San Francisco 3/21/09 & 3/22/09

3/21/09 ~

We made it off the ship today and are now cozied up at the Chancellor Hotel with free wifi! Yeah ~ no more paying $100 for each 250 minutes. K3cruiser is stashing her luggage with us as she makes her way around SF today & is invited to dinner with us with ( Annie, Allan, Shirley, her husband, Ruth & I) before she heads to the airport for a late flight out.

Tomorrow Ray (Rat) from San Francisco, Carol & Jim from Placerville & their friend Debbie from San Francisco & Nancy from Pacifica ~ will all meet in Pacifica to smuze!  Carol & Jim will pick us up in the morning here at the Chancellor Hotel and we all will spend the day together catching up, dining together and sightseeing. The wonderful benefits of cruising with friends along the way.

More later on!

3/22/09 ~

The cable cars drive up and down the hills on Powell street right below our window at the Chancellor Hotel - We awakened to clanging, horns honking and bells ringing and knew that the cable cars were on the move again. We had breakfast about 830am at Luque's Restaurant in our hotel along with several other Salsas 49ers who are staying here as well.

Carol and Jim picked us up at the Chancellor Hotel = 1030am. We put the scooter in the trunk and drove down the 101S connecting to Route 1 South along the coast watching a racing wind whip over the water causing whitecaps everywhere and waves crashing over the rocks and then onto a very wet and sandy shore. 

We stopped at "Nicks" in Rockaway Beach near Pacifica (see picture above) and Jim wrapped up Ruthie in his Jacket (see picture above) while we walked around and the wind whipped around us until we got to cold and we all headed inside and hung out in the bar having hot coffee to warm up until Rat & Debbie arrived.

We ordered our meals =1230pm.   At about 130pm Nancy, another fellow cruiser showed up and joined our group.  We all and sat at the same table until = 315pm chattering about our Salsas 49ers cruise memories and everyone's else's plans for their next crusies. See picture above.  

And then we all said our goodbyes ~ standing in a wild wind hugging each other and finally the 4 of us climbed in Carol's Camry and headed back to San Francisco.

We drove past Bart's above ground rail & what we think was the Carnival Pride? in quazi dry dock having some refurbishments and also saw the new baseball field close by.

Carol & Jim dropped Ruth & I off at our Hotel =4pm and we waved wistfully goodbye.

It is so much fun getting to spend quality time with all of our beloved friend's from cruises gone by . . .

I will treasure each of you in my heart . . .

You all are so precious to me!

 . . . & that goes also for every Salsas 49er and any other fellow cruiser I met on board the Carnival Splendor.

Last day at sea ~ 3/20/09

We are finishing up packing today & saying goodbye to all. This cruise went by just too darn fast!

Los Angeles (Long Beach)~3/19/09

Everyone must get off today!

We had a late breakfast, made a few phone calls looked out the windows at long lines waiting to get thru customs ~ shook our heads and and then headed back up to our cabin to pack.

At approximately 2pm Goose called last call and requested all passengers left on board to exit.

We got off and walked pretty much straight thru the customs building out the other side where people were sitting waiting for them to open the doors and let them back on board.

The complimentary red mini bus called the ‘Passport” was up & running and is w/c accessible with a great ramp.

They put Ruth on first & strapped her down & then let all others on board. The seats filled up and then everyone left over reached for the hand holds as we rolled towards Shoreline Village & The Convention Center where there were many shops like Wal-Mart & Borders.

We choose to stop at Shoreline Village.

It was mostly boats of all sizes docked with several little shops running along its dock.

We got many wonderful pictures, saw the sights & sat in the sun talking to fellow passengers from the ship.

Around 4pm we headed back to the mini “Passport” bus stop & = 7 buses past us by full to the brim with passengers heading back to Queen Mary stop & the Carnival Splendor before we found one that was empty.

Once we got off the mini bus at the Queen Mary it was a hop skip & a jump back on the ship. No Lines – Hurrah!

Wednesday ~ 3/18/09

Today was farewell day for several of us.

1)
Jean and Jeanette are getting off in Los Angeles so Jean arranged a farewell luncheon in the Gold Pearl Dining Room with Shirley, Annie, Alan, Ruth, Me, Jean and Jeanette. After a fantabulous lunch - We took a picture of all of us. *See picture(s) . . . when I get them uploaded. J

2)
Mickeylive and several passengers got together today with = 30 to 40 computers and mass produced over 1000” Mickeylive 49 day Carnival Splendor 2009 Snapshot Rally” CD’s and then hand delivered one to each cabin requesting them.

Each person who wished to ~ contributed one picture. And boy ~ were there ever beautiful shots taken by ~ all of little ole us!

“m@mickeylive.com” has the original pictures donated by all ~ and now ~ so do we!

3) At 3pm the Salsas 49ers gathered on the back of the Lido and said our farewell’s to all. Some of our group is getting off in Los Angeles and going home and others are headed to the Carnival Pride to cruise home in style thru the Panama Canal.

What a life!

Deb, the book exchange person opened her large suitcase & set up shop on a table for 6 & boy ~ has our book table grown. * See picture

Several people dropped off books & a few people took one to read here or on their way home.

Somewhere in that time frame we all headed outside on the back of the ship for a photo opportunity. . . . *See Picture

On Friday we will have the last book exchange and after that we will be contributing any of our left over books to the Crew Library!

When Deb packed up the books at the end of our Salsas 49ers get together ~ her large suitcase was full & overflowing into 1 very large bag.

Tomorrow is the dreaded walk thru customs day for all passengers ~ with or without luggage! Start time is = 730am for people leaving the ship & all others going on tours & last call they say will be around 2pm. They told us they will not clear the ship for anyone to get back on until everyone gets off with Sail & Sign Card, Customs form and Passport in hand.

Ruth & I ~ after breakfast will go back to our cabin & do some packing (ugh!) & wait until closer to 12N to get off & go thru customs.

Our Los Angeles paperwork says there is a complimentary mini bus called the ‘Passport” which will transports passengers to & from the downtowns major attractions and business center, i.e.: Queen Mary, Shoreline Village, The Convention Center and East Village Arts District.

So we try our luck at getting Ruth’s scooter aboard & go for a ride with the possibility of getting off and checking a few places out!

See you tomorrow in Long Beach, California!

The Casino & Celebrating St Patricks Day 3.17.09

Today is St Patrick’s Day!

I spent the day looking for more green things to put on our dinner table. And by Jove ~ I found some.

A Kelly green bag from a purchase awhile back turned into dark green shamrocks & a lime green sheet of cardboard paper I found in a box at the scrap booking seminar ended up as shamrocks as well.

I confiscated 4 green plastic cups from the Lido & then went to the Gold Pearl Dining Room = 5pm and assisted Martina set up our table.

First I put down the Senior Frogs Green Scarf in a diamond pattern & created a 4 leaf shamrock with the green plastic glasses around our flower vase - then I put above everyone’s plate a shamrock ~ one dark & one lime green & so on & scattered the rest of the shamrocks around the table.

I put on Martina’s green beads around her neck & since Peter was sick I put my green crocheted butineer on Ken's lapel instead.

And now we are ready to really celebrate St Patrick’s Day along with Ken Byrne who is Irish thru & thru!

Everyone loved the table & we had a surprise from the table ~ 1 floor above us ~ after we finished our meal about 10 green balloons came floating down from above onto our table putting an exclamation point on the day!

Ken danced & a jig for us to Irish music and then sang Danny Boy!

Ah, the memories!

**I almost forgot another most important thing we did today around 2pm ~ I found some one else's pictures of our last slot pull - Check out the pictures above.  We had so much fun.  We did one Salsas49ers slot pull each leg & cause we had some left over money we had a 2nd slot pull on our 3rd leg.

Puerto Vallarta~3/16/09

We got up around 830am and made it to breakfast around 915am & were ready to get off and wander around 1030am.

Ruthie strapped her scooter ramp on to the back of her scooter~ for just in cases.

We decided instead of going on a tour to walk to the New Mall & Wal-Mart. Along the way we met up with Annie, Alan and Shirley and continued on with them.

We walked along the inside of the pier where the Disney Magic docks and when we got past the Capitania De Puerto Harbor Master’s office we turned right toward the gate which once thru put us right across the street from Wal-mart and to the far right is the Mall.

Once across the street there were ramp cut outs all along until we got just across the street from the mall where we enlisted a big security guard to assist us up and down 2 curbs.

Once up on the sidewalk again there was a ramp on the far left leading right up to the top of the stairs and that led us into the Mall thru sliding glass doors.

The Mall is very new with a Star Bucks, Hagen Dass, Chili’s, Nike, Radio Shack and a multitude of other stores and restaurants.

Annie & Shirley decided to both have there hair done so we split up.

Not long after that we found Betsy and Ken in a Senor Frogs outlet store and we both bought a few green items to use for St Patrick Day tomorrow since Mexico doesn’t seem to know what St Patrick’s day is or celebrate it down here!

We walked together with Betsy & Ken thru the rest of the Mall and took a few pictures outside of our ship across the way & pointed out the quickest way to walk back to the ship.

On the way to Wal-Mart we met up with those same two curbs and no ramps – so we got out Ruth’s little ramp and used it to get across.

Once we got into Wal-Mart it seemed if every one of the Splendor passengers had gone shopping. And most of them were heading directly to the “Farmacia” for cold remedies, cough drops & Antibiotics.
We wandered thru a huge store and I found 3 mangoes to bring them back to the ship to enjoy.

Once thru the register line I gave my Mexican change to the bagger girl and we found the door and headed across the parking lot back to the ship.

Once across the busy street we knocked on the window of the little building next to the closed gate we had come out of & the guy inside came out & opened it & let us thru shutting it behind us.

We took pictures as we slowly meandered back to the ship.

I headed back thru the same parrot caged area I had walked thru before but the guard caught Ruth & about 5 other people and made them go out and around.

I found a quiet seat in the shade, people watched & waited for Ruth to find me.

But she never appeared.

She must have decided to go shopping across the street at the Flea Market . . . so after about 20 minutes of people watching I headed back on the ship, found some friends and had lunch & a cold drink.

Acapulco, Mexico~3/14/09

Acapulco, which is virtually synonymous with luxury, is a place where the rich and famous come to escape. Take the scenic highway for a striking panoramic view of the beaches and mountains, and note the beautiful homes and lush gardens as you pass through Las Brisas. And make sure you take time to see the thrilling cliff diver’s plunge into the turbulent waters of Le Quebrada.

Both Ruth and I have been to Acapulco, Mexico many times so we took our time getting up and getting off the ship. We let all the passengers on tours and first timers to this port get off first and then we followed slowly behind around 10am.

The Splendor was docked right across from Port San Diego in a most beautiful spot ~ where from any angle you can see the shoreline of Bahia de Acapulco and its ocean lapping at its shores of the bay with fishing or pleasure boats bobbing in the water or people getting ready to go swimming or just coming back in from a pleasurable dip on a very hot day.

We headed into the terminal stopping to look in a few shops & noting that the internet café upstairs was already plum full with a line awaiting their turn, so we headed outside and began to head for the shops where we were greeted by a young man who asked us what we wanted to do and when we told him we wanted to walk to the flea market and also find a internet café on the way back he said he would be happy to walk along with us to show us the way to his uncle’s shop.

Ruth rode along in the street most of the with our guide walking along side her & in approximately 10 – 15 minutes we arrived and they had a homemade ramp already waiting for Ruth to get up 2 steps into their shop.

We looked y everything and then continued looking at the other multitude of stalls selling there wares. Neither of us bought anything but it was fun to look.

Next we walked about 1.5 blocks to an open air internet café where it cost $1.00 / 1 hr of time. I used 45min to upload pictures to this blog & then we headed back to the ship.

When we crossed the last busy street we were again on the malecon and we tipped our guide and told him we would be ok on our own from then on.

We turned left and walked along the malecon for about 1 hour. Watching people scurry here and there, colorful busses whipping past us, fisherman gutting and preparing their fish for sale, girls cleaning out their catch of mussels, people on the beach sitting on lanai’s under bright blue umbrellas, people resting in restaurant’s right along the beach eating something delicious & or sipping ice cold beer, and from anywhere you stood or sat you could see the bright colors of the “Splendor” against a gorgeous blue sky.

After about a mile or two we turned around & headed back the way we came and past a girl carrying bowls with veggies on a tray on her head ready for anyone who was hungry to pour a hot scoop of broth over them making a wonderful lunch to sit & eat where ever your heart delights.

We saw several venders selling shaved ice drinks and 3 guys with a long pole clipping Mangos out of the tree tops & filling their bag for later on.

The day was hot with a scrumptious breeze ~
We stopped and sat on benches in a park under the trees not far from the terminal and enjoyed watching a mother swing her baby in a hammock, while other women were cooking meat and preparing sopas, and other people were getting ready to board a sight seeing boat that would take them around the bay.

All in all ~ an absolutely wonderful day.

Later on = 3pm after we had boarded the ship and had lunch Ruth caught sight of what appeared to be a new bridge with a ramp leading up 2 floors and across towards Fort San Diego and never being able to get into the fort before due to steep stairs in the front ~ Ruth curiosity got the better of her and she headed out once again on her own to see if she could get to Fort San Diego via the ramp. And she discovered that ~ absolutely, yes she could get to Fort San Diego via ramps all the way ~ if only she had enough battery power left over in her scooter battery to get her there.

So, with that knowledge tucked under her hat ~ she turned around & headed back to the ship with a blinking battery light.

Next time we come to Acapulco, Mexico we will turn left and head for that Bridge made specifically for walkers and scooters and the like & see what Fort San Diego has to offer.

Manta (Quito), Ecuador~3/10/09

This is our last port in South America . . .
Boo ~ Hoo!

Manta, Ecuador’s sister city is Long Beach, California. It is hot and humid with an average temp of 80 – 85 degrees F.

The small port of Manta is the gateway to Ecuador and its capital, Quito, the second highest capital in the world. Ecuador has one of the world’s most varied terrains: the Galapagos, 600 watery miles to the west, and to the east, the Andes, home to Ecuador’s important cities, including Quito. Founded in 1534 and one of the best-preserved cities in South America, Quito was designated a World Heritage Site in 1978 by UNESCO. Population = 235,000 people.

Manta attracts tourists during the entire year because it is a port with many advantages, located on the bay which has given it the characteristic of being, “The door to Ecuador on the Pacific Ocean.” Its location is strategic for north & south bound vessels at the center of the Ecuadorian coastline.

The fishing (especially ~ Tuna) industry as well as tourism are the most important activities of the city.

Monte Christi is located at the foot of the Monte Christi hill, (20 minutes from Manta) & is the birthplace of the general liberal revolutionaries in the history of Ecuador, Eloy Alfaro, the 16th president of the Republic.

This town the home of the original “Toquilla Straw hats” is known worldwide as the “Panama Hats.” Here you can visit the Lady of Monserrat Basilica & many small souvenirs and handicrafts shops, and the museum of the Largacha sisters.

Dirk, our Naturalist & port specialist told us that there is precious little to do here in Manta so Ruth and I decided to use the ~ Hop on Hop Off Shuttle Bus ~ today.

We ended up in a van with a driver and a guide for just the two of us – The guide who asked if he could practice his English with us ~ lifted Ruth in and out where ever we stopped to shop or look around and Both driver & guide ~ stowed her scooter in the back of the van.

We left the pier, where again “no one” is allowed to walk and drove along the Malecon Escensio to the beach for views & pictures and then continued on towards the Artisan Marketplace where we found many artists at work carving Ivory Nuts into animals of all kinds & others making Panama Hats plus lots of other treasures.

Both Ruth & I bought carved Ivory Nuts. I got a parrot & Ruth got a turtle.

Once we were done looking & shopping we got back in the air conditioned van & drove thru the city past the terminal which has no amenities or services available to passengers and continued along Ave 4 de Novembre to the Paseo Shopping Mall.

Stepping inside it felt like we were right back home. We immediately found a Farmacia and I bought 1 box of Halls cough drops / 12 pkgs each for $3.60 US. They sell the same pkgs on the ship for $1.99 each.

We wandered around inside and took the elevator upstairs saying hello to fellow passengers from the ship as me met & passed each other.

The internet shop on the 2nd floor was full with a long line waiting so I decided to wait to put my pictures in from many of our ports past on another day. The price for internet use in Manta is $1.50/ hour.

We found one more shop of interest called ”Linea Verde” ~ where I bought a T Shirt & Ruth bought a Shift.

Again we loaded into the van and slowly drove back to the ship with our driver pointing out paces of interest and slowing for me us to take pictures along the way.
Tonight we are having our second Crossing the Equator Ceremony Poolside beginning at 1130pm and culminating at 12 midnight with Mexican Buffet and Elite Show band Music.

Lima (Callao), Peru~ 3/8/09

The alarm was set for 6am. Ruth and I were up and eating breakfast at the lido a little after 630 am.

Per Jean, our fearless leader’s instruction, we met our group of 21 in the Splendor Lounge and all got off the ship together at 730 am.

We climbed aboard the small free shuttle vans that everyone must take to get off the pier and piled out at the terminal to patiently wait for our tour bus. The terminal has no services with the exception of 2 fairly clean Bathrooms wit running water but no other amenities.

We met Ricardo Galvez our Tour Guide ~
You can find info regarding his tours at ~ http://www.tagtourperu.com/
tel: 4511 998822707
and his driver, Pedro, riding towards us in a plush, fancy and comfortable BMW Tour Bus
= 8 am. We all pretty much had our own set of 2 seats as people scattered towards the back of the bus. Ruth sat in the jump seat & we stowed her scooter under the bus in the luggage bay.

Our tour began with Ricardo telling us a little about Callao and Lima History.

Callao, founded by Pizarro and the Conquistadores, is the gateway to Lima. The Peruvian capital is the cultural and economic heart of the nation and once served as the seat of power of the Spanish Empire of South America. In 1988, its historic center was declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its historical buildings from the Spanish colonial era. Tourists cannot miss the catacombs of the Convento de San Francisco and the monumental Plaza Mayor with its 16th-Century Cathedral and the Presidential Palace.

We all took in the sights along the way on a 10 km ride from Callao to Lima where we got out of the bus & walked around to see & take pictures of the Plaza the Armas, which has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

One of the pictures I will put here later is of Ruth sitting in the driver’s seat of the bus – waiting for everyone to get off before they lift her down. She makes a pretty good driver, don’t you think?

Running along two sides are arcades with shops: Portal de Escribanos and Portal de Botoneros. In the center of the plaza is a bronze fountain dating from 1560.

Located in the Plaza is the Cathedral, with splendid carved stalls, silver covered altars surrounded by fine woodwork, mosaic covered walls bearing the coat of arms of Lima and Pizarro. Next to the Cathedral is the Archbishop’s palace. And standing in front of it was Chilean policeman in full gear and shields at the ready. I asked to have my picture taken with all the muy bonito guys & they obliged me. Ooh la, la!

Next we all walked & Ruth rode along on her scooter via curb cuts to the XVII century Monastery of San Francisco, famous for its Silvillian tile work and paneled ceiling in the cloisters, the catacombs under the church.

When we entered the gate, Mass was taking place & there were 2 children feeding the pigeon in the square while other people busily ambled along going here and there.

Ruth made it thru most of our tour of the Monastery on her scooter but could not go down the steep steps into the catacombs.

We did a little shopping inside the church from a man who intricately carved gourds of all sizes with llamas, children, & Peruvian life as it once was. His prices were very inexpensive.

We loaded up the van once again and headed thru old colonial streets in the centre of the city to
modern Lima ~ the district of San Isidro & Miraflores.

On our way we paralled the beach and stopped at Lovers Park overlooking the ocean. There were ocean and park views to take pictures of as well as a huge sculpture of two lovers in the middle of the park. Many towns’ people were enjoying sitting on the grass in the sun taking in beautiful views, while their kids ran around and played.

We loaded up the van once more and drove to the Indian Market where we had arranged to spend 1 hour looking & shopping.

The Indian Market is isle upon isle of a multitude of Peruvian handicrafts& jewelry shops. Prices were reasonable and everyone came away happy with their purchases.

We loaded the van up once more and began our 17 km ride back to Callao in our plush, BMW bus!

Our driver dropped us off right at the ship where we found several stalls set up while we were gone selling Peruvian wares and you guessed it we all went to see what they had and shop a little more!

Quodos, Jean ~ This was a absolutely wonderful Tour!

Arica, Chile~3/6/09

Arica is bordered by desert sand dunes and fertile valleys fed by the melting and life-giving snows of the Andes, this city is located in the heart of some culturally fascinating attractions. Known as the “City of the Eternal Spring” Arica was founded in 1570, Arica is Chile’s fifth-oldest city and a commercial gateway for neighboring Peru and Bolivia. It is a city rich in heritage and home to both a splendid neo-Gothic church with wrought-iron details designed by Gustave Eiffel in 1876 and to pre-Columbian treasures from the Chinchorro culture dating back to 5,000 b.c.

We arrived late in Arica = 1230pm and our group of 7 headed out to get on the free shuttles because you cannot walk on the pier at all . . . to what we thought to be awaiting w/c taxi van. Not!

Our tour company is Joanne Duncan C of ~
http://www.andeanduncantours.blogspot.com/
andean_duncantours@vtr.net
Tel: 56-58-314829
Cell: 09-5258095

Since the ship was late gave our w/c van to someone else so we had to wait about 45 minutes for another w/c taxi van.

While we waited, we all sat on a low wall facing El Morro ~ the symbol of the city & took pictures ~ of a huge rock mountain with a statue of Christ (15 tons & 10 meters high made of bronze by a Chilean sculpture Raul Valdivieso on top. We could see Saint Mark’s Cathedral from our perch across the main square where several handicraft tents were selling their wares until the van arrived.

Annie, Allan & Shirley climbed in the back row of 3, Jeanette and Jean & Graciela our guide got in the next 3 seats, The driver and I assisted Ruth into the front 3rd row of seats & I helped lift the scooter in beside her on the rest of that seat, while the driver and I got the 2 front seats & then we were off!

We passed the fish meal market on the right and the international market on the left and the Casino, the University, the famous fluvial ship which withstood 2 tsunamis, and the Bird Sanctuary at the mouth of the of the Lluta River on our way to the Lluta valley.

Along the dusty road we veered off and drove over what looked like a rock road called “Colcas de Huaylacan” (Underground deposits for storage) where Chileans in 1100 – 1500ac had once dug deep holes near the riverbed to keep things cool & fresh and deposited things like corn, manioc, squash, sweet potatoes, dehydrated alpaca meat, potatoes & quinoa from the antiplano. They would also keep their tools, clothes & decorative items there.

We continued along this road getting closer and closer to the Desert Mountains until we turned into a working goat farm.

It is such a dichotomy from this lush green area to the Sandstone Mountains looming ahead.

We left the goat farm and headed for the Poconchile (pre Inca town and 17th century adobe church) and then began to climb the Pampas “Quebrada del Diablo” (high plateau) where we began to see spectacular views below of green valleys against the very high desert mountains.

As we drove our guide passed around different containers of foods specific to Chile for us to look at & or try, including their version of popcorn, quinoa and two different varieties of Olives, cocoa leaves used to help prevent high altitude sickness & are high in caffeine and freeze dried potatoes.

We drove up & up the dry & treacherous zig zag roads to the top and then down the other side and made our way to what Ruth kept asking for – where are the geoglyphs?

We stopped to view Cerro Sagrado (Sacred Hill) Geoglyphs & Tropilla (Caravan of Llamas) Geoglyphs both 1000 - 1400 a.c.

Once we were finished taking pictures we headed for the Chilean Agro ~ an Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Market ~ filled with a multitude of produce from the Azapa valleys and also a great variety of olives.

We ended out tour right where we began ~ across the street from El Morro and all of us headed over to the handicraft market.

*FYI - There are no services available at this pier ~ not even a Bathroom.

*FYI ~ Ed Chan & Bonnie Low left us today at = 4pm for San Francisco & Betsy and Ken Wong stayed aboard the ship to enjoy the cruise. They sat at a very, very empty table in the dining room tonight as most of us got back late from our tours.

We joined them Sat night March 7th and found we now have a full table of 10!

Ray, Toni, Naomi, Al are new & Joan, Freda, Ruth, Betsy, Ken and Grace.

Again, we have a delightful table full of wonderful new friends!

3 / 4 ~ 5 /09 Fun and Sad Days at Sea

On 3/4/09 Ruth & I did our usual kicking around & found a warm place to sit without a draft for working on cross stitch where we could still see the ocean rolling by.

Everything went as usual & we = ½ ways to Arica, Chile our next port . . .

At dinner the 6 people who sat with us the night before left & we were absolutely blessed with 5 wonderful Chinese friends all from San Francisco.

From the left over ~ Ed is the oldest at 73 ~ a wannabe cowboy ~ hat, jeans belt & all ~ who immediately ordered a bottle of wine to share with everyone at the table & wanted to know which one of us single girls was going to ballroom dance with him this cruise ~ Ken is one & only single man at our table, then came Bonnie (Dennis’ wife), Betsy (Ken’s wife), Ken, a retired Engineer who brought his sheet music & was looking for a place to practice the piano & Dennis, a retired Dentist who chattered right along with the rest of us all thru dinner.

We all had the best time at our table that night ~ talking & laughing ~ never dreaming what was going to transpire the next day.

3/5/09
Ruth & I got up and headed out of our cabin a little before 9am – swung by arts & crafts & found out they were making visors again, so we left and went to the Splendido Dining Room for breakfast.

Once we got seated ~ the purser’s desk started calling for Ed Chan to please call 777 ~ .then they changed to Dennis Low & continued calling for him over & over with more & more urgency.

The ship’s staff began to combing the ship – looking everywhere in every nook & cranny.

Both Ruth & I looked at each other & knew immediately that they were looking for our tablemate Dennis from last night. And this was confirmed by a security officer who showed both of us his passport / picture.

After about the 10th call from the purser ~ Goose our Cruise Director came on the microphone and notified everyone that we had a man overboard & that we would be turning around & heading back to do search & rescue to the destination in the ocean that he was last seen ~ which was somewhere between 430 & 5 am this morning.

Around 3pm we arrived where he had last been seen & the Chilean Authorities directed our search & rescue in a grid pattern. We ~ North & South & them ~ East & West.

Goose made announcements every so often during the day keeping all the passengers informed. Everyone was somber.

Approximately 6pm Goose came on & announced that our man over board had not yet been found & that the Chilean Authority had released us to go on to Arica, Chile & they would continue the search.

At the Captain’s Cocktail Dinner tonight our dinner table was so empty tonight ~ Just Joan, Freda, Ruth & I.

Day 32 ~ Santiago (Valparaiso), Chile~3/3/09 & begining of Leg 3

The alarm went off way to early this morning. We had breakfast in the Lido & then headed off the ship at 8am to deck #1 ~ where they said the wheelchairs and scooters could get off ~ Not!

Ruth sat on her scooter at the top of the ramp for over 15 min waiting for Carnival staff to bring a lip for the ramp . . . Again ~ Not!

So I finally went back up to the top of the ramp and told Ruth to stand up and have them assist her up the mega first step onto the ramp and then have them lift her scooter up on the ramp and once there ~ she could get back on and navigate the ramp on her own.

While she had been waiting at the top of the ramp I had already arranged for a w/c van with a real w/c ramp & it was now sitting at the bottom of the patiently waiting for Ruth ~ to take us to the terminal because there was no way she could climb into Valparaiso’s shuttle buses with 5 steps straight up waiting for all walking passengers.

Our Ship is docked in a huge cargo port and no one was allowed to walk anywhere except on and off the ship.

The shuttle ride took about 10 minutes. Our tour group had all gone ahead of us – Jean, Jeanette, Shirley, Annie & Allan and were waiting for us.
We arrived at = 830am.

In the terminal there are the following services available ~ telephones (Chile has *$5 dollar phone cards), internet, coffee shop, taxi office, money exchange, gift shops & most important Nice, clean bathrooms ~ including a large accessible bathroom.

It took us about 10 more minutes to find our tour guide & driver amongst the 100 or so tour buses, taxi’s & vans plus a myriad of guides waving signs looking for their people.

However, once we boarded our taxi van ~ we were off = 845 am to explore Valparaiso & Vina Del Mar.

Founded in 1536, Valparaíso is Chile's oldest port city recently declared a World Heritage by UNESCO. Prior to the construction of the Panama Canal (1914), the port of Valparaiso was the most important in the South Pacifica as ships from around the world called here once they crossed Cape Horn or the Strait of Magellan.

Valparaiso consists of two completely different areas, the lower area (next to port) is known as the El Plan, and the upper level is a place of Mass dwellings and known as El Plan Alto.

Our tour explored a labyrinth of streets that stretch over many tiered hillsides facing the bay and we rode on one of many “Anscensor’s” antique funicular’s (wooden cable car elevators) used to transport the resident’s “Portefeios”& tourist up and down very, very steep hills past numerous steep & winding roads.

We saw imaginative architecture and bright colors of the centenarian homes built by the first Europeans to settle here.

Breathtaking views and a panoramic lookout point of the Pacific Ocean awaited us at the “21 de Mayo” promenade.

We visited La Matriz church, “Plaza Sotomayor” with its impressive Naval Heroes Monument & the Ex Governors Palace, and the Justice Tribunal building.

En-route we passed Plaza Victoria, the National Congress building and the Santa Maria University.

Contrasting the aged elegance of Valparaiso I the “Garden City” of Vina del Mar. Vina del Mar is renowned for its beautiful avenues lined with immense old trees, well kept parks, popular resorts,, long shady beaches and holiday fun.

Upon arrival to the city we saw the Vina “Flower Clock”, impressive Presidential Palace, Brunet and Wulff Castles, and the posh Vina del Mar Casino & luxury Hotel.

In Vina Del Mar ~ Jean, Jeanette, Annie, Allan & Shirley got out of the van in a busy shopping area and were given exactly 30 min to look around while Ruth & I, the driver &our tour guide continued to explore the nuances of Vina del Mar.

FYI:
For those of you interested in using this tour service when you are next here ~

SouthExcursions ~
Ingeborg Zahn
operations@southexcursions.com
Tel: 032-269-1612
Cell: 09-967-49729

Our tour guide & driver brought us back to a very busy Valparaiso terminal = 130pm. There were many people dragging suitcases behind them and only one very busy line winding its way thru the terminal for new passengers with their sail and sign cards in hand & back to back passengers to wait for & get on a free shuttle to the ship.

Once outside ~ the same handicapped van Ruth & I had used before was parked to our right loading another couple with a scooter so we headed over to it & asked if we could join and rode back to the ship with them.