Cruise blues and other news~~~

We took a 7 day Alaska cruise out of Seattle aboard the Norwegian  cruise line's ship Jewel.  Our accommodations were perfect;  a mini-suite with a full balcony.  Daughter Steph took care of all the booking and what a good job she did.  We had tons of space and beautiful views.

Photo from our balcony ~ Ship leaving Seattle

The first two days were spent at sea and by the end of the second day as we pull into Ketchikan Howard had full blown gout in his right foot, making walking long distances very painful.  There is a lot of walking on a gigantic cruise ship not to mention the shore excursions we planned to do, but alas, it was not meant to be.  By the time we got to our first destination, Ketchikan, we were resolved to the fact we wouldn't be doing much more that sitting on our balcony and watching the incredible scenery drift by.  Plus we had mostly nasty weather, rain and fog for 6 of our 7 days.  The sun came out in Victoria, BC on our last day. Nevertheless, we enjoyed ourselves immensely, eating delicious cruise ship cuisine, and enjoying a trip of a lifetime.  Here's the ship's itinerary:

1. Ketchikan, our first stop, has a population of just over 8,000 and is the fifth most populous city in the state of Alaska. Local economy is based on tourism and fishing, hence the title of salmon capital of the world.
2. Our next stop is Juneau, Alaska's 3rd largest city by population.  Anchorage is first with just over 300,00.  The Aurora Borealis or Northern lights can be seen on clear nights from August through April, usually over Mt. Juneau.  There are lots of shore excursions including whale watching and trips to the Mendenhall Glacier.
3. Skagway is home to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park and to both the White Pass Scenic Railway and Chilkoot Trails, two famous paths in and out of town.  
4. After another day at sea we arrived in Victoria, BC.  We've been to Victoria many times and visited Bouchart Gardens, the Empress Hotel, and the beautiful Parliament Building. The downtown and marina areas make for a good walking tour..
5. Next stop Seattle.

Along the way we saw ice bergs and glaciers, quaint towns and seaports. There was a lot of fog and rain but our balcony was covered and there were large sliding glass doors to enjoy the views. Sure we missed out on some good shore excursions, but we made the most out of our days, depending on Howard's comfort level. 

   

Marina in Ketchikan

Cool, foggy days

Glaciers

Waterfalls

We returned to the Elk's lodge in Port Townsend for a few more days, then decided to take the ferry and spend some time in Anacortes.  More on that later.  We'll be returning to Port Townsend to our "happy place" at the marina where we have a waterfront view, August 18-30.

Jaco, Costa Rica

We said our goodbyes to fellow passengers and crew aboard the Star Flyer and disembarked by tender at Puerto Caldera at about 9:30 a.m.  Here we were met by a large group of taxis and van drivers, where we negotiated our fare to Jaco, about an hour's drive south along the Pacific, for a whopping $100 for the 4 of us...too high we later find out!

According to our US State Department, Costa Rica is a middle income, developing country with a strong democratic tradition, with extensive and generally adequate tourist facilities.  Jaco is surely representative of a laid-back, bustling beach town that caters mostly to tourists and a weekend crowd of Costa Ricans, characteristic of the 1970s era; nice, accommodating but in need of some maintenance.  The locals were all nice and very helpful and Spanglish became the language of choice.

Our condo had been reserved well in advance from Vacation Rentals by Owner.  It was inexpensive and had our minimum requirements....bedroom, bathroom, with a kitchen/dining/living room combo.  This allowed us to stock some food and beverages and fix a meal, especially coffee, if needed.  The owner/rep, Bob Johnson, lived on the premises and made sure we had everything, including free wifi.

The town, beach, and all the restaurants were just a short walk from our place and taxis anywhere in town were 750 colones, or $1.50.  Out first night's dinner was at a local sport's bar where we were treated to great Tico food which usually consists of a choice of fish, chicken, or pork with rice, black beans, salad, and fried bananas...and the super bowl of Costa Rican soccer games between the Alajuela and Saprissa teams on large flat screen TVs.  The air was electric with the excitement of so many people cheering on their favorite team.  A good introduction to the local scene.

The beaches were just OK; not conducive for swimming or overly attractive by Caribbean standards.  The surfing apparently is good as there were a lot of kids toting surf boards.  We had no desire to do any more sight-seeing and the days were just too oppressively hot and humid to spend much time outside other than early mornings and late afternoons.  At 5 pm you could practically set your watch for a major downpour of rain, which usually lasted an hour or so. This was perfectly timed for our walk to dinner!

So we did little but relax, recuperate, read, get caught up on photos and updating this blog, and of course, many SKYPE calls to family.  We reflected on this fantastic voyage we were blessed to experience.  As good friend, George, said:  Another item checked off the bucket list!  Amen to that....  Thursday, Dec.1st, we returned to Sacramento and our much-missed little motorhome.  Every time we fly we think, never again.  Nasty, awful, crowded, sick, and uncomfortable are the adjectives that come to mind.  We will be very content to be in our beautiful Anza Borrego Desert very soon after Christmas!  In the meantime, we are having a much-needed family fix.  Love and best wishes to all...

Around Jaco!

The beach

This beautiful parrot lived in the trees by a restaurant where we dined

Iguana out for a stroll

Haircut with Bob Marley and friends

The town

Week 3: Panama to Costa Rica

Two weeks may have been enough, though we so looked forward to Costa Rica.  Just became tired of socializing, eating, scheduling, confinement...you get the picture!  There were many excursions and land tours from our anchorage in various beautiful locations but all were very expensive.  The ship's currency is the Euro, so not favorable to Americans.  We often found that going ashore and bargaining with taxi drivers was a lot cheaper, and more fun to do on our own.  Our last week's itinerary proved to be quite nice in spite of our waning enthusiasm!

Leaving Panama on the southwest Pacific, we first stopped at Isla Iguana,  a beautiful little island about 7 km or 4.5 miles off the coast of Panama, a Wildlife Refuge surrounded by palm trees, fine white sand beaches, and crystal clear waters, perfect for snorkeling the coral reefs.  There appeared to be a small, private hostel for a few overnight guests.  Frigate birds were in abundance and the fishing was said to be terrific.

Ashore for snorkeling on Isla Iguana

The epitome of a cruise photo (says Beth)

Howard in his element

Our next stop was Isla Gamez, one of the many uninhabited islands located in the Chiriqui Gulf National Marine Park, near the border with Costa Rica.  The extensive coral reef and mangrove swamps serve as protected areas for leatherback turtles and many species of exotic fish.  The beautiful beaches are lined with coconut palms.  Our naturalist, Steffi, who joined us in Panama, proceeded to open a fallen coco for us that she found on the beach.  She gives talks a couple of times a day on the flora and fauna of our destinations in Costa Rica.

Golfito is a remote and secluded town on the southern Pacific mainland coast, not far from the border with Panama.  A major port until the mid 80s, Golfito was the center for the banana growing region, with the United Fruit Company's headquarters being based here.  Since its closure the town has suffered from major economic loss but with the advent of tourism, is slowly rebuilding itself.

We looked forward to the day ashore, first just sitting at the marina bar with a beer and free wifi.  The ship's wifi is 20 Euros for 3 hours, or about $9 an hour!  Next we walked the short distance into town and found a Farmacia for some throat lozenges as I seem to be coming down with a sore throat or something.

We wanted local  Tico food for lunch and the pharmacist recommended the perfect restaurante.  We had hamburgers and French fries...hamburguesas con papas fritas!  Every small Central American country has their own national beer.  Here in Costa Rica it is Imperial.  In Belize, it is Belikin and in Honduras, Salva Vida.

Picturesque Golfito

Golfito fishing fleet

Nice view from town

All aboard...though this is not the ship's tender

Approaching Drake Bay we seemed to have magically entered the rainy season as we were hit by a deluge.  A good reason to stay aboard and while the hours away reading.  The groups that had pre-paid "horseback riding to the last frontier" and a hike through Corcovado National Park returned 4 hours later drenched to the bone.  Many tender or inflatable trips to shore warn of wet landings, meaning you usually disembark in the water or surf, but this wet landing took on a stronger meaning!

By the time we reached Quepos we almost felt at home, having visited this area and stayed for a week in 2004.  Instead of paying the 44 Euros per person, or $120 for the two of us, to visit Manuel Antonio National Park, we just hired a taxi when we got into port:  $30 round-trip for the taxi and $20 for park admittance for two.  After hiking around for awhile, and yes seeing a monkey...though the photo is blurry, we paid a few extra dollars or colones (500 = $1) for cold Imperials.  Oh, and taxi drivers don't let you out of their sight so no worries about him being there for the return trip!

See the monkey?

A taxi to Manuel Antonio..much cheaper than ship tour

Banana plants

The beach at sunset

Please click on Isla Tortugas to get more info on our last stop for snorkeling or a paid nature walk at the private Curu Wildlife reserve.  We stayed onboard and began organizing and packing after 3 weeks of being spread out in closets and cabinets,  for tomorrow's arrival at Puerto Caldera and our point of disembarkation.  We did admire the view of Isla Tortugas where there were many day-cruise boats ferrying passengers to and fro'. 

Isla Tortugas from a zoom lens

 So dear friends, by the time you read this we will be enjoying 4 days of "decompression" at a condo in Jaco, Costa Rica.