There and Back Again by D.A.Webb

One of my personal goals for our Ultimate World Cruise is to experience, learn and hopefully understand some of the many cultures encountered around the world. With the Americas portion complete, now is a perfect time to reflect on lessons learned so far.  For those following closely you may have noticed a bit of confusion and slight shift in opinion. That should not be a surprise as opinions are generally based on experiences and experiences have been bountiful this trip. To better understand this shift let's examine the importance of culture and it's relationship with society. First, what is culture? Is it found exclusively in cultural centers boasting exhibits of arts, crafts and other physical products of society? Perhaps a more representative source are those including the performing arts like song, dance and theater? Is another potential means of experiencing culture found on tours featuring local foods, history and architecture? If the above is true, culture has ...

Eight o'clock we were cleared to leave the ship. Fifteen minutes later we were "just sittin' on the dock of the bay. Wastin' time". Unbelievable!  Past experiences indicated departure would take about ninety minutes. We had to leave the room on deck seven, catch an elevator to deck two, scan the sea pass card leaving the ship, navigate the terminal to customs, clear customs, turn in our passports to Royal Caribbean and locate a place to be picked up. Each step typically has waiting lines. Today no lines, we simply fast tracked everything. Friends Juan and Carlos were picking us up. No Royal Caribbean excursion for us today, Juan had something special planned. The Sunday morning air was cool but pleasant and LA traffic was non-existent. In no time we reached our destination north east of the city, Mission San Gabriel Arcangel. Founded in 1771, the complex is home to California's fourth historic mission. We spent hours enjoying the church, gardens and ...

Sea days are always welcome especially after lengthy excursions. Besides sleeping in there is time to unwind and recharge for the next 'whatever'. We were on deck twelve as Serenade left Puerto Quetzal. Bow and stern thrust pods were kicking up silt as our floating resort maneuvered towards the Pacific. After two months it has become routine, but still enjoying to behold. The Captain's evening status was on schedule like always. It is his version of the evening news filled with navigational information, weather reports and other miscellaneous 'whatevers'. There was something about changing course and the decks being closed for the evening, but like leaving port, these announcements had become routine and automatically ignored. I slept through the night and obviously missed the latest 'whatever'. That night we had experienced hurricane force winds and high seas. The decks were again open with everything gritty to the touch from dried salt spray. From our pl...

Along with the two remaining ports in Mexico, Puerto Quetzal is among our last excursions in Latin America. Having never visited Guatemala, we weren't sure what to expect, but figured it would be similar to our other ports in South America. Although most seemed to have similar backgrounds and social issues, all were exciting experiences with unique cultural differences. Today's excursion was long, so we were up early, well rested, full of energy and ready to go.  Both Joan and I are chronologically enhanced and not in the best of shape. For this reason we avoid strenuous excursions like Machu Picchu, Iguazu Falls and opt for choices better matching our capabilities. This is not an easy decision, but given our situation, it is the best and definitely wise choice.  The day began with a ninety minute bus ride to Antigua Guatemala and transfer to a smaller bus. The second bus took us deeper into the city for a drop-off. About five hours later, a different bus would pick us, ...

We arrived early in Puntarenas and had an exciting excursion planned. Instead I opted for breakfast in bed and had room service deliver. Not just the typical hot coffee and Danish for me. When you do room service, order only the finest. I am enjoying soft room temperature food (aka cold oatmeal) with plenty of cool liquids (aka apple juice). No strenuous excursions, tropical sun or heated saunas on the schedule either. Today it's time to relax in the room enjoying moist warm compresses on the left upper jaw. Welcome to the post extraction instructions day two. In all seriousness, recovery is going well and the pain is manageable. I am so thankful there were no complications and Dr. Nathaly was here to address my dental issue. Be sure to check in tomorrow for more excitement on the post extraction world cruise saga.

The day finally arrived. I was in and out in forty-five minutes. Although the tooth had four splayed roots it was a simple extraction with no complications. No oral surgery was required. The recommended post extraction instructions listed fourteen items filling a printed page. Most address the first three days while one extends to day fifteen. I plan to follow all instructions as recommended. The last thing I want is post extraction complications. Two months of pain is a strong motivator.

It was a long night, but at 9:00 AM I contacted Dr. Scharfenberger's office explaining the situation. The email arrived almost immediately and I forwarded the detailed x-ray to Dr. Nathaly. I was ready, but at this point all appointments had been booked for the day. The next available opening was tomorrow.  Extraction is now scheduled for 8:00 AM tomorrow with yet another painful day and sleepless night to endure.