Cruising the Latin Tapestry

By W.E. WELBOURNE

Cruising the Latin Tapestry is a travelogue and adventure story of the MV Voyagers circumnavigation of South America in early 2013 as experienced by the author and his partner. It provides an interesting insight into the extraordinary beauty and colourful vigour of Latin America that a traveller can expect by visiting this fascinating continent.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Oct 12, 2013
• ISBN: 9781493108619

Book preview

54230.png

Copyright © 2013 by W.E Welbourne. 504492-WELB

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013917795

ISBN: Softcover      978-1-4931-0859-6

ISBN: Hardcover    978-1-4931-0860-2

ISBN: EBook          978-1-4931-0861-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 02/24/2015

Xlibris

1-800-455-039

www.xlibris.com.au

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

FOREWORD

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

PART 5

PART 6

PART 7

PART 8

HISTORY of MV VOYAGER

HISTORY INDEX

INDEX of PLACES & COUNTRIES VISITED

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The chronological presentation of this diary owes much to the invaluable source material made available by Voyages of Discovery. This includes the excellent award winning lecture program organized by Mrs Mo Holland, Lecture Program Manager. Voyages of Discovery won the British travel Awards 2012 for the Best Niche Cruise Line.

In particular, I am thankful for the notes and advice provided in the company’s excursion guides and daily publications as shown:

Voyager Today, a daily program and news sheet, Friday January 4, 2013 to Sunday April 28, 2013. Shore Excursions Guide, South America, Winter 2013, Voyages of Discovery; Shore Excursions Guide, Caribbean & Atlantic Islands, Winter 2012-13, Voyages of discovery, www.voyagesofdiscovery.co.uk

MINIGUIDES, Voyages of Discovery: Jamaica’s North Coast (2012), Cancun (2012), Belize (2012), Honduras (2012), Costa Rica (2012), Cartagena (2012), Panama (2012), Ecuador (2011), Peru (2011), Chile (2012), Argentina (2012), Buenos Aires (2012), Montevideo (2012), Brazil (2010), Fortaleza (2012), Recife (2012), Natal (2012), The Amazon (2012), Iles du Salut (2012), Caracas (2012), Aruba (2012), Trinidad (2012), Cuba (2012), Bahamas (2012), Bermuda (2012), Azores (2012): (JPM Publications SA.)

In addition I am grateful for the support, encouragement and advice of my travelling partner, Avril Burley, on this voyage. She has contributed immensely to the editing and photography of the diary.

FOREWORD

What a fascinating and intriguing tourist destination is South America. My joy of discovering its allure came in December 2005 while on my way to visit Antarctica accompanied by my son, Tony. We decided to make stopovers at Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires and Iguassu before embarking to the Great White continent from Ushuaia on a small expedition ship, MV Explorer. We became captivated by the Latin American culture, the exuberance of its people and the kaleidoscope of its natural features. Its outstanding natural landforms offer a rich tapestry of vistas such as the snow-capped Andes Mountain Range, the dry Atacama Desert, the lush jungles of the Amazon basin, the Brazilian and Guiana Highlands, the Mato Grosso plateau, and the varying landscapes of Patagonia.

South America is bordered to the west by the Pacific Ocean and to the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean. It contains twelve independent countries – Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela and French Guiana (overseas territory of France). I could not get over the size of Brazil which occupies about half of South America and is larger in area than the continent of Australia.

South America offers a lot more than I had time to see in 2005. I knew I was hooked and needed to return to capture more of its splendour. Seven years later the chance came when I noticed an advertisement for passengers to join the MV Voyager on its circumnavigation of South America. Splendid! It took me probably a Nano second to decide to join the Voyages of Discovery tour. My partner Avril also made up her mind on the spot. MV Voyager would visit every country in South America except Suriname, Guyana on the north coast and landlocked Bolivia and Patagonia.

Voyages of Discovery is a cruise line owned by the British All Leisure Group which is also the holding company of Swan Hellenic, Hebridean Island Cruises and Discover Egypt. In December 2012 the company acquired MV Voyager which replaced its previous ship MV Discovery. It was built by Spanish yard Union Navale le Levante in 1990 and entered service as the Crown Monarch. The vessel saw service under various names and eventually it was acquired at auction in 2009 by All Leisure Holidays. It was renamed Alexander von Humboldt and chartered to tour operators. In 2012 a major multi-million pound refurbishment was undertaken and the vessel renamed MV Voyager. The luxury vessel arrived in Portsmouth on December 1, 2012 in readiness to embark on a 147 day Grand Voyage around the Caribbean and South America.

On December 4, 2012, before the maiden voyage set sail, Reverend Phillip Hiscock, the Chaplain for the Port of Portsmouth led the christening ceremony. British TV host, Miranda Krestovnikoff, who is Voyager’s newly appointed godmother, named the vessel.

MV Voyager has all the amenities and facilities of a larger liner, with the convenience and flexibility of small ship cruising. She is able to visit and berth at ports where others have to pass by, and yet is capable of traversing the world’s oceans with ease. The flagship for Voyages of Discovery caters for 550 passengers and is ideal for travellers wishing to explore remote and exotic locations.

The 147 day Grand Voyage from Portsmouth to Portsmouth set sail on Tuesday December 4, 2012 and returned on Monday April 29, 2013, having circumnavigated South America. The itinerary of nine discovery cruises was designed to explore around the islands of the Caribbean and the coastline of South America.

These Voyages of Discovery were:

Voyage to the Caribbean – 4 December, 2012 – 18 Days; Portsmouth, La Coruna, Funchal, St Kitts, Antigua, Martinique, Barbados

Caribbean Gems – 20 December, 2012 – 17 Days; Barbados, St Lucia, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Grenada, Tobago, Margarita Island, La Guaira, Curacao, Bonaire Island, Santo Domingo, Montego Bay

A Tapestry of Central America – 4 January, 2013 – 21 Days; Montego Bay, Progresso, Belize City, Puerto Cortez, Puerto Limon, Cartagena, San Blas Islands, Gatun Lake & Panama canal, Balboa, Manta, Quito

South America’s Pacific Shore – 21 January, 2013 – 18 Days; Quito, Manta, Santiago de Guayaquil, Salaverry, Callao, General San Martin, Arica, Coquimbo, Valparaiso

Natural Wonders of South America – 5 February, 2013 – 22 Days; Valparaiso, Puerto Montt, Puerto Chacabucu, Chilean Fjords cruising, Punta Arenas, Chilean Fjords cruising, Cape Horn, Ushuaia, Port Stanley, Puerto Madryn, Buenos Aires

South America’s Discovery Coast – 25 February, 2013 – 17 Days; Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Santos, Ilhabela, Paraty, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador de Bahia, Recife

A Portrait of the Amazon – 12 March, 2013 – 17 Days; Recife, Natal, Fortaleza, Belem, Santarem, Boca de Valeria, Manaus

Amazonian and Caribbean Explorer – 24 March, 2013 – 17 Days; Manaus, Parintins, Alter do Chao, Amazon cruising, Macapa, devil’s Island, Trinidad, La Guaira, Aruba, Montego Bay

Islands of the Atlantic – 8 April, 2013 – 22 days; Montego Bay, Cayman Islands, Havana, Nassau, Hamilton, Faial, Ponta Delgada, Portsmouth

The following diary of events commences on December 30, 2012 when my partner Avril and I flew from Melbourne, Australia to embark the MV Voyager at Montego Bay on January 4, 2013. It is divided into eight parts that record each stage of the journey commencing with the flight from Australia across the Pacific to Jamaica. The diary chapters correspond roughly with each cruise from Montego Bay until our arrival at Portsmouth. The story is of people, places, facts and figures, shipboard life and activities ashore. I am a history buff so I have crammed that in as well. I hope you enjoy the journey.

Bill Welbourne

504492-WELB1.jpg

A Tapestry of Central America

504492-WELB2.jpg

South America's Pacific Shore

504492-WELB3.jpg

Natural Wonders of Latin America

504492-WELB4.jpg

South America's Discovery Coast

504492-WELB5.jpg

A Portrait of the Amazon

504492-WELB6.jpg

Amazonian and Caribbean Explorer

504492-WELB1.jpg

Islands of the Atlantic

54717.png

PART 1

AUSTRALIA to MIAMI

17742.png

DAY 1

Sunday December 30, 2012

Melbourne to Honolulu

Avril’s eldest son, Russell, arrives at midday to give us a lift to Melbourne airport. Our luggage is checked through to Honolulu. We have 3 hours to kill before our Qantas flight takes off to Sydney for our connection to Honolulu… speak about being anxious! Being seniors we are privilege class, so we help ourselves to a free cuppa tea, courtesy of ‘Hungry Jacks’. For lunch we enjoy a snack-pack of sushi.

We are due to depart Melbourne for Sydney on QANTAS QF 0450 at 4:30pm, arriving at 5:55pm. But the flight is delayed almost an hour and we have to scramble to catch the flight to Honolulu. This is not helped by a bureaucratic immigration official. Avril has our boarding passes and hands them to her. She stares at me and then hands mine back. ‘Where is your boarding pass for Honolulu?’ she demands. ‘This is your boarding pass for ‘Melbourne’. I need your entry into the USA?’ We are totally confused and look hastily through our documents. She’ll give me just a minute to find my boarding pass. I suddenly realize that she has made a mistake by confusing my surname ‘Welbourne’ with Melbourne. I point this out to her. ‘Oh! I’m terribly sorry. This is the correct boarding pass. Oh, I do apologize… I haven’t come across a name like that before!’

Our flight to Honolulu, QANTAS QF 0003, is scheduled to leave at 7:45pm. Luckily we make it comfortably. The flight has been delayed for about 30 minutes, but the captain says we have a good wind behind us and will make up time. We are lucky to share an empty seat in the middle aisle. The food is ample with choices… steamed fish or braised beef served with Victorian wines and ice cream and fresh fruit. The generous hostess offers me more wine… of course I accept. The breakfast is a choice of Continental or hot breakfast. We arrive on time 9hrs 10 mins later, half hour ahead of schedule at 8:05 am. It is earlier than when we left because we have lost a day by crossing the International Date Line. The weather is a balmy 20 C and cloudy with light clearing showers.

We clear customs and catch a shuttle bus which takes about 40 minutes to reach our hotel, the Maile Sky Court Hotel, in Hawaii… we pay $54 for a return ticket. They arrange to pick us up at 5:30 am on Wednesday morning for our flight to LAX and Miami. Our hotel room is not ready so have to kill time till 3pm. We store our luggage and then go to the tourist desk to sort out our bookings for tonight’s luau [celebration] and tomorrow’s visit to Pearl Harbour. Our delightful Chinese tourist advisor arranges the ticketing and explains all the requirements. She suggests that we be part of the fun and dress Hawaiian style. ‘You can pick up colourful Hawaiian shirts for about $30.’

We walk a couple of blocks to an ABC shop… not the Australian or American Broadcasting Commission. ABC shops sell every day food and clothing items. Avril helps select my fancy shirt complete with coconut trees, a ring of hibiscus flowers and a deep blue sea. I choose Avril’s short shorts and fancy tee shirts… She’ll need a good dose of that Hawaiian sun to tan her dancing legs to get the best look!

We head off for some refreshments to the ‘Hard Rock’ café. A live band is belting out some heavy metal. We know that Americans are big eaters, so we order the smallest possible meal… a small beef burger to share, a small beer and coffee. We relax on the shady upstairs veranda as the weather clears to a bright sunny day, about 28 C. We walk slowly back to our hotel at 12:45 pm.

The concierge has been looking for us. Our room on the 32nd floor is ready. The refreshing air conditioned room overlooks the delightful blue vista of Waikiki Beach. We shower and enjoy a one hour ‘granny nap’ before embarking on tonight’s luau. At 4.00 pm we join a dozen others at the bus stop across from our hotel to await our coach. Gerald our gregarious 44 year old host appears and says another 30 passengers will join us at the next stop downtown. We then travel 27 kilometres to the opposite side of the island to be entertained at Germaine’s Luau, the islands longest established and best. In fact Avril went there when she first visited Hawaii 25 years ago.

Another 8 coaches converge for the 6 pm gathering. At the entrance we get ‘laid’ Hawaiian style… we each receive a shell lei necklace to wear. Our souvenir photo is then taken on the sands under a palm fringed beach with rolling surf. Seating for the 300 or more people is set around the stage where the Polynesian hula dancing and singing and fire juggling will entertain us. Our entry tickets provide for up to 3 drinks. We reserve our seats at one of the large tables by placing our leis on the table. Gerald warns us that under no circumstance do you remove another’s lei… it denotes your reserve seat. The tables are decorated with pineapples cut in quarters and sliced… a delicious starter.

We quickly establish friendship with a middle aged couple seated opposite. They introduce themselves as Mary and Doug from Anchorage, Alaska. Mary, a tall blonde with flowing hair, is a Grade 7 teacher and Doug is a consultant in wind and solar energy… ideal for Alaska. He is ex-navy and visited Perth and Darwin during his service years. They are here to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. They are fascinated to learn of our planned adventures on board a ship for four months circumnavigating South America. They field many questions and seem oblivious to the lively stage show and ongoing hula activities. At the end of the night we are firm friends and Mary plants us with kisses and strong hugs.

We exchange 2 of our 3 drink tickets for a Pina Colada. A conch shell is blown to begin the night’s entertainment with some singing. The covering of the earth oven over hot rocks is removed to reveal the roasting pig. The feasting begins. We line up in turns to select a variety of delicious island food. We are warned to be careful not to have too much of the sweet coconut jelly. Apparently this delicious treat is a great laxative. There’s lots of laughter as the guests are invited to join in the hula dancing, but none can match the frenzied wriggles of the Polynesian maidens.

It has been a long day stretching almost 48 hours… starting in Melbourne and ending at the Maile Sky Court Hotel in Hawaii.

Day 2

Monday December 31, 2012

Hawaii

We rise early at 6:20 am to a welcoming sunrise. We breakfast at the nearby Hawaiian Restaurant… 2 poached eggs, toast and jam, and a welcome cuppa tea. We join a tour group to visit Pearl Harbour and the Arizona Memorial. It teems with visitors. Our nuggetty coach driver introduces himself as Ben who is 12 per cent Polynesian and a mix of European. He has taken visitors to the Pearl Harbour complex for 10 years. His pleasant outlook charms us and his speech is a fascinating mix of his ancestry. He takes good care to ensure we view the two major museums there… the first one exhibits displays depicting the lead up to the attack on Pearl harbour on 7 December, 1941; the second exhibits the actual attack and the aftermath effects it had upon the islands’ citizens and the USA.

Avril and I view the latter museum. We have enough time to share a sandwich and cuppa before moving to the Arizona Memorial Theatre at 11:30 am. It caters for 300 guests per session every half hour. The 25 minute movie explains the reasons why Japan made the surprise attack on Pearl Harbour. This unprovoked action immediately jolts the USA out of its complacency into World War 2. The surprise attack comes after the oil embargo is imposed by the USA because of Japan’s aggression in China and Indo China.

Japan’s hostile military seizes political control at home and begins an ambitious military campaign to exploit the resources of neighbouring Pacific countries. It plans to expand its sphere of economic influence by conquest. In response the USA has moved its fleet to Pearl Harbour as a show of strength in the Pacific. Secretly, Japan plans to destroy the US fleet and become masters of the Pacific before the US can rebuild. Japan decides to attack Pearl Harbour while the European nations are at war with Germany. The surprise attack begins at 6 am on a quiet Sunday morning with two waves of aircraft launched from six aircraft carriers situated 230 miles north of Oahu. The first wave of 183 planes strikes at 7:50 am. About 30 minutes later the second wave of 167 dive-bombers, high-level bombers and Zero fighters hit Oahu. Five midget subs, which are launched from a larger sub, also join the attack.

The attack kills 2390 American military and civilians. Five of the eight battleships are sunk or are heavily damaged; in all 21 vessels are sunk. Fortunately none of the Pacific Fleet’s 3 aircraft carriers are in port this day, leaving the USA with its most potent weapon.

Our group is ushered quickly and efficiently into a military launch after the screening of the film. We are zipped cross the harbour to the gravesite memorial of the Arizona. The rusting wreckage sits in the harbour where it sank. We embark onto the memorial built across the hull of the sunken warship. A variety of tropical fish swim about the round part of the hull poking above the surface. The Arizona is now a war grave and only a few of the 1100 bodies have been removed. Its storage of fuel has not been removed and it slowly leaks about 2 litres per day. Colourful slicks of oil float about the surface and will do so for another 70 years until the tanks finally empty. Only 13 of the 300 sailors who escaped the carnage are still alive, the youngest is 91. Eventually most of the 13 remaining men will choose to be buried alongside their mates in this watery war grave.

Ben our driver wants us back on the coach by 1:00 pm. We just have time to visit the second of the two war museums on pre-war activities that lead to Japan’s aggressive attack on Pearl Harbour. On the way home Ben drives us past the war grave site that overlooks Waikiki and points out other important sites such as Diamond Head volcano and cultural buildings. Ben has provided us with a rewarding insight into Hawaiian history and culture so we leave him with a generous tip.

It’s New Year’s Eve so Avril and I celebrate with the lobster and steak special at Viti’s Hawaiian Steak House. Phew! A glass of bubbly is needed to wash it down. We are now off to Waikiki Beach to see the fireworks display. The beach is a 10 minute walk from our hotel… 2 sets of lights and across a large park with a path that winds around trimmed lawns, tall palms, colourful crotons and large Indian Banyan trees with their grey twisted trunks. From the branches of these trees hang dangling brown vines, some long enough to swing on. We take up our position on the sand about 10 metres from the edge of the sea which laps gently and serenely. A stream of people walks along the foreshore path behind us, searching for their advantage observation spots. Heavy music belts out from a disco at a nearby hotel. Small boats with coloured lights ply back and forth. A bright flare occasionally floats above us. The air is punctuated by noisy crackers in the distant, well away from Waikiki.

Private fireworks have been banned for 3 years in central Waikiki. We are an hour early so I lay back on the sand to watch the stars in the clear night sky. Avril bumps me to remind me that I’m dozing noisily. The crowd has swelled and the tide is up. We are now only 4 or 5 metres from those gentle lapping waves. At the stroke of midnight the atmosphere bursts with exploding sky rockets which are launched from a floating vessel in front of us. The New Year has arrived. 10 minutes later an appreciative crowd claps and cheers as a volley of large rockets marks the impressive end to the fireworks display.

We join the crowd and stroll back to our hotel via the well-lit parkland. At 12:40 am we mark the New Year with a nip of Chivas Regal whiskey from the small bottle we bought earlier at a kitsch ABC shop. [We also bought souvenir Hawaiian caps and T shirts}. Hip! Hip! Here’s to 2013! From our window on the 32nd floor we observe party goers still merrymaking. We watch some TV and decide to call it quits around 2 am.

Day 3

Tuesday January 1, 2013

Hawaii

This is our final day in Hawaii and we are free to relax. One activity is a must, a swim at the famous Waikiki Beach across the road from our hotel. We wake late to greying skies at 8:30 am. I make a cuppa tea to go with the macadamia biscuits left by room service. We eat a plate of mixed fruit which has cooled overnight in the fridge. Despite the misty outlook the beach is abuzz with tourists, crowding along the small sliver of silver sand. Many have hired the beach lie-lows and umbrellas from the service centre at $25 per hour. There are surf shops that sell drinks and provide surf board training for beginners at a price. We are only there for a quick swim so we save our dollars. Along the narrow strip of beachfront it’s a tight squeeze to claim a choice sandy bit of real estate. We manage to park our hotel towels at the water’s edge.

Avril has the privilege of the first dip while I guard our gear. I am disappointed there is no surf, except for the low rolling waves well out to sea where some board riders try their luck. I will need to swim out to one of those slow rolling waves further out. I look at Avril as she gingerly enters the sea. She walks in rather tentatively and attempts to swim. Seconds later she emerges looking very disappointed. I follow and soon discover that the sandy shoreline immediately gives way to a shallow rocky shelf. I cannot swim a stroke without touching the craggy rocks. We give up in disgust. ‘Bloody awful!’ Avril exclaims. Adding to her disgust is the women’s change room which lacks privacy!

It’s not an experience to be repeated! Give me the Aussie beaches anytime. This iconic shoreline desperately needs a cosmetic makeover before it disappears. Rumour has it that the sand is imported from Oahu; but local legend believes the sand comes from as far away as Stockton Beach in my birth city of Newcastle, Australia.

We return and are looking forward to coffee and a bite to eat. We decide to walk a couple of blocks to the popular Hawaiian Cheese Burger house. It is midday and the place is packed, but they squeeze us in after a short wait. We order coffee and two burgers… a BLT and a Hawaiian, made of barbequed chicken, sweet pineapple and salad. Both are scrumptious, but my latte comes with a sickly sweetener. Yuk!

The afternoon is spent repacking our luggage. There is an early start to Honolulu Airport tomorrow morning at 4.30 am for our flight to Miami.

At 6:30 we decide on something small for tea. We walk in light rain and end up at ‘TONY ROMA’S RIBS – SEAFOOD – STEAKS’ restaurant. It is packed and there is a waiting queue, but we are lucky because there is an available table for two. We order beef burgers with onion rings, tomato and lettuce. Out come our plates, a foot in diameter, piled high with French fries and the open beef burgers. We struggle to finish the meal and our Budweiser beers.

We celebrate our pleasant Hawaiian stopover firstly, with a drop of bubbles and then a nightcap of Mai Tai before retiring at 11.00 pm, ready for our early call at 4.30 am.

Day 4

Wednesday January 2, 2013

Hawaii to Miami

Our pickup shuttle arrives at 5:20 am to take us for our 8.00 am departure on Hawaiian Airlines flight HA 0010 to Los Angeles. You need to do a self–service check in and use your credit card to pay $25 US per bag. My suitcase is 4 pounds over the 50 limit, but I get away with it. I offer cash for our two suit cases but this is too complicated… you would have to go to another desk. Security requires a photo ID, so I pull out my driver’s licence. They refuse to look at it. Photo ID means your passport. Then it’s ‘remove your belt, coat, shoes etc.’

Inflight breakfast is provided, but it’s an unappetizing array of salted nuts, a crunchie bar and a cold muffin. We purchase and share an upgrade meal, but it is not much better… a piece of chicken and rice with two bits of asparagus, a packet of potato chips and a huge bottle of Hawaiian spring water… not my idea of breakfast. We occupy the last 2 seats at the tail end of the plane, less than a metre from the toilet door!

The Hawaiian Airline flight takes 4 hours 50 minutes to cover the 4170 kilometres across the Pacific from Honolulu to Los Angeles. We arrive at 2:52 pm local time at Terminal 2. First we have to locate Terminal 4 to catch our next flight. We start walking in the wrong direction. Terminal 4 is hike of over a kilometre… quite a drag with our heavy suit cases. Avril does well, but I should have hired a trolley for $5 US. We take several attempts to obtain our boarding passes at the self-check-in… it does not appreciate our credit cards at our first attempts. We dump our heavy suitcases and then find that we should have checked them in at another machine. Nevertheless, the baggage handler takes our luggage and assures us that it will end up in Miami.

There is a 6 hour wait before we board the American Airlines flight AA1178 to Miami. It’s due to depart at 9:50 pm and will take almost 5 hours to reach Miami at around 5:40 am tomorrow morning. Security is even more strict here at LAX than at Hawaii. The queue takes 20 minutes before we can check through. This seems all too much for one young teenager who is on the phone shouting and crying and kicking an exit door. A smartly dressed Negro lady in front of us looks disgusted after being told that she is travelling with another airline. We strip again for security, well almost!

Once through security I find a seat at Starbucks where I am able to receive free Wi–Fi. I catch up with news on the home front, the first time since we left Melbourne. I begin by deleting the junk mail and replying to Avril’s eldest son Russell, my son Tony and my friend Susan. I find that the share market has shot up, enough to pay for this adventure if it stays there. We enjoy a Caesar salad and onion fries from the Burger King. We make our way to Gate 40 ready for boarding as the time approaches. I decide to check the departure flight board and discover that our boarding passes show the wrong gate number… so much for self-service boarding passes. I quickly beckon Avril and we beeline it to Gate 46 B; fortunately for us our plane is delayed for 15 minutes. Incoming passengers are filing out and the plane needs cleaning before boarding.

Day 5

Thursday January 3, 2013

Miami

We arrive in Miami close to daybreak at 6 am. Avril is still having doubts about our luggage arriving despite assurances of the bag drop attendant at LAX. For baggage pick–up at the massive Miami Airport we walk along a decorative blue and white tiled pathway, inlayed with gold sea shapes. We pass attractive shop displays for about 500 metres to a lift which takes us down to the bottom level. We then walk about the same distance to the rows of baggage consoles.

We watch and wait as our D25 console circulates, until the entire luggage is claimed. But where is ours? Avril’s fears are realized. She may have some explaining to do to her son, Michael. His exquisite Pierre Cardin suit case he bought for a recent trip was given to her on loan. Now it has vanished! My suit case too, but it only cost me $89. We visit the Baggage Information desk to notify them of our lost luggage. About 25 minutes later our particulars have been noted. Customer service assures us that our luggage will arrive this afternoon. I recall the time in Italy 8 or 9 years ago when I completed a 5 day tour without my luggage. So I have doubts about their assurances.

Our hotel is the ‘Hilton Miami Airport’ which runs a shuttle service to the airport every 20 minutes. At the check–in desk we are advised that the check in time for our room is 3 o’clock. Fortunately he suggests the disability room is available if we would like it. It is now 8am. We gladly accept his offer and are soon showered and refreshed into fresh clothes which we carry as spares in our hand luggage, for such unexpected occasions. We note that many of the hotel guests are tucking into breakfast. All we want is a good cuppa tea, some toast and marmalade. This makes us feel like the Toyota ad… ‘I feel better now.’

From our hotel window we admire the view of the hotel pool area and gardens. The Miami skyline of tall towers fills the backdrop. We take a walk around the palm fringed pathways near the swimming pool. Guests are sipping cool drinks which are available at the pool kiosk. We feel tired so we return to our room to rest. I sleep soundly for the next 4 hours. Avril says I was snoring, but I find that hard to believe.

Our luggage has still not arrived. I check the Wi Fi for any recovery information. The advice is that it has not been found. Avril appears more worried than me. Her lovely outfits she bought for our voyage of discovery have gone missing. I check again. An email arrives from a Justin at Hawaiian Airways at LAX to advise that he has located our two suit cases. He requests we return there in Los Angeles to claim them. I mail him to say we are now in Miami and we are flying out tomorrow to Jamaica. I explain that we paid $50 to American Airways to send our luggage with us on our flight to Miami. American Airways caused the mix up and we need them to forward our bags ASAP.

It’s 7:30 pm and we need a good wine and some tucker. We order ample food at the hotel Coral Kitchen… vegetable soup, pizza and a chicken burger. At 10:00 pm I check the WI Fi again for any news. NONE! We fly to Jamaica tomorrow to join our cruise without our luggage.

Aloha!%20At%20Germaine%27s%20Luau%2c%20Hawaii.tif

Aloha! At Germaine's Luau, Hawaii

Captain%27s%20Welcome.tif

Captain's Welcome

Visitors%20at%20Arizona%20Memorial%2cPearl%20Harbour.tif

Visitors at Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbour

54709.png

PART 2

MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA to PANAMA

17744.png

Day 6

Friday January 4, 2013

Montego Bay

We awake at 5:40 am. There is little to pack because our luggage is still missing. Breakfast is at 6:30 am. At 7:00 am I check my email inbox before our transfer to Miami International. There is still no news. Our flight to Montego, Jamaica is with American Airlines AA 1791. It leaves at 9:50 am so we need to make haste. Another Aussie couple, Bob and Carmen, are among the group waiting for the airport shuttle. They also have lost their luggage, somewhere in Dallas. They are worse off, losing 3 ports to our 2, and Bob didn’t have a change of underwear!

It’s all hustle, bustle and jostle at Miami airport. We join 3 queues before we find the right one. We try the outside check-in and find it’s for passengers with luggage. We join a queue inside and then find we need to queue at the self-service, a crazy wait of 30 minutes before we can gain access. At 8:15 am we have just enough time to dash down to the lower level to check with baggage claim. Great news… our bags are chasing us. They are on their way to the hotel that we have just left. The baggage service officer puts in a stop call to return our bags. They will be put on the following plane, arriving after 3:00 pm this afternoon. We race upstairs to join the security line. It takes 50 minutes to clear. By now we have only 17 minutes to catch our flight which leaves on time at 9:50 am.

Our flight takes 1 hour 35 minutes to Jamaica. It’s warm and tropical when we touch down at 11:25 am. We join another hour long queue to go through immigration. We again check the status of our baggage. We need to fill out a customs form for our 2 bags and hand it into customs on our way out. Hopefully our luggage will arrive on the next flight. Our friends, Bob and Carmen, who lost their luggage in Dallas, are now wearing smiles. It was discovered going round and round one of the consoles here in Jamaica.

We are welcomed by a local coach driver for Cruise Traveller. He indicates local points of interest during the 20 minute drive to our ship. We hand over our passports and are given passenger cruise cards. These are used to purchase drinks and items on board as well as for clocking on and off the ship. Our cabins are not ready until after 2 pm. Some passengers are disembarking the Voyager after completing a Christmas and New Year’s crossing of the Atlantic from Portsmouth to Jamaica. On the Bridge Deck we join others for lunch in air conditioned comfort in the Veranda Restaurant. A great choice of food is on offer. We like the poached fish, turkey and vegetables. The cuppa tea is most welcome. Avril appreciates lemon in her weak black tea, her first since leaving Melbourne.

We find a good spot to relax in the Lookout Lounge on the Discovery Deck. We move to our cabin which is ready before 3:00 pm. It’s a tight and cosy room with two port holes, two beds and a TV for watching movies. We read the daily transcript of activities and study the trip advice. We visit reception to set up our account. A charming English lady takes down details of our lost luggage. She is a look-alike of Dr Who’s attractive offsider and her voice has a pleasant English reassuring sound. I purchase 18 hours of internet access for 21 pounds. We need a sun-downer, so we decide to visit a bar area on the Discovery Deck. We choose the special cocktail of the day called Bon Voyage. It is a good choice… a mix of gin, triple sec, orange and pineapple juices and grenadine, complete with cherry and a slice of orange.

We return to our cabin and the phone rings as we prepare for dinner. Our lost suit cases are at the airport and will be delivered tomorrow at 9:00 am by the ship’s agent. I am looking forward to a shave as I now have 3 days of face shadow. I’m looking too distinguished, but still kissable! We will not be here when it arrives because we are on a day tour to Black River Safari and YS Falls.

Day 7

Saturday January 5, 2013

Black River Safari and YS Falls

We arise at 5:45 am for an early breakfast in the Veranda Restaurant. We enjoy juice, mixed fruit, cereal, poached eggs and bacon on toast, coffee and tea. Brenda, a passenger from York sits opposite. Janet from Canterbury joins us. She often travels on the Voyages of Discovery cruises. She says she will be joining us for the excursion this morning… the Black River Safari and YS Falls. We are hopeful that our lost luggage will arrive by the time we return in the afternoon. Fortunately I have a light pair shorts that doubles as swimwear; I plan to take a swim at YS Falls.

I have time to check my emails and the share market on the internet. Friday’s market is steady after gains following the USA agreement on the ‘fiscal cliff’ problem. My lot gain another 4 grand. Our trip will be paid for at this rate. I send a cheery chitchat message to my son, Tony.

At 8:30 am we set out on the coach to Black River. This area exhibits the greatest biodiversity in the entire Caribbean. About 30 of our guest travellers are on board. Avril and I select the high back seat of the coach to get a good view of the landscape during the hour and a half journey to the opposite side of Jamaica. Marcia, our Jamaican guide, provides lively commentary on the way. She often says, ‘Yeah man?’ to complete her sentences and for us to acknowledge agreement. She tells us that Jamaicans are strongly represented by Seventh Day Adventists who worship on a Saturday and the Orthodox who worship on Sundays. She points out some Jamaican logic about their religion. Most men prefer to drink and leave the churchgoing to the women and children. So the Jamaican logic is: ‘It is better to be at the bar thinking of church than at church thinking of the bar.’

At Black River Marcia hands us over to Carl while she prepares our lunch. Carl is our guide for the next two hours on a barge to view some of Jamaica’s largest wetland area in the Black River Morass. His sharp eye quickly focuses us on some of the over 100 species of birds that frequent the habitat. There are many herons nesting in the mangroves as we commence our excursion. He shows us a shrimp net that was invented 400 years ago and is still in use today. The net is made from reeds that grow in the river. Black River is one of the last habitats of the endangered crocodile. We get frequent sightings thanks to Carl who knows many of them by name. He calls ‘old George’ out from his hiding haunt among the mangroves. George slowly swims towards us ready to be rewarded with a piece of chicken for his effort. Carl throws him a piece of chicken. Poor old George! A frigate bird swoops down and is off with the tender morsel. Carl is kind and quickly throws another piece for George who just manages to beat the next swooping frigate.

A delicious lunch of rice, spicy fish, chicken and pork is ready for us when we return. At 1:30 pm we proceed to awaiting jitneys near YS Falls. The jitney drivers take about 10 minutes to expertly drive through the jungle to the falls. These tractor and trailer devices cater for about 20 passengers. The parkland is a popular picturesque site for tourists and local Jamaican families. The magnificent seven–tiered cascading waterfall and the expansive wading pools are fed by underground springs. You can swim in its cool refreshing pools or relax in the parklands which contain a myriad of tropical birds, red and orange flowering gingers, giant trees and spreading lawns.

Someone says to me, ‘What was that?’ as a helmeted rider on an overhead flying fox whizzes by. We walk to the top waterfall where local Jamaicans enjoy plunging into the deep pool from swinging ropes. I carefully avoid them as I take a cool dip and a short swim to the gently cascading falls. Avril would love to join me but her swimmers are in the lost luggage that hopefully will be delivered to our cabin today.

At 4:30 pm we arrive back to our on–board cabin. Avril and I cross fingers that our luggage has arrived. Bingo! What a welcome sight when we open our cabin door! We work quickly to unpack our gear because there is a compulsory safety drill for all passengers at 5:15 pm. We need to take our life jackets to our muster station bay to receive the emergency drill by crew members before our departure to sea at 6:00 pm.

Avril and I continue to unpack and clean up before dinner. We drink the Cocktail of the Day to celebrate the commencement of our voyage as our ship prepares for departure. The Voyager Cocktail is a mix of rum, pineapple juice, coconut, strawberry and cream. It comes with a decorative yellow bell, a cherry and a slice of pineapple. At 7:30 pm we go to a busy dining room. Joining our table are a father and daughter from Sydney, Jane and Ken. He is a healthy 81 year old ex-banker at Westpac Bank. We have mutual interests in shares, so the conversation is lively. Jane is a no nonsense and well–heeled Aussie girl who once fought off a couple of slum dwellers in a Rio de Janeiro alleyway who tried to steal her gold necklace.

She explains her dissatisfaction today with her Jamaican taxi driver who takes her to the local tourist beach. ‘I don’t want to see beaches. We have them in Australia. I want to learn about the culture. Take me to a museum.’ she orders. Jane seems envious of our cultural excursion today. She has a cottage in Dijon, France and is keen to rent it out to us for $350 per week.

The other couple, Richard and Joan, are from Cornwall in the UK. Richard is a retired doctor with a clear well spoken English accent. They lived many years in Norfolk and shifted back to Richard’s roots which are in Cornwall. He believes it’s ‘God’s own country.’ I have to challenge him on this point of view. I wonder if he has been to Australia. It has been a wonderful evening. Avril is sound asleep by the time I hit the pillow at midnight.

Day 8

Sunday January 6, 2013

At Sea in the Caribbean

We arise at 6 am. The Voyager is rolling along in a gentle sway. Ahead the forecast is for rough conditions. The temperature reaches 30 C during the day. Sun worshippers, mainly from the UK, congregate on cushioned deckchairs on the upper Sun Deck. Being Aussie we know the penalty of too much sun. We have no intention of joining the carcinoma club. We enjoy lunch in the popular shaded area at the aft end of Veranda Restaurant of the Bridge Deck. I meet Ruth who hails from Alabama. She is also doing the circumnavigation of South America. She notes that