The canoes had a motor on the back but would occasionally bump aground in the shallows and need to b

Besides being a unique ship for the cultural and educational opportunities it affords, the m.v. EXPLORER is also one of the fastest ships in the world.  After speeding mara lake british columbia accommodations through the night, we came in on the high tide at 4:00am. Costa Rica is fast becoming a popular tourist destination. mara lake british columbia accommodations On the entire voyage this was the only day we encountered any kind of congestion on the ship, as everyone mara lake british columbia accommodations was scrambling to get off for their tours at the same time. The month of May is the start of the rainy season mara lake british columbia accommodations in Central America, and nearly on cue the weather mara lake british columbia accommodations turned on us here, although it never rained heavily. We selected a tour inland to the capital city of San Jose, with visits to the spectacular National Theater and the excellent National Museum. From there it was on to the city of Grecia with a huge church made of metal, constructed not unlike a ship.
For me, the highlight was the mountain town of Sarchi, famous for craftsmen who make brightly painted ox carts. Their work is quite extraordinary. The drive back took us along a portion of the Pan American Highway, which with a few breaks, runs from Fairbanks, Alaska all the way to the tip of South America. Back aboard ship, the weather cooperated to produce one of the most amazing sites the eye can behold. A complete rainbow formed off the portside while to starboard the setting sun put on a heavenly show.
Although Cinco De Mayo is not celebrated in Costa Rica, it was that day, so naturally the ship put on an extravagant Mexican buffet dinner poolside. With the ship remaining overnight in port, it was movie night in the Main Lounge. Tonight, the film "The King's Speech" was screened. One really thoughtful feature onboard is providing free popcorn along with the movies.
Puntarenas is definitely down in the tropics mara lake british columbia accommodations at Latitude 9 degrees, 58.23 minutes North and Longitude 84 degrees, 49.82 minutes mara lake british columbia accommodations West. It was a hot morning. mara lake british columbia accommodations The last cruise ship traffic is still migrating mara lake british columbia accommodations toward Alaska for the summer, and this morning the massive 71,545 gross ton CELEBRITY CENTURY was docked directly across the pier from the relatively diminutive EXPLORER.
By now we have set a morning routine of early to rise, followed by a buffet breakfast in the Garden Lounge before trooping ashore for another tour. Today would be a break from historical sightseeing in favor of a journey by outrigger canoe along the coastline to a beautiful Pacific beach. Little did I know how hard I would have to work. Along the way we passed Puerto de Caldera mara lake british columbia accommodations where a Holland mara lake british columbia accommodations America Line ship was berthed, before crossing the Tarcoles mara lake british columbia accommodations River, with its crocodiles. mara lake british columbia accommodations Walking to the beach, mara lake british columbia accommodations the trees were filled with wild Scarlet Macaws. I have experience with rowing in the open ocean, but I wasn't prepared for the effort that goes into moving a heavy outrigger loaded with eight people. After an hour we arrived at a beach with good waves for body surfing and a calmer area for snorkeling. Fresh watermelon and pineapple mara lake british columbia accommodations was a treat, when not in the water.
On the walk back to the canoes, I was able to spend some more time with Sir Christopher Ball, who has been on many of the same excursions with us. In my day to day life, I don't get much opportunity to ask anyone what it is like to be knighted by the Queen, so this was my chance. He explained mara lake british columbia accommodations it in detail including the part where following the sword over the shoulders bit, he was told "Arise Sir Christopher" at which point the recipient of the knighthood backs away from Her Majesty, so as not to turn their back to her. Even more interesting, he related a story from when he was six years old and was to present flowers to Queen Mary at the start of her tour of the academy where his Father was. She ended up taking his hand and walking with him the rest of the day. With my great interest in the ocean liner QUEEN MARY, it was amazing to speak with someone who not only met the real Queen Mary, but got to hang out with her. Great stories like this are the kind that can be found on a Semester At Sea Enrichment Voyage. On the paddle back  thunder rolled over the jungle and the sea, but the rain held off until the minute we got back. Back at Puntarenas there was time for a short walk around before the 6:15pm sailing time. Night after night we have been treated to spectacular sunsets and this evening was no exception, although partially blocked by the bulk of the CELEBRITY CENTURY. The EXPLORER whistled a farewell salute and turned into the darkening night headed mara lake british columbia accommodations toward Panama.
After five straight days ashore, it was wonderful to have a sea day to simply relax. Now in no hurry, the ship cruised along at 15.5 knots, through calm seas, with a long, slow roll over the swells. The passenger complement changed a bit with the addition of 38 students from the Tourism Management Program at Humber mara lake british columbia accommodations College in Toronto, joining the ship in Costa Rica. Previously, the average age among the 447 passengers mara lake british columbia accommodations was 61 years. The youngest guest onboard was 10 years old, with the eldest being 94. Nearly all were in great shape, both physically and mentally, which I believe can be attributed to their universal desire for continued learning and adventure. A more congenial group has rarely been assembled mara lake british columbia accommodations on land or sea. There was always a friendly smile, a quick hello, or frequently, more extended conversations. mara lake british columbia accommodations Whether passengers, staff or crew, it was a great group of people to sail with. The weather which had already been hot, turned mara lake british columbia accommodations steamy and tomorrow would be on of the high points mara lake british columbia accommodations of this voyage.
Our South to North passage, would take us from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea. After a brief wait in the Bay of Panama, the EXPLORER was on the move, passing the unusual Frank Gehry designed Museum of Biodiversity mara lake british columbia accommodations situated mara lake british columbia accommodations on the Amador causeway. The enormous arch of the Bridge Of The Americas marks the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal and less than an hour later, the first locks at Miraflores. mara lake british columbia accommodations This would be a great day for the transit as the slightly overcast weather kept the day from being too stifling hot.
The Panama mara lake british columbia accommodations Canal expansion project is slated for completion in 2014, in time for the original Canal's 100 th anniversary. Quite a bit of the work on the $5.25 billion effort was visible from the ship's port side, looking west. Dozens of dredges were busy deepening existing channels. A local expert on the Canal had been brought aboard to provide a running commentary on the sights along the way. At Gamboa, the TITAN floating crane, once the largest in the world, still maintains an awesome presence.
Constructed in Nazi Germany, this crane was claimed as a war prize by the United States and brought to Long Beach, California where it remained for 50 years before making mara lake british columbia accommodations the trip to Panama in 1999. As a child growing mara lake british columbia accommodations up, we always referred to it as "Herman The German" and few knew the real name. A Mother's Day brunch was being served in the dining rooms as it was the day set aside to honor Mom. Each of the ladies received a red rose, and some like my own Mother, were lucky enough to have their son or daughter onboard with them. There was quite a lot of container ship traffic in the Canal today, but the EXPLORER was the only passenger vessel. After crossing Gatun Lake formed by the Gatun Dam across the mighty Chagres mara lake british columbia accommodations River our ship lined up for the final series of three locks that would take us back down to sea level. Being a smaller ship, we shared our lock with a private yacht, just as we had done earlier mara lake british columbia accommodations at the Miraflores Locks.
Directly ahead of us was the American President Lines containership APL TURQUOISE, mara lake british columbia accommodations and in the adjacent lane to our portside was the 50,500 deadweight ton JPO VULPECULA. Both Panamax vessels completely filled the width of their respective locks. In many ways the Gatun Locks are the most interesting part of a Panama Canal transit. For us it marked the end of a long, fascinating day, as well as the halfway point of this Central America journey on the EXPLORER. Now that we were through the Canal it looked like we were headed out to sea. But in a short while, the ship made a big U-turn passing the myriad of ships riding at anchor and entered the Port Of Colon. The EXPLORER docked at the Colon 2000, Cruise Terminal mara lake british columbia accommodations and remained overnight. Few passengers went ashore, mara lake british columbia accommodations as it was a surprise we were even in port, and Colon is not the safest or most inviting city for an evening stroll.
While many cruise lines make trips through the Panama Canal, Semester At Sea is one of the few that allow for exploration of the country in depth. Six different "Field mara lake british columbia accommodations Programs" had been arranged to cover every area of interest. It should be pointed out that in addition to normal excursions, these Enrichment Voyages frequently feature "Service Visits" where participants can give back to the local community by helping with projects or donating items; in this case to the SOS Children's Village in Colon. For a time it didn't look like anyone would be going anywhere as the tour departures mara lake british columbia accommodations were delayed by a general strike in Panama, but within a couple hours it was resolved. In a driving rain, we boarded a bus to drive us through the outlying towns to the banks of the Chagres River. There we would board dugout canoes for a trip upriver to the Tusipono Embera Indian Village. Just getting mara lake british columbia accommodations to the canoes was a challenge as the mud caked to our shoes, refusing to be shaken off. I had read how difficult the digging of the Panama Canal had been with mud clinging to each shovel full, and now we were getting a graphic lesson in history.
The canoes had a motor on the back but would occasionally bump aground in the shallows and need to be poled. The deeper we ventured into the Chagres National Park, the wilder the scenery became. Arriving at our destination, mara lake british columbia accommodations we were welcomed by the Embera women collecting our life jackets mara lake british columbia accommodations and six men playing native instruments in a band. Small children played on a makeshift slide. Tour participants gathered under a large thatched roof to learn about the Embera culture, experience traditional