Well, I am finally back and enjoying the return immensely! Being gone for three weeks makes you really appreciate your own bed, bath and coffeepot (to be perfectly honest). I promised more details on this vacation when I left so here goes.
Mr. Blogger and I took a cruise through the Panama Canal and very much enjoyed the whole experience. We were on the Holland America Ship “Westerdam” and couldn’t have asked for more delightful staff and accommodations. One of the things I appreciated was the comfortable and ease of getting checked into the cruise. Sometimes the boarding and de-boarding can be such a hassle and this was very streamlined and accessible. Once you have your passport and tickets the rest is easy.
We started our trip in San Diego and cruised to Mexico for the first two stops (Puerto Vallarta and Huatulco). Then onto Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Each stop was stop was for about a five to seven hour period so there was time to take a tour or just check out the local markets/shops.
The next stop was the canal and this is a blog all unto itself so this week I will sort pictures and show you some pictures from our day-long trek through the canal. This day was spent watching as we ventured in through three locks, crossed Lake Gatun and then out through three locks. A fascinating journey!
Next we visited Colombia and an island in the Bahamas for a last day of sunshine and beaches. We had pouring down rain but enjoyed the Caribbean waters anyway. A nice end to the cruise.
One of the things that we did post cruise was visit the Everglades National Park. We took a tram tour to view the everglades by land and then a boat tour of the Mangroves and alligators. The bird and alligator viewing was spectacular!
This was a very short description of our 20 days away so you can imagine that I left a few details out.
Several things I made note of during the trip:
1. The many adventures we were able to pack into this time because someone else was handling all the details of travel and accommodations (on the ship). Very doable at any age.
2. How I need to appreciate more the safe and secure home in which I live and the rich country that I come home to. Particularly visiting Guatamala, Nicaragua and Cartagena, Colombia reminded me of the many comforts we have here compared to most other people in the world.
3. I totally appreciate that we have no steps here in Stillwaters! We trekked up and down the ships stairs everyday (and several times) as a form of regimented workout and wow! Back to no steps is great but now back to the eliptical exercise machine.
We were welcomed home by a very happy cat – happy to see us and know that she now has her people back to care for her. All is well…
Quote of the Week:
“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” – Ernest Hemmingway
The week ahead:
Remember to roll back you clocks tomorrow night – as Daylight Savings Time ends Sunday morning at 2:00 A.M.
