I'm leaving Thursday morning for vacation. I arrive in Des Moines Friday night and will return to the Canary Islands on Jan. 17th. During my vacation, I won't be posting so check back after January 17th.
Merry Christmas!
Michele
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Dry dock
Today our ship (along with the crew) went into dry dock. That means we moved from our nice dock across the street from the mall and all the action over to an ugly shipyard where lots of construction is taking place. The ship was lifted up out of the water (with us on board) so that maintenance can be done on the underneath of the ship. It was a very fascinating experience and I have the photos to show what happens.
This opening is where we are starting out. The ship goes in backwards so these photos are all from the back side of the ship.
Once we got lined up these two little tugboats came over and our line handlers tossed out two of the lines. The tugboats attached these lines to their boats and they pulled us in.
I'm not sure how these little boats can pull our huge ship but they did.
Once they got us closer to the little canal, the tugboats took our lines and attached them to the side on some kind of machine and then the boats got out of our way. Then these machines pulled us all the way in.
After we were in properly, some divers hooked up things to the bottom of the ship and then the floor was raised up so we were out of the water. Then these bulldozer machines pulled us into our berth. Sorry for the non-technical description...I have no idea what they did to make all this happen.
These are the three ships we are next to so you can see what it looks like when they are out of the water. 
This is the view from the front side of the ship...this is where we came from.
Here are the stairs we use to get off the ship.
We will be in dry dock around one week. During this time, we fortunately have running water (toilets and showers) but minimal power. No a/c so it's really hot in our cabins and no laundry facilities but we have our computers and lights. We are about a 2 mile walk to town which I made tonight for a pizza dinner.
I'll be home in three days!
Peace,
This opening is where we are starting out. The ship goes in backwards so these photos are all from the back side of the ship.
Once we got lined up these two little tugboats came over and our line handlers tossed out two of the lines. The tugboats attached these lines to their boats and they pulled us in.
I'm not sure how these little boats can pull our huge ship but they did.
Once they got us closer to the little canal, the tugboats took our lines and attached them to the side on some kind of machine and then the boats got out of our way. Then these machines pulled us all the way in.
After we were in properly, some divers hooked up things to the bottom of the ship and then the floor was raised up so we were out of the water. Then these bulldozer machines pulled us into our berth. Sorry for the non-technical description...I have no idea what they did to make all this happen.
These are the three ships we are next to so you can see what it looks like when they are out of the water. 
This is the view from the front side of the ship...this is where we came from.
Here are the stairs we use to get off the ship.We will be in dry dock around one week. During this time, we fortunately have running water (toilets and showers) but minimal power. No a/c so it's really hot in our cabins and no laundry facilities but we have our computers and lights. We are about a 2 mile walk to town which I made tonight for a pizza dinner.
I'll be home in three days!
Peace,
Michele
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Las Palmas
We arrived in Las Palmas (the city name) on the island of Gran Canaria on Thursday afternoon. After some problems getting a berth, we ended up at a dock that is directly across from the start of town and a mall. Between work and being on call, I've only been able to get out twice so far.
It feels good to be back in a country that isn't chaotic. Streets are paved and driveable, there isn't any honking, people are walking on sidewalks and cross at the crosswalks, there aren't any animals being shepherded down the street, no one is yelling at us or asking us for money, there are malls and grocery stores and restaurants, and I can go out by myself. In other words, it feels normal again.
The weather is cool here compared to West Africa, seems like it's in the low 70s. It's been mostly overcast but the cooler temps are so great.
Here are some photos of Gran Canaria:
Here's where we are docked until Monday.
This is our dock. 
Here's the mall that is directly across the street.
It feels good to be back in a country that isn't chaotic. Streets are paved and driveable, there isn't any honking, people are walking on sidewalks and cross at the crosswalks, there aren't any animals being shepherded down the street, no one is yelling at us or asking us for money, there are malls and grocery stores and restaurants, and I can go out by myself. In other words, it feels normal again.
The weather is cool here compared to West Africa, seems like it's in the low 70s. It's been mostly overcast but the cooler temps are so great.
Here are some photos of Gran Canaria:
Here's where we are docked until Monday.
This is our dock. 
Here's the mall that is directly across the street.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Sailing
We've been sailing now for five days. I spent the first four days in bed sick, as I expected. Today is much better! We should arrive in Gran Canaria tomorrow at 10:00 am (Friday). Here are some photos from the sail:
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