Closing Thoughts

Home again, home again.  No place like it.  Getting here yesterday was both smooth and not smooth.  Disembarking from the Viking Mars was easy, well staffed and efficient.  Our flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Atlanta was uneventful, and we had plenty of time in the layover for lunch.  The problem was that the layover became extended and extended and extended when, first, the pilot who was supposed to fly us to Columbus was "fatigued".  This set off a search that added nearly 3 hours to our planned 3:30 p.m. departure.  Safety comes first but aggravating sometimes.

I was so looking forward to an early evening and catching up on bowl games, watching Illinois defeat Tennessee to extend the (so far) dominance of the Big 10 over the SEC.  And, I did get to watch it - the last 10 minutes (which were probably the best anyway) - and see Illinois kick a game-ending field goal to win.  Even though I'm not a fan of their coach, Brett Bielma, I was glad to see the Big 10 win.  Unpacking went quickly for us, and we got a great night sleep in the home bed (as you'd expect).  I've had enough time to reflect on our vacation to Central America and wanted to offer some thoughts in closing.  

First, the opportunity to traverse the Panama Canal is the main reason we selected this particular vacation, and it is an engineering marvel.  It is amazing how the Americans, through the Army Corp. of Engineers, succeeded in getting this stupendous feat of engineering completed when the French couldn't make it work.  

The American plan was simply better, instituting a set of locks at the Atlantic and Pacific sides of Panama to deal with the higher middle ground.  The French tried to just connect one sea to the other and, in the process, lost 25,000 men, spent fortunes, and simply failed.  And, you can't underestimate the resolve of Teddy Roosevelt in pushing this project through a balking Congress where many favored an alternative approach through Colombia (that never would've worked).

Going through it was smooth and easy.  I could see right away why it was important to return the ownership of it to Panama from the United States.  Threatening them to go in and retake it (Trump) is not only silly but wrong.  Panama is, like the other countries we saw in Central America, a developing country.  If we want them to succeed and prevent economic migration to the US, they need to have a way to earn money and provide jobs.  This canal - built right through the middle of their country - is that way.

Second, the tropics provide a unique climate, unlike any I've been in before.  Every country we saw was lush and wet.  The rain forest was incredibly unique in terms of plants and animals as an ecosystem.  The difference in them vs. where we live is pretty remarkable - monkeys, sloths, birds, unbelievable butterflys and bats, etc.  The mangrove lagoon and marsh was teeming with beautiful plants and bird species.

The temperature difference much closer to the equator was striking, too.  That seems common sensical until you're in a country where it is 80 degrees+ even in the winter.  You can imagine it during the summer as Florida on steroids.  In our visit at the end of the rainy season, it was shorts and t-shirt weather, often overcast.  But when the sun shines, it was blue skies and beautiful sunny weather.  Very enjoyable.

Third, the history of this area is fascinating, from ancient and thriving Mayan civilization, to exploration and the role of people like Christopher Columbus, to pirates (like Blackbeard), to the changing of hands from Spanish to British to French to Dutch . .  . . you'd need a program to keep up with the history through the centuries.  The New World with its anticipated route east to China was enticing for all of them.

Fourth, the people involved in the tourism trade, both those of Viking and at each of the sites, were 100% invested in making sure you had a good time (and left more than your share of dollars behind).  Viking has this down to a science.  That's why we haven't ventured too far into the cruise industry beyond them (using Uniworld once for Egypt and Seabourn for a Mediterranean cruise, both years ago).  

Viking simply has hospitality at every level shown by every smiling worker who wants to do whatever is needed (or wanted) to make your trip better.  And for the locals in the various sites, they realize how important tourism is to their economy and their personal lives and they, too, bust their ass to ensure you're enjoying yourself and spending money.  We were only too happy to oblige them on both.

Ocean cruises on Viking are similar but different to their river cruises.  The hospitality is the same, and the food is simply great with tons of choice on both (although a little less choice on river cruises).  The shore excursions can both be very good, or have an occasional clunker (like this visit to Cozumel and Mayan ruins).  The biggest difference is the intimacy.  The river cruises are a few hundred (e.g., 250) while the ocean cruises are, of course, on a much bigger ship with 1,000 persons.  On a river cruise, places to eat on the ship are less plentiful (by virtue of its smaller size) so that you often end up meeting someone you like and having dinner with them a few times while on the river cruise.  That doesn't seem to happen on ocean cruises.  You meet people but don't get as close as you do on a river cruise.  We like both, but I think we prefer the river cruises.  

Fifth, it is alternatively exhilarating and sobering to be in a developing country.  When we were in China in 1998, we saw a bit of the developing part of it as we traversed southward from Beijing to Hong Kong, reflected by the presence of bicycles gradually transitioning in the south to Bentleys.  I'm sure the bulk of China has caught up to the south and Hong Kong, as an example, in terms of developing-to-developed country.  The extent of development-to-come in Central America, though, is far greater than that of China 30 years ago.

While the condition of these developing countries makes you grateful for the one you live in, it is also a clear example of where we likely have too much here.  We don't see that on a day to day basis, but the contrast in housing is readily apparent, for example.  The people, though, we interacted with and watched as the tour bus we were on rolled by all seemed to be fine with how things were.  "Gosh, to have an air conditioner for the house."  And yet, there was real organization with focus of these countries on education and mobility.  That was impressive to see and hear about. Develop they will.

In the end, I'm grateful to be home and have the wonderful life that I do.  I'm grateful that I was able to put my disease behind me, at least long enough to enjoy wonders of the world like we've seen.  And, to do it with my best friend and beautiful wife, Cheryl, is a gift from God.  Hope you've enjoyed the musings from the cruise and allow me to close with a Costa Rican saying we learned . . . . pura vida (defined from Wikipedia):  

"Pura Vida" (pronounced poo-rah vee-duh) literally means "pure life" in Spanish, but in Costa Rica, it's a versatile phrase and national motto symbolizing a relaxed, happy lifestyle focused on simplicity, positivity, and enjoying life's simple pleasures, used for everything from saying hello/goodbye to "everything's great" or shrugging off minor issues.  It embodies the Costa Rican spirit of gratitude, peace, and living life to the fullest, reflecting a carefree, optimistic outlook.