Last Few Days

Wednesday January 9, 2013
Well, the end of a wonderful day is drawing to a close. Costa Rica is full of natural beauty. While riding a boat along the Tortuguero Canal Howler Monkeys were spotted as they jumped from tree to tree, and we saw a sloth as it decended slowly from a tree. Costa Rica has legislation regarding the natural habitat such as it is illegal to shoot animals at least on the north side of the country. There are 623 variety of birds that make Costa Rica their home. While touring the canal egrets, herons, kingfishers, tanagers, and some cute small sparrows were sighted. Arnie and Elly saw 35 species as they toured the rain forest. When they returned to the gate of the port they met a guide who is also into bird watching. This guide took them to a local park where they saw an owl and a Black-headed Tody-flycatcher. Insects abound and all kinds of flowers.
The bus driver was so funny as the first time he stopped he grabbed a machete and went cutting down plants and bringing them for us to see. We saw cacao, small bananas and a number of other locally grown plants. We went to a banana plantation where everything is still done the old fashioned way as it keeps people employed. The plantation grows the bananas, then they get hung on a wire and are moved to the sorting and washing area and are boxed for Del Monte. The harvesting of bananas and the packing is dependant on where they are shipped. Costa Rica's main export is bananas, followed by pineapple, then coffee. The special coffee is for North America and Europe wheras the lower grade is sold to the local populace.
There are many things that one does not pay for when doing a Grand Voyage. The self serve Laundry is free with soap provided. There are also small gifts such as journals and a very nice over the shoulder bag like a big purse with zippers and pockets. Most of the people on this cruise are retired but there are a few that aren't but they are only going part way around South America and will be disembarking in Buenos Aires.
The seas have been a bit choppy and the wind is picking up, but I have to admit that once out on the sea it becomes much cooler. We are heading to the San Blas Islands and are expected to arrive at noon tomorrow. These islands are under Panama's governmental control and there are about 365 in the archipelago. Only about 50 of the islands have permanent communities. So when we arrive it will be interesting to see how these islanders live.

Friday January 11, 2013 Transiting the Panama Canal
Yesterday was an interesting day as the Prinsendam anchored off the San Blas Islands and tendered passengers to one of the islands. The residents live in the past with cell phones, TV's and internet bringing them into the present. Electricity is handy but there are no lavatories. People pee wherever and the women nurse their children in public exposing their bodies. Just a cultural difference between these people and our European standards. Bobbie and Dick passed along what they saw and experienced on the island: children running around in the water and dirt paths and unsmiling women trying to sell their molas. The houses are made of tin walls and thatched roofs. Their dugout boats were powered by strong young men that moved with speed through the waves.
Today we travelled through the Panama Canal. It was very hot and humid but the ship's staff had a lot of cold water and iced tea to keep us all hydrated. Arnie and Elly write that the Panama Canal transit was a wonderful way to see many species of birds with a scope or binoculars. They found 20 species and 2 of them were most interesting: a White Hawk and a Yellow-headed Caracara. They are looking forward to the Pacific pelagic birds which will be very interesting off the coast of Ecuador.
There is a pile of history around the Panama Canal from political to the difficulty in building it. Many people died from Malaria and Yellow Fever. The French funded it's building in the 1880's and brought workers from some of the Carribean Islands.The French engineer who built the Suez Canal designed the Panama Canal but he had not taken into consideration the difficulty with the mountains (continental divide), the disease and thedifferent height of the two oceans. Many died and the French abandoned the project. In the early 1900's the US became involved and completed the project for the opening in 1914. There were some medical break throughs which helped but still there were many deaths by disease. Building the Suez had been much easier as it went through flat terrain and sand with relatively dry weather. The canal has three different sets of locks and there are roads that run under the channel. We had an emergency disembarking a sick passenger at one of these locks as an ambulance met the ship on route.
Our ship is currently without internet connection so I have no idea when this will be sent. One never knows what could happen next so when I cruise it is an adventure.
Saturday January 12,2013
Today has been a day at sea and it has been a day with information overload with three different lectures. The information has flown like a huge tsunami, which was what happened in 2010 when the Robinson Crusoe Island was inundated with water after the chilian earthquake. The history of Equador from it's name to it's people was discussed. Equador was the location where the equator was first measured. Some towns had been in existance since long before the Spanish arrived and they weredestroyed by the Spanish as they fought the indigenous people. There were items used by these people that are still used today like the tagua seeds which are known to us and used in sewing: buttons. In fact other than plastic tagua buttons are very popular in North America and Europe. For those interested in a more in depth development of Latin and Southern America one can access www.visualaids-latinamerica.com for Tommie Sue Montgommery's discussion and pictorial lecture.
Tim Runyan gave a lecture on Shipwrecks of the Caribbean and the Atlantic. He chose four of them that he found quite fasinating. A Spanish Galleon in 1772 had gone off course and sunk off the coast of Anguilla, a small island in the Caribbean. He and a group were the historians/ divers who went down and found the burial sight for the ship and he explained all about the government laws and how they knew where it went down. There had been about 1,000 men who were rescued but the island is so small that at the time supporting an extra population was impossible so they ended up being moved to Puerto Rico. Since this ship, El Buen Consejo, had been on a missionary voyage all the medallions that the missionaries had went down with the ship. Interesting! Then there was the wreck of the Ten Sail in 1794. A convoy of 10 British ships with the lead ship MS Convert were shipwrecked off the Cayman Islands. All of them were interesting historical stories.
Our travel guide, Lisa, talked about Callao and Pisco, Peru. She spoke a bit about the history of the area but mostly about the modern day city of Lima and the surrounding area. Lima is the 5th largest city in South America and they have traffic congestion. It is the second largest desert city in the world - Cairo is the largest. She discussed how the port works and the complementary bus service that will be provided by the company to get us around town. Of course, our safety is very important so she gave us places to go and what not to wear. Peru is a multicultural country with cusine from all over so Peru is a great place to try different foods. Pisco sour is the country's national drink but she said not to try it as the white on the top is egg white and it is not cooked.
Then there was a dreamy lecture on future voyages to whet your appitite and all the upcoming trips that one might want to try.