Panama Canal Day 16

It was a short night with the bow thrusters waking us up early again with our arrival in Los Angeles. Actually it was the Port of San Pedro. Much to our surprise, we were cleared to disembark earlier than they had estimated. That went smoothly and US Customs was a breeze. The line-up for the taxis however, was about 45 minutes. That was followed by a rental car line-up almost as long.

Finally we were on our way. The GPS sent us on the 405, a 6-lanes-each-way piece of asphalt. I was elected to drive as Dawn didn’t feel comfortable behind the wheel on the freeways. With the GPS and her navigation, we easily made it to the Getty Center. It is an extensive museum showcasing mostly art, photographs and the grounds are interesting too. We toured the photography exhibits and really enjoyed them.

Next was the La Brea Tar Pits, an area in the middle of LA where hundreds of animal skeletons have been extracted from the asphalt. Especially numerous were the dire wolves, sabre tooth cats and many bird skeletons. It was a cool and very interesting place to visit.

 

We were fairly close to the Grove Farmer’s Market and we had already paid for parking so we decided to walk. It was a smart decision as the traffic near there was heavy and moving very slow. The market sells food of all kinds, fresh like fruit, veggies, meats and cheeses, as well as all kinds of restaurants and food stands. I had a falafel pita which was so, so good.

Then we crossed the street and visited a Trader Joe’s store. We had heard so much about them and knew they are quite popular here in the states. It was interesting but we really couldn’t figure out was all the buzz was about.

It was dark by the time we got back to the car. We decided to check into our hotel in Santa Monica. After doing so and depositing our luggage, we set off again to the nearby Santa Monica Pier.

It is over 100 years old and consists of food vendors, rides, carnival games, together with a few souvenir shops. The evening got quite a bit colder, in the 50’s.

We photographed the lights of the rides and then I ordered a funnel cake because I was curious about what it was.

A funnel cake is clumps and lumps of fried dough sprinkled with icing sugar and chocolate syrup for a topping. I couldn’t finish it all as it was a huge serving. I can’t imagine all the calories and fat!

Our hotel was near and we headed there. I can hardly stay awake.

Panama Canal Day 15

I had a great sleep-in this morning. We are definitely headed north as it is getting colder out. I went to the comedian, David Naster again at 11:30 and enjoyed his talk on laughter.

 I spent much of the afternoon in the room writing reviews of the shore excursions I took, reading and packing. At 5 I went to Darlene’s room to deliver the photos I got for her and to have a glass of wine before dinner. Our last day together! We had a nice supper in the Aqua dining room together, then went to the grand finale show in the Stardust theatre. It was called Elements and was an amazing show with dancers, acrobats and magic.

The Second City did another improv show at 10:45 PM. They were great as usual however this made for a very late bedtime.

Panama Canal Day 14

Today in Cabo San Lucas, it was nice and cool in comparison to every other day. The ship arrived in Cabo early, 7 AM, and we were ready to go shortly after. We had to go ashore via tender because the harbour is not deep enough for cruise ships.

When we got off of the boat, we were met with a barrage of salesmen pitching their tours. They were most persistent and we walked on until we found someone who wasn’t. His boat tour around Los Arcos was only $10 and he set off almost right away with just the two of us as passengers. It was a ‘glass bottom’ boat and had a roof as well. We got close to some of the beaches and also saw some sea lions. Our driver was able to call to them and make them respond to his barking.

As we rounded the corner, we saw the famous Los Arcos and our guide manoeuvred the boat so we got some good photos. As the waves hit us, our boat really rose and fell but our guide wasn’t concerned so I decided to chill. There were also pelicans roosting on various rocks and boats and we saw some interesting yellow fish that were hard to photograph.

After that excursion, we took off on foot toward the church and then the town square. The church was small but nicely decorated for Christmas. The town square was almost deserted which is unusual for Mexico. Most often, the zocalo is the center of the town or city. It’s where people hang out to visit, relax and meet, kind of like the equivalent of our ‘going to the mall’.

There was a museum nearby but it wasn’t open yet and we didn’t want to hang around waiting so we continued on along a main street. We went into a few shops, one of which sold cotton clothing. The owner did a lot of the sewing and embroidery work in traditional patterns. I tried on a few things and bought a lovely 100% natural cotton top with beautiful lacework in the front. I just love this type of fabric for hot weather!

As we continued along, there were many shops with interesting work: masks, glassware, and Day of the Dead figures, some of which were life-size. I was hungry so we stopped at a restaurant and had quesadillas. My chicken, mushroom, salsa, sour cream and guacamole one was delicious and the tortilla was flaky like phyllo pastry. Yum! We slowly made our way back to the dock and caught the tender boat back to the ship.

The afternoon consisted of a nap then sunset pictures, but clouds interfered again. We had a great comedian tonight in the Stardust Theater, David Naster. He is doing a show tomorrow as well and it should be worth going to. Supper was fabulous: surf and turf (a.k.a. steak and lobster). Dessert was even more fabulous: key lime pie! We checked out the ‘white hot dance party’ in the lounge but it didn’t hold our attention for long. Tonight we set the clock back an hour again. That’s 3 times since we set sail!

Panama Canal Day 13

8 AM - Puerto Vallarta. We headed out shortly after and walked to the main street to catch a city bus to the downtown area. The trip for 2 of us cost $1 USD. The busses have seen better days but you can’t beat the price and the interestingness of the ride. I was amused to see the bus driver’s cell phone holder attached to his dashboard– a child’s holey shoe.

We weren’t sure exactly where to get off but it didn’t really matter because we had all day. We made our way to the big cathedral and photographed the colourful plastic flags which were hung in many rows beyond the reach of anyone.

After that, we headed further south into the ‘old town’ district. There are a few tourists there, but not like the Malecon area. We wandered along a market with many stalls down by the river.

I was in search of the public ‘farmer’s market’ that I remembered from last trip – until I realized it was Mazatlan that I was thinking of. By that time, I had asked several people where it was and I was given directions so I checked them out. Indeed there was a market but on a smaller scale than Mazatlan’s. I still enjoyed photographing the fruits in the stalls, the meat in the market, the children playing in the streets. The sights, sounds and smells are like no other.

We stopped at another church then walked over to the Malecon, a long walkway beside the ocean. There is a fancy new pier since I last visited Puerto Vallerta. As a fisherman was cleaning his fish, many pelicans gathered nearby hoping for the scraps. 

Several boats were moored nearby and there were lots of beach restaurants. The sand and waves were inviting and lots of people were enjoying the water. As I wandered closer to that section, the waves suddenly came much farther than I expected and sent me running.

The forecast for today was 28C, cooler than other ports, but it still felt pretty darned hot to me. We walked north on the Malecon, stopping to look at the statues, Christmas decorations, and browse in a few stores. After grabbing a bite to eat, we headed back to catch a Centro bus back to port. We passed many vehicles with live tigers in cages and some large fibreglass animals as well – the circus was in town! 

The bus stopped by Walmart so we had a look in there before walking over to the ship. The seafood section of the store had octopus, squid and whole fish, not the usual Walmart fare.

Sunset was unspectacular tonight due to low clouds. I enjoyed a movie in our room for a change. Then at 10 PM there was a chocoholic buffet upstairs. There were 3 stations of chocolate desserts galore – chocolate cake, chocolate covered strawberries, cheesecake, éclairs, squares, etc. etc. My oh my, what a day to end the day!

Panama Canal Day 12

I’m at sea today with lots to do onboard. I attended a talk on Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas then grabbed a bite. An enjoyable Zumba class was next, followed by a lap around Deck 7. There was a second presentation on PV and Cabo but it turned out to be a pitch for shore excursions so I left. Great timing! As I began to do my second lap of the day, dolphins were spotted! How wonderful to see them jumping and frolicking beyond the ship.

There aren’t many quiet cool places to hang out on this ship, but one of them is the shady side of Deck 7. There are several lounge chairs on either side but they are popular and hard to find. I did find one and was lucky again – this time whales were off the starboard side. Woo hoo! Then dolphins again! And no camera.

Lunch was at the Blue Lagoon, a small little restaurant on our floor mid-ship. The entertainment in the afternoon was the Second City with a presentation on comedy sketches and improv, followed by a cha-cha dance class. Mervin and Darlene came by our room and we opened the bottle of wine sent to us by Guest Services. We had a lovely supper in the Aqua Dining Room then went our separate ways. Second City was back this evening, this time with an hour of improv. No time for boredom on this cruise!

Panama Canal Day 11

The seas in the night were super rough but I made it, which actually surprised me. Today we arrived in Huatulco, Mexico. My roommate had an advanced snorkeling tour planned so I headed out on my own.

As I got away from the cruise ship area, various vendors were selling tours so I approached one. It seemed like a reasonable deal. Then I saw another couple talking to the same outfit and she was speaking Spanish so I asked if she would mind if I joined them. It was a good move because the taxi driver spoke no English. He took us to several stops with viewpoints and we got out to look and take pictures.

The government allowed Huatulco to be developed in the 1980’s for tourism due to the high percentage of lovely beaches in the area. I was curious if the locals were moved to make room for this development and how they felt about it. Our taxi driver was probably in his early 20’s and he told us they were moved but that it was a good thing. He explained that there were few jobs in the area before and that tourism has brought prosperity to the people. That was his take on the situation at any rate.

Then he took us to the where the town square and church were. I asked to be dropped off there as I wanted to photograph them and the other couple weren’t interested in a stop. The driver stopped in front of a textile store. Not only did they sell them, but there were 3 weavers at the front of the store. They used wooden equipment and were busy with their hands and feet. Every so often they would stop the machine and change the bobbin with a different color of thread.

I walked over to the square and found some interesting people to photograph. But I have found that many locals are quite aware of having their picture taken so I just don’t. Across from the square was the Catholic Temple of Guadalupe.

The building didn’t seem to be very old but I couldn’t tell. The ceiling was beautifully decorated and had a pretty blue paint along the sides with stars.

I decided to look around some more before heading back to Santa Cruz, the port area and it was hot, hot, hot as I walked around. I stopped in a few places but nothing caught my eye. Then a vendor invited me to his shop just a little ways away from the corner. I thought ‘what the heck’ and went in to look. I was hoping to find a silver chain at a reasonable price on this trip and I did. I almost didn’t buy it but as I was leaving the store empty handed, he made one final offer that I couldn’t resist.

The first taxi driver told me how much a cab should cost from the square back to the ship area so found one nearby. I was hungry and the ship was nearby but I didn’t want to go back quite so early. I found a small Italian beach restaurant and ordered a pannini and a margarita. They advertised free Wifi but the signal was useless so I just ate and enjoyed the atmosphere.

After that, I walked along the beach and in the water too. Now I see why the Huatulco beaches are famous. The sand is gorgeous and the water is clean and warm. After collecting some beach sand for my collection and taking a few more photos, I headed back to the ship. I thought I’d cool off in the pool but the temperature was seriously cold. The ocean was much warmer and I only got as far as my knees before chickening out. At least I cooled off in a hurry!

I couldn’t figure out why I was so very, very tired until I realized that margaritas, combined with lots of walking in the hot sun make a perfect recipe for a nap. Which I did. For 2 hours! My roommate woke me up to tell me it was almost sunset time. I always wake up slowly, or at least that’s the way I prefer it. After half a Pepsi Max I was ready to go again.

After sunset I grabbed a small bite to eat then headed to the ship theatre for a magic act. It was quite good but the music was awfully loud at times. Argghhh! I’m getting old! D and I headed back to the buffet after the show then I did a couple of laps around Deck 7. One lap is 560 meters so 2 is just over 1 kilometer. My goal is to do more tomorrow.