Going Ashore February 11, 2019
While Holland America's advertising touts its stops in various nations, these are really just a brief taste, lasting only a few hours. Tours on shore are quite profitable for the ship, so there's lots of up-selling to lure you off on jungle tours or bird-watching outings or exploration of ruins. When we stopped in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, buses began lining up on the pier early in the day, just after our arrival, to accommodate all of the various destinations and tour packages for that day. We would be underway again by late afternoon, with a firm "all aboard time" of 4:30 pm. The staff had made it clear, early on, that the ship waits for no one, so we were always very mindful of the time when we went ashore!
The large white buses on the far left took guests to destinations miles away in Guatemala. The red "chicken buses" served as shuttles to the nearby visitor center.
At each port, Bruce & I usually got off the ship to do our own exploring, which varied from dusty little towns, as in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, to lovely cities, such as Cartagena, Colombia, and Huatulco & Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. All had their own interesting discoveries to be made.
Our first stop was Cartagena, and it was also the first time that Bruce and I had set foot in South America. It felt a bit momentous. Cristina, my USM Spanish profesora this fall, was a native Colombian, and her enthusiasm for her country of birth was infectious. I looked forward to our very brief excursion into this historic city, which I had researched for a short class assignment. Feeling pressured to make the most of our 4 hours ashore, we succumbed to an assertive van driver's invitation to join his group for a tour. It was a very good decision. Victor Manuel was an engaging host, spoke English well, gave his small group of gringos a whirlwind tour of this UNESCO Heritage city, and got us back to the ship on time!
First things first, before any touring - parrots & wifi in the Cartagena visitor center!
Cartagena Castillo, built by the Spanish in the 1500's
Emeralds and coffee are two of Colombia's top exports. Naturally, our tour stopped at an emerald operation, with jewelry makers and sellers.
Cartagena sits on the Caribbean coast, and it has a beautiful public beach, within walking distance of high rise business buildings.
Bourgainvillea, narrow streets, Spanish colonial architecture, sun-drenched colors - and HEAT & HUMIDITY! That was Cartagena.
Second stop was Costa Rica's Puntarenas. Many guests were off to do zip-lining through the jungle or to cruise down a river, but Bruce and I were off to find an internet cafe and to see what Costa Rica had to offer in this tiny town. It was another hot, humid day. We walked the long pier and could see a few people swimming at the black sand beach. Along the main drag, a couple of open air restos straddled the space between the street and the beach. A shabby playground on one side of the street and a technical college, housed in a weathered armory, sat face to face. As we moved away from the beach, we encountered the backbone of a functioning town with businesses such as hair salons, mechanics, doctors, restaurants - including several Chinese restos (what a disaspora the Chinese have endured) - as well as modest residences behind iron gates and the town church. It felt quiet and safe. We found a cafe with internet and settled down to catch up with home. Immediately upon connecting to our Maine life, Bruce said, "Oh, no" in that heart-stopping way, and we learned that a dear friend had had a serious heart attack. Checking our mail always brings the possibility of news that will shrink us into the shaky reminder that we are so very far away from everyone dear to us.
Trekking into Puerto Puentas, Costa Rica.
Lovely venue for a skateboard park.
The sweet stone Catholic church, open to passers-by.
And, finally, the outdoor bar where we sipped on limonadas and connected with home.
Inspired by an intrepid woman who was traveling on Holland America alone, I decided to screw up my courage and walk into the port of Corinto, Nicaragua, by myself - along with a few other hardy passengers - since Bruce had other plans on ship. It turned out to be a good experience. I wandered through town, chatted a bit in my halting Spanish, fended off drivers offering rides around town for $1 - a simple "no gracias" did the trick - and saw real life, bustling on around me in the markets and little shops. Before getting back on board, I bought a handmade wooden item from a man with 9 children, three of whom are doctors!
Market in Puerto Corinto, Nicaragua
While Holland America's advertising touts its stops in various nations, these are really just a brief taste, lasting only a few hours. Tours on shore are quite profitable for the ship, so there's lots of up-selling to lure you off on jungle tours or bird-watching outings or exploration of ruins. When we stopped in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, buses began lining up on the pier early in the day, just after our arrival, to accommodate all of the various destinations and tour packages for that day. We would be underway again by late afternoon, with a firm "all aboard time" of 4:30 pm. The staff had made it clear, early on, that the ship waits for no one, so we were always very mindful of the time when we went ashore!
At each port, Bruce & I usually got off the ship to do our own exploring, which varied from dusty little towns, as in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, to lovely cities, such as Cartagena, Colombia, and Huatulco & Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. All had their own interesting discoveries to be made.
Looking up at the ship from the pier.
Our first stop was Cartagena, and it was also the first time that Bruce and I had set foot in South America. It felt a bit momentous. Cristina, my USM Spanish profesora this fall, was a native Colombian, and her enthusiasm for her country of birth was infectious. I looked forward to our very brief excursion into this historic city, which I had researched for a short class assignment. Feeling pressured to make the most of our 4 hours ashore, we succumbed to an assertive van driver's invitation to join his group for a tour. It was a very good decision. Victor Manuel was an engaging host, spoke English well, gave his small group of gringos a whirlwind tour of this UNESCO Heritage city, and got us back to the ship on time!
Second stop was Costa Rica's Puntarenas. Many guests were off to do zip-lining through the jungle or to cruise down a river, but Bruce and I were off to find an internet cafe and to see what Costa Rica had to offer in this tiny town. It was another hot, humid day. We walked the long pier and could see a few people swimming at the black sand beach. Along the main drag, a couple of open air restos straddled the space between the street and the beach. A shabby playground on one side of the street and a technical college, housed in a weathered armory, sat face to face. As we moved away from the beach, we encountered the backbone of a functioning town with businesses such as hair salons, mechanics, doctors, restaurants - including several Chinese restos (what a disaspora the Chinese have endured) - as well as modest residences behind iron gates and the town church. It felt quiet and safe. We found a cafe with internet and settled down to catch up with home. Immediately upon connecting to our Maine life, Bruce said, "Oh, no" in that heart-stopping way, and we learned that a dear friend had had a serious heart attack. Checking our mail always brings the possibility of news that will shrink us into the shaky reminder that we are so very far away from everyone dear to us.
Inspired by an intrepid woman who was traveling on Holland America alone, I decided to screw up my courage and walk into the port of Corinto, Nicaragua, by myself - along with a few other hardy passengers - since Bruce had other plans on ship. It turned out to be a good experience. I wandered through town, chatted a bit in my halting Spanish, fended off drivers offering rides around town for $1 - a simple "no gracias" did the trick - and saw real life, bustling on around me in the markets and little shops. Before getting back on board, I bought a handmade wooden item from a man with 9 children, three of whom are doctors!
The pedicabs used to get around Puerto Corinto - airy, relaxed transportation!
We had been told by our on-board expert that there was nothing at Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. After experiencing their lovely visitor center, I felt offended for Guatemala The ship was berthed at a very industrial pier, for sure, but the above-mentioned chicken buses shuttled us off to a pretty, nearby welcome area, where marimba players greeted us and a beautiful lay-out of shops and restos made our trip ashore worthwhile. Of course, most passengers signed up for long, pricey bus rides to Antigua or Lake Atitlan. As lovely as those places are, we'll be visiting them in March, so no need to travel there now.
Bruce passing lovely Guatemalan wares with nary a glance, hoping I'll do the same :).
Los colores!
Headed for a beer and Wifi!
After a couple of days at sea, we began seeing steep mountains falling into the sea along the shore. Our two Mexican ports were a sharp contrast to the three that we had just visited. The cities of Huatulco and Puerto Vallarta were larger, more developed, more touristy - and quite lovely. At Huatulco, we walked and sipped coconut water and ... you guessed it, enjoyed a beer and internet. This is a planned community, we learned later, where there is a cap on the number of condos and with a focus on eco-tourism. Our shipboard friend, Barb, went on a tour to some villages in the hills behind the port. There she saw corn being ground into flour, tortillas being cooked, and found out that the local government has arranged for the tours as a way for residents to supplement their incomes. Part of the deal is that the families are given pure drinking water and toilets and the opportunity to sell crafts.
Bruce loves to chat with the local bomberos (firefighters) through our mutual connection with son Matt's profession. Invariably, they are interested - or at least polite!
Can you imagine worshiping in this open santuary beside the sea?
I'm glad that Mexico can have a sense of humor about this situation - and make some money on it!
My coconut drink - being prepared from the back of a pick-up!
Puerto Vallarta was the last of our stops before our final destination of San Diego. This was a large city. The Volendam docked across the street from a huge Wal-Mart & Sam's Club. Bruce & I hopped a local bus, headed for the old town and the expansive seaside walkway, called the malecon. Immediately we were befriended by a Canadian couple who spend their winters here. They showed us the ropes of local bus riding and shared their reasons for loving it here: the weather, of course, which stays at a comfortable 80 degrees, as well as safety, friendliness of the locals, ability to get around on public transportation, lots of things to do, and low cost. Lots of positives there!
We easily found our way to the malecon, a wide car-less walkway along the beach. Four cruise ships were in port so there were lots of tourists. We looked for the sculptures along the malecon and the voladores and the old Catholic church. Found them all!
All along the malecon (seaside walkway) were unique sculptures by individual artists.
These are the Voladores, performing an ancient Mesoamerican ceremony which has been designated by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. The four men launch themselves, upside down, off a platform at the top of the pole. One foot of each man is attached to a rope. The ropes slowly unravel as they swirl their way to the ground. Just an everyday event on the beach in Puerto Vallarta!
Another sculpture - I love the swirling dress!
So, those were the stops on the Volendam's cruise. They offered a change from ship-board life and gave us a hint of the variety of Latino cultures waiting to be explored in more depth. Each time that we returned to the ship, we felt like we were crossing a veil, going from real life to fantasy-land.
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