Cruising to Central and South America in December on the Sapphire Princess
Dec. 2-22, 20022
I have been on cruises before, but this one was special. It was a holiday cruise and my 65th birthday was on the ship.
(Dec. 2) -we travelled to Los Angeles Airport and took a taxi to to the port. Boarding the ship was fun. It felt like there was a party going on. We immediately went to explore the ship and find our cabin. This time we had a balcony, because at the last minute, they let us "bid" for the empty balconies. I won one for $200. Getting to know the ship takes time. There are many nooks and crannies to explore.
(Dec. 3) at Sea-we found out the ship's jewelry shop onboard was giving away free charms each day to commemorate the cruise...so we ended up collecting the little Princess Boat charm and 11 more after that. It made a really fun necklace.
(Dec. 4) Cabo San Lucas, Mexico- we took a snorkeling tour that was a bit rocky on the water and slightly disappointing as the corals were not very healthy and they boat fed bread to the fish. We did see a nice island of seals though as we were going to to snorkel.
(Dec. 5-8) at Sea-going across the Date Line-celebration occurs on the top deck when you pass the dateline from North to South America. King Neptune must be appeased and all must "kiss the fish," who encounter his wrath. We had our first formal dinner night. Oh my, we dressed up nice, and the food was delightful.
(Dec. 9) Puntarenas, Costa Rica-we took the Jungle Crocodile River Cruise and saw so many new birds. I would like to come back here again and stay for a while.
(Dec. 10-12) at Sea
(Dec.13-15)-Lima Peru -was definitely in political unrest, so we spent the day on a tour of Lovers Park and shopping for baby alpaca wool near the shore, without venturing into the historic part of Peru. We then walked to the "Indian Market" to buy some gifts for the kids.
The next evening, we went to the National Light Show at the downtown city park. Interestingly, we never made it to the historic part of downtown, because of all the rioting that was going on. The light show was spectacular.
We took a tour to go see some petroglyphs today and then had lunch at a local vineyard and they served Pisco, which is the local favorite "brandy." Very strong, but served with a lime juice that cuts the alcohol.
(Dec. 15-17) at Sea-gold and white night at dinner.
We missed out on seeing penguins on day 16 because the political unrest had become so volatile, the Captain of the ship made a decision not to dock again in Peru. The waters are now becoming a bit rocky as we are moving to the bottom of the southern continent where two oceans come together. Though we are not going to the Antarctica-we are starting to experience the beginning of the "Drake Shake" that occurs when the ship goes through the Drake Passage. They did have some great food for dinner that night. So glad I don't get seasick, though this night I did actually feel the wave action a bit and took some Dramamine that put me right to sleep that night.
(Dec.18) La Serena Coquimbo, Chile-we went to visit the Archeological Museum there and learned about the pre-historic to modern-day inhabitants of Chile.
(Dec. 19-22) Santiago, Chile-we disembarked, took a local bus to the city bus depot, and got a taxi to our hotel in downtown Santiago. I really loved this part of the trip. We were able to spend some time in Chile's capital and I was able to use a little of the Spanish I have been learning. Our hotel was delightful. We were situated right next to the City Park that rises above the city and you can look out everywhere. The hotel restaurant served breakfast and tea indoors, but the rooftop at night was magical. I was one of my favorite moments in Santiago; a cheese board and a beautiful wine, followed by empanadas.
We went to several museums, but the most interesting one had historic and modern-day weaving. I could not get enough of the weavings. They were so beautiful. The modern ones were lit with colorful lights than enhanced their shapes.
We hiked all the way across town to Pablo Neruda's residence, which ended up being closed, but the walk was so interesting...by this time, my knee, which was due to be replaced as soon as we got home, was really starting to bother me. I don't know why we are so stubborn about taking taxis, but both my partner and I like walking and seeing portions of the city that would zip by in a taxi. We saw so many murals (both political and artistic) as we walked. Finally, we gave in near the city zoo and sat down and had some delicious meat and cheese empanadas.
Day 21-we spent a nice morning at the hotel and then got the fastest taxi I have ever been in to the airport. The driver did not seem fazed by the fact that my partner and I were white-knuckle all the way to the airport. We both agreed that the next time we come to this part of the world, we are going to see Penguins and make it to Antarctica. We were so close. The next part of the journey for the Sapphire Princess was Antarctica, but we had to get home, as I was going in for a new knee.
