Cruising through the Panama Canal

The wind is blowing my hair all over my face while I am trying to write about my cruise on the Queen Elizabeth from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale via the Panama Canal. I am sitting on a balcony in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, sailing by the coastline of Colombia, passing the towns and cities of Cartagena, Barranquilla, and Santa Marta before reaching the Guajira Peninsula. This peninsula is split between northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela and is the northernmost peninsula in South America. Every day of our cruise, we get a ship program with information like this from our navigator. It is an adventure but a comfortable one because I am on a beautiful ship with excellent food, exquisite surroundings, and British flair. Every night, I am entertained by different artists or favorite music and can dance the night away. The day is filled with dance classes, exercise, reading a book from the 3000-book library, or relaxing on a deck chair. I am ten days into my 15-day journey, and it has been wonderful. There are people on this ship who have gone around the world.

Unfortunately, I didn't do much writing. I just had too much fun while cruising. Now, several months later, I have to rely on my memory. The highlight of this cruise was going through the Panama Canal, which was on my bucket list. Our speaker was Richard Wainio, who was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the canal and anything else you want to know about Panama. He had many personal stories to tell because he lived and worked as the director of the canal board during the transition from the American to the Panamanian government, which took many years. It was a privilege to transit the Panama Canal after a lifetime of hearing about it. 

We embarked in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, for the day. Even though I only saw it for one day, I got a feeling for the island. We hiked through the jungle, and I had a great conversation with an American who had lived in Costa Rica for many years and owned a botanical garden. 

An earlier stop on our journey was Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. While, there we took a small boat ride through Lovers Beach and Los Arcos, a natural archway. 

How can I describe the Queen Elizabeth? It is sassy, elegant and relaxing. I loved the daily talks, the food, the dress standards, the shows, and the service. I enjoyed mingling with different people from all around the world. I rarely, if ever, get to dress for special events at home, so on this ship, I finally had the opportunity. It was so much fun. I only wish I was a better dancer. I apologize to all the people that I stepped on. However, if you want to relax and unwind, this is the perfect way to do it. I fell in love with cruising, and I am fortunate that I am about to embark on another cruise on this beautiful boat. Stay tuned.