Who Doesn’t Want a Strong Lover?

Friday, January 31, 2025

I am going to skip over Thursday, January 30. It was another pleasant sea day where few photos were taken. The highlight of the evening was seeing the production show, On the Bayou. The show is only performed on the Coral Princess, and it’s a very entertaining show, so we try to see it every time we are aboard this lovely ship.

So here we are. It’s Friday, and we have docked at Fuerte Amador, Panama. Panama City, 20 miles away, is the capital of Panama, and the skyline is dominated by a forest of tall apartment towers.

I was thinking Fuerte Amador could mean “strong lover”, and perhaps there would be a Romeo and Juliet-type story to go with it. However, it actually means “Fort Amador,” and was named for the first president of Panama, Manuel Amador Guerrero.

It is really hot here, and we were not up for a long tour of stuff we have already seen. We opted to walk to the nearby marina to look for a geocache. It’s just far enough to provide some exercise and make you appreciate the heat. I do not use “appreciate” in the sense of “being thankful for.” It’s more like “I completely understand that I could never live here.”

Fuerte Amador has a brand new cruise ship dock, and a brand new cruise terminal. It is a very long walk from the exit of the ship down a gangway full of switchbacks to a cavernous terminal. We eventually found the exit from the terminal and it was a good 15-minute walk from the ship.

We must have looked like rich Americans, because we were instantly surrounded by taxi drivers who wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. This experience inspired me to make up a new word - TAXIRAZZI. (I have applied for a trademark.)

We did truly want the exercise, heat or not, so we held up newspapers over our faces and pushed through the crowd, avoiding eye contact. We missed out on many amazing bargain tours of Panama City. Oh, well.

The new cruise terminal

The road to the marina

We finally got to the marina and ran into another couple from our ship looking for the same geocache. That was a good thing, because I don’t think we would have found it without their help.

The geocache hiding place is somewhere in this photo

There really wasn’t much to see or do at the marina, but we made the most of what was there. 

Marina fun:

I am lurking in the shade behind the “P”

Nearby were a few closed restaurants and a commercial area that appeared to be open. We wandered through a little shopping mall (air-conditioned) to cool down before heading back. The passengers on shore excursions would be gone for a few more hours, so we enjoyed the peace and quiet of the ship (air-conditioned). Did I mention that it’s really hot in Panama?

As we walked back to the cruise terminal we stopped for a few photos of the fabulous Frank Gehry Biomuseo. We went there on a previous stop here, and I do recommend it.

The Biomuseo, with the Bridge of the Americas in the background

Back on the lovely, deserted, desserted ship, we indulged in an ice-cream-for-lunch treat.

The Captain continued to make his daily announcement about passengers reporting a gastrointestinal illness, please wash your hands, etc. Inaddition, today we learned that the upcoming Captain’s Circle Party and the Most-Traveled Guest Luncheon have been canceled due to the outbreak because the health protocols do not allow for large gatherings. We are disappointed.

Today’s fabric is the Panamanian mola. Molas are made for and by women. These colorful hand-stitched textiles normally become elements of women’s clothing. The designs are created as part of a complex process known as “reverse appliqué.”  Read more about molas Here.

“Ground Cuckoo” from Dallas Museum of Art

Shabbat Shalom!

The Art of Thermostats

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

We arrived at Puntarenas, Costa Rica this morning. The heat, of course, was already here. We reluctantly left the ship to allow the crew to perform the deep cleaning that had been announced yesterday. All the crew leave was cancelled, and they all had to work to clean various areas. I saw someone spraying the carpet in one of the stairwells. I saw people wiping down every surface that might have been touched by human hands. Mostly, we got out of their way, so we didn’t see it all, but I know they cleaned in all the passenger cabins and probably in all of the crew quarters. The wiping in the dining room included the chairs, the menu covers, the cabinets where dishes and glassware were stored, etc. The “team” worked really hard, and they are to be commended. Now, let’s hope this extraordinary effort achieves the desired result.

As I was saying, we got off the ship here, and this is what we saw at the end of the pier. (From our perspective it was the “end” because at that point we reached land and there was no more pier. Some might say this point is the “beginning.” I will look it up someday.)

To the south, the ship and the other end of the pier:

To the west, an inviting beach, recently groomed.

To the north - OMG, a giant sloth. I love the winsome smile of this gentle creature. I am overcome by emotion. I think this might be my “spirit animal.”

To the east, we will visit a beachfront park full of statues and interesting sights. We will do a geocaching activity in the park. I hope it is as nice as the Malecón in Puerta Vallarta.

Well . . . . .

One of the first things we saw looking to the east was this. You might not know that muelle is the Spanish word for “pier.” Please read the entire plaque and think about it for a minute You don’t have to know much Spanish to get the gist.

The Malecón was vibrant, clean, well-maintained, and  crowded with tourists and shops and restaurants. The beachfront park and promenade in Puntarenas was everything but. It was littered with rubble and derelict buildings. It was dirty and deserted. The plaques on most of the statues were missing. After we walked about 10 blocks, I began to feel unsafe. A car pulled over near us and cruised slowly down the street, stopping about a half-block ahead. Time to turn around and head back.

I think this was once a public restroom

We did see some of the sculptures that were placed along the roadside edge of this “park.”

An octopus

This one was quite recognizable from the street. On that side, it looked like the prow of a boat. The light at this time of day was unsuitable for a photograph from the street side.

I have never studied art, and I have no artistic talent. (I am a “word” person - yes, I am.) I need all the help I can get with art. I feel kind of lost without plaques on the statues. Some people would say that plaques are limiting and so on, but that’s not how I see the world. 

Perhaps this park is the way it is because Puntarenas is not really a big tourist town. It’s trapped in sort of a vicious circle. I have no answers. If people don’t have enough money for the necessities of life, how can we expect them to have nice parks, where art is valued?

When we retuned to the sloth statue (not part of the park’s art collection), we were greeted by Mr. Iggy Pop. “Follow me!,” he seemed to say. “I’ll show you where the good stuff is.”

We followed him to a market, and people playing dominoes, and other signs of life everywhere. We bought a beautiful bowl carved out of some exotic hardwood.

And one final photo to remember where we were.

A Story Within a Story - Part 1

(Warning: Some people might find this story-within-a-story too boring. Please feel free to skip ahead to the conclusion.) 

By this point in the cruise, we had come to understand that the reason we felt cold in the cabin every night was not because it was cold outside. The dance to get the temperature in the cabin under control had already begun. We had asked our room steward to let the maintenance department know that cold air was blowing on us all night and we could not control it using the thermostat. A couple of maintenance guys showed up and took a panel out of the ceiling and did something inside the ceiling to lower the speed of the fan. One of the guys left his cell phone/flashlight inside the ceiling when he replaced the panel. He realized it pretty quickly and came back. 

This didn’t help much. The loud noise from the ceiling over the bed abated somewhat, but it was still cold and a little breezy.We experimented with the thermostats and found that whatever we did, the room temperature stayed within a narrow range of about 70 to 71.5 degrees F.

Part 2

After we had proven to ourselves that the thermostats did not work, we told Rehana about it, and she immediately reported it to her contact in the Maintenance Department. Two guys came to our room right away. We explained the problem - we thought - and they opened up the panel again and adjusted the fan and the temperature. They said they had replaced one of the thermostats. It still didn’t work properly - meaning the thermostats did not control anything.

Part 3

Rehana called back the next day to see if it had been fixed.  We explained that we didn’t think the thermostats were connected to the ventilation system in our room. A guy was waiting outside our room when we got back from breakfast. Another guy and a supervisor showed up minutes later. We explained it all again. We went outside to sit on our balcony. They told us they had connected the thermostats and we should let them know if we still had a problem. Finally it worked. The thermostat brought the temperature up by 3 degrees within 10 minutes.

Conclusion

Rehana is gently but inexorably persistent. The maintenance department is courteous and responsive. Don’t be afraid to speak up when there is a problem.

Today’s fabric is Cozy Sloth Novelty Cotton Fabric, available on Etsy. You have no idea how much sloth fabric is out there. I saw a woman onboard wearing a dress made from a very cute sloth fabric!

Caymus Dinner

Wednesday, January 29, 2025 - Evening

We found out that there was going to be a “wine pairing” dinner based on Caymus Vineyards wines. We signed up immediately and tonight is the night! 

Our table consisted of the two of us, two other couples, and a party that seemed like it could have been a threesome. One couple: he was a wildcatter from Alberta, lots of jewelry on both of them, lots of tattoos, long nails on her. Couple number two: retired military, he worked in security, she was rather quiet. 

The threesome: They showed up twenty minutes late, which made the rest of us sit and wait before the dinner could start. They did not apologize for their tardiness. They did not introduce themselves, They barely spoke to or looked at, anyone else at the table. They were much too wrapped up in themselves. The woman was maybe in her 40’s and sat between the two men. The guys could have been late 50’s or 60’s. I observed them to see if I could figure out what their story was, but I could not. They acted like high schoolers, whispering to each other and giggling a lot. 

Amuse Bouche: Slow-Braised Beef Short Ribs
This was the best dish of the night!

There wasn’t much real conversation at this low-energy table. But that was okay. The sommelier, Dhuri, had a lot to say.

One interesting discussion was about decanting. He talked about the length of time different wines needed to aerate before being ready to drink. One of our wines had been decanted 4 hours earlier, and we compared it to the same wine just after it was opened. By this time, everybody was swirling their glasses and trying not to spill.

THE OPENINGS: Halibut Carpaccio, above, or Marinated Fresh Oysters Mushrooms and Wood Ear Mushrooms, below

I had the mushrooms and II thought they were very interesting - mild and lots of umami. The grilled romaine was not enjoyable.

Fresh Summer Black Truffle Risotto

This would have been a good place to end the dinner. I had wined and dined enough. But there was more.

Seared King Salmon and Giant Prawn

DESSERT: Chocolate Raspberry Dream

The wine was carefully selected by the sommelier. The food was created by the Executive Chef and was served with precision and flair by a team of waiters. 

Cheeses and Charcuterie

This photo does not show the cheese on the far left clearly. I didn’t get the name of it. It was absolutely the nastiest-tasting cheese I ever tried and I could not get that taste out of my mouth for a while. (Ken enjoyed it.)

We experienced an interesting night of pairings and tastings. Some of them were a little out there, but I do not pretend to any wine expertise. I did not much enjoy the dinner conversation with these pretentious, ostentatious strangers. (At least nobody tried to discuss politics.) This would have been so much more fun with friends.

Tonight’s fabric is Dogs and Wine by petfriendly for Spoonflower.

Curiouser and Curiouser

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

New Business

I received these beautiful yellow roses today from Rehana, the Suite Concierge, because Ken told her I was a little bit sick with a cold. Rehana leaves no detail unturned. 

(Note: I did not have that gastrointestinal thing, and I did not have covid. I was not sick enough to go to the doctor. We brought a lot of Mucinex and Nyquil with us because I always get a cold. I am better now, Feb 2.)

We spent a quiet day at sea. I took a nap. We had lunch in the dining room. They had a superb menu - I wanted almost everything on it.

I had the Street Tacos and Spinach & Mushroom Empanadas. So good.

Ken had a Club Sandwich, and fries in a cute little basket.

We forgot to take pictures of anything else today.

We were notified by announcement and by letter that the ship will be deep cleaned and sanitized tomorrow while we are in port. The process will take at least 5 hours. Passengers are asked to leave the ship if possible during this time. Strict protocols continue to be followed in all dining venues.

Old Business

Yesterday, as our ship was leaving Puerto Quetzal, I happened to look back, and this is what I saw:

To my untrained eye, it looked like an out-of-control wildland fire. A few minutes later we were farther away but the fire was still going strong.

I tried to look it up on Google a couple of days later. Unfortunately, when I try to use Google here, I get Spanish Google. I did not find anything about a “fuego grande.”

Now I am going to answer some questions.

1) I did not purchase anything in Guatemala. Writing about it made me realize, too late, that I should have.

2) Most-Traveled Guest refers to the 40 guests on each Princess cruise who have spent the most time on previous Princess cruises. This is determined by the number of days, not the number of cruises. (But “days” actually means “nights.” If you take a 7-day cruise, it might go from Saturday to Saturday. You are actually on the cruise on 8 different days, but you sleep onboard on 7 nights.) The top 40 MTG’s normally get invited to a very fancy lunch with the captain and many other officers. Some times it is a cocktail party with “heavy cocktails.”

3) The butt-crack guy is a fellow passenger I have not had the pleasure of meeting.

4) I am attempting to create drama in this narrative by not revealing our destination.

Thanks for all the comments. Remember, if you want me to know who your comment is from, please log on with a Google account or sign your name at the end of your comment.

Today’s fabric is Painted Roses in Sugar, by Tula Pink for the Curiouser and Curiouser Collection.

Iguanamala

Monday, January 27, 2025

Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala

No iguanas were spotted in PV, but the very first thing we saw when we disembarked in Guatemala, before even reaching the end of the gangplank, was an iguana - or two or three. They are hideous and majestic at the same time, if that’s possible. Be careful where you step.

We did not see any quetzals here in Puerto Quetzal. They were the sacred bird of the Mayas and Aztecs. I thought they were extinct, but apparently they are still here, somewhere. They have incredibly long tails.

Quetzal photo from National Geographic

“Quetzal” is also the name of the currency in Guatemala, so the name of the port is somewhat ambiguous. 1 GTQ = about 13 cents US.

I’m not sure you can find Puerto Quetzal on a map. It might be another one of those made-up ports. It’s a small green oasis in the middle of a very large, very industrial port on the Pacific coast of Guatemala. Dozens of cargo ships are anchored nearby, and there are lots of industrial-looking structures and enormous mounds of a black substance, probably coal.

Guatemala has 37 volcanoes. Three of them are constantly active. One erupts once an hour. It was possible to see seven volcanoes from our balcony onboard our ship, before the clouds moved in.

Two volcanoes and one of the large mounds of coal being imported into Guatemala

There is a “town” 3 km away. You have to go there in a taxi because you are not permitted to walk through the industrial port, and if you did, you would then need to walk on the Pan-American Highway to get to the town, which is not a tourist mecca. We did not take any of the tours offered by the ship because they all involved long bus rides - 3 to 6 hours round trip. We have seen a lot of Colonial Central America before. Honestly, it is not that interesting and not that well maintained and there is black mold growing on it. 

Maybe if I contributed more tourist dollars to their economy, historic sites would be better maintained. Maybe not. There is a lot of poverty here, and I don’t think the economy here functions the way economies work in wealthier countries. There are so many Mayan and Colonial sites that need to be maintained, and the government just doesn’t have the money or the capacity to take care of them. For now, I think I will continue to avoid the bus tours and when I can I will buy a few things in the markets and leave a little money for the weavers and the musicians.

We have been on many wildlife tours in Central America, too, and for the most part, you see very little and you hear a lot of BS from the guides. The environment and the culture here are very similar to that of southern Mexico and Nicaragua. Guatemala seems poorer than Mexico. They used to receive extremely few visits from cruise ships. I am glad our ship is stopping here and bringing some money into their economy.

One way money gets into the economy of Guatemala is from the sale of hand-made goods at craft markets. The Guatemalans excel at weaving and embroidery. There were many colorful items on sale in the little market at the port. There was also a woman demonstrating weaving.

We enjoyed the marimba band that played on a large instrument that several people played on together. Here is a 16-second video to give you a taste.

And, speaking of taste, how about some fresh coconut?

I had a couple of geocaching activities to do. They were conveniently located inside the port area and were very easy. This is the cache that I “found” inside the visitor’s center.

Cute cache plus pen and eyeglass holder

When we left the port to return to the ship, we had to go through “security.” The security was operated by local officials. I’m not sure what the point of it was. We had to put our purses, bags, backpacks, etc., on a card table and then walk through a metal detector. Then we simply retrieved our bags. They never screened our bags or looked inside them. We did not have to show IDs. It was just silly.

Back on the ship we went through a proper security check, and then had a nice evening. Once again, the captain made an announcement about gastrointestinal illness and hand-washing, and so forth. It appears that we are on the verge of becoming a “plague ship.” I wish they would tell us the number of new cases every day. Come on, give us real numbers to obsess about.

Today’s fabric is Guatemalan weaving. The producers of genuine handmade woven goods generally use cotton thread and weave without following a written pattern.