MAC-D Blog

Vacation – Cozumel:
30 January 2009

Here kitty kitty kitty...want to eat a baby?

Xcaret, the safari / archeological theme park. What a treat this was. We all went to this amazing place where we saw many animals that you typically do not get to see in the States. Jaguars, Pumas, Monkeys, Tigerillos (Tiger Cats), and myriad Parrots were some of the bigger attractions that they had. Additionally, Iguanas lined the pathways everywhere you walked. It was truly a treat to see them bathing in the sun.

Some of the aquatic life that we got to see included dolphins, manatees, and giant sea turtles. We enjoyed the thought of being in the water so much that we decided to take a lazy floating voyage through an underground cave system at the park. Yes, we had on our bathing suits. The river takes about and hour to complete, but it was so relaxing that we wish we could have had some more time there.

After finishing the swim, Megan treated me to an absolutely amazing buffet at the park. We had many different types of authenticate Hispanic food. While we did run the risk of Montezuma’s Revenge, every savory bite was worth it. The lemonade that accompanied our lunch was delectable as well, and as we write this, we are craving more.

After a great day at the park, we headed back to our ferry that would return us to our cruise ship. However, on the bus ride to the tender, a torrential downpour came out of no where, and we decided to walk, dance, and sing in the rain. Despite the cold, it was a memory we will never forget.

This was the last official day of the cruise. We were at sea on the 31st, but we spent the majority of time relaxing and recuperating. This was the best vacation we had ever had.

This little guy wouldn't stay still long enough for a good photo.

Vacation – Santo Tomas de Castilla:
28 January 2009

Today we decided to walk around Guatemala without any pre-planned excursions. We walked around the little shops for a few minutes before deciding to take a river boat up the coast to a series of interesting stops.

The scenery was breathtaking and looked like it had come straight of of Jurassic Park. We headed toward the city of Livingston, but instead of stopping there first, we travelled up river to a small school where both orphans and under-privileged children lived. There, they learned to work in groups, interact with other people, and take care of themselves. All of this was in addition to their basic education which included learning a minimum of three languages.

After spending a couple of hours there, we returned to the boat to visit caves, hot springs, and a floating hospital; courtesy of the Discovery Channel. The ride was relaxing and we saw many local people engaged in their daily activities. These included: children asking for money, children and families fishing together, and other folks traveling on the water; all of which took place in dug out boats.

We finally visited Livingston, and were not surprised to see that it was both a poverty-stricken town, and a giant tourist trap. We stayed for only 15 minutes before returning to our small water-craft, and heading back to port.

Upon returning, we ran into ‘Smiley’ who had just finished delivering his wheelchairs and visiting both a hospital and orphanage. His two friends, Santiago and Alvarado, who had helped arrange the delivery of the chairs, were very generous to us and bought us two coconuts with straws so that we could share a milky beverage with them.

Everyone we met in Guatemala were kind, courteous, and very welcoming to us. We have already decided that we will visit there again someday and see what else that wonderful country has to offer.

Vacation – Costa Maya:
27 January 2009

There is nothing better than a nice day at the beach. Add to that image a funny pirate with a squirrel monkey who steals fruit from your tropical drink glass and a parasail adventure, and you have the perfect recipe for fun in the sun.

We took a bus from the port in Costa Maya to a beach with green water. The lounge chairs were comfortable so Jim, Megan’s father, and I hung out with a great group from Canada while Megan and Sue, her mother, went exploring. During their absence, we got the prices for parasailing and discussed how we thought they should go up for a ride. We drank, we talked, and we enjoyed the wonderful weather.

Upon returning with their booty of shells, we climbed onto a dingy and made our way to the parasail boat (Megan is laughing at the word dingy as I write this…that’s my girl ). The ladies, somewhat intoxicated, but full of liquid courage fueled by tequila, bravely harnessed up and made their way into the skies above the beaches of Costa Maya. Megan’s new camera with her various lenses made the event that much better as I was able to capture their expressions, fears, and excitement along the way. Oh, did we mention that the driver had a huge mole. Think Austin Powers 3, but on his chin.

Despite the great time that we had at the beach, the trip back consisted of Sue falling under the weather. I suppose alcohol is a good recipe for a storm, as she was definitely enacting a cloud spewing, albeit subtly, the drinks she had consumed early in the day. According to our resident historian, this is the first time that she had ever drank that much in one day (by that much, we mean four drinks).

Needless to say, as soon as we got back to the room, we all crashed for a couple of hours. We suppose that anything as fun as what we did will always come with a consequence (or a towel that should be burned, not cleaned, as the small pukage spots will probably never come out). Sue, here’s looking at you kid.

Yesterday must have been longer than we thought, as we almost forgot to write what happened after hours on board the Spirit. Megan was not feeling well, and we knew we needed to eat. I, being the great big pain in the butt that I can sometimes be, prodded her until she got up so that we could go eat. I ensured her that despite how upset she was with me for waking her up, she would thank me later.

After a so-so meal, where Megan almost choked, we hit up “A Tribute to Glenn Miller night.” We danced and listed to the clarinets carrying the tunes from a time long forgotten. We finished that event up with a slow dance to Moonlight Serenade, a personal favorite.

Following the dancing we participated in the boat’s version of “The Weakest Link.” We both got selected to play, but I was out after the first round. Who the heck is the Lady of the Lamp? Google, guide me. Megan, on the other hand, made it to the final round where she was destroyed by some buff dude wearing a swim suit and sandals. She still won a coozie and a red bandana.

Before we turned in, at 2:00 AM, we did some line dancing, played some ping pong, and explored various parts of the ship that we had failed to find earlier in the trip. We both fell asleep as soon as we laid down, and when we woke… (next post).

Vacation – At Sea:
26 January 2009

Our cruise began yesterday, but today we spent all day at sea. We had some drinks and relaxed next to the pool. The big event on board was the Monte Carlo night which took place in the casino on deck seven. While we missed taking photographs with the captain, we did get dressed up to do some of our own ‘modeling.’ The night was fun and we spent the majority of it dancing in Maharini’s, an on board night club. In between drinks, salsa, merengue, and various other types of dances, we frequented the casino to see what special events they were having.

At one point, they asked for three couples and we gladly volunteered. The game was simple. Ladies had to take a ping pong ball and run it up one pant leg of their male companion and then bring it back down the other side. The first couple did it in an amazing 16 seconds. The second accomplished the task in 17. We, however, destroyed those times by completing the challenge in 10 seconds. Ok, we may have cheated as the guys were not supposed to touch their legs, but I reached down to shake the ball loose during its descent.

Before we called it a night, we ran into a gentleman who had been dressed as a clown earlier on the trip. Ken explained that his mission this week was to deliver 30 wheelchairs to a hospital in Guatemala. After chatting with ‘Smiley’ for a few minutes,

we returned to our room to prepare for Costa Maya.

Vacation:
25 January 2009

After a 12-month separation due to a deployment to Kuwait, we are finally together again. Last week we went to Tavares, FL to spend some well-needed time with our little man, Gabriel. We spent the majority of the week doing arts and crafts which Santa brought to him; albeit, a month late. The trip culminated with an excursion to Sea World on the 23rd, and we all enjoyed ourselves immensely.

Right now, we are sitting on board the Norwegian Spirit; our home for the next week as we embark on an exotic Western Caribbean cruise. We are on the 11th floor, and we have a balcony overlooking the starboard side of the ship. Destinations include: Costa Maya, Santo Tomas de Castilla, Belize City, and Cozumel. However, this trip really began yesterday after we spent nine hours on the road traveling to New Orleans.

We arrived at approximately 10 PM and navigated our way to the closed (for the night) cruise terminal. Negotiating the small streets, bad drivers, and thick fog, along with the treacherous one-way streets, we made it here safely. We didn’t have a place to stay for the night, and the original plan called for parking our car in garage and sleeping therein. However, being the explorers and adventurers that we sometimes consider ourselves, we decided to head on down to Bourbon Street to see what all the fuss is about.

We started off walking up and down the strip to see not many people doing just that The bead-tossing seemed to stem from a range of guys aging between 15 and 50 years old. Have you ever seen old folks reliving their younger college days while getting drunk in possibly the sketchiest place in the U.S? Oh, did we mention that they all were crazed to see a 20-something-year-old lift up her top to reveal her goods. Let us tell you, the only boobage that anyone saw last night, came from a woman who might not be able to ride in an elevator alone due to the weight restrictions. In addition to the nastiness, well, let’s just say floppy is nasty.

Between the smoke in the air, not always from cigarettes, the rain, the lively and rowdy crowds, we did find a little bar that satisfied our craving for normality. The old European-jazz style that the establishment promoted, was just that. Clarinet, trumpet, piano, drum, and, of course, the cello. Fun, fast, and just the right volume and energy, we enjoyed a couple of beers and swapped stories with a couple from Washington state.

Before calling it a night on the infamous road of shame, but not on our behalves, we listened to a great band play music from the early 90′s before having to leave due to the worst-smelling cigar we have ever had assault our olfactory senses. Despite our innocence, we did manage to earn a few beads. Wait! It’s not what you think. Some dude was trying to play ring-around-the-neck with his strands, and we opted to be his human horse-shoe pegs. We succeeded.

We called it a night around 1:30 AM and headed back to our car. As we sat in the front two seats, the truck in front of us was struck by a car attempting to back out of their spot. We offered to help guide them, but the woman passenger declined, as she thought she could out perform her male counterpart. She failed. We finally got out and helped them to successfully, strike the truck three more times and the van to their left. Truthfully, it wasn’t our fault, we told her to stop, and she insisted on using the tap-tap method. Luckily for the truck’s owner, he had installed a cattle guard, and no damage was done to his Ford.

After that, we both had an urge to “use the facilities” and found ourselves searching for a restaurant that would accommodate our needs. Well, we were in luck. Across from our spot, we found Ref’s. We had some spicy nachos and a couple of vitamin waters while we fought having to go back to our cold car. However, as 3:00 AM rolled around, we realized it was time for some sleep. As we crashed in the back seat, we were awakened by three hoodlums, one of which was screaming, “Hey, watch me piss on this guy’s truck!” Fortunately, it was the same truck as before, and not our car. After two of them relieved themselves on the tires, all the while, unbeknownst to them, we were well aware of what they were doing, their third buddy decided to drain his snake on the bumper. Seriously, we hope that the back splatter avoided our grill.

We finally fell into a tenuous sleep due to the cold, lack of space, and bright light from the street lamp we were parked under. Sometime during the night, the guy who had parked next to us returned to his vehicle and turned it on. His pals left him there, while he proceeded to pass out, car running, front door open. We awoke at 7:00 AM to find the driver’s door closed, and two guys attempting to wake the slumbering occupant, but to no avail. After much prodding, poking and punching, they succeeded in ensuring that carbon monoxide poisoning hadn’t gotten the best of their buddy.

It was a long, but eventful night, and one we will never forget. However, it’s 3:45 PM and we still haven’t showered, brushed our teeth, or slept for more than 30 minutes straight. We will write more when we get a little refreshed, and lot more lucid.

From the Norwegian Spirit, room 11012, we bid you adieu.

Cheers!
Megan & Scott