Around the World with J and J

Sunday, January 14, 2024

Week 3 Lots of Sea and a quick stop in LA and Santa Barbara

We left off last week with Cabo San Lucas and this week has seen 5 days at sea and a visit to LA area and then Santa Barbara. People ask what do you do on all those sea days. Well we do keep busy. There are at least 3 lectures each day, maybe a discussion table on a stated topic, craft group (learn to knit or crochet) for 2 hours, painting classes, bridge classes/playing, mahjong classes/playing, tours of the ship, cooking classes, wine/liquor tastings, and in evening entertainment musical, instrumental, or movies. I know I probably missed a few things. Oh, forgot, there is the gym which we go to almost everyday for the treadmill. This week the ship was rocking a great deal so we missed 2 days. If someone says they get bored they are an oddity as we are often torn as we often have multiple events we are interested in at the same time.

I will get to LA area first. We docked in San Pedro which is about 1 1/2 hours south of LA. We did not take any excursions as we were lucky enough to meet up with our grandson, Jake. He picked us up at the terminal and we drove to the iconic lighthouse in the area. It was beautiful there and we also toured the natural museum as well. They had a number of people whale watching and recording any movements as it is one of the locations between Cabo San Lucas and Alaska that counting whales takes place. The tour also included the history of whaling in the area. Our guide was really knowledgeable. We then went to see the Queen Mary which was docked in the area and walked around a beautiful park. By then we were all hungry so Jake selected a Mexican Restaurant that turned out to be very good. We also spent some time at CVS trying to get refills on a prescription but they did not have it filled before we had to return to the ship. They then told us we could have a CVS in Santa Barbara fill it as it was on file in the system. We did take a quick drive around to see the shoreline and Jake returned us to the Neptune. Here are some photos of the day.

Point Vincent’s Lighthouse

Jake and I at the lighthouse

Queen Mary docked in Long Beach

Long Beach Lighthouse

The next day we were in Santa Barbara where Dan and Gayla picked us up at the dock. We headed to the CVS where Dan had called to verify they had the prescription and luckily it was filled. We decided to visit the Mission of Santa Barbara as Jeff and I had never been there. The tour was very good and the mission is actually the third one built as the others were damaged by earthquake. The grounds were beautiful with the mountains in the background. After that we went to lunch at Ledo’s Mexican takeout. Gayla found it under Diners, Drive ins, and Dives. Guy Fieri has been there twice in 10 years. Excellent food. We took a short drive through the downtown and then had to catch our tender back to the ship. When we got to the ship we had the funniest sight we have seen. A seal got into the docking area and they were able to get him off the ship but he kept trying to get back on. They would get him to move by throwing fish off to the side so that the tender boats could unload passengers. As soon as the boat moved away he was back.

Mission of Santa Barbara

Inside courtyard

Cemetary

Inside of church

Side alcove

After getting the city’s approval this house was covered with art created by local artists

Our overly friendly sea lion

One of the best shows- Travis Cloer who has

Sung on Jersey Boys broadway and in Vegas.

He has a Tony Award plus others. Absolutely fantastic

We are having a good time meeting new people and resting up for Honolulu, Hawaii on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Then another 5 days at sea before we make Tahiti.

Sunday, January 7, 2024

Week 2 Costa Rica to Cabo San Lucas

Here we are at the end of week 2. This week saw us having a total of 5 sea days. We began the week in Costa Rica and ended at Cabo San Lucas with lots of water in between. In Costa Rica we took a trip to an animal sanctuary, Nutura Sanctuary. This was really interesting except for the ants biting me. I believe I provided lunch for the entire hive as they must have loved my insect repellent. We saw at least 8 sloths, 5 jaguars, several emus, numerous macaws and parrots, cute toucans, tapirs, and even an ocelot. I was not able to get good pictures (or sightings) of the smaller monkeys. They explained how they rescue these animals and give them medical attention but, more often than not, the animals probably will remain in the sanctuary.

Chestnut billed toucan

Emu

Sloth

Tapir

Jaguar

Macaw

Ocelot

Leaf cutter ants

Sea Days are quite busy. There are lectures on history, geography, photography, birds, and wildlife. These are associated with the region we are visiting so Aztec, Mayan, Spanish conquests, paddling across the oceans, and several other topics. I went to an excellent lecture this morning on the Bayeux Tapestry. I also go to the craft sessions where we knit, crochet, embroider, needlepoint, or what project you have brought with you. In the evenings there are musical performances, some by the onboard singers and others talent that boards the ship for 4 to 5 days. They have been pretty good so far.

We usually go to the sit-down restaurant for evening meals and use the World Cafe for breakfast and lunch. The Cafe is cafeteria style. We have not dined in the specialty restaurants yet. We are tasting wines from different countries and I like a Malbec from Argentina. The staff on board is terrific. We have come across a number of them we met on previous cruises. Viking has a high rate of repeat personnel as they have one of the best pay and perks for employees.

Wine Steward with my favorite Malbec

We arrived in Cabo San Lucas on Saturday. What a gorgeous day with temps in the low 70s and a mild breeze. Since we have been here on 2 previous visits we used this time to pick up items we failed to bring with us. Jeff forgot his computer mouse and also needed a sun hat. We went ashore with our friends Kathleen and Michael who did the same. We found a restaurant for lunch that was away from the marina area so it was quiet and less crowded. Wonderful meals and service. We walked just over 5 miles with plenty of rests for Jeff. We then headed back to the ship for a refreshing mojito and dinner. Jeff and I skipped the evening entertainment as he was really tired and I was not too energetic.

Sunday, December 31, 2023

Week 1 Settling in and Central America

We had a busy week. We met up with old friends and met many new friends in the first week. We arrived in Fort Lauderdale on Friday late afternoon. The Weston was beautiful and we ate dinner at the hotel. It was Mexican themed and the food was delicious. We were able to board the Viking Neptune mid-afternoon and soon all our luggage was delivered safe and sound. We met up with Kathleen and Michael to catch up on what was happening as we hadn’t seen them since May of 2022. Quickly saw a number of the 21-22 Viking Star WC members and caught up with what they had been doing. On Christmas Day we visited Tulum Ruins and Playa del Carmen. The site was very hot and difficult for Jeff to manipulate but we did see what we wanted and then went to the bus.

Located on the coast of eastern Mexico, the Mayan city was built between the 13th and 15th centuries. The city was a religious and trading hub for the empire. The site was tied religiously with Chichen Itza and the Yucatán peninsula. Our guide, and many of the guides for Tulum, are dependents of the Mayan people. We had Gabriel as our guide and he was superb. We also had lunch in Playa del Carmen where we had a wonderful lunch with empanadas, pork tacos, and pumpkin sorbet.

Our next stop was in Cartagena, Colombia. I visited the national aviary and was astonished by the variety of birds. We had the bird specialist from the ship and a local guide to help us identify the species at the aviary. Here are a few pictures.