Trish Traveler

Con’t. PUERTO LIMON, COSTA RICA Monday 3/4 7:30AM-4:30PM It was a short ride back along the coast to the port. After thanking and tipping our guides for a wonderful tour, we decided to take a little time to visit the Vargas Park across the street. There were a lot of locals assembling for something that would have speakers. There is a small playground for kids, gazebo, several pretty sculptures and another view of the ocean on the other side. I had read there are sloths living in the trees here, and with the help of a local, we were able to see two. They were very high up so not easy to spot or photograph. Crab: Sloth:

Con’t. PUERTO LIMON, COSTA RICA Monday 3/4 7:30AM-4:30PM We had one more stop to make to see Playa Bonita at Reina’s Beach Restaurant where you could eat and/or get a drink. We enjoyed seeing the rough waves you often find on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. There was a colorful sign for a photo op, and sadly I found a broken mermaid – I wonder what her story was?

Con’t. PUERTO LIMON, COSTA RICA Monday 3/4 7:30AM-4:30PM Next was our much anticipated Tortuguero Canal Boat Ride. It’s a covered boat and plenty of room with only 12 of us on it. When wildlife was spotted the captain made sure to turn the boat so both sides could easily see. He was great at spotting wildlife. Within 10 minutes they had already spotted a sloth and some monkeys. It was very calm, green and lush along the way. We saw lots of birds: Great Blue Herons, White Egrets, Greater Kingfisher, and a Cormorant. At one point we saw two troops (about 8 each) of monkeys in trees. Wow. We saw the beautiful, iridescent blue Morpho butterflies that flit around so quickly, you can’t even photograph them. We saw one caiman along the way. We were lucky to get a sighting of the bright green basilisk lizard (commonly referred to as the Jesus lizard because they can run on water). We also saw one baby crocodile and an iguana. Then it was time to turn around and head back to the dock seeing more birds and monkeys along the way. So peaceful, even with a few other boats on the canal. That was about an hour long boat ride. Absolutely loved it and all our wildlife sightings. Gracias Captain and Larry. White Egret: A troop of monkeys: Cormorant drying its wings: Greater Kingfisher: Caiman: Female Basilisk lizard: Male Basilisk Lizard with the crest on his back: Iguana: Baby Crocodile: Great Blue Heron:

Con’t. PUERTO LIMON, COSTA RICA Monday 3/4 7:30AM-4:30PM We passed many of the major brand banana plantations where we saw from the bus how a “runner” transports the bananas to the shipping area. The bananas are picked green and don’t ripen until they reach supermarkets around the world. Bananas are an important part of the Costa Rican economy. Next we went to an Organic Banana Farm that we toured with Larry explaining more of the banana growing process, and some of the other plants growing here as because it is organic, other plants are allowed to grow alongside the bananas. This is a tourist stop and had a nice gift shop, bathrooms, snack bar, and a photo op mural. We had some of that liquid sunshine while here. But it comes and goes. Small Caiman hiding in a marsh area near the road:

Con’t. PUERTO LIMON, COSTA RICA Monday 3/4 7:30AM-4:30PM We then headed into the countryside stopping roadside to see one of the adorable sloths in the wild. Another stop to see the unusual bird nests of the Oropendola birds high in the palm trees. We also saw a huge spider in it’s web here. We soon learned that Larry has a wealth of knowledge about the flora and fauna of Costa Rica. They offered bottled water and fruit juice on the tour bus. Tour guide Larry pointing out the sloth: Oropendola birds nests: Close up of the spider in it's web😮 Note to self - Don't touch or brush up against any foliage: Our next stop was at a fruit market where we sampled bananas and coffee. Larry gave us info about the various plants and fruits on the property. Some enjoyed fresh coconut drinks. We also had a little time for the gift shop here. Departing we stopped again to see a monkey in a tree.

PUERTO LIMON, COSTA RICA Monday 3/4 7:30AM-4:30PM Another nice room service breakfast and then we viewed our arrival into Puerto Limon up on deck. It was partly cloudy with a bit of liquid sunshine forecasted today. We had been to Costa Rica a while back on a land tour, but were excited to visit again. This particular port is new to us. We researched and decided to take an independent tour with Relax Day Tours called Around Limon 3-4 hours long (the same tour can also be booked through Viator). We were off the ship about 7:45am to meet the tour representative outside security on the street, where we were directed to a small bus to wait for the other passengers on the tour today (I think there were about 12 of us). We had a great guide named Larry and bus driver Giovanni who was good at spotting wildlife. We headed first to visit the beautiful Sacred Heart Cathedral. Upon entering we saw the stunning stain glass windows. We learned the lectern is made of coral.

You're welcome! Glad you're finding it helpful. I always get some much good info researching here on CC for my cruises, so I am glad to be able to share my experiences. Yes, that camera takes some good pics and has a nice zoom also. Just a bit heavy when you're just used to carrying a cell phone. But I always want to know I have a backup camera if either of them has a battery go dead on me. Have a great cruise!

Con’t. PANAMA CANAL & COLON Sunday, 3/3 6AM-9PM Back on board to freshen up and have a relaxing buffet dinner. We made it to the World Stage show of Harry Rios: Latin Beats on the Bayou. He was a talented pianist and singer which we enjoyed. Back out on deck for the pretty sailaway. It seemed to be quite the event also for the people at the mall to watch our departure. We waved at each other, as someone on our ship nicely shouted out “Thank you Panama”. Even the industrial port cranes looked pretty at night all lit up. We had an amazing day in Panama and were so happy we finally got to experience the Panama Canal. Time to turn in as we had another early day tomorrow in Costa Rica, but luckily would get to set our clocks back one hour again tonight. I definitely ate more than this for dinner, but forgot to take photos 😁

Con’t. PANAMA CANAL & COLON Sunday, 3/3 6AM-9PM On our return trip over the Atlantic Bridge, we were lucky to be able to have a great view of the canals and the Rotterdam that had just completed the return transit and was now on its way to Colon. That was cool timing! Heading to the outskirts of Colon our guide showed us some of the nicer neighborhoods including one that use to be US Army housing. Reaching Colon city we could get the feeling that this is a city struggling with poverty. They also have a trash collection problem (the guide said something about a bad contract with a foreign company) so sadly that added to the dismal look of the city. Now the area where the tour ends and you get dropped off is a brand new shopping mall called Colon 2000 Duty Free Mall. It is open air but the stores are all enclosed with doors. Lots of restaurants and seating face the water side (although it does face an industrial port). It is a sharp contrast to the neighborhood across the street. So this mall is open to the public and was bustling with lots of nice Panamanian families and couples enjoying their weekend. While always cautious, we felt comfortable enough here at the mall while we waited for the Rotterdam to return. Now the actual secure cruise terminal is on the side and was not opened yet when our tour arrived. The locked cruise terminal entrance when we arrived back from our tour: It was very cool to see when the Rotterdam appeared around the corner into our view. We watched that until they were docked and then headed over to the actual cruise terminal entrance which was now open. There were some Embera Indigenous People selling crafts outside. We stopped briefly to shop. Inside is a regular terminal (looks like ships sometimes begin from here) There is some seating, bathrooms and a nice duty free shop. There was a short line forming of guests returning from tours. We shopped briefly and enjoyed a Panama beer before the line began moving.

Con’t. PANAMA CANAL & COLON Sunday, 3/3 6AM-9PM Continuing our ride to the coast we reached Fort San Lorenzo, which is perched above the spot where the Chagres River meets the Atlantic Ocean. It’s a beautiful site, with interesting fort ruins to explore on our own. It is mostly in full sun, so be prepared with hat and water. We enjoyed our time here and the fact that we got to see some Panamanian jungle along the way.

Con’t. PANAMA CANAL & COLON Sunday, 3/3 6AM-9PM We crossed the Atlantic Bridge which had magnificent views of the locks (we were on the wrong side of the bus, but would cross back later with views from our side). We drove on another small bridge and stopped briefly for the explanation that this was the original French start to the Panama Canal. We also got to see the Gatun Dam across the Chagres River. The French start to the canal: Through the tropical countryside we enjoyed the lush foliage and stopped for a sloth sighting up in a tree. We drove through the former US army base Fort Sherman which is a bunch of dangerously, dilapidated buildings on what looked to be a very pretty, popular beach with the locals. They seemed to be enjoying family time and BBQ’s on this Sunday. After leaving there we were treated to a great sighting of Howler Monkeys. We were able to exit the bus for photos and hear their loud howl! The guide also spotted several Coatis (raccoon like mammal) crossing the road along the way, but you could only see them in the very front seats as they are small and fast. Sloth is pretty hard to see here: Fort Sherman: Monkeys!!

Con’t. PANAMA CANAL & COLON Sunday, 3/3 6AM-9PM While planning, we initially thought we might like to stay on the ship for the return transit out of the canal, but ultimately decided that we wanted to have feet on the ground in Panama and see a bit of the country. Only HAL tours are allowed here and they use tender boats to take you to the dock in the Gatun Lake where you board your tour bus. Those not doing a tour remain on the ship which will transit back through the same locks and eventually make its way to Colon to pick up us tour passengers. HAL offers many interesting tour choices. Many people seem to like the canal lock experience on a smaller boat but we were looking for something with a little variety and comfort. Panama tours can be long and it is hot in Panama, which HAL does a great job of emphasizing to tour passengers. Plus, when you return to Colon, the ship may not have returned yet, so you still may have to wait for it. There is a reminder to pax to bring any medicine you might need to take in case there is any delay. All the tour groups had times to gather in the World Stage, which was very organized with the large screen indicating each tour and if it was being called yet. We chose the Fort San Lorenzo Unesco World Heritage Site & Agua Clara Visitor Center, 5 hour tour. First we tendered ashore and then onto a nice full size bus with good A/C. We drove over one of the lock gate bridges before arriving at the Agua Clara Visitor Center where there was a ship named Sea Vine in the locks. There is a upper viewing platform here and you can also either walk or take a shuttle van down to the lower viewing area. There is commentary on loud speakers explaining the transit. Cool to see from these vantage points. There is a photo op sign which includes a view of Gatun Lake where we could see the Rotterdam still anchored. There is a small gift shop, restrooms and a short documentary canal movie. We had about 35 minutes here I believe. Back on the bus we got a bottle of water and a muffin snack.

Thank you. Glad you're enjoying it. My cameras are nothing too fancy. I use both my Google Pixel 3a phone and a Canon PowerShot SX740 HS. The underwater photos are on a GoPro 10.

Con’t. PANAMA CANAL & COLON Sunday, 3/3 6AM-9PM After standing at the railing close to two hours we decided to give up our spots so others could enjoy the view and finally get that cup of coffee and tasty Panama Roll. We then headed up to Lido deck 9 for the aft views of the Panama Canal. And from here we could get a side view to see the clearance in the canal as we continued to transit. We needed to stop in our cabin and could see the view of the ship entering the third lock. We passed through the Lido pool area and saw the viewing also on the big screen there. And oddly, HAL was having their one big “sale” of the cruise out here with cheaper t-shirts etc. Of course there were long lines and we didn’t stop to shop, as we paid a lot to see the canal in person. I get that some people are not as interested in the canal or have seen it before, but they never had another sale like that on this cruise (which on most cruises tends to be the last sea day). Oh well, HAL lost my money on that one. Aft views: Starboard view looking from aft forward on Deck 9: View of the ship's bow cam on our cabin TV: Back to the bow viewing area (much emptier now) to see our entrance into the large Lake Gatun where we had been raised a total of 85 feet during the transit. It was sunny and hazy, but still pretty views and saw a few other ships around. Luckily we had a little time to grab more breakfast foods before our HAL tour meeting time of 10:15am.

Con’t. PANAMA CANAL & COLON Sunday, 3/3 6AM-9PM We would be transiting the new (2016) Agua Clara locks. We would have a tug forward and aft to guide us. The view from our location on the bow makes it look like the ship was almost sideways to the left entering the canal, but it’s an illusion if that makes sense. Finally, the first lock door slid slowly to the right as it opened for us to enter lock 1 of 3. Once in place, the dock crew worked along with the HAL crew to rope the ship in place for the rising of the water. The ship rising is so smooth that you really need to watch water level marks on the wall or gates to know you are rising from this vantage point. Ready for lock 2. You can see that it is actually two gates that open together in one direction, which is different than the old locks which are 2 miter gates and meet in the middle, as I understand it. Pretty fascinating to watch it all. And you get a good view of the Canal Control Tower and the fresh water holding basins.

PANAMA CANAL & COLON Sunday, 3/3 6AM-9PM YAY – CANAL DAY! Up about 5am and we could see on the bow cam that it was still dark out, but with some lights of Panama visible. We knew that the Bow would open at 6am for pax viewing of the canal, and that the line would form a while before that on deck 5. We would forgo breakfast for now and planned on eating after at least transiting the first lock if we got a spot on the bow. First we peeked out on the Promenade Deck 3 to see lights of other ships in the distance staging for later transits. We also got to witness the deck crew who were moving in the lifeboats 18” for the transit. Although they have the clearance without doing that, it gives them better visibility and a better margin in case of any drifting in the canal. That was cool. We lined up about 5:30ish and the line began moving about 5:50am onto the bow which was still very dark out there – watch your step. We lucked out and did get a railing spot on the starboard side. HAL did have a table serving coffee and their special “Panama Rolls”, but we weren’t risking losing our spots by going over there. It would have been hard to manage my cameras and coffee anyway. I could forgo coffee for now to see the Panama Canal in person. We could see the lights of the Atlantic Bridge in the distance and as it became brighter, we could see the ship ahead of us already in the lock. Below us were several ships photographers taking our photos as we took their photos. Up in the Crow’s Nest Travel Director Karlijn began her informative commentary which could also be heard on outside decks. TIP - It looked like a pretty sunrise on the port side, which made me glad I was starboard so as not to have the sun in our eyes. My descriptions are layman's terms, so forgive me if I get any official canal terms incorrect. It was beautiful to sail under the Atlantic Bridge and then have a view of both the new and old locks.

😁 Do it!

Con’t. CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA Saturday 3/2 7AM-2PM An afternoon swim and nap refreshed me before our Pinnacle Dinner reservation. We had dined here on our Norway cruise, so we were excited for another opportunity. Once again we had the rich Clothesline Candied Bacon (not sure if it qualifies as an appetizer or dessert!), Shrimp Cocktail, and Lobster Bisque starters. I had the Filet Mignon and added a Lobster Tail for $10; while DH had the Strip Steak (which was flavored okay, but he wished he had chosen the more tender Filet). We had the complimentary chef’s plate of treats, but saved room for the most amazing Crème Brulet and Key Lime Pie. Delicious. We enjoyed some music on board and turned in early in anticipation of our early wake up for the Panama Canal transit tomorrow.

Con’t. CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA Saturday 3/2 7AM-2PM We were hot, tired and hungry – so back to the ship for lunch. It’s not a real long walk from the Ecopark, but they do have a free shuttle that circles around if you prefer. We freshened up and enjoyed a Mexican lunch from the Lido Market. For sailaway, they opened the bow on deck 5 for viewing, so we headed there for a beautiful sailaway from Cartagena. Another fort we passed a while after sailaway. You can see Cartagena buildings far in the background:

Con’t. CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA Saturday 3/2 7AM-2PM There is also a nice gift shop here if you want to make your souvenir purchases comfortably. And a snack shop area. There are also a few varieties of monkeys loose, which I try to avoid except to snap a photo. We just loved this Ecopark and didn’t even see it all. So if you decide that you don’t want to take a tour in Cartagena, you could always just enjoy this awesome attraction right at the port.

Con’t. CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA Saturday 3/2 7AM-2PM From here it was a fairly short ride back to the port (Saturday traffic a bit better than weekday). We thanked and tipped Dora, her assistant and driver for this amazing tour giving us so much interesting information about the vibrant city of Cartagena, old and new. We were so glad we took this tour because of the small size, excellent info and pride Dora shared about her home, and the amount of places we were able to visit in a short amount of time (the tour is 3 ½ - 4 hours). Granted we only touched the surface, but definitely got a wonderful snapshot of the Colombian history, diversity, beauty and culture. This tour does move fast, so you need to keep up, and although we had brief pauses in the old city as Dora narrated, you mostly have to take photos on the go. As we may never have an opportunity to return, this was a perfect tour for us. Thank you Dora the Explorer for sharing your vibrant city. As Dora promised we would be back in plenty of time to view the Ecopark at the port before our 1:30pm all aboard. What a delight this place is. It’s a destination in itself. It’s also like a botanical garden with all the beautiful tropical foliage. Many of birds are free to roam, whereas some are in screened aviary structures. One of the first buildings we encountered had an employee with a baby sloth resting on a stuffed animal. Cuteness overload. Of course you couldn’t actually hold the sloth, you were able to hold the stuffed animal to snap a photo, for a donation. Birds, birds, birds everywhere. So many varieties of Macaws, Toucan, more Peacocks, Flamingos etc. There is an area where you can purchase sunflower seeds for $2 to feed the Macaws. After watching for a while, I decided to attempt that. They will either eat out of your hand or walk onto your arm. I found their claws painful on bare skin. Personally wouldn’t recommend that. Here you will find a large photo op COLOMBIA sign. I never realized that Peacocks could perch in trees! Look closely to spot them:

Yes, it was excellent. We saw so much in such a short amount of time! I definitely recommend Dora.

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