Day 98: La Paz, Mexico

It was still pitch dark outside when we first awakened, but we could see lights in the distance, confirming that we were nearing La Paz. Due to last night's time change, we were up and at 'em early, and off the ship as soon as it docked just before 7am, to take photos of the hills/mountains surrounding the port. I love the arid beauty of the American Southwest, and La Paz very much resembles Arizona and New Mexico...if they were surrounded by sea. Unfortunately, the ship docks at a freight pier, so the first impression of the immediate area is not quite so picturesque. The hillsides were carved out to build up land on which to construct  the pier, and it's a bit like docking in a quarry. But, oh, that orange sunrise in a cloudless blue sky more than made up for it. 

 

 

 

We reboarded the ship and enjoyed breakfast in the Club Restaurant (our days of full breakfast service are dwindling down). After that morning pill taking activity, we walked off the ship again...and right to one of the vendors set up by the terminal. Some silver jewelry had caught G's eye when he first disembarked, and he was in a gifting mood today. I left sporting a new bracelet,  ring, pendant and earrings and love them all. It's kind of like a slightly belated birthday present!

The port was offering two free shuttle services today, since it really is located in the middle of nowhere. First, luxurious motor coaches had been driven up from Cabo San Lucas (complete with WiFi!) and these were making the 17-mile drive into the town of La Paz. Then, some shuttle vans were making the 20-minute drive in the other direction to Tecolate Beach. Not that it was beach weather- it was beautiful and sunny and in the high 60s- but the photos of the beach on display were nice, and the beach itself looked endless. We opted for the beach, and just the two of us were driven there in a van and dropped off at a pair of very rustic beach bars. 

 

 

 

 

The water (this was the Gulf of California, or the Sea of Cortez) was a brilliant bright blue color, clear and placid. Though the beach was a little rocky; it was extremely walkable. We first settled in at a bar and each had a Pacifico beer and soaked up the solitude. Just across the water was Isla Espírito Santo, which looked uninhabited. I think it's a nature preserve. After awhile we decided to walk the full length of the beach. And as we got to the other end, we saw for the first time a handful of motor homes scattered on the wide beach. We were greeted by two couples, one from Washington Stqte and the other from Canada who were traveling together. They said they spend several months each winter in the area and that was their favorite beach. They can camp there for free but once a week or so they pay to camp in La Paz to empty their sewage and get water and do laundry. We talked with them for quite awhile before we continued on our walk. 

 

 

  

The most interesting campers were a couple with young kids from Lithuania who were camping in an old school bus, but there was another guy from Germany camping in a van. The beach was so long and wide that they all had lots of space but apparently do socialize each evening and have a big campfire on the beach. It sounded like the kind of vacations we took when we were first married. We had a blast then, but I'm not certain I'd want to be bathing in the Sea of Cortez these days. 

We made our way back down to the end of the beach where the couple of beach bars were located and drank a second beer. We kept an eye on the area where the shuttle van had dropped us off; we hadn't seen another come by yet, and there were no fellow passengers (or anyone else) on the beach at that end. But just before 1:30pm, a van did show up and we took it back to the port terminal. Without even getting back on the ship we decided to take the large bus into La Paz, and at that time of the afternoon we were the only passengers doing that. It took almost 30 minutes to get there, and, once there, we only had about an hour to walk around. I was hoping to get some fish tacos but we didn't see a restaurant offering them on the main drag. There was a local craft fair taking place (color me shocked) and, interestingly, a few classic cars on display, including three old Ford Broncos (one of which could have been once owned by G).  But by 3pm we were taking the (completely full) bus back to the port. I'm glad we spent most of our day at the beach. I think it was much more enjoyable. 

 

 

We returned to the terminal just in time to see some local folkloric dancing and then reboarded the ship. It was nearly 4pm and we were starved...and tired. We decided to skip dinner in the Club Restaurant (it was the Chefs Menu) and instead just enjoy sailway and sunset from the Panorama Buffet. It was too chilly to sit on the Panorama Terrace (weep!) but we kept going out there to take photos. The ship sailed shortly after 4:30pm and passed close to land, offering gorgeous views of the craggy mountain peaks. We saw a beautiful sunset and then continued grazing the buffet and talking with fellow passengers until after 7:30pm. The entertainment tonight was a cellist and vocalist duo called Brendan and James, but we were still wearing our clothes from the day and didn't have the energy to get cleaned up or attend the show. Instead we are tucked into bed early tonight, watching videos on TV. 

 

 

 

I think tomorrow will be a yoga pants and fleece pullover day. Even today we were chilly when we weren't in the sun. But hopefully the payoff will be some whale sightings. Captain D said the weather should continue to be good until we are almost in LA, when he is expecting some swells again. But he said that he is going to try to increase our speed while the ocean is fairly flat, so that if the swells arrive early, we will be earlier. 

We will really miss sailing with Captain D. He is aces in our book. :-)

Day 97: At Sea

Today we passed a sad and sorry point on this cruise, one where we've lost the ability to comfortably sit on the Promenade Deck in just shorts and t-shirts. Fewer people are enjoying those wonderful padded loungers and those that do are bundled up in pool towels. I have a feeling that the temps we've enjoyed since December 20 are gone for good. Add to it the reality that this cruise is nearly over and there is a sense that we are simply biding our time until we reach Los Angeles. 

Already I am refraining from sending too many clothes to the laundry. Several items (including a swimsuit, a rash guard and all underwear) will be tossed instead of packed, and for most other things I'd rather launder them at home. I knew that the temperatures north of La Paz, Mexico tomorrow would be considerably chillier and had kept out a couple of items I had worn in Europe, but I hadn't anticipated that even La Paz would only be in the high 60s. It may be time to pack away the shorts altogether and bring out a couple more long sleeved t-shirts. 

Are all of you who are shoveling snow tonight feeling sorry for us yet?  I didn't think so.

On a happier note, we are thrilled to be seeing our first signs of non-aviary wildlife. Yesterday and today it's been dolphins, sometimes in larger pods and other times just a few. The water is so clear that we can see them racing underwater and then breaking the surface in graceful arcs. I haven't yet seen any whales on their winter migration but I'm sure we will. We were in the area just a week later in January 2015 and we had all sorts of sightings. I can't wait. 

We enjoyed breakfast in the Club Restaurant this morning and then parted ways. I went to the morning's craft session where we made lighthouse notecards and then, discovering the Promenade Deck was just too chilly, I sat up on protected Deck 9 near the hot tub in which G was soaking. We opted to skip a formal lunch, but, as he was in still in his swimsuit sitting next to me on a lounger, I brought him French fries. A cheeseburger without the bun. A slice of Virginia ham. A bowl of ice cream. I managed to eat a slice of pizza myself and bid him farewell to attend Christian Heim's lecture on the Secret to Happiness. One element of happiness is doing things for others and I figured I had that aced that for the day. ;-)

 

Sunrise viewed from the Panorama Terrace 

 

 

I tried the Promenade Deck one more time, but simply couldn't stay out there wearing shorts, so I plugged in ear buds and went up to Deck 10 and walked while I listened to an audiobook, which is so much better for me anyway. Still, it was breezy up there and even that started feeling a tad chilly. Well, we enjoyed the warmth while it lasted (and won't have to wait too long to enjoy it again. Hawaii here we come!). 

Tonight was our final Italian menu night of the season, and I enjoyed the last of a bottle of merlot and headwaiter Antonio's penne arrabiata. First though I had one of my favorite salads- mixed greens, sundried tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese topped with balsamic vinaigrette. If I had been hungry enough, I would have had a second for dessert, but I wasn't and so instead enjoyed orange sorbet. I will miss Italian nights on the Pacific Princess perhaps more than any other menu. 

 

Headwaiter (and friend) Antonio from Portugal preparing penne arrabiata

We managed to finish dinner in time for a spectacular sunset viewed from the Promenade Deck. There were several of us out there, all simultaneously remarking on the beautiful sunset and complaining bitterly about the cold. We tolerated the cold as long as we could to view the after-sunset that kept getting better and better, and then went into the Cabaret Lounge to get good seats for tonight's production show, What the World Needs Now. The interesting thing about the World Cruise compared to the several others we did previously on the Pacific Princess is that our fellow passengers are getting to the Cabaret Lounge 30 to 45 minutes before every show, armed with books and iPads and Kindles. Our days of wandering in five minutes before a show starts and snagging great seats are over. That was one of the things we most liked about the Pacific Princess, that there was never a need to arrive for a show as early as on the larger ships. I think this change is just something that's inherent to the World Cruise.

 

 

 

We move clocks back another hour tonight and will be on MST for our stop in La Paz. The current map of the ship's location on TV now shows cities we are well familiar with in the southern US. In view of all the traveling we've done this season, we are very nearly home. 

Life is good. :-)

Day 96: At Sea

As days at sea go, this one was just about as good as it gets. The sea was mirror smooth, and it was sunny and quite warm. The only wrinkle in the day occurred early; I had realized last evening that I had developed an eye infection, and trotted off to the Medical Center right around the corner to get that looked at first thing this morning. I had initially dithered a bit about going but G reminded me that two days at sea were a perfect time to start treatment and go without a contact in that eye. Of course he was right. I really thought I'd make it through an entire season without a visit to the ship's doctor and almost- but not quite- did. 

It's not that we lack insurance that makes me reluctant to seek medical help for these more minor things; it's the amount for paperwork to file a claim first with our primary insurance and then with Princess Vacation Protection that holds me back. After all, I still have all that paperwork related to Nice and the cancellation of our October 16 cruise to submit when we finally get home. Something tells me I will be busy until August with it all. But, as G encouraged when I expressed this morning that I really didn't want to add another issue to the list, "You're so good at all that!"  What he means is that I am like a dog with a bone and tenacious as all get out, which is exactly what it takes when dealing with insurance companies. 

I arrived at the Medical Center ten minutes before it opened at 9am and was third in line waiting outside the door. That's the other part of going to the doctor that I don't like: I'm not sick but found myself standing among people who truly were, with multiple URI symptoms. I'm always certain I'll pick up something much worse than what took me there in the first place. But I left by 10am with eye drops and a warning to resist wearing a contact in that eye for several days, something that is much easier to do on the ship than in port (you may recall the last time this happened, and I ran into a low hanging branch on Water Island as a result). I'm safer here. 

I went immediately to the craft session to finish my bookmark and had to nearly beg for the needle and yarn to do that, because I was early. I explained that G wanted me to get to the Mexican Fiesta Sunday Brunch buffet in the Club Restaurant as soon as I could and was reluctantly granted the needle and three pieces of white yarn. It was a bit of a trick to stitch on the plastic canvas with only one good eye. Neither working with reading glasses nor without made it any easier and I squinted my way to a completed bookmark, needing to pull out and re-do stitches only twice (see above re: tenaciousness). 

I finally made it to the Club Restaurant where the initial surge of passengers was still underway and I waited in line to get in. The theme for this Sunday Brunch buffet was Mexican and the entire Club Restaurant and its entrance were decorated in red and white and green balloons (hey...that would work for an Italian theme too) and paper accordianed hanging decorations and Mexican flags and it was all spectacular. All the waiters and galley crew were dressed in jeans and white shirts with colorful ponchos (I know that's not the correct word, but the Spanish term eludes me right now) and sombreros and had mustaches painted on with eyebrow pencil. What a hoot!  My first order of business was to find G, but along the way I took lots of photos of our favorite waiters (and they're all our favorite waiters) and they pointed me in his direction.

 

 

Assistant Maitre d' George

 

 

 

 

Waiter (and fellow Clash of Clans-Eric) Pepito from the Philippines

 

Alter Saiteesh from India

 

Assistant waiter Taufik from Indonesia

 

Rolando and Ferdinand from the Philippines

 

Waiter (and our dinner waiter) Marco from Mexico

 

Waiter Joey from the Philippines

G had brought our one remaining bottle of MTP champagne and waiters Joey and Oliver brought flutes and glass after glass of orange juice and we repeatedly got plates of food and stayed there eating and drinking until we had finished the entire bottle of champagne and could barely move. The food was just amazing (I will post pics of the menu and food eventually). As one entered the Club Restaurant, there were different stations with different types of food- so much of it- breakfast food and lunch food and lots of seafood and pasta and all sorts of fancy cheeses and pates and specialty cured meats and a goose and then another area with Mexican food and guacamole made in front of us and lots of fruit and in the back corner of the Club Restaurant was a large table filled with desserts and ice cream and a chocolate fountain. It was hard to know where to begin. 

 

Sunday brunch menu 

 

 

 

 

Pastry chef Santino and Maitre d' Oscar

 

 

Dragena from the galley

 

Headwaiter Petros from Poland

 

Assistant waiter Oliver serving mimosas

 

Waiters Tommy from Thailand and Joey

 

 

 

 

Headwaiter Ilio from Macedonia

 

 

 

 

 

(Newly promoted) waiter Vesko

Because we stayed so long, drinking and eating and talking, we saw Maitre d'Oscar twice lead the headwaiters and waiters in a conga line through the dining room, shaking maracas and singing and it was a lot fun. It must have been an incredible amount of work to set up and prepare and display the food (there were ice carvings and fruit and vegetable carvings everywhere) but it seemed very much appreciated by everyone and made the whole day feel special. We found out today that this is offered only once per World Cruise segment, so five times during the 111 day World Cruise, with a different theme each time based on the ship's location. We felt so fortunate to be able to partake in today's! Honestly, it was the very best food occasion we've ever had on Princess, and was even better than the midnight Gala buffets Celebrity still offered when we last cruised with them (in 2007 or 2008 I think). 

 

But, of course, we were ruined for the rest of the day. We changed into shorts and t-shirts and sat in loungers on the Promenade Deck where we (yes, me too!) joined all the other passengers who were already there and napped with our mouths hanging wide open. It was a beautiful afternoon with not a bump in the water to be found. I awoke after just a few minutes (based on my audiobook) and returned to the cabin to apply warm compresses to my eye, which is darn hard to do using just a facecloth that only stays warm for 30 seconds. G finally returned to the cabin and changed into his swimsuit and decamped to a hot tub. And that was a productive as we got for the rest of the afternoon. Very sadly, there has been no football at all on the Pacific Princess; I tried both yesterday and today to no avail to find a game on TV and then used way too many internet minutes trying to stay up on the scores. Thank God a thousand times over that we were on the Emerald Princess, with MUTS, at this time last year (when, you may recall, the Broncos won Super Bowl 50). ;-) Even two years ago when we were on the Pacific Princess returning from French Polynesia they managed to show a couple of playoff games on the ship. This year:  nada...except for ESPN International running old football documentaries which is akin to dangling something desirable just out of reach of a child. 

Not hungry at all, we still went to dinner in the Club Restaurant where I had just a small Caesar salad with chicken breast...and sorbet for dessert, of course. We were finished in no time at all and walked out on the Promenade Deck to await the beautiful sunset that was made even better by the few clouds at the horizon. It was still too early to go to the Cabaret Lounge for this evening's entertainment so we again sat in loungers and watched as the multiple colors in the sky faded to darkness. It was so beautiful out there that I could have been convinced to stay a while longer, but tonight's show was violinist Chris Watkins and pianist David Crathorne performing together and it was too good to miss. 

 

But our day was done by 9pm. Tomorrow, our third sea day in a row, is when we will start going stir-crazy. Once again over dinner, G mentioned the variety and frequency of ports we enjoyed on our Mediterranean cruises. They were so different from this experience that it's like they were a whole different sport. All cruises are not created equal, but on the spectrum of cruise experiences, a World Cruise is a bit of an outlier. Still, we're happy to have the opportunity to experience 17 days of one.