Dark and Gloomy

November 29th, 2008

We are going through the canal again today but this time in the other direction, and in the rain. I had scoped out the plugs on the promenade deck and also in the crow's nest, but thinking about it I decided that I'd better be under cover, but (because of the rain) NOT under/behind glass like in the Crow's Nest. So I stayed on the promenade deck which is outside, but under cover, and just went from one side to the other at the stern.

They gave us a map of the canal this time which showed the lighthouses, and with that and with the list of lighthouses from the Lighthouse Directory I was pretty much able to keep track of things.

Pacific side Start

Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks

Culebra Cut

Gatun Locks and Lake

Limon Bay

We had a lady commentator this time and she was MUCH better than the guy we had last time. She said it had rained continuously in Panama before our arrival for several days. Around 0600, she started her narration about a large rock, and then Flamenco, Naos and Perico Islands.

Ship next to island

My original plan had been to snag a chair near a plug and plug in the computer and sit there, just getting up for a picture. But there was only one plug and I didn't like the look of it, so I just wandered the deck. I did get two Panama buns - one for Bob - but he wouldn't eat it.

Anyway, Flamenco had the signal station on the top. It is on an island about 5 mi southeast of the Canal entrance. Because of that my photos were taken early in the morning when there wasn't much light.

Pacific Signal Station

When I saw what appeared to be a top of a lighthouse sitting halfway up the hill, I took some pictures but I wasn't really sure whether it was a lighthouse or not because usually lighthouses are at the top of hills and not in the middle.

Lighthouse set in the hill

But it is a lighthouse, built in the 1920s and it is an active lighthouse at that. It has alternating white and red lights, osculating every 5 seconds. The lantern is mounted directly on the face of a steep bluff. It The island is the site of a popular restaurant and marina, is connected to the mainland by the Amador Causeway, but we don't know if there is any public access to the signal station area.

Flamenco Island (Pacific Signal Station)

We were passing Amador where we had gone ashore last time,

and then we came to the Bridge of the Americas which I had not gotten a good picture of before.

Bridge of Americas

There was supposed to be a lighthouse on each side of the west end of the bridge. These were actually the Balboa Range.

Other side of front range marker

Old Balboa Range

New range marker under bridge

I found both lighthouses which were formerly a range - painted black with the new white range markers (Pacific Entrance Range) next to them.

The ship photographer took my photo

At about this time, a Navy ship left the dock and went under the bridge.

Navy ship

not a Navy ship

We also saw a boat practicing for the Pacific to Atlantic race - a four person boat with two people paddling on each side.

Atlantic to Pacific Race practice

About 8:30 we went to breakfast, where one of the specials was Egg Fu Young (i.e. an omelet with bean sprouts etc. in it). We did not order it.

We were going through the Miraflores locks, and after breakfast I got a picture of the black side of the Balboa (Miraflores) Northbound Front light.

White side (previous visit in the sun) and Black side in the rain

The map had a light on each side of the Miraflores Locks, and I have a picture of Northbound Front light, and a picture of the other side lighthouse just visible through the mist.

Northbound Front Light

Lighthouse on north side and on the south side in the fog

We did the single lock at Pedro Miguel. I got some pictures of the locks, and also as we went across the Continental Divide and went by the old swing bridge and the new suspension bridges.

Tug and Range markers by the suspension bridge north of Pedro Miguel

Arrow pointing to lock entrance

We went up to lunch about noon - Bob had the Dutch pea soup (finally - he refused to come up on deck for it on the last transit and it is one of his favorites) and I had the

Bay Shrimp Cocktail

Roast beef

Bob had

Avocado soup

pineapple upside down cake

While we were eating a black lighthouse and a black and white lighthouse went by on the other side of the dining room - it looked as if we could reach out and touch them almost, but I didn't get a picture. I did get a photo after that through the rain spotted glass on our side of the Peña Blanca Northbound Range Lights that I saw last time.

A freighter passes us in Gatun Lake

The guide said that the ranges with crosses were for one size of ship and the ranges with just a line were for a smaller size ship.

Range marker up close

About 1330, I went out onto the deck again and saw two white lighthouses which I assume are a range, and the front light was in the water.

A range?

Then I missed getting a picture of another lighthouse up an arm of the lake, and then there was another range where both white lighthouses were up in the mountains.


In the other direction there were two white triangular easel type items - probably also a range.

Most of the rest of the day we watched on the bow camera, although I did get a distant shot of tapirs playing on the bank.

Tapirs on the bank

I didn't bother to take many of the Gatun Locks but during dinner I tried to find the lighthouse listed on the map, and I think I found it - it was a tower with a light on the top that was on for about 6 seconds and off for about 10. It was at the far end of the west breakwater.

Breakwaters at Limon Bay in the rain

For dinner I had the

Lime marinated scallops

and Bob had the

Spring Roll

Ginger Grilled Chicken

and I don't remember what I had.

Raspberry Sensation Cake

While we were at dinner, I also saw the Limoa Bay West Breakwater light (the red one). I didn't get a good picture of either of them, as it was too dark.

On Nov 30, 2008 we were in
Puerto Limon-Costa Rica

We had to change our clocks back because CR is central time zone, and meet in the theatre at 0650. Some of the tours - like the ones to San Jose where they had a 2.5 hour bus trip going to the city and coming back from the city - had an even earlier departure. Several of the people on that tour left a wake-up call for 0430. Except that the wake-up call software wasn't changed to central time, so everyone was called at 0430 eastern time. Boy were they unhappy.

I changed the computer time, but not my watch or the camera.

I did want to see when we came into Puerto Limón because the Lighthouse Directory said there was a harbor light there, but no description of location. So I was out on deck early to see if I could see it.

Port early in the morning

Eventually, I figured out that the light was in front of the big cranes of the commercial pier next to it.

Harbor light

Harbor light (lighted)

Puerto Limón aid to navigation

Caribbean end of the pier

Vehicles at dockside

End pylon

We had breakfast in the Lido as the dining room wasn't open that early. From the Lido deck, we watched as the line handlers complained that the ship was not giving them the big dock lines, but was sending over wire cable.

Handlers attaching the lines

Looking down on the dock

My excursion ticket

They gave us our stickers early and we walked off the ship

Dock lines

Stern of the ship

Bob lining up for the tour

Port welcome tent

and got onto the bus first and sat in the first seat behind the guide, whose name was Ivan. On the other side were seats for handicapped. It was

a kneeling bus

We drove to the dock. There was a band there

Music

We got onto a covered boat.

Ramp down to the boat

Leaving the dock in our tour boat

Canals from the excursion boat

View of the side of the canal

Tortuguero Canals

Boat landing

small bird

It was cloudy, but did not rain. We did see a few mosquito's, but most of the wildlife we saw was mammals and birds.

Flowering tree

We saw

Howler monkeys

Howler monkey

and a couple of sloths.

Sloth in the trees with green fur

A sloth with brown fur

Green furred sloth

We saw a squirrel but didn't get a photo.

We saw a couple of Jesus Christ lizards lying on branches,

Jesus Christ Lizard

aka Basilisk Lizard

,

bird with the yellow tail (I forget the name)

a Toucan

Night heron

Night Heron

green herons,

Little Blue Heron

a great blue heron and a Gallinule and a cormorant.

Tricolor heron

Egret

Egret

Great Egret

Great Egret

Northern Jacana

Anhinga

Male anhinga drying his wings

The boat pilot went onto land and found a poison arrow frog with a red body and blue feet for us to see.

Stuffed frog on the boat front window

It was called a Blue Jeans Frog

Captured frog on a leaf

We also saw the railroad trestle and while we were there, the little train went across it.

in the distance

Looking across the boat to the railroad line

going under the trestle

Railroad trestle

Jungle Train

Narrow gauge train

Picture taking was not quite as successful today. Either the bird moved before I could get focused, or the camera focused on the branches and the bird was blurred. I got back with about 300 photos (23 of Bobs and the rest mine), and immediately deleted about 65 of them as too bad to use. Then I segregated another 60 as not good enough to show anyone - just good enough to have a record.

Not so good bird picture - Tortuguero

After we finished the boat trip, we had a chance to buy souvenirs, which I did.

Wooden place mats

Wooden Puzzle boxes

Wooden puzzle box

Painted wood Jewelry cases with four drawers

Wooden trivet

I also bought some coffee for various adult children.

Coffee

Then we went to a banana plantation and saw the process there.

Corm at the Base of the plant

Bananas

Banana plants

Cross section of a banana plant stem

bananas growing

Undergrowth

Of course since it was Sunday, none of the machinery was working.

Machinery in the plant

Shipping containers

Spanish rules for workers

fuel tank and the back end of the bus - Puerto Limón

Alternative transporation?

The guide told us not to give money to the kids who were there because they didn't want them skipping school when the cruise ship was in, so we didn't, even when they brought out a pet sloth for us to see.

Sloth as a pet

Then on the way back to the ship, the bus driver stopped at a roadside stand

Roadside flower and butterfly

market from the bus

and bought a cocoa pod

cocoa pod

and showed us the beans,

beans inside the pod

and lady finger bananas.

Lady finger banana

There was also a pod which had a red dye inside that you could paint your face with.

Pods with red dye

Pods

Town from the bus - Puerto Limón

Coming back to the port - Puerto Limón

Shops behind tarps from the bus

Information area on the dock - Puerto Limón

When we got back, we ate lunch in the Lido because the dining room wasn't open.

Lido plate - taking a little of each thing

After Trivia (which we didn't win again),

Deck of the ship

Deck of the ship

I went up to the top deck to look at where there were hammocks - it was an area for teens only. Since there were no teens on board, it was deserted

Teen area with hammocks

People walking back from the shops

Town from the boat with a zoom

We watched the sail-away

Waves crashing on the other side of the dock

Leaving the dock

Leaving the shore at dusk

Port as we left

Sunset over Puerto Limon

We went to dinner in the dining room although the Lido was having a BBQ. I had the

escargot, blueberry soup and

Tagliatelle Nuevo. Bob had the papaya fan with kiwi, the blue berry soup and

cornish game hen, but he had trouble getting the carrots to go down and left dinner before dessert.

The next day our the stop was in at San Andreas Colombia