Rho Tau Newsletter

December, 2002

Our Panama Canal Cruise

By Joan, Kim, Anya and Lucy

The four of us have wanted to take a Panama Canal Cruise for a long time, and now we were finally going to do it. Bright and early on Thursday, the fourth of April, Kim and Anya flew from San Diego to Miami. On the fifth, Joan and Lucy, who flew from Richmond, joined them at the budget-priced hotel that Lucy had picked from the Internet because of its location near the pier. We soon learned that the Cuban-Americans running it believed in doing everything in a Cuban minute. As one hotel employee told us. A Cuban minute is about 19 American minutes long. Next time, we may think twice about putting Lucy in charge of pre-cruise lodging.

By the time we met at the hotel and waited several Cuban minutes for our room to be made ready, the four of us were a bit weary. So, we decided to order in a pizza from a nearby pizzeria that was prominently advertised in the room. We chose their "going all the way" special, and soon learned that it was a pizza like none we had ever eaten before. It contained many vegetables that most people don't generally put into a pizza and it was seasoned with Cuban spices. The four of us had not gotten together for several months, and we had a lot to catch up on. It was just after midnight before we stopped talking and finally got to sleep. Unfortunately, the pizza was very heavy, and by four in the morning, we were all awake. We soon picked up our conversation where we had just left off a few hours before. For the rest of the trip, we referred to our pre-cruise night as the night that we went all the way and then had a slumber party.

The next morning, we wisely queued up five Cuban minutes early for the hotel shuttle to take us to the pier. At the pier, boarding was delayed several hours because INS delayed passengers departing from the previous cruise. However, once we got on board ship, we quickly got into the spirit of cruising. From the first moments of boarding until we departed the ship, we had a wonderful time. We met many nice people, visited exotic places, and sailed through the Panama Canal.

Early in the trip, a woman who was traveling with her husband, asked us, how "you four girls managed to get away from your men long enough to go on the cruise." A few days later, she told us that she had never seen four girls that had more fun, and she asked if she could join us on our next cruise. Another woman quickly chose us to be her confidants. She had complaints about just about everything, and her husband "just didn't understand. Throughout the cruise, she sought us out to tell us her problem. We usually chatted with her about her problem, and tried to cheer her up. We apparently were the substitute for the friends in whom she confided at home, but none of us minded. After all, she was a nice lady. Anya also had the opportunity to have a pleasant exchange with her husband a couple of times when she came across him sitting quietly alone. He seemed to be a nice man who just didn't know how to keep his wife happy.

Our first port after several fun-filled days at sea was Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We took a tour to visit Noel Coward's house, but found it to be very disappointing. The tour guides had an attitude, and Coward's estate, like much of Jamaica is poorly maintained. Perhaps the most disappointing part of our tour was seeing the badly decayed piano that Noel Coward used for much of the music he composed.

Next, we sailed to the island of Aruba, which is a delightful place. All of the buildings on the island are stucco painted in pastel colors. This Dutch island was very clean, civilized and tourist friendly. We went on the island tour and soon discovered that it had few rocky cliffs that were inhabited by goats, and much of it was desert like with beautiful cacti and several varieties of sun-loving deciduous trees. The beautiful beaches looked very inviting, and even though the four us only viewed them from a tour bus, we had a delightful time.

When we left Aruba, the ship headed for the Panama Canal, which of course was the main attraction for the cruise. On the way, we learned that NCL had to pay $144,000 to transit the canal, which is a real bargain when you consider the alternative of cruising around the horn of South America. Besides, when you consider that 2000 passengers paid the cost, it amounted to $ 72 per person, not a bad price of admission for a scenic shortcut from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Our transit began when our ship attached to four mules, and was towed by the mules into the first of the two eastern locks. The mules are electric locomotive-like machines that travel in pairs along tracks along either side of the locks. Our ship was raised in two stages to the artificial inland lake, across which we must transit to reach the pacific locks. The transit across the lake is 104 miles long and requires the full day. This was the hottest day on our cruise, but it one that we spent much of the time on Kim and Anya's balcony so that we would not miss observing the scenery. On the Pacific side, our ship was again attached to electric mules; it was towed into the lock; and we were lowered in on stage to the Pacific Ocean. As we passed under the Pan American Highway Bridge, Anya quipped that with all of the automobile traffic, she expected to see a sign advertising the Panamanian equivalent of a Taco Bell. The sun was now beginning to set, and we soon passed the many freighters that were queuing up to make the night transit of the canal from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Ocean sunsets are always memorable, but this one was especially so because of the magnitude of the Pan American Bridge with automobile as far as we could see and the long rows of freighters, each accented by their running lights. What a wonderful prelude it made for dinner that evening as we sailed toward Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

On our bus tour of Puntarenas and surrounding areas, we passed through six of the ten Costa Rican provinces. We had a wonderful lunch at a local restaurant, then afterward visited the volcano outside of town. The most interesting part of our trek to the overview was the opportunity to observe the locals that we passed along the way. It was Sunday, and the area was crowded with local recreation seekers. When we arrived at the overview, there was literally nothing to see, dense clouds covered the entire area. We finished the day with a trip to a shopping area where we found some of the best coffee that we have ever tasted. So good, in fact, that we plan to order it periodically from their website. Lucy also found a beautiful purse that she talked herself out of buying and has been regretting it since.

That night, we sailed to Acapulco, Mexico. We started our guided shore tour by going to see the famous cliff divers, who are both, talented at precision diving from high cliffs into the ocean water more than 100 feet below. Wile we were stopped here, both Joan and Lucy bought delightful lace-trimmed sun hats that had wide brims that shielded the necked and added a lovely feminine accent. From the cliffs, we toured the city, viewing the dramatic countryside, and the beautiful seaside beaches and hotels.

We again took the guided tour when Puerto Villarta, which included a drive into the countryside to a typical country town. Here, Kim demonstrated her talent of bargaining. On the sidewalk in front of a local shop, she found a delightful linen dress with a long full skirt. She asked the price and was told that it was $ 80. When she responded that it was too much, the bargaining began, and when it was all over, Kim go the dress for $15. This feat really seemed whet her appetite for trading, and when we stopped for lunch, she bought several necklaces for her and Anya. Again, she paid less that one-fourth the original asking price. At one stop, the four of us got our picture taken in front of the statue of a child riding a seahorse. The child is said to be symbolic of Puerto Villarta and the seahorse of the sea that sustains it. And the four of us are representative of the prosperity that the city draws from visiting tourists. On the way back to the ship, Lucy and Joan decided that they should try their hand at bargaining. We stopped at a modern shopping center, and Joan and Lucy found a great selection of souvenir tee shirts. However, the only thing they accomplished was inciting the shopkeeper to give them a detailed breakdown of the costs of producing his "excellent product." Oh well, some of us are better traders than others.

On the ship each night at dinner, we got a table for four, and Anya would entertain us with tales she spun about her "ex-husband" and her and my "ex-boyfriends." Anya is a natural comic, and she kept us in stitches, while often dropping choice sound bites when our wait staff was present. The waiters seemed to love us, and we were showered with extra attention. Lucy enjoyed having a cappuccino at the end of the evening meal, and most of the time it appeared without ordering it. One evening as our waiter was approaching the table, Anya fabricated a tale that got Lucy more attention than she wanted. As the waiter approached, Anya said, "Lucy that was some strip tease you did last night in the observation lounge." Our waiter smiled broadly and began telling us how much he liked to go to strip tease shows when the ship was docked in Florida. Not only did Lucy get first-rate service that evening, but the waiter also flirted with her and hinted that she should repeat the strip tease for him. Lucy blushes easily, and her face was a bright red for most of the night.

Anya had an adventure of her own when she decided to take advantage of a good -for-an-hour-only half price Spa special for a pedicure. After Anya telephoned to secure her appointment, she quickly changed into a mid-calf length dress with a full skirt. She figured this would work well to preserve her modesty while the beautician was working on her feet. What she hadn't counted on was the Spa's approach. They had her climb up onto a table and assume a position not to different from that a woman assumes for a gynecological examination. Then, the beautician sat on a low stool at the foot of the table and started massaging her lower legs and ankles. One can only imagine the expression on Anya's face as she tried managing her skirt to maintain her dignity and her secret.

The only uncomfortable moments that Lucy had during the cruise was reboarding the ship at the first ports we visited. Cruise ships now require a picture ID along with the ship ID when passengers reboard the ship, and the first time that she reboarded at Aruba, her drivers license was scrutinized by a humorless security guard who reacted very negatively until she produced her transgender ID. From that point on, she resolved to produce her Transgender ID at the same time. However, by the second or third port, the security guard suggested that she use only her transgender ID because her driver's license was a source of confusion that delayed the boarding process.

The four of us have been on other cruises where, Anya and Lucy have crossdressed, and fortunately they are both quite passable. At least, if anyone has ever had any question about our gender, they have kept it to themselves. And our fellow passenger, the woman who said she would like to cruise with us, exchanged email addresses with us and now all four of us correspond regularly. However, occasionally some of her remarks indicate that she questions whether Joan and I and Kim and Anya are two lesbian couples.

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"Return Of Jafar" (May 1994) - One of the last songs in the movie is sung by Jafar, "Your Only Second Rate". In a series of dream-like sequences he chases the Genie into a picture frame resembling "Whistler's Mother." Except when she turns around, it's turns out to be Jafar dressed as the elderly lady. Here we see him smiling as he exclaims, "Gotcha"! The dress is okay, but the mustache and beard must go!

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All you really need to know to buy a digital camera.

by Jayne Walker

All you really need to know to buy a digital camera... really.

Are you preparing to buy your first digital camera? Are you thinking of upgrading your current digital camera?

You are in luck! There are more digital camera models available today at better prices than ever. Less than two years ago a 2 megapixel digital camera with a 3X optical zoom lens cost upwards of $700.00. Today a better camera with 2 megapixel resolution and a 3X optical zoom can be purchased for under $300.00 Four megapixel cameras can be had for about $600.00 and up.

A 2-3 megapixel camera with 2x or 3x optical zoom will provide a lot of flexibility and quality. This is an ideal configuration for most of us.

So what do you do?

First, do NOT go to the camera or computer store and put yourself into the hands of the salesperson.

There are so many models available with so many functions that your head will quickly become overloaded with specifications and you will gladly take any camera that fits your budget just to get out of the store with your sanity.

Second: Decide on your budget for the camera. At a minimum you will need:

The rechargeable batteries (Nickel Metal Hydride) will quickly pay for themselves as digital cameras seem to "eat" batteries! Memory cards are relatively inexpensive and last a long time.

All cameras come with some connections either serial or USB to upload pictures to your computer. A card reader is something that you can add later and is relatively inexpensive.

Third: Decide on the size of the camera that you want. There are basically three "sizes". The digital SLR is the most expensive and the bulkiest having the configuration of a typical 35mm SLR. The SLR type camera is almost as bulky. The compact camera can fit in your purse with no problem and it is the least costly while still offering 2-4 megapixel capability.

Fourth: Decide what features you can’t live without.

Camera reviews cover all of the functions of the cameras. In general use most of the functions are never used. But you want to make sure that the functionality you want is incorporated into the model that you select.

There are so many models offering nearly the same functionality. If you have some limiting criteria (such as the requirement for a connection to an external flash) then that will limit your choices.

However, if you have no such limiting requirements, you are set to go!

Fifth: Which camera do I choose?

Frankly, Canon compact cameras today offer a superb combination of package, features, and , most importantly, image quality. (And this is writer owns Nikon digital equipment.)

There are many fine digital cameras offered by Canon, Nikon, Olympus, and SONY just to name a few.

Sixth: Further information

You can check http://www.dpreview.com for a site which has a number of very extensive reviews of many digital cameras. This site’s reviews contain detailed reviews of cameras and includes sample pictures taken of the same subject for all of the cameras tested.

Good luck and happy shopping! The digital cameras today are better than they have ever been.

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