Costa Rica to Panama, our Cruise West adventure

Portobelo- The Pirates Paradise

2008-04-11T15:42:00.000-07:00

Today is kind of a sad day. We woke up with the realization that our trip is almost over. It is true the halfway point has already passed, but spending yesterday in the city and surrounded by the normal hectic activity of everyday life really made it clear.

The past week has been a great getaway and spending it with people like the Embera and in locations such as the Darien Jungle, Manuel Antonio, Corcovado and Coiba National Parks and Golfo Dulce has been an experience that is difficult to see coming to an end. Enough of that though.

Today we are visiting Portobelo where we will get to explore the ruins of stone forts that once served to slow invading pirates as well as take zodiac tours of the Mangroves in the area. But first we eat breakfast and join everyone on the Sun Deck to listen to guest speakers Mr. and Mrs. McGehee relate the history of Portobelo.

The McGehees have lived in Portobelo for more then 30 years and have studied the local history which they presented to us this morning followed by a question and answer period. Sitting on the Sun Deck listening to the history while looking out at the bay and ruins of old forts surrounded by jungle was pretty interesting for me. It doesn't take much imagination before you begin hearing canons and seeing ships in such surroundings.

After learning a bit of history we took a zodiac to shore for another dry landing at the McGehee home and on to a tour of the town. Dani and I, like others broke off on our own and quickly came across the first of several small souvenir stands. This particular stand though, attracted us not because of the selection, but rather the monkey perched on a small platform inside.

This friendly little monkey climbed all over us and went from person to person looking for treats and attention. I have seen monkeys plenty of times in the past, including having the monkeys in the Manuel Antonio National Park an arms length away, but this was the first time I have ever touched or held one and we spent quite some time here before moving on.

Next we came across another souvenir stand where we bought a few items. From the things we had been looking at, this town was up there with the Embera as far as pricing was concerned. The selection was different, but the pricing was not overly inflated like it would have been had we spent time in the cities rather then out of the way places such as this.

The ruins of the old fort are worth the trip, and if we had come on a land tour rather then a cruise, I would have thought the drive worth the time and effort. Like most ruins, it was mostly crumbling walls, but there is still more then enough to give you an idea of how things looked hundreds of years ago. That, along with many rusted canons still sitting as if ready to fend off invading pirates was plenty to keep me happy today.

A couple of things that may interest some of you- Cheap beer and inexpensive model ships. When Dani and I returned to the dock to catch a zodiac back to the ship we saw several people enjoying a beer and found they had purchased them at a grocery up the hill from the church. Pricing, if I remember correctly was between 35 and 75 cents a can depending on what you bought.

We did take a quick run up the hill to get some, but went to the wrong store and bought something else instead. We were too worried about holding up the last zodiac so did not continue on to the correct store.

When we got back to the dock again, the very same beer drinking guest was sporting a couple of hand made ships he had found in a shop. He collects them and said the prices were very good for the quality. I do not know model ships but they were nice looking. So if you are in to these things, make sure to keep an eye out in your walk around the town. You may just get lucky.

We went back to the ship for lunch and then went down to catch a zodiac tour of the Mangroves. This is something I had been looking forward to and was not disappointed. Like much of the sights on this cruise, I had only seen these things on tv so far so getting an up close look was something I was eager to do.

During our tour of the mangroves we saw several kinds of birds, including 3 of the 6 types of Kingfisher in the area. We also saw a small version of a crocodile and some cows in addition to the great scenery.

After our mangrove tour we returned to the ship for the usual social hour, daily recap and some evening dance. Believe it or not, even I danced a bit. That makes 3 times in 20 years, 2 of which were on this cruise.

That pretty much wraps up the day, and here are some more pictures for you. In the mean time, it's off to bed to rest up for tomorrow. We are visiting the San Blas Islands and doing a little more snorkeling so see you then.

Photos taken with Canon Powershot A570is

Panama Canal

2008-04-10T15:03:00.000-07:00

This morning begins our crossing of the Panama Canal. We don't actually begin going through the locks until this evening, but the whole day is going to be a bit of a learning experience focused on the canal and its history. I am looking forward to parts of the days events, but to be honest the day is a bit of a mixed bag for me.

It's mixed because although I am impressed by the magnitude of what was built almost 100 years ago without the benefit of modern technology, I am not as enthused as one might imagine at the prospect of watching the whole crossing. More on that later.

For now though, we are about to head out on one of the few dry landings on this cruise and catch a bus to the Mira Flores visitor's center. After a 20-30 minute bus ride through the city, we arrive at the visitors center and are free to wander as we please.

Dani and I started in the museum and worked our way up to the top floor observatory. The museum itself has some interesting exhibits such as scale model locks, ships used in digging the canal and various other displays teaching about the canal and its history. We took a few pictures here, but they are mainly interesting to myself.

So, on to the observation deck. To me, this was one of the best parts of the day. From here you are able to look down on the locks and see the entire process as ships go through each stage of the crossing. You get a pretty good look at the incredible size of these ships in relation to the locks themselves as well as the “mules” used to keep the ships centered.

You can see all of this from our ship as well, but there is something about seeing it from above and watching as people working in the canal grounds go about their business. At the same time you are able to take in the background on both sides of the canal which is impressive when you realize the giant ship in front of you is surrounded on both sides by land with only a small strip of water to the front and back.

We watched this for a while when we heard over the intercom that they were showing a short movie on the making of the canal in English. Since it was about time to return to our ship, we decided to watch it before the return bus ride. I would recommend watching the show because it gives a lot of interesting information in a brief time. Worth the 10 minutes or so for sure.

Back on the ship for lunch, we noticed an odd sight. Off to the side of us was a couple of boats and, well, see if you can figure it out.Then as we were repositioning the ship to the area we were to wait our turn for the canal crossing we saw the latitude and longtude. Nope, I spelled it right.

Then it was a lazy afternoon of reading, talking and napping.

When the evening came, we were all eagerly anticipating the crossing. It was finally our turn so we were met by the canal captain and led into the locks. I can't really describe the events so here are some pictures with a few notes.

Then it was off to dinner and some evening reading while the ship took us through the channel to the next set of locks. For this, you can get a wake up call or simply stay up straight through. We actually slept through it ourselves figuring once you've been through a set of locks you've pretty much seen it all. Besides, after the things we have done and seen on this cruise so far, watching the water raise and lower in a giant bath tub over and over kinda pales in comparison and I am glad to have the bulk of our crossing take place while I sleep.

Tomorrow we are headed to Portobelo, the Pirates Paradise and I need my beauty rest. Arrgh...

Photos taken with Canon Powershot A570is

Darien Jungle

2008-04-09T07:41:00.000-07:00

This morning we were able to sleep in a bit and take our time getting ready for the days events. Instead of the regularly scheduled breakfast in the dining room, we were treated to brunch on the Sun Deck after which we would be briefed on what to expect once we were ashore visiting the village of the Embera.

Before I relate the events of the day let me give you an idea of what we were told. The Embera are a peaceful people living off the lands bounty as well as fishing and hunting. They are approximately 4 hours by motorboat from the closest large town where once a month they would take the goods they craft by hand to sell in the markets. The money made from these ventures would go towards items such as tools and clothing used back home in the village.

Located far from modern towns, they are without most of the conveniences we take for granted, the most basic being electricity. This means after the days work is done they are unable to relax in front of the TV watching American Idol or listening to the kids fighting over who is next on the Xbox. Instead, once darkness comes, everyone goes to bed. Really.

One of the benefits to this cruise is that we are able to visit with these people in their own homes without all the trappings of modern society and see for ourselves just how dependent we have become on technology. Most of which are simple conveniences, yet for some reason or other we have come to think of as necessities.

Another key advantage is that guests on the Pacific Explorer are the only people to visit this village. No other tourist groups come into the area. Very nice if your are tired of quickly shuffling from place to place so the next group can have their 30 minutes of "authentic cultural experience" too.

Our day was to be spent with these peaceful people being entertained with traditional music, dancing, buying crafts and enjoying a truly authentic cultural experience.

After our briefing, we waited our turn for a zodiac ride to shore in the Tucan Lounge. Looking out the windows we were able to see a couple of small canoes come out to meet our ship and saw something I think would give most parents in our overly protective society today a heart attack, Dani and I included. The canoes that came to meet us were being paddled around by children. Kids roughly the same age as my son were happily paddling around our ship as if the ocean were simply the local pool.

Once on shore we were met by the local villagers. A handful of elder males gathered near and started playing music while a couple of the local children walked up to Danielle, grabbed her by the hands and began walking away. They were taking her to show her around the village so I followed behind to get some pictures of Dani and her personal tour.

During the walk we visited the school house, walked by several of the villagers homes and through orchards growing a variety of fruits including bananas and something that looked like an oddly shaped green apple.

We walked around for a half hour or so before everyone began gathering at the largest grass covered shelter we had seen so far. This was apparently built for our use and was to be where the children would perform their dances for us. The Chief welcomed us and we were treated to more music as well.

When the dances were finished, a dozen or so families set up tables and blankets on the ground to show the crafts they had to offer for sale. During the whole cruise, this in my opinion was one of the two best options for getting souvenirs. Partially because of prices, but primarily because it was apparent the items were made here by these people and not brought in from other areas. To me that makes a difference.

The variety was pretty good and we were able to get a nice necklace for my daughter and a cool looking wood spear for my son. They were also giving people henna type tattoos similar to the ones they themselves were decorated with so Dani took them up and had one done.

A bit later the captain and crew played a heated game of soccer with the locals and even won.

The day was pretty interesting and one of the best parts was watching the children. They were very friendly and eager to have their pictures taken. But the best part was watching their reactions as they looked at the pictures on the digital cameras.

This pretty much wraps up our day with the Embera but before we return to the ship I think I should pass along a tip we learned today that may help.

As you know, the landings we have had are pretty much all wet landings. As such, we get out of the zodiac and step directly into the water. While in the boat however, things are pretty dry and people have been in the habit of wearing their cameras around their neck. We have done this ourselves actually but today I decided to put our camera back in the zip lock bag we brought along for this purpose. It is good I did.

The tide had come in while we were on shore and the surf was much stronger and the waves much bigger then when we landed. So this time, as we were going out, the crew and villagers were timing the waves so as to get the zodiac out at just the right time. They had what they thought was the perfect wave but at the last second changed their mind and pulled back. Too late.

The wave that came in went right over the top of us and drenched everything on board. It was pretty hilarious, but if you want to make sure your camera is safe make sure to close it in whatever waterproof contraption you have brought along for all zodiac trips because you just don't know when a rogue wave is going to make an otherwise dry trip into a surprise public bath.

Now it is back to the ship for social hour, daily review and dinner so we can rest up for tomorrow. We are headed to the Panama Canal and I want to be ready.

See you there.

Photos taken with Canon Powershot A570is

Coiba National Park

2008-04-08T10:06:00.000-07:00

We woke up this morning anticipating a leisurely breakfast in the dining room with plenty of coffee followed by snorkeling and perhaps some kayaking off the beach of Granito de Oro or Little Grain of Gold (Note: picture above is practically actual size).

When we looked out the window and saw how cloudy and rainy it was though, we thought for sure the days activities would be canceled and we would instead motor on to the next port on our journey. We decided there wasn't much we could do about the weather though and went to breakfast with our fingers crossed waiting for the call over the intercom letting us know the news.

The good news came in the form of seeing the first zodiac being lowered into the water through the picture windows of the dining room so spirits lifted, we finished breakfast and went to coat ourselves in suntan lotion for the days activities. We had been warned that due to the strength of the sun so near the equator a burn can be had even on cloudy days. Since my idea of a successful day at the beach includes returning as pasty white as I left I was taking no chances.

When we got on shore the rain had let up so we geared up and went in to see how the water was. I am not sure of the actual temperature but I believe I mentioned bathwater previously and I wasn't disappointed this time either.

If you haven't snorkeled before you may not know just how easy it is even for those of us who don't like to swim in water where we can't easily see the bottom. I mention this because if you are not a strong swimmer you may think you need to pass on this activity and you would miss out on a lot of fun. For myself, I can swim ok in a pool. Put me in water where I can't see the bottom and you may as well be suspending me over a cliff as far as my mind is concerned. No amount of talk is going to get my brain to wrap itself around the idea that depth of water has no bearing on my ability to stay afloat in it. Period.

I did however give it a shot before returning to the beach for a life jacket so I could actually enjoy floating around with my face in the water looking at all the amazing fish and coral. It is a good thing I did because aside from the fish I have no names for, I saw a pretty large assortment of puffer fish, some sort of stick or knife fish and even an octopus burying itself in the sand on the bottom. This was over the course of about 20 minutes before it started raining again and we considered getting out.

After a few minutes we realized that getting out of the water to sit in the rain was a bit silly so we stayed in and continued enjoying the underwater attractions.

Then the lightning came.

It wasn't too bad at first so we ignored it a while, but soon the flashes became pretty frequent so we decided to go back to the beach and wait it out. Now I don't know about you, but by this point I was wondering if it really mattered where we were. I mean, where are you in more danger? Sitting on the beach in the rain, or submersed in the water? Photo on right from Our Bear Cares CD

Fortunately this was something we didn't have to concern ourselves with much because it was quickly determined the safest place for everyone was back aboard the Explorer. So it was back to the ship and my one good chance for a rain tan was over before I knew it.

To be honest, by this time I had worked up quite an appetite so going back and getting ready for lunch was ok with me. I was also able to catch up on some reading which reminds me of another feature of this ship.

In the front of the boat is an observation lounge with couches, chairs and coffee tables available so you can comfortably view the sea in an air conditioned environment away from the weather. It also has a variety of games and a selection of books to choose from if you happen to need something to read. The nice thing is that other then the obvious reference books, you are free to trade your finished book for one of the books left by a previous guest. This means you do not have to worry about enough time to finish the book and can take it with you for the flight home, or simply leave your book behind so you do not have to haul it back in your luggage.

After lunch we were back on the sun deck enjoying a good book (by this time the rain had stopped but it was already time to head to our next destination) and looking out for more sea life.

Today we were lucky and saw more dolphin, sea turtles and a bunch of schools of tuna jumping in the distance. The picture here was our best shot of the dolphin for this trip.

Basically the rest of today was spent reading, talking, playing games (or in my case, the all important task of spinning the pointer for Twister) and watching for more wildlife as we motored on to our next destination.

That's ok because tomorrow is looking to be one of our biggest days yet. When we arrive in the morning, we will be visiting the Darien Jungle and the village of the Embera.

After this mornings snorkeling and the exertion of officiating as the spinner for Twister, I can use the rest. See you in the morning.

Photos taken with Canon Powershot A570is

Golfo Dulce - The Sweet Gulf

2008-04-07T11:43:00.000-07:00

You know how sometimes a day can feel like a week has passed? Usually it's because something bad has happened or things just aren't going as expected so as far as you are concerned time can't move fast enough.

This morning when I woke up it felt as if we had been on this trip for a couple of weeks already. I thought about it and realized that it was because of what we had done so far. In just a matter of a few days we had seen more wildlife, exotic plants and locations and met more interesting people then we had in the last couple of years and all of it was positive.

The only time this has happened from my point of view in the past was a 2 week vacation our family took to Mexico several years ago that we were all sad to see end. The only thing that could have made this cruise better would have been to have our kids with us because they would have loved every minute of it. Well, too late for that now.

This morning brought on another revelation I should mention as well. In the evenings we started noticing the occasional camera hanging from the rails outside the rooms and our initial thought had been that maybe someone left the camera on a table or chair and another guest hung it there for them to find when they returned to their room.

It turns out the reason for this is what led to the foggy picture on the top of this page. This morning, when I looked out our window I was greeted to a beautiful view of the beach we would be landing on after breakfast and naturally wanted a picture of it. The difference between what you see above and what I saw this morning was the fog. There wasn't any. The air conditioned room meant our camera was cool and moisture free, but as soon as I opened the window for that picture that all changed. It was a pretty nice effect, but definitely not the picture I had wanted.

Needless to say, we finally figured out that the other guests weren't absent minded and were instead thinking ahead to the next days camera use and followed suit. This brings up another difference in the mindset of the people on this cruise. Any other place I have gone, everything I own would be locked in the room safe or behind the locked door of our cabin. On this cruise the only locking is of your room door when you are in it. There are no room keys or safes in the closet and after the initial strangeness, no feeling they are needed.

We would see laptops left on the table on the sun deck with no owner in sight or any apparent concern for it coming up missing. After the first few days this seemed natural. This mindset also frees you up to really enjoy yourself because when the dolphins started appearing later in the cruise no one needed to worry about their belongings and could instead focus on the moment.

Anyway, on to our day.

After filling up on coffee and breakfast it was time to go ashore and visit the Casa Orquideas Botanical Gardens. Now generally speaking I am not a flower enthusiast (just ask my wife how many times she has received flowers from me. On second thought, just take my word for it) but the efforts over the years by Ron and Trudy McAllister were pretty amazing.

Again, my photos can't really do justice to what we saw today, but hopefully you will get an idea. The gardens are the result of 25+ years of effort by the McAllisters and a steady supply of volunteers, which by the way they are always looking for. We offered, but the 2 kids, 2 cats and a dog we would bring along seemed to be a deal breaker. Sigh...

Unless otherwise noted, all the pictures on this page are from these gardens.
A couple of the critters we saw running around. The second picture is a crab on a flower drinking the water collected in it. I believe they referred to the flower as a shampoo flower. When our naturalist squeezed the flower water poured out as if from a wet sponge and was sudsy when rubbed between his fingers. Pretty neat.

This next was taken for my daughter.

And the next because we both like purple.
A couple more.

This last picture is of the beach as we were going back to the ship for lunch.
When we got back to the ship there were a few people swimming off the back so we decided to change clothes and join them. This is where I have to say how sorry I am we didn't have a water proof camera, because if we did you could have seen some amazing shots.

For example, Dani could have taken some shots of me doing a double back flip off of the Sun Deck, or doing a perfect Swan Dive into the waters below. Yeah, too bad.

Since we didn't have that camera, I took this picture of the others just before we all got back on board to eat lunch and head on to the Saladero Lodge. Besides, Dani says that if you had actually seen those pictures, they would have more accurately been described as a balding 30 something wearing a life jacket. What does she know?
After lunch we went ashore to visit the Saladero Lodge and look around for some more birds. I didn't get too many more pictures but we did see a toucan and took a shot of the Lodge from the ship.
This toucan shot is another that was taken through the magical digital viewfinder.

Then it was all aboard for social hour, daily recap and dinner before getting ready for another day. We were lucky today too. We got our first glimpse of the dolphins I mentioned earlier and since we didn't have to worry about our things we ran up front to get some pictures. Unfortunately we just weren't quick enough to get good pictures but we did get this one shot of them coming towards us.
Well, now it is off to bed and time to rest up for tomorrow.

We are headed to the Coiba National Park and some snorkeling off the Granito de Oro or Little Grain of Gold.

See you in the morning.

Photos taken with Canon Powershot A570is

Corcovado National Park

2008-04-06T13:52:00.000-07:00

Today's the big day. Today we will get to climb a bunch of stairs to a height of about 300 feet and fling ourselves off a teeny tiny platform suspended by nothing more then a few branches and out over the floor of the rain forest held up by 6 strands of yarn braided together and sealed with wax. At least that's how it happened in my dreams last night. I can't wait.

But first downstairs for some breakfast and some coffee. I want to be well fed and wide awake when I plunge to my death.

Actually, I am really looking forward to this and am a bit disappointed we are on the second group of the day that gets to do it. On the bright side, we didn't have to get up earlier then normal like the first group and the guides running the tour will have woken up sufficiently by then that we should be much safer then them too. The early bird may get the worm, but that's only if they aren't so groggy they smack into a tree on the way down to find it.

Before we get to fly through the tree tops though, we will be taking a walk in the Corcovado National Park looking for more wildlife and enjoying the beautiful scenery that is the rain forest. After our morning walk, it will be time to wander a bit on our own, or relax and read a book in the shade before lunch on the beach.

This first picture is to show you how thick the forest is. As you can see, if you aren't on the cleared path then getting around wouldn't be so easy. This is also the only day on the whole cruise Dani and I wore shoes and socks. They were recommended for safely walking the trails.

The second picture gives you an idea of the uneaven ground in areas and the reason for the shoes in the first place. It also gives me a chance to show off my wife. Just don't tell her or she may take the picture off the page.

Our goal was to find a bunch of birds on this walk but we didn't have any luck. Lucky for me I am not a huge bird fan so the plants and trees were worth it to me and much more interesting anyway. Besides, when we got on shore this morning we saw some parrots flying over head which was enough to keep me happy. We would find throughout the day that those who chose to walk along the beach ran across 20 or 30 parrots playing in the trees though, so if we had really wanted we could have seen them for ourselves.

When we returned to our picnic area and a relaxing read in the shade we were interrupted by a couple of monkeys looking for a handout. It was pretty entertaining watching them try to beat each other to some bananas but try and catch them in the act with my camera? Good luck, my reflexes just weren't good enough. Guess I should have paid more attention to the instructions, but I'm a guy. What did you expect?

After the commotion with the monkeys died down, something more my speed came along. Now this guy made it easy on me and sat still long enough I could get a clear shot. In fact he pretty much sat in the same spot for a good half hour while everyone took turns snapping picture after picture. When we all finished, the naturalist put him on his hat and walked around proudly displaying his new friend.

We decided to walk around a bit and found a bunch of baby frogs in a little pond formed by a creek leading to the beach. There were literally thousands of these little guys jumping around or just sitting on leaves in the water.

Continuing on to the beach, we walked along the rocks to see what kind of critters there were and found an interesting selection of typical sea creatures, but since I am pasty white I hurried back to the shade after a quick once over. I did get this picture of some snails though.
I'm pretty easily entertained.

While waiting for lunch, I sat down and read a bit while soaking up the shade. Dani, for whatever reason felt the need to sit in the sun and took some more pictures. Here is one with the local kids playing in the water while the crew ferried people back and forth to the boat. One thing I forgot to mention is that one of the crew has family here and he was able to visit his kids while we were in the area. I thought that was nice and really appreciate the fact that in most places we went, not only were we away from the crowds, but the local people were able to benefit from jobs on the ship. A small thing maybe, but I like that.

Just before we ate Dani got this picture of some wild dogs that were chasing each other around in a vicious fight to the death. Again, I will let the photographic evidence speak for itself.

Next thing I know, it was time for lunch. Sometime while I wasn't looking, the crew set up a complete buffet lunch to include tablecloth covered picnic tables and regular, non disposable dishes. Now my background is restaurants and when I started in hotels we did a lot of off premise catering. It was a lot of work and I enjoyed it, but I have to tell you, if we had been transporting everything from a ship to shore in a zodiac without a dock... well it's safe to say I'd have taken some sick days. They are to be commended for the work they did keeping us comfortable in all conditions.

After lunch it was finally time. We were about to get our chance on the zip lines. But first to get there. Our group loaded up in the zodiac and took a 10 minute or so ride to another location where we met a young lady in a small pick up truck with wood rails and a couple of long benches in the back. If you go and haven't taken any Dramamine up to this point, you may want to reconsider. This ride qualifies as one of the best 15 minute roller coaster rides of all time. Seriously.

One more tip. If you can't get the one seat in the cab of the truck, jump in back quick, move to the front and hold on tight. You are in for the ride of your life. The next thing you need to do is take in the view around you. If you don't survive the drive to the zip line tour base camp you can at least take comfort in the fact your final day was in such a beautiful location.

You will understand why I didn't get any pictures of the drive in.

So here we are at last. We have arrived safely at the zip line camp and after having our fingers pried off of the truck rails we are free to look around, freshen up and sign our waivers. For some reason, after ensuring us all how safe this is, they are hesitant to let us gear up without first absolving themselves of all responsibility. If I wasn't ready and eager before, well now all my fears have melted away.

Actually, while a touch nervous, I am not really worried and am still eager to get started. After all, we survived the drive so what was there to be afraid of?

Dani took this picture of me getting strapped into the harness and unfortunately that was the only clear picture we got. I was too worried I would drop the camera so it stayed on a strap around my neck. That's probably a good thing because looking at my forehead, the camera needed a good lens cleaning.

I also want to set the record straight. In fairness to the zip line crew and to make sure I don't scare anyone off, these guys were very professional and safety conscious. At no time was I ever afraid and even Dani, who due to her lack of height, is afraid of it felt safe. These guys get you all strapped in and you are secured by safety lines at all times. If they release your line from the main cables, they first hook you up to their line and only release you from them after you are secured again.

Also, if you think you are too old, think again. One of our group that came along is a bit advanced in years and had second thoughts. She had decided to stay at the base camp and wait for us until a couple others who had done this before convinced her to give it a try. Let me just say that after the first try, she had a huge smile on her face every time I turned and looked back as she was coming in. When we finished for the day, she was ready to go again.

Now there were about 11 cables we crossed ranging from about 20 to 100 feet high and up to 400 meters long. My only complaint was that they weren't long enough. I wanted to really look around at the surrounding canopy, but if I didn't want to smack into the tree at the other end of the cable, I had to pay attention. The views were amazing though and we were all very glad we did it.

One tip though. If you do not have a lot of upper body strength, make sure you get the extra harness that will give you some additional support. One of our crew found out after a few crossings that it was pretty tiring and after they set him up with this he was able to enjoy himself much more.

Oh yeah, one more thing. If any of you guys at the Corcovado Zip Line read this, please install a swimming pool to land in on that final wire. That would make a great day perfect.

The next couple pictures are from the ride back to the beach (the first pic is the single smoothest section of the drive) and the zodiac ride back to the ship. Then it was another relaxing social hour, daily recap and rundown of the next days events and finally dinner.

Tomorrow we go to Golfo Dulce (The Sweet Gulf) and the Casa Orquideas Botanical Gardens.

Until then.

Photos taken with Canon Powershot A570is

Manuel Antonio National Park

2008-04-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

Our first real day aboard the Pacific Explorer started with a good breakfast and plenty coffee in the dining room on the first floor. After catching up on some much needed sleep the night before and getting some caffeine, we were ready to meet the day.

The night before, we met the staff and they let us know what was in store for us this morning so needless to say, we were pretty excited. This was to be our first of many wet landings and the idea of splashing ashore and exploring the rain forests of Costa Rica had my sense of adventure peaked. I was ready to meet the dangers of the wilderness head on. Especially since it was clear the professionalism of the safety conscious crew and naturalists meant I had nothing to fear. Phew!

One thing to point out is that before any of us gets to shore, the crew has already been there and back setting up a drink station and some chairs and towels so you can dry your feet if you want. Even though they have drinks, make sure you bring the bottles of water from your room and keep track of them for the whole ten days. The idea is to reuse the bottles to prevent needless waste and I thank them for that. Just refill on board or at the drink stations as needed and carry them along on the walks.

Once we were ashore, our groups naturalist gathered us up and talked about the history of the area, the plants and wildlife as well as the way the land we were on was formed. It had used to be an island but I won't spoil the rest for you.

Before we had even walked 100 yards we had already seen several kinds of wildlife, some of which are pictured below so as you can imagine, we were all pretty eager to see what lay ahead.

The first thing we saw was a set of tracks that were obviously from some large man eating cat and it was going to be up to the fearless naturalist to keep us safe. As you can see by the picture below, danger lay around every bend.

And shortly after that we ran across a dragon

Now I have to warn you, my wife and I differ a bit in our opinions regarding exactly what some of these things were so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves and you can decide what you think. Either way, we both agree the day was worth the wait.

The next thing we saw was a sloth, and during our day we actually saw several. Both the 2 and 3 toed variety. This picture was taken by placing our camera against the lens of the naturalists telescope. Thank goodness for that handy device because although I could see them with my eyes, I couldn't get a clear shot with our camera.

This next picture is one of many cool looking plants and flowers we saw, but I really liked this one because it grew up so high and is another picture taken through the telescope that came out pretty well.

We found out later in the evening that not every group sees the same things and that we were in fact one of the lucky ones. The reason is that what we saw next, others on the cruise wouldn't see for another day or so. Up to this point we had been wandering through the rain forest and up a hill. The next area we went was deeper in and as we went around a bend suddenly all around us were monkeys. They were pretty entertaining as they jumped all over and it was pretty amazing how close they were. Now granted, this is a well traveled tourist location and beach for the locals, but these little guys were close enough to touch at times. Very cool.

Another kind of monkey we saw were howler monkeys, but I didn't get a good picture of them. They were lounging high up above us in the trees content to keep their distance and toss down the occasional half eaten fruit.

Here is a picture of Danielle and I in front of some bamboo that was pretty impressive. You can't see it all, in fact you only see a small part of it, but the picture gives you an idea.

Pretty much from the moment we stepped on shore to the time we were back on the boat we saw a large variety of birds, almost all of which I was unable to capture with our camera. There was one exception though, and it is this mother and baby here. The bird was referred to as a stick bird because as you can see it blends in with the branches. In fact, the only way I could see it or get the picture was by looking through the naturalists telescope. He then took this picture through the telescope like the sloth and flower above. At this point I was pretty close to being convinced these birds weren't really there and the telescope was really a high tech digital viewfinder, but how to explain seeing the sloth with my own eyes?

This wraps up the pictures from the day and what we did next was go back on board the boat for lunch then back on shore for an afternoon swim. I am not much of a swimmer but the water was more like a bath and I couldn't resist. While we were swimming, those who chose to do the canopy walk did their thing. This was one of only 2 things that cost extra on the cruise (about $85/person) and we decided to skip it.

Then it was back on board for social hour, the evening wrap up and a quick run down of the next days events. The great thing about this is all the things you learn about the area and the question and answer time. If I haven't made it clear, the naturalists know an awful lot about the area and can answer most questions in a clear and entertaining way.

Right after this we all headed to dinner and then back to the sun deck for more relaxing in the evening. I will leave you tonight with a couple of pictures of the sunset before heading off to bed. Tomorrow we head to the Corcovado National Park for a walk, picnic lunch on the beach and an afternoon of zip lining. I sure hope I can sleep.

Until then.

Photos taken with Canon Powershot A570is

WooHoo!! We're here! Well, almost anyway

2008-04-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to waste time with the flight or anything because more then likely you have flown before and it really has nothing to do with the cruise anyway. Besides, if I start talking about the err... comfortable seats and layovers, you may back out and miss an experience that was worth twice the time getting there.

The pictures and events on this page are mostly because I thought Cruise West did a great job taking care of us even before we ever came close to stepping foot on the boat.

When we stepped off the plane the first thing I noticed was the heat. There was lots of it. In fact, everywhere I turned I kept finding more of it. I mean seriously, when we left Portland it was around 45-50 degrees and when we stepped off the plane it was closer to 160. Hot. The next thing I noticed was that we were, for the first time ever in our travels, met by someone holding a sign with our names on it. Now that may be a normal event for the rest of you but for us, well... it was nice to see someone finally treat us with the respect and attention we deserve....ahem...yeah...

Anyway.

We were given stickers to put on our shirt that allowed the proper people outside the airport to get us on our way out the door after we picked up our luggage. In other words, we didn't have to worry about finding them because we were properly labeled and ready to go. They could find us no matter how hard we made it for them.

Once outside, a very nice young man met us and sent us on our way to the Marriott Hotel where we were able to hang out, freshen up and relax while we waited for the tour bus to pick us up and deliver us to the cruise ship an hour and a half to two hours away.

When we arrived we met a few of our fellow travelers (you know who you are)that were also hanging out and waiting. This is where we also learned a tip I think I should pass on. When traveling to South America, it is a good idea to get there a day or two early. The stories we heard about plane delays, planes turning back for medical emergencies and trips missed would have given me nightmares if I had heard them before we traveled. Add to that the fact our tour bus was late due to traffic, I think it is wise not to plan things too tight.

Before long our bus arrived and we all piled in. All I have to say is air conditioning. If nothing else about the drive to the ship was worth mentioning, the simple fact the bus was air conditioned made the trip worth it. Ahh....

Fortunately though, they provided us with a guide on the bus that was able to fill the time with a whole lot of interesting information about the places we passed through and the lifestyles of the people living in the areas. Lucky for you I didn't take notes. I will say however that the sights along the way were amazing.

About halfway to the ship we stopped to stretch and get refreshments at a small gift shop, one of the very few opportunities for you to shop in a commercial type atmosphere. And the best part, in my mind anyway, was the pineapple that was available for snacking on. I have never before had such sweet and juicy (I mean dripping) pineapple before in my life. They also had coffee, juice, cookies etc. but the pineapple was delicious.

Back on the bus and on our way we saw some crocodiles in the river below us as we went over a bridge. Then the next thing you know we had arrived.

As we stepped off the bus we were met with hot towels as we handed our passports to the captain for safe keeping. Each of us was also met by a crew member who escorted us aboard the Pacific Explorer to our rooms so we could freshen up before meeting on the sun deck for a welcome aboard drink and snacks before dinner.

I wanted to say a few more things before ending this post. First, from here forward I will only refer to crew members by their title, not their names. This isn't because I didn't see them as people or individuals, but rather because they were all great in their own way and I do not want to single anyone out or leave anyone out. So if any of you read this and recognize yourself by the mention, thanks for making this experience the amazing time it was. If you don't recognize yourself, it is only because I can only remember and write so much (hard to believe when I look above). Thank you, you are not forgotten.

Second, the same goes for all our fellow travelers. We kept to ourselves a lot due to my own introverted nature as well as the need to keep my wifes job quiet on the cruise, but I wanted to take the time now to say thanks for the conversation, companionship and most of all the memories. But on this blog, no one will be referred to by name.

And last, the meals. All meals on board were well done. The variety, taste and presentation were great and the staff did an amazing job. But since everyone has different tastes, talking about the meals each day would be pointless. I'll just say that I didn't go hungry. There.

Now it's off to bed. Tomorrow we are spending the day at the Manuel Antonio National Park. See you then.

Photos taken with Canon Powershot A570is

Chance of a life time....

2008-04-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

Several months ago my wife called me excited about a cruise she had the chance to book as part of her job. She had to put in for approval and wait and see if she would be accepted, but in the meantime she gave me the basics.

Now first let me say that the idea of cruising, for me anyway, was not the top choice on my list of vacation selections but since this was for work....well, sacrifices had to be made. I had gone on a couple of cruises with her in the past and to be honest, while it can be relaxing and have its entertaining moments, the idea of spending my time on a ship with thousands of other people sitting through the evening shows, gambling in the casinos or spending a ton of cash shopping in the overpriced ports is just not my cup of tea.

Great once or twice, but now I've crossed it off my list of things I need to do before I die.

Anyway, she gave me a basic idea of what we could expect which had me at once excited and leery right along with her. I was excited because the boat (yeah yeah, I know, it's a ship) only holds 100 guests so I wouldn't have to be stuck with thousands of people I didn't care to meet and I was leery because the boat didn't have thousands of people I could blend in with and remain anonymous which is important for someone that prefers to keep to himself like I do.

I was also excited because it is supposed to be somewhat of an Eco cruise, or naturalist type of cruise which fits in with my own interests. The trouble was that I couldn't really find a lot of information on these cruises that wasn't published by the cruise company itself so I decided that if we were able to take it I would write about it myself.

The goal of this blog is to share our experience aboard the Pacific Explorer and the "Between Two Seas" cruise with anyone curious about whether this type of cruise is right for them. If gambling and shopping is what turns you on, that's great and more power to you but you may as well click the X at the top right of the screen now because you won't find that here (well, you will find some shopping, but generally speaking you will be buying direct from the person that made the item).

If getting away from the crowds and seeing the local people and wildlife up close and personal with guides well versed in the area and history is more your speed then please, look around and feel free to ask questions. I hope my ramblings are helpful and if you get even a fraction of the enjoyment from this blog as we did from our experience, then my time writing this was well worth it.

In the interest of full disclosure, if you haven't figured it out, my wife is a travel agent and this trip was part of her job. That in no way reflects our view of this cruise and everything I say is based on my own personal experience of the staff and itinerary they provided.

On the other hand, if you come to the conclusion this type of cruise is for you then it wouldn't hurt to look here- I'm ready to go but I want a better deal

Enjoy

Arrival
Day 1- Manuel Antonio National Park
Day 2- Corcovado National Park
Day 3- Golfo Dulce
Day 4- Coiba National Park
Day 5- Darien Jungle
Day 6- Panama Canal
Day 7- Portobelo

Photos taken with Canon Powershot A570is

I'm ready to go but I want a better deal

2008-04-03T10:23:00.000-07:00

So you have decided this type of cruising is for you and can't wait to get started.

Well you can easily book through Cruise West or your travel agent but if saving a bit of money is at all attractive to you, then give Danielle a call and see what she can do for you. No strings, just compare and decide if she can beat what you can get on your own.

You can find her at 800-962-5855 ext.5234

Don't forget to tell her I sent you.

Good luck and happy cruising.

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2008-04-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

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