. Just Imagine the Good Neighbor: Central American Cruising

We boarded our ship, the Holland America Amsterdam, on the afternoon of October 14th. At that time we found out we were among about 80 people who were boarding half way through the cruise. Most of the 1200+ cruisers had already been on the ship for two weeks or more. We discovered that there are many Holland American loyal cruisers who love long cruises and met several who will continue to cruise on this ship until May. We enjoy cruising but can't even comprehend that.
We were also disappointed to learn that Ecuador had been removed as a port due to civil unrest so right away we had 4 straight days at sea.

Fortunately for us, due to my wearing of a Utah State tee shirt for exercise, we met several other members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That enabled us to meet on Sundays and share testimonies and discuss "Come Follow Me." These fantastic people added greatly to our cruise experience.

On Oct. 17th, our ship sailed across the equator. The ship's staff staged a special event where King Neptune initiated staff members who were crossing the equator for the first time. They are nicknamed polligwogs.

As part of their initiation, they had to kiss a big fish and be covered with colored slimy goo stuff. Eventually they were thrown into the pool along with many other staff members in their costumes. We believed the staff really enjoys this tradition.

During our sea days, we attended presentations on the countries we would visit and some of the local wildlife and unique features. This was the best pictures we saw of sloths which live in Central America. However, we saw them when we were in Costa Rica a few years ago.

Steve also attended many microsoft computer classes and I joined him for a few.

There was a large event taking place on one side of the plaza. I believe it was Zumba to raise money for cancer.

Our first port was Puntareas, Costa Rica. We drove through the countryside to a village named Esparza where the local children performed traditional dances for us and displayed local crafts for sale. At the end of the demonstration, they grabbed a few spectators and put costumes on us so we could join in the dancing. The children were adorable and the countryside was green and lush.

Next stop Nicaragua.

It seemed to us that Nicaragua was the poorest country we visited. Our tour guide said that the homes along the highway would mostly have electricity and running water. However, there would be a fee to hook up to the utilities and some families might not be able to afford the fee with a monthly income of $275 per month. Tourism is increasing in Nicaragua which helps their economy a lot.

We boarded a bus for the ride to the old colonial capitol of Leon which was a little over an hour away. As soon as we got off the bus, children gathered around us to sell souvenirs. It was a weekend and when I asked the guide if the children normally go to school, he said the government provides it but many families need the children to work and don't see the necessity of going to school. Attendance is not required. Costa Rica has a much higher literacy rate.

Basilica Cathedral of the Assumption was built in 1814 and is the largest old cathedral in all of Central America. As a World Heritage site, it has survived earthquakes, volcano eruptions and a civil war.

One of the priests redecorated the inside of the church in the early 1900's. These old chairs are the only remaining original items.

This statue of Jesus as a black man with Mary, his mother, is unique to the cathedral.

I went with a small group up to the roof to check out the view. Volcanic mountains are behind me in the distance. It was very hot on the roof and we were required to remove our shoes.

I took this photo of Steve sitting on a bench in the plaza across the street. He is the one with the yellow shirt and the hat.

This must have been some kind of a taxi for locals. People would get in until it was totally packed with people standing up. Later a similar vehicle would drop off a large group of standing passengers.

There are several colonial churches in Leon. This is Iglesia La Recoleccion.

It was very hot in Nicaragua. The people smiled and tried very hard to sell you their wares.

We arrived in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala on Oct. 21st.

There were market vendors with beautiful items for sale right at the port but we were rushed through to board our bus for the 2.5 hour ride to the ancient Mayan ruins of Iximche.

The man below is picking ripe coffee berries which are red. The coffee berries are all picked by hand. They plant fast growing trees to shade the plants and provide wood for their stoves to cook and heat their homes in cooler weather.

A volcano erupted in this area two years ago and killed about 2000 people in the village at the base of the volcano. They are still working to rebuild bridges and roads.

They purchase discarded school buses from the US and paint them in bright colors and use them for public transportation. We saw dozens and dozens of painted buses. A few were still yellow.

Men were making and stacking these bricks by hand. Bricks are common building materials.

The city of Chimaltenango is the capitol of Chimaltenango municipality, It was VERY congested for a town of only about 75,000. They purchase used cars from the US and fix them up. The Pan American Highway was lined with repair and accessory shops. They purchase a lot of small pickups also and then pack the back with family members and friends.

The countryside where they grow many fruits and vegetables were beautifully groomed and cared for. Many laborers work in the fields planting, weeding and harvesting.

It was a holiday so many local families were relaxing and enjoying the day at this Mayan site also known as Tecpan. The women were dressed in their handwoven skirts and tops. You can tell where a woman lives as their fabric design and colors reflect the location of their villages.

These were Mayan temples. Various sections were built for individual royal families.

This little lady with her beautiful woven dress allowed us a photograph. I was amazed at how tall I felt. There was an altar behind us where people had made sacrifices that day including two chickens and the fire was still smoldering.

On our way back from Iximeche, we stopped at the local restaurant for lunch. Our new German friends, Gisela and Siegfreid, were also in our tour group and joined us for a nice lunch.

These handcrafted saddles were different from any we had ever seen before. Not the size of the horn.

Kites are a favorite toy of the children. They quite often make their own from scraps. These colorful kites were for sale in the market outside of the restaurant. Most children make their own.

Below is an active volcano which we could see in the distance. It was a cloudy day so I was lucky to get this photo.

We passed by Colonial Antigua which we could see in the distance. Even though we only made two stops, we were the last group to arrive back at the port. We didn't have much opportunity to purchase things. More children go to school in Guatemala and the low income level is about $375 a month.

Roads are very congested with vehicles. They spent about 8 years building a cut off road to assist people in getting to the ruins. The road was open only two months before it washed out in the rain.

We were in sunny Puerta Vallarta, Mexico on the 24th and 25th. It was hot!

We enjoyed seeing these two big ships in port at the same time. The huge Disney vessel on the right left not too long after we arrived. It was bigger than our ship which isn't portrayed in this photo.

This iconic church in Puerto Vallarta is known as Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. It is located in the old town area with cobblestone streets and only a couple of blocks from the Malecon, a plaza area along the coast with artistic statues.

Playas Los Muertos or the beach of the dead is in the old town area. We were glad to checked this out early as it become way too hot for us.

This little market near the ship is where I found a very light weight blouse to purchase. I needed something to change into since I was so sweaty.

That evening we rode a boat for about an hour across the bay to an island resort built by John Huston to entertain his Hollywood actor friends. It is now used for an evening show with acrobats, arialists, dancers, etc. We think that the show was nearly complete when they ended it due to lighting and rain.

It was late when they served us a lovely buffet dinner under a variety of pavilions as the rain continued to pour down outside.

On the boat ride back to Puerta Vallarta, the staff on the boat donned costumes and entertained us extremely well with their lipsincing skills.

We especially enjoyed their Blues Brothers' imitation and dance moves. They were hilarious to watch.

Our last day was sunny and hot again.

Here I am on the upper deck of the ship wearing my light Mexican blouse. It will probably fall apart when it is washed but it surely was appreciated on that hot day.

These excellent Mexican dancers entertained us on the ship several times and we enjoyed their lively performances.

We had one last gala evening dinner with our new friends on the last night of the cruise.

Making new friends who shared our religion, was one of the highlights of this particular cruise for us. We really enjoyed Roswitha, Rick, Gisela and Siegfriend, and Darla and Don.

Gorgeous fresh flowers arrangements were displayed at various points around the ship.

We loved the little bags of popcorn provided for the evening movie shown in the little theatre.
Steve spent a lot of time with ice on his knee and hip. Thank goodness for ice!

I went walking on the decking before sunrise as we docked in San Diego. I loved watching the sunrise as I walked. I was so sorry that Steve wasn't able to join in walking much. I missed sharing this beauty with him.