Well I am now in Chicago awaiting the departure of the Empire Builder for the final leg of my trip home - the images you see above are just a sample of some of the scenes that I experienced at the various ports of call - they are the Spirit anchored off Belize City, Las Escobas Waterfalls in San Tomas, Altun Hu ruins in Belize city, Chaccohben ruins at Costa Maya and finally the poolside area at the rebuilt port of Costa Maya.

The train ride up from New Orleans was bumpy and boring and not the greatest staff attitude - probably the worst that I have had on my recent Amtrak rides.

Cold in Chicago but currently sunny - any going to adventure outside for a short time before having lunch and then boarding the train.

Gord - if you read this say hi to Jim for me.

Cheers

Dennis

Greetings from Cozumel Mexico

Having a great cruise and taking lots of video and photos.

Have been on two Mayan ruins tours - one to Choccehben in Costa Maya and the other yesterday to Altun Hu in Belize - both are quite different and provide a good insite in this long lost history.

The ship is great and our little meet and greet attracted most of the 30 odd people who say they were coming - Frank and Cathy had some fridge magnets for all of us to add to our collection.

Will have lots of photos to add at a later date - Internet is only $2.00 an hour so I am getting caught up with the email and blogs and political forums.

Also time for lunch - could go back onto the ship but make try something onshore and then its time for a few cheap Mexican beers before heading back to the ship and the sail back to NOLA

Will be home around supper time on Wednesday.

Cheers

Dennis

Well it is just about time to say goodbye to the Big Easy for a week - checking out of the hotel which is pictured above in a few minutes and heading for the port - that one of the ships that was there yesterday but you should get the idea.

On my return in a week it will be straight to Amtrak and the train ride home.

Hope to do a couple of written updates - probably no images as they take time to upload and ship's internet is expensive - otherwise

Cheers

Dennis

One of the many balcony parties going on - some are at the Hotels along the strip - others can be rented by private groups.
The buildings are getting decorated for the real start of the parades next Friday.

Another decorative and colorful facade.

No comment needed - the picture tells the story.

The street is buzzing with people - most of the street is closed to traffic which makes it easier to navigate. It is also legal to drink on the streets in the French Quarter as long as you are 21 and as long as you don't have a glass bottle - see below for more on that subject. Many of the bars had no cover charges however you are expected to purchase at least one drink if you are planning on staying or even if you want to use the washroom.

More street action - remember I have not had the time to edit these images so anything goes.


These revelers will throw down beads to those on the street - don't know where that tradition started but it is eagerly awaited.

A Jazz group performs at one of the many open air cafes.

With 2 very large Universities in NOLA - Louisiana State and Tulane and not to forget Loyala there were lots of college aged people in the crowd - there were also a handful of younger kids tagging along with their parents.

These are unedited images from my afternoon and night time in the French Quarter and along Bourbon Street.

I also have video of the action and of the parade - will attempt to get it up on this site after I get back to Vancouver.

The answer to the question posed in my last post is none other than Louis Armstrong.

The following are some of my thoughts of this evening events that I shared with some of my cruising buddies.

Well finished up a very hectic day here in the Big Easy by taking in one of the pre-Mardi Gras parades - one gent told me that this one is usually the most raunchy of the bunch because the others have become too main stream with families etc so morality issues are starting to arise. Hugh crowds lining the street and just about everyone including me had a beer or drink in there hand - I now have quite a collection of decorative beads that rained down on the parade route from the balconies. The Pride parade in Vancouver is a lot more sinful than this one was.

Another gent passing on the street ask me if I liked Coors Light and handed me a bottle of it - had to keep it a little out of sight as glass bottles are illegal on the streets. The price for a large 20 oz glass of suds was $3.00 - if I wasn't so tired after walking all around town I would be tempted to head back out for a night cap - One thing I didn't realize is that St Charles St becomes Bourbon Street when it reaches Canal Street so it was fairly seamless for me to get there.

Tomorrow its time to board the ship - we only have about 30 people on the roll call and only half of those are active so there is no formal meet and greet but an informal one on our first full day at sea.

On a completely different matter it looks like the Canucks are on a roll tonight - last time I checked they were up 6 - 1 and with Calgary winless in February the race could be tightening up in the Northwest Division - most of the scorers for the Canucks tonight are in my fantasy pool so I should pick up a few points.

Cheers

D

For the second part of my day I retraced my steps back down to the riverside - found the walkway that I can use as a short cut to the cruise terminal tomorrow - then headed for the ferry "Thomas Jefferson" and the short five minute trip over to the town of Algiers.

After you get off the ferry the levee that is suppose to hold back the water from the River has been renamed the Walk of Jazz Hall of fame - any one know who the good looking guy in the picture is - answer in my next post.

The area around the ferry terminal is a historical district with lots of restored houses - here are a couple of them.

After touring this little part of New Orleans I headed back on the ferry to the downtown core and took in the French Quarter, Bourbon street and a pre Mardi Gras parade - more on that in the next post.

Cheers

D

Spent this morning walking around much of the tourist area of downtown New Orleans - two things that impressed me were the streetcars which run on three routes - Riverfront, Canal St and St Charles - I hope to ride them later this afternoon. The other thing was Jackson Square which is in the French Quarter and which is seen in the first image.

Later today I hope to get down and take the free ferry across the Mississippi to Algiers and then complete my tour with more time in the French Quarter - there is a parade there this evening and then it will be off to Bourbon St for a couple of beers and watch the entertainment - saw the cruise ship terminal this morning - it will be a 15 - 20 minute walk tomorrow - will only take a cab if it is raining - there is a chance of some T Storms this afternoon as the clouds are rolling in.

One thing that Vancouver could learn from NOLA is signage - on just about every corner there are either directional or info signs - the main city appears to be clean and well maintained - viewing stands are cropping up every where as the first of the big parade is less than a week away - the area outside the Parc St Charles already has then stands completed.

Also although it is in the warmer climate part of the US - you don't see a lot of people wearing shorts - whether that is tradition or they are waiting for the real warm weather to arrive I don't know.

More later

Cheers

D

I'm am too tired and fatigued after two days on the train to do a full report so here is a repost of my comments to some of my cruising buddies on cruise critic.

I made it! Arrived just about on schedule this afternoon and then walked the short six or so blocks to the hotel where the internet is working fine and then it was off for a rekkie of Bourbon St - it sure is something and the idea of being able to legally walk down the street with a beer in your hand and not get arrested is something.

In Los Angeles I never made it to Hollywood as I started walking through the downtown core and came upon the civic theaters like the Disney Hall and Dorothy Chandler Pavilion before heading to the El Pueblo historic district next to Union Station.

Then it was onto the train and the most memorable stop was San Antonio where we had three hours so I toured the area around the Station - being late evening I didn't want to venture too far from the train station which is a pity because I found out from the station manager a half hour before I had to re-board that the Alamo was only 4 blocks away and not the 1.5 miles that someone else told me.

More of the story and some pictures tomorrow

Cheers

Dennis

Yesterday the sun came out and I once again got on the bike and went for a ride - the photos you see here are of the Olympic Athletes Village building on the south east shore of False Creek - mired in controversy this project is part of a larger redevelopment of the lands in this area - while I go by the project fairly often the sun is often blocking or obscuring the views - there was just enough cloud cover yesterday to hide the sun but still provide enough light for fairly good photo opportunities. The pictures show the project starting at its western end near the Cambie bridge and then heading eastward to its end at Ontario street with one final view from the walk way at Science World.

Later last night I attended a Chinese New Year's party - over a 100 people and lots of food to eat - I was born in the year of the Pig - if there reading of things is correct I am in for a tough year - financially, health and general living. I was also pleasantly surprised to see my first immigrant host there with his family so I spent a fair amount of time with them.

As for today - just tiding up things and checking the packing list to make sure that I haven't forgotten anything for the trip.

The main picture on the blog is a scene from Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas where I visited on my last cruise in November.

On the home front - the locker project is finished but I won't be here for the allocation of them so when I return I could get stuck with one of the upper ones - wouldn't be to bad if I didn't have a number of larger and heavier items + may need some sort of a ladder to really get into them.

Later today gonna head out to the Legion to join Tom, Walter and some others to watch the Super Bowl and I am taking Pittsburgh to win - there defense should hold off Arizona's offense.

More later

Cheers

D

I took advantage of the sunny but crisp weather for another bike ride - heading east along the False Creek seawall - there are many people out walking and riding today - the growth in Yaletown and Downtown South has made this area a very popular place to get some fresh air and exercise.

I follow the Adanac bike route - which is Canada spelt backwards - eastwards to its junction with the Sunrise route. Here you get a good look back towards downtown.
I make a short detour to stop an see the place I spent some of my early years - this the Maternal grandparents place on Turner St in East Van - we eventually moved across the back lane to our own place - that house is long gone - it was at the back of the lot and looked out of place - it has been replaced with a larger Vancouver special.

The Sunrise route went taken northbound terminates at the Portside bike route and you get these great views as you work you way back to the downtown core. Grouse looks really inviting - it would be cool up there today as the inversion that has been over us for the past two weeks is long gone.
Another picture - this time showing the Lions and one of the grain terminals on the North Shore - I continue along Portside until it reaches Powell and then onto Alexander and through Gastown and home - another 20 Km ride and I feel good - it has been a long time since I have ridden for three straight days and not have any pain - the new bike seems to the the solution to some of my riding problems.

Cheers

D

Well the fog finally lifted on Friday so I took the opportunity to get out on the bike and get in some quality training miles - headed over the Burrard Bridge and then west along the water until I got to Balaclava where a new city bike route heads towards 16th - at 16th I find another new route along Valley Drive which I follow up and into Shaughnessey and then onto the Cypress bike route to 10th Ave and then east to Ontario and north down to Science World and finally back along the Seawall and home - it is cold riding but at least I am getting exercise - the distance travelled was a little over 20KM - my longest ride of the year but I wasn't finished with the biking.

Yesterday I finished what I started the other day - did the Stanley Park Seawall - the closed section reopened on Friday so I wanted to get this ride in - there are few wet spots that could be icy in the cold weather and frost could be seen on the grass etc. Once again cold but it is always nice to get out into the fresh air.

I have now done more biking this month than all of Jan last year and there is still a week to go - I may head out again today as the weather is clear and cold - temp right around freezing.

Also spend time trying to find enough workers for the work party next weekend - not having a lot of success - still are 4-6 short - did some phoning of new members - got a couple for the next work party which is great with me being away the more that I have sign up in advance the less I will need to do when I get back.

Well the cruise is only two weeks away and only a little over a week before I leave on the train for New Orleans I guess that I should start packing - I have the suitcase ready - I have my packing list pared down for a seven day trip rather than a 14 day trip in the past so I just need to go to the clothes closet and get the stuff and put it in the suitcase - the only thing I am dreading is the fact that I have to be at the Amtrak station in time to catch the 5:30AM trip to Seattle - that will be one ride that Jim won't be giving me - oh well - getting up early was my thing for all those working years at the Y.

Another thing on my plate is whether to do a Skyline Hikers trip this year - the area they have selected is a new one to me - it's White Man Pass up on the BC - Alberta divide - accessed from Radium and the Cross River valley - was supposed to do this trip in 2003 but we were forest fired cancelled at the last minute that year and this is the first time since then that we are returning to the area. If I go with my regular week 4 Camp - first week of August it conflicts with the World Police and Fire games here in Vancouver which I was thinking of volunteering for - decisions - decisions - decisions - what's life without some stress.

Also on tap later this week is a session with my financial planner - this one is actually with the head of the company who is a long time friend from the early morning crew at the Y and then on Saturday night a lunar new year pot luck supper with other friends from the Y Connections program. Might even find some time for a pizza feast at Boston Pizza - they have a special right now of 10 items for $10.00 each promotion.

More later

D

Yesterday it was still somewhat foggy - it would lift for a time - I took the opportunity to go for a long walk along the seawall and around Lost Lagoon which provided me with these images - still ice on Lost Lagoon - just the one swan - suspect the remainder must have been over on the other side in the nesting area.

Today was a different story - I hardy went outside as I was intrigued with the proceedings in Washington and the installation of Barak as President - it was fun watching the procession down Pennsylvania Ave to the White House as I had walked that route during my stop over in DC on my way home from my last cruise.

Still foggy and looks like it will be the weekend before it really chances and then it will be back into a rainy and cooler pattern.

Cheers

D

The fog showed some signs of lifting today so I headed out on my bike for a planned ride around Stanley Park - As I reached the start of the seawall this view of the Pan Pacific partly shrouded in fog came into view. Many others had the same idea - while there wasn't a lot of bike traffic =- lots of walkers and joggers - many of the latter trying to catch up with their training for such events as the Sun Run and the Vancouver Marathon which has suffered for the last month because of weather conditions.

Continuing my ride towards the park entrance the sun and fog were playing hide and seek - here are some of the high rises along Georgia Street come into view.

Now in the park I stop by the entrance to Deadman's Island - a naval cadet base where this panorama of the West End is in view.

A favorite place for me to stop and enjoy the views of Burrard Inlet is at the Brockton Point lighthouse - you are now on the north side of the park - that's my bike in the picture.

I had hoped to be able to go all the way around the Seawall but it is still closed do to some slides between the Bridge and Third Beach - so I had to choose whether to climb the road to Prospect Point or head for Beaver Lake - I chose the latter - this view shows that there is still a lot of ice on the lake but a couple of ducks are enjoying a stroll in some open water.

Despite the better weather there are still many reminders of the recent snowfall as seen here on the side of this trail.

By the time I reached the Second Beach part - the fog had reformed so there were no further picture opportunities. After lunch at McDonald's and a read of the newspaper I headed for home with another 14km of biking behind me.

And as is usual shortly after I got home the main downtown core became bathed in sunshine so I took a short walk along Granville

Cheers

D

I was tired of the foggy, soupy weather here in the lowlands so I decided to head on up Grouse to get some sunshine and exercise. As you can see in this image it's foggy down below.

After deciding not to snowshoe because with the school kids on a pro D day the trails were far to busy for my liking - I took the short sleigh ride around the main ski area.

While waiting for the sleigh ride someone had built a snow cave that was attracting interest from some of the kids.

One group prepares to head out on the snowshow trails - your Skyride ticket or Grouse Pass is you admission fee for the trails. There are three or four trails that are groomed by Grouse for us to use.

Anyone who has been up Grouse knows that there are a lot of carved wooden figures on the mountain - because of there location these three stand out - it looks so different with the socked in clouds 3000' below us.

Looking down towards Vancouver harbour with the Vancouver Island mountains in the far distance.

There is a skating rink right by the main ski lodge - the ice was in fairly good shape - almost laced on the skates but decided it was time to think about lunch.

The rest of the day was uneventful.

Tomorrow - perhaps an early bike ride as it is suppose to clear off.

Also finally got the emails out to the FOYPS regarding the work parties - I am half way to my goal of 14 people - will also need to hit the phone tomorrow as some people either don't have email or haven't provided it to us.

I think I have all of my pre-planning complete for the trip - other than packing and deciding what to do with my one day in New Orleans.

Cheers

D

Well things are moving along fairly smoothly - with improving weather I finally got out on the bike and did the False creek loop with a detour over to the Amtrak station to pick up the tickets for the train ride to New Orleans - it took all of two minutes for the agent to plug in my confirmation number and get the tickets printed.

Today I finally finished emptying my storage locker - they have actually started work in some of the rooms and I talked with the contractor so I have a better idea of what the revise space will look like then it was off to have lunch with my brother or at least that was the plan - after arriving at the care home I am told that he has no money in his account - this didn't sound right - he usually spends a fair amount of his monthly money on cigs but I knew that wasn't the case as I brought him some from the duty free on my trip and because of the bad weather I or the other staff haven't taken him out for lunch in the last three weeks - well after asking around and getting the finance gal to check the account it turns out that a debit was entered instead of a credit and he has plenty of money for the remainder of the month - by the time I sorted this out it was to late to take him out as the usual place we eat gets packed around noon and it would be too much for him.

So after having my own lunch I dropped into the Y offices and chatted with the staff for a while and got a better idea of when we might reopened - while the end of the year is possible from a construction point of view it will probably be after the Olympics from a marketing point of view.

Glad I didn't pay to watch that hockey game last night - they may need more than there star goalie back if they don't stat playing a better team game.

I am now starting to work finding volunteers for our next FOYP work party - I will need up to 14 in total - one of the options that I did this year at our AGM was have the members present sign up in advance for the work parties that they might want to work on this year. This should help me fill the spot and also mean less emails and phone calls - already have 6 confirmed and there is about three weeks to go.

Tomorrow I intend to get out on the bike - hope the sun comes our early - hope to do the Stanley Park seawall - need to check to see if it is completely reopened - a section was closed last week because of slides and falling debris.

Also need to get the packing list finalized for the trip.

Almost time for supper

More later

Cheers

D

Good weekend to you all.

I actually haven't been ignoring this blog this week it is just that there hasn't been any earth shattering going on that I needed to post but the following are some thoughts that come to mind.

Raining here today but a spell of nice more spring like weather should arrive about mid-week which means that I will finally be able to get out on the bike and get some good rides in - gotta burn off the Xmas calories before I start on the cruising calories.

I am less than a month away from sailing out of New Orleans down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. Haven't started packing but it is on my to do list for next week.

The cleaning out my locker space is progressing - some stuff is getting tossed - some of the camping stuff I have moved to the truck and the remainder I will find room for on either the balcony or in my condo closets.

Finally made contact with my TA - between the bad weather which made travel risky - her office is out in the snow belt and her dealing with some personal family matters - I hadn't had a response to my emails.

I now have my travel insurance taken care off - Amtrak reserved - she still needs to talk to an agent to see if the NCL code applies - it doesn't work when she puts in into her agent system - the hotel for one night in Los Angeles - train layover - is booked.

Next up - revising the packing list - my last trip was a lot longer.

I also need to change my hotel booking in NOLA as I will be arriving a day later but this is creating another problem - when I take out the first day of my reservation it changes the second day to a much higher figure for the one night that it would actually be cheaper to pay for the first night and not show up and then stay for the following two nights.

In looking online I think I have found a smaller heritage hotel right in the French Quarter that looks like it is my price range so I might just cancel the original booking - there is no penalty and book the one in the FQ.

Earlier in the week I had my teeth cleaned and checked - there are a few small cavities that I am going get attended to after I return from the trip.

Also took the truck in for it 72000 KM minor tune up and oil change. No major deficiencies noted - brakes and tires still good for some time yet.

Later today a trip to the gym and then later supper with the usual Saturday night person.

Cheers

Dennis

Not a lot to report on this the third day of the new year except that it is once again snowing here in Vancouver - looks like it will last into the night before changing to rain and then warm up and stay very wet for the next few days - that should finally get rid of the snow and ice on the sidewalks and roads.

Went for a nice walk yesterday down along the eastern portion of False Creek into Yaletown before grabbing a bite to eat and having a steam etc at my fitness club.

One of the projects that I have to tackle in the next week is removing all my stuff from my storage locker to make way for the changes coming there. I was able to find a nice spot for my cedar chest but my big bookcase is being a bit more problematic - I have a place for it but then I will have to find a place for the smaller ones that are currently in that space - oh well at least with the crappy weather it gives me lots of time to contemplate where to rearrange everything.

A second project is to finalize my travel insurance and train reservations for the upcoming cruise.

A third project is to clean out the clothes closet - it seems to be get a little to full and many of the clothes haven't been worm in some time so it is time to give them to charity or homeless shelter.

More later

D

I hadn't intended to do much on New Year's Eve but the weather cleared off so I thought I would check out the condition of the False Creek seawall and took off with my camera and went for a lengthy stroll - as for the condition on the seawall - in places it was clear and in others it was icy - you had to watch your footing - it is unsafe for cyclists and I didn't see any fool hardy ones attempting to cycle it.

I came across this strange sight - it looks like someone was setting up early for a New Years party - the dish in the lower left appears to be a shrimp ring and it looked real - there was no one around the area when I took the picture.

When I made it to this point the seawall was bare as the Parks Board folks are busy clearing away the snow and ice for the Polar Bear Swim on Jan 1, 2008 - the views were great and with the sun out the temperature was pleasant.


I then proceeded along Denman to the entrance to Stanley Park and was appalled at the appearance and condition of the sidewalk and seawall - both were a sheet of ice and haven't been cleared - perhaps a few lawsuits would get the Parks Board to smarten up and clear off this important gateway to the City. It is not like it had snowed the day before - the crews have had several days of snow free weather to get there act together - guess it is more important to clear the snow off the beach at English Bay for the sponsers of the Polar Bear swim than ensure the safety of the taxpaying citizens.

Enough from the soapbox.

After a relaxing steam, shave and shower I met up with the big one for lunch and then went home to watch the Canada - US game - what a great game.

Then it was out for a late supper at a Korean restaurant on Thurlow and then home to watch the ageless wonder Dick Clark and others ring in the New Year.

Was originally planning on hitting the streets of the Entertainment district to catch the action but it started raining/snowing again and I didn't feel like heading out to get wet.

Finally hit the sack after 1AM.

It's now 2009 and I awoke to some more light snow although it appears to now be raining.

There's lots of hockey and football to watch.

Had hoped to hop on the bike and do my traditional ride around the Seawall but the conditions are too unsafe for bike to be on the seawall - I think a section is still closed from the Bridge to Third Beach because of falling ice. If it stops raining this afternoonIi might venture down to English Bay and watch the fool hardy jump into the water.

More later

D