M

30 July Corinto Nicaragua

Early last year we were in Nicaragua, at a different port, and I recall the little town being very picturesque with a swimming beach, hundreds of people having fun, lots of locals selling all kinds of bright hats and clothing and it was dotted with bars and restaurants.  Expecting something similar, we docked at Corinto this morning to find we are at their deepest seaport which is mainly used for cargo and certainly not a pretty sight. However, looks can deceive!!!

After breakfast George left at 8.30 for his tour of Old Leon and Colonial Leon and my tour departed at 9am.  Mine was 'Colonial Leon, Folklore and lunch'.  34 of us on a very comfortable bus, with Alex, the cutest guide, and we drove 1 1/2 hours to Leon.  Traffic light as is Sunday.  Again, we saw many volcanos, some active, and were told that if they don't have tremors every day they get worried!!! Nicaragua is not unlike Guatamala in that there are sugar cane crops, coffee, sesame, corn and various vegetable crops dotted all around.  

So we arrive in Leon and I guess I expected a city similar to Antigua yesterday but really it was a dump!  All the buildings are low-rise, the Cathedral/Basilica is the tallest building in the place.  We drove for half an hour through shanty town streets and it was hard to differentiate between 'suburb' and 'downtown'.  Anyway, got out of the bus and it was SOOOO hot - went straight to a museum, an old house which was owned by a famous poet over 100 years ago and we saw the rooms where he wrote his poetry and where he eventually died, even the bed he died in!  A bit morbid!  The expensive houses in these tropical places usually look pretty ordinary from the outside but inside the rooms are built around lovely  gardens with water fountains.  From the museum we went on to an art gallery, all very modern and some of it really beautiful but if only we could have seen it all in air conditioning!  

Next was the cathedral/basilica, really beautiful and from there we had half an hour in the town square to do some shopping.  Well, I've never seen such a motley looking lot of junk - it was so hot no-one even bothered us and the people were very tired looking.  

Lunch followed, we walked a couple of blocks to a restaurant, once again indoor/outdoor style with overhead fans.  Pretty girls in national dress danced

 in and around the tables and that was probably the highlight of lunch!  Food 

very forgettable, not even sure what it was but think there was a chicken stew there somewhere LOL!!!! I did buy a beer which was thirst quenching!  

Back at the ship by 2.30, very hot and bothered!  

We sailed at 4 pm, it is now 5.35 and the thunder & lightning has been going ever since  and now rain is pelting down.  I like a bit of activity out there, makes for a change!!!!!  Now on my way up to the Galileo lounge for a pre-dinner drink with friends

 Drinks, dinner & show over, and I lost $20 on the way home at roulette.  We did have a good night, even the show was good - but the storm continues and thunder & lightning still around.  Glad I'm not travelling in a dinghy!!!!  

Saturday 29 August Puerto Quetzal, Guatamala

We have loved Guatamala, or rather the little bit we've seen today.  Our tour was called 'Antigua at a Glance' and we were in a mini-bus with 14 others on the drive to the colonial city of Antigua, leaving the ship at 8.45.  Driving through the lush countryside on the 1 1/2 hour drive we passed through many fields of bananas, sugar cane, coffee and fruit and vegetable crops.  Antigua sits at the base of a volcano and we saw three, one of which is active and was spewing out smoke.  Our guide was terrific, with excellent English and local knowledge.  

Our first stop was at a Jade factory - a great story really as a husband & wife team came to Guatamala 43 years ago to search for Jade - everyone said they were mad but they persevered and found some of the purest jade in the world.  

Jade Maya is a totally integrated jade company founded in 1974 by archaeologist Mary Lou Rindinger and her husband Jay Ridinger. Fine jadeite jade is found mainly in Guatemala and Burma, but valued throughout the world. The source discovered and used by Jade Maya, are the same used  by the Ancient Maya people of Mesoamerica. The jade is cut and polished in the factory by native Guatemalan workers who are recovering and preserving the carving traditions of their ancestors.

The mini-bus ride through the cobblestone streets was pretty rough but the sights were amazing.  Such beautiful architecture, (most buildings in need of a coat of paint), the happy smiling Mayan women in their bright colours carrying baskets of fabrics and the markets were lovely.  We had an hour or so to look around then headed back to the ship in time for a late lunch.  

Dinner with yet another couple from NZ tonight, they are from the Coromandel Peninsular.  The show was OK, a young guy from the ship's troupe, singing in his first solo appearance on Regent.  

Friday 28 August 

Absolutely nothing to report today, of any note that is.  I did go to breakfast, then lunch, then to a lecture on future ports at where I dozed off, then mahjong, then reading, and eventually to a cocktail party for guests who've cruised over a certain number of nights. Some have cruised cruised over 400 nights, 

something to aspire to LOL!!!!! 

Oh, I also went to a demonstration on how to make Black Forest Cake - interesting,!!  Tonight we've sat at a table for 8 at dinner, and enjoyed the company.  The dessert was amazing, had it two years ago on Voyager and it didn't disappoint tonight. Was caramel popcorn parfait!!!!  An early start tomorrow for our day in Guatamala -will write more tomorrow.  

Thursday 27 July Acapulco

Have had a lovely day in Acapulco, despite being told for years that it is a dump of a place, it is really beautiful with it's majestic mountains and bays.  It looked so pretty as we were coming in early this morning.  We took a tour 'Pierre Marques Beach Getaway' which was a fairly low key tour - two buses, so a total of 65 people, were driven about 45 minutes away to a resort on the Pacific.  It included lunch, drinks, use of all the facilities, pools, private beach etc.  Back on the ship and now sailing, it is still hot and humid but there is a nice breeze and it's rather nice sitting on the balcony with a piña colada.  First one for this trip 😜.  

Others did tours of the local attractions and of course to see the cliff divers - George saw them when he was here 45+ years ago.  Many famous people have houses in and around Acapulco, apparently Elizabeth Taylor had at least 6 of her honeymoons here. 

Enjoyed dinner with friends and decided to give the show a miss as the cruise director was singing country & western.   She is a tad painful, and I reckon a second class singer anyway.  

So on the way back to our room we ran into the other Swinburnes, Jodie & Gary from  Sydney.  They are a lot younger than us but obviously do a lot of cruising. Will meet one night for dinner.  He has a sister called Jane!!!!! 

Wednesday 26 At Sea

I stood out on the balcony last night before retiring and could see lightning in the distance.  We were also travelling at a greater rate of knots than usual or maybe it just felt that way because of a huge swell which had just come up.  The Captain did warn everyone earlier to be careful walking around the ship.  Anyway,  was just about to put down my book when there was a huge clap of thunder and much lightning and this continued for some time.  Plus the ship was rocking and rolling for hours.  The seas are a little calmer today, everyone seems happy and the usual sun worshippers are out there on the deck!  It is around 32C, a bit warm for me! 

Some fun facts about nautical terms which I  find interesting - why is a ship called a 'she' for instance.  Well, she has a 'waist', (the mid-ships section), a bonnet, (cover for the engine or added strips of canvas for sails), combings, (edges of hatches), jewels (small blocks on signal yards), and earrings (short pieces of rope)!!! There is a great deal of "bustle" around the ship and in port she has an agent handling her business known as her "husband". 

Dinner with people we've dined with before, they live in Wales.  Their son is a navigation officer with P&O Australia, based in Brisbane.  

Went to the show and it was Yakov again - an  absolutely amazing entertainer, he has had his own show on American TV and starred in at least 3 films, one  Jack Nicholson.  

He had the older audience in stitches!  

Tuesday 25 Cabo San Lucas

Woke up in Cabo San Lucas this morning - is a tender port so there is a lovely view of the town and local resorts.  We had a day here early last year and pleased to come back again.  Today we booked a tour called 'Salsa and Salsa' (just in case we didn't have enough in Ensenada)!!!! About 30 of us were on the tour which took us to a restaurant about 10 kms away.  It was a fun thing to do, all the ingredients for a lot of geriatrics swinging their hips to some good Mexican music!!!  Not to mention the many margaritas offered during the 3 hours.  Each couple had the makings of 6 different Salsa dishes, one at a time, and as well we made 2 margaritas then we had to learn some Salsa steps - yes, well that left a bit to be desired as not much rhythm for some of us!!!!! I should point out that this couple didn't win any prizes LOL!!!!! 

Back on the ship for a 4 pm sailing.  

The rock formation known as El Arco at Cabo San Lucas is at the tip of 1,000 mile long Baja California.  Apparently the Peninsular, which is a very popular holiday spot, once joined the rest of Mexico but millions of years ago seismic activity along the San Andreas Fault caused the split.  The sea that fills the gap between the Peninsular and the Mexican West Coast is known as the Sea of Cortez, is the world's youngest body of water and contains more than 100 uninhabited islands some of which have not been explored!  The waters around Cabo are home to many species of marine life including grey and humpback whales.  We haven't seen any yet though.  It is also a great place for scuba divers, Caro knows all about that!!! 

Joined people from Tamworth for dinner, she is the Aussie mahjong player and a really nice lady, as is he.  And the show was good, a pianist who played classical and contemporary music.  

Swung by the casino on our way to the room, it is on our floor so no big deal, but I did notice my numbers came up once or twice and I wasn't on them!!!  Tough.  

Monday 24 July

Another quiet day - this cruise is not for anyone under about 65 - in fact there is an old fellow who has lived on board for over 10 years.  He sits in the corner of the dining room for lunch and dinner and likes the ship because it is small and quiet!  Most people seem to be quite active, just a few who have mobility problems that I can see. 

After lunch I went to mahjong again, the cotton farmers from Mississippi weren't there but Nancy from LA, Terri from Tamworth and I played anyway and I actually won a game.  Can't wait to join my fellow Aussie mahjongers though as is so much more fun!

Have to say that I have not achieved much today, read on the balcony before lunch then after mahjong came back to the room to read a bit more.  Was lovely outside, about 23C, saw a few flying fish and then I heard the door bang.  Yes, once again I'm locked out  of the room - fortunately had my iPad so sent an email to George asking him to come back & let me in.  

Dinner was excellent followed by a very good show, a combination of crew and guests entertainers.  

Tomorrow we're in Cabo St Lucas - hope I can find something cultural to talk about in the next post.  

Sunday 23 July

Slight confusion this morning about the time!  Last night after the show the Cruise Director asked us to put our clocks forward 1 hour overnight. Got back to the room and a little card on the bed told us to put clocks back 1 hour.  So I did just that, figured  one or the other had made a mistake.  So instead of it being 6.30 it was in fact 8.30!  Wouldn't have made the slightest difference anyway after those cocktails last night LOL!!! 

Is so peaceful, I'm having a read on the balcony, temperature is around 22C and today and tomorrow we're at sea so no rush to do anything.  

I decided to bite the bullet and accept an invitation by the girls from Mississippi to join them at mahjong.  Fortunately for me one of the other players was from Tamworth so we were like fish out of water as the American rules are quite different from our rules.  Anyway, it was great fun, they were very patient and I'll go back again tomorrow.  

At 6 pm we had the Block party - a fun thing organised by Regent.  Am enclosing a copy of the notice in today's Passages.  Met all our neighbours and then went to dinner at the Italian restaurant, sharing a table with a couple from Perth.

The show tonight was comedian Yakov Smirnoff, absolutely fantastic.  Too difficult to write about all his accomplishments but worth googling if anyone is interested. 

Saturday 22 July

Back from our morning tour in Ensenada.  45 of us went on a 'Taste of a Mexico' tour which involved a bus ride around the town, a stop to view some important monuments in the town square then off to an old house which is now a restaurant.  We were seated at tables of 8 and proceeded to make our own salsa and then corn tortillas. Each had a mortar & pestle, some cornmeal, water etc.  Then given a clove of garlic to pound, followed by some onion then as much chilli as we wanted,  with various grades of heat and smoke.  After that a grilled tomato was placed on each plate and we had to peel then pound the peel and eventually add the rest.  So, with our own salsa complete, we tasted with corn chips.  Next we made the tortillas which were then quickly deep fried and could choose between various meats and salads to complement the dish.  A bit of fun but not sure I would want to pay good money for the tour.  Back on the ship for the afternoon, we sail at 6 this evening.  

Showered, ready for the next few hours, had to meet George at the pool  bar. It's fun sitting there alone, have met several nice people, had a mojhito then saw G who'd been sitting on a deck chair all along.  So  ordered a piña colada - the barman said 'take a sip' which I did then he added another shot of rum!  So the first piña colada was so good I had to have another, that barman really knows his job !!!!!  Pays to be alone sometimes LOL!!!!! And now he has brought me a glass of nuts.  Can't beat good luck!!!  That's my trivia for the day!  

Met some girls (well, 55, 60 yr olds) who want me to play mahjong tomorrow.  Said I do not play the American way but they said come anyway so I just might do that!!!

Dinner in the dining room tonight, sat with a couple from Florida.  His name is George and he is a retired Baptist Minister.  Then went to the show, called Tuxedo, was a song & dance act by the Navigator entertainers.  Some of us nodded off!!!!!

Friday 21 July At Sea

Today is a total day of rest - a sleep-in after such a late night, casual lunch on the deck with the New Zealanders, again, some domestic duties and time to familiarise ourselves with the ship.  It is so much smaller than the Emerald Princess, 480 passengers compared to over 3,000.  I needed to get something from the shop - was back in less than 5 mins as is just on our level!!!  As is the Casino but that will be for another day! 

We were informed yesterday that our stop tomorrow in Catalina, US, has been cancelled and we'll now be having the day in Ensenada, Mexico.  So have booked a tour, 'Taste of Mexico' which is a 4 hour tour.  Ensenada is a coastal city in Mexico, the third largest in Baja California.  Is 125 kms south of San Diego on the Baja California Peninsular and is locally referred to as 'The Cinderella of the Pacific'. At an estimated temperature of around 24C it should be a really nice day.  

Shared a table at Prime restaurant tonight with two ladies. Turns out they are sisters, one celebrating her 55th birthday. She could pass for a 25 yr old.  Long story short, both divorced, grew up in Mississippi, parents/family still cotton farmers, and, (wait for it Noelene & John) born and bred in Biloxi!!!!!  Grandma had a dining room table that seated 30 people so must have been some property!  Told them about our fun day in Biloxi!!!!! Off on our excursion early tomorrow -hopefully will have something a bit more 

educational to write about!  

San Francisco 20 July

Regent had a special breakfast room this morning and we've met some very nice people, mostly in the older age group.  It seems there are quite a few Australians and a lady from Port Stephens whispered to me 'thank God I've met someone young, everyone looks so old'.  Had to remind her that we all fit that category but since she is still 69 I guess that is young.  Sat with some people from Christchurch and Sydney - all lovely.  

Bus from the hotel took about 25 mins and we were amongst the first to board.  Some passengers have been on since Vancouver.  A glass of champagne on arrival, straight to lunch which was delicious, everything you could imagine on Regent.  

They say if you are 'served up a lemon, make a gin & tonic' - could have made 2 this afternoon.  After the very long drill (guess with the age group of this cruise we take a bit longer LOL) we went up on deck for sail away.  Once again, open bar, first piña colada for the trip and delicious canapés.  But it was FREEZING and windy up there - I had my vest and wind proof jacket on but not nearly enough.  Next thing I'll be complaining about the heat so had better shut up!!!!! 

Well, dinner over and a great night sharing a table with a lovely couple from Auckland, Barbara & Roger (Moses I think). Just back in the room and it is after midnight!  

July 19 San Francisco 

All packed and ready to leave the hotel in Oakland & no cabs in sight so the next idea was to wheel the luggage to the corner 😰  My suggestion of letting the concierge call one was thought to be silly but in the end we did that and had a wonderful Uber car and a driver who was full of information and who knows Melbourne very well since he has family there.  

So we arrived at the Mark Hopkins hotel, very swish and compliments of Regent cruises.  The guy at reception asked me our name, told him Swinburne & he said 'oh, two rooms' to which I replied 'no, just one'.  Then went across to the Regent hospitality desk to check in for tomorrow and the girls asked the same question.  Turns out there is another couple from Sydney called Swinburne!!!  What are the odds!!!! 

Took the cable-car from the hotel to Fisherman's Wharf for lunch. Asked around and rather than go to familiar restaurants took advice and came to Scoma's. Is terrific, food and a bottle of NZ Sav Blanc excellent.  We both chose the Crab Thermidor.  Wow!!!

SF is full of tourists at the moment and the hotel lobby was filling up with grey-haired seniors all looking like Regent cruisers!  So we should fit in well.  I went to a terrific gallery at Fisherman's Wharf with  beautiful glass designs.  Other than that, not much apart from rather trashy shops full of souvenirs and restaurants.  

After a long day yesterday (and with age becoming a serious factor!) it was nice to have a sleep-in this morning with breakfast at noon! Afterwards took the shuttle to the BART station for a quick trip under the bay to San Francisco.  Since there was nothing cultural or otherwise I wanted to do I opted for a couple of hours checking out the shops while George sunned himself in Union Sq opposite Macy's.  

Mid afternoon, on the way to the Sporting Club for a beer (for a well earned thirst!!! ) we walked along Stockton St where the new tunnel is being built for a 1.7 mile line from Brannan St to Chinatown.  This tunnel is expected to be finished in 2018 at a cost of $1.8 billion. It is extremely deep, running below the existing lines and it is a snapshot of what we can expect when they start the new Metro tunnel in Melbourne.  Not a pretty sight.  

Had a steak for dinner at Tad's Steakhouse - George reminded me that we first ate at Tad's 42 years ago and other than the price I don't think too much has changed!  I reckon the furniture is still the same and the old guys doing the grilling look ancient like us.   Still very tasty though.  

Home on the ferry, had to sit indoors as it was very cool and we wished we'd taken jackets.  The days are beautiful but SF always provides a nice breeze and at night a very cold one!!! 

July 17 SF/Oakland

Having trouble with the Title

Well, we have finally arrived in Oakland - very weary!  The flight Mel to LA was very comfortable with an on time arrival.  Things went a bit pear shaped after that as had long lines at immigration and customs and a tight connection to SF.  Walked out of Tom Bradley International expecting to leave from the next one or two terminals but in fact had to walk past about 6 terminals to reach ours - hard work for a couple of seniors with dicky feet and a lot of luggage!  Should have got a cab but thought it would be silly - hindsight is marvellous!  

So we finally boarded the flight at 8.15 am and taxied for an hour and a quarter - hopeless! Got the train (BART) from the airport to Oakland then a taxi here to the hotel.  

The next part of the trip had better be in the luxury bracket 🤣.  We are in our friend Buzz's suite at the hotel so plenty of room to spread out.  

All aboard to 🇺🇸- enjoying a Mimosa before takeoff!  Might as well have something slightly alcoholic, after all it is nearly 9.30 am.  The Purser, Shauna, introduced herself to each of us, all 6+ feet of her, long blonde hair and sporting some plastic surgery.  But the voice, to me, indicates she might have been Charlie, or Harry or Tom in another life!!!  All good, she is very friendly, especially when George asked her why was she about 20 years younger than the usual United crew.  Eeekkkkk!!!!  Good start!!!!