Coata Rica and Nicaragua

Today we are at sea after two port days.  The first was Punta Arenas in Costa Rica.  Our plans changed at the last minute – long story.  Although we rarely take a ship tour, we signed up for one to take a gondola over the tree tops in a rain forest near Jaco, Costa Rica.  We have been to Costa Rica several times – twice with land tours of 2 weeks each, taking us to both the Caribbean and Pacific Coasts.  We have walked in rain and cloud forests but never over and through the treetops.  It was a great experience.  So much of the life of the forest takes place above the ground.  Each gondola (open air) seated 8 plus a naturalist guide.  One of the highlights for us was spotting a Toucan in the trees!  The tour also included a walk in the forest with displays of trees, flowers, and a serpentarium.  At least they were in terrariums because I never met a snake I liked!

The biggest thrill of the day was during the drive on the private road to the site of the gondola.  Our bus guide spotted a Scarlet Macaw peering out of a hole in a tree.  At first he thought it was a fledgling getting ready to fly – THEN – a full sized bird came out of the very small hole.  At this point, we could see the baby being fed by “maman!” Our bus guide was excellent.  He was a retired National Park Service Naturalist with excellent English speaking skills.   Costa Rica is continuing to develop infrastructure for tourists – the roads are good and the people friendly and accommodating.  The country has no army, the highest literacy rate in Latin America, universal health care, and an excellent environmental record.  No wonder they have such a large American expatriate community.

Our next day in Nicaragua could not have been a bigger contrast.  The country has been racked with revolutions, civil wars, brutal dictators, and negative interference from the United States.  The country is one of the poorest in Latin America and is only now beginning to develop tourist infrastructure.  Cruise ships have only recently started stopping.  Our primary destination was Leon – established in 1524 – about an hour from the port of Corinto where we docked. 

We had a private guide - Julio Cesar Pineda Arauz was the proud owner of Julio Tours based in Leon, Nicaragua.  His story is what made the tour special.  When he was 14, he and three friends were arrested by the Somoza military when returning from a baseball game after the martial law curfew.  (The Somoza family ruled Nicaragua for generations as repressive dictators.)  Julio was not a guerilla/rebel when arrested but his treatment in prison radicalized him. (This sounds familiar!)  He was released thanks to his grandmother’s perseverance. 

After his prison experience, he joined the rebels in the mountains – the Sandinistas.  When the Sandinistas came to power, Julio was in the Army and went to the Soviet Union and Cuba for training.  When the Sandinistas lost power in the late 1980s, Julio looked for work in civilian life but could not find anything in Nicaragua. He went to various Central American countries to look for work.  His experience as a guide for a blind American visiting Guatemala convinced him that Americans were not the foreign devils portrayed in the propaganda of his youth.  He returned to Nicaragua and continued working in the tourist industry as a bellman and valet at the nicest hotel in Leon.  Guests in the hotel convinced him he should study English more to be able to guide tourists.  He now owns Julio Tours, employs several people, owns a van, rents others when needed, and appears to be doing quite well.  Yesterday he had three full vans of tourists from the ship. 

On the way to Leon, we stopped at a school where the students – primary grades – sang for us.  It was chaos but a great fun.  The school is primary education in the morning and secondary in the afternoon.  We bought school supplies in Leon and dropped them off on the return to the ship. Leon has 1 public and 4 private universities – it was the seat of leftist activity during the various revolutions. The town is low-rise with colorful buildings – shops and homes mixed together.  We walked through the market – a favorite activity for us.  There was everything – fish, meat, vegetables, fruits, etc. 

We stopped at a stand where the owner was skinning an iguana – Julio said iguana tastes exactly like….iguana!  The woman suddenly pulled two packages from below the counter – several green and brown iguanas tied together but there was a difference!  They were still alive – one of the large bright green ones kept blinking his eye as he watched her skin the first iguana.   Someone in our party – who shall remain nameless – did not realize they were alive but when this reality became apparent, I believe the direct quote was – “eeeuuuu…..!” 

YUM!

We also visited the Cathedral – a World Heritage site – built in the 16^th century.  When the doors closed at noon, we walked around the main square when hundreds of uniformed students spilled out of a local school.  Watching them mingle in the square reminded me that kids are kids all over the world.    Our lunch was in a wonderful old hotel built around a central garden.  El Convento Hotel had been a convent.  On our drive back to the ship we stopped near a volcano to see the bubbling mud pots. 

This was one of our most memorable day trips from a ship.  It was mostly due to a great guide, friendly people, and learning firsthand how one person made it through the turbulent years of Nicaraguan history.  

Panama Canal

Yesterday was our Panama Canal transit – our second time.  The first was in 2006 just before they started the expansion project.  We saw major construction underway yesterday.  It is supposed to be completed in 2014 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the original canal opening.  Not sure they will make 2014 from what we could see.  The expansion is to provide wider locks to accommodate the current generation of mega-ships.  Rather than expand the existing locks, they are building parallel locks so there will eventually be 4 sets of locks instead of the current 2 at each site.   There are locks near the Caribbean and two sets on the 

Pacific end of the canal.

Most of the time you sail through Gatun Lake and another smaller lake as well as the infamous cut through the hills that claimed so many lives during construction.  Gatun Lake is man-made – one of the engineering marvels of the canal.   There are double locks as a precaution since a failure would mean that Gatun Lake would empty out into the Pacific or Caribbean.  Not a good thing!

The canal runs from northeast to southwest – which is counter intuitive until you look at a map and realize that Panama actually runs west to east.  So – you go south to get to the Pacific from the Caribbean! 

It was a beautiful day – hot but bright sun with white clouds and no rain!  The ship had a very good commentator on board who pointed out sites along the way as well as history and basic facts about the canal.  All in all – a great day! 

Fort Lauderdale to Aruba

Beach Time on Aruba

Our flights from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale via Dallas were relatively uneventful.  The planes were full but thanks to my Gold for Life status we were in the expanded seating area of Economy – those extra few inches of legroom make ALL the difference.  Dallas to Fort Lauderdale was a bit strange – no beverage service because of the bumpy ride (they said), even though we have had flights a lot more turbulent. 

Since the shuttle to the hotel was not the best experience, the next morning we opted for a taxi to the Port Terminal.  We went early enough that traffic was sparse and we were able to check in immediately – only 8 to 10 people in the waiting area.  Of course, we had to wait two hours to board but we had plenty to do – thanks to Kindle. Our friends, the Quastlers, had to disembark after the World Cruise and re-board for this repositioning so we had a chance to see them in the boarding area. 

After lunch in the Lido, we found our room which is our home away from home – we are used to these Holland America cabins so we know where to put everything.  Later we joined our friends at the early dinner seating along with friends of the Quastlers who are also on this cruise.  

The next two days were “sea days” – our favorite time on a ship!  Relaxation, eating, book reading, Team Trivia, eating, naps, lectures, and – did I mention eating?  Actually, we’re trying to be good on the “food front” which is not easy – especially considering the cookies! 

Yesterday was Aruba – undoubtedly our least favorite Caribbean island – but we seem to keep repeating this stop – this was our third time on the island.  This trip we opted to rent a car and go to a beach that was recommended on Trip Advisor – Eagle Beach.  This is in the low-rise hotel area.  We found a spot in front of Amsterdam Manor – at this time of year (past peak season) they allow “day-trippers” to use their beach front.  The Quastlers had joined us so we stayed at a table under a nice shady tree until the restaurant opened.  We ordered lunch and they delivered it to us in interesting stackable “Asian Steam baskets.”  The food was actually quite good and not badly priced for being right on a beautiful beach. 

Imre opens the magic lunch stackables!!

After dropping off the Quastlers in downtown Oranjestad, we drove to the far south tip of the island to a recommended beach – Baby Beach.  Well – not the best idea in some respects.  The drive was uninspiring – through a decidedly non-tourist area.  It was dry, dusty, uninspiring landscape, one small settlement after another.  Finally a sign for Baby Beach – we then drove by an abandoned Valero Refinery and a prison before finding the beach.  It was admittedly a beautiful blue/green sea with white sand in a well protected lagoon but there were few trees and only a few shade structures.  Very glad we went to the other beach. 

Returning the car was an ordeal – it was NOT easy to find a parking place in the public lot across from the Hertz Office.  The walk back to the ship was the walk from HELL – it was in the 90s with the humidity about the same.   If there ever is a “next time” for Aruba – I doubt if I get off the ship.

Today is another wonderful sea day – tomorrow the Panama Canal transit!