CAA Niagara Travel

 MAKING HISTORY IN NICARAGUA:

 Our impromptu change of itinerary has put us in the history books. Today the ms Westerdam became the first Holland America Line ship to dock in Nicaragua. We berthed at Corinto, a picturesque coastal town located in the northwest region of the country.  With a population of 20,000, Corinto is an important tourist centre and home to the country’s largest port. The streets are lined with shops, churches and stream of peddle cabs.

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ADIOS MEXICO – SWINE FLU BRINGS NEW ITINERARY:

 Our Tuesday at sea included an assortment of activities including poolside lounging, raising money to fight breast cancer, a cocktail party and a formal dinner.  But the question on everyone’s mine is “will the Swine Flu keep us from visiting Mexico?”

 We get our answer during cocktail hour (which may have softened the blow for our passengers). Nope, for our safety, the captain announces no Mexico.  It’s adios Acapulco, hello Guatemala.  Read the rest of this entry »

LUSH COSTA RICA, BEAUTY, BANANAS AND BOAS: Today we landed at Puntarenas, (Spanish for Sandy Point) to venture deep into the Costa Rican rain forest.

First known “Villa Bruselas” in colonial times, Puntarenas was discovered by famed explorer Ponce de Leon in 1519. Unlike the famed Spanish explorer before us, our voyage of discovery is substantially more civilized as we spent an hour on an air conditioned motor coach heading to the rain forest.

About halfway to our destination, our coach came to a stop on a bridge over a muddy river where we get our first taste of local wildlife. Our guide spotted a collection of crocodiles enjoying the morning sun. They paid no attention to our coach, but the herd of nearby cows, however, did appear to have a worried looks on their faces.

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IF IT’S SUNDAY THIS MUST BE COSTA RICA: OK, I admit it. I’ve lost track of the days and because they’ve stopped putting those day-of-the-week mats in the ship’s elevators, I’m struggling to realize that it’s Sunday. It’s a lazy Sunday for sure. We enjoyed most of it poolside, in the gym and at the restaurants.

We’re heading west from the Panama Canal and enjoying scenic slow-speed cruising in the calm sheltered waters of Golfo Dulce just off the rugged coastline of southwestern Costa Rica.

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AWESOME IN THE TRUE SENSE OF THE WORD:  If there’s a word that gets overuse and misused these days, it’s “awesome”. This powerful word has fallen victim to daily use describing such simple things as a new pair of jeans or a haircut. What a shame.

Today’s transit of the world famous Panama Canal, however, lived up to the word’s true meaning. It did indeed “inspire me with awe”.

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THE HAVES AND HAVE NOTS:  This was a day of extreme contrast. We began it awash in luxury aboard a multi-million dollar cruise ship only to find ourselves touring dirt-floor huts just a few hours later. Our destination was Carti Island in the San Blas Archipelago, which consists of no less than 365 islands.

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COFFEE, DONKEYS AND BEER:  Today we docked at Santa Marta to enjoy a brief taste of Columbia. The brevity of this blog entry will reflect the variety of things to do in this small town. Its role as a tourist destination is, shall we say, “emerging”. This is not to say that the port is without its beauty and charm. It’s a wee gem that needs a bit more polishing.

As an active shipping port, you must be bused away from the ship to the port terminal, passing an active coal mine.  To entertain the passengers while they exited the ship while waiting for our shuttle, our Captain, Peter Harris, was genial about posing for photos.    

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ARUBA SEA AND SHORE:  The steady trade winds off South America delayed our arrival sundrenched and semi-arid, Aruba but it was worth the wait.

Aruba more than lived up to its reputation as a windy island, greeting us with gusts that result in their divi-divi trees growing bent in the direction of the wind.

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PAMPERED AND POOPED: There are few places on earth where you can feel as pampered as you do onboard a cruise ship.  And sea days are the perfect time to enjoy all that pampering, so, we did!

Here are just a few of the ways to do it:

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VACATIONS ARE INDEED EDUCATIONAL:

They say travel is one of the best forms of learning and today I learned how true that is! My lessons:

#1) Don’t mix claustrophobia with snorkeling

#2) Sunscreen actually has a best-before-date

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