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Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

December 8th, 2016 . Posted in Cruising, Mexico | Comments Off on Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Thursday, December 8, 2016     Sunny with a light breeze – 72 degrees

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A voice in the hall woke me up at 6:00 AM which was alright since I had set the alarm for seven. Today was our first day off the ship.  I went out to the balcony to see that the ship had docked quietly in the tropical city of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Another cruise ship, the Veendam, was docked nearby.

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After breakfast, we boarded a bus to carry us to the “Old Town.”  Our local guide Armando, was a soft-spoken 82 year old former high school teacher who called us Muchachos.   Our first stop was the famous seaside boardwalk, the Malecon.  

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The Malecon is lined with ships, restaurants, hotels, and artists selling their wares along the beautiful Banderas Bay.  The tropical Sierra Madre Mountains rise in the distance.

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The next stop on our tour of the city was La Inglesia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.  

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The cathedral tower is topped with a wrought-iron crown “hoisted by angels” which was designed to resemble one worn by the Empress Carlota of Mexico in 1864.  

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We avoided countless street vendors and after a while, the bus drove us up the coast and out of Puerto Vallarta.  Armando said his 104 year old mother still lived in the hills nearby.  We returned to the Old Town and had a chance to walk around, explore, and take photos.

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We returned to The Island Princess in time for a late lunch and discovered that the crew had decorated the ship for Christmas.  Garlands were hung everywhere, Christmas trees filled empty corners, and holiday music played in all the public places.  What a great surprise!!

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Later at night, we enjoyed a tasty dinner in the Bordeaux Dining Room.  We shared a table with three new couples.  Two missionaries who had worked in Ecuador, retired teachers from Clearwater Florida (originally from North Carolina), and a quiet couple from Montana.  Jeff and I both had borscht and chicken pot pies – very good comfort food!

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Los Angeles to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

December 7th, 2016 . Posted in Central America, Cruising, Western United States | Comments Off on Los Angeles to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Tuesday Dec. 6 and Wednesday Dec. 7, 2016 – Two days at sea

The Island Princess continued overnight in a south-easterly direction and passed along the US/Mexican border.  The sky was mostly cloudy all day with a light breeze and 63 degrees.  The ship’s clocks were advanced one hour.  I felt the movement of the ship when I awoke about seven o’clock.  I didn’t feel well so I rested, took a hot shower, put on an ear patch.

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We went out to explore the ship and had breakfast in the Horizon Court.  The day’s activities were listed on a self-contained wifi network so we could easily find interesting events.  We explored all the restaurants and listened to several presentations. One was Digital Photography and another was an Art History talk.

Zumba on the deck near the pool:dsc_8614

Fruit carving demonstration in the impressive Atrium:dsc_8615

Instruction on how to play Roulette in the Casino:dsc_8627

We walked around the Promenade Deck once.  3.2 times around equals one mile according to a sign.  dsc_8649

We had pizza for lunch in Sabatini’s Italian Restaurant:img_0377

Rested in our comfortable sitting area in the stateroom with an outdoor balcony:dsc_8634

Classical music performed by the Romantica String Quartet:dsc_8676

It was “Formal Night” so we dressed for dinner and proceeded to the Bordeaux Dining Room.  We shared a table with two other couples: April & Rick from Phoenix, Arizona and Cav & “Fish” from Red Wing, Minnesota.  Rick worked for Intel, Fish was a truck driver, Cav had recently retired from “the phone company and they all rode motorcycles!  It’s a different life out there.

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I had a tasty dinner of soup, shrimp, and dessert.  It was a fun night!!  Much more fun than expected!

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After a beautiful sunset Tuesday evening, the weather improved on Wednesday.  The ship’s clocks were advanced another hour as the ship continued southeast along the Baja California (Mexico) coast.

Sunny skies and a northerly “fresh breeze” on Wednesday:

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I’m beginning to get my ‘sea legs’ but with two time changes, I didn’t know what time it really was.  Jeff’s phone conked out so we went to the Internet Cafe to try to fix it.  The young expert said it couldn’t be fixed until we got to port.  He suggested we find a bar on land with free wifi, and use that to log in and fix the phone.  Poor Jeff.

We found a coffee bar on the first floor of the Atrium which had good coffee.  Our main activity of the day was a “Fine Art Auction.”  It was a total scam but kept us entertained for several hours.  We relaxed on soft green lounge chairs by the Lotus Pool and had a casual dinner at the Horizon Court buffet.  Tomorrow we land in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and go ashore.

Panama Canal Cruise 2016 – Getting Ready

December 5th, 2016 . Posted in Central America, Cruising, Western United States | Comments Off on Panama Canal Cruise 2016 – Getting Ready

Sunday Dec. 4 and Monday Dec. 5, 2016

Roberto of Yorkie’s car service picked us up Sunday morning to take us to JFK airport.  We were on our way to Los Angeles, California to board the Island Princess for a 15-day cruise through the Panama Canal ending in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  Total distance was 5014 Nautical Miles or 5,766 Statute Miles.  

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We had decided to fly to California one day early and stay the night in a hotel in Long Beach to facilitate boarding at noon on Dec. 5th.  Incredibly, there was a short security line at JFK and we had a smooth uneventful six hour flight.  We arrived in Los Angeles after dark and it took a taxi about 40 minutes in light traffic to drive from LAX to Long Beach.  

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Because we were excited and awoke early, we had time Monday morning to walk around the business district of Long Beach and we found a Starbuck’s for coffee.  Then we set out to Pier 92 by taxi to begin this 15-day cruising adventure.  The Port of Long Beach is humongous with shipping cranes lined up as far as you can see and it is one of the world’s busiest commercial seaports and a gateway for trade between the United States and Asia.

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We arrived at the Island Princess before noon but had to wait for a couple of hours in the terminal. After we got settled in our stateroom, we found the Horizon Court buffet for a surprisingly good lunch and then explored the ship and relaxed. 

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About 5:00 pm (17:00) the sun was setting as the Island Princess slowly pulled away from the dock and steered for the open waters of the Pacific Ocean.  

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The Island Princess is a “Panamax” ship which means she conforms to the size specifications of width, length, height, and draught allowable to enter the locks and pass through the Panama Canal.

Island Princess Facts:  Overall length: 964.3 ft.   Breadth: 105.6 ft.   Draught: 27.2 ft.    Built from 2002 – 2003 by Chantiers de L’Antique Shipyard of St. Nazare, France    maximum passengers: 2390  maximum crew: 810  

 

Copacabana and Ipanema Beaches Finale

September 23rd, 2016 . Posted in Brazil | Comments Off on Copacabana and Ipanema Beaches Finale

Friday – September 23, 2016

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Today was our last day in fabulous Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  My travel buddy, Linda, and I were scheduled to fly out of Santos Dumont Airport tonight so we had the whole day to enjoy warm sunshine and fabulous beaches.

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We planned to walk the length of Copacabana Beach to Ipanema Beach as we had on our first rainy day in Rio.  What a difference with a lot of sunshine!

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The sun brought out surfers, sun-worshippers, families, swimmers, volleyball players, skaters, and many vendors.

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We walked more than two miles to the park at the beginning of Ipanema Beach.  Linda and I wondered if the statue below was a tribute to The Girl From Ipanema.

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It was still early when we returned to our beach near the hotel, so we stopped into a beachside restaurant for cold drinks and guacamole & chips.  We watched an exciting game of “foot volley” on the sand which was a combination of beach volleyball and soccer.

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It had been a great week!  Linda and I had an amazing time in Rio and Foz do Iguazu, Brazil.  There was so much to see and do.  We met many wonderful friendly people who were incredibly proud of their fabulous country, Brazil.

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After an overnight flight from Sao Paulo Brazil to Fort Lauderdale Florida, I arrived home to New York City and was treated to an arial view from the plane before it landed in La Guardia airport.  It was a great way to end this adventure!

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Corcovado, Christo Redentor, and Centro, Brazil

September 22nd, 2016 . Posted in Brazil | Comments Off on Corcovado, Christo Redentor, and Centro, Brazil

Thursday –  September 22, 2016

The sky continued to clear giving us a pleasant spring morning in Rio de Janeiro.  It was a perfect day to visit the enormous statue of Christ the Redeemer located on top of Corcovado Mountain.

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Access to the summit is via a delightful cog railway ride through the Parque Nacional da Tijuca.  The forest is one of the world’s largest urban tropical rainforests.

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It took 20 minutes to climb to the 2,300 foot granite peak of Corcovado, which means “hunchback” in Portuguese, for magnificent views of the city of Rio.

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As several parakites soared above the statue, Linda and I marveled at the impressive concrete Cristo Redentor along with hundreds of other tourists.

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Finished in 1931, the statue stands 98 feet tall on top of a 26 ft. pedestal.  It was created by French sculptor, Paul Landowski and built by Brazilian engineer, Heitor da Silva Costa. Many tourists tired to take selfies with the statue!

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We ate lunch on the terrace under brilliant sunshine with a fabulous view of the city.

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After a while, we rode the electric Corcovado railway back down the mountain through the tropical rainforest.

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We took a taxi to the center of the city to see Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Candelaria.

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Construction of the Baroque-style Candelaria Church began in 1775.  In 1877 it was the tallest building in Rio, but today the church is surrounded by tall modern office buildings which comprise the financial district, Centro.

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We walked toward the area which was the ‘2016 Olympic Village’ last month, then we explored the outdoor exhibits of the Naval and Oceanographic Museum.

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We discovered the former bank building, the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil which is now a museum and cultural center.

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We enjoyed a free exhibit, ‘The Triumph of Color,’ which included several paintings on loan from the Musee d’Orsay in Paris.  What fun to see Van Gogh, Matisse, and Gauguin in Rio de Janeiro!

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We walked through the financial Centro district with narrow streets and tall buildings which reminded me of the Wall Street neighborhood in lower Manhattan.

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We passed the famous Confeitaria Colombo. There were two long lines of people waiting to get in.  The Belle Epoque pastry shop was opened in 1894 and is the oldest restaurant in Rio still located in its original building.

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