Matthew February 6th 2011
At Sea
Today we were at kids club most of the day. In the morning we had Wii playtime and some wall art to do. Following that we played trivia and we went for a scavenger hunt. For the scavenger hunt we had to ask certain people if they had seen certain places. For example asking if the person had seen Mount Everest, or perhaps the Northern lights. We won of course with a win at the last second. Throughout the rest of the day we didn’t do much mostly Monopoly. Actually we haven’t even finished monopoly so we will be playing tomorrow.
Matthew February 7th 2011
At Sea
Today we were at kids club most of the day once again. In the morning we played Wii, Apples 2 Apples (our new game of the day). Apples 2 Apples is a game where you have one subject card and everyone has to put down a word card that is close to the subject word to win. The judge chooses the closest card and the judge changes every turn.
In the afternoon we played tennis, and we had some wonderful ice cream on the Lido Deck.
Matthew February 8th 2011
Guatemala
Today we ported in Guatemala. We ported at around 8:00 A.M. and we got off the ship at around 9:00 A.M. The first thing we thought was how hot it was. It was sweltering. And that was only in the morning.
The second thing I noticed was how nice it was there. It was sunny, there were palm trees everywhere, and there were little buildings everywhere. Most of them were made of bamboo, but some were made of cement, but more importantly, air conditioned.
We went into a little jade museum where there were several kinds of jade. One of the workers there talked to us all about how there are like 20 different kinds of jade, ranging from bright red jade, to completely black jade.
He continued talking to us for about 20 minutes (about 10 minutes was spent with my dad talking about some kind of energy inside jade and then we watched a short movie about jade.
This short movie was all about a person name Mary Loo who discovered quarries of jade in Guatemala where the Mayans lived. It talked about how they use to carve jade for their kings with special precision and special tools. It also talked about how they shipped jade all over their empire so that they could make statues to honour their gods.
Matthew February 9th 2011
Nicaragua
Today we ported in Nicaragua. We started walking through the port fenced area until we came to a gate to go into the main part of the city. There we started going through the streets, (which were crowded and pretty dirty) and started wandering. Our intention was to go to the beach, but it seemed that it was quite a ways there so we tried to ask directions, but of course they weren’t very good ones. We accidentally picked up a “tour guide” named Callo who followed us around and put us on the right path to the beach. As we walked, we saw more and more poverty everywhere. There houses were made of pieces of scrap metal, and their floors were dirt. In fact someone told us that there were 300 children living in the garbage dump.
We finally made it to the beach at around 1 o’clock and we were just in time to watch a game of Nicaraguan style soccer. The players were all ages below about thirteen, and they wore just socks for protection against the blazing hot sand. Not to mention that it was sweltering hot outside.
After that we started heading back to the ship. We had a bit of a conversation with Callo. He said that he lived with his grandmother and that his mother was dead, and he didn’t know where his father was. I thought this was sad but then he told us that this was common in Nicaragua.
After a bit we passed a pool playing shop, and Callo played my dad in a game of pool. He won, and you could tell he was a good pool player.
Callo continued to show us the way to the ship and we made it to the gates, luckily without dying in the heat. He said goodbye, but we stopped him before he could go and my dad gave him 10 dollars. He called us good people and told me not to forget to email him on March 5, the day I get back from this trip. That was the last we saw him.
Matthew February 10th 2011
At Sea
We were at kids club most of the day today. We made a volcano, out of paper masher. We also played Pictionary, and we played some tennis, as well as having ice cream, and playing Xbox.
Today was basically a usual sea day (except for making a volcano)
(Oh and I think Erik cheated in Monopoly tonight because he won again).
Matthew February 11th 2011
Panama
Today we docked outside Fuerte Amador, Panama, right where the Panama Canal is. We set down anchor at around 8:00 A.M. We then took a tender 11:30 A.M. and we walked around the marina for a bit. We kept trying to get to an aquarium or local fish in Panama that someone on the cruise had told us about.
We finally asked someone who spoke English and he told us it was a mile away from us. So we walked a mile, but after that we still couldn’t find it. So we asked another person who pointed us into a weird side street. But none the less we found the aquarium.
I found the aquarium quite strange to start with. First of all the aquarium was situated on a “use to be island” and there were hardly any buildings on it. There were mostly weird domes with small swimming pools for sea creatures.
The other thing I didn’t like about was that most (if not all) the sea creatures we saw there, were ones that I had seen before, and they were not very special.
Even with all those odds against the aquarium, I still think it was pretty cool to go to an aquarium in Panama.
After that we exited the aquarium and we kept going on our way, trying to find a taxi who could take us to the big Canal. We kept walking and walking, until suddenly we got caught in a huge downpour which got us completely drenched. Being drenched could have been a nice thing if we had been outside in the heat, but no we found a taxi and the driver put the air conditioning full blast. In other words we were freezing to death in a country that is really hot all year round.
We arrived at the Canal Museum (its right beside the Canal) about an hour later. We bought four tickets (even though our tickets kept blowing away in the wind and we almost lost them) and we went inside.
The museum was marvellous. It had a theatre, a mini museum, a restaurant, and even a view of the Panama Canal. The first thing we did was have a look at the Panama Canal.
The first thing I thought was how small it was. It was really narrow. I was starting to wonder how boats could fit through until I saw a big cargo ship go through. Now that was amazing.
The second thing I thought was how slow the boats were going. In most animations and movies they show the boats in the Panama Canal going super fast. But not here.
After that, we spent some time in the theatre and the mini museum, and then they were closing the museum. We took a ride back to the ship and we got back on.
After a day like today, I think I’ve learned a lot about Panama.
Matthew February 12th 2011
Panama
Today we decided not to go to shore back to Panama, and instead we decided to take pictures of the city. Fuerte Amador has beautiful sky scrapers, and it is packed with tones of ships 24/7.
The only thing I hope of today is that the pictures turn out.
After that we went to kids club for the rest of the day. Today was the first day I had lunch with Club Hal, and to be honest, I don’t think it was that much different from usual lunch with my family.
Matthew February 13th 2011
At Sea
As usual on a sea day we went kids club. Most of the day was spent playing Wii and board games, but there was one other exciting thing we did today. We got to play EGG-BERT. In EGG-BERT you get an egg and you cover it all up so that it won’t break when you drop it. Joel and I did really well but Joel’s egg won in the end. But it was all fun that’s the way I see it (or see it now).
Matthew February 14th 2011
At Sea (Valentine’s Day)
Today was Valentine’s Day. So for that in kids club we got to go on a scavenger hunt, we made Valentines cards to give to random people. It was pretty fun, an unusual, but still fun.
Matthew February 15th 2011
Trujillo, Peru
Today we were supposed to dock in Trujillo at 7:30A.M. but instead but instead we didn’t dock until around 9:30 A.M. This annoyed a bunch of people because they were supposed to be on tours at 7:30. But I guess that captain was really happy we docked at all because about 15 minutes after docking the captain said on the speakers that cars had put their headlights on, on the dock to guide us to shore. I thought that was hilarious, but I guess not many other people did.
We decided not to get off the boat right away, and to instead just relax and eat breakfast. And believe me, I had a big breakfast. In fact I ate more than my dad, and I don’t think that has ever happened before.
Finally at around 10 o’clock we got off the ship and we went on to shore. The first thing I noticed was that the whole ground was covered with bird poop. I thought this was quite strange, until of course I saw a giant flock of seagulls pass above me.
We tried to find a taxi but there was only one and he was charging outrageous money so we kept walking, but there was nobody in site. We walked on with a bunch of other people who had the same problem.
Suddenly a car pulled up. He just happened to be a taxi driver. Unfortunately then there were about 20 people surrounding this one taxi driver?
Luckily for some reason he took us in his taxi. Now that was a lot of luck.
He took us to two ruins. The first was the temple of the sun and moon made by the Moche people. I don’t even know why they advertise the temple of the sun, because it isn’t even excavated, and it’s completely covered in rock. I thought this part was a big scam.
But the rest of it (the temple of the moon) was fantastic. They had amazing drawings on the wall. It had tones of mud bricks all piles up super high.
One thing I thought was kind of cool was that the Moche people actually had 5 temples in one. The first temple was pretty small. But then the second temple was a bit bigger but was on top of the first. Then the third temple was built on top of the second and first. And so on and so on until there were 5 temples on top of each other.
After viewing this wonderful temple, we continued on in our taxi to the ruins of Chanchan. The ruins of Chanchan were pretty good, but not as good as the first ruin we saw. There really was not much to see. Just walls upon walls of mud walls. On top of that lots of the stuff was replicas because the old stuff had been washed away. To make a story short we quickly realized that it wasn’t worth it to be here and we headed back to the ship quite briskly.
Matthew February 16th 2011
Lima, Peru
Today we docked in Lima, Peru and we decided not to go out and explore, and to instead, just rest. So we went up to kids club. At kids club we had lunch played Wii, played board games etc.
Afternoon kids club ended at 4:00 P.M. Our parents had to get us, and when my dad came he told us there was something amazing on the docks. So we followed him off the gangway and went into the street. At first I didn’t think the stuff was really amazing until we came to one stall. There was a tone of hats that I really liked. And they were really cheap too. When I would usually pay 30 dollars in Canada, these hats were only 8 dollars, which was a really good deal.
Even my brother liked this store because it had some bears that were made out of alpaca fur. He bought one, and that sent him through the roof for the rest of the day. All he talked about was his little bear. Actually his little Toughy, which was the name he gave to the bear. I don’t know why he picked this name, but he liked it, so that’s that.
Matthew February 17th 2011
Lima, Peru
Today we decided to go off shore a little farther, and we decided to go to the gold museum. We took free shuttle into town a bit, and then we took a taxi to the gold museum.
The first thing I thought was how different it was. On the top it was an arms museum, and in the basement it was the gold museum. It was amazing. They probably had about 2-3 thousand guns, and about 50 different sets of armour, from many nations around the world. They also had cannons swords, spears, etc. It was a really unique museum to see.
After a quick break to cool down (it was sweltering there) we hurried down to the gold museum. Parts of the museum were amazing, and other parts were just creepy. For example they had about ten different skeletons around all the corners. And yet in other parts they had pottery and dresses made of gold. It was incredible.
This museum made my day, and I hope that I will remember it for many years to come.
Matthew February 18th 2011
Lima, Peru
Today my brother and I didn’t do much on port once again, just like our first day in Lima. We mostly stayed on the ship and walked around, rested, went to kids club, stuff like that. But our parents were out on dock again. They bought earrings, cool sculptures, and stuff like that. I thought they were pretty cool, and I really hope they don’t get broken on our way back home in the airplane.
Matthew February 19th 2011
At Sea
Today our captain’s contract expired so we got a new one and we were at sea all day. So as usual we went to kids club. We played Monopoly again, and once again Eric cheated. The rest of the day went as usual except for dinner. We had dinner reserve with a couple who had I Pad’s. Well those were pretty cool and amazing. After dinner I tried to convince my mom to buy some for us, but I don’t think I’ve got here around to it yet. Well too bad for me I guess.
Matthew February 20th 2011
Guayaquil, Ecuador
This day was a day for my dad. My dad is always going on about how lizards are going to eat us. Well today, we saw iguanas, and guess what, they didn’t eat us. And guess what else. Iguanas are vegetarians. I thought it seemed weird that lizards would be vegetarians, but I guess Iguanas are a special kind of lizard. We took a shuttle to the park where we saw the iguanas.
Following that we walked to a big shopping mall that was all underground. There I bought a tone of stuff for a third of the price we would pay in Canada. It was great. Unfortunately, half way through our trip through the mall I had to go to the bathroom. And let me tell you, that was an experience. First of all there were barely any symbols showing which bathroom was male, and which was female. In fact there was just this tiny Aztec symbol trying to point us in the right direction, and believe me, that didn’t help. Second of all, the bathrooms were disgusting and creepy. The walls were rotting, the smell was horrible, and the people in there, looked like they were criminals. I don’t think they were, but just by their appearance, I wasn’t staying in there long.
Shortly after that we got back in the mall and traced our tracks back to the shuttle buses, which took us back to the ship.
Matthew February 21th 2011
Manta, Ecuador
Today we docked in Manta Ecuador. I learned today that Panama hats have to be made in Manta to actually be called Panama hats, because the originals weren’t made in Panama, they were made in Manta. Then they are imported to Panama.
Today I was hoping for a little different experience than yesterday. Well I got it. It was extremely hot in Manta today, probably twice as hot as Guayaquil. But at least on our walk to the market there was a breeze from the ocean. When we got to the market it was crowded and burning hot. We bought a few items and then we were ready to leave. That’s when my dad had a “great” idea to buy a Panama hat. Well that that took forever and then of course my Mom and brother had to get one as well.
To make a story short we took way longer in the market than I wanted too, I when we got back to the ship, the air conditioning felt like heaven.
That evening we went to Kids club and we played bingo. Somehow I managed to win all the games of bingo and so I won a bunch of prizes which was pretty awesome.
