A few photos of the cruise, as promised.

Happy Christmas to you all. As promised, a few photos of our Panama Cruise. They have come up in reverse sequence. Bottom right shows us entering the locks from the Pacific side and on the left , passing under the new Centennial Bridge as we headed for Lake Gatun.

The top 2 images show the "mule loco" track for assisting with the lines in Gatun Lock as we headed for the Atlantic Ocean and the right hand image shows the "Island Princess" safely tied up in Cartegena, Columbia on the 17th Dec. We transitted the canal on the 15th Dec and the ship is the largest Panamax size vessel that can safely pass through the locks with 18 inches clearance either side. A beam of 106 feet and deadweight of 93,000 tonnes, LOA 985 feet. We also saw the construction work at each end of the canal for the post-Panamax size locks, i.e. beams over greater than 110 feet as ships continue to get bigger and bigger, particularly passenger and container vessels. The lake in between is approx. 150 feet above sea level.

Enjoying a quiet Christmas Day in Quito and tomorrow we start heading south with our backpacks through Ecuador after a great 5 day stay here. Beautiful city, approx. 10,000 feet above sea level. Winter here too so max. daily temps about 18 c , falling to about 10 c at night with alot of rain too!! Still, as we go south , the temps will increase and it will become drier.

The hostels here have been comfortable and cheap and the bus fares are also low cost. We are on a tight budget but confident we can manage! Watch the blog and again, Happy Christmas from us. Jon.

Arrived in Quito, Ecuador on 21 December - it's a great place.

Hi everyone. Just to update you on our progress since the 17th, we left the cruise ship in Fort Lauderdale on the 20th morning as scheduled. It was a most enjoyable 2 weeks and we were humbled by the luxury and total indulgence that we were able to have!! We met some really nice people aswell and our evening dinner table party was always something to look forward to as we all got on so well together. The food etc was wonderful and we both ate too much but will no doubt shed the pounds now that we have arrived in South America with 8 weeks of travelling to do on a tight budget with our backpacks!! I have to say, I put on approx. 3 kilos which I was glad to do as I had lost alot of weight earlier this year. Marilyn is looking great.

Anyway, we stayed overnight in Miami on the 20th at a functional hotel close to the International airport and left on the 21st p.m. LAN flight to Quito. No problems with immigration in the USA and our transit from ship to departure Miami went like clock-work. We arrived here at 9.30 p.m. and immediately checked in to a hostel in the centre of the new town. We spent yesterday getting our bearings and wondering around and the same today where we have been exploring the old town which is steeped in history and full of beautiful buildings, etc. We are over 10,000 feet above sea level and surrounded by mountains. Simply breath-taking. A great way to spend my birthday. We are going to have a quiet Christmas here visiting the local Botanical Gardens and Parks. We have joined a club called the South American Explorers Club which will enable us to get good discounts on trips and accomodation throughout Ecuador, Peru, and Chile as we haven't booked anything other than the trip in Peru (below). They are having a Christmas Eve get-together tomorrow night at a pub nearby, so that should fun. A chance to meet fellow backpackers,we hope.

We plan to start travelling south through Ecuador on the 26th, first stop Baños, approx. 3 hours from here by bus. By all accounts, it is a fabulous place and we will remain there for 3 days and take in a rainforest trip to survey the animal and bird scene. Marilyn is very excited about that , of course. We have to be in Cruzco, Peru by the 19th January where we have booked a 4 day / 3 night tour of Macchu Picchu and the Sacred Valley - that should be awesome!

I will continue to keep you updated of progress and will put some photos of the cruise, particularly Panama Canal, on before we leave Quito. Have a wonderful Christmas and keep warm! Weather at home looks horrendous! It is a pleasant 18 c here and quite chilly at night but no lower than 10 c. It will get hotter as we head south. Bye for now. J.

In Aruba - last port of call before we leave in Port Everglades on 20 Dec.

Hi everyone. Just a quick update before my time runs out on the internet. We have had a great cruise on the "Island Princess" which we joined in Cabo San Lucas on the 7th Dec. We have made port stops at Apaculpo, Puntebras(Costa Rica), Panama City and the highlight, Panama Canal transit on the 15th - fabulous! We called into Cartegena, Colombia, yesterday and are in Aruba today and leave here this evening. We arrive in Fort Lauderdale on the 20th and fly down to Quito, Ecuador on the 21st from Miami. Full update soon with some photos. We are both well and relaxed. Happy Christmas to you all. Jon.

Here we are in Cabo San Lucas,California Sur

Hello again my blogger family. We arrived here in Cabo San Lucas yesterday after our trip from Puerto Vallarta where we set out from a week ago. From Matzalan we took the overnight passenger freight ferry to La Paz, approx. 100 miles north of here. After a smooth crossing, we arrived on the 3oth morning and stayed overnight in La Paz before catching a coach to Todos Santos where we stayed for 2 days in a very pleasant self-catering apartment complete with pool and restaurant. It was good to indulge in a bit of luxury and enjoy the town, made famous by that great US Band, The Eagles, with the classic rock ballad," Hotel California". We popped our heads in there to look around but it was expensive and spoilt by tourism, etc. Still, worth the look. (By the way, we enjoyed Matzalan and had one memorable evening in the seafood restaurant right opposite our beach hotel Hacienda).

Yesterday we left Todos Santos and arrived here at our hotel around 3 p.m. It`s very comfortable and we will be here until Tuesday when we board our ship by tender at the Cabo San Lucas Roads. We went for a reci today to see where we board the tender from, plus a nice lunch nearby and some clothes shopping for the cruise. We feel we should improve on shorts, T shirts and flip-flops image!!? Marilyn bought 2 really nice evening dresses for the 3 dress-up dinner/dances we have to attend. I will have to hire a tuxedo , no doubt!! Quite a contrast for us to take a cruise after our humble existence on the turtle camp for almost three months and then back-packing to come from Quito, Ecuador to Santiago, Chile. Still, a nice way to relax and charge batteries before 21 December when we fly from Miami to Quito. Also, a great way to transit the Panama Canal which is the focal point and highlight of our cruise, as you know. Never for a moment did I ever think, after 16 years at sea in the 60's to 80`s , I would ever indulge in a cruise!!??? Still, I won't be driving this time so we'll enjoy it, I'm sure. Until we board next Tuesday, 7th we are going to enjoy relaxing here in the warmer temperatures of 26 c ! Glad we are away from the big UK freeze. Our thoughts are with you all, plus our friends in America who we have befriended in Mayto.

Take care and I'll report back soon on our cruise progress, assuming they have internet access on board. We both miss the turtles, but have wonderful memories to savour. Bye for now. J.

School Photo "Farewell" on 24 Nov.

Last day at the school and a farewell group photo for the memory, after 2.5 months of enjoyable time teaching the children some English. I think they still remember some!!? Oh, and a parting shot of our tent and palapas the day before we left on the 25th. Totally self-contained and secluded apart from the constant crowing of cocks!!! We shall miss all that!

Tannya and I on beach at Corralis

On Nov 18th we were taken out for the day for lunch at Corralis by our special friend, Tannya. She is the manageress at the Hotel Mayto, next door to our camp, and has been so good to us. We had a great lunch and even sampled the local firewater, tequila, which went down a treat with sprite lemonade! We shall miss her but will be keeping in touch, of course by facebook etc.

More photos - continued.

More Photos as promised, I hope!!

Setting off on boat trip on 12th November to see basking adult turtles. We teamed up with some visiting students from Guadahajara. Perfect day for it.

Farewell to Camp Mayto and onwards with our adventure.

Yesterday we left the Turtle Conservation after almost 3 brilliant months. Sad to go but ready for the next 2 phases of our trip , namely the Panama Canal cruise from Cabo San Lucas to Fort Lauderdale and the South American leg from Quito to Santiago. Strange sleeping in beds last night at our volunteer flat in Puerto Vallarta after almost 3 months in a tent on blow -up mattresses, but, boy, did we sleep well!! We set off tomorrow afternoon to Mazatlan and will stay there for a couple of days, sight-seeing, etc before taking the Passenger Ro/Ro ferry across to La Paz in California Sur on 30 Nov. We pick up the cruise on 7 December. I do have some more photos to upload but have been having problems uploading in Mayto and time is short this evening. Food time but will try tomorrow before we set off. Ciaio for now. J.

Only a week to go before we leave Maito Turtle Camp

Hi everyone. I had hoped to put some update photos on since 10 November but the internet is really slow tonight and taking for ever to upload images. I'll try again later in the week or next week when we return to Puerto Vallarta. We are into our last week almost and have mixed feelings about moving on. We have been so happy here but have been really busy since the girls left and concentrating on clearing many nests of baby turtles and releasing them to the ocean, but have also suffered dog predation, i.e. dogs digging up the nests prior to completion of incubation and eating the eggs. Most frustrating and I have been frantically fence repairing where they have forced their way in. It upsets us alot when this happens, of course, but we are still releasing about 2000 baby turtles a week. Marilyn and I are a bit concerned that at times the staff here are not always dilligent to this cause. They are more concerned that it isn't the camp dog but alas, it has been on occasions!!?? Turtle conservation means the world to us. Anyway, enough of that! We had a nice day out last Friday with a visiting group of students and teachers from Guadalajara, and went afloat for a boat trip and seeing the turtles basking in the sun. This was followed by a luncheon at the restaurant in Tehuamixtle, a nearby bay where we boarded the boats. After lunch we visited a bat cave and saw 3 different species of bats, including the vampire bat!!

Yesterday was my penultimate day at the local school where I've been teaching English 2 mornings a week to 6/11 year olds since mid-September. I organised a sports running competition in the playground with prizes afterwards! I had to give them to everyone as there would have been the usual squabbling if I hadn't!! Lovely kids - shall miss them when we've gone. It's been an interesting experience.

We leave for PV next Thursday, and after a 2 day stay in the volunteers flat, will make our way to Cabo San Lucas to join the "Island Princess" for our 14 day cruise through the Panama Canal. Sightseeing etc on the way, via. Mazatlan and La Paz. The ship arrives on 7th December.

No other real news. I'm out on patrol tonight for turtle nests and we may be lucky and seeing a Leatherback turtle - very few in existence and I'll let you know the outcome. They are almost 2 metrs long and weigh up to 650 kilos. One came up last night 3 kilometres from here but didn't lay and we only saw the flipper tracks - huge like tractor tyre marks. Well, time to return to the camp. Will report back soon. Jon.

Some recent photos this last week.

Marilyn above in her new hammock position. We moved tent last Friday after the girls had left so we could be near to the turtles nests corale. (Cannot rotate it, sorry!!!?)

Our new residence under the hand-made palapas which was done by Israel, the camp boss, and Jorge, his assistant. Note the sand door mats!! Still plenty gets into the tent.

Farewell luncheon last Thursday in nearby restaurant with the girls, Cybil and Sammy, plus Tannia, the hotel mangeress who has become a really good friend, and finally Vanessa next to Marilyn from Vancouver, who also joined us for the day. Brilliant seafood lunch!

Photo of Marilyn bird-watching, plus Vanessa, Tannia, and the girls, on the beach approx. 10 km from Mayto. Also last Tursday, 4th Nov.

Shopping in El Tuito today

Hi guys. Today we are shopping in El Tuito and visiting the Bird Nature Reserve at Rancha Primervera after lunch, so thought I´d just update this end. No photos today as I'm in a internet cafe with a screen that has no access to memory stick. I'll post some photos next week or at the weekend.

All is good here as we enter our last 2 weeks at the Conservation Camp. The girls (Cybil and Sammy) left us last Friday to return to the USA and Costa Rica respectively, so Marilyn and I are the only volunteers now and we are really busy with turtle egg night patrols and minding the nest corale next to our tent where alot of nests collected by us in September are now hatching and we are releasing baby turtles every night after sunset to the ocean. 45 days is the incubation period and on Saturday, we expect 12 nests to be ready for clearing!! Thus, the mid-week visit to El Tuito. We have had our problems recently with dogs predating nests in our corale, despite our best efforts to keep them out! 2 last night and it makes Marilyn and I very sad. They find a way in, either under the netting, or breaking it and jumping over. Most frustrating but we still feel we have done our share for turtle conservation despite these set-backs.

We move off to Puerto Vallarta on the 25th to the volunteer flat for a couple of days and then travel to Cabo San Lucas via Mazatlan ferry to La Paz on the 27th. Sight-seeing and staying at hostels on the way. The "Island Princess" is due in Cabo San Lucas on 7th December. 2 weeks of luxury after 3 months of sleeping in a tent on the shore! A comfortable bed is something to look forward to!!

Well, my time is up so I´m off to the shops with Marilyn before lunch. Take care followers and more photos to follow. Jon

Evening trip to isolated beach close to the Camp

Hi again. Some photos taken this week. 2 evenings ago we took the quad bike up to a remote beach 13 km from the camp and watched the sun setting over the ocean to the west. The trampoline photo was taken by Marilyn last night when 2 of my pupils at the school. Juan and Lisette visited us. I am hopeless on the trampoline and restricted myself to jumping up and down only whist the children performed aerobatics!!

Happy Halloween to you all. J.

More recent photos

Hello again everyone. Just a couple of photos taken 2 days ago at the camp. I could not resist the Olive Ridley turtle snap as she came up in the afternoon right in front of our camp to lay eggs- You see her heading back to the sea as she became confused and did not lay in the end. Normally they come ashore in the night. The other photo is of Marilyn and the other 2 volunteers, Cybil and Sammy, in the nest coraal where they have just uncovered some nests. All is great here and we are into the final month before we head towards Cabo San Luca on 25 November. Weather is cooler now at night and we are grateful for our blankets in our tent. Northerly fresh winds are common. Still very warm in the daytime. We are loving every moment of this chilled-out existence. Take care and back soon. Just off to see Marilyn's new grandchild, Finley, on the skype. He arrived in Auckland on 20 October. Jon.

Update since Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens visit.

Hello again blog followers, all 2 of you - thanks Chris and Gill - and here are a few photos of recent events. Those of yesterday show a close up of a hatched turtle being released to the sea - approx 5 cm long - and one of the camp taken from the beach. The two above show my our volunteer colleagues releasing turtles last night to the sea and Marilyn assisting me weeding the beach ready for landscaping and tree planting. She is a natural "gardener's mate"!!? Notice the sweat or is that suntan cream? In truth, the former as it has been really hot here and we have to do the physical exertions in the mornings before breakfast.

All is going well and we are just over halfway through our stay before we head off to Mazatlan north of here to catch the ferry across to La Paz in California Sur peninsula and head for Cabo San Luca to join our cruise on 6 December, bound Panama and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It has been such an enriching experience here and knowing we are helping in the conservation of endangered turtles. I am personally so relaxed and wound down that I have forgotten everything that I do "back home"!! Seriously, though, it has been so good for us both and still alot more to absorb in our travels. Hope all is good at the Consulate, of course, and Raymond, my deputy, is doubtless managing okay with our lovely female assistants.

Off to El Tuito next weekend to visit a wildlife nature reserve. It is going to be a great day out and there are so many beautiful and exotic birds here in Mexico and Marilyn is particularly excited.

Will report back.

Take care, all of you reading this. Jon.

Some recent photos

Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens

Hello again blog followers. Yesterday to celebrate 5 weeks in Mexico, we had an away day and night and visited the Botanical Gardens in Puerto Vallarta. We set out at 6 in the morning and caught the local bus which finally arrived 30 minutes late at 7 a.m. Reached the gardens at 9.30 a.m. and spent the full day there. It was fabulous and well worth the effort. Beautiful tropical plants, succulents, etc, and great walks around the area. We arrived back at Mayto at 7.30 p.m. and stayed overnight at a small hotel adjacent to our camp. Luxury!! A proper bed and mattress and great hospitality from the owners. They are also right on the beach. Met some delightful Americans who are also staying there for fishing holidays. All is well otherwise and we feel re-charged after our mini-break and back to turtle egg patrols tonight. Anxiously waiting to hear the anticipated good news of Marilyn's 3rd grandchild arrival which is due this coming week. Teaching goiing well at the local school. Back soon. Jon.

Teaching English in local Mayto school

I started teaching 6 to 11 year olds English at the local Mayto school this week. It has been great and I will continue to attend 2 mornings a week until we leave in November. I have a nice variety now, what with the turtles, gardening in the compound, and now this. Lovely children - 14 in all in the class. Jonas, the guy with the Beckham t-shirt, is the son of the Mayto hotel owner and lives here in the hotel. Great guy and he also speaks good English, having lived in the USA for 6 years before coming here. He is my "assistant"! All good otherwise and nothing further to report this week. J.

2nd weekend in Mayto (cont)

Hi everyone. Just completed our 2nd weekend here and about to embark on an ice cold beer at the local hotel, plus meal. Some photos of turtles plus the old bugger doing his paper work!! Do not worry, it is not consular work, just claims docs!!

Picute on the left taken by Marilyn this morning, early hours. About to recover eggs from the laying Olive Ridley turtle. Such a great experience for us both. Other picture shows Marilyn releasing a baby to the deep the other evening. All good here and getting used to the tent sleeping arrangements but, hey, that is not a problem when we look out and see the ocean view from it. Bye for now. J

2nd weekend in Mayto.

First turtles!!

Hello again blog followers. Here we are at Campo Mayto Turtle Conservation, some 3 hours from Puerto Vallarta. We arrived here last Tuesday evening and have been settling down to our new lifestyle living in a tent on the beach. Some random photos are attached including a really viscious crab who decided to invade on our sleeping space and was given the exit treatment via my current paperback read! The pellicans are very common here but quite imposing birds. Lastly, some baby hawksbill turtles which hatched overnight and are to be released to the sea this evening. Marilyn and I go on our first night patrol tonight with the newly arrived quad-bike, so hope to bring back some more eggs. Gestation period, hy the way, is approx. 42 / 45 days. All is good and I also start teaching English tomorrow to kindergarten children in the school nearby. See you. J

Update from Mayto Conservation Camp

Still in Puerto Vallarta!!

Hello blogmates. Here we are still in Puerto Vallarta having completed the Spanish revision course on Friday. Unfortunately, Marilyn has been very ill with a bout of gastro-enteritis and had to be admitted to the local hospital on Friday afternoon. She was very poorly but thankfully on the mend now after being discharged last night. She must take it easy for a few days before we move out to the turtle conservation area. Thank goodness for travel insurance as I now have 2 pending claims what with the flight debarcle on August 28th and now this medical claim. Hopefully I can sort everything out when I return in February, assuming there is no time limit on the submissions. Postage out here could be a bit of a mission as we will be in such a remote area for 10/11 weeks.

Otherwise, all is good and we're looking forward to the change of scenery this coming week. I'm also looking forward to posting some photos and these will follow. We've had alot of rain here and hopefully that will subside when we are on the Pacific Coast in our remote paradise. Back next week with an update. Jon.

Arrived in Puerta Vallarta

Hi everyone. Just to let you know that we have arrived safely in Mexico on Saturday evening after a couple of dodgy moments!! Arrived at Mexico City only to find that our internal carrier had gone into administration! However, we managed to rebook with AeroMexico and arrived in the evening. We had a few hours to kill in Mexico City so had a 2 hour sightseeing trip with a taxi which was well worth the fare. Quite a city. Apartment is comfortable and after a week of Spanish lessons this week, we move out to the conservation area on Sunday. Must away as my cafe time is up.

Back soon , hopefully with some photos too.

24 hours to go before "lift off"

Here we are all ready for the departure tomorrow. Rucksacks successfully packed and we leave from Heathrow in the evening and arrive in Mexico on Saturday morning. Leaving the rain behind and hopefully going to warmer climes. Will keep you updated as promised.Adios y hasta luego.

six days to go!!

This time next week we'll be in Mexico. Wow! Still plenty to do but we are on track, I think!!?Rucksacks all packed and we've had some practice trekking runs around the block, up and down hills! I'm glad I've done all those daily press-ups these past few months as they've strengthened my back and shoulders. I was even able to bowl again in my last cricket match this summer which meant so much to me, having suffered an on-going shoulder problem most of the summer. I love bowling and don't enjoy batting so much nowadays as my eyes aren't as sharp as they were in my youth!! Off to the local shops this morning to get toiletries, including mosquito repellent! Cinema tthis afternoon to see a new Spanish movie at Harbour Lights.

Hasta luego mis amigos.

Our friends.

Our guests today at the luncheon.Accidently deleted from my earlier blog today! Just getting used to it!!

Buffet luncheon at home

Today we had a farewell luncheon with some of our closest friends. It was great and Marilyn prepared a cracking running buffet and we all wore trainers!!? Woops! (Old jokes are the best!??) We stayed indoors as it finally rained today after many weeks without! We've had a wonderful summer. Only 23 days to go before we fly off to Mexico and this weekend we are decorating the lounge and landing!!? A good way to spring clean according to my beloved! Still, it is overdue and when I return in February, I'll have a nice fresh lounge to come home to. Loads to do still but the forward work list is getting smaller by the day! I have to confess that I am warming to the idea now of looking after turtles for 3 months and teaching english to Mexican orphans. A stark contrast from dealing with passports and visas each day in my consulate!

Rucksacks!

Sunday 1st August and only 26 days to go before we set off!! Panic, panic!! We both have our new rucksacks now for our worldly goods and so time to practice packing and unpacking, etc! I worry about space shortage because of my big feet! Maybe I will go barefoot on the beaches in Mexico!!? Marilyn has called her rucksack, Michelle - there's a joke in that somewhere? - I am still searching for a name. Will let you know when I succeed. Must away as my sister and brother-in-law are about to arrive for lunch.

Sunday night at home.

Only 4 weeks to go before we set off to Puerta Vallerta in Mexico for our volunteers work programme in a Turtle Conservation area. Still alot of preparation work to do but I think we are on top of it!? Marilyn finishes work next Friday so will have plenty of time to get organised aswell.