Highlights of my 2012 Panama Canal and South America
Cruise
- Visits to five countries (Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Chile), 4 of which are new to me. (I visited Panama in 1994)
- Transiting the impressive and historic Panama Canal--One nice long day going through all 3 sets of locks. Seeing future site of expanded canal.
http://globalwaysusa.blogspot.com/2012/12/panama-canal.html
video from ship:
videos from viewing point at Gatun Locks:
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| Botero |
- Seeing Lamas in Lima
- Private tours in Cartagena, Panama, and Lima
- Nice, mid-ship, balcony room, starboard with nightly sunsets.
- Only one flight. I drove to Ft Lauderdale to board the ship and took a single flight home from Santiago, Chile. I used frequent flyer points.
- Informative naturalist scholars lecturing daily. (Husband and wife team of PhDs.) Even learned what seasickness really is.
- Got great last minute deal on room.
- No time change
- No currency exchange necessary
- No jet lag
- Beautiful Indian markets everywhere
- Christmas decorations everywhere, including on the ship
- Panama hats (really Ecuador hats)
- Colorful ports with fishing villages
- Performed on stage in two group dances. Uploaded them to YouTube:
Thriller Dance: http://youtu.be/vTiOO3AsPqM
Incredible Dance: http://youtu.be/fjfGpqgcSlI
- Ate ceviche in Ecuador and Chile
- Nice weather—no rain
- Met nice people: Amy and Franklin, Freda, Inge, Ingrid, Joyce and Mike, Esther and Roy and more
- Participating in the cabin crawl
- Great shopping in all ports. Beautiful and inexpensive.
- Took local bus in Coquimbo to La Serena (I don’t recommend this)
- This is a unique, twice a year sailing: one is southbound (December); the other is northbound (March)
- Became Elite on Celebrity (in 8 months)
