We put trip photos in the Picasa web album at http://picasaweb.google.com/harry.stimson/
There are many more in the collection. Those 4GB cards are easy to fill.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
February 2, 2009 - Animoto
There is a short Animoto of our trip at http://bit.ly/16Hkap Lots of pics are missing but we'll post them somewhere else . Animoto cut off the pics of the cliff divers in Acapulco so we'll add a couple of those shots above. [A slower paced Animoto that shows just the first few days of the cruise is at http://bit.ly/Jc3l ]
Friday, January 30, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Vancouver
Back in Vancouver on January 28th [late in the day].
Now our journeys include the twice-daily visits to the hospital where Dad is situated for assessment before placement in a care facility. Needless to say, our vacation is over.
Today, Harry is helping Jan assemble a new bedroom set. He tried to hide the toolkit but it didn't work :)
We'll post links to cruise pics in the next blog entry.
Back in Vancouver on January 28th [late in the day].
Now our journeys include the twice-daily visits to the hospital where Dad is situated for assessment before placement in a care facility. Needless to say, our vacation is over.
Today, Harry is helping Jan assemble a new bedroom set. He tried to hide the toolkit but it didn't work :)
We'll post links to cruise pics in the next blog entry.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
January 27th, 2009 - Mexico
Ports in Mexico
We stopped at four ports in Mexico.
Puerto Chiapas, the first of those on our trip, is a new stop for cruise ships. The port is being developed to become a modern and spacious place for cruise ships. Lively local ethnic entertainers welcomed us on arrival and danced for our departure. We chose to stay aboard at Chiapas as only one excursion appealed to us---a visit to the Izapa ruins-and that tour was completely booked. Those who went gave mixed reviews, mainly pointing out that it will get better as the area welcomes more visitors who will help bring more prosperity. We enjoyed our day on the ship. Even when a ship is in port there is a lot going on onboard. [Margaret read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and Harry read more of Paris 1919]
Huatulco our second stop was our favorite of the four Mexican ports. We'd like to visit there again. It's a nice blend between the modern and old Mexico without the litter. We walked by port shops and stalls to the residential area west of the docks just to get a feel for Huatulco. When we were returning toward the ship to catch a cab to see La Crucecita, the old town, we bumped into a Canadian from Kelowna who lives here during the winter. He said there are quite a few other Canadians around.
We spent a couple of hours in La Crucecita, the old, traditional part of Huatulco, where we had a delicious Mexican lunch and strolled around. We visited a weaving shop with several weavers at work outside the shop. We sat in the town square watching the locals, many of them who had just retrieved their uniformed children from school. Our taxi driver, Steve came back to return us to the docks. This trip is the first time an Oceania ship has stopped at Huatulco.
In Acapulco, our British friend, Emma hired a guide we had read about on the Internet, Rosie Diaz Hernadez, who drove six of us around for a six hour tour. Highlights included the cliff divers and a long beautiful tiled wall mural by Diego Rivera as well as several climbs to great views. Lunch at a small hidden away restaurant, La Casa de Tere was excellent. We thought Acapulco was generally a crazy-busy and grungy place, but Rosie provided us with a thoroughly entertaining day. Having a local guide and a small group like we had on this and two other occasions made a big difference to our level of enjoyment and understanding of the place.
When we arrived at Cabo, the ship anchored rather than docked so they provided a tender that holds about 100 people to take us to the dock, a short distance away. The tenders go back and forth to and from the pier every half hour. Again we went on our own, walking along the shore and through the shopping district for a couple of hours. Cabo seems like a tourist trap. A highlight at this spot was the lovely harbour that was visited by a whale in the early part of the day. We saw it from the restaurant deck. Harry saw at least five others while he walked on the track on the upper deck.
Last Day
Today is our last full day on the ship. We got up later than usual because we went to the Salute, a celebration of music and self congratulation by ship staff. Admittedly, they are a super bunch. After breakfast, Harry went for a workout in the Fitness Room and Margaret went to Harry Chittick's talk on Hollywood Scandals, the second in a lecture series that might sound like fluff but actually revealed a lot about the American judicial system :) Harry C, the media man is a master researcher and engaging speaker.
We have to pack today so that they can store our luggage for disembarkation tomorrow in the morning. They are extremely well organized on this ship.
It's a chillier day on the deck, about 60 F, 20 C. We had breakfast on the back deck but will probably have lunch inside if the wind doesn't abate.
This has been a completely positive experience and we're thinking about the next one [maybe the Baltic, maybe the Mediterranean, maybe Asia]. Listening to our more experienced dinner companions [including a couple who have been around the world eleven times] on several evenings, we've concluded that we picked the best cruise line.
January 28th - Canada
We'll be spending this day returning to Vancouver from LA. Margaret's father has been admitted to the hospital requiring that we stay in Vancouver rather than exploring more of BC and Washington. We'll post the pictures when we get to Vancouver. Our ship connection is slow and costs $.70/minute.
We stopped at four ports in Mexico.
Puerto Chiapas, the first of those on our trip, is a new stop for cruise ships. The port is being developed to become a modern and spacious place for cruise ships. Lively local ethnic entertainers welcomed us on arrival and danced for our departure. We chose to stay aboard at Chiapas as only one excursion appealed to us---a visit to the Izapa ruins-and that tour was completely booked. Those who went gave mixed reviews, mainly pointing out that it will get better as the area welcomes more visitors who will help bring more prosperity. We enjoyed our day on the ship. Even when a ship is in port there is a lot going on onboard. [Margaret read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and Harry read more of Paris 1919]
Huatulco our second stop was our favorite of the four Mexican ports. We'd like to visit there again. It's a nice blend between the modern and old Mexico without the litter. We walked by port shops and stalls to the residential area west of the docks just to get a feel for Huatulco. When we were returning toward the ship to catch a cab to see La Crucecita, the old town, we bumped into a Canadian from Kelowna who lives here during the winter. He said there are quite a few other Canadians around.
We spent a couple of hours in La Crucecita, the old, traditional part of Huatulco, where we had a delicious Mexican lunch and strolled around. We visited a weaving shop with several weavers at work outside the shop. We sat in the town square watching the locals, many of them who had just retrieved their uniformed children from school. Our taxi driver, Steve came back to return us to the docks. This trip is the first time an Oceania ship has stopped at Huatulco.
In Acapulco, our British friend, Emma hired a guide we had read about on the Internet, Rosie Diaz Hernadez, who drove six of us around for a six hour tour. Highlights included the cliff divers and a long beautiful tiled wall mural by Diego Rivera as well as several climbs to great views. Lunch at a small hidden away restaurant, La Casa de Tere was excellent. We thought Acapulco was generally a crazy-busy and grungy place, but Rosie provided us with a thoroughly entertaining day. Having a local guide and a small group like we had on this and two other occasions made a big difference to our level of enjoyment and understanding of the place.
When we arrived at Cabo, the ship anchored rather than docked so they provided a tender that holds about 100 people to take us to the dock, a short distance away. The tenders go back and forth to and from the pier every half hour. Again we went on our own, walking along the shore and through the shopping district for a couple of hours. Cabo seems like a tourist trap. A highlight at this spot was the lovely harbour that was visited by a whale in the early part of the day. We saw it from the restaurant deck. Harry saw at least five others while he walked on the track on the upper deck.
Last Day
Today is our last full day on the ship. We got up later than usual because we went to the Salute, a celebration of music and self congratulation by ship staff. Admittedly, they are a super bunch. After breakfast, Harry went for a workout in the Fitness Room and Margaret went to Harry Chittick's talk on Hollywood Scandals, the second in a lecture series that might sound like fluff but actually revealed a lot about the American judicial system :) Harry C, the media man is a master researcher and engaging speaker.
We have to pack today so that they can store our luggage for disembarkation tomorrow in the morning. They are extremely well organized on this ship.
It's a chillier day on the deck, about 60 F, 20 C. We had breakfast on the back deck but will probably have lunch inside if the wind doesn't abate.
This has been a completely positive experience and we're thinking about the next one [maybe the Baltic, maybe the Mediterranean, maybe Asia]. Listening to our more experienced dinner companions [including a couple who have been around the world eleven times] on several evenings, we've concluded that we picked the best cruise line.
January 28th - Canada
We'll be spending this day returning to Vancouver from LA. Margaret's father has been admitted to the hospital requiring that we stay in Vancouver rather than exploring more of BC and Washington. We'll post the pictures when we get to Vancouver. Our ship connection is slow and costs $.70/minute.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
January 21 - Puerto Chiapas, Mexico
We are at our first port in Mexico---Puerto Chiapas.
There was a Mexican band at the pier when we arrived. That must have been an early day for them as we pulled in to the port before 8AM.
We tried to get on a tour to the Izapa ruins that are about 45 minutes away but the tour bus was full. Other tours didn't interest us as much so like many other passengers, today we are just going to hang around the immediate area. We had an interesting meal with a couple from New Joisy (Jersey). It seems that every time you share a table with someone you get the most amazing stories. We agree that it is one of the selling points of cruising. The staff and other passengers have been consistently friendly.
An armed boat came out to greet us and stayed at the mouth of the channel until the ship was docked. We wondered if they have had problems with modern day pirates in this part of the world. We'll be going to the lecture about modern day pirates tomorrow and maybe we can ask. Possibly having gun boats follow cruise ships is a normal precaution.
This area seems to be under development with large paved areas under construction right now. There are no tall buildings in view. There is a thick heat haze between us and the local volcano.There was a Mexican band at the pier when we arrived. That must have been an early day for them as we pulled in to the port before 8AM.
We tried to get on a tour to the Izapa ruins that are about 45 minutes away but the tour bus was full. Other tours didn't interest us as much so like many other passengers, today we are just going to hang around the immediate area. We had an interesting meal with a couple from New Joisy (Jersey). It seems that every time you share a table with someone you get the most amazing stories. We agree that it is one of the selling points of cruising. The staff and other passengers have been consistently friendly.
Monday, January 19, 2009
January 19th - Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Costa Rica is a beautiful country. We were here once before in the last seven or eight years with Jim and Sophie. We were reminded of the friendliness of the people and the diversity of the landscape today.
This time we landed at Puntarenas and drove south toward Jaco and Carrara Park. We went on a private tour with three other couples from the ship, two American couples our age and one from England that are the ages of Tom, Brekyn and Scott.
The day included a 2km hike, downhill through the rainforest. We stopped at a spot where the guides knew we'd see several types of monkeys and coati mundi. A second stop during the drive allowed us a close up view of macaws. A third stop, right in the middle of a busy bridge was where we saw crocodiles, brahma bulls, vultures and heron all within several meters of each other. We've got some good photos we'll post eventually.
We hope you are all keeping well and warm.
This time we landed at Puntarenas and drove south toward Jaco and Carrara Park. We went on a private tour with three other couples from the ship, two American couples our age and one from England that are the ages of Tom, Brekyn and Scott.
The day included a 2km hike, downhill through the rainforest. We stopped at a spot where the guides knew we'd see several types of monkeys and coati mundi. A second stop during the drive allowed us a close up view of macaws. A third stop, right in the middle of a busy bridge was where we saw crocodiles, brahma bulls, vultures and heron all within several meters of each other. We've got some good photos we'll post eventually.
We hope you are all keeping well and warm.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
January 18th - Pacific Coast
Sunday on the Sea
We walked on the deck track for about an hour before breakfast and before the heat of the day made walking outside more of a challenge. After Sunday brunch in the Grand Dining Room, we went to a wine tasting session with a dozen other passengers, three sommeliers and the ship's cellar master. We tried five different wines and we agreed on two that we'd like to try again. Most of the wines were from the USA, but one was from Epernay, a place in France we want to visit. Later in the trip, on the next two sea-days, the same group is talking about champagnes and premium wines.
Margaret watched a movie, Mamma Mia with a crowd who laughed and cheered throughout the movie. Harry went back to his deck and returned to reading Paris 1919 for the second time.
And now ?? ---- A quick trip to the library to write this and then on to a presentation by an art historian who is going to talk about Picasso. Harry will probably watch the football playoffs later.
It's a beautiful sunny day with temps close to 30C. The ocean is calm.
We are thinking about our friends and family and how they would enjoy this day.
We walked on the deck track for about an hour before breakfast and before the heat of the day made walking outside more of a challenge. After Sunday brunch in the Grand Dining Room, we went to a wine tasting session with a dozen other passengers, three sommeliers and the ship's cellar master. We tried five different wines and we agreed on two that we'd like to try again. Most of the wines were from the USA, but one was from Epernay, a place in France we want to visit. Later in the trip, on the next two sea-days, the same group is talking about champagnes and premium wines.
Margaret watched a movie, Mamma Mia with a crowd who laughed and cheered throughout the movie. Harry went back to his deck and returned to reading Paris 1919 for the second time.
And now ?? ---- A quick trip to the library to write this and then on to a presentation by an art historian who is going to talk about Picasso. Harry will probably watch the football playoffs later.
It's a beautiful sunny day with temps close to 30C. The ocean is calm.
We are thinking about our friends and family and how they would enjoy this day.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Passing through Panama
Day 6
Today is the big day. We're passing through the Panama Canal. We didn't think ours was the best room when the ship was bouncing on 12-foot seas a couple of days ago as we traveled across the Caribbean Sea from Key West to Cartagena, Columbia, but today as we journey through the Panama Canal, we are thrilled to have this great and comfortable front row seat at the bow. We would pick a room on the bow again.
The horn is sounding! We just passed through the Gatun Locks into Gatun Lake. In total there are three sets of locks as we move from the Caribbean/Atlantic side to the Pacific side of Panama. The passage that will take us through those locks and various artificial lakes and channels will consume a large part of the day. We leave the Mila Flores Locks, the last in the sequence at 4:10 PM today.
Harry saw a couple of crocodiles sitting on the shore. Margaret heard the ship announcement about the crocodiles but was in a hallway with no windows at the time.
It's very sunny, very scenic, hot (+27) and very humid right now. We've been going from our deck into the room to cool off occasionally.
You can see what we see from our stateroom by looking at the bridge cam of the ship. We've put a link on this blog.
Cartagena
Yesterday, we visited Cartagena with a small group of eight people. Our guide and driver were the best. We visited the old and new city as well as the walled fortresses (largest in South America) that were used to guard the city against pirates and privateers who constantly threatened to cause damage and steal the gold, silver and jewels that came from South and Central America to await transport to Spain. Sir Francis Drake, the English privateer ravaged the city several times. When we get our photos posted, you'll see the mixture of beauty and scruffiness, wealth and poverty that is so often typical of large cities.
The bells are sounding indicating that we're ready to move onto Gatun Lake. A large container ship called The New Jersey (owned by the Yang Ming company) is just ahead of the Regatta. Now we'll sail across the lake to the next lock at Pedro Miguel which we'll be in at about 2:40PM.
Food
The food is truly outstanding. It's not just that there is food available at any time, it's that is flavourful, nutritious, and beautifully arranged, truly gourmet. We've been told by other passengers (many of whom have cruised multiple times) that the food on the Oceania ships is outstanding. We're going for a cappuccino in a bit to see the Panama vendor display on the pool deck.
Company
We had breakfast with Pat and Mike from Victoria this morning as we sailed into the first of the locks. Pat and Mike are amongst more than 100 other Canadians on board. Yesterday, we missed the Canadian get-together because we went to Happy Hour and met two other couples who entertained us with their stories. Being polite and slightly under the influence of two alcohol drinks, we stayed with them and missed the Canadian event. C'est la vie.
Books
Harry is on his third book, Margaret her second. We started to borrow from the ship's wonderful library, leaving our books for home reading.
Hope everyone is well.
Today is the big day. We're passing through the Panama Canal. We didn't think ours was the best room when the ship was bouncing on 12-foot seas a couple of days ago as we traveled across the Caribbean Sea from Key West to Cartagena, Columbia, but today as we journey through the Panama Canal, we are thrilled to have this great and comfortable front row seat at the bow. We would pick a room on the bow again.
The horn is sounding! We just passed through the Gatun Locks into Gatun Lake. In total there are three sets of locks as we move from the Caribbean/Atlantic side to the Pacific side of Panama. The passage that will take us through those locks and various artificial lakes and channels will consume a large part of the day. We leave the Mila Flores Locks, the last in the sequence at 4:10 PM today.
Harry saw a couple of crocodiles sitting on the shore. Margaret heard the ship announcement about the crocodiles but was in a hallway with no windows at the time.
It's very sunny, very scenic, hot (+27) and very humid right now. We've been going from our deck into the room to cool off occasionally.
You can see what we see from our stateroom by looking at the bridge cam of the ship. We've put a link on this blog.
Cartagena
Yesterday, we visited Cartagena with a small group of eight people. Our guide and driver were the best. We visited the old and new city as well as the walled fortresses (largest in South America) that were used to guard the city against pirates and privateers who constantly threatened to cause damage and steal the gold, silver and jewels that came from South and Central America to await transport to Spain. Sir Francis Drake, the English privateer ravaged the city several times. When we get our photos posted, you'll see the mixture of beauty and scruffiness, wealth and poverty that is so often typical of large cities.
The bells are sounding indicating that we're ready to move onto Gatun Lake. A large container ship called The New Jersey (owned by the Yang Ming company) is just ahead of the Regatta. Now we'll sail across the lake to the next lock at Pedro Miguel which we'll be in at about 2:40PM.
Food
The food is truly outstanding. It's not just that there is food available at any time, it's that is flavourful, nutritious, and beautifully arranged, truly gourmet. We've been told by other passengers (many of whom have cruised multiple times) that the food on the Oceania ships is outstanding. We're going for a cappuccino in a bit to see the Panama vendor display on the pool deck.
Company
We had breakfast with Pat and Mike from Victoria this morning as we sailed into the first of the locks. Pat and Mike are amongst more than 100 other Canadians on board. Yesterday, we missed the Canadian get-together because we went to Happy Hour and met two other couples who entertained us with their stories. Being polite and slightly under the influence of two alcohol drinks, we stayed with them and missed the Canadian event. C'est la vie.
Books
Harry is on his third book, Margaret her second. We started to borrow from the ship's wonderful library, leaving our books for home reading.
Hope everyone is well.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
On the Water
This is our first full day at sea with no ports of call. We're headed to Columbia, over the top of Cuba and then south. We'll be there at 8AM on the 16th.
We attended a very interesting lecture by Harry Chittick on pirates this morning and then another one on digital photography by Murray (pronounced Mooray) where we learned a few new things. We're going to an art history talk this afternoon, the second one in a series. The one yesterday was okay. The talks are held in a large entertainment centre. The fitness centre and pool deck are well equipped and the library is phenomenal. We've spent a bit of time in all of those.
We have bought 200 minutes of Internet time so we'll be able to keep in touch.
We put the Spot on today. It should be tracking now. We left Key West about 1:30PM yesterday and will be another two days in the Spanish Main/Caribbean Sea before reaching Cartagena.
The food has been absolutely perfect, every meal. We have been trying to show some restraint, eating lots of fruits and veggies. Although we usually have lunch and breakfast on our own, we've asked for shared tables at dinner which has allowed us to meet some very nice, very interesting people. Tonight we're eating dinner by ourselves for the first time...our choice because we reserved late and that was the table that was available.
We are also going to afternoon high tea for first time because we aren't eating dinner until much later tonight.
The rain has come and gone and might come again. It was sunny when we ate on the aft deck for lunch. I have lots of pics and a bit of video which we'll upload eventually. The computer guy, George says this is a slow connection, so we'll see.
We attended a very interesting lecture by Harry Chittick on pirates this morning and then another one on digital photography by Murray (pronounced Mooray) where we learned a few new things. We're going to an art history talk this afternoon, the second one in a series. The one yesterday was okay. The talks are held in a large entertainment centre. The fitness centre and pool deck are well equipped and the library is phenomenal. We've spent a bit of time in all of those.
We have bought 200 minutes of Internet time so we'll be able to keep in touch.
We put the Spot on today. It should be tracking now. We left Key West about 1:30PM yesterday and will be another two days in the Spanish Main/Caribbean Sea before reaching Cartagena.
The food has been absolutely perfect, every meal. We have been trying to show some restraint, eating lots of fruits and veggies. Although we usually have lunch and breakfast on our own, we've asked for shared tables at dinner which has allowed us to meet some very nice, very interesting people. Tonight we're eating dinner by ourselves for the first time...our choice because we reserved late and that was the table that was available.
We are also going to afternoon high tea for first time because we aren't eating dinner until much later tonight.
The rain has come and gone and might come again. It was sunny when we ate on the aft deck for lunch. I have lots of pics and a bit of video which we'll upload eventually. The computer guy, George says this is a slow connection, so we'll see.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Heading to the Airport
We're on our way. The flight tonight will be a red-eye flight to Miami. We're glad we came to Vancouver first ...Margaret's Dad is in poor shape and we think the visit perked him up temporarily.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Vancouver, BC in January
We are in Vancouver where the snow has been falling for a couple of hours. There is a lot of old snow on the ground and all surfaces, roads and sidewalks, are slick with ice.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Radio
Don't know if we'll be able to access Blip.fm from the ship, but we've loaded our stations, just in case we can get to the music http://blip.fm/MStimson and http://blip.fm/HStimson
Monday, January 5, 2009
Spot Messenger Link
The following link should lead you to Google Maps where you can see our progress
http://bit.ly/Dv4R
The maps will change as the trip progresses. Usually only the last seven days are displayed.
http://bit.ly/Dv4R
The maps will change as the trip progresses. Usually only the last seven days are displayed.
Packing to Go and Telling Everyone About It
January 5th
The fireplace room is piled high with suitcases, clothes and gear. We're a few days away from leaving Winnipeg but it looks like we'll need all of that time to get packed.
The checklist of things to do before departure has shrunk to a few items. One thing we can tick off the list...make a blog. It has helped to have the checklists from our previous trips in '08. We also downloaded a packing list from one of the cruise discussion boards. We'll be ready to go when the time comes.
This week we made arrangements for two private shore excursions, one in Cartagena, Columbia and one in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Actually, Harry Chittick made the arrangements and we're tagging along. We met virtually on a cruise discussion board. Picture this, two Harrys in one van.
We will be in Vancouver from Jan 8th to Jan 11th and back there again on the 28th with a side trip to Seattle before heading home on Feb 7th.
We wish our friends and family were with us on this trip.
<------- Vancouver forecast
Our e-mails are
harry.stimson at gmail.com
margaret.stimson at gmail.com
We will have shipboard e-mail accounts and will post those here also.
The fireplace room is piled high with suitcases, clothes and gear. We're a few days away from leaving Winnipeg but it looks like we'll need all of that time to get packed.
The checklist of things to do before departure has shrunk to a few items. One thing we can tick off the list...make a blog. It has helped to have the checklists from our previous trips in '08. We also downloaded a packing list from one of the cruise discussion boards. We'll be ready to go when the time comes.
This week we made arrangements for two private shore excursions, one in Cartagena, Columbia and one in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Actually, Harry Chittick made the arrangements and we're tagging along. We met virtually on a cruise discussion board. Picture this, two Harrys in one van.
We will be in Vancouver from Jan 8th to Jan 11th and back there again on the 28th with a side trip to Seattle before heading home on Feb 7th.We wish our friends and family were with us on this trip.
<------- Vancouver forecast
Our e-mails are
harry.stimson at gmail.com
margaret.stimson at gmail.com
We will have shipboard e-mail accounts and will post those here also.
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