Quilting at Sea - The Last Post - June 29th

On sea days many of the 180s have been working on a World Quilt Project. Everyone does a square (certain people more than one) depicting their favorite places or activities, for a memory quilt.

At the end of the cruise, the Oceania staff project initiator, Ana, presented the quilt to everyone in the Insignia Lounge, right before a raffle to benefit of the Crew Welfare Fund.

Only one problem: Ana was off the ship for 3 months, from Cape Town to Sydney. Who would help inexperienced contributors with their squares? Who could begin piecing it together in straight lines? Who on earth would have a sewing machine with them on a cruise? We know who:

The contributors posed for a group picture with the Insignia General Manager Victor before the raffle. A couple celebrating their 50th anniversary won the quilt and the Crew Welfare Fund received $5,500. A great story all the way around.

Victor gave Joani a $300 ship-board credit, a 100% reimbursement for the used Bernina she bought in Singapore. It’s a 50 cycle / 220 volt machine and will be used for the quilting project on the next around-the-world cruise. Happy hour has been very happy recently.

All good things must come to an end. Tomorrow night Joani and I and several other couples are having dinner in the Grand Dining room with Victor the GM and Ray the Cruise Director. There will be toasts and tears before we leave.

Thanks to all who have been reading. Blogspot.com shows over 3,000 hits. Tremendous motivation to keep posting.

See everybody soon!

Signing Off,

Bob & Joani

Cartagena Colombia – June 27th

We are in Cartagena, fifth largest city in Colombia. The largest New World fort ever built by the Spanish guards the entrance to the harbor. It has withstood all enemy attacks.

Ha! We didn’t visit that fort. Joani is in front of a cannon on the walls of the Old City. Its Colonial era architecture is the main tourist attraction here. The real fort is 2 1/2 miles away and we have seen so many forts that it was not worth the trouble. Yes, we are getting jaded and it’s time to end this trip.

The center of the Old City is the Simón Bolívar Plaza. In the middle of the plaza is a statue of Simón Bolívar on horseback.

Cartagena has a Colonial cathedral. Pope John Paul II visited the Archdiocese of Cartagena in 1986 and his statue stands outside the cathedral. We did not visit the cathedral, as it is temporarily closed for restoration and renovation. We were not disappointed. We have seen far too many churches and temples. Yes, it is definitely time for this trip to end.

But we never get tired of visiting local bars and restaurants. The beer of choice is Club Colombia. The food of choice is cevice imperial.

We had a great lunch in a second floor restaurant overlooking Bolívar Plaza. Several cervezas served “buen fría” cooled us down nicely in the 95 degree heat.

Next up: after a couple of days at sea, we arrive in … we arrive in … Florida??? There is nothing next up. Well, except for three continuous days of 180 farewell parties ...

Panama Canal Transit – June 26th

Leaving the Pacific, we enter Balboa Harbor, passing under the Bridge of the Americas

We are headed into the Miraflores locks, following a container ship on the Atlantic-bound side; and watching another container ship exiting the Pacific-bound side.

The two independent lock sets raise or lower vessels 54 feet in two stages

Here’s our friend Julie Carter as we enter the second lock of the Atlantic-bound side. Julie is smiling because there are multiple cabin parties planned for this afternoon.

We are now on surface of Lake Miraflores, a one mile long artificial lake that was created by damming the Grande River. We are headed to the Pedro Miguel locks on the other side.

To our left we see the lock channel for the new third set of independent locks that just opened. The 12 year multi-billion project doubled canal capacity; increasing the size of Panamax ships from 965 to 1200 feet long, from 106 to 161 feet wide, and from 39.5 to 50 feet in draft.

Ahead we see the new Continental Bridge that carries the Pan American Highway over the canal at Panama City. The ten-year old structure cost $100 Million and relieved horrible traffic that had been choking the Bridge of the Americas.

Leaving the Pedro Miguel locks and heading into the Culebra Cut (Gaillard Cut), we can see digging and excavation that was done to expand the canal to handle bigger ships.

We leave the Cut, enter Gatun Lake, and wait our turn to go through the triple-stage locks that will lower the Insignia 85 feet down to the level of the Caribbean. Oceaniaville residents start the cabin parties even though it is only 2:30 PM. Joani is one of the instigators.

Most of the 180s who booked private suites have opened them up for “Around the World” parties. We have a perfect view of the Gatun Locks from the balcony of a private suite at the rear of the ship.

The original Gatun Locks control house is still in use

Completing the 48 mile canal transit, we leave Colón Harbor and head out into the Caribbean.

Our time is getting very short! Tomorrow: Cartagena Colombia.

Costa Rica - June 24th

Just when you think it can't get any better, it does. The mother of all canopy advenure tours on the Rio El Padre. 25 zips and 2 rappels over 11 waterfalls. Top speed 55 mph. Longest ride 2200 ft.

Joani over a small waterfalls

Joani through the rain forest

Joani's first rappel. It's becoming clear she can no longer claim a fear of heights. Not buying it

Joani now zipping over two waterfalls at a single bound

Joani's second rappel

Joani's long zip.

After the "regular" zip-lining, for a mere $15 extra we all bought the "Superman" experience:

One for Bob to get ready ...

 

And two to go, flying with a drogue chute to keep the speed down

 

Three for Joani to get ready

 

And there she goes. Rolling left and then right for better views to each side

 

Joani's Superwoman landing. Lois Lane is jealous. Vertigo? We don't need no stinkin' vertigo

 The Insignia zip-lining fab five: Bob, Joani, Gwen, Sue and Kenny G.

The Costa Rican beer of choice after a hard day of zip-lining is Imperial

Next up: our Panama Canal transit. This was our last adventure excursion. Our time has gotten shorter as the days have gotten longer.

Cerro Negro Nicaragua - June 23rd

We are missing our friends Drew and Tanya today, who were planning to be here with us, but needed to return to their home in Victoria BC right after Hawaii

This is Day 2 of what Joani calls our Central American “Climb Every Mountain” tour. She has been humming the song all day. Nicaragua has a number of active volcanoes and we're doing the youngest one, Cerro Negro. It's so new it still has no vegetation

We’re starting to get the hang of hiking through lava fields and up volcano slopes

And pretty soon we’re on the crater rim

 

From the 728 meter summit we could see other active volcanoes in the Cordillera

And down into the caldera where steam is still venting, though this volcano hasn’t erupted since 1999.

 

One way back to the bottom is to simply walk straight down the black-sand and volcanic ash slope, as we did yesterday

But here there is another way

After a hard day of mountain climbing and sand boarding, the beer of choice in Nicaragua is Toña

Tomorrow: zip-lining in Costa Rica

Pacaya Volcano Guatemala – June 22nd

Guatemala has three active volcanoes. At 8,372 feet, Pacaya is only an hour and 20 minutes from Puerto Quetzal; so we booked a guide to hike it

This pan is from the summit of Cerro Chino, a side peak of Pacaya. The active cone of Pacaya rises above the volcanic plain sloping down to the Pacific. To the right the cone of Agua rises 12,336 feet in the distance

Joani is framed by the cones of Agua, Fuego (12,346 feet) and Acatenango (13,044 feet). These are the classic peaks surrounding Antigua, the ancient capital of Guatemala. Only Fuego is still active

In the background is the town of Pacaya, population 6,000. It is the home of our guide Cesar, a seventh generation resident. His family is one of 236 that make up the town. Cesar has lived the history of this volcano

The bare ground behind Joani resulted from the most recent lava flows of Pacaya. The darkest area is from 2014 and the lighter from 2010

Here we are walking through the upper lava Field of the 2014 eruption

The Pacaya Crater seen from the caldera of Cerro Chino. Different flows and eruptions painted the cone with different shades and colors; the darkest hues are where the 2014 eruption spilled down the slope. As in Hawaii, you can only see the orange glow of sub-surface molten lava at night

 

Joani is standing in the center of the Cerro Chino crater, which has not erupted in 600 years, but has since been filled with lava flow from Pacaya

A scoop of sand from this spot in the Cerro Chino crater still warms our hands (there is a lava pool from Pacaya way down below)

 

As we leave the crater to hike the Cerro Chino rim, we find steam vents

 

Here is Joani making the final ascent to the Cerro Chino rim, with Pacaya in the background. We had lunch at the top

Here is Joani descending the Cerro Chino rim, slipping and sliding on the volcanic rubble. She is enjoying it; she just keeps her weight back and does a hockey stop if she gets going too fast.

Joani is ready for tomorrow; when we will be sandboarding down a volcano in Nicaragua, Cerro Negro. 

Cabo San Lucas – June 18th

We tendered off Cabo San Lucas and the famous “El Arco” rock formation on the most southwestern point of the Baja

Joani took a boat excursion out to the famous point

She saw sea lions sunning

And devil rays flying through the air

She went snorkeling

And kayaking

And even paddle boarding

I went diving and also saw the devil rays jumping. Under the water we saw manta rays, a spotted eagle ray, and sting rays; but the best pictures were white spotted puffer fish and blue reef fish.

This was our last warm water diving and snorkeling stop. Next up: Volcano hikes in both Guatemala and Nicaragua before zip-lining in Costa Rica.