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          When I started typing this and in the process of naming this Word Document, my fat fingers mistakenly typed Peril Harbor.

                   That is not far from the truth, but more on that later.

                   Yesterday we were in Honolulu. Anyone that has been to Hawaii will tell you not to judge the entire state (or the island of Oahu for that matter) by the city of Honolulu. Make no mistake about it, Honolulu is a city, with all of the requisite aspects of one. There are tall skyscrapers, both commercial and condos, freeways, bad sections, homeless, (and Walmart’s!)

                   But…. mixed into all of this Urbaneness are other signs of where you really are….. palm trees, gorgeous skies, incredible florals, lush old volcanic formed mountains, and everyone (except me) was attired in a Hawaiian shirt! The buildings downtown were really quite nice, their design and architecture were just unique enough to warrant noticing.

                   We were on an excursion that was entitled, Pearl Harbor, National Cemetery of the Pacific, and City Highlights.  By now (but it was too late) we have learned that anything with “Highlights” in the title is the one that attracts the Geriatric Parade of Ambulatory Assisting Mobility Devices. But it was too late to change anything so we steeled ourselves, gritted our teeth and prepared for the worst.

                   Some Hawaiian deity must have been smiling down on our tour because we found ourselves in a small bus with only one lady with a scooter and she was a “non-issue.”

                   When we boarded the ship, we received a letter in our stateroom announcing that this tour unfortunately did no longer include an opportunity to take the boat out into the harbor to visit the USS Arizona Memorial. We heard all sorts of rumors about the Navy needing to cut back on the amount of people allowed to visit because the Memorial needed maintenance, and other such rumors. This came as a major blow as an opportunity to visit this memorial is quite special. We were also informed that our visit to the National Cemetery of the Pacific would be just a drive-through experience. This cemetery is just like visiting Arlington or Gettysburg and being able to walk around and see the giant mosaics depicting the significant Battles of the Pacific during WWII is one of the highlights of a visit.

                   This was not shaping up to be worthwhile time. I felt badly for Paula who had never been here. We disembarked our Giant Van/ Small Bus at Pearl Harbor and after going trough Security we found ourselves gathered around our Tour Guide who handed out tickets to the boat that takes you out to the USS Arizona Memorial.

And it departed in a half hour! You can usually wait up to two hours for your turn to take the ride out there!

                   By now I am thoroughly perplexed for all the right reasons, and I wasn’t secure until we actually went through the line and had our QR coded tickets beeped “green”.

                   If you have ever had the opportunity to visit this particular Memorial You know to what I am about to speak. Unfortunately, if you have never had this opportunity there are no words that will adequately express the feelings and emotions that accompany this experience. I will say that the folks that were there did display the correct amount of respect and dignity befitting an experience of this nature. There were no kids running around (but they were there), no “selfies”, but photography is allowed, and everyone spoke in whispers and hushed voices. And I am in tears just writing this.

This Memorial spans the hull of the Arizona which suffered an incredibly devastating bombing on December 7, 1941, during this now infamous attack. An aerial bomb made a precise, direct, hit on her forward powder magazine that held several thousand tons of ordinance at the time. There was no warning, no second chance for these sailors.

Consequently, the hull of the Arizona became their final resting place.

 One Thousand One Hundred Seventy-Seven brave souls are entombed in the hull, just beneath the waves of Pearl Harbor. The fuel and oil from her fuel bunkers still floats up and give a rainbow sheen effect to the waters just above the hull.

          Maybe a “Rainbow” is somehow fitting?

A stay out on the Memorial only lasts about ten minutes as the next launch arrives to unload its passengers and pick us up. Back on land we watched a special film narrated by Stockard Channing who’s somewhat distinctive raspy voice was a perfect choice as the narrator.

          Back on the bus, sans two very late tourmates, (we don’t know their fate, only that the Driver was given permission to leave them behind) we proceeded on the rest of our tour. First destination was the “Punchbowl”, one of the names associated with the Memorial Cemetery because it is located within the crater of a long extinct volcano.

We then proceeded to the nice downtown area that includes old government buildings from back when Hawaii was its own country, then a territory, and finally our youngest state. A statue of King Kamehameha I, the fellow that united the Hawaiian Islands in 1810 after hundreds of years of infighting, is prominently displayed in front of the state Supreme Court.

          When the tour was completed, we were deposited back at our ship. Thankfully the day turned out far better than I had anticipated!

          On to Kauai!

I don’t know which is better, easing the Band-Aid off your boo-boo, or just rip that thing off in one fell swoop?

                                      We are facing a similar dilemma with traveling around the globe but are powerless to make our own decision on this problem.

 We are experiencing Boat-Lag.

This similar to Jetlag but much slower.

Every few nights we are instructed to turn our clocks back one hour. This means that we gain an hour each time that we perform this task.

Yay!!!  Extra Sleep Time!!!

Or in my case I just get up earlier for a day until the change makes its full 24-hour cycle. This is not an issue.

Until…. There are several days in a row that require us to move the time. This is more predicated on the actual time of our next destination. We need to arrive and be experiencing the same time-zone as that port.

But wait!

The International Date Line is looming on the horizon (literally)! When we pass in this direction (we are traveling westbound) we lose a day!

What a rip-off!

We signed up for a 111-day cruise not a 110-day one!

But wait again!

We get all that time back, in little one-hour bits, because since we travel in the same direction and set our clocks back 24 times (24 time zones around the world) we gradually end up with a net/net gain/loss of zero!

          Don’t worry there will be no quiz on this, it took me a while to come to grips with it!

          The only thing for us to grip now is that Band-Aid analogy and as I said, we don’t have any control of it!

          So….. Zzzzzzzzzz!

We arrived Los Angeles just in time for me to make my dentist appointment.

          Yes friends, my dentist is located in West Covina, California so I thought that since we were going to be in town for a day, I would make an appointment.

          How convenient!

          What a load of crap!

          The real story is that exactly one day before our departure from Texas, I developed a significant toothache. I am no stranger to these unpleasant experiences. My root-canals have all been re-done over the years, so I am a professional dentist goer.

          But I am also a professional procrastinator, so when you combine those two professions guess which one wins?

          You got it!

I am a card-carrying member of Procrastinators International!

 So…. It’s been a few since I’ve been to my dentist. Now, there’s absolutely no time to even try to get an appointment in Texas, so Advil’s become my best little friends, and this somewhat calms the situation down.

But…. What if I’m in Malaysia or some other strange, scary place that has witch doctors for dentists?

I know!

I’ll call my in-laws, Dan, and Linda (Travis’s parents) and have them help me get an appointment at their dentist in two weeks’ time when we reach Los Angeles.

(The reason that I am relating this adventure to all of you is that there is a lesson to be learned here and it’s not what you think.)

          Linda and Dan come through like the champions that they are and procure a 10 AM appointment for me. The ship docks around 7 AM, we can disembark around 8 AM and hopefully it does not take two hours to make the commute back to West Covina.

          I say hopefully because since this foray into the wilds of the Los Angeles Freeway System is not a Princess sponsored excursion, they have no obligation to hold the ship for me if I am late. All-aboard is supposed to be at 2:15 PM and you would think that there is plenty of time for us to make this 37-mile round-trip and get treated by a good ol’ USA dentist.

          But… Dan is stuck in traffic (already) and is about 45 minutes late picking me up. Driving in LA is akin only to maybe Singapore or Mumbai. I can personally attest to the fact that NYC has nothing on Los Angeles when it comes to traffic!

There is a happy ending here. My tooth had stopped hurting one day after we left Fort Lauderdale, but I figured that I should not tempt fate any more than I already had, so I kept the appointment and we found out that there was a small infection (“See that little dark spot there?” …. “No Doc, I don’t… I’ll just take your word for it. “)

 Anyway, a script for some antibiotics for now and some for later (if the problem resurfaces) and away we went. There was a wait at Walgreens, and I needed to stop for a new piece of luggage as one of the ones we used got smushed. When we arrived at the check-out line at Burlington there was (just) one checkout girl who was slowly taking care of a return and a line of six ladies waiting with carts full of clothes to purchase. I said to Dan, “This does not look good!” Dan walks over to the gaggle of purchasing patrons and announces, “Ladies, I need to get this guy back to San Pedro so he can catch his ship that will leave without him if he’s not there on time….. Would you mind if we got in line in front of you?”

 It was pensive few moments before they agreed and surrendered their places in line to the two guys with the frantic look in their eyes.

          Back on the Freeway, only a few “Red Zones” came up on my Google Maps Directions and our ETA at the ship looked good. Arriving in time I hopped out with my Gigundo Suitcase which everyone obviously assumed that it was full since I was boarding a cruise ship! They were all very impressed with my apparent strength as I heaved that puppy around like I was Mr. Universe in the body-building competition!

          Finally aboard, I took out my Handy-Dandy Princess Medallion App and located Miss Paula up on the Sun Deck.

          This is where the lesson comes in.

          One must be careful upon opening the doors of a ship on a windy day. These doors are designed with a closing-retarding-slow-it-down type mechanism so that they don’t slam. Upon exiting the passageway on the Sun Deck, I realized that I was going in the wrong direction. I quickly reversed course only to find that the door was still where I had left it.

 Open.

With the edge pointed right at my face.

          Bang!

          “That’s going to leave a mark” I said to myself as I adjusted the glasses on my face. I knew that there was going to be some damage and that really became apparent as I could feel some “liquid stuff’ dripping down my face. I went to the nearest bar (not for what you think!) and asked the horrified bartender for a damp paper towel. I am on blood thinners, so I am quite sure that my apparent distress looked far worse than it was. Hastily getting me that paper towel, he asked if I’d like him to call a Medic. I seized my chance here, and in my best British accent, I was able to use my favorite quote from Monty Python and the Holy Grail when the Black Knight has his arm and legs cut off but still insisted on fighting claiming that “It’s only a flesh wound!”

Unfortunately, I do not think that this bartender, who was from India, had seen that movie, as my quote had absolutely no effect on him.

          So… the lesson here is if you ever find yourselves going for a dentist appointment in a strange port and need to get back to the ship in a timely manner and then look for your Honey after boarding, Do Not rush through that supposedly open and not closed door unless the bartender has seen Monty Python and can appreciate the quote that you throw out at him! 

Our call in the Port of Los Angeles was supposed to be relatively short one with “All Aboard” at 2:15 pm. That usually signifies a departure about a half hour to forty-five minutes later. We were here mainly to disembark the folks that just made the “Panama Canal” transit and then to pick up the passengers for the rest of the World Cruise. But there was more fuel to load than anticipated and perhaps more importantly, more food!

                             On the starboard side was our friendly fuel barge snuggled up close and personal pouring that sweet #2 diesel fuel into the hungry fuel bunkers.

                             On the port side there was a bevy of activity going on as the various pallets of foodstuffs were being jockeyed about, all waiting their turn to be gently placed into the maws of the hungry passengers (so to speak). Eventually they would find their way into our “hungry fuel bunkers” after the Culinary Staff worked their magic…..  and I don’t just mean the kind they use to transform all those fruits and vegetables into works of art!

                             The day before, we went to the Culinary Demonstration that seems to be one of the obligatory events of just about any cruise and in thinking about it, why shouldn’t it be? Outside of a Michelin starred restaurant or resort, a cruise is the next best place to see one of the most highly trained culinary staffs that can be found anywhere in the world.

                   And…. they do it in quantities and with a service level that allows them to serve meals almost simultaneously! On board our relatively regular-sized ship there are 1900 passengers and another 900 staff. That means that they need to prepare meals for 2800 people, three times a day, for a total of 8400 meals! (and don’t forget the cookies, pastries, pizza, burgers, and other morsels that keep us sated between the three main feeding events of the day!)

 It is obvious that this department works 24 hours a day!

The Culinary Demonstration was held in the theater and with a set that proves that this show is an important and on-going part of the cruising experience.

Our show featured the Executive Chef, Raggie Saldanha, and the Maître d’hotel, or as he is now known, the Director of Restaurant Operations, Daniele Rosafio. As you may already have surmised, Raggie is from India and Daniele calls Italy as his home.

                   On stage together they were a hoot! There is a natural abrasiveness that develops between the “back of the house” and the “front of the house”. Believe me I know this firsthand! There were many a time that I needed to referee a bout between the kitchen chef and the dining room manager! But in the end the customer wins which, even though they may be at odds sometimes, is the common goal. These guys used this rivalry as a comedy tool as good as any seasoned comedy team I’ve ever seen 😊

          They prepared Gamberi Ala Fra Diavolo, a spicy shrimp dish, and a linguini pasta in a Pesto Sauce as the base. Then a Tiramisu, Espresso Zabaglione was made for dessert. No, we did not get to taste what was made there in front of us, we need to wait for these items to appear on the menu which changes daily. And like any good kitchen, they will have daily specials sometimes utilizing as ingredients, anything that is left over from a previous offering that either too much was prepared or was not ordered enough by the passengers. You may think that the aforementioned situation describes the same thing, but I can assure you that they are totally different situations!

This department works around the clock both cooking, and prepping, for the next meal!

                   Our Demonstration was followed by the next obligatory Galley Tour. I say obligatory because if you don’t avail yourself of this event at least once in your cruising experience you are really missing out. I have been on several tours and since I was in the “biz”, so to speak, it was not as dramatic for me as for everyone else that was not in foodservice, so I have skipped several over the years. Paula had never been on one, so away we went after the Demonstration was over. Well, I’m glad that I tagged along because this is the first time that I’ve been through a galley that was actually preparing and getting ready to serve! Usually, the tour is conducted through one of the galleys that is unused at the present time. They are all sparkly-clean as you may imagine, but to witness all the magic of a kitchen currently in production is a special honor!

                   When all the important stuff was finally aboard, we cast off and made our way out of The Port of Los Angeles. This place is massive and then some! We were in the Port of San Pedro which is just half of the entire “Port of Los Angeles”. Just south of us lies the rest of this place, the Port of Long Beach, (where the original Queen Mary is berthed)

                   After dinner we were treated to one of the production shows. These kids are talented ! And as you can see by the sets, no expense is spared when bringing first-rate entertainment to the passengers!  

                   Our next port-of-call is Honolulu, Hawaii. This requires four days at sea to get there. We shall see if there is anything worth reporting to you during this crossing, or if we even have satellite coverage!

You will be the first to know!

Thanks for reading 😊

Well, we’re obviously doing something wrong.

                   Paula has lost three pounds and I’ve lost five. We’ve searched high and low for them. We believe that they are located somewhere up in the Buffet in Horizon Court, but not being positive we’ve also looked in the Dining Room and the little Snack Bar in the Lounge on Deck Seven, but to no avail….

                             For me, the possibilities are endless.

                             But, it has been thirteen days since I’ve had a Monster Energy Drink. It’s not that I have a tremendous amount of willpower or anything like that. It is solely because they do not have any on board. There are Red Bulls here….. Hmmmm…..

                             But no, I don’t drink them for the energy.

                             I have had no withdrawal symptoms.

                             I just like the taste, simple as that.

                             Yes, I know that these tall, slender cans containing the Elixir of the Gods are not the best things to imbibe in. They have proven that (in questionable quantities) they are quite detrimental to your well-being.

                             But I only have One….. a day.

                             Not anymore!

                             I think that this was Paula’s plan all along. She has tried in vain for me to kick this insidious habit. Maybe she is responsible for them not having any on board!

                   Anyway, we’re down a few and if this trend continues, we will need all new clothes by the end of the cruise!

                   Actually, there is another reason why we’ve lost weight.

                   It’s the food.

                   No, it’s not what you think.

                   It’s because they make it look so good that we feel bad destroying their works of art, hence we don’t eat it!

In fairness, we have been keeping up with our exercising-by-walking regime. In fact, the Captain has been so supportive of everyone’s fitness routine that he has been looking out for particularly wavey routes so that when we walk and the deck tilts, it is like being on a treadmill that the incline increases automatically! What a difference it makes when you are trying to:

A.- walk up hill, and

B.- Try and keep your balance at the same time!

                   What a guy!

                   On a completely different topic, I’ve mentioned before about some of the Cruise Passengers and their level of Cruise Experience. Well, it has now officially gotten out of control. We had breakfast yesterday with Don and Shirley (we like it when one member of another couple shares one of our names as it increases the possibility that we will remember the other person’s name by 100%!)

                             Granted they are older than us, but still, com’ on!

                             Sixty cruises??? !!!

                             Where do these folks get the scratch??? !!!

          Now granted, most peeps on here are participating in the World Cruise, and most folks do not take a World Cruise as their first one, (we did find one lady that did though!) so, all things being equal, you would expect that the level of Cruise Experience would be a tad higher than let’s say, a seven-day Caribbean jaunt.

                             Hah! Were we wrong!

                             It’s astronomically higher!

                             They’re handing out Captain’s Circle Elite Level pins here like Kleenex to kindergarteners after recess on a winter’s day!

Puerto Vallarta is not nestled on Banderas Bay simply because, is hard to nestle on the purportedly seventh largest bay in the world.

This is where it gets sticky.

Who measures this stuff?

When is a bay not a bay and become a gulf?

What exactly is the criteria used in these measurements?

After we docked we first went across the street from the Cruise Port to the most famous, and popular, attraction here for Passengers and Crew alike, El Walmarto de Puerto Vallarta and El Clubo de Sam and bought a tape measure. After renting a boat, it took us almost the entire day to measure the Bay. The best we could come up with was about 298 square miles. That puts this place somewhere between that possible seventh place, all the way down to tenth place.

Either way it’s big! Big enough for Humpback Whales to use as a breeding ground!

                             It was a good thing that our Tour of the City Highlights started later in the day than usual, so we were able to ditch our rented boat and climb aboard the Big Bus for the Tour.

                             We probably could have arrived much later as it took eons to get everyone aboard.

                             We have discovered something.

                             We knew that we would be traveling with an inordinate amount of older cruise passengers than would normally populate an average cruise. Who’s got four months to kill going around the world?

                             Retired (read old) folks!

                             Old folks with canes, walkers, and wheelchairs.

                             A lot of them!

                             Hence the extended needed time to load and unload the cargo (oops, passengers!) each time we stopped for a mini-excursion from the Bus.

Our first stop was at El Malecon, or The Boardwalk. The boards have been replaced with concrete and not too long ago, widened probably a good fifty feet. This mile-long esplanade features everything that you would expect on a boardwalk except (for the Jersey readers) skee-ball and other arcade attractions. There are various works of art (sculptures) that dot the seaside along the beach. It is obviously very popular and was well attended while we were there.

Our second stop was at The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Started in 1903 and not finished until 1987, it wears a crown on the very top, a replica of the crown worn by Carlota, an Empress of Mexico. Damaged by an earthquake in 1997, it was repaired by the sculptor Octavio Gonzales, the same guy that created many of the bronze pieces along El Malecon. They are very beautiful!

From there we went “Shopping”.

You know, that mandatory stop at the friend of the tour guides place. In this case it was a jewelry store. The merchandise was of a higher quality, pretty to look at, but we did not get to the “negotiations” level so I cannot speak to its price.

Back on the cattle car, we drove south to one of the more famous spots around here. In fact, it’s the one that put Puerto Vallarta on the map. Well not really, as it’s been here since the 1500’s, but it wasn’t until 1964 when John Huston’s The Night of the Iguana was released, and the world was exposed to the beauty of this little hamlet. Both Huston and the star of the film, Richard Burton, bought homes here and the world followed. Throw the Love Boat into the mix about a decade later and Whammo! we’ve got a bona fide seaside resort on our hands!

Our last stop was at a really cool restaurant where they offered us Margaritas.

You know, the ones with Tequila (!)

They were strong!

I had one!

Paula did too, but she can hold her liquor better than I can. It’s a good thing that Jose’ was driving the Senior Mobile back to the ship!

The ride back was a raucous one with someone starting “A Hundred Bottles of Tequila on the Wall”, but it didn’t last because not only does Tequila have two syllables and is hard to sing in the original meter (beer only has one syllable), but everyone eventually needed a nap, and fell asleep.

                   When we arrived back at the Cruise Terminal, we found that we had a neighbor. Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas was pulled in alongside of us. This ship is about the same age as ours (twenty years old) but is a full 50% larger! We weigh in at about 93,000 gross tons and they come in at a whopping 143,000 gross tons! (Remember our lesson a few posts ago?) And this pales in comparison to their newest ships that weigh in at 230,000 gross tons and can handle up to 7000 passengers! It’s not for me, but it’s still impressive!

                             Our Sail away was remarkable in its own right. We needed to deftly back out of our berth, not hit the Navigator, swing the stern to Port and then go forward and through the Ship Canal. This little Ship Harbor was obviously made for the cruise ships of yore that were only about 750’ in length. All of this maneuvering was done sans tugboats! Bow and stern thrusters only! It was, I’m sure, all routine for them, but it was impressive none the less!

We are sailing up the western coast of Mexico, bound for Puerta Vallarta. You all remember Puerta Vallarta, it was the destination of the original Love Boat along with Captain Stubing, Julie, Isaac, Gopher, and the Doctor. Puerta Vallarta is a member of the ports that compromise the Mexican Riviera.

Much like poor Venice, who’s name gets batted about with reckless abandon when describing any city with “canals”, the term “Riviera” was originally used to describe the region of France that is located on their southern coast along the Mediterranean. It is now used around the world to describe a selection of cities along a particular coastline. It’s OK, as they say, “Imitation is best form of flattery”, so I’m sure that the folks in France can handle it. We will be visiting some of those ports in France later in the voyage, so more on those places in a few months.

                   Our “Days at Sea” are the Maritime parts of the voyage. Most of the time we are out of the sight of land, and we rarely see another ship around. I really enjoy listening to the sounds of the hull as it ply’s though the water. Even in gentle swells, as the bow rises and falls, you can hear the creaks and groans of the hull gently twisting and torquing as the forces of the water change on a hull that is almost a thousand feet long. It reminds me of one of those old seafaring black and white movies where the camera tilts slightly back and forth to simulate a ship on the high seas and you can hear the rigging and hull making those wonderful creaking sounds in the background. That is what it sounds like at night when everything else has calmed down and it’s just you in your hammock swinging back and forth, gently rocking you to sleep.

Yes, I know… we have a queen-sized bed in a nice stateroom…. but I can dream, can’t I?

Speaking of sights and sounds…. I would be remiss if I did not include the smells, or aromas, if you please, and I am not speaking about the wonderful epicurean delights that emanate from the Galley!

          I’m speaking about the maintenance factors of the ship! Nothing gets me going like the smell of a good spar varnish, or some CRC 656, used as a lubricant, (somewhat like WD-40). We get these wonderful aromas when we walk around the Promenade Deck and pass the various hatches and entryways that lead into the nether-regions of the ship. These portals are strictly verboten, except to the crew, and the penalty for entering these magical places varies from a dress-down by the Staff Captain to being forced to walk the plank, or at the worst being drawn and quartered or keel-hauled.

          So…. We stay outside those areas and can only imagine the cool stuff the only the crew gets to see!

          Speaking of being reprimanded by Command, I can see a storm a brewin’ on the horizon and it ain’t the meteorological kind!

It’s with the Passengers.

Yes, all of us fun loving, sun basking, overeating gluttons are in for the fight of our lives.

Here’s the issue.

We (the collective of passengers) have formed tight bonds as only those that have faced seafaring dilemmas together can realize.

In Los Angeles, we disembark a fair amount of our fellow shipmates and here’s the rub…. We embark a passel of new shipmates, the “Interlopers”, as it were. I can feel the tension growing as we get closer and closer to Los Angeles. At first it was only rumors, but those undercurrents of discontent have a way of permeating even the most innocuous conversations. Scuttlebutt about “Taking out the La La’s” (LA – short for Los Angeles) is being heard in even the Mahjong and Bridge playing circles and is definitely a topic with the daily Trivia Contest followers. We, the “Forts” (short for Fort Lauderdale), won’t stand for any La La’s coming on board and trying to just settle in without “paying King Neptune”.

          The most vocal group on board is the Knitting and Crocheting Ladies who meet every morning at ten in the Explorers Lounge. They have been heard to be planning something nefarious that involves brandishing their Knitting Needles and Crocheting Hooks.

          This is getting serious.

          Film at Eleven.

Everyone who has heard of Huatulco please raise your hand.

                   I see.

                    Just as I thought.

                   Nobody.

                   Ok, lesson learned, just because it’s not Acapulco (which everyone has heard of, and maybe has been there) doesn’t mean that it’s not worth visiting. By the way, it’s pronounced wha-TOOL-co so for the rest of this blog entry at least you’ll say it correctly in your mind!

                   We’re here on the western coast of Mexico, pronounced MEH-hee-ko (You didn’t think I’d let that one go did you?) about halfway between southern border with Guatemala and the aforementioned city of Acapulco, so we are still in the far south of Mexico.

                   The port has been around since the days of Cortez who arrived here in 1521 looking for Aztec treasure. He did not find any, but the port was established and soon those Spanish Galleons, sailing up and down the western coast (including California) laden with gold, were plying the waters.

                   Well, where thar be gold, thar be our favorite Plundering Pillagers Professing Profanities, the Pirates! Good ol’ Sir Francis Drake and Thomas Cavendish were just two of the many buccaneers that wreaked havoc among the ships of the early 16^th century.

                   Once you enter the snug little harbor here it’s easy to see why the Conquistadores decided to stay. The modern Cruise Pier can accommodate two ships although I doubt if the Village can! Piers always have two sides so why not set it up that way, but I don’t think that the Port Authority (?) would have two here at the same time except to facilitate the comings and goings by allowing one to be berthed as the previous one was readying for departure. It’s just a theory, my meeting with the Town Council was cancelled so I did not get a chance to really ask anyone! But if this village continues to grow at its present rate, I can see the time coming where that second slip would be used simultaneously with the first.

                   After our Snorkeling Adventure (more on that in a minute) we walked back into town, which is directly at the foot of the Cruise Pier, and just sauntered around. We chanced upon a nice Canadian couple who have been coming here for the last ten years. They are first-hand witnesses to the growth of Huatulco which, in its present form, has only been around for about thirty years. The gentleman predicted that this little town would be the size of Acapulco in the not-to-distant- future. They even have a nice airport less than an hour away. This couple flew in non-stop from Vancouver.

                   Anyone want to invest in a few Condos?  😊

                   Our Snorkeling Adventure began as most do, by boarding the fine example of maritime conveyance that only a well-kept vessel can show.

                   Not!

                   It’s not that its next port of call was Gilligan’s Island, but we need to acknowledge that the same level of that spic’n spanness (I just made up that word and Miss Spell-Check is having babies!) that we want to see was not that apparent. There was one time when the motor wouldn’t start, but it obviously did because we got back safely as evidenced by me sitting here on the Big Ship writing this blog!

                   Unfortunately, the weather offshore was a blowin’ and the result was the constant arrival of good-sized swells and waves. Not only did this slow our progress but it made me glad that the wearing of PFD’s was somewhat mandatory! The action-packed moving water also caused a diminished underwater visibility, but the boat ride was exciting!

                   The first of the two bays that we visited was just a tad rough and it made for uncomfortable snorkeling conditions. So, knowing that it was not going to get any better (so why beat ourselves up) we elected to return to the SS Minnow and be the first aboard. This was a very strategic decision as the snorkelers can only be recovered one at a time and trying climb the boarding ladder was quite the challenge! We were able to watch these proceedings from the relative comfort of our perches up on the upper deck, instead of treading water waiting for our next fellow whale to be hauled aboard!

                   The next bay was actually the one that we were berthed in as you will see in these photos. Everyone was quite relieved as Paula deftly pointed out for everyone to hear, “Not to worry, we can swim back to the ship from here!”

                   The conditions were much better here, the water a little less turbid and had a few more little fishies to swim past our masks. I should point out that everyone wore their PFDs in the water as this was a “surface snorkeling” event only. What these guys lack in Marine Maintenance they more than made up for in personal safety. So, there was “Problem Factor Zero” when it came to worrying about Suddenly Sinking Snorkelers.

                   The guys were legitimately nice and wanted us to have a good time. We obviously could not blame the rough water on them, so all things considered, we did have a good time. It felt good to jump in the warm water and swim about a little. We may have another snorkeling possibility in Australia, but we’re not sure.

                   I can absolutely see the advantages of spending a week or so down here. It was definitely a cozy, comfortable little place. Better get here before everyone else does!

                   Double Feature Event! Two Posts in One!

                   The previous day was one of our “Days at Sea.” The weather was very nice, and the Critters of the Ocean gave a fine performance as witnessed by these photos. They (the Critters, not my photos!) were quite the topic of conversation aboard!

Today is one of our “Days at Sea”. These are very relaxing (if you want it that way) or very busy/hectic if you want to run from one activity to another. There is something on board for everyone, as smattering of events here will illustrate:

                    Tai Chi, Bible Study, Sudoku, Zumba, Arts and Crafts, Port Destination Lectures, Bridge Lessons and playing, Poker, Bean Bag Toss, Trivia, Movies, Lecture Series (Nautical Themed), Friends of Bill, Bob, (and a host of others), Line Dancing, Ballroom Dance Instruction, Afternoon Tea, and on and on….

                   That’s the stuff during the day.

                   The nighttime is filled with all sorts of entertainment options!

                   So, for today’s post I thought that I would give you a tour of the ship. If you’ve been on cruises before, all of this will be familiar to you. If you’ve also been one of the new Mega-Ships like Royal Caribbean’s’ Oasis of the Seas, this will seem retro to you. If you’ve never been on a Cruise Ship before well…. what’s stopping you! Come aboard!

                   The Island Princess is about twenty years old, and its last refurbishment was about four years ago. As you may imagine, the wear and tear on something that is inhabited by two thousand people, on the high seas, every day of the year, can be significant. Hence the periodic refurbishing every few years. Eventually she will be sold to either the scrappers or another second-tier cruise line and continue her life under a new name.

                   But for now, Princess has done a marvelous job of keeping her spic and span and has invested a boatload 😊 of money in keeping her updated with the latest technology. For those of you who remember the post about the Wi-Fi and us being able to “stay in touch” you will be happy that everything that I reported earlier is true. The connectivity at sea is pretty good! And, that Medallion thing works nicely also. In fact, this morning when I was roaming the ship to get the photos for this post, little did I know that Paula had woke up and was walking, tracking me on her phone trying to catch up with me… she did so very nicely!

                   So, without further ado, a quick photo tour of the Island Princess.

Well, that concludes our tour of the Island Princess. I hope that A.) You were able to thrash your way through it, and B.) you actually enjoyed it! Stay tuned for more Life on the High Seas with Paula and Don as future episodes become available. We hope that the Network will not cancel us at least til we get home!

When I say Costa Rica, what comes to mind?

                             Mountains?

                             Coffee?

                             Coral reefs?

                             Rain forests?

                             Sloths?

                   Sloths???!!!  You mean like the guy in Zootopia? The one who was the clerk at the DMV?

                   Yup! The same!

                   Sloths are on the same level as Narwhals, just ask any kid!

                   So…. when we went over the projected itineraries of the various excursions in Costa Rica and saw Sloth Sanctuary……  well jam those brakes on and stop right there! Cuz, here we come!

                   It didn’t hurt that this Excursion also included an aerial tram ride through the canopy of a rain forest, a chance to see the tropical critters up close and personal.

                   Driving in Costa Rica is a classic case of “Ya can’t get theah from heah”. Well, maybe it’s not as bad as Maine, but the roads are narrow and winding because the places we were going were up in the mountains.

                    One way in.

                    One way out.

                   And there were destruction zones.

Oops! I mean construction zones!

Anyway, the bus was immaculate and our Tour Guide, Dan, (short for Daniella something) was awesome. We learned everything about Costa Rica, its government, banking system, standard of living, indigenous peoples, environmental policies, critters… flying, crawling, slithering, swimming, and walking. She had plenty of time to convey all of this information to us, as we had three one and half hour rides, to and from our various stops for the day.

                   Our first destination was the Sloth Sanctuary.

                   In all fairness, it was a Sloth and Lot’s of Other Critters Sanctuary and Rehabilitation Half-Way House and Hospital.

                   But, that’s a lot to fit onto a business card. The facility is staffed with volunteers from around the world who come and stay for various lengths and reasons. Our Guide, Beth, was getting experience before she applied to Veterinary School.

                   They specialize mainly in sloths, monkeys, macaws, and parrots. There was a smattering of some others, like the turtles, but they mainly stick to their specialties. The animals that are here for the most part, will spend their lives here because they (for various reasons) can no longer survive in the wild. There are some that they are nursing back to health, being careful not to make them dependent on that care, so that the animals can be successfully re-introduced to their natural habitat.

                   The tour was very informative, you could tell that these folks not only knew their subjects, but obviously cared as well….. a lot! When it was over, they provided us with what most of their inmates (?) ate on a daily basis.

                   Fresh Fruits!

                    It was all obviously delicious!

                   Back on the Bus.

                   Another hour and a half.

                   Up into the mountains, down a windy, bumpy, dirt (but graded) road we found the Rainforest Aerial Tramway and Butterfly Garden.

                   There was a certain familiarity to this place that I couldn’t put my finger on…. But it would eventually come to me later in the tour.

This was where we were scheduled to have Lunch. Our guide explained that it would probably consist of Rice and Beans, the staples of this area of the world and I was determined to participate, you know, immerse myself in the locality (even the beans). Paula on the other hand, needed no persuasion as Rice and Beans sounded absolutely glorious to her!

                   We got on the food line and much to our (my) delight Rice and Beans were just a small part of a great buffet that this place serves up. You could tell that they cater to the Cruise Industry as there were many large tables set under an open-air pavilion and the buffet line was geared for larger groups. They even had a system for identifying each bus and its passengers to facilitate the orderly process of moving us through the entire experience, from unloading, eating, tram ride, butterflies, gift shop (of course!) and back onto our busses.

                   Paula and I were the first ones finished and over to the tram. We had hoped to get the front of the tram (it sat eight or nine victims, four couples (2,2,2,1) and a single in the rear. Unfortunately (and thankfully) the experienced handlers knew how to set up a long, narrow tram suspended high above the ground, for optimum safety and weight distribution.

                   The heavier ‘tramsters’ needed to be in the center.

                   We did not get the front.

                   I knew that the French Toast I had for breakfast would come back to haunt me!

                   This tram is nothing more than a ski lift with no snow and no way to embark or disembark unless the entire lift came to a complete stop. Hence the “Fifty-Minute Ride through the Canopy of a Rain Forest”.

                   Now, please note that there two words in that very official designation:

                   Rain and Forest.

                   In our case, Rain was the far more significant member of that term. Maybe they should call it a Downpour Forest.  

Luckily, there is a canopy over each tram for cases like this.

Luckily #2, we had our Handy-Dandy-Emergency–Caught-In-The-Rain-Ponchos with us. Have you ever tried to unfold one of these things in a narrow tram when you are already wet (just try and slide that over wet clothes) and trying not to stand up and rock the proverbial boat?

          I helped Paula get hers on first.

          It went well.

          Then I put mine on.

          Backwards.

          This is where those suffocation warning labels come in handy as the hood fit very nicely over my face.

          It’s a good thing that the Poncho Police don’t get paid enough not monitor Tramways. It was embarrassing. The guy behind us was quite amused.

          In the meantime, our tram-mates could be heard, “There’s a butterfly!” and “I think I see a bird!”

Anyway, it’s hard enough spotting jungle denizens when the weather is good. In fact, these guys really don’t want to be seen. Let’s think about it. I’m in the jungle and I know that I’m just someone else’s snack. I’m gonna try my best to blend in and not make myself a target.

The snackers that are bigger than me and that are looking for me, are professionals at this.

So, what chance do a bunch of city yahoos have dangling way up in the air of spotting me?

          We are the laughingstock of the rain forest.

          Three quarters of the way through the tram ride we determined that the downpour was probably the best thing that could have happened as it gave us a story to tell.

          Then it happened. The lady in front of us….

          “There’s movement down there!”

“Look!”

“The tree tops! They’re moving!”

          That’s when it hit me!

          I knew where I got that feeling of seeing this place before.

          Jurassic Park.

          I also knew exactly what was down below us.

          Velociraptors!

While we were waiting for the cables to break at this very inopportune time, and upon closer examination, it was determined that it was a monkey.

So our drenched foray into the wilds of the Rain Forest was not for naught!

Not only did we see a butterfly and a bird, but now the expedition was complete, and we could return to base with our heads held high!

          And here’s the photo to prove it!

The Butterfly Garden did leave a bit to be desired. In fairness, maybe it was the wrong season for them as there were only two species available and we saw only one of those. But it was still fun, and the butterflies were huge!

After the Butterfly Garden we went along a trail that went through a Botanical Garden of sorts where we encountered The Bats.

Paula was still wet an hour and a half later when we arrived back at the ship.

Here are some photos that did not make the “cut” for inclusion in one of the Posts. In order not to hurt their feelings, and to avoid fights breaking out in the “Photos” folder, I am publishing them now for your perusal, and I hope, your enjoyment. They are happy, I can hear their little cheers coming out of my computer.

We hope that you enjoyed the “Extra’s”. The photos were very excited to be included. They have stopped their fighting and are now resting peacefully. Thank You.