I woke up in bed around 5:30 Friday morning, rolled over in the dark, feeling the nightstand surface for the TV remote. Finally finding it, I turned it on, flipped to the bridge cam channel, and in the distance flickered the twilight coast of Los Angeles. Home.
Over the next hour and half, we would slowly make our way into the Port of Los Angeles. And just being berthed there that morning as we ate breakfast before disembarkation was nice.
It wasn't that we didn't love our vacation, it was just nice to be back somewhere familiar.
Around Day 12, we found ourselves thinking that it'd be nice to eat and sleep somewhere that wasn't rocking side to side. And after we left Costa Rica, we (ashamedly) found ourselves saying "well, all we have left now are the 3 Mexican ports." What a ridiculous thing to say...
Especially after coming home and realizing that our favorite ports for the entire trip were probably Cartagena (Colombia), the Panama Canal, Huatulco (Mexico), and Cabo San Lucas (Mexico again).
It wasn't that we didn't love the snorkeling in Aruba or the aerial flight through the Costa Rican rain forest. We did. But there were other ports that just felt right. Some more for me than Em, and the same thing on her end.
We both agreed that Fuerte Amador was a waste of a day. But we might have ourselves to blame for that as we never actually left the causeway for Panama City. I suppose somebody could have the same reaction to Cartagena if they didn't leave the fully-functioning port for the Old City -- which was full of culture and color.
During the trip we met a few couples that mentioned that this was their third or fourth time sailing on this itinerary. And though we were in disbelief when we heard it the first time, looking back we can both see ourselves doing the itinerary again.
With only a day in each country, it'd be a great opportunity to see a different side of each port. Instead of snorkeling in Aruba, maybe we'd opt for a more detailed examination of the Dutch influence. Instead of doing nothing in Fuerte Amador, maybe we'd take a trip on the Panama Rail back for a different view of the Canal.
One thing is concrete -- our second time through the Canal won't happen for a very, very long time. Especially since we're already planning a grand European adventure next Summer.
It's good to be home with family and friends. Even if the dogs steal space in the bed.
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