ZECO TRAVEL TALK

After cruising the Kiel Canal and officially entering the Baltic Sea, we were excited to begin our adventures in some of Europe’s most historic cities and towns. Ronne, on Denmark’s Bornholm Island, was so quaint and we walked past colorful houses capped with clay tile roofs and gorgeous blooming gardens before sitting down to an amazing lunch—a banquet of local dishes with fresh vegetables from local gardens, and a Danish apple crumble dessert that practically had us moaning!

We spent the next day in fascinating Gdansk, Poland and our morning tour gave us a somber lesson in the history of Solidarity, well-presented by local guides. We then strolled the pedestrian-only streets of Old Town, enjoyed delicious coffee and some fun shopping, and visited magnificent St. Mary’s, the largest brick church in the world. Our next country is Lithuania!

Spirits are high and smiles are big after an absolutely tremendous day in Palau! Everyone seems to love this magical place and the gorgeous weather showed it all off beautifully. Thomas and Natalia, back on their old home turf, were just great with arranging spontaneous multiple tours—diving, snorkeling, kayaking, and birding. The multi-colored blue waters have so much to offer here… And these reefs are some of the best in the world. We were able to see a healthy population of large fish such as Napolean wrasse, anemone fish, snapper, tuna, jacks, and a number of sharks, such as black tip, white tip and the gray reef shark. Another contingent cruised through the Rock Islands—rounded mounds covered with lush green vegetation which I like to call the “chia pet” islands! This is a really lovely and unique place, and cruising the channels between them is a peaceful, other-worldly experience.

Our day on Rabaul (Papua New Guinea) was an incredible mix of culture and natural phenomena. Once ashore, we set out to visit the World War II Museum, the fascinating Japanese barge tunnels (the island was a Japanese stronghold during the War), and the Tavurvur Volcano hot springs. The volcano had been rumbling and spewing ash plumes for the past few days and while we were visiting, we not only had the chance to observe this, but it started raining and the ash came down mixed with the rain! In other words, whites were no longer white, our skin was no longer tan, and our hair was black! But we all had a blast, literally!

After dinner on board the ship, we returned to Rabaul for a performance of the famed Fire Dance performed by Baining tribes-men. We sat by a mesmerizing campfire and the dancers appeared wearing huge masks and grass skirts and performed barefoot in, around, and through the fire to the constant beating of drums… it was so exciting and electrifying.

The next afternoon we had the best snorkel of the trip so far—off of Tingwon Island. There was a gorgeous and very healthy reef wall with an incredible variety of fish and coral. The visibility and conditions couldn’t have been better and everyone came back beaming! We celebrated back on board with a delicious rum punch…ah paradise!

After our relaxing day at sea, we were ready to hit the Vanuatu island of Ambrym running! The two incredible volcanoes were what first drew Captain Cook to its shores and our warm welcome was probably much the same. Our visit to the village started off with the traditional pig slaughter and a gift exchange ceremony with Little John, the Captain, and the local leader. We were then treated to the amazing Rom Dance—the performers, covered from the neck down in volumes of dried banana leaves, wear huge elaborate masks and stomp in rhythm to chanting and drum-beating. It’s such a hypnotic experience, and the opportunities for photography were fantastic.

We were able to really experience the local flavor of island life when we walked down the little dirt path “Main Street,” and visited the local school and looked inside local houses. We also tasted the traditional baked coconut “bread.” In the afternoon, the birders set out to look for the elusive megapode—which they didn’t find, but did get to see several nests. Many of us went snorkeling or diving in the 83-degree water and the color of the coral against the black sand was other-wordly!

We had a phenomenal last day in the Canaries… Lanzarote ended up being the favorite island for many of us, including the birders! It felt so laid back, clean, gorgeous and quiet. When we reached Agadir, Morocco, we set off inland to the wonderful village of Taroudaunt which is often nicknamed “Little Marrakech.” The sights, sounds, and smells of the local market were so inviting—and worthy of a thousand photographs: yellow saffron, red curry, brown cinnamon and green mint… the heaping piles of dates that look like mountain peaks; the baskets and bushels of fresh fruits and vegetables; bouquets of flowers; the array of exotic jewelry; and, of course, the gaudy, sequined, and leopard print tops and skirts! Tomorrow, Casablanca!

So far, Terceira is a highlight on our Azores trip! The island has the perfect combination of “island feel” with its colorful pink, red, blue, and bright yellow buildings, and “Euro feel” because of the quaint, cobblestone pedestrian streets and outdoor cafes with umbrellas and wicker chairs—charming! We were able to come alongside which gave everyone the freedom to come and go as they pleased from the ship. We all enjoyed the walking tour and our guides very thoughtfully brought along local maps for everyone. Half the group explored the cultural sights and the rest of us went hiking to an overlook. We then drove to one of the island’s natural wonders—a cave, which is actually a hollow volcano with 227 steps down to its floor.

On a scenic drive it became clear that there were more cows than people on the island; the guides joked that the ratio was two to one! This evening 33 folk performers came on board—a record number—and the lounge was packed. Everyone loved it, and the Captain’s welcome cocktail and dinner was the perfect follow-up act, and a delightful end to a wonderful day.

Costa Rica: We had a great day in the Tortuguero Canals of Costa Rica! We saw dozens of sloths, lots of green iguanas, a few basilisks (Jesus Christ lizards) and, of course, more and more birds! The holy grail of the day—and Peter Harrison says maybe even for the trip—was the great potoo, usually a noctural predator!

Panama: Rain caused us to change our plans somewhat and we did a Zodiac cruise in Escudo de Veraguas which was a big hit. Though a bit wet, people loved it! The birders had a clean sweep finding all the endemic species, and the zodiac cruise found the real prize of the day—the endemic pygmy sloth. Everyone returned with a smile. We decided to heave anchor and head straight for Bocas del Toro. Read more

Our 2008 Rain Forests and Reefs expedition to Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama recently returned and we are excited to share with you some video footage of our transit through the Panama Canal onboard Le Levant. As you can see from the entry below, it was a truly memorable day. For more information on this trip’s daily adventures, see the Report From The Field.

Saturday, January 26
Our Panama Canal Transit

Sort the travel destinations of the world by any criteria you wish, but a transit of the Panama Canal will always remain on the list of things a world traveler must do in his or her lifetime. The canal represents an epic feat of engineering that changed the course of human events. When it opened in 1914, it was called the Eighth Wonder of the World. The narrow isthmus, so alluring, so suggestive of an easy connection between oceans, has drawn adventurers, dreamers, and builders for centuries. They came in droves and most squandered their lives and their countries’ resources in vain attempts to bridge that short gap. Along with everything else it represents, today’s great “Path Between the Seas” is a monument to their sacrifices.

The schedule we secured was ideal for a coveted daylight transit. We had picked up our pilot and our special canal interpreter, Patricia Holmes, the night before. Before 0600 Le Levant had weighed anchor and moved into the queue for Gatun Locks.

The massive iron doors, weighing 800 tons each, closed behind us, and there was no turning back. Small electric trains, called mules, helped stabilize the ship as we rose to the level of Gatun Lake, 87 feet above the sea. We crossed the Continental Divide through the narrow Gaillard Cut, which had proved the most fearsome portion of the Canal to build. We cruised under the soaring Bridge of the Americas and into Miraflores Locks. They lowered us gently to the level of Pacific tidewater, into which we sailed at 1630. We dropped anchor in the Bahia de Panama in company with many other, mostly much bigger, ships. The towers of Panama City gleamed surrealistically in the distance.

In the evening we all enjoyed a cocktail party hosted by Zegrahm and Stanford where we raised a toast to our great accomplishment: a passage through a continent from one ocean to another.