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Fire and Ice : A photo travelogue from Alaska thru the canal to the Caribbean and beyond

scubacruiserx2

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in Holland America Line

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scubacruiserx2

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Demographically things had changed a lot . We had a large group of handicapped people that got on in Vancouver and off in San Diego . One of our servers in the Tamarind said that 65 workers ( perhaps 65 % ) , my wife forgot which , were new and had gotten on in San Francisco . Oakridger had mentioned that 400 people had left in San Diego and 800 passengers had gotten on bringing our total to 1800 - 300 short of our capacity . We were beginning to feel the pinch on changeover day after boarding . An already crowded elevator was trying to pack some new passengers in with their luggage . They pointed to the sign and said 18 people .

 

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The elevator passengers moaned . I muttered before Covid and without luggage .  They chose to wait .

Anyhow our Cruise Critic meeting was near the Crow's Nest the next morning and it was pretty full when we got there .

 

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We ate lunch at the Retreat and spied this on the table .

 

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We asked if we could take it to our room and they said yes .

 

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scubacruiserx2

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A bonus shot of the San Diego sail away . The Del Coronado Hotel as the sun set at our back .

 

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Our favorite guy at the Retreat in Alaska was Christopher who had been promoted to beverage runner ( I guess because they some or all of the tips ) and we wanted to see him . He was working on the aft pool deck where we don't usually go when it's busy . But it was a nice sunny day at sea and I wanted a drink to go with our room service lunch . We seated ourselves where he was working and ordered a drink . It was sure good to see him and at this point masks were optional for the crew . He was still wearing it except for the photo .

 

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He was busy and we had ordered room service for the ultimate balcony lunch

 

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It was all very good and guess who had what 

 

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Sailing toward Puerto Vallarta

 

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And to complete our entering into Mexican waters we took a nice siesta . Dinner was at the Tamarind again a fitting ending to a nice day at sea .

 

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We named this little guy Cannon after the Towel maker and not the Camera 

 

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Edited by scubacruiserx2
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Monday was our 2nd day at sea and we had an old friend for breakfast

 

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And I spotted grits on the menu which I haven't had in a while . A little butter and cheese and you have a southern staple from our childhood and leaner days in the past

 

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One thing that I had never done was to have a haircut on a cruise but I was seated next to some suspicious looking characters

 

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While we were having lunch at the Retreat  we took a slight detour

 

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oakridger

oakridger

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I remember Christopher.  He was fine as a waiter, but I thought it was a bit odd when he asked me how old I was!  I don't mind when people know my age, but I have never had a crew member ask me that. 🤷‍♀️

Maybe I reminded him of his grandma....Ha ha!!

 

~Nancy

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scubacruiserx2

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11 hours ago, oakridger said:

I remember Christopher.  He was fine as a waiter, but I thought it was a bit odd when he asked me how old I was!  I don't mind when people know my age, but I have never had a crew member ask me that. 🤷‍♀️

Maybe I reminded him of his grandma....Ha ha!!

 

~Nancy

 

Maybe because you look so young that he was checking to see if you were old enough to drink . 😉

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It's a bit of a walk thru the cruise port to be able to meet our guide Gina

 

 

 

The last time that we were here Gina gave us a comprehensive tour of PV and this time we wanted something a little different . This whale was just outside of the port .

 

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We were headed North this time to the beach and a Chocolate factory

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_chocolate

 

 

 

We were told by the time line that Chocolate originated in South America before working it's way North

 

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We were told that pollinization was accomplished by stinging bugs like mosquitos

 

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The guide opened a fresh Cacao pod to taste

 

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It is then dried for about 30 days

 

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Cute pig near the drying rack

 

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It was then hand rolled ( hard work )

 

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The final product for sale

 

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Benefits of Dark Chocolate

 

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-health-benefits-dark-chocolate#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3

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The next stop was Sayulita an hour away from PV . It has a laid back beach , and hippie vibe . But where we were let out at plaza was very busy and there was no place to park so we walked around for about an hour .

 

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While I love surfing these were not waves that I would rent a board and get wet for

 

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The beach was pretty but a little busy for our taste

 

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Edited by scubacruiserx2
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We were about an hour from the port and so we requested a lunch closer to the ship and we were off . When we entered the port's gate we we not sure if we were going to eat on the ship but there was a place nearby .

 

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Gina and Pat . Gina did a great job !

 

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A few parting shots of Puerto Vallarta . As the ships moved there was good fishing for the birds .

 

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These 2 were fighting over a fish

 

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The Diamond Princess stayed anchored off shore all day

 

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Its always good to read the labels before indulging 

 

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We have been here before ( the last time we saw a breaching whale  , but no such luck this time ) so we knew what we wanted to see .

 

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The lunch place - about a miles walk and all of the fishing boats

 

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Fresh food at a good price and a few of the fishermen and the birds following them1297356286_IMG_4682(2).thumb.JPG.d65e6f7f301ea179a3715b40307a675e.JPG

 

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It was kind of funny that they didn't have guacamole or any cabs . But our server took us downstairs and called us a Tuk Tuk for a dollar . We gave him 5 .

 

 

 

Dinner was at the Canaletto but I ran outside a couple of times to gaze at the sunset

 

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We didn't care for the tomatoes in the crab risotto but they said that it was the only way that it was made

 

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We did discover a couple of wines that we like

 

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Edited by scubacruiserx2
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A day at sea

 

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Calm seas and lunch at the Retreat

 

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Must have been a break in the supply chain - no guacamole

 

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And finally the announcement that we had been waiting to hear from the Captain - masks are optional for the crew

 

 

 

Edited by scubacruiserx2
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