Day 1 – December 21st, 2017
Donna & Russ arrived yesterday and spend the night at
our home.
We were all picked up by Debora from D&D Limo Services
at 10:45 and arrived to San Pedro Cruise Terminal an hour later. The Island Princess was anchored to the terminal and looked so nice.
The weather outside was cloudy, windy and cold,
The weather outside was cloudy, windy and cold,
The Embarking Process was super easy and by 12:30 we stepped
on what would be our “home” for the next 19 days. Our cabin was ready and we headed off to the
Horizon Court for lunch. Our luggage
arrived at 1:00 and we started unpacking.
We joined the other passengers for the Lifeboat Drill and afterwards
the beautiful Island Princess started sailing,
We headed for dinner.
The table was just for 4 people and I met Luigi the maitre d’ and he said that of tomorrow we
will be seated in a table of eight people.
After dinner, we walked around the ship, exploring where
everything is and then headed to the theater for the “Welcome aboard Show”,
where we met the Cruise director Callie Smit, from South Africa and
Captain Michele Tuvo, from Greece. The entertainer was a comedian by the
name of Chris Bliss.
Before going to sleep, we moved our clocks one hour ahead.
Days 2, 3, 4 – December 22nd through December 24th, 2017
At Sea
There are not too many things that are happening while being at sea. Here are some of the highlights:
We were assigned a new table in the dining room. We met 2 new couples, seated with us: Dee
& Rob for Antelope Valley, California and Chin & Pek from Hacienda
Heights, California. Our new waitress,
for the next 18 days is Zelda from South Africa.
Most of the day was spent on relaxing, having good food, and shows in the theater.
We saw Donny Ray Evins who not only looks like Nat King Cole, but also sounds like him. He performed some of the hit songs of the late singer.
On another night We watched and listened to the Cruise Production Company in a theme night they called: “On the Bayou”, a New Orleans Theme Event.
On another night we saw a comedy and magic routine, starring
Jean Boucher. Tova was called on stage to participate and be part of the illusions and became an instant favorite by the attending passengers. She was absolutely
GREAT!
The whole ship was decorated with the Holidays symbols and it was fabulous.
Maybe this is a good place to write about Captain Tuvo. I have been cruising on over 30 different cruises before. However, there is no one like him. He is a true professional, funny, personal, cheerful and the crew plus the passengers just adored him. We also nicknamed him Captain Bye Bye, as he always would end his broadcasting with “nevertheless, Bye Bye”
We met a singer on the ship, who appeared in different venues. His name was Danny Rembadi and we became big fans of him. Another performer, by the name of Radik Bashyrov, a pianist who performed every night at the Wheelhouse Lounge. He was as talented as they come. A band of 3 young ladies entertained us every night before dinner, playing string instrument. Their name was Adagio String Trio.
We exercised every day.
I was walking around the 7th deck for 4 miles daily and Tova
was at the gym.
Every night in these three days, before going to sleep, we moved the clocks one
hour ahead.
Day 5 – December 25th, 2017
Huatulco, Mexico
Merry Christmas!
During breakfast many passengers greeted Tova and told her
how great she was last night.
We arrived to the city at 12 and were one of the first to
get ashore.
There was not much to do in this sleepy development outside La
Crucecita, so we decided to walk to the center of the city. We started to
walk the 2.5 miles and it has taken us about one hour. We arrived to La Crucecita and stopped at a
rent-a-car agency where they offered us something cold to drink and Wi-Fi.
The manager told us few interesting facts about the town: La Crucecita is located northeast of Santa Cruz in Oaxaca. Centered around the
main square or "zocalo" are a number of awesome restaurants, shops as
well as the beautiful church. We asked questions on what they recommend as a good place to
drink coffee and a store where we could get some leather goods in a fair
price.
We sat for half an hour and then
headed to the town’s center and found a hotel, where we received a good rate
for our dollars. We bought some pesos
and headed out to our first destination: Guadalupe Church or as it is called:
Our Lady from Guadalupe, located
in front of the main park in the town. In the center of the church's cupola we saw
a painting that is 20 meter tall image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, which is the
largest in the world.
We sat at a beautiful café, just a block away and sipped a delicious café con leche and some fantastic baking goodies and then went shopping for leather belts and wallet. We found great bargains and then walked around the main plaza’s park. We also visited a pharmacy. Tova wanted to purchase a crème that cost 90% less than in the USA and went to a grocery store to purchase coffee, as the one on the ship was just horrible.
We walked around, sat down in a restaurant and had a couple of beers and then boarded the ship.
After dinner we sat at one of the lounges and listened to the beautiful voice of Danny, the guitarist, and then went to the theater to watch Donny Ray Evins, in a brand new show, singing R&B hits.
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Day 6 – December 26th, 2017
Puerto Chiapas, Mexico
We woke up at 7:00, as the ship made her way to the port of Puerto
Chiapas, Mexico.The forecast promised a beautiful sunny day with highs in the 80’s.
Outside at the port's terminal, a group of local dancers and singers welcomed us with beautiful costumes.
We found a tour van and joined 4 other couples for a day
full of fun.
The settlement at Izapa extended over 1.4 miles, making it
the largest site in Chiapas. The site reached its greatest point between 850
BCE and 100 BCE; several archaeologists have theorized that Izapa may have been
settled as early as 1500 BCE.
The guide continued to tell us that In December 2012, the world's
attention was drawn to Chiapas--and particularly the Izapa ruins--as this site
is believed to be where the Mayan calendar was developed. The calendar is over
5,000 years old, and its last day was December 21, 2012. This was to be the end
of the world, and people and media from near and far made their way to witness
this cataclysmic event at the ruins. "Alas, the end has yet to come", he said, "but that
just gives you extra time to visit Puerto Chiapas and all that it offers."
The New World Archaeological Foundation project at Izapa mapped 161 total mounds. Izapa's most important period core (850–100 BCE) has six major plazas! The art we found at the site included sculptures of upright columns, often serving as gravestones and also altars that look like frogs.
We spent an hour there and continued our tour to a little town not far from the city of Tapachula, and entered a private home that as it turned out to be, was a Chocolate Factory.
3 ladies welcomed us and we witnessed the making of
chocolate. I picked up a chocolate fruit, from a tree in the front yard, and 2 of the ladies processed it and then let us
all taste the product itself (that had been processed prior to our visit). It was delicious!
The third lady was preparing lunch for us: tortillas and
some spicy sauces and homemade Mexican cheese.
BBQ corns were served as well.
We learned that the owner Josefina Garcia (who was sick
today, and could not greet us), won first prize in an international competition
held in Vienna some 12 years ago.
We continued our tour to the city of Tapachula, located near
the border between Guatemala and Mexico.
Out guide gave us a brief description of the city and the
region: Tapachula is one of the most
important cities of Chiapas economically as it is the capital of the agriculturally
rich region as well as port for trade between Mexico and Central America.
The area was originally inhabited by the Mames, indigenous people in the western highlands of Guatemala and in south-western Mexico, and was first established as a city by the Aztecs in the 13th century.
Most of its economic importance has come since the late 19th century with the establishment of coffee plantations. This agricultural production began a history of migration into the area which continues to this day and has left the city with a significant Asian and German cultural presence as well as large Mayan indigenous populations.
The area was originally inhabited by the Mames, indigenous people in the western highlands of Guatemala and in south-western Mexico, and was first established as a city by the Aztecs in the 13th century.
Most of its economic importance has come since the late 19th century with the establishment of coffee plantations. This agricultural production began a history of migration into the area which continues to this day and has left the city with a significant Asian and German cultural presence as well as large Mayan indigenous populations.
The name comes from the phrase “Tapachollan” which means,”between
the waters”.
The city has had a strong Chinese presence since around
1900, when a number of people from China came to work in the coffee plantations
of the area. Most of the descendents of these first immigrants have since
dispersed throughout the region, but there is still Asian immigration to
Tapachula to this day. Most modern immigrants work in commerce rather than in
agriculture. The most visible evidence of Asian presence is the significant
number of Chinese and other Asian restaurants in the city, especially in the
downtown.
Our van parked next to a large church and we walked around
the main plaza and ended up in a restaurant for cold beer, tortillas and
coffee.
We returned to the ship, took a nap and met everyone at the
dinner table.
Sunset today was spectacular!!
The show tonight featured David Meyer, an
instrumentalist, who played the sax and the xylophone. He was great!
After the show we proceeded to the Explorer Lounge to play
the Yes/No Game.
Day 7 – December 27th, 2017
Quetzal, Guatemala
We woke up at 6:00 and while we were having our breakfast,
the ship approached the port, as the sun was rising in the east. What a beautiful sight.
This port is Guatemala's largest Pacific Ocean port and is
important to large cargo ship and of course cruise ships.
We met our pre arranged guide, Ricardo and started a long
drive to La Antigua. It took us
about 90 minutes and on our way we stopped next to a tall chain of
volcanoes. We stopped to take a photo of
a rock that looks like an Indian woman. 
Ricardo told us that we are next to Pacaya, an active
complex volcano in Guatemala, which first erupted some 23,000 years ago and has
erupted at least 23 times since the Spanish invasion of Guatemala. Pacaya rises
to an elevation of 8,373 feet. After being quiet for a century, it erupted
violently in 1965 and has been erupting continuously since then. Much of its
activity is Strombolian (ejection of incandescent lava bombs, to altitudes of
tens to a few hundreds of feet. The eruptions are small to medium in volume,
with sporadic violence), but occasional huge eruptions also occur, sometimes
showering the area of the nearby towns with ash.
We were split into two groups: English speaking and Spanish
speaking. First part of our tour involved visiting the "nursery" of
coffee plants as well as fruit trees. Second part takes us out to the coffee
trees where we picked coffee beans right off the trees. In the third part we were
taken to the factory itself and watched the process of making the coffee beans: Cleaning the beans, drying process and the roasting process, at the end of the tour we were served (plastic) cups filled
with delicious coffee.
The views of the mountains, surrounding the plantation were
remarkable.
The tour lasted a couple of hours and our van took us to our
next stop: The city of Antigua.
The city is situated in the central highlands of Guatemala and
is famous for its well-preserved Spanish Baroque-influenced architecture as
well as a number of ruins of colonial churches. It once served as the capital of the
Kingdom of Guatemala, and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The city is laid out in a square pattern, with streets
running north to south and from east to west, with a central square. Both
church and government buildings were designated important places around the
central plaza.
As time was running short, we started our tour in Convento
de Las Capuchinas. This was (for me)
the highlight of the day. Ricardo seemed
so happy to give us a meaningful tour at last.
He knew many facts of the convent: The massive convent was a thriving
community of nuns from 1736 until the 1773 earthquake, after which it was
abandoned.
Construction started on 1731 and was blessed on 1736. In fact, it was the last convent to be built in the city, and the first one that stopped asking for a donation to the new nuns, allowing the poor ladies to embrace religious life.
Construction started on 1731 and was blessed on 1736. In fact, it was the last convent to be built in the city, and the first one that stopped asking for a donation to the new nuns, allowing the poor ladies to embrace religious life.
Daily routine for the nuns was ruled by strict regulations
which include for some, the maximum discipline on poverty, penance and fasting;
also, they should survive on the tithing only; nevertheless, since the arrival
of this convent there were two kinds of nuns in Santiago de los Caballeros:
discalced and urban. The nuns were forbidden to meet their own family, face-to-face, and were allowed to only talk to their dear ones through a wall. The priest id not want the nun to filled with longings to their family, which would make their life more miserable.
We just adored the tranquil gardens, sparse nuns’ cells and
a terrific view from the roof.
We had 45 minutes left in our tour and we rushed the
beautiful streets of the city, promising ourselves that we must return for at
least 2 more days to to really enjoy the city.
We returned to the ship at 4:30, just in time to shower,
changed to clean clothing and met everyone in the dining room. We listened to Danny, the guitarist, for
awhile and then attended the theater to watch a comedian, magician and a
balloon maker by the name of John Cassidy, who dazzled us with his routine.
Notes about the tour: We booked the tour with Turansa
Tours. We were very disappointed by
the suggested itinerary and their costs.
Out of the 8 hours tour, 3 hours were spent on driving another 2-3 hours
in the plantation (where the guide took a siesta) and we felt that the main
attraction of Antigua deserved more than the 2 hours left in the tour. They should have mentioned it and we would
have skipped the Coffee Plantation tour.
The price for the tour was around $360 for both of us. Now: A round trip with a taxi from the port to Antigua costs roughly $40 per person and a local tour guide in Antigua
charges $10 per hour pp. Do the math. I
do not recommend booking tours with them.
Day 8, 9 – December 28th through December 29th, 2017
At Sea
These two days were spent on relaxing and enjoying what the
ship had to offer.
The highlight was attending the renewal of the vows between
Deb & Rob, our dining friends. The
ceremony was really nice, conducted by the cruise Captain. Also attended were Donna, Russ, Chin
& Pek.
In the daytime we exercised, relax and read our books. In the evening we followed Danny, the
guitarist, and of course attended the theater.
One night we listened to David Brooks aka “The Piano Man”. In his electrifying performance, David played a
tribute to many Piano Greats such as Elton John, Billy Joel, Ray Charles,
Little Richard and Liberace.
We also enjoyed the talents of Duncan Tuck, a talented musician that combines his songs with humor.
We also enjoyed the talents of Duncan Tuck, a talented musician that combines his songs with humor.
Oh yes, there was also a fashion show, where some of the (chosen)
passengers were modeling cloths. Tova
was one of the models. She was just
great, marching on stage with so much confidence, beauty, charm and with a huge smile
on her pretty face.
Day 10 – December 30th, 2017
Panama Canal
We woke up at 6:00 to view our ship entering the Panama Canal. A guide was narrating the highlights, on the loudspeaker, of this wonder of the world and of course we were (once again) impressed with the engineering and the beauty of the surroundings.
The artificial 48 mile waterway connects the Atlantic
Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts across the narrow strip of land of
Panama and is a conduit for maritime trade.
Canal locks, located at each end, lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial lake created to reduce the amount of excavation work required for the canal, 85 feet above sea level, and then lower the ships at the other end. The original locks are 110 feet wide. A third, wider lane of locks was constructed between September 2007 and May 2016. The expanded canal began commercial operation on June 26, 2016. The new locks allow transit of larger ships, capable of handling more cargo.
Canal locks, located at each end, lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial lake created to reduce the amount of excavation work required for the canal, 85 feet above sea level, and then lower the ships at the other end. The original locks are 110 feet wide. A third, wider lane of locks was constructed between September 2007 and May 2016. The expanded canal began commercial operation on June 26, 2016. The new locks allow transit of larger ships, capable of handling more cargo.
France began work on the canal in 1881, but stopped due to engineering problems and a high worker mortality rate. The United States took over the project in 1904 and opened the canal on August 15, 1914. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, the Panama Canal shortcut greatly reduced the time for ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, enabling them to avoid the lengthy, hazardous Cape Horn route around the southernmost tip of South America via the Drake Passage or Strait of Magellan.
When the work was completed, Panama Canal was declared as
“The Eighth Wonder of the World”.
Colombia, France, and later the United States controlled the
territory surrounding the canal during construction. The U.S. continued to
control the canal and surrounding Panama Canal Zone until 1977. After a period
of joint American–Panamanian control, in 1999, the canal was taken over by the
Panamanian government and is now managed and operated by the government-owned
Panama Canal Authority.
We passed through three locks: Gatun, Pedro Miguel and
Miraflores. At the end of the day we docked at the other side of the canal at
the huge Gatun Lake.
Many passengers held up signs of celebrations and the
spectators on land cheered us and our signs.
Princess Cruise awarded us a dinner at a specialty restaurant, in honor of our 46th anniversary. We used the gift at the Bayou Café, a New Orleans Bistro.
At the theater we attended the Wayne Hoffman show. The so called mentalist dazzled us with his
talent and illusions. He appeared on
America Got Talent show but has not advanced to the finals. He also appeared on the Today Show and
left the hosts shocked when he predicted that one of them would love to be in Egypt. He also guessed the hotel room number he would have loved to be in.
Day 11 – December 31st, 2017
Cruising the Panama Canal
We woke up at 7:30 as the ship started its’ return to the
Pacific Ocean. Once again we made our way through the set of locks.
In the afternoon I had a full body massage and it was
fantastic.
The dinner tonight had a special festive menu, as we
celebrated the end of 2017 and welcoming 2018.
After dinner we attended the Karaoke Finals, where one of
our fellow passengers was declared as the winner and then attended the Marriage
Match Game, which is always very funny and entertaining.
There was a mechanical problem with the stage at the theater
so the production show was cancelled and instead the talented Wayne Hoffman appeared again with new illusions.
After the show and close to midnight we all went to the
poolside on the 12th deck where the New Year Eve Party took
place. Dancing, drinking and having
great appetizers & deserts was the right way to welcome the New Year.
Before going to sleep we moved our clocks one hour back.
Day 12 – January 1st, 2018
At Sea
Happy New Year!
We woke up at 7:30 and after breakfast went to the Atrium,
in the middle of ship, to enjoy the funny balloonist, John Cassidy,
entertaining the kids on the ship. The artist gave me a bunch of colorful balloons, which we used to decorate our room and door, for our upcoming 46th anniversary. We
then, walked around the ship on the 7th deck for an hour, and then
retired for an afternoon nap.
After dinner we watched an encore by Duncan Tuck, who brought us a whole brand new material.
Day 13 – January 2nd, 2018
Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Happy Birthday Nadav!
We woke up at 6:00. As
we were done with breakfast, the ship anchored in Puntarenas. The weather was just perfect.
We found a taxi at the main street, along the pier. The driver name was Francisco
We stopped for a delicious coffee and then made our way to the Natuwa Macau Sanctuary. We planned it, so we would be there before the rest of the loaded buses would arrive with the ship’s passengers.
We found a taxi at the main street, along the pier. The driver name was Francisco
We stopped for a delicious coffee and then made our way to the Natuwa Macau Sanctuary. We planned it, so we would be there before the rest of the loaded buses would arrive with the ship’s passengers.
A local ranger took us around the beautiful sanctuary. We watched about 200 (!) different species of parrots! we were told that the sanctuary rescues birds that are unable
to survive on their own in the wild and if possible will return them to their
natural habitat. If the birds are unable to survive on their own, the sanctuary
provides a home for them. The birds were gorgeous and there were several
species in addition to the Scarlet Macaws, including a jaguar, several species
of monkeys and more. It was a wonderful place to see these
beautiful creatures.
We spent about an hour and a half in this magnificent place and as we left, the busses with load of passengers had arrived.
We returned to the beachfront of Puntarenas and found a cute and cozy restaurant. We ordered large BBQ fish and chips and shared it, along with a couple of beers.
We walked back to the ship. On the dock stood a girl who offered the passengers local fruit, as a nice gesture from the local city and as we approached the ship, a group of local dancers performed folklore dancing.
We watched the sunset and agreed it was one of the best we have seen. Nature was showing off today!!
Once we were in our cabin, we took a nap and met our friends
in the dining room afterwards.
We joined a game called “Name That Movie” and then went to
the theater to laugh as a comedian named Fantastic Patrick presented his
“schpill”.
Day 14 – January 3rd, 2018
San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua
Woke up at 6 and watched our vessel entering the port of San
Juan Del Sur, while having breakfast.
Once again we were lucky with the weather. We tendered to shore and joined a group of 6 other passengers to a tour offered by Macua Tours. Our guide’s name was Ariel.
We drove almost two and a half hours(!), passing beautiful scenery on our way, to our first destination:
A lagoon, with fresh water, created naturally from rain, inside an inactive crate, on the bottom of a volcano. Our guide told us that Nicaragua has 19 different volcanoes on its land. We stood at Catarina Viewpoint, looking at the Apoyo Lagoon, adoring the beauty of nature.
Ariel told us that this is one of the highest hills
surrounding the Apoyo Lagoon. We were able to see the whole lagoon as well as Lake
Nicaragua behind it. We also saw The Mombacho Volcano, which borders
the lake and is a prominently present. There were also some souvenir shops
around the viewpoint selling some locally produced handcrafts.
Note: The problem of touring in a group is the time allowed
to actually enjoy the stops on the tour.
Here we were given 20 minutes and we stretched by an additional 10 minutes that are not sufficient to even breathe in the beauty that surrounds you.
We headed to our next destination and arrived 20 minutes
later to Vulcan Masaya National Park, Nicaragua's first and largest
national park. We were told by Ariel
that this is one of the most popular tourism attractions in the Pacific region
of Nicaragua. The reason is that in this park you can get in direct contact
with its most active crater and its surrounding, as well as with the special
flora and fauna on place. He warned us that this is an active volcano that could erupt in any given moment. If there is a tremble or loud voice, we should run fast to the bottom of the hill asap, or we would be doomed!
There was a queue of cars and buses full with tourist and
once we entered the park we witnessed lava rocks, burned fields but also
beautiful bushes, trees and flower beds.
We reached to the highlight of the park: a HUGE crater, still
active. Steam came out of its center and
the whole experience was awesome.
Note: Once again, we were limited to 30 minutes (!) in a
park where you could spend a whole day exploring.
We climbed onto the van and Ariel declared: “lunch is next?” We drove to city of Granada and found the Elaimirante
restaurant. A table was already prearranged for us.
Lunch was quite good and we spent OVER an hour eating.
We then drove a short distance to Lake Nicaragua where we boarded a boat for a cruise around the lake that has many small islands and hovered by 3 huge volcanoes.
The huge lake, made of freshwater with an area of more
than 3,000 sq mi, is the largest lake in Central America, and the 19th
largest lake in the world (by area).
The lake drains to the Caribbean Sea via the San
Juan River, historically making the lakeside city of Granada, an Atlantic
port although Granada (as well as the entire lake) is closer to the Pacific
Ocean geographically. The lake has a history of Caribbean pirates who assaulted
Granada on three occasions.
More than 40 rivers drain into the lake, the largest being the Tipitapa River. There are more than 400 islands in the lake, 300 of which are within 5 miles of the city of Granada on the northwest shore.
Our boat sailed around the lake passing many islands. Most of them were covered with a rich vegetation, which includes tropical fruit trees. Some of the islands were inhabited. Wildlife was seen as well.
We returned to the ship at 4:30 pm, after driving nearly two hours. We all agreed that there was not enough time
to call it a great day.
After dinner we joined the trivia game “Continue the song”
and then went to the theater to view the production show “The Piano Man”, songs
and dance, dedicated to Billy Joel.
Days 15, 16 – January 4th through January 5th, 2018
At Sea
Happy 46th Anniversary to us!!
I woke up with a touch of flu. It was going around the ship
and though I wash my hands constantly, I still got it.
Both days were used for resting and trying to make the most
of it. On January 4th, we
celebrated our 46th anniversary and at dinner that day, we were
treated to a nice cake and of course the traditional “Happy Anniversary” song,
sung by the waiters and waitresses in the dining room.
In the theater we were entertained one night by a great
violinist Gary Lovini and by the dazzling Production Company, who
dedicated the evening to Motown Music.
We participated every night in trivia games.
Day 17 – January 6th, 2018
Manzanillo, Mexico
We woke up at 6:00. I
was feeling better, but coughed a lot.
The ship arrived to the beautiful resort town of Manzanillo
and we were one of the first passengers to get ashore. We joined the same group we had in Nicaragua
and hired a tour company for a day full of fun.
Our first stop was at a salt company mill. We entered the museum that had only few exhibits but nevertheless, was interesting. We then continued and arrived to the nearby El Tortugario Sanctuary.
Our guide briefed us on the following: This turtle sanctuary plays an important role in collecting the turtle eggs from the black sand beach of Cuyutlan that is a popular hatching area for the large sea turtles. Although turtles and their eggs are protected by the government, many Mexicans still collect them illegally. This Turtle Sanctuary patrols the beach nightly to spot the mother turtle's track to the nest.
The eggs are then transferred to special containers until they hatch and released back to the ocean. These baby turtles will return to their area of birth in 20 years to hatch the next generation.
El Tortugario has many aquariums where they keep samples of the different species of sea turtles that visit the Beach.
This sanctuary
receives many students to educate them about the importance of protecting the turtles. We actually saw a lesson given to some students. It is obvious walking through the site that they do not have enough money to
maintain the aquariums, buildings, "hot houses" for the baby turtles, 4x4 jeeps to patrol the beach, staff, etc.
We walked around the pools and the exhibits. In one area we saw large iguanas. It was their time to mate and we witnessed
how the males pursue the female and fight off other males interested in the
same female.
We saw several species of
turtles and then came the highlight of the day.
We "donated" few dollars to one of the employees and we followed
her to the beach. She was holding a
bucket containing brand new baby turtles. They were hatched three hours ago!!!
When we reached the shore, she drew a line and asked us to stand behind the line. She then handed over turtles for each one of us. We held the baby turtles in our hands and then released them. They were racing to the ocean. “Only one out of ten will make it to adulthood” she told us. I was sure that the one I released will be that survivor!
We saw several species of
turtles and then came the highlight of the day.
We "donated" few dollars to one of the employees and we followed
her to the beach. She was holding a
bucket containing brand new baby turtles. They were hatched three hours ago!!!
When we reached the shore, she drew a line and asked us to stand behind the line. She then handed over turtles for each one of us. We held the baby turtles in our hands and then released them. They were racing to the ocean. “Only one out of ten will make it to adulthood” she told us. I was sure that the one I released will be that survivor!
The entrance fee was low and worth every penny. We paid a small extra fee that entitled us to enjoy the tour boat of the Palo Verde Laguna.
The tour took us through the mangroves via a tunnel that has been hacked and continually gets re-hacked to allow the boats to pass through. We found much wildlife in the lagoon. For me the highlight was the Sweet Water Eagle that stood on top of a tree, observing the lagoon, and then dived into the water to hunt for fish.
We left this magnificent place and drove back to the
city.
Our guide took us through the rich section of the town, called Zona Hotelera, where we saw beautiful buildings overlooking at the ocean from high cliffs.
Our next stop was lunch on the beach called Playa La
Audiencia. The guide took us to his
favorite seafood eatery and the 6 of us we sat on a table, about 20 feet from the
water. The food was unbelievable. We ordered BBQ fish, a 7 pounds lobster,
fries, clams, shrimp and tortilla chips that came with 4 different kind of salsa
and a couple of plates full to their rim with a delicious guacamole. Oh my!!!
Our guide took us through the rich section of the town, called Zona Hotelera, where we saw beautiful buildings overlooking at the ocean from high cliffs.
After the yummy lunch we drove to an open market but there
nothing there to interest us.
We returned to the ship and (of course) skipped dinner. We just showed up for the deserts!!
We listened to Danny and his beautiful music in one of the lounges and then went to the theater to watch and laugh. Today’s performance was by Jeff Burghart.
At midnight, on the pool deck, the 70's were roaring with singing and dancing. It was so much fun!!
We moved our watches one hour back before going to sleep.
Days 18, 19 – January 7th and January 8th, 2018
At sea
We used the last 2 days on the ship for resting, reading,
exercising, and just having a great time with friends and each other.
As we were getting closer to Los Angeles, the weather changed from the summer days that we loved so much to cold and windy conditions.
I took the kitchen tour, which is always fun.
As we were getting closer to Los Angeles, the weather changed from the summer days that we loved so much to cold and windy conditions.
I took the kitchen tour, which is always fun.
One evening we watched and listened to a tribute to one of
the greatest talents who passed: Whitney Houston. It was really nice.
On the last night of the cruise we had Princess's version of "The Voice". After some technical problems they were able to put it together and announced a winner.
On the last night of the cruise we had Princess's version of "The Voice". After some technical problems they were able to put it together and announced a winner.
We packed our things (worse 1 hour of the entire trip…)
We said goodbyes to new friends and cruise staff (second
worse thing of the trip)
Day 20 – January 9th, 2018
Los Angeles Port
Debora from D&D Limo service was waiting for us at 10:00
am.
