Cruise day 7 and 8.

Location, Home, CA

Continuing the Cruise saga, Day 7 and 8:

The ship departed Puerto Amador at 8 pm on Wednesday May 5th after spending 12 hours at anchorage. We are headed for Punta Arenas, Costa Rico, our next port of call to which we will arrive at 7 AM on Friday May 7th. That means we have a day at sea before arriving.

What does one do with a day of leisure to look forward too? Sleep late for one thing. No early morning tour to meet so might as well sleep in. Actually, sleep in is relative as light creeps in around the drapes so you know it is daylight outside and might as well get up.

Each night before you go to bed a copy of the Princess Patter, a newsletter is slipped under your stateroom door. The newsletter gives you information you need to plan your next day. For May 6th the Patter gave us times for classes at sea, special interest lectures, movies, special interest group meetings, and what and who are appearing in the theatres and lounges. It is more than enough to keep you busy. Beside all that, there are two pools with lounge chairs and hot tubs, and of course, the spa to consider.

An at sea day is a nice time to have breakfast in the dinning room instead of the buffet.

It is also a good time to walk the promenade deck to stave off those extra pounds from eating too much. Three circuits of the deck is a mile.

There were two guest lecturers aboard. One gave talks on our shore stops and the canal of course, while the other was a forensic scientist who gave lectures on CSI stuff. All very interesting.

This at sea day was also our second formal dining night. Some people don’t like them but I rather enjoy seeing everyone all dressed up.

On Friday, May 7th we arrived at Punta Arenas at 7 AM.

The ladies all dressed up on the dock are there to have a picture taken with you as you leave the ship for your tour. Our tour was in the afternoon and the ladies were gone by then, so no photo.

Busses waiting to start the tours.

We were scheduled for a tour to the town of Sarchi in the mountains.

Sarchi is in coffee country and also is the home of the largest ox cart ever built. In Sarchi, we visited the factory where they still build and paint ox carts but now they are used as decorations and serving carts.

Ox carts of all sizes for sale. They are Fed Ex'd direct to your home. For a price, of course.

While there we found out what a cashew tree looks like. The cashew is at the end of the flower.

We also visited a church made out of steel which was imported from Germany.

The Carnavl Elation parked next to us. It was the only other cruise ship we saw on the trip.