Background and Historical Info:
This is a new port for us. It is located in southern Nicaragua just about 20 miles from the border with Costa Rica and 87 miles from the capital, Managua, to the north. Back during the California gold rush it was a popular resting place for the prospectors heading there. Now it has a population of 15,500 who work either in fishing or the tourism industries. At the northern end of the bay is a statue of “Christ of the Mercy”, one of the tallest Jesus statues in the world. It has also become a hot spot for international surfing competitions. The town is near the site where the TV show “Survivor” was filmed for seasons in 2010, 2011, 2014, and 2015. Also of note is this port is the location of speculation that a modern day canal may be built to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as does the Panama Canal. It is just 10 miles from the port to Lake Nicaragua and another less than 30 miles from the lake to Atlantic. So far, just a lot of talk!
2018 saw a sharp increase of violent protests of the government led by President Daniel Ortega for his increasing taxes and reducing benefits. He is serving a 4th term as president and the 2016 election results may have been rigged. Over 300 people have been killed so far in the first half of 2018. This violence has resulted in many cruise lines cancelling Nicaraguan ports of call in 2018, including Regent. As a result of the corruption and killings the United States announced sanctions in July of 2018 on three Nicaraguan government officials. More sanctions are expected from the US if the violence continues in Nicaragua.
Bypassing this port:
At 7:15 this morning the Captain came on the PA and said he had dropped anchor in the bay here but the winds were gusting in excess of 35 knots and forecast to increase as the day went on. There is no dock here and passengers were to be tendered from the ship to shore today. A tender is one of the ship's life boats used to transfer passengers to and from shore when there is no dock. We are also scheduled to use tender operations in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Due to the wind conditions the Captain said it was unsafe to do tender operations here today. There was another passenger medical emergency that required him/her to be evacuated from ship here. As soon as that was completed, we continued sailing on up to our next port, Puerto Quetzal, in Guatemala. So today is another day at sea.
What We Did Last Night:
My normal evening drink is a Woodford Reserve bourbon Manhattan but I tried this Old Fashioned.
Next I tried this drink called "Splendor" after the new Regent ship coming out next February.
This is Faith serving canapes in the Meridian Lounge. With her is our good friend, Marcia Rector.
I took one of my tomatoes to dinner in Compass Rose. We enjoyed it with our wedge salad. Must admit it attracted a lot of attention from people sitting around us and the crew.
What We Did Today:
Usual morning workout for us. At noon the Captain said we would be arriving at Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, at 8:00 am tomorrow instead of scheduled noon arrival. This port is 1 1/2 hour drive due south of Guatemala City. We are still experiencing a smooth ride and doing 18 kts speed. It is 84 degrees outside today. Rebecca finished another book today. I am waiting to meet with the Purser as Marge emailed me and asked if I could get them to email her a copy of their ship's doctor bill for an insurance claim.
Planning dinner in Compass Rose again tonight. Menu is above. Tonight's headliner entertainer is Mark Preston. We ran into him last night in the elevator and said hello. He is one of our favorite entertainers and a great singer. He does shows in Las Vegas and is a 3 time Grammy Award nominee. We'll definitely be on front row for his show! Other than that we are enjoying another leisurely day at sea.
This is a new port for us. It is located in southern Nicaragua just about 20 miles from the border with Costa Rica and 87 miles from the capital, Managua, to the north. Back during the California gold rush it was a popular resting place for the prospectors heading there. Now it has a population of 15,500 who work either in fishing or the tourism industries. At the northern end of the bay is a statue of “Christ of the Mercy”, one of the tallest Jesus statues in the world. It has also become a hot spot for international surfing competitions. The town is near the site where the TV show “Survivor” was filmed for seasons in 2010, 2011, 2014, and 2015. Also of note is this port is the location of speculation that a modern day canal may be built to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as does the Panama Canal. It is just 10 miles from the port to Lake Nicaragua and another less than 30 miles from the lake to Atlantic. So far, just a lot of talk!
2018 saw a sharp increase of violent protests of the government led by President Daniel Ortega for his increasing taxes and reducing benefits. He is serving a 4th term as president and the 2016 election results may have been rigged. Over 300 people have been killed so far in the first half of 2018. This violence has resulted in many cruise lines cancelling Nicaraguan ports of call in 2018, including Regent. As a result of the corruption and killings the United States announced sanctions in July of 2018 on three Nicaraguan government officials. More sanctions are expected from the US if the violence continues in Nicaragua.
Bypassing this port:
What We Did Last Night:
What We Did Today:
Usual morning workout for us. At noon the Captain said we would be arriving at Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, at 8:00 am tomorrow instead of scheduled noon arrival. This port is 1 1/2 hour drive due south of Guatemala City. We are still experiencing a smooth ride and doing 18 kts speed. It is 84 degrees outside today. Rebecca finished another book today. I am waiting to meet with the Purser as Marge emailed me and asked if I could get them to email her a copy of their ship's doctor bill for an insurance claim.
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