The marvel of the Panama Canal

A tug boat brings 24 men to board our ship.  They are to attach and release the heavy cables that hold the ship in the middle of the locks.

This view is from our balcony.  Notice how far above the canal we are.  That is because the lock we are in will have to be emptied in order for us to go through into the next, lower lock.  The machine in the right foreground is a mule that keeps the ship in the middle of the lock.  Our ship had only 2 feet clearance on each side and would get hung up on the sides without their help.  Our ship, the largest size that can transport the locks, scraped the sides regardless.  The sides are repainted after each transport.

This is probably a repair garage between the locks.  It is on the top of the highest  point in the locks.

This shows the radical drop in the tracks on which the mules run.  The ship in the locks across from us will be raised to the next level as the next photo will show.

Notice how low the water is.  Once the ship gets into the lock, the gates are closed and water will be raised to nearly the top of the wall.

This is some of the crew on the freighter across from us.  They are taking pictures of us while we take pictures of them.  Since it takes nearly 8 hours to transport, they probable get the day off.

A different trip south

We are almost at the end of October.  It has been a wonderful 2 weeks of cool, sunny weather since we returned from the cruise.  We have brought our trailer to our home and begun loading it.  The most difficult part of the loading is hanging the bags of clothes in the front of the trailer.  We have a nice bar that goes across the 4 feet in the front.  I always try to put the heavier items in the front so the weight is on the tongue.  This sometimes makes it difficult to get the trailer loaded because the heavy items aren’t ready soon enough.  We have another problem this time also because we have to keep certain clothes available for the wedding in Ohio.  I don’t know how we will get everything we need and Andrew into the car for the trip from Lexington to Xenia.  This will be a very different trip south this year.  We will have a good time visiting with the family that will be there to join in the celebration.  We thank God for Noah and Abby’s commitment to each other and our Lord Jesus. 

What a beautiful stretch of weather

I am having a difficult time finishing the posting of pictures of our cruise.  We have other opportunities and obligations.  This past Saturday we joined the rest of our homeowners to do some trimming and cleaning the area.  I even took the brush to a friends house to burn it.  We went to dinner later that evening.  Sunday, after worship, we had lunch to celebrate a member’s 100th birthday.  Later that evening we played hand and foot with the group from our neighborhood.  We always have a good time with them.  Monday we exercised on one of the most beautiful days anyone ever experienced.  We came home to work on the final trimming of the bushes around our own house.  We also plan to have Gary and Linda come for hamburgers tomorrow evening.  They are leaving for Ohio Wednesday morning, and we think this might make it easier to pack for their trip.  We spent the evening watching “Dancing with the Stars”. 

Weather comparison

Most of the nights, the cabin steward molds some towels into the shape of an animal.  This one is a monkey.

The dark beach in Puentarenas, Costa Rica.

This port provided a welcomed little tram to transport us from the ship to the small town.  It was welcomed because it was hot.

We found some good bargains here.  We bought some gifts.  I tried to get a haircut, but the barbers chose to ignore me and take the locals instead.  I walked out.  I had gone into town earlier to try to buy some Pepsi.  I couldn’t get a straight answer from the grocery store clerks, so I walked out of there too.  Here in North Carolina it has been gorgeous weather nearly all week.  It is cold in the mornings but near 70 during the afternoons.  We had a work day yesterday and nearly everyone in the area here came to help.  I borrowed a neighbor’s truck to take the trimmings and limbs to another friend who has an area where the things can be burned safely.  I played golf Thursday.  We began in a dense fog and got our feet wet.  By the end of the first 9, I was sure I was going to have frostbite in my toes.  I was blessed that it warmed up enough to provide some warmth.  Today we had a lunch after church in honor of a woman’s 100th birthday.  She is still alert and able to maneuver with the aid of her walker.  What a blessing she is to our church and everyone who knows her. 

Huatulco

After our day at sea, we docked in Huatulco, Mexico.  For the first time we encountered a rain storm.  Most of the shore excursions were cancelled, to the disappointment of virtually no one.  Those truly disappointed were those whose trips were not cancelled.  One of our party (the man in a wheelchair) and his wife were off on the tour where they got soaked and could have caught a cold or Pneumonia.  So far as we know they didn’t.  The rain was warm and mostly gentle, but they were forced to get off the bus with A/C, get somewhat wet, and return to the A/C in the bus.  This doesn’t make for a good time.  Evelyn had a book that LuAnn had loaned her, so she read most of the day.  Her goal was to finish the book before the end of the cruise so she could return it before we parted ways.  I played some Free Cell on my tablet that I had thought to have left in San Antonio and some solitaire with a deck I had got from the Guest services.  I normally gather many decks that are given away on our cruises, and had promised Linda, our neighbor, to get them a set of 6 so we could use them when playing hand and foot at their house.  I had collected 8 decks when I was told they had run out.  I was 4 decks short because we need a new set as well.  Ours stick together too badly.  I finally went ashore when the rain subsided a bit.  I found a small, cute nearly deserted shopping area and looked for some gifts.  I found a gift for Pieder and took it back to the ship.  I also had a person take a picture of me.

We had thought ahead when packing and put the small umbrella into our suitcase.  It usually rains more than it did during this season of the year.

Hautalco is another charming small village that we had visited twice before.  Most coastlines are full of fishing boats, but they must have gone fishing despite the rain.  We had taken a ride to other parts of the harbor when there before.  We were taken to a “blow hole” where the cave seems to swallow the ocean water before blowing it back out.  We went to a tribute to Elvis presented by the 2 young men from India before going to the evening performance.  It was too frenetic for me to enjoy much.  We then went to the Spinnaker lounge to dance a short while.

This is the large dance area on nearly every NCL ship.  Waiters circulate constantly trying to sell drinks, but we seldom buy anything other than a diet Pepsi.  You can see that many people enjoy dancing even though the ship sometimes rolls, making it difficult to keep balanced.  Our shoes stick to the floor, so I removed my shoes and danced in socks which worked much better.

After sailing all night, as we always do, we docked at Puerto Chiapas, Mexico.  Once again I chose to not take an excursion but hung around the small welcoming area.  Evelyn chose to take an excursion to see how chocolate was made from cocoa beans.  It was hot again and the members of the crew who were off duty enjoyed a large drinking area and swimming pool.  I couldn’t take a photo because Evelyn had taken the camera.  She did get some pictures of the display of some Mayan culture and chocolate.  I don’t understand exactly what happened, but the guide explained some myth about life coming from a tree I will publish and a rock that records it.  This idol worship reminds me of many passages in Scripture that talk of foolish man making an idol and then worshipping it as though it were a god instead of a craft.  They also showed how they treated the cocoa bean in the past.

The local sacred rock of the Mayans.

Fabio, the tour guide, explaining the history of the sacred rock.

This is the most sacred ‘Tree of Life”.  I don’t know exactly what was said because I wasn’t there. 

The Roman Catholic Spaniards built many missions that have been improved to small churches in nearly every village.  It was their way of attempting to rescue the locals from idolatry.  Unfortunately, they only replaced one idol with another, The Virgin Mary.  Christ did retain a prominent place in the church, however.

This is the cocoa bean after being crushed with a rolling pin like object.  It took a great deal of strength to pulverize the bean.

This is a display of the entire procedure.  We think Mr. Hershey improved on the process.

A local lady distributing samples of the crushed cocoa bean.

These are some of the local children who performed for the people on the escursion.

Evelyn had left the camera on the bus, but the staff had found it.  I wanted a ship’s crew member to get a picture of us on the ship, but the battery had run down.  I was sorry to have missed the neat swimming area just off the aft of the ship.

Weather and activity comparison.

It has been very cool here in NC during the mornings but bright most of the day in the afternoons.  This is quite a contrast to the weather we had in Puerto Vallarta a We wanted to begin buying gifts, and I needed a tank top to wear in the heat.  I had been very uncomfortable during our walk in Mazatlan.   Ironically, there was a shopping mall but it was not quite open yet.  Fortunately there was a Wal-Mart next door!  We walked there and found some clothes, including a tank top that turned out to be too small for me.  We didn’t learn this until days later.  We always made it back to the ship for our meals.  I joke that each one of the meals cost about $2500.  We were also in time for our afternoon nap.  The entertainer was from Kent, Oh.  He was a comedian/magician.  We didn’t stay for the entire act because he got a bit vulgar for us.  We later learned that he cleaned up the act after we left. 

One of the interesting things we saw from our balcony was the Pacifico Brewery.  I had drunk some of their beer in our little border town in the Valley but didn’t realize that this company also brews the ever popular Corona.  I never cared for it as much as I like Negra Modelo but was surprised about the brewer of Corona.   Back to today, October 20, we had to go into town for some things I had forgotten to get at the CVS yesterday and some items we needed from Ingles Grocery.  We get some sort of discount coupon every week from CVS, but the staff knows us so well that they often give us the discount even after the coupon expires.  They are very good to us.  We then went to the grocery for orange juice and chicken thighs.  This particular grocery marks down the items about 2 days before the product exceeds the expiration date.  The orange juice is half price and so were the chicken thighs that expire tomorrow.  We had to ask for the discount but got it.  We went to exercise and then returned home for lunch and prepared the chicken and Andouille for our new gumbo.  I had to chop many of the vegetables and the meat.  I have become a danger to myself with the chopping of items.  I have nicked myself 4 times in the past 3 days.  I must have been overconfident since I had not cut myself during the past 3 years.  I have made up for lost time.

Life behind the scenes on the cruise

It is always fun to meet and eat with other passengers on a cruise.  I am always surprised at the number from other countries.  There were several Canadians from Vancouver and several from Australia.   Man of them have a thick brogue, making understanding them difficult.  There were others from Scotland and England also.  The crew was more diversified this time as well.  Most were still from the Philippines but there were many from India.  One of the better entertaining duos were from India as well.  All spoke nearly perfect English.   One young lady who worked in the Guest services became a good friend of mine.  In fact she even arranged to have dinner with us. 

She us married to another member of the crew who was on vacation.  The contracts with the workers run for 8 months before they have a 2 month vacation to visit families.  Nieshel, in the picture, will rejoin her husband on another NCL ship in January. 

We have sailed so many times with NCL that we are Platinum Latitudes members.  With this we receive many perks: 3 free laundry privileges (normally $29.99 each), 4 dinners at specialty restaurants (normally $20 per person), a free behind the scenes tour of the ship, a plate of chocolate covered strawberries (Evelyn’s favorite), priority disembarkation at the end of the cruise and probably something I have forgotten.  I will show some of the tour of the back of the house.

The green/costume room for the entertainers.

LuAnn and Evelyn standing on the stage of the theater.

This is the view from the bridge.  Since 9/11, no one but the captain and officers can go inside.

These are some of the awards and certificate for the ship.  There is also a collage of the officers.

This is the main galley.  Everything on the ship is freshly cut and cooked. 

Every salad is from scratch.

We could talk with all the cooks and chefs, but, strangely, Evelyn chose to not do that.  It was a very entertaining to see the pristine food preparation area.

Sailing into Mazatlan

We just pulled into the harbor at Mazatlan.  Does it look hot and humid?

The cloudy photo is the result of the camera’s being cold and contrasting with the heat and humidity.

Most ports contained many fishing boats.

Back to the cruise

The cruise line had to adjust our first port of call from Cabo San Lucas to Mazatlan, Mexico.  We didn’t especially find interest in the published shore excursions, so we just walked about a mile in the 96 degree stultifying heat.  The town had painted a green line from the dock to the center of town.  We followed it and located a couple of interesting sites.  The town center had a raised bandstand facing a church.  We also found a quaint home that had been made into a sort of art shop.  It also featured a small ice cream/bakery shop.  The proprietors were very friendly and let us walk around the house.  We did have one disappointment:  Evelyn wanted a pedicure and we found a place that gave them but think it was closed because it was Sunday. We did find a drug store where we bought some bottles of Diet Pepsi.  It was much less expensive there than on the ship.   We were happy to get back into the cool of the ship.  We had the first of our 2 dinners with everyone in our travel group in the evening.  I had found the long pants I had thought I had left at home, so we could go to one of the better restaurants.

These are pictures of the town square and cathedral.

This is the art home where the family of grandparents, daughter, and grandchild live.

Rarin’ to go

This is all but 2 of our travel group as we await our transport van outside the Lalolita Motel in LA.

Sailing south

I began the cruise with good intentions: I would eat a high protein diet and avoid alcohol and sweets.  I did maintain this for about 3 days but eased up after that.  I had also intended to walk around the ship for at least a mile each day but did that only the first day.  I walked after that but not in a dedicated manner.  Our first 2 days were at sea, so I was able to walk some.  I am happy I did because we saw several whales breaching on the second day at sea.  Many saw them the first 2 days.  I also saw some sort of large fish breach 3 times after the whale sighting.  Of course the whales were going north as we sailed south.  It was very hot and humid but not as bad as the shore trips later.  We met as a group for a dinner in the Azul restaurant one evening.  I had thought I had forgotten my long pants but found them shortly after the first day.  We had rolled our clothes, and they looked like shorts.  As on our previous canal cruise, a local man had been hired to lecture. on the Canal’s history.  He had lived in Panama as a child and attended an elementary school there.  Ironically, one of the women in our group had lived with her military parents during the same time.  They were too young at that time to remember each other but did get together to reminisce later.  We also attended the 2 shows each of the first 2 evenings.  The first is normally a big production number by the resident cast.  The second was a comedian who took several people from the large audience to act our a comedy version of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.”  It was funny but very long.  The same man did the same thing the 3rd evening to “The Wizard of Oz”.  That was funnier but also long.  What else did we have to do, anyway.  We enjoyed our balcony cabin.  We were disappointed that we couldn’t stop in Cabo San Lucas because it had been devastated last week by a category 4 hurricane.  It was always one of the most beautiful ports on the west coast of Mexico.

  This is Evelyn enjoying our balcony as we sailed.

prepping and sailing

We have spent much of the past week packing for the cruise.  I have doubts that we will do this again because getting ready and getting there is not half the fun.  We had our new choir member and his wife come for crawfish etouffee and had a nice visit getting to know them.  They are Phil and Deborah Vangen.  He is a retired pastor from Florida, and we hope to make them friends.  After we played cards, he had a very touching idea: he asked Evelyn to read a couple of chapters from the Bible.  I hope to employ the same when we have future guests.  Evelyn served her final day at the hospital; I volunteered to help clear some weeds and brush at the church.  We also had a Homeowner’s Association meeting at which I volunteered to be president during the summers when we are here.  Gary will continue while we are gone during the winter.  I also went to see Dr. Lisa Greene, the optometrist who was married to our former pastor.  Shed  gave me an exam and said my eyes weren’t much different from when she examined me more than 5 years ago.  We attended the September ballroom dance of the month before celebrating Evelyn’s 74th birthday, an read the Scripture for the final time this year. 

We withdrew some cash from the bank and checked into our flight with SWA for our trip to San Antonio on Tuesday.  We had to get up at 4 AM Tuesday to drive to Hendersonville where our former neighbor, Frieda lives.  She took us to GSP by 6 so we could check our baggage and fly to San Antonio where our friends, Tom and LuAnn picked us to spend the night with them before flying to LA with the remainder of the group we will sail with Thursday.  We all flew on the same flight.  Tom (who did virtually everything to plan the trip) had arranged for a shuttle van to take us to a motel he had booked for us where we spent Wednesday night.  It was a nice little inexpensive motel for the LA area.  Another van took us to the port where we boarded the ship bound for the canal.  We had only 2 dinners with the entire group while on the trip, and the first was on Saturday evening in the Tsar’s Palace.  We normally eat at the public restaurants because the food is included in the price of the cruise.  There are 3 places to eat free, but the Tsar’s Palace has a rule that men must wear long pants in the evenings.  We didn’t go there more than 4 times during the 16 day trip.  We had a cabin with a balcony and spent some time just lounging there.  I will try to summarize many of the events of the cruise later.