Day 5…Cruise to South America, Part 2..Fabulous Day in Grand Cayman with new friends…Transiting the Panama Canal with live cam…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
On Saturday, we had lunch at Morgan’s Seafood Restaurant in Cayman Island with new friends Susan and Blair.

“Sightings from the Veranda while Cruising”

Not entirely from our veranda, but this photo of our ship, Celebrity Infinity, was taken from the shore when we disembarked the tender in Cayman Island.

We’re quickly breezing through today’s post since we’re heading through the Panama Canal within the next few hours. Tomorrow, we’ll share our photos and videos of the transit through the canal.

This is an intelligent item…these little wine glass protectors that absorb moisture in humid climates.

Right now, it’s raining in buckets, and visibility at the locks is limited. Hopefully, by the time we soon enter the locks, we’ll have better visibility and, hopefully, be able to take some videos and photos of our transit through the canal.

A bird on the railing at the restaurant.

In the interim, here’s a live webcam which we’ll post again tomorrow for those who may be interested in seeing our transit through the locks and dam:

http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html

My lunch, mussels, and clams in a butter wine sauce.  Delicious.

In January 2013, we transited through the Panama Canal on our first cruise, one of Tom’s lifelong dreams. I had no idea how much this experience would mean to me, and I loved every moment. 

Susan’s stir-fry.

We accept today’s overcast sky and fog as one more reality of traveling the world. We have no control over the weather, and we aren’t going to let us disappoint. We’re both still excited to be here.

Tom’s club sandwich was a real treat for him.

This morning at 3:30 am, Tom got up to shower and head to the windows at the bow of the ship, to the Constellation Lounge, to secure our seats for the crossing, the same thing we’d done on the Celebrity Century in January 2013, the last time we were here.

Here are a few of our links from that crossing in 2013:

Part 1:  https://www.worldwidewaftage.com/2013/01/wach-us-live-via-webcam-as-we-go.html

Part 2:  https://www.worldwidewaftage.com/2013/01/our-transit-through-panama-canalwatch.html

Part 3:  https://www.worldwidewaftage.com/2013/01/photos-from-panama-canal-transit.html

We had intended to focus on Part 2 of our visit to the Cayman Islands, but somehow, we were sidetracked (in the flurry of fun activities) that we’d be going through the canal today. 

Blair’s quesadillas.

Thus, we’re sharing our final photos from Cayman Island and thank Susan and Blair for picking us up at the port after a bit of commotion when the ship decided to dock in a different location where the sea wasn’t quite as rough first intended location.

Long driveway to a massive mansion on Cayman Island.

We figured it all out and could connect at the correct landing to enjoy several hours together taking photos, having lunch, and sharing stories of mutual world travels. Without a doubt, we’ll stay in touch with Susan and Blair, hoping our paths will cross again sometime in the future.

As for the moment, we’re still in the Caribbean Sea, and we just sailed under the newly being built Atlantic Bridge at the Atlantic Canal entrance to cross into the channel to the locks and then on to Gatun Lake.

We’ll be back with more information, perhaps yet today and in the worse case, tomorrow.

Have a fabulous day! We sure will!

Photo from one year ago today, November 27, 2016:

Boats in the harbor in Tauranga, New Zealand. We have such fond memories of the three months we spent in this beautiful country. For more photos, please click here.

Day 3…Cruise to South America….Life aboard ship is often surprising….Final photos from embarkation…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
View of lovely home on the channel out to sea.

“Sighting from the Veranda while Cruising”

Tugboat assisting with the ship heading out to sea.

It’s 3:00 pm Saturday. We just returned from lunch with Susan and Blair, who found us online and picked us up after the tender ride from the ship to the shore and recently returned us to the tender boat. More on that tomorrow when we included photos of our new friends and beautiful Grand Cayman.

The past 24 hours have been a whirlwind of delightful conversations with many passengers, many of whom have engaged in extensive travel throughout their lives. 

Bridge in Fort Lauderdale.

The rapid-fire questions and answers we all share sitting at a table in either the Cafe al Bacio, the Oceanview Cafe, or the Trellis restaurant have been as entertaining as they could be.

Cargo ship at the port.

Oddly, we’ve met several passengers who know us from our site, many who’ve been following us for years, some finding Tom on Cruise Critic and others who’ve heard about our world travels.

We’re in awe each time someone approaches us and starts speaking as if they’ve known us for years. After all, we’ve revealed so much about ourselves, our lives. We’re humbled and in awe of their attention and interest. 

More stunning homes on the channel.

Who knew that Tom and I, everyday people like us, would experience a tiny touch of celebrity in this life?  Each time we’re approached, we almost feel a little embarrassed (as much as we appreciate it and please, continue to do so), knowing the people we’re meeting already know so much about us. 

View of the channel in Fort Lauderdale.

And yet, we know so little about them, and with much pleasure and anticipation, we love hearing their stories as well. At times, we feel as if we’re hogging the conversation when the level of curiosity many people express puts us both in a non-stop chatter mode, excited to answer their questions and satisfy their curiosity.


We must admit, we revel in sharing our favorite morsels, especially after the almost four months in Costa Rica when we seldom spoke to an English-speaking person other than one another. (Not that we minded that!)

City view.

How did we get so lucky? Simply put, we shake our heads in wonder from the warm reception and lively conversations we’re experiencing at every exchange. Neither of us ever dreamed of nor imagined people whom we don’t know would be so welcoming.

View of houses on the channel.

The warm hugs, the genuine laughter, the easy flow of conversation, whether it’s a table for four or 10, leaves us reeling with wide grins on our faces. I think I fell asleep last night with a smile on my face. And Tom, equally blissful after several cocktails and the fun with fellow passengers, slept like a baby, smiling all the while.

And today, I find my health rapidly improving with my newest eating regime, feel a powerful sense of return to my former “overly bubbly” self which at times wafted away after the injuries in Bali in 2016 and the onset and escalation of gastrointestinal issues that now appear to be declining in intensity. 

People are standing on the shore waving as the ship sails past.

The 18 months of discomfort are almost behind me, and I’m rearing to go. I started working out yesterday and will continue for the remainder of the cruise and also during the 30 days in Buenos Aires, in each case having access to fitness centers.

View of houses on the channel.

The upcoming Antarctica cruise requires a degree of fitness and sure-footedness. Tom, without a doubt, is masterful in this regard, but I’d fallen behind in the past 18 months. 

By January 23, 2018, I’m anticipating that I’ll be fit and ready to trek on trails on the various islands in Antarctica, easily getting off and on the almost daily excursions on the Zodiak boats in the bitterly cold weather.

People were waving to ships as they make their way out to sea.

We’ve come so far. We have so much more to go. Each day presents new opportunities, new challenges, and new relationships while nurturing the existing and robust relationship. Lucky? Perhaps. Determined?  Unquestionably.

Thank you to all of our readers whether we’ve ever had the opportunity to meet you, to shake your hand, to hug you, and, most of all, to carry you in our hearts as we continue.

Photo from one year ago today,  November 25, 2016:

We were in awe of the sky view awaiting us from our balcony on the ship circumventing Australia. For more photos one year ago, please click here.

Day 2…Cruise to South America…Of course, we’re having fun!

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
As we rode the shuttle from the Fort Lauderdale Hilton Hotel, we spotted our cruise ship. Check-in was a bit slow, but by 12:30 pm, we were checked in and aboard the ship.

“Sightings from the Veranda while Cruising”

We saw the Royal Caribbean Empress of the Seas in port, ready to head out to sea from our veranda.

We’re taking a risk offering “Sightings from the Veranda while Cruising.” There may be days while out to sea that we don’t see a thing other than the vast horizon of rolling seas. 

However, whenever a time arises with several photo ops, we’ll share them over several days. Would you please bear with us if some of the photos aren’t of major significance or interest? We’ll do our best as usual. 

 This US-decorated fuel tank is located at the port of Fort Lauderdale.

At the moment, at almost 11:00 am, I’m running a little behind. After breakfast in the dining room (I had herbal tea with coconut cream and Tom had bacon and eggs), we attended the first Cruise Critic get-together. After the meeting, Tom decided to participate in a lecture on the Panama Canal at the Celebrity Theatre while I worked on preparing today’s post at El Bacio cafe.

Over the past many Celebrity cruises, we’ve always worked on the post in this same-named cafe, most of which are similarly designed with comfortable seating and premium coffee drinks.

Tom was watching the Minnesota Vikings game before we had to leave for the muster drill.

We don’t have a drink package on this cruise (at a minimum of US $60 per day per person), an outrageous expense based on the fact we have free drinks every night from 5:00 to 7:00 pm as Elite members of the Captain’s Club, we don’t order beverages while in El Bacio Cafe.

Fortunately, one doesn’t feel obligated to purchase something to spend time in any of the areas of the ship. If we want a beverage, at any time, we can take the elevator to the 10th floor to the Oceanview Cafe, where we can fill up on coffee or tea at no charge. 

Our tiny 170 square foot cabin,

Since I remembered they don’t carry any herbal teas I like, I brought along plenty of tea bags of a favorite organic cinnamon tea I found in Costa Rica. The Oceanview Cafe is a short ride up the elevator from our cabin, and it takes only a few minutes to grab some hot water for my insulated mug.

Last night, when the complimentary cocktails weren’t offered for members on sail away, Tom never ordered a cocktail. Having lost all the weight he’d gained in Costa Rica from eating fruit every day during the first few months, he’s avoiding fruit, bread, starches, and dessert or, in this case, too many cocktails, all of which contribute to passengers gaining as much as 10 or 15 pounds on a 30-night cruise.

Not too luxurious but adequate for our needs.

For me, it’s easy. Last night I had a romaine salad with prawns, grilled salmon, avocado, and my usual full-fat sour cream as a dressing with a side of steamed vegetables…no appetizer, no dessert, and I was satisfied I’d had plenty to eat.

Last night before dinner, our bags arrived at our cabin, including the smaller box of clothing and supplies.  With our cabin much smaller than on most cruises, once the bags were inside and with limited cabinet and closet space, we wondered how we’d manage to unpack.

There’s our yellow Costco bag, still surviving after all these years.

Tom busied himself watching the Minnesota Vikings game at the casino bar while I tackled the unpacking. In no time at all, I had all of my bags emptied and decided to tackle Tom’s as well. 

By the time he returned to the cabin to collect me for the “muster drill,” I had a massive handle on it. Unfortunately, the muster drill required so much time, and he missed the second half of the game.

In most balcony cabins, we have a full-sized sofa which we rarely use.  In this case, we left our open supplies suitcase since there wasn’t enough room in the cabin to remove many of its contents.

Once we returned to the cabin after the drill, I encouraged him to continue to try to stream the game’s balance on NFL GamePass, which he hadn’t been able to stream on past cruises. With a high degree of patience and sheer will, he managed to get the game to stream on the ship’s slow Wi-Fi signal and watch the exciting finale.

I continued to unpack, finding little nooks and crannies where I could put things. The result was surprising.  We had a spot for everything we needed and still had room to walk in the little cabin. 

On other cruises. The Celebrity Infinity is an older ship built in 2001 (remodeled in 2015), and balcony cabins are typically around 170 square feet, compared to many we’ve had over 200 square feet. , we included these photos to illustrate the size of the cabin.

The clouds rolled in before setting sail at 5:00 pm when the rain began to fall.

It’s all fine for us as long as we can fit our belongings and empty luggage, which somehow we managed to do.  Tom pushed most of the bags under the bed except his suitcase, which didn’t fit. No worries, we found a corner spot for it.

After dressing for dinner, we headed to the Trellis Dining Room for our usual “My Time Dining.” Part of the pleasure of cruising revolves around the opportunity to meet new people at every meal. We don’t like being locked into any specific time or sitting with the same people every night.

Last night, I had the privilege of sitting next to Angie (and her husband, Rick). She was a US Navy nurse stationed in Antarctica. Wow! The conversation flowed freely when we discussed the mysterious part of the world along with many other topics. 

Royal Caribbean Empress of the Seas took off shortly before our ship.

Tom, who sat to my right, was engrossed in conversation with the couple sitting next to him at our table for ten and, at times, the entire rest of the table. It was a purely delightful evening. By 10:00 pm, tired from the busy travel days, we headed back to our cabin for what proved to be a much-needed good night’s sleep.

Tom just found me here, and he’ll spend some time online too. Soon, I’ll go work out, which I’m planning to do frequently during the cruise, and again at the hotel in Buenos Aires, which has a fitness center.

So far, so good! The day will unravel as it often does to our liking and sheer enjoyment of a lovely day at sea.  Tomorrow, our first port of call will be Grand Cayman Island, where a lovely couple we’ve met from our site, residents of the beautiful island who also plan to travel the world. More on Susan and Blair’s story with photos in a few days.

Be well.  Be happy. 

Photo from one year ago, November 24, 2016:

Our ship, Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas, was taken while walking to the train station in Adelaide, South Australia. For more photos, please click here.

Happy Thanksgiving to family and friends in the USA…Yesterday’s travel day…Mr. Overly Grumpy came to call…But, he’s gone now…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 2 Comments
We stopped to take this photo on the way to the airport in San Jose, Costa Rica. This is a Northern Crested Caracara: “The northern crested caracara, also called the northern caracara and crested caracara, is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae.”

Everyone has a boiling point. Mine was evident on Tuesday when I was attempting to check-in online and pay for our bags for yesterday’s flight from San Jose, Costa Rica to Miami, Florida, only to discover it couldn’t be done online, only at the airport.

 With no direct flights from Costa Rica to Fort Lauderdale, the port’s location for today’s cruise embarkation, we opted to fly to Miami and take a taxi to Fort Lauderdale. That decision was a mistake, but one we knew was a risk based on the anticipated crowds at the airport in Miami and the traffic we’d encounter at rush hour on this popular US holiday, Thanksgiving. 

 By the way, Happy Thanksgiving to all of our friends and family in the US as they celebrate with all the traditional foods and festivities commensurate with this day. 

 Surprisingly, the check-in process at the airport in San Jose, Costa Rica, was seamless. We hurried through check-in at American Airlines using a kiosk where we paid for our bags and received boarding passes. 

 Our porter escorted us to the counter to weigh our bags. Luckily, none were overweight. In no time at all, we breezed through immigration and security in a matter of minutes. After a long walk, we made it to our gate to wait 90 minutes for boarding, while we busied ourselves online while comfortably seated in a cafe.

 The flight was good, only a little over two hours with minimal turbulence. Since we’d booked the flight a little late, we were seated in the second to last row on a 737 plane. It was fine. We waited to board last to avoid standing in line and did the same when deplaning. We weren’t in a hurry. So far, so good. We were both cheerful.

 Again, most surprisingly, once we were off the plane in Miami, everything at the airport went smoothly; immigration, customs, collecting our bags, and making our way to the taxi area.  

 The cab driver explained that the drive to Fort Lauderdale would be tough with tons of traffic. We opted against the extra US $10 fee to use the express lane when we saw that this too was backed up.

 Barely out of the airport, we noticed the meter was already over US $20. Ouch, this was going to be one pricey taxi fare. Tom, who’s Mr. Frugal with everything except what I want for which he never flinches, became frustrated watching the meter and the outrageous often standstill traffic on the freeway. 

 With horrible traffic, Tom can easily get worked up into a tizzy. In our old lives, we arranged outings before or after rush hour. Sometimes, it was unavoidable. For whatever reason, certain drivers get stressed and angry during traffic.  Although Tom was consoling me when I got frustrated trying to check-in online, I don’t get it. We all have our boiling points.

 Well, anyway, $100 in cab fare later (with tip), we arrived at our hotel, grabbed a bellman to haul the bags to our room, asking him to bring us the two packages which had come with all the stuff. By 5:00 pm, we were in our somewhat tiny room at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, and Mr. Overly Grumpy was long gone with Tom’s usual good nature and good humor fully intact.

 When the bellman brought the 75 pounds (34 kg) box and the smaller box with the camera battery charger, we wondered how we fit it all into our bags. In 90 minutes, we needed to be downstairs at the entrance to meet friend Carol (retried Delta Airline pilot/captain) to go to dinner. We hadn’t seen her since we stayed at her home for a few nights in 2013, having stayed in close touch via email and Facebook over the past five years.

 I have a confession. Yesterday, I didn’t take photos. Not at the airport. Not on the car ride to the hotel. Not at the excellent restaurant where we dined last night with Carol. No gorgeous food photos, no smiling faces. Sorry. 

 Awakening at 4:00 am yesterday, and I couldn’t get into the camera thing. The only photos I took were in Costa Rica, of these two birds as shown, which our friendly taxi driver pointed out on the drive to the airport, stopping long enough for me to take these two shots. That explains more bird photos from Costa Rica, not necessarily from the veranda, but bird photos, nonetheless.

At the same spot, we saw this Black Vulture feasting on remnants of a food wrapper.

Before leaving for dinner, we opened the huge box and began piling everything on the bed, including the clothing and cold weather gear we’ll need for Antarctica and a year’s worth of supplies for Africa. That’s not to say we won’t need supplies again in 2018, but for the time being, we’ve got it covered.

 Much to my delight, my three prescriptions were in the box, enough to last for the next six months. My new laptop was intact in its original box, which I won’t open until a quiet day on the cruise or perhaps not until we get to Buenos Aires. No rush. This one, three years old, is still chugging along.

 The dinner with Carol was great, although pricey at around US $150. Tom’s one cocktail was US $17.50. I ordered a Caesar salad (no croutons) with one shrimp and two scallops at the cost of US $44. That’s what we’ve found in the US… it’s more expensive than in most other countries.

 The conversation was lively and animated, and we hated to wrap up the evening. But, by 10:00 pm, we were back at the hotel, determined to work on the box before we’d get some sleep.

 This morning after about only five hours of sleep, we bolted out of bed to get back to work on unwrapping and repacking 75 pounds of “stuff.” We fit everything in our existing luggage, ending with a smaller box Tom found in the hallway filled with the taped clothing and labeled. We can’t believe we got everything to fit. 

 Most people have a home and are easily able to pack for the Antarctica cruise. We had no choice but to add everything to our already “everything-we-own” inventory, making it incredibly challenging. We’re relieved to have this handled and can relax on the cruise…duh, once we unpack everything in the cabin for today’s cruise. 

 In the next half hour, we’ll head downstairs to take the shuttle to the port at the cost of US $6 per person. Tomorrow, we’ll be back with many new photos as we get settled in for the next 30-nights of fun out to sea.

 Happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, November 23, 2016:

The Art Gallery of South Australia in Adelaide has a lot to offer the art enthusiast. For more photos, please click here.

Wow!…Safari luck as we wind down our time in Costa Rica…Six days and counting…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
The colorful entrance to an art store in Atenas.

“Sightings on the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Once again, Tom’s been able to capture another fabulous bird from the veranda while I was busy indoors making dinner. This Yellow-tailed Oriole, although at quite a distance, was a treasure to behold. More photos will photo with his mate! 

Each afternoon, after we’re done in the pool, usually around 3:00 pm, Tom takes his computer to the veranda to listen to his favorite podcasts. At the same time, I’ll busy myself indoors, preparing dinner, downloading shows on Graboid, working on photos for future posts, or returning email messages.

Eating only one meal a day, by 5:00 pm, we’re ready for dinner, and we both get into a full-on mode to get everything to the dining room table, hot and prepared for an enjoyable meal.

A cafe along the boulevard.

Yesterday, after spending time in the pool’s cool water, which hadn’t heated up by its solar power during the overcast day, we turned on the jacuzzi to let it warm. The air was cool and windy, and the thought of the warmth of the jacuzzi was rather appealing.

Stepping into the warm water of the hot tub was delightful. We stayed for over an hour, chatting endlessly as usual. We hadn’t used the jacuzzi much (this was only the second time) since we arrived over three and a half months ago in an attempt to keep the costs down for the owners. 

Bev and Sam had kindly given us an excellent rental rate for our extended stay. As always, in all vacation homes, we’ve been mindful of our use of the utilities, turning off lights, fans, and appliances when not in use.

Side entrance to Catholic Church in Atenas, Iglesia Catolica Atenas, located in the center of town.

These two-hour afternoon “breaks” from each other are by no means “needed” to be away from each other.  But, somehow, we’ve just gravitated toward this time apart to engage in activities that may not appeal to one another.

While I’m bustling indoors, Tom has the camera close at hand during these periods and has been fortunate to capture several outstanding bird photos, especially over several weeks.

Cafe and bakeshop.

Perhaps it’s the time of day or weather conditions that bring more birds to the grounds than other times of the day.  It’s been the rainy season in the Alajuela Valley over the past months. Each day, we see more birds shortly before the deluge begins each afternoon. 

Yesterday was no exception when Tom called out to me to also take photos of stunning birds resting in the various trees on the grounds, sometimes in flocks or pairs and with many singles on their own.

We squeal with delight when we see less common varieties, often colorful and bespeaking one’s perception of wildlife in Costa Rica. Over the past five years, we’ve become more and more interested in birds, as shown in our many posts. 

Our final walk through Central Park in Atenas.

We’re certainly not birding experts, and at times, we struggle to identify specific species when we can’t readily find information online. Thanks to the assistance of many of our regular readers, we often receive an identification 24-hours after we’ve uploaded a post after mentioning we’re seeking the identity.

Recently, our most avid participants in providing information have been our friends Louise in Kauai, Hawaii, where we spent four months in 2015, and here in Atenas in our neighborhood, Charlie, who’d be also quite a bird enthusiast. Thanks to both of you!

Each week we’ve had the taxi driver drop us off at this location so we can walk through the town on our way to the Supermercado Coopeatenas, the grocery store where we’ve shopped during this past many months.

Throughout the world, we’ve been able to ask our readers for assistance. Invariably, we receive a response, after which we edit the specific post to reflect the name of the bird as opposed to my inquiry in the caption. Thanks to all of our worldwide readers for your assistance.

While we were there for almost a year, from 2013 to 2014, we were so busy observing and photographing large and small creatures. We failed to spend much time on birds. Now, as we contemplate our upcoming stay in Africa in less than three months, we do so with added enthusiasm.

This trip to Africa will be different from our enhanced interest in birds. For us, when no “big game” is handy for observation, birds are an equally fascinating alternative. We commend avid bird watchers for their patience in getting the perfect shot.

A famous pizza shop, Pizza Olivera, is often attended by ex-pats.

With the planned purchase of a new longer-range camera soon, we look forward to enhanced shots of birds and other creatures we find in the wild before the Antarctica cruise.

There will be no shortage of photos for the “Sightings on the Veranda in Costa Rica” we’re wrapping up at the end of our remaining six nights in Atenas. Soon, we’ll be posting our “favorite photos” of Costa Rica, and next Tuesday, we’ll share our final expenses on our last post before heading to Florida for the South America cruise.

Have a blissful day.

Photo from one year ago today, November 16, 2016:

One year ago, our friends Michelle and Carlo, whom we’d met on a prior Australian cruise, picked us up at the port in Perth while we were on another Australian cruise. We had a fabulous day. Michelle and I shopped while Tom went with Carlo to his office nearby. This is CJ (for Carlo Junior), the family’s Char Pei, who took a liking to Tom. For more photos, please click here.

Bad news from the cruise line impacting many passengers on our upcoming cruise….

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
This tucked-away restaurant in Atenas is reported to have good food.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

It’s no wonder these birds are called “Social Flycatchers.”  They stop by each day to visit and sing.  As described here: In appearance, the social flycatcher resembles a smaller boat-billed flycatcher or great kiskadee. The adult is 16–18 cm (6.3–7.1 in) long and weighs 24–27 g (0.85–0.95 oz). The head is dark grey with a robust white eyestripe and a usually concealed orange to vermilion crown stripe. The upper parts are olive-brown, and the wings and tail are brown with only faint rufous fringes. The underparts are yellow, and the throat is white. Young birds have a paler eye mask, reduced crown stripe, and have chestnut fringes to the wing and tail feathers. The call is a sharp peeurrr, and the dawn song is a chips-k’-cheery. As the specific epithet similis (Latin for “the similar one”) indicates, this species looks much like its closest living relative, the rusty-margined flycatcher (Myiozetetes cayanensis), and also like the white-bearded flycatcher (Phelpsia inornatus), white-ringed flycatcher (Conopias albovittatus) and lesser kiskadee (Pitangus/Philohydor lictor). In fact, except at close range, these are all but indistinguishable from appearance alone. They and the two larger similar species mentioned above share much of their range. Though they all are relatively close relatives, the group they seem to belong to also includes species with a somewhat different head pattern, like the Grey-capped flycatcher, which also belongs to Myiozetetes.

Yesterday, we received an email (as indicated below) from the Celebrity Cruise line regarding our upcoming cruise sailing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on November 23rd. As previously mentioned, we’re leaving Costa Rica on November 22nd (two weeks from today) and flying to  Miami, spending one night in a hotel, and then taking a taxi to the port. 

A few days ago, once again, we walked through the Atenas Central Park searching for colorful birds, which we’d heard often stop here. After many such visits, we’ve yet to see any birds we hadn’t viewed from the veranda.

It’s a rarity that any cruise line has contacted us regarding any changes on an upcoming cruise that may impact the cruise in one way or another. In most cases, it’s been regarding lousy weather or political unrest at a particular forthcoming port of call.

Tall palm trees line the walkways at the park.

Here’s the message we received from Celebrity:

“Dear Valued Guest,

We look forward to welcoming you aboard your 15-Night Panama Canal and South America cruise departing from Fort Lauderdale on November 23, 2017. Still, first, we have some vital information to share with you.

 To ensure that you have the best experience on your vacation, we’ve changed your debarkation port from Valparaiso, Chile, to the stunning seaside town of San Antonio, Chile. San Antonio has a dedicated cruise ship pier and guest terminal that will make getting off your ship as carefree as your vacation.

 If you’ve booked transfers with us, there’s nothing you have to do. We’ll take you directly to the airport from San Antonio. If you’ve booked transfers independently, please get in touch with the company you’ve arranged your transportation with and have them pick you up in San Antonio instead of Valparaiso. Also, if you’ve booked any debarkation day shore excursions with us, we’ll automatically adjust them to accommodate your new debarkation port.

For your convenience, we’ve included your current itinerary and your newly revised itinerary below.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-280-3423.”
A government building in the center of town.
In a split second, Tom, the cruise expert between us, sighed with relief.  He said, “This does not affect us other than missing Valparaiso as a port of call beginning on the second leg 
of our back-to-back cruise from December 8th to December 23, 2017.
 
Immediately, we checked to see the itinerary change on our newly revised cruise confirmation document we received shortly after that from Vacations to Go
as indicated below:
Fri, Dec 8 Santiago (San Antonio), Chile 9:00pm
 Sat, Dec 9 At Sea
 Sun, Dec 10 Puerto Montt, Chile 10:00am 7:00pm
 Mon, Dec 11 Chilean Fjords (Cruising)
 Tue, Dec 12 Strait of Magellan (Cruising)
 Wed, Dec 13 At Sea
 Thu, Dec 14 Punta Arenas, Chile 7:00am 5:30pm
 Fri, Dec 15 Ushuaia, Argentina 10:00am 7:00pm
 Sat, Dec 16 Cape Horn (Cruising)
 Sun, Dec 17 At Sea
 Mon, Dec 18 Puerto Madryn, Argentina 8:00am 5:30pm
 Tue, Dec 19 At Sea
 Wed, Dec 20 Punta del Este, Uruguay 9:00am 7:00pm
 Thu, Dec 21 Montevideo, Uruguay 7:00am 5:00pm
 Fri, Dec 22 Buenos Aires, Argentina 5:00am
 Sat, Dec 23 Buenos Aires, Argentina Disembark
The change is only for December 8th from Valparaiso, Chile, to Santiago (San Antonio port of call), Chili. The only way this change has an impact on us is the
We were looking forward to the stop in Valparaiso, known as a fascinating and steeped-in history city.
The Atenas Central Park is a popular meeting spot for locals and tourists.
After Tom conducted considerable research, he discovered that many cruise lines might no longer use this city as a port of call due to port charges, labor issues, and
preferences over cargo ship business instead of that of cruise ships. At this point, there’s no way we can confirm these reasons or if the
changes will be permanent. Valparaiso is listed as the port of embarkation on a cruise we’ve booked for March 2019. We’ll see how that rolls out in due time.
A restaurant on a side street in Atenas.
After reviewing comments in CruiseCritic.com (the online cruising forum for passengers), he discovered numerous posts from angry passengers who’d prepaid-in-full for hotels for several nights in advance of the December 8th embarkation. These non-refundable hotel fares and prepaid tours may be impossible to recover, even under these unforeseen circumstances.
In Spanish, “calle” means “street.” Thus the “calle” are numbered accordingly.
Here are a few comments from passengers booked on this cruise:

“We are in quite a fix because we have booked a night in Valparaiso, hoping to explore the city on our disembarking day. Now we have a three-hour drive if we can find transportation and make it through traffic and religious celebration to spend a short time in Valparaiso before heading back to ship.”

“Bit disappointed with Celebrity at this point right now after receiving the email about the change of disembarkation port. I phoned the toll-free number – longer than expected delays on hold.”

“We had booked a two-day non-refundable hotel in Valparaiso.  If you check out San Antonio, it has one hotel with terrible reviews. It’s 55 miles from Valparaiso.”
One must walk carefully on the uneven sidewalks in town.
For us, it’s but a slight disappointment since we won’t be losing money or having to change any of our plans. We hadn’t booked anything in Valparaiso when we’d planned to hire a taxi and tour the city on our own.
There’s little to do in the new port of call of San Antonio, Chili, as indicated in this link at TripAdvisor. One cruise passenger stated this port of call hadn’t been used by cruise ships in over 50 years. We aren’t able to confirm
this either.
Christmas decorations in front of an upscale spa/salon in Atenas.
In any case, we’re still excited about the cruise and grateful we hadn’t made unique plans.
Happy day! 


Photo from one year ago today, November 8, 2016:

This hallway is to the Shops of Centrum on Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas on our 33- night cruise one year ago. Would you please click here for more photos?

Part 2…Contemplating our lives in the water…On the water…How many nights have we been at sea?

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 2 Comments
Great Green Macaw.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Thanks, Atenas neighbor Charlie for identifying these birds as the Gray-headed Chachalaca. They visit flocks every few days but are difficult to photograph when they’re constantly on the move and hidden in trees.

In yesterday’s post, we discussed the number of cruises we’ve sailed over these past five years, a total of 19. With the upcoming back-to-back (two cruises) by the end of 2017, we’ll total 21 cruises. 

In all, not counting future cruises, we’ve been a passenger on a ship for a total of 244 nights which accounts for 13% of our time from October 31, 2012, to October 31, 2017 (1826 nights from start to our fifth anniversary of world travel). 

A pair of Harlequin Macaws.

On Tom’s Cruise Critic website listing 18 cruises are listed since the site doesn’t include river cruises, of which we’ve completed one, in July 2016, on the Mekong River. 

Many of those nights counted as “time at sea” weren’t all “at sea” when us 58 passengers  (of a possible 60) were on buses and tours in Vietnam and Cambodia. Many river cruises spend fewer nights on the water when docking at ports of call may transpire over several nights.  Nonetheless, we count the Mekong River cruise in our totals.

Our dear friend Louise in Kauai Hawaii wrote to tell us this is a Fiery-billed Aracari. What a fantastic bird! Thanks, Louise!

When we sail on Ponant’s Le Soleil in January for the Antarctica cruise, it also won’t appear in Cruise Critic’s count of the number of cruises we’ve been on. The system used to list cruises in Cruise Critic only accommodates the major cruise lines.

For more details on the exceptional cruise, please click our link here and the following links listed in our archives when we posted photos and stories over weeks with further information of the 15-night “cruise” from start to finish.

An Owl on the lookout.

The remainder of our cruises were on huge ships with a few different cruise lines to include:  Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity. After these experiences, we’ve settled on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity as our favorites, with RC having a bit of an edge with perks provided to its Crown and Anchor members, of which we are classified as “Diamond.”

On Celebrity, we’re Elite Captain’s Club members. These designations are predicated on the number of nights at sea and specifications as to cabin selections, not the number of actual cruises.  More on this topic when we’re on our next cruise, and we discover any changes in perks since our last Celebrity cruise to Alaska in May 2017.

A pair of Green Parrots.

At this point, although we’re enjoying every day in Costa Rica, we’re chomping at the bit to board the upcoming 30-night South America cruise on Celebrity Infinity which begins  28 days from today. 

A Harlequin Macaw.

We’ve never sailed on this particular ship with a passenger load of 2170 with a crew of 999, a perfect size for easy socializing, attending various events and venues, and providing the best service.

If you’d like to view information about our “listed on Cruise Critic” 18 cruises in the past five years, please click here. Here is an example of what you’ll see when you click on the link:

Past Cruises
2017
May 17th, 2017
Celebrity Solstice – Celebrity Cruises
Alaska – All
Celebrity Solstice
Ports of Call: Vancouver, British Columbia;  Ketchikan, Alaska;  Juneau, Alaska;  Skagway, Alaska;  Hubbard Glacier, Alaska;  Sitka, Alaska;  Victoria, British Columbia;  Seattle, Washington;
April 22nd, 2017
Explorer of the Seas – Royal Caribbean International
Repositioning
Explorer of the Seas
Ports of Call: Sydney, Australia;  Isle of Pines, New Caledonia;  Noumea, New Caledonia;  Mystery Island, Vanuatu;  Suva, Vita Levu;  Kailua Kona, Hawaii;  Lahaina, Hawaii;  Honolulu, Hawaii;  Seattle, Washington;
March 1st, 2017
Celebrity Solstice – Celebrity Cruises
South Pacific – All
Celebrity Solstice
Ports of Call: Sydney, Australia;  Noumea, New Caledonia;  Lifou, New Caledonia;  Mystery Island, Vanuatu;  Suva, Vita Levu;  Lautoka, Fiji;

At this link, you’ll also be able to see details of all of our past and future cruises (except the upcoming Ponant). Hopefully, this information will provide a little insight to those who have yet to cruise and maybe consider the possibility of those who have sailed and enjoy seeing what others have done.

We’ve found that reading about the experiences of others at Cruise Critic has been helpful for us in many ways, including the get-togethers suggested by members for upcoming cruises where we’ve had an opportunity to meet other passengers we’ve seen posted at the site online.

Scarlet Macaw.

Tom is the Cruise Critic enthusiast. I’m but a lurker occasionally stopping by out of curiosity to read passenger’s comments on past and future cruises. 

That’s it for today, folks. In a mere two days, we’ll be on our way to Nicaragua, returning on October 30th with lots of new photos to share with all of you.

Have a lovely day! 

Photo from one year ago today, October 26, 2016:

Pretty statue near the hotel pool at the Hilton Garden Inn in Denpasar near the airport where we stayed before leaving Bali. For more details, please click here.

Part 1…Contemplating our lives in the water…On the water…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Old sewing machines, comparable to those we’ve seen in our home country.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Sunny morning view of only a tiny portion of the exquisite grounds of this exceptional property, La Perla de Atenas.

Today’s photos complete the series we’ve shared over many days, which we’d taken weeks ago at Atenas Railway Museum. Costa Rica is located in the town the Río Grande of Atenas.

A bulk oil dispenser and a variety of other equipment.

Based on Tom’s over 42 years working on the BNSF railroad in Minneapolis, we’d decided to share these photos with those of our readers who worked with him, worked on other railroads, and other railroad enthusiasts.

More different types of jacks, a scale and odds, and ends.

Also, many of our readers have written over the years stating they enjoy museum photos. We apologize for this seeming repetitious presentation for those of our readers who don’t care to see photos from museums in other countries. After a while, all the new photos we’ve posted (no repeats) may appear to be “more of the same.”

Now, we’ll move on to another topic on our minds over the past several days as we quickly approach the time for our next cruise (a 30-night back-to-back)beginning on Thanksgiving Day (US holiday) on November 23, 2017.

A hydraulic railroad switch/stand.

Each sunny day while here in Atenas, we’ve spent about two hours in the swimming pool, swimming a bit and performing our own versions of simple water exercises. It’s relaxing, refreshing, and great fun. What makes this period most enjoyable is our non-stop conversations.

Various types of rails (frogs).

No topic is off-limits, and it’s during the times we’ve spent in various pools throughout the world we’ve had an opportunity to share the most intimate details of our lives, our dreams, our hopes, our successes, and our failures.

Neither of us has ever shared so many details with another human being. Funnily, it’s become somewhat of a “hobby” or pastime, making pool-time all the more meaningful. 

Staff handbrake for boxcar or locomotive.

We may often tell a sad memory from our childhood or an exciting adventure we experienced as adults. We laugh and say that as we age, we’ll never run out of stories to tell when our memories begin to fail. At that point, neither of us will remember which stories we’ve already described, and we’ll let them know once again with the same sense of delight. 

Close to the center of this photo is a drawbar and knuckle coupler used to connect two boxcars or boxcar and locomotive.

Not unlike the stories we post each day, pool-time discussions seem to follow a “theme for the day,” which we generally follow while splashing about. It’s when our fingers and toes become wrinkled and waterlogged or, when the rain begins to fall, we finally get out of the pool.

Different types of tongs are used to pick up rails and, below, heads for pickaxes.

Yesterday’s discussion centered around how many cruises we’ve been on since the onset of our travels on October 31, 2012. As we approach the fifth anniversary, we find ourselves reliving many of the life-changing experiences we’ve had during this blissful period.

As cruise time approaches, we began counting the number of cruises over the past five years, which we’ve done in the past but hadn’t done so recently. In all, including the Mekong River Cruise, we have been on 19 cruises, averaging almost four per year. 

An old student desk.

This number includes back-to-back cruises, which means (for those who haven’t cruised) two cruises booked together, one after another. Each cruise has its fare, perks and can include the same cabin if secured properly. 

In the three instances we’ve booked back-to-back cruises, we’ve made a point of ensuring we’ve been able to keep the same cabin, avoiding the inconvenience of moving our belongings. 

Old adding machines and typewriters.  Gee…we’ve come a long way.

The cruise line requires back-to-back passengers to get off the ship when one cruise ends and the second begins. In each case, we’ve been OK getting off the boat when it’s been convenient to take care of things we need to do or purchases we may need to make. However, we’re aren’t required to go through the lengthy, time-consuming check-in process, only security when we return to the ship. 

Tomorrow, in Part 2, we’ll review our past cruises with information taken directly from Tom’s Cruise Critic listing, which is easy to read and we hope our readers find interesting.

Soon, we’re off to the Supermercado Coopeatenas for groceries. We’d hope to wander through the town, but heavy rain is expected and has just begun to fall. It appears we won’t have pool-time today after all. 

Enjoy your day, rain or shine!

Photo from one year ago today. October 25, 2016:

During our last meal in Sumbersari Bali, this fish soup was served at our table. It looked delicious but contained a small amount of flour for thickening, so I avoided it.  For more photos, please click here.

A new month brings a new perspective…Hello October!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Cactus plants are scattered throughout Costa Rica, growing prolifically in the tropical climate.

“Sightings from the Veranda in Costa Rica”

Low-lying morning clouds as seen from the veranda.

It’s hard to believe it’s October 1st today. Where did the time go? Finally, on the last day of this month, we’ll joyfully celebrate our fifth anniversary of traveling the world. We left Minnesota on Halloween 2012.

In 53 days, we’ll sail away from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on a 30-night cruise to South America as we begin making our way toward Buenos Aires, Argentina. Then in 114 days from today, we’re off toward Ushuaia, Argentina, to embark on the Antarctica cruise.

Costa Rica is clever in using waste products as an alternative to expensive resources.

We’ve hardly given much thought to the fact we’ll be spending 30-nights in a lovely hotel in Buenos Aires beginning on December 23rd (Tom’s 65th birthday). In our old lives, that leg itself would have been considered the “trip of a lifetime.” 

From there, in roughly 132 days from today, we’ll arrive in the somewhat remote area of Mpumalanga/Nelspruit to make our way to Marloth Park, South Africa, a 90-minute drive from the airport where we’ll be renting a car for the many months we’ll spend in the country. 

Old tires are used as a retaining wall.

There are no words to express our enthusiasm for what is upcoming in the future. However, it’s hard, if not impossible, to temper one’s excitement when contemplating what the future holds.

It’s not as if we constantly talk about these adventures. On the contrary, we’ve always made a concerted effort to live in the moment, relishing in our current surroundings. It’s not hard to do in Costa Rica with the easy flow of life in this beautiful and friendly country.

The dirt-covered road after a rainstorm. The rain has been outrageous during the “green season” over these past months and is expected to continue through October.

There’s no denying that we’ve limited ourselves by not having a full-time car rental while we’re here.  Taxi fare is cheap in town but gets pricey when going sightseeing in distant locations. 

The cost of partial day tours in Costa generally runs over US $100 (CRC 57,232) per person plus the cost of getting to and from the tour pickup and drop-off locations. At this point, with a considerable outlay of funds for the upcoming adventures, we’ve had to curtail our spending.

An old shack along the mountain road.

Even the US, $162.50 (CRC 93,001) for the five-day rental car, is too expensive for us at this point. Moreover, the monthly cost, close to US $1,000 (CRC 572,315), doesn’t fit into the budget.

We’ll need to buy the cost of clothing for the Antarctica cruise (which we’ll ship to our mailing service in Nevada to hold for us for our next “cold weather” expedition) is expensive. We’ve considered renting the clothing, but we’ve discovered it’s more cost-effective and time-saving to purchase the necessary items after considerable research. 

We’ll make the necessary purchases online and have all the items shipped to our mailing service and then shipped in one package to the hotel in Fort Lauderdale. From there, we’ll board the 30-night South America cruise without any baggage constraints.  

A shriveled banana blossom, parts of which is used in cooking in certain parts of the world.

When the 30-night South America cruise ends in Buenos Aires, we’ll begin our month-long stay at the hotel. When we fly to Ushuaia from Buenos Aires to board the cruise to Antarctica, we’ll leave most of our baggage behind at the Buenos Aires hotel, which has agreed to hold until Antarctica cruise ends. There is a strict baggage weight restriction on the flights to Ushuaia and back.

We’d decided to begin making the clothing purchases this month to ensure everything arrives on time and have the cumbersome task behind us. At one time, shopping online would have been fun, but I’ve lost interest in shopping altogether other than for groceries. Likewise, Tom never enjoyed shopping of any type, let alone online. So we’ll get it done.

A cloudy mountain scene.

Today, after a hugely stormy night and equally cloudy day with rain on the horizon, we’re hunkered down. Soon, Tom will watch the Minnesota Vikings football game. At the same time, I’ll head to the kitchen to start preparing today’s meal consisting of baby back ribs, an egg and bacon quiche, roasted vegetables, and salad, often checking back and forth to see how the game is going.

Have a happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, October 1, 2016:

A man of the beach collecting miscellaneous items from the beach placing them in this cart attached to his motorbike. For more Bali photos, please click here.

Victoria, British Columbia…Butchart Gardens…A memorable tour and exquisite place to visit…At Sea-Tac Airport awaiting flight….

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
The popular Butchart Gardens sign where visitors often take their photos.

It’s 11:00 am Seattle time. We’re seated in a food court at Sea-Tac Airport while waiting to board our flight to Minneapolis in two hours. Rather than wait on the ship, we decided it made more sense to get to the airport after a $60 taxi fare, $20 in tips for a porter, and a skycap.

Darwin, our tour guide with Surfside Adventure Tours friendly and ultra knowledgeable about the amazing Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Our luggage was overweight, by 10 pounds each. The cost for overweight checked bags is $100 per bag. The skycap had a box where we loaded the extra 20 pounds (6 kg) to avoid paying the excess weight fees. Instead, we paid an extra $35 for the box, which we checked, saving $165. 

Based on time constraints, we won’t be able to identify flowers from the Butchart Gardens tour.

We were stopped at security for the computer backpack, taken aside for inspection. The agent took everything out of the bag to inspect each pocket, the laptops, and other electronics for suspicious chemicals. 

A water wheel near the entrance to the Butchart Gardens.

Of course, we passed inspection and didn’t complain about the time lost, not to the agent nor one another.  We’d rather they were diligent than careless. Lines were long. From the time we arrived at the airport until seated here now, 90 minutes had passed. At least now our wait isn’t too long.

Tom standing by the king on the giant hand-carved chess set.
Of course, I then stood by the queen.
Based on the delays in getting to the airport (35 minutes in traffic), baggage, and security check-in, the idea of leaving the ship early served us well. Now, we can relax and wait for our flight.
It was a good time of year to see the gardens, but we were a little late to see all of the tulips blooming, which occurred a few weeks ago.

The last full day on the ship proved to be absolutely fabulous. The tour we participated in with the other 10 Cruise Critic members was over-the-top. The tour company, Surfside Adventure Tours, with Darwin as our tour guide, couldn’t have been a better experience at the US $57.22 per person, plus the US $48.45 entrance fee (for two) into Butchart Gardens. 

Many tourists wandered through the huge grounds, bumping into one another in the process. We did our best to scurry along after taking photos.

Without the Canadian dollar exchange rate handy, Tom gave the driver a US $100 bill, which in his mind, he was thinking US $77, not Canadian $57.22. Subsequently, that resulted in his paying the driver Canadian $134.50 when he handed him the US $100 bill telling him to keep the change. This resulted in a tip of $43.78, more than we’d usually tip. 

Many unfamiliar flower species enhanced the gardens, but many we’d seen in other botanical gardens worldwide.

Here’s the info for Surfside Adventure Tours:  250-891-7792, and please ask for Darwin. Their website is:  www.surfsidetours.com

It was easy to wander about following the clearly marked paths.

When all was said and done, the tour cost less than half as much as such a tour through the ship, and we had little room to fuss over the cost. An entire afternoon was well spent (literally and figuratively) touring the stunning Vancouver Island city of Victoria, one of the most beautiful cities we’re seen in our world travels.

Sun filtering through the tall trees.

As a matter of fact, we feel determined that at some point down the road, we’ll return for a summer stay in Victoria, perhaps around the time of our next visit to family in the US, whenever that may be in the future.

Interesting shapes and designs are the highlights of many specific areas.

There’s much more to share about Victoria, and we’ll do so during these next six weeks in Minneapolis when we have occasional quiet days with less content-rich information and photos to share.

These tulips remained later in the season, allow they were beginning to wither away.

Enjoy today’s photos as we realize we need to wrap this up. Tomorrow, we’ll be back with photos of our new home for the next six weeks, our response to being back in Minnesota after being gone for the past 4.5 years, and any updates that may occur over the next 24 hours. 

There are numerous shops and restaurants on the grounds of Butchart Gardens.
Entrance into Canada after disembarking the ship to head out on our tour to Victoria.

For our US readers…have a safe and meaningful Memorial Day Weekend. For our friends outside the US, have a fabulous weekend as well!


Photo from one year ago today, May 26, 2016:

We visited a turtle hatchery in Bali on our way to Lovina to renew our vises. There were over 100 baby turtles maturing for future release attracting tourists to the site. For more details, please click here.