The ship landed in Corinto, Nicaragua, at 7 AM and an early morning shore excursion meant an early breakfast. The ship was met with a live band and much fanfare.

The bus departed for colonial Leon and the oldest botanical garden in Central America. The 12 hectare garden hosts over 1200 plant species and 80 species of birds, all of which are representative of a tropical dry forest. The one hour tour allowed visitors to walk around the garden on their own, and while there were some birds and butterflies, the Pacific breeze and poor choice of camera lens resulted in a poor photo shoot. 

Old Leon has retained its colonial architecture of one-story houses with tile and wooden roofs. The tour included a visit to Leon’central Park, common to most Spanish colonial cities and towns, bordered by the La Asunción Basilica and Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and various markets. Icy cold Victoria beer, a Nicaraguan beer, was sold at one of the sidewalk cafes and beckoned me to taste.

The return trip to the ship passed some of the 40-mile line of volcanoes along Nicaragua’s Pacific coast; two are currently active and gasses billowing from their tops were easily visible.

According to the guide, a former Sandinista rebel, Nicaragua has a very high literacy rate. There are some 100,00 autos, trucks, etc. in the country versus over 300,000 motorcycles. There were many small horse/pony drawn carts using the roadways. Nicaragua has a heavy dependency on Venezuela for its existence, but China is now investing very heavily in the country to take advantage of the country’s resources. A hybrid “democracy” is the current form of governance, though the country is now trying to emulate China with consolidation of power among all elements of government.

The ship was relatively quiet as many of the passengers were watching the Super Bowl, and no shows were being presented. We did listen to “Leo”, our favorite entertainer on the ship.

Haze shrouded the landscape as the Norwegian Gem slowly sailed into the shallow port of Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, this Central American country’s largest ocean port. Guatemala was the first country to produce chocolate, is the jade capital of the world, and the origin of the Mayan culture. There are many volcanoes in Guatemala, and were visible from the shoreline as we sailed into harbor. 

The smell of burning garbage slowly encapsulated the ship, common to all the third world countries In which I’ve been. The pier at which the ship docked was in an industrial port with no evidence of shops, stores, gardens, etc., only shipping related industry. We were bussed to a gated area just outside the port’s boundaries filled with shops selling hand-weaved goods, chocolate, and jade. I looked hard for birds and butterflies, but was rewarded only with a few lizards! Kay shopped, but only bought a handmade water bottle holder.

NOTE: We did not book any excursions in Guatemala because of safety and security concerns, especially for Americans. The more we travel abroad, the smaller the world becomes, a “global view” comes into focus, and the significance of other countries, particularly industrialized nations, comes into play compared to the relevance of the US related to world matters.

A day at sea provided a much needed break from shore activities. Kay was up early, dressed, and headed for the pool deck to “reserve “ a couple of lounges in the shade. She had had two cups of coffee and was eating breakfast on the aft deck where I joined her after filling an insulated cup with strong coffee, followed by a lite breakfast of mueslis and dried fruit. The warm breeze was refreshing—nothing like having coffee and breakfast outside.

Changing into swimsuits and armed with beach towels, we found the two prime “reserved” chaise lounges in a shaded area close to poolside filled with Pacific breezes. Reading and soaking in the hot tub filled our morning before a lite lunch, and then, nap time!

We joined a couple from Dallas, Don and Marianne, for dinner and visiting about trips, birds, butterflies, etc. The featured show tonight was Carole’s Kings, good but not up to their performance earlier in the week. Interestingly, each of the three young men had performed on Broadway. After dinner, we joined a crowded lounge for drinks and listening to Leo Jostol, a very talented singer and guitar player. He does everything from oldie goldies to jazz, and has attracted quite a following on this cruise.

We have met some very interesting people this past week. Americans are definitely in the minority, and there are few young people and even fewer children—the average age is reportedly 64 years. The largest segment of the cruise population is comprised of Asians, followed by Canadians, the US, UK, other Europeans, and Aussies.  The vast majority of passengers have beverage packages and can really consume the alcohol; we don’t hold a candle. One must be patient as there are lots of lines, sauntering in the food and beverage lines, stopping and talking in doorways, aisles, and stair landings, abruptly stopping in the dining areas, etc. Kay makes sure the filter between my brain and mouth is in place before coming into contact with people! And, it’s quite loud and noisy—old people can’t hear.