WOW so much to tell about the CRUISE I went on with Mother (and auntie and mi cousina). It was AWESOME!!!!!! I've put a link to pics in the dropdown box below, but here it is, too. MyCaribbeanDream
Got to Tampa and met up with Auntie and Cousin Becki. My gosh Cousin Becki is gorgeous! She's so confident and energetic and just incredible. She's one of those women we're automatically jealous of, and she doesn't even try. Hung out for the evening, spent the night in Tampa and then boarded the ship the next day. I was so excited I couldn't stand it! Got through everything and to the room. We got a room with a balcony and it was FABULOUS!!! Was so exciting to watch Tampa go by as we pulled out of port. The water was a murky greenish in the bay. Couldn't wait to get out on the high seas.
Day 1, at sea. How gorgeous! Woke up to a pretty sunrise, foggy over the ocean which was now a brilliant blue. Laid out in the sun for a while, went swimming in the pool on deck in the rain. The weather was perfect as far as I was concerned. Started out clear and hot (hot=yuck), then we could see a storm coming toward us. We hit the edge of it and got some rain, during which mother and I and Becki still swam. It was great to be outside in the rain. Dinner was lovely! Great servers, great food, desert was to die for...warm chocolate melting cake. Had a hot gooey center. mmmmmm. Went out on deck and stayed til late. Man, this is the life.
Day 2: Grand Cayman! Absolutely cool day! We went to feed and pet the stingrays. They were just like pets! The rubbed up against us like cats dogs when they want to be petted. Some were small and some were huge. A lot of them had their stingers bitten off or something. They were so tame and used to being hand fed, I don't know if they'd know how to even live on their own. They weren't captive, it was in the open sea at a sandbar, just used to being hand fed. Loved em! From there, we went out another 25 minutes or so to go snorkeling among the coral. It was not too terribly deep which was a good way to learn to snorkel. It isn't instinctive to me. Makes me claustrophobic, plus I have no sense! I choked myself twice before my brain could remember that my body can't breathe water. I think I caught on after that. Anyway, the coral and fish were incredible! Such beautiful colors and fish everywhere! I have never seen such incredible colors before. The blue of the sea, the purples of the corals and the blues, reds, yellows, every other color imaginable of the fish... I want to learn to scuba. I want to be a mermaid.
Day 3: Cozumel. It was okay. Least favorite of the stops, but still worth seeing. Went shopping for a few hours, then Becki and I went swimming/snorkeling at a small hotel beach. I got my hair done in cornrows, just the front half. It was very cute! The fish even at the beach and at port were incredible. The water was so blue, that even between my face and my hand I could see the blue of the water. amazing. The water started getting a bit rough by evening, and mother and I were getting a bit queasy. Went to bed a little early.
Day 4: BELIZE! Woke up with the ship still rocking just a little. Slightly queasy. Got on the boat to go snorkeling and it was HORRIBLE! That little boat rocked and tossed and bounced. By the time we got to our spot, mother and I were pretty green. We were finally able to drag ourselves to the edge of the boat and slide into the water. We did feel a little better after we were in the water for a while. I got swept away from the boat by the current. Not too bad, but I was just resting, trying to get my stomach back to where it was supposed to be and I peddaled (we had fins and snorkels and vests) away from the crowd a few feet. I put my face in the water and just hung there resting and next thing I know, Becki and one of the guides were yelling "MELANIE!!!" It was a little embarassing, but the guide came after me and by the time we met up, I was exhausted! He swam with me back to the boat, but we took our time. He was great! We shorkeled back, and he showed me all kinds of different fish, telling me the names of each type of fish and coral. I saw a barracuda!!! The water here was so deep and it and everything in it was so beautiful. 30 minutes later, after my own personally guided tour of the Belize Barrier Reef, we made it back to the boat and headed over to Goff's Key. A little coral island that was just like a postcard! White coral sands, coral washed up on shore, palm trees and a hut! I could walk around it in 10 minutes. Took some photos, got my pic taken with the guide who showed me so much. It was soooo fun! It was truly un-Belize-able. This was my favorite stop.
Day 5: Costa Maya. Really cool! Got on a bus which took us 2 hours through the jungle into Costa Maya. We were very close to the border of Belize and I found myself looking into the Belize side wistfully missing it. Something about Belize has kept a part of me. We arrived at Kohunlich, the Mayan ruins we were there to tour. It was so amazing to see these places where people lived, had families, had homes and played and died. We climbed the Temple (Pyramid) of Masks, built to honor the Sun God, as well as the palace where the kings lived. From the top of these we could see for miles and miles. I left with a sense of longing for what I couldn't see...the people, their lives, their culture...what made them happy and what caused their demise. The guide, Dora, was adorable. The jungle was so dense and green and just amazing to see. Got back to port with about 30 minutes to look around the city. I just wanted to go back to Belize.
Day 6: at sea. Becki and I laid out on the deck and got a bit burned! We didn't expect it because it was cloudy and rainy, but it was still fine. Nice relaxing day.
I really wish the kids could have seen all of this! Jeffery doesn't care. He'd rather be sitting at home cleaning or something, but the kids would find this all amazing! I would love it if Jeffery would do this with me, but he "spent 6 years on a boat, that's enough" for him. I want the kids to start saving for at least a small cruise. They would be addicted like I am, I know. The boys, their favorite part would be the food. Marissa would be enthralled with the places we get to see like I am. I can't wait to go back. The best part about the whole cruise was that I got to spend the whole week with Mom and getting to see her anytime I wanted to and it wasn't stressed or tense. (Time constraints). It was so cool getting to spend time with Becki, too, and reconnecting with her.
After we got back to Tampa, I still had to spend a week there for a conference. (The conference was for IAAP and work sent me.) Pat & Becki went home early Monday morning, and Mom was supposed to go Monday night, but due to delays, she was able to stay with me clear til Wednesday! It was great. One night we went to this darling Italian restaurant and the food was YUMMY! If you ever get to Tampa, go to Harbor City to this little place called "That's Amore'!" He'll even come pick you up from your hotel. It started to rain while we were eating, so Mother and I walked back to the hotel. It was just a little over a mile. I've had two of the best weeks of my life getting to spend time with Mom. How did I get so lucky?? I hope I can take my kids on this exact same cruise. It wouldn't be the same without Belize. Would still awesome for them, though!
I was very excited to get back home to my family and now, even a month later, I'm still soaring from my incredible vacation. *sigh* |
