We’ve been busy!

Sorry for the gap in blog posts...but we’ve been busy! Since leaving Northern Peru we then traveled to Callao, the port to Lima where we spent a few days. As you may know, Lima is the capital of Peru...a third of the population lives there and it is the 5th largest city in South America with about 11,000,000. Since we have been to Lima several times before, we explored new areas of the city on our own as well as going to the nightly Circuito Majico del Aqua...a major city park with 13 colored and clever water features. It draws huge crowds each evening. We also explored some of the historic plazas which are beautiful and remind us of European cities. Peru is on the comeback after some bad political and economic times. People seem happy and industrious but it is still poor in many areas with tired infrastructure. They are excited about the new president and are hopeful for a bright future. We then traveled South to Arica Chile where we are now. Chile is the world’s longest country and home to the driest desert in the world...the Atacama desert. This is a cute town (been here before too) that always impresses us by how much everyone walks and bikes here. It seems no one is using a car! This is a “resort” area for Chile so it has a slightly more prosperous feeling. However, as a Gringo, you stand out here...they don’t get many North American visitors here. The newspapers today all have a big cartoon of Trump on the cover squeezing the hose at a gas pump with a headline about “Trump trying to make Venezuela American again”. In between long walks (almost 8 miles today!) we have also been busy with ship life. We’ve been getting regular excercise...a tough spin class every at-sea day, swim workouts in the pool using a swim belt tether (you basically swim in place and it works very well) and climb about 20 flights of stairs a day. Di has even played pickleball! We also had a huge Super Bowl party on the ship last night...great food...like lobster rolls...and lots to drink. Too bad the game was such a snoozer.

We now start heading West...5 days at sea before reaching Easter Island our next port of call. This is a bucket list item for us. More news then...

Northern Peru

Today we arrived...about 2:30am..in the port of Salaverry on the Northern coast of Peru...a tired dusty working class port that serves at the gateway to Trujillo, the country’s 3rd largest city and home of the pre-Incan civilization...the ancient Chimu empire. Today we toured Huaca Dragon (Dragon Temple) a pyramid of adobe baking in the Peruvian sun for centuries, that was the former home to 50-60,000 people. Then we toured Chan Chan, a UNESCO World Heritage site that covered 8 square miles and is over 1000 years old. It shows the sophistication of the native South Americans before Incans and Spanish arrived. We also toured Huanchaco beach, the tired “tourist” area for wealthier Peruvians and saw the frishermen in action on their small reed boats navigating the surf line. These use the same reeds that Thor Heyerdahl used when he built Kon Tiki many years ago and sailed it to the South Pacific to test his theory that these people traveled great distances in these reed boats. All day, our ship was next to a Chinese ship that was unloading tons of corn...from Argentina...to feed the many Peruvian chicken producers in this area. It was fascinating to watch the unloading processs...labor intensive and dusty and probably expensive. I guess it averages out over a huge load but how do you ship corn from Argentina to Peru to raise chickens and have it all pencil out? This area of Peru, new to us, was poor and filled with trash. The people were modern looking with clean clothes but they looked out of place against this third world backdrop. Most lived in  squatters Camps with partially built homes made of scrap. They complained that Venezulian refugees were taking the jobs. They were great tour guides and very friendly but living in a very dry tough part of the world.  

Panama...not what you might expect

The country of Panama is booming! The skyline is impressive with construction cranes everywhere. Even more impressive is the cycling infrastructure.. really exceptional. We could have ridden all day along the causeway bike path between Fuerte Amador (a huge beautiful cruise port under construction there now) and downtown Panama City, but this is our third and final day in this surprising country...our ship weighs anchor about 5:00pm. And in case you were wondering about the Panama Canal...since the U.S. turned over the canal to the Panamanians in 1999, it is doing very well. It too is growing...the new expanded locks are open for mega ship traffic and the whole Canal Zone seems well managed and thriving. As they say here...Panama is the new Miami...

Old...and new...

I’ve been here before...the Panama Canal...first opening in 1914. But there is much that is new. As we arrive at dawn, we pass under the nearly complete new suspension bridge and see signs of the recently completed canal expansion, which opened in 2016, that allows much larger ships to transit. However, they still bring the cables out to each ship using the historic row boats. We see ships of all sizes and shapes...a few cruise ships, LPG tankers, huge car carriers and massive container ships...even a few proclaiming “hybrid solar” power and most from Asia or China. It’s new...and changing here...but also much like it has been since the early 20th century.

Photographer’s dilemma..,

Today we’re in the San Blas Islands, a collection of 365 tiny low islands (only 49 are inhabited) just off the coast of Panama. The area is known for its lack of hurricanes, beaches (though we saw none), cayuko’s (dugout canoes in which one paddles and other passengers bail like crazy), and the colorful fabric “molas” all the women here sew and create. I’m guessing Molas represent their largest source of island income. Having grown up with framed molas on our household walls, I was looking forward to a visit here to see more of them...and the women who create them.

After a short tender ride from the ship, we arrived and were faced with a classic photographer’s dilemma...to show the village as you expected to see it? To focus on making pretty images? Or to photograph reality...even if poor and shabby. I’m still not sure which approach is best? Do you document? Do you pay for the opportunity to photograph? Here are a few images...representing all the directions a photographer might go. You decide which approach is best...

In the footsteps of Simon Bolivar...

After about 1200nm and skirting between Cuba and Haiti, we arrived in Columbia today. Our port was Santa. Marta, the first city settled in Columbia, a country of 55M. While their neighbor Venezuela is collapsing, Columbia seems to be doing fairly well...a tired infrastructure but happy busy productive people. Unlike our own country, they are welcoming refugees from Venezuela...their “brothers and sisters” who are struggling. Everything here seems to highlighting Simon Bolivar...who helped 5 countries, including Columbia, win independence from Spain. He is imotalized everywhere. We visited Santa Marta...the gold museum (Bolivar died here), the cathedral (Simon buried here twice), the botanical gardens (Bolivar monuments everywhere) and also the beach tourist areas where brand new high rise condos are selling for $25,000...$3000 pesos to one US dollar. Their “Starbucks” is Juan Valedez Coffee shops but while coffee is their primary export, they admit most of their best coffee is exported and not available here. They also export flowers and coal. We had a college educated very professional tour guide but most interesting was when his mother called to ask what he wanted for his lunch today...she was at the fish market. Lunch would be waiting for him at home...then a short siesta. This was our first visit to Columbia...we think it’s the 81st country we have visited...and we’re eager to see more.

From Tourist to Traveler

We have arrived on the beautifully refurbished MS Amsterdam (which completed a $150M dry dock just a few months ago) and are enjoying our first full day at sea...now just off the Northern coast of Cuba...headed to Santa Marta Columbia. The seas are moderate in spite of gale force winds...and we’re still getting our sea legs which usually takes a few days.

The trip from St. George had its moments...last minute airline notification that the flight would be significantly delayed, causing us to miss our connection, rebooking another flight out of Las Vegas, a rushed drive to LAS (thanks to Craig’s brother Stu!), a cab ride to our Ft. Lauderdale hotel at midnight in a traditional cab (driver couldn’t speak English and handed us his cellphone to key in an address so he could follow the map) in contrast to using Uber the following morning to the ship which was professional and easy.

Embarkation onto the ship was fast and easy...less than 10 minutes...and in no time we were in our beautiful stateroom...7022. The sailway party was first class and we began reconnecting with friends from our last Grand World Voyage...like Celeste , Christel, and Henk. It feels like home.

After nearly 2 years of planning, we’re finally underway! Our goal on this journey is to graduate from just being a tourist...to being a traveler.

Luggage has shipped!

It's happening!

Our longtime favorite Fed Ex guy (34 years with FedEx) just came with an empty Sprinter van and gave us the 5 star treatment. Using a wireless printer he printed an additional supplemental tag for each bag to show exact routing and transfer points. We had 18 bags between the 4 of us. Ours will be on a plane (Cessna Caravan) in about 3 hours to Las Vegas, then containerized by destination and flown tonight to Memphis, them probably direct to Miami or Ft. Lauderdale. He loves Holland America Lines!...his last cruise...15 days through the Panama Canal.

We're committed now! Only 10 days until we fly!

Lots of little details...

Well the time before we set sail is clicking down...now less than 3 weeks. We have checklists and continue to make a little progress everyday. Our luggage...12 pieces including our folding travel bikes...gets picked in about a week. Another step has been updating and recording all of our vaccinations and boosters...Hepatitis A&B, DTAP, Yellow Fever, Shingles (the new one), Pneumonia, Flu and today we began a 5 day protocol taking the Typhoid vaccine. The countdown continues...