January 31, 2014. Norwegian Star. H. Brandt Ayers.

Ken did not enjoy this book. The author was in love with the Kennedy folks and is quick to give credit for many things , so Ken discounts the facts of the book. On the other hand, I enjoyed this book because he was living in Alabama during the years of the civil rights violence, and he tells what ordinary people were thinking and doing. Even living in Mississippi today, it is difficult to have conversations about race so I appreciate the author’s efforts to put the pieces together. And I am interested in the south and this book tells you what has happened over the years. The book is named In “Love With Defeat: The Making of a Southern Liberal”, and is written by H. Brandt Ayers, who was a newspaper publisher in Anniston, Alabama. Of course, he inherited the newspaper from his father, another point Ken objects to. The book is not well written either but the book itself is interesting and I am enjoying it, even though the author is still in love with the Kennedy’s. He makes some insights about the history of the south and it’s evolution into the new south. Of course, I can not read it straight through. I read a few chapters each day but I am enjoying it, even though the author is a liberal!!

January 30, 2014. Norwegian Star. Puerto Vallarta.

Arriving into Puerto Vallarta on a ship was a different experience for us today. We saw another part of the city from the sea. The mountains were still glorious and the weather perfect, both a reminder of why we live in the place during the winter months. Bandares Bay is much larger when seeing it from the ship. And the city seems smaller. There is not much of the city south, while the north stretches a long way with only small spots of undeveloped areas along the shore. And we could see our condo building as we left. Five types of whales stay in the Bay area in the winter. It is a nursery. We often see the spouts from our balcony. Today, when steaming away from Puerto Vallarta we were on the lookout for whales. We spotted several spouts in the distance but one whale and a baby came up quite close to the ship so we were able to see them surface and sink. It made for an exciting time. Tomorrow, we stay for the day at Cabo St. Lucas so with any luck we will see more whales. The Sea of Cortez is another hot spot for whales. So far, the Pacific Ocean has been calm and pleasant. The water is clean and clear…and beautiful.

January 29, 2014. Norwegian Star. At Sea.

A day at sea is very refreshing. Ken and I did nothing except sit on the balcony of our cabin while looking out at sea. It was wonderful. At breakfast we noticed people organizing their day. The ship has a huge number of activities available from craft classes to lectures. It was clear to us that most people take part of the activities. But not us. We walked the deck. Then we stayed in our cabin looking out at sea. We even ordered room service. Last evening after leaving Hautalco, we watched the birds from our balcony. We had a show. Thousands of birds putt on the show, but not for us. They were looking for their dinner. Unfortunately, we had no clue what kinds of birds they were. We elected to leave our bird book at home, thinking we would use the internet, But the internet on the ships are expensive and slow so we are left with no information. Nonetheless, we loved trying to figure out the birds. We just need a birder along with us. Tomorrow we spend the day in Puerto Vallarta. We hope to see whales in the bay. Gill’s friends Gill and Tom are in Vallarta for vacation, so we will meet them for lunch. They live in Toronto. What a world.

January 28, 2014. Norwegian Star. Huatalco, Mexico.Huatulco.

Huatulco, Mexico is a charming town. Our ship spent the day in it’s very protected harbor. The main dock holds one big ship at a time so we were the only game in town. These large cruise boats are amazing with their ability to turn in a circle. The channel into the harbor is narrow but deep and our ship turned around and backed down the channel, finally using the side thrusters to put the ship right beside the dock. The first thing we noticed with surprise was the presence of a large US Coast Guard vessel also docked on the other side of the dock. We have no idea why it was there but it looked official and imposing. Ken and I walked around the town and found the prettiest church right on the shore. It was open to the air on all sides and was charming. The prettiest church I have seen. One couple , who live in northeast Washington state right near the Canadian border, commented to us that they may want to stay in Huatulco for a couple of months each year. I agreed with them. The town is big enough but not yet crowded. But we live in Nuevo Vallarta in the winter so we can not live in Huatalco. Even though it is a lovely little town.

January 27, 2014. Norwegian Star. Puerto Chiapas.

The weather during this cruise has been glorious. Every day the sun shines and the breezes blow. The temperature has been in the 80s. Most folks on the ship are from the north and are not eager to return to the cold and snow. Even the south is getting a winter storm this week, which will please the Mississippi girls. Ken and I feel fortunate to be here on this ship. Today we docked in Puerto Chiapas, a small fishing village thirty minutes from a larger city of 300,000. This little place has been selected to be a tourist destination. In ten years, I bet the place will be full of condominiums but at the moment, it is full of small, one story homes ringing the harbor. And fishing boats are everywhere. It must have looked like Puerto Vallarta in 1940. We docked at the one place large enough for our ship and the area has been nicely landscaped to accept tourists. A large palupa was built to house vendors and other displays. Ken and I got off the ship and walked around the whole area. They even built a swimming pool and restaurant for the guests from the ship to enjoy the day on shore. It is always nice to be in Mexico again. For the next few days, we travel right up the coast, stopping at two other Mexican ports before finally arriving in Los Angeles. Our goal for this journey has been to get from the east coast to the west coast. We have succeeded!!

January 26, 2014. Norwegian Star. Cleanliness.

This ship is making extraordinary efforts to keep people healthy, and for good reason. A sister ship of the Norwegian Line, came into port last week with 100 ill guests and the Caribbean Cruise Line arrived in Fort Lauderdale today with 300 guests with the flu. The cruise industry is working hard to try and keep us safe. Before entering any restaurant, the staff sprays each person’s hand with a disinfectant. Every elevator has containers to have guests use the anti bacterial cleanser. The Market Café is a buffet serving food breakfast, lunch and dinner, but now the staff spoons the food onto the plates. Guests are not allowed to handle the utensils. The same is true in the salad bar in the Brazilian steak house. Even the coffee must be given to us, even though the drinks are all designed to be self service. The increase in the staffing must be enormous for the cruise line but for the guest it means we must wait a bit. Every time the ship is in port, the whole ship is disinfected, from top to bottom. Ken and I have our own system. We never use the gym. We try to stay away from crowds or people. And we wash our hands frequently. So far we are healthy, and so is the ship, even though Ken and I are a bit anti social. Our efforts are working.

January 25, 2014. The Norwegian Star. This Ship.

This ship is just fine. Walking around the outside Deck 7 gives excellent views in all directions. Four times around is a mile. There are many places in the ship to sit and look out and have a drink. Today we ate lunch at a small restaurant, right on our own deck 8., so we still have surprises. We have yet to visit The Red Lion Inn, the British pub in the 12th deck. Over my objection, Ken ordered a dining package. The ship has three large restaurants available for all. The Versailles is elegant, Aqua less so but at both you are waited on and The Market Café, which is buffet for all meals. In addition, there are specialty restaurants to which you must pay. After reading the options open to us, Ken went right ahead and ordered a package for both of us for the whole 14 days. It has been wonderful. The food is wonderful and the service supurb. It has been like dining out at an expensive restaurant every night. Tonight, for the second time we will eat at the steak house. Each morning, I book a reservation for us, depending what we are likely to feel like at night. It is fun and I am pleased that Ken over ruled my wishes!!