Two days at sea

Posted on April 12, 2024 by JoeTourist

Total Solar Eclipse & Mexican Riviera 10-day cruise aboard Discovery Princess – April 3-13, 2024

Thursday, April 11, 2024 – day at sea off the Baja California, Mexico

John and I go to the “Cosmic Update” presentation by Professor Shelly Bonus this morning in the Princess Theatre (see banner image above). Although her presentation style is very light-hearted and humorous, she conveys quite a bit of good information about complex subjects such as black holes, the subject of her talk this morning.

Just after lunch, the ship drifts through a huge number of sea turtles, so John and I take some photos using our long lenses and Canon cameras from my balcony for most of an hour.

My dinner this evening is Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Ka Murgh over rice with some vegetables, which tastes just like my old South Asian neighbour’s chicken curry, which she would share with me along with some roti. I compliment the chef when he comes around to check on food and hot tables.

Friday, April 12, 2024 – day at sea off the Baja California, Mexico

Professor Shelly Bonus presents “Want to be a space tourist?” this morning covering: sex in space, orbiting hotels, Mars, Moon, current low Earth space flights, and Chris Hadfield’s “Space Oddity” recorded from the ISS.

This afternoon, Steve & Janet Wozniak present “Changing the World!” – a grand title for an exceedingly boring talk which highlighted him as a very insecure individual by repeatedly telling everyone how brilliant he is/was. We hang in for the first half hour, but eventually leave when we simply can’t stand any more of it. It was billed as an “enrichment presentation”, but it was not enriching.

My friend and I spend a significant amount of time trying to check in for our flights home tomorrow. The combination of the slow Internet aboard ship, and our tickets being issued through Princess Cruises using Delta Airlines code-shared with Westjet flights makes it exceedingly difficult to complete all the required steps. We eventually both get our boarding passes issued.

I pack and put my big bag out by 8PM so it can be collected and moved off the ship tomorrow morning. We have arranged for a transfer to the airport with Princess Cruises, so hopefully that goes without a hitch, and our flights home are stress-free.

Kailua-Kona, Big Island of Hawai’i

Posted on October 16, 2023 by JoeTourist

2023 Vancouver-Hawai’i Cruise

Oct 16, 2023 – a day in Kailua and the Kona Coast on the Big Island of Hawai’i, USA

I am up at 7AM and have my usual light breakfast in the Grand Dutch Cafe: fruit parfait, blueberry muffin and a cappuccino. The ship anchors in the bay, drops some tenders into the water, and is soon ready to transfer passengers to shore after the ship is cleared by the port authorities.

I wait until just after 9AM to go down to Deck 1, where we are immediately loaded onto a tender. I have VIP service with my 4-Star Mariner status, so I don’t have to get a tender ticket or wait around to be called. Once I’m ashore, I walk the short distance to the Courtyard King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel and wait in the lobby for my friend to pick me up. She is running late, so I hang out in the hotel to stay out of the heat and away from the noise. There are many artifacts on display in the hotel, including the impressive Mahoe, Kai Opua Canoe Club’s 40-foot koa canoe. The Ironman competitors are also leaving the hotel this Monday morning after competing over the weekend, so the people watching is great.

My friend arrives, and we are off to Pu‘uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park (Place of Refuge). It is great to retreat from the crazy tourist strip, driving through the Captain Cook coffee farms to soak in the good mana at Pu‘uhonua o Hōnaunau, which is probably my favourite place in the world. In past visits, when I stayed at B&Bs in the Captain Cook area of the Big Island, I would come down here to just hang out for hours. There is a Hawaiian man weaving baskets in the Canoe Hālau A-frame, and there is a beautifully made wooden Kōnane Papamū under the palms for playing kōnane (Hawaiian checkers). A Green Sea turtle (honu) blesses us as it swims in Keonae’ele Cove just before we leave. The bonus today is that admission is waived!

We stop at a mall at Keauhou to have some fish tacos at Tropics Taphouse, which is a sports bar in the mall. My friend drops me off at the hotel, and I walk back to the tender dock, where I board the next tender with no waiting. I’m back in my cool stateroom by 3PM, freshen up and then take my notebook down to the Grand Dutch Cafe to have a cappuccino and big chocolate chip cookie, which revives me nicely.

I watch the crew hoist the tender boats aboard from the Promenade Deck, and then return to my stateroom to dress for dinner in the main dining room. I have corn and crab fritters to start, spaghetti aioli entree, and a banana crisp for dessert. I don’t go for my usual martini nightcap this evening and skip the magician show, preferring to work on my photos and journal stay in my stateroom.

Starting tomorrow, we will be docked in Honolulu for two days with an overnight at the dock. I go online to buy a ticket to the Bishop Museum for tomorrow, since it was back in the 1980s when I last saw the museum exhibits.

Kona Coast

11 photos

Komodo Island, Indonesia

Posted on March 11, 2016 by JoeTourist

March 11, 2016 – Slawi Bay, Komodo Island, Indonesia

2016 – SE Asia and Total Solar Eclipse cruise

Stepping onto Komodo Island is like stepping back in time. The Komodo Dragons are fascinating, and ruthless killers. These large monitor lizards and the Komodo islanders coexist on an inhospitable island in the Indonesian archipelago.

Reflections in a glassy sea in the Slawi Bay in the early morning light

We anchor in Slawi Bay, and I go ashore in the tenders at 9:15AM to join my excursion to see the Komodo Dragons. When we arrive at the ranger station, we go for a hike along the trails in small groups escorted by guides and park rangers. Some people pass out in the heat and have to be packed back to the tenders and the ship, since it is exceedingly hot. Of course, it’s not as if we weren’t warned about the conditions ahead of time. Fresh water is scarce on Komodo Island. The islanders collect rainwater during the rainy season, but otherwise they survive on very little water. We are supplied with lots of cold, bottled water before we leave on our hike.

There is a young female Komodo Dragon near the ranger station where we assemble, so everyone takes photos. As we walk through the bush, we see large green Imperial pigeons, hear the noisy Friarbirds, and spot a couple of deer. There are some striped snails, and a wide variety of plants and trees on the island. As we approach the water hole (which is dry), we see three medium-sized Komodo Dragons. We also spot a larger Komodo Dragon resting in the bush as we leave the water hole area. So in total, we see five Komodo Dragons.

Komodo Dragon monitor lizard at the water hole with tongue extended, Komodo Island, Indonesia

Komodo Dragons are just really big Monitor lizards. They are carnivores, preying on the deer and wild pigs that inhabit the island. They are at the top of the food chain, and they also sometimes eat their own young. Komodo Dragons are good swimmers and, for short distances, quite swift on land. One Komodo Dragon will bite its prey, inflicting injuries and causing massive infections in the wounds with the bacteria in their saliva. Once the prey is dying, all the Komodo Dragons in the area will come to feed.

There are about 1,100 Komodo Dragons on this island, and they inhabit other islands in the area as well. They are originally from Australia, where they grew even bigger, but they are no longer found there.

I’m glad our little hour and a half trek is over by noon, and we can return to the comfort of the air-conditioned ship. Slawi Bay is very pretty, with glassy water, surrounded by green hills, and a white, sandy beach with nobody on it. I think Komodo Island and some of the other Indonesian Islands are on par with French Polynesia when it comes to spectacular shoreline scenery.

The captain is seriously annoyed with people throwing money at some boys in dugouts beside the ship as he tries to manoeuvre the ship out of our anchorage. Dolphins escort us out of the bay as we make an early departure at 3PM.

Komodo Island

20 photos

Local boats and the Volendam anchored in the bay

A ship's tender heading for the shoreside dock — A ship’s tender heading for the shoreside dock

Boys in dugouts lurking around the ship as we depart

Reflections in a glassy sea in the bay in the early morning light

Our park ranger with his long stick to defend us against the Komodo Dragons!

Tamarindo – day 2

Posted on March 2, 2009 by JoeTourist

2009 Southern Skies Fiesta & Tamarindo Coast

March 2, 2009 – Monday – Hotel Las Tortugas, Tamarindo, Costa Rica

My friends return from their morning walk on the beach and tell me about the turtle tracks they saw. I grab my camera and take my morning walk along the beach at about 8am. The day heats up quickly at this location, so it is important to get out as early as possible if there is any outside activity to be done. I find the turtle tracks and while I’m taking photos a woman approaches me to tell me she saw a turtle returning to the sea about 15 minutes ago just up the beach a bit further. She suggested I get out on the beach a bit earlier and try to see one. I thanked her for the suggestion, since the turtle tours are not offered in this area after Feb 15th.

Female turtle tracks leading to a nest on the shore margin

There are lots of surfers out this morning riding the waves that are breaking just offshore. There is a woman with a Canon 600mm telephoto setup on the beach taking photos. What a monster lens! Apparently she is from a local surfer shop, where they sell packages which include taking photos of their customers as they ride the waves. The winds are strong and the surf continues throughout the afternoon, so the surfers are out there until the Sun sets.

I am settling into a lazy routine here at the hotel. After last week, it is nice to have little planned, so I find a hammock setup in the shade and listen to a Rick Steeves podcast on my iPhone. He had Fred Plotkin as a guest, who is a travel food writer, has written a book about Italian cuisine, and lives in Italy for six months of the year. He has some valuable insight into Italians and their food and wine. I well know how fanatical Italians are about using fresh, locally supplied food! A more recent Rick Steves interview with Fred about Italian cuisine.

Avellanas the hotel dog having a snooze on the beach

This evening’s sunset over the Pacific Ocean is spectacular (see banner image above). People are walking and playing on the beach while this light show goes on to the west. Of course I’m out there too, and meet Avellanas the hotel dog, who is having a snooze on the beach now that it’s cooler.

Carera Park & La Ensenada Lodge – day 4

Posted on February 26, 2009 by JoeTourist

Feb 26, 2009 – Thursday – La Ensenada “Star” Lodge & Carera Park, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

2009 Southern Skies Fiesta & Tamarindo Coast

Swiss Travel, the company our guide Jorge works for, originally planned to take us to a beach near Puntarenas today, however only a couple of people signed up and several of us suggested to both Jorge and Gary that we would much prefer a walk through Carera National Park. To their credit, Swiss Travel cancels the beach trip and substitutes Carera, providing each person pays the US$10 park entrance fee. Most of our group sign up for this trip, and we leave this morning on the bus. First stop is the bridge over the Tarcoles River to see the crocodiles. They are huge – about three metres long. The bus meets us on the other side and we drive the short distance to the park entrance, where we pay our entrance fee.

A pair of Scarlett Macaws in a nest in a tree

We walk along a relatively flat trail through the rain forest, which transitions from “dry” to “wet”. We are treated to two opportunities to see Scarlett Macaws (both nesting in trees). We also see Jesus Christ Lizards. Jorge flushes them out and they scoot across the stream – that’s how they get their name (walking on water). There are sandwiches and cold drinks waiting for us as we drive back to La Ensenada in the bus. After the hot temperatures in the rain forest, the air conditioned bus offers some welcome relief.

Afternoons at Le Ensenada are hot, so most of our group disappear to their cabins for siestas or adjourn to the pool for a refreshing swim. After having dinner at 5pm, we observe Venus and the thin Crescent Moon as they both set in the west at sunset – a beautiful sight. I’m tired after the hike in the midday heat, so I go to bed after dinner. I wake up at midnight fully refreshed and ready for our last night sky observing opportunity at La Ensenada.

La Ensenada Lodge – day 2

Posted on February 24, 2009 by JoeTourist

Feb 24, 2009 – Tuesday – La Ensenada “Star” Lodge, Manzanillo, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

2009 Southern Skies Fiesta & Tamarindo Coast

I join the early morning wildlife walk at 6AM since I’m still up from the previous night’s observing. The horses are in the field as the sun rises, and we see a big iguana along with some birds as the Howler monkeys look down on us from the trees. Time for breakfast and a nap.

I go on the boat trip to the mangrove swamp, showing up at 2PM down at the dock with my Canon 50D and the 17-85 zoom lens. However after we spot our first birds (Pelicans), I wish I had brought the 70-200 zoom instead. The birds we see are pretty close, but the extra reach of the longer zoom lens would have given me better image scale. We follow a similar route as last year, seeing lots of birds busy catching fish, spoonbills in the trees, and a Pelican colony at close range. It is cooler than I remember the boat trip from last year, and the water isn’t as rough on the return trip. After we return, I have a swim in the pool before going for dinner – very refreshing!

This evening I look at M42 Orion Nebula through a 15” Obsession Dobsonian telescope one of our group has brought with them on the trip. Our astronomy leader Gary thinks this telescope holds the record as the largest aperture telescope brought on the tour so far. All I can say is the views through it are superb. The breathtaking view of M42 reveals the beautiful blue colour of the reflection nebula – a first time for me with any scope I’ve used on this showpiece object. We also have a look at the Sombrero Galaxy, where the dust lane is evident, and Comet Lulin’s spectacular dust tail.

Later in the evening, I do some astrophotography using my dSLR mounted on an Astrotrac tracking mount on a tripod. It works very well, but my choice of targets: the emission nebulae in Vela turns out to be underwhelming. Later I change targets to a widefield of M42 Orion Nebula, including the Flame Nebula and the Horsehead Nebula, and am rewarded with a breathtaking resultant image.

After midnight, I turn my camera to Comet Lulin and have yet more success. I take relatively few frames to capture the comet’s tail, but stacking 62 light frames referenced to the comet head shows just how fast this comet is moving through the cosmos indicated by the star trails. I go to bed tired but happy after a busy night of observing and photographing the night sky.

La Ensenada Lodge – Day 4

Posted on February 8, 2008 by JoeTourist

2008 Costa Rica Southern Skies Fiesta, Volcanos & Rainforest

Feb 8, 2008 – Friday – La Ensenada “Star” Lodge, Abangaritos, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

This is our last full day at La Ensenada “Star” Lodge. Before sunrise, I see Rigel Kentaurus and Hadar with the Southern Cross in the beautiful pre-dawn light. I then go on our final nature walk this morning as the Sun rises. We spot lots of interesting wildlife, including a Cane Toad in the dining room as we gather, and then a Green heron on a snag in an algae-covered pond, a Clay-coloured Robin Clay-coloured Robin, Southern white-crowned shrike, Squirrel Cuckoo, and a Tropical Kingbird perched in trees.

Crux and other southern constellations in the pre-dawn southeastern sky

I sign up for a horse ride this morning. We all have a good time; especially considering none of us have ridden horses for many years. The last time I rode a horse was when I was an early teen. The horses are very well trained, and the ride is an interesting two hours going all around the ranch. We go to the top of a hill overlooking the coastline, and ride around the hill where the tractor ride took us previously. I take some video which captures the experience pretty well, despite all the bouncing around I was doing while on horseback. We even see a pair of Double-striped Thick-knee birds run across the pasture grass.

After lunch, two musicians play the xylophone tandem in the bar/lounge. Otherwise, our afternoon is free of activities. I have a nap after dinner, waking up around 7:30pm to clear skies! This is the opportunity I have been waiting for all week. I take a time lapse of the southern horizon over a 3 hour period until midnight, which shows some of the southern celestial objects in the sky as they rise. I then setup the Astrotrac after finding a spot where I can see Polaris, finally getting a good polar alignment. Now I’m cooking! I image the Eta Carina region, and then move to Crux, imaging the Southern Cross and the Coalsack dark nebula.

Feb 9, 2008 – early morning, Saturday – While the camera is imaging the Southern Cross region, I process the Eta Carinae images since I can see they are quite good. Finally, I’m happy with some results from this dark sky location! Both my friend and I are up until 4am imaging the night sky, since this is our last chance. Several of our group pull all-nighters, since the sky is so wonderful. I think it is perhaps the all-time best observing evening I’ve ever experienced. It is warm, the magnitude 6 sky is steady and crystal clear, the temperature is very comfortable at about 25º Celsius, and there are no mosquitoes!

La Ensenada Lodge – Day 2

Posted on February 6, 2008 by JoeTourist

2008 Costa Rica Southern Skies Fiesta, Volcanos & Rainforest

Feb 6, 2008 – Wednesday – La Ensenada “Star” Lodge, Abangaritos, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

On our early morning nature walk this morning, we spot a Rufous Motmot, Screech Owl, a Black Spiny-Tailed Iguana out in the open, a Clay-coloured Robin, and a Tropical Kingbird. Costa Rica is a birder’s paradise, especially during migration season!

We go on a boat ride to see the mangrove that is located just around the point from where we are staying. Several of the group that went yesterday were soaked on the way back from the oncoming swells in the late afternoon, but we did much better. Only one member of our group was hit by the wash. It was a rewarding trip, since we cruised right up close to several birds and even a baby alligator was sunning himself on a small log and stayed around long enough for us to get some photos. Birds spotted: Brown Pelicans, a Kestrel in flight, Whimbrel, Roseate Spoonbill, Snowy Egret, and Royal Terns when we return to the dock in front of the lodge.

After turning on my cellphone this evening, it shows a decent signal, so I call home to check in with the family. We have another clear night, so I’m out on the observing field marvelling at the Zodiacal Light – the first time I’ve observed this phenomenon. I try to capture a time lapse of the Zodiacal Light, but it doesn’t work out. I pack it in for the night at 9PM since I’m tired from the day’s activities.