Puerto Vallarta

Well today is our last port of call before sailing back to San Diego.  I have been here several times so have opted not to get off the ship in favor of packing early.  That way I can truly enjoy our last 2 sea days stress free.  I have sent the last bit of laundry out – love that free laundry status! – and have just about finished up packing.  We still have one more formal night so I have to leave out tux and dress but I kept the easily packable ones…

I brought along my Christmas cards and have to finish those up so we can mail in San Diego.  My trivia team has improved and we won twice in 1 day and came in 2^nd on the third quiz.  B has been collecting our winnings – hat pins – and will send them off to the classroom of “Flat Stanley”.  They have been getting postcards from each stop so have also been following our adventure.

My cough is just about gone and (knock on wood) B did not get it…  However our ship has been infiltrated by germs and that gastro-intestinal crap is on board.  We are safe but they have quarantined about 10% of the passengers and crew.  We have to be served at all meals, the library, Jacuzzi  & laundry is closed and they have crew stationed outside elevators so you sanitize your hands every 10 seconds.  It is a pain in the ass, but at least they are trying to contain it.  Maybe we will get back to normal tomorrow but I am not too hopeful.

The weather is about 85* today and I hope we sail home with similar weather.  I have heard Texas is cccold, so not looking forward to the change, however I will be happy to go home.  This has been a good cruise and we are glad to adventured here but would not hurry back to repeat it.  And although all the folks are nice and we have enjoyed their company we haven’t made any special friends like on previous cruises.  We did reunite with Judy, a lady we previously cruised with and that is great. 

The other day we bought the casino crew flowers and in return they gave us a free dinner at the Pinnacle Grill – the ship’s fancy restaurant that costs extra.  I fudged my diet a bit and had a wonderful filet mignon with béarnaise sauce & had cheese on my Caesar’s salad.  I did manage to refuse dessert even tho they make the best crème brule in the world…

B is off the ship shopping at Sam’s Club and Walmart – have you ever heard of them?  They are specialty stores in Mexico and are right off the port in Puerto Vallarta…lol!  Oh they had a flower making contest on board with found objects and made a winning flower out of cork!  I won a nice tote bag which I have managed to pack in a suitcase.  We have 2 sea days to finish up our sports competitons, trivia, and casino gambling.  B won the slot tournament so he is playing on house money now.  I am a bit behind but only a $100 or so.

Hope this finds you all safe, healthy and warm.  HUGS

Corinto, Nicaragua & Beyond

Most of the events I will relate to happened last week but we have been busy and unable to blog.  So on Tues 26 Nov we arrived in Corinto around 10am.  Most of you know we do NOT do tours but this one was arranged privately.  There were only 9 people in the van and it cost only $30/person.  So not knowing anything about Nicaragua, we went touring.

Our first location was Chinadega which is the 2^nd largest city in Nicaragua.  Our guide escorted us through the huge market and it was wonderful.  The products ranged from kid’s hand painted toys to live chickens.  The whole family is present in the vender booth.  The baby sits on the bananas, the young children shyly stare and the grandmas sell their wares.  The people were wonderfully friendly without being intrusive or pushy.  The market was a kaleidoscope of color, sound and ordor.  After traversing about 1 mile through the market we walked over to the park with public bathrooms.  School seemed to be over for the day and kids were playing and romping in the park.  B noticed some boys about the age of 13 plying on 1 kid.  There were all laughing and leaping onto the pile.  B went over to join them, but they wouldn’t let him play…  A local old lady observed the whole situation and laughed and cackled for about 2 minutes – she was literally lhao!!  HA!

Next we were allowed in this gorgeous Catholic Church and sat for a few minutes, resting, cooling off and taking photos.  Our tour continued with a stop at a local cookie production house.  4 ladies were making cookies by hand: rolling and shaping them like mini-pretzels.  Then the man took them and put them in a huge fire oven similar to a stone pizza oven.  B went back to see what kind of pizza there was, but alas, only cookies…  lol!

On our return trip the driver took us along the coastal route and we stopped for photos and a bit of bird watching.  We saw an egret, a stork and a spoon something, that is somewhat pink in color and is the state bird…very pretty.

There was supposed to be a meal stop, but we asked to be let out at the ship and the other folks went on with Miguel for a beer on the seaside.  Corinto was one of the few ports this trip that we docked near town.  So B & I walked a bit more and shopped – of course!  He bought beer and chocolate for the crew and I found a box for my collection and a piece of art to hang on my travel wall.  All in all it was a good day and private tours are definitely the way to travel.

Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala

On the Wed before Thanksgiving, we arrived in Guatemala at a port that is way out in the boonies.  About an hour and a half away is the World Heritage UNESCO city of Antigua.  Everything I read about it said it is a must see in spite of the travel time.  HAL tours offered a DIY Antigua tour which was essentially a shuttle and we opted to go this route so we would not be late getting back to the ship (but if we were, the ship would HAVE to wait as it was an “official” tour.  The bus ride was long but the scenery was lush and panoramic.  We saw sugarcane growing/being harvested and volcanoes burping smoke.  Unfortunately we had a VERY enthusiastic guide who felt he should talk all about Guatemala the whole trip! UGH!  I guess most people thought he was interesting but we just thought he was annoying and he kept interrupting my nap…lol!

However Antigua was a wonderful city.  It is a walled city with very narrow streets that are paved with cobblestones, but not smoothly – almost a hodgepodge of stones with no mortar in between.  One had to walk with great care and head down so you didn’t trip.  We walked about 3 miles that day and explored the whole town.  Of course we went to the market and I bought a few souvenirs, then we wandered down some back streets and came to the main square.  It is a wonderful plaza full of greenery and locals enjoying the park.  The natives are Mayan and wear very colorful clothing.  They are friendly but shy and don’t like to have their photo taken as they fear “losing a piece of their soul”…

B found a huge grocery store but when he took his purchases up to the register they did not take dollars so he was unable to buy them.  We never did exchange dollars for quetzals as all the other shops took US currency.  We finally started the long trek back to the bus only to arrive about ½ an hour early.  Just across the street was a pizza place so we had lunch Italian style (sort of-it was a Hawaiian pizza)in Guatemala!  I only had about 2 slices but it sure tasted good to me…  As we boarded the bus to return to the port I tried to sit in the front seat but these folks are crazy and insisted it was THEIR seat – cause that was where they had sat on the way to Antigua…  I am such a rebel!  Lol!  Once again Erwin, our guide insisted on talking the whole way back but I just allowed the drone to pass over me and managed to rest a bit.

I think it is safe to say that we enjoyed both ports but would not hurry back to visit them again.  Nicaragua was more my style: friendlier but a bit dirtier.  While Guatemala is architecturally beautiful overall it was pricier. 

Today we are in Manzanillo, Mexico and tomorrow in Puerto Vallarta.  I will blog again then and try to post some photos too…

Vaya con Dios

Costa Rica

Today we docked in Puerta Caldera, Costa Rica.  It was a commercial dock and about 30 minutes away from the town Punta Arenas.  We found some folks that would share a taxi with us into town as the cost was $60 round trip!  I have always heard Costa Rica is a beautiful country so I did not want to stop here without seeing some of the sights.

The drive was scenic as the town was across the bay.  There was lush greenery along the roadside and the road itself was well made and an easy drive.  Our taxi dropped us off at the beach area and we walked 4 blocks into town.  B found the grocery store and I meandered the local shops but did not buy anything!  I know you can hardly believe that…lol!  We stayed in town about 2 hours and came back to the ship where I found the souvenir shops and Rican experience. 

Tomorrow and the next day we are in Nicaragua and Guatemala but I am not sure I will get a chance to post more blogs…  Be safe and stay warm…

Manta Ecuador

Howdy Ya’ll – I am going to backtrack and bit and tell you about the past few days.  On Saturday we were in Manta, Ecuador.   It was a fun port because everything was accessible by walking or taking “cheap” taxis.  We shuttled to the souvenir market, taxied to the supermarket and walked along the strand/beach area all in the same day. 

The market was a typical “tourist trap” which I thoroughly enjoy.  The people were friendly, spoke about as much English as I speak Spanish and haggling for the price was part of the procedure.  Each table in the market was covered with a tarp and displayed similar merchandise – however to me it is like a treasure hunt – there just might be that 1 item I have never seen before, or it is the right size/color.  I bought a few gifites and a box for my small box collection as well as a small piece of art for my travel wall. 

Here is a piece of trivia for you:  do you know why they are called Panama hats?  They are NOT made in Panama, but in Ecuador – but they picked up the name Panama hat because all the men wore them when they built the Panama canal. 

After the market we went to the grocery store and found inexpensive flowers ($3 for a dozen roses!) and some soda.  Our tax back to the ship cost $2 & we dropped stuff in our room and went back out.  Walking in the port area is not allowed in a commercial port so we had to take a small van to the exit – we then walked about 5 blocks to the strand/beach entrance.  It was mostly just restaurants so we decided to eat.  Ecuador it seems is a haven for ex-pats and they meet weekly at this strand.  So we had lunch with a retired couple and her mother who had just permanently moved to Manta.  Mama loved it as beer was .80 a liter!  We had some tasty coconut shrimp and taxied back to the ship for $2.  All in all we spent $7 for taxis – we later found out that gas was only $1.25/gallon so no wonder rides were cheap.  Oh and Ecuador uses American dollars for their currency so we were able to spread some Georges around.  In fact one guy on the strand asked for ones and boy did he ever ask the right folks! Lol! 

We arrived back to the ship in time for team trivia but no win – however my pub quiz team won that evening so that was great.  There are actually 3 trivias per day: team trivia; food fight trivia; and pub quiz.  I have been on the winning team for each of the trivias more than once. 

Someone on board has been sharing way too much and I have managed to pick up bronchitis/cough – oh joy!  I feel fine but sound awful and some of my tablemates did not even want me to be at dinner…   We went and ate with friends… 

I will sign off for now and attempt another post before we leave Costa Rica – which is where we are currently.  If I miss it, we have 2 more ports in the next 2 days but we are on tour in both those ports (which leaves us pooped at the end of the day) so you may not hear anything from us until 30 Nov…

Bien Venidos

B in market with Flat Duval/Stanley

Lima, Peru

We have been docked in Callao the port city for Lima for the last 3 days.  Callao is about 40 minutes by taxi and there is nothing to do in this place.  In fact, outside the port area is dangerous and a couple of passengers were mugged after they went walking where they were told not to.

The ships’ Location Guide, Lance, gave a talk about what to do in Lima and suggested the Indian markets for shopping.  HAL offered a shuttle bus but wanted $30/person!  We opted to get a taxi with a friend and he drove us to the Inca Mercado for $20 for the ride.  He was also willing to pick us up in about 4 hours and return us to the ship.  Traffic here is horrendous but it seems that they drive like Italians – whoever has their front fender forward has the right of way.  They also drive with the horn and seem to have a code: 1 short beep means “I’m here”; 2 short beeps means “lookout” and long blair means “get the hell out of my way!!”  Our driver was Manuel and he did a great job.  Just as we were heading into Lima the first day we saw an awful accident on the other side of the road: one car t-boned another and they both rolled and crunched…  Manuel was a bit more cautious after that…lol!

The Inca Mercado went on for blocks and blocks – it was a lot of the same stuff but it was like a treasure hunt – I was always hoping to find the right size, color and price so we shopped for about 4 hours.  B managed to find the “husband bench” and the ATM in all the plazas… lol!  He was a great pack mule and we ended up with 4 bags of stuff and lots of fun memories about shopping in Peru. 

The next day we met our taxi driver again and went into Mira Flores, the upscale suburb of Lima.  It had a mall (with shops like home-eh…) and a walking street with shops, restaurants and casinos. We found the post office and bought post card stamps so some of you will get a post card soon.  We decided we were hungry so stopped a cute little outdoor café.  I had shish kebab and B had chicken and fries.  It was all prepared with wonderful seasonings and tasted delicious.  It was pleasant sitting outside and watching the world walk by.  We still had a bit of time before we were to meet Manuel, so we went in the casino at the Marriott.  B found a machine that wanted to pay out so he ended up cashing for $10 more than he put in.  He is ahead for “land” casinos and warned the ship’s casino that things better change…lol!

Last night they brought aboard Peruvian musicians and dancers.  They were marvelous and I took lots of photos and video.  Today is the last day we are docked in Callao and we stayed aboard ship.  The weather is sunny and warm but not hot.  My trivia team finally won Pub Quiz the other night so that is satisfying.  We have picked up new passengers here in Lima so we have to do the boat drill again! Yuck!  Oh well…  We are over halfway thru our trip and will head north this evening to Manta, Ecuador.  I will write again from there in 3 days time. 

Bien Venidos