Sea days are slow days. Port days? Not so much. Viking offered a small variety of tours in each port and there was always a certain "excitement" in the air as passengers made their way off the boat and proceeded to their respective tour bus. These were some of the few times on our journey when life got "busy" - then and again upon the return to the ship. All well organized yet amazing, if not comical, in that the process in both directions could best be likened to that of herding cats.
Cozumel, Mexico and the Ruins of San Gervasio
Cozumel was very touristy and full of tourists. No doubt offloaded from at least three other cruise ships that had arrived ahead of us. San Gervasio is an archeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization.
Jamie and El Arco (the arch)
Las Manitas (little hands)
The Viking Orion (47,842 GRT, 930 guests)
moored next to
The MSC Meraviglia (167,000 GRT, 4500 guests)
Cartagena, Colombia and the Colombian National Aviary
The variety of birds on display at the National Aviary was truly amazing. A very, very small sampling follows.
Cartagena - a shining "jewel" from afar but closer observation revealed
the "gem" to be set within much squalor.
The aviary's greeter met us at the front gate.
This guy was my favorite - steely eyes, noble nose, strong chin, a hint of thinning on top.
Yup.....just like looking in the mirror.
The Panama Canal
Not really a port day as we didn't get off the boat. The Orion was assigned passage through the original lock systems, completed in 1914, for our journey. A much larger "traffic lane" was inaugurated in 2016 which accommodates the behemoths of our day.
Dawn and our escort takes us under the Atlantic Bridge (constructed 2019).
Jamie supervising the first lift of three at the Gatun Locks.
In the second lock at Gatun. The water in the chamber ahead (#3) is drained into
ours until the water level in each chamber is equal, then the gates are opened
and the ship proceeds into chamber #3. Then water from Gatun Lake is used
and the procedure is repeated.
Ships waiting entry on the Pacific side at sunset. Typical wait time is 72 hours as
Panamanian Customs verifies each vessel's category, size, and type of cargo. Then an entry fee is
assessed and passage is allowed only after the shipping company pays the toll --
U.S. dollars only deposited directly into Panama's account.
Panama City, Panama and Panama's Old Quarter
A partial view of Panama City's skyline.
A small taste of the historical district.
Sunset over the Pacific.
Puntarenas, Costa Rica and the Cloud Forrest
The beach at Puntarenas.
Jamie mocking the fates as she traverses a suspension bridge (notice the rust) --
one of several that crossed steams far below.
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
On the way up to Cabo, the Orion had to make an unscheduled stop at Puerto Vallarta due to a medical emergency. Therefore, the late arrival dictated that the day's tours be canceled and shore time was limited to a few hours in the evening. Jamie and I opted for dinner onboard instead.
Arriving - Cabo San Lucas in the background.
El Arco de Cabo San Lucas in the background - after dinner.
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