Bubbles up my nose

I'm going to miss mimosas at breakfast  ...

Puerto Vallarta

We wore sweaters with our shorts this morning as we went ashore in Puerto Vallarta.  (A taste of things to come?)  A Mexican band met us at the bottom of the gangway.

We took a pass on the Walmart and went to the artisans booths instead.

We got our disembarkation instructions this morning,  sigh ....

Two new ports

Years ago, on a bus tour in Ireland, we stopped at a small town (Cobh, I think) where we were taken to the local pub.  The whole town came out to entertain us with Guinness, song and dance.  It was a little like that in San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua on Friday, minus the Guinness though.  The locals were very alert to Tom's mobility problems and were quick to point out hazards that might trip him up.

Today we are in Huatulco, Mexico.  It's a small and pretty town with a similar feel to San Juan del Sur - gentle and friendly.  It reminds me of Spain.

Did I mention that it's hot?

Chillin'

Tom doing his exercises on the balcony  ...

Me, not sure which glasses I need to read my book ....

Puntarenas, Costa Rica

When I blowdried my hair this morning, it came out styled perfectly.  And then I had to put on a hat.  And a sunshirt.  And sunscreen.  And bug spray.  Did I mention that it's hot?

It was an easy walk from the ship along the pier to town, and then a nice walk along the Puntarenas beach.  There were lots of kiosks selling all manner of souvenirs, some of which we bought; a number of restaurants, none of which we visited; and some local entertainment, which we stopped to watch.

One (or two) more banner stories:  All the photographers on the ship recognize us as the people with the big banner and .... we're on the souvenir video! (for a whole two seconds 😎)

Call me Rudolph

I wear sunscreen on my face every day.   I avoid spending a lot of time in the direct sun.  When I have to spend time in the sun, I wear a long-sleeved sunshirt and a hat.

Except today.

Pacifica

What an amazing day this has been.

It started with an early breakfast in Sabatini's so we could be back in our room by 8 am to meet the photographer who was taking Canal pictures on our balcony, and ended with a window seat in the dining room as we cleared the last Miraflores Lock. 

We spent a lot of time outside watching the ship's passage through the Canal and, while most of it was in the shade, we both managed to get a little sunburned.

All the ship's photographers knew about our spectacular banner.  Can't wait to see the pictures!

We gain an hour tonight,  and we are both looking forward to a good sleep.

Gatun Lake and the Centennial Bridge

Two hours behind schedule.

Gatun Locks

Allison, the banner was spectacular!

Update - Panama Canal transit

Panama Canal tomorrow

The best I can tell you is that we will be going through the first set of locks - the Gatun Locks from the Caribbean Sea into the Gatun Lake - sometime between 8:00 and 9:30 am EST tomorrow.   After that, we hang around in the Gatun Lake until it's our turn through the Pedro Miguel Locks,  and finally through the Miraflores Locks into the Pacific Ocean.   It'll pretty well take most of the day.

You can Google the various Panama Canal webcams and, hopefully, see our ship, the Island Princess, on her way through.  We are right at the back of the ship, near the top.  Allison and the kids have made us a banner to hang from the balcony.  It is spectacular!  We tested it tonight and it's a perfect fit.  Check it out ....

High rises and flamingos

When I think of Colombia, this is not what first comes to mind  ...

More like this ...

We saw both today in Cartagena.

(Did I mention that it's hot?)

Our stateroom

See Tom waving!

Be careful what you wish for

We arrived in Aruba this morning,  our first port of call.

It is hot.

It is sunscreen-and-sun-hat hot.

It is sweat-through-the-tshirt hot.

It is find-me-some-air-conditioning hot.

It is HOT!

Breakfast with a smile

We're finally beginning to feel like ourselves again.

The first night on board, we were so tired and jet lagged that we were in bed almost right after dinner.  And then yesterday, I confess, we spent most of the day vegging in front of the TV, watching the Trump inauguration.  (We avoid talking politics to our fellow passengers, unless they self-identify as Canadians.)

Our upgraded cabin is right at the very back of the ship.  It has a humungous balcony (seriously, it's more than 25 feet long).  I will admit that there is a bit of soot on our balcony chairs and loungers from time to time, but nothing that cannot be solved by the addition of a couple of pool towels. 

Because we are at the back, you should be able to pick us out on the Canal webcam.  Look for our banner!

Another perk of the suite life is breakfast in Sabatini's.  Mimosas to start. 

The air is so soft and warm.  Aaaaahhhhhh ...

The sweet life

I am pleased to report that we made it through the Fort Lauderdale airport without incident.

We started our vacation with the traditional martinis at The Wreck Bar ...

... though I must admit to being quite tempted by the other offerings on the bar menu.

Dinner came with orchids ...

... and, a nice surprise this morning - we have been upgraded to a suite on our cruise!

Flat Stanley

There is a children's story about a boy who gets squished when a bulletin board falls on him .  Poor Flat Stanley makes the best of the situation by sliding under locked doors to enter rooms, and visiting friends by being mailed in an envelope.

The Flat Stanley story turned into a literary project in many schools, sending Flat Stanley off to different parts of the world and connecting with his friends.

We first met Flat Stanley on a cruise in 2010 when Bill and Sabine Stewart brought him along for the ride.  He had his picture taken at every port!

This trip, we're taking our own version of Flat Stanley.

Allison and the kidlets have made us a banner to hang on our balcony as we transit the Panama Canal.  With any luck ... you may be able to see it, and us, if you check out the Panama Canal webcams <https://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html> on Jan 24th.  We'll try to get you a more specific time as the cruise progresses.

Hi, Hudson and Quinn!

Follow me

I am so done with winter.  This latest arctic blast may be normal in central Canada, but not here.  Give me back my 10C winter weather!

I was thinking about winter last summer when I had the foresight to book a Panama cruise in mid-January.  Two weeks to go and we'll be hot, HOT!

You can follow our trip south by clicking the FOLLOW button underneath my picture on the blog.