Our next stop in our trip around South America was through the Panama Canal. One of the Locks is Gatun Locks built in 1915.
Frigate birds- Did you know they can stay aloft for more than a week?
Many Buzzards flew around the Locks, mostly black headed.
Georgetown is the capital of Grand Cayman, the largest of the Cayman Islands, and known for its spectacular diving and snorkeling. The area is also know for exceptional clarity and color of the sea due to the fact that there are no natural rivers or freshwater draining into the ocean around the sea. We made a stop there on the way to the Panama Canal before heading down the West coast of South America. We did two one tank dives, and enjoyed our time in the water. Attached are some photos from under and over the water! Not the best underwater pictures, but perhaps you can get an idea of some of the beautiful fish and coral that takes me underwater every chance I get.
Click on the Welcome photo to see the gallery.
In 2004 over 80% of the buildings were either damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Ivan- the worst to hit the island in 86 years. However, because tourism accounts for the majority of the island’s economy, most business were quick to repair and re-open. Georgetown is home to to the Cayman’s financial industry and the town boasts over 600 banks! Points of interest for visitors include the turtle farm, and Stingray City, but the relaxed atmosphere and beautiful waters give Grand Cayman special allure.
More fun with Google maps showing the sites we visited on a recent trip around South America, including the Antarctic, the Falklands, and a trip up the Amazon. I hope to share this wonderful journey with you on my website with pictures and storys. Our ship was the Princendam of the Holland America Cruise Line.
The new Adobe Lightroom 4 will automatically place all my GPS labeled photos on a map including how many pictures were taken at each Geo-location! Check out the NAPP website, or Adobe to learn about this great update to Lightroom.
This map was made with Lightroom 3 showing additions since the original map I posted on December 3, 2011. I plan to add at least one photo to so you could see what we saw at each pin.
View South America 2012 in a larger map
Click on the penguins to see the gallery.
Have you ever been to the end of the Americas?– check out Punta Arenas Chile.
Punta Arenas Chile is located in Northern Patagonia, it is the Southernmost city in the World, and a very interesting city to visit on the way to Antarctica. Magellan penguins can also be seen nearby in Otway Sound.
The penguins are native to the Strait of Magellan in the cool climate of southern Chile, and each spring hundreds of Magellanic Penguins come home to their birth place to breed. Nests are built in earthen burrows and usually two eggs are laid. Incubation lasts 39–42 days, a task which the parents share in 10-15 day shifts. The chicks are cared for by both parents for 29 days and are fed every two to three days. Normally, both are raised through adulthood, though occasionally only one chick is raised.
Magellanic Penguins mate with the same partner year after year. The male reclaims his burrow from the previous year and waits to reconnect with his female partner. The females are able to recognize their mates through their call alone. They are able to make quite a racket when they want to!
Millions of these penguins still live on the coasts of Argentina and Chile, but the species is classified as a “threatened species”, primarily due to the vulnerability of large breeding colonies to oil spills, which kill 20,000 adults and 22,000 juveniles every year off the coast of Argentina. (Wikipedia)
“All the pathos and irony of leaving one’s youth behind is thus implicit in every joyous moment of travel: one knows that the first joy can never be recovered, and the wise traveler learns not to repeat successes but tries new places all the time.” Paul Fussell
Rotterdam ship bell–Each HAL ship seems to have a bell, some times it is just hard to find it!
One doesn’t see phone booths very often anymore,
These caught my attention in Hilo,
and they are also “prettier” than most!
On a recent Cruise on Holland America Line we traveled from San Diego to Hilo Hawaii– our first siting of land! The trip map is featured on the first picture in the gallery
The Wailuku River rushes through old lava rocks and lava tubes creating a “boiling” effect. The Kaumana Caves are reached by climbing down an almost vertical staircase. These caves were formed by the 1881 eruption of Mauna Loa.
A trek through white sand lagoons filled with a mixture of salt water and artesian well water from below the surface and surrounded by unique lava formations, leads one to a beautiful sheltered lagoon in which to swim.
