Kings on the Road

Copper Canyon

Posted on March 31, 2024 by Kings On the Road

Copper Canyon has been called Mexico’s Grand Canyon. Its been on our list for some time so when we learned of a Gate 1 Travel tour, we booked the October 11, 2023 tour. We planned to combine this trip with an RV trip to Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. After some health issues over the Summer we were ready to travel in late September.

Our tour participants gathered at the Doubletree Hotel in Tucson Arizona. The group totaled 30 people led by Manuel Jurado, a native of Chihuahua state in Mexico. His English was good and his knowledge incredible. The first day was a long bus ride crossing the border at Palomas with lunch there at the Pink Store, a place we had visited many times. At Casas Grandes, Chihuahua we visited the Pacquime Archeological Site, a UNESCO world heritage site. These Mogollon people developed fine pottery skills without the use of a wheel. This tradition is carried on today in the village of Mata Ortiz. We experienced a demonstration of these skills with a local family. The ruins of this major trading center have been somewhat excavated to reveal a large city. Their trade network extended north to Chaco Canyon in present day New Mexico, south to Guatemala and to the Pacific and Gulf coasts.

At Cuauhtemoc Chihuahua the next day we learned of the 3 cultures in this part of Mexico. They are the Mexicans of course, the Mennonite and the Tarahumara. The Mennonites immigrated from Canada when they were given land, an exemption from military duty and from swearing allegiance to the country. This was an opportunity to raise the standard of living with improved farming techniques. This region is one of the largest apple growing regions in North America. Today more than 100,000 Mennonites still live in Mexico. The Tarahumara are the second largest indigenous group in North America. Today more than 60,000 still live in mostly in primitive conditions. Their real name is Raramuri meaning foot runners. They are famous for running down deer and other prey barefoot in the mountains.

Raramuri family near their home on Copper Canyon

Barrancas del Cobre is the Mexican name for Copper Canyon. Our Hotel Mirador sat on the rim of the canyon with balcony rooms overlooking sunrise and beautiful sunsets. We discovered a large assortment of hummingbird species on the patio. The next day we rode an aerial tram into the canyon for more great views and a number of indigenous craft vendors. The people were all nice and friendly.

The Sierra Tarahumaa (Copper Canyons) are are the highest and most rugged sections of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains. 25000 square miles of these mountains are designated by the Mexican government as a natural park. The centerpiece of our tour was the train ride through these Copper Canyons. We boarded the train at Posada Barrancas and worked our way south and west over 32 trestles and 86 tunnels over the 420 mile journey to El Fuerte. It was all day with a nice lunch served.

After the train ride we visited another indigenous people, the Mayo. There we learned about native herbal remedies these people developed in this area, Sinaloa’s spikey forest. It seems this is one of the places on earth with the most medicinal plants. We also watched a deer dance and ate homemade tortillas.

Sesame seeds drying along the train route in Sonora

The next day we toured the old colonial town of El Fuerte. Then we had lunch in Navajoa before arriving in Alamos to stay in a 400 year old hacienda turned hotel. Alamos is a charming town favored by many celebrities including Carrol O’Connor. It is the best preserved colonial town of northern Mexico.

Private performance by Minstrel band “Los Estudiantes”

The journey to San Carlos took us through the land of the Yaqui Republic. This is another indigenous group who have preserved their idea of communal land ownership and refuse allegiance to anyone. Our last night in Mexico was at a fancy resort hotel in San Carlos. San Carlos would be another Cabo if it had an airport. We enjoyed a great Mariachi band and boat ride on the Sea of Cortez.

Our Copper Canyon trip exceeded our expectations mostly due to our fabulous guide Manuel. It was so much more than a train ride and scenery. The tour was mostly about Mexico, its cultures and people. We learned a lot. Most people in our group had taken more than one Gate 1 tours. By the end of the trip we could see why. We’ll be back.

Posted in History, Mexico, Music, trains, travel, UNESCO World Heritage | Tagged Chihuahua, Copper Canyon, History, Mexico, Pacquime, San Carlos, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tarahumara, trains, travel | 2 Comments

2023 Grand South America 2nd Half

Posted on June 14, 2023 by Kings On the Road

Here we are again for the second half of our Holland America Line Grand South America Cruise onboard Volendam.

Buenos Aires really was a mid point as many passengers who had been along since Ft. Lauderdale disembarked and others joined us for the remainder of the cruise. We had 3 days and 2 nights there so our newcomers could get acclimated. From here we headed to Brazil, a huge country with lots of people and a tropical climate.

Santos Brazil. This was our first port in Brazil. It was founded in 1546 by the Portuguese. We visited the Coffee Museum which is in the old coffee trading center where world prices were negotiated. The funicular to the top of Mount Serrat gave us great views of the city and harbor. The old city has a restored streetcar which was short but enjoyable. Nice restaurants are popular in this tourist city. It was hot, 97 degrees, and humid. Here also Holland America brought on board “Oi Brasil”, a team of dancers, musicians and even a lecturer who would sail with us sharing the culture of Brazil all the way to Manaus.

Rio de Janeiro Brazil We got up early to witness the sail in past Sugarloaf Mountain into Rio’s harbor. The setting is spectacular. Christ the Redeemer sits high above the city. We docked right downtown but immediately noticed a very polluted harbor. We took a Holland America tour to Christ the Redeemer statue using a cog railway and stairs. We were lucky it wasn’t overcrowded that day so we had time for an extended tour past beautiful homes in the Ipanema and Copacabana neighborhoods. We got a brief view of the beach too. It was Carnival time in Rio and the city goes crazy with official and unofficial parades affecting traffic and access to tourist sites. People from all over Brazil come to Rio for Carnival. Since we had an overnight we were able to take the HAL offered trip to the Sambadrome for the Superbowl of Brazil. 11 months of planning and millions of dollars are spent on this event. After seeing the huge favelas (slums) of Rio we wondered if those resources could be better spent elsewhere. It was crowded, loud, relentless, colorful and tiring. There were some topless performers, lots of thongs. Our bus got us there by 8PM, the first Samba “School” paraded from 10 to 11. We stayed for 3 schools and caught the first bus back to the ship. We got back at 3AM! It was an experience to remember but not repeated. Many of us wished we had visited Rio some other time. Rio was hot and humid.

Sailing into Rio past Christ the Redeemer

Salvador da Bahia Brazil Salvador is another of Brazil’s oldest cities. It was founded in 1549 and is a center of Afro Brazilian culture. 75% 0f the population identify as African or mixed race after 500 years of inter-racial marriage. The historic city center is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is also another big Carnival city. While we were there it was crowded and all monuments, churches and most tourist sites were seriously boarded up to prevent damage from unruly crowds. There was a large police presence and yet many of our fellow cruisers lost their phones to thieves and at least one was assaulted and lost a necklace. We were all warned not to display any jewelry but still we’ve never seen so much street crime in any other port. Police did nothing. Having said all that, Salvador is a beautiful old city we wish we could’ve seen some other time of year. We remained docked here until 11PM but no one ventured out in the evening when the streets were full of homeless and beggars. Not as dirty as Rio but close.

All monuments and churches boarded up during Carnaval

Beautiful colonial streets and architecture

Recife Brazil Recife is the largest city in Northeast Brazil. Its population is over 4 million. The city center has a craft market in an old prison and many beautiful colonial buildings but we were warned not to walk around too much. Near the port we walked to Bon Jesus St said to be among the prettiest in Brazil. While there we saw a synagogue established in the 17th century during a period of Dutch rule. It was the first synagogue in the New World. When the Portuguese expelled the Dutch that synagogue moved to what became New York City, again the first in North America. We took a HAL tour which also included the nearby town of Olinda a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Fortaleza Brazil Another huge city most of us had never heard of. Fortaleza had a large craft market, cathedral, closed museum and shops. We had fun shopping for yarn and crochet hooks. We also bought brazil nuts and cashews.

Belem Brazil This was our first port in the Amazon region. We actually had to anchor and tender into the port of Icoaraci to reach Belem via an hour shuttle bus. Icoaraci itself was a very rough town. We literally walked a gauntlet from the tender to the bus. Docas Station in Belem is very nice with restaurants and cafes. Mercado Ver O Peso is huge and historic. There is an old fort and art museum. Everything is geared to the river and the countless boats coming and going.

Santarem Brazil Santarem is a city right on the Amazon. Here we joined 6 others for a small boat tour of the area. We saw villages built on stilts, pink dolphins, giant water lilies and the meeting of the waters where the Amazon and its tributary flow side by side without mixing for miles. We fished for Piranha (didn’t catch any). It was great fun.

The muddy Amazon and its tributary not mixing for miles

Boca da Valeria Brazil This was probably the most unusual stop of the entire cruise. Our giant ship anchored just off a small river and tiny village miles from any city. The native people shared some pets and costumes. Here we took an even smaller boat up the smaller river past more water lilies and homes. This entire world is river based and most of these people will never drive or fly, but they may have smartphones soon.

Manaus Brazil Manaus is over 900 miles up the Amazon from the Atlantic Ocean. We were fortunate to have 2 days and 1 night there. This is a very historic city since the rubber boom of the late 19th century. It was called one of the gaudiest cities in the world. No extravagance was too much. The Opera house built in 1896 cost 10 million dollars. It was built with marble from Italy, glass from France and iron from England. The first performers traveled 3 months from Europe and died from yellow fever before they ever got on stage! It has now been restored and is still spectacular. We had a tour during the day and that night HAL arranged a special big band performance just for our group. The acoustics, lighting and performance were unforgettable and a highlight of the entire cruise. Next day we toured up river to a small village then enjoyed lunch at an outdoor restaurant serving Piraracu an air breathing native fish growing up to 10′ and 485 lbs. Delicious.

Manaus Opera House is the jewel of the city

Cruising up a tributary in a very small boat

Pirarucu, an air breathing fish that can grow to 10 feet and 485 pounds

Parintins Brazil Here we had another cruise only performance celebrating Boi Bumba, a festival in this part of Brazil. At all our Amazon ports we tendered to the pier. Anchoring was a challenge for the captain as the current was at least 4 knots with frequent 50 foot trees floating downriver.

Loud music and incredible costumes in this show

Alter do Chao Brazil Another small village and our last stop on the Amazon. Many of us found Brazil to be a big rough country. We saw more poverty, slums and pollution than anywhere else we visited. Most people spoke no English or even Spanish. Why would they, they live in a huge country with 215 million people. Yet Brazil undeniably impressed us with its culture and geography.

Devils Island French Guiana Made famous by the movie Papillon, Devils Island now receives several cruise ships each year. The notorious prison has been restored just to safety and there are no guided tours. HAL showed the movie the night before our visit so we were primed. We saw monkeys and a large rat like mammal called an agouti.

Here we anchored with just 5 feet of water below the keel

Bridgetown Barbados We had visited Barbados in 1992 on Royal Caribbean’s Monarch of the Seas and remembered quite a bit from that trip. The port is much expanded now and this was one of the ports where Cruise Specialists provided a complimentary excursion. The bus tour visited many island highlights and a lunch at a historic plantation.

Sunbury Plantation house dates from the 1600s

Roseau Dominica Dominica was surprisingly one of our favorite ports. At the last minute we decided to take the HAL Hot Springs Escape tour. It was great fun as we swam upstream in the Titou Gorge slot canyon to a waterfall and then soaked in Wotten Waven natural hot pools. This beautiful island has at least 4 volcanos and 365 rivers and is nicknamed “The Nature Island of the Caribbean”. Locals celebrate all its healthy living features and call it the longevity island. On a sad note while sailing from Barbados to Dominica a guitar player in the house band suffered a medical emergency and passed away before we could reach a hospital. We didn’t know until late that day and the entire ship was saddened. He was 32 years old.

Charlotte Amalie St. Thomas USVI We’ve been to St. Thomas many times so we just did our own walking tour of this busy cruise port. The 99 steps led us to Bluebeards Castle. Unfortunately it and the adjoining inn were closed and for sale. Pandemic victims?

San Juan Puerto Rico San Juan is a great cruise port. And very popular. The day we arrived there were 4 other cruise ships. And mostly gigantic. So the old town was busy but we still had a good time touring the many sights. Our smaller ship had to dock a few miles away but again Holland America provided a free shuttle to the heart of everything.

Cathedral San Juan Bautista is the second oldest in New World and holds Ponce de Leon’s tomb

Throughout our 34 ports circumnavigating South America all the locals we met were friendly and helpful. We also got to know many of the ship’s crew like never before on any other cruise. Being with largely the same passengers for 74 days gave us the feeling of a community. We didn’t know everyone’s names but you knew faces and couples. When in foreign cities you could recognize familiar faces. In other ways too this was a very unique cruise for us. We had multiple lectures every sea day. One day we had 5 of these educational experiences. We learned a lot. We also found it pretty easy to reach our daily goal of 10,000 steps. Neither of us gained weight on this cruise. The entertainment on board was very diverse with comedians, classical quintets, singers, magicians, the B B King R&B band as well as entertainers from many of the countries visited and of course the house bands and world stage dancers.

Another new experience for us was having a host on board for the entire cruise. We booked this cruise through Cruise Specialists, a travel agency in Seattle. In addition to a better fare and additional stateroom credits the company provided a host couple to answer questions, 2 complimentary shore excursions, 4 cocktail parties, a premium dinner, Columbia brand embroidered hiking hat and tote. We were impressed and plan to use them again.

Posted in Barbados, Brazil, Caribbean, Dominica, French Guiana, national parks, San Juan Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, travel, UNESCO World Heritage | Tagged Alter da Chao Brazil, Belem, Boca da Valeria Brazil, Cruise ships, Devils Island, Fortaleza Brazil, Holland America Line, Hot Springs, Manaus Brazil, Olinda Brazil, Parintins Brazil, Recife Brazil, Rio de Janeiro Brazil, Salvador da Bahia Brazil, Santarem Brazil, Santos Brazil, Volendam | 7 Comments

2023 Grand South America 1st Half

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Kings On the Road

On a grand voyage of 74 days there is simply too much to cover in one post. This post will share some images and experiences of the first half of our journey from Ft. Lauderdale to Buenos Aires.

Ocho Rios Jamaica. We had visited many years prior and so we felt no need for a tour or anything more than a walk around town. The town seems to be struggling now perhaps due to the pandemic. We had jerk chicken in a nice bar and enjoyed people watching.

Puerto Limon Costa Rica. Here again we felt no great need for a high priced Holland America excursion but found a Trip Advisor recommended company on the pier offering a reasonably priced tour which included a boat ride on the Tortuguero Canal. We saw birds, monkeys, sloths, alligators and other lizards. It was fun.

Cruising the Panama Canal. The canal always involves an early start, this time 5am! The captain opened up the bow deck so we could all see the sunrise as we entered the first lock at Gatun. It is exciting to traverse the famed canal. There is so much ship traffic and this time we were accompanied by our sister ship Zuiderdam on her cruise around the world. It was extremely hot and humid. So hot our phones stopped working. After the all day transit of the canal we docked at the new cruise terminal at Fuerte Amador Panama. The next day we grabbed a taxi/walking tour of the modern big city of Panama City as well as the old town, Casco Viejo. From here we head south along the west coast of South America crossing the Equator.

Manta Ecuador. The tuna capital of the world, Manta is home to many expats due to the pleasant climate and low cost of living. The official currency of Ecuador is the US Dollar. The cruise terminal had nice crafts and folk dancers. We bought a Panama hat (they are made in Ecuador) and a beautiful embroidered ladies top.

Callao (Lima) Peru. At the time of our visit Peru was experiencing political turmoil and there was a possibility we would not be able to dock in Callao, Lima’s port city. We docked without incident for 3 days and 2 nights which allowed some guests to take overnight excursions to the Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu. A local craft market setup on the pier and we found beautiful Alpaca yarn and sweaters as well as jewelry and other gifts. Our travel agent Cruise Specialists provided a complimentary tour of Lima Then and Now. The first stop in the center of old Lima was Casa Solariega de Aliaga Lima’s oldest house. The original owner was one of the early conquistadors from Spain and the home has been in the same family since. After a walking tour where we saw the Presidential Palace, City Hall and Cathedral we traveled to a 60 year old mansion Casa Luna in the exclusive San Isidro neighborhood. The home while still lived in had museum quality collections of nativity scenes from all over Peru and the world. They served Pisco Punch a local favorite alcoholic beverage. There was heightened security but no disturbances while we were in Lima. Since the port of Callao is an area of poverty and street crime the cruise line offered a free shuttle bus to a good area to tour. Here we visited Miraflores, an upscale suburb with many craft markets and the 2000 year old site of Huaca Pucclana. We had a great tour of this amazing archeological site built 14 civilizations before the Inca. It is a very large pyramid structure built of vertical adobe bricks. One reason the site is so well preserved is that Peru is a very dry place. We learned it had not rained in Lime since 1972! There is plenty of water though due to rivers from the Andes. Afterwards we enjoyed a lunch of Peruvian cuisine at the adjacent restaurant. The craft vendors on the pier had great deals on Alpaca yarn and sweaters. Our cruise continued to General San Martin which is a port city near Paracas and Pisco Peru. We had hoped to visit the Tambo Colorado archeological site but it was closed for restorative work. This is also the area of the mysterious Nazca Lines and we good a good look at the Paracas Candleabra from the ship. This geoglyph was carved 2 feet into the hillside, stands 600 feet tall and has been dated to 200 BC. The meaning and purpose of the site remain a mystery.

Coquimbo Chile. Coquimbo was a port city adjacent to La Serena, the second oldest city in Chile. Its a popular vacation destination for Chileans and Argentinians. We hired a taxi and toured the Museo Arceologico and enjoyed the colonial architecture of this old place with its churches, civic buildings, street music, empanadas and beautiful lighthouse.

Coquimbo’s Third Millennium Cross considered the tallest monument in South America

San Antonio Chile. San Antonio is the major port for the Chilean capital of Santiago. Santiago is a huge city and with the traffic it is no longer possible to do a day excursion from San Antonio. Instead we took a HAL tour to Valparaiso another busy port. The tour was lackluster other than a funicular ride up the hill to a good restaurant. We could see a Princess ship in the harbor there unable to dock to to the Pacific Ocean swells. Our own ship docked in San Antonio hired 2 tugboats (at a cost of $100,000) to push us against the pier all day because of the swells.

Beautiful alpaca shawl purchased in Valparaiso

Isla Robinson Crusoe Chile. Located over 400 miles west of Chile in the South Pacific Ocean. From 1704 to 1709, the island was home to the marooned sailor Alexander Selkirk, who at least partially inspired novelist Daniel Defoe‘s fictional Robinson Crusoe in his 1719 novel. It is a rugged island where we hiked to the top of a mountain. We also explored caves formerly inhabited by political prisoners. Our departure was delayed several hours when a passenger had to be medically evacuated from the island to a hospital in Chile.

Puerto Montt Chile. Our first stop in southern Chile was established by German colonists during the 1850s and still has many German restaurants and shops. We took a local bus to the resort town of Puerto Varas in the lake district inland surrounded by active volcanos. This was a very nice area. Puerto Montt had the great Angelmo craft and seafood market and is the second largest producer of farmed salmon in the world. Our ship’s chef picked up salmon for some great dinners on board.

Strong German heritage in this Chilean city

Catholic church based on one in the Black Forest of Germany

Puerto Chacabuco Chile. This place felt like an outpost in the Alaskan panhandle. Rainforest all around, we enjoyed a hike where we learned about local flora and enjoyed a rustic lodge feast of barbeque lamb and local wines.

Cruising Chilean Fjords. Here the captain took our big ship up close to the many glaciers in the Patagonian district of Chile. We got close to Fjordo Glacier and El Brujo Glacier.

Punta Arenas Chile. This was one of our favorite stops in Chile. Much of the history of exploring Antarctica started in Punta Arenas. Fortunes were made here in sheep and wool. We had hoped to take a local boat to Isla Magdalena to see a penguin colony but the winds were so high no boats went out that day. Instead we walked to Plaza de Armas, Magallanes Regional Museum, the Sara Braun house, the Borgatello Museum, cemetery and sheep monument.

Ushuaia Argentina. After cruising glacier alley and the Beagle Channel we arrived at another outpost known as the southern-most city in the world. It was once a penal colony and we toured the former prison turned museum. The harbor here was teeming with expedition ships making their last port before Antarctica. We enjoyed Submarinos (hot milk with chocolate sticks) at Laguna Negro cafe. The hokey Train Trolley gave us a nice tour around town although we wished we could have been riding the “Train at the End of the World” tourist train. This was a rare South American tourist town where English was widely spoken. The Argentine Peso is a story in itself. The official exchange rate was 185ARP per dollar but on the street we received 350ARP/USD. Credit cards were a little scary but at least our cards gave us a good rate.

The original train at the end of the world hauled political prisoners

Cruising Cape Horn and crossing the Drake Passage. Leaving we passed Cape Horn in rough seas. We crossed 60 degrees south latitude. On board entertainment featured Duo Siqueira Lima a classical guitar husband and wife duo who wowed us with their skill and stage presence. Our crossing the Drake Passage was as good as we could expect.

Antarctica. This was one of the main attractions for taking this cruise and while it wasn’t quite what we expected it was spectacular and memorable. We had 3 scientists and 2 ice pilots on board for all our days there. We had a 6am start for our first day in Antarctica. It was cold and foggy which then turned into cold and snow and wind. Cruising Dallman Bay and Paradise Bay we saw some humpback whales bubble feeding, gentoo penguins and orcas but not as many as we had hoped. The crew had fun building snowmen on the pool deck. By the end of the day ice conditions caused us to abort Lemaire Channel but we did get to see Palmer Station, the US research station. The second day we cruised Neumeyer Channel, Wilhelmina Bay and Errera Channel where we heard singing whales saw lots of cute Adelie penguins. The third day we headed to Hope Bay to see whales but the ice again blocked our way. We had to turn around in winds that had picked up to 100 mph! This caused a great listing of the ship, dishes crashing and anxiety among passengers. No one was seriously hurt because the Captain had sternly warned all to SIT DOWN. It was memorable. The fourth day we visited Deception Island, a volcanic caldera which is home to over 100,000 chinstrap penguins. We saw lots of icebergs and calving glaciers. At this point the weather was deteriorating with one low pressure storm after another. The captain regretfully cancelled our stop in the Falkland Islands, there was no way with 40 knot winds and we had to time our passage back across the Drake Passage to miss the worst of it. We still had the roughest seas of the cruise with waves up to 40 feet top to bottom and regularly hitting deck 3. It was exciting.

Hundreds of thousands Chinstrap Penguins

Puerto Madryn Argentina. This is where we got up close to the Magellinic penguins. The Tombo Preserve here is home to thousands of penguins rearing their young. These penguins live in ground burrows and stand about 2 feet tall and weigh about 8 to 14 pounds. They are totally unafraid of humans and wander freely around the tourists. Don’t get too close though, they have wicked beaks. We also saw the unique guanaco, a wild llama like mammal. This is also the area where orcas are seen snatching dinner off the beach. Lots of wildlife here.

Punta del Este Uruguay. This was a summer resort town for the middle and upper classes. Nice beaches, hotels, restaurants. Many yachts. Very clean, very safe.

“The Hand” is the 1982 work of Chilean artist Mario Irarrazabal

Montevideo Uruguay. Montevideo is the capital of Uruguay and a very nice historic city. We enjoyed the architecture, plazas and just walking around. We felt like we could live in Uruguay.

Buenos Aires Argentina. Buenos Aires was the end of the cruise for many and the beginning for some just joining us. It is a huge city of over 15 million. Again since the port area was not the best, HAL offered a shuttle to the center of the city. We saw churches, monuments, the clock tower, a railroad museum and a shopping mall with great frescoes on curved ceilings. A HAL tour showed us Recoleta Cemetery where Eva Peron is buried and the El Ateneo bookstore/cafe built in a former opera house. As we were staying overnight we were able to attend a tango show at one of BAs tango cafes. It was spectacular with 10 dancers 2 singers and a live band. The next day we took a hop on hop off bus tour where we saw different neighborhoods. La Boca neighborhood was especially lively with colorful shops, restaurants, impromptu tango dancers and 3 dimensional street art.

BA is known for its European architecture

Eva Peron’s monument in Recoleta Cemetery

Buenos Aires La Boca neighborhood features colorful 3D art

At this point of our cruise we began to feel part of a community. We were accustomed to life at sea. Our daily life had settled into comfortable patterns which we enjoyed. New guests arriving gave us some pause as we wondered how they would fit in. We were excited about the next chapters.

Posted in Antarctica, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Cruises, Ecuador, Jamaica, Panama, Peru, Uruguay | Tagged Buenos Aires, Callao, Cape Horn, Casco Viejo, Chilean fjords, Coquimbo, Fuerte Amador, Huaca Pucclana, Isla Robinson Crusoe, La Serena, Lima, Manta, Montevideo, Palmer Station, Panama Canal, Paracas Candelabra, Penguins, Puerto Chacabuco, Puerto Madryn, Puerto Montt, Puerto Varas, Punta Arenas, Punta Del Este, San Antonio, Ushuaia, Valparaiso, Volendam, wildlife, Zuiderdam | 1 Comment

2023 Grand South America, Antarctica and Amazon Cruise

Posted on April 9, 2023 by Kings On the Road

We recently returned from an epic cruise completely circumnavigating South America beginning and ending in Ft. Lauderdale Florida. The trip was offered by Holland America Line and we cruised on their ship Volendam. This blog will touch on the highlights and summary of the 74 day trip. Subsequent blogs will dive a little deeper into the details and stories.

Our journey began January 3rd with a rental car drive from our home in north central Florida to Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale. We went to Jamaica, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Antarctica, Brazil (including nearly 1000 miles up the Amazon River), French Guinea, Barbados, Dominica, St. Thomas and San Juan. In total we visited 3 continents, 34 ports in 12 different countries over our 10+ week journey. The captain tells us we sailed 18,649 nautical miles or 22,446 statute miles.

Manta Ecuador is tuna capital of the world

Nazca Lines Paracas Candelabra 600 feet tall

Holland America has really found a niche in offering long cruises to experienced travelers. The majority of our fellow passengers were in their 60s and 70s with quite a few 80s and even some 90s. We had one gentleman traveling alone who never ceased remining us that he was 97 and a half! We had many singles including a woman from NYC who was taking her first cruise. Another woman traveling alone was a retired prison guard from a maximum security prison in Canada. Speaking of Canada we had many from that country just enjoying a winter holiday. Some couples had taken this exact cruise 4 and 5 times. There were a good number of Dutch and German cruisers too. For us this was an opportunity to see many countries we had never visited as well as see Antarctica and the Amazon for the first time. Our ship, Volendam, had 1175 passengers out of a possible 1475. By today’s standards this is a smallish mid-size ship. She was built in Italy in 1999. We had to pack for very cold, windy conditions (Antarctica) and extremely hot (Buenos Aires 102) and humid conditions (Brazil).

While we have been regular cruisers since 1992, this was more than twice as long as any previous trip. It was interesting how we got to know so many crew members and fellow travelers. By the end of the trip we really felt like a community. This was our extended family we had developed. We made some friends, others we knew pretty well, some we just recognized and some we kinda avoided like an annoying cousin. We had several medical evacuations and at least one death – a 34 year old guitar player from the entertainment team who the captain could not get to a hospital fast enough. There were rumors of several more deaths but none confirmed. Over a period of almost 3 months things will happen to a community.

Holland America did a great job of providing lectures and information along the way. Debbie from Shore Excursions was very informative about ports and ship offerings and Jeremy, our cruise director, was excellent in his port talks about history and what to see in each port. He was all around a great presenter and super nice guy. We changed captains mid way thru the trip but each was very informative, friendly and had a sense of humor. Some of our favorite crew members were Eleanor, Esther, Eko, Anna, Ace, A-frame, Tanisi, Mr. T and Wisman. Eko actually remembered us from a cruise 3 years ago! While cruising the west coast of South America we had a university professor lecturing on those countries. During our Antarctic cruising we had 3 scientists on board providing lectures and commentary. In Brazil HAL brought on a team from “Oui Brazil” who performed dance and music and also taught Brazilian samba, capoeira and drumming. The Brazil team also had a great lecturer who gave us so much history and cultural info. During overnight stays Holland offered outstanding on shore performances including tango in Buenos Aires, Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro and a big band show in the world famous Manaus Opera House.

One more footnote about this cruise is about our travel agency, Cruise Specialists. Somehow over the internet we found them (they found us?) and we booked this trip thru them. Little did we know the benefits we would receive by using their agency. First off we got an additional $600 in fully refundable cruise credits to use on shore excursions or whatever. Then at the first of 3 cocktail parties we received very nice embroidered Columbia hats and embroidered tote bags. We also had 2 on board hosts to chat with and get advice and questions answered. They also provided 2 complimentary shore excursions and a premium dinner. If you wish to contact them, our agent was Bridgett Webber.

Overall this was the trip of a lifetime. We had so many educational experiences and some exhilarating ones too. To be able to see and do all this without an airport and flying is just incredible. Holland offers more Grand voyages including ‘around the world’. You can be sure we will consider every offering.

Posted in Antarctica, Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Cruises, Dominica, French Guiana, Jamaica, Panama, Peru, San Juan Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, travel, Uruguay | Tagged Amazon River, Buenos Aires, Manaus, Panama Canal, Rio de Janeiro | 5 Comments

Rhine River Cruise

Posted on December 9, 2022 by Kings On the Road

Following our Swiss rail tour we decided to take a Viking river cruise. It’s a mighty long airplane ride across the Atlantic so we thought we should do more than one thing. When Viking offered free air and they would fly us whenever and wherever we wanted that clinched the deal.

Viking is the largest river cruise operator with over 80 boats. We chose Viking’s Rhine Getaway. It’s an 8 day cruise from Basel Switzerland to Amsterdam Netherlands with stops in France and Germany.

Viking cruises include a tour at every port and ours started with a tour of Basel.

We cruised at night to our next port and traversed several locks which our boat just barely fit into. It was pretty interesting to look out our window at night and see a the concrete wall of a lock. Breisach Germany is the gateway to the Black Forest. The weather was very rainy and cool so hiking was out but we did see a cuckoo clock making demonstration and taste Black Forest cake. The weather was better in the afternoon and we toured Colmar on the French side of the Rhine. We really like this quiet Alsatien town. The medieval Gothic and Renaissance buildings contribute to the storybook character of the place. Turns out the sculptor who built the Statue of Liberty was from Colmar.

Bartholdi – Colmar sculptor who built the Statue of Liberty

Strasbourg France is home of the European Parliament and a city that has flipped from France to Germany and back again several times. This town presents strong influences from both countries in its food and culture. It is built on many islands in the Ill River, a close tributary to the Rhine. We loved the medieval architecture, the food and coffee. We toured the Alsatien Museum. This is a great city to visit.

The next day we visited the small city of Speyer Germany. The Romanesque cathedral here is a UNESCO World Heritage site and was the largest in the world until St Peters was built in Rome. Eight German kings are buried here. Later we also visited Rudesheim a town in the heart of Reisling wine country. It was another lovely place to walk and explore.

For many the next day’s cruise through the Middle Rhine was the highlight of their cruise. This is another UNESCO World Heritage site known for its turreted castles and fortresses overlooking the Rhine from their steep hillsides. Most of the castles here were built in the 10th to 13th century to collect tolls on the heavily trafficked Rhine. On the steep banks of the Rhine grapes are still harvested by hand for their world renowned wines. Our day started out cold and foggy but turned into a spectacularly clear beautiful day.

Mid morning we passed Lorelei Rock a narrow and deep part of the Rhine where legend has it a maiden betrayed by her lover committed suicide and became a siren luring sailors to their death.

Koblenz Germany was our next stop the same afternoon. There we had an excellent tour from a young man who really shared a personal story of his town and country. Koblenz is a beautiful city built at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers where the 1871 unification of Germany is celebrated at the German Corner with a huge statue of Wilhelm I. Later we took a cable car over our ship and the Rhine to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress towering above the city. The fortress is the largest in Europe where construction began in the year 1100 on the hill where Romans had a fort in 400 AD. There has been a settlement here since the 4th century BC. Another great place to visit.

Our last stop in Germany was Cologne known for its spectacular 14th century Gothic cathedral. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site the cathedral survived World War Two while 95% of the city was destroyed. Viking had the finest dock location in the heart of the city. Our guided tour showed us many highlights of the city and we were able to see the inside of the cathedral on our own. We enjoyed a virtual reality tour of 1926 Cologne. This was one night we had dinner on our own with street food in a plaza. Later we enjoyed the sun deck of our boat at dusk when thousands of green parakeets came screaming in to roost nearby.

Reliquary said to hold the bones of the three wise men

St Martin church one of 360 churches in Cologne

Kinderdijk Netherlands was our last port of our river cruise. Its another UNESCO World Heritage site celebrating the windmills that keep the Netherlands from flooding. We enjoyed a tour of a traditional operating windmill and toured an electric pumping station. By now we are in the flatlands of the Rhine delta on our way to Amsterdam.

Viking does an excellent job on their river cruises. Our boat held a maximum 190 passengers and the restaurant dinner is the only option. Dinners take 2 hours every day and all tables seat at least 6 so it is a very social cruise. The included tours are very good quality and while we only opted for one optional (extra charge) tour it was excellent as well. We met many interesting people.

Posted in Europe, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, UNESCO World Heritage | Tagged Basel Switzerland, Breisach Germany, Colmar France, Cologne Germany, Kinderdijk Germany, Koblenz Germany, Middle Rhine Germany, Strasbourg France, Viking River Cruises | 2 Comments

Sugar Express

Posted on November 22, 2022 by Kings On the Road

U S Sugar in Clewiston Florida recently restored a historic steam locomotive to full operating condition. When the Florida East Coast Railway Society offered a charter excursion train pulled by No. 148 we jumped at the opportunity.

FEC locomotive 148 is a 4-6-2 Light Pacific built in 1920 by the American Locomotive Works in Richmond Virginia. She pulled passenger and freight trains all the way to Key West on the Overseas railroad bridges. In 1952 the locomotive was acquired by U S Sugar where she hauled sugar cane until the late 1960s. After retirement the locomotive traveled around the country as an operating attraction before languishing inoperable in storage for 40 years.

In 2016 U S Sugar re-acquired 148 and restoration began in 2017. After thousands of hours of work by sugar employees and restoration experts No. 148 was returned to service in April 2020 just in time for her 100th birthday. Built as an oil burner (FEC founder Henry Flagler was a partner of John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil) 148 now runs on used vegetable oil. The locomotive operates on the tracks of U S Sugar’s freight railroad, the South Central Florida Express. Sugar’s railroad hauls more than 1000 cars of sugar cane per day during the harvest season from October to April and also interchanges 15,000 cars per year with CSX and Florida East Coast Railway. The passenger cars are beautifully restored and more are on the way. U S Sugar is in the process of restoring a second steam locomotive which had been on static display in front of the Prime Osborn Convention Center is Jacksonville.

Our weekend included a night photo shoot and engine shop tour on Friday. Saturday’s all day excursion included 3 photo run-bys and lunch catered on the train. Then Sunday we had a “Raisin’ Cane” tour of the sugar fields and structures. We thank the Florida East Coast Railway Society for organizing this event. We look forward to more rail events in our home state.

This is a popular addition to the tourist experience in Clewiston Florida. U S Sugar is using the railroad to reach the public with its message of commitment to returning clean water to the Everglades. The pollution we see today in the Caloosahatchee River comes not from sugar but from cattle ranchers along the Kissimmee River dumping ag waste into Lake Okeechobee. We learned a lot. Good for Big Sugar.

Sugar explaining Best Management Practices

Posted in Florida, trains | Tagged 4-6-2 Pacific Locomotive, Clewiston FL, FEC, South Central Florida Express, Steam train, Sugar Express | 1 Comment

Best of Switzerland Rail Tour 🇨🇭

Posted on October 19, 2022 by Kings On the Road

Our Vacations by Rail Best of Switzerland Rail Tour begins in Zurich the largest city in the country. On arrival at the airport we took the local train to the city then walked to our hotel. Trains are the best way to see the country. Zurich alone has 3000 trains per day. We explored this old city by walking on our own before meeting our tour manager and our group of 32.

Trams, bicycles and walking are best in Zurich

Switzerland is the cleanest most organized country we have visited. The city of St. Gallon is an easy 1 hour train ride from Zurich. It’s most famous for its abbey and Baroque cathedral. After our tour we had time to try some local foods like biber, a kind of gingerbread and the best hot chocolate ever.

Our next day we took the local train to Lucerne, one of Switzerland’s mot idyllic cities. On arrival we caught a paddle wheel ferry on Lake Lucerne to Vistnau. There we rode the Rigi Mountain cog railway to the top of Mt. Rigi. This was the first railway of its kind in Europe. It was originally built in 1871. Now we’re clearly in the Alps with spectacular views in all directions. On the way back to the lake we took the cable car. We ferried again back to Lucerne where we stayed in a 500 year old hotel, Wilden Mann. Lucerne is beautiful and we’d love to visit again.

Dairy cows have distinctive bells to find them in the fog

The Golden Pass Line train from Lucerne took us over the Brunig Pass and Bernese Oberland to Interlaken, a resort town from the 18th century. The town sits between two lakes and is still popular with the elite. We enjoyed watching hang gliders leap from the adjacent mountains and land in the town green. Our journey that day ended in Lausanne on Lake Geneva in the French speaking west of Switzerland.

The Eiger, the Jungfraun and the Monch mountains tower over Interlaken

Montreux was our first stop the next day where we toured 1000 year old Chateau Chillon, one of the most authentic castles in all of Europe. The castle sits on the shore of Lake Geneva on the same location where Romans built a fort 2000 years ago to guard the trade route from Italy to France. Our train journey this day ended in Zermatt at the foot of the Matterhorn.

Freddie Mercury recorded in Montreux considered the Swiss Riviera

In Zermatt we had a walking tour and history talk with a local guide. After that we walked to the Gornergrat Railway station where we caught the highest cog railway in Europe to the top at 10135 feet. The ride was spectacular but after a quick look at a glacier the clouds obscured the Matterhorn and everything else. On the way back we were able to hike to get a great shot.

Gornergrat Railway has been taking people to the top of the mountain since 1898

Glacier from the top of Gornergrat – Matterhorn obscured by fog

Next day we rode the famous narrow gauge Glacier Express to St Moritz. 8 hours on the slowest Express train in Europe. This train crosses 291 bridges and 91 tunnels on its 181 mile journey. Lunch is served on the train before arriving in St Moritz. We stayed at Hotel Simi in this ritzy town.

We rode another famous train the next day. The Bernina Express runs from St Moritz to Tirano Italy. It’s the highest rail line in Switzerland and a UNESCO World Heritage site. We had great views above the treeline and then dropped down into Italy. We enjoyed a great lunch there and picked up some food delicacies. Then we took a local train back to St Moritz.

Kreis Viaduct in Italian speaking Switzerland

Our last train day took us on local trains from St Moritz to Chur (coor) then to Zurich. We had a walking tour in Zurich and then a farewell dinner at our Hotel Glockenhof.

Us at Basel train station off to the next adventure

We highly recommend Vacations by Rail and their Best of Switzerland tour. Oliver was a great tour manager. We had excellent hotels every day, fabulous buffet breakfasts and lots of walking. Our first week we each had over 100,000 steps. Switzerland is a beautiful country. They have the best chocolate, bread and cheese. Their trains are among the best in Europe. Always on time, quiet and clean. We’d go back anytime. There is more to see.

Posted in Switzerland, trains, travel | Tagged Bernina Express, Chateau Chillon, GGornergrat Railway, Glacier Express, Interlaken, Lausanne, Lucerne, Montreux, St Moritz, Tirano Italy, Zermatt, Zurich | 1 Comment

Memphis – Music and Food

Posted on June 20, 2022 by Kings On the Road

Our trip to Memphis included much more than Graceland and the National Civil Rights Museum. We toured Sun Recording Studio in a small storefront building where Sam Philips started the business in 1950. Sam’s partner Marian was the first to hear Elvis perform and a year later got Sam to bring him in. The session didn’t go particularly well so Sam took a break. During the break Elvis tore into Big Boy Crudup’s “That’s Alright” and made rock and roll history. Sam Philips found the sound he was looking for. Sun recorded many early rock and roll pioneers like Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis as well as blues legends like BB King and Howlin Wolf. Johnny Cash got his start at Sun. But Elvis made music history.

Original microphone used by Elvis at Sun

Control room at Sun where Sam Philips was the first to record Elvis

Artists rendering of Sun Recording Studio

While the big attractions in Memphis are Graceland and the National Civil Rights Museum there is so much more largely centered around music.

Memphis also had the first black owned and first woman owned radio stations in the United States. They had the first radio station that played black music and white music on the same station. STAX music was another recording studio that featured great R & B acts like Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding and Bobby Blue Bland.

B B Kings Blues Club on Beale st is just one of many live music venues in Memphis today. It’s a nice compact area with plenty of Bar B Q too

Diving into Rendezvous Restaurant ribs in an alley near Beale Street

The original B B King Blues Club on Beale Street

Live music until a kitchen fire closed the club for the night

Memphis even has a vintage streetcar line. Which of course we had to ride.

Beautiful vintage streetcar in downtown Memphis

Posted in food, Music, RV Travel, Tennessee | Tagged BB King Blues Club, Memphis, Memphis Rock and Soul Museum, Sun Recording Studio | 1 Comment

Memphis – Graceland

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Kings On the Road

We’ve never been big Elvis fans but Graceland is such a worldwide attraction that we had to see what it was all about. It’s not an inexpensive place to visit.

After a introductory film we were shuttled to the home which is not huge by today’s standards but very personal to Elvis. The home is preserved as it was when he lived here. He bought it in 1957 and loved entertaining family and friends.

Backyard where he and friends rode horses and golf carts

Elvis is buried on the grounds along with his still borne twin and other family members

The home is just the beginning at Graceland. There is a large museum displaying many items from Elvis’s career. There is one room just for cars. Another has boats. Another huge room displays his iconic costumes. Then there’s still another room dedicated to his legacy and all the artists influenced by Elvis. Some of those included Elton John, Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon who is quoted as saying “If there had been no Elvis there would be no Beatles”

We were thoroughly impressed by the quality of Graceland. We arrived only curious about Elvis and left with a deep appreciation of the man and his legacy.

Posted in RV Travel, Tennessee, travel | Tagged Elvis, History, Memphis Graceland, Music | 3 Comments

Memphis- The National Civil Rights Museum

Posted on June 5, 2022 by Kings On the Road

Memphis has a lot to offer. Our first stop was the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was assassinated. It’s a very moving history of the movement from the earliest days of slavery through the violent 50s and 60s. Even if you think you know much of the story there is so much more to learn. This is a world class museum.

The motel looks much as it did in 1968 on the outside

The wreath marks the location where King went down

King was in Memphis to support striking sanitation workers

There is a Montgomery bus where Rosa Parks refused to move

Many displays and images of boycotts marches and protests

This actual bus emphasized the deadly bombings frequently happening during the struggle

We spent 4 hours there and only left because they were closing. There’s still more to see.

Posted in History, RV Travel, Tennessee, Uncategorized | Tagged Memphis, National Civil Rights Museum, Tennessee | 2 Comments