Going Bananas

Nicaragua exports a lot of bananas!  I had a chance to see how it is all done, on an organic scale.  We first saw the nursery where 1 inch high plants are put into individual soft plastic pots of organic soil mixture.  They stay in this covered area with regular misting until they reach approximately 2 feet tall.  Then they are transported to the field and planted about 6 feet apart. 

As the plant matures to a height of about 10 - 15 feet it produces 1 bunch of bananas.  A flower hangs down at the bottom and large "hands" of bananas form along the stem.  If the hands grow too close together, the upper bananas will have dark spots on the skin, so the workers check carefully and put Styrofoam sheets between to protect the bunches and a large white plastic bag covers the whole cluster of fruit.  If there are too many bananas in a bunch, the bananas will be small, so they cut off the growing end when there are approximately 260 bananas forming.  Each plant produces only 1 bunch before it is cut down to about 4 feet.   As the plant dies, 1 or more new plants are nourished from the dying "mother plant."  The cycle of about 14 months repeats itself until the tree is about 20 years old. 

Styrofoam dividers and protective
 bag

When the bananas are ripe enough to ship, a worker with a large machete cuts off the whole bunch and hangs it on a chain which moves it to the processing area.  There the bunches are unwrapped and individual hands are cut off and tossed into a mild soap solution.  They are then cut int smaller hands, inspected and packed for shipping to the United States or Europe.  Bananas that are less than prime are sold as seconds or at a local market.

 Our tour concluded with a light lunch of black bean puree, 2 slices of dried plantain, salsa and plantain chips.  Marimba players accompanies the singers and dancers, all in colorful local costumes.

Costa Rica, Costa Rica

Yes, I meant to say it twice because we visited first the eastern side then the western side of the country.  On the first stop, before the Panama Canal, we had a wonderful guide named Percy.   We rode a small boat along the canals in search of birds and animals.  The animals were hard to see, even when Percy pointed to them with a laser pointer.  In addition to several sloths, we saw green iguanas, small lizards, Blue Herons and boat tailed grackles.

The sloth is upside down in the middle of the picture.

When we met our guide on the Pacific side we were delighted to see Percy again.  He took us into town to visit a church with a larger-than-life nativity scene as an altar background, then into the park across the street where a group of children from the local school performed Costa Rican dances. The four boys all looked to be about 7 and the girls ranged from 5 to 14.  All were dressed in the traditional costumes.  The girls had skirts with yards and yards of fabric which they held out and swished when they danced.  It was all colorful and charming.  To help support the school, the mother sold craft items and held a bake sale.  Sound familiar?  They hand made corn empanadas with a cheese filling, fried on the spot.  Delicious!

The youngest dancer

The Big Ditch

The original French attempt

When the French started to make a canal across the Isthmus of Panama, they planned to excavate a "big ditch" so that ships could travel on flat water from the Atlantic to the Pacific.  Unfortunately, mountains got in the way.  The ditch would have to be quite deep and the sides kept caving in.  When they turned it over to the US, the engineers decided that a series of lochs would be more practical.  The "old" or historic canal, opened in 1914 there were 3 sets of lochs.  The first raised the ship to the level of Lake Gaton, where ships could pass.  The other 2 sets are quite close together and lower the ship to the level of the Pacific Ocean, which is also the level of the Atlantic Ocean.

The "new" Panama Canal runs parallel to the old, but can handle larger ships.  It is expensive to go thru the Canal, with the cost figured on the capacity of the ship in standard units.  The unit used is a shipping container.  You may have seen them stacked up at ports.  They are roughly the size if a semi-trailer.  this establishes the base rate.  Then there is an additional charge for each container on board.  I do not know how they figure passenger ships.  The lowest toll was under $10 for someone who swan through.  A large ship may pay over $1,000,000!

The new canal is on the left

Colon, Panama

We arrived at the northwestern end of the Panama Canal Zone today. Yes, I have my directions right. The Gulf of Mexico side of the Canal Zone is farther west than the Pacific side at Panama City. We have been in Panama before, but that was 37, almost 38, years ago. A lot has changed.

Darrell took a bus tour to Panama City, a little over an hour away.When we were here before, there were no skyscrapers.Now there are more than most cities like New York. The weather here is very warm and exceedingly humid so most of us were very wilted, quite quickly. Even passengers from Phoenix complained of the heat, likely from the high humidity.This climate will be with us for months to come until we reach the Mediterranean in late April. One exception might be a day in Muscat, Oman.

I chose to visit a native Embera village. After a short bus ride we boarded a flat bottom boat for a ride on Lake Gutan, a lake formed by damming the river to provide water to operate the first set of locks on the Panama Canal. I think all 55 inhabitants of the village came out to meet us, dressed in traditional costumes, with music and singing. The skin dye is from a local nut and has no significance, other than decoration. Oh yes, it also keeps the bugs away! This is only a small group of the Embera people. The rest of the tribe lives in the south of Panama, near Colombia. The Embera are one of seven indigenous tribes in Panama. The live much as they always have, hunting and fishing for food. All children must go to school through 9^th grade, but in the larger community, the school is in the villages. The group we met send their children by canoe to catch a school bus. They also have access to cell phones, but usually only the chief has one. As the elected leader he has to represent his people to the government and attend meetings.

The women are skilled basket and bead weavers, and many of the men are carvers. We learned how they lived and saw the handicrafts, but the best part was seeing the children, and there were lots of them!

I wanted to add more pictures of the children, but it takes several minutes for each picture to download, so you will just have to settle for this.

Jamaica, Mon

We had a brief visit to the northern part of Jamaica, docking at the port of Ocho Rios.  Our tour of choice was in 3 parts.  First we went to Dunn’s River Falls, the highest waterfalls in Jamaica, over 700 feet.  This is a very commercial area with lots of food and craft (souvenir) booths, a wedding area (Tie de Knot), a Kiddies Water Park, zip lines and a Tranquility Garden (a large open field with a few tables at the end.)  The falls were not at all what I expected.  I guess I have seen too many waterfalls that actually drop straight down.  This was the cascading type.  People in bathing suits and water shoes were able to climb up in the water to the top.  We watched them and decided that better them than us.

The next part was a botanical garden with a knowledgeable guide.  She identified the plants and gave a brief explanation, then, at each stop, said, ”Take your pictures and we will move on.”  She also told us we were expected to tip her!

The last part of the tour was a shopping stop.  Our bus bypassed the handicraft market and deposited us in front of a row of stores, all with the same merchandise and standard high prices.  Everyone agreed to cut that stop short.

If it sounds as if I was not overly impressed with the tour, you are right.  Perhaps another tour would have been better, but I suspect that another island would have been better.

Splash! Man Overboard!

That is what I did not do when I went kayaking on Cienfuego Bay.  Since there were not enough solo kayaks for all the couples who did not want to take a double kayak, I made the sacrifice and gave up my single person kayak and had to double up with the guide.  He steered and, at least in theory, both of us paddled.  However, I did look back a few times and did not see his paddle going.

Everything looks different from water level.  We saw some of the better houses and had a beak, and a Cuba Libre, at a nice sandy beach.  The weather was perfect with sun and a few clouds.  The wind picked up on the way back, but it was not too bad.

Havana

The best way I can think to describe Havana is to call it a city of faded glory.  At one time, the city had beautiful buildings in many architectural styles from all over the world.  Now, some of them have been restored or maintained, but in the downtown area, there are buildings with vacant window openings, crumbling surfaces and sagging roofs.  Some of it is a result of past hurricanes, but most of the decay is the result of a once wealthy nation suffering hard times.  New modern hotels are side by side with classical beauties and ruins.

Since the American embargo over 60 years ago no automobiles, and very little else, has come into the country.  You see a mixture of some foreign cars I do not recognize, tour busses, ancient looking city busses, trucks, horse carriages, bicycle-like vehicles with a back seat for 2, and lots of cars from the 1930’s to the 1960’s.

I had an interesting day.  Our tour bus, one of 6 from the ship, drove 3 hours on moderately bad roads to get to Havana.  After touring and eating lunch, we rode for another 3 hours to get back to the ship, but now it was dark.  The drivers had to slow down to avoid cattle beside the road.  At rural intersections groups of people waved flashlights, hoping to hitch a ride.  Gas is over $6.00 per gallon and diesel is not much less.  A car costs almost as much as a house.  All transactions are cash, so you do not buy a house and pay for it over 30 years.  You save until you have the entire cost and then find someone who has a house to sell.  You could buy a house from the government, but when you want to sell it, you must sell it back to them for 50% of the purchase price.

Everyone must work or go to jail.  If you cannot find a job you like, the government will find something for you.  Wages are very low, with most people getting paid the same amount, no matter what the job.  On the bright side, education and health care are free for everyone.  The literacy rate is 99.7%.  You do not pay for electricity or utilities.  However, most houses have a rain collection system on the roof because government water is only available during certain hours.  This is a socialist state.

On the other hand, the people we have met are friendly and happy.  People will smile at you on the street.  The largest industry is tourism, and people are happy to be in that sector.  They get the standard government income plus tips from the tourists.  Both our guide yesterday and his wife were guiding groups while her mother took care of their children.  They were able to save enough to buy a house.  Most of the elegant old houses, at least the ones that are intact, have become restaurants or hotels.

It is an interesting country, but I would not want to live here.

Cenfuegos -Pearl of the South

Cienfuegos is located on the south side of Cuba at the end of a long narrow passage, making it a very protected harbor.  The Spanish ships carrying gold and other treasures from Central and South America would meet here to form convoys to travel back to Spain.  Pirates were a problem, so there was strength in numbers.

The founders of the city were either from France or French territory in North America, like New Orleans, so the city has a lot of French architecture with wrought iron balconies and open "porches" which form a continuous walkway to provide shade for walkers.

We were in town on a Sunday, so most of the stores and museums were closed. In the central square (actually a rectangle since they decided to double the size of the original square,) people were sitting on benches using computers and other electronic devices while small children and small dogs played.  Very few private homes have Wi-Fi, so they come to public areas where it is available.  We learned about the beautiful buildings surrounding the square: a theater, the government center, a church, a school and others I have already forgotten.

The streets are laid out in a grid, making it easy to get around.  There are narrow streets , but also broad pedestrian streets where vendors sell their crafts, often made of recycled materials.

We watched the process of making cigars, and of course, were given plenty of time to buy cigars, rum and handicrafts in the government run store.  

Since the United States placed an embargo on trade with Cuba, the vast majority of the cars are from the 50's or 60's.  Most of them are in very good shape.  The engines are repaired with parts from China.

Tomorrow I go to Havana.  It is a 12plus hour trip via motor coach to get there.

Life at Sea

Today is a sea day as we sail from Miami to Cienfuegos, Cuba.  For those of you who may have thought that a sea day could be boring, I will give you a sample of the activities available to us today.

5:00  Walk a Mile with the General Manager
8:00  Run with the Vikings
8:00 - 8:00  The Royal Nordic Hair Ritual
9:00  Stretching Yoga
9:00 - 6;00  Sports Deck Open
9:30  Port Talk:  Cuba
9:30  Beginner's Bridge
10:00  Love the Skin You're In
10:30  Cuevre y Sobrinos Watches Seminar
10:15  Shuffleboard
11:00  Cooking Demonstration - Tortilla Soup and Ceviche Pescado
11:00  Intermediate Bridge
12:15  Team Trivia
2:00  Duplicate Bridge
2:00  Cha-Cha  Class
2:00  Golf
3:15  "Cuba - Colonization, Independence, Revolution"
4:00  Classical Trio
4:00  Afternoon Tea
4:30  "Cuban Architecture"
6:00  Norwegian Melodies
6:15  Captain's Welcome Reception
6:30  Vocal Duo
6:30  Hanukkah: Day 5
7:00 Classical Trio
8:30  Jeweler's Champagne Shopping Event
9:00  Tors Serenade
9:00  Atrium Ivories
9:00  Explorer Serenade
9:15 Captain's Welcome Reception
10:30  Torshaven Dancing
11:00  Atrium Classics

That is not even mentioning meals at the 8 restaurants and the availability of TV, movies, TED Talks which are available 24 hours a day!  I do not think we will be bored.

Most of the 928 passengers are going from Miami to London, but about 350 will get off in L.A. and a different 350 will board.  That is the last "passenger exchange"of the trip.

We have met several crew members who we know from past Viking Ocean Cruises.  It is like old home week.

More from Cuba...

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