Military Base
December 3, 2023 in Panama ⋅ ⛅ 91 °F
The Panama Canal is the reason the area is what it is today. The military and the Panama Canal company were huge shapers of the economy and of the land. You can see the obvious influence of ArmyRead more
Panama City Mall
December 3, 2023 in Panama ⋅ ⛅ 91 °F
Went to the mall today. The mall was built on what had been the hanger and base portion of the US military Air Force Station. The enclosed area of the mall is huge! The building covers two floors inRead more
Hop-on Bus
December 3, 2023 in Panama ⋅ ⛅ 90 °F
I’ve had great luck with hop on busses in various City. This was NOT a success. Only one bus runs the loop. Which means about 2 hours between getting off one stop and on the next. Two hours is aRead more
Casco Viejo
December 3, 2023 in Panama ⋅ 🌙 84 °F
I really enjoy the old town area. The scale of The two and occasionally three story buildings and the Colonial architecture really blend well. It’s nice to see the revitalization and the way thatRead more
City Sights
December 3, 2023 in Panama ⋅ 🌙 82 °F
Panama is a long narrow country mostly divided into two sections: Panamá City on the Pacific and Colon on the Atlantic side. High rises on face the Pacific Ocean for the view and the breeze. From allRead more
Crossing the Isthmus
December 5, 2023 in Panama ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F
Today’s adventure is to cross the isthmus’s to Colon. It is an arduous trip of 2.5 hours in a car. Then we will visit Portobelo Fort and a couple of islands then return. Like millions before us weRead more
Two Monkey Island
December 5, 2023 in Panama ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F
This island originally was home to many many spider monkeys, now there are two. I’m. It sure if there was a Lord of the Flies, monkey version, but now there are only two left. They are well trainedRead more
Lovers Lane - Mangrove Style
December 5, 2023 in Panama ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F
The tour boat took us through a mangrove forest. It was called lovers land because the tree canopy joined in the middle. The water was clear and shallow.
Isla Grande
December 5, 2023 in Panama ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F
Panama is full of surprises. I didn’t expect that there would be parts that resemble a tropical island from a movie.
We visited four islands on our tour. Isla Grande was the largest.
Norweigian Joy
December 6, 2023 in Panama ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F
Retirement means that you can literally take the slow boat home. 10 days from Panama City to Miami via 6 other ports and the Panama Canal. But for a 10 day cruise there are only two days at sea soRead more
The Canal - Pacific Locks
December 7, 2023 in Panama ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F
Early morning wake up as we neared the first of the three locks on the Pacific side. 5:45 am and it was dark, and the lights of the canal cast an eerie glow. It took the ship over an hour to getRead more
6 Locks and a Lake
December 7, 2023 in Panama ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F
It took all day to get from the Pacific to the Caribbean. The locks were a slow process and then crossing the reservoir was slow, but it gave us plenty of time to watch everything go past and we movedRead more
Costa Rica- Puerto Limon
December 8, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F
This must be why there are ports fighting for cruise ships.
Welcome to Costa Rica, where the local time is 6:28 am and the cruise economy is in full swing.
Farm, train and boat
December 8, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F
Today is a tour from the cruise company. Billed as the ….. first stop was a farm to see how banana, coffee, and cacao are raised and harvested. Then a train through the jungle and along the coast,Read more
Puerto Limon
December 8, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F
This port seems like the arrival of cruise ships is still a new concept. The tour (a train, a canal ride and a farm visit), were all nice, but the town around the cruise ship dock had little forRead more
Sea Day
December 9, 2023, Caribbean Sea ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F
This 10 day cruise has two sea days, the first is for the sail from Costa Rica to Grand Cayman. Plenty to do on the ship and we finished with a dinner at Cagney’s the steak restaurant on board. AndRead more
Sloths
December 10, 2023 in Cayman Islands ⋅ 🌬 81 °F
I like sloths. As a species their family life and chill vibe appeals to me. The fact that they don’t bathe for weeks at a time would create issues for me, but I could adapt.
Sloths are slow, theyRead more
Snorkel - Grand Cayman
December 10, 2023 in Cayman Islands ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F
The British West Indies, Grand Cauman. First it’s British and driving is on the “other side” second the cars are both left and right hand drive which must be a true driving adventure. OurRead more
Cozumel - island of Mexico
December 11, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ 🌬 77 °F
First thing I see getting off the boat is a sign for Senior Frogs. On My first cruise to Mexico, I remember having a great time at the one in Ensenada (I think). That was about 20 years ago.
This isRead more
Tulum - Mayan Temple
December 11, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F
The Mayans were really in to buildings that worked like a calendar. When the sun shines through this window, it’s time to plant. When it shines through the other window it’s time to harvest. WhenRead more
Cenote Swim
December 11, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F
A cenote (sen-o-te) is an underground river. Or more actually the cave formed from underground rivers. These caves were created millions of years ago with water from the ice age. Today there are areasRead more
Costa Maya Mexico, no exit
December 12, 2023 in Mexico ⋅ 🌧 75 °F
We docked this morning at Costa Maya where the dock is very exposed to the waves. The swells don’t feel that large but they crash on the dock creating huge waves. For now, no one can leave the shipRead more
Belize - Harvest Caye
December 13, 2023 in Belize ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F
When you are a cruise ship company and you want to have a port completely to yourself without port charges, no taxes, and free control, you build Harvest Caye tropical island. Just off the coast ofRead more
Practice Drill
December 13, 2023 in Belize ⋅ 🌧 77 °F
It is nice to see that the crew practices these things. They off loaded the boats and floated around in a parade of circles.
Honduras- Roatan (island)
December 14, 2023 in Honduras ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F
Similar to Cozumel the island of Roatan is off the coast of Honduras. We arrived in the early morning and the seas are calm and the weather is cool. Today is snorkeling and a kayak paddle through theRead more





































































































































