Aruba and Cartegena.

Location, Home, CA

We arrived in Aruba on Sunday May 2nd at 7:00 AM. Our shore tour left at 7:30 AM so that meant an early breakfast in the Horizon Buffet. Tour check-in was easy as they passed everyone through the Wheelhouse Bar and slapped a tour number on you and then you went forward to the Princess Theatre and took a seat in the appropriate tour row. Soon they called our tour number and we proceeded off ship by one of the gangways. As you leave the ship you insert your Cruise Card into a reader which then displays your photo. It also records that you are off the ship.

Our bus was waiting so we climbed aboard and off we went.

                                   Thomas, I, and Debbie are facing the camera.

                        

The tour passed the local brewery and desalinization plant. All potable water on Aruba comes from the desalt plant and cost .13 cents a gallon. Quit high by most standards.

                          

We stopped at a rock formation which I climbed to get a better view of the surrounding area. I took several photos.

You can see the ship in the distance.

The island is quit dry with lots of cactus. 

Our tour bus.

We drove to the sea shore where a large rock arch had collapsed leaving only a small one still intact.

The beach in the distance is a "locals" beach for surfers.

We visited an Aloe processing plant which was closed but the short tour explained the process of converting Aloe juice to lotion. They have about 100 acres of Aloe plants. Forty percent of the production is sold to tourists while the rest is shipped to a distribution center in Indiana.

We then drove to the tourist hotel area and by the beach where the American girl was killed. We stopped by one of the hotels and a few of us elected to swim for an hour and lay in the sun. As it turns out, this would be the only beach we spend any time at during the cruise.

I did get in the water.

Our ship left the dock at 1 PM and headed for Cartagena, Columbia with arrival expected to be 9 AM tomorrow morning.

Back aboard ship, we attended a wine tasting in the dinning room. The charge was $9.50 each. This wine tasting allows you to judge which wines to buy for dinner each night. Most wines start at $25 a bottle and go up from there.

We arrived in Cartagena, Columbia at 9 AM on Monday may 3rd. Shortly there after we went on a tour of Cartagena. This tour was a little different as the guide provided radios with an earpiece so we could hear him while we toured. It allowed him to keep us together as there were many other tours going on at the same time.

We stopped at the very old large fortress and of curse were accosted by street venders. As soon as you point a camera at them they want money. I think we paid her a few dollars.


                            

Of course, there is the obligatory shopping. This area was next to the wall which surrounded the old city.

Look at all the tour busses!

Clyda and Debbie trying to make a deal.

We did quit a bit of walking while visiting the torture chambers from the Spanish Inquisition and other street sights including this statue of Simon Bolivar

The streets are clean and the buildings colorful.

A sun dial built into the building from Spanish days.

We ended up at the Naval building where a Folklorico dance was ongoing as each tour came in. We were served water, soda, or beer as refreshment.

It was very hot so the beer tasted really good. The brand was Aguila which was also the name of the street we lived on when we first moved here.

Sitting from our group is Frank, Cay, Thomas, and Clyda. The lady in green is not part of our group.

We returned to the ship and departed Cartagena at 3 PM.

Leaving the dock. No tugs used as the ship has thrusters fore and aft.

Cartegena skyline.

In the center is Debbie, Thomas, and I as the ship leaves port.

On to the Panama Canal next.

Cruise on Island Princess Day 1.

Location, Home, CA

We are back from our cruise. We actually returned home on Friday afternoon, thanks to our good friends Peg and Lee who drove to the Port of Los Angeles to pick us up.

We had company arriving Friday evening and stay until this morning. Gary and Cindy came to visit because of a baby shower for a friend’s daughter. We also went to dinner last night with a group of people who had been at the shower earlier in the day.

Now, about the cruise. It was FABOULUS!!!! Where to begin?

We flew to Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday April 28th. It took all day as we changed planes in Los Angeles and Dallas-Ft Worth. Even though our connections were tight we made each flight. However, there was barely time to go to the restroom and no time for food between flights. We knew this would a problem so took granola bars and trail mix with us and that worked out ok.

Our only glitch was the one hour wait for the hotel shuttle after arriving in Ft Lauderdale. It took 2 phone calls before they picked us up. They did make it up to us as they drove our group to and from dinner later in the evening at no cost.

Clyda witing for the shuttle. NO, the wheelchair wasn't for her. It just was convenient to sit in while we waited.

We met with 2 of the 3 couples going on the cruise for cocktails before dinner which was a nice way to start our vacation. The third couple joined us on-board ship the next afternoon.

The hotel supplied a full buffet breakfast the next morning and drove us to the ship at Port Everglades in the afternoon.

Check-in to the Island Princess was a breeze as we had completed all our requirements on-line (now a requirement for Home Land Security) before leaving home.

Walking aboard ship with our friends. Myself, Cay, Jim, Frank, and Michele

Once on board we checked into our cabin and met our room steward. The room is more than adequate with a Queen size bed and plenty of amenities such as 24 hour room service.

Our room with a refrigerator on left with bar and TV above and dressing table to the right. Balcony is behind the drapes.

Looking towards the enrty door with closet and bathroom to the left behind bedroom wall.

Closet with storage shelves behind the double doors.

Bathroom sink with shelves.

Shower on the left (small), and toilet.

Below is a view of the gangway from our balcony. We are on the 12th deck, forward on the starboard side.

Baggage waiting to be loaded aboard.

Thomas and Debbie are aboard!

We went to the Horizon Buffet on deck 14 for a snack and a celebratory drink. I haven’t been drinking alcohol for several years but did indulge in a few on this trip.

A Mojito to start the trip!

The ship left port at 5 PM and we stayed on deck until the Miami skyline faded from sight. We are headed to Aruba as our first port-of-call, 2 ½ days from now.

Leaving Port Everglades.

Miami skyline in the haze.

The two plus days at sea were filled with shows in the Princess Theatre, lectures on ports of call, reading, talking, and eating of course. The time flew by. The weather was warming up as we traveled south with temperatures in the mid 80’s and water temperature about the same. We passed the eastern edge of Cuba which could be seen about 10 miles off before heading more southerly towards Aruba.

Lido deck uncovered pool looking aft. Lots of sunburns by the time we reach Aruba.

Lido pool looking forward. There is also a covered pool forward of this called The Lotus Pool.

Basketball court, shuffle board and large chess set.

This area at the stern is called "The Sanctuary". It can be rented for $10 for 4 hours. I don't think it got much use as the smoke from the stacks drifted over this area.

Ships wake while under way.

Clyda reading on the balcony.

We had our first of 3 formal nights just before arriving in Aruba.

Weather and RO water system.

Location, Home, CA

The weather certainly has been curious this week. We had 0.8 inch of rain earlier in the week which I don’t think was forecast, at least not in the amount we received. Since then we have had intermittent sprinkles most days. As soon as you think it is safe to go out, it sprinkles. It is supposed to do this again next week.

I have worked on the reverse osmosis water system which supplies filtered water to 2 sinks via a third faucet in each and the icemaker. All the filters needed replacing so I ordered them on-line. I also wanted to separate the ice maker from the faucets as each has its own secondary filter. There in was the problem. I couldn’t get water from the faucets after making some changes so rightly surmised that something wasn’t connected right. Further inspection this morning validated that assumption.

Part of the problem involved the placement of filters and connections to the water lines. All of this was behind a rather full water softener. I did eventually move the softener, again, and make the necessary correct connections. Then it was a matter of finding all the leaks which only occurred one at a time of course. Frustrating!!!

More electronic education.

Location, Home, CA

I am making progress with the new phone toy. I still have a few things to check out but so far, it looks good. I did get the email to work so now I can look at emails as they come in both on the main website and on my Gmail account. Pretty neat!

I need to spend some time with the camera as I want to use it as our backup camera for our cruise. I can’t use the email feature while on the ship as they have their own service which is a pay service (figures). I will use the alarm clock feature and the camera during the cruise and the phone before and after the cruise.

I bought a “skin” to cover the face so it doesn’t get scratched but still allows me to use the touch face. Well, the darn thing was so complicated to put on that I took it to Best Buy and had them install it. Cost me $7.95 but it is guaranteed for life.

I mentioned in a previous entry about planting squash and gourd seeds in pots before putting them in the ground. Well, the squash plants are up but no sign of the gourds yet. Now I need to figure out where to plant them. They really need full sun and with our large tree in the back yard, we don’t get full sun there. Clyda suggested the flower bed on the patio which right now is full of rocks and gee-gaws. Clyda’s stuff. It would be a good place.

I have been scanning more 35 mm slides. My goal is to do that for an hour a day. I also started work on a long forgotten basket. An hour a day, that’s all it takes. Yeah, right!!! I think all of today’s work will need to be undone as something doesn’t look right with the weaving. Sigh!!!!!

The wonder of electronics.

Location, Home, CA

It is amazing how electronic gadgets have taken over our lives and how we come to depend on them. First, it was the PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) which didn’t do much more than keep track of phone numbers and addresses (contacts), then cell phones, and now smart phones which combines all of the above and then some.

We were due for new cell phones as ours are more than 2 years old, so after some research, I decided I needed a smart phone to combine a phone, contact list, and internet while on the road. I chose the Motorola Droid from Verizon. It is an amazing piece of technology I must admit, but boy, does it have a steep learning curve. Partially, because there is no manual and even the Motorola web site has only minimum help.

So… I have been trying things for the last several days but still have a ways to go. A few good points are the Google Android interface which forced me to get all my contacts on Google and all my dates, etc, on Google Calendar. For once, everything is in one place. I can now do without my trusty Palm organizers which were requiring more and more battery charging time as they age.

I have managed to take pictures, send them to GMAIL, and forward them to friends. I have listened to Internet music on Pandora, checked news and weather on-line, and checked out about a hundred applications (apps) available for free or purchase.

I am having problems with looking at emails however. I can’t quit figure that out yet. Speaking of emails, I can use the phone as a connection to the internet for my laptop when no WiFi is available. That is called “tethering”.

It truly is a wonder of electronics.

Things are moving forward.

Location, Home, CA

I have been lazy this past week about writing. Nothing too much going on. I have been getting all the paper work needed for our upcoming cruise completed. Goodness has the amount of paper work increased since our last cruise several years ago. Also, clothes are an issue. It seems we just don’t have all the clothes required for this cruise. I guess the Levis, and old spotted shirts we usually wear around here just won’t do. I hope it is all worth it in the end.

This week I pruned the boysenberries of all the suckers that naturally grow. These need to be cut off until the berries ripen as they take nutrients from berry production. There are a lot of blossoms and also a lot of bees which is really good.

I planted some squash seeds in bedding pots. Actually, way more than I need for our use but I will pick the best plants to put in the garden later.

I have been researching new cell phones as both Clyda and I need new phones. The batteries on ours are getting tired. Besides which, Verizon keeps sending us coupons for new phones. I really like the new Motorola Droid with all the apps from Google and the fact that it has unlimited email. That would certainly solve some of our email problems while on the road.

I have been looking at airline fares for this fall instead of driving the RV for our nieces wedding. Flying means a rental car and hotel room so I don’t know if the tradeoff is worth it yet. I also looked at airfares to go see my folks sometime this summer. Money, money money!!!!

I shouldn’t complain too much as I will be getting quite a chunk of change back from Uncle Sam this year. Yup, taxes are done and will be mailed tomorrow. That’s a good feeling! Not the taxes but just getting them over with.

Winter trip data.

Location, Home, CA

Not much rain out of the supposedly “double storm” for Tuesday and Wednesday. In fact, no rain on Tuesday and only enough last night to wet the pavement. It did lower the temperature down to the fifties and later in the day the wind came up and it was really chilly.

I have been entering data from the trip into my spread sheets so here are the results:

Total miles traveled = 5213
Total miles pulling the trailer = 3963
Total camping fees = $1141.98
Ave cost of camping per day = $22.39
Total trip days = 70
Days of paid camping = 51

Total fuel used = 455 gal
Total fuel cost = $1281.20
Ave MPG = 11
Lowest paid for fuel = $2.599 in Texas
Highest paid for fuel = $3.159  in California

Costs are definitely rising based on data from previous trips. Especially camping costs. In Texas we paid $185 per week which included a Good Sam discount. We have little choice for where we stay while in Houston, in fact no choice as it is the only RV Park in northwest Houston. We have stayed at more Elks Clubs in the last two years of traveling as they are generally cheaper but you do give up some amenities. Also, we spend as much time “boondocking” (camping without hookups) as we can. This obviously only works well in the west where there is lots of BLM and state lands suitable for camping.

Camping was relatively cheap in the past but over time the costs have continued to climb. Some of these costs can be offset by subscribing to camper clubs such as Good Sam and Passport America. Good Sam gives you a 10% discount while Passport America gives you 50% off camping fees. We did use Passport America on this trip at three different parks which saved us quit a bit of money. It more than paid for itself.