June 23, 24, 2015, Tuesday, Wednesday, San Diego, CA, sea day

We arrived in San Diego and departed at 9:00am on the trolley tour.  The trolley picked us up at the pier.  We toured through downtown and saw the original architecture alongside the skyscrapers in new town, passing by Barb and Dennis's condo building which is right in the center of town near the theater, restaurants, etc.  What a location in this beautiful, clean city.  They must have a view of the harbor.  I texted her to say I was waving to her.

Entering San Diego harbor

Aircraft carrier Midway which is now a museum, across from our ship

Next we drove over the expansive bridge to Coronado Island.  We saw the old, beautiful wooden Coronado Hotel and the beaches and beautiful multimillion dollar homes.

Coronado home facing the beach

Another home, similar to the hotel architecture

 We drove to Balboa Park which is celebrating 100 years from its construction as the Panama-California Exposition in 1915-1916.  It was also the location of the 1935-36 pacific International Exposition.  It is the largest urban cultural park with museums, the Spreckel Organ, gardens, shops, theaters, and a gathering place.  It also has the world famous San Diego Zoo.  We got off here to go to the zoo.

Balboa park square

Interesting architecture and sculpturess

Two topiary elephants greet us at the entrance to the zoo.

Oranuatang

Toco Toucan from S. America

Andean Cock-of-the-Rock

Gorilla dad

Gorilla Mom with baby.  She won't put it down until it is 2 years old.  You never know what the Dad will do.

School is out and the beautiful summer day attracted group after group of children, dressed in matching colored group T shirts.  David and Linda Miller met us with visitor tickets and we spent the day seeing the hippos, birds and as many animals as we could find.  We somehow got stuck in the middle of the zoo and kept seeing the hippos and tigers and birds.  

Gold breasted starling from the Horn of Africa

Pigmy hippo

Pair of monkeys, male and female

Gharial from India and Nepal

Snake necked turtle from Australia

Sleeping Malan tapirs

The tiger with reflections from the glass enclosure

This is the baby hippo, one of the zoo's current main attractions, as well as the baby gorilla

We wanted to see the polar bears but couldn't get there and still leave by 2:00 pm to make it back to the ship by 3:30.  We did not want to be left behind.  They are very strict about boarding on time so we are nervous when we are not on a ship tour, especially in a big city.  We had a wonderful lunch and visit.  Somehow we forgot to take photos.

Linda and Dave have had to cut down all but 27 avocado trees now due to the high cost of agricultural water.  When we first visited them in Valley Center, CA they had a thriving avocado farm.  Only the farmers with wells are now selling California avocados.

We were back on the ship in time for trivia!.  We were invited to Tom and Deanna Jones' cabin on the 8th  penthouse floor.  They had snacks provided by their butler.  Their room is much larger as well as having a butler.  We had a nice dinner in Polo after trying to get into the main dining room, they invited us there because seating was limited due to the new guests.  We met Tom and Deanna on the first day in Singapore on the bus from the hotel to the ship.  She has never cruised before and seems to be in her prime here, having adapted to shipboard life very well indeed.  They are the life of the party and the ship.  They are even continuing on the July to Singapore cruise to complete going around the world.  Deanna and Diane, their friends who were on the cruise until Sydney, have gathered these earrings that are attached front to back with a small one in front and a large one in the back, making a mix and match pair and interesting look.

Tom told us his story about his trip to the San Diego zoo and getting lost.  After drinking too much in a restaurant there for a private event, he and a buddy decided to pet the flamingos.  They were standing on one leg and asleep and it looked like it would be easy to do.  But then they got close and saw they had big beaks.  It was a muddy mess with the flamingos.  It was also dark, and they wandered around several hours trying to find the way out and had to climb over a fence.  

June 24, Wednesday, sea day enroute to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

In the news:  more shootings in public places, small riots due  to alleged police brutality towards black suspects, and announcements of Presidential candidates, the latest being Donald Trump the real estate magnate with famous comb over hair.  Hilary Clinton is already receiving criticisms of past events.  I may have said this before, but I wish the Democrats had a better front running candidate.  I just dont see her as having the fire in her belly.  She is always facing controversy, distracting the public from her message, which is probably the Republican strategy.  On their front, they have a plethora of candidates, the projected frontrunner being Jeb Bush.  It would be a tragedy to have a Bush family triumverate.  there is much to offer from the Republican ideals, but they have been eroded by the religious right and the new tea party faction of which Sarah Palin is an advocate.  So sad to have as your goal the demise of the Democrats rather than some useful policies and platforms.