01-09 and 10-2010 Another Sea Day and Costa Rica

 We wakened at 7am to the clear fresh skies of the Pacific Ocean and another peaceful day at sea.  Up to the track to walk our morning mile, then down to the rear deck of the seaside cafe for an excellent breakfast.  Spent some time in the computer lab checking email, went to the theater for an interesting talk on the plants and animals of the rain forest, and spent the afternoon sunning and swimming.  Typical for a day at sea, and I barely remember the details.  The day just completely fell into the rhythm of eating, walking, reading, knitting, and just sitting in the sun. 

After a peaceful night at sea, Sunday morning dawned, our day in Costa Rica!  I looked forward so much to this part of the trip.  Mo has been to Costa Rica before, but for me this was just a little taste of a country I hope to visit more in depth.  We were in port by 7am, with the mountains misty and beautiful all around the bay.  We landed at Puntarenas, a small beach town/fishing village on a peninsula on the western coast.  The outing we chose stayed on the drier side of Costa Rica, in order to experience the more rural countryside instead of the hugely popular zip line/canopy tours in the rainforest. Costa Rica is a small country, just about the size of West Virginia but it has three mountain ranges and such an abundance of flora and fauna that almost one quarter of its total land is held as national parks or private reserves. Most Costa Ricans reside in the fertile agricultural plateau in the heart of the country, many near the capital city of San Jose.  We traveled in the western part of the country, the dry side (with only 120 inches of rainfall). 

The day was lovely, with a long bumpy bus ride through small towns and villages, on rough dirt roads.  We stopped at a small store and restaurant along the way for coffee and a visit with the wild macaws that live in the trees.  Only partially wild, since they were happy to be hand fed by the tourists while we took their picture. Since it was Sunday, there were people around, hanging out on porches, sweeping floors, leaning on brooms and shovels, and watching us watch them.   

 

When we arrived at the Tempisque River, we boarded a long narrow wooden boat with our fellow tourists and the guide to see crocodiles and look for bird life.  It was a bit scary, since the wind was high and the river was wild and muddy.  The boat seemed entirely too small for the rough waves, especially with large crocodiles in the river!  When something appeared on shore, silly tourists were all rushing to one side of the boat or the other, tipping it precariously in the wind and waves.  I wasn’t at all sure that this boat was made for the number of people on it, especially dumb people, and especially in the wild winds! 

 

We enjoyed the ride in spite of the scares, hearing howler monkeys, gorgeous birds, a brilliant roseate  spoonbill, huge iguanas, and a very big crocodile. 

After we landed on shore, we were herded into brightly painted oxcarts and hauled across the open countryside to an animal reserve. The cattle in Costa Rica, in this part at least, are all brahmas, beautiful soft faced cows and bulls, with muted colors.  I think they were the prettiest cows I have ever seen.  At the reserve, we saw many rescued animals, ocelots, monkeys, toucans, tapirs, peccaries, and some very huge crocodiles.  Our lunch was typical Costa Rican food, beans and rice and wild tasting but good chicken. 

 

On the  way back to the ship, we had hoped to shop for some Costa Rican coffee, but since it was Sunday, all the shops were closed.  We arrived in Puntarenas at sunset for boarding our ship and sailing out of the harbor.  Beautiful.  I would truly love to spend some more time in this country.  The day trips from a cruise ship are such a tiny taste of what is part of a magical, tropical country.

For the rest of the photos of Costa Rica on SmugMug click here.

01-08-2010 Transiting the Panama Canal

Waking up on Friday morning in the dark was exciting. We were entering the Panama Canal zone and beginning the transit that was the focus of our entire cruise. We could see the pilot boat coming alongside to escort us into the locks. (Thanks to several pre-transit lectures, we knew that it was a “pilot boat”.) The lights of Colon sparkled in the misty air as we dressed and headed up to the top decks to watch our entry. The weather was warm, cloudy, and humid, with a stiff warm breeze blowing from the east. We watched the sun come up through the palms of the tropical forest, shimmering on all the lush tropical leaves.

The Panama Canal is truly one of the world’s great wonders. As an engineering achievement, it has few parallels. In its strategic location between two oceans, straddling two continents, it has changed forever the way the world manages trade. Most of us learned a bit about the canal during the mandatory 8th grade exposure to US History, and I even made a model of the locks for a science project. The learning faded considerably in the past half century, and I spent a few months reading about Teddy Roosevelt’s commitment to finishing what the French started. As a result of my research, I also read more about Teddy Roosevelt, and developed a real appreciation for his character, and his place in American History.  

 

The transit is fascinating and exciting, even for experienced cruisers. As we approached the canal in the morning light, the huge scale of the project is apparent. The man-made miracle of lifting a ship 87 feet into a tropical rain forest lake, and setting it gently back down in a new ocean is amazing. The beauty of the locks is in the simplicity of how they work. Water, provided by the abundant rainfall of Panama, and gravity, and of course, the engineers who figured this all out. The canal first opened in 1914 after many years of frustrating work, first attempted by the French beginning in 1880 and completed by the US. Many workers died from cholera, dysentery, malaria, and yellow fever. The loss of life was huge, with more than 20,000 people dying in just 10 years. During the transit we had the opportunity to learn the details of how the locks operate and some of the engineering difficulties that were overcome as the canal was built.

 

Approaching from the Caribbean side, Mo and I stayed on deck until we passed through all three of the Gatun locks. We watched as the “mules” (huge engines that keep the ships between the walls of the locks) were attached by ropes to the ship. Another large cruise ship was going into the left side of the locks just before our ship, and we could watch as the locks were opened, closed, filled, and emptied, and watch the huge ship rising gently to the next level. After our third lock, we entered man-made Gatun Lake, at an elevation of 87 feet above sea level. Creating this lake was the only option for building the canal, because moving the massive volume of earth required to reach sea level was impossible. The water of the lake was brown and murky, and the islands left from what were once mountaintops are covered with thick vegetation and filled with birds. We watched for crocodiles, but didn’t see any. Finally, succumbing to the heat and humidity, we escaped to the air conditioned Edge of the World Bar to watch the rest of the crossing. We ate lunch inside and played cards in the Rendezvous. It was incredibly steamy outside, and we were grateful for someplace cool to hang out for the latter part of the day.

 

A high point of the transit is the nine mile section called the Culebra Cut. This area presented the main engineering challenge throughout the entire 40 years of construction. The Cut crosses the continental divide, and even though the elevation is only some 400 feet or so, landslides were and still are a constant problem. On one occasion in 1907, 500,000 cubic yards of soil slipped back into the canal, burying miles of track and equipment.

As we approached the final Milleflores locks that would set us back down to sea level in the Pacific, we again went outside and down to the front of the ship on Deck 5. The ships officers opened the heliport that is usually closed to passengers while we transited so people could see the locks up close. After eight fascinating hours we emerged from the canal, cruised past Panama City, and entered the Pacific Ocean.

There are now over a million people in this city, and huge skyscrapers emerge from flat land fill man made peninsulas. From some viewpoints, it looked as though they were emerging directly from the sea. Watching Panama City emerge from the ocean like a mirage was fascinating. As it receded into the distance and the air began to cool, we found deck chairs on the shady side of the ship and spent some perfect snooze time watching the skies and seas.

The Atlantic/Caribbean side of Panama seems much prettier than the Pacific side, but the Pacific ocean feels so incredibly familiar. The water isn’t as blue, but the air smells more fresh, like the ocean I am used to. Later, after dinner, we made it to see Perry Grant in Michael’s lounge. The show was usually so full we couldn’t even get into the lounge, and after seeing him it was obvious why he was so popular. He sang and played very old fashioned music and joked around a lot and was very very funny, very gay, and very out about it. We went to bed early , completely worn out after a long hot day, happy to be gently rocked to sleep in our cabin.

For more photos of our Panama Canal Transit on SmugMug click here

01-07-2010 Another Lovely Sea Day before our Panama Canal Transit

Sea days are one of the great pleasures of this longer cruise. I love them. Time for deck walking, watching the sea, sunning on the upper decks, true relaxation.

On this day, the Constellation held the signature cruise midnight buffet at brunch! What a stellar idea! Who wants to eat all that food at midnight anyway. As we entered the dining room the array of food before us was mind boggling. There were the obligatory ice sculptures, many of them, and rows and rows of gorgeous food, fruits, carved watermelons, anything you could imagine to eat was available.

The sushi was fresh and beautiful, and I saw people with huge plates of fresh prawns, fresh salmon,Bavarian waffles freshly made, and an omelet bar. I don’t think we even made it to the dessert table for this buffet with all the other amazing food to eat, but the chocolate waterfall looked impressive.

After eating our fill, we spent the afternoon sunning and swimming, and Mo managed to get a sunburn by falling asleep on her stomach in one of those great deck chairs.

With all that great food for brunch, we decided to skip the formal dinner in the dining room and went instead to the Seaside for pizza and salad. That evening Diane Cousins from Wales finally made it and while she was OK, it certainly wasn’t deserving of all the prior buildup. After the theater show we visited the talent show in the Edge of the Earth disco bar, but it was a bit boring. There are not enough people with talent on this ship, or maybe it is an older crowd and no one wanted to stay up until the 10:45 starting time. Everything is scheduled so late at night that it’s hard to stay interested while waiting around for things to happen. After a little bit of entertainment, and a few laughs, we ambled off to bed to get a good night’s sleep.

01-06 and 07-2010 Another Day at Sea, and Visiting Cartagena, Colombia

On Tuesday morning I woke to the gentle movement of the ship and a lovely sunrise outside my window. I so love the gentle rocking, the ocean sliding by, the low hum of the ship’s engine in the background. Somehow the combination of movement and sound and vision is completely relaxing. On this morning, we tried the healthy breakfast at the spa, with oatmeal, fruit, flaxseed, organic mango rolls and jam, yogurt, melon, and green tea. Perfect. We sat out on the promenade deck for some breezy knitting and conversation with an interesting lady who was also knitting, and claimed to be self taught. Without a book, even. Amazing, I haven’t a clue how someone could do that.

At 11 we took in a lecture in the theater about the Panama Canal. The lecturer was born in the “zone” and was so interesting and informative. We again enjoyed a perfect lunch at the Seaside, with luscious Caesar salads, fresh fruit and vegetables, and great desserts. Back to the cabin for a mid day nap, more ocean sliding by. Went up to the pool deck in the afternoon for a swim. The seas were rough with 9 to 12 foot waves so the pool was sloshing around like crazy. It was great fun swimming against the waves and getting thrown around in the pool and swimming against the current, great exercise. Afterward I went for a dip in the hot tub to relax a bit before afternoon cappuccino in the Kove Patisserie. We spent the rest of the afternoon in a deck chair relaxing in the warm sun and reading. Dinner was casual, but again delicious, and we topped off the evening with some gambling in the casino after the show. The days slide so gently by, just like the water sliding by our window on the port side of the ship. We love our walks around the upper deck, 5 laps per mile, and we promised ourselves at least a mile after breakfast, and a mile before any other meal!

A relaxing day at sea was perfect preparation for our long day planned in Cartagena. We set the alarm for 6 AM in order to watch the ship sailing into the harbor. At the harbor entry, old Spanish forts guard the way, with local fishermen in small colorful boats forming a great contrast in the misty early morning light. However, as we approached the city itself, the crumbling decay of some of the skyscrapers was obvious. The new city is built on a peninsula, at sea level, and the Old City can be seen through the skyscrapers as the ship approaches. We heard that many of the floors in the buildings are empty, and are used simply for money laundering schemes.

Cartagena de Indies was, for two centuries, one of Spain’s most prized New World ports. It is now a United Nations World Heritage Site, and within the old walled city are many examples of Colonial architecture, shady plazas, and narrow cobblestone streets. The forts and stone walls were built over time to defend the port against pirates and enemy fleets. The city’s history is a bloody one, with sieges and sackings that go back to it’s fall to Sir Francis Drake. Today Cartagena has a population of more than a million people and is actually considered a island of peace in an otherwise troubled country. We were really looking forward to visiting this interesting city in a country where we have never traveled.

We planned an early excursion, “The Best of Cartagena”, and boarded a bus for “Old Town”. The bus stopped at the magnificent old fort of San Felipe de Barajas, but actually entering the fort wasn’t included the tour, something in the fine print that we neglected to read about this particular excursion. In fact, at first the tour guides only planned to let us see it through the windows of the bus, but relented and did allow us to walk around a little bit. Men and women were trying to sell leather goods, and jewelry, and were fairly aggressive as they approached. I just kept saying, “No”, since any kind of comment would engender more hawking. Even “No” didn’t usually work, and we had to learn to completely ignore these people and make no eye contact. It’s the price of being a tourist in a tourist place, I suppose.

Wandering along the old streets was fascinating. Since the early days of the city, people have immigrated from the Caribbean, and many of these people keep their culture alive and have a strong ethnic pride in their background. Women whose heritage is originally from the West Indies, called the “banana ladies” are amazing, balancing huge fragrant baskets of fresh fruit atop their heads while they dance and smile and seduce you into paying a dollar to take their photo.

Our next tour stop was the Church of San Pedro Claver, named for a Jesuit monk who was canonized 200 years after his death for his life’s work defending African slaves in Colombia. The religious art at the church was fascinating and the tropical gardens were lush and beautiful. The Colonial architecture of old town was dramatic, with the dark rich ochre yellow color and rusty orange popular colors. The Inquisition endured for 200 years in Cartagena and we explored the Inquisition Palace and saw the window where parishioners could place anonymous letters condemning anyone they wanted to accuse of heresy. I chose to avoid the torture museum, but enjoyed the beautiful architecture and gardens. There were sloths in the trees that were almost impossible to see with their protective coloring and stillness.

We later traveled by bus along the Boca Grande beaches to Pierino Gallo Shopping Center. The beaches were busy, but not particularly beautiful, with murky water, brownish sands, and cheap shelters that could be rented for a fee. The mall wasn’t particularly interesting, certainly not upscale, and the tour guides insisted we should stay with them as they paraded us through the jewelry stores hawking the famous Colombian emeralds. Mo and I went the opposite direction, found another street and did a bit of shopping on our own. Our choices included a five dollar watch, a small stone box, dollar bracelets, and a ten dollar bag, items closer more within our spending budget than emeralds! Even at the numerous shops at the Dungeons, I failed to find much of interest that gave some kind of sense of the culture of Colombia. There was no music, no local ethnic food, nothing but cheap tourist items that were the same in every little store. Examples of the famous embroidery and artwork of Colombia were few and far between.

We returned to the ship in the mid afternoon for a late lunch, unimpressed with Colombia and glad to be back on board. The port was hot and noisy and even on deck at the pool I was definitely ready to get back to sea. Late in the afternoon we found a ping pong table and had a great time laughing ourselves silly. Mo was beating me badly most of the time, and once she said, “You need to move around more, you look like you are standing in concrete”. Who knows why that was so hysterically funny but we just about split our sides laughing.

We decided we were too tired for any kind of fancy dinner and opted instead for a hamburger on the pool deck, a simple perfect end to a long day.

For more photos of our day in Cartagena, click here

01-04-2010 Off to Miami for our Cruise

Since I currently live in California, Mo and I planned our flights from San Francisco, flying to Miami to embark, returning to San Diego for our final port, then flying back to San Francisco. The South San Francisco Travelodge has a park, stay, and fly package that is a great deal for these kinds of trips. With a stay on either end of the trip included, and parking for the entire time we are away, the cost is much less than even the economy lots at the airport. The shuttle is free both ways as well. Our room was warm, roomy and comfortable. Especially with the cold, wet fog of San Francisco, we were happy to be cozied up in a decent place. Arriving in South San Francisco early in the day gave us some time to do some shopping, enjoying lunch and wine at the Macaroni Grill. Later in the evening we drove down to the wharf and had a great dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.

I had to try the key lime pie, in preparation for our upcoming trip to the Florida Keys in March. 
Our flight was scheduled for 11 pm so we went to the airport to wait. The red-eye flight was uneventful on American Airlines, and we had great seats again, on the 2 seats per row side of the airplane. I slept well and the flight went quickly. Morning in Miami was cool and sunny, and getting to the pier was uneventful, but the boarding of the Celebrity Constellation was really slow. With all the extra security due to the Christmas Day bomber, it took much longer to clear the incoming ship for immigration. The lines were long and the wait was more than a couple of hours. Very tiresome. We hoped this wasn’t setting the bar for the rest of our first Celebrity cruise!  
 

Finally on board, we settled into our cabin. It was very roomy and comfortable, with a large bathroom and shower, the biggest yet in our experience. We decided to explore the ship and with only 11 decks, it seemed very small. For a moment, we wondered how it might be to have to spend 14 days on this smaller ship. This was my first cruise longer than 7 days, although Mo managed a 21 day cruise to China several years ago.     
  
Our first evening in the dining room wasn’t especially memorable. Although we requested a private table for two, we were seated with two other people, an obnoxious woman and her husband who never stopped talking and carrying on a very negative conversation throughout the entire meal. However, after dinner we enjoyed the entertainment at the very lovely Celebrity Theater We explored the ship some more after the show and began to adjust to the size. It certainly didn’t take long to find our way around.     
   
On Monday morning we arranged for a room service breakfast, served right on time, but decided we didn’t need to try that again. The food was very boring, with tasteless bacon and sausage and dry toast. Ugh. Since it was a sea day and we were exhausted from our previous travels, we snuggled back under the covers and slept in until 10 AM. The skies were cloudy and gray and I just watched the sea slide by my window for a long time. Amazingly, I wasn’t the least bit seasick and found myself really enjoying the gentle movement of the ship. When we got up we checked out the shops and computer lab. Sadly, my ACER Netbook refused to boot up, so all my plans for photo management and blog writing during the cruise were nipped in the bud.

 
   
Later we enjoyed a truly delightful lunch at the Seaside Buffet, eating by the main pool area. After checking out the spa on the 11th deck, we settled in to play cards in the game room, had a snack at the Kove Patisserie, played some bingo in the afternoon, went to the Casino, had a drink in the Rendezvous Bar, and again explored the top decks of the ship. Sounds like a typical cruise trip, doesn’t it!  

The evening was formal, and again dinner was impressive. We insisted on our requested table for two, and after some confusion we settled in to a table in a narrow part of the dining room near the galley. Although not a perfect location, we never again had our dinner spoiled by irritating table mates. I especially enjoyed the many courses offered at dinner, with an amazing beef capriccio appetizer, cold fruit soup, spinach salad, sea bass, and cherries jubilee. Off to the theater for another Broadway type production with great music to end our first full sea day.