Bobopedia on Guatemala

The president of Guatemala and a former comedian, Jimmy Morales Cabrera, was elected after the previous president, vice-president, and 13 government ministers, were caught smuggling containers of US dollars out of the country (this, according to the innkeeper we befriended at Hotel Nuestro Sueno.)

The new president is a born-again Christian.  As a result, the evangelical faith is becoming increasingly popular in this predominantly Catholic country.  The current pope is concerned and has already visited Guatemala twice.

Guatemala

This was a LONG day.  We docked at Puerto Quetzal and boarded a bus to Lake Atitlan.  We had made a last minute change in plans, giving up the included trip to Antigua, a UNESCO world heritage site, and opting for touring the highlands and taking a boat to visit a Mayan village in the quest for textiles at a women's co-op.

Along the three hour drive to our destination we were stalled in an accident-related traffic jam.  Although we were out in the middle of nowhere, or so it seemed; as soon as traffic stalled vendors of all types appeared along the road to sell refreshments to stranded travelers. Surprisingly, vendors appeared on site before ambulance and police.

Our destination is a lake formed in the crater of an extinct volcano.  Along the way, we passed an active volcano emitting smoke.

Driving through sugar cane fields, banana groves, pineapple fields, acres of rubber trees and, as we reached a higher elevation, rows and rows of coffee plants.

Fun facts I didn't know:

• A banana plant only produces one giant cluster of bananas in eight months, whereupon the plant is cut back and grows again from the cut-back base.  The banana cluster is bagged on the tree in, in this case-blue plastic, to protect the skin from damage until it's harvested.  
•  Arabica coffee is the best.  The plants are grown in the shade of other vegetation or are covered with mesh screen.
• Latex comes from the rubber tree.  The tree is tapped, much like a maple tree is tapped for syrup.  Workers are paid about $11 per day to tap and maintain 600 trees.

As we climbed higher we drove through Mayan villages. Villages that are side by side may speak different languages.  Children and adults alike smiled and waved as we navigated the narrow mountain road.

At Panajachel on Lake Atitlán we dined on a porch overlooking the volcanic lake.  A boat ride to the other side of the lake followed.  As we boarded the boat, indigenous women boarded along with us and made a show of hiding from the captain and crew.  Upon discovery, our group encouraged the captain to let them stay.  "As long as they don't bother you."  They proceeded to lay out their wares and didn't leave us alone until we arrived at San Antonio Palopó.  I think this was all a bit of theater to amuse us tourists.

Approaching San Antonio Palopó, we spotted the ladies of the village doing their laundry.

Notice that they all wear the same clothes.  Each village has its own color and pattern, like seaside Irish villages have their own cable knit patterns.

I quickly made my way to the women's co-op on the hill and made some purchases.

 With some time to spare, we ducked into this place for a beer.  Hotel Nuestro Sueno is on Trip Advisor,

The owner, an expat from LA in grubby white t-shirt, shorts and suspenders, told us he built this place in the late 80's when he couldn't tolerate his LA commute any longer.

We retraced our steps down the winding mountain roads and arrived back at the ship 2 1/2 hours later.  Gravity was with us, although we had to stop midway so that our driver could help a second bus whose tires were overheating on the way down.

Passing by the vendors that line the path back to the bus, I spot lots of the same items I saw at the women's co-op.  Oh well. 

Bobopedia on Nicaragua

The poorest country in Central America and second poorest after Haiti, if you include the Caribbean.

Recent history of Nicaragua-

The Somoza family ruled until 1979 when the Sandinistas overthrew the dynasty.  The Sandinistas took their name from Sandin, who was executed by the national police and became a symbol of the revolution against the Somoza dynasty.

The Sandinistas were lead by Daniel Ortega who aligned with Cuba and Russia while steering the country toward socialism.  Opposition rebels known as Contras formed and sought support from the United States.  The Contras committed atrocities in an effort to destabilize the regime.  Because of the human rights violations the US Congress cut off aid to the Contras, despite Regan's objections.  The Regan administration circumvented the sanctions by selling missiles to Iran and diverting the proceeds to the Contras.  Remember Ollie North and the Iran Contra scandal. 

The eventual outcome was Ollie got a radio show and Nicaragua eventually became a dysfunctional democracy.

Nicaragua

Don't bother going to Nicaragua.  We docked at Corinto and drove to Leon.

Most of the local guides to date have provided a narrative that included facts about the government, education, wages, etc.  Also, previous guides were very proud of their countries.  Both Costa and Panama have high levels of literacy, the fact of which they are very proud.  Both Costa Rica and Panama provide healthcare, education, and a safety net for the poor and elderly.  Nicaragua's social system seems non-existent, or haphazard at best.  The most I can say is that the roads were pretty good (compared to Guatemala, as we learned later.)

This is all there was to see in Leon and it took us two hours to get there.  Our local guides, in general, have been very good and informative.  This fellow didn't give us much information plus he lost a couple of passengers and didn't realize it until halfway back to the ship.  I'm not sure how the story ended.

Christmas at sea

Sailing between the Panama Canal and the west side of Costa Rica, we had various activities available:  yoga, Christmas service, lecture on the history of holiday decorations, Christmas trivia, the movie"It's a Wonderful Life," tango lessons, etc.  I didn't do any of these and instead walked four miles around the deck and spent the rest of the day wrestling with this blog.  WiFi speed continues to be a big problem.

We've met a couple from Nova Scotia who invited us to join them at The Chefs Table restaurant.  That's one of the two specialty restaurants on board.  Its menu changes every few days and doesn't offer any choices.  It usually highlights the regional cuisine and pairs each course with an appropriate wine.  The Christmas theme was "Erling's Scandinavian Bistro."

Following dinner we went to the theater for a Christmas extravaganza which included selections from some of the performers that had appeared earlier in the week plus special appearances by some of the talented staff.  Check out the finale (I haven't been able to get the video to load. I'll keep trying.  Check back later.)  It seems like staff members are selected for the primary qualifications of their given positions as well as for their other talents.  The very competent, energetic and charismatic cruise director also happens to have opera training. 

Limon, Colón and the Panama Canal

Both Limon, Costa Rica and Colón, Panama are commercial ports, not surprising because of the proximity to the Panama Canal.  Traveling out of Limon through streets filled with garbage and a picturesque jumble of wires and multi-colored satellite dishes, 

we headed to Tortuguero Canals and some sloth scouting.

The next day we bused from Colón to Panama City, basically following the route that we'd travel the next day through the Panama Canal.  We had been here in 2011 when, on a Holland America cruise, we traveled some of the same ground.

2011

Our guide took us to the colonial city of Panama, juxtaposed against the modern city of Panama in the background, considered to be the Dubai of the Caribbean.  The colonial city is undergoing a resurgence with squatters being chased out of the old buildings, making way for renovation and conversion into private homes, condos, restaurants and nightclubs.

The next day was spent transiting the Panama Canal.

In 2011 we had only gone through the Gatun Lock into Gatun Lake, where we turned around and sailed back the way we came.  This time we continued on through the Pedro Miguel Locks and the Miraflores Locks and into the Pacific Ocean.  The entire trip took from around 7:30 AM, when the pilots boarded, to around 4 PM, when they disembarked.  We were told that, although the pilots were boarding as they're required to do, they would not be taking control of the ship during the transit.  We caught them sleeping in the control room.

Pilots Boarding

From the bow

Looking over at the expansion canal, where the really BIG ships go

Pilots dosing

Jamaica and shopping, Mon

We were scheduled for an excursion to Dunns River Falls and Coyaba Gardens, but were both feeling queasy.  Instead, we laid around the spa all day, from the thermal bath to the steam room to the snow grotto back to the thermal bath, and so on….lounging and reading and generally relaxing while most of the passengers were away from the ship.  We learned later that the guides were inattentive and left too much free time for shopping (aka fending off vendors.)

Jamaica wasn’t high on my list to visit, anyway.  Originally, we had been scheduled to dock at Havana, instead of Cienfuegos in Cuba.  For some reason our itinerary was changed, adding days to Cuba, eliminating Belize, and adding Jamaica.  Weather was not a factor.  This modification came down before all the hurricane activity this fall.  Word around the ship is that the reason was that Viking had never been into Cuba before and wouldn’t be there regularly.  Also, we saw a huge Carnival ship docked at Havana.  It was probably more lucrative for Cuba to make space for them and shuffle us off to a lesser port.

You do the math

If you’re thinking about doing a trip like this (BTW-Viking is booking now for the 2019 World Cruise,) let me help you make up your mind.  You can’t afford NOT to do it.  Look at how much money we're saving.

Then you add in the $3000 credit we’ve received toward spa services and on board incidentals, plus the $4000 toward optional excursions.  It’s a no-brainer. 

I’ve been told that 30% of the guests on board have already booked the 2019 cruise.  We won’t be doing that.  We’d miss our Arizona time too much.  There’s always 2020.  Maybe we’ll see you there.

Viking 2019 World Cruise 

Impressions of Cuba

Sunday the 17th we docked in Cienfuegos, Cuba.

Shortly after docking we headed out on a bus for the "Sojourn to Havana," an overnight away from the ship.  Despite warnings that entry through Cuban immigration might be fraught with delays, real or manufactured to aggravate us Americans, we sailed through without incident.  Quickly boarding the awaiting fleet of buses (manufactured in China, we later learned,) we were impressed by the efficiency of the Viking staff.  Leaving Cienfuegos, passing crumbling architecture of which we would see much more, narrow streets, crowded doorways, skinny dogs and cats running free; city streets soon gave way to more rural scenes.  The roads are often bumpy and narrow, probably unimproved since the 50's.  We began to see sugar cane fields, grazing cows, horses, and goats.  The earth is a red clay color but apparently more airy and fertile.  Colorful American classic vehicles and utilitarian Russian made vehicles share the road with hitchhikers and horse and buggy.

On the 3+ hour trip to Havana Jose, our local guide, gave us a running commentary of which we were able to understand about half of what he said.  Fortunately, he didn't shut up and kept repeating himself so we were able to absorb about 80%.  At the end of the day and a half it became obvious that Jose was a young Fidelist, although he seemed hopeful about a future of improved US Cuba relations.  At a rest stop halfway to Havana we could purchase Che Guevara flags and berets and Castro-style caps.  Do you think the grandchildren will appreciate the Che T-shirts we bought them?

Arriving in Havana we did a driving tour and stopped briefly at the monument to Jose Marti, where the classic cars congregate for photo ops.

Then on to the Melia Habana hotel, a welcome drink and our room.  At first glance the room seems large and luxurious, two full beds pushed together to make a super-king, huge marble tiled bathroom and balcony.  After being there a while you begin to notice that things are dated and crumbling: veneer peeling off of furniture, grout discoloring, beds hard as rocks.  It has a soviet-like ambiance.  After settling in all the "sojourners" headed downstairs to be transported to dinner via a classic car taxi.  What a feat for Viking to have organized this treat.  About 150 of us piled into cars and paraded to the restaurant about 5 miles away.  Most of the vehicles, although they look like American classics, have had their engines replaced with diesel engines of one kind or another.  We were lucky to hop on a 1955 Buick Special convertible with its original engine.  Dinner at the government-owned tourist trap was underwhelming.  Following dinner we bused to the renowned Flamingo nightclub for a colorful show which included one bottle of rum and four cokes for every four people.  No photos inside the club unless you pay $5.

The next day we headed to Old Havana for a walking tour.  The primarily Spanish Baroque architecture is colorful and crumbling. 

(Forgot to mention that there are guest lecturers on board ship and there's usually a few programs of local interest at every port.  We learned about Cuban architecture from Doctor Lori Verderame.  I guess she's a History Channel personality.)  The street people are also colorful and crumbling.  Many are hustling something, a paper cone containing nuts, an American newspaper, a song, a photo op.  While I was waiting for Bob outside a cigar store I was approached by a snaggle-toothed fellow with a guitar.  The leading question is "where are you from."  After that, they've gotcha.  Anyway, he and I had a political discussion with a👍for Obama and a 👎for Trump. 

Our guide took us to an indoor "craft market" but I only lasted about five minutes before I couldn't tolerate the constant solicitations to buy and retreated back to the bus.  The "sojourners" were broken down into smaller groups to dine at different "paladars" throughout Old Havana.  A "paladar" is the increasingly popular privately owned restaurant, as opposed to the state owned and operated ones of the past. 

Back on the bus for the 4 hour return trip to the ship, with a stop at the Bay of Pigs Museum.  Nothing was in English and our guide's microphone wasn't working anymore so this was a pointless side trip.  During the remainder of the bus ride we watched a video about the "Special Period" of Cuba's history.  This was the time after the the 1989 breakup of the Soviet Union when Cuba experienced an economic crisis as a result of their close ties and dependence on their alliance with the Soviets.  The film was a bit of propaganda in that it held Cuba up as an example of the success of the community based solutions that got the Cuban people through these difficult times.  It warned that "Peak Oil" would result in other countries suffering the same consequences as Cuba.  (I think the film was about 10 years old, back when we were still afraid of running out of fossil fuels.)  I guess this was the mandatory educational portion of the trip.

A long day and a half.  Happy to be back on board.  I know we just got a small taste of Cuba.  As Americans, we can't roam free.  Maybe someday.

No matter where you go, there you are.

We're finally here, the Viking Sun, our home for the next five months.  Although I didn't think I was nervous, I finally relaxed after setting foot on the gangway (I refrain from using "gangplank," as I think it has a negative connotation.) 

Sighs of relief that this is actually a reality after a year and a half of anticipation.  During the past week I've had visions of forgetting our passports, falling on black ice, eating bad pistachios or similar calamities.  Thankfully, the worst that's happened is that I've forgotten to pack Bob's underwear.  I'm checking to see if we can get an Amazon order in LA. 

I had done the 360 degree visual tour of the Viking Sun a few times and I must say, that doesn't do it justice.  It's really spectacular-sleek and modern and still extremely comfortable and thoughtfully laid-out.  We continue to discover secluded nooks as well as the practical features in our stateroom, including a heated bathroom floor.

This morning we went to a Port Talk at which we were told what to expect on our overnight to Havana, distilled to "Bathrooms are not plentiful or necessarily clean.  The drive to Havana will take 3 or 4 hours.  The bus will have a bathroom, but it might not work.  The government owns the buses.  The hotel is 3-4 stars.  It has water, although it might not be hot.  The food in the hotel restaurant won't be very interesting.  The government owns the hotels. Etc."  This trip is highly recommended.

Don't say it if you don't want it on the blog 🙊

Bob has been sharing his cruise philosophy with friends.  He's pretending that a judge has sentenced him to six months on a misdemeanor and he's getting one month off for good behavior.

🛳

Now, in addition to being greeted at the gangway in May by representatives from Weight Watchers and Alcoholics Anonymous, there will be a Parole Officer too.

We're all packed.

In fact, I've been packed for a few weeks.  Two medium-size duffel bags each.

🚢

Viking had sent out a notice some months ago, advising us that we shouldn't over-pack because we have free laundry service on board.  "Pack as if you're going on a two-week trip"  they said.  In light of that, I was afraid I'd over-packed as I usually do.  Then a couple of weeks ago, Viking sends another notice, this time with sample packing lists.  14 SETS OF UNDERWEAR!  I don't even have 14 sets of underwear.  That's just the beginning of the madness:  10 pairs of socks, 4 nightgowns, 4 pairs of pantyhose, and the equivalent overkill on the male list.

🚢

I'm not changing anything.  I'm confident that I've done a more than adequate job.  As long as I have all the right shoes, I'm set.

Packing weeks ahead of time presents a challenge to the aging brain.  My solution, in addition to lists, lists and more lists, was to take pictures of items that I'm packing.  My strategy was to group items by type for casual clothes and by outfit for the more dressy ensembles.  Here's a few examples.  And, I'm proud to say that 90% of my clothes are thrift shop finds.

...and for Bob

...and incidentals

Troubled Waters ?

When we tell people that we're going on a five-month cruise there's usually one of two responses

1) WHAT! ARE YOU CRAZY?" or 2) "It's an adventure of a lifetime."

To which Bob responds 1) "There may be a burial at sea." or 2) "There may be a burial at sea."

🛳

Don't get the wrong impression.  Bob is excited and he's doing his part to research our destinations.  Here's an article he found about Super Malaria.  And, here's another about the travel warning for American citizens traveling to Cuba.

Now that I'm officially retired I have time to concentrate on my preparations.  I consider myself an efficient packer, but I welcome tips on what I should not leave home without.  If you have any advice to share, please leave a comment.

🛳

There will be plenty of time to lounge on the deck and read.  I'm hoping that the wifi speed will be sufficient to allow downloading of books for the ipad.  In addition to packing advice, I could use some reading recommendations.

🛳 

It's time to figure out how to upload photos to the blog.  I still haven't decided whether I should take my Panasonic digital camera or whether I should keep it simple and just use the iphone.

Here's a collage of some of our previous cruising, including Celebrity Alaska, Holland America Panama Canal, Royal Caribbean family cruise, Viking Grand European, Viking France, and Holland America Norway.