Jan 2018 LA-Miami Canal Cruise

Jan 5-19 2018 Norwegian Star   .....Due to $.50/minute satellite internet access on ship, message was composed offline, then pasted into Blogger.

Route: LA - Miami  cruise  (click for map) via Panama Canal 

Most recent at top:

Todos Santos Baja, "Hotel California" famous @ Eagles

"excursioned" each port (Nicaragua folkloric group)

my super trim luggage (10% compared to most)

Cartegna Columbia, near 40C

Norwegian Star stock photos link 

Jan 19 Fri ... End of Cruise

Disembark 8:00AM Miami, convenient arranged Norwegian $16 bus to MIA, ... about the only reasonably priced Norwegian add-on, of the whole trip, eg a coke is $3.60 (only ordered one on previous trip). As a practical matter, next trip I'll go to the bank and get 20 $5 bills as tips, ($1US is just too chintzy), and my wallet with several $100s is effectively totally useless.

Jan 17/18 Wed Thurs, 

2 days at sea, seas a bit rough, partial sun, and temperatures in the 60s, ... So you could sit out but only behind the glass wind shields. 

Jan 16 Tues

Arrived in Cartagena Columbia, around 10:00 AM, skyline is Miami Beach-like, and a population over 1 million. There were three!!! ships in port on the same day, whereas three ships are normally spread over a week. So lots of tourist traffic in the old town, and at 94 degrees Fahrenheit, seemed even hotter, .... it was unpleasantly hot.  The tour excursion was classic in nature stopping at museums and churches, and a folkloric Dance and Music performances and walking about 5 blocks, and a couple short free periods. Generally kind of too hot for comfort, but guide did a reasonable traditional job. We warned there would be lots of street vendors, and I've never seen anything like that. As we'd get off the bus there'd be 20 -30 swarming you, and very few takers, ... probably intimidated by so many! vendors,... and vendors were generally polite enough.  Because in neighbouring Venezuela there are so many huge problems (even getting food) they exit as refugees, and come to Colombia as street vendors (one of the very few entry-level jobs). 

Jan 15 Mon

Transit through the Panama Canal started at 8:00 AM to about 4:30 PM, climbing to an elevation of 85 feet.  I watched on deck about 80% of the time, not spectacular but generally mildly (or better) interesting. There was a Canal employee who came aboard at 8AM who narrated over the PA system, say about half the time, till 4PM . Lots of detail: Norwegian paid $465,000 US plus 21% for transit. Over $200pp. Fresh water fish released through the locks die shortly after the last lock, due to sea water.  60% of the Canal water is reused through the use of collection basins, new locks are 7% better than old. To be honest I still don't understand how that re-use idea works.... will have to research the idea. 

Jan 14 Sun

Day at Sea to Panama Canal. Weather nice, as it has been pretty much since Day 1.

Jan 13 Sat

Puntarenas  (=point, sand) Costa Rica,  We shared the very narrow pier with Coral Princess, so getting all the buses access parking was a much delayed process, extra 45 minutes. A 75 minute bus ride (beautiful brand new Scania bus (its 1st day) with USB ports and wifi, to an Andalusian horse show (not Lippizaner as I said earlier) in a proper arena, and  generally fairly well done. Charged $12 for 4 small tapas (not bad) and soft drink ....far overpriced). Stopped at "Jardin" (fruit samples) on way back, ... Mostly junky tourist stuff ... who buys that? Although I do prize my $90 biggish Costa Rican (2012 bike trip)  indigenous mask in my kitchen at home. Interesting: Guide pointed out a decent 1200 sq ft house estimated at $100K US that would be about equivalent in Canada I'd say, in a similar rural US or Canada area. The house in question was one I'd consider suitable for myself, ... Not up to Ottawa standards, but nice enough. 

Jan 12 Fri 

San Juan del Sur Nicaragua (near Costa Rica border). The tender boat trip to shore was difficult/slow due to choppy seas, and the tender ride length was therefore 25 minutes, not 8.  Then a hour bus ride to a "Hacienda Amayo" with truly beautiful scenery view of Lake Nicaragua and the central island with Conception volcano (I'd visited this place in a 2011 bike trip Granada to Panama Canal). Included a lunch which was typical I suppose, but hardly appealing. There was folkloric dancing and a couple instruments, and a session where guests milked a cow. We were there for 3.5 hours, but 2 hours would probably have been enough.  The guide explained Nicaragua was richest Central American country at one time, now 2nd poorest , after El Salvador I imagine. The downfall was the Sandinistas (communists) in the 1980s, and Ortega is still there, pretending to be a socialist (as per guide, ....all very corrupt of course).

Jan 11 Thurs

Puerto Quetzal Guatemala, a fairly primitive basic port, (poor country)with huge piles of charcoal and asphalt waiting for export. A 75 min bus ride to a Safari drive-through, which wasn't great, but was better than expected, (several hippos, giraffes, 2lions, etc),... Back in time for late lunch on ship.  Met a upper NY state woman who actually felt Obama was not born in USA, but no point in arguing with her. That 34% who support Trump have got to be somewhere.

Jan 10 Wed   Impressions

Has been a day at sea (nice weather) to Puerto Quetsal, Guatemala 

(1) The Captain announced a medical emergency (unexplained) so we're going maximum speed to next port,  arrived 3AM, might give a 3-5 hour advantage I suppose. 

(2) I notice that maybe more than half the passengers don't speak English amongst themselves, although they likely understand it and may live in the US. 

(3) I see so many (about 50%) fat obese people that it actually serves as a motivation for eating restraint.  So I don't eat any bread products (neither this cruise or the last), and I'd say I take roughly child-size portions. 

(4) I notice a US tendency to talk loudly (trying to be funny) and publicly in elevators, ...  Canadians don't do that, generally. 

(5) I asked a uniformed officer why a couple small 2-man boats follow (or dangerously rush into) the ships wake, although we're maybe 100 miles from shore, ... Said:  " the ship's propellers make the fish "dizzy" and easier to catch"

(6) The quality of the evening entertainment is remarkably high, I assume some acts get off at the next port, and perform on a subsequent passing ship, because staying on board for 14 days for one 2 hour show just doesn't make sense. 

(7) After missing a few days, I'm back to checking my security camera in my living room every couple days. It takes about an extra 5 seconds of "connecting" time, but the live camera quality is just as clear as local access ... Still impresses me. I check to see the inside temp and if the small pile of cash and old smartphone "bait" are still there. 

(8) the next three days are consecutive ports, 3 excursions: drive through safari park (Guatemala), Nicaragua factory dairy farm, Costa Rica Lippizaner horse training (seems unlikely). 

Jan 9 Tues

Arrived in Acapulco 8AM (last time for me was 1971, when ClubMed had a hotel for a year or two). Finally bought ship Internet ($125) but by satellite but is painfully slow. Since I had a couple free hours before kayaking, investigated ashore to find any Internet cafe,  15 minutes away $1 for 60 minutes, as fast as home, but not wifi, i.e. must use the Cafe devices, which don't have my profile IDs, so access to usual sites requires double verification routine, so awkward.  Given my substantial stock market trade on Jan 4, I wanted to see the action on Friday and Monday, .... Looks if I might have been right. 

Really hot, say 34+C,... almost unbearable.  Had an early quick sandwich lunch from buffet at 11:30 in advance of kayaking at 12noon. Kayaking had resort style kayak (single piece) was OK, at least was a quick way to escape the crowded hubbub of Acapulco port. On the water, the sea breezes made temperature bearable. Pretty short just 2 hours, out to the Roquetta island  and back,....  Small group 10 people, ... paired with Barb, a dental hygienist from near Seattle, a town called Kirkland Washington, which is the "home" of Costco apparently,... hence the name of the house brand "Kirkland" (...always struck me as a strange brand name, ... now I know why).  Barb struck me as a Trump supporter from a general query, so I "cooled it" with any more questions. This trip I've sensed more Trump supporters, not that they directly say it, but their words suggest it, eg saying "the liberals just rag on about Trump".

Checked my gutsy equity switch of Jan 4, (just 3 hours before flight).... details redacted, .... paid for cruise.

Jan 8 Mon

Day at sea, to Acapulco. Noticed two small 2-man boats (maybe fisherman) head for the wake waters of the ship (looks dangerous), as we steam ahead, while we're a couple hundred miles from shore. I'll have to ask some ship personnel what their purpose is, ... maybe the roiled up waters increases the fishing chances, just a guess. 

Jan 7 Sun

10AM arrival in Cabos San Lucas, a tender port. Decided to take the 5 hr excursion to Todos Santos, a artisan town, without really knowing what that's all about,   .... Other than basis supposedly for the Eagles song 'Hotel California' in the 1960s (we had included lunch (typical Mexican style).  I've been to Cabos before, unintentionally in ~ 2005 when a Sea of Cortez kayak trip's flight (out of La Paz) operator got "gov't regulated out of business" (safety), and were forced to find our own way home (with Mike and Linda via bus to Cabos then one way AC to YYZ).

Jan 6, Sat

A 'Day at Sea' to Cabos San Lucas.  Weather: coolish, mostly cloudy to start, but got sunnier and warmer and should get much warmer (...it did). Clock advanced 1 hr overnight so now just 2hr difference to Eastern time. As a repeat customer there are some small perks: eg a bottle of champagne-type wine to welcome you to your cabin,  and an extra bonus 30 minutes on Internet plan (... big deal), which I haven't bought yet (is rather slow, no surprise).

Jan 5, Fri 

Woke up in LA Travelodge.  After breakfast (better than expected,  complimentary,  OJ, banana, cereal, waffles ). Took Uber (quite a good deal), $29.50, 17 miles 34 minutes, to LA 'World Cruise Centre'.  An hour or more to check-in, boarded at ~1PM. Stateroom 4586. I was on Norwegian Star just back in November 2017, ... so I'm an old hand, and know (sort of) the routine. Weather decent, partly sunny, about 20 C. 

Jan 4

As the Uber arrived, 3PM, there was an Ottawa snow squall, fairly heavy, near white-out, things looked very "iffy" as I took Uber to YOW, for a 4:25 PM flight to YYZ, then 8:05 flight to LAX.  Turns out snow was just a small "pocket" around Ottawa, otherwise skies clear. Impressed: free LA shuttle, (called using new ekit int'l SIM on BLU smartphone) to Travelodge. Got to bed at 2PM eastern time  for solid 7 hours. On balance, I guess I am glad to have left a day early,  .... with winter weather you can easily be delayed, as apparently were many flights flights trying to get to NY and Maritimes were cancelled Jan 4. Detail: installed (rush job) my Global 3G SIM in my BLU smartphone, have had ekit since 2007 but updated SIM is 3G capable (required), ... and it worked to call Travelodge for the shuttle,... I impressed myself. Later talked to VA couple (delayed by east coast snow)who had to fly to Acapulco not LA to join, missed 3 days.
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Trip Count 78 + 3 more (more recent) 
sub table of the 31 referred to Line 1 above

36 non cycling trips:

+ 2 more (Nov 2017, Jan 2018)