Thanksgiving at Sea

Ten years ago today we were spending our Thanksgiving in a different way.  We were somewhere between Guatemala and Mexico on a cruise ship.  We'd taken a Panama Canal Cruise at just this time.

If you want a truly over-the-top delicious food blowout, a Thanksgiving cruise is THE way to have it.  See our menu for the day?  We could have any and all we wanted.  That was only dinner;

  breakfast and lunch were amazing too.  

And that night there was a late dessert extravaganza.  Oh my...

After our great meal.

Travel Trinket: Guatemala Jade

After our cruise left Nicaragua, we headed next for Guatemala.  For our excursion we boarded a bus for a long ride to Lake Atitlan.  As the bus came down the hill towards the lake, the vendors came running after it.  I thought the Maasai ladies were aggressive sales people... they are lightweights compared to the Mayan ladies!

I love bargaining, so I watched carefully as they thronged around the first bus.

There was definitely a feeling of desperation that I did not feel with the Maasai.  Maybe it was the fact there were WAY more vendors competing for each tourist's attention.

They definitely fought to get your attention.  But I noticed they did not actually go as far as touching/grabbing the shoppers... which is a good thing.

So I jumped into the thick of it.  

As soon as I saw this necklace, I knew I found 'it'.

Green and purple... my favorite colors.

Our guide later told me that the pendant was Guatemalan jade.

Linked at:

https://nihongojapango.wordpress.com/2015/12/10/rugby-santa-trinkets-and-memories-28/ 

Travel Trinket: Panama Canal

Seven years ago this month, Himself and I were cruising along in the Panama Canal.  It was a straight through trip, unfortunately with no excursions.  So how does one get a travel trinket when there is no place to get one?

You make it!

One of the activities the ship offered was a time to make a poster and at a certain lock the ship's photographers would take photos of passengers and their poster.

Of course I was all about that!

The above photograph is our travel trinket of our trip through the canal.  

Isn't the frame I found at TJ Maxx just perfect for it?  I love how it lines up the photo with the canal on the world map.

Linked at:

https://nihongojapango.wordpress.com/2015/11/05/wall-hanging-trinket-and-memories-23/

Travel Theme: Feet

Every so often you find yourself in a place where having nothing to do is a wonderful gift.

There is nothing on the horizon.

So what's to do?

Just kick off your shoes a bit...

... and look up at the sky.

Let the wind tickle your toes.

And tickle the toes of someone you love.

A perfect afternoon.

http://wheresmybackpack.com/2015/08/28/travel-theme-feet/

Sailing Against The Wind

Last week we had some thunderstorms roll through the area.  It was much stronger just across the border in Kentucky but we got some very decent winds and a bit of rain.

As I brought in some things from outside, I started thinking about a time we were in even stronger winds... like 50 MPH winds!

It was during our Panama Canal cruise in '08.  As we were coming up the Pacific side a warning was issued about the wind and being up on the deck.

So of course we went up to check it out!

The wind was so strong it was ripping the tops off the waves and lifting the resulting mist high up into the air.  So high that it was making rainbows everywhere!

The chopping sea was breaking against the ship and it really gave us a buffeting.  Up at the top of the photo you can see the 'mist' coming up.  That mist is called "spindrift".  

The deck hands were securing loose things like deck chairs as fast as they could.

And a net was put over the swimming pools to break the waves caused by the lurching ship.

Himself had to brace to be able to stand in it!

He nearly lost his glasses too.

I enjoyed having it blow directly into my face.  Kinda like the feeling of riding on a motorcycle... but no bugs!

This little girl was having a blast running into the wind.  It would actually lift her a tiny bit.

If you're wondering how high those spindrifts came up the boat, here is a picture of sea salt on the rail.  We were 10 stories up from the water line.

That's some wind!

http://wheresmybackpack.com/2015/07/31/travel-theme-wind/

Mayan Vendor

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala  

November 2008

One of the many Maya ladies who sold souvenirs to the tourists.  The cloth is traditional to their culture.

Windows and Doors To The World

When we travel I find myself taking photos of windows and doorways.  Something so common that it is truly everywhere… yet so different from culture to culture.

The world starts at home, and so I will start at our home...

 

 

 

Although the windows are just ‘plain old windows’ the view is fantastic.

 

 

And our front door is rather unique. 

 

SCOTLAND

 

 

Looking thru a church window on the island of Colonsay. 

 

 

The doorway at Eilean Donan Castle.  To me, this is what a castle door should look like!

 

 

CANADA

 

Windows of so many different shapes in the Parliament building in Victoria, British Columbia. 

 

 

The balcony door at our Victoria hotel gave us the view of the harbor.  What a neat sight to wake up to!

 

 

MEXICO

 

A window in one of the beautiful church in Celaya. 

 

 

In Guanajuato, there were many fabulous balconies.  The details were amazing.  Terra cotta works, wrought iron, pots of flowers. 

 

 

ETHIOPIA

 

Windows are a more basic affair in Debre Zeit.  A simple framed opening with bars to keep out thieves.

 

 

Doors were simple too, even on this large church. 

 

 

 

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

 

Dubai is considered one of the most modern and luxurious cities in the world… yet the apartment buildings had laundry hanging out of the windows. 

 

 

And the shops have common doors. 

 

 

GUATEMALA

 

This simple shack has one plain door and one plain window…

 

 

… while this cantina down the road has an ornate door and windows.

 

 

NICARAGUA

 

Homes and businesses seemed to still be recovering from years of war.  Windows were plain and barred. 

 

 

Except in the colonial buildings, which, like this balcony door, still had the grandness of a different time.

 

 

COLUMBIA

 

More balconies with the lovely windows looking out onto the streets.

 

 

This tiny door is part of the old fort in Cartagena. 

 

 

COSTA RICA

 

Bars on windows and doors are the norm here.

 

 

 

 

PANAMA CANAL

 

The looking out the windows of this building at one of the canal locks must be fascinating.  Truly a global thoroughfare with ships from all over the world going back and forth.

 

 

The balcony doors in our cabin on our Panama Canal cruise. 

 

 

KENYA

 

What a view to wake up to!  Cape buffalo outside our lodge window on the Masai Mara.  At night we could hear lions roar. 

 

 

The doorway into a traditional hut near Lake Victoria. 

 

 

So many windows and doorways… all different, yet all the same.  Because behind each on is a family with hopes and dreams.

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.52photosproject.com/ 

 

 

http://www.ishouldbefoldinglaundry.com/