We have a tour boat cruise up the coast today! I think we are finally coming back to health!!! I swam in the pool for almost an hour. The sunshine felt good. Flu left both of us with cough…. ick. Take care. Get Flu shots as it at least lessens the severity! Calm and hot today. Hope all is well with you!!!! God bless you!!!
Good morning!!! Pulling into a bright white port! The color of the rocks and beach ahead is blinding white! We will get off and walk around without a tour and I will get into the pool unless I find a pretty beach. We have two more tours ahead in Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas (tomorrow and the next day). I just bought a transfer to the airport for Chuck to go pick up the car. I’ll wait here at the ship for him; then we will be on the road east (Wednesday!). So… We are back to having fun and doing stuff. Can’t drink yet. Still taking the Tamiflu and the doctor doesn’t recommend drinking. I have a bottle of champagne with my name on it for Sunday!!!! House in the Keys closed and money is in escrow. We are happy and still have good lady renters in Aunt Trudy’s house. Pray for Joan and Marj’s health as they enjoy and take good care of Aunt Trudy’s house! I pray for everyone of my friends especially health as Chuck and I have seen some pretty sick looking folks lately… We all need to take care and pray for one another. God bless you!!!!!
Hi dear readers! We stood at our door like little birdies this morning after the doctor cleared us. We poked our noses out and looked both ways and leapt out! Yea! Freedom! First thing we did was go to the Windjammer and sit outside with tea and coffee! Then we ate hot soup! I tried to go to the Cinema to see Green Book, but Cinema was full so I sat and read, took a tiny nap and now I’m ready for a snack and a swim!!! Life is back to normal. Tomorrow is Manzanillo, a port on the south coast of Mexico. and we will probably walk around a little. Did not purchase a tour until Saturday. All is well. God bless you!
Hi dear readers… I didn’t write because we were in Quarantine in our room. On Day 8, I coughed all day on our tour which was a scenic view of Puntarenas, Costa Rica… a train ride on the old Pacific coast railway and a ride through the rain forest.. I coughed into my hat and into my jacket as I didn’t like sounding like a plague victim. Went to bed without my supper. Got up at about 9 and ate a roll and butter. After a fitful night I told Chuck who was just as bad and shivering…… "get showered we are going to the doctor." My temperature was 100 and his was 102. They dosed us with tylenol and gave us flu tests by swabbing the nose. We both tested positive for Flu A which I found out today is the less awful of 2 flus A and B. They gave us Tamiflu and a cough medicine that is an expectorant… not a suppressant. So with occasional tylenol for the pain caused by the coughing (I have to clutch my chest when I get coughing and sneezing!!!!!)…. we have made it to day 10! In our room all day Tuesday and Wednesday we got free movies (saw Robin Hood which was good! and some other bad stuff…. will try one more time tonight to find a good movie in their selection) and free room service which isn’t hot… when I finally broke out to write! I’m not better, but nurse visited and my temperature is normal again. I don’t dare sneak up to the windjammer for food because we are "isolated." We will be called to the clinic tomorrow and if both temperatures are normal we will be released!!!! A day at sea tomorrow. Oh! Question of the day which I am sure my sister Sarah will understand: Chuck, wrinkling his nose: "Did you just put more Vicks on?" Me "Yep!!!" God bless everyone this Ash Wednesday!
I left you yesterday… breathlessly watching those 3 small sail boats with the behemoth grain ship bearing down on them into the lock next to us…(you didn’t notice but I just ran down to Vintages for a glass of champagne). OK back to the 3 small sail boats!!! When we got to the next lock we waited for them to pull in to the lock next to us… and they never came. We were all snug in our lock and our water started going down, and … they never came but here came the giant grain ship. Did he eat them? Smooosh. Gone. So sorry little sail boats. I tried to take photos but we were on our way out of our lock before he got fully in… At the last lock we were cheered by the observation deck!!! And we cheered back. It was so exciting. Almost as if they KNEW us. I felt a little sad not to share it with our friends. So! Cheers to you my friends. And I highly recommend a Panama Canal cruise to you. I was exhausted after a day (actually 2 days) outside in the Panama heat. I went to the show, but I realized half way into the show I had sleepily changed into my slippers when we went to the room after supper to get our books (we get books after dinner and then sit in the first row reading while waiting for show time). Surely enough the performer chose me and three others to dance with him. Lordy, there I am dancing in my slippers! Today I dressed up a little in case I am asked to dance again. Like the little sail boats… I will probably not get the chance to redeem myself. Right to bed after the show, but I woke up groggy and I walked right by Chuck in the Windjammer. "Sleep walking, are you?" he asked as I walked by. "Huh???" We ate breakfast and I headed for the pool. I put on sun screen but am still getting sunburned. We ate lunch and I went to the art auction. I bid $40 for a painting but it went for $60. I did not bid higher. It’s like gambling. $40 was my limit. Nap. Champagne and here I am. God bless you!!!
What a day! It is HOT HOT HOT in Panama. I already changed clothes twice (well once into my bathing suit and back into real clothes for lunch).. We passed through the first set of locks this morning (the Gatun locks) and entered the big Gatun Lake. The lake is kept full and is fed by Panama rivers that fill in the rainy season to feed the locks. Tremendous amounts of water are used (prodigious amounts of water) are used to raise the water in the locks. Then the water is lost. We watched the transverse at about 9am and heard a loud bang!!! Chuck says we hit a wall which Panama Canal has to pay for; so when we get off we want to see if we can see a scratch or worse … We have a narrator on board and she is talking about a Mr Aspinwall who built the railway over the isthmus to move gold during the gold rush… and the area was called Aspinwall where my Mother’s family lived in Pennsylvania… . While we were in the Gatun Lake, I went into the pool for an hour then found Chuck in the Vintages bar… He was sipping red wine and the bartender gave me champagne. So three glasses later after lunch with cream puffs for dessert, I am sleepy and fat, but we have another series of locks to go through. One of the "events" I tried to photograph was 3 small boats rafted together were making the crossing… The pilots strap them all up .. They came into the lock next to us, and behind them… I couldn’t catch it as we were leaving our lock; was a huge big tanker or grain carrier like followed us in yesterday!!! We waved and shouted and left the three small boats with their big friend coming on them.. We are now headed for the Miraflores… God bless you!… Whew half way through!
Good morning dear readers! We were up early again well before 7 drinking coffee and watching a southern Caribbean sunrise. We gathered in the Coral Theater and eagerly jumped on a bus at 9am headed for the Panama Canal Ferry excursion. Our bus took us overland from Colon (we stopped half way at a gas and toilet stop that had a child’s bathroom with tiny toilets!!!!; We ladies used it as of course there was a long ladies line… The tiny toilets were almost on the floor. VERY cute) to Gamboa which is half way between the northern (Atlantic entrance to the Canal) and the Southern (Pacific entrance), so we entered the Canal half way.) When you enter on the Atlantic side you are actually going to travel from north to south and exit at Panama City. Entering the Canal at the half way point, We traversed 3 locks: Pedro Miguel, Miraflores, and Cocoli with another ferry tucked into the locks to close we could touch her and her boat bumper, and we touched the walls of the Canal lock also! Tucked into the locks behind us was a GIANT fat grain ship! Next to us in a sister lock was a huge liquid gas carrier. She has to go into the locks alone as she cannot be bumped… Although Chuck helpfully suggested if she bumps the side and blows, she’s taking us and the Canal with her. Nice, thanks Chuck!!! We were able to watch the big liquid gas ship go down and leave the locks ahead of us as the giant behemoth grain ship was v e r y slow entering the locks behind us. Both giant ships were guided on both sides by locomotives that keep them centered in the locks (called mules.) When we are headed to the Pacific from Atlantic we go up to the center (Gatun Lake) and then down to the Pacific. So we sat in the locks and the water went out and we went down in each lock. See my tee shirt which I will probably wear to tatters.On the ferry ride we had Panamanian beer for $3 dollars a bottle and a buffet lunch. Nice but it was HOT!!!!! The USA built the Canal in 10 years and it took 7 years to cut through the mountain at Centenary Bridge! and now the bridge is too low for large tall ships. So it lasted since 1915! Thanks to Teddy Roosevelt! It seemed to us we shouldn’t have given up the Canal even with the deals we cut. US has first priority and takes the Canal back in case of war… We pledged to protect the Canal and must defend Panama in case of war. But seeing the shape Colon is in… We probably were right to give it up. I’m not sure we would or could have have cleaned out the slums that Colon is…. So best to try to support Panama to do it. Panama City is a huge high-rise filled rich city (Panama is making a huge profit off the Canal), but the port at Colon is a slum. Very sad. An amazing day. We were very late getting back to the ship, but she actually sat at anchor most of the night anyway waiting for the great big day of crossing (March 2). Finally… Another movie recommendation. Poolside movie was Alan Shepherd’s story… I’ve forgotten the name of it. He lost a tiny daughter to brain cancer but continued single mindedly to land on the moon and he did by sheer nature of his intelligence and great courage and flying ability!!! …. God bless you and keep you safe this weekend of festivity before Ash Wednesday and Lent.
Good morning dear readers! What a day yesterday was! Full to the edges with fun! We started the day at 620am sunrise with coffee and sweets from room service as we had a morning tour scheduled and I wanted to take in the channel into Cartegena from sunrise to docking. It’s a pretty entry. The port itself is full of container ships; any ordinary port, but the channel entry is nice. We started our tour with a bus tour of the city (nothing to write home about) … but then we got into horse and buggy and went into old walled city past about 6 convents turned into hotels (where did the nuns go?) and at least 3 big churches, Would be nice to spend more time in old walled city! Back to the ship to have a quick lunch, swim for an hour, hot tub as the water was a little chilly in the pool… I needed to warm up as we sometimes do after an hour in the lake. Nap. Drinks in the Safari club and watch the pull away. Out the same channel as we cruised in the morning! Sunset. Dinner. Then a highlight! We went out on deck where the pool man gave us towels for Chuck and a blanket and a pillow for me… and watched an amazing Disney movie… Perfect for you moms and grandmoms for the young and the not so young!!! Please do watch The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. Beautiful dancing by Ballerina Misty Copeland; acting by Keira Knightly, Helen Mirran and Morgan Freeman among others. The young female star; I can’t remember her name, was very good too! And her protector soldier was wonderful too! So we sat under the stars and were enchanted!!! Before the movie, I got soft ice cream and a tiramissue (how do you spell that?) but Chuck wasn’t hungry yet so I gave the tiramissue away to a friend on the next chair. After the movie, Chuck wanted a snack…. So he got a sandwich while I admired a chocolate mousse…. "Oh no!" I said to the young man who offered it to me, but he pressed it and a spoon into my hand. The lady waiting for the elevator must have wondered what I had as we waited for the elevator with me going "oh my goodness! This is wonderful…. mmmmm mmmmm mm!". Brush my teeth and head for bed to dream of sugar plums. That’s it. Today is Colon, Panama. We have a ferry tour of the locks and tomorrow we actually enter the Panama Canal!!!!! God bless you this First Friday of March (birthday greetings go out to Dave and Milton… any others? Happy March! and angels be with you if you are ailing or worried. No worries my friends for God loves us! Thank God! Day 4 all gone.
We have heard from some people that they weren’t feeling very well due to the movement of the ship… We are sailing due south with strong wind from the east. Captain has stabilizers working hard, but there is some stumbling around by the best of us!!!! Today was much better for Susie who ate breakfast and while Chuck went to a movie, I went into the pool for water aerobics and swimming. Have you ever tried water aerobics in 5 foot seas? That is what it felt like in the pool. We were sloshing into each other a lot! It was a lot of fun with beautiful sunny sky. Lunch, followed by a champagne art auction… One glass of champagne and I put in a provisional bid (meaning come down to the art gallery and we’ll talk..), but it was only when I saw the paintings up close this evening that I said… "no… I don’t like them" and secretly I said to myself… .."I could do that." Chuck meanwhile was at a meeting with the veterans again. There are many on board and he has made friends with an Air Force guy. They share air and sea stories. We went to a great Panama Canal talk… They showed a photo of the RCCL Brilliance going through the locks. She’s the same size as the Jewel that we are on, and she had about an inch on each side. Really she is 4 feet narrower than the lock. By length, we are 964′ long and the lock is 1000 feet long. We are called a Panamax ship. The canals are kept dredged to 40 feet and we have a depth of about 26′. So we ought to get through OK. It will take 8 hours to get through. How exciting! It was Teddy Roosevelt who wanted the canal built after France failed. Little did he know that we would desperately need to get the fleet from Atlantic to Pacific during WWII especially after Pearl Harbor. Thanks Teddy. More champagne and red wine, sunset (glorious again), dinner and a great stage production! I’, at a computer on deck 7 over the Centrum, and down in the Centrum, a singer is doing a great job with Whitney Houston’s "If I should stay… I will always love you" (actually written by Dolly Parton). I’m off to bed while Chuck stays awake for the adult comedy! God bless us. Day 3. Out!
Always getting on the ship for us is stressful especially when we have to carry our "jewels" and the tuxedo. I’ll never forget a lady who complained on a back to back cruise where she had to change cabins… "oh! but I have to empty the safe and carry my jewels!"… Chuck and I looked at each other with great mirth. It’s become a catch phrase when I want to claim laziness… "Oh but I have to carry my jewels!" So after the lifeboat drill, I was looking tired and grumpy and Chuck said "Lets go get you some champagne"… There was a BOGO 1/2 of so we ordered 2 bottles of Veuve Cliquot… then moved on to the Safari club for Diamond Club drinking. Watched the sunset from aft sitting on barstools and chatting with new friends… Too much wine and champagne for Susie… We missed dinner and ate in the windjammer. It was good. Then we went to a great comedy show. It was good. Bed. End Day 1.
Cruise Day 2 opened sunny and sleepy for a hung over Susie. I didn’t get my appetite back until 3pm when I snacked on cookies from the Solarium. I did not swim for a full hour as I was feeling very sleepy!!! A 2 hour nap restored me. So in summary: Day 2 was eat, Thomas Kincade, Dali and Disney lecture, swim & hot tub, nap…. Ah!!!! cookies, dress for formal night. drink champagne. Oh!!! While I slept, Chuck met with some veterans and they had a good meeting full of service talk. Finally made it to dinner on time and our dinner partners are from a town near the Mississippi River in Geneseo, Illinois… I’m trying to talk Chuck into going back to Miami, after we see all the monuments, via the Mississippi River Road… We will see. I AM the navigator. But that’s the far distant future… early April. Finally… the show last night was Beatle Maniacs!!!! They sang an hour of Beatles songs with a tribute to the great George Harrison. How sweet and nostalgic. End. Day 2. God bless you!