Mel’s Travel Talk

We arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico late at night. One of our bags (my large one) did not make it, and by the time we’d completed all the paperwork and caught a cab to the hotel it was well past midnight. We had planned on staying two nights prior to embarkation, so the delayed luggage proved not to be a big deal, but it is still stressful.

Puerto Rico is fun! The people love their music and enjoy one another and life. Their care-free spirit carries over onto the highways.

We wandered around old San Juan. The architecture reminds both of us of Canary Island homes, with wooden balconies and vivid paint schemes. Hardly a surpirse, the Canaries being the Spanish jumping off point for the New World.

Street in old San Juan, Puerto Rico

It felt strange to be so clearly in the States, yet in so utterly a Spanish culture, with the post office personnel speaking Spanish, and English only secondarily.

On Friday, December 19th we boarded the ship for our 9-day cruise. The SeaDream II is tiny, around 4000 tons with a capacity of 110 guests only. But it is a very nice little ship and we have a nice cabin on deck two (steerage with porthole windows). Similar to Seabourn, the service and cuisine are top notch, with everything included.

We left San Juan for two other Puerto Rican islands, Culebrita in the morning, Vieques in the evening. Culebrita is a small island and wildlife refuge, unpopulated by humans. Mel and I hiked to a nice beach and sunned and swam awhile.

Tortuga Beach, Culebrita Island, Puerto Rico

We reboarded and had lunch en route to the second island of the day, Vieques. We anchored off of Esperanza. At 7:00 pm we had a shore excursion to Mosquito Bay on this island renowned for its bio luminescent plankton (dinoflagellates). We motored around on our electrically-powered pontoon boat and marveled at the glowing wake and the glowing paths of fish that were spooked by our vessel. We moored in the middle of the bay and had the opportunity to swim in the water. What fun! Every move you make creates a glow, and the sparkling of these animals as the water ran down your arms and chest was fantastic. Impossible (for me, at least) to photograph., but here is a pic of the bus and our compatriots.

Bus to bioluminescent bay (Mosquito Bay), Vieques Island, Puerto Rico

We were informed on this day that our itinerary had changed completely around due to a storm northeast of us in the Atlantic that was expected to bring high winds and large waves. So on Saturday the 21st we sailed for Saba and St. Bart’s. When we arrived at Saba (Netherlands Antilles) the winds were too high to allow for the tenders to take anyone ashore, so we departed immediately and arrived in Gustavia harbor, St. Barts around noon. We will overnight here and leave late tomorrow night, completing our cruise going eastwards with the wind and swell.

Happy travels!

-Steve

During Christmas eve dinner several angels paraded through the restaurant singing a Swedish carol and carrying lit candles - lovely!

On Christmas day Santa arrived at the Veranda cafe at 8:00 am. We understood he was a bit hungover. In any event we did not make it.

We spent the day sunning on deck and sailing past St. Lucia and its magnificent Petons. We met a couple a year ago from Miami who told us how much they’d enjoyed St. Lucia - its always good to put a face to a name:

The Petons, St. Lucia as seen from sea

We had a nice Christmas dinner and turned in.

Our next day in Barbados was greatly enhanced by the generosity of our friends Helen and Graham who we have met onboard and who own a beachfront property on the island. They have a car here and we retrieved it and they dropped Mel and I off at the Blue Monkey restaurant and bar for a morning at the beach. This was really nice, and we found our own little stretch with shade and a nice place to swim:

Beach near the Blue Monkey, west coast of Barbados

Graham had suggested lunch at the Sandy Lane Golf Club, and they picked us back up around 2:00 pm. This was a nice place to eat lunch with magnificent views and excellent food.

They then toured the island with us in their car. The east coast with powerful surf and scenic coastline is quite the contrast to the calm west coast:

The Atlantic Coast of Barbados - powerful surf and cliffs. We saw some surfers out here this day and it was well overhead.

After a day at sea, we anchored off of Marigot, St. Martin on the 28th. Walked around town a bit. Got a taxi to Grand Case which was small and lovely and serene, especially compared with Marigot. This  town is situated on a crescent bay with white coral sand and turquoise waters. We watched Frigate birds fishing just off the beach - they are beautiful -  black with long, angular wings and long beaks. They fish by soaring over their prey and then diving down to, but not into, the water and scoop up prey fish with their beaks. They seem to have to toss them around a bit before they can ingest them, and I estimate a 50% loss during this maneuver.

We had lunch at Le Tastevin ’seaside gourmet restaurant.’ The attraction of St. Martin is the combination of Caribbean blue and French cuisine. An excellent lunch of fresh Mahimahi grilled and served with sweet potato puree and herbed butter. We had a half bottle of French champagne and overlooked the ocean, beach, the Frigate birds and Anguilla in the distance. A very enjoyable afternoon indeed!

Grande Case, St. Martin. View between two beach-front buildings along the main (i.e. only) drag.

The view from our lunch table at Le Tastevin restaurant, Grande Case, St. Martin

We took a taxi back to town and looked around a bit more then returned to the oasis that is our ship.

On the morning of the 29th we anchored off a small island near Virgin Gorda where we had a beach barbeque like the one we had a couple of weeks ago on Hunting Caye. That was a tough act to follow, but it was nice there. There were some incredible yachts anchored here. Our friend Graham lusts after the 80 ft + sail boats of which there were two or three examples. Large motor yachts also.

The bay at which we anchored, Virgin Gorda, BVI. The Seabourn Legend is the largest ship in the bay, but not by much!

I expressed my displeasure with the chief purser the night before regarding the fact that they had canceled the shore excursion to ‘The Baths’, a national park on Virgin Gorda. An extended family is on board and the matriarch expressed her displeasure as well, evidently in a more effective manner, as we learned that morning that the ship had freed a tender to take some of us back to Virgin Gorda where we could make private tour arrangements. Anyhow we did get to go there and snorkel among the coves and rocks and bright tropical fish.

At The Baths, Virgin Gorda, BVI

Another journey is coming to an end. Not just our cruise, but that of our dear and mighty hound Ras. We hope she will make it until we get back to California on the night of the 2nd of January. She has been an inspiration in my life…

Happy New Year one and all!  May peace prevail on Earth.

-Steve

St. Barth’s is just delightful! Tiny, with narrow, steep roads and villas dotted all around the landscape. The capital city of Gustavia where we anchored is filled with quaint buildings, tons of expensive yachts anchored and tied up on the wharves, and designer storefronts. It is very clean.
The fist piece of rubbish we saw was a champagne cork!

The island is very arid with cactus. So arid, in fact, that this island was not populated by indiginous people. The people now here are overwhelmingly French (as opposed to African or Carribean descent). It quite literally is like being in France.

Tobacco Shop, Gustavia, St. Barth’s

Street Scene, Gustavia, St. Barth’s

Street Scene, Gustavia, St. Barth’s

After being warned it would be impossible to find a rental car Mel spotted an agency that was open. This was a pet store, and I waited among the tropical fish tanks and dog collars to be waited on. We rented a Suzuki speck for (Euro)75 and took off with our British acquaintances Graham and Helen for a tour. Mel had done her research and we set out for Plage Goveneur (Governor’s beach) - wow:

Governor Beach, St. Barth’s

Governor Beach, St. Barth’s

We then packed up and headed over to the next cove where Plage de Saline (Saline beach) is - another of Mel’s discoveries. Here is a large salt pond and some cafes. We ate at Espirit de Saline and it was good and quite expensive (as is St. Barth’s in general).

Lunch at Espirit del Saline, Saline Beach, St. Barth’s

Lunch at Espirit del Saline, Saline Beach, St. Barth’s

We then walked over to the beach proper there. Very nice with several boats anchored just offshore for (I guess) the day.

Saline Beach, St. Barth’s

After a swim there and a walk it was time to return to Gustavia and our ship. The staff set up a deck barbeque this night which was fun. They work so hard to set up a lavish spread and then tear it down in minutes flat to make way for the topside entertainment after dinner. Here are some shots of the spread and our mighty staff:

Staff at the Deck Barbeque on Seabourn Legend

We had a nice sunset followed by a full moon.

Sun setting over Gustavia harbor, St. Barth’s

Moon over the ocean

On Christmas eve morning we anchored off Deshaies, Guadaloupe. Mel and I just love this little town with its carribean pastel buildings, verdant rainforest and attractive coastline.

Waterfront, Deshaies, Guadaloupe

Restaurant menu, Deshaies, Guadaloupe

Drive-through fish sales, Deshaies, Guadaloupe

Colorful porch, Deshaies, Guadaloupe

Building, Deshaies, Guadaloupe

We went on what was described to us as a ‘pleasant walk’ to Plage Grand Anse. It was not that pleasant a walk, quite hot alongside the main highway for half a kilometer until the turnoff on a gravel road out to the beach - this another kilometer or so. But the beach is beautiful, deep and wide with yellow-tan sand and aquamarine waters. This is a fairly steep beach, so swimming there was one of those washed-out and washed back in experiences.

There is a cafe on the beach which was operating. What it really amounted to was one guy operating three fires on which he barbecued bueatiful looking fresh fish and fish steaks and cooked rice and foil-wrapped potatoes. Of course there were baguettes served as well. Rudimentary, but quite charming.

Plage Grande Anse, Guadaloupe

Cafe kitchen, Plage Grande Anse, Guadaloupe

We walked back into town and shopped a bit. The rum made here is supposed to be the very best. We understand it is made from free-flow cane juice as opposed to being made from molasses. Anyway, we bought a bottle of dark, 6-year rum we will take home and try one day.

Back aboard for sunset, lifting of anchor and Christmas eve dinner.

Happy travels!

-Steve

After a day at sea we docked on Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos, at 1:00 pm on the 21st of December. The waters here are crystal clear and impossibly blue:

Blue waters, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

This is the seat of government for the nation, but it is very small both in area (around 10 miles long and 3 miles wide at its widest point) and in population (3,500 souls). Historically the most important of the group of 40 islands as these things often go. The locals are convinced this is where Columbus first landed in the new world in 1492, and we understand that arguments in favor of this claim are quite strong. In any event, the waterfront along the Cockburn Town is named for the landing and is a national park.

I believe these are British possessions still, with Queen Elizabeth II the head of state represented by the local Governor. In any event, very British indeed and our conversations with the locals revealed a very clipped accent different from the patois we had come to expect of the Carribean islands. Our greeting of choice was ‘good afternoon!’ People are very proper and polite and we enjoyed speaking with them.

This place is just so layed back it appeals to us, and is a place we would like to return to and spend some time when we need to unwind. We’d better bring some books! This is a good place to dive evidently and we saw many dive shops and boats anchored offshore.

Cockburn Town is home to the important buildings and institutions - the assembly buildings, post office and library. Most of the building along the appropriately named Front Street have plaques on them describing their historical significance. Nice Carribean colonial architecture:

Sunnyside building, Cockburn Town, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

Library, Cockburn Town, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

Church, Cockburn Town, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

We strolled through some alleys and photographed a few buildings. I am having a hard time describing the place. Feels like a lost corner of the Carribean in some ways. Anyway, here are some more pics:

Laundry drying, Cockburn Town, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

Deserted building, Cockburn Town, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

‘Iron’ building, Cockburn Town, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

Street Signs, Cockburn Town, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

Shaded porches on two stories, Cockburn Town, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

Home in Cockburn Town, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

Home in Cockburn Town, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

We returned to the ship and had a little time at sunset on the beach nearby. A great sunset that night:

Sunset and the Seabourn Legend, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

Next day was a day at sea enroute to St. Barth’s. We relaxed and enjoyed the great weather on deck, the flying fish and the dotty white clouds all around. The sun set this day right into a razor-sharp horizon line:

Sunset at sea enroute to St. Barths

Our sommelier came to our suite and inventoried and stored our wines for us - such service! This guy is German, has 5 first (and middle) names and two surnames, is of royal blood, and I think only half-jokingly says he is 543rd in line to the British throne. He is really great and we wish we had had him on the first half of the cruise.

As I write this we are anchored at Gustavia, St. Barth’s and are readying to go ashore and bleed Euro. We hope to find a nice beach to linger on, do some shopping and have a fabulous French lunch possibly (!) accompanied with French champagne.

Cheers!

-Steve

We had dinner after leaving Roatan at Restaurant 2 with a Trattoria theme. The food here is always excellent, but on this night the real highlight was the simply perfect conditions at the aft end of the ship: tropically balmy and clear night, stars sparkling like diamonds, going through the colors of the rainbow, and an upward-facing crescent moon directly astern illuminating our wake providing a shimmering trail behind us leading to the horizon. It was magical!

The next morning we anchored at Belize City. Our shore excursion had been cancelled which was really disappointing to us - Mel especially had really looked forward to cave tubing after we had not done it on the North Island of New Zealand three years ago on our sabbatical trip. Anyhow, we made do and simply toured the city on our own for a couple of hours.

We anchored quite far offshore and used local tenders that held 50 or more passengers in contrast to our 24-passenger tenders we carry aboard. We arrived at a newly-built cruise passenger terminal with all the requisite shops and colorfully painted railings and facades. We blew through that and went for a walk first around the point forming the northern part of the city which is divided by a creek. The lighthouse is here as well as a Radisson Hotel. Much more interesting is the neighboring inn named the Great House. A wonderful building and we got a room tour to boot.

Belize City is an interesting city, with British colonial architecture and influence that is evident. We walked around the point where the lighthouse is situated on and came across Memorial Park. The homes there exhibit the colonial architecture I am talking about, with large porches and corrugated roofs:

Homes on Memorial Park, Belize City, Belize

Government House on the very southern tip of the south side of the city is classic - colonnaded, white, with wrought iron fencing and lawn and waterfront. Across the street is the Anglican Cathedral which is the oldest in Central America. Unfortunately (and even on this Sunday) the church was closed, but we circled it and looked at the tombs where the area’s cardinals had been buried.

Anglican Cathedral, Belize City, Belize

Government House, Belize City, Belize

Downtown is the courthouse, right of Treasury Street:

Courthouse, Belize City, Belize

This being Sunday, the shops should have been all closed. But due to the proximity of Christmas, I guess, some stores were open. We went into a department store to have a look around and try to find hot sauce for John Shilling (we didn’t). The closer to the center of town we got, the more action there was, and we enjoyed Brodie’s, a large provisioner with a supermarket section, clothing, a pharmacy and so on. Very interesting to see what was stocked on the shelves, which included jars of tarragon imported from France. We did buy two bottles of hot sauce for John: Marie Sharp’s hot Habanero pepper sauce and her ‘Beware - comatose heat level’ Habanero sauce.

Here are a couple more pictures of the city:

Signs on a shop near the Swinging Bridge, Belize City, Belize

House in Belize City, Belize

After leaving Belize, we steamed for two days and arrived in Fort Lauderdale on the 19th. The swells were pretty big these two days, and Mel had a hard time one night. Suffice to say we dined in our suite that night!

One of the highlights of the last day at sea was the ‘market buffet’ lunch the crew put on for us. The buffet line circled through the galley, and the spread was beautifully done. It was festive and a nicel last lunch for those who were disembarking in Fort Lauderdale.

Here are some pics:

Last day lunch at sea - welcome table

Lunch Buffet Line

Bread Table

Andrea at the Pasta Station

Whole steamed Mahimahi

In Fort Lauderdale Mel and I rented a car and ran errands. These were not so bad as it included picking up some more wine! Had to stock up on champagne for the holidays, after all…

Tomorrow after a day at sea today we arrive at Grand Turk, one of the islands of the nation of Turks and Caicos. We spend the next two weeks exploring the Lesser Antilles.

We will keep posting here.

Happy Travels!

-Steve

We arrived and anchored at Roatan Island, Honduras the morning of the 14th after a day at sea. This island has a heavy English influence, having been an English possession and also run by English pirates for quite some time. The Brits ceded it to Honduras sometime in the 19th century. English is spoken as the fist language by many of the islanders. Right now it is quite popular, and real estate prices have risen dramatically as expats come here to live. This is a great place for diving, and there are some great beaches as well.

Turns out December is the last month of the rainy season here, and we were glad we had not booked any shore excursions for this day. Folks who did returned soaked to the bone. We went into the town of Coxen Hole (named for the pirate who established the port here) in the afternoon after most of the rain had stopped and took a look. This is really not much of an attraction, but gives an idea of how Hondurans live on Roatan. Here are some pics:

Corner Market, Coxen Hole, Roatan, Honduras

The butcher’s shop, Coxen Hole, Roatan, Honduras

Bert’s Ferry Terminal, Coxen Hole, Roatan, Honduras

Fish seller’s cart with cooler and scale, Coxen Hole, Roatan, Honduras

Bananas at the Market, Coxen Hole, Roatan, Honduras

Sunset over Roatan from the Seabourn Legend, Honduras

The next day, the 15th of December, we arrived at the Belizean island of Hunting Caye, one of the Sapodilla Cayes on the very southern end of Belize’s barrier reef. This reef is the world’s second largest barrier reef (after Australia’s). The waters here are clear and rich, the reef magnificent. This area is preserved as an aquatic park.

Ship’s personnel set us up on the beach for the day. We had the ship’s marina’s water sports toys such as kayaks and windsurfers on shore. They also set up a full bar and brought provisions for a beach barbecue.

The beach is beautiful and the waters full of wildlife:

Beach with the Seabourn Legend offshore, Hunting Caye, Belize

Starfish, Hunting Caye, Belize

The real highlight of the day on the beach is Seabourn’s traditional ‘caviar in the surf’ - caviar and champagne served in the ocean on a perfect tropical day in the Carribean!

Champagne in the Surf, Hunting Caye, Belize

Caviar in the surf, Hunting Caye, Belize

Champagne in the Surf, Hunting Caye, Belize

Caviar in the surf, Hunting Caye, Belize

After caviar one is ready for lunch, of course:

Lunch spread, Hunting Caye, Belize

Our wonderful staff preparing lunch, Hunting Caye, Belize

Life is good! Hunting Caye, Belize

Shot of the beach, Hunting Caye, Belize

This morning we are anchored off of Belize city. We are a little sad as our cave tubing shore excurions has been cancelled! We will go into the city and have a look around…

Happy travels!

-Steve

We docked in Puerto Moin, Costa Rica this morning. This is a commercial port just north of Puerto Limon, on the Carribean side of Costa Rica. The Dole pineapple ship anchored just offshore was a dead giveaway.

One of the famous nearby attractions is Tortugero Park with estuaries and lots of wildlife and a couple of shore excursions went there today. I believe lots of sea turtles nest in these estuaries.

After our experience at Manuel Antonio National Park craning our necks trying to see the wildlife in the canopy 200 ft above, we decided we wanted to try a canopy tour. This means zipping from tree to tree suspended on cables from a roller clipped on to what is basically a rock-climbing harness. Lots of exposure and adrenaline!

The forest on this side of Costa Rica is much wetter than on the Pacific side, a real rainforest with lots of wildlife. On the ride to the top of the hill where our cable zipping started we saw many very colorful frogs in the foliage of two species - one a brilliant red the other a lime-green and black wavy-striped species. These are poisonous frogs and their bright colors plainly advertise that. But, makes them easy to spot.

We ascended the first platform and prepared to take off. I went just before Mel in second position and made it to the first landing platform. After quite a delay I heard Mel coming along the line. The rollers sing along the cable as you ride along and that sound is transmitted through the cable itself and is quite loud. Much louder were Mel’s screams as she rode the cable towards us. She arrived basically in hysterics, tears running down her cheeks and just so pumped up on adrenaline she could hardly stand. The guide on the far end had to push her off - she just could not make herself do it on her own. He said “Close your eyes! Lift your feet!” he said and then pushed her off the platform.

This first transfer platform was about a million feet up in the air on a tree and the size of a postage stamp. Mel and I and two guides shared it, one guide trying to get me out of there on the second line, the other catching Mel and readying her for the next line on the other side of the tree.

After the second run we hit terra firma, a nice place to collect ourselves and take stock. All the essential bits were there. Seeing bullet ants and getting stung by a milder species sort of grounded us too.

Then off to the next platform and a series of six cables bringing us all the way to the bottom where we had begun.

We were all (Mel included) much more comfortable with the whole game plan by now, and I tried to pay attention to the canopy as I zipped through it. Can’t say I saw a whole lot! But just being up in the breeze high in the canopy of the forest is treat enough for sure.

Here is a shot taken from one of the platforms of a rider coming our way:

Cable and Platform in the canopy of the rainforest, Cedar Valley, Puerto Moin, Costa Rica

And here is a series of my dear and brave wife, Melisa, preparing to ride the line and taking off:

Mel getting ready to go, Cedar Valley canopy tour, Puerto Moin, Costa Rica

Mel taking off, Cedar Valley canopy tour, Puerto Moin, Costa Rica

Mel on her way, Cedar Valley, Puerto Moin, Costa Rica

We have a sea day tomorrow, then arrive in Roatan, Honduras on Friday.

Happy travels!

-Steve

We transited the Panama Canal yesterday. What a fascinating experience! There is all the engineering wonder involved - the fact that this system was conceived and constructed a century ago and continues to operate essentially unchanged.

For me also recent reading and historical context added to the fascination. I’d recently read a history of the California gold rush and the stories of people travelling to the west coast of the US in 1849 and 1850 (and later) are striking. Some overland, some around the horn, and some overland across the Panama isthmus. But this large migration was an undeniable instigator (arguably one of many) of the eventual US involvement in Panama.

I had also read a history of the building of the canal, and I thought of the French effort hot on the heels of their Suez success and the bloodbath that effort turned out to be - the deaths due to yellow fever and malaria (among other diseases to be sure). We drove past the French graveyard on our shore excursion to Monkey Island the previous day…

There is also an amusement ride quality to going through the locks, and seeing these huge ships elevated and lowered 30 some feet at a time…

Average fees are US $80,000. This compares very well with the cost of going around South America.

We transited from the Pacific side and our first set of locks was the Miraflores Locks:

Towing locomotive (or tug), Miraflores Locks, Panama Canal

These tugs nurse vessels through the locks. The size of the locks limit the size of ships that can transit the canal, giving rise to the ‘panamax’ ships which clear the locks by literally inches on either side. There are large container ports on either end of the canal connected with a railroad, and oversize container ships will unload at these. The containers will then be moved by train to the other side and loaded on another container ship.

After clearing the locks on the Pacific side we entered the Galliard cut through the continental divide:

Entering the Galliard Cut, Panama Canal

In the image above, Gold Hill is on the right. I forget the name of the hill on the left. This area forms the continental divide and was very challenging to dig through. The French basically crashed and burned here in 1890 or so. They were attmepting to construct a sea-level canal.

There is no gold in Gold Hill - the French named it Gold Hill in hopes of attracting investors to the project. The French effort failed due to lack of investors, among other reasons.

When the canal opened in 1914, the Galliard cut was 200 ft wide. Currently, and therefore in the photo above, the cut is 800 feet wide. It is hard to imagine transiting through the cut with only 100 feet on either side.

Work on the cut continues today:

Work on the Galliard Cut, Panama Canal

One hundred years later they are still fighting slides and erosion through the cut:

Landslide in the Galliard Cut, Panama Canal

And one hundred years later Gold Hill looks to be fairly well tamed:

Gold Hill, Galliard Cut, Panama Canal

The Panamanians voted in October in favor of widening the canal to allow for two-way traffic and in favor of adding a new set of locks, presumably larger. The new set of locks will consist of a single set of locks on either end of Gatun Lake (there are currently two sets of locks on the Pacific side and a single set on the Atlantic). This work has already begun in earnest:

Widening the Galliard Cut, Panama Canal

Once through the cut we entered Lake Gatun, the result of damming the Chagres River. The basic structure of the Panama canal is this: Dam the Chagres which flows to the Atlantic, forming a large lake 85 feet above sea level. Build locks on the Atlantic side to the lake. Dig through the continental divide on the other side of the lake, and build locks down to the Pacific at the end of the cut.

We crossed the lake through which there is two-way traffic and approached Gatun locks which would lower us to sea level on the Atlantic side. These are a series of three chambers accomodating two ships at a time spaced one chamber apart. Fascinating to watch! Here are some pics:

Panamax ship, Gatun Lock, Panama Canal

Gatun Locks, Panama Canal

Tug descending Gatun Locks, Panama Canal

Panamax vessel leaving Gatun Lock, Panama Canal

Ship in the lock behind us, Gatun Lock, Panama Canal

Leaving the last lock, Gatun Lock, Panama Canal

We had rough seas last night here in the Carribean. We dined at ‘Restaurant 2′ where they served a tasting menu. Our experience in the past was that this was done with wine pairings, but that did not really happen last night. But it is a really fun way to dine. This restaurant is on deck seven in contrast to the main restaurant which is on deck three, and is also located at the extreme aft of our yacht. We were really moving around lots up there during dinner! Mel did okay thanks to here bonine, but wanted to get to bed right after dinner.

This morning is beautiful with tropical clouds and blue sky (and lots of whitecaps on the ocean!).

Happy travels!

-Steve

Saturday the 8th was a day at sea. Had a nice breakfast with Mel on the fantail at the Veranda Café. I finished my grading (I am completing an online course for Foothill College next week). Mel and I had lunch and then attended a wine tasting at 3:00 in the restaurant that was really nice. We tasted 3 whites and 3 reds.

The whites were two Sauvignon Blancs from France, a 2001 Chateau Olivier and a 2001 Poully Fume de Ladourette. The third white was a 2005 Domaine Laroche from the Chablis appelation. Mel liked the Chablis the best and could not tolerate the Pouilly Fume which has a very strong nose often characterized as ‘dirty sweat socks.’ I liked the Chablis, but preferred the Pouilly Fume.

The reds were a 2002 Gavrey-Chambertin (from Burgundy thus a Pinot Noir), a 2003 Henzel Pinot Noir (Alexander Valley) and a 1998 Chateau Talbot St. Julien (a Bordeaux). So we tasted French and California Pinot Noir side by side and that was fun. The French one was superior, but still so tannic it needs years of aging. The Calofornia one more ready to drink with gobs of fruit on the palate. The climax red was the Bordeux that turned out to be not all that thrilling - dark and inky and nice, but not a 90+ point wine imho.

For dinner we took a wine we brought aboard: a 2005 Hendry Block 7 Zinfandel. Mel and I enjoy this Napa vintner’s wines very much.

Dinner was fun - the sommelier I think has decided that we have some credibility and we shared some of the Hendry with him, I think he enjoyed it.

To give you some idea of the cuisine on board I will outline what Mel and I had:

Mel started with the Chilled Sweet Pea soup with Maine crab meat and rosemary brioche croutons, followed by a salad of baby spinach leaves and crsis shallots with a balsamic dressing. For the entree she had a beautiful grilled Filet Mignon with parmesan potato gratin and a roasted shallot marmalade.

I had the cured and roasted lamb loin appetizer with mango coulis, thai chiles and spicy mint oil - a beautiful presentation! Then I had beef consomme and fingerling potato salad with horseradish, quail eggs and double smoked bacon. For the entree I ate pink roasted venison sirloin medallions with a foie gras sauce and caramelized pear. Yum!

Our Hendry went really well with the meal, and we enjoyed it very much.

We arrived Sunday morning the 9th in Panama City - the port of Puerto Amador at the end of a chain of three islands that had been connected by a causeway formed from deposits from the digging at the Gaillard cut through the continental divide. Being Sunday the locals were out it a big way. Lots of bicyclists, runners, people strolling with babies and dogs, and out on the water with us fishing and enjoying the day. Pretty hot and humid, but not oppressively so.

First thing in the morning we went on a shore excursion to the lake which forms the heart and headwaters of the canal - Gatun Lake. We boarded small boats and headed towards the Caribbean side to see ‘Monkey Island’ and boy did we! A troop of (very habituated) white faced monkeys was down along the waterline posing for photos and hoping for (and getting) pieces of banana. They are fun to watch, very intelligent and agile with prehensile tails they use to great advantage. On was hanging on with his for dear life as he leaned way out catching pieces of banana thrown to him by our guide. Here are some shots:

White-faced Monkey, Monkey Island, Gatun Lake, Panama

White-faced Monkey catching banana, Monkey Island, Gatun Lake, Panama

White-faced Monkey looking for a treat, Monkey Island, Gatun Lake, Panama

The rainforest and the islands (formed by flooding the lake) are really beautiful. I took quite a few shots of the vegetation, the towering high-canopy trees and the water but they do not turn out that well. One must see them with the naked eye.

Island with lush rainforest, Gatun Lake, Panama

We returned to the resort’s marina and then had the requisite trip to the resort proper. This is built (as were many things we saw today) upon the foundation of what were American Canal Zone compounds. This one was an Army barracks, and the old buildings have been restored and turned into hotel suites - sort of for long-term rentals by families. The new building contains the lobby, bars and restaurants, and many new hotel-style rooms. The site overlooks the lake and jungle surrounding.

The tour guide sort of droned on and on about the canal. Panama = canal for sure. The take over of the canal by the nation in 1999 looms large in the Panamanian psyche and they are very proud.

The architecture of the canal zone buildings, while not exactly striking, is of historical interest and very consistent from compound to compound as we drove 25 miles up the canal. The buildings generally elevated, with two living floors and corrugated roofs and louvered windows with cantilevered roofs over each row of windows. The traditional building material is wood - lapping slat exterior, much of it painted a creamy yellow which seems institutional and may be the original canal zone colors, who knows? We now see air conditioning compressors attached to each building.

I was reminded today that the canal’s essential engine is rainfall. Without the huge inflow of water into the lake allowing flow through the locks to elevate the ships this canal is a useless ditch through the mountains. The government is interested in preserving the rainforest for reasons pertaining to the functioning of the canal. Our guide told us of being a student and seeing an Ocelot in the park.

Along route today was a one-lane highway bridge right alongside the single-track railway bridge across the Chagres river. On the return our bus awaited a green light behind two passenger vehicles. When the light turned green the two vehicle in front of us took off in spite of the fact that there was plainly visible a car coming the other direction on the bridge. When they met near the middle there was a stalemate. This then was followed by more inflow onto the bridge from either end as the signals went through their paces. What struck me was the immaturity of the drivers on the bridge in solving this problem. It was all about ego; no one was willing to back up, each believing they were in the right and insisting the other party back down.

While we awaited a solution to the stalemate, a train crossed the bridge. We were hoping the bridge could take the load!

Stalemate on the bridge across the Chagres river, Panama

Our guide almost immediately called the police on his cell phone and it took their presence to untangle the stalemate, although to our guide’s credit he had essentially negotiated a settlement prior to their arrival.

We had a nice dinner hosted by our cruise director Jan Spearman. Mel sat next to a man who is the inventor and patent holder of the aerosol can, among other things. A charming man who is hobbled by having had multiple hip replacements and a stroke. I am looking forward to talking with him some more.

We are approaching the entrance to the canal. The schedule is to pick up the pilot about now, then transit the Miraflores locks around 8:30. In fact I just now see the pilot boat coming alongside. We are then expecting to go through the Pedro Miguel locks around 11:00 am. After transiting the Galliard cut we cross the lake and descend through the Gatun locks around 5:00 pm. If you want to try and catch us there are webcams at http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html. The times I have listed are EST times.

The canal is very interesting and we look forward to its transit today!

Happy Travels!

-Steve

We arrived in Quepos, Costa Rica, this morning. Mel and I ate breakfast in our suite at 7:30 and prepared for our shore excursion to the nearby Manuel Antonio national park. Our guide Anna was great, and knew lots about the abundant flora and fauna of the park.

Manuel Antonio is, I believe, the first state park to have been created in Costa Rica. There are many more in the country, but this one is prized. It is the one most visited by Ticos. It is small and consists essentially of an offshore island that is no longer offshore, having been connected to the mainland by the accumulation of sand between it and the coast. It is now named Punta Catedral (you do the translation!). The coves, beaches and rocky points covered with lush forest are home to many creatures, among them troops of howler and white-faced monkeys, black and green iguanas, American crocodiles, caymans, sloths, and countless species of birds and butterflies. We saw a few of these:

White-faced monkey in Manuel Antonio National Park, Quepos, Costa Rica

Black Iguana sunning at the beach in Manuel Antonio

American Crododile - Manuel Antonio National Park, Quepos, Costa Rica

As we returned to the entrance of the park I took a couple of shots from the trail along the beach:

Cove with boats at anchor - Manuel Antonio National Park, Quepos, Costa Rica

Islet just offshore - Manuel Antonio National Park, Quepos, Costa Rica

Manuel Antonio is suffering from its popularity. Camping in the park is no longer allowed and the number of daily visitors is limited to 600. In addition, parts of the park today were closed. We were told this is done to give the natives a breather from the hordes. But it is a remarkable place - put it on your list of things to do!

We were again invited tonight to join a table at dinner hosted by the assistant cruise director. We begged off, wanting to dine alone and relax a bit.

Tomorrow we have a day at sea enroute to Panama City and the canal transit the following day. We need the rest!

-Steve