Final vacation picture

I took this image on Saturday morning. It was raining lightly as the sun rose over the docks in Houston (actually, I think we were in Galveston).

Very spooky and cool.

There and Back Again

Disembarkation went smoothly. We got in a taxi van with about ten other people and made it to the airport in about 45 minutes. We took a short flight to Dallas, then a longer one to New York.

By 6:30 we had picked up the dogs from the kennel. They look great -- no signs of depression.

There is about a fifty degree temperature difference between New York and the places we went on vacation.

Oh, and the heat in the apartment didn’t get fixed while we were on vacation.

It figures.

Cruise Day 7: At Sea

The last day of a vacation is always depressing.

I didn't see land today. We're somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico. I did see some oil rigs in the distance, though.

We filled out our customs form in preparation for docking in Houston tomorrow. We really didn't buy much. My money was spent on the spa, the Internet access fees and the three tours.

We also received a comments form. I'm still debating whether or not to fill it out. There was a Romanian head waitress at one of the restaurants who was crazy rude to us, then when she realized she'd gone too far she credited one of our meals. She's been sweating ever since. Every time she sees me now she's all smiles and, "Good day madam!"

Beeyatch!

I wanted to book another cruise in advance to get an onboard credit, but mom wasn't interested in booking now. Maybe in 2007. I want to go on a Mediterranean cruise, but I don't like boarding the dogs for 10-14 days.

Some things I need to remember when I book another cruise on this line:

• Always bring at least one magazine.


• Don't bother bringing your cellphone charger.


• Bring a European electrical plug adapter to use with the laptop in the lounge areas.


• Try to get at least one sunset shot and one stage show shot with either the still camera or the video camera.


• Bring a hat.


• Research how much jewelry costs before you go on vacation.


• Fully configure your laptop before leaving home.


• Consider getting a small, sturdy suitcase just for the electronic equipment and a soft piece of luggage for the clothes.

Tomorrow will probably be stressful, since we have to leave the ship with the first group of people at 8:00 and get to the airport from the docks by cab for a 10:30 flight. I hope the check in line won't be long.

Cruise Day 6: At Sea

We sailed by Cancun today, but we did not stop. Cancun was removed from our itinerary because it was destroyed by Hurricane Wilma, as I mentioned on Saturday.

*SIGH*

There was nothing to do today.

I went to an origami class and made a crane. After that I had lunch and checked my email. I was sitting near one of the smaller restaurants and I heard a lot of laughter coming from behind the drawn curtains. Apparently there was a training class for the waiters going on and half of them were playing guests. They were really getting into their roles and screaming, "Waiter! I'm ready to place my order!" and "Move your ass!" in obnoxious voices.

This is exactly what they really have to put up with, but they should've been a little more discrete. The guests heard them and the head waiter had to come out and apologize.

Oops!

Cruise Day 5: Belize City, Belize

Again we had some morning rain, but it ended by the time we reached our destination.

Today we visited the ruins of Cahal Pech, the remnants of a small Maya city. Unfortunately most of the site is gone because over the centuries grave robbers stole the artifacts and local people dug up the stones to use in the construction of their houses.

What remains of the site is in fairly good condition and it seems that a lot is still buried. The government of Belize doesn't have the funds to finish uncovering everything, so unfortunately they're dependent on outside help to complete the project.

There were only two downsides to today's activities:

• It took two hours to get to the site and two hours to get back so there was no time to shop in the pretty port-side shopping village.


• Because of the rain the steps of the Mayan temple were really slick so I didn't want to risk climbing up there and busting my ass.

Highlight of the day:

• An elderly man told my mother he never met a "real" black person before his father took him to see a Negro League baseball game when he was 11. It's always great when people consider my mother and I to be part of whatever entertainment they're getting from being on vacation. This always happens to us.
  
  WTF?
  
  It's usually people over 50 who do this. They seem to leave the Chinese, Filipino and Mexican guests alone, but they love to come up to us.
  
  There are only two things more irritating than this:
  
  
  1. People who assume that I work on the ship. That REALLY pisses me off.
  
  
  2. The toxic thing that happens when the non-white guests get together and everyone is compelled to say that they've been to more countries, they make more money, they are better educated and they have a better job than the other non-white people.

Other highlight of the day:

• An old man tried a spin move on the dance floor at a cocktail party and his hearing aid fell out. It wasn't the same guy that was fascinated with my mom, though.

Cruise Day 4: Roatan, Honduras

It started raining hard as we pulled into the port, so we had to break out our ponchos. Things weren't looking too good as our tour bus drove us to Gumbalima Park, but the skies cleared and we had a pretty good day.

The park had a mock pirate's cave that was a bit cheesy, but the animals in another part of the park made up for that. Some extremely friendly white-faced and howler monkeys jumped on us. One white-faced monkey jumped on me twice. It curled its tail around my neck and freaked me out. I think it was fascinated with my braids.

I had a local girl rebraid my hair, so I don't feel so violated now.

There were a lot of pretty parrots at the park. Very tame also. They climbed up people's arms and posed for pictures.

At the conclusion of the tour we had a good lunch -- two lobster tails each and some well-seasoned rice.

On a side note, I was intrigued to see that the people of Roatan look a lot like Panamanians. They speak English with West Indian accents also.

Cruise Day 3: Cozumel, Mexico

It was hot today, but not scary hot like it was earlier this year when I was in San Juan and Nassau.

The "cultural show" didn't suck as bad as I thought it might. The costumes were good and the chubby mariachi singer had a strong voice.

I tried to do some shopping, but I didn't see any jewelry I liked. :(

Later we went to see a magician/comedian. He was okay, but his show was a bit short.

Cruise Day 2: At Sea

The spa thing last night was pretty good. I think I’ll make a habit of going to a spa the first night of a cruise, since it’s good for alleviating the travel fatigue. I didn’t get the hot stone treatment. I got the “Seven Seas” massage instead. The massage was reasonable priced, but I got suckered into buying an “instant refreshing gel” and “Japanese Camellia Oil.” These two items were more than the cost of the massage!

GRRR!

This all seems terribly familiar…

Anyway, it was a boring day. The highlight of the day was when a pod of killer whales were spotted off the starboard side of the ship. This surprised me, since I thought they were found in the Pacific, not the Caribbean (?).

We attended a Cozumel shopping talk that made me want to cancel the folkloric dance tour I had booked, but it was too late. That’s probably going to suck. Thankfully it’s short.

I hope it’s not too hot tomorrow. I forgot to pack shorts. I thought the temperature was supposed to be in the low 70’s, but it looks like it’s going to be in the low 80’s. Wrong again!

Cruise Day 1: Houston

Our flight(s) were uneventful, except for the fact that mom, who is lactose-intolerant, decided to eat cherry yogurt and had a stomach ache.

*SIGH*

Our room is small but decent. They forgot to give us soap, however. I have to find the room steward.

I've booked a spa appointment for 8 p.m. -- hot stone treatment. They assure me it is safe.

We're not stopping in Cancun! (frown) It was severely hit by hurricane Wilma, so we'll spend another full day at sea. That sucks. Obviously it's the result of an act of nature, but they should refund us some money. Three full days on this vacation will be spent at sea.

I guess I'll get a lot of writing done.

Packing

I'm going on what is likely to be my last real vacation for a long time.

Have I finished packing yet? Nope.

Have I closed out all of my projects at work yet? Nope.

Stay tuned...

Back Home

I'm too tired to post the last vacation picture. I'll do it tomorrow.

Good news! Beren isn't depressed. Usually he's very sad when we pick him up from the kennel, but he was playing in the car on the way home and he seems happy. I guess he learned how to handle himself in the joint.

Cruise: Day 7 - Nassau

Weather: Stank

Mood: Exhausted

We went on the "Ghosts of Nassau" walking tour today. Boy, what a mistake that was! The sun had no mercy and there was little shade. I quickly got dehydrated. I have such a raging headache now.

The tour was light on the ghosts and the obiah aspect. We saw one small dungeon under a library and we walked up to an old fort. The guide described some man who fell victim to a spell imbued in coo coo soup and she described how it felt to be "hagged," or attacked by spirits. That was it.

By the time we made it back to the shopping area, I was too tired to shop. I bought two shirts because I had run out of clothes (!), but that was it.

Even though this trip was a bust as far as buying jewelry, I got some nice pictures taken by me and of me. The portrait photographer took two nice shots of me on Thursday. My skin looks gorgeous.

Oh, the midnight buffet sucked! :(

I'm not taking this cruise line again. I require good meals.

Cruise: Day 6 - At Sea

Weather: Low 80's

Mood: Bored

Nothing to do today. I could've gone to a seminar to learn how to make towel animals like the bunny they left on our bed last night, but I passed on that exciting proposition.

The food sucked again last night. I had an uninspired rack of teeny lamb. WHAT IS UP WITH THAT?? Tonight there is a lobster and crab dish. It better be good.

We're on our way to Nassau, the last stop on our trip. I haven't bought anything worthwhile. My money was spent on this Internet connection and some photos.

Tonight there is a comedy show, the third parade of the trip, and a late buffet. I hate to turn in early, because the night is so long, but, wow. I really don't want to fight people for food at midnight.

I hope to find a nice piece of jewelry in Nassau. I haven't seen shit that says, "buy me," to me. Very disappointing. I came with money to be spent, yo. Looks like I'm going to leave with money too.

Cruise: Day 5 - St. Thomas

The weather was better today. Warm, but not as oppressive.

We had to go through customs at 7 a.m. this morning. Not sure why.

We went on a tour of Blackbeard's Hill, which the tour guide said actually had nothing to do with Blackbeard. The streets were very clean and the shopping district was nice, but I haven't found anything I really wanted to buy in the last two ports.

We had a lousy lunch that cost us $66 dollars at a restaurant by the waterfront.

The "Planet Ice" show last night actually didn't suck. Since we were way down front in the second row, I could see the costumes clearly and the facial expressions of the skaters. One girl fell down twice, though, so every time a skater leaped I held my breath. I felt sorry for her. The ice was all chopped up. I guess the rink is too small for a Zamboni machine.

I bought another picture of myself. Another $19.

Cruise: Day 4 - St. Martin / St. Maarten

Again, very hot today, but it was a drier heat. We arrived at the port at 8 a.m. The water was very clear -- I could see the fish swimming from the balcony.

The "Yoda Guy" shop was bullshit. It was a regular art gallery and he had a couple of framed pages from the OT scripts and some storyboards which he was signing for people. False advertizing.

Later we went on a tour that stopped at a butterfly farm then the French side of the island. The French side looked crappy. The Dutch side (where the cruise ships land) has all new houses and clean upscale shops. The French side looked depressed and unclean.

Dinner tonight sucked again. The jerk chicken from the restaurant across the street from my house is better.

We are going to an ice show tonight. This should be good for a few laughs.

Cruise: Day 3 - San Juan

Portrait of Michelle's mom. After 40 minutes in the linen store in Old San Juan, did she buy anything? Nope.

--

The dinner last night was better -- roast duck. Oh, and I didn't wear the stockings.

I had some camera trouble as we were pulling into San Juan. The lenses on all my cameras were fogged up because of the difference between the heat and humidity in the room and outside.

The seven of us made an ill-fated attempt to walk to the San Cristobal fortress. We never got there. Only two of us are not overweight and we have three ladies who are over seventy and one in her fifties. And people got bored on the way.

My mom had a lot of fun using the coupons in her shopping book and she bought me two Hawaiian shirts, so she is happy.

I will be happy when I can buy some electronic stuff.

I was bored today, but tomorrow should be more interesting. I'm going on a tour of a butterfly farm, so I hope to take some nice pictures.

I need a photographer's vest so I can store my stuff distributed across my body. My shoulder is killing me from carrying this bag.

Cruise: Day 2 - At Sea

I had a hellish night. I was fine until about 1 a.m. I got up and went to the bathroom and went I climbed back into bed. I couldn't get comfortable and I soon had a cramp in my right shoulder. This lasted another seven hours. I don't like the mattress and the pillows.

I skipped breakfast and had lunch at 11:30. The food once again was shitty, even at the buffet. I then attended a shopping seminar where they gave us a map and told us where to shop in St. Thomas and St. Martin. It was 90% jewelry stuff, but there is a Star Wars shop (yep) that's on the list that I will visit. I also need a couple accessories for my camera -- a lens hood, a lens cleaning kit and a thing to keep the lens cover from getting lost. I can live without all this stuff, of course.

I went to the photo place and picked up the photos taken of us at dinner and when we boarded. $97! HOLY SHIT! I wasn't paying attention.

I signed up for the "Cyber Cabin" deal as soon as I got on board so that I could get Internet access. The cost was a flat fee of $100. But it's dial up! They handed me a plastic box with a phone in it, some cords and a manual. Unbelieveable. I almost said forget it, but it is cheaper. I would prefer the wireless broadband access, but it's .50 a minute -- $30 an hour. And I'll probably go over three hours in a week.

Actually, now I'm thinking I should go for that. Dial-up is just so fucking slow it makes me crazy. I could probably force myself to only spend three hours online, right?

I experimented with my new wide-angle lens and the circular polarizing filters. They make the sky very blue and everything is darker and more saturated. I probably won't use them unless I'm in the open and there's exteremely strong sunlight. I also re-familiarized myself with setting exposures manually. I fucked up many good picture opportunities in Alaska by relying on the automatic setting. So many of my pictures were severely overexposed. SIGH!

Tonight is "formal" night and my mother is already irritating me by asking me what I'm wearing. I don't care about clothes and shoes and shit. She tossed a pair of panty hose at me and I tossed them back. I said I'll eat at the buffet if she keeps this up. I came on this vacation to relax, not to have someone tell me what to wear. The waiter last night said we don't have to wear formal wear, so I won't.

Cruise: Day 1 - Miami

I ended up staying up until 2:30 in the morning, despite having packed a week before. I always do that.

The taxi ride to La Guardia was quick and unevenful. No problem with checking in at the airport. There wasn't much available to purchase for breakfast so I had two bites of a ham and cheese croissant and threw the rest away.

I dozed through the 3-hour flight, but I was very uncomfortable. The flight was packed.

The transfer from the Miami airport to the pier was smooth. They put our bags in a truck and we went in a separate bus to the pier. We breezed through the check in since I had filled out the forms online. We had our picture taken on the gangplank, then we boarded Explorer of the Seas.

Our room has a balcony, a welcome change from the last two cruises we took, both with interior cabins. Cheaper, but claustrophobic.

We've been on Renaissance and Norweigian cruises before. I had no problem with the other two cruise lines, but I was surprised to see that this Royal Caribbean ship is nicer. The decor is a bit more elaborate and I like the Promonade area that looks like a mall, complete with cafes and shops.

There have been a smattering of non-whites on the previous cruises we've been on, but there are a lot more minorities on this cruise. There are also a lot more children and teens.

The only disappointment so far has been the food. It was average to poor and the portions were small.

Cruising

I'm very proud of myself. This morning I took down my suitcase and started packing for the cruise I'm going on starting next Sunday. Usually I'm not this proactive about packing. I usually wait until 3 a.m. on the morning of my flight to pack. This guarantees that I'll be tired and irritable (even more than usual!) for at least the first 36 hours of the trip.

But this time I packed a week ahead! And I packed so efficiently that there's room in my suitcase.

You know what that means?

I have to go shopping and buy more shit so that my suitcase is too heavy to carry!