Panama
LEVEL OF SERVICE: The onboard staff are really quite amazing. A couple of nights ago two of us (at a table of six) ordered the lamb curry. When the entrees arrived the waiter (who happened to be from India) gave us our curry and then set a second entree (a grilled shrimp) by each of our plates. "In case you don't like the curry", he commented. Of course, he was correct in that the curry was not up to the usual ship standards.
The next morning I decided to do my walking laps around the track despite the fact that it was raining. As I walked it rained harder and harder and eventually I was the only person on the track. Suddenly a steward appeared along side me and told me that he was leaving a towel in a sheltered spot so that I wouldn't get a chill when I finished.
The rain continued all day so it was impossible to spend any time on the outside decks. By mid-afternoon I was sufficiently bored to attend a class in napkin folding.
Twice we have received messages from management warning us that there were unauthorized Brazilian jewelry salesmen on board. Tuesday night at dinner one of our fellow tablemates introduced himself as : "I am Angelo and I am one of those salesmen from Rio about whom you have been warned." He said nothing further and the conversation turned to the usual drivel. Eventually I asked him about his business. He explained that he was travelling on the cruise in order to meed people and invite them to visit the shop in Rio. His store must handle pretty expensive gems if they can afford to send him off on a cruise only to tell people that he has a shop. Apparently the brands of my watch and my golf shirt sufficiently discouraged him from a personal invitation to shop while in Rio.
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PANAMA-MARCH 17: We anchored in Panama Bay and tendered to the outskirts of Panama City from where we took a tour bus to the Gamboa Rain Forest. There we took an aerial tram through part of the jungle. Although we didn't see many animals the flora was quite spectacular.
PANAMA-MARCH 18: Most of the day was spent going through the Panama Canal. The canal was
cut through 80 kms of jungle and mountains at a time when Korea didn't turn out gial excavators. One can only imagine the 1000's of French workers who died of malaria and yellow fever before France gave up construction and turned it over to the Americans. We enjoyed watching huge container ships being pulled through the locks by small trains--inches to spare on each side of the ships.
MARCH 19: Betty has been quite ill again with stomach and unmentionable related problems. Today she is feeling quite herself after getting some kind of medication from some Californians who were at our table last night. I had been having nightmares about putting in some Columbian hospital.
In a couple of hours we will sail into Cartegena, Columbia. We hope to take a taxi into town to look around.
LEVEL OF SERVICE: The onboard staff are really quite amazing. A couple of nights ago two of us (at a table of six) ordered the lamb curry. When the entrees arrived the waiter (who happened to be from India) gave us our curry and then set a second entree (a grilled shrimp) by each of our plates. "In case you don't like the curry", he commented. Of course, he was correct in that the curry was not up to the usual ship standards.
The next morning I decided to do my walking laps around the track despite the fact that it was raining. As I walked it rained harder and harder and eventually I was the only person on the track. Suddenly a steward appeared along side me and told me that he was leaving a towel in a sheltered spot so that I wouldn't get a chill when I finished.
The rain continued all day so it was impossible to spend any time on the outside decks. By mid-afternoon I was sufficiently bored to attend a class in napkin folding.
Twice we have received messages from management warning us that there were unauthorized Brazilian jewelry salesmen on board. Tuesday night at dinner one of our fellow tablemates introduced himself as : "I am Angelo and I am one of those salesmen from Rio about whom you have been warned." He said nothing further and the conversation turned to the usual drivel. Eventually I asked him about his business. He explained that he was travelling on the cruise in order to meed people and invite them to visit the shop in Rio. His store must handle pretty expensive gems if they can afford to send him off on a cruise only to tell people that he has a shop. Apparently the brands of my watch and my golf shirt sufficiently discouraged him from a personal invitation to shop while in Rio.
.jpg)
PANAMA-MARCH 17: We anchored in Panama Bay and tendered to the outskirts of Panama City from where we took a tour bus to the Gamboa Rain Forest. There we took an aerial tram through part of the jungle. Although we didn't see many animals the flora was quite spectacular.
PANAMA-MARCH 18: Most of the day was spent going through the Panama Canal. The canal was
cut through 80 kms of jungle and mountains at a time when Korea didn't turn out gial excavators. One can only imagine the 1000's of French workers who died of malaria and yellow fever before France gave up construction and turned it over to the Americans. We enjoyed watching huge container ships being pulled through the locks by small trains--inches to spare on each side of the ships.MARCH 19: Betty has been quite ill again with stomach and unmentionable related problems. Today she is feeling quite herself after getting some kind of medication from some Californians who were at our table last night. I had been having nightmares about putting in some Columbian hospital.
In a couple of hours we will sail into Cartegena, Columbia. We hope to take a taxi into town to look around.
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