The Route of the Stars
January 21, 2015 Dear Friends, Oscar, our cab driver, is worried. He doesn’t speak much English and we don’t speak much Spanish, that is one of the things that made the day interesting, trying to retrieve a long lost tongue … Continue reading The Route of the Stars
Eiffel in Peru (or is it Chile).
January 18, 2015 Arica, Chile Before he designed the framework for the Statue of Liberty, before his famous tower and before his infamous design for the locks on the French attempt to dig a Panama Canal (for which he was … Continue reading Eiffel in Peru (or is it Chile).
A Mystery Without a Clue, the Nazca Lines.
January 16, 2015 Nazca, Peru It’s a mystery and no one has a clue. For me it starts and ends with a Candelabrum. When you sail into and out of the port of General St. Martin you can see the … Continue reading A Mystery Without a Clue, the Nazca Lines.
Making Love, Not War in a City Park.
January 15, 2014 Mira Flores, Peru. Dear Friends, Different people pace a cruise in different ways. Some people just get off the ship for a little while to shop at the market near the wharf or take the shuttle Holland … Continue reading Making Love, Not War in a City Park.
San Francisco Monastery and other Lima Pleasures
The text for this post is in the post before. To find it click here. To learn about Mira Flores, a district in Lima, click here. First some pictures from the San Francisco Monastery near Plaza Major Next some general … Continue reading San Francisco Monastery and other Lima Pleasures
Carmina Burana goes to the Bullfights (Lima, Peru)
January 15, 2015 Lima, Peru Lima is a city of Circles and Squares, connected by streets. The oldest squares were laid out by Pizzaro, the central one being the Plaza Mayor, formally the Plaza de Armas. This is a UNESCO … Continue reading Carmina Burana goes to the Bullfights (Lima, Peru)
Cities that Melt Away in the Rain
January 12, 2015 Salaverry, Peru Tourism doesn’t wear well on me. I mean that literally. In Sitka I am used to seeing people off of Holland America ships wearing day glow dots with the line’s logo and a big number, … Continue reading Cities that Melt Away in the Rain
Politics and Panama Hats, (Montecristi, Ecuador)
January 10, 2015 Montecristi, Ecuador. Montecristi was founded as an inland and upland town close to Manta that was more protected than Manta from English sea dog pirates and privateers. Today most tourists come to Montecristi to see how Panama … Continue reading Politics and Panama Hats, (Montecristi, Ecuador)
Tuna and Tourists (Manta, Ecuador)
January 10, 2015 Manta, Ecuador Manta, Ecuador is a Tuna and Gringo town. Its main business is tuna fishing but it is also interested in attracting American retirees. We saw ads for retirement services, American clinics and of course shopping … Continue reading Tuna and Tourists (Manta, Ecuador)
Dubai on the Isthmus
On the way out of the Panama Canal Prinsendam passes the huge container port of Balboa with the skyline of Panama City beyond. Panama City is a shock. It has a skyline that looks like Dubai or Doha. One skyscraper … Continue reading Dubai on the Isthmus
Panama Canal 2
Here are the pictures from the second half of the Panama Canal crossing. To read the text for this please click here. In these pictures you can see some of the erosion measures to prevent the continental divide from filling … Continue reading Panama Canal 2
Water Bridge between the Oceans
January 8, 2015 Panama Canal We got up at 5:15 for our transit. We approached the first set of locks just as the sun was rising. On the port side of the ship the huge new gates for the new … Continue reading Water Bridge between the Oceans
Unplanned Stop in the San Blas Islands
January 7, 2015 San Blas Islands, Panama, I have to revise my first impression of some of the people who have been on multiple cruises. On San Blas we ran into the “been on 80 cruises” couple who were wandering … Continue reading Unplanned Stop in the San Blas Islands
Pirates and Puritans
January 6, 2015, Isla Providencia, Columbia (New Providence Island) Isla Providencia (New Providence in English) was settled by English Puritans in the early 1600s. They made their living by trading slaves and tobacco, and because of their position off the … Continue reading Pirates and Puritans
Getting Our Sea Legs
January 5, 2015 Aboard the MV Prinsendam. Dear Friends, I had expected to find lots of folks on the “trip of a lifetime.” That doesn’t seem to be the case. At our table there’s a couple on their 80th cruise. … Continue reading Getting Our Sea Legs
Anticipation
January 1-3, 2013, Sitka, Seattle and Ft. Lauderdale Dear Friends, I’m starting the adventure around South America sick. We had Liam with us for Christmas and, like every little kid in a daycare, he brings home an assortment of bugs, … Continue reading Anticipation
December 28, 2014, Sitka catches a break.
The Earlier Post was from the whale watch on the Esther G. These pics are from Sitka Sound taken both from the Esther G, our deck … Continue reading December 28, 2014, Sitka catches a break.
Winter Whale Watch, Dec 28, 2014
On Sunday we went out on a whale watch with Davey Lubin on the Esther G Sea Taxi. For more pictures from the Esther G and other places around Sitka Sound, Click here. Continue reading Winter Whale Watch, Dec 28, 2014
A Mid-Winter Sea Walk and Totem Walk
The sun finally broke through for a nice mid winter Sea-totem walk through the rain forest. Continue reading A Mid-Winter Sea Walk and Totem Walk
Here Comes the Sun
To Northerners like me the Solstice is an essential holiday. For me Solstice marks the New Year more than January 1. I have rituals to mark the turning of the season. This year it was a bonfire, a swim in … Continue reading Here Comes the Sun
Sitka Polar Dip, The News Behind the News.
A reporter should not become involved with his story. That’s what they teach at journalism school. But sometimes a reporter needs to experience what he is reporting on in order to get a real feel for the story. That’s what … Continue reading Sitka Polar Dip, The News Behind the News.
Eagles Sitting for Portraits
Sitka’s Raptor Rehabilitation Center; where you can have three different eagles and one snowy owl sit for portraits. Continue reading Eagles Sitting for Portraits
2014 McClear Family Christmas Letter
Click 2014 Christmas Letter for internet compressed for the McClear 2014 Christmas Letter. (Once you click on it another page will come up and you will need to click on it again to download a PDF of letter which is one page … Continue reading 2014 McClear Family Christmas Letter
Sitka Artisans’ Market
The Sitka Artisan’s Market & Holiday Craft Party lives in the spirit of the best European Christmas Markets. Allen Hall, on the Sheldon Jackson Campus, has historically been a meeting place for Sitkans. Over the last few years Sitkans volunteered … Continue reading Sitka Artisans’ Market