# General > General Chat >  I'm Leaving Soon

## Rick

One of the things on the bucket list for me and my wife was a cruise through the Panama Canal. Obviously, that can't happen. However, my son works for a time share vacation company and they are hosting a Celebrity cruise at the end of April from Miami through the Panama Canal ending in San Diego. He and two other employees will be hosts for the cruise and he's asked me to go with him. He and I will share a balcony suite and we are making shore excursions in Cartegena Colombia, Colon Panama, Puntarenas Costa Rica, Puerto Quetzal Guetamala and two stops in Mexico, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. We leave on my wife's birthday. I'm not sure how but I think she pulled some strings to set this whole thing up. I would never have gone by myself but it will be a hoot with my son and I'm really looking forward to it. We will be doing everything from zip lines to Mayan ruins, to snorkeling, to river floats, city tours and canopy tours. The zip line is the longest in Central America and they have something called the Tarzon Mega Swing. Mind you, I did not know what all this meant when I signed up. However, here's the swing. 




I'm really looking forward to the trip, especially the snorkeling and the Mayan ruins. The Tarzan Mega Swing, maybe not so much. 

We leave April 24 and return May 11. If I survive.

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## crashdive123

Sounds like a wonderful trip.

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## nell67

Jesus Christ! I hope you invest in some Depends before you go on that swing!   Hope you have a great trip, Rick.

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## Faiaoga

Neat.  You need to practice your Tarzan vocalizations - like Johnny Weissmuller. :Big Grin:   :Big Grin:

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## hunter63

That sounds like a heck of a trip.....and will be good to put everything else on the back burner for a while.....
Congrats, there Buddy.....have a great time.

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## Phaedrus

I hope you have a great time!  Watch out for the norovirus though. Obviously you can't "watch out" for it since it's invisible but take care to avoid it.  Watch the food and drink, etc.

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## 1stimestar

Oh Rick!  I am so happy and especially happy that you and your son are going together.  It looks so exciting.  And I can't wait to hear about that zipline.  I LOVE ziplines but am kind of limited to the ones up here I've already done.  Take a lot of pictures!

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## Roel

Have a nice trip Rick and don't forget to make a whóóóóóóle lot of pictures....

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## crashdive123

> I hope you have a great time!  Watch out for the norovirus though. Obviously you can't "watch out" for it since it's invisible but take care to avoid it.  Watch the food and drink, etc.


You realize of course that you have now prompted him to start a new list don't you?

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## Rick

I'm not sure but I think the vocalizations will come naturally. I just hope there isn't some guy on the ground with a big X moving it around to where he thinks I'll hit while guys on the side are taking bets.

I've already started my vaccinations. Typhoid, Hep A, Hep B and Yellow Fever. I had to update my tetanus booster too. I really do hate the tetanus shot. That thing really makes for a sore arm. I have a follow up for the Hep B in two weeks.

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## Winnie

> You realize of course that you have now prompted him to start a new list don't you?


He probably already has one.

Sounds like just what the doctor ordered...the trip, not Norovirus.

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## Pennsylvania Mike

That sounds like a great trip, have a great time Rick.

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## Solar Geek

WOW what a great trip! My mom went on a similar cruise (but she was 82 at the time). She RAVED ABOUT IT. She went with 2 older friends and they all loved it. But they did not do many shore excursions.

So glad you can do it with your son. And it is not surprising to me that your wife had a hand in this.

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## Grizz123

what a great time!! You'll have a blast and come back with batteries completely recharged

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## Wildthang

Oh, Rick, Don't forget your Hong!!!

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## kyratshooter

> You realize of course that you have now prompted him to start a new list don't you?


Oh boy!

Camans
Jaguars
Flur de lance
Tarantulas the size of dinner plates
Vampire bats
Killer bees
Army ants

Plus there is no water fit to drink.  Once you go south of the border you might as well be in Michigan!

Then there is the cruise ship virus 
The cruise ship dead in the water
The cruise ship on fire
The cruise ship captured by Caribbean pirates
and the cruse ship zombies (a condition brought on my running out of shrimp on the buffet)

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## hunter63

Don't forget the odd cruise ship that runs in to rocks, starts sinking and the captain is the first one off......

Just kidding......

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## Rick

Good stuff, guys. I'm writing all this down. There's a page on their web site that says if you have any questions just ask. I'm hopeful the cabin will be equipped with an M1A. Is there one Z or two in ZZombie?

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## Wildthang

Oh Rick,

Take your backpack so when the ship wrecks you can survive on a remote uninhabited island!!

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## WolfVanZandt

That's great! Take lots of pictures to show us and don't get stuck in the Colon.

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## Old Professor

Sounds like a great trip, especially when you can share it with your son. DO NOT TAKE ANY OF YOUR GUNS! The canoe accident thing will not work with that big a boat!

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## randyt

have fun Rick, take pictures and my T shirt size is XL.....

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## edr730

Rick, usually zombie would be correct, or zombi if south or the border.  However, as far as pronunciation, zzombie might indicate plural, but usually, zzzzzooooombiiiessss! 
I am roughly familiar with the areas surrounding Puerto Quetzala, but very familiar with Antigua one and a half hours north where I have rented many apartments and have friends in the town. It will be an interest for some on the cruise. It's one of the best places to visit in Guatemala. From there there is volcano pacaya where you can roast marshmallows over flowing lava. Or if you only have time to visit Antigua, you can enjoy the view of the huge active vulcan fuego ( fire volcano) overlooking Antigua. Of course there are Mayans and ruins and markets and history.

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## Rick

In Puerto Quetzal, we are going to the Iximche ruins near Tecpan. I understand we pass a couple of the volcanoes on the way there. The terms "sleeping" and "volcano" will be pretty high on my list when we are there. Especially if we have to pass any.

Randy - XL. got it!

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## randyt

are you leaving on a jet plane?

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## tundrabadger

keep an eye out for large constricting snakes.

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## crashdive123



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## Rick

That is just plain wrong. That's twice in one week. You should be ashamed. 

I just want to steer the boat and honk the horn. I really like honkin' the horn. HARD APORT!!!! ICEBERG!!!!! Just kiddin'...

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## Wise Old Owl

Enjoy the trip Rick make sure you bring additional flotation devices.

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## Faiaoga

> Oh Rick,
> 
> Take your backpack so when the ship wrecks you can survive on a remote uninhabited island!!


Perhaps you should decide if you prefer Mary Ann or Ginger to be with you after the shipwreck ??? :Laugh:  :Laugh: 

Check "Gilligans Island" reruns if you need to. :Big Grin:

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## Rick

Seriously, I know how this works. If I get stuck on a deserted island with a bunch of females I'm guaranteed they will all be under the age of 2, over 80, nuns or the place will be a former mental colony for serial killers. God just enjoys playing jokes on me for some reason.

God: "Rick, I have good news and I have bad news."
Rick: (Shaking head) "Not again."

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## hunter63

> 


Nooooooooooooo..........

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## aflineman

Enjoy the trip. I liked my time in that part of the world. Sounds like you will be making some good memories.

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## nell67

> Oh, Rick, Don't forget your Hong!!!


I wonder....DO they make depends in a hong fashion??  Please, don't anyone post any pictures if they do, I just had breakfast...

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## finallyME

I'm jealous, especially being able to check out Mayan ruins.  Have fun..  Sounds like some good father/son time.

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## Rick

I'm leaving bright and early tomorrow morning. Pickup is at 4:00 a.m. We have Sunday and Monday in Miami then we board on Tuesday afternoon. What a blessing this whole thing has been. Tomorrow would have been my wife's birthday so she had to have conspired with God to make this whole thing happen. That's my story anyway. I'll be back on the 12th. Stay safe and stay out of trouble and don't give Crash any static. I've loaned him my ban button so he's totin' a pair of them now. They don't look bad on him but I wouldn't have chosen cross draw. To each his own.

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## Old GI

Best of all for your trip.  When you get to Colon and someone about 35 y/o approaches you and asks about an Old GI don't acknow ........... (oops got to go)

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## crashdive123

Have fun...stay safe.  Two days in Florida?  Better check the list.

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## hunter63

Have a good time...do stuff you wouldn't normally do, take pics.....Stay safe.

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## Rick

I have one suitcase that is just "the list". I've spent the last three weeks double checking each item. I'm almost to the bottom of the list.

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## nell67

> I have one suitcase that is just "the list". I've spent the last three weeks double checking each item. I'm almost to the bottom of the list.


Be safe my friend, don't do anything we wouldn't do....hhmmm scratch that, do whatever makes ya happy!

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## Phaedrus

I hope the trip is a good one!

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## hayshaker

rick if you get this have a great time stay safe
and bring me back a pair of squirriel monkies ok thanks mikey

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## DOGMAN

Sounds awesome! Enjoy!!!

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## Rick

Hey, I'm back. It was an amazing 17 days. Had a lot of fun and saw a lot of amazing sites. Visited monasteries, churches, forts, Mayan ruins, ancient cities and some beautiful jungles. Did zip lines, rappelling and snorkeling. I have about a thousand pics and video. I'll start going through them probably tomorrow. I'll post some just for fun. 

I think the thing that most impressed me was how horrible the living conditions were for a lot of people in South and Central America. It's one thing to hear about it and something else to actually witness it. I'm constantly asking God for his wisdom and this was just part of my education. I am truly, truly blessed. 

It was a great 17 days with my son. We did just about everything together except that martini bar thing. I passed on that. I think he wished he had too the next morning. 

As it turned out, the cruise ship we were on was the last one to traverse the old locks on the Panama Canal. The cruise season begins again in September and the cruise ships will be using the new locks. 

Seas were great in both oceans. I'm told early Tuesday morning tossed some stuff around but I slept right through it. Other than that, the worst we had were gentle rollers the rest of the time. Of course, it was a cruise so the food was most excellent. Even took a bridge tour, which was a total hoot. Got a pic of me in the captain's chair before security dragged me off the bridge. But I digress. 

When we left Miami the police flew a helicopter through to ensure we were clear of threats. We happened to be on the top deck. It was pretty strange looking down at a chopper flying by. The rest of the time police boats circled us to ensure we were safe. I told the Captain I knew a couple of guys that could ride shotgun for him. They'd even supply their own muzzle loaders. 

We spent a couple of days in Miami. Those folks are pretty nice down there. You can walk right out in traffic, the cars will stop and everyone yells "Sunny Beaches!", which must be some kind of local welcome. I'll post some pics once I get them sorted.

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## hunter63

Yeah. I hear about those "Sunny Beaches".....
Welcome back, glad you had a good time....Looking forward to the pic's.

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## crashdive123

Welcome back.  Glad you and your son had a good time.

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## Pennsylvania Mike

Welcome Back, glad you had a great time.

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## Rick

I thought I'd post some pics from my latest endeavor titled: Dude, Where's the Cruise Ship? 

The chapel at La Popa Monastery in Cartagena, Colombia. That's gold flake on the chapel. 

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The view of Cartagena from the monastery showing the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas fort: 

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Transiting the Panama Canal: 

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More top come.

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## Rick

Sunrise over Costa Rica: 

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A Crested Caracara: 

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Flippin' Dinosaur. This thing came up right next to me on the boat. I could have laid my hand on it's head....if I were so inclined, which I wasn't. I had to knock three people down but I managed to change seats. 

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More to come.

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## crashdive123

Awesome pictures.

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## 1stimestar

So cool.  I'm super glad you got to go through the old locks.  That's just really interesting to me.

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## nell67

Love the pictures,Rick. Glad you had a good time.

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## Rick

Yes, this store is open for business. You conduct your transaction through the bars. I saw this a lot throughout Central America: 

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This is an auto shop. They were changing the brakes on the truck or tires or whatever. Yes, apparently an armed guard is required. Tile shops, car dealerships, carpet shops. Didn't matter the product armed guards were plentiful everywhere. Short pistol grip shotguns seemed to be the most favored but I did see one old guard totin' a .38 and another with a .45. But the short shotgun was the fav hands down: 

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Lunch, if anyone is hungry. 

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I saw a ton of KFC, Pizza Hut and other delivery guys on motorcycles. Kinda weird seein' a KFC box on the back of a KFC motorcycle.

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## Batch

Same crocs and crested caracara we get here. Next time come on down this way. LOL

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## Rick

Mayan ruins. There are something like 450 Mayan ruins to Guatemala. The one we were at is one of the last that actually holds rituals on site. My son and I walked to the back of the ruins and they were about a third of the way through their ceremony. We just watched for about 10 minutes. They have a shaman that chats in some language other than Spanish. After about five minutes, he made the sign of the cross. I was shocked. Turns out it's a mixture of Catholicism and Mayan ritual. I'm not sure how that works but......

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Land's End. The southern most tip of the Baja pennisula: 

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Ship food. Mmmmmmmmmmm.

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## crashdive123

More great pics.  I think I gained 3 pounds looking at the last one.

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## hunter63

I guess I was noticing the armed "guards" everywhere, when we were in Puerto Vallarta........
Food looks filling.
Great pic's...Thanks for posting.

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