From the Andes to the Amazon

Unfortunately, Wade didn’t sleep any on our second night in Cuzco either. When I woke up at 3:00am he was starring at the ceiling. He’d even watched the Democratic Presidential Debates on CNN and that didn’t put him to sleep!!! Thus, we departed for the Amazon after two sleepless nights for Wade. He was rather jovial, all things considered.

After breakfast we took a bus to the Cuzco airport and boarded a 45 minute flight to Puerto Maldonado. Our wonderful guides from the EcoAmazonia Lodge met us and took us on buses into town to buy snacks before getting in the boats to travel one hour down the Madre de Dios River to our home for the next two nights. The market in town was incredible. Peru grows like a billion types of potatoes and we saw tons of them in the market. We also saw people buying hard boiled quail eggs for a snack. I was intrigued, but since my Acapulco debacle I’ve become much less adventurous in the food department!

Upon arrival at the Eco Amazonia Lodge we were greeting by the squakings of two Scarlet Macaws. We also heard other birds chirping and spent some time investigating which ones made a sound that I can best describe as a drop and then rippling water. One of the students described it as the sound the aliens make in Signs, but since I’ve never seen the movie I can’t verify that. We dropped our bags, explored our bungalow and went for a 2:00pm buffet lunch in the main lodge area. After lunch, we walked around the deck and were promptly met by two wild turkeys which stalked us throughout our stay! Emma was in tears more than once as a result of these creatures, one of which bit Wade. Yes, it was provoked.

At 3:00pm we crawled into boats and traveled to Monkey Island. I’d say this was the highlight of our five day excursion, especially for Emma. Her first sighting came as a Spider Monkey hung by his tail on a vine directly above her head. While on Monkey Island in addition to Spider Monkeys, we saw two types of Capuchin Monkeys, and several Saddleback Tamarin. Our guide, Victor, carried quite a few plantains to ensure we were able to see these guys up close. He called out to them and they came swinging through the treetops. Spectacular! After Victor had fed a couple of monkeys one of the students asked if she could feed one. “No, but Emma can.” So not once, but twice Emma handed small bananas to monkeys. The shot you see of the mommy and baby monkey walking down the tree occurred just seconds before the mom snatched the banana out of her hand. It happened so quickly we were unable to get a photo of the actual moment. Nor was I able to catch the shot of the monkey taking the banana out of Wade’s mouth. Too funny. Another humorous moment came when the Chief Capuchin monkey chased a Spider Monkey and the two began to feud just as they went past Wade. The spider monkey’s tail actually hit him in the back of the head!! Emma and I laughed so hard I was afraid we’d need a potty stop.

Following our outstanding excursion to Monkey Island we returned to the lodge and explored our island. On this walk we encountered a tapier the locals have named Carina. Apparently when I wasn’t around Wade allowed Emma to pet her, but I did not witness this moment. Dusk found our trio at the hammock house, Emma’s favorite “home away from her home away from home”. She also had a pink hammock in our bungalow, where she spent a good deal of time.

Dinner was served in courses that night. First an excellent soup followed by fish and rice and veggies. Dessert was a banana covered in lindenberries and sauce – yummy! Since electricity was scarce on the island and since Wade had been awake for over 60 hours at this point, we crawled into bed immediately after dinner.

Our wake up knocks began at 5:00am. Breakfast was served at 5:30. Emma thought it very cool that popcorn and banana chips were part of this meal. Following breakfast we donned our rubber boots and began a 2K hike around the island. Once again, I must give props to Emma who made this hike without complaint. It was extremely muddy. We had to climb over all sorts of roots, trees, etc. and our guide often had to cut our path with a machite. To top it off, the lodge didn’t have boots small enough to fit Emma so she made the hike in boots at least two sizes too big. When we stopped to sit on benches, her boots would fall off. After our 2K hike, during which we saw monkeys and other jungle life, we arrived at a lake where we stepped into canoes and paddled around for about an hour. During this time we saw our first caimen (see photo above). We also saw some incredible birds and assorted colorful butterflies and bugs. Returning to the island we climbed up a watchtower for a 15 minute rest with an unparalleled view of the island. Descending the tower we began another 2K hike across the island. This was not a return hike, but covered new territory and when we reached the end we were met by boats which took us back to the lodge where we hit the hammocks until lunch time. Lunch came hot and wrapped in giant banana leaves. It was chicken surrounded by seriously delicious rice containing peas, carrots and green beans. We had about 45 minutes to walk around and watch the birds before getting in the boats to go visit a family living on the Amazon.

The family spoke a local indigenous language and showed our group how to make fire from sticks and cotton, how to shoot a bow and arrow, and how they made their clothes from the bark of trees. The three-year-old son gave Emma a marigold and a big smile. The women had made handicrafts from local plants, etc. and had them for sale. We took pictures of their cotton trees for Uncle Clay and Papaw. Before we left the oldest man did a ceremonial dance for us.

Back at the lodge Wade went to watch the locals play football (soccer to you and me) and Emma and I returned to the hammock house. Dinner was fish and rice with a bowl full of tasty local fruits for dessert. We went back to the room and read for a while and then all three of us slept like babies, especially Wade.

Saturday morning, which was Peruvian Independence Day, we were awakened not by a knock from Victor but by the birds just before sunrise. Watching the world wake up in the Amazon was like nothing we’ve ever seen. The closest moment we’ve had to this came in spring 2004 on our Tanzanian safari. We are blessed so far beyond what we deserve.

Cuzco & Machu Picchu

We arrived in Callo (Lima) Peru early Tuesday morning. We were scheduled to leave the ship immediately upon being cleared, but our flight to Cuzco was delayed, so we were able to hear the diplomatic briefing before our exit. The more the various diplomats talked, the happier I got that we wouldn’t be spending any time in Lima. Crime there is out of control. Corruption exists in their police forces in a big way. Safety in the port was a HUGE concern. Many parents of SAS students joined us in Peru for the parent trip and they must have been thinking “where have I sent my child???” Fortunately SAS provides ample opportunities for those who want to travel with the comfort of a local tour guide and groups.

We boarded our flight just before noon, destination Cuzco. Emma LOVED looking out the window as much of our flight was over the Andes. Upon landing we were met by a tour guide and headed for our buses. A Peruvian male was walking amongst our groups with a camera that looked like a spy camera from an 80s B movie. He kept pushing the button, but no sound was made and there was no flash or visible indication that pictures were actually being taken. Various scenarios were being discussed on the ride into Cuzco, all of them amusing. As it turns out, our second night there a group of people were selling Cuzco postcards with our pictures on them!!!! Wade’s is pretty good, but the one with me and Emma on it looks pretty rough because I kept telling her “Look away! Don’t make eye contact.” I’ve read too many State Department Warnings concerning Child Trafficking in South America, I suppose.

Our hotel “Casa Andina” was great. It was located just across from the main square. We dropped off our bags, donned mosquito repellant, and headed out to explore the Incan City. Dogs were EVERYWHERE. Ugly, ugly dogs. Also everywhere were women and children in local costumes holding small sheep and asking to take photos with tourists. We kept saying no, but eventually gave in and got one with Emma in it. Before we took it, we asked them how much. “Only one Sole, sir.” After the photo, they wanted one for each woman in the picture. Okay, that’s fair. We drew the line though when they wanted another for the sheep! Our main desire for this stop was to see an original Incan wall. Emma’s been reading an Incan History book written for kids, so she was as excited about this as her dad was. While we were looking at the wall, several people came over to try and sell us things. One very smart woman showed us a family of three llamas “Papa, Mama, and Baby”. The pack the baby was carrying was broken, though so we weren’t going to buy it. “One moment.” She takes off running down the hill, completely abandoning her giant sack of items to sell. We joked about setting up shop and Wade did ask a few passing tourists if they’d like to buy a llama. We seriously stood there for ten minutes with her bags because we were afraid to leave them. When she returned, panting, we bought the llama family with the newly acquired baby with pack on its back completely intact. I’m not exactly sure where we’ll display the little guys, but we couldn’t not buy it after all that work she’d done.

We walked around the streets for a while and then set off in search of dinner. Pacamamma’s was our restaurant of choice. Emma ordered Spaghetti, I ordered their house pizza, and Wade their Alpaca special. The owner/cook called Emma over and let her help him make the pizza, which was baked in a clay oven that put out just the right amount of heat for the cool Peruvian evening. We discussed how much Wes would enjoy the atmosphere there. The garlic cheese bread they brought out as an appetizer was to die for and the rest of the meal was tasty too, even the Alpaca. After dinner we went walking back to the square and ran into our ship neighbors, Jill, Oscar, Kyla & Emma Marie. Our two families visited a beautiful church together before hitting the artisian market where we collected some Christmas ornaments before retiring to the hotel.

The wake-up call on Wednesday morning came at 4:30 am. Well, it was a wake-up call for Emma and me. For Wade it was more like a breakfast reminder, as he didn’t sleep a wink the first night in Cuzco. I didn’t sleep well, but I did at least sleep. Wade stayed awake all night. Dr. Milt told him it was probably the altitude. I thought he might sleep on the way to Machu Picchu, since we had to take a bus, a train, and then another bus to get there, but he stayed awake for the entire voyage. Watching the world wake up en-route to Aguas Calientes was amazing. Both the mountains and the sea always leave me awestruck. This mountain experience is like none other I’ve ever had.

We arrived at Machu Picchu just before 9:00am and began our three hour trek. Emma was amazing. She was so enthralled with the history and the archeological finds that she didn’t ask to be carried once through the entire journey! Jess, Emma’s American Girl doll, made the trip with us as well. Since Jess’s parents are archeologists, we couldn’t miss an opportunity to take her to see ruins. Seeing this “lost city” and thinking about the Inca peoples building it without the use of iron tools, horses to carry the rock, or written languages to give directions, etc. is mind blowing. The terrain they had to travel was treacherous. Then, to keep this amazing city completely hidden from the Spanish Conquistadors . . . I need another adjective for incredible. It wasn’t until Hiram Bingham, a Yale University Professor, happened across it in 1911 that this place was rediscovered, completely covered in vegetation. He returned to the US and then came back to Peru with a team and uncovered Machu Picchu. If you have an opportunity to see a documentary on this place, jump on it.

After our three hour tour and a buffet lunch, our trio headed back into Aguas Calientes while some others went to hike part of the Inca trail. I used Emma as an excuse, but truth be told, I’m not in fantastic shape anyway and with the altitude as an added factor, I’d sucked enough wind for one day! We didn’t get back to Cuzco until after 7:00pm and we opted to just snack in the hotel since Wade needed to crash.

Prayers for Peru

Tomorrow we arrive in Peru. We’ll be off ship for five days and four nights as we visit Cuzco & Machu Picchu, and spend two days on the Amazon. All three of us have a bit of a cold and appreciate your prayers as this will not be easy travel. Especially pray for little Emma as we travel to high altitudes and for her protection from mosquitoes in the Amazon. Many of you already know how she reacts to them and they pose additional dangers for us there. We’re all vaccinated against Yellow Fever (thanks again Mom & Gare for sending the appropriate documents) and we are all taking anti-malaria medication, but there is no protection against Dengue fever other than simply not being bitten.

Te amo Jesus

When we exited the museum, we began to see a number of young people wearing yellow sweatshirts with red crosses on them. They were passing out tracts (in Spanish, of course) and starting up conversations with all sorts of people. After a few tries, we found someone who could explain to us that they were youth from churches of all denominations across Santiago who were using their week to witness to others. Tons of people were talking and praying with them, and we promised to tell you about them so you could pray for the work they are doing in Chile. They were scheduled to have a concert on Friday evening, but our on ship time in Valparaiso was 9:00pm Friday so we were unable to attend. Those of you who are Spanish speakers can check them out at http://www.unoencristo.cl/.

Museo Chileno De Arte Precolombino

Breakfasts at a Holiday Inn Express aren’t generally anything special. A few cereals; some bagels, toast, crissoants, sweet breads, fruit, yogurt, etc. Nothing warm. Still, after eating breakfast on the ship for over a month, this one was quite a treat. Emma ate three Clementines! We went back to our hotel room and turned on the television, amusing ourselves with shows like Plaza Sesamo and other children’s shows in Spanish. Then we stumbled across a cute movie about two rival families in the pizza business with a Romeo and Juliet flare. We ended up watching the whole thing and not leaving our hotel until time to go meet Eric for Chinese food. Stop judging. You’re thinking, “You’re in Chile and you’re watching a made for TV movie?” People. We are traveling for over two months. Wade works every day. Not every weekday. Every day. This was literally his first day off since we boarded on June 11th. A nice slow morning was just what we all needed. You’ll be happy to know we did get cultured in the afternoon. Our visit to the Precolumbian art museum was fantastic. Wade inquired about a guided tour when we first got there, but we were told you had to reserve that 48 hours in advance so we headed in on our own. After a quick stop at the restroom, we were approached by a member of the museum staff who offered us a guided tour. She did a FABULOUS job of talking to Emma and asking her questions and really presenting the artifacts in a manner appropriate for our pedantic almost first grader. We saw waaaaay more than I can adequately describe here (and still have time to get packed for Peru tomorrow) but a couple of highlights included the Chinchorro mummies, which predate their Egyptian equivalents, and an incredible quipu, a collection colored and knotted ropes, once carried by Inca couriers, that tallied numbers of warriors, amounts of gold, quantities of corn, etc.

Ahhhhh Santiago

Chile ranks at the top of the summer stops so far. That would probably be true after our first two days, but the next two solidified that. Wednesday morning we left for Santiago, where Wade’s friend Eric, who he met in grad school in Belgium, lives. This Michigan boy has married a Chilean and has called Santiago home for a couple of years now; what great news for us. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in the Las Condes district using points (read: for free!). It’s located near the British and US Embassies. I suppose Wade figured this was a good idea in case we lost a passport! I’m guessing he was a little less sure about this decision when a bomb exploded at the British Embassy two days before we were scheduled to arrive. Anyway, we dropped our bags there just before eleven and headed out to explore the area. It didn’t take us long to stop at a cafe, where Wade had coffee and Emma and I enjoyed some hot chocolate and cookies. We took a cab to Eric’s workplace and visited his office with the INCREDIBLE view of the snow capped Andes. For lunch we met Eric’s wife, Loretto, at the Officina de Correro (post office). She’s the Director of Communications for Chile’s National Post. As such she was able to give Emma a tour of the postal museum, which was very cool. Emma enjoyed being able to walk right past areas marked “No Passar”. When Eric and Loretto returned to their respective places of work, we walked back to the Plaza de Armas and toured the Iglesia de San Fransisco, Santiago’s oldest surviving colonial building. The church contains some beautiful stained glass and many statues, and the main altar houses a carving that Pedro de Valdivia took to Chile on his 1540 conquistador mission to protect him from attacks. When we exited the church we walked through an area where several artists were displaying their works. We watched one artist working on a painting of Valparaiso that we all loved. Wade asked me what I’d pay for it. We’ve done a pretty good job with spending on this trip so far. This was our first night off ship and often times in port we’ve gone back to the ship to eat at “home” rather than paying to eat out. Thus, I told him I didn’t think we should spend more than $300. We’ve seen similar paintings on our travels sell for that and much more. I walked around with Emma so Wade could begin negotiating. He came to me, almost in tears, shaking his head. The artist told Wade he’d normally sell it for $50, but since we were both teachers he’d take $45. We paid him $60 and felt like we were robbing him. He teared up when we told him we didn’t need change. We exchanged emails, phone numbers, etc. This painting is going to look fantastic in our living room. Know anyone interested in buying a G. Harvey? We’ve got to free up some space!

Condors, penguins, a very large crab & starfish

Tuesday morning at 8:00am we climbed into a van with five other SASers, all lifelong learners, faculty & staff, and headed out in search of Condors, which we found in large numbers. These amazing birds are large enough to carry off a small child, “about leetle Eema’s size” according to our guide! Everyone joked about putting her on top of the van to use as bait to lure the Condors closer and closer. She was decidedly NOT amused. We were scheduled to lunch at a ski lodge in the Andes, but a snow storm caused the roads to shut down. The key word at SAS is flexibility, and none of us allowed this small snag to ruin our day. We’d promised Emma she’d be playing in the snow before lunchtime, but we thought that would be at the ski lodge. Our travel buddies weren’t about to let her down though and we pulled off the side of the road so she could make a small snow creature. One of the men even threw a few snowballs at her. Next we lunched in the small town of Los Andes at a wonderful restaurant, where we were the only tourists. Then, we headed back to the beach where we went penguin watching. A group of Humbolt Penguins inhabit a small island. As if this weren’t enough, Wade stumbled across a HUGE crab (see photo) and a tide pool full of starfish. On the way back to the ship, the Watkins trio hopped out of the van in Vina del Mar to eat dinner at Diego’s Pizza, an establishment that had been recommended to us by other voyagers. We were exhausted by the time we’d finished. We’d spent all day hopping in and out of the van. First to look at birds, later for Al Pacca, again to walk across a suspension bridge, and finally on the drive home to watch the night sky, where we saw the Southern Cross. Emma sacked out on a park bench while we waited for a cab to take us back to the ship! I think the most incredible part of the day was the sheer number of different terrain we encountered in a few short hours. We left the ocean that morning and headed for the mountains. Driving we saw tons of cacti, brush, rocks, vineyards, waterfalls and then all of a sudden we’re in the snowy mountains. An hour and a half later we’re at the beach again looking at penguins. Incredible. The diversity God planted here is truly amazing.

On our first day in Chile, we took an afternoon bus & walking tour of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. In order to get up to the top of the city, we rode in a wooden funicular. Emma refers to this as the “creepy ride”. She enjoyed making scared noises with Emma Esperanza and Danielle, who were also on our tour (see photo – Emma’s the redhead). Vina del Mar is the upscale area just next to Valparaiso. Our tour guide told us many families from Santiago have weekend and summer homes there. It’s a beautiful area – lots of colored houses and apartments; beach; lively boardwalk area, etc.

Six Days and Seven Nights

Our six days at sea were peppered with activities to make the journey a bit more palatable. The kids program divided up to different cabins and watched movies while eating popcorn one afternoon. One morning they received a presentation on banana plantations. Ana and Elsa brought two mornings worth of great craft projects to them and on our last day one of the Chilean interport lecturers gave the kids a presentation on Chile and its customs. On our second morning out, the Watki toured the bridge with a group of seven others. I’ll post a picture of Wade and Emma in the Captain’s chair. No classes were held on the fourth day at sea. Instead, everyone joined in the Sea Olympics. The ship is divided into six seas: Caribbean, Arabian, Bering, Yellow, Mediterranean, and ours, the Si Sea (senior). While our sea won the opening ceremonies and iron chef and took second in the trivia contest, we couldn’t pull out enough points in other areas to win a medal. Other events included an obstacle course, the flip cup, orange panty hose, dodgeball, limbo, taboo/pictionary, basketball shoot out, synchronized swimming, tug of war, balloon pop, twister, jelly bean hunt and lip synch. Emma was in the lip synch event along with the other ship kids (see photo). Saturday she got together with the other ship kids to watch Cars, while Wade and I attended the ‘Dean David May Be in Paris, but We’re Eating Quiche Right Here on the Ship” reception in the faculty/staff lounge. Dean David is the Academic Dean for this voyage, but he’d already committed to giving a presentation in Paris so while we sailed for six days he flew to Europe, back to the States, and will join us again in Chile. We loaded our tiny plates with shrimp, chips & salsa, meatballs & quiche and enjoyed the company of Zoe and Ricardo Padron, from Charlottesville, VA. Ricardo has served as acting Academic Dean in David’s absence. Originally from Ecuador, Ricardo moved to the US at age six and he and his technology savvy (we’re talking Nationally Certified) teacher wife, Zoe, have been traveling with eight year old Santiago (who is fluent in Spanish) since he was 7 months old, just as we’ve been with Emma Caroline. Last night we attended an on-board worship service. They’d had one before, but it didn’t start until 9:00pm. One of Wade’s work-study students is on the committee and when Wade told her we’d go to an earlier service she worked to make that happen. So, at 7:00pm last night we joined thirty other voyagers in Classroom One for a nondenominational service led by Lifelong Learner John Goodenberger, a retired Presbyterian minister who attended Park College as an undergraduate (how ‘bout that Grandma!) We sang “How Great Thou Art” and “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” as traditional hymns and “How Great is Our God” for the contemporary song. John preached an interesting sermon looking at the similarities and differences between the stories of Absalom in the Old Testament and the Prodigal Son in the New Testament. It was a nice service and others are planned for each of the Sunday evenings remaining at sea (I believe there are three for Emma and me and four for Wade).

Iguanas, Fries and Artists

Wade’s first day as duty dean we decided to take the shuttle to the town and then walked to Parque Semenarios aka the Iguana Park. I’m not sure how many Iguanas we actually saw, but it was well over two dozen. Many were overhead in the treetops; others roamed freely around the park. Emma touched one of the iguana’s tail and Wade petted several. I, being the only one of sound mind in this trio, touched none. It was really interesting to watch the ways the iguana reacted to the people around. Some completely ignored us and others interacted. The one Wade photographed here on the seal of Ecuador would nod his head vigorously if spoken to – quite amusing! The iguana in the treetop seemed to be playing a little game called “let’s pee on the unsuspecting tourists.” Johanna, a 9 ½ year old on board had warned us not to stand under any trees, so we were spared this little ritual, but we watched quite a few others initiated into this disgusting rite of passage. We walked from the park to the Malecon 2000, the boardwalk area of Guayaquil. Completely renovated for the new millennium, this is a fantastic space. Emma played on no fewer than three playgrounds and steered a toy boat through several obstacles in a river created for this purpose. It was on the Malecon that we broke our 29 day streak. My friends, we have been virtually fast-food free since leaving Oklahoma. On this day though, M didn’t just stand for Malecon, and at 10:40 am, Emma spotted the golden arches. Yes, I ate a hamburgeresa con queso before 11:00 am. Yummy! After walking the length of the Malecon, where we saw local artists, several food vendors, and a recreated Henry Morgan Pirateship, we decided to head up to Las Pinas, a barrio that leads to a lighthouse. While the lighthouse was our original destination, we never made it there. Between Wade’s cell phone ringing and us discovering other fascinating places to stop along the way, we never crested the top of the hill. Instead, we had Emma’s portrait done in charcoal, found the newest addition our eclectic art collection, and wandered the streets of this colorful neighborhood. By 4:30pm, we’d all been zapped by the equatorial sun and opted to return to the ship.

Whale Watching

On our third morning in Guayaquil, we boarded a bus for what was advertised as a 90 minute drive to Salinas, where we’d board a boat and head out to watch for Humpback Whales. In reality the ride turned out to be closer to 2 ½ hours than 1 ½, but because Emma Marie was also on this trip, the ride wasn’t a problem for our Emma Caroline. Emma Marie’s mom was back at the ship with her turn as duty dean, so that meant our girls could sit together for the journey. En route to Salinas, they sat across the aisle from Oscar, Emma Marie’s dad, and they sat a couple rows behind us on the return trip. When we finally arrived in Salinas, we donned lifejackets and then boarded tiny boats to take us to the tour company’s boat for Whale Watching. The swells ranged from four to six feet high on our five-mile ride out from the western most point of Ecuador. Thankfully, I’d already taken one seasickness pill that morning, and Wade had brought me another on the trip. Several weren’t as fortunate. It’s mating season for the Humpbacked Whales, so we knew we wouldn’t see them jumping out into the air. Our guides told us if we were lucky we’d see one or two whales surfacing for air. Several minutes after we’d reached our five-mile point, we saw the first blow erupting from the surface. This happens just seconds before part of the whale becomes visible. We’d found three traveling together and had many opportunities to watch them coming up for air and then diving down again. They’d surface a few times before diving down and we knew the deep dives were about to occur when we got a complete tail view. AMAZING. Once this happened and the whale disappeared, it would be between four and six minutes before we’d see the next blow erupt. I’m posting a favorite photo. I chose it because you can see a whale’s tail next to a blow erupting from another whale. After about an hour of watching the whales surface and dive, we headed back to shore and lunch at a local restaurant. We had ceviche (seafood cooked by the juices of lemons or limes and served as a cool soup) as an appetizer and then a choice between breaded chicken (sort of a cordon bleu) and seafood in cream sauce. We’re really getting spoiled in the fresh seafood department!

Guayaquil, Ecuador

A little over five years ago we traveled internationally as a trio for the first time. Our destination? Ecuador. We chose the South American country for two reasons. First and foremost, our globetrotting Australian friends Peter and Nicole would be hitting Quito and the Galapagos Islands during this portion of their year abroad. Second, and only slightly less important, we wouldn’t have to worry about resetting Emma’s body clock to hit this destination. The Ecuadorian people were incredibly friendly and helpful, the food incredibly yummy, and the climate tolerable, considering we were, in fact, vacationing on the equator. Five years later, not much has changed. This time, though, it’s a working vacation for Wade, so you’ll notice even though we spent five days in this port, we have only two SAS excursions and one day out on our own. Nicole, the Field Office Assistant, spent our time in Ecuador leading a trip to the Galapagos Islands, which left Wade to send off every SAS trip while in port. Now, before you start grumbling about Nicole, I should tell you she’s awesome & she’ll be sending off every trip in Peru so our trio can travel the Andes and the Amazon with SAS. Adding to Wade’s work load, he had two days of duty dean responsibilities while in Ecuador. Each day in port one member of the administrative team serves as “duty dean”. This individual is the contact point for all travelers with needs in port. Most often, the field office coordinator doesn’t fill this position since his/her in-port responsibilities are so vast, but because so many were gone to Quito and the Galapagos, Wade picked up a couple of days here. They likely would have been quieter days, but some figured out that the field office coordinator had the duty dean phone, so many field office questions came his way too.

Independence Day

The crew prepared a wonderful BBQ for the shipboard community tonight, a super cool act considering almost none of them are from the US. The kiddos met in Classroom 9 at 6:00 to get ready for a parade. They donned patriotic hats & necklaces and Jill and Kyla painted faces with white and blue stars, USA, etc. One of the lifelong learners dressed up as Uncle Sam and marched just behind Emma Caroline and Emma Marie, who carried a 4th of July banner. No fireworks, but Jill and Oscar provided the kids with “pull-string confetti poppers” and they enjoyed setting those off together. Our Emma Caroline wore her American Girl T-Shirt and dressed her world-traveling doll Jess in the same.

Pollywog No More

Just a few short minutes ago, our baby girl became a Shellback. Under no circumstances did I see that happening today. I was so certain she wouldn’t want to go through the Neptune Day ceremony that I wore blue jeans and tennis shoes to the festivities. Thus, it was her father who caught her as she jumped into the pool after having a nasty green concoction dumped over her head. In his NOC Cow Tipping T-Shirt and Green plaid shorts Wade, too, went through the ceremony. The crew performing the initiation didn’t know he’d done it before (we both became Shellbacks on the Spring ’04 voyage), so they doused him completely before he jumped in the pool, caught our daughter as she jumped in, walked her through the pool and watched her kiss the fish (or perhaps pretend to?) and King Neptune’s ring. When Neptune’s court entered the 7th deck this afternoon, they did so with much fanfare and I thought Emma’s face being painted with a dolphin, a seahorse and a fish before she entered the parade would be enough excitement for the day. Boy was I wrong. As she exited deck 7, she received a high five from Captain Kristonovich, who told her she’d done a fantastic job. As I write this Wade is washing her hair for a second time in an effort to remove the less than pleasant smell they’ve both taken on this evening.

El Valle de Anton

Yes, this is Emma ziplining in the rainforest. It’s one of those moments in my life where I didn’t need to be reminded to “pray without ceasing”. She was fantastic; I was terrified. I spent most of the week before this trip explaining that some people would be ziplining above the rainforest, but we might not be able to do it. Still, we could walk through the rainforest, play near the waterfall, etc. I really thought Emma would be too small to participate. While we were in line for the restroom, I noticed one of the tour guides getting into a closet and pulling out a small multi-colored harness. I didn’t point it out to Emma just in case, but when I looked behind the van and saw the giant grin on Wade’s face, I knew she’d be going. Once we were strapped into our gear, we had to make quite a hike through the rainforest to get to the first of four platforms. Wade went first and Emma and a guide went second followed by a very nervous Diana. Emma was hooked to the guide, but he allowed her to hold a cord and hang as freely as possible when traveling tandem. He was basically there to control her speed and to insure she didn’t stop before she reached the end (which her mom, afraid she’d crash into the guide did. Yep, I had to drag myself to the end of the first line. Lovely). The third portion of the zipline is really steep, so all of us had our speed controlled by a guide. Thus, Emma was allowed to travel this one on her own. She was thrilled. This leg of the journey took us over a 240 foot waterfall – amazing. It’s hard to tell in this photo, but she’s hanging over 180 feet above the forest floor. The fourth leg she indignantly traveled with a guide. This one was a little less experienced and very protective. Emma was quite annoyed that he wrapped his arms around her. After all, she’d just done this alone! When we finished the canopy tour, with participants ranging from 5 to 75, we headed into the village. We saw petroglyphs created by indigenous peoples, visited a hot springs area where several were having mud facials, and contributed to the local economy (aka went to the market). It was hard to choose what to buy among the soap stone carvings (animals, native peoples, nativity scenes), molas, panama hats, jewelry, and woven baskets. Hint: You should definitely stop by our place after Thanksgiving to see one of our acquisitions. El Valle de Anton is in the crater of an extinct volcano. I'll try to locate some online images as it's impossible to photograph this adequately from inside.

Smithsonian Research Park

Look carefully at this photo. Yes, that is an iguana in the tree. Wade had only a couple of hours between send-offs today, so we visited the nearby Smithsonian Research Park. Here scientists study the tropical dry and wet rainforests and the differences between sea life in the Pacific and the Caribbean. Walking through the forested area, we saw iguana a two-toed sloth, pelicans nesting in trees, and toucans. In the aquarium we learned how to tell the difference between male and female rainbow fish and learned that females can become males but the reverse is not possible. It was interesting to see the ways coral and anemones differ between the Pacific and the Caribbean, especially since the two are so close together in Panama.

Gamboa Rainforest

This three toed sloth was one we spotted while riding the Aerial tram in the Gamboa Rainforest on our first day in Panama. We were also very fortunate to see several keel-billed toucans (think Toucan Sam on the Fruit Loops boxes) and some white faced monkeys. We had a guide riding with us who pointed out five different types of palm trees, trees that had succumbed to choker vines, giant ant nests in the trees, various fruits, etc. Often times he was completely silent so we could listen to the noises of the rainforest. Frustratingly, we could hear howler monkeys in the distance but never caught a glimpse of them. True to form, the rainforest skies opened up toward the end of our journey. It was the rain that afforded us the views of the monkeys as they were jumping across trees to get to a dry spot.

Panama City, Panama

Those of you who still posses Van Halen albums, and you know who you are, go ahead and cue up the song: “Panama! Panama-ah! Panama! Panama-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah! Panama!” Yes, there’s been a lot of this going on in the hallways between Acapulco and our most recent stop. This will be an interesting port because we’re not docked; we’re anchored. There are too few births available and we couldn’t outbid others wanting one so we’ll have to tender to the shore. Approximately every 20-30 minutes from 7:00am to 1:00am, our crew are working very hard transferring passengers in lifeboats to and from shore. This is a rather intricate process, especially since the Panama Canal is very near where we’re located and swells can be rather unpredictable at times. Because we have passengers on board ranging in age from 3 months to 87 years, several need special assistance in any disembarking situation. Most of us need a little help with this one. Important note: Garrett Michael Morris, who we’ll all call Rett, was born today. Thanks to technology, we’ve already seen his photo and, as expected, he’s adoreable. Congratulations to Aunt Julie, Uncle Doug & Cousin Ryan!

Tender Update: the first day in port a tender broke loose from the gangway and several crew were seriously at risk while protecting the passengers. All days this is potentially dangerous, but this one was especially so. Last night (7.04.07) at our logistical pre-port meeting, the Executive Dean, John Burkoff, presented each of the 30 crew members involved in the tendering process with certificates designed by the ship kids.

A Visit from Nurse Jane

The air temperature and the sea temperature were the same yesterday afternoon, 86 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s currently fifteen degrees lower than Emma’s temperature. During Spanish lessons this morning she told her teacher her tummy didn’t feel good and she had a headache. Twenty minutes later she was throwing up in our cabin. Nurse Jane came to visit and ordered her a “sick tray” so they brought Jell-O, rice, chicken broth, and wheat rolls to the cabin just before noon. She’s had two bites of Jell-O and that’s it. Currently she’s sleeping. I knew she was sick when she didn’t even ask to watch a movie or anything when we got back to the cabin; she merely curled up under a pile of blankets and closed her eyes. It’s really, really sad. At 16:30 we’ll see Dr. Milt down in the area she toured yesterday. Dr. Milt is an orthopedic surgeon who’s been the SAS doctor on nine previous voyages. He asked at the opening meeting that if we got sick to please try and break a limb too so he’d feel more in his comfort zone! Ha! Relax grandparents, this guy’s good. The worst part of whatever bug this is that she’s caught is that the kiddos were to take their bridge tour today. L I’m hopeful that since Emma’s Daddy meets with the Captain once a week maybe he can score us a make-up tour. Update: the virus lasted two full, long, horrible days. It’s the worst one she’s ever had and she was very weak for the two following days.

Back at Sea

The dependent children had quite a day yesterday. After their Spanish lessons, they headed to the main dining room where several chairs had been arranged in a semicircle for them in order to give them the best possible view of the ship’s fruit & vegetable carver. Starting with a mouse wearing a sombrero, he carved several creations for them before closing with an incredible flower display. Next, they toured the ship’s hospital, which is much larger and more elaborate than one might think. Both Dr. Milt and Nurse Jane were on hand for this tour; little did we know how important this would be the next day. During the afternoon, Kathleen Rodriguez, mommy to Gabby and Sam, gave a wonderful presentation on pirates and led the kids in a fantastic art workshop, where they learned to paint the horizon before creating pirate ships of their own to float at sea. Several are currently on display in Pursur’s Square. When Emma was telling her dad about the lesson, she was quite animated when she explained there had been a female pirate, Anne Bonnie.