Day 6 of Cruise on Carnival Triumph - Limon, Costa Rica

Aloha Everyone,

Today we arrived to rainy Limon, Costa Rica.

Before disembarking from the Carnival Triumph, we decided to have breakfast in the Paris Restaurant. There we met a couple of interesting people including Brenda and Johnny from Houston. They are both retired from Continental Airlines.

J.J. and I decided to go on a private tour, not affiliated with the cruise ship.

There were a total of nine us who were led by Willie, our driver. Willie was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and entertaining.  He was born and raised in Limon and mainly credits his parents who worked for an American company for his ability to speak English.

Here are some of the sights we were able to take in during our 3 hours tour.

Iguana trying to cross the road

Paprika tree

Dole Banana Plantation

View from the high point

Private beach club

Cashew and Cacao

Street Vendors:

Sloths resting in tree branches

Aloha -- Cathi

Day 5 of Cruise on Carnival Triumph - On Board Activities

Aloha Everyone,

The average age of passenger on this cruise seem to be in their mid-60's. Therefore on board activities being offered are catered to people who prefer to do more sitting and less moving. Looking at today's activity list, there is bingo, trivia contest, bean bag toss contest, bridge (card game), poker, art and jewelry auction, hair consultation, teeth whitening and karaoke.

There are also all day long dining and musical entertainment. Some prefer to spend their sea days drinking and gambling.

J.J. and I try to get our exercise by walking on the promenade deck. I also walk up and down the stairs to get additional work out.

This afternoon, I attended a lecture titled, "The Real Robinson Crusoe" by Dave Drummond.

Linda was gently carrying a large balloon cake with candle on top. I immediately recognized Michael Crayon's handiwork and asked what was her special occasion. It turn out today's Linda's birthday. From Ontario, Canada, she and her husband, Bud are taking 6 back-to-back cruises lasting 2 months.

We are having a great time on our cruise.

Aloha -- Cathi

Day 4 of Cruise on Carnival Triumph - Grand Cayman

Aloha Everyone,

Today we arrived at the Grand Cayman.  But before starting on our adventure, we had a nice breakfast on board ship. Here is the wonderful group of people who comprised our breakfast party.  

Don and Pat, married for 54 years, are from Arkansas.

Alivia and Paul who gave us information about RVing including staying at the Corp of Engineers properties were from Texas.

Irene originally from England now resides in Vancouver 

We rode on a tender to the shore of Grand Cayman.

There were a total of five cruise ships in port with passengers all rushing to find their pre-booked tours. 

J.J. and I decided to do our own tours. First we found an operator who would take a group of us to the "Seven Miles Beach". The round trip ride was $8 per person. To enter the private beach club to access one of the best white sandy beaches was $2 per person. The beach is beautiful but too hot and too many people. It was not to our liking.

Our attempts to find an island driver brought us to a group of six from Montreal, Canada. Two brothers, their wives and a daughter plus a friend made our island tour very enjoyable and memorable.

Originally from Algeria, the group conversed freely mixing French, Arabic and English. The older brother has been to many parts of the world negotiating purchased of machinery. Highly intelligent and educated he freely shared information and his travel experiences.

No photos of the group was taken in deference to their culture.

Our island tour which lasted a total of 3 hours would have cost us at least $99.99 per person through Carnival.   We paid a total of $56 for the two of us and perhaps we were able to get more up close and personal look of the island. By the way for those of you who are familiar with  Asia, and many parts of the island reminded us the Philippines.

Dolphins push activity

Old lava flow in Hell

Sights around the city

Upon returning back to the Carnival Triumph, we had an early dinner in London Dining Room.

We joined two wonderful couples. Rex and Judith, from Winnie, Texas, also known as "The Tomato People" because they grow tomatoes.

Bruce and Sharon are originally from Minnesota but have been a long-time residents of Phoenix, Arizona.

Aloha -- Cathi