Since we’ve been back home in Indianapolis, we’ve had lots of questions from our friends and relatives about our trip.\u00c2\u00a0 We love to talk about our experiences, but it’s really difficult to sum them up concisely.\u00c2\u00a0 We didn’t have one favorite country–we loved them all in different ways.\u00c2\u00a0 Belize’s vim and vigor stole our hearts.\u00c2\u00a0 Guatemala’s turbulent history–much of it thanks to our very own CIA–made us cry, but its gorgeous river canyon and lovely waterside dwellings warmed our souls.\u00c2\u00a0 We fell in love with Costa Rica’s gorgeous central highland region, probably because its cool breezes and cloud forests gave us a welcome break from the 98% humidity of 95-degree tropical temps.\u00c2\u00a0 Nicaragua–the biggest surprise of all–was delightful in every way, and it’s a place we’d like to return to in the future.\u00c2\u00a0 Jamaica’s beautiful beaches and reggae welcome made us smile.\u00c2\u00a0 The Panama Canal blew our minds…twice!<\/p>\n
But all the wonderful archaeology, flora, fauna, literature, history, cuisine, and gorgeous terrain cannot hold a candle to the people we met on ship and shore.\u00c2\u00a0 In every port, we encountered friendly faces and learned something new about the land and ourselves. We drank up sunlight, moonlight, starlight, and the sound of the ship moving through the ocean with our awesome shipmates.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0We saw the Southern Cross for the first time! We solved all the world’s problems together on decks 4, 5, and 6 aft, and it’s weird to go back to normal, everyday life after all that.\u00c2\u00a0 The MV Explorer is part of our history now.\u00c2\u00a0 Our experience on the ship is forever defined by the wonderful souls we got to know on board.\u00c2\u00a0 It was the people, rather than the itinerary, that made this the trip of a lifetime…so a photo montage of them seems appropriate right about now. It takes a while to load, and remember to turn your volume down or plug in your earphones if you’re at work!<\/p>\n