Category — Travel

This morning we sailed into Puerto Corinto Nicaragua. The passage in was pretty interesting even the Captain mentioned it was a fairly tight and tricky docking procedure. Once near the dock the Pilot spin the boat around 180 degrees by using the bow thrusters and the engine. Disembarkation was a little delayed this morning, however we are not leaving port until 5:30 p.m. so lots of time to explore the town.
Today we opted to stay near the port and we just wandered into the town of Corinto. There was the usual gauntlet of side trip hucksters, bicycle tours, etc. etc. In fact there are significantly more pedi-cab styled bicycles that carry 2 – 4 passengers, than there are cars. The local residents use these as their source of transportation for shopping, traveling around town and of course those lucky enough to own one, the pedi-cab is their source of income. 
Our first impression was that Corinto is very poor and having a cruise ship the size of the Veendam stop for the day is a real boon to the economy. About one block from the port there was a street market with a few vendors selling all sorts of local handicrafts, tee shirts, knick-knacks, etc. This was also the first time we have been approached by young children asking for money. They knew how to say “you got a dollar” and some of them had gum or pencils to give you and some just wanted the money.
A little further on there was a town centre building and local dancers were performing, so we contributed a couple dollars towards the performers.

As we walked around a local by the name of Peter had been chatting up Dean trying to get him to take a bicycle tour of the town. Well, Dean agreed and we were off on a four-seater bicycle adventure. What a tour, Peter started by riding us down the main street and then headed on the road out of the town center area to where the local residents live. This area is very poor and most home are wood and corrugated steel roofing panels salvaged from who knows where. The better off folks have a home built with cement and steel and or tile roofs. Doors and windows are generally wide open however many front windows and doors have steel bars for security. Although they have a water system and sewer system there was evidence of some homes not being hooked up to these services and some of the streets had dishwater running in the gutters.

Along the way we stopped at a local beach where a tsunami had wiped out a lot of the coast line and many houses a few years back.

We then stopped at Peter’s home to meet his family and extended family. From here we headed back to the ship and onboard the ship. Finally, check out this hydro pole in the main center of town 🙂
Tonight is an Oscar’s Party in the main showroom.

More animal art 🙂

Today we disembarked in Punteranas Costa Rica, this was a slight change in plans based on tides and our cruise schedule. Originally we were supposed to sail to Puerto Caldera.
Once we got off the ship we boarded a tour bus to go to the Eco Tropical Mangrove River Cruise. The tour director was a young guy named Chris and the bus driver was Rolando…….. they were both very good at what they did and certainly helped make it an enjoyable day. For example Chris explained that Costa Rica has over 100 variety of snakes; but thankfully only 22 are deadly poisonous 🙂
Even though the distance wasn’t that far the bus ride took a bit over an hour, the last few miles were over a very bumpy and potholed gravel road.
As soon as we arrived they got us aboard the river boats and the Eco Tour started.

One thing that was real neat to see was the large termite nests that were in many of the trees. The first part of the river was very narrow and the vegetation was right to the rivers edge and it was very thick.

The Mangroves were very dense and it certainly helped hold the humidity in and around the river….. it was very warm and muggy.

Not too long into the boat ride we saw many species of birds and a crocodile. Then a little while later we heard a bunch of loud screeching and the guides pointed out a pair of Macaw’s. One was scarlet red and the other a brilliant blue, it was amazing and they were spectacular, but just too far away in the dense forest for our cameras to take a good picture.
We then headed out to the main river which feeds into the ocean. There we saw a few more crocodiles and one was a pretty good size at about 9′. These crocodiles can go to the ocean for a short while even though they are fresh water crocodiles, however after a few hours they must return to the fresh water as they cannot survive in the saltwater.
From here we headed back to the main Eco tour area and boarded the buses to head back to the ship.

Tonight after dinner we went to Showtime and the performer was Cecil Welch  who was a trumpeter that performed for 20 years with Henri Mancini. He was amazing and it was great to listen to the music and hear about his musical background/experiences.

Then at 10 p.m we went to the movie which was the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park Live……….. we stayed for a while, however it’s not the same as being there live.

Now, more animal art.

Today was a relaxed day at sea as we headed through Golfo Duce and towards Costa Rica.
We each took in different presentations and activities onboard the ship and the day flew by.

The following are some pictures from around the ship. The Lido Pool Deck, the Atrium area, Casino, Shops, etc.
In the late afternoon we attended the Dancing with the Stars activity as today they were teaching “The Jive”. The teachers had a set routine and steps that were fairly complex for most of us and Brenda kept warning me to not show too much enthusiasm or energy otherwise I would get selected for the dance off with the assistance one of the ships professional dancers against the three other finalists. Well, sure enough I got picked and almost stumbled my way into first place. Thanks heavens a lady from Winnipeg was a much better dancer and she beat me out.
Before we knew it, it was time for dinner in the Rotterdam Dining Room and tonight’s dress was formal. So lots of dresses, suits, the odd formal gown and the odd tuxedo.
From dinner we headed to the nights entertainment which was a magician followed by a female song impersonator.
We then headed to one of the lounges to listen to the ship house band perform, had a couple dances and a nightcap before calling it a night.

Today was the day that we had been waiting for, it was time to transit the Panama Canal. We were up very early (5:30 a.m.) prior to sunrise to begin our transit through the Panama Canal.
This journey was very special to me since it is where my great grandfather Will McRoberts worked on constructing and maintaining the Ancon Hospital in the Canal Zone from 1903 to 1909. He took his family which included my grandmother Sadie (McRoberts) Sill and her three sisters to the Panama. They were the first white children on the isthmus of the Panama when the Americans entered the area to begin the construction; ten years after the French had given up on this project. For his efforts Will McRoberts received a medal presented by American President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907.

At the start you enter through a breakwater area where the ship picks up the Pilot to guide the ship through the canal and locks.

The first channel you pass as you enter from the Atlantic side on starboard side of the ship is what remains of the start of the French construction and their canal endeavor.

The first set of locks are the Gatun Locks, there are 3 of them, they are consecutive and they lift the ship 85′ up to Gatun Lake.

Once the ship is near the entrance to the locks a couple workers in a rowboat get near the ship to receive lines which are then attached to cables from the ship to the trains or as they are called “Mules”. These “mules” do not pull the ship through the canal locks. Their job is to stabilize the ship in the canal and keep it from hitting the sides while it moves into position. The ship uses it’s own power to enter and exit the canal locks.

Once in Gatun Lake we anchored for about 1 hr while we waited for the winds to shift and calm down. Since the winds were on our stern the Captain and Pilot were concerned about steering and controlling the ship in some of the narrow channels.
We got underway and sailed through Gatun Lake, past Gatun Dam and after about 4 hrs came to Culebra Cut or Gaillard Cut which is the area that caused the most work and injuries in building the canal due to the very unstable soils and the challenge of constructing a canal in this region.

Soon after this we arrived at the Pedro Miguel Locks and the area around the spillways and flood control which is used to maintain Gatun Lake level at exactly 85′ above sea level.

From here it was about 1 mile to Miraflores Locks and then into the Pacific Ocean.
The final landmark we crossed under was the Bridge of the Americas which is located near Panama City. Shortly after we could see the skyline of Panama City which is unbelievable; it is a very large city and looks very modern. The on location tour director said it reminds him of Dubai.
Today was an amazing day of cruising and seeing one of the “Man-made Wonders of the World”.
The evening entertainment was a magician, he certainly kept everyone entertained with his tricks, his delivery and his style.

A Day at Sea Prior to The Panama Canal
Today was a full day at Sea prior to entering the Panama Canal. So this meant it was going to be very busy day aboard the ship.
This started off with a Panama Canal presentation, Veendam Olympics then Dancing with the Stars this afternoon.
The evening was casual dress in the Rotterdam Dining Room.
After dinner we went to the evening show which was the Male Singers from the entertainment cast performing Street Music.
After that it was to the Crow’s Nest for a nightcap.
Also, each night when we returned to our cabin our bed was turned down and there was a towel animal creation and a couple chocolates 🙂

We arrived in Aruba a little late due to headwinds and engine speed. As a result we were second in the line-up for the Local Pilot to come aboard in order to dock the ship. In the end we were only about 1 hour late and they adjusted our disembarking time so we could have the same time on shore as orginally planned.
The port area where the cruise ships dock are similar to a lot of other Caribbean Islands and you run a gauntlet of local cabs and tour folks as you exit the port area. After this is the endless line of booths selling local and imported handicrafts, t-shirts, knick-knacks, etc.
After a bit of a walk around we found a wi-fi hotspot at a local shopping mall where we downloaded e-mails and uploaded a web post.
From here we headed to the beach for a swim and some sun.

After a while at the beach Brenda and I decided to head back to the ship so we left Dean and Judy to soak up more sunshine. On the way back we poked through some of the shops and found a couple trinkets as mementos of Aruba.

From there we headed back to the ship for a light lunch and to relax.
Dinner tonight was casual dress in the Rotterdam Dining Room.
The evening entertainment was a lady who sang and did voice impersonations of famous singers – male and female, she was very good and it was a fun show.
Then it was off to The Crow’s Nest to listen to some Karaoke (which was terrible 🙁 and a nightcap.
Tomorrow we are at sea all day prior to entering the Panama Canal.

Day’s #2 and #3 of our cruise we were at sea headed for Oranjestad, Aruba.

On day #2 Brenda went to a morning session on Cruise Port Highlights with the Shore Excursion Manager while I wandered and got a better idea of the ship layout.
In the afternoon I attended a beginners learning session on Texas Holdem and then an Olympics competition on golf putting. The golf putting was the first part of many more activities that make up the overall competition. Brenda went to Gemmology session that was alright but not great.

Sunday is a Formal Evening in the Main Dining Room, se we are getting spiffed up for tonight’s dinner. After dinner we went to the evening entertainment show and finished off the night in the Crows Nest dancing the night away.

Day #3 was another day at sea and another day to take advantage of the Holland America programes.
In the morning we went to a presentation on the History of the Panama Canal. It was very interesting and we will definitely attend the follow up sessions that are coming up prior to our transit of the canal.
In the afternoon Brenda attended a Flower Arranging session and I compete in the second event of the Olympics which is Ring Toss.
Brenda, Dean and Judy all went to the Dancing with the Stars show and I wandered the ship watching the many poker games going on.
We all met at 4:00 p.m. for a pre-dinner drink and then got dressed for our evening dinner at the Pinnacle Restaurant.
It really is great to be aboard the Holland America ship Veendam.

Saturday morning we headed off on the start of our 15 night Panama Canal cruise aboard the Holland America ship The Veendam.

Dean, Judy, Brenda and I decided the night before to catch the early shuttle to the Cruise Port thinking that it would be good arrive before the larger crowd that would arrive closer to embarkation time.

Anyway, enough about this little bit of excitement.

Wow! What can you say but it’s wild here. Somewhere between George Street in St. John’s Newfoundland and New Orleans LA. 🙂

Duval Street is the main strip where the real action goes all day long, but it really heats up once the sun goes down. It’s pretty much Pub, Bar, Restaurant, Tee Shirt Shop, Pub, Bar, Restaurant, Tee Shirt Shop, repeat as necessary and as many times as you can imagine. Alcohol is abundant at anytime of the day and clearly many visitors have enjoyed themselves a bit too much 😉

However just off the main strip are some pretty historic sites. Like the home of Ernest Hemmingway (and his 6 toed cats), Harry S. Truman’s “Little Whitehouse”, the Southern most Point in the Continental United States to name a few.

The weather has been fantastic, lots of sun and cool breezes off the ocean.

We have done a ton of walking which is a great vacation style for us and in addition to many other sites ; we have seen a Sunset at “Mallory Square”, 60 – 70 pound Tarpon in the Harbour and a very large and mature Manatee.

Tomorrow we are headed off early back to Fort Lauderdale and then we start our 15 night Panama Canal Cruise. Updates will be sporadic as we understand that Internet service aboard a cruiseship is not that great:)

Last Saturday morning we headed off on our next big adventure. A trip of a lifetime to Florida and then a 15 night cruise to through the Panama Canal to San Diego CA.

We ended up taking the Trans- Canada highway though the Fraser Canyon as the Coquihalla was closed for avalanche control. The drive was a little over an hour longer but we made it safe and sound.

The next morning we were up to catch a very early flight to Houston then on to Fort Lauderdale. After a couple days in Fort Lauderdale we headed off to Key West. On the way there we stopped at an Everglades Tour.

What a fun way to see the Florida Everglades………. on an Airboat.

The guide was very informative about the Everglades; the challenge of water levels (average water depth is only 12″), the alligators and other wildlife.

From here we drove down to Key West, more on that adventure in the next post….. and what an adventure it was 🙂