I’ve been very excited for this current contract on Equinox because it was the only itinerary I had not done. We are on alternating cruises between the East Caribbean and Central America. I immediately put my name on the shore excursion list for nearly everyday so that I could get outside of the port area and see the true attractions.
We dock in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica and I headed out with a tour group to the rainforest. It was a leisurely ride, over an hour long, through ferns, vines, mosses and trees on an open arial tram. They were really nice with just 6 people inside so that you could really enjoy the surroundings. In just a single photograph you could find so many different species of plants and in 50 shades of green. We even had the full rainforest experience, getting soaked by the warm rain but I didn’t mind at all. The forest smelled so incredible and there was so much to take in, even just listening to the rainfall. Unfortunately the heavy rains kept away most of the birds and animals away but we were still able to see a few sloths in the trees. Score!!
The park we were in had a butterfly enclosure, orchid garden and several walking trails nearby the base of the tram. After a delicious lunch prepared for us (including sweet plantains one of my favorites), and a purchase of my Costa Rican coffee beans we visited the other areas. That’s where I came across these beauties. Not in potted plants of course- these orchids were growing on vines. One of my first thought was I’m going to make that in glass! The first attempt was not as smooth but after learning from my mistakes I am super pleased with the second attempt here. This piece might be one of my favorite I’ve ever made on board ships. I marbleized white and green opaques together and then encased it in an emerald green transparent. I was hoping to pick up the many shades that I found on my rainforest tour. Anyways really excited about this and I put it in a display case on the ship.
I should also mention that as the guide took us on one of the walking trails I kept noticing the thick vines that hang down from the trees. So I asked him if he thought it would hold my weight and he shrugged back at me “I dunno”. So I took my chances and found out the hard way that I am not Jayne of the jungle at all. The vine instantly snapped and I landed on my backside. I think my bag of coffee beans broke the fall. Maybe I should start making less trips to the buffet.
A much easier way to fly through the jungle is on a zip line and when Matt came to cruise that's exactly what we had planned. It was a blast zipping from tree to tree. We saw colonies of ants carrying leaves and sloths on the very slow move. I also learned that Costa Rica has 180 species of frogs. It inspired me to try and make a frog in glass. He's pretty cute but I see more attempts in the future.
Okay. So we all know the real reason why I wanted to come to Equinox this spring…this ship was overnighting in New Orleans for Mardi Gras! I’ve had my eyes on this prize for a while and it was a complete blast. I have never been to New Orleans, nor to a festival like this. I was over the moon for a chance to soak in the vibrancy of this amazing city at such a wild time. The Equinox sailed for 9 hours up the Mississippi River for its 2 night and 3 day stay in the Big Easy.
Everywhere you turn there is music, there are costumes, parades and of course beads for days, months even. The city explodes with purple, gold and green and plenty of other absurdities. There are performers on the corners and people dancing in the street. The party goes all day and all night. The Big Easy is completely alive with art and creativity. I think I slept about 8 hours in a 3 day period because I didn’t want to miss a minute of it.
We had been given a recommendation to check out an area called Frenchman Street that was sure to have lots of live music, artisan markets and late night grub. I made sure to grab some local food like the gumbo. I also had a catfish and greens breakfast with a biscuit and a bloody mary. (I will be returning there for sure in April). Other items on my must see list were some of the parades. There were parades day and night with different themes and organized by different “Krewes” as they are called. The day time parades were full of kids and the floats toss tons of prizes into the crowd, from beads to toys to coconuts. The night parades had a certain awe to them as the floats were lit up. Truly the best part of the entire festival were the wild and crazy home made costumes and the random musicians marching to the beat of their own whatever. This was such a great experience and I’m looking forward to coming back here this spring for the Jazz Festival and then later in June with Matt on our cross country road trip.
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