Brooks Blog
A personal account of the 38th ‘Music at Sea’.
A South America Adventure and Panama Canal Transit onboard
‘Celebrity Infinity’
March 13 – 27, 2011
Valparaiso, Chile - La Serena,
(Coquimbo) Chile - Arica, Chile
Lima, Peru - Manta, Ecuador -
Panama Canal Transit - Colon, Panama
Cartagena, Columbia - Fort
Lauderdale, U.S.A.
This
38th Music at Sea was promoted as a ‘Panama Canal Cruise with a
Twist”. Not ‘twist’ as in Chubby Checker or even a twist in the canal, but more
a deviation from the standard California – Florida routing with which many of
our guests were familiar. Thus it was that we commenced our cruise, not in San
Francisco, California but in Valparaiso, Chile which, with its history, art,
architecture, culture and cable cars lazily snaking up the hillsides
overlooking the harbour, instantly confirmed why its sometimes known as
the “San Francisco of South America”.
Infinity
has always been popular with MAS guests and this cruise was a final chance to
enjoy her traditional Celebrity elegance before she is “Solsticized” later this
year. Some of the group had arranged
pre-cruise tours to Machu Picchu and many flew in to Santiago early to take
advantage of the pre-cruise MAS land tour which proved an enormous ‘Hit’ –
especially the visit to Estancia El Cuadro winery, where the opportunity to test
the product was gratefully siezed by some who, perhaps anticipating
restrictions in the number of bottles allowed onto the ship, imbibed sufficient
quantities to carry the wine aboard internally!
Infinity
had arrived in Santiago from Buenos Aires and was now about to embark on the
last leg of her South American Odyssey. I, having boarded a few days earlier in
order to put the finishing touches to our programme, had been onboard when news
broke of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. By strange coincidence we were
that day in the Chilean port of Puerto Montt where, on May 22 1960, a huge
earthquake destroyed the town, creating a 200 mph tsunami which raced across
the Pacific to wreak death and destruction in Hawaii’ and Japan. Walking around
Puerto Montt that day it was clear from the expressions on the resident’s faces
that, at that moment, they were reliving their own 1960 nightmare and feeling
for the present day people of Japan.
It
was during this pre-cruise period that I met a fellow guest, Kirk Lewis, who,
over a morning coffee, told me how, in the late 1980’s, he had chanced on the
coffin containing the body of the legendary Polish pianist and statesman,
Paderewski, which had lain unburied on a church cart in Arlington Cemetery for
the best part of fifty years!
Kirk
explained that during the second world war, Paderewski, then living in
retirement in Switzerland, decided that he could best help his country by going
to the USA and championing its cause. After a tortuous journey he arrived in
New York on November 6, 1940, his 80th birthday, and
eventually settled into a suite of rooms at the Buckingham Hotel where, sadly,
he contracted pneumonia and died on June 29, 1941.
Paderewski the “Lion of Poland” (Edward
Burne-Jones)
Due to the war,
his body could not be returned to his native country and with the advent
of the communist government and assimilation of Poland into the Soviet Union in
1945 it was impossible for Paderewski to be repatriated as, in addition to
being one of the world’s greatest concert pianists, he numbered amongst his
accomplishments that of being the first musician to head a modern state i.e.
Prime Minister of Poland! Thus it was that he was taken to Arlington and eventually
forgotten about until Kirk chanced on his coffin. What followed could be the subject of a movie but to be
brief Kirk set the ‘wheels in motion’ with some brilliant politiking, the end
result being that Paderewski was flown back to Poland on Air Force 2 and
received there with great ceremony by President George Bush and Lech Walesa. on
July 2 1992. A happy ending and an
example of the fascinating people one might meet onboard a cruiseship.
You can read more on the web sites below:
http://paderewskiassociation.org/contact.htm
http://www.polishmuseumofamerica.org/v4/EnglishVersion/PMAMuseum.htm
But
back to our cruise. The itinerary was a perfect balance between the activity of
land calls and the relaxation of sea days and, since none of our ports involved
scrambling into tenders, we knew in advance that getting ashore would be simple
and quick. Awaiting every guest
in their stateroom was the Celebrity Shore Excursion brochure, impressive not
only for the large number of tours highlighting the eco systems and indigenous
wild life of the countries we were to visit. (A random selection would include: Machalilla National Park in
Manata with over 200 species of birds, the chance to see the three-toed sloth
and Howler and Capuchin Monkeys in Panama, and the sharks and dolphins in the
aquarium in Cartagena) but also for the clear and concise way the information
was imparted. Tour descriptions
included times of departure and return plus, for those with limited
mathematical skills, tour duration! There was even an exertion grading – mild,
moderate or strenuous. With refreshing candor Celebrity, not usually one to
underplay its products, printed the following caveat on the shore excursion
flyers:
"Due to the remoteness of these two ports
(Arica and Coquimbo), limited transportation and local infrastruture
constraints (still under development) organised tours are in very limited
supply. We will try our utmost to secure the services of the most qualified
guides available. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the quality of guides and
the buses in these ports of call are NOT air-conditioned. Note that the sights
seen on the tours in these ports are very modest."
To be truthful many of
the MAS group told me that they hugely enjoyed their excursions in these ports.
In Arica they raved about the pink and white San Marcos Cathedral.
San Marcos Cathedral, Arica,
Chile
This structure, built
almost completely from iron and designed by Gustave Eiffel (of Parisian tower
fame!), was pre-fabricated in Paris, shipped to Peru, assembled in Ilo, and
later, in an unusual act of international kindness, dismantled and reassembled
in Arica to replace churches destroyed by a massive tidal wave.
Another tour which was
hugely enjoyed featured the petroglyphs (rock carvings) at Rosario and included
a stop to imbibe cocoa leaf tea which we were assured was an ancient tribal
remedy for preventing alitude sickness. It works! Here it was that the original
inhabitants, the Chinchorros, practised mummification, predating the Egyptians
by several hundred years. And. dear
reader, did you know that the first President of Chile was an Irishman named
Bernardo O’Higgins? We were at sea for St. Paddy’s Day but, appropriately, our
location was off the coast of Chile where we celebrated en route to our next
port, Lima, Peru.
I had not realised
that this amazing metropolis, with a population close to ten million, ranks
amongst the 20 largest cities in the world. We learned about the enigmatic and
mysterious Incas. Their language was Quechua from which are derived such words
as gaucho, coca, puma, condor and llama but what really intrigued us were the
unanswered questions they left behind: How did they transport those heavy
stones when they had no knowledge of the wheel? Where did they derive the knowledge
which enabled them to practise sophisticated brain surgery and, of peculiar
fascination to everyone: where is the hiding place of the fabled Treasure of the Llanganatis Mountains? Seven
hundred tons of pure Inca gold waiting to be discovered! Why oh why didn’t we
pack metal detectors?!
Panama City
pictured in the early morning heat mist from the deck of ‘Infinity’ March 22
2011
I
never tire of the Panama Canal, currently undergoing widening, a process the
onboard lecturer humorously described as
a “canal coronary bypass”. For me the Big Ditch has been the scene of several
personal dramas. My first transit attempt was aborted when the ship suffered
mechanical problems and the next year the vessel I was onboard hit the canal
bank! On another occasion the Captain
and Canal Pilot had a furious row – not a good idea in the only place in the
world where the Canal Pilot is superior to the Ship’s Captain - which resulted
in the Captain being taken off the ship and put on an airplane out of Panama!
The subsequent disruption to the cruise cost the Captain his job and the
shipping company over $1,000,000 in compensation claims). Perhaps my most
memorable experience occurred on the Pacific side when, very early one morning
whilst disembarking the ship for the airport I sleepily followed my luggage
down the ladder to the waiting tender boat where I had assumed I would be the
sole occupant. Wrong! As I balanced in the rolling boat deciding where to sit I
was abruptly jolted into consciousness by the realisation that I had a
companion for the journey lying still and silent under a blanket. A companion
who was unaware of my presence and who would cetainly never cruise again. I was
about to share the ride with a corpse!
On
another occasion two of my fellow artistes, a roller skating act, turned
themselves into whirling Dervishes and, skating maniacally in the show lounge
for the entire duration of an 8 hour westbound transit, collapsed in triumphant
exhaustion as we sailed past Panama City. Why? To earn a place in the Guinness
Book of Records as the first people to roller skate through the Panama Canal!
Alas, all for nothing. Their skaterthon didn’t make the book!
Heres
a tip for any of you thinking of doing the transit with family and friends at
home who might like to follow your vacation. Give them your schedule in advance
and direct them to the website:
http://www.pancanal.com/eng/index.html
There
they can follow you and your ship as you navigate the locks, watching the
action on live webcams and, for the tech-savvy generation, it will create far
more excitement than a postcard!
Infinity
moored in Cartagena March 24 2011
And
so to Cartagena, Columbia. Did someone say “Emeralds”? Well that’s one of the
big attractions here along with the native coffee and certain illicit
indigenous substances known but not named! On the gangway all returning crew
were made to remove their shoes for inspection but fortunately we guests,
perhaps being considered more trustworthy(!) escaped the indignity. Our day,
planned well in advance, was commited to the Music At Sea Surprise Tour which
commenced with an early morning ride around the harbour onboard a replica
Spanish Galleon.
The Spanish
Galleon in Cartagena
I
bid the group ‘Bon Voyage’ from the dock, watching the galleon move into the
bay, a magnificent spectacle in the early morning sunshine, pirates dancing,
wenches wenching, sails furled, (surely that ‘put-put-put’ sound of a diesel
engine was an illusion?) the blue, gold and red of the Columbian Flag proudly
flying from the yardarm. Later I was told that the pirate king had given an
easy way to remember the colours: Blue for the Oceans Pacific and Atlantic,
Gold for the riches of the country and Red for the blood the Spaniards spilled!
From the safety of my vantage point I reflected that in days long past no
Englishman would have strayed within range of a Spanish Galleon and lived to
tell the tale! Which leads me to the second part of our tour which took in the
Fort (Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas) and stories of the fearsome Admiral
Vernon (he of Mount Vernon in Washington) and
the War of Jenkins Ear which, although I had a hazy remembrance from my
childhood history lessons, I had forgotten about. For the benefit of others with similar
amnesia the unfortunate Jenkins, having
had his ear sliced off by a Spaniard, retrieved the said body part, transported
it to London and there indignantly presented it before the great and good of
the land sitting in Parliament, who, splutterng with fury at this outrage, and
not even considering the possibility that Mr Jenkins might have been engagaged
in robbery, rape or murder (which perhaps might have justified cutting off his
ear and even additional portions of his anatomy) immediately declared war on
Spain. That’s it dear reader. The English declared war on Spain because the man
could no longer balance the headphones from his iPod! But for sheer bestiality and a testament to
man’s cruelty to man nothing could compete with the hideous display in the
Torture Museum of the Palace of the Inquisition. Here we saw the Papal
equivalent of “Advanced Interrogation
Techniques”. Not the ideal place for a group photo but, it was the only place
so, in the shadow of the guillotine and hangman’s noose, we smiled into a
camera lens for our group photo!
The MAS
Group in the courtyard of the Inquisition Palace, Cartagena, Columbia. March 24
2011
“What, NO SHOPPING?” Are you kidding? Our thoughtful guide
provided labels with her name boldly displayed which we dutifully attached to
ourselves before we entered the jewelry shop. Sadly, our pleasure at wearing
these sartorial embellishments was short lived as, no sooner had we left the
shop we were asked to return them!
And
then it was lunchtime and what a magnificent lunch we had. Remember the name
“La Serinissima” for this is NOT a tourist trap restaurant. Here cuisine is
elevated to art. Wonderful food, lovingly prepared, carefully served and washed
down by a choice of drinks which included a delicious home made lemonade. I cannot recommend this establishment too
highly and plaudits from the group confirmed my evaluation. It capped an excellent and unusual tour and
we returned to the ship content but pleasantly tired – knowing we had two relaxing
sea days to recharge our batteries enroute to Fort Lauderdale.
This
had to be one of the most social groups ever. Terry and Janice inroduced me to
Tequilla Slammers (Once in a lifetime is sufficient thankyou!) and Judy and Sue
hosted an open house in honour of Jim. No, Jim was not a member of our group.
His surname is Beam, a close relation to Al Cohol, and he inhabited a bottle from which several
of our members were keen to liberate him! Job well done!
Many
of us have or had the the joy of owning a pet and we held a gathering where we
showed pictures of our treasured companions and exchanged reminiscences. We
learned of Toffee the MOST handsome
resident of Canada, Rusty the rescue dog
and Precious the univited interloper who now rules the house. (“Precious will
NEVER be allowed into the house” her innocent owner assured me 3 years ago. Now
Precious sleeps on her bed and woe betide anyone who tries to move her!) We
learned of a Canadian rescue dog which was ‘extremely dumb’ (Dogs ARE dumb –
ask any cat!) but which won a beauty contest, demonstrating that the inverse
proportion between brains and beauty frequently shown in humans can also be
found in our little darlings! And then we were shown a photograph of Sugarpie,
‘the most adorable species of felinehood that ever munched a mouse’ – or so her
adoring owner claimed! Wei from Malaysia told us of his pet pig and gibbon and
there was not a dry eye when we heard of a litter of baby kittens hand reared
to adulthood after being miraculously rescued from a basement. It was a moving
afternoon. I suspect I was not the only
one who found it therapeutic as Ann and I had said ‘Farewell’ to our beautiful
Burmese boy only a few weeks earlier.
And
so we reached the end of this 38th Music At Sea. I rarely mention
the music in these Blogs as it’s a given but the traditional MAS formula of old
favourites such as Rhapsody In Blue, Moonlight Sonata, Clair de Lune etc with
the addition of members requests and
the occasional new item still works! One of our guests, new to Music At Sea,
immediately booked MAS 39 (River Rhine) and Mas 40 (Canada New England) for
later this year. We also had numerous requests to share the secret of where we
will be going in 2012. All I can reveal
is that we are working on something VERY special which will be announced soon –
so please watch this space!
And
now I’m back in London helping Ann with the launch of her new novel “The
Impersonator”. It’s causing a stir (which to those of you who know Ann
will come as no surprise) and has achieved
ringing endorsements from Pauline Collins (Oscar nominated star of “Shirley
Valentine” plus the TV series “Upstairs, Downstairs”) and the novelist Caroline
Graham (creator of the hit TV series “Midsomer Murders”). Details on Ann’s website: www.annmann.co.uk Yes, its available worldwide but DO read the
synopsis before ordering as it’s a tale of sexual obsession set in ‘swinging
‘60’s’ London and some of the storyline, which is explicit, might shock! On the
other hand if you feel like a hot read followed by a cold shower……..
See
you soon.
With
warmest thoughts
Brooks
May
13th. 2011 London