Well its almost Thanksgiving. We made it to San Antonio and unfortunately had a relative pass away shortly after we got here. That was sad. But we also went on a cruise to the Panama Canal and that was good. I have pictures located here under MacMania 7 (http://web.mac.com/catsdance/iWeb/Home.html).
The cruise was on Holland America Cruise Lines. We left out of Ft. Lauderdale for the 10 day cruise. We stopped in Aruba, Curacao, the canal, Costa Rica then home we came. Aruba was different from what I expected. I always hear about it being a place for spring break so I expected it to be a bit larger, lots of beaches, etc. It was a bit smaller than I thought, and it had lots of beaches but it had a lot more too. We did and excursion to a butterfly farm which was great. We also went to an aloe farm, not quite as fun as the butterfly farm, then we went to the natural arches section of the island. I didn’t know about the natural arches area before going. We drove through a very desert-like area to get there. The natural arches area is on the shore – a very rocky area, not for swimming. It was very dramatic watching the waves break on this rocky region. But I liked it.
In Curacao we just walked around the town. Its a Dutch area and you can see that in lots of the architecture. But it was fun walking around and there’s lot of shopping.
The Panama Canal is fascinating. We went through the locks into the lake. It was a bit rainy and while on the lake you could watch the rain move. They had someone on the ship speaking and telling us information about the canal, the building of it, how its used today, info about ships going through it, etc. It was interesting. I’m glad we went there and next time (if we get the chance) I’ll try to get up earlier and be more awake.
In Costa Rica we did an excursion that had a train ride, went to a banana plantation, then did a boat ride. It was rainy and not quite as warm as expected. We had a guide who told us a lot about the area, the people, and was fun to listen to – Humberto. He was good. This excursion was through Holland America. Because it was rainy when we took the boat ride the river was very swollen and muddy. But between Humberto and the boat pilot we saw quite a few animals from the boat. It was I must say fun and fascinating. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. Sometimes you don’t know what to expect, but this one turned out great.
Now we’re home and getting ready for Thanksgiving. This year, I’m cooking it. Oh yeah, what fun, let’s see how I do. Turkey day cooking for just two.