Well, vacation has come and it has gone, my friends. It was a great time for my husband and I to relax. I say that as I have finished folding underwear and t shirts for Jason. But seriously, we had a blast.
We left Saturday around 11 am. We had a smooth ride to Tampa, until 30 minutes before we reached our destination. A brake light came on the dashboard of our Pacifica saying that our Anti-lock brake system and anti traction system had failed. Great. We've had this vehicle for 6 months, and now, as we go on vacation, 2 hours from home, it decides to crap out. In the midst of all this, I get us lost in downtown Tampa and we cannot find the port. We stop at a convenient store. Our brakes start to grind as we leave. Great, another bad thing before we go on vacation.
Twenty minutes after stopping at the store, we find the port. We drove through Ybor city, which reminds me a lot of St. Augustine with it's quaint shops and brass railings on it's buildings. Guess it's all the Spanish influence.
We send our car off to the valet and pack our belonging with the curb side guy, confident that our hidden liquor supply will not be disturbed. We had hidden Bacardi and Vodka in water bottles and put them back in the plastic wrapping. Genius, so I thought. When we arrived at our stateroom and received our bags, we had a note in the one with the contraband. "For the safety of other passengers, we randomly search luggage for banned items. The items, (4 bottles) have been seized and will not be returned to you. Please contact security if you have any questions or concerns." I had failed to realize that it was Spring Break and that alcohol patrol was in full effect. I should have had an idea when the 20 something boys in the elevator were bragging that 4 of their 7 bags had made it through with their supply. Jason was totally bummed. Dommage.
The first night was very nice. We went to dinner in the main dining room for the early seating. As I thought, we were the youngest people at the table. No offense to any of the people. They were all nice, but wanted to talk of politics and health issues. Yuck. Not what I want to discuss on my vacation on the Caribbean seas.
We promptly changed our seating to the later time. This was also to give us more time to recoup from a days activities, meaning lounging and drinking. To be honest, not that much drinking was done. Who could afford it at 6 to 8 dollars a pop. We had to be especially careful, since we did not have our secret stash.
The 2nd day was what I refer to as "The Fun Day At Sea." We ate breakfast, went to the gym, and laid out on the deck. We met some nice people from Boston. The conversation quickly drifted towards Yankees vs. Red Sox. How typical. Gotta love the rivalry. After a few drinks, Jason's sun baking, and a nap, we got ready for the Welcome party and formal dinner. I was able to wear the black dress I had to buy for Gil's wedding. This time I wasn't force to have the poodle hair. It was nice to not have to buy drinks for once. The welcome party was flowing with champagne, chambourde, and mimosas.
I was a little disappointed with the entertainment on Royal Caribbean. The dancers seemed very out of sync and the choreography was not very good, to say the least. In my corny opinion, I could have come up with better moves. The singers were not half bad. What was I to expect from cruise line entertainment? I guess I expected a little more.
The next day was in Cozumel. We boarded a speed boat and went out to Punta Sur Eco park for a tour of the reserve. The first thing we did was snorkel. I think snorkeling is the perfect thing for newlywed couples to do together. For one thing, you both look so silly in the snorkel gear. You smell like salt water and your hair looks like crap. You have to look graceful in the water, even though it's hell to do it. Let me tell you, I am impressing no one with my snorkeling skills. I think I elbowed Jason about 6 times. I had to apologize a lot that day. I think that is the lesson. When you snorkel, you have to also apologize. I saw some angel fish, star fish, conch and eel. I saw other sort of fish, but I don't know what they were. Creation is so wonderful.
After the snorkeling we went through the jungle to the end of the island near the lighthouse. The water was so crystal blue. If it weren't for the rocks and the rough seas, I would be in their, just like a mermaid. Had to settle for pictures. We jumped on some bikes and rode about 2 miles up the road to the salt water crocs and Mayan ruins. The salt water crocs were impressive. The Mayan ruins at this particular sight were not so much. They stood about 6 feet high and looked like a Mayan doghouse. The truth was that the building is buried in the dirt, only showing the top floor of what was the Mayan weather center. Sounds bizarre, but the Mayans used this particular building near the coast to predict when the hurricanes were coming. The guide Christian explained that they used conch shells and studied the whistling noises the shells made when the wind blew.
After the bike ride we had a Mexican lunch that was great. I had the best Guacamole that I have had in my entire life. It even beats out what I had at the upper class snobbish Miami hot spot the Delano. This guac was the shiznit. I could have eating the entire plate of it with the homemade flour tortilla chips. They tasted much like a pita chip. The arroz con pollo was great too, but the guacamole was the star of the show. What goes great after a Mexican lunch? A Mexican siesta. We passed on the kayaks for the hammocks on the beach with our new friends we made from Georgia. Nice people. The wife reminded me a lot of Susan Moren, one of my clients. Like they say, everyone has a twin somewhere.
There was not much to speak of in terms of shopping in the port of Cozumel. Many shops selling leather boots and sombreros. I know it's stereotypical, but what else would you imagine Mexicans selling? Besides tacos and burritos, of course. I didn't buy anything other than a straw hat that I wanted to wear on the boat ride. I was proud of myself because I spoke to the guy at the kiosk in Spanish. I probably still paid too much for the hat, but I did bargain some. Those weeks in Ecuador weren't a total waste, you see.
We were unable to go to Costa Maya the next day, because of inclement weather. Our docking gateway was deemed unsafe after an older couple slipped and hurt themselves first thing in the morning. Some of the passengers had already made it off the boat and on their way to their excursions. They had to reboard and we sailed off by 9:30 am. We were very disappointed. Jason and I wanted to find some hole-in-the-wall joint to have some more authentic Mexican cuisine and some cervezas without paying 5 bucks a pop. We were so sad to stay on the boat for another day. We filled the day with breakfast, the gym, laying out by the deck, and, for Jason, drinking by the pool. By 2 pm, I didn't feel well. I showered and went back to the cabin. I got sicker as the night went on. I even missed dinner
On this trip, I got caught up on some movies that I had been dying to see. I saw Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist- cute and predictable. The Dutchess- alright Vicky/Christina/Barcelona- strange movie, but I like the guy in the movie. Javier something. Quantum of Solace- I fell asleep.
The following day was dreary. The sun peaked out a little in the morning, with a cool breeze. It was a perfect day to wear a long white linen dress, which is exactly what I did. Jason was disappointed that there was not more sun to bake it. I assured him that he would have the rest of the summer to get some more sun.
The food on the trip was really good. I enjoyed dessert almost every evening. I am really going to have to get used to cooking and cleaning after myself again. No one to put a napkin in my lap. No one to fold my towels into animal shapes. However, I am still swaying as walk as if I am still on the ship. I guess that will be my lasting memento. At least for the next few days.
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