Bit Of A Blog : Vision Of The Seas, Nov 29th 2018 : Panama Canal eastbound

[NorbertsNiece]

Breakfast in WJ.

We are not alone. Viking Star.

[NorbertsNiece]

No teleporting? I want my money back!

 

[NorbertsNiece]

Waiting to go ashore. They are running various drills / alerts for the staff

 

 

[LUVINMYHUBS]

Loving your blog!  We will be on her in 2 weeks (17 days to be exact 🙂 ) This is our 1st Christmas cruise as we are now "empty nesters" and rather than travel around to scattered family and be exhausted, we chose to go on a cruise! Your pictures and ongoing adventures are making me SO excited to be there myself!! Thank you for doing such a wonderful job with all the menu pics and food.  I love that part most of all, as we all know cruise calories don't count.  Have the time of your life. I will too. 

[LUVINMYHUBS]

3 hours ago, sellwingri said:

Tutti salad is one of my favorite things to eat!  For those of you who haven’t tried it, give it a try at lunch in the MDR on your next cruise.   Got my brother and sister in law to try it for the first time on our last cruise and they had it every day after that.

Can you tell me what's in it? I'm wondering if it's something I'd like....

[Clarea]

2 minutes ago, LUVINMYHUBS said:

Can you tell me what's in it? I'm wondering if it's something I'd like....

 

You pick the ingredients.  There are many to choose from and you just point to what you want and the crewmember puts it into the bowl.  At the end they chop it all up (if you like) and serve it on a plate.

 

Just walk by the buffet and take a look at the choices. 

[NorbertsNiece]

Back from my excursion. Whilst the estate was deep inside rain forest and we were fed there was barely any wildlife to be seen! Love wondering through forest so still managed to grab one or two pics......

The gangway disembarking was very steep. Apparently there'd been some welcome show on the pier which I missed. They were stamping passports for those who wanted.

Our guide was Karla. No working mic. We passed bananas growing, fields of sugar cane and 3 active volcanoes. We were being driven at speed so not so easy to grab pics.

 

[NorbertsNiece]

The quetzal is the national bird and appears on the one quetzal bill (local currency 1 quetzal = $7).

Volcanic debris.

[NorbertsNiece]

The mansion. 

Frank, the owner.

This is in fact a coffee plantation.

 

[NorbertsNiece]

Avocado trees abound.

Margarita cannot read. Her only skill is weaving. She has to finish this commissioned piece today.

Poinsettias. 

[NorbertsNiece]

Coffee beans thrive under the shelter of much larger trees. And many other fruits. 

[NorbertsNiece]

The tree of life. Check out the thorns!

The only birds to be seen.

And other than butterflies, the only wildlife I saw!

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

I try plantain for the first time.

The reddish liquid is hibiscus juice.....sweetened. The tostados were delicious!

Coffee beans will be in the sun drying out for 2 weeks!

[NorbertsNiece]

Back at the ship the tide is out. There are shuttles busses to a terminal with shops but I'm tired and head back on board. 

I now have a menagerie of towel animals!

 

Thanks for reading along, your positive comments are much appreciated x

[NorbertsNiece]

Late comers running the gauntlet returning back this evening. "It's not my fault!!"  one shouted out!!!

One table mate tonight ordered 4 starters and 2 mains.....

I am so over the bread. EVERY meal, that's 3 times a day.....the same!!!!!

GF spaghetti.

Last night I was told I could have GF soufflé......I got trifle, without sponge.

 

Compass day 8.pdf

Edited December 6, 2018 by NorbertsNiece

[psychokitty]

When returning to the ship the smoking volcano erupted! Photos of eruption on camera, but got these when back on the ship. 

[NorbertsNiece]

Oooooh thanks for sharing!! I saw smoke from WJ around 515pm but didn't imagine it was volcanic!!!

[psychokitty]

2 hours ago, NorbertsNiece said:

Oooooh thanks for sharing!! I saw smoke from WJ around 515pm but didn't imagine it was volcanic!!!

We saw some incredible scenes of destruction from the major eruption earlier this year. Took out whole villages. 😢 

[Suzi66]

What a pity your tour guide was in such a hurry so that you didn't get to see things of importance like the damage from the volcanoes.  These are the things that then make us westerners donate towards them, when we see it first hand.

Still loving the blog.  BTW what is that interesting white drink?

[Merion_Mom]

8 hours ago, NorbertsNiece said:

The quetzal is the national bird and appears on the one quetzal bill (local currency 1 quetzal = $7).

Volcanic debris.

 

 

 

 

 

 

$1 US = 7 Guatemalan quetzals  🙂 

[NorbertsNiece]

@psychokitty 😪

@Suzi66 We were time constrained. The volcanoes are still miles away from the main road we were on. That's a non alcoholic pina colada!!! 

@Merion_Mom ooops. Thanks for looking after me!!!

[Lionesss]

I am really enjoying your thread.

 

This is a bucket list cruise for us, and probably will not happen for at least 4 years.

 

But it is great tagging along with your pictures.

 

So much to do, and I do not know where you find the time.

 

Anyway ---keep the posts coming, cannot wait for more!!!!!!!

 

Safe travels.

[NorbertsNiece]

Lazy day today. Am finding with the onset of years that I am grateful for a day off between shore days. My room is a little haven from the exuberance that pervades this ship. It really is an extremely happy vessel. There's music everywhere. Everyone says hi. There's so much going on at every venue all day and well into the night. I do hope @PCWalton1is reviewing the shows as so far I've just managed to attend just the one! In the evenings I stroll around on the edges of activities trying to avoid the ship photographers! I've been to a couple of Chanukah services. 

 

I've not ordered room service yet. Whilst continental breakfast is still complimentary everything ekse xomes with a charge! This is news to me..... just got out the menus to show you!

 

 

[voyager70]

Thoroughly  enjoying your blog Linda.  Your pics and commentary really capture the essence of the journey.  Shame I have to wait 87 days til my next voyage (not that I'm counting  ). 

[NorbertsNiece]

Just played progressive trivia. We're doing ok. Hate this venue for this though. Many teams.  I have to keep getting up to see the screen. I'm sneezing a lot this morning. Air con.

The Centrum.

We are not alone....screenshot from a video I took.