A log about those Silly Folks and their Escapades

Saturday was our final day at sea prior to arriving in San Diego.
Since it was our last day on the ship we chose to have breakfast delivered to our stateroom; this is truly one of the nice perks of cruising. However, we were about 30 miles offshore and it was a little cool to sit out on the verandah.
After breakfast we dressed warm and headed down to the lower promenade deck for a walk – 8 laps equals 2 miles.
Then we each headed our own way to take in the many activities on-board. Below are pictures of the hand sanitizing stations set up at the entrance to the Lido Pool Deck and Lido Restaurant.

Dress this evening was casual and the entertainment in the show lounge was “Dancing with the Stars” at Sea Finale.

Tonight’s animal towel art was a monkey.

It’s been a great cruise 🙂

This morning the ship arrived very early into Cabo San Lucas. We got up at around 6:15 a.m. and they had already dropped anchor and were preparing the tenders for transferring guests.
People started going ashore at 7:00 a.m. so they could get to their pre-booked shore excursions. The four of us had nothing definite planned except to find a beach and go for a swim.
Once ashore we walked past the usual parade of tour sellers, trinket sellers, etc. etc. Cabo San Lucas is a very busy seaside port with lots of sailing tours, fishing tours, whale watching, etc. It is also certainly more developed and built up than Zihuatanejo. The marina is huge, lots of expensive yachts, high-rise apartments, fancy hotels, shopping malls, etc. etc. Also, there are lots of small fishing boats with pelicans sitting on the engines, waiting for the odd fish, soaking up the sun and making a mess 🙂 We finally made our way around the marina, through the side streets until we came to a really nice sandy beach. It was still fairly early in the day, but we got our beach towels down and all went for a swim and then soaked up some sunshine.

After a bit Brenda and I headed back to the ship while Dean and Judy stayed at the beach for a little longer. The last tender was at 1:30 p.m. so it was a short port day.

Once we lifted anchor and started out of the bay we passed near a Cabo San Lucas landmark called Lovers Beach and the Arch.

Tonight dress was formal and the show was our Soprano and Tenor of the Veendam entertainers. From here we have a day and a half sailing to make it to San Diego for Sunday morning disembarking and the end of our cruise.

Today was another full day at sea on our way to Cabo San Lucas.
We are trying to keep it low key today, but there is so much to do and enjoy onboard.

Here is a couple pictures of the exercise spa area and someone doing “planks” 😉
After breakfast we all signed up for “Walk for a Cause” which starts at 9:30 a.m. which is a 5 km walk for cancer and includes 10 laps around the lower promenade which is on deck 6.
The remainder of the day we just hung out or walked around the ship taking in some of the events and sights.
Dinner was a casual evening and then it was off to the evening show. Tonight there were three performers: A Comedian, Lazslo & Claudia and Cecil Welch.

More animal towel art 🙂

We arrived into the small fishing village of Zihuatanejo early this morning and anchored in the bay. The crew then started to deploy the lifeboats that were to be our “Tenders” for getting everyone ashore.Since many guests had pre-booked shore excursions they were the first ones off the ship and it wasn’t until about 10:00 a.m. that we got on shore. Zihuatanejo is a really nice little fishing village. It feels very safe and the people are very friendly. Yes, there is the traditional street sellers trying to get you to buy their wares, but one “No Gracias” is all that is required and they leave you alone.We took the beach walk along Playa (Beach) Municipal, then to Playa Madera and finally took a hike up and over a hill to Playa Ropa. Dean and Judy headed off to enjoy a day in the sun.

Brenda and I sat for while and then headed back to the Market to do some shopping. After purchasing a few things we found a little restaurant to have a couple of Cervezas and use their Internet connection so we could download e-mail.  After that we caught the tender back to the ship.

Tonight was casual dress in the dining room.

More animal towel art 🙂

On Tuesday we were at sea all day, so it was another busy day onboard. Brenda and I did our 2 mile walk around the deck early on and then we went our separate ways to take in other ship board activities.
In the early afternoon we went to “Dancing with the Stars” hoping to learn the Tango. However, they were teaching the Argentinian Tango and we wanted to learn the Traditional Tango; so right after the introduction video we snuck out of the theatre.
Prior to dinner this evening and most nights we made a point of getting together with Dean & Judy for a “Happy Hour” drink and reconnect from the days activities. This evening was Formal attire and there were lots of long dresses and tuxedos.

The entertainment after dinner this evening was a couple named Lazslo and Claudia who played violin, they were fantastic.
Another great day aboard the Veendam.

Some more animal towel art 🙂

We arrived into Puerto Quetzal at about 8:00 a.m. this morning. Once we disembarked we hopped on a tour bus to travel to the city of Antigua.
The bus ride was about an hour and a half. The road for the first part was a 2 lane freeway and was fairly busy, especially where it came to exits and or turnarounds for sugar fields and the processing factory. Once we left the freeway we started to climb up towards the backside of Volcano Agua where the town of Antiqua is located.
Antiqua is located at around 1400 meters so the road got quite steep in spots.

As we got closer Antiqua we had to pass through a small village and the roads were quite narrow, it is obvious that they were never designed for larger tour buses to pass through.
As we entered Antiqua the road system narrowed up even more and in order to enter the town we had to go up a one way street the wrong way with the help of a local police official.

After this we arrived at the tour bus stop which is located at the jade factory and museum.
Once in Antigua we were on our own for about three hours to explore the city. The streets were all cobblestones and rocks placed there from the time of the Spanish, so it was very rough to drive on and difficult to walk on. The sidewalks were narrow and for the most part quite uneven; the tour brochure said this was not a place to visit if you had mobility issues and they were right about that.
We visited the local tourism office and went to the second floor to get a good view of the city, then toured through a few churches, wandered around the street checking out the Spanish architecture. We then visited El Mercado which is the local shopping market; El Mercado was an explosion of colour which included many local and imported handicrafts from the region.
In addition to El Mercado there was lots and lots of street vendors selling blankets, serapes, flutes, jewellery and many other handmade local handicrafts. Some of the sellers were very persistent and the average response of “No Gracias” did not stop their attempt to sell you their wares.
Finally around 2:30 p.m. we boarded the bus for the ride back to the ship.
Evening dinner was casual dress and then we attended the evening show which was a re-visit to the “Rat Pack days of Las Vegas”.

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.