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I tried the french toast at breakfast and found it to be every bit as good as Marlene had claimed.
Lunch was Scandinavian and I tried a few things I had never heard of and couldn’t pronounce, including some kind of fried lentil cake. Not bad.
We played cards and we were pretty even there.
We had dinner at O’Sheehan’s, a pub which is open 24 hours and has a very good selection of pub fare. I had a reuben sandwich which was a bit soggy but very tasty. The food in this pub is FREE – one of the few things on the Jade which has surprised us in a positive way.
The highlight of the day was the crew talent show. There are some VERY talented crew members on the Jade. Most of the acts were solo vocalists, but there were two dance performances as well. All were very good and a couple were outstanding.
Cambodian danceOutstanding female vocalistOutstanding male vocalist
We visited the casino and then finished the evening dancing.
This was the first of 3 straight sea days, the result of the cancellation of our stop at Cabo San Lucas.
We had breakfast with Tom and Maggie and stuck around long enough to meet Ron and Brenda from Wales. Their accent was difficult, but we managed to communicate.
We played some gin rummy, which I won. But that was just payback for the previous day when Marlene destroyed me at that game.
Lunch was Mexican and it was pretty good.
I read and we spent time in the casino both before and after dinner.
Acapulco was, back when I was young (*many* years ago), a destination for the jet-set crowd. It no longer has that cachet, but is still a nice port for a cruise.
We began the day with breakfast. I did some blogging then we went ashore and started walking along the beach.
Marlene in AcapulcoMermaid on a rockFishing boats on the beachBeach restaurantBeach
I wanted to get some Mexican pesos but was reluctant to go to a bank – they often refuse to provide change to non-customers – and there was no currency exchange at the cruise terminal. What to do? Well, that problem was solved by a fellow passenger that we chatted with on our walk along the beach. He offered to sell us 1,000 pesos for $50 – 20 pesos per dollar, which was almost exactly the current exchange rate. I jumped at that. So our goal changed from getting pesos to spending pesos.
Well, we bought a large bottle of water for 21 pesos, a beer for 21 pesos and some souvenirs for about 500. We also went shopping at the local version of Walmart and bought some snacks. Marlene bought some clothes and jewelry. We spent every last peso.
And we took a few selfies along the way.
There is a large park/zoo undergoing renovation along the beach. We saw many iguanas there. Should be very nice when it reopens.
We made it back to the ship after walking over 6 miles. The last stop was the jewelry shop in the cruise terminal where Marlene bought a nice silver ring. Then, as we were walking out, the shopkeeper pulled out a bracelet that he called “one of a kind.” Marlene loved it. I agreed that it was unusual and very nice. It became her birthday present. She can’t wear it until July. And if we break up before her birthday it is mine, all mine.
IguanaBracelet
Back aboard the ship we went up for a snack and found that it was “seafood day” and the chefs had prepared some lovely scenes made from fruits.
Sea scene made with foodFruit fishMarlene with “washy washy” girlFood floral arrangement
I did some blogging then we went to see the evening show, a hypnotist, Richard Barker. Amusing.
Dinner was with Greg and Eveyln from Kentucky. They had been married 50 years and have 7 children. But they looked to be in their 50s. They admitted to starting young – she was 18 when they married – but they didn’t look their age.
We finished the evening with Rockaway Duo and did some dancing. We met Mike and Monica from Chicago.
We had breakfast with Kathy and experienced something I have never seen before on a cruise – a near fistfight. We sat at a large table that had a small bag and an insulated cup. We often share tables with people so having a 4th person at a table that seated 6 was no problem. But Kathy pushed the cup about 3 inches to the side when I sat down and almost immediately a woman appeared out of nowhere and accosted her. “It’s not cool to touch another person’s stuff!” We thought she was joking but it soon became apparent that she was incensed. She started lecturing us on property rights. When Kathy asked “Are you from New York?” she said it doesn’t matter where she was from (yeah, it was probably New York), you just don’t touch other people’s stuff. This escalated into “bitch” and “f*** you.” We tried to ignore her and after a few more insults thrown at us she collected her “stuff” and stomped away.
Seemed like an overreaction to me.
The ocean was pretty choppy all morning. Marlene and I played some gin rummy (yes, she kicked my ass), then we went to a lecture about “playing the victim” given by a former police detective. He gave us some insight into the interrogation techniques that police use to trip up suspects.
That information could be useful…
We went to the casino and lost some money before dinner. We dined alone but chatted with a couple from Arizona at the adjoining table.
We danced after dinner and I read a couple of chapters before bed.
We didn’t have an excursion planned for Guatemala. I was tempted to go on the excursion to the rim of an active volcano, but thought it sounded like too much effort – 8,000-foot elevation and lots of uphill walking – and when I later talked to people who had gone I decided I was glad I hadn’t. For those who couldn’t withstand the exertion, horse rides were offered – for $50 cash.
We also considered taking a taxi to the mountain town of Antigua but the price was $50 for a long trip – 2 hours each way. Again, after talking to people who went, I was glad I didn’t. They said the trip was very unpleasant.
Instead we took a bus into San Jose, the nearby coastal town. It was quite an experience. I have never been to India, but I have seen video and movies and the impression I get is chaotic. That is San Jose – chaotic. Heavy traffic with tik-tik taxis and thousands of mopeds. No sidewalks. Crazy. And fun in a chaotic sort of way.
Me pretending to be adventurousUsStreet meats
We got a free radish and exchanged $40 for local currency at a vegetable shop. Then we did some shopping. Marlene got some jeans and a top. I got to watch.
Woman in San JoseGift cakeMaking a table runner
We were amazed and appalled by the raw meats on display. We didn’t buy any. Marlene made friends with a shopkeeper and she gifted us with some homemade cake. She also took the small earrings out of her ears and handed them to Marlene. That made Marlene cry.
Chaos in San JoseTrying on a native hatThe port area
Nice people in a chaotic city.
We did a little more shopping in the port area and I sampled 2 local beers. But I stopped there. No getting drunk this time.
Tree in the port areaMe with a local beerIguanas on the rocks
We had lunch on the ship and I blogged a bit with Rod and Craig from Australia. Dinner was with Kathy and Kevin. After dinner we listened to music with Rockaway Duo but didn’t dance much. And, of course, we ended the evening in the casino.
This is number 27 in the long (currently 35) series of Sandford books featuring Lucas Davenport. Early in the series Davenport was a Twin Cities cop, but his career has taken him to several other state and federal positions. In this one he is a US Marshal with a great deal of independence. He decides, pretty much on his own, to go after Garvin Poole, a career criminal who is suspected of murdering at least 8 people, including a 6-year-old girl. That occurred while he and an accomplice, Dora Box, were stealing about 4 million dollars from a drug cartel. It was a lucrative haul, but it put the cartel on his track – they wanted the money back. So he had to dodge both Davenport and the hit team.
This is not a whodunit. It is a “how does a federal marshal track down a desperate fugitive.” The narrative alternates between what Davenport is doing to find Poole, what the hit team is doing to find Poole and what Poole and Box are doing to elude them all. It is well written and kept my interest.
We had breakfast with Chris and Kathy, a couple from Ft Myers. That lasted until lunch. Marlene then grabbed us a couple of lounge chairs at the pool and we spent some time in both the hot tub and the pool, chatting with fellow passengers. Then we had front-row seats to a dance exhibition by the Jade cast, followed by some very energetic dance music by a consortium of musicians from the various bands on board. Very good. We danced. And got some sun. Too much sun – we both have sunburned faces now. But not too bad.
After the pool I read and did some photo editing. Then we went to the early show – a soloist named Emily Viancourt. She sang mostly country tunes but also some Motown. Very good.
We had dinner in the Garden Cafe and chatted with Helen and Louise. Then we went to the Spinnaker Lounge to dance to Motown tunes by the Rockaway Duo. Fun. We finished the evening in the casino. It was kind to Marlene but not to me.
We docked in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, but immediately booked a private excursion to see the countryside. The van carried 9 passengers, a driver, a guide (Larry) and a guy who seemed to be along for the ride. We visited a monkey farm where the spider monkeys were wild (it is illegal to hold a monkey in captivity in Costa Rica), but they come to the farm because they know they will be fed crackers and bananas. There were quite a few in attendance, which I hear was unusual – we later heard from several fellow passengers that they went to the same farm later in the day and saw no monkeys at all.
Larry at Monkey HouseMarlene feeding a spider monkeyMarlene (on left) and monkey
We stopped at a local vegetable and fruit market where we saw some very exotic stuff.
Something stewing. Not sure what.Exotic fruitsMarlene and funky apple
We then drove to the Tarcoles River and walked the bridge to view the crocodiles below. Lots of crocodiles basking in the sun. This was followed by a 1-hour lunch break where we had shrimp cerviche. Larry took Marlene for a walk on the beach and they found a nice rock.
CrocodileTarcoles RiverMarlene on the bridgeThe beach at the restaurantLarry finding a rockThe restaurant
After lunch we made a quick stop at a souvenir shop that had lots of interesting local crafts. Marlene bought some magnets and I bought a couple of gifts for people back home. When we got back to port Marlene did some additional shopping and found some nice jewelry. Then Larry invited us and another couple from the ship (Dean and Leona) to join him for a beer. Which turned into four beers. Great time and, yes, we made it back to the ship. But I didn’t make it to dinner – Marlene had to go by herself. I recovered enough to dance with her later that evening.
Us at the souvenir shopMarlene and totemMarlene finding jewelryDrinking beer with Dean and the tour guides
Breakfast was in the buffet, as usual. We dined with Ann and Tom. Then we jumped into the hot tub with Michael and Marita from Germany. Marlene had a chance to practice her German. I could understand about half of what was being said.
We had lunch with Marvin, a widower from Phoenix. Then I edited photos and read. While I was doing that the ship experienced an electrical outage. I was concerned that we would be adrift in the Pacific, but it lasted only about 15 minutes. All is well. I hope.
Dancing in the Spinnaker Lounge
We saw our first theatrical production on the ship – Blazing Boots, a country music revue. Very good. Then we had dinner where we had a nice chat with Leslie, a transvestite at the adjoining table.
After dinner we listened and danced to Rockaway Duo for a bit, then hit the casino. I had a good night, winning over $100. Marlene… not so good.
This was a bucket list item for us: a transit of the Panama Canal. It was one step above watching paint dry, but it was still good. We went through the original locks, but we saw ships traversing the new, expanded locks.
The Americas Bridge before entering the Gatun LocksThe first Gatun lock
It took about 10 hours to traverse the canal. It was interesting, to a point, but got boring after the Gatun Locks. We retired to our cabin to nap.
The locks are an engineering marvel. The ship is pulled through by electric locomotives. It wautas a tight fit – about 2 inches on each side.
The first Gatun lockTight fitElectric locomotivesPassing under the Pan American HighwayDeck 13Marlene on deckApproaching the endMarlene with Jonathan Arons
We had dinner with Andy, Kevin and Jill. Good dinner. After dinner we went to a show by Jonathan Arons, a very energetic trombonist. Good show.
