IT'S OVER

In 111 days we visited 35 destinations, 6 different continents, 2 iconic canals and at least 19 different bodies of water.  It's been an adventure filled with unexpected delights, unforgettable sights and unbelievable experiences.  It's been the trip of a lifetime.  We weren't even sure we could last 94 days and then enjoyed it so much that we extended it to a full World Cruise of 111 days.

There are 170 passengers still on board who did the full World Cruise from Los Angeles to Los Angeles.  Many are already booked for 2017 and just waiting for 2018 to open for booking.  We've seen a big change over in staff and another 54 leave with us in LA.

We've made friends who I'm sure we'll stay in contact with.  Because this is such a small ship you meet almost everyone including the entertainers.  Some entertainers stay on for only a short time between ports but the Pacific Princess singers and dancers have been with us since Sydney and we've got to know them.  They are a joy to watch perform and fun to visit.

And so it comes to an end Wednesday morning.  It will be a shock to start cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, and even driving after almost 4 months of having everything done for us.

PUERTO VALLARTA and LA PAZ, MEXICO

3 sea days from Puerto Quepos.   There was a spectacular lightning storm during dinner as we sailed from Puerto  Quepos.

PUERTO VALLARTA -   Day 107 - pop 256k, average temperature 86

We docked right across the street from Walmart and Sam's Club.  I think it was a popular destination for a lot of passengers especially the crew.  We didn't do a shore excursion, just wandered down the street until we could access the beach through the Hilton Hotel.  The beach is nothing compared to the Maui ones but it was cooler walking along it than on the streets.  A local group of Folkloric performers came on board for a late afternoon show.  They were really good.

LA PAZ - Day 109 - pop 200k,  winter temps average 77, summer 95 and humid.  About a 90 minute drive from Cabo San Lucas.  The area became a popular destination for stars like John Wayne and The Rat Pack to go fishing in the 60's.

We docked at Puerto Pichilingue which is about 10 miles of desert from La Paz.  A mariache band welcomed our arrival and played for a couple hours.  There was a shuttle running into town about every 30 minutes.  We passed what looked like a very challenging golf  course developed by Gary Player.  A waterfront promenade called the malecon had several statues along it.  Many bars, restaurants, jewelry stores and small shops lined the main street.  Ice cream stores were very popular.  There were some street vendors but they didn't pester us as we walked around.  La Paz is one of the nicest towns we've visited in Mexico.  Due to it's location on the peninsula it does not appear to have the problems that plague so much of Mexico.

Pictures - 1 - leaving La Paz, 2 -  waterfront clear water in downtown LA Paz, 3 - some of the entertainers at the terminal

PUERTO QUEPOS, COSTA RICA

Day 103 - a tender port.  Pop. 14k,  climate 90 degrees and 90% humidity.  Today was over 100.  The town where the rain forest meets the sea.  World famous national park Manuel Antonio with wild life and ecosystems - 1700 acres and 136,00 acres of marine reserve containing rain forests, white sand  beaches and coral reefs.

The ships tours went really early so we opted to get our excercise, have breakfast and tender in around 9 am.  We caught a cab and  went to the national park where we spotted numerous white-tailed capuchin monkeys, small black spined iguanas, raccoons,  bats, chameleons. The world book of records list the speed of the black spined iguanas as 21.7 mph.  We didn't see the 3 toed sloths but others did.  Big butterflys were supposed to be abundant but the guide said we were a couple weeks early for them.

The town was about a 20 minute walk from the port and very small but we saw numerous resorts and condos along the road to the park so tourism is alive and well.

Pictures -1 - some of the monkeys - note the baby on the back of the mother, 2- Len at one of the beaches in the park