As the sun sets over the horizon, tonight is going to be my last blog of this trip! 

Tomorrow is a busy day in that we need to pack our luggage and have it outside ready for collection by tomorrow evening. By 8 a.m. on Saturday morning we need to vacate our suite and navigate disembarking from the ship, which, as you can imagine, is a highly organized and orchestrated event! By law, all passengers disembarking in LA, have to be off the ship by 9.45 a.m. The ship leaves on its next leg Saturday night!

Thank you for being with us on this wonderful adventure and for all your comments. Our highlights have been re-connecting with Gorgeous George and Lovely Lorraine and transiting through the Panama Canal! In my book, it can’t get any better than that!

Until the next time …

Thebloggingbritblog xx

I will be totally candid! 

When we opened our curtains this morning, and saw the above pictured Carnival Panorama cruise ship anchored a little way off, Mike and I chatted about not going into town! Passenger count of the cruise ship – 4,008!

We got as far as the quay and ran the gauntlet of tour guides, T-shirt salesmen, restaurant owners and everyone else trying to sell us something. We retraced our steps and returned to the ship!

Mike and I were in Cabo San Lucas, found at the tip of Baja California, some 20 years ago when it was a popular sun, sand and sea resort. Fast forward to today, and it has really grown and developed. Like Puerto Vallarta, I suspect that if you can get away from the main tourist strip, you’ll find an authentic town. 

Everything looks better at sunset!

If you are still in the clubbing chapter of your life, pack your bags and head to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico!

In every direction you look, stunning aquamarine seas lap pale yellow sands where after a serious night of bar and club hopping you can catch-up on some much needed rest! On every available inch of shoreline sits an apartment high-rise or a hotel resort catering to the young-and-happening, families, honeymooners and everyone in-between.

If you’re on a budget, the city is jam-packed with Airbnb’s for rent. Karaoke venues, twenty-four hour restaurants and quirky bars compete for your attention and your pesos. And, among them you’ll find some gems offering seriously good authentic Mexican food and Margaritas!

Away from the city centre, there is more of a tranquil vibe with some gorgeous ocean-front apartments and homes nestled into the dense jungle.

Playa Mismaloya is a beach where it all started! A beach that changed the future and fortune of a whole little Mexican town, transforming it from a small, picturesque sleepy fisherman’s town to a large, world-renowned tourist destination!

Pictured above, this beautiful beach was the 1963 film location for “The Night of the Iguana” starring Richard Burton, Deborah Kerr and Ava Gardner.

It was the film, the famous director John Huston and the scandalous real-life romance between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton that brought the world’s media to town and put Puerto Vallarta firmly on the map! Even more so when the director himself, and once married, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, bought homes in Puerto Vallarta. 

The city has had crafted a sculpture in their honour, pictured above, which was way too tacky not to include in the blog!

Last night, Mike and I danced the night away in the Panorama Lounge where there is a resident DJ from 10.30 p.m.!

Tonight, we decided to start our Sunday evening with a little Champagne and Caviar courtesy of our inclusive cruise on the Silversea Silver Moon!

Our lovely Butler, Ravi, laid the table for us and then served our Caviar with all additions one needs; blinis, sour cream, egg white, egg yolk, red onion, chives and of course, the gorgeous, salty black stuff!

It doesn’t get any more decadent than sitting in your suite, sipping Champagne and eating Caviar!

Here’s to you! Cheers!

Amanda & Mike

Apocalypto is a film starring and directed by Mel Gibson, and is based on the Mayan Kingdom at the height of its opulence and power. I really enjoyed the film, and now being back in Guatemala where the Maya civilization flourished, it came to mind!

Pictured above is Volcano Agua (it’s dormant) but the country has over 30 other volcanoes, four of which are active! It has spectacular rainforests that are home to over 700 species of birds; and of course, it is home to the Maya civilization and has magnificent archaeological sites to explore.

With all of the country’s volcanic action, the soil is as rich as can be! Export crops include sugar, rum, coffee, bananas, melons and pineapples. Interestingly enough, Cardamon is also grown here, but as it is not part of the Guatemalan culture, it is all exported to Europe and India.

Mike and I have been so impressed with the country and the friendly people that it is already on our hit-list to return!

Welcome to Guatemala!

Mike and I spent a day at the Valhalla Macadamia Farm, a privately owned enterprise, based on planting Macadamia trees for indigenous communities in poverty. 

Who knew that one Macadamia tree can absorb some 30 pounds of carbon dioxide a year; the trees do not require watering other than from rainfall; the nuts have a high content of essential nutrients such as Omega-3 fatty acids and protein; the oil produced from the nut has great anti-aging properties (I bought 15 gallons just to be on the safe side!); they can be ground into flour and used in cooking which is gluten free; and, on and on, it goes!

When the nuts are ripe they are allowed to fall naturally to the ground where once a week they are picked up by hand.

They are thrown into the above contraption which has a centre piece that looks just like a tyre wheel and which is, a tyre wheel! A small motor is attached which spins the tyre stripping the nuts of their outer shell!

The nuts relax in the sun, drying, for about a week before being hauled off to a local production facility where they are slowly baked in ovens for several days before being further processed.

I’m taking you back to Cartagena, Colombia as I didn’t have time to finish the country blogs before arriving at the Panama Canal!

On top of the highest hill in Cartagena stands a rather spectacular monastery/convent (it is both), called The Convento de La Popa.

From here, I took the picture above which is a school built by the foundation of Colombian-born singer, Shakira! She is the highest-selling Colombian artist of all time, with over 70 million albums sold worldwide! She launched her foundation to focus on aid through education and, so far, has built five schools across Colombia serving some 4,000 children. Shakira has been named a national cultural ambassador by the president of Colombia!

Within The Convento de La Popa is an old satellite dish which has received a rather dramatic make-over, pictured above.

And finally, in order to get back to our ship, we had to pass through an aviary and, of course, the obligatory shop! The aviary was simply amazing, filled with dozens of magnificent Peacocks and Parrots. One of the Peacocks even put on a display for the camera!

Welcome to Costa Rica where our ship is moored in Puntarenas! A city of almost 100,000 inhabitants, it is the capital of the province of the same name, which hugs most of Costa Rica’s Pacific coast.

Our tour today was taking an eco-trek through the very lush San Luis Park and cloud forest! First stop, the butterfly greenhouse, where these magnificent cornflower blue butterflies were flying around. You had to be really careful where you walked as they loved to rest on the warm wooden floors!

Then onto the Hummingbird Garden, where, if you really search the picture above really carefully, you’ll see a tiny green Hummingbird sitting on a branch in the centre of the photograph.

Mike and I pictured above on to the first of four suspended bridges, swinging some 130 feet above the ground and offering amazing views of the cloud forest. It was a really neat tour and our tour guide was so enthusiastic and passionate about his subject that it added to our enjoyment!

Approaching the first of the final three locks, you can see that the channel splits. To the right, larger ships than ours follow the route of new locks designed for their size. Also note the lush and graded greenery. Grading the lands helps with erosion and landslides.

The route of the Panama Canal follows the path of the Panama Railway of 1855. Pictured above, our ship is guided into the left-hand lane of the Pedro Miguel locks, alongside the car carrier we have followed from the start! Once the hydraulic gates close behind us, water is released from the lock lowering the vessel 31 feet and allowing us to proceed one mile to the two final locks of the canal.

The buildings peeping above the hills on the horizon are those of Panama City!

The Miraflores Locks are the final two locks which combined lower vessels the final 54 feet to sea level! Above is an alternative view of a lock looking at it from the back of the ship. You can see the water mark on the wall indicating the level of the water as we entered the lock. Also, see the tank-looking engines at the top of the lock on either side. The ship is attached to these machines using cables that keep vessels in the centre of the locks. (Sorry, I was photographing into a setting sun).