OUR PANAMA CANAL TREK
Our Celebrity Cruise aboard the good ship Mercury departed San Diego 5 o’clock PM February 18. Daughter in law, Marci, drove us to Los Angeles Union Station for our 930AM departure via what would normally have been a train trip to San Diego. However, on the 18th, it was a non stop bus trip presumably because of track repair or similar. It was a smooth 2 hour drive. We arrived at the San Diego train station at 11:30A and were able to immediately board our ship at dock, a few hundred feet from the train station. Once aboard, we were invited to enjoy lunch aboard and relax until our luggage was brought to the cabin. It was all very smooth and the welcome gracious.
Promptly at five with a burst from the ship’s horn and a hum from the motor, we slowly moved away from the pier and into the waters of beautiful San Diego bay. As the ship made its way past all of the old familiar haunts of our San Diego memories, Coast Guard boats accompanied our egress in what we perceived as applicable security practices in this “age of terror”. Once out in the open sea we watched the sun set and after a long and exciting day, relaxed in our room before our 830PM late seating dinner. The ship was well represented by people with senior status (many more senior than us) and thus, the early dinner seating was already full by the time we committed to the cruise.
We shared our table with two other couples, one of which had requested early seating and was reassigned the next evening. We enjoyed the company of both couples very much and we were pleased to share our dining experiences for the two week cruise with two delightful people, John and Patty Joyce of Portland Oregon. John is a semi retired electrical engineer and retired reserve Navy Commander who has traveled extensively with many adventures and travels that were both interesting and entertaining. Patty is a registered nurse and is still working in the emergency room three days per week. They were great dining companions. We hope that we were not too boring in our old age.
During dinner on Sunday night there was an announcement that the ship was taking on water through the shaft and the Captain had decided to return to San Diego for repairs. We went to bed that night, unsure of whether our trip would be cancelled or not. The next morning we awakened to find ourselves back out to sea with an announcement that a fishing line caught in the shaft had been retrieved by divers in San Diego while we slept. The offending fishing line was on exhibition in the main salon for all to see and view as well as pictures of the divers retrieving the line was telecast on the ships closed circuit TV.
Monday was my “get acquainted with the sea” day by introduction to seasickness. Fortunately, I quickly revived after a Bonimine pill. As a result of our overnight escapade and return to San Diego, our stop in Cabo San Lucas was cancelled with Acapulco our first stop.
Our stop over in Acapulco was without excitement inasmuch as we had been there before. However, we did a walk up to the old Fort which is now a museum, accompanied by a local that we could neither shake nor get rid of by other means in spite of my very best efforts. The young man insisted on accompanying us to the museum and to the market place below where I purchased a pair of ear rings, a shift and shirt for Ken in spite of my good intentions not to buy anything. Our new found “travel parasite” accompanied us back to the ship and Ken tipped him although we had neither invited or encouraged his company. I think that the Mexican travel parasite, as I call the nuisance persons who latch onto tourists with extraordinary rudeness, is what I dislike most when traveling in Mexico. The travel parasite ranks right up there next to illegal immigrants in my “distaste”.
Our next stop was the charming little seaside village of Hualtco, which is a relatively new tourist village still untouched by the “travel parasites”. We enjoyed a day of relaxation ashore in the village and on the beach with no obnoxious infringements against our “space”. Ken did a walk about and returned to report that he had seen an old Winnebago RV from Vancouver, British Columbia parked on the street. Promptly at 5, with everyone back aboard the big ship, we backed cautiously out of the harbor and onto the high seas for our next port of call. A Princess ship had hit a rock here a few days prior so access in and out requires some degree of caution. We later saw the Princess ship in Panama awaiting repairs.
Saturday, was a full day at sea with our next stop Costa Rica. We had planned to do a tour into the interior and the volcano but, Sunday morning Ken awakened to an upset stomach. A trip to the medical office confirmed only indigestion but it was enough to keep us aboard while others saw the island and enjoyed the beauty of the Costa Rica stop.
Monday was another day at sea and Tuesday, we entered the Canal for a full day of locks, lake and launches. We stayed aboard to enjoy the crossing to its fullest as well as Ken felt obligated to see that the ship properly made the transition of some 85 feet from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The engineering marvel is, indeed, a major feat and spectacular to comprehend when one sees it for the first time. It is a magnificent accomplishment in both engineering and medical marvels. The battle to control malaria was an important first step to the building of the canal itself.
Once our trip through the Canal was completed, our next stop was Aruba, an Island to which I felt little friendly commitment in view of the Natalie Holloway situation. However, we did go ashore and found the Island to be clean, well maintained and inviting in spite of my own personal negative attitude. As a parent who empathizes with the family of Natalie Holloway, it was difficult for me to feel kindly toward the Island and its bureaucracy but alas, it did appear to be an Island of charm and interest. I am so fickle.
Two days at sea completed our sojourn and we arrived in Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, on Sunday at 6AM. We disembarked the ship at 915AM, boarded a shuttle to the airport, picked up our rental car and drove to Estoria, Florida for lunch with our friend Helen Holzaepfel. Helen accompanied us into Sarasota and we drove her back to Estoria on Thursday. Our friend, Kitty Vanhorn, joined us on Saturday for an overnight visit and on Thursday, we boarded one of them thar flying machines for our return trip to California. A good trip.
