Cruising around the Caribbean

Saturday, June 18, 2011
We arrived in Miami around 6:30 p.m. local time to find something strange coming out of the sky. The locals called it rain, but since we hadn't seen anything like that before we took their word for it, enjoyed the sensation of it hitting our faces and the smell it created and headed to our hotel. After a quick Skyping session with Matthew we got a cab and headed to the Bayside Market. I read up on this place before we left and all the comments were true, this is definitely a tourist spot, but since we didn't have much time in Miami this seemed like the best place to hit to get a little bit of everything in. There were tons of shops and vendors selling everything imaginable, restaurants of all different flavors, music, water, and a view of the Miami skyline. We wandered around for several hours before heading back to the hotel. Our plans to hit more tourist spots on Sunday were cancelled because we had to catch the bus to the port earlier than we expected.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

We arrived at the Port of Miami around 10:30 a.m. and began the process of boarding the Carnival Valor. I say it was a process, but in reality Carnival has this whole thing figured out and it was pretty easy getting everything we needed to board the ship. The worst part was the wait. We sat in the port terminal for about and hour and a half before we were allowed to board the ship and there were tons of people crowded in waiting for exactly the same thing. When they called our loading number we filed up the escalator and boarded the ship.

This is officially where the deer in headlight experience began for the two of us. After our ship cards were scanned and our pictures taken we were told we could head up to the Lido Deck for some lunch. I remember thinking that was great because I was ready to eat my arm, but what the heck is a Lido Deck, where is it, how do I get there...where am I right now?! The nice thing about there being 9 million people on a ship is you can just follow the crowds and you're bound to end up in the right place eventually. Turns out Lido must be ship talk for "fat deck" because this is where the food was and there was plenty of it, anytime you wanted it! We got in line and got our food and then sat back and admired the Miami skyline. Afterwards we wandered around and checked things out, took some pictures and waited for the okay to head to our room. Even after we were cleared to go to our rooms we couldn't do much because our suitcases hadn't make it on board, so swimming was out of the question. We continued to roam around until dinner time, which is an experience I think I could get used to very easily!

Food options were actually very simple -- breakfast, lunch and dinner were served in the dining room and was a more formal, five-star type option, or you could eat on the Lido Deck where the food was done buffet style and was more casual eating. Here the food ranged from hamburgers and hotdogs to wraps, burritos, deli sandwiches and pizza. Some part of the buffet was open 24 hours so you could eat whenever you wanted. This was great when you got out of a show at midnight and you felt like you were ready to eat your arm, but this was bad because it was there even when you didn't want to eat your arm.

Most of the time we did breakfast buffet style, lunch on whichever island we were on and dinner in the dining room. Fine dining is the way to go if you're like me and have a snooty person hiding inside you, or if your are easily amused. The first night we walked into the dining room and were led to our table. The hostess pulled out the chair for me and pushed it in as I sat down and then unfolded and placed my napkin in my lap for me. On the trip home Mondo and I ate dinner in the airport and I joked that I couldn't find my napkin because no one had placed it in my lap for me! Dinner in the dining room was our choice because it was a great way to try new foods. Mondo is the more adventurous eater and a meat eater so he was quick to try anything and everything -- duck, veal, spring lamb, escargot. Not matter the choice the food was awesome!

I'm sorry to go on so long about food, but let's keep two things in mind: 1) I'm a fat chick, so food and I are a natural pairing, and 2) when you're on board the ship there isn't much else to do besides eat, so food plays a big part in the trip.

Sunday night and part of Monday was spent at sea getting to our next port. We took on some shows and explored the ship a little more before calling it a night.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Half Moon Cay (pronounced Key) is a private island owned by Carnival. This small island is in the Bahamas and is the only port where we didn't book an excursion, so we spent the day relaxing on the beach. Because it's such a small island there wasn't much else for us to do, but with white sand beaches, warm, clear waters, tropical breezes and music playing in the background, who needed anything else?!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Day spent at sea.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

As we arrived into St. Thomas we were able to sit on our balcony and admire the beautiful islands, the turquoise waters and the amazing homes on the hills. This is what House Hunters International looks like up close and personal!

We spent our morning aboard the Bimini Breeze heading out to Christmas Cove to do some snorkeling. Those pictures will have to come later because everything was shot with a disposable underwater camera, but suffice it to say that it was an amazing morning! Nerves settled in for both of us when we dropped anchor and had to put our gear on. Mondo isn't much of a swimmer and is the only person I know who can't float in the ocean, and I just freaked out because the thought of fish touching me, the possibility of sharks, and a wild imagination all the best of me. As soon as we plunged into the warm clear waters all of those fears subsided and we were snorkeling with the best of them. Our guide Melissa was fabulous, stopping along the way to collect various sea creatures for us to see. I held a small black starfish (I can't remember what it was called), touched white sea urchin (ones that aren't dangerous), and examined, but didn't touch a black sea urchin (the really pokey, dangerous ones). We also were lucky enough to see an octopus and a stingray. Then we loaded back up on the boat and head over to Turtle Cove, aptly named because of all the sea turtles that live in this area. They feed on the sea grasses on the ocean floor and come up about every 10-15 minutes for air. Right after we got to Turtle Cove we were able to spot a large sea turtle, which came within inches of us. We were forbidden from touching them and it was extremely hard not to reach out and touch it when it was that close! We spent about 30 minutes swimming around Turtle Cove admiring the turtles and a stingray who came along for the ride too.

After getting settled in on the boat for the ride back to shore the crew started mixing drinks. St. Thomas is known in part for all the pirates who used to frequent the area and rum is found in large quantities there. Those who know me know I'm a fan of rum and it's hard to say no, especially when it's free. One thing I figured out on the trip is that you can put rum in anything and it tastes good. For the remainder of the trip back to shore I took part in free rum, pineapple and orange juice drinks and soon realized that just because you can't taste the rum doesn't mean it isn't there. About half way back to shore I realized I was wasted! I saw a lot of people drinking a lot of alcohol on this trip and can say I enjoyed the rum (a lot!), but I'm glad the majority of the trip was done in a sober state.

After returning to shore we headed out with our cameras in search of some local sights to photograph. We were short on time and didn't get to see a lot, but enjoyed the parts that we did. St. Thomas is beautiful and I know there is much more to it than what we were able to enjoy. That's the downside to cruising, not enough time at each port to see what's there and enjoy it. Perhaps a return trip is in order some time down the road.

Thursday, June 23, 2011,

We missed the sail into San Juan, Puerto Rico because we arrived earlier than expected -- 6:00 a.m. After spending time on small islands like Half Moon Cay and St. Thomas, San Juan came as a bit of a surprise to me; it's big and urban. We were up and at things early this day because we had scheduled a zip lining adventure through the jungle canopy. After winding through some very narrow streets and hiking up a hill I'd rather not meet again, we arrived at the start of the zip line adventure where we were put into helmets and harnesses.

We had to hike up some more pretty serious hills and before we reached the first platform I realized just how fat and out of shape I really am! I'm not sure how it happened, but we ended up at the front of the line and ended up being the third and fourth people on the line. Maybe that was good because it didn't give me time to chicken out! After being clipped in and safety checked the trip downhill began. I'd love to tell you about the view, but the reality of things is that you go pretty quickly across each line and much of my attention was focused on the line, finishing and trying to remember how to brake. I didn't do the braking the right way and tried numerous times to rip my arm from my body. Two platforms remained and I met a lovely young man from Puerto Rico and we stood and talked about Puerto Rico, cruises and other miscellaneous subjects before he reminded me how to brake. He sent me on my way and wouldn't you know it, I figured out how to stop with only two platforms left! I had a blast though and would totally go again!

After zip lining and some of the most insane traffic I have ever seen and been in, we made it back to old San Juan and began a self-guided tour around the city starting with lunch at Cafe Puerto Rico. It was here that we had our first real taste of the local cuisine, a dish called mofungo. While I'm not exactly sure what it was that we ate, it was delicious and something I would try again and again. We had the chicken and plantain mofungo, which was made from shredded chicken marinated in something and placed in a bowl made of mashed and seasoned plantains. Delicious!

Afterwards we began our hike around the city with a stop at San Cristobal, a fort dating back to Columbus. The architecture reminded me of the missions in San Antonio and the size and construction of the fort was amazing. We also hiked to Fort Morro, but chose to take pictures from afar rather than paying admission into this fort. I enjoyed the walk, albeit a long walk, past the colorful houses. We eventually made our way to a huge grassy area in front of the fort where tons of kids were flying kites. I assume from their t-shirts that they were with some sort of summer school program that was there for the day, but I couldn't' tell for sure. I enjoyed watching the kids and noticed that no matter where you go or what language you speak, kids are kids and smiles and laughter cross language barriers.

As we made our way across the grassy area I noticed a building that I was certain must have been the governor's palace. It's bright colors, domed roof and prime location near the ocean and Fort Morro made it an easy guess. Unfortunately I was wrong! A park ranger informed me that it was a school for the arts. My AABV friends would be envious!

To write about our day it doesn't sound like much, and many of my pictures are similar in composition. Architecture has always been my favorite thing to photograph and a walking tour, no matter who's leading it takes time. We headed back to the ship shortly before setting sail for the day and we were both hot and exhausted, but satisfied with the way the day had been spent.

Friday, June 25, 2011

I knew we had arrived in Grand Turk when I looked out our window and saw a dramatic change in the color of the water. I forgot to get a picture of the entrance to the island, but this is the kind of scene postcards are made from and exactly what I imagined the tropics to be; turquoise waters, white beaches, palm trees everywhere and a wooden pier jutting into the water -- picture perfect! We headed onto the island and waited to begin our excursion, horseback riding on the beach. While I'm not a big horseback riding kind of person, it has always been a bucket list item to go riding on the beach. We spent a good 30 minutes riding around part of the island, in the sand and on nearby roads before heading back to the stables to change the horses into bareback gear. We couldn't take our cmeras on the horses during the bareback part of the ride because we actually went into the ocean and swam on horseback. It was amazing and I smiled whole time!

Before heading back to the port entrance we made a quick stop at the Grand Turk Historic Lighthouse for some pictures. If time had allowed I would have liked to have walked around looking for just the right angles and ways to frame the lighthouse, but unfortunately we were on a tour bus and time wasn't on our side. Instead, some quick shooting and sightseeing and we headed back to the beach. Mondo took this time to look around the shops while I went swimming in the ocean. Before we left the port we walked a short distance to a local restaurant where Mondo ate and I tasted some conch. Conch is plentiful in Grand Turk, as evidenced by the number of shells laying around the beaches, and apparently the locals use the conch meat to create any number of meals from the sea creature. We were only able to get conch fritters during our stay, but something was better than nothing. We couldn't really taste the conch itself because of the batter from the fritter, it was more of a textural kid of meal. The conch was a bit chewy, but the seasoning from the fritters and the sauce they used on top made for a nice local snack.

As we boarded the ship from Grand Turk I realized that our trip was over and I felt some sadness. I wasn't ready for the tropics and the sightseeing adventures to be over. Usually I find myself ready to return home from vacation, ready to get back to the people I know, my own bed, etc., but that wasn't the case this time. Sunday morning we were eating breakfast and waiting for clearance to debark and I noticed a lady across from us wiping her eyes. The gentleman sitting with her asked if she was okay and she replied, "I don't want to get off the ship, I don't want it to be over." That summed up my feelings and setiment precisely! I think it's a good thing Matthew stayed behind with my mom so that I had a reason to come home, otherwise I think I'd be job hunting somewhere in the Caribbean right now!