Day 12 @ Sea enroute to Manta Ecuador

Today was a sea day and so much to do.  We had a light breakfast in the Lido and Pat joined us.  We then went down to the Cove to watch them set up for our Parisian Jazz Brunch.

We spoke for a long while with Josef (Hotel Director) and Ross (Bar Manager)  We were then joined by Leo They do anything to make your vacation perfect.  We had asked Josef about the beautiful silver charger plates that they used at the Gala and he said that they used an Event planning company but he went searching on the internet till he found where we can buy them and sent the information up to our room.

The Gala was lovely and we had lunch with Pat and Ray and after lunch it was off to our computer class.  After our class we went and had tea and coffee in the Bistro to warm up it is like being in a freezer in the computer lab.  Before we knew it, it was time to get ready for dinner. They had all the French themed stuff still up and lit up and had music and singing in the cove.  We had a great dinner. In keeping with the French theme there were Eiffel Towers on the tables and roses. Tonight they had rack of lamb and although Luke and Chris both said no pictures of food I couldn’t resist.  After dinner there was a special one time performance that was put together by the Orchestra leader Raphael.  It was on Edith Piaf and starred Christine Andreas & Martin Silvestri and the World Cruise Special Event Entertainment Team and Orchestra.

It was a FABULOUS show.  As we have an early morning tour tomorrow it was early to the cabin 11:30 and I am writing my blog. 

Tomorrow we will be in Manta Ecuador where the Panama has are made and we are doing a tour on a Chiva bus.  Open air bus no cushions on the seats or a/c but there is a band.  It is suppose to be a lot of fun.

So until tomorrow.  Good night and God Bless!

Day 11 Transiting the Panama Canal

DAY 11 TRANSITING THE PANAMA CANAL

Today we are transiting the Panama Canal.  Anyone who had not done this really should as it is an engineering marvel.  Even though we have been through here 4+ times it is still very exciting and awe inspiring.

THE CANAL OPENED ON AUGUST 15, 1914 ten years after the Americans began working on. Total cost of the Canal was $387 million. There are three locks you go through to cross from the Caribbean to the Pacific.

Gatun Locks, Pedro Miquel Locks and the Miraflores Lock.

This Canal can handle 27,000 ships annually and currently handles over 15,000 transits.   Ships are charged a toll based on their tonnage or cargo-carrying capacity.  The highest toll ever paid was over $200,000 and the lowest was $.38 for a man to swim the canal in 1928.  Today it will cost Crystal $115,000 to transit the Canal. Even though the toll is expensive it is better than rounding Cape Horn in South American

The new ships are so large that they are building a new larger canal that will accommodate them and should be opening sometime this year.  It takes 9 hours to transit the 50 mile journey but saves days out on the ocean. On the  first lock a small rowboat delivers cables to the bow of the ship the cables are attached to 6 small locomotive cars or “electric mules” which pull the ship through, although they only weight 5 tons each they can each exert more than 70,000 pounds of pull as they guide the ship through the canal.  In the first one we are raised 85 feet in three steps before entering Gatun Lakes.  In Pedro Miquel which is one lock step we are lowered 31 feet and travel 2 miles through Miraflores Lake till we come to the last and final lock Miraflores where the ship is lowered another 54 feet in two step locks.  After exciting the Canal we sail 4 miles before passing Balboa and Panama City under the Bridge of Americas into the Bay of Panama leading to the Pacific Ocean.

As I said this takes 9 hours and they have speakers to explain what is happening  They set up a continental breakfast early in the am in the Palm Court which is the bow of the ship and a lunch buffet of soup and sandwiches for those people who want to stay up there all day.  Since we are near the Equator is is quite hot and hats, sunscreen and sunglasses are a necessity.  We went up early and after the first lock we went about our day.

I had to work out with my personal trainer today.  Between the Salsa dancing the other day and the weights and machines today I am exhausted!  But the boxing with the weights was a favorite of mine  Will do that at home.  Just have to get a picture of someone who I dislike a lot and put it up and make like I am punching them.

Tonight we have reservations in Silk Road.  We asked Ilene and Andy to join us.  They are having us to their penthouse for drinks and canapés before our dinner.

I will post pictures of that tomorrow!

For tonight I am once again thanking God for all the blessings we have been given to be able to sail around the world.  We are truly blessed!

Day 10 Cartagena, Columbia

We were in Cartagena, Columbia yesterday and has we have been here before we choose not to take a tour.  This is where I purchased my large emerald necklace.  We felt that the peddlers in the old city were pretty aggressive even if you only wanted to take a picture they expected and demanded money.  So we took the complimentary shuttle to the port terminal where they have a lovely park and birds and the largest Iguna I have ever seen.  thank you very much you can leave now.  They had shops but as I am really not looking to buy we spent an hour on the internet and came back to the ship.

Love when most people are on tour it seems as though you are on a private yacht.  We headed to the Bistro for Bill to have his afternoon Latte and I had an ice tea.

Bill went for his 2nd message of the cruise and I sat on our veranda and finished my 3rd book of the cruise so far.  At 3:00pm Louis Armstrong played "It's a Wonderful World" as we sailed away from Columbia.  It is a Crystal tradition to play Louis Armstrong as we sail away from each port except when we leave ports late at night as was the case in Curacao we left at midnight so no song.  IT is not broadcasted into the rooms only the open areas if you want to hear it you either put on the TV to the ships' channel or go out on your veranda or open your door to the hallway.   I try never to miss it because it does remind me that we have a wonderful world and how lucky I am to be able to experience as much of it as I have.

Day 9 Santa Marta, Columbia Salsa Dancing

Day 9  Santa Marta, Columbia

Today we are in Santa Marta Columbia,  We had a great tour this morning we walked around the town and then went to a club for Salsa Dancing.  Now in case you didn’t know Bill and I have 5 left feet between us!  And it was a work out.  It isn’t as easy to Shake Your Bootie when your older but 2 years heck last year I wouldn’t have been able to shake my bootie at all so I am thankful for my health.

We were given a welcome drink of lemonade and Coconut it was similar to an non alcoholic Pina Collada.  Would have been really good with some rum!  After all our dancing we were given a local food to try.  It was green bananas that they boil mash and shape into a pancake shape it is served with onions and tomatoes similar to what they serve on Hot Dogs in NYC.  It was really good and I am very fussy  we then walked back to the ship stopping at the Cathedral on the way.  Right at the port is a store selling coffee and they are giving away coffee and free internet.  The internet on the ship is going to be the death of me it is so slow!  We had lunch and headed up to retrieve our laptops.  So hopefully this will upload much easier and faster.  Well the pictures are still taking over an hour so I don't know what the hell I am doing wrong.  I am going to try to download one of us Salsa dancing.  If not I will try to add to FB

Patience I don't have!!!!!

Day 8 @ Sea enroute to Santa Marta, Columbia

Okay what is wrong with this picture.  We are more busy on sea days then port days.  One of the lectures is a White House Correspondent and he gave a talk about the inside scoop of the Presidents from Carter to Obama.  It was very interesting.  He also said that Hillary does not have a good personality and that is what has been keeping her from getting elected.  He said Bill had a great personality as well as George Sr, George Jr.  Obama does not mingle with the press.

He was funny he said you know the media always gets blamed for pushing a candidate.  Well this is who they decide to push for President.  Carter vacation Plains, GA, Reagan vacation Santa Barbara who would you want to be President where you will be vacationing with them.

After that lecture we headed to Hubert’s to say hello as he had just embarked the day before.  Hubert for those of you who don’t know is the jeweler onboard and he creates and designs each piece and no two are alike.  I visited him in November and got some lovely things, yesterday I added to my collection.   I wonder if I can claim him as a dependent on my income tax!  

Before you knew it we were rushing lunch so we could go to our “Everyting Apple class that was 2 hours yesterday.  I am still feeling smart not as smart as yesterday but I do know most ok some of the basics.

After class it was off to the Bistro to warm up and have our afternoon snack.  And back to Hubert’s.  I am thinking of having my white and yellow diamonds combined into one ring. So he was drawing some designs and earrings to use the larger diamonds!  Fun to watch his sketch.  It was then time to get ready for the Crystal Society Party.  And then off to dinner.  The show last night was a comedian and a violin player who we missed both shows so it was good to get to see them.  The comedian was hysterical but the Violinist was unbelievable he played Hey Jude on the violin backed up by Raphael and the Galaxy Orchestra.  They even did blue grass.  We headed into the casino and won back the money we lost before the show hit 4 (4’s) $150.  so we were heading out.  Bill was going to the cigar lounge and I was heading to our room to work on the blog but we met Hubert and Karen who dragged me to Karaoke .  Had a fabulous time there I was up dancing and singing.  Thank goodness we turned our clocks back an hour and it was still almost 2 I knew I needed to go to bed as today we are in Santa Marta and get ready Bill signed us up for this excursion.  SALSA DANCING.  I thought we would watch a demonstration no we are going to learn to Salsa dance.  Oh this will be a hoot.  hopefully someone I know will be able to take pictures!

Well as you can see we had a full day and I slept so well.

I will report on our Salsa dancing and let you know if we are still moving!   Between Bill and I we have 5 left feet!

Happy Thoughts!