Tuesday, February 26, 2013

January 31, 2013
Today we docked at the beautiful island of Roatan.  As we went ashore we were greeted by native dancers and musicians welcoming us to their island.  Once again we boarded a bus to take us on an island tour.

Our first stop was a new tourist area that is being developed.  We were encouraged to invest in the condominium complex that will be right on the beach and have all the latest amenities.  After that we got to go on a boat ride around the lagoon.  The lagoon was surrounded and protected by mangrove forests.  It is against the law in Roatan to cut down mangrove trees because they protect the shoreline from storm surges that would wash away homes and beaches.  On this boat ride we also got to see two ship wrecks and the original "Black Pearl" used to film the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies.  

After the boat ride I bought some trinkets for the kids and a piece of local pottery for myself.  Then we were off to the next stop which was a view from the top of the island.  Roatan is not flat like the other places we visited.  It was mountainous and the views were spectacular.  We stopped at two more places, one was to see the historic mud houses that the first people to the island lived in and constructed by hand.  These huts were made by placing cane poles horizontally and then plastering them inside and out with red mud.  We also got to sample a local bread made from casaba, which is a potato like vegetable.

I'm afraid I did not enjoy Roatan as much as our first two tours at Costa Maya and Belize.  The tour guide was not as good or enthusiastic and there seemed to be more of a depressed atmosphere.  The people spoke English and Spanish as well as their own dialect. And it seemed crowded and congested.

We returned to the ship and had lunch.  Steve wanted to nap so I went to check out the ship's pool.  I am spoiled as far as pools go.  That is simply because we have our own pool at home which Steve keeps in immaculate condition and it is never crowded! Ha!  Anyway, the ship's pool was full of elderly ladies, like me, standing around talking and blocking the steps to the water.  There were also several men checking out all the ladies and most of the deck chairs were occupied also.  I swam a few laps and realized that it was a salt water pool.  Salt water itches!  Yikes!  So that was my last trip to the ship's pool.

That night we ate dinner at the "Ginza" restaurant.  They offered Chinese, Japanese and Pacific Asian dishes.  We got shrimp, sweet and sour pork and low mein.  It was a ton of food and delicious, as we have now come to expect on board.  After dinner we attended the theater again.  It was a spectacular performance by the Russian husband and wife acrobatic/ballet team.

The next stop is the last stop on the cruise in Cozamel, Mexico.


Sunday, February 17, 2013

Jan. 30, 2013 Wednesday

This morning we found ourselves at anchor several miles from the Belize Coast.  The sea is too shallow for the cruise ships to dock next to Belize City.  We had to take smaller boats called "tethers" to shore this morning.  

Once on shore, we again boarded buses for a ride into the countryside.  This time our destination was the Altun Ha Mayan Ruins.  Our guide was a tall black man called Peter.  He spoke fluent English, as Belize once belonged to the British, with a slight Belize accent.  He was very informative and very entertaining.  He seemed to genuinely enjoy what he was doing.  We stopped at several places along the way where he pointed out exotic plants, like the Devil's Guts, and the large wild iguanas that inhabit Belize.  The Devil's Guts was a parasitic plant that grew up trees.  It resembles  some of the cactus around here, smaller climbing versions of saguaro almost. Green and prickly, it covered the host tree.  The iguanas climbed walls and basked in the sun, totally at ease in their jungle environment.

The Mayan ruins at Altun Ha are no less impressive than those in Costa Maya.  Our guide informed us that the purpose of these ruins was not blood sacrifice however, but Altun Ha was a dynamic trading mecca for people who came from all over Central America. The name "Altun Ha" means "The Watering Hole".  

Steve and many of the other tourists in our party followed our guide and hiked to the top of the largest temple there.  I stayed at the bottom and took pictures.  The stone steps were so huge people nearly bent in half to get a foot up and then walked down sideways.  Our guide informed us that that is the way the temples were designed so that one had to bow on the way up and go down sideways on the way down so as not to turn one's back on the gods.  

As I waited for Steve I was accosted by about 10 tall black young men carrying several alligators and some turtles. I was a little intimidated but quickly realized that they wanted to take my picture with the alligators for a tip.  I let them take the pictures but realized that I had no cash on me.  I told them Steve would give them some money when he came down from the temple and started walking back toward the bus.  Steve was accosted by them too and he told them his wife had all the money!  We did not feel good about that so once we reunited we walked back to the boys and gave then a generous tip.  Or at least the looks and talk I heard made me think they were pleased.  Each American dollar we gave them was equal to two Belize dollars. 

When we returned to Belize City, there was much partying going on and people turning beet red from the tropical sun.  They had spent the day at the beach and swimming at the pool while we were on our tour.  We had plenty of time, so we found the Diamonds International Store, I got my charm and then we found an available "tether" for a nice cool ocean ride back to our ship.

Once on board we returned to the Blue Lagoon for lunch, we couldn't forget those wonderful buffalo wings!  Then we returned to our cabin to decide what to do for dinner.  I also wanted to attend the theater that night.  The show was "Shout! The Mod Musical."  Since we had lunch so late we decided to go to the show and then go to dinner.  The show turned out to be very enjoyable.  Four of the ship's female entertainers did a medley of British songs from the '60s and '70s with special emphasis on tunes that Petula Clark made famous, "Don't Sleep in the Subway", "Downtown" and some of the Bond movie themes, like "Gold Finger."  Of course, they had to emphasize the role that the feminist movement played during that time with songs like "These Boots were made for Walkin'" and "You don't Own Me."  Overall, an excellent show and a little walk down memory lane for all of us old ladies! Ha!

We stopped at the French Restaurant on our way back to the cabin to get a couple bottles of wine and retired to our balcony for the evening.  In the morning we would awake to the sound of drums and dancing on the shore of Roatan, Honduras.

Friday, February 15, 2013

I left you on Monday, January 28th, sailing across the Gulf of Mexico.  That was a very relaxing day and a day to explore the ship and get our bearings.  We went to breakfast at the Market Cafe, which was the ship's main buffet on the 12th deck at the rear of the ship or "aft" as it was referred to on board.  We had to use one of the elevators and then walk through several corridors of cabins to get there from our stateroom.  I continually got turned around and had to refer to little maps of the ship that were posted just outside most elevators.  We could have just about whatever we wanted for breakfast, including a made to order omelet, fresh fruit and all kinds of pastries.

Back in our cabin we enjoyed sitting on the balcony.  We saw flying fish and dolphins swimming near the ship.  Mostly they seemed to be trying to escape from the ship's wake.  We were traveling about 16 to 18 knots and the wake was wide and deep.  The ocean that day was not exactly smooth and glassy either.  We were experiencing waves about 4 -5 feet in the open ocean that day.

For dinner that night we decided to go to Cagney's Steak House and made reservations for 6pm.  The steak house was on Deck 13 Aft.  A very elegant place with soft lighting and a sophisticated atmosphere, I was glad I dressed up!  We both had steak, of course.  Steve had a New York T-bone and I had a Petite Fillet Mignon.  It was 5 ounces of the most tender delicious steak I ever had!  The waiter was very attentive and friendly.  We also got to speak with one of the ship's officers who was walking around greeting guests.  He was from the Philippines, and since we have also been there, we had a nice conversation about his homeland.

We decided not to attend theater this night and returned to our cabin for reading and wine.  The next day we would be docking at Costa Maya and our tour would disembark at 830 am.

I awoke at some time during the night almost terrified!  We had left the balcony door opened so that we could hear the ocean. (We use a fan at home for "white noise"to make it easier to sleep.) Well, it sounded to me as if the ocean was coming into our room the waves and wake were so noisy!  I had to get out of bed and look outside.  The ocean was where it had always been, eight stories below us.  I could see whitecaps in the dark, though, so I think the sea may have been rougher than before that night.  

Tuesday January 29th, Land Ho!  We could see a flat sliver of land from our balcony so I think it was off the port side of the ship (that is the left side, which I think was the side we were on).  As we drew closer, we could see a small beach and jungle, jungle, jungle! It reminded me of the scene in Jurassic Park where the little girl is attacked by little dinosaurs!  We watched the ship dock alongside a long wide cement pier and then we disembarked, walked about a mile down that pier and then we were on the island of Costa Maya.  We were herded on to tour buses and then listened to our guide tell us interesting facts about the island and the Mayan civilization for about an hour before we got to the ruins of Chachoben.  we had to pass through one of those "check points" that you hear horror stories about in third world countries.  There were guards armed with machine guns wearing camouflage uniforms.  The bus stopped and the guide talked to them so we had no trouble getting through.  It probably would not have been a problem anyway, but it made us wonder...

We arrived at the park site where we would get our first sight of the Mayan Ruins.  We stepped out of the bus into the heat and humidity.  It was about 90 degrees with 85% humidity, a recipe for instant sweat!  I was glad we were there in January instead of June!  We had a short walk to get to the Mayan city.  I walked carefully because my knees are bad and I tend to fall easily.  It was mostly a gravel path and not as difficult as I feared.  The huge Mayan Pyramid was impressive.  We also walked through what was once a little city where we could see the remains of houses that surrounded the temple area.  The guide told us about the flora and fauna that inhabits the park and we saw a spider monkey high above us in a stately eucalyptus tree.  I tried to get his picture but he was really far away.  I tried to show a lady in our group where the monkey was but I don't think she ever did see him.

We got back to the ship about 3pm that day.  I stopped at Diamonds International, a fancy jewelry store that had a branch at every port.  We had gotten a charm bracelet on the ship and if we stopped at the diamond store, the clerk would give us a free charm to add to our bracelet.  It is only costume jewelry and an enticement to get you to buy diamonds but it was fun to collect the different charms.  By the time we got back on board we were famished.  We found the Blue Lagoon Restaurant on the ship.  It was practically empty.  Many people stopped at the restaurants on the pier to eat and party.  Anyway, the Blue Lagoon ended up having the best buffalo wings I ever ate.  Steve and I shared a plate of those and then we had lunch.  Steve had meatloaf and I had fish and chips.  I don't know if it was because we were so hungry after our tour but it sure was a good lunch!

We decided to try the Versailles Restaurant for dinner that  night.  It was the most elegant restaurant as far as decor on the ship.  It had gold framed pictures on the walls, fancy French wallpaper and mauve upholstered chairs, along with gorgeous crystal chandeliers that provided a soft romantic atmosphere.  It was one of the complimentary restaurants (no cover charge) so it was much more crowded than the steak house.  I had cod fish prepared in a fancy creamy French way.  It was very good but the salad before was better and more interesting.  It was a pumpkin and orange salad with a tangy dressing.  I cannot remember what Steve had, maybe steak. Ha!

We went to the Stardust Theater after dinner.  This time there was an acrobatic show performed by a Russian husband and wife team who had been with the Russian ballet.  They used long flowing scarves or drapes, wrapped them around there feet or bodies and then flew high in the air doing flips and all kinds of ballet moves.  I was so tired from our day that I kept nodding off in spite of the exciting show.  I was glad to retire to our cabin and looked forward to the next day in Belize.


Sunday, February 10, 2013

One week ago today, Steve and I returned from our 40th Anniversary Cruise to Mexico, Belize and Honduras.  I am just now getting caught up and back into the routine of things around home.  We had a fabulous time and are anxious to go on another cruise in the next couple of years. But I am getting ahead of myself here.  I thought I would do a series of blogs to tell you about our trip, starting with the first leg of the trip to New Orleans.

We left Tucson on Saturday morning, January 26th, on a Southwest flight to New Orleans.  It was pouring down rain and cold when we left.  We had a short lay-over in Las Vegas and got into New Orleans about 330 pm EST.  Then we got a taxi ride to the Marriot Hotel in downtown New Orleans.  We drove right passed the Super Dome where the Super Bowl would be taking place the following Sunday.

New Orleans was crowded and wild!  It was the beginning of Mardi Gras and people were already arriving for the Superbowl.  Our taxi had to drop us off several blocks from the hotel because streets were blocked off for Mardi Gras parades that night.  We enjoyed seeing the old historic buildings and downtown.  Our taxi driver showed us places and streets that were flooded from Hurricane Katrina.  New Orleans has done a great job of rebuilding and improving the city.

Our room at the Marriot was located on the 11th floor.  We could see Canal Street and hear all the bands and hubbub going on in the street below.  Out a window at the end of the hall we could see the mighty Mississippi River where huge barges and oil tankers floated by.  We ate dinner at the hotel dining room.  Steve had a great gumbo soup for starters.  He also enjoyed a steak, garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus.  I had a salad and salmon.  It was delicious, of course, and it went on our hotel tab!

In the morning, we decided to order room service for breakfast.  Steve ordered eggs, hash browns and sausage for himself and yogurt and a fruit plate for me.  Weren't we surprised in the morning when our server showed up with a huge table with double the order!  OMG!  We each had a huge breakfast plus 2 huge fruit plates and 2 yogurts!  It was great until we got the bill.  It was also HUGE.  A whopping $88, which did not include a tip!  Amazing!  I was just hoping the rest of our meals would not top that!  After that we got our stuff together and went down to the hotel lobby to meet our bus that would take us to the ship.  I complained to my daughter via cell phone that Steve wasn't smiling yet.  She texted back, "That's because he paid $88 for sausage and eggs!" LOL!

We were with about 85 other people who were boarding buses to go on the cruise.  We were to get on the same bus as our luggage and got to the ship in about 5 minutes.  We could not go to our stateroom as soon as we got aboard.  We had to wait until they announced that our rooms were ready.  We wandered around the ship's decks and public areas until the announcement was made.  I took lots of pictures of New Orleans and the traffic on the Mississippi.  We sailed down the river at about dusk.

Our stateroom had everything we could possibly need, a queen sized bed, a bathroom, tv, chairs and tables, a sofa, a small refrigerator, completely stocked with wine, spirits and soft drinks, and a balcony.  We spent a lot of time on that balcony.  We stayed on the balcony as we sailed down the mighty muddy river until it got dark.  Then we went to our first shipboard restaurant, Le Bistro.  It had French cuisine.  Steve wanted to go there first because they offered escargot, something he enjoys much more than I do.  He also had duck for dinner.  I had a fancy portabella mushroom dish.  It looked like a Whopper but it had no meat.  Very interesting and good tasting.  We also had wine with dinner and purchased a bottle to take to our stateroom.  

After dinner we attended our first "Hollywood" show at the Stardust Theater.  It was an onstage live performance with singers and dancers performing a series of ABBA songs.  A spectacular extravaganza!  The crew was also introduced and raffle tickets were sold.  The theater was packed and all this was included as part of the cruise.  We were feeling pretty good by the time we returned to our cabin for the night.  Of course many people were just getting started.  There were other shows and several parties going on all night, not to mention the on board casino!  We probably could've partied 24/7 if we wanted to.  We preferred a more quiet, private atmosphere and ended our first night drinking fine wine on our balcony while listening to the ship glide thought the water.  

Day 2 was spent sailing across the Gulf of Mexico toward our first port of Costa Maya, Mexico.  I'll tell you about that in my next post.