July 22-28 -- We were told that this would be the "most difficult" port of our entire itinerary, because 1) we were here over the Independence Day holidays (July 28th is the Peruvian Fiestas Patriotas, 2) strikes and demonstrations have been occurring over the past month (the teachers went on strike, then the transportation workers went on strike ...), and 3) the U.S. Embassy considers this a "dangerous" posting because of all the crime. The embassy employees are advised not to carry their passports, but only to carry photocopies of the pertinent pages, and the service the embassy performs the most is to replaces stolen passports for traveling Americans.
This was a trying time for me personally because I finally caught the bug that has been going around the ship for a month. Ick. Also, the sun never comes out in Lima (where we were) in the winter time (now) -- In spite of it's tropical geographical location, Peru is overcast and cool with a constant fine mist at this time of year. No wonder they have a well-developed industry of making warm clothing from alpaca and other wools. The artesanal markets are very nice here, and much shopping occurred ...
Since I wasn't going to Machu Picchu with 90% of the voyagers, I took three trips here. The first was a city orientation of Lima, during which we saw Casa Aliega, a house built in 1535, that has been lived in by the same family for 16 generations. We also saw the Plaza Mayor, the Presidential Palace, the outside of the Cathedral, and the Monastery of San Francisco, which has catacombs, complete with bones. Lots and lots of bones.
The next day, I went on a service visit to a home for children who are at risk in the home. This is run by the ANAR Foundation. They had 14 girls from ages 6 or 7 to 14 living there. This is not a "safe house" -- I asked -- and they allow their parents to visit them. The risk involves other problems at home including divorce, money problems, etc. 25 students went on this visit, and they seemed to have a great time playing with the kids. The kids really went wild over the student's digital cameras and were running around like little paparazzi, taking pictures. The money that was part of the cost of this field program was used to buy new mattresses for the children.
The third day, Mom and I went with a friend to Miraflores, one of the "safer" neighborhoods of Lima. It is very upscale, with a J. W. Marriott Hotel and very expensive malls and shops. We found a yarn shop, and although it didn't have any natural fibers (wool, alpaca, cotton) we bought a couple of big bags of yarns for various projects. Mom is teaching a number of the children how to crochet, and she made an afghan for the Students of Service auction.
I should mention that Students of Service is an organization that raises money on each voyage which is donated at the end of the voyage to a charity active in a part of the world the voyage has visited.
The fourth day, I was trip leader for a field trip to Pachacamac, an ancient oracle site for the Incas (and three previous cultures on that spot). After Pachacamac, we visited an hacienda where we saw the beautiful Paso horses that they breed there, and had a catered lunch. (The family that owns the hacienda also owns one of the nicer restaurants in Lima, called La Rosa Nautica.) The Paso breed is a gaited breed, similar to the American Saddlebred and the Tennessee Walker, but has a more compact conformation. That was a lot of fun. The students enjoyed riding the horses.
On the fifth day, I rested ...
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Do You Know the Way to Callao, Peru?
July 21-23 -- It takes three days to get from Chile to Peru by sea. This was a relatively quiet passage, although the ship was rocking quite a bit. We are told the seas are always rough the closer one is to Valparaiso. In fact, we sailed at 2315 last night, just missing the 45-mph winds and 5-foot waves that hit Valparaiso. It has been overcast for days -- I don't know if we will know what the sun is when it reappears!
Friday, July 27, 2007
Chile and Easter Island
July 16-20 -- We arrived in Valparaiso, Chile on the morning of the 16th. In contrast to Guayaquil, where we were docked at the port a half-hour away from the metropolitan area, in Chile we docked right downtown. (Well, not actually downtown ... we were maybe 100 meters (the length of the pier) from downtown, but they wouldn't let us walk it, we had to take a shuttle, for some reason.)
However, in another way, Chile was like Equador in that we had to disembark on deck 5 and walk down a long set of stairs in both places. It had to do with the height of the pier and the height of the tides. That stairway sure seemed endless when we were coming back to the ship after a long day on a field trip.
The first day in Valparaiso, mom and I took a city orientation tour that showed us the steep mountain roads in the Valparaiso (Valpo) area. They have 45 hills, and many of the hills have staircases or ascensores (funiculars) to help people climb the hills. The houses and apartments are all built on the hills. Many of the houses are original Victorians, which were brought in pieces from Great Britain in the late 1800s and put together here. These houses are being restored, and are painted in various bright colors.
(The Andes -- Photo by Karen)
On this same orientation tour, we visited Viña del Mar, Valaparaiso's rich cousin. Viña is where the rich people have their condominiums, and where there are wonderful shopping malls and museums. Valpo is where the normal people live. Though it is winter in Chile, it was not very cold on the coast -- more like 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit in Valpo and Viña. However, the Andes were covered with snow, and many of our folks spent a day or two at various ski resorts in the mountains.
Easter Island
My big trip was Easter Island, or, as the idigenous people call it, Rapa Nui. For reasons unknown to us, LAN Chile bumped 20 of our people at the last minute, leaving only 45 spaces for our people on the trip to Easter Island. This caused a great deal of trouble, because the cancellations were made at random. In any case, I was one of 39 people to go on this trip and it was enjoyable.
We flew on the 17th, and landed about 1 pm. There were some difficulties with the travel agent on the island, but Wade and the field program staff quickly resolved the schedule difficulties. We stayed at two different hotels. Mine was the Hotel Oceania. One thing you need to know if you plan to go to Easter Island is that as far as I know, there really aren't actual four-star hotels on the island.
I had written a long description of the various sites and sights we saw on Eastern Island, but Blogger ate it ... Suffice it to say, we saw a lot of ahu and moai (the statues), stumbled over a lot of volcanic rocks, and climbed a lot of mountains. It was a fascinating trip. Apparently Thor Heyerdahl, while inciting interest in the history of Easter Island in the 1940s and 1950s, didn't get it right. The general concensus now is that the Rapa Nui people originally came from the Marquesas Islands, not from Peru, as Heyerdahl had proposed.
One interesting thing about the moai is that their features are different, each representing actual features of a specific king. These statues were set up near each village so that the king could protect the village in death as he had in life. (Oh, yes, all the moai are male, except for one that is in the island's museum.)
However, in another way, Chile was like Equador in that we had to disembark on deck 5 and walk down a long set of stairs in both places. It had to do with the height of the pier and the height of the tides. That stairway sure seemed endless when we were coming back to the ship after a long day on a field trip.
The first day in Valparaiso, mom and I took a city orientation tour that showed us the steep mountain roads in the Valparaiso (Valpo) area. They have 45 hills, and many of the hills have staircases or ascensores (funiculars) to help people climb the hills. The houses and apartments are all built on the hills. Many of the houses are original Victorians, which were brought in pieces from Great Britain in the late 1800s and put together here. These houses are being restored, and are painted in various bright colors.
(The Andes -- Photo by Karen)On this same orientation tour, we visited Viña del Mar, Valaparaiso's rich cousin. Viña is where the rich people have their condominiums, and where there are wonderful shopping malls and museums. Valpo is where the normal people live. Though it is winter in Chile, it was not very cold on the coast -- more like 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit in Valpo and Viña. However, the Andes were covered with snow, and many of our folks spent a day or two at various ski resorts in the mountains.
Easter Island
My big trip was Easter Island, or, as the idigenous people call it, Rapa Nui. For reasons unknown to us, LAN Chile bumped 20 of our people at the last minute, leaving only 45 spaces for our people on the trip to Easter Island. This caused a great deal of trouble, because the cancellations were made at random. In any case, I was one of 39 people to go on this trip and it was enjoyable.
We flew on the 17th, and landed about 1 pm. There were some difficulties with the travel agent on the island, but Wade and the field program staff quickly resolved the schedule difficulties. We stayed at two different hotels. Mine was the Hotel Oceania. One thing you need to know if you plan to go to Easter Island is that as far as I know, there really aren't actual four-star hotels on the island.
I had written a long description of the various sites and sights we saw on Eastern Island, but Blogger ate it ... Suffice it to say, we saw a lot of ahu and moai (the statues), stumbled over a lot of volcanic rocks, and climbed a lot of mountains. It was a fascinating trip. Apparently Thor Heyerdahl, while inciting interest in the history of Easter Island in the 1940s and 1950s, didn't get it right. The general concensus now is that the Rapa Nui people originally came from the Marquesas Islands, not from Peru, as Heyerdahl had proposed.
One interesting thing about the moai is that their features are different, each representing actual features of a specific king. These statues were set up near each village so that the king could protect the village in death as he had in life. (Oh, yes, all the moai are male, except for one that is in the island's museum.)
Going South
July 10-15 -- This is the longest at sea period we will have on this voyage. (As I mentioned before, everything on this voyage is compressed into 65 days, so everything happens bing-bing-bing.) This particular six days were difficult in several ways, as I will explain.
First off, the students are very tired when they get back from their days in port -- they either go on the field programs sponsored by the ship, or they travel independently, and tend to be exhausted when they get back. Then, the seas were rough this entire six-day period, and many people were frequently cranky and seasick.
On the 11th, they were given an assignment for a five-page essay based on the readings they'd done for the core course, which was due in 48 hours. Some resentment on the amount of reading required for the course had been simmering, and this seemed to set it off, leading some students to circulate a petition with some complaints about the core course. Basically the complaint was that the core course was a history course rather than a current events course, there was too much reading for the course, and the course was harder than previous core courses had been. (I will note that the UVa students seemed to have no trouble or complaints with the readings or assignments.) This whole thing stirred up and subsided within 3 days.
Anyway, Dean David had left the ship when we arrived in Guayaquil, on a previously scheduled trip to Paris for a conference, leaving Ricardo Padron as the Acting Academic Dean. Dean Ricardo did a great job in finding a consensus among the faculty on this issue, and addressed the students directly on the issues they had identified. While there was still some grumbling, the problems seemed to die down by the 13th.
(Synchronized water ballet by Dean Ricardo and Dean John -- Photographer unknown.)
The Sea Olympics were held on the 14th. No classes were held and all day the various seas competed for the honor of being the first off the ship when we return to San Diego. Events included Team Spirit, the Obstacle Course, Twister, Limbo, Lip Syncing, and of course, the Synchronized Swimming Competition, held in the ship's pool, some 10 feet by 8 feet. The highlights were the Arabian Sea swim team, and the special synchronized swimming ballet performed by Acting Academic Dean Ricardo and Executive Dean John. It was quite cold, and Dean John performed in a wet suit. The next evening, the winning Arabian Sea swim team posed for pictures to benefit the Students of Service; they demanded a picture with the librarian, so who was I to say them nay!?
The next couple of days were very quiet - everyone was busy studying for midterm exams and getting their plans set up for five days in Chile. On the 15th, Brian Owensby gave a great current events lecture in the core course in preparation for Chile, about the U.S. plot to overthrow Salvador Allende in the 1970s. That bit of current events was a big surprise to many of the students, I'm sure.
First off, the students are very tired when they get back from their days in port -- they either go on the field programs sponsored by the ship, or they travel independently, and tend to be exhausted when they get back. Then, the seas were rough this entire six-day period, and many people were frequently cranky and seasick.
On the 11th, they were given an assignment for a five-page essay based on the readings they'd done for the core course, which was due in 48 hours. Some resentment on the amount of reading required for the course had been simmering, and this seemed to set it off, leading some students to circulate a petition with some complaints about the core course. Basically the complaint was that the core course was a history course rather than a current events course, there was too much reading for the course, and the course was harder than previous core courses had been. (I will note that the UVa students seemed to have no trouble or complaints with the readings or assignments.) This whole thing stirred up and subsided within 3 days.
Anyway, Dean David had left the ship when we arrived in Guayaquil, on a previously scheduled trip to Paris for a conference, leaving Ricardo Padron as the Acting Academic Dean. Dean Ricardo did a great job in finding a consensus among the faculty on this issue, and addressed the students directly on the issues they had identified. While there was still some grumbling, the problems seemed to die down by the 13th.
(Synchronized water ballet by Dean Ricardo and Dean John -- Photographer unknown.)
The Sea Olympics were held on the 14th. No classes were held and all day the various seas competed for the honor of being the first off the ship when we return to San Diego. Events included Team Spirit, the Obstacle Course, Twister, Limbo, Lip Syncing, and of course, the Synchronized Swimming Competition, held in the ship's pool, some 10 feet by 8 feet. The highlights were the Arabian Sea swim team, and the special synchronized swimming ballet performed by Acting Academic Dean Ricardo and Executive Dean John. It was quite cold, and Dean John performed in a wet suit. The next evening, the winning Arabian Sea swim team posed for pictures to benefit the Students of Service; they demanded a picture with the librarian, so who was I to say them nay!?
The next couple of days were very quiet - everyone was busy studying for midterm exams and getting their plans set up for five days in Chile. On the 15th, Brian Owensby gave a great current events lecture in the core course in preparation for Chile, about the U.S. plot to overthrow Salvador Allende in the 1970s. That bit of current events was a big surprise to many of the students, I'm sure.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
An Article from Diario El Universo, Guayaquil's main newspaper
For those who are interested, El Universo printed a long article about the arrival of the MV Explorer in Guayaquil on July 6th.
Here's the link: "350 universitarios de EE.UU. de visita en la ciudad".
Here's the link: "350 universitarios de EE.UU. de visita en la ciudad".
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Ecuador
July 5-9 -- In Guayaquil, we were docked at the farthest berth in the Puerto Maritimo (Maritime Port), so the travel agency at this stop arranged for a shuttle to take us into the city of Guayaquil and back on the hour from 9am to 6pm every day. Guayaquil is the economic center of Ecuador, as Quito is the governmental and cultural center. As recently as 10 years ago, it was dangerous to walk around in Guayaquil for fear of being mugged, but the efforts of two successive mayors have revived and rebuilt sections of the city to make them safer and more welcoming for visitors. The Malecon 2000, the waterfront, has been renovated into a lovely 2km promenade, with conference buildings, restaurants, monuments, and museums. On the other hand, the city seems very poor, although there is a lot of construction going on, and we were warned about "express kidnappings" and impromptu shakedowns that happen on the city buses.
We were in this port for five days. For many of our viajeros (voyagers), Guayaquil was merely a jumping off point for other trips. Many people went on trips to the Galapagos Islands and to Quito and Cuenca, the other large cities in Ecuador. Quito is the capital and cultural center of the country, and Cuenca is the center of the Panama hat-making trade. Did you know that most of the Panama hats sold in Panama come from Ecuador?
However, those of us who stayed in Guayaquil had plenty to do, too. I took two organized field trips. One was a city orientation (which is always helpful). First, we went to el Parque del Semenario (also called Iguana Park for the large number of iguanas that live there). Here's a factoid: the collective noun for iguanas is "mess," as in "a mess of iguanas." Those of us who visited this park know just how messy a mess of iguanas can be! After Iguana Park, we drove along the Malecon 2000, and stopped at the monument to Los Liberadores, Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín. (When I went back on the last day in port, there was a ceremony with a military band and the placing of a wreath. We were later told that this ceremony is held every Monday to honor "Ecuador's fallen" from all wars.) I should mention that the only meeting between Bolívar, the liberator of northern South America, and San Martín, the liberator of Peru, Chile, and Argentina, took place in Guayaquil. (Ask Jared for more details about this meeting.)
After viewing the rest of the Malecon from the bus, we drove out to the airport past the cemetery. This particular cemetery has over one million burials in it, all of them in crypts instead of buried in the ground. I've never seen a cemetery so big!
Then, we were taken to a Historic Guayaquil Park, which was very nice. It was arranged in three sections, the first a zoo of local animals, the second contained several historic buildings that had been moved and rebuilt on the site, and the third a botanical garden of plants native to Ecuador.
The other field trip I took was Whale Watching in Salinas, a beach town about 90 miles west of Guayaquil. Now, the first thing I will say is that we should have had sea-sickness medication with us. The description said that we would take motorboats along the coast and follow the whales. The boat we were in was not a motorboat, per se, but was a cruiser that wasn't much bigger. The ocean was a bit choppy, and we felt every wave. Luckily, I didn't get seasick, but several people did. However, we saw whales! We followed a pod of three humpback whales, a mother and calf and a female companion, for about 90 minutes.
After the whale watching, we had dinner on the rooftop of a restaurant called The Amazon, where we had a local dish called ceviche (a very good cold shrimp soup) among other items. Unfortunately, the day was overcast, so we were unable to spend any time on the beach as we had planned.
On the last day in port, a group of us took the shuttle to the Malecon and simply walked along the promenade to enjoy the sites and sounds. To my surprise, there was a book fair being held in the Crystal Palace on the Malecon, which I attended. It was billed as an international book fair, but most of the publications were from Ecuador.
Having achieved sunburn, I went back to the ship. We undocked at 11 pm, leaving Guayaquil behind. There are a few places I didn't have time for on this trip that I'd love to visit the next time I am in Ecuador.
We were in this port for five days. For many of our viajeros (voyagers), Guayaquil was merely a jumping off point for other trips. Many people went on trips to the Galapagos Islands and to Quito and Cuenca, the other large cities in Ecuador. Quito is the capital and cultural center of the country, and Cuenca is the center of the Panama hat-making trade. Did you know that most of the Panama hats sold in Panama come from Ecuador?
However, those of us who stayed in Guayaquil had plenty to do, too. I took two organized field trips. One was a city orientation (which is always helpful). First, we went to el Parque del Semenario (also called Iguana Park for the large number of iguanas that live there). Here's a factoid: the collective noun for iguanas is "mess," as in "a mess of iguanas." Those of us who visited this park know just how messy a mess of iguanas can be! After Iguana Park, we drove along the Malecon 2000, and stopped at the monument to Los Liberadores, Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín. (When I went back on the last day in port, there was a ceremony with a military band and the placing of a wreath. We were later told that this ceremony is held every Monday to honor "Ecuador's fallen" from all wars.) I should mention that the only meeting between Bolívar, the liberator of northern South America, and San Martín, the liberator of Peru, Chile, and Argentina, took place in Guayaquil. (Ask Jared for more details about this meeting.)
After viewing the rest of the Malecon from the bus, we drove out to the airport past the cemetery. This particular cemetery has over one million burials in it, all of them in crypts instead of buried in the ground. I've never seen a cemetery so big!
Then, we were taken to a Historic Guayaquil Park, which was very nice. It was arranged in three sections, the first a zoo of local animals, the second contained several historic buildings that had been moved and rebuilt on the site, and the third a botanical garden of plants native to Ecuador.
The other field trip I took was Whale Watching in Salinas, a beach town about 90 miles west of Guayaquil. Now, the first thing I will say is that we should have had sea-sickness medication with us. The description said that we would take motorboats along the coast and follow the whales. The boat we were in was not a motorboat, per se, but was a cruiser that wasn't much bigger. The ocean was a bit choppy, and we felt every wave. Luckily, I didn't get seasick, but several people did. However, we saw whales! We followed a pod of three humpback whales, a mother and calf and a female companion, for about 90 minutes.
After the whale watching, we had dinner on the rooftop of a restaurant called The Amazon, where we had a local dish called ceviche (a very good cold shrimp soup) among other items. Unfortunately, the day was overcast, so we were unable to spend any time on the beach as we had planned.
On the last day in port, a group of us took the shuttle to the Malecon and simply walked along the promenade to enjoy the sites and sounds. To my surprise, there was a book fair being held in the Crystal Palace on the Malecon, which I attended. It was billed as an international book fair, but most of the publications were from Ecuador.
Having achieved sunburn, I went back to the ship. We undocked at 11 pm, leaving Guayaquil behind. There are a few places I didn't have time for on this trip that I'd love to visit the next time I am in Ecuador.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Neptune Day and the Fourth of July
July 3-4 -- At Sea -- On the 3rd, we celebrated Neptune Day. It's an old maritime custom that the first time one crosses the equator, one changes from a polywog to a shellback. There's a ceremony that you go through to commemorate this change (although I have been assured that one becomes a shellback in any case, even if one doesn't kiss a fish!). My Navy-veteran brother-in-law tells me that his crossing involved crawling through fish guts and other offal, and kissing King Neptune's belly. Needless to say, the ceremonies aboard the MV Explorer were modified, and our Neptune ceremonies were slightly abbreviated because of the short time we have between ports. The students went to class all day, and the ceremonies started at 1730 (5:30 p.m.) that evening.
(The fish. Photo by Carol Walker.)
The Executive Dean, John Burkoff, was King Neptune, and Nancy Burkoff, his wife, was Neptune's wife. The Academic Dean, David Gies, was the herald who did all of the talking for the court. There were a bunch of crew, staff and faculty members in King Neptune's court. The polywogs were invited to show their worthiness to become shellbacks by 1) having some green gunk poured over their heads, 2) diving into the swimming pool, 3) kissing a fish (yes, a real, scaly, dead fish), and 4) kissing King Neptune's ring. Then, those who wanted to had their heads shaved. A surprising number of people did this, men and women alike. (Many people got Mohawks rather than a buzzcut. This was a bit of a problem in Ecuador. For some reason, the Mohawk haircut seems to cause a cultural problem in this country, so those who had them were encouraged to get them shaved.)
On July 4th, we also had classes all day. Dinner that evening was a special barbecue on the pool deck. The cooks prepared hamburgers, hot dogs, bbq beef ribs, baked beans, French fries, salads, and other goodies typically eaten at a Fourth of July barbecue. We also had ice cream and cake to celebrate. After the BBQ, we had our logistical preport.
This might be a good time to talk about the food on the ship. It's not 5-star cuisine, but it's not bad, either. At breakfast, we have fried potatoes, eggs in various configurations, a meat, and biscuits and gravy. There are also options for cold and hot cereals, and toast. For lunch and dinner, we generally have salad fixings, potatoes of some sort, a fish dish, a meat dish, and a vegetable or two. There is always a vegetarian option or two, and a soup and sandwich option. The dining room staff is exceptional! Within 3 days of boarding, I didn't have to tell them that I took cream in my coffee; they just added it automatically.
Around 3 am that night, the pilot boarded the ship. When we stopped to allow the pilot to board, the ship underwent some turbulence. I was woken up by a really strong side to side rocking motion, but it only lasted an hour. We were safely docked in Guayaquil, Ecuador at 7am on the 5th, where we welcomed two diplomats from the American consulate here. The American consulate in Guayaquil is one of two U.S. consulates in Latin America and it is the oldest U.S. Consulate in this hemisphere, having been established in the mid-nineteenth century.
(The fish. Photo by Carol Walker.) The Executive Dean, John Burkoff, was King Neptune, and Nancy Burkoff, his wife, was Neptune's wife. The Academic Dean, David Gies, was the herald who did all of the talking for the court. There were a bunch of crew, staff and faculty members in King Neptune's court. The polywogs were invited to show their worthiness to become shellbacks by 1) having some green gunk poured over their heads, 2) diving into the swimming pool, 3) kissing a fish (yes, a real, scaly, dead fish), and 4) kissing King Neptune's ring. Then, those who wanted to had their heads shaved. A surprising number of people did this, men and women alike. (Many people got Mohawks rather than a buzzcut. This was a bit of a problem in Ecuador. For some reason, the Mohawk haircut seems to cause a cultural problem in this country, so those who had them were encouraged to get them shaved.)
On July 4th, we also had classes all day. Dinner that evening was a special barbecue on the pool deck. The cooks prepared hamburgers, hot dogs, bbq beef ribs, baked beans, French fries, salads, and other goodies typically eaten at a Fourth of July barbecue. We also had ice cream and cake to celebrate. After the BBQ, we had our logistical preport.
This might be a good time to talk about the food on the ship. It's not 5-star cuisine, but it's not bad, either. At breakfast, we have fried potatoes, eggs in various configurations, a meat, and biscuits and gravy. There are also options for cold and hot cereals, and toast. For lunch and dinner, we generally have salad fixings, potatoes of some sort, a fish dish, a meat dish, and a vegetable or two. There is always a vegetarian option or two, and a soup and sandwich option. The dining room staff is exceptional! Within 3 days of boarding, I didn't have to tell them that I took cream in my coffee; they just added it automatically.
Around 3 am that night, the pilot boarded the ship. When we stopped to allow the pilot to board, the ship underwent some turbulence. I was woken up by a really strong side to side rocking motion, but it only lasted an hour. We were safely docked in Guayaquil, Ecuador at 7am on the 5th, where we welcomed two diplomats from the American consulate here. The American consulate in Guayaquil is one of two U.S. consulates in Latin America and it is the oldest U.S. Consulate in this hemisphere, having been established in the mid-nineteenth century.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Panamá
June 29-July 2 -- We arrived in Panamá on the morning of June 29. We didn't actually dock. Instead, we anchored in the bay and tendered in for four days. This means we took power boats into shore; the boats are the lifeboats that also serve as transportation in cases such as this. The crew ran tenders from 7am to 1am every day for four days, which is a strenuous job.
(Photo by Ken Mueller)
The biggest problem was the rough seas in this area. When we first arrived in the bay, the ocean currents had the boat rocking pretty hard, more so than we had even on the high seas. This made tendering difficult, because it is hard to line up a platform on a rocking ship with a tender that is also rocking. There was a lot of bouncing involved. Getting out of the boat at the dock was ok, but getting into the tender when leaving the ship and out of it upon return were sometimes very difficult.
I should note that the climate of this country is usually hot and humid. We were told that they have three months of "cool" weather (Nov., Dec., and January), and the rest of the year, it's hot and rains all the time. The environmental sciences professor, José Fuentes, tells us that the central area of Panamá gets the most rainfall of any place on earth. It was quite stormy the day we arrived, and it took from 7am to almost noon to get the people going on the first field trips off the ship and to shore. They had to stop a couple of times because the weather was making it impossible to get onto the tenders. A couple of times (that I saw - I think it happened fairly frequently) the boat got under the tendering platform and bounced the platform into the air on the next wave, along with any passengers and crew that happened to be standing there. Luckily, as far as I know, no one fell into the water.
(Photo by Kerri Gatti)
The most famous feature of Panamá is the Panamá Canal. On my field trips, I visited the Miraflores Locks and the Gatún Locks, and watched ships move through them. Very impressive. I also took a trip to Portobello, which was a Spanish town in the 16th century. This was where the Spanish sent all their gold to wait for the annual treasure ship that took it all back to Spain. Of course, it was attacked many times by pirates and privateers, so there were 3 forts to protect it (not always successfully); we toured two of those forts' remains. Then we went to Colon on the Atlantic coast and boarded the Panamá Railway to go back to Panamá City. This railway is on the same route that the Americans put it in 1914 to help finish the canal and goes over Gatún Lake and through the tropical rainforest as it crosses the Isthmus. It only takes 50 minutes to cross from the Atlantic to Pacific at this spot.
I'm sure most of the students enjoyed the country. A lot of them seem to like to travel independently, and a lot of them travel on the ISE-arranged field trips. They are learning a lot about what it means to be in another country and how to be self-sufficient.
We were told that ships are charged varying rates to go through the canal (the largest ships pay upwards of $230,000 for one transit), which is payable no later than 48 hours before the transit in cash or electronic bank transfer. As you may guess, this generates a lot of income for Panamá. Last year the Canal brought in more than $500 million, but much of it goes to pay down international government debts incurred in the 1940s and 1950s. (This, we were told, is the reason more money doesn't go toward the infrastructure of the country.)
We were also told about the "new canal" which was just approved by national referendum and is planned to be completed by 2014 (the 100th anniversary of the completion of the first Canal). This new construction will add a third set of channels and locks that will be large enough to accommodate the "post-PanaMax" ships, i.e., the ones that will not fit in the current locks. More information about the future of the Canal can be found at the official website www.pancanal.com.
(Photo by Ken Mueller)
However, the Canal, though it is the most lucrative business in Panamá, is not the only business in Panamá. We were informed that Panamá is fast becoming a center of international banking, with 129 banks in Panamá City alone. The business center of the City is full of skyscrapers, right on the beach, and although it is a little smaller, it looks much like Miami from a distance.
We left Panamá on the evening of July 2nd, although when we got up the next morning, we discovered that we hadn't really left. The captain decided to refuel (or bunker) at the last minute, so we sat in the harbor and waited for a fuel ship to deliver and load the fuel. We finally left Panamá about ten a.m. on the 3rd.
(Photo by Ken Mueller)The biggest problem was the rough seas in this area. When we first arrived in the bay, the ocean currents had the boat rocking pretty hard, more so than we had even on the high seas. This made tendering difficult, because it is hard to line up a platform on a rocking ship with a tender that is also rocking. There was a lot of bouncing involved. Getting out of the boat at the dock was ok, but getting into the tender when leaving the ship and out of it upon return were sometimes very difficult.
I should note that the climate of this country is usually hot and humid. We were told that they have three months of "cool" weather (Nov., Dec., and January), and the rest of the year, it's hot and rains all the time. The environmental sciences professor, José Fuentes, tells us that the central area of Panamá gets the most rainfall of any place on earth. It was quite stormy the day we arrived, and it took from 7am to almost noon to get the people going on the first field trips off the ship and to shore. They had to stop a couple of times because the weather was making it impossible to get onto the tenders. A couple of times (that I saw - I think it happened fairly frequently) the boat got under the tendering platform and bounced the platform into the air on the next wave, along with any passengers and crew that happened to be standing there. Luckily, as far as I know, no one fell into the water.
(Photo by Kerri Gatti)The most famous feature of Panamá is the Panamá Canal. On my field trips, I visited the Miraflores Locks and the Gatún Locks, and watched ships move through them. Very impressive. I also took a trip to Portobello, which was a Spanish town in the 16th century. This was where the Spanish sent all their gold to wait for the annual treasure ship that took it all back to Spain. Of course, it was attacked many times by pirates and privateers, so there were 3 forts to protect it (not always successfully); we toured two of those forts' remains. Then we went to Colon on the Atlantic coast and boarded the Panamá Railway to go back to Panamá City. This railway is on the same route that the Americans put it in 1914 to help finish the canal and goes over Gatún Lake and through the tropical rainforest as it crosses the Isthmus. It only takes 50 minutes to cross from the Atlantic to Pacific at this spot.
I'm sure most of the students enjoyed the country. A lot of them seem to like to travel independently, and a lot of them travel on the ISE-arranged field trips. They are learning a lot about what it means to be in another country and how to be self-sufficient.
We were told that ships are charged varying rates to go through the canal (the largest ships pay upwards of $230,000 for one transit), which is payable no later than 48 hours before the transit in cash or electronic bank transfer. As you may guess, this generates a lot of income for Panamá. Last year the Canal brought in more than $500 million, but much of it goes to pay down international government debts incurred in the 1940s and 1950s. (This, we were told, is the reason more money doesn't go toward the infrastructure of the country.)
We were also told about the "new canal" which was just approved by national referendum and is planned to be completed by 2014 (the 100th anniversary of the completion of the first Canal). This new construction will add a third set of channels and locks that will be large enough to accommodate the "post-PanaMax" ships, i.e., the ones that will not fit in the current locks. More information about the future of the Canal can be found at the official website www.pancanal.com.
(Photo by Ken Mueller)However, the Canal, though it is the most lucrative business in Panamá, is not the only business in Panamá. We were informed that Panamá is fast becoming a center of international banking, with 129 banks in Panamá City alone. The business center of the City is full of skyscrapers, right on the beach, and although it is a little smaller, it looks much like Miami from a distance.
We left Panamá on the evening of July 2nd, although when we got up the next morning, we discovered that we hadn't really left. The captain decided to refuel (or bunker) at the last minute, so we sat in the harbor and waited for a fuel ship to deliver and load the fuel. We finally left Panamá about ten a.m. on the 3rd.
On the way to Panama
June 25-28 -- On the high seas, sailing from Acapulco to Panama.
The students finally got into their class schedules, only to be shaken loose when we arrived at Panama City. I'm wondering if they will ever have a chance to set up a schedule of studying for themselves with the ports so close together. I know that we are having trouble setting up a schedule for the work study students in the library for that very reason.
Perhaps I should introduce the dramatis personae in the library. First, there is the assistant librarian, Janna Gies, who is working half time in the library. Janna tells me that she is having a great time, and enjoys working in the library. Our schedule seems to be that she opens the library at 8 am, and I come in about 8:30-8:45. We split the lunch period so we both get a chance to eat, and we do the same at dinner. Then I work parts of the evening, helping the students.
And we have four student workers, Adriana, Ashley, Brandon, and Sabrina. They are work study, and work 3 hours each day. Unfortunately, because of the heavy class schedule that everyone has, none of them can work in the morning, and only one in the afternoon. Everyone else works at night. They are all trained so they can perform basic circulation functions and close the library at night. They can help someone set up their browser for the proxy server. However, I'm doing most of the reference work.
One interesting development is that these particular students seem to have many friends, so the library is hoppin' at night.
The students finally got into their class schedules, only to be shaken loose when we arrived at Panama City. I'm wondering if they will ever have a chance to set up a schedule of studying for themselves with the ports so close together. I know that we are having trouble setting up a schedule for the work study students in the library for that very reason.
Perhaps I should introduce the dramatis personae in the library. First, there is the assistant librarian, Janna Gies, who is working half time in the library. Janna tells me that she is having a great time, and enjoys working in the library. Our schedule seems to be that she opens the library at 8 am, and I come in about 8:30-8:45. We split the lunch period so we both get a chance to eat, and we do the same at dinner. Then I work parts of the evening, helping the students.
And we have four student workers, Adriana, Ashley, Brandon, and Sabrina. They are work study, and work 3 hours each day. Unfortunately, because of the heavy class schedule that everyone has, none of them can work in the morning, and only one in the afternoon. Everyone else works at night. They are all trained so they can perform basic circulation functions and close the library at night. They can help someone set up their browser for the proxy server. However, I'm doing most of the reference work.
One interesting development is that these particular students seem to have many friends, so the library is hoppin' at night.
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