After the cruise we were met at the cruise ship dock by Leigh Bartlow and taken to the timeshare that he and Iona were staying at. A view from the timeshare.
While staying with Leigh and Iona we took an evening cruise on the Intercoastal Waterway to Joe's Riverside Grille for dinner. Some of the homes we passed.
Passing under a draw bridge.
Joe's Riverside Grille.
In Ocho Rios, Jamaica we took a trip to the hill country rainforest for a ride through the treetops on a zip line.
Mary suited up in the zip line harness.
Getting attached to the zip line.
And away she goes through the trees.
Still in one piece after the zip line.
Rainforest walk after the zip line.
After completing the Pacific locks of the Panama canal we proceeded toward the Caribbean side traveling through Gatun Lake. We entered the Gatun Locks at 3:15PM and started our descent down to sea level.
Once through the Gatun Locks it was a short distance to Colon, Panama were we stopped at Cristobal Pier where we were greeted at the pier by some of the local natives.
More shopping at the pier.
We entered the Miraflores Locks on the Pacific side of the canal at 6:15AM this morning.
The lock gates can be seen opening to let a tanker enter the lock as we wait for the water level to adjust on our side.
We have entered the lower lock and wait for the water in our lock to adjust.
Entering the Pedro Miguel lock. This is the third and highest lock on the Pacific side.
A view of the construction of the new canal which will handle the larger ships that are too big for the current locks.
The new bridge that crosses the canal.
From our port of Puntarenas, Costa Rica we took a bus inland to the rainforest where we took a tram ride through the forest.
While in the rainforest we found out how it got its name... It rained.
We saw several of the native bird and animals in the wild. Including toucans, macaws and iguanas.
Following the rainforest tour we traveled to a local river for a boat tour. This river is full of crocodiles. The two "logs" in the center of the following photo are a couple of crocodiles.
Crocodiles seen close-up during the boat tour.
Many locals fish in the river which has some nice size catfish.
Today we traveled into the Nicaraguan countryside to visit a rum distillery. We passed several more volcanoes and local homes on our way to the distillery.
At the distillery we started the tour by sampling some of the "slow aged" rum they produce. There is a difference between 7 year old and 18 year old rum.
Barrel making.
Bottling rum.
After the rum tour we headed back to the dock and passed some of the local sidewalk vendors.
At the dock we visited several displays of local crafts and found many examples of fine pottery.
In Guatemala we took a tour to the mountains to visit a coffee plantation.
The plantation is located between several of the local volcanoes (in the background).
Coffee beans
Coffee bean pickers. The beans are picked by families, including small children. Not the baby on the mother's back.
We had a lunch with entertainment at the plantation.
Small children in the local town.
We arrived in Acapulco for New Years eve and were able to watch the fireworks from our room. This photo shows fireworks being launched from in front of our room.
During a tour of the Acapulco area we went to a cross on a hill that overlooks the bay.
Night time cliff diving.
