Central America is Calling

It has been a fun-filled month since I last posted, especially since my sister, Kay, was able to join me for 2.5 weeks in late April/May. Let's see, where was I? Oh yes. the Panama Canal.

Well, I'm sorry to say, it was not as exciting as I thought it would be. But that was probably for 2 reasons. First, in May of 2000 Don and I left Galveston, Texas on our sailboat, Cloud 9, and motored down the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) to Florida. During that trip we went thru several Locks and, to us, that was really exciting! Then in 2009, I visited our cruising friends Meg & Greg on their boat, The Wet Bar, in Panama. They took me to the Canal Observation Tower so I could see the whole process of boats going thru. Now that was impressive! Fast forward 25 years (OMG!) and it was almost like "OK, 680 feet cruise ship in a Lock is pretty cool, but a little 40 ft sailboat tied up close to really big boats was Awesome". Guess I have become a little jaded in my old age.

After we went thru the Canal we began our journey up the western coast of Central America. We saw 4 countries - Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico. Kay arrived in Puntarenas, Costa Rica and we hit the road as soon as the Odyssey arrived. The 1st day we took a day-long tour of the Rain Forest with 6 swinging bridges, actually saw how they stripped sugar cane to make the juice (mixed with Rum it is really delicious) and then went on a boat ride to see the humongous crocodiles.

We were still raring to go so the next day we went on another tour to see a butterfly farm, a coffee plantation, and Mayan ruins. We definitely got our walking credits in those two days.

After a day of rest (a well-deserved Sea Day) and finally having time to show Kay around the ship, it was the day for the 1st ever wedding on the Odyssey. While we were in Puntarenas, about 25 friends and family arrived for the wedding. They had a private "official" wedding in the Observation Lounge with a beautiful sunset, music from our classically trained singer, and evidently lots of sweet tears all around. From what I heard, the family party went on way until the morning. Then on May 1st the Pool Deck (Deck 8) was decorated by about 20 Resident Wedding Committee members. They did an amazing job considering we can't have fresh flowers on the ship. No, I don't understand it but some rule regarding bugs. Captain Val gave a very moving speech to the couple about the tradition of being married on a ship. The Bride & Groom and bridal party were dressed in appropriate boating wedding attire. The Dancers put on amazing routine and then a 20 resident "Flash Mob" performed ,which led to a Conga Line which led to the Bride & Groom jumping fully dressed into the pool, immediately followed by Captain Val. The party continued to well passed my bedtime.

And then it was on to Acajutla, El Salvador. In several of the South and Central American countries, we have been welcomed by dancers, musicians, bands, and interesting entertainers. This time it was a group school girls who spent the day in the park in front of the boat. About once an hour they would come out and perform for about 10 minutes. I suspect it was a day to get out of school. The Moms had big baskets of food for the girls and they were having a good time dancing.

Here we toured some ruins in the Chalchuapa Valley that were over 3500 years old. The ruins were nothing like the ruins that I have seen in Mexico. They were often just large mounds of dirt but the Guide said they knew what was below because they could x-ray below ground. They were hesitant to dig to actually see below because they felt it would collapse.

We did see some interesting trees with a green gourd looking thing growing right out of the bark of the tree. One of the workers gave me a small one that they had hollowed out. She said that they still use bigger ones at home as drinking vessels or bowls for food. They talked a lot about the big mound that showed lots of skulls, teeth, and miscellaneous bones. They had a bowl of silica which they said they found in a "vessel" and it was supposedly used to remove cataracts. Now, how do they know that? Makes a good story to tell the wide-eyed tourists, but I'm not buying it. We then headed off to another Archeological site (Tazumal) which had been excavated. It was pretty rustic but it had interesting buildings. Kay was into climbing to the top of them, when allowed. I stayed down below and said "Smile". She wasn't near as adventuristic coming down but she said the view was amazing. The one deep sided ruin was an amphitheater and the loser of the battle was sacrificed. But they did have a very well thought out system for water distribution. There were some really smart and strong people back in the day.

Letting nothing slow down the Odyssey, we were now on to the huge town of Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. Ever heard of it? Nope, me neither. And you know what? I took a total of 3 pictures there, so I was probably ready to close my book on Mayan ruins. It is funny that Wikipedia says the #1 best thing to do here was visit the Cruise Port. Now that is something new. But there were no huge containers in the port so that was nice. And, believe it or not there was lots of small shopping stalls in the port area. Kay & I had a great time shopping and talking to the locals. We struck up a long discussion with a lady that said our ship was one of the last cruise ships to come in this year. She got up about 4 in the morning to drive 4 hours and arrive at the Port before we got off the ship. She had a large stall of hand woven table runners, place mats, wall hangings, shirts, and stuff. She said that she brings all these goods in for her community (which they all made) so they don't have to make the trip. We asked her if she would be there the next day and she said yes, because she wanted to sell more stuff and she would sleep on the cement floor of her stall. I bought a very colorful table runner that I have hung on my wall for now. (See picture) Kay bought a darling hat. We also met another lady who was working in a stall selling little hand made things. She said that most of the items for sale were made by women suffering from domestic abuse and the items were part of their therapy. There was nothing that Kay or I wanted or could use but we went back to give her a donation. She was over-whelmed with appreciation. It was almost like no one ever gave donations. She wanted her friend to take a picture of the 3 of us and then she gave us a little stuffed heard key chain. Such nice people.

If you are into beautiful beaches, and crystal clear bays, then Huatulco, Mexico is the place to go. They have very few Cruise ships visit because everyone goes to Acapulco. There are 9 bays and 36 beaches. This was one stop where we had to rent a boat and see all the bays, beaches, and go snorkeling. Six of us rented a boat for 5 hours and off we went. Kay made sure she took her sea-sick pills and she did great. The rest of us drank a bottle of rum, a 6 pack of beer, and some water and soft drinks. We zoomed past several pretty bays and beaches and then stopped at one about an hour out of Huatulco for our first snorkeling adventure. The water was just beautiful and we hated to get back in the boat after only 45 minutes. But our guide/cruise director had lunch plans for us. We stopped in a small bay and a smaller boat came out to pick us up and take us to shore. We were already wet, but never argue with the guy in charge and we had to take our credit cards with us. A little shopping was done while we ordered drinks (Pina Coladas and tequila) and we placed our lunch order. Huge fresh fish grilled out back and fresh small lobsters. OMG, the meal was really good and we probably paid the owners rent for 6 months, but what the hey! After lunch he brought out 3 gallon jugs of "I called it Moonshine" but they had another name for it. One bottle was flavored with a fruit, one had no added flavoring, and the 3rd was flavored with marijuana. Kay, and I decided to stick with rum and coke, but thank you very much. Then back into the boat and off to another snorkeling site. This one had a lot of current so it was not as comfortable just floating around. But our guide did catch, with his hands, a Puffer fish and let us pet it before releasing it. I expected it to be rough and the spines sharp, but it was amazingly soft.

Acapulco. What a sad sight to see. Within the span of about 2.5 years they had 2 devastating hurricanes. Buildings and hotels completely blown out and shells of a building left standing. It was definitely not the beautiful vacation paradise of old. One day we took a tour and saw some old and new sites. Saw Hotel Los Flamingos where the Rich & Famous of Hollywood used to stay. Yes, the Cliff Divers still do their thing, but I had seen them before so didn't need to again. I decided to not take any pictures of the devastation.

Oh, and we almost got to see the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo. We (Odyssey management) got the word that she was coming to Acapulco and would stop by to welcome us to Mexico. We got about an hours notice. Staff & Crew jumped through hoops to get ready for her to come aboard or at least stop by the Gangway and shake hands with Captain Val. But at the last minute she did a walk/wave from a Mexican Coast Guard ship which was next to us. Bummer. Kay & I were out touristing so we wouldn't have seen her anyway. But there sure were lots of armed military standing around every where in town that day.

Another small coastal town - Manzanillo. But Kay & I had one spectacular day. We went to a beautiful Hotel Resort on a gorgeous beach. We got a Day Pass and felt so decadent. Lovely beach lounge chairs with umbrellas and soft towels. Drinks, of any kind, were provided before you even knew you wanted another one. We played in the water for probably 45 minutes and then decided to get some sun. When we got to our lounge chairs, our warm melted cocktail had just been replaced with a new cold one. This went on all afternoon. Then there was also the "free" Taco Bar. They would fry up a 3 inch tortilla for you and then put different meats and some sauce in it. Meat choices were slim and no lettuce, tomatoes, etc, but they were tasty. We were the only Anglos there, but everyone was having a nice family time at a beautiful resort. Then there was the lovely swimming pool to play in while you rested up from your day at the beach - 5 ft away.

We spent the next day with two young Tour Guides and had a great time seeing their town and eating at one of their favorite restaurants. We asked if the shopping was good around the cruise ship dock. No, definitely NOT. So we went to an area where they shop. Don't know if it was any cheaper but I got a new silver ring, some earrings, and a new blouse. I was happy. And the food at lunch was very authentic and good. It is important that I get a lot of Mexican food while I am in Mexico. For those who know, I love my Mexican food and margaritas.

It seemed like the 2 weeks had flown by and here we are at our last stop. Puerto Vallarta. Hmmm, I never pronounced the LL's in Vallarta. We had only one day to play tourist so we took a long walk down the Malecon - means "a stone-built embankment or esplanade along a waterfront". It turns out that most of the towns along the coast have a Malecon. I never knew! Lots of interesting statues, art work?, and rock creations along the 2 mile malecon. We had to stop for a beer and a Coke Zero (no Diet Cokes in Central or South America) about half way thru our walk. Then spent a little time in the Naval Museum and the Tequila Museum, and the beautiful Cathedral. PV, as it is known by those in the know, has become one of the most popular vacation and home to US retirees. It looks and acts more American than Mexican. I never talked with any real locals (that weren't American) to ask them about how they felt about the changes in their hometown.

I said a sad good-by to Kay in PV but we will have another great time coming in August.

A friend and I took a quick break from being a tourist to get some personal chores done. It is always a experience when you expect one thing and you find it just isn't quite the same in other countries. This is true for nail salons, hair salons, grocery stores, ATM's, taxi's, massage parlors, and just about everything. But, this is one more thing that makes this life exciting. I think these pictures will tell the story. Just a haircut please. Quit Laughing!! OK, go ahead and laugh at your friend. If my hair gets any shorter, I'll be bald.

Shannon and I didn't know anything about Mazatlan so we had not idea what to go see. Just walking thru the maze of taxi drivers is sometimes not worth the trouble. This was probably one of those times. We talked him down from $100 for an hour to $100 for two hours. Tour was OK and we asked him for a recommendation for a local lunch. One hour later, we finally get out of the OK place and he says, OK $100 for next hour. We went back to the ship. Most of the taxi's are old refurbished VW's. Still cute and tiny. We had an open-air jeep. Better.

May 19---yippee---my birthday. In a town that has a name that is fun to pronounce.

TOPOLOBAMPO.......TO PO LO BOM PO. Try saying that 3 times fast.

Tiny little town but I had a great time. Friends asked me if I wanted a special dinner with a group of friends in the Thistle (our on-board version of a nice restaurant). I said I'd rather go into town for a mexican food lunch with 3-4 of us. And that is what we did. I can't remember what they called it but it wasn't an enchilada with rice & beans. How about the size of that shrimp. Fantastic food and 2 margaritas and great chips and salsa. Perfect birthday lunch.

Their Malecon may not be as fancy as others but it was nice. The next day we went on a boat ride to meet El Pechocho. El Pechocho is a Dolphin and what a story he has. He was born over 40 years ago in a small lagoon surrounded by Mangrove trees. Shortly after he was born his mother died. He has never left the lagoon since and no other dolphins visit his lagoon. Our boat driver was born in Topolobampo and he has been swimming with Pechocho since he was 4 years old and he is now 37. He told us that as a child his father would bring he and his friends out to play with the special dolphin. All the locals did. As the word got around about how this dolphin welcomed boats and children, it became too popular. About 10 years ago the local government banned loud noisy boats, put a speed limit in the lagoon, and no swimming allowed. Now there are about 20 boats that will take you on a ride which includes the opportunity to maybe pet Pechocho. Pechocho is very particular about how much time he spends with a boat and if he is in the mood to be petted. Our boat guy, is liked very much by Pechocho. He recognizes the sound of his boat motor and will leave other boats when Juan starts slapping the water. He swims up to the boat by the engine, waits for Juan to pat his nose, then he rolls over on his back for his stomach to be scratched by everyone else in the boat. If he is really happy, he will roll back back over so you can pet his nose and back while he glides bye. Now get this. If he is tired or just not in the mood to play, he will swim up to the boat, just out of reach, with a stick in his mouth. It is as if he is saying hello and you can see me, but I don't want to play right now. Some times other boat drivers will see him on the other side of the lagoon but he avoids them. I asked Juan if he thought Pechocho had ever had a girlfriend, and he said No. They seem to think that he was really traumatized with the loss of his mother and he keeps every other dolphin and other big fish out of his home. His name in Spanish means precious or beautiful, or pretty or handsome. We had a great time petting and seeing Pechocho. The splashing water picture is when he got hungry and was chasing a fish for lunch. Amazing

On the way back we motored around a boat graveyard and saw Blue Footed Boobies. My friend was telling Juan that when she visited the Galapagos Islands, she got a T-shirt that had a picture of the Blue Footed Boobies, one covering each breast and it said "I love Boobies". Juan was very confused until we told him that Boobies were slang for Breasts. Then he really laughed. He did not know that. All in all, another fantastic birthday. Oh, and I went back for another Mexican food lunch and margaritas.

Two more stops in Mexico - La Paz and Cabo San Lucas. Both were nice and food was good. Time to move on. Heading out to sea and 7 days until we arrive in Honolulu. I had a list of 18 things to do while at sea. I don't know what I have been doing but I've only accomplished 8 of them. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy it.

One more quick story. One day while we were in port, a swarm of bees decided to take up residence under one of the decks. The Crew were standing around trying to decide how to kill them before they stung someone. NOOO, hold on a minute. One resident remembered that another resident used to be a beekeeper. Turns out we have 3 former beekeepers on board. They called "someone" who could arrive in 3 hours - nope, not soon enough! Our resident (imagine this) had her face and arm covering with her on-board. They realized that the hive was just moving and weren't really a threat. Then she took a look in the temporary hive, sees the Queen, reaches in with her bare hands, picks up the Queen, deposits her in a box and the rest of the hive follows her into the box. Quickly put a lid on it. Official beekeeper arrives and takes the hive away for another day. What an amazing life I am living.

Remember to Smile because Life is better when you Smile. Captain Val's quote of the Day