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February 16th
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Hugh plowing snow as his support crew heads to warm weather!
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Billie and Hugh wishing the Spirit of the West cruise gang a great trip!
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22 of our group of 43 met in LA. Others took different flights
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22 of us on the plane for an overnight flight to Lima Peru
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Breaking News!!
We have announced the 2027 cruise destination! A Bucket List Trip for many and a trip we have never come close to doing in the past!
March 2nd to 17th, 2027 ... Japan's Cultural & Natural Wonders! 3 days of pre-cruise Tokyo Tour PLUS an 11 day Japan Spring
Flowers Cruise on the Sapphire Princess!
Download the
2027 cruise info here.
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February 17th
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Bev, Saletta, Brenda, and Deb posted here during our private group tour
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Our group with our guide. The tile wall in the back ground is dated 1606
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The tour took in this colonial mansion, Casa Aliaga a private residence
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Oldest continuously inhabited residence in the southern hemisphere - 17 generations!
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February 18th
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Our leader, Jim Bell, on the private goup tour at this textiles business
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Karen Bell, usually pretty timid of animals, got brave and fed the alpaca
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Casa Sulca Textiles showing off their beautiful woven articles
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a lady sitting on the ground weaving a new table runner
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February 18th
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from the bus as we drive to Sacred Valley
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enlarge and check out the farms in the background
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Betty and Don getting in a little nap on the bus
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typicle of how the towns and farms run between the mountains
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February 18th
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Corn and Potatoes are huge crops for export in Peru
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the group listening to the owner of Hacienda Sarapampa
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a very nice, clean, organized hacienda
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Two main tractor dealers here: John Deere and Massey Ferguson
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February 18th
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the first table is (L to R) Dave Sippell and Dave and Ellen Brown
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A beautiful covered but outdoor set up for an awesome lunch
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The owner explaining the workings of the farm and what they produce
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The food is all grown on site, or at least locally, and was very good
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February 18th
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The owner showing us their huge corn and talking about it's production
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Cuy!! (Guinea pig) ... a favourite food for traditional special meals
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then a good bye talk and we head back on the bus
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Prickly Pear cactus on the side of the driveway and along the road sides
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February 18th & 19th
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a new hotel tonight, Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel
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Waiting for the train to Machu Picchu Town
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The train took us from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town)
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A whole train car all to our group
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February 19th
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Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town) a nice scenic little town
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No shortage of water in this country!
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Waiting for the bus to climb the hill to Machu Picchu and the Citadel.
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The climb was an easy one at Machu Picchu and the Citadel
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February 19th
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Mark and Kathy's group with an amazing background
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Anne and Dave Sippell were part of one of our other groups
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and a third group at one of the many breather spots :-)
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it's no wonder it's one of the Seven Wonders of the World
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February 19th
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there are no words to describe this amazing place!
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Karen and Jim's group with their guide Juan
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Mark and Kathy's group with their guide Martin (pronounced Marteen)
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Martin was one of the best guides we have ever had
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February 19th
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an example of the terracing where they would grow crops
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we were soooo lucky as there was no rain and the clouds were high
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The lawnmowers taking an afternoon siesta
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A stop at Sanctuary Lodge in Machu Picchu for a huge buffet lunch
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February 19th & 20th
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Lucie Lambert dancing with our entertainer on the train
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and a wind down drink in the bar at the hotel before bed
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A tour to and around Cusco. This is a larger valley
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There are not many flat areas for farming like this one
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February 20th
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In Cusco this is one of the first churches built in South America (1538)
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Larry Selin, like Mark the day before, had to try the Guinea Pig (it was good)
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An idea of one of the many valleys from the plane heading back to Lima
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Approaching Lima and a look at some of the fishing boats moored and ready
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February 21st
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Beautiful JW Lima Hotel in Lima, Peru with a beautiful view
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The surfers out in the Pacific Ocean bright and early to catch the surf
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We didn't see many pickup trucks so far but the police use them a lot
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We boarded today and found super nice rooms on the Oceania Vista
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February 21st & 22nd
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Nice furniture on a big deck ... coffee out here tomorrow morning!
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This whole section in the Grand Dining Room reserved for Spirit of the West
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Today a city tour in Salaverry including the UNT Museum
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Pre-Inca Artifacts dating back to 10,000 years BC
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February 22nd
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This artifact is a human skull with hair still intact
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They mummified their dead in the fetal position as seen in this artifact
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Beautiful old wooden buildings restored and converted to museums
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A visit to Trujillo Cathedral just before we stopped for a quick drink
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February 22nd
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Like most churches of that era it was amazingly beautiful inside
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A stroll through beautiful and clean city center park
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where our guide took this group photo for us (not the whole group)
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Back to the dock and a great view of the Oceania Vista!
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This is 27 of our group of 41 ... we'll try for the whole group on the ship soon
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February 23rd & 24th
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After dinner we celebrated Annette Jochumsen's birthday
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Brenda & Bob Daub went over super well at out first evening get-to-gether
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They had most of the group actually singing along with them!
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Manta, Ecuador and one of two buses waiting to take us on a city tour
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February 24th
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Kathy & Mark took this bus with 17 people, Jim & Karen took a 2nd bus with the other half
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The Oceania Vista in the back with a typical palm tree alongside the highway
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In Montechristi our guide explained that hat making is a big business here
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here he shows how the fibre is made from palm tree leaves
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February 24th
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they split the leaves and hang them to dry ... like spaghetti
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here our group all get in a feel of the dried fibre
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this family shows the making of a hat. (L - R) the crown, body, brim
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now he explains the difference between a tight and looser weave
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February 24th
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the tighter, or smaller the weave the more expensive the hat
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Many in our group, including Grace and Ed Attema, bought hats here
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At Johanna's workshop they built sack material that they sell for potatoes, coffee beans, etc
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they scrape off the meat and separate the fibre of an Agave plant
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February 24th
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the group checking out the fibre, while still wet and when dry
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Ron Lockrem & Kathy agreed it felt like horse hair when finished
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the group all got to feel the finished fibre before it was spun
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this poster shows the steps from start to finish
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February 24th
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on the left is a table of spikes where the fibre is thrown and raked ...
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... it is then so fine they can spin into thread or string
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they then take 140 threads and roll them on to a 300 meter roll
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this machine then weaves them into a finished sack material
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February 24th
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they also make all different sizes of rope
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behind Ron you can see a finished sack ready for Arabica coffee beans
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finished sack coming off the weaving machine (run by hand and foot pedals)
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the next stop for us was the "Tagua" vegetable ivory shop
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February 24th
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they look like rocks but they are the seeds from a palm tree
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they are sun dried for about 6 months then shelled or shucked
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they can then slice them on a table saw or ...
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turn out the centres on a lathe for buttons (main product) or ...
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February 24th
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... cut them with a grinder or dremal tool to make them into a shape
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like this turtle. They can then polish them to make jewelry, etc
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the final stop of the day was this archaeological museum
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it tells of the people here back about 10,000 years BC
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February 24th
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the pottery artifacts are in amazing shape as they were found in tombs
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here they are molding gold bars. Guys with tubes are the forge blowers
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Bob & Brenda at the 2nd get-to-gether had everyone singing along again
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Richard Preston reading a couple of poems written by his grandchildren
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February 25th & 26th
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Richard Preston kisses the cod at the cross the Equator celebration
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Charolotte Preston follows Richard and kisses the cod, too
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Welcome to Puntarenas, Costa Rica. On the long dock walk back to the ship
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We had beautiful weather here, although pretty hot for much walking
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February 26th & 27th
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Kathy & Mark got an interview for Hugh with Judy & Calvin Bishell
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As we left Puntarenas we had a lovely sunset ...
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This is a couch for 4 but the S of the W group are all friends!
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Everyone having fun in the dining room at supper time
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February 26th & 27th
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One half of the large centre table in the dining room
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And the other half of the large centre table in the dining room
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Don & Betty Petersen join Jim & Karen. The food has been awesome!
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And this group chose Toscana for a special night out
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February 28th
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Approaching the dock in El Salvador a huge shipping port
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One of two huge cranes on the dock. Note the tour bus under it
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There are 96 wheels under this thing!
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Loud music and dancers on the dock welcome so to El Salvador
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February 28th
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A few of us took a shuttle bus into the town of Sonsonate
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The sidewalks were packed and the venders set up wherever
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The streets were also packed and cars, bikes, trucks drove where ever
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In the market we found a food court that had anything and everything
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February 28th
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It was mostly locals here and still a little early for lunch
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After the food court was the grocery department with fresh produce
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Isle after isle the market seemed to go on forever
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Back close to the shipping dock the conveyor system was like LA freeways
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February 28th & March 1st
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A full band for our send off from the dock at El Salvador
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Now we just have to herd 41 (2 missing) people into place for a photo
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and it worked out great ... one of the best group photos we've had
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We talked this girl from South Africa into taking the photo for us
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The 2026 Spirit of the West group photo!
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March 1st
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Then brunch! This table was just display but others looked as good
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It was an amazing and seemingly endless buffet !
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everything from a fried egg to a full roast beef meal
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Kathy & Mark got an interview for Hugh with Gudrun and Ron Lockrem
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March 2nd
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Still dark at 6:30 am as we enter the harbour at Acapulco
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The Mexican Navy came to meet us as we docked
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Another beautful sunrise over Acapulco Mexico at 7:00 am
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Acapulco waking up to the sun shining on it's slopes
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March 2nd
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Pat & Larry Selin and Karen & Jim walking the gangplank at Acapulco
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Ricardo the cab driver took some of the group to John Wayne's House
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and then to Hotel Mirador for real Mexican chips, guacamole & Nachos
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and Cerveza and a great view of the Acapulco cliff divers!
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March 2nd
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March 2nd
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March 2nd ... Happy Birthday
Bruce Wilton!
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Some pictures from back on Feb 19th of 1/3 of the group at Machu Picchu
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Then a couple of photos from Dave Sippell of the other two groups
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So these three photos show all of us that went to Machu Picchu
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March 3rd & 4th
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The evening get-to-gether where Brenda & Bob had all singing along
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The famous rocks, El Arco, at Cabo San Lucas
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One of 3 different musician duos that swung by this bar in Cabo
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The Oceania Vista waiting for the tenders to return at Cabo San Lucas
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