Cozumel, Mexico

Cozumel, Mexico was our third destination. It was also one of the most exciting.
It was a windy a windy day in Cozumel, and it was also the day we chose to do a sting ray and snorkel experience. Snorkeling isn't as easy or relaxing when you have huge waves rolling over you, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the experience. The sting ray encounter was an entirely different story. They assured us that they remove the barbs, so there is no danger of being stung, injured or killed by the sting rays. I am typically not hesitent to try new things, however, when the sting rays swam towards me, I FREAKED OUT!!! The farther int the water the grop went, the farther OUT of the water I went. Michael takes great joy in my fear and LOVES to make fun of me and tease me about how hilarious my being TERRIFIED of the sting rays was. I will share more of the story later, when I find the sting ray and snorkel photos. For now, enjoy these pics.






The wavy waters we snorkeled in.

Me after the sting ray and snorkel experience.



After walking down the main strip and eating at Hard Rock Cafe, we took a little horse and buggy ride back to the port.

Vendors on the strip.

Roatan, Honduras

Roatan was our second stop. There wasn't much to experience here, unless you had reserved an excursion (which we didn't) or wanted to pay taxi fare of $20 per person one way, consequently, we did not shell out $80 to check out the island of Roatan. Instead, we walked around, checked out the port and all the shops and sweltered in the heat. We tppl the chair (a.k.a. ski lift) lift from the port to Mahogany Bay Beach.

A view from the ski lift. All green and no snow.

I really was intrigued by the trees in Roatan.



A postcard view of the island beach.

A view of the water from the ski lift. The lighter part is white sand. The darker portion are some kind of plant with leaves in the shape of bananas.

The view of the beach.



We decided to go on a little walk to check out the area around Mahognay Beach. It was soooooooooooooooooooooooo hot. I pitched a fit. I was not interesed in walking up a hill just to see trees. Michael was walking a ways a head of me, I was dragging my feet a ways behind, grumbling the whole time. "This is not fun." "This isn't my idea of a vacation." "This isn't how I want to spend my time in port." "It is hot." "I want to go to the beach." "I am just going to sit here and wait for you to come back." Michael handled my fit throwing in stride. He patientlyu coerced me to conintue. We came to the bottom of the hill, to a small dirt road and lots of trees. It really was a nice walk, even though it was hotter than the blazes.

Michael proudly showing off his #1 dad, dorky, tourist aura. Cheesy smile, camera and all.

Margaritaville, Grand Cayman

After our Pirate encounter, we took a taxi ride into the city of Grand Cayman. It is a quaint little city, and it is very appearnt, that they cater to the tourists. There were soooooooo many jewelry shops. The best thing about all the goods you could purchase was that everything was duty and tax free. However, even with duty and tax free prices and discounts, most everything was far outside our meager budget. We still had a good time looking.

We grabbed something to eat at Margaritaville. I enjoyed the country muic and atmosphere. Probably the closest I will get Michale to a counrty bar!







Lopsided self portrait

Gotta love the dorky "tourist" look

Grand Cayman Pirtate Experience

Our first stop was Grand Cayman Island. We did a "Pirate Encounter" excursion. The excursion as a whole, was a rather cheesey production, but it was a good time. We tendered from the Crown Princess and the "Pirates" picked us up and took us to the Pirate ship. They told about the history of the ship and offered water and Rum Punch. The pirates did a cheesey little skit, that ended a mother of a little girl getting "tied" up and cold water dumped on her because she told her daughter "no". After that, we circled the Crown Princess and fired blank cannons at the ship. Then came the highlight of the excursion. We traveled farther out in the waters, anchored and were given the opportunity to jump off the ship and swim in the Caribbean! It took me about five seconds to climb out onto the plank and jump. It took Michael about 15 minutes before he gathered enough courage to jump into the water. One of the neatest things was that you could clearly see the bottom...and it was between 30-40 feet deep!!!

The Crown Princess

The Pirate Ship

Michael atop during the cheesey skit

It looks like the bottom is right there, only a few feet deep...It was 30-40 ft deep!

Michael and I after our first swim in the caribbean

Cruise...

I WILL post more cruise photos and stories...Just gotta sort through all the pictures and organzie them so I don't miss out on any of the fabulous and funny moments.

Be watching for pics and stories from:
Ft. Lauderdale, FL (J. Mack's burgers)
The Crown Princess (sea sickness, cha-cha-cha, bingo)
Grand Cayman (our first Port) (pirate experience)
Roatan, Honduras (our second Port) (crabs, coral and spiny sea urchins)
Cozumel, Mexico (our third Port) (sting rays, snorkeling, horse and buggy ride)
Princess Cays, Bahamas (our last Port) (white sandy beach, crashing waves make for a great tender ride)

Grand Cayman Islands

Front view of the Crown Princess

Grand Cayman Library

Margaritaville-Grand Cayman, Rum Slide...no we didn't go down the slide.

Me by the most phtographed fountain in Grand Cayman

we're back

We are back from the Caribbean, but I wanna go back.

I will post pictures and tell all the stories, so be watching the blog for warm breezes!