In The News

Cruising on a smaller scale

November 06, 2006

 

Lexington Leader-Herald by Patty Nickell - Published November 5, 2006

MANUEL ANTONIO NATIONAL PARK, Costa Rica - We stood transfixed as we watched the three-toed sloth painstakingly inch his way down the tree. His laborious journey to terra firma was for a bathroom break, our nature guide explained, adding that it is a journey he takes only once each week. It soon became apparent why. The phrase, "watching paint dry" came to mind, but I was determined to stick with him. Halfway down, the sloth spied us spying on him and froze midtree. His "deer-in-the-headlights" expression told us everything we needed to know -- as long as we were there, nature's call would be put on hold. Not wanting him to have to wait another week, we mercifully moved on.

I was on a group hike in Costa Rica's beautiful Manuel Antonio National Park, the first stop on Cruise West's 10-day cruise from Costa Rica to Panama, transiting the Panama Canal. The reluctant sloth, although my favorite, was only one of the park's treasures. Capuchin monkeys are as common here as squirrels are in the United States, and hundreds of jewel-toned birds flit among the canopy of trees in the jungle that extends right up to three white sand beaches.

Cruise West knows how to put an itinerary together. The line has become a leader in the small-cruise industry, appealing to those who want a more up-close-and-personal cruise experience; those who don't want to spend the first two days trying to retrace the path from their stateroom to the dining room; those who don't want to have to worry about packing an evening gown and tux for the ritual Captain's Dinner; those who want to actually get to know their fellow cruisers.

The 100-passenger Pacific Explorer makes all the above easy to do.

Additionally, this cruise will appeal to those who don't want to gamble in a ship's casino (the Pacific Explorer doesn't have one), who want to spend their days hiking, snorkeling and kayaking, and their evenings listening to presentations by the ship's naturalists.

During the 10 days of the cruise, I got to cross two travel "must-dos" off my list: transiting the Panama Canal and visiting the San Blas Islands.

As the former occurred in the wee hours of the morning, we congregated on the ship's deck -- many of us still in our pajamas -- to see firsthand one of the miracles of modern engineering. Some 14,000 vessels of all kinds pass through the canal every year, often resulting in a huge traffic jam, with ships lined up to the horizon waiting their turn to transit. The Pacific Explorer's small size gives it an advantage, but still, in this case, patience is a virtue. It's worth the wait, however, as you get to see at eye level the ship's passage through a series of three locks -- from the Pacific to the Caribbean -- in a matter of hours.

The 365 islands that make up the San Blas archipelago are as unspoiled as anything you will encounter in our advanced technological age. Only a handful of islands are populated, by the Kuna people, an indigenous group. Stepping from the Zodiac raft onto the dock of a tiny village, you're engulfed in a kaleidoscope of colors. Every color in the rainbow -- and some that aren't -- seem to be threaded into the hand-stitched panels of fabric called molas, which the local women sell for $10 to $50. Should you be tempted to snap photos of the women with their gold nose rings and intricately beaded bands on their arms and legs, be aware that you must pay a couple of dollars for the privilege, and no matter how much you offer, you probably won't be able to coax a smile from them.

No matter. You'll be smiling enough for all of you. And why not, with the itinerary Cruise West has mapped out. In addition to the above-mentioned places, the Pacific Explorer stops at some of the most intriguing destinations in Costa Rica and Panama.

At Corcovado National Park, a 100,000-acre sanctuary in southeast Costa Rica, I hiked through humid rainforest, spotting howler monkeys and scarlet macaws, and kayaked on the Rio Agujitas, stopping for a dip in the clear waters of the river.

At Golfo Dulce, I spent several hours at the Casa Orquideas Botanical Gardens, a privately owned Garden of Eden featuring more than 100 species of orchids. And at Coiba National Park, a series of deserted islands, I felt like Robinson Crusoe, with only the hermit crabs that live on Isla de Coiba to keep me company.

Crossing into Panama, the Pacific Explorer stops at Portobelo, visited by Christopher Columbus in 1502, and for 500 years the commercial center for the Spanish colonies. Stand on the rock and coral fortress that guards the now silent harbor and conjure ghostly visions of Spanish galleons making their way into port, and imagine English buccaneers storming its walls in search of the city's riches. At one time the wealthiest city in the New World, Portobelo had streets lined with ingots of silver and gold, legend says.

Another highlight is hiking in the DariŽn Jungle. This vast preserve covers five ecological zones and continues into Colombia. Impenetrable in many places, it is accessible from the black sand beaches of the Ember‡ Indian village. After spending some time with the Ember‡ people, it was off for a hike through the DariŽn, home to 10,000 known species of plants and more than 900 species of Panamanian land birds.

Back on board, I sipped a rum punch, squinted at the horizon in hopes of seeing the fabled "Green Flash" of the tropics, and decided that this is cruising as it is meant to be.

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Cruise West – a second-generation, family-owned business based in Seattle – offers the opportunity to explore remote, worldwide locales by providing distinctive, one-of-a-kind, personalized itineraries not offered by the traditional larger cruise lines. Cruise West’s smaller ships – ten in all – hold between 70-138 people each, and the casual style onboard encourages relaxation and congenial interaction between guests and crew alike. The experience is personally enriching through expert Exploration Leaders providing onboard narrative and lectures, special local guests from a wide variety of backgrounds, and the library provided on each vessel. All have forward lounges and ample outdoor deck space for viewing and photographing wildlife and scenery. All vessels are also equipped with inflatable landing boats for close-up exploration of remote areas and shore landings.

Destinations served include: Alaska and the Bering Sea, British Columbia, Columbia & Snake Rivers, California Wine Country, Mexico's Sea of Cortés, Costa Rica & Panama, The U.S. eastern seaboard, the Caribbean, Japan, the South Pacific, the Kuril Islands, and the Great Lakes