Cruising up the Mexican coast to San Diego

Southern Mexico is famous for mangoes and chocolate, which surely must spell 'Heaven' in anyone's language. Our first stopover on Mexican soil  was Puerto Chiapas, where we took a shuttle through to Tapachula. Bad move!! We arrived on the day they paid homage to the dead (their version of Halloween), so we encountered a seething mass of people offering favourite foods (and tequila) to their ancestors.

Interestingly Southern Mexico is busy coping with immigrants wishing to escape Honduras and El Salvador. And America is busy coping with immigrants fleeing Mexico.

Iconic Mexican destinations such as Acapulco are now out of favour with cruise ship companies. Rampant drug trafficking is threatening the safety of visitors, so we were lucky to experience the cute little beach paradise of Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip of Baja Peninsula. Cabo was badly hit by a hurricane a couple of years ago and has undergone a serious rebuild. From the sea it looked like a sprawling legoland with its myriad of timeshares and condos lining the waterfront.

Certainly is a pretty little party town built around fishing, scuba diving and tourism. Seemed really laid back. At 34 degrees C if you didn't want to buy anything, no one was going to give up their shade to chase you..

San  Diego greeted us with the weirdest sea fog which lasted most of the morning.  We have been chilling for the last three days in an AirBnB close to the beach at the north of the city. Not bothering with a sightseeing frenzy at this stage, but have enjoyed the old town, Coronado, USS Midway and Balboa Park.

Time to pack our bags now. May be a good time to leave the States rather than get caught up in the outfall from their election results.

Costa Rica to Guatemala

After emerging from the Panama Canal we had another day at sea before our next port of call at Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica. There we opted to get off the beaten track and head for the rainforest and the croc-laden Tarcoles River. Costa Rica's economy paid dearly when they cleared the rainforest for a failed beef industry. Imported grasses wouldn't grow and even now some cattle appeared to be in self-destruction mode. A small herd was grazing on the riverbank and close to a 70 year old grand-daddy, 5m crocodile. He opened one eye in delight that his hamburger dinner had arrived!!

Can't believe the depth of green in the rainforest. We skimmed the treetops in a sky train, so quiet we could hear the bird calls. In our efforts to find a macaw we found a toucan instead.

We left Costa Rica saddened by the struggling existence of the people and the lack of care for the environment. Nicaragua painted an even more desperate picture. Many of the houses in the port of Corinto were in a sorry state. The children were starting early in a career of begging. All a matter of survival.

Here is a shot of contrasts......

The streets were clogged with bicycles and 'doubling' remains a national art. There appeared to be an unspoken contest of how many can fit on a bike. We saw three but rumour has it the record is six!

How come the women seem to brave the heat and dust selling their produce, while the men relax in the shade chatting, smoking or sleeping??

On to Guatemala and we were keen to see a coffee estate, the city of Antigua, and jade carving. On the way to all these sites one of Guatamala's volcanoes erupted and provided quite a spectacle. Antigua became our favourite spot, not just for its architecture and  cobbled streets, but also for the colour in their textiles and housing.

Again there were signs that it wasn't the safest environment.....

Guatamala not only suffers from street crime, but corruption by government officials is well-known. Our interpreter called them 'gangs with ties'. Sadly again, many people live below the breadline.

Next stop,....Mexico, on the way to San Diego.

Through the Panama

By the time we reached Florida (interstate from Memphis) we hit 'travel overload', so decided to bunk down for an extra night at Fort Lauderdale instead of adding more miles by revisiting our favourite Key West. As it turned out our spare day saw us dodging regular tropical downpours, so it was a  good decision to keep out of the traffic chaos. Instead we lingered around the Fort Lauderdale coastline. This area is so low-lying that a combination of king tides and wind put parking lots, fixed piers and coastal walkways under water. Apparently coastal erosion is a problem, requiring regular imports of sand to prevent beaches disappearing!

Fort Lauderdale was where we jumped on the ship 'Veendam' for our cruise through the Panama Canal. It was refreshing to set sail and open our balcony door to the Caribbean Sea. Cruising for us is a means of seeing iconic areas of the world rather than getting caught up in the onboard trappings. While others dressed to kill and made polite conversation over gala dinners, we had poolside meals and sat in the spa on the rear deck watching the sky light up with distant electrical storms. We liked the cruising philosophy though!!

 Our first stop ashore was Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. Holland America actually owns the island therefore controls all onshore facilities. It was a beautiful little patch of paradise. We claimed a couple of deck chairs under a casuarina tree and relaxed and swam for most of the day. The  alternative was to rent a beachfront cabana for $300-$600. They were cute, but couldn't see the value in splashing out for a solid roof and an armchair.

After the Bahamas we cut through the gap between Cuba and Haiti on the way to Cartagena in Columbia. Generally the seas were so calm it felt like the ship was at dock. Cartagena is reputed to be a hot destination, both in temperature and crime. The heat definitely crawled all over us (understandable seeing Columbia straddles the equator and the wet season was still lingering). On the crime front a large police presence would have made any dodgy opportunist think twice. The old city was our focal point. Just loved the colourful buildings and were entertained by the tactics used by street hawkers to etch their living.

Without a doubt, going through the Panama Canal was the highlight of the cruise. I nudged Doug out of bed at silly o'clock even though we weren't due to reach the entrance at Cristobal until sunrise. There were about 20 ships waiting in the bay, but cruise ships seemed to have priority over cargo. To think that amazing maritime shortcut started with one man and a plan back in 1912. It is hard to imagine empty dining rooms on a cruise ship, but almost everyone was on deck to watch the 'mules' guide us through the first three locks.

Usually it is stinking hot through the captured environment of the Panama, but we had a cloud cover that prevented us from receiving a baking. Waiters were always on hand providing chilled facecloths and we were constantly reminded to slap on the deet to guard against Zeka. Thick lush jungle bordered the lock system and Gatus Lake. Unfortunately lots of shipping delays meant we saw only the lights of  Balboa on our way out into the Pacific Ocean.

A dream fulfilled!