π―ππππ ππππππ π!
π£π±πͺπ·π΄πΌ π―πΈπ» π¬πΈπΆπ²π·π° π«πͺπ¬π΄!
How was Thanksgiving for all of you? We finished up our leftovers a few days later, and our dinner was enjoyed all over again! Comfort food at its best.
I promised you that I would share more pictures of our cruise. Our two weeks of cruising were very relaxing, and it was just what we needed. This post is a quick synopsis of our trip with too many photos! π
Cabo
Cabo was our first stop. As we were waiting for our turn to get off the shipβ¦ I snapped the above picture. We spent my birthday in Cabo! How lucky was I? We were supposed to go to our Travel Agentβs condo for a Fiesta but it was canceled due to no electricity from the Hurricane a few days before. Instead we did some light shopping, walked around, and enjoyed a light meal. We chose to stay close by as the immediate area was quite beautiful. We were happy to take it all in!
Costa Rica
We had a bus tour scheduled for later in the day, so we got off the ship early in the morning and walked into town. Music and dancers welcomed us as we entered town. We enjoyed the vendors who were set up close by.
On the bus tour, we were taken through the rainforest to a town called Esparza. Once again, we were welcomed by music and children dancing. And later, more music was performed for us as we tasted Costa Rican coffee.
Please click on a picture to make it larger.
Panama City, Panama
We were to stop in Panama City, but there was civic unrest. We did not dock at the port as well, so a fuel tanker filled us up while anchored off the coast. Panama City was much bigger than we expected, and we could view the city from the ship. We were astonished at how many ships were waiting for their turn through the canal. Because of a drought, only 24 ships are going through the canal daily compared to the usual 40.
Panama Canal
We were up on deck at sunrise so that we could view the start of going through the locks.
It was fascinating to watch! An amazing experience! The toll for our ship was $390,000.00! Some cargo ships pay a million dollars! It depends on how much cargo you have, etc. Oh, and a neat little tidbit⦠there are crocodiles in the locks! Look for one in the gallery below!
We went through the newly built locks (finished in 2017.) The historical locks (built in 1904) still function and were alongside us most of the time.
The locks raised our ship from sea level (the Pacific Ocean) to the level of Gatun Lake. We then cruised through Gatun Lake, the channel, and the Continental Divide. Then, the next set of locks lowered us to sea level (The Caribbean Sea/Atlantic Ocean.) It took us about 12 hours to cruise through the canal from start to finish. We cruised under three bridges. The Bridge of Americas, the Centennial Bridge, and the Atlantic Bridge. Please click on a picture to enlarge.
We entered the Atlantic Ocean or Caribbean Sea at night. We enjoyed cruising under the Atlantic Bridge with its ever-changing light display!
Cartagena, Colombia, South America
Our excursion took us on a bus and walking tour of the coastal town of Cartagena. We were amazed at all the Colombian art-lined streets and back allies. Cartagena was full of color and life! Although the street vendors in some areas of town exhausted me with all their salesmanship techniques!
A Restful Cruise
Our cruise was relaxing and we had many βAt Seaβ days. We were never bored as there is so much to do on the ship. We spent Halloween at sea which was so much fun! The cruise staff entertained us each and every day! Between the never-ending food, musical shows, trivia games, afternoon tea, and evenings at the Captainβs Circle, we enjoyed ourselves immensely.
Home Sweet Home!
Travel is wonderful but arriving home is even sweeter! I chose to do this lengthy post as we are back in the desert and I have lots more to share in upcoming posts. Thank you for your patience. I will have this post added to my sidebar on the side of my blog. You can always click and review at any time.
Thank You!
The Christmas Season has begun! I hope you are embracing the most exciting time of the year! For me, itβs all about the twinkling lights and being cozy.
As I always try to convey⦠we certainly appreciate all of you. Thank you for joining us for another Tuesday Tidbits.
We wish all of you a wonderful week ahead. Enjoy what this upcoming week brings to you. And whatever you have planned⦠make every day count and be thankful for your Blessings.
Β©Nancy and Two Trails One Road, 2023-2024. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this siteβs author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Nancy and Two Trails One Road with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Please do not re-blog. Thank you.