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.

I had been putting it off, but the day finally arrived. My wisdom tooth was not getting better and something had to be done. It all started Saturday before leaving for the trip. While eating cereal, I lost a filling in my wisdom tooth. Luckily Dr. Scharfenberger, our family dentist worked me in between appointments. It was a complicated case as the tooth was in poor shape and had splayed roots. A proper restoration or extraction would require a specialist. I needed to leave in three days for the cruise and there just wasn't enough time. I opted to replace the filling in hopes it would last until we returned. Sadly, it did not. Thankfully Royal Caribbean added a well qualified dentist to the World Cruise medical staff. Information travels quickly on a cruise ship and I heard good things about Dr. Nathaly our ship's dentist. She had all the necessary credentials so I scheduled an appointment. Dr. Nathaly was very thorough and presented the same options I heard months before. This...

Enjoyed an afternoon of classic walkabout street photography with a splash of architecture to add perspective.

We spent two days and nights docked in Lima and spent the first day resting and enjoying the harbor sights. The port was busier than most shuffling containers about, but then about eleven the real show started. I always enjoyed photographing pelicans, but typically only see one or two snoozing on a post. When they do fly off, I am seldom ready. Birds in flight are always a challenge. Today a school of bait fish surfaced just outside our balcony and about three dozen pelicans flew in for lunch. The show lasted about thirty minutes and was nonstop excitement. Nothing like being in the right place at the right time.

Today's tour is less about culture and more about nature as we ventured into Paracas National Reserve. Like so many of our South American ports, Serenade shares the port with cargo vessels and buses shuttle passengers between ship and customs. Obviously this is for safety concerns, but they probably anticipated my getting lost in the maze of stacked cargo containers.  Once on the tour bus, we exited the port and expected to see a busy metropolis. We saw nothing but sand and sky. We were in the desert headed for Paracas National Reserve.  We chose this tour based on the reserve's unique seashore. I had never experienced an interaction between desert and ocean and figured it would be a lesson in extremes. There are many challenges. This is 'Tour Photography' which is much like 'Street Photography' in that the photographer has no control over light, subject or time of day. Today the main subjects are desert and ocean. Both receive harsh mid day sun. Both ...

After leaving the glaciers, icebergs and fjords behind, we headed towards the equator along the western coast of South America. As expected the South Pacific gradually calmed and the weather quickly changed from biting winter squalls to inviting summer breezes. All was good onboard, but ashore something was drastically different. Most ports were surrounded by deserts.  One might expect the coastal climates of North and South America to be similar. Both border the Pacific with major mountain ranges inland. They reside in different hemispheres, but that only accounts for the opposing seasons. The difference is most North American coasts receive significant rainfall resulting in lush green environments, while most South American coasts receive little rainfall resulting in vast deserts. Don't take my word for it, check out the greens and browns in Google Maps satellite view. We know this difference exists, but why? There must be another factor drastically affecting rainfall.  The ...

Today's excursion was a cultural tour to Codpa Village. The bus ride was enjoyable and at times seemed like we were traveling into the past. As we drove towards the mountains, we entered the Atacama Desert and after two hours reached an elevation of 7,076 feet and the hidden valley containing Codpa village. The village's central structure is a 16th century Spanish church surrounded by additional buildings completing the village of about 1,000 residents. Traditionally they were self-sufficient, but now days rely on weekly resupply runs for additional necessities. Their local school provides primary education for the village kids and those in surrounding areas. The guest students arrive each Monday by bus, spend the week attending school and return home on Friday. Graduating students often leave the community seeking opportunities outside those found in the community. The 16th century Church of San Martin de Tours is the main village structure and one of many important mis...

With the ship docked in Valparaiso, our excursion headed inland to Chile's Capitol and largest city, Santiago. It had everything we learned to expect in South America, but what caught my eye was the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago. Despite many earthquakes and wars, the current structure looked immaculate with no signs of disrepair. It was obviously old, well respected and maintained, but why?  The current Metropolitan Cathedral was completed in 1800 and is probably the fifth and possibly the seventh structure in that location. In any case, it all began in 1541 when the first structure was built and later destroyed that same year. Given the current Cathedral's immaculate condition and past reconstruction efforts, Christianity is obviously well accepted and an important part of the community. Why is this so and how did it happen? The answer is linked to Spanish colonization.  Spain's obvious colonization goals were to extract gold and silver from the Americas, stim...

As we continue sailing north, everything begins returning to normal. No glaciers, icebergs, fjords or angry skies to photograph. Winds are calm, decks are open with no worries of being blown over board. Seas are calm, waves are tolerable and walking the halls is no longer a contact sport. Temperatures are pleasant, pools are open and active. Sleeping is back on schedule along with the sun rises and sunsets. Life is good especially since mother nature quit with all the drama. Normality has returned.

An untold secret used by many landscape photographers is to replace skies with something more exciting. Within Photoshop, it is an automated process beginning with selection of the replacement sky from a library and ending with manual refinements to optimize results. When done properly, the images are fantastic. The world cruise seemed like a perfect opportunity to create a custom sky library. Since we have a balcony suite, capturing those early morning and late evening shots can be accomplished in comfortable PJs. The library is growing with a wide selection of skies. The attached example demonstrates not all skies have to be dramatic. Just like life, sometimes it is better to just blend in.

As we traveled up the western coast of South America, the Pacific Ocean was more than a bit choppy.  Lucky for us, an alternate route through the fjords and channels offered protection from the open sea and a more comfortable ride.  It definitely was not a short cut, but was scenic and offered better sleeping accommodations.

When Punta Arenas' port closed, Captain turned the Ship around and began executing plan B. We headed into the fjords seeking shelter and glaciers. Despite the misty cold weather, the scenery was breathtaking. After six hours the Captain announced we had arrived. Alberto de Agostini National Park was worth the trip.

Despite Punta Arenas' weather forecast not looking favorable, we again headed to port in hopes of improvement. Shortly before arrival, local authorities closed the port to all ships. Not to be undone, the Captain put plan B into effect. Although I have never been to Punta Arenas, I doubt it could top the day's new activities.

Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world. Originally inhabited by indigenous peoples like the Yaghan, it later became a penal colony in the early 20th century. Over time, Ushuaia transformed into a hub for exploration and tourism, known for its stunning natural landscapes and proximity to Antarctica. It officially became a city in 1985, and today, it continues to attract visitors seeking adventure and unique experiences in the southernmost region of South America.