THE LAST SHIP AT SEA

March 13, 2020

Before I explain that title, I want to wish all of you triskadekaphobians out there a Happy Friday 13th.  Of course by the time you read this it will be the 14th – since we are two hours behind you.

Before the evening’s show in the Phantom Theater, for which Bonnie and I did not stay – a hypnotist, Adam, the cruise director announced that as of midnight tonight the entire cruise industry was shutting down for 30 days.  All Carnival ships at sea are being diverted to the nearest suitable ports to get guests off and home.  We are going on to San Francisco on schedule, and by the time we get there, Adam said, we may be the only cruise ship anywhere in the world with guests on board.  Have any of you seen “On the Beach?”

And he said, Carnival remains corona virus free!

Back to San Francisco for a moment.  We covet an interest in your prayers for our flights home.  I booked First Class for these flights, so I hope that gets us extra favor with American Airlines, should favor be needed.

It was interesting in Guatemala today.  As we crossed the gangway from the dock into the tourist area of the port, all of the workers – souvenir sellers, tour guides, bus drivers, security guards – were dressed in masks and gloves.  And there was someone well-disaster suited who was taking the temperatures of all guests who looked Asian.

We enjoyed our time in Antigua today (a city in Guatemala, not an island in the Caribbean).  It is, as I told you earlier a World Heritage Site, which means it is protected from development and encroachment.  For 200 years Antigua had been the capital of the nation, until it was destroyed three times by successive earthquakes.  After the 1773 quake, the capital was moved to Guatemala City.  The main feature of Antigua today is the remains of 9 colonial churches.  Sadly, we only got to see two of them, and one was a drive by.

Because it took an hour longer than planned to clear the Miracle by local customs, we  were, of course, late to leave.  The drive was supposed to take 1.5 hours each way giving us 3 hours to explore on our own.  The drive took 2 hours going up, and we had to leave early to get back to the ship (all aboard was extended by only 30 minutes – but as it turned out, we didn’t sail until 7, instead of 4 because of a medical emergency which required an ambulance to come from Guatemala City).  Looking at pictures in brochures, we know we missed a lot.

But we had a great local lunch of tacos – very unlike Taco Tuesday – and a plate of frijoles negras (black beans) topped with fried eggs, and washed down with very cold Coca Colas.

Well, I need to rehearse for my 1 o’clock talk, so I’ll turn the keyboard over to Mom.

TTFN

Well, your Mother is concerned about you all. PLEASE take care of yourselves and my Grandchildren!!! It is a strange time and I am so far away from you all and I do miss you a lot. I am praying hard for you ALL and  that all goes well in about 6 days and we are flying home to you. 

Well, on to our day. The ship was cleared more than an hour late today and our tour was more than an hour late leaving. There were 6 busses for the tour we took all going to Antigua. (Close to 300 people) But there were probably another 5 or 6 busses on tours also going to Antigua to do other stuff. It is an ancient town. All the streets are cobblestone and the sidewalks are not handicap friendly. The whole town is not. After a long.... bus ride we arrived. The first half hour the roads were extremely bad, but when we started up into the mountains we were on newer roads. I think that was because about 3 years ago they had a volcano eruption and many people were killed. We rode by the area where the most devastation had happened. The tour guide ( who was a rude man, and very uncomplimentary of his people and Americans) said that most of the rich people were able to escape in their big cars while most of the dead were the poor who had to walk or ride bicycles to try and escape. The country side is very poor. Most of the homes are tin shacks and garbage litters the sides of the roads.

One of the main forms of transportation is mopeds or motorcycles. There appears to be no rules regarding them.  No helmets are worn and I saw at least two with a mother riding and her 2 small children on with her on her lap between the handlebars and her. One the mothers had a child about the age of Tate and a smaller one that looked about 2. It was a very scarey thing. Like all cycles they weave in and out of the line of traffic that goes up the roads. The trip to Antigua take you up winding 5000 feet on a 2 lane highway. The roads are heavy with 18 wheelers hauling oil, and many other things. Going up the mountains would be a long line of trucks and busses and cars. The cars and busses including ours passing going around curves when you couldn’t see ahead. It was at times frightening. 

But we safely made it. When we got to Antigua our busses could not enter the city because the streets are so narrow. So we parked outside and then rode smaller 19 passenger vans into the city. That took about 10 minutes in and 10 minutes out. That took up part of our exploring time. There are women and men walking all over the streets hawking their wares. We only bought a few post cards and some small things I wanted. Lunch was great. The young ladies in the small restaurant ( really just a hole in the wall) did not speak English and I am terrible at Spanish. But with pictures on the menu we managed to order. Loved the tacos and the black beans. Later we visited a chocolate shop because Dad wanted to get some chocolate for the young ladies in the dining room. They are so very nice and friendly. There are 5 of them in all.

The church we visited that was in ruins had once been magnificent. They have repaired enough of it in the front so that it still serves as a house of worship. They have decorations and things up for the lenten season with purple cloths displayed everywhere. 

The bus ride home was no better plus it was very warm. But we made it. We laid down for a few minutes and your Dad got a small nap. Then, we headed to supper. It was good tonight fried green tomatoes, chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and green beans, then cheesecake for dessert.  We hadn’t planned on going to the theater tonight but when Adam, the cruise director,  announced he was going to give us the latest news we decided to go and then leave. It was a shocker but not really unexpected because Princess had already cancelled all there cruises to the middle of May.  But none the less scarey. The crew are the hardest hit. They will lose their livelihood and being many miles from their family. The US has promised to help the cruise lines get their crews home. Lets hope that happens. Lord hear our prayers!! 

Well, he has a talk in the theater tomorrow and he needs to rehearse so I will go. Love you all!!!!  Mom, Granny and Bonnie