Feb 08/12: Antarctic & Atlantic Oceans (2)

Feb 08/12: Antarctic & Atlantic Oceans (2)

 

Dad got up early at 7.30 and did the "Breast Cancer Run" on board at 8.45. He went 5K, while I lazed around in bed! (I was tired from doing laundry last night until after 2AM)  He was upset that I didn't get up to memorialize his walk on camera. At 11 am Dad and the others in our group got together to strategize their boat building - my contribution was to bring them several lengths of cord that I scavenged as the chairs on deck were finally being untied (they had been lashed up due to the rough seas we have had these last few days)  - they will be well used again now that we are in calmer and warmer territory. Am looking forward to lounging on them and doing some reading as i am way behind. There is just so much to do on board, that I seem to have very little time, contrary to what I expected! I am still trying to catch up on organizing all the photos we have taken!

 

As usual, Dad had been busy these past 2 days working on the daily trivia quizzes, playing group trivia, and generally hanging out in the library reading up on stuff. He even took in some Tech lessons about using his camera and working with his pictures on the computer. Unfortunately, his computer at home does not have Win7, so he will have to use mine, and as I tend to be on mine most of the time, he is already complaining that he doesn't see how he will get a chance to do anything! For now I am dumping all our pictures onto an external drive which I brought specifically for that purpose.

 

Anyway, after his walk Dad was tired, so he came back to the cabin for a snooze. I never did get to breakfast today, so I knutched around a bit and then went up to the dining room for lunch. Dad slept though lunch, and when I came back he decided to go up and get something from the Lido - a hamburger or so forth. I left to go to a "lifestyle" session on restorative stretching. After that I did the partner "Animal Toss" (stuffed only!), but could not find Philip so had to take on another partner who beat me, so no 'Grand$' s for me. Then Dad went to the talk on Montevideo, while I went back up to the dining room for the Afternoon Tea Extravaganza. Like I needed to eat more, but  everything was  soooo good. I am going to have to start walking around the deck now that the weather is warmer - or else I will really be in trouble. Running up and down the stairs just isn't enough! After tea I went to a tech seminar on making movies. As usual I learned a lot. Will have to try applying some of it to the videos and pics we have taken - when I have time!

 

Redeemed our ' Grand$' for some of the goodies- an adapter, a tiny thin nylon daypack, and a little maglite. Have none left now, so will have to start collecting more - BTW, these are '$' like monopoly money which you get when you participate in activities on board (and win, although occasionally you get them just for participating). Then it time to go back to the 'IT' room for 'texpert time' when I try to work on our photos and can have help from Will, the 'texpert'  on board from Microsoft. Dad had another snooze. Came back and got ready to join in on the pre-dinner group for appetizer (warm flatbread with balsamic strawberries, basil & melted Mozzarella) & a glass of 'Conchay Toro Sparking Wine' from Chile. This only occurs on sea days & costs $4, but i think it was worth it. Amazingly, everyone there today was a Canadian!!!! Had fun talking about Canadian wines, ice wine, and wines from the Okanagan Valley . BTW - Omi- I have met at least 3 people from Kelowna, but they live in the 'city', not on your side, but they knew Lakeview Heights.

 

Anyway, then it was time for supper... more eating. Afterwards, Dad & I went up on deck to watch the sunset, but it was not very good as things have clouded over again. I came back to our cabin and here I am, writing to you all. I have no idea where Dad is now, or what he doing, could be at the movies, the show, in the library but he must be having a good time as he's not here! Otherwise, no further news for today. I intend to download our pictures from Pt. Stanley, have some more tea, and get organized for Buenos Aires tomorrow as we both have excursions in the morning. Dad is going on a sightseeing bus tour of the city and I am taking a bus out to the pampas to an 'estancia' to see gauchos and have a typical 'asado'. (Argentinean bbq)  which will take all day as it's 8 hours long. Will give you highlights tomorrow.

 

Carl & Amanda - Hope Moustache is behaving better. I think he may be  doing that because he is bored- at home there is always someone to play with him, so he doesn't need to get his attention by doing disgusting things like that. maybe if you walk him a whole  lot, play until he is tired, and  give him enough baths ( which he hates )  he will not feel like doing it &  get the message. Of course,  reducing the number of and putting the litter boxes somewhere where only the cats can get at them would really be the best way to solve the problem. Good luck !!!

 

Hope you are  all having a good time in Cuba , Paul & Sabrina.

 

Miss you all, especially Carl's daily calls.  

 

Love, Mom & Dad.

Feb 07/12: Antarctic & Atlantic Oceans (1)

Feb 07/12: Antarctic & Atlantic Oceans (1)

 

Hi from the Antarctic & Atlantic  Oceans,

 

We have 2 sea days on the 7/8th while we make our way from Pt. Stanley to Buenos Aires. Weather has been high winds, large waves on the 7th, but has improved today (8th) and the weather is a lot warmer now. The water temp has warmed up to 16C and the temp outside is 19C, as of 9PM.  Still having high winds (sea state 4), and the combo of winds, waves & current is pushing the ship so that we have been making  close to or over the rated speed of 20 Kn. Since we lost several hours at Pt. Stanley on the 6th due to the waves / wind and not being able to get people back from shore as the tenders had to be cancelled for several hours due to safety concerns, this is helping us make up for lost time.

 

Have not seen much in the way of sea birds and no marine life these past 2 days, so no excitement in that department.

 

Another day at sea. Weather continues to be overcast, windy , with rough seas. Again going outside was discouraged and signs were up on the doors telling people the deck was 'off limits' due to safety concerns about the strong winds and wet decks and we were only to go outside in case of emergency. I could not even push open the doors, using my entire body,  the winds were so strong! I would certainly be blown all over if I tried to walk around on deck! So everyone stayed inside. We are trying to make up for lost time from Pt. Stanley, and it seems to be working. Phil and I are having a great time sitting in our cabin and watching the wave action through our window. Every once in a while they will really hit the boat and you actually hear it and feel the boat  pause for a fraction of a second - similar to when you are driving a car in gusts of wind. We are all walking around like drunken sailors, but amazingly few people seem to be suffering from seasickness. Dad & I are fine.

 

The big news today is that Dad won the Daily Quiz with a perfect score of 20/20. We have settled into a 'sea routine'. Sleep in a little later (than 5 AM!!!) then up for a leisurely breakfast, Dad does his trivia and reads the daily newspapers they have on board, I generally go to some sort of 'Wellbeing or Tech' seminar. Today I did the partner massage workshop (neck & shoulder massage only) but Dad refused to come along, so I had to partner up with someone else. Bah! Then it was on the French Buffet for lunch. It was fabulous, the best buffet yet. (they only have them on some sea days - I think it is their way of keeping us occupied - eating!). They had made to order fillet mignon steaks, veggies, scalloped potatoes, all kinds of breads, and then desserts.... desserts....desserts. I had a large dinner plate of several different desserts, all delicious, and then went back for seconds of the ones I really liked! I overate - boys you know me! But it was worth it.

 

After that Dad went to the Antarctica Forum and I went to some seminars about healthy eating & healthy diet - figured I needed it after lunch! Had a big sugar crash so went to sleep afterwards and could not even wake up to go to 'texpert' classes, so just got up for... you guessed it... supper! More eating ! It was formal night, so they had lobster on the menu - how could I resist????? Even Dad had lobster. Mmmmm.

 

Changed out of our 'dress clothes' and I went to the theatre to watch 'Dolphin Tale' while Dad went to play trivia and hang out in the library. Then decided to do laundry as our hamper was overflowing. The washers take forever to fill with water, AND the driers are the slowest... so it took me until after 2 AM to get all our loads done. At one time I had 3 washers and 3 driers going between the 6th and 10th floors (we are on the 5th floor BTW). I worked off my excessive eating by spending my time running up and down between the floors all night. Things are hanging up all over the cabin, from every place you can imagine - I even have bras drying on my bedside light while Dad has socks on his. Of course, the bathroom is loaded, there are hangers over all the doors, and have even hung stuff off the lights in the ceiling, along the desk, off the bookcase and even the picture frames. You can just imagine when our room looks like. It will take the next 2 days for everything to dry, so hopefully by the time we get to Buenos Aeries we can put most of it away.

 

Anyway, Dad worked on his Sudokus then went to bed and I did some reading before finally turning off the light. Dad has to get up early tomorrow to do the run for Breast Cancer, so have to get some sleep. I am not doing it so will not be getting up- intend to sleep in. I'm tired!

 

Hope all is well at home, and  you are all fine.

Feb 06/12: Pt. Stanley & Penguins!

Feb 06/12: Pt. Stanley & Penguins!

So have been at sea for several days since we could not get into Ushuia. Every day has been overcast, drizzly,  with snow or hail or a combo of all of them. Winds have been picking up and been pretty steady. It is difficult to get outdoors as wind pushes the door closed and you have to be careful not to get squished when it slams shut. Then getting it back open is another matter. Anyway, despite that have still seen many icebergs along the way, some fur seals, dolphins, and a variety of birds.

 

Today we arrived in Pt. Stanley, and the winds & waves are still very high, but it has been decided that we will try to get the tenders out and get across to land so we can do our shore excursions. It is about 20 -25 minutes by tender to get there.

 

Phil's excursion left very early, at 7am. He is going to Bluff Cove where there is a colony of Gentoo Penguins and also s few king penguins and visiting Magellans. His tour takes about 3 hours, so the plan is for him to to be back on board for lunch. He plans to walk around the town a bit before returning. I am going to see the Rockhopper penguins, on a 4 hour tour, and only leave at 8.30.

 

So, this is what really happened.....

 

Everything was delayed due to the high winds and rough seas. They had trouble lowering the tenders, and at one point there was a rumour that we would not be able to go ashore at all. But then the first set of tenders went out. Phil said it was a wild ride, as I found out when I went. the tender bounced around like a piece of popcorn - water splashed up the sides, and over the roof, leaking in everywhere. I had to put on my raincoat - inside the tender! They could have sold this as a thrill ride - it was like a roller coaster only wilder. We docked successfully, but the tender after us was the last one, and then they all stopped for several hours. There was some concern that we might end up on the island overnight if the tenders could not come back to pick us all up - which apparently has happened once before! As it turned out, we had a delay of about 3 hours but we did manage to get back on board the ship. Whew! Of course, now we are delayed at the other end, so the captain has to go full speed or more with the wind & waves pushing the boat, and even then we are expecting a delay of about 2 1/2 hours arriving to Buenos Aeries.

 

Dad had a great time. He rode in a 4x4 jeep with 3 other people over rough terrain & got all shaken up. His driver seemed to go out of his way to pick the longest and most challenging route to get them there and back. At the cove, he saw 3 pairs of King penguins. They were very beautiful but just stood there with the fluffy babies on their feet, so they were not very exciting at all. The Gentoos ran around, acting like Dad had expected a penguin to be. There was a little cafe called the 'Sea Cabbage Cafe' and they had free cookies and hot drinks and a very nice toilet next to the museum, which was just a tiny one room affair. (Dad says to tell you he didn't have anything!) It was windy and even hailed and rained, and the waves on the beach were crashing down in huge rollers. Dad was very  impressed that the little penguins could survive in these harsh conditions, and that they braved the waves like little soldiers. Penguins are Dad's new heroes.

 

Back at the pier, Dad went to the local hardware / lumber store and got some scrap wood that will be used to build the boat they are working on for the contest on the ship.  Dad got back to the pier just in time to catch the 2nd to last tender back to the ship before they stopped. My tour was later coming back, so when I got back there were no tenders running and we were told to just grab some food from the local pub and take a walk around town, go to the shops etc. for about 2 hours. But that comes later.... When Dad got back on board, he had lunch and then had a rest.

 

My trip was fabulous also. First we had a ride in a 12 person bus, then we arrived at a private farm at which we switched to 4x4 jeeps (4 people each) to ride over the terrain for about 30 minutes. We arrived at the top of the cliffs and there were the Rockhoppers. They are crazy!!! They are very busy, and they are thieves! The young penguins were there all alone as the parents had gone off to fish. They were practicing nest building very earnestly - but when one's back was turned, another would sneak up and boldly snitch a rock or twig from the nest and then run off and put it on theirs. They did this over and over. They really hop, too! It was very windy up there on the cliff, and then it started to rain and hail. It hailed twice!!! I spent the entire time outside, for 2 hours. There was also a spot lower down the cliff where there was a shallow pool of water and they would hop down the cliff to that spot and then frolic in the water. This is how they learned to swim. Then some would stand on the edge of the cliff and look down into the sea as if to say "Should I jump or not?". I watched one stand there for a long time, and in the end he turned around. I did not see any jump off while i was there. I would attach a video, but it is too large, so you will have to wait until we get back. It is very funny.

 

We had a little shack up there that had hot drinks and cookies, and a porta- potties, but I never went in. On the way back we stopped several times to look at the interesting rock formations and plants. There are no trees on the island, but there are a few small bushes that resemble blueberries. The plant is called the 'Diddle Dee' and they make jam out of the red berries (which are very sour). One of the most interesting things were the peat bogs all over, and there were sections, mostly rounded in shape called peat hollows, where the peat had been blown or washed away and you could see the clay soil and rocks underneath. apparently these are usually filled with water, but it has been dry out and they have dried up.  There were also lots of rock formations, mountain outcrops,  one of the most interesting were long rows of rock called rock runs, which are believed to be left behind from glaciers. From a distance, they almost seemed to be patterned and you had to wonder why..... alien writing perhaps??? You could see lots of grass, called white grass, but apparently it is not very nutritious, so it takes a lot more  land to raise the sheep there.

 

The tenders had been suspended when 'my jeep' got back to the pier to drop off the 4 of us, so I  walked around taking pictures of the town.  I also bought some 'Diidle-Dee' jam, so you will be able to taste it when we get back and you come over one Sunday. When the tenders resumed, about 2 1/2 hours later, it was not as wild a ride back because we weren't heading into the waves, but it was still rough out and there was splashing. Got back on board between 4 & 4:30, so just had time to clean up for supper at 5:30. Not much doing that night. Lots of waves & windy. We were delayed 3 hours and are trying to make up time as much as possible, but we do expect to be delayed arriving now.

 

That's it for now... more tomorrow.

 

Sleep tight.

Love Mom & Dad

Feb 02/12: Cruising Antartica

Feb 02/12: Cruising Antartica

 

Today is a sea day as we cruise the waters of Antarctica. The weather continues to be overcast, with on off sleet-snow and gale force winds. I had to get up at 5:30 AM- yes, mom got up really early! Dad stayed in bed, but did getup a little later- for breakfast! I skipped it as I was outside, freezing myself, and every time I thought I might come in, something else would appear. At that time the ship was going through Dallmonn Bay, Schollart Channel, and passing Cuverville island- where there is a penguin colony. Managed to see some of these, but then the fog rolled in heavy and thick and we never did get to see Cuverville Island  as a result. So we are just cruising and hoping the weather will give us a break. it is cold and very windy out. With the wind chill it is below Celsius and the  wind blows icy pellets right in your face.

 

Saw our first iceberg and ' berg-bits'. Some birds braved the weather and took pics of those. Saw 2 whales spouting, and a flipper but could not get the shots - by the time you click the camera they are gone.  I have attached some of the pics I got. I'd stay out for around 40-50 minutes, depending, then come in for 2 minutes or so just to warm up my fingers. Also had to wipe off the camera as it got rained  etc. upon, and to change lenses from time to time- indoors. Hopefully the weather will get better. Gave up because could see nothing at all anymore, and even the birds vanished around 11, and then ordered in some breakfast to the room- orange juice, an omelet and French toast.

 

Weather continued to get worse.  Wind picked up to gale force & greater, and it snowed steadily for quite a while- it even 'piled up' on deck - someone braved the weather and went out an built a mini snowman.

 

After breakfast, I decided to spend time looking out the window, but I got tired and so went to the cabin for a snooze because you really could not see anything. Woke up around 3 and Dad had had lunch, but did not go to the Greek buffet. I missed lunch, because at 1.30 we were passing by the Lemaire channel, Paradise Harbour and cruising the Bismark Strait, and I was trying to get pictures through the fog , snow and wind. Not much luck there. Then it was too late to get lunch  so just ate some fruit in the cabin, then got dressed again and went outside some more. There was a short reprieve of about 20 minutes where the fog backed off just in time for some more land to reveal itself very close to the ship.

 

Then it was time for the ' penguin plunge' at 4 .00. We will get a certificate and 5 "ship dollars' . Dad had already been up there 10 minutes when I joined him in my bathing suit with cabin robe overtop. Dad had a towel but I had expected to find some on deck- there were only blankets- so Dad ran back inside to get me one. During that time, they gathered everyone together out by the pool and took a group shot which Dad missed because they would not wait. Then it was a mad scramble into the pool. We had been told that the pool would be heated, but it wasn't !!! Brrrrr!!!! Literally went in & out. Freezing  when you came out with the wind blowing and the snow/sleet coming down the whole time. I hopped into the hot tub to warm up, but Dad went straight into the cabin. After the hot tub, I went inside and had a sauna and steam room as I was still cold. Finally I was warm again. By then it was time to get ready for supper.

 

As usual, I was the last one, and late. Tonight I did not order any dessert- instead I had the fruit plate. I have to start eating less as both Dad and I are eating much more than we would at home. During supper some really big icebergs showed up, and the fog was just far enough away that we could see them. We had a huge debate at the table as to whether it was land or  an iceberg, it was so huge. Finally it was confirmed to be an iceberg, so that was our real first iceberg. It was dessert time, so I ran away to get the camera and my jacket to take some pictures. When I got outside there were a few more - it was unbelievable how huge they were. Some were as long, or even longer than the ship, as well as high.  ( see movie) .No wonder the Titanic went down if that was what she ran into!!!! When I got in , frozen again, everyone was finished dessert and their coffee/tea, so I had to rush.

 

I had a  chat & some  rum with one of our table mates , Caroline, in our cabin while she gave me a foot massage which I thought was extremely nice of her. Dad and her husband, Erwin, went up to their cabin and had some wine with their chat. Then everyone went back to their respective cabins and I got ready for the night- namely took off my clothes and slipped into my bathrobe so I could do emails. I happened to look out our window, and there were 2 whales, spouting, and then we saw one arch it's back, and a tail fin. Since I was already undressed I sent Dad out to get some pictures, but he doddled getting dressed  and by the time he got out there they were gone. However, others took their place and Dad saw them spouting. Again, could not get any pictures, the camera is just too slw and they are just too fast. But we will remember! Anyway, it is now 11.27 pm, and I have to get up at 5:30 am again tomorrow to get pics for when we get to Palmer Station & the Neumayer Channel at 6am. I guess I will skip my nightly tea. Dad fell asleep on the bed, so will join him. Will try to send another update tomorrow.

 

Take care, love you all,

Mom & Dad

11:57pm...

It's finally totally dark out. Could not connect to internet, so will send all emails tomorrow.

Can't believe I'm getting up at 5.30 tomorrow- again!

 

Sleep tight everyone.

 

Love Mom

Jan 25/12: Paul's B-Day and a day at Sea

(Editors Note: This post is out of order...)

 

Hi,

 

Well, I am so far behind I don't know if I will be able to catch up everything today, so I am going to work backwards from today- Jan 25th, and see how far I get. It will probably be shorter as a result. So here goes....

 

Jan 25/12: Paul's B-Day and a day at Sea

 

Happy birthday Paul!

 

Today we slept in as we were tired out from all the activity yesterday and staying up late doing laundry and watching movies in the ship`s theatre yesterday (Evita & I Don`t Know How she Does it). We have been going to see a movie almost every night, although some we have not watched to the end because we decided they were not good enough. The best movie so far has been "Water for Elephants". As a result, I am now reading the book -amazingly the movie was very close to the book- no wonder it was so good. Have been pleasantly surprised at how good the ship`s library is - did not expect it to have anything new... on the other hand, they have so many activities going on that I have not done anywhere near as much reading as I had expected. I expect half or more of the books I brought along will be coming back unread unless something changes. Today already Dad & I have done the Daily trivia challenge (Dad only) The animal toss (stuffed toucans & whales from the balcony onto a grid for points) , I just came back from a class on Feng shui, and might go to booth camp for some exercise at 4:30. Dad is walking outside on the deck, braving the wind as things are swaying too much up on the 10th floor to use the machines like he usually does. the other day he walked 10K (I thought that was overdoing it ...)

 

Dad just came back - he was in the library & fell asleep (he says it`s because he overeat at the Ìtalian buffet lunch we had today). Now he`s lying on the bed snoozing a bit more before we get ready for supper at 5.30 ( we have early seating ).

 

Well, it`s 4.30 so I`ve got to head  off to exercise class. Will continue this later tonight.....

 

Tonight is another formal night -the black & white ball. We are dressing up for supper and will go to the Captain`s dance which starts at 10PM. Apparently the captain will dance with all the ladies there - we shall see.

 

More Later......

Jan 28/12: The Trinidad Channel (Part 2)

Jan 28/12: Traversing the Trinidad Channel

 

Jan 28 cont'd...

 

So - the Captain has altered our course now and we will be going into a passage this ship has never been in before. I feel like "space... the final frontier... where no one has gone before..." a true explorer now. The name of the straight, in case you want to look it up is called "Trinidad Channel" off the lower S coast of Chile in the Chilean Fjords (just above Isla Madre de Dios). This is in place of the Pantagian Fjords which we were supposed to be cruising at 6pm today. Now we will have more time in the fjords as the Captain plans to navigate through them tomorrow as we head for the Amelia glacier. We got into the Trinidad around 6:30 tonight and it is actually very calm here because it is protected from the winds on both sides. Apparently we will be circling slowly all night, then heading to the glacier in the next fjord so we are there for between 8 -9 am. That means we have to get up early... sigh....

 

BTW: although my computer says it is 9.14 PM it is actually 2 hours later here due to 2 time changes we have had so far, so in 'our' time it is 11.14.

 

So, what are we doing now, you might ask? Well, Dad & I discovered a new sipping rum that is very nice, so we are in our room sipping an ounce each. We bought a whole bottle - it was $35 US for the L which we thought was very reasonable - it is called Gosling's Black Seal. I don't think we have in the LCBO at home, and so we were wondering if we should bring home a bottle for everyone to taste.... can one of you check out to see if it is available at the local LCBO - if so, what price? We have never seen this one at the rum tastings at Prevost. Dad is doing Sudoku and of course I am writing to you. We just ordered room service to bring us 2 pots of cinnamon tea, which we will drink a little later before bed.

 

We have 3 loads in the laundry machines up on the 3rd floor all going at once. This is lucky because tomorrow being another sea day everyone will be up there and there won't be a machine to be had for ages. They take forever to fill up because the cold water just trickles in. Then it goes into the dryer which is equally slow, so I expect to be up for a while longer. The good thing about the laundry though is that it is free on this ship so we can do as much as we want. It's the drying of the delicates and things that can't be dried that are a problem as we don't have a lot of places in the cabin to put them all. So we are trying to only do a few of those those items at a time.

Jan 28/12: Another Sea Day... (Part 1)

Hi again,

 

Hope all is well at home and with all of you. Today is a sea day. The weather has been overcast & rainy all day. The doors to outside decks have been off limits all day as we are in a bit of rough weather today - waves at 5 m and winds at Beauford 8 (gale force). The Captain has altered our course as a result, and we will not be going into the original fjord but into another set of them, and staying in them longer. Apparently one of them will be one that Prinsendam has never been in before, so that makes us real explorers! If the weather would clear up, I think it will be spectacular. The sun has actually peeked out a few times already, so there is hope, even though the Captain says the barometer is falling like a stone. I don't have a headache, so I think it will be OK!!

 

We should be in the fjord around 6, just as we are at dinner, but I am brining my camera to dinner, much to Dad's disgust. He claims all I do is take pictures and so never get around to sending updates, which is my 'job' for the cruise. (<- Editors Note: I agree with Dad... there is a WHOLE WEEK missing from the blog about your adventure!) Sorry about that- there is so much to see and do!

 

Our cabin is well located as we are not feeling in the least affected by this weather. We had lunch today -it was a Dutch buffet- lots of fish dishes.

 

Saw our first albatross through the dining room windows at lunch!!!!! Pictures, of course, not anywhere near as good as the real thing because had to take them through the window etc.

I went to a seminar of pearls - it was interesting. Did you know that even after it is 'picked' and made into jewelry a pearl continues to live? It needs humidity and air to breathe if it is to retain it's beauty. I guess that is why it is said that pearls should always be worn and not stored. Apparently if you have them stored you should take them out once a month and put them beside a bowl of warm water for a day so that it can get the humidity and breathe.

 

Dad has been resting in the cabin most of the afternoon, while I have been downloading pictures form the cameras ( surprise -surprise!).

 

It is now 4:30, and we will slowly get ready for Supper at 5:30, but we are not even hungry yet. Guess we had too much at lunch. No problem, we will have to restrain ourselves and eat a lighter supper, which is better for us anyway.

 

Dad is sitting on the bed, criticizing because he says I'm just going on and on..... and I am .

 

So, I will stop for now.

 

Hope all is well. Tomorrow is another sea day and we should be cruising the fjords. I will make an effort to catch up on things. (Dad says "un huh- sure"!)

 

Anyway, even with this little bit of weather, we are having a great time. Will attach a pic of the waves but it just doesn't do it justice - have been watching them all afternoon and they are just like flames- never 2 the same... Dad is getting stressed out because he says we'll be late for dinner if I don't get going, so bye for now.

 

Dad will probably go to trivia again tonight - he goes with our table mates. They have yet to win, but have a lot of fun anyway. I doubt we will go to the movies tonight- I have to write emails! Dad will probably hang out in the library.

Jan 27/12: Puerto Chacabuco, Chile

Jan 27/12: Puerto Chacabuco, Chile

 

So yesterday, Jan 27th we were in Puerto Chacabuco, Chile, a very small town basically in the middle of no-where. It is at the head of of the Aysen Fjord and the main reason people go there is for the scenery & nature- to go to National parks and see plants and animals.  The area is very undeveloped. As we cruised in we could see lines of buoys out from the shorelines and those are for farming mussels. They are also farming salmon here. Later in the afternoon I took some pictures of seals 'resting' on the buoys around one of those farms. I had to laugh because I could just imagine the seals  going into the farm, having a snack and then sunning themselves afterwards, even though i have no way of knowing if that really happens .  

 

While Dad stayed on board - he took pictures of the town from the boat, ran 10K on the treadmills, played trivia, and generally knooched around. He went for a swim in the outdoor pool - see pic attached, even though the weather was cool & overcast (I had to wear my long sweater with my goretex over it when I went on my tour to the Park, although I did end up taking off the jacket as I got hot while walking). In the morning it was on/off rain, but it cleared up for the late afternoon, around 4 or so, then clouded up again overnight. Thus the bad weather we are having today- the 28th is just an extension of that.

 

The tour I went on took us inland approx 1 hour by bus each way  to the recently opened Aiken del Sur Private Park. We took the River Trail up to a waterfall called Old Man's Beard Cascade. Did not see many animals except for around 2 birds & a horned elephant beetle. Wildlife is supposed to be all around here, but a lot of it seems to only come out dusk, dawn, and at night. Although there are supposed to be many species of birds, I only got a picture of the Zorzal, which at first I thought was a robin, it is so similar. The 3 most interesting plants we saw on this walk were:

 

1. the Tepa Tree- which grows up to 40 M  and is an endemic species. It is used for boat building by the indigenous people as it has a waterproof oil .
2. The  Luma tree which is a very very very hard wood and is used for some items ( such as police batons) and is burned because it gives off a lot of heat and is also used for cooking, and making BBQ. The leaves are eaten as a cure for headaches. Hmm.. wonder if it would work for migraines- the leaves smell sort of lemon;
3. Calafate- which resembles a black berry and is eaten as fruit, juice, jam, and the roots used to produce a yellow dye.   After our walk, we had a nice snack  and were even served Chilean wine, and had some Chilean music and dancers perform for us.

Then we returned to the dock and took the water shuttle back to the ship, as we were moored offshore. The rest of the day was the usual - dinner, trivia at 7.30, then some downtime. We did not go to the movie or the show. Later in the evening everyone warned by an announcement from  the captain that around midnight we would be hitting some rough waters so it was recommended that everyone batten down the hatches and take sea-sick precautions if needed. That took us a while, but things turned out not to be as bad as we expected since we seemed to sleep through it all. I credit the location of our cabin for this.... although both of us were tired anyway. We even get to sleep in for the nest day as we are at sea then.

So that was that  for the 27th.

Jan 26/12: Castrol, Isla Chiloe, Chile

Jan 26/12: Castrol, Isla Chiloe, Chile

 

While Dad stayed on board ship and then visited the town and took pictures, I went on a shore excursion to Cucao Chiloe National Park  which is located on the western coat in the region of Lakes. It is the newest one in Chile, and the only one along the coast.  Most of the park is located in the foothills of the Chilean Coastal Range, known as the Cordillera del Piuchen. The bus ride was about an hour each way.

 

The scenery here is very different from the past few days, where everything has been arid land, virtually dessert landscape with very few trees or hills. Here we passed two large inland lakes - bigger than the lake we used to have our country place on, Omi - with the park bordering on the second one. There were hills with many trees and shrubs which rapidly became rugged mountains. At the park again, we did not see much wildlife except for a small lizard and a few birds that were not very exciting - resembled sparrows and I could not get a picture of them. The park was really all about the vegetation in the area, which was very diverse. It is one of only 3 cold rainforests in the world -a sort of evergreen forest- the others being in New Zealand and Tasmania. We saw a very very tiny plant about the size of a fingernail  which eats mosquitoes ( but it can only grow in the marshland there). There was also this plant which grows huge 2 M leaves with thick stalks and a large seed cone. The stalks are eaten raw or cooked like an acidic celery. The plant is apparently a relative of our rhubarb. It was huge, and grows very fast starting September and fixes nitrogen in the soil, so that is why it is generally found in poor soil.

 

There were quite a few interesting trees in the area, such as the Guero tictoma ( sp?) which can grow up to 4M in diameter, and as much as 2M in good years. Another tree similar to a willow, has leaves used to make an organic green dye, and 1 sq cm of the inner back is used to relieve constipation- apparently it  can work in 2 minutes so the word is be right by the toilet if you take it!  Then there is a Coihue  which like a large shrub, and the ctnre wood is used to make beams for building as it is very strong. Those trees grow 2-3 m in diameter. The Muerta  bush is very much like our blueberry, except that the berries are red. This park is also home to the smallest deer & wildcat in the world, as well as the Darwin fox. Of course we did not see any of these in the day. 

 

Apparently they still pan for gold at Cucavo Lake  along the beaches, where we were, and still use mercury as the gold sticks to it. They can get as much as 6 gm/day which has a value of about 150$US. They have old apple trees around as well, and they generally use the apples to make cider using very ancient presses made of wood. Another interesting thing is that almost  all of the people in this area are indigenous, and they live off the land. Everyone grows potatoes and still use oxen to till the land etc. Most of the potatoes grown today have some genetic relationship to the potatoes from here. The locals collect seaweed and eat it , but they also dry it  and mix it with other foods  to make sticks which they dry and use for teething and also sell.

 

In this area they are the 2nd largest producers of salmon & mussels in the world, and we saw several farms offshore as we were driving along the coastline. If it is a 'line' then it is a mussel farm, and if it more like a circle or square in shape then it is salmon. Another interesting thing is that every 25 years there is a major earthquake in this region- apparently it is like clockwork. The last one was in 1960 @ 9.6 . Many houses were destroyed and the ones we saw  have been rebuilt using tin. So, after our walk in the forest, we drove to the outskirts and stopped for a ' snack'. The place was part of a hostel, and we stopped in the 'restaurant' part, which was very small . It was owned by a German lady and her husband!!! She had prepared a small buffet which included juice, devilled eggs, salami, ham, cheeses, potato salad, and 'kuchen'- flaumen streusel  kuchen and a  European chocolate cake, more like a torte with no icing, that had seaweed in it (although you could not taste it- she said it was to make it extra healthy). We stayed there for about 45 minutes. It was very nice (Omi, you would probably say it was "gemutlich"). I even had herbal tea made with fresh peppermint and some other kind of herb from the lady's garden. Then we returned to the pier around 4 so I had to go back on the boat right away as we were supposed to be leaving at 5.

 

That night there was a beautiful sunset after supper. We stood  out on deck and watched it and took photos. After that it was trivia time, then we went back to the cabin and watched a "Harry Potter' film on TV that we had not seen before along with our nightly tea. Then we went to bed. End of a very good day.

 

--- It is now 1:17 am ---

 

I am just waiting for my last load of laundry to finish in the drier, so I think I will quit now as want to wake up and see the glacier tomorrow.

 

Nitey night all of you ( and Moustache too!).

We miss you all.

 

Love,

Mom & Dad

Jan 13/12: A day at Sea - Peru Bound

January 13/12: A Day at Sea - Peru Bound

 

At sea all day. I slept in - was still tired from 2 days in the heat & humidity. Nothing much, relaxed most of the day, as did Dad. We have to watch it as I think we are already gaining weight, and if we don't they will be rolling us off the boat as the end. There is a joke - we come on board as passengers and get off as cargo! Tomorrow we arrive in Salaverry (Trujillo), Peru. Some people are getting off the boat to go on a 3 day shore excursion to Manchu Pichu, after which they will rejoin the boat at the next port. Dad is planning to do laundry and get off the boat to check out the town on his own. I am taking an excursion: Chan Chan Citadel, Huaca Dragon & Reed Boats. Will let you know all about it tomorrow.

 

It`s 1 am here, so time to go to bed as have to be ready to leave at 9.30 am tomorrow. Talk to you then.

 

Love,  Mom & Dad

Jan 12/12: Guayaquil, Equador

January 12/ 2012 - Guayaquil, Ecuador

 

It was an overcast day and drizzled-rained off and on.  We arrived late because there was a cargo boat of bananas ahead of it, and it had priority over the cruise ship. What a reality check!

 

Dad decided to take the shuttle bus downtown and walked around a little bit. He went to the `Iguana park` which had a big statue of Simon Bolivar and a bunch of iguanas & pigeons sitting up in the tree branches pooping on the touristas! Bought another postcard and mailed it.

 

I went on a tour to a coco plantation, which was almost a 2 hour drive to get there. At the plantation they also grow mangoes and passion fruit. I learned a lot and took a zillion pictures which I will show you when I get back. I will use that to make a presentation to the "Master Gardeners" when I get back. When we arrived at the plantation we were greeted by a glass of pure coco juice. it was sweet, but not overly so, and smelled faintly of coco. Then we toured the plantation - it was very muddy and my hiking boots were pretty dirty when we were done! The tour took about 2 hours. learned a lot. Then we went into the coco factory where they make the pure organic chocolate, and got to taste some. It was so delicious that I bought some to bring home. Returned to the hacienda for lunch, which was chicken with rice & veggies, and then for dessert cake with, you guessed it, chocolate sauce.

 

After lunch we had a bit of free time, then we returned and had a short bus tour of the central part of the town on our way back. I did not know the city had burned in 1910 and had been rebuilt. It is also the only city with the buildings built in such as way that you can walk under the "awnings" so that you are kept cool in the summer and protected during the rainy season. Returned to the ship just in time to get ready for supper. That night it was Panama hat night, so we wore our hats to dinner.  Relaxed in the library afterwards, did some downloading of email, (On my g-d- it took 2 hours to download the mail as the satellite was sooooo slow) but it took so long that I could not send anything afterwards, thus you will get this today.

Jan 11/12: Manta, Ecuador

January 11/2012: Manta, Ecuador

 

Dad went on a trip to a panama hat factory  and bought himself a Panama hat. Did you know that real Panama hats are actually made in Ecuador, and they can take up to 6 months to make those of the best quality as they are all still made by hand?

 

I went on an excursion to a fishing village along the coastline and a 2 mile hike at a nature reserve in the cloud forest. It was fascinating! Carl, I saw 2 green Amazon parrots, some Ecuadorian turkeys, and some grey bird, as well as lots of plants. When we arrived we got a drink of fresh mango juice- mmm. Then we got to see how they used to crush the sugar cane (and at one time made it into moonshine), and had a drink of sugar cane juice, then how they boil down the juice to make raw cane sugar (of which we also got a sample). After that they showed us how they make the hat - by hand- by the native family that lives in the area. Then they served us a lunch with local foods baked in banana leaves. It was chicken, rice, veggies, and fresh fish- really tasty. The owner of the reserve and I were talking, and when she found out i had studied as a biologist too she invited me to come back in the future and help them as they are studying the habits of the howler and spider monkeys there, as well as cataloguing the animals in general. Dad said i should do it! Anyway, she gave me all the contact information if i really do want to pursue this. We`ll see.

 

that night we got another `pillow gift` - a panama hat for each of us to wear to dinner & to the panama hat party tomorrow night.

Jan 10/12: Equador Bound & First Formal

January 10: Equador Bound & First Formal

It was a day at sea as we headed to Ecuador. I can't even remember everything  Dad did, but I know he went to two seminars from the "seminars at sea educational series" - one on the Panama Canal, and one one the Universe. They are given by university professors and other professionals. I went to some seminars on using cameras, windows 7 and its features, and how to use some (Didn't know I had a built in photoshop application for instance! Have learned how to use it to stitch photos, but the files are huge!). Am slowly learning to use my camera, but still many features that I don't know yet. Have met some real camera buffs on board, so had some interesting discussions .

That night was the  first formal night, where Dad had to wear the 'rental' tuxedo as he didn't have his lost luggage yet.

Jan 09/12: Panama Canal

January 09: Panamal Canal

 

We spent all day going through the 6 locks on the Panama Canal- 3 to get in and 3 to get out. In the middle was Gatum lake which was made when they built the locks. All the land was flooded, and only the high points were lest as islands. The weather was beautiful- hot, humid & sunny. In the morning they served ' panama buns'. We each had one- Dad had 3! (<- Editors Note: What a Pig!) They are filled with a sort of cream, and resemble donuts, but are more like a bread bun, if you can imagine that. Dad was fascinated by the canal and had a blast all day long.

Jan 08/12: Bocas Del Torro

January 08: Bocas Del Torro

That morning we arrived in Bocas Del Torro  It was a tiny little town on the largest island that is actually part of a small archipelago .We walked down the main street which  looked very poor and dirty. We bought a postcard there to send, so check the facebook page that Alex has set up as he is posting them all there. There was not really much to see, and then it started to rain, so we went back to the ship.

Jan 07/12: Grand Cayman - Swimming with Stingrays

Hi,

 

Looks like the weather at home is warming up. Less shoveling, eh boys?

 

Hope all is well. Carl, put the cat food up somewhere where the cats can still jump to get it but not Moustache. He shouldn't be eating cat food, he should eat his own! What a schnook. Hope you are having fun with him. Paul, hope all is Ok at home. I forgot to bring down the orchids from my bathroom, so if you could water them once every 3 weeks that would be good-just a little warm water, to prevent them from drying up completely. Thanks. Hope everyone is doing OK otherwise.

 

So... here goes (I am so behind I'm starting to forget already!!!!)

 

Things are busy. I am always thinking that on ' sea days' I will sit down and catch up, then i end up doing a whole bunch of things and the day just flies by and then it's time for bed already. Dad has left this job to me, so even though I might find him in the library, which is much larger than we expected and very nice, if I don't do it, well... this is what happens!

 

January 7th - Grand Cayman

 

We went on an excursion and played with wild stingrays - that's right - we petted them, and handled them, and even sort of hugged/picked one up. They came in all sizes, and ages, even one pregnant one. They were wild stingrays, but because of years of the fishermen coming in and cleaning their fish in this spot just inside the reef (so the stingrays ate this ' free feast'), they apparently got used to coming when they heard boat motors. So when we anchored the boat, within minutes there were about 30-40 of them waiting. They are only allowed to be fed a certain amount now, and only by the boat operators, because apparently according to a study (and the marine biologist who has been studying them happened to be right next to our boat, and was actually catching and recording the specs on some that day!!!) they are getting a bit fat, so I guess this is the equivalent of going on a diet. Anyway, as the guide said - they were just like puppies. There were several big ones, and one in particular swam right up my side and nearly knocked me over (it weighed around 90 lbs so must have been a female as the males are smaller). Even Dad petted some! It was very exciting, and we were surprised at how gentle and friendly they actually were. Then we went a bit further to a reef and snorkeled around there for about an hour, and then we went back to the ship.

 

By then it was almost time to get ready for supper. After supper we went to a show - the comedian was very good. Then it was time for bed.

 

Did I tell you that they lost Dad's luggage? He has it now though, but we didn't want to say anything before so you wouldn't fret - we did enough of that! Anyway, he was without one of his suitcases, naturally the one with all his underwear (among other things) for 7 days. We finally got it the night we transited the panama canal, at the last lock. In the meantime, we had to wash out what he wore to come from home, until they finally supplied him with a pkg of 3 underwear, and 2 T- shirts ( which he gets to keep BTW). As we had a formal night, they also loaned him a tuxedo for that evening. I think Dad handled it better than I did - so it was a good thing it was his luggage they lost and not mine, or you can imagine what things would have been like. Dad says it shows that we could have travelled with less stuff (at least now he says that, but at the time it wasn't funny).

 

Anyway, all is Ok now, except they broke his brand new suitcase, and it sure must have been bashed around a lot because there quite a bit of surface damage. They took it to their repair place on board ship and repaired it, and it is usable again, but it will always have the reminder of this first trip now. (They broke the main zipper pull and the locks - still waiting to get the 2 TSA locks replaced). So there was another piece of excitement for us.

 

We also did our first load of laundry on board - they have Maytag machines here (top loaders), but they are older ones. Still work OK. Dad is actually planning on doing another load tomorrow as he plans to just get off and check out the town then get back on board while I am away on an excursion.

And the washing machines & driers are free to use - yay! We still have to hang up the stuff that can't go into the drier, so we have this pull out clothesline thingy in the bathroom that we use, as well as putting stuff on plastic hangers that we brought (what didn't get broken) and hanging those up all over our room.

 

Speaking of our room - we love it! We have a walk in closet that is almost as big as ours at home, and dad is thrilled that the bathroom has a full-size bathtub, as well as a shower. This is the nicest cabin we have ever had (and also the most expensive!). We also have a loveseat, small glass table, and chair, as well a a built in desk and our bed with 2 night tables. if you go to http://www.hollandamerica.com/  you can look at it by finding the Prinsendam and then cabins and then one with the large window - they actually have a small video of the type of cabin (category E). Have you looked at the live webcam at the front of the boat???? It is on the same website for the Prinsendam, and shows you where we are going from a camera mounted at the bow of the boat. It's like being here with us (sort of, anyway)! It was especially interesting when we went through the Panama Canal, so keep checking, but after around 6 pm it starts to get dark and then there is nothing to see!

Jan 04/12: (Part 2) Boarding the Cruise Ship!

Hi,

I'm sitting in our cabin as I type this. This sun is shining, the air is warm, and I can see the ocean waves going by my window.

And Philip is naked.

OK- he's not, but it sure got your attention! We are missing one piece of luggage- and it contains most of Phil's clothes- important things like underwear, so this morning he said he was going to stay in bed all day until it arrived. Of course, we are out at sea, so if it didn't make it onboard last night (and it's starting to look like it didn't) it will hopefully make it to the next port (Grand Cayman Island- tomorrow) . Meanwhile- he has no clothes except for some workout shirts, shorts, and the clothes he wore since we left London. Not very good ! He is totally upset- didn't sleep all night.

So, here goes-

January 04, 2012: (Part 2) Boarding the Cruise Ship!

We board the ship for the first day of the cruise

Seems so long ago already! Anyway, weather in Ft. Lauderdale is still cool. Apparently we have a cold front here. How is the weather at home?

Woke up  around 8-8:30 and had breakfast  at the hotel. It was good- they had both a hot & cold breakfast buffet, so we had eggs, instant Quaker oats, yogurt, toast, juice, tea/coffee, etc. Repacked our bags ready to  leave on the 10.30 am bus for the pier to get on the boat. Meanwhile I quickly went back to the Dollar store in the shopping centre  beside the hotel to pick up some baby powder as Phil had developed a rash and I wanted him to 'powder it'. Also wanted to pick up some small bottles of hand sanitizer for when we are off the ship- saw it yesterday but didn't want to buy it, but after Phil nagged all night decided to quickly get some, as well as some combs as it seems he only brought one ( and it looks flimsy- it will probably break before the trip is over, so some equally flimsy spares seem to be in order).

Checked out and got on the shuttle bus, along with a bunch of other people who also had 'Prinsendam tags' on their luggage. Looked like at least a dozen of us. The bus was supposed to leave at 10.30 am but of course by the time everything got done etc. it was more like 11. Ride to the port was  about 15 minutes. Holland America people were waiting right there and we got off the bus, got our bags, and walked right into the port terminal to begin the boarding procedure. It went very smoothly, and within about 75 minutes we were on board ship.

We got to our room and were thrilled with it. It has a huge walk in closet, a full sized tub in the bathroom, and a very nice sitting area with a loveseat, chair and small glass table. There is a desk with 4 small drawers ( where I am now) and a 4 shelf bookshelf with a  TV on the top and small bar fridge built in underneath. Will try to take some pics and send later. Dumped our luggage and put netbook, cameras, important papers etc into the sage in the closet.  By then it was around 12.45 or so so we went up to the "Mariner's Luncheon' in the dining room. So far seems to be an older crowd- we feel like youngsters. At lunch met a very interesting couple- he was 91 and she was in her late 80's, and  they were still raring to go. Very friendly couple with quite the sense of wicked humour. After lunch went back to the room to do some unpacking. Although the closet is large, we did bring a lot of stuff!!! Spent until  around 4.30 unpacking when it was time for the safety boat drill on deck. We are station # 6. Did not have to wear those awful lifejackets this time- yay!

Went back to the room and more luggage had been delivered, so spent until supper unpacking and putting things away - those packing cubes are great- we left most of the stuff right in them and just put them in the cubbies  and drawers just like that. Keeps them clean & organized, as long as they don't need ironing. Explored around a bit more- went to a short talk about the spa and had a free neck/shoulder massage. Actually felt better afterwards. As we unpacked we came to the radio we had packed, but we could only find one plug in the room, right near the desk- and yes, there is only one plug !!! The extension cord we brought is too short to reach across the cabin to the bedside table, so put the clock on the desk. It will be interesting to see how we fit all our chargers etc into one plug!!!!

Have just turned on the iPod- am listening to Chris de Burg as I write. Gee- it is almost time for supper!!! Where has the time gone?

Supper was very good. Our table mates are 2 couples from Holland - they spoke Danish to each other the whole time - how rude! We spent most of the time talking to the other couple. After supper we went back to the room and did more unpacking! Then we went to bed. It was already midnight.

Will send update for Jan 4th later on.

Hope all is well at home.

Tomorrow we should be in Grand Cayman. It should be warmer there!

BTW: If you go to the Holland America website, you can go to the Prinsendam and find the boat webcam and see where we are going and what it looks like.

PS-Alex, would you please keep the postcards we are sending ? We want to ' borrow' them afterwards to include them in the digital scrapbook we plan to make.

Thanks.

Rosie & Phil

Jan 04/12: Mom Makes Excuses and Dad Nags!

January 04, 2012: Mom Makes Excuses and Dad Nags!

Hi,

It is 7 am and I'm writing this from the bed of Comfort Inn, Ft. Lauderdale. I told dad to write this but he was too lazy…

Dad wanted me to let you know that I left out some parts- the 'bad Rosie' parts. Just FYI I didn't do it on purpose...

On the plane, I was thirsty so when we got on board there were 2 small bottles of water. i DRANK MINE, AND THEN i DRANK dAD'S. dAD HAD A COFFEE AND THE STEWARDESS NOTICED  HIS WATER WAS GONE, AND SO STARTED A JOKE WHERE SHE WOULD BRING HIM MORE WATER AND i WOULD DRINK IT ALL THE TIME.

(Sorry about the caps- wasn't looking.)

Then later on during the flight, after breakfast, I had some milk leftover (it came in a small carton - remember the kind you used to get in elementary school?) anyway, there was some left over from my cereal and I was keeping it to put in my tea later on. The tea came, and I thought I had used it all, but I guess no- there was a bit left over. Somehow it got knocked and it spilled on Dad's iTouch and a bit on his pants too. Of course he freaked out. The stewardess thought it was funny- just a continuation of the water thing. She brought him a towel and said I hear there is an emergency here and they had a good laugh over me. I guess I am just a source of entertainment!

The iPod and pants were fine BTW.

The notes are going to be shorter from here on because the connection on the boat is very slow and it's very expensive for the time. 

Paul, we did hit some snow squalls on the way to Windsor, but it didn't get that bad at all. It snowed a bit overnight because we could see it on the ground in the morning, but not much at all. Boy, you sure got your exercise! No shoveling required here. (Editor’s note: Haha Paul you sucker! :P)

BTW - after we got on the plane, in our first class seats, they discovered that it had engine problems and so we were grounded for repairs for about 45 minutes. But we were not upset because we had lots of time and were being pampered.

Have to get up and have a shower & breakfast now. 7:30 am here. I never slept all night. Big surprise. Dad's naggin’ me to end this so we can get going - he says he's hungry and needs his breakfast.

Love, Mom & Dad

Jan 03/12: Airport Drama & Ft. Lauderdale

January 03, 2012: Airport Drama & Ft. Lauderdale

We had a wakeup call for 7 am. Then a 2nd one at 7:15 am. We had a quick shower, drank the juice from yesterday, each ate a mandarin and shared an apple that I had brought from home. Closed up our bags and headed out to the lineup for check in. At first it moved really slowly because there only a few people at the check in counters, but then more came on and things sped right up. Checked our 1 piece of luggage ($25) and then headed through security. 

We decided to walk the 1/2 mile to Gate A10, since we had time, check in, and then grab a breakfast. When we got to A10 we found out that the gate had been changed and was not at the complete opposite end of the terminal. The agent advised us that the plane was already starting the preboarding so we had better hurry. This meant we had no time for breakfast! We took the minitrain to the end and then walked back to the new gate. When we checked in we told them we had had to run there as had been at the old gate since no-one told us. We were upgraded to first class!!!! I guess being late has its advantages (Ha! Ha!). Dad thought we might not get any of the perks, but they treated us just like any other first class passenger. Then Dad ruined it all by taking his breakfast bowl (we had Shreddies & milk, a croissants, fresh fruit, yogurt & juice) and drinking the leftover milk out of it - I guess I have to send him to etiquette school too! The attendant was one of the best we have ever had. Dad liked it so much he decided we should the extra $$ to come back first class also. They were handing out forms for a Delta Amex card that would give us a free flight ( bonus points) free bag checking and discounts, so we decided to sign up for one. We could not get it activated on the plane though, had to wait until later.

Anyway, we got off the plane in Ft. Lauderdale. It was sunny, but cool & windy. The temp was about 50F, but the wind, which was cold, made it feel much colder. We waited outside for the shuttle bus to the hotel, but it was taking a long time. We decided I should run back into the terminal and see if there was a place to phone the hotel... of course as soon as I called the lady said it should be there 'now, and of course when I ran back out there it was. Dad was ' holding the bus'. We got on, and went to the hotel. It is not fancy, but for one night it is OK. Tomorrow we will get a free breakfast and a free shuttle to the pier to get on the boat, so those are good things.

We had to wait about 20 minutes for our room, and when we got in we basically dumped our stuff and decided to go to the closest shopping center to pick up a few things we had not packed on purpose. Turned out it was only a block away, so of course we walked there. We found a sort of discount store and bought some stuff. Dad decided we should bring it back to the room right away because it was liquid (mouthwash) and heavy and he didn't want to carry it all over, so back we went. Then we returned to continue. Bought a few other things, then looked for sulphur powder. Of course could not find any (even found a home depot there which had lots of garden plants and  stuff like herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers etc. but no sulfur.)

Now, you may be wondering why I wanted stinky sulphur - because a friend that just came back from Brazil said the chiggers were bad and that the insect repellents didn't work to keep them off, not even Deet, but putting sulphur in a sock and then applying it to yourself kept them away ( probably along with everyone and everything else!) .  Dad was relieved - he didn't want me to get all stinky! As we continued along, we came to this very quaint 50's style diner. We went inside and checked out their menu and decided we HAD to come back there for supper tonight. I was still determined to get sulphur though, and since there was also a Kmart I thought we should check it out on the way back - and guess what - they had it! Only it was pellet form so it was of no use to me. Dad was even more relived.

Since they sell liquor in the stores here we decided to look for some in Kmart. Dad went off & found some and put several in the cart. Meanwhile I was trying to get the sales clerk to tell me the price of 2 covers for the nook (which of course had no tags) - which took forever. Dad was getting very fed up. I looked at the selection of wines and wondered if there was anywhere else we could get a better selection. The clerk told us there was a BJ's (like a Costco) literally right next door, and so off we went. Dad was pissed off because he had picked out the wines and I made him put them back because I said we shouldn't buy them until we had checked out BJ’s first. Then if they didn't have anything good we could always come back and buy it. Dad pouted because he said it had wasted his time, and he wanted to go back already. As things turned out BJ’s had a much better selection and much better prices. Even Dad was impressed and said it was good we had come. We bought 6 large bottles of yellowtail (Merlot, Cab-Shiraz, and Chardonnay) and 1 little one. We paid about the same for the large bottles that we would pay at home for a small bottle (actually less), and 7.99 for the small bottle (Gewürztraminer). We had to go to customer service because we were not members, but they allow non-members to buy if they pay an extra 15% on top of the price. As it turned out, there were NO extra charges on the bottles so we got them at member price after all. We got them all for $67... What a deal!

Then Dad realized we would have to carry them all the way back to the hotel. I told him to just put them in a cart and we would return the cart as we had to come that way to go back to the diner for supper. Of course he was stubborn and decided to carry them in a cardboard box (I carried one big & the little one in a cloth bag I brought from home). About 3/4 of the way there I finally managed to get him to put them in a cart (from another store that was left in the parking lot) and we pushed it the rest of the way. We plopped everything in the hotel room and turned around to the diner for supper.

We took Dad's camera with us so we could take some pictures of it since we thought it was so neat. When we got there we discovered that the battery was dead, so... no pictures. I was so frustrated that I left Dad there to wait for me and walked back to the hotel as fast as I could to get my camera instead. I got to the corner and realized I had no card to get in the room so I hurried back to the restaurant to get Dad's. There were 3 young ladies (waitresses) hanging around him, and he seemed to be having fun. I said I had sneaked back in to check up on him and see if he was being good. Everyone thought that was very funny. I went to the hotel, got the camera and by the time I got back it was already getting dark. Too a few pictures outside, then a few inside. They had this neat Coca-Cola clock on the wall by the counter that reminded me of the one we had at home. Anyway, we had a really good meal- plain food but good. Splurged on a big dessert which we shared- brownie ice crème sundae with lots of fudge sauce. We were stuffed! Good thing we had that long walk back to the hotel to work some of it off.

Once we were back in our room we had to repack things so we could carry them to the boat tomorrow (well I guess technically today!). Dad fell asleep early while I tried to get this AMEX form completed on-line. Turns out that we think you have to have a US address (read fine print), although we were told that is not necessary. Talked to them (AMEX) and they gave me another number to call tomorrow morning to see if there was any way to get it done after all  so we could use it to pay for the upgrade on our return flights. Will see then. Then checked email (free WiFi here!) & downloaded the manuals for the new camera so I can figure out how to use it!  As you can see I am having trouble sleeping. Guess I am too excited, plus I feel itchy in the bed. It's now 4 am so I guess I will send this off and see if I can get a couple of hours of sleep after all. We get up officially at 8, then have the free breakfast, and get on the shuttle for the boat at 10:30 am. We board the boat, hopefully at 11, and then our adventure really begins!

Well, will give you another update tomorrow.

Take care you guys, love you both.

Mom & Dad

Jan 02/12: The Beginning...

Hi boys,

Hope all is well.
So here's our first update.....

Please come and eat up all the apples, mandarins, veggies, milk, etc. that are in the fridge. I also think there might be something in the downstairs fridge crisper... or perhaps not. The other stuff in the downstairs fridge is Ok (cheese, olives...).


The bus came early to pick us up, so of course we rushed out. I did not put the watering bulbs into the flowers- Paul, you will have to fill them and put them in if you want to use them. I left them lying on the floor in the spa room. I also forgot to bring down the 3 orchids in my bathroom. They only need to be watered every 3 weeks, and then just a bit, so I would leave them up there, even once a month is OK for them. After we got on the bus and were headed to Windsor I realized I forgot the jewelry I wanted to wear with my green dress... that made me very frustrated with myself. Dad was frustrated with me too, but he quickly feel asleep in the bus. WE had both been up all night (we never did go to bed!) and I had been up 2 nights (48hr) so I was tired too, but naturally I couldn't fall asleep. So I fidgeted all the way to the Detroit airport.

At the airport, we checked into the hotel. They could not find our reservation. Of course, your Dad saw this as the end of the world and sat down with his head in his hands. He was convinced we had no reservation....but they eventually found it. WE got upgraded to a club class room, with a special key to go up in the elevator to the 'restricted' 8th floor. Unfortunately because of the holidays the club lounge was closed, so we never got any of those perks. Of course, we couldn't get the elevator to work for us. First we tried pushing the 8th floor button, and it wouldn't work. Then we saw that we had to put the room key in a slot ( on the  very bottom- why not put it next to 8th floor button???) but no matter how we tried to put the key in & push the button it still wouldn't go. So we went back to the desk and asked- you had to put the key in until it beeped then remove it quickly then push the 8th floor. Shesh!

We got to our room- didn't seem to be any different than any other room BTW, dropped our bags, got rid of some of our outerwear and then proceeded into the terminal to look for a place to have supper. We also updated our one bag of luggage and got our boarding passes from a kiosk. Could not get the seat assignments as they were only giving them out at the gate. WE walked all over the terminal (it was probably a mile+ walk) and finally decided to have a quizno's sub (8 in) with a side order of soup and cranberry juice. We saved the juice for later. We thought we did well- 2 people for under $12. On the way back to the hotel room Dad nagged for some fries, so we stopped at Macdonald's and I got him a large, no salt. Not that he needed it. We walked a bit more and decided where we wanted to go for breakfast the next day as there is no food on the plane, of course. Went back to the room.  We repacked our bags a bit so there would be no problem with us having too many carryon items, so we combined some in a shopping bag that we would carry. Dad was very tired so we went back to the room. Dad feel asleep almost right away. We were both in bed by 10!!!!January 02 / 2012: The Beginning...