Cruising the WorldDay 24

February 14, 2019 – at Sea

After 24 days at sea we have developed a whole new lifestyle. All of our bills are paid automatically, no need to open mail or email. All meals are prepared by a great chef. Laundry is done on a daily basis and delivered folded or on hangars as you request. Our focus on sea days is going to the gym, reading on the deck, group trivia, lunch, reading on the deck, dinner, entertainment then bed. Going to take some time to re-adjust after the 114 days is up.

We have met quite a few folks that we enjoy talking to. Believe it or not we met a couple originally from Dearborn when we were in one of the museums in Lima. He went to the old Dearborn High and she graduated from the first Edsel Ford High School class.

For our own entertainment and a way to remember folks that we talk to each other about, we have assigned names to them. Jimmy Cash looks like he could have been Johnny’s brother. Slicked back white hair, jeans and large buckle on his belt. Loves to dance but moves pretty slow. Jack Lalane is in the gym as much as we are. Always instructing the women on how to correctly do an exercise. Terri loves that. There is a woman who has a hair style reminiscent of Lindsay’s late dog Clement. You guessed it. There is a Bernie Sanders look alike also. He is constantly looking for other peoples money. We had dinner with a Jim and Jean last night and we learned that they do the same thing. Jim asked me if I knew “2 step”. I laughed and said “Who is that?”. I learned that 2 step is always 2 steps behind his wife. Every once in a while she will look back to make sure he is there. We also learned about “Joe”. The real Joe is someone who went on this cruise some years after seeing an ad. He signed up and didn’t notify his family. They had no idea he took a cruise. His memory was a little faulty and he got lost on every excursion. The crew was constantly looking for “Joe”. Joe is now used for anyone with a failing memory. There are many “Joes” aboard.

4 hour time difference is making communication a bit more difficult.

…

February 13, 2019 – Pitcairn Island

We have been setting the clocks back one hour every night since leaving Easter Island. I’m getting used to 25 hour days. We are on Pacific Time today.

Breakfast and then the gym as usual. Land was sighted about 9:30 am. Ian gave his presentation over the loudspeakers. Pitcairn is an interesting island and I can understand why Fletcher Christian chose this island to hide. Even if they were somehow discovered, the cliffs and ocean swells afforded lots of protection.

The longboat contains all of the residents from the island. They came aboard and assembled on the Lido deck to sell us things and did a presentation on the Main Stage.

We quickly worked our way through the crowds gathered on the Lido. Some interesting crafts for sale but nothing we chose to purchase. Long lines at the passport stamping station and at the postcard station. Not sure what the thrill here is.

We went to the Main Stage presentation. Simon is an island resident originally from Yorkshire, England. I was a bit disappointed that he wasn’t one of the residents that grew up on the island. He gave a slide presentation and then did a Q&A session. They have a generator on the island for electricity. It runs during the day only. Old fashioned outhouses. I’m not sure why he chose this lifestyle. His wife is from California. They will never leave. They get supplies every 3 months from a New Zealand ship. There are 9 families on the island. An elementary school has 3 children in it. A few of the folks are hired to come in. The school teacher and police officer are two. Those who want to continue their education beyond elementary school are sent to a boarding school in New Zealand. This is the last of the British Overseas Territories. Many of the residents have part time government jobs on the island.

It was a fascinating presentation. The longboat left at 1 pm. We all waved and decided it was a good excuse for a party.

The serving staff wore festive uniforms to create an 18th century feel. This happened right in from of our door on the lower promenade and it was fun. Someone decided that playing music from some musical production would add some spirit to the festivities. Didn’t happen. In many musical productions, actual good music is an after thought. I would rather have heard “Tiny Bubbles” by Don Ho.

I decided to have a gourmet burger at the Lido for dinner.

The evening entertainment was the return of pianist Tim Abel. Very talented. He did the Liberace version of the 12th street rag at the Liberace tempo. Wow! He is by far the best instrumentalist we have seen on the ship.…

February 12, 2019 – at Sea

Another great day to enjoy the weather and sea. Nothing but water everywhere. Haven’t seen so much as a ship in since we left Easter Island. I can’t help but imagine Captain Bligh in his little boat traveling in this huge body of water.

We watched several storms move around the ship today. It looked fascinating. We managed to avoid any rain but the ship rolled a bit more than the past few days.

Bill stopped by our chairs on the Lower Promenade deck and asked if we would like to join him and his fellow traveler on the Komodo Island excursion he booked. This is one of the few places I had nothing planned. Komodo Island is a National Park and guests cannot leave the ship without being part of a tour. The HAL tour descriptions sounded less than exciting. Bill found a 3rd party that would take us on a hunt for the Komodo Dragon (this is the thing to do on this island) and then a stop to Pink Beach to do some snorkeling. We brought our gear with us and decided we would join him. Our stop on Komodo is March 17. I sent a note to the tour company and have received confirmation. We are still up in the air for a tour on Tonga. That stop is next week.

Tomorrow is Pitcairn Island. Ian will be giving a play by play from the Crow’s Nest. We will be able to hear it from our chairs on the lower promenade. He really does a nice job. Only 50 people live on the island and they are all coming aboard. Passengers will be able to get passports stamped for $10. Passing on that. I could send out a postcard from Pitcairn. Mail will be picked up in March. Should arrive sometime in June. Passing. I don’t want to have to look for a life refund coupon.

We did our usual routine today. I’ve been hitting the treadmill and/or elliptical trainer for about an hour each day. Treadmill level 15 and elliptical level 12. Terri has been mixing it up with weights, treadmill, and laps around the lower promenade.

Bet you didn’t know how many albums have to be sold to receive “Gold” status. Neither did we at group trivia.

We passed on a repeat of the “Knights” on the Main Stage. Instead we did a cut throat match of scrabble. Terri was the winner by at least 100 points.

…

February 11, 2019 – at Sea

Thankfully we have a few days at sea to recover from Easter Island. We moved to Central Standard Time Last Night and will move to Mountain Time tonight.

We learned that out of 24 planned tenders, only 15 made it to Easter Island before the Captain ended the operation. How lucky we were! The Captain gave everyone a free glass of champagne because of the cancelled tendering. I don’t think that will help the complaining.

Our next island is Pitcairn. We are midway through watching Mutiny on the Bounty with Clark Gable and Charles Laughton to prepare for this island. There is no place to tender ships on the island. Cliffs around the island prevent that. Island residents will lower long boats to come up and greet us. They will board the ship and set up shop to sell us stuff.

Temperature has been about 80 degrees each day and partly cloudy. Breakfast first. Then workout. We sit on the deck after and then again after lunch. We tried the main dining room for lunch. Much quieter and a nicer menu. Everyone in the Lido wants to eat at noon and it gets crowded.

The ship is rolling more today than yesterday. The ship feels very alive when the diesel engines are running and the ship is moving.

The evening entertainment was the return of magician Stephen Williams and pianist Liam Cooper. The magician did a short act and it was well done. Liam wasn’t as good as his first show. He came out playing a piano he wore around his neck a la Johnny Winter. Jump was one of the few Van Halen tunes I didn’t care for. He also did some Queen. I don’t know what people hear in the Bohemian Rhapsody that delights them. I didn’t like it when it came out in the 70s and still don’t care for it today. Never a fan of Queen. There was a recording playing while he and the band played that supplied all of the harmonies. Reminded me of karaoke night at the Railroad Inn in Mt. Clemens.

We finished the night at the Crow’s Nest. The Station Band had a night of disco. Well done. …

February 10, 2019 – Easter Island, Chile

A bucket list day, we have been waiting to get here all week. Our goal is to see Rano Raraku, Ahu Tonariki, Anakena Beach and Tahai.

The ship pulled in about 7am and we were already in line for tender tickets at 6:30 am. We were given tickets for tender 12. That means there would be 11 tenders that would leave before us. During the wait we could do whatever we wished on ship. We would be called over the loudspeakers when our tender was ready.

The tender ships are stored above our deck so we could watch them being lowered and prepared. Customs officials gave Captain Mercer clearance to begin operation at 8:30. A few tenders were out at sea and they were testing conditions. The seas looked calm but there were rolling swells that were hard to notice until the tender was next to the ship. Once next to the loading platform, the tender would rise and fall with the swells. It was going to be a challenge. I estimated the swells at 10 ft by the amount the tender moved against our ship. The folks that booked the early HAL trip at $299.00 per person were first and they began boarding. The tender holds 150 and it was taking a minimum of 15 seconds a person. Sometimes it took 90 seconds as the crew allowed the swells to subside. I knew we were in trouble. Would they even get to tender 12 at this rate? We went to lunch as they called tenders 7, 8, and 9. Calling 3 at a time told me that people were beginning to drop out of the tendering process because time was growing short. Good news for us. Of course the call for tenders 10, 11, and 12 came in the middle of lunch. We quickly went back to our room, grabbed our gear and headed for Deck A.

We waited in line as people were getting off of the tender where we were to board. They already had their experience on the island and were in no hurry to move aside. It took 30 minutes to load our tender. A process that takes about 10 minutes in calm water. We had no problem with safety but many of the folks should have passed on this. They weren’t physically able to do it without lots of help.

Finally loaded and we were off. We learned later that the Captain cancelled tendering after we left. We made it on the last tender!

The trip out to the island was smooth. About 15 minutes passed and we were there.

Once on shore we headed out to the place where we had a rental car waiting. The port we came into was about a mile further from the one that is used most of the time. It had better conditions for us today. It just meant that we had a 1.5 mile walk instead of .5 mile. We happily walked along side the road, commenting now and then about how much this island reminded us of Hawaii. Hot, humid, palm trees, and cacti. We did pass a few horses and passed many roaming dogs.

The rental place was in the town of Hanga Roa. We quickly signed our rental agreement, looked over the car, pointed out the few scratches and dents and then headed out for the quarry where the Moai came from. I didn’t get the sense that the woman would hassle me when I returned the car. Insular was the name of the company. It was highly recommended by other travelers.

I used an app called maps.me. This allowed a user to download the maps ahead of time and use them with GPS. No cell service or wifi was necessary once the maps were downloaded. They operated just like apple or google maps. Directions were clearly given.

Time was our enemy. Last tender back was 6:30 pm. Miss it and they do not wait. I already checked out flights from Easter Island to Tahiti. Not cheap.

The next 40 mins of consisted of driving, looking for Moai, and waiting for cows and horses to clear out of the road. Beautiful views of the volcano, and ocean.

We arrived at Ranu Raraku and grabbed our cameras. We stopped at the entrance to pay our $80 per person fee. They wouldn’t take our money. We had to purchase a ticket back in the city! I tried everything. Sob story, bribing the attendant, complete ignorance. Nothing. We were turned away. We did try to go around the stone wall and walk pass the entrance but were caught by the observant Chilean attendant. We took as many pictures as we could. There wasn’t enough time to drive back to town, get a ticket, and drive back.

This is the quarry where the Moai were sculpted. The Moai here are in different stages of completion. We got back in the car to see if there was another place we could hop over the stone and barbed wire fence. We did find a place.

It was time to get back in the car and drive to Ahu Tonariki. This is a restored, 656 ft Platform of Tongariki. 15 re-erected statues. We certainly didn’t make the mistake of going to the check in area this time to show tickets we didn’t have.

As you can see we were able to get in and take numerous photos.

We spent at most 20 minutes at this site. Time to move on! Our next stop was Anakena Beach. My navigator kept me appraised of the time to destination. We couldn’t mess around here. It seemed as if all 6000 residents we out on the road or at one of the many beaches. I couldn’t help having flashbacks to “Deliverance” as we navigated past pickup trucks full of island residents. When we finally arrived, …

February 9, 2019 – at Sea

Another nice sunny day on the South Pacific Ocean.

Our room faces north as we travel west so the sun is always behind us. Today there was some work being done on the railing near our room so we sat on deck in the rear of the ship after breakfast. The sun was spectacular shining on the Pacific!

At team trivia we were still missing Jerry and Joanne. Joanne was quarantined in her room because of a fever. Hope she gets better soon.

A presentation was given by Ian on the Main Stage about our next stop, Easter Island. Ian is the shore excursion expert on the cruise. He explained the tendering process and again reinforced the safety issue in this port. Captain Mercer later said that we will not know if it will be safe enough for the tendering process until his crew sends out a tender and checks conditions after we anchor. The port is very vulnerable to the large swells of the Pacific. There are 2 ports we can use and hopefully one will be safe enough.

Lunch on the Lido seems to be getting very crowded. Hard to get a table. We may try the main dining room. A bit longer for service but we are in no hurry.

Terri looks better in every photo!

The entertainment on the Main Stage was a trio of male vocalists from England. They call themselves the Knights and they perform music of Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Tom Jones and also some Dames such as Julie Andrews.

They did several medley’s from these great artists. My only complaint was they did very few complete numbers. My Favorite Things was the longest number and was the only tune to feature any of the instrumentalists in the band. They all have roots in musical theater and did a tune or two from Les Miserables. Those numbers didn’t fit in with the show at all and they could have been cut. I would have loved more Tom Jones and less Rolling Stones. The show was well rehearsed and they worked well with the house band.…

February 8, 2019 – at Sea

I thought this was fascinating to see.

We followed our usual daily routine. Breakfast, gym, email, group trivia then lunch. I fielded a few science questions and got them right. My strong point. Terri was right on with some medical questions. You are correct if you assumed we lost.

Tonight was a gala night. One of many. Not sure what my grandfather is doing in this picture with Terri.

Bob and Brenda shared our table once again.

Dinner then off to entertainment.

Tonight was a production by the Amsterdam Singers and Dancers. 14 twenty somethings did a Latin Salsa show. A very polished production. Lots of energy and great balance and blend of voices. Dancing and costumes added flair. Bravo!

Internet has been very poor this week. It has been very challenging trying to do this. Hopefully that will improve. Haven’t seen land, a ship, or dolphins all week. …

February 7, 2019 – at Sea

We continue through the South Pacific towards Easter Island. The seas are about 7ft swells according to Captain Mercer. Just a pleasant roll.

Easter Island was discovered  by Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen in 1722. You will never guess which Sunday he arrived. Yes, Easter Sunday it was.

After doing quite a bit of research, I decided to rent a car. We booked it back in October. The rental place is a short walk once we are ashore. Holland America offered a tour for $299.00 per person. Unlike South America, we feel quite safe on Easter Island so we are passing on the $600 trip and going for the $209 trip. The rental car is $49 and the entrance to the Park (most of Easter Island is a park) is $80 per person. We will spend some money on gas but the island is very small. It is about 7 miles wide and 15 miles long. Since HAL outlined the trip already, I decided to do the same tour by car.

One interesting fact I picked up in the research is the lack of insurance for the cars on the island. Everything has to be covered by the driver. I also learned that the rental company tries to claim all kinds of damages when cars are returned. How would you like to be charged for a missing jack and a flat spare tire? Would you even think to check for one in a rental car? I plan on spending a lot of time with the rental agent and I will take lots of pictures.

I don’t think there will be a lot of traffic. Many more wild horses and dogs than drivers of cars. It will be a Sunday and I think the island will be quiet.

We were a bit short on team trivia today. Jerry and Joann were out sick. Jerry has a sense of logic that we needed. “Which suit in a standard deck of cards has a one eyed king?” They are getting easier, aren’t they?

We decided to see a movie today since it was a bit windy and cloudy on deck. “Point Break” was showing at the Wajang Theater at 3pm. Great filming in the movie. Too bad it lacked a real plot. It featured extreme sport athletes. Watching them surf 80 ft waves or jump off a huge mountain and fly to the bottom in a special suit was amazing. You just had to keep asking “Why are they doing this?” Sometimes, after an event like this, I wish for a refund coupon that says “Refund: 110 minutes of life; previously wasted”.

We ate dinner at the Lido so I didn’t feel the pressure to do my hair. Lot’s of variety. I don’t think I have had anything twice yet for dinner.

The evening entertainment was Annette Wardell. We are not real fans of opera but we thought we would give her a try. The band started playing “Tonight” from West Side Story. Not an easy tune for all parties involved. She started singing off stage and hen made her entrance. I would have stayed off stage. She was off from the get go. She did not communicate with the pianist to try and save herself. This tells me that she didn’t realize she was off. The band hung together the entire tune. Somehow I think the morning rehearsal went the same way. Her voice is fine but I don’t care for the exaggerated vibrato that opera singers use. Just a matter of taste. The second tune, Habanera from Carmen was not much better. She is obviously used to looking at the conductor in the pit at the opera house. I’m sure her conductor sweats a few bullets when she enters. He probably owns a sweatshirt that says “savior” on it. On this stage, she and/or the pianist are the conductor. She was off again on this great tune but made no effort to communicate with the band. If she did, they would have help her. I seem to remember a few of these folks in my past. No, they weren’t high school students. She did do a piece that was almost entirely a-cappella. Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Here she did much better.

She finished her performance and we were happy to leave. I looked for another coupon on the way out. No luck.

Friday night we turn the clocks back to Eastern Standard Time. Who would have guess that Detroit and Easter Island are in the same time zone?

…

February 6, 2019 – at Sea

I’m not sure what I expected to find in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Maybe some rougher water? It has been quite calm. The ship sways just enough to give you a bit of help on that last inch on the bench press. You just have to wait for it. Almost as good as the help a spotter would give.

There is so much food available that it would be very easy to pack on some extra pounds during a 4 month cruise. I have been sticking to Cheerios and blueberries for breakfast. Terri usually has oatmeal or an egg. The coffee is the one disappointment. Coffee service for 1600 means less than gourmet. There are few places to purchase a better cup but I decided to put up with the mud. I overheard someone on the elevator say that he has learned from past world cruises and he brings his own.

I have noticed that a persons’ waist size seems to correlate to the line they are in at lunch. There is a line at the salad station and one at the ice cream bar. People seem to have different waist sizes here.

I was knocked out in the first round of the table tennis tournament. Thought I had it but lost two points in a row. The early loss meant I was in time for team trivia. We all sound so smart when we discuss a question but rarely are we sure of an answer. Since I am the scribe I usually ask what percentage of confidence a team member has on the answer they have. Low or none is usually the response. We finished with a 6. Winning team had 11.

The internet was very slow today. Bad satellite connection possibly? Couldn’t do much online other than texting. Wall Street Journal would not download and I had to settle for the New York Times satellite edition printed by the ship. I want to scream when I read this. I did hold this paper in high regard at one time in my life. Probably in the 70s. The journal is nothing like it used to be but is still a bit better. The Detroit News and Free Press became trash after the joint operating agreement back in ’86? Remember Charlie Manos? Pete Waldmeier, Joe Falls? Now I am impressed when journalists can actually put a sentence together in these papers. Every article has a political slant to it along with the poor grammar and spelling mistakes.

We had dinner in the main dining room. A couple from Florida joined us. Barb and Jim were originally from Queens. I told Jim I was surprised because I detected no accent. He had no problem reverting to genuine queens vernacular as a demonstration. This was their third World Cruise. I would refer to them as “newbies”.

The entertainer for this evening was Tim Abel from England. Great pianist. He did some ragtime, boogie woogie, blues, classical, and jazz. His final number was happy birthday played in 10 different styles. It was hilarious. Great show!

…

February 5, 2019 – at Sea

The morning started with breakfast and then the gym. Treadmill. Fascinating workout with the ship’s motion.

A bit better with group trivia. Very tough questions. Some of them provoke no response from any of the members of our group. I did know that c was the speed of light in E = mc² but who would of thought that none of us knew the atomic number of potassium? Each of us has our specialty. Music questions are always thrown my way but they are always popular music questions and I never know the answers. How many symphonies did Beethoven compose? Piece of cake. In the song recorded by Bananarama who is waiting? – no idea. I am better at the science questions, Terri fields chemistry. Jerry knows a lot of history, Skip is good at literature.

I decided to try the Dive-In for lunch. Good idea! Nothing beats a hamburger and fries.

When you are in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, celebrate Chinese New Year!

The Lido Market was decorated in honor of the year of the pig. The menu consisted of all Chinese dishes. I tried order a “number 5” but it got me nothing. I asked Salvia for a fortune cookie. She had to check with management and she came back empty handed.

We have been listening to the group “Adagio” after dinner. Violin and piano. Very nice sound and great repertoire.…

February 4, 2019 – Arica, Chile

Today we arrived in Arica, Chile. We did not book any tour and instead chose to do this city on our own. Today we planned to hike up El Morro de Arica. This hill is close to the port and rises up to 139 meters rather quickly. Spectacular views are promised at the summit.

This hill was an important stronghold to the Peruvian Army during the War of the Pacific (1879 – 1883). Chili defeated the Bolivia and Peruvian alliance and now this area is a monument.

We didn’t expect “touchdown Jesus” at the top, especially after last night’s not so super game.

We did our climb early to avoid the heat. Most of the folks on the ship took a taxi or tour bus to the top. The climb was rather steep but was paved. We went into the downtown area afterward. Shops opened at 10 am and our timing was perfect. Plenty of stores and outdoor markets selling fruit and other food. We did need a few items and stopped in a drug store. Our limits of Spanish were tested as we tried to use our credit card. I had a flashback to a time we were in Normandy, France at a little grocery store. We did not have chip credit cards in the US yet and Europe had been using them for years. The cashier was getting frustrated that the card was not working. I gave her my best “Parlez vous anglais?” She responded with slower and louder French. I was puzzled at first but then thought of the many times we were sure that all people would understand English if it is spoken slow enough.

It all worked out. Terri is a great communicator. She will even do a little acting if necessary.

After out tour of the town we went back to the ship for lunch. It would have been nice to try some authentic Chilean food but after we passed the McDonalds in the middle of town we decided that the Lido deck is where we wanted to be.

We spent the afternoon on the deck and then watched a group of dancers give us quite the sendoff.

The evening entertainment on the MainStage was Liam Cooper from Australia. Liam did a tribute to Billy Joel and Elton John. His Billy Joel was very authentic and he had interesting stories about why Billy Joel composed some of the tunes he did. His Elton John was not as well done. His range couldn’t handle some of the notes and he wisely took a few notes down an octave. His falsetto was a bit rough. All of the musicians on stage were obviously born after these artists. I expected a bit more from the guitarist on Rocket Man. He has great chops but if you are doing a tribute, you will want your playing to mimic what was done on the original recordings. I’m sure this was probably a one rehearsal gig but the house band is capable of more. Overall a good show. …

February 3, 2019 – at Sea

We really needed a day at sea to rest up from the three tours we did in the last two days. We look forward to a stop in mainland Chile and then the long haul out to Easter Island. Isla de Pascua is the Spanish name to this Chilean territory if you are looking for it on a map.

Ship life has been great and we have really fallen into a routine. No meals to prepare, no dishes, no laundry, no need to leave for entertainment. If you are reading this and wondering about taking on this kind of adventure, I can offer only one piece of advice. Do it. We are amongst the healthiest and most active on the ship. We have no problem managing but then again, the older, not as healthy, don’t seem to have a problem either. They get plenty of help from those aboard the ship. Our shore excursions are much more challenging than most. Some folks do not even get off of the ship.

We slept in a bit and went up for breakfast. We read some and then headed to team trivia. We have a nice group and we enjoy talking to each other. We finished with a 6 out of 16 but felt great. The winning group only scored an 8. Questions are getting tougher each day. “What color is a tigers skin?” If you answered with a color, you would be wrong. Our cruise director, Hamish, is from Jamaica. His pronunciation of some words is interesting and makes it even more challenging. Most aboard are Americans or Canadians. There are some Brits and Aussie’s.

Lunch gets more interesting each day. I have yet to try the hamburgers and hot dogs served at the Dive In by the pool. I’ll get to that soon.

We sat outside and wondered why it was getting cooler but then realized that we are heading south. Cooler weather is in the south. We did see a pod or two of dolphins off the port side of the ship in the calm seas. When we reach our next port in Chile, we will be 2 hours ahead of Detroit time. I didn’t realize that we would be heading so Far East before we begin to circle the globe.

We started to prepare ourselves for the Big Game. We decided to watch it on the 5th floor next to the casino. The casino is small and gets very little use. People who take these kind of cruises are generally not gamblers. I have to feel sorry for the black jack dealers. They stand at their tables ready to deal but there is never anyone playing. The area with the large tvs has many oversized chairs and loveseats. There may have been 20 people watching with us.

We made it almost to halftime. Not much happening other than popcorn and peanuts. I was called in for another match of scrabble. I beat the master this time. Re-match soon.

…

February 2, 2019 – Lima, Peru

Our stop in Lima, Peru is one of the few times where we are in the same port for more than one day.

Another hot day here. We are docked in a very busy port. Cranes are busy unloading shipping containers. It is fascinating to watch. Along side the ship are numerous vendors who set up shops to sell goods to passengers. A musician is playing for tips over a PA system. He is very talented and plays numerous wind instruments. Many I have never seen before.

Out tour today is another archeological site. This one was discovered in the 1980s.

This site was discovered in the 1950s

Two different cultures living at different time periods. One thing all of the cultures in this area seem to share is human sacrifice. It was considered to be a privilege to be sacrificed. In these cultures they sacrificed only women. Usually young girls. 8 – 12 years old. These were hard working people that didn’t realize that the good things that they had were from their own hard work. The earth god provided a place to live, the sun god provided warmth and light. It was necessary to pay these “gods” with the most innocent among them.

It was blazing hot out today and we were glad to get back to the ship.

I took this babe to the Main Dining Room for dinner. Bob and Brenda were our guests.

The entertainment was a stand up comedian. We didn’t think he was very funny. I won’t mention his name but we walked out midway through. Not everyone has it. …

February 1, 2019 – Lima, Peru

We are docked in an industrial area and are about 20 mins from downtown Lima. Today we have two tours scheduled. We are to see penguins and sea lions out on the Ballestas Islands and then see Lima at Night.

Humboldt penguins live and breed along the Pacific coastlines of Chile and Peru. A current of the same name pushes water up from Antartica. The cold water drops to the bottom of the ocean and pushes nutrients up from the floor. This makes the area ideal for many kinds of fish and sea creatures. It also makes the temperature of the ocean about 60 degrees here in the middle of summer.

We enjoyed watching the Sea Lions and also the boat ride back. We got back to the ship in time for dinner and then went on our next tour, “Lima at Night”. Friday night traffic was awful. People can’t drive here and the police don’t seem to care. Our destination was the center of the old colonial section of Lima. We didn’t get off of the tour bus here and it was difficult to take pictures through the windows. We did see many people out enjoying this area.

Close by was the Magic Water Circuit Park. Below is a video of the show we watched. These fountains sprayed up in a fan like fashion and then a show with music was projected on to them.

Lot’s of families here enjoying a warm Friday night. It is Summer vacation here until March.

We returned back to the ship at about 10:30 pm …

January 31, 2019 – Salaverry, Peru

We arrived at this port at about 2:30 am. I could feel a tug pushing us and I felt I was going to roll out of bed. We have arrived!

Today we had an early tour. Our destination was Trujillo and we were to see the downtown area and then on to a museum and archeological site.

Other than the guy selling hats, not too much excitement here. The next stop was a museum. The items in the museum were from a recent archeological find. A 1990 discovery of the Moche Culture. The site is in front of a mountain and was completely covered in sand. 5 to 15 meters in depth. The site is 2000 years old and the relics are in pristine condition. This area of Peru receives rain only every 20 years or so. The dryness and depth of the burial preserved these artifacts. The museum didn’t allow pictures. A quick google search will show some of the artifacts. The Moche Culture prayed to the god of the mountain which provided water and life. Human sacrifices were given.

We finished our tour and arrived back at the ship at 2 pm. A cold towel and glass of lemonade was waiting for us next to the “Welcome Home” sign as we boarded the ship.

We watched the ship pull out of the port at 4:30 pm and went to the Lido Market at 5:30.

We played a game of scrabble in the Library. Waxo is not a word? Who would have thought? Terri plays scrabble like she does golf. I stick to table tennis.

There was an encore performance of saxophonist Akos Laki and Isabel Commandeur. He is a great saxophonist but she is phenomenal. She did some broadway hits and also the classic Ave Maria. What a voice!…

January 30, 2019 – at Sea

We have crossed the equator and are enjoying Summer. I am amazed how calm the waters are and how nice the sun feels. The dome is open above the swimming pool all day long now. This area can get quite warm as it is protected from the ocean breeze. The humidity is very high. We have decided that the lounge chairs outside our room is the place to be. Not too warm. I know it is -13 back home. Not sure if I have ever experienced that temp.

I brought lots of books. I am in the middle of “Lies My Teacher Told Me”. Very interesting read. The focus is on how American History is taught using textbooks that have misleading and inaccurate information.

I’m not sure I want to relive it but “The Worst President in History” is up next. It will make me both angry and happy that it is over. I do have all of the Mark Levin books on my Sony Reader and I will get to those.

Communicating back home is easier than I imagined. We switched cellular carriers last year. I was a lifelong AT&T user and Terri had Verizon. T-Mobile offered 2 lines, unlimited data, and free calling in Canada and Mexico. It also offers unlimited data and free texting in every country save one on this trip. Service has only been 3G on the trip so far but it is still nice to have. This offer was for folks over 55 and is the same cost as we each paid separately. T-Mobile will roam on other cellular networks to pick up the best signal. It does this automatically.

We will dock in Salaverry, Peru tonight. We have a tour to do tomorrow and are looking forward to it.

We had lunch with a couple from Australia. They flew all the way to Ft. Lauderdale from Sydney to do this cruise. One of our stops is in Sydney. I’m not sure how I would feel about that.

We improved our score on team trivia. The winner had 9 correct out of 16 and we had 7. The engineer next to me was busy calculating how long it took the Sun’s rays to reach earth. He was correct. 8 minutes.

We did the golf challenge today. I am a fan of Putt Putt but not a fan of actually golfing on a real course. I expected the huge clown head or Ferris wheel to putt around. It was just a wrinkled up piece of green felt. 2 holes. The winner got a hole in one on each hole. Terri 2 putted each hole.

We did listen to the Station Band in the Crow’s Nest before calling it a night. Great 3 part harmonies. They need better chops on their instruments to match.…

January 29, 2019 – at Sea

Today we are headed south along along the coast of South America. The seas are very calm and there is a nice breeze.

I was up early as usual. I like to read the paper and have coffee. The ship has wifi and all passengers can login through a browser on a phone, tablet, or laptop. The Holland America Navigator appears after a guest provides the proper credentials. Use of this is free and it is useful to:

• view the ship schedule
• book dining reservations
• book shore excursions
• view current account and bill
• chat with other guests

It is also possible to connect to the satellite internet. This is not free and is sold by use or by package. Three different speeds are available. We purchased the high speed and cruise duration package. It is possible to stream with this package but buffering interruptions are common. Only one device per account can use the internet at a time. This can be a challenge at times.

When one is retired and on vacation, time is meaningless. Thankfully the floor mats in the elevators are changed each day to help. I imagine before these mats, conversation in the elevator revolved around which day it is. Think of the absent minded player in a game of Euchre who asks “which suit is trump again?”.

We have been going to breakfast about 6:30 am and then up to the gym on sea days. Breakfast is served in the Dining Room, at the Lido Market, or room service. Guests can choose. We have been dining at the Lido Market which serves buffet style. The food has been very good and plenty of variety exists.

The gym is not very large but we find it adequate. The cardio equipment is placed in from of the windows and one has a beautiful view of the ocean while on the treadmill or elliptical trainers. There are machines, free weights and barbells. There is also a wooden floor where spin classes, pilates, or other classes are given. There are other classes at different locations around the ship. Some free. Some not. The locker rooms remind me of a very high end club. Showers, lockers, sauna. All available.

The lower promenade is where our room is located. It has a wooden deck all of the way around the ship. 3.5 laps around is a mile. People begin power walking and strolling as soon as the sun appears along this deck. We have chairs that are reserved for us in front of our door; we enjoy sitting, watching people and the ocean go by. Our room is on the starboard side of the ship. We will be headed West for a good portion of the trip and we will be looking North outside of our room. Today we head South and have the Western sky and sun. There are numerous locations around the ship to sit. The Lanai room that we have allows us to have easy access to our rooms as we enjoy sitting outside. For those who enjoy complete privacy, there are staterooms with balconies. There are also staterooms with just a window and inside cabins with no windows. After we booked the trip we upgraded form an inside cabin and are happy with our decision. The Lanai stateroom is brand new on the Amsterdam. They were added during a dry dock period last May.

The Grand World Voyage fills very quickly. 80% of the passengers aboard are repeat customers. The 2020 cruise is sold out. The 2021 cruise has a waiting list. There is an area on this ship where one can go to book future cruises. We have met many people who do the this cruise yearly and also do other cruises in between. Each year the itinerary is a bit different to keep things interesting for repeat cruisers. Retiring soon? Book now. Carmelle?

There are 200 crew members taking care of the 1400 passengers aboard. They are extremely friendly and helpful. Who wouldn’t want a warm, moist towel handed over on silver tongs as you stood in line for the tender on the way back from an excursion? Wipe off dust on your face. Warm towel in one hand, cool glass of lemonade in the other. Get the idea?

On the edge of the ship watching the Panama Canal go by? Why not enjoy a special Panama Roll and a cup of coffee brought to you on a platter. Think about anything you have done with a group of people and then imagine everything that could be complained about. Now imagine an answer to all of these possible complaints. We feel quite pampered.

The Captain is quite friendly and appears around the ship often. The entertainers mingle with guests also. Guests are older on this type of cruise and there are no children aboard. We have done the Carnival cruises in the past. 6000 passengers, 16 bars and a huge casino. Kids jamming the swimming pools. Not on this cruise. I do love kids but I like this atmosphere also. Maybe when the grand kids are a bit older we can go back and do one of those.

After the gym we sat outside, read and blogged. We did team trivia. Worst score yet. “This is the only creature that can turn its stomach inside out”. I don’t know why “starfish” didn’t come to mind. It must be common knowledge.

At lunch, we met with Bill the retired marine that we met at dinner last week and shared our excursion schedule with him. He will join us for three of our booked excursions.

At 2:30 a golf putting challenge was scheduled. We showed up and it was a ring toss game instead. I redeemed myself here after the trivia disaster and walked away the winner. The golf challenge is on for tomorrow. This is Terri’s forte.

Tonight is a black and white Gala night and costume ball. What a date I found!

We had dinner with a couple from Arizona. Brenda and Bob. We chose “open seating” for the cruise. It is also possible to choose the same table with the same folks every night. We like the variety. Bob …

January 28, 2019 – Panama City, Panama

We are at anchor in the harbor of Panama City. Very modern looking. Some very bright lights that reminded us of Times Square in NYC.

We were up early and took the first tender off of the ship. Today we visit the Miraflores Lock and Museum and also do a walking tour of old Colonial Panama.

The museum was jam packed full of people. The Pope had just been in town and people came from all over to visit. It looked like a nice hands on museum perfect for children. There were too many people to make it interesting for us. I like history and engineering. I could have learned a few things but chose to go quickly through the museum and watch the locks from the balcony on the third floor.

Lots of politics here. Many banners and flags were held up on this ship. People on the balcony sang songs and waved banners back. Don’t ask me the words. People were also chanting on the balcony. One person held up a cross. Our guide spoke about how people are illegally migrating to Panama because of the economy and the use of the US dollar. Illegals are taking jobs from Panamanians and putting a strain on the social safety net. She said they are very tough on border security.

This is an old school bus from the US. It has been painted, outfitted with lights, and is used as a party bus. The drivers are generally 16 years old and like to race other party bus drivers. Safety seems to be of little concern The seats have been taken out and there are benches along the side. Loud music is played and drinks are served. These busses drive through Panama all night long. The final stop is the Police Station. I would guess that all sober people are off by then.

Our walking tour took place in the old section of Panama. It had walls completely around it (I know what you are thinking) and was settled in the 1600s. Three different influences on architecture here. Spanish, French, and American.

Many of the streets could easily pass for Bourbon Street in New Orleans. All that was missing was some live jazz.

I captured the church organ and the original church roof of Sacred Heart Cathedral. Both still working well. Work on the church began in 1688.

Our tour guide did a nice job and we parted at the port to take the tender back to the the ship. The tour lasted about 4 hours.

Back on the ship we spent the rest of the afternoon on the Promenade deck in from of our room. Nice breeze off the ocean.

We ate dinner at the Lido Market and came back to our room to call it an early night.…

January 27, 2019 – Panama Canal

The San Blas Islands were only about 80 km from the opening of the Panama Canal. By early morning we were at the opening of the canal. The canal runs from the Northeast to the Southwest. Three different sets of multiple locks transport us up to Gatun Lake and back down again. The Gatun, Pedro Miguel, and MiraFlores.

The canal transit took about 8 hours to complete. We spent our day on all sides of the ship but did manage to play team trivia and get a good work out in the gym.

We had dinner with a couple originally from Oklahoma who now live in Florida. They are taking the cruise as far as Australia and then going home. Karen and Ron haven’t done the full world cruise yet but have tons of cruising and travel experience. They lived in Saudi Arabia and Libya for a time when they were young. They have taken many, many cruises like most of the other passengers.

The team trivia earlier in the day didn’t go very well for our team. We decided to try Music Trivia. We would do better at that. Right? Wrong. I expected the game would be played like name that tune. Instead, popular tunes were played and some words would be garbled (aren’t they all?) We had to name the three garbled words. I don’t think I could name them if they weren’t garbled. …

January 26, 2019. – San Blas Islands, Panama

Today stop is a tender port. The islands have no port that a ship this size can get close to so we anchor a ways out and take the ships tenders out to our stop. There are over 300 islands in this group off the coast of Panama. 49 are inhabited and we are stopping at one.

The seas are calm and the tender process went smoothly. This tender/lifeboat is stored right above the walkway outside of our room.

We spent about an hour on this cramped island. The women and children were out selling their goods. The men seemed to be in the huts on hammocks resting. We heard television sets as we walked by some of the huts.

We tendered back and prepared for dinner. Tomorrow is the Panama Canal and the dinner theme is Panama hat night. We did not make dinner reservations in the main dining room so we ate in the Lido cafe. Still plenty of great food.

The main stage featured Mario D’Andrea. Italian born and raised in Australia. Currently he lives in Las Vegas. He opened with El Cumbanchero on his electric guitar. Great tune. He sang some classic Italian tunes, some Dean Martin and Chuck Berry. He is quite spontaneous and the house band members were digging through their charts every time he broke the set list. The pianist at one point just threw up his hands but they all took it in stride. A few times he lost his place in the introduction of tunes because he liked to talk. His final number was a Spaghetti Western Tribute. Great music and a very down to earth guy. …