Geo: 34.0729, -118.4Goodbye Norwegian Star Cruise Ship. Hello Hollywood, California! We were actually more than happy to say goodbye to our cruise ship of the last 26 nights. Simply put, it was way inferior to Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise lines, and just got really boring and repetitive. Disembarking was as predicted, painfully inefficient, just like in Miami. Its likely a combination of the haphazard policy of Norwegian and painful inefficiency of US Customs. Finally, we were off after about an hour and a half in queue. Heres where todays challenge started. We had no idea really how to get from the port in San Pedro, some 30 miles or an hour north to the fringes of Hollywood. Public transport is always my preference, but theres no such option at the port itself. So I decided ... read more

Geo: 20.6509, -105.215Vaminos! A boat was waiting to take us from our cruise ship to Las Caletas Hideaway. This was once the private home of the famous film director John Hudson. Today, its a remote exclusive tropical beach hideaway, only accessible by boat. From start to finish, this was to be one of the best tours of our entire trip. We left around 8.30am. Transportation by boat took almost an hour, the journey being part of the experience. Finally, our destination draws near before us. Sandy beaches, palms, hammocks, huts, standing out against a steep jungle-clad backdrop of tropical rainforest, nestled in an isolated cove. Theres nothing for miles around, just the ocean, pelicans bobbing in the gentle swell of the waves, a warm breeze and the seemingly endless thick jungle beyond.We got a warm welcome ... read more

Geo: 14.9067, -92.2607For the last time on our trip, we landed at a new country to explore; Mexico. Our point of arrival would be Puerto Chiapas, just northwest of the border of Guatemala. We were up for a big breakfast around 9, an omelette, followed by waffles. A big breakfast, as there would be no time for lunch today, due to an organised tour we had planned. By 10, we were exploring the small port, and soon thereafter boarding a coach for todays destinations, the Izapa Ruins, and the nearby town of Tapachula.First up Izapa, an ancient Olmec and Mayan archaeological site. The site is situated on the Izapa River, near the base of the Tacaná Volcano. The settlement at Izapa extends over 1.4 miles, making it the largest site in Chiapas. The site reached its ... read more

Geo: 9.17802, -79.9475The Panama Canal is a loch-type canal approximately 80 kilometres long that unites the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at one of the narrowest points of both the Ithmus of Panama and the American Continent. It allows passage through Central America to the Pacific without having to sail 21 days around South America. Its hard to imagine how the French conceived the idea for construction of the canal in the late 1800s. They dug out the foundations, much of it by hand, with minimal technology, in the foreign, wild, inhospitable, unexplored jungle of the Panama. Ultimately, their effort came too soon and failed. Living conditions were poor, and they were unprepared. Thousands died of illness, exhaustion, yellow fever and malaria. The Americans picked up where they left off in the early 1900s. With better technology, ... read more

Geo: 19.2334, -74.4135Two more full days at sea. As if we haven't had enough of those. Its been rather relaxing and relatively uneventful. Our new cabin in 9673 is a nice one. Its similar to the last with a more spacious layout. The routine has been the same. Up around 8, gym, breakfast, a couple hours in the pool and spa, lunch, gym, relax, dinner, sleep around 10. The time in the pool has been nice, rocking with swell of the ship its much like a wave pool. The afternoons have come with a chilled out Caribbean style live band and barbeque. Yesterday, we had a view of Cuba off starboard as we sailed along.We've met two lovely couples the last two days, both Australian. Martin and Margaret in their 80s from Melbourne by the pool ... read more