Tuesday at Sea – Really?

Last night was a formal night so we decided to dine in the main dining room. We only do that once or twice a week as we have 3 more months to become well acquainted with our tablemates. As Michael has advised me, concerning other things, don’t sprint into a marathon!  I sat next to “Chairo”. It seems, among other things, she has owned her own company and made a couple of million when she sold it. They are in one of the large suites. She said she shipped her floor length black sable back to the states as the climate had been so warm and there was so little closet space in the suite.( I could relate, I  had trouble getting my windbreaker into our closet but I just hung it on the back of the door instead).  I asked where she had lived. She had been “most comfortable” in a 35,000 sq. ft. home in Great Neck, Long Neck, something Neck – the waiter was bringing the Banana Foster about then. She was debating about going to Paris for 4 months after the cruise as a friend had a penthouse “right in the center of things” and it might be fun. The conversation then moved back to general table chatter after that. So this morning we just returned to our pedestrian lives. Having indulged in our standard 2000 calorie breakfast, Jim dutifully went for his walk; I curled up with a book. I really intended to exercise more while at sea, but the habits of 60 years are hard to break. I figure the restaurant is at the far end of the ship and I take the stairs instead of the elevator to almost every meal, which should work off one roll and a pat of butter. I was really unhappy to learn that there were actually scales aboard, apparently in the “Spa and Fitness Center”.   I didn’t have any intentions of using that information, but I did sneak a peek at the Fitness Room. Quite remarkable.  Every treadmill and elliptical contraption was in use. People were lifting weights and doing calisthenics.  There were 75 year old men “Zumbaing” – yeah, I didn’t know what it was either – but it was interesting to watch. Eighty year olds were doing Pilate and Yoga.  I am sure this is like a commercial for how this bunch stays   “young” and fit enough to travel at 90. It should have been a real incentive, but instead I just headed to an early lunch and then took a nap.

Monday at Sea – Tablemates

As we sail toward Hawaii the temperature is about 75 degrees, but with a nice breeze. It is easy to spot the Texans and Floridians aboard. They are the ones in windbreakers walking past the Canadians who are sunbathing poolside. Tomorrow it is supposed to reach the low 80’s so that is balcony weather for me. Today, I could hit the casino or there is a presentation on Hawaii, a ceramics class or a lecture on photography. (I actually stuck my head in on that one, but they were talking about various lens usage and light settings -I decided it wasn’t geared to the “point and shooter”). The “Princess Patter” has a list of about two dozen things that I don’t have to do today. What I do love is this deal where, when you go to breakfast, you return to a stateroom that has been magically cleaned in your absence.  As for my favorite “life at sea” story of the day - as I have mentioned, you have the same table mates for dinner every night, if you go to the main dining room. During a luncheon conversation the other day our tablemates were telling us they had asked to be moved to another table for dinner.  When asked why, they said they were sitting with two 85 year old widow women that did not say a word. They figured this would get pretty boring – then after a couple nights and several glasses of wine, one lady pulled a mink teddy bear hand puppet out of her purse - and started it talking. Apparently the “puppet” was writing a book. That clinched it; they requested a change of tables that night. Now myself, I figure that could have been pretty darn entertaining – but I guess maybe not for the next 93 nights.  

A Quiet Sunday at Sea

Jim went to church this morning – dressed in sweats and blue moccasins/slippers with no socks.  Hey, I figure he knows more about “church going” than I – but it seemed a little weird to me. I used the time to shower and my wash hair. Now, I am a devoted tub taker. I know 90% of the world prefers showers and I have heard all the arguments. You are bathing in your own dirt, showers are quicker, the painfulness of cleaning the tub etc. For me, soaking in a hot tub is part cleanliness and part relaxation therapy. Actually, Hannah and I have the same problem with showers but she found a solution.  A friend of mine gave her a little umbrella which she loved and was attached to for quite a while. As we hadn’t had much rain, I asked her if she ever got to use it.  She replied, “Oh sure Nana. You know when you get in the shower and the water is too hot, then it’s too cold – I just use my umbrella until the water is just right.”  Good thought.  Of course, when showering aboard ship you are also dealing with a minuscule stall and the sway of the ship. The little cotton shower curtain sways out and the shower goes on the floor, then sways in and plasters itself against your wet body. You peel it off and continue trying to hold it at bay with an elbow or foot while you finish shampooing your hair. I suspect, next to the grandkids, what I will miss most by May will be my bath tub.

San Diego

We were scheduled to take the harbor tour. Truthfully, I was much more interested in calling home, getting emails and shopping for supplies! This was Jim’s first time in San Diego however, so I thought a little sightseeing was in order - fair is fair.  Well, there was some miscommunication and the harbor boat left without any of the Pacific Princess passengers.  I point out that the entire group was left, so you don’t think I just drug my feet and we were the only ones who - missed the boat.  We were supposed to see everything from Old Point Loma Lighthouse to the Cabrillo National Monument.  We did see the two mile long Coronado Bridge and the Light House from our ship. We then moved on to plan two and got our shopping done and talked to the grandkids.  Our next project was wine. We managed to get two more cases of wine aboard. I just took one of our bags, with the Princess Luggage tag, and changed the boarding date. We filled it with wine and then checked it with the incoming passengers. We were told (by the cruise veterans) incoming bags are checked by homeland security for bombs, guns, etc. they don’t care about wine. If you hand carry it aboard, it goes through ship’s security and then they can pull the “a bottle a person” rule on you. I guess they knew what they were talking about as the wine was waiting in our stateroom when we came back on board.  That should cover the balcony “happy hours” until Australia. We took a “pedicab” to do our shopping which was kind of fun. I thought I was going to have to get out and push going up one hill with the first guy.  I almost felt like I should apologize for the extra poundage we probably have incurred the last couple of weeks. Once we checked our bag and hit the internet café, we spent the rest of the afternoon walking the harbor and having a drink in an open air café. It was a crystalline day –about 75 degrees, crisp blue skies and sunny. San Diego is noted for great weather but I was here one time when, whatever their equivalent to a “Texas blue norther” is, had blown in. Today’s weather more than made up for it.  We are back on ship and are continuing our whale watching duty. We have yet to spot a whale. Apparently, yesterday there were three basking on our side of the ship. I guess we were reading or working crossword puzzles when we should have been observing. We are hopeful of seeing some as this is “whale season”. Between San Diego and Hawaii is supposed to be fantastic whale watching. I will let you know.  We have our 3 longest stretches of sea days almost in a row. It was about 2000 miles from San Juan del Sur to San Diego, then 2000 to the Hawaiian Islands, then another 2000 miles to Dravuni Island (in the island group with Fiji). I am not sure what there is to see there, but after 5 days at sea I am sure we will get off and see it!  I think for the rest of the cruise, there is just a day or two between most ports. So you may have to survive more days of drivel at sea before we get back to the travelogue.  Being a novice blogger I am trying to decide if you should fill those days with tales of daily life aboard ship etc. or just wait for the next port. They say to be a good blog one should post daily or will people lose interest – that of course, is assuming they found it interesting in the first place. One might suggest that you write when you have something of interest to say, but of course I have already ruined philosophy.  I guess we will just see how it goes.

Pictures!

While in San Diego with free wi fi access - I went back and posted some pictures with the blog from each country. Hannah, I also posted one of the ship, as requested.

A Day at sea - Monday

(This one got out of order somehow)

It was a fun start to the day. We were cruising off the coast of El Salvador. I was sitting on the balcony reading my book and drinking my tea when I noticed two dolphins playing in the bow wave. They looked like they were having such a good time. Then out of nowhere came this herd/pod, I don’t know what you call them, but a multitude of dolphins. There were easily 50 or 60 of them! I have never seen anything like that before. They were jumping, some clear out of the water. It was quite a sight. I watched for a while as I wondered if something was chasing them to have stirred up such a frenzy.  Iyou can see, I am easily entertained.  I was editing yesterday’s pictures and came across one of a cashew.  Have you ever seen a cashew tree?  It is an interesting nut. It grows on a giant red, jalapeño pepper looking fruit and the cashew nut looks like the stem, on the outside of the fruit. Strawberries are the only other fruit that have their seeds on the outside, I think.  A random thought I know.  I was actually going be good today and walk laps on the track with Jim.  I pushed away from my cholesterol bonanza that passes for breakfast these days. I rode the elevator down 2 floors to get my walking shoes (not a good sign about my commitment to exercise). The steward was cleaning the room and I didn’t want to disturb his progress, so I just walked down to the promenade deck and rested awhile on these inviting wooden chaise lounges, with those wonderfully thick pads. As you can see, it doesn’t take much to detour me from exercising. Tomorrow, another day at sea. (Note- While at sea, I don’t check emails. I just get on - post the blog, check comments and get off.)

The Last Day at Sea Before San Diego

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Finally, internet service again! Since we will be in San Diego tomorrow I will wait to pick up my emails there. I did post a batch of blogs for the last few days, just so the kids knew I was still kicking. We attended a “Cruise Critics” luncheon today. We were included because before we left I went on the “Cruise Critics” page, online, to ask a packing question. That apparently kicked off the “Roll Call” for the 2012 World Cruise. Who knew? These people are almost like an incestuous cult of professional travelers! They all seem to know each other from past cruises. One couple had spent over 2200 days on various cruises – that is over 6 years at sea! Now those are dedicated cruisers. Many, maybe most, have taken world cruises before. I can see where prepared meals (delivered to your room, if you are too lazy to go out) and someone making your bed and cleaning your place daily could become additive. It is also a very relaxed way to see the world. I do wonder if some of these folks have families back home however. After hearing the amount of time some of these people spent cruising, one man leaned over and whispered, “do you ever wonder if maybe these people are just sort of the high end “homeless”? It’s a thought.

And yet another day at Sea – Thursday

To tell you the level of excitement here today I was walking behind a guy at the pool and I noticed the writing on his cap  –“the older I get, the better I was”.  Taint it the truth? It struck me as funny so I set out on a mission to start reading caps and tee shirts around the pool. One guy’s shirt stated, “Things are so bad that I got a pre-declined credit card in the mail”. A guy in the buffet line, “I didn't climb to the top of the food chain to become a vegetarian”.  Or on a woman who looked like she meant it  - “The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on the list”.  There is no end to the things you can find entertaining when you have plenty of time to do them! The highlight of course was Jim’s big on stage performance. The performance when well, with no mishaps.  This is not stating the obvious as during practice, one song bird’s false teeth fell out on a high note!  They sounded pretty darn good for a group of amateurs who only had 7 practice sessions. There was a nice selection of songs from “The Rose” to “All that Jazz” – with an encore  of – what else – “Around the World in Eighty Days”.  

And Another Day at Sea - Wednesday

This has been an amazingly smooth trip. The Pacific has been like sailing in a bathtub so far.  Last night was the Captain’s Party. I never really understood the fun of dressing up to shake hands with the Captain and have a watery drink but we got a printed invitation so by gum Jim planned to attend!  Since we were “dressing” we also hit the formal dinner too.  One guy at our table is traveling by himself – quite a personable gent - full of stories of his travels. He drinks a lot, likes marijuana and hashish – and spends time reading Russian novels in the hammock that he has hung on his balcony. He had a stroke on his world cruise last year, but only stayed in the hospital overnight and then limped aboard with a cane and just the use of his right side. He walked as many laps as he could force himself to do daily hanging on to the railings and when he arrived back in the states he was almost completely recovered.  There is also a single woman at our table who has traveled to Antarctica on a research ship and to Africa with a professional women’s group.   I haven’t sat next to the chef yet but figure he is good for a couple of stories. We don’t go to the dressy sit down dinners that much. There is another dining room where you can dine by yourself and just order from the menu – and you don’t have to dress.  Tomorrow is Jim’s big performance so I will let you know how that goes.  I am really missing Hannah and Hailey already.  I seldom go more than a couple of weeks without seeing them and  I talk to them, or their mother, almost daily. Courtney wrote that at the dinner table last  week, Hannah started  singing “99 days ‘til Nana comes home,  99 more days, take my crown and pass it around, 99 more day ‘til Nana come home”. Ya gotta love it. It is so strange to not have phone of internet access. I find I really miss not being in touch – so these missives may become therapeutic! Day after tomorrow when we hit San Diego there will be phone service, emails and shopping!

Another Day at Sea -Tuesday

No internet at all for the last two days so you may get a double, triple or quadruple dose when it they finally get it up and running. I mentioned this to Jim who said, “Maybe the Wee Fee is down.” Wee Fee?  “You know the internet connection”. Oh, Wi Fi. That is when I suspected he wasn’t going to be of much assistance with my computer problems on this trip!  Aside from that, our focus of the day was food. We were so excited that there was to be a “Mexican Buffet” today. As we seldom go a week without Mexican food, we were ready!  Knowing the cooks were Italian, we did not set the bar too high. We did adjust our caloric intake at breakfast to allow for some double dipping at lunch – just in case. I do know there is Mexican food then there is Tex-Mex, which is what we are used to. This was more Italian-Mex. The “enchiladas” I would describe as chicken lasagna. The guacamole did have avocados and tomatoes but not a hint of spice. The “chicken tortilla” soup had a tomato bisque base.  I think the other soup had seaweed. The refried beans just looked plain scary. A really sad commentary is, despite it all, we were so desperate for “Mexican” food we ate enough that we felt obliged to skip dinner! I suppose if they hadn’t said “Mexican” Buffet the food wasn’t too bad, but I still need my Chalupa fix. We are passing by Mexico  but they don’t stop in Acapulco anymore because of the drug/gang problems. I think I might have been willing to risk it for one good, greasy taco.

Back on line after 3 days!

A Day at Sea - Monday

It was a fun start to the day. We were cruising off the coast of El Salvador. I was sitting on the balcony reading my book and drinking my tea when I noticed two dolphins playing in the bow wave. They looked like they were having such a good time. Then out of nowhere came this herd/pod, I don’t know what you call them, but a multitude of dolphins. There were easily 50 or 60 of them! I have never seen anything like that before. They were jumping, some clear out of the water. It was quite a sight. I watched for a while as I wondered if something was chasing them to have stirred up such a frenzy.  I tried to “capture the moment” - with minimal success. The picture caught a few hints but none of the dolphins clearing the water.  Then about 30 minutes later I saw this perfect row of white things. I couldn’t figure out what the heck would line up in a perfect row like that. When we got closer, it was a huge trot line! The cord separating the floats was about ¾ inch thick – and we just streamed right over it.  It was a perfectly clear day and since we can’t see the coast line that means this thing was at least 22 or 23 miles from shore. I cannot imagine what they were fishing for way out here or how they ever would find the line again to check for fish!  I don’t think it was just a loose line because, as I said, the floats were laid out perfectly straight for a couple hundred feet.  Anyway, a fun way to start the day – as you can see, I am easily entertained.  I was editing yesterday’s pictures and came across one of a cashew.  Have you ever seen a cashew tree?  It is an interesting nut. It grows on a giant red, jalapeño pepper looking fruit and the cashew nut looks like the stem, on the outside of the fruit. Strawberries are the only other fruit that have their seeds on the outside, I think.  A random thought I know.  I was actually going be good today and walk laps on the track with Jim.  I pushed away from my cholesterol bonanza that passes for breakfast these days. I rode the elevator down 2 floors to get my walking shoes (not a good sign about my commitment to exercise). The steward was cleaning the room and I didn’t want to disturb his progress, so I just walked down to the promenade deck and rested awhile on these inviting wooden chaise lounges, with those wonderfully thick pads. As you can see, it doesn’t take much to detour me from exercising. Tomorrow, another day at sea. (Note- While at sea, I don’t check emails. I just get on - post the blog, check comments and get off.)

San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua

The highlight of today’s visit to Nicaragua, at least for me, was the Masaya Volcano. Now that was interesting! It is an active volcano, belching out fumes and smoke. You could smell and taste the fumes and actually feel the heat coming out of the crater – quite impressive. You go right up to the ridge and look in – not so sure how smart that is, but defiantly different! You can only stay about 20 minutes because of the fumes. All cars are required to park facing the exit for a quick getaway. Not a reassuring measure. They say as long as it is producing smoke and fumes it is safe. Only on the way home, after the visit, did the tour guide tell us about his tour in 2002 when it spewed out 300 pound rocks and ash – crushing their bus! Well, we survived it and moved on with the tour. One thing I found interesting is it is just 13 miles between the Caribbean Ocean and the Pacific Ocean in Nicaragua. Now my question was – why not put the canal here instead of digging across 50 miles of Panama. Well, apparently I was not the first person to have this “brilliant” thought.  It was proposed in the early 19^th century using mainly existing rivers and lakes. In 1826 the US senate rejected Henry Clay’s bill to do so. It was thought cheaper build in Panama. They are now talking about building a canal here that could accommodate the mega liners and freighters of the future. In fact, even right now, the Panama Canal goes all one direction one day and the opposite direction the next, as ships are already too wide  to past in the locks. Nicaragua also has a “dry canal” on the drawing board which would entail basically removing the container cargo from ships in the Caribbean and taking the cargo by rail, 13 miles to the Pacific Ocean, to be reloaded and moved on by ship. That would save 500 miles (at least 2 days) at sea getting cargo from New York to San Francisco. . Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America and we drove through a lot of the country side. It showed a blend of the terribly poor in the interior that contrasted with the beautiful coastal towns. The average number of kids per family in the country, where farming is the main source of income, is 8.  They say that is necessary to help with the farming and picking. The schools let out for  2 months during the harvesting season so the kids can help pick coffee beans etc. On the tour we also hit a huge market in Masaya. Again, sort of your typical Central American market. We continued on to a monastery in Granada that is now a museum. Like our last stop, San Juan del Sur has just recently become a regular port of call for cruise ships so you aren’t dealing with any crowds - yet. Our group was the only one in the museum.  Jim had actually been here before. During the time of the Contras and Sandinistas conflict back in 1980. One of his parishioners was stranded down here and couldn’t get back to the states. After trying unsuccessfully to get her back through “proper channels” he and her husband just came and got her in a shrimp boat! They never really even came ashore, just grabbed her from the dock and kept going. Today’s visit probably wasn’t quite as exciting.  Now on to San Diego where I can use my cell phone, collect email and shop at Wal-Mart!  I already have a list started.

Puerto Quepos, Costa Rica

We are in Puerto Quepos, Costa Rica.  We found an internet café and I sent a couple email “hellos” from “Puerto Rico” – Oops!  Hey, I was flustered working in Spanish – that’s my story and I am sticking to it. Geez., we are only eight days into the trip and already I don’t know what country I am in!  Costa Rica really is an interesting county however, in that it hasn’t had an army since 1949. They used those funds for healthcare and education. It now has a 95% literacy rate – one of the highest in the world. Costa Rica has more the 750 volcanoes. Most are dead or dormant but one is the most active volcano in the world. This is a new stop for cruise ships. I could tell as no one tried to sell us anything at our rest stop. I figure give it a year or two and that same rest stop will be surrounded with local venders selling their wares. Also, an hour on the internet only cost about $1.50. Such a deal! Great thought went into what to do while we were here.  I really wanted to do the zip lines. It looked like great fun. If it had been a week before the end of the cruise, instead of a week into the cruise, I would have done it in a New York minute. As I have broken about 9 bones, one from just stepping off the sidewalk wrong, I could envision me limping my way through the next 40 countries. We chose instead to do the Mangrove Wildlife and Boat Cruise. Yes, we got off this ship and got on another boat. It was a tour through mangrove forests viewing wildlife like iguanas (black spiny-tail –the world’s fastest lizard).  Hey everyone needs a claim to fame. I would like it noted that he wasn’t too fast for me. I got a picture while he was resting between sprints. We saw a troop of capuchin monkeys, with their cute white faces. I expected crocodiles but didn’t see any. We did see the “rare” silky anteater, a plethora of birds and some impressive termite mounds. The town itself is rather poor looking, but it is home to about 14,000 people. The coast is picturesque; you have the deep blue Pacific water, then the lush green forest with volcanic mountains in the background. Really quite beautiful.  We continue to eat really well – Carol reminded me  that I was in luck. That by the time we arrived in Hawaii I might appreciate that a Mumu could be the dress of the day. Great thought, what a first-rate excuse to just continue my feeding frenzy!

Laundry Wars

This was an “at sea” day – nothing much to report. We shoved off a week ago today so it is laundry day. We have heard these crazy stories about women getting in fights in the laundry room. They were telling us on two past cruises they actually had to put people off the ship at the next port because the women wouldn’t quit fighting, even after security arrived! I can’t quite imagine such a thing! They must have much better stuff in their dirty clothes basket than I do. I am eyeing these old broads aboard and I think I could take any of them easily!  Somehow, I can’t imagine getting that upset over anything, much less laundry duty. Luckily, Jim’s doing the laundry today – so I won’t have to find out.  We spent most of the day reading and eating on the balcony while watching an interesting assortment of birds that have followed the ship all day. I am told they are called “brown boobies” and they are excellent at catching flying fish mid flight! As we have been slugs most of the day we decided to “gussy up” and go for drinks, dinner and dancing tonight. Tomorrow – Costa Rica.

Panama Canal

As we sat out on our balcony with our glasses of wine last evening, we saw literally hundreds of flying fish. They were incredible to watch – they didn’t just fly from wave to wave; some flew two or three hundred feet! They looked more like birds than fish.  Then early this morning we entered the Panama Canal. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. I thoroughly enjoyed the passage through the Canal. This wasn’t high on my bucket list but I had always heard about the Panama Canal and the stories about how 27,000 men died digging it and getting it operational.  I knew that it was a short cut from the Atlantic to the Pacific, but it is really a rather interesting operation to witness. I found the working of the locks fascinating. We had seen locks on the Eric Canal – but this was different.  To see these huge freighters and cruise ships squeeze into these little locks is impressive. There are two sets of locks side by side.  I swear the ship beside us looked like they were going to have to grease her sides to get her through. I don’t believe it had 2 inches of clearance on either side. I heard scrapes from time to time! Even the operation of the “mules” (electric train engines) that pull you into the locks was fun to watch. I was curious about what they charge for the transit. I assume they charge the freighters by the ton – cruise ships are charged a hundred dollars a head. It is based on how many people your ship could hold – then there is a slight reduction if you have  empty cabins.  I didn’t realize there were sets of locks on the Atlantic and Pacific sides and a huge manmade lake in the middle. I was expecting a skinny canal all the way through. The landscape is tropical – the forest/jungles are beautiful with every kind of tree you can envision from hardwoods to palms. One small island here has more varieties of trees on it that they have in all of Europe. They also have 970 varieties of birds. Without Courtney and Jim here to spot things for me I didn’t see much in the way of wildlife. I only saw some birds and one baby croc, but they supposedly have all the wildlife that you would expect to find in tropical jungles and waters.  As you might imagine with ships getting larger and larger they are in the process of constructing a third set of longer and wider locks. Each lock will be about the size of a football field. I am also amazed at the traffic. About 14,000 vessels transit the canal each year. Ships are lined up in front of and behind us for as far as I can see.  The 80 kilometer cut saves ships thousands of miles of travel time by not having to go around the tip of South America.  I need to close now. It is dinner time and since I have only had about 8 pounds of food today, I wouldn’t want to miss a meal.

Cartagena, Columbia

My first impression of Columbia was that it was just what I was expecting. As we entered the port, from our side of the ship, we saw this huge house/fortress on a peninsula. It had high walls and electric wires running all the way around it - even out about 100 ft. into the water! It looked like a place that could be defended against all comers. I thought “ah ha” the “casa grande” of some drug lord.  Just then a patrol boat pasted our ship with guys holding machine guns standing on its bow. Then we disembarked on the other side of the ship and there was a strip of high rise hotels and condos that looked like the skyline of Miami Beach. What a contrast! We hadn’t booked a tour so we were just going to get a cab by ourselves into the “Old City” to see the famous Dungeons, Inquisition Palace, and Cathedral etc. We battled our way through the glut of tour guides trying to reach a taxi outside the gates. We met a couple from Michigan on their own too so we pooled resources. Now I thought I was a negotiator, but this lady really wrestled them to the mat! We ended up getting an exceptional tour at a great price. Cartagena is a city of about one million people.  The Old City is just what you picture - a walled city with the narrow cobble stone streets.  The taxi driver was telling us it was bad when Pablo Escobar (a drug lord) was living here and in control. Escobar actually had a standing offer of a million dollars (I have to believe he meant pesos) given to anyone who would kill any policeman. My first thought was, I wonder what you would have to pay a cop to take that job? I can see where that might discourage most people from making that their career choice - which I guess was the point. As for the Dungeons, it is now a row of little stalls offering goods not unlike what you would find in similar markets in the Caribbean or Mexico. However, every shop had emeralds. Supposedly, 95% of the world’s emeralds come from Columbia. Cartagena was the center of slave trade out of Africa at one point so there were statues and markers relating that part of their history. They say Cartagena is so close to the equator that you don’t have seasons – its average temperature stays at about 82 year round. Not meaning to take exception, but being a Houston gal, I would say it felt closer to 90 with plenty of humidity. The sad thing is when we got back I didn’t know Jim had already paid and tipped the driver so I paid and tipped him too - doubling the price of our tour – thus successfully negating our great bargain!  Laura, I tried to attach some pictures from Aruba as requested, but with this connection after 16 minutes it was still trying to upload the first picture - so I just gave up. At these prices per minute I decided it wasn’t worth it. Maybe when we get to San Diego, if I find an internet café, I will try again. Next we transit the Panama Canal

Aruba

Today we arrived in Aruba. The last time I was here was about 39 years ago so there have been a few changes. I have only two clear memories of Aruba. One was how pretty and white the sand was on all the beaches. The second memory was about Michael, who was about a year old at the time. To this day, I still feel guilty when I think about how sunburned we let that kid get! We had him tucked under a little shady bush but I guess the reflection off the white sand got to him. In those days people didn’t use sunscreen, you actually worked on getting a tan. He was absolutely glowing by dinner time; I thought he might break into flames by bedtime. We covered him with some kind of medicated wet packs that I haven’t seen before or since and he was fine the next day.  He didn’t seem to mind; he was happy to be the center of attention (some things never change). Anyway, back to today - we had to set our clock ahead an hour last night (Atlantic Standard Time) and tomorrow night we set it back an hour again. I don’t get how all these various time zones work but I just do as instructed. Anyhow, Aruba this is a small island about 20 miles long and 6 miles wide (less than 75 sq. miles). We docked in the capital city of Oranjestad. The local language is Dutch. At one time they mined gold here but now I think oil is king, with a huge Valero oil refining plant. The island is the world’s leading aloe producer. (Hey, maybe those were aloe packs to soothe the burns – who ever heard of aloe 40 years ago?) I would have to guess tourism also ranks in there somewhere as a money maker for this island, based on the number of cruise ships in port. We didn’t take any organized tours. We just got on a local bus and headed out to the “hotel area” with all the pretty beaches.  There is one hotel after the other from the Hyatt to the “Club Med” all inclusive type hotels. We shopped at a little local open market as Jim needed a white shirt for his “singing debut” at the end of the first cruise segment. I can see we have two totally different “shopping” strategies. That is wrong right there – I “shop”, he “buys” without even asking the price.  While I was busy bargaining for a $6 hat, he is standing next to me paying full “sticker price” for his shirt. I can see that he will be no help on any of the shopping outings. Courtney and I have that “open market haggling” down to a high art!  We shove off at about 5pm tonight for Columbia. Provided the drug cartels aren’t acting up in Cartagena, we are scheduled to dock there tomorrow.

Scary thought.

I awoke this morning with a killer headache and was nauseated. A scary thought flitted through my mind. Maybe the disadvantage of a smaller ship was that it rocks and rolls a lot more than the Mega Liners. Geez, this could be really bad if I get sea sick on day 2, when we have 105 days left at sea!  I knew  I wasn’t prone to “mal de mer” since I didn’t get seasick even when we had 30 ft. seas going to Antarctica but this would have been a bad time to develop a leaning in that direction! Luckily, it passed! We are currently sailing our way towards Aruba and should arrive tomorrow. I will withhold “the verdict” on our table mates until a few more dinners but will tell you a little about them as I am sure they will be mentioned again. Couple number one (not married) - he is a chef who catered events for both Nixon and LBJ. He might have a couple of interesting stories to be shared over a glass of wine. He is traveling with a social security aged “ Chairo” – long curly blond hair etc. The next gentleman is a retired Florida Real Estate Broker who owns houses in Florida, Hawaii etc.  He took a world cruise last year too. So far his wife, or significant other, hasn’t come to dinner. He sat next to me and we have already discussed some of his family problems. I think I must still give off those “counselor” vibes. The couple, who sat on the opposite side of the table from us I don’t know much about. They are the youngest of the group and were in technical development or some such. Lastly, there was a woman, about my age, traveling around the world alone.  There is an interesting assortment of people aboard that I figure will have a few good tales to relate if I ever get off our balcony long enough to go mix and mingle. I did my first blog post at sea today. It was easier than I expected. The weather remains warm, about what you would expect between Haiti and Aruba.

We're Aboard!

We are now officially aboard ship! I have taken quite a few cruises ( Caribbean, Mediterranean,  Alaskan, South America,  Antarctica etc.) but I have always been aboard the Mega Liners that hold anything from 2,500 -5,500 people. Most of these ships are like floating cities and  have  a mini Las Vegas feel to them. You can climb rock walls, shoehorn yourself into various pools with a hundred other merry makers, use the 30 ft. water slide, watch a Broadway type stage production or gamble every night. There is plenty to do at all times, usually a line to do it and often in a wild, partylike atmosphere. Many people seem to feel that since they only have seven days, they must do, see and drink everything available as soon and as much as possible. While that might be fun for a week –  for months aboard we were looking for something a little different. We opted for a small ship that only carries 680 passengers. The first difference we noted was there were no lines – not to check in, not to eat, not to do the activities. At the buffet you walk right up, fill your plate and there are plenty of empty tables by the windows. . The food, so far seems wonderful – check back when we have eaten it for a month or two. I had an “everything” omelet and about ¾ of a pound of bacon for breakfast today. I could almost hear my arteries clogging but it tasted so good. I do believe one could get used to having all your meals cooked and served to you while a steward comes to clean and tidy up your place .  At this very moment there is one man in the spa and no one in the pool! There are may be a dozen people at pool side. I will concede that this is only day one and half the guests may still be in their stateroom trying to find drawer space for their undies and swimwear.   Now my kids would probably find this deadly dull but for us, this relaxed atmosphere is great. I have already figured out that I will be living on the balcony. I can read, work on the laptop and just watch the waves roll by. Jim, being more social, walked the track then went to a “meet and greet” and is now off to a singing group he joined.  I would guess the average age aboard would be in the 60’s You would kind of expect that with the length of this cruise and the destinations.  I have seen a handful of people in their 20’s and 30’s but not one child so far. There are lots of people from Canada. For one couple, this is their seventh world cruise – I think they should have just bought their own yacht.  I would guess maybe a quarter of the people aboard are doing the whole world cruise. Some are just doing the Panama Canal segment – some join the cruise in Singapore etc. The staterooms are your typical staterooms. The unpacking went better than  I could have ever hoped for, but that was because Jim only claimed about 25% of the closet and drawer space – yet another benefit of being with a man who travels light. The extension cord with 8 outlets I can tell already is going to be the best thing we brought. I already have everything from my laptop to my Kindle plugged into it. We are now sailing just off the coast of Cuba so the weather is perfect.  Okay we can use this first day report as a base line and see if everything still looks so darn rosy after 50 or 100 days at sea!  They just made an announcement that there were riots and drug related shootings that had basically shut down Santa Marta. (Our next stop after Aruba.)They said for  “ safety and security” reasons we would have to skip that port. I think we are now stopping in Cartagena, somewhere on the Columbian Coast . All that is left today is to find out who are our table mates for the duration of the trip. Keep your fingers crossed – or we may be eating a lot more of our meals at the buffet.  I guess that’s the news from day one.