Last of the Latin

Time: 2:35pm

Location: at sea on the way from Puerto Vallarta to Los Angeles

Weather: sunny, 28C

Back to the last month and a bit on the Island, which seems like ages ago compared to now. In the end I was actually really sad to be leaving just as I was finally getting to know people. Maybe it's because I'm still relatively new to ships but I would say it takes a good month or more when you join a brand new ship to get your bearings and figure out what everyone does. 

One of the highlights of my last cruise there was of course Halloween. I've never gone crazy with costumes for Halloween even as a kid, but I still muddled over what I was going to be seeing as it's a pretty big thing on ships. The one chance I had to buy something in Fort Lauderdale I chose to go to the beach just so I could say I've actually been to somewhere other than a store in Florida. 

So in the end I settled to be a cat with some borrowed some cat ears and drawn whiskers, much tamer than some of the other amazing figures seen at the party that night.

I only got one opportunity to go out into both Cartagena, Colombia and Aruba but it was enough that now I can say I have been to South America and checked off another island in the Caribbean! Cartagena Old Town was very colourful with its cobblestone streets and colonial architecture. In the little time we had, my friend Holly and I managed to powerwalk through the major sights with a quick drink stop as well.  For someone who doesn't have the sharp eyes for architecture, at some point you realize all of these colonial towns are very similar and they start to blend into one another. What I do remember well though is that Cartagena wins for the most awesome terminal I have seen so far. There is an aviary right as you walk away from the ship complete with flamingos, macaws, toucans... even red squirrels and monkeys. The only thing missing is free WiFi but that's unheard of at any of these places.  

Aruba was just as gorgeous as everybody had told me with its turquoise waters melding with white sand beaches. The one thing that surprised me was how arid it was. The island is essentially a desert with cacti growing everywhere, very different from the tropical lush jungles that typically comes to mind. I went on a very interesting 4WD Jeep tour that zipped us all over the major sights of the island, including directly on the sand at times. 

To me, Puntarenas, Costa Rica and San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua were again two very similar places, albeit I only went out in the latter once. In contrast to Aruba, both were full of green green jungles and volcanoes. Sadly I also saw a lot of poverty, passing by houses that looked very makeshift with pieces of tin. The friendly waves you received were very heartening as you witness how happy you can still be with not having much at all. 

From a rainforest arial tram to river cruise to train, I somehow managed to go on all methods of transportation in Puntarenas. 

In San Juan Del Sur, I was lucky to go on a comprehensive tour that brought us to Lake Nicaragua, a hike around the Mombacho volcano crater, and a very quick lunch stop in Granada, another beautiful UNESCO colonial city. And guess what, it involved another 4WD ride, this time on the back of a converted truck up some 40% grade roads, some of the steepest in Nicaragua. 

My last port in Puerto Vallarta was spent blissfully with a trolley tour of the city centre, multiple tequila tastings, Maraichi show and of course beach. As developed for tourism as Puerto Vallarta is, surprisingly I actually found it the most laid back in terms of touts on the street trying to sell you things. The Sierre Madre mountains meet the Pacific Ocean just like they do back home and it's easy to see why so many Americans and Canadians flock here to take residence for a part of the year.