Our ship was lined up and ready for our turn in the canal around 6.00 am this morning. Most people aboard have been through the canal many times before so the public rooms up front were not overcrowded. It is however always fun to be on deck and look at the other ship in the canal right next to yours. As it turned out it was another HAL ship so that made it a bit more friendly.
The ship's activities are reduced somewhat today, but not by much, so people can appreciate the passing scenery with a commentary from the bridge announcing anything interesting. We attended our Tai Chi class as usual and then I went to a Techxspert meeting where there is a tech expert who can answer most questions on cameras, tablets, computers etc. I do not envy this fellows job. Us old folks can get a bit muddled with technology and that fact makes alone makes things worse still. Moe and I have continual connection problems and she has been trying to do her email routine at sea and it will just not work. I am trying to help here as best I can. I think she is beginning to realize she will have to adapt to what it is and live with it or it will ruin her trip.
The ship is comfortably quieter today as we slip through this 12 hour journey, much of which is waiting on the lake in the middle of the route of the canal. The ship gave us a slow tour of the new locks and canal being dug parallel to the old canal. When complete it will enable wider ships to get through at a horrendous cost.
Fellette and I will be leaving the ship in two days, Saturday, for five days/four nights as part of our trip to the Galapagos. We get off the ship in Manta, Ecuador and get back on in Lima, Peru. The trip is not all the Galapagos but also includes a visit to a mountain-top village of Quito which is the capital of Ecuador. It is the second highest capital in the world at around 14,000 feet. That fact alone will add to the trip that our escort advised us is 'stressful'.
So, as a result of the Galapagos trip we will miss visiting Manta and have a shortened time in Lima. We arrive back on the ship late at night and the next day is the last day in Lima. There are also people going off-ship to Manchu Picchu as well.
The other night we had for entertainment, an American Olympic Gymnast who won two gold medals at consecutive Olympics some 20 years ago. He now has a great act, part gymnastics, part juggling, and part musical and part comedy. He is a talented young man, only 43 and he was invited to Moe's table tonight, it must have been interesting judging by the body language of the table.
Pics: The canal, obviously and Jim and Gail at their wonderful table and Moe at her table. Guess who is the guest of honour?
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