception.  However it was not a pleasant walk with seemingly one step forward, a couple of unplanned quick steps to the side,  then another step ahead for 11 laps.  Not fun.  In fact I was more seasick than I remember at all last year, including as we sailed the supposedly roughest waters of the oceans between South America and Antarctica.  Many people were reporting the same feeling and walking was difficult.  In fact, our friend Nancy was walking out of the balcony of the Queen’s Lounge after the morning speaker and one of the heavy doors at the exit swung shut and nearly hit her in the face and did bang her arm and chest, knocking her down.  Barb was near her and while trying to break Nancy’s fall, she almost fell on Nancy.  Fortunately Barb avoided the fall but Nancy filed an incident report and that side of the door was locked until the seas calmed.  Barb commented that this was the second fall she broke for someone at the same door. The captain reported that the winds were blowing at about 30 mph (non-nautical terminology) and could get up to about 33 mph before subsiding. 

The good news was that the winds were to be calm by the time we reach Cartagena, Colombia tomorrow; the bad news was that the temp may hit about 91 with approximately 100 heat index when we arrive.  Quite a contrast to what we are accustomed to in Chicago and Buffalo in early January!

CT