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This is number 27 in the long (currently 35) series of Sandford books featuring Lucas Davenport. Early in the series Davenport was a Twin Cities cop, but his career has taken him to several other state and federal positions. In this one he is a US Marshal with a great deal of independence. He decides, pretty much on his own, to go after Garvin Poole, a career criminal who is suspected of murdering at least 8 people, including a 6-year-old girl. That occurred while he and an accomplice, Dora Box, were stealing about 4 million dollars from a drug cartel. It was a lucrative haul, but it put the cartel on his track – they wanted the money back. So he had to dodge both Davenport and the hit team.
This is not a whodunit. It is a “how does a federal marshal track down a desperate fugitive.” The narrative alternates between what Davenport is doing to find Poole, what the hit team is doing to find Poole and what Poole and Box are doing to elude them all. It is well written and kept my interest.
We had breakfast with Chris and Kathy, a couple from Ft Myers. That lasted until lunch. Marlene then grabbed us a couple of lounge chairs at the pool and we spent some time in both the hot tub and the pool, chatting with fellow passengers. Then we had front-row seats to a dance exhibition by the Jade cast, followed by some very energetic dance music by a consortium of musicians from the various bands on board. Very good. We danced. And got some sun. Too much sun – we both have sunburned faces now. But not too bad.
After the pool I read and did some photo editing. Then we went to the early show – a soloist named Emily Viancourt. She sang mostly country tunes but also some Motown. Very good.
We had dinner in the Garden Cafe and chatted with Helen and Louise. Then we went to the Spinnaker Lounge to dance to Motown tunes by the Rockaway Duo. Fun. We finished the evening in the casino. It was kind to Marlene but not to me.
We docked in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, but immediately booked a private excursion to see the countryside. The van carried 9 passengers, a driver, a guide (Larry) and a guy who seemed to be along for the ride. We visited a monkey farm where the spider monkeys were wild (it is illegal to hold a monkey in captivity in Costa Rica), but they come to the farm because they know they will be fed crackers and bananas. There were quite a few in attendance, which I hear was unusual – we later heard from several fellow passengers that they went to the same farm later in the day and saw no monkeys at all.
Larry at Monkey HouseMarlene feeding a spider monkeyMarlene (on left) and monkey
We stopped at a local vegetable and fruit market where we saw some very exotic stuff.
Something stewing. Not sure what.Exotic fruitsMarlete and funky apple
We then drove to the Tarcoles River and walked the bridge to view the crocodiles below. Lots of crocodiles basking in the sun. This was followed by a 1-hour lunch break where we had shrimp cerviche. Larry took Marlene for a walk on the beach and they found a nice rock.
CrocodileTarcoles RiverMarlene on the bridgeThe beach at the restaurantLarry finding a rockThe restaurant
After lunch we made a quick stop at a souvenir shop that had lots of interesting local crafts. Marlene bought some magnets and I bought a couple of gifts for people back home. When we got back to port Marlene did some additional shopping and found some nice jewelry. Then Larry invited us and another couple from the ship (Dean and Leona) to join him for a beer. Which turned into four beers. Great time and, yes, we made it back to the ship. But I didn’t make it to dinner – Marlene had to go by herself. I recovered enough to dance with her later that evening.
Us at the souvenir shopMarlene and totemMarlene finding jewelryDrinking beer with Dean and the tour guides
Breakfast was in the buffet, as usual. We dined with Ann and Tom. Then we jumped into the hot tub with Michael and Marita from Germany. Marlene had a chance to practice her German. I could understand about half of what was being said.
We had lunch with Marvin, a widower from Phoenix. Then I edited photos and read. While I was doing that the ship experienced an electrical outage. I was concerned that we would be adrift in the Pacific, but it lasted only about 15 minutes. All is well. I hope.
Dancing in the Spinnaker Lounge
We saw our first theatrical production on the ship – Blazing Boots, a country music revue. Very good. Then we had dinner where we had a nice chat with Leslie, a transvestite at the adjoining table.
After dinner we listened and danced to Rockaway Duo for a bit, then hit the casino. I had a good night, winning over $100. Marlene… not so good.
This was a bucket list item for us: a transit of the Panama Canal. It was one step above watching paint dry, but it was still good. We went through the original locks, but we saw ships traversing the new, expanded locks.
The Americas Bridge before entering the Gatun LocksThe first Gatun lock
It took about 10 hours to traverse the canal. It was interesting, to a point, but got boring after the Gatun Locks. We retired to our cabin to nap.
The locks are an engineering marvel. The ship is pulled through by electric locomotives. It wautas a tight fit – about 2 inches on each side.
The first Gatun lockTight fitElectric locomotivesPassing under the Pan American HighwayDeck 13Marlene on deckApproaching the endMarlene with Jonathan Arons
We had dinner with Andy, Kevin and Jill. Good dinner. After dinner we went to a show by Jonathan Arons, a very energetic trombonist. Good show.
We had a day in Colon, Panama, before we entered the Panama Canal. It has a reputation as being dangerous so we didn’t leave the port area. But what a port area! Cheap stores galore. Marlene was in heaven She got a basket full of sundries for $8. And a bottle of nice perfume for $1.50. Amazing.
ColonGoing ashoreRockaway Duo
After dinner we listened to Rockaway Duo for a bit, then hit the casino. I won a bit, but not much.
I had been impressed with the speed of the Jade. For the first two days at sea we had been clipping along at a very fast rate – probably around 24 knots. But when we rose for breakfast we had slowed to a crawl. I had also noticed, from a look at the cruise map, that we had turned from southeast to due south. That puzzled me. But not for long. At breakfast the captain made an announcement that the ship was experiencing engine problems that were preventing it from maintaining the speed needed to keep to the itinerary. And so, he declared, it was necessary to skip Cartagena and head straight to Colon, Panama, where repairs could be made.
Ah, shades of our Carnival Vista (CV2) cruise which also skipped ports due to engine problems. This itinerary change was relatively minor as the only reason I had for visiting Colombia was to be able to claim that I had set foot in South America. A disappointment, but not a major one. But I am concerned what will happen if the engine problem is not fixed in Panama.
We started the day, as usual, by chatting with fellow passengers at breakfast in the buffet. One of the unexpected pleasures so far is the breakfast singing coffee trio. They serve coffee while singing coffee-themed songs, such as “Coffee Queen” (to the tune of “Dancing Queen”). Fun.
Breakfast continued right into a light lunch. We then attended – along with about half the passengers on the ship – a talk about the history of the Panama Canal. Interesting. And sad that so many people – over 30,000 – died in the various attempts to create a canal across Panama.
We had dinner in the second main restaurant – the one at the rear of the ship. We got a table very near the back and had a nice view of the ocean. This dining room is just a bit fancier than the other, partly due to the presence of the ocean. But the ceilings are also higher which gives it a grander feel.
Rear of the dining roomThe rear dining room
After dinner we found the lounge where the Rockaway Duo was playing. It is a husband/wife due where she sings while he accompanies her on the keyboard. They are pretty good and play some nice dance tunes. We danced.
Our initial impression that this cruise will be very sedate compared to Carnival was confirmed on Day 2. The passengers are mostly older – even older than we are – and seem to be content drinking in the bars, reading and playing cards. But everyone is friendly. We met a couple from California at lunch and a couple from Las Vegas at dinner. I did a lot of reading and we napped a bit.
The food so far is like the ship – good, but not flashy. I won’t starve but I probably won’t ask for their recipes, either.
Us after dinner
One thing that has surprised us: the Jade has a very nice pub where the food is free. Have to pay for the beer, of course, and they aren’t cheap (about $10). But I can have a very nice pub meal with a beer for about $10. Haven’t used it yet, but we will.
We ended the day in the casino. We didn’t do well, but we had our choice of machines. The casino on the Jade is not crowded. We need to pace ourselves for 25 days so we won’t have to take out second mortgages to settle our bills.
As usual, we left the packing to the last minute, completing it early Thursday morning, just before we were driven to Tampa by our friend Paul. We were scheduled to board the Norwegian Jade between 12:30 and 1 pm and left, we thought, so that we would arrive by noon. But traffic was heavier than expected, with an accident on I-75, and the last half-mile was a crawl. So we arrived at 12:40. Not late, but not early, either.
The embarkation was surprisingly slow considering the relatively small size of the ship – about 2,200 passengers. The wait was made a bit more exciting by one of the cans of cola that I was carrying letting loose, drenching my back and making a mess in the terminal. We were allowed to bring 24 cans of soda aboard and I was carrying 16 in my backpack. So we boarded with 23 cans of cola.
The Jade buffet
We got on the ship just as the rooms were ready. We went to our cabin (interior, Deck 5), dropped off our bags then found our way to Deck 12 for some food.
Our initial impression of the Jade… small, tastefully decorated but not flashy at all. The buffet, while very clean and efficiently arranged, lacked character.
Sunshine Skyway Bridge
We wandered about the ship a bit, figuring out where things were. Took a look at the (closed) casino. Found one solo artist who entertained us as the ship set sail. We were in the (still closed) casino when it passed under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and headed out to sea. The start of our 25-night cruise to Anchorage.
We had dinner in the buffet and then explored a bit more. The pool looks very nice, but it seems that there will be little in the way of music or shows compared to our Carnival experiences. And the smart phone app that I downloaded appears to be nearly useless.
Not very impressed with the ship or the cruise line so far. But it should still be a terrific itinerary.
The Jade pool at night
The trip actually started Friday when we drove both cars to Coral Springs. We are leaving one car and one dog with Marlene’s brother for the month (sorry, Becky!). We will fly from Anchorage to Miami at the end of the cruise, pick up the car and the dog and return home. Hopefully with many good memories.
