Curacao, Aruba, Costa Rica, and the Panama Canal were the first four destinations on a five week adventure that would take us from the Caribbean to the end of the world -- Antarctica.

Sailing on Orient Lines' Marco Polo, we spent part of December, 2003 exploring these colorful ports in the Netherland's Antilles and Central America. Just before Christmas, we would pass through the great canal, make a sharp left turn into the Pacific, and steam down the Western coast of South America to cross the Equator and visit tropical ... (more)