Sea Days and Ft. Lauderdale ( Day 9,10 and 11, Dec. 19,20 and 21st)

We sailed from Costa Rica to Ft. Lauderdale with no more stops so we spent 2 full days and nights at sea.  Sea days on ship can be quite relaxing and there is lots to do.  We did not gamble in the casino, nor did we use the day spa or buy art or jewellery in the shops.  But we could have!  I walked the promenade deck for exercise and John went to the gym a couple of times.  Other than that we hung out at the pool or up on one of the decks enjoying the loungers, views and breezes.  We played cards and stayed cool in the observation deck or in our rooms.  The food was great and we loved our servers in the dining room and the housekeeping staff.  We very much enjoyed having a balcony and most of all the company of friends from home at Inverlyn.  After 2 days and a night at sea it took a while to get my land legs back.  I loved this cruise and all the exotic stops in places I had never been before.  It just gave me a taste of this part of the world and the desire to go back.  There were many highlights but being in the Panama Canal is something I will never forget.

Back deck pool

Lido deck playing cards 

Wally found a friend 

And another friend! 

Enjoying the sea view

Back to Ft. Lauderdale and it is cool and windy.  We didn't have enough warm clothes!  

Costa Rica, Puerto Limon (Day 8, Dec. 18)

Another early start!  John and I were up early to witness another gorgeous sunrise as we approached Puerto Limon Costa Rica.  We had booked a zip lining excursion on the ship since we weren't sure if the locals would offer it.  As it turned out we could have done it from shore but this worked out well for us.

It was a gorgeous morning and we checked out the market on shore and the sights and sounds from the pier before boarding our bus to the zip line.  

As we drove through this town it became apparent that it was a busy port with containers stored in various places for transport.  Apparently ships that do not use the canal, probably due to expense, will drop containers off here to be trucked over to the Pacific to be loaded onto ships from there.  This is a narrow country about the size of Nova Scotia.  Costa Rica's economy is driven first by medicine and technology, next tourism and then fruit growing and export.







We saw lots of razor wire and bars on the windows and our tour guide told us in the old days the bars were decorative but now they had a different purpose.  Like all the places we have visited crime has increased in recent years...yes the drug cartels.  What appears to us as poverty may not be exactly correct.  Adrian, our guide, gave us a viewpoint that makes you think out of the box a bit.

We arrived at RAINFOREST CANOPY TOUR  after a half hour drive to see a platform up high in the trees and huge bamboo trees.  There was a lovely little restaurant facility where we would be geared up and given a crash course in zip lining.  

The views from here were spectacular and kept me distracted from being nervous.  I had been anticipating this for a long time since John and I had decided we would do this long before we left on the cruise.  I felt quite safe in this elaborate harness system and was thrilled to learn that there would be a guide at each platform to brake you and hook you up for the next zip.

John went before me so he could carry the camera and take pictures.  I felt I would have my hands full just hanging on!  He took a couple of videos and it is really funny to hear myself screaming as I approach the platform.  You go at a break neck speed and some of the zips are 80 ft. above the ground. I thought I was going to crash into the platform but the guide got the brakes on and helped me land safely.  By the 12th zip I was getting the hang of it and wanted to do more...but that was the end!  What a riot and I would definitely do this again.

At the end we sat at the restaurant which reminded me of a lodge but in the jungle and had a well deserved beer!

This is a highly poisonous frog!  The green dart.  

On the way back to the ship I enjoyed looking out the window at the variety of homes, flaura and fauna along the way before reaching town.  This was just a brief glimpse of Costa Rica.  I would love to go back there and especially to the Pacific Coast.

THE PANAMA! ( December 17, Day 8)

Today we were up VERY early to watch our approach to the Panama Canal and then enjoy the day doing the transit.  This is the day we have all been waiting for though we have seen many interesting sights along the way.  As the sun rose the "Pilot" was dropped off on board to guide us.  A pilot comes on board at every port.  

Deck 4 was opened to allow us to come closer to the bow of our ship so that we could see the canal better as we entered.  Coffee and snacks were set up on this deck and a running commentary by someone familiar with the workings and history of the canal was appreciated.

A beautiful sunrise dawned but don't be deceived by a few clouds.  It was hot and humid and you could have worn a bathing suit first thing! 

I managed to spot a crocodile but I was surprised that I actually caught it on camera with my zoom.  If you click on a picture you can enlarge it for a better look and then click outside of the picture to get back to the blog.  Crocodiles were at the entrance of the canal but you really had to look for them.  I saw 4.  They look much like alligators but their snouts look pointier and I think their bumps are sharper looking.  More intimidating than alligators!

Here is one of the tug boats that must accompany each ship as it enters and exits the canal.  The tugs are on standby really, they will not touch the ship unless it needs help to stay centred.  These are part of the huge cost of a transit through the canal.  Our ship would have paid close to $400,000 for a full transit.  Commercial ships pay less.  We did a partial transit up to Lake Gatun but paid full price since we had to go back out again so that is the equivalent of a full transit.  Lake Gatun is at the end of the first three locks and that is where we anchored for a while to wait our turn to go back down.  If we had continued on we would have arrived at the Pacific Ocean.

It was fascinating not just to watch what was happening but to be a part of it.  As our ship navigated the 3 locks, amounting to a climb of 85 feet, we had excellent views of the process as well as the commentary over the speakers.
The ships ahead and behind us looked humungous and I am sure we did too!  There is not much room on either side but the ships are kept straight by "mules" which are steel engines looking like train cars.  Their strong cables are attached to the ships and they maintain tension to keep us from moving sideways.

Mules seen from above and the wheel house of our ship.  

You can see the mules on the tracks to each side of the canal.  The lighthouse in the background is still in use. 

Mules were very busy and fun to watch.  

The Panama canal was actually completed in 1914 and the original mechanisms are still in use today!  It is so amazing to experience one of the SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD first hand!

Along side of us on the way up to Lake Gatun was a huge container ship.  It was fun to watch it and the crew could be seen taking pictures of our ship as we took pictures of theirs.  I have never seen so many containers and container ships in my life!  What a happening place for transporting goods all over the world!

 Here we are nearing the end of the third lock and about to navigate into Lake Gatun.  At the time it was created by damming the Chagres River, it was  one of the largest man made lakes in the world.  The rainforest all around the Lake has provided the Panama Canal with a natural defence system.  It was a bit surreal climbing up to the lake and seeing the ships waiting for transit.  Looking back the Atlantic (Caribbean Sea) had a strange look as well since it was down below us.

 Once we got past all the ships waiting their turn we anchored so that we had a view of the construction site of the new canal.  The Panama is 48 miles long in total and the canals are 110 ft. wide.  The new set of locks is supposed to be completed in 2014 and will be wider to accommodate the gargantuan  ships that now transport containers all over the world. The old locks will still be used as well.  It is beside them and will use a different system that reuses water from holding ponds.  We saw this in Europe when we did the River Cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest.

 Here you can see the cranes of the new construction site and looking back, the ghostly ships in the background  waiting their turn.  Apparently some ships do not book ahead but wait for a space to come up...it must be cheaper that way.  We had booked a passage however and you have to book well in advance!

Now we are heading back to the locks to make our way back down so we will do the same thing over again in reverse.  

The tug comes aside to help us if needed.

This time a "dead ship" is along side of us and this is highly unusual.  Ships are supposed to be able to power themselves but for some reason someone paid for this ship to be guided through by tugs.  It will likely be sold for scrap metal somewhere and from the size of this dead heap of metal I would say it must be worth it!

I really enjoyed this transit through the canal and spent the whole day on decks.  We started out on deck four near the bow but moved around to get better views as the day went by.  I loved seeing all the ships and the size of them!  There were excursions available from the ship.  You could take a tender from the ship once we got to Lake Gatun and tour areas of Panama.  One trip took a ferry through the rest of the locks and then took a train back to meet the ship in Colon Panama later in the day.  We did not consider them since they were all very expensive but I have to say I loved staying on board and seeing everything from there.

It was very windy and hot as we left the Panama Canal and headed toward Colon, not far away.  We went up to the Observation Lounge and sat comfortably out of the wind and heat with a great view.

As we made our way toward Colon we passed many ships waiting in Christobel Harbour, the large waterway and channel leading up to the canal on the Atlantic side.  We rounded the coast toward Colon where we stopped for a few hours and people who had gone on excursions came back on board.  Colon was not a spot for excursions.  The Zuiderdam did not provide any but we were able to get off the ship and walk around the port shops.  Local cabs offered tours but we weren't interested.  For one thing time was limited and also we were told it may not be a safe place to tour.  Maybe just to deter us?

The dock at Colon was very small and it was quite a feat to get our ship secured here.  The dock workers had their hands full as they manoeuvered their small boat to get the huge lines over to shore.  It took a few tries and our engines churned up mud.

The port shops at Colon are very colourful but we didn't really shop.  We just had a local beer at a cafe. Our ship dominated the skyline!

What a great day!  Now the much anticipated zip-lining excursion is on for tomorrow.  Yikes!