A Mighty Wind - Puntarenas to Valparaiso

[highplanesdrifters]

1 hour ago, jpalbny said:

Yay for Chef Pia! She taught me the easy way to make Kaiserschmarrn. She always feeds us too well.

Mmmmmm, that looks yummy.  Big swells here, not sure if we'll get off the boat.  Maybe I can get a quick lesson.😁

[highplanesdrifters]

1 hour ago, Silver Spectre said:

Perhaps the Cigar smoker is being tolerated as a way of reducing the sewage smell.

It makes for a lovely aromatic cuvee.

[highplanesdrifters]

Herradura, Costa Rica

No hour of life is waisted that is spent in the saddle. - Winston Churchill

Tropical Forest Horseback Riding.

The rainforest was muddied by hurricane Julia. We saw a number of landslides and many trails were still rivers.  I was a tad nervous not wanting to spend the day slip sliding on an unfamiliar mount, and the tour group was 20+.  All fears were waisted.  My horse was a dream. Like riding a cushioned Pegasus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This guy came along because the single supplement was 125%.

 

Edited October 29, 2022 by highplanesdrifters

[highplanesdrifters]

The rest of the crew went on the crocodile rainforest walk.  They were also Happy Campers.   Leaf cutter ants and Croc.

 

 

[Stumblefoot]

12 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

Did I mention we have Chef Pia.  Oh Joy!

She… is… awesome!

[highplanesdrifters]

Golfito, Costa Rica 

We were greeted by the town band and dancers. Rather impressive.

Fun little dolphin watching tour. They were extremely playful and acrobatic. Drive along the coast was just OK. Heard the kayaking was less than ideal. Not much of a town, but I always enjoy the slice of life vignettes.  Must be something going on here, the have 2 attorneys.😃

 

 

 

 

 

 Bad kayaks 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Carolfay]

I got off Silver Wind just a short time before you boarded, highplanes, and had a lot of fun on the San Diego to Puntarenas itinerary.  I second your comments about the Hacienda Belen in San Jose - lovely property, very accommodating.

 

Chef Pia did an excellent job for us, and her cooking demo was very entertaining.  We had excellent service from the staff, all smiles and courtesy.  The air conditioning seemed to be struggling to keep up with the heat, and I think they did try to address the situation.  I caught only an occasional whiff of the much-mentioned sewage odor; perhaps I was just lucky enough to be at the less-affected end of the ship.

 

We had one passenger who was seldom seen without a cigar, but he was pretty easy to avoid.  The inside smokers' lounge does seem to allow quite a bit of odor to escape.

 

The Wind is just the right size for me, and I will continue to consider Silversea for future cruises.  I look forward to seeing more of highplanes' photos.  Enjoy the trip!

[highplanesdrifters]

23 hours ago, Carolfay said:

I got off Silver Wind just a short time before you boarded, highplanes, and had a lot of fun on the San Diego to Puntarenas itinerary.  I second your comments about the Hacienda Belen in San Jose - lovely property, very accommodating.

 

Chef Pia did an excellent job for us, and her cooking demo was very entertaining.  We had excellent service from the staff, all smiles and courtesy.  The air conditioning seemed to be struggling to keep up with the heat, and I think they did try to address the situation.  I caught only an occasional whiff of the much-mentioned sewage odor; perhaps I was just lucky enough to be at the less-affected end of the ship.

 

We had one passenger who was seldom seen without a cigar, but he was pretty easy to avoid.  The inside smokers' lounge does seem to allow quite a bit of odor to escape.

 

The Wind is just the right size for me, and I will continue to consider Silversea for future cruises.  I look forward to seeing more of highplanes' photos.  Enjoy the trip!

Thanks for chimming in. Glad you had a great trip.  I too like the size of the Wind. But sadly our problems persist. Cabin hot, toilet needs extra water from sink to flush, and the below which I pisted on another thread.

 

If it weren't really annoying it would be comical. Outside the Panorama was lovely last night. Beautiful sunset, nice temperature, gentle breeze, cold cocktails.  Then the noxious cigar fumes overcame us.  We went inside only to be audibly assaulted by the Face Timers, AND now the noxious fumes from the cigar smoker filled Panorama through the door. 🤯🤯🤯 

Being a small ship, there are very few options. Very hot by the pool bar and no sunset view. The sewage smell seems to be worse there and cigar man camps out there most of the day except during food service when NO smoking is allowed. When there is a pool chair available its next to cancer man. Yesterday morning there were 4 people in the pool, but there were books or sunglasses reserving 17 chairs and nary an occupant in site.

 

Today we hit the Darian jungle. I promise happy posts to come.

[highplanesdrifters]

Happy Post!

 

The mango we purchased on the way to the ship are starting to ripen. Oh how I wish the smelling App was working. Very HAPPY.

 

Sea Day. We had a Tippy Hedren moment yesterday morning.  The ship was surrounded by Brown Boobies.  We did see a little wildlife in the afternnon. Some Dolphins and what we believe were  school of swordfish jumping.

 

 

 

Our lovely sunset and refreshing beverages.

[les37b]

On 10/30/2022 at 11:59 PM, highplanesdrifters said:

Golfito, Costa Rica 

 

Remember it well….. from the balcony on day 1 of quarantine! Lol

[highplanesdrifters]

Update:

We are on our third suite and SO just informed me that we have a new leak under the sink. We have a daily dialogue with management.

Sewage smell persists but doesn't seem as prevalent. 

Cigar smell worse. Last night Panorama and hallway reeked, we couldn't sit there.

 

Sadly todays snorkeling trip on Gorgona was canceled.  But wait here's the good news.  We can take a tour of the poisonous snake infested former penal colony.

 

Except for the bartender in Dolce Vita last night service and staff have been fantastic.

 

Chef Pia is a Goddess.

 

Alfredo continues to delight with his musical stylings. 

 

A good time is still being had by all.

[CruzinFeraBruzin]

7 minutes ago, highplanesdrifters said:

Sewage smell persists but doesn't seem as prevalent.

Maybe you're getting used to it?  Yuck!   We're enjoying your posts.  Thanks so much for sharing.

[highplanesdrifters]

Darien Jungle

A nice zodiac ride into the jungle. Hot and steamy!

 

 

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

Darien Jungle

Embera Village visit.

This is the travel experience that one hopes for. The tribe came out to  greet the ship in their boats. We then were treated to their warmth and hospitality on shore. At the end the sang us back to the zodiacs. Magical.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[WesW]

Terrific photos and video's complement well your post, thanks so much.

 

And we enjoy dancing to Alfredo's delightful music and eating Pia's delish crepe's among many other dishes.

 

Edited November 4, 2022 by WesW

[Silver Spectre]

Superb photos and videos @highplanesdrifters, thank you for sharing.

[highplanesdrifters]

Thanks Wes and Spectre. Now that that CC cookies have been cleared I can catch up.😁

The ships cookies are still an issue. Plates of them keep showing up after dinner.🤣

[highplanesdrifters]

Utria National Park, Columbia

We were here for two days. Our options were: 1. Rainforest hike, described as the "Rambo" hike. 2. Mangrove Boardwalk walk. 3. White Beach swimming. I was told the beach was actually tan/brown and had a bit of garbage. 

 

I am not "Rambo", nor do I aspire to be.  Garbage beach, not so much. So Rainforest Boardwalk it is. Day one was nice albeit a bit crowded. Day two; 

due to the changing of the suite chaos I got on the " Rambo" boat. Halfway there I realized my error and sheepishly confessed. No problem, they just dropped me at the Boardwalk.  Whew.  This meant I had the Boardwalk to myself. Ahhhh, can my luck be changing?  It was a delight.  Quiet, serene, birds singing, monkies howling, tide gently flowing, a Zen like 1 1/2 miles all to myself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Near the end of my walk I came across a few guides who were surprised to find me wandering. 

 

 

This is the Bodega you can rent.  Hmmm. 

 

 

[rkacruiser]

6 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

Darien Jungle

Embera Village visit.

This is the travel experience that one hopes for. The tribe came out to  greet the ship in their boats. We then were treated to their warmth and hospitality on shore. At the end the sang us back to the zodiacs. Magical.

 

This is the kind of excursion cruising that one desires!  Your photos remind me of my trip in the Amazon rain forest.  Certainly glad that I did that cruise!

 

2 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

This meant I had the Boardwalk to myself. Ahhhh, can my luck be changing?  It was a delight.  Quiet, serene, birds singing, monkies howling, tide gently flowing, a Zen like 1 1/2 miles all to myself.

 

This kind of an experience is what makes traveling exciting for me.  The unexpected and when the unexpected turns out to be a delight....well, it makes the experience more significant than it might otherwise be. 

 

2 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

This is the Bodega you can rent.  Hmmm. 

 

😁  Wouldn't expect a Mandarin Oriental in this location!  

[highplanesdrifters]

5 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

This is the kind of excursion cruising that one desires!  Your photos remind me of my trip in the Amazon rain forest.  Certainly glad that I did that cruise!

 

 

This kind of an experience is what makes traveling exciting for me.  The unexpected and when the unexpected turns out to be a delight....well, it makes the experience more significant than it might otherwise be. 

 

 

😁  Wouldn't expect a Mandarin Oriental in this location!  

All so true!

Even though there have been some less than ideal,  and frustrating conditions on this trip, I still count my lucky stars. To be among the few who get to experience these things in such special ways is beyond fortunate.😁

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

 

Let's focus on the POSITIVE today.

Silversea staff and crew have been excellent, especially given some challenging circumstances creating a large crop of grumpy guests.

Service and good spirits prevail! The little anticipatory touches are there. 

 

Chef Pia and the always charming Emmerson dishing up fun and German delicacies. 

 

Oops I forgot chefs name. He delivers some excellent native Indian dishes. And two pigs today.  How does he do it?

 

 

Does Chef Pia pack those German sausages in her suitcase?

 

 

Andres dishes up any cocktail you can think of, and some you've never heard of, along with a smile and positive vibes. Our go to guy.

 

Oscar contemplating the poisonous snakes behind him.🤣

 

 

Chef Pia and Alfredo. Can it get any better?

 

My dream team posts to be continued.

[highplanesdrifters]

Gorgona Island, Columbia

Our snorkeling trip was canceled and replaced with a tour of an abandoned penal colony in a poisonous snake infested jungle. Eerie, hot, steamy, buggy, but oh so fascinating.  Not a snake to be seen. Apparently we were on the deluxe tour where they beat the bushes first.  I'm glad we got to experience this place.

 

 

There were friendly guards all over the place in different uniforms. Our bags were searched before the tour. I never did find out why they were there and who they were protecting.

 

 

The creepiest part was the solitary confinement.

 

 

 

There was a strange beauty to the dinning area and fountains for drinking and washing. 

 

 

 

The jungle reclaiming the oven for baking bread.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 5, 2022 by highplanesdrifters

[ronrick1943]

Really nice post, thank you so much for taking the time.  Photos outstanding.  Just wondering why SS doesn’t take the cigar smoker off the ship and be done with it.  You really must be a easy going to put up with so many problems with your suite.

[highplanesdrifters]

9 hours ago, ronrick1943 said:

Really nice post, thank you so much for taking the time.  Photos outstanding.  Just wondering why SS doesn’t take the cigar smoker off the ship and be done with it.  You really must be a easy going to put up with so many problems with your suite.

You are so very kind.  I have to admit there have been some challenging moments.

My general mantra is:

If you're not happy, you're not happy.

We will see if Silversea does the right thing.😉

[highplanesdrifters]

Puerto Lopez, Ecuador 

 

Quite a climate change from hot and steamy to dry and cooler. Rainforest to semi arid. Mama humpback and baby whale show on the trip south. Lots of fin twirls and dozens of tail slaps. What a treat. 

 

An emotional arrival into Puerto Lopez. SS Wind is the first post pandemic ship in Port. We were greeted with cheers and smiles and felt like celebrities. 

 

A power packed afternoon.  I'll start with a few videos of our bus ride through town with more to come. Zoom in and check out the local characters and street scenes.