Closer Still - Day 0

Our checklist for home worked like a charm and at 7:15 am this cold January morning we left our home. We have arrived safely in Fort Lauderdale just 10 minutes later than scheduled inspite of a more than 40 minute delay leaving Toronto. In the lounge we spied two other traveling groups with the Ms Amsterdam tags on their luggage and received a hearty wave from one woman as she breezed by us on the plane. Everyone must have the same level of excitement on a trip like this as it takes a lot of thought, preparation and advance arrangements. We are just catching up on our Internet news in our rooms as we wait for KR and Pat to pick us up. It is cool here for Florida, but sunny and far far different than the land of frozen ice and snow we left this morning. Our hotel will shuttle us ten minutes to the port for 11 am in the morning. I thought I would post this little bit to begin getting me in the habit of daily reports. Some tidbits to mull on: yesterday we had breakfast with friends and neighbors who did the world cruise in 3 separate cruises. When we told them our first stop was Dominica, Jerry said. " oh yes we were there, and they have these huge boa constrictors that swim across the ocean from Venezuala!". And he saw one! Yikes that ecological tour we have will have me doing the snake hunt as we walk in the jungle ie looking up at all times. Then he regaled us with some tales of brazen theft in Brazil, in some small towns where fathers worked with their children to get you to take the kid's picture while Dad takes your camera. Another story they witnessed was a woman who had her gold chain ripped from her neck, and she was back and blue from the beating the muggers gave her, then the thieves knocked on the van window shaking their fists at her because it was fake gold!! And that was before gold shot up to today's prices. So reminder, no good cameras in the little Brazilian towns and absolutely no jewellery. On that happy note we venture forth on our adventure and I am sure we will have some of our own stories to tell. Next post will be from the Ms. Amsterdam where I hope I will have a drink in hand, our luggage unpacked and the sea rolling beneath our feet, the latter being one of the best feelings if you love cruising.