Aruba, Curacao and the Panama Canal

A ten day cruise on Holland America's Zuiderdam to several Caribbean and South American destinations. The tour started with an ecological walk at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas before cruising to Aruba. In Aruba we climbed the Casibari Rock Formations and visited the "baby" Natural Bridge. We then visited the Alta Vista Chapel which was built in 1750, before going to the California Lighthouse which is no longer in use. Our next cruise destination was Curacao, and our first stop was the Curacao Museum. After the Museum we climbed to the Hato Caves. After exploring the interior of the caves we stopped at Chobolobo where the famous Blue Curacao liquor has been produced since 1946. We were able to taste several varieties of the excellent liquor. Arriving in Panama we went through the Gatun Locks of the Panama Canal, to Lake Gatun, there disembarking to visit the Canal's central operation area. Then we boarded a motor launch to cross a lake and visit the Embara Native people before returning to the ship which was now docked in Colon, and cruising to Costa Rica. Our next adventure was experiencing the Veragua Rain Forest and the Tortugero Canals outside of San Jose with have many varieties of local wildlife, and included a hike to the Puma Waterfall. After re-boarding the ship we were ready for two days at sea to return to Fort Lauderdale.