Passed a lookout on the way which was a beach covered with elephant seals - very noisy, but cute.
This was the closest view we had of the Hearst Castle. Seems to be a very ostentatious attempt to replicate a European castle.
Tuesday, 19 March 2013
The Coast road from San Francisco to San Luis Obispo
The trip down from San Francisco via the old coast highway was an outstanding trip - despite some cloud and sea haze which made the views less than we expected. Regardless, the scenery is spectacular.
Passed a lookout on the way which was a beach covered with elephant seals - very noisy, but cute.
This was the closest view we had of the Hearst Castle. Seems to be a very ostentatious attempt to replicate a European castle.
Passed a lookout on the way which was a beach covered with elephant seals - very noisy, but cute.
This was the closest view we had of the Hearst Castle. Seems to be a very ostentatious attempt to replicate a European castle.
Beautiful San Francisco
We spent 2 very pleasant days in San Francisco - what a surprising place. Very clean and full of interesting architecture.
The city seems to have imposed itself on the landscape with all the streets laid out in a grid pattern, regardless of the terrain. This makes for some very steep streets.
Took a ferry ride on the harbour and saw Alcatraz close up, as well as the Golden Gate bridge and the city skyline.
On Sunday we went around the city on a hop on/hop off bus and managed to fit in a visit to the Terracotta Warriors exhibition - which happened to be in town. As we missed it by one day in another city it was very satisfying to get to see it but unfortunately t has made us determined to see the site in Xian, China.
As Sunday was St. Patrick's Day there were large crowds of very festive Irishmen/San Franciscans!
The city seems to have imposed itself on the landscape with all the streets laid out in a grid pattern, regardless of the terrain. This makes for some very steep streets.
Took a ferry ride on the harbour and saw Alcatraz close up, as well as the Golden Gate bridge and the city skyline.
On Sunday we went around the city on a hop on/hop off bus and managed to fit in a visit to the Terracotta Warriors exhibition - which happened to be in town. As we missed it by one day in another city it was very satisfying to get to see it but unfortunately t has made us determined to see the site in Xian, China.
As Sunday was St. Patrick's Day there were large crowds of very festive Irishmen/San Franciscans!
Saturday, 16 March 2013
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
I have had to add the commentary late, as the internet connection at sea over the last week has been diabolical!!
Cabo San Lucas was a most interesting place - very friendly, some great scenery and excellent food.
We had a dinner the night before arriving in Cabo San Lucas for some old goat's 64th birthday - very entertaining.
The rock formations around the bay are very much like the coast west of Melbourne - see the arch.
We also managed to get up to Todos Santos - which is the home of the Hotel California in the Eagles hit song. Unfortunately the Eagles were not playing at the venue and the song wasn't even on the playlist in the restaurant. Nevertheless, it was a very scenic drive and we had a great lunch - so everything was not a total loss.
Saw many, many whales around the area - both arriving and leaving Cabo San Lucas.
Cabo San Lucas was a most interesting place - very friendly, some great scenery and excellent food.
We had a dinner the night before arriving in Cabo San Lucas for some old goat's 64th birthday - very entertaining.
The rock formations around the bay are very much like the coast west of Melbourne - see the arch.
We also managed to get up to Todos Santos - which is the home of the Hotel California in the Eagles hit song. Unfortunately the Eagles were not playing at the venue and the song wasn't even on the playlist in the restaurant. Nevertheless, it was a very scenic drive and we had a great lunch - so everything was not a total loss.
Saw many, many whales around the area - both arriving and leaving Cabo San Lucas.
Monday, 11 March 2013
San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua
Well it had to happen! After 32 days of cruising we finally missed a port due to weather.
These views are the closest we got to Nicaragua so we will have to wait for another opportunity to see what we missed.
These views are the closest we got to Nicaragua so we will have to wait for another opportunity to see what we missed.
Puntarenas, Costa Rica
We visited Puntarenas in Costa Rica - not to be confused with Punta Arenas in Chile. It was a true Central American country, with very scenic countryside and varied geography. In one day we went from dry tropical rainforest to cloud forest to tropical scenery.
Our trip was mainly to see an active volcano crater, however all we saw was misty rain and cloud. The flowers and wildlife were very interesting and colourful however - so it was not a total disappointment.
This was a local church that was manufactured in Portugal from steel and cast iron and sent to Costa Rica to be assembled.
We also visited the factory where they still make the local ox-carts and decorate them in very bright colours - all hand painted and the factory is powered totally by a water wheel.
This was the view when we sailed out of port after a very good day visit - well worth the stop!
Our trip was mainly to see an active volcano crater, however all we saw was misty rain and cloud. The flowers and wildlife were very interesting and colourful however - so it was not a total disappointment.
This was a local church that was manufactured in Portugal from steel and cast iron and sent to Costa Rica to be assembled.
We also visited the factory where they still make the local ox-carts and decorate them in very bright colours - all hand painted and the factory is powered totally by a water wheel.
This was the view when we sailed out of port after a very good day visit - well worth the stop!
Friday, 8 March 2013
Manta, Ecuador
We overnighted in Lima but did not go ashore as we had toured around the city during the Machu Picchu excursion. On the night before departing there was a very good concert with a Peruvian folk group - very colourful costumes and great music.
Our next port of call was Manta, in Ecuador. Not much can be said about the town, as it is very basic and only just starting to promote tourism. The main claim to fame is that a village outside of Manta - Montecristi - is the true source of Panama hats, which are really Ecuadorean hats!
These young guys were very enterprising - setting up an impromptu performance to entertain the busloads of tourists.
There were some nice views from the ship of the port and harbour, which has a very large fishing fleet.
Our next port of call was Manta, in Ecuador. Not much can be said about the town, as it is very basic and only just starting to promote tourism. The main claim to fame is that a village outside of Manta - Montecristi - is the true source of Panama hats, which are really Ecuadorean hats!
These young guys were very enterprising - setting up an impromptu performance to entertain the busloads of tourists.
There were some nice views from the ship of the port and harbour, which has a very large fishing fleet.
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