San Diego, California to Ft Lauderdale, Florida via the Panama Canal
For our 23rd Wedding Anniversary we decided to take a Panama Canal Transit Cruise. We had always wanted to see the Panama Canal and this seemed like a good time to do it. Serendipitiously, we transited on our anniversary.
The cruise departed from San Diego, California, went down the west coast of Baja California, Mexico, Guatemala, San Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. There were port stops in Puerta Vallarta and Mismaloya, Mexico; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala and one in Costa Rica; however due to weather the Costa Rica port call was cancelled. We also had an evening port call in Panama and the next morning we transited the Panama Canal from the Pacific to the Carribean and proceeded to Cartagena, Columbia before heading to Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
The first days were spent in finding our way around the ship as we cruised down the coast of Baja, Mexico and rounded the tip of Baja to arrive in Puerto Vallarta. We did something very different from usual in Puerto Vallarta - we booked an excursion that was not sponsored by the cruise ship. It was with a local agency for a visit to an Iguana Conservancy and rafting down one of the rivers near Puerto Vallarta. It wasn't that we were unhappy with HAL shore excursions, but rather that this one sounded more interesting.
We flew into the San Diego airport on an early flight and then took a bus over to the port. Here we are on the bus ready to start our adventure!
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Here is our cabin. We splurged and got a room with a window.
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Our first pacific Sunset, taken from the Crow's Nest at the front and top of the ship.
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The famed arch at Baja del Sur - the tip of the baja peninsula.
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After meeting our Scottish guide, our first stop was the iguana conservancy. Here is our guide who was quite comfortable around the iguanas. He was a very interesting individual who had strong views on the British monarchy and self-governance of Scotland.
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Barry is getting acquainted with one of the residents.
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We found out they love the bright red flowers that grow near the conservancy and spent time feeding them.
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An iguana sneaks up on Lori. You had to be careful where you stepped as they were all over the place and they weren't at all shy!
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A group of iguanas hanging out in one of the large cages.
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After leaving the Iguana Conservancy, we drove a short distance to a park which provided access to the river. There our guide got help in unloading the raft. It turned out we were the only people taking this tour today so we got customized service!
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Barry and Lori in the raft. Most of the river was very rural with some wildlife. We also saw a group of women doing laundry on the edge of the river and one old man, completely nude, taking his bath. The river was mostly wide, slow and lazy. But we did hit one or two areas of mild rapids.
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Here are a couple of iguanas in the wild our guide pointed out.
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One of the things you are told when traveling to a foreign country is don't drink the water and ba careful of what you eat off the ship. So when we pulled over to the edge of the river and our charming guide offered us a snack of fresh fruits (which he peeled and cut with hands stright from river water) we had an awful dilemma. Are we impolite and decline or do we partake? We decided to eat some of the fruit - banana and mangoes. The mangoes, in particular, were perfectly ripe and tasted wonderful. Fortunately we didn't pick up any illnesses.
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We returned to the ship and relaxed in the Crows' Nest until dinner time. That evening the ship sailed a short distance down the coast to Mismaloya, the famed private resort of director John Huston and set location for the Richard Burton - Elizabeth Taylor movie "Night of the Iguana".
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We spent the next day at Mismaloya's private retreat. The ship anchored offshore and we tendered ashore. The beach area was very picturesque. We also enjoyed a delicious lunch ashore. And the weather was absolutely perfect!
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We took a bike ride around the island and saw this donkey resting in the shade of its mother.
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Barry went out to the rocks to get some pictures of the waves crashing on the shore.
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In a small tidal pool in the rocks, Barry got a picture of this crab.
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After tendering back to the ship, we weighed anchor and headed south. We had a day at sea, and then another port of call in Mexico; however, it was another tender port and the weather did not permit tendering. So we ended up having three days at sea before arriving in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. This is a small planned port area with restaurants and shopping and it allows access to the interior of the country. Barry and I decided to wander around the shopping and eat lunch and not take a long shore excursion inland.
Our favorite towel creature from this voyage. A towel elephant, which we kept for several days.
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Here is Lori walking through the marketplace at Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala.
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Barry enjoys his Diet Coke and burger at the shipside cafe in Puerto Quetzal.
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Lori asked the waiter for a suggestion on a local dish. He suggested a fish soup with a fresh coconut base. Here I am getting my soup. While the whole fish was a bit off-putting, the soup was absolutely delicious. Very subtle flavors brimming with different local seafood.
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We bought this bird for Barry's mom. We liked the little fish he had in his mouth!
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Here is a giraffe we bought for Kevin.
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The Statendam dockside in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala.
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After leaving Guatemala, we skipped another port in Costa Rica because of rough seas and weather and headed for Panama. So we had another few days at sea. We arrived near Panama City, Panama early in the morning on 4/22/2012.
Barry on the Sports Deck of the Statendam overlooking the pool area. We had beautiful weather for a majority of the cruise.
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While at sea, Barry had fun playing chess with another passenger. The chess pieces are huge!
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As we approached Panama, the morning was very foggy and we crept through the fog fairly slowly. What was surprising was the hundreds of ships of all types parked offshore waiting their slot to pass through the canal. The captain explained that companies could pay expedited fees to go to the head of the line (as the cruise companies do). Other ships may wait for days.
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There were lots of birds flying around all of the ships waiting to go into the canal.
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The Panama City, Panama skyline. It appears to be a very modern city. We arrived late in the day and had one evening in Panama City before transiting the canal.
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We went ashore and went through customs and looked around the area near the port. There was a small shopping center and a couple of restaurants. Some folks took tours into downtown Panama City to hit some of the night clubs and restaurants. We opted to go back to the ship and eat dinner on board.
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Here is the beautiful atrium in the Statendam.
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The morning of April 23, 2012 we lined up with the other ships to enter the canal.
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The entrance to the Panama Canal and the Bridge of the Americas. Everyone is out on the front of the ship eagerly waiting to enter the Panama Canal.
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As you approach the lock area, there is a ship yard which has many cranes to unload cargo containers. They are then put on trains and shipped across Panama. The containers are loaded on ships at the other end of the canal. With the congestion in the canal, this can be faster and cheaper. Transiting carries a hefty price tag. Also it allows bigger ships than can transit the canal to drop their load and be picked up on the other side.
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Here we are waiting behind a car transport (blue and white ship) to enter the locks. Notice the inches of clearance between the wall of the lock and the car carrier.
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The gates for our lock are opening for our entry into the lock.
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Here is the car carrier after it has been raised in the lock. Notice the gates at the back end of the ship holding the water in the lock.
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The Statendam is entering the lock to be raised. There are three sets of locks used to raise the ship a total of 85 feet up to the elevation of Lake Gatun. At the other end of the transit, the ship is lowered. Each lock chamber is 110 ft wide by 1050 ft long. Until the new canals open this sets the maximum size of the ships that can go through the canal.
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Here is one of several "tugs' that pull the ship into the lock. They are actually trains that hook onto the ships and pull it forward into the lock chamber. They are called mules. There are multiple tugs per side. Also visible is the clearance between the Statendam and the lock chamber. Looks like about 3 feet! Yikes!
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A view of the train carrying cargo from one side of Panama to the other.
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Here we are cruising around Lake Gatun. There are lots of small islands and it is quite beautiful. After staying on deck while we passed through the first three locks raising the ship to the level of Lake Gatun, we went to lunch and then back to our room for a nap. We watched the movie "Titanic" on our room TV on a DVD we had brought. It was near the 100th anniversary of the sinking (15 April 1912). We kept an eye out of our window on our progress at the other end of the canal. After leaving the canal we headed for Cartagena.
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It was formal night and our anniversary so we dressed up for the occasion and had reservations in the Pinnacle Grill. It was our first dining experience in the Pinnacle which is a top notch steak house. You pay a small additional fee but it is great for a special occasion.
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A view of Cartagena from aboard the Statendam. This was our last port of call before Ft Lauderdale. We had a shore excursion planned in Cartagena and were looking forward to seeing the city.
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Shipping containers stacked at the huge facility in the Port of Cartagena.
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Our first stop in the tour of Cartagena is Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, a very dominating fortress built on the Hill of San Lorenzo. Construction started in 1536 with significant expansion in 1657. It is in a triangular shape with eight batteries and had a garrison of 200 soldiers and 4 gunners.
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One of the cannons guarding Castillo San Felipe de Barajas.
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Barry and Lori in front of one of the sentry towers at Castillo San Felipe de Barajas.
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A view of the thick walls of the fortress Castillo San Felipe de Barajas.
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A view of metropolitan Cartagena from Castillo San Felipe de Barajas.
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A very picturesque house in the El Centro "old town" district of Cartagena. There seemed to be a competition among the residents for the most luscious flowers and colors decorating the houses.
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Dome of the Cartagena Cathedral officially called the Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of Saint Catherine of Alexandria.
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The altarpiece from the Cartagena Cathedral. Construction started in 1575.
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After visiting the Castillo and old town, Barry and I were tired and hungry (since it was past lunchtime). So when our group next stopped for an hour of shopping, we looked across the street from where the bus was parked and saw a sidewalk cafe. We asked the driver if we could skip the shopping and go eat lunch. He agreed. Here is Barry sitting at one of the tables waiting for lunch. The waiter spoke no English and my 8th grade Spanish was very rusty but we got a great lunch of a local beef soup with bread and Diet Coke. When we went to pay is was about $12.00. We only had a $20 bill and he couldn't make change but we were happy to give it all to him. It was an excellent meal and very romantic.
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After lunch we rejoined our tour and went back to the ship. As we were exiting the mouth of the deepwater harbor we passed Fort San Fernando de Boca Chica. This was a fortress that protected the city from sea attacks. After the original castle was destroyed in 1741, Fort San Fernando was built on top of the ruins.
