Two firsts - a cruise and visit to New Orleans!
Kearson and I have been talking about taking a cruise for a couple of years, now. We're also in fairly close proximity to New Orleans, and were way overdue for a trip to see it firsthand. So, when we discoverd that one of Carnival's ports of embarkation is the Big Easy, we knew our ship had come in. (ugh. sorry - couldn't resist! :) We arrived in New Orleans on Saturday, and headed straight for the cruise ship!
We settled in to our cabin where there was Champagne waiting for us and a sign on our door welcoming us aboard. My younger brother, Chad spent several years working on cruise ships as a musician, and met his wife Nathalie there. When Nathalie heard that we were taking a cruise on the Holiday, she immediately got in touch with one of her old friends (I think she said that the Holiday was one of her first contracts) who made sure we were well taken care of. Thanks Nath!!
Up on deck, I enjoyed my first "Fun Ship Special." What would a cruise be without a tall fruity cocktail with an umbrella?
Of course, Kearson is a beer drinker, so no tall fruity drinks for him. But I made sure he got an umbrella, anyway! :)
Our turn-down service in the cabin included a daily animal-themed towel sculpture. One night a rabbit, another night a frog. Truth be told, coming back to your room late at night to find one of these creatures was just a little creepy. Behold! The majestic Towelephant!
Our first port of call was Cozumel, Mexico. In the morning, we went out on a catamaran for a little snorkeling. After seeing the beautiful fish, we got back on the boat and they drove us out to a private beach for lunch. The beach had two sand volleyball courts, and Kearson and I actually played very well and held our own against the rest of the touristas. On our way back to the ship, we chatted with the captain of the catamaran. He's a Canadian who took a vacation one year to Cozumel, met a girl there, fell in love, and years later, here he is: married to his Senorita, living and working in paradise! Here's Kearson enjoying the ride back in the catamaran.
After cleaning up a bit, we headed out to hit the town in Cozumel, do a little shopping, and see the sites. We didn't go far before I found this exquisite silver pendant. The face is lapis lazuli, and the design is a ceremonial mask. I assume it is patterned after an Aztec or Mayan god. Anybody out there know which one it might be?
The captain of our catamaran recommended that we check out Carlos n Charlie's in town, so we headed there after we finished our shopping. I wanted to try something new to drink, so I had Kearson get me a "Funky Monkey" which is a concoction of banana, Kahlua, and who-knows-what-else. Little did I know that he had ordered our drinks in the "yard-long" size! About 3 quarters of the way through my drink, I noticed that I was feeling a bit flushed. Next thing I knew, I had broken out in bright red hives all over my face, neck, and chest! I had some water and the hives went away by the next morning, but now I know why they call it the Funky Monkey! Thank goodness Rod Stewart was there to comfort me! (See the hives on my neck?)
Our second port of call was Playa del Carmen on the mainland just across the ocean from Cozumel. We arose early in the morning to meet our party for the "Kayak Adventure" excursion we'd signed up for. This turned out to be my favorite part of the whole trip.
First, we drove by bus about 20 minutes to a nature preserve/recreation park called "Tres Rios." After a short orientation, we hopped on bikes and rode a short way out to the beach. No mountain bikes, here! One speed and back-pedal to apply the brakes. Just like the bikes we had as kids! Down at the beach were a palapa-roofed restaurant and shop, little shade huts, hammocks, and - our own 2-person kayak! Our guide got us loaded into the kayaks (women in the front, and men in the back to steer - more on this later) and off we paddled up the first of the three rivers.
It didn't take long before I realized that Kearson and I may need to realign our individual ideas about what "turn left" and "we're going to hit that log" meant. We weren't the only ones who got a lesson in marital bliss and cooperation from the Kayak Experience. It's definately a testiment to any marriage when you can calmly and respectfully request that your spouse "paddle backwords just a smidge" while a Mandrake root steadily works itself deeper and deeper into your thigh. After two or three near impalements, one run aground, and a few grim silences, we finally got the hang of it and now we're both getting along just perfectly! Right? Right!
The rivers we were paddling start from natural springs called "cenotes" (pronounced "sen o' tays") in the jungle less than a mile from the shore. Our native guide explained that the Aztec people relied on these springs for fresh water. We explored up and down the first one, and then out into the ocean to the second one. In the second river, Kearson and I lead the group for a stretch and crept up upon a giant blue heron standing no more than 4 feet from us. Beautiful! After the second river, we left our kayaks, refreshed ourselves with a quick cerveza, and then grabbed our bikes to ride to the head of the third river. At the cenote, we were issued snorkeling gear, and we swam and snorkeled the length of the third river from its head in the jungle all the way out to the ocean. The water was unexpectedly clear and deep, and the roots of the trees made the snorkeling strange and eerie, but calm. There were many fresh water fish and the species changed as we got closer to the ocean and the water became more saline. Finally, after our many adventures, we had a big lunch (including some of the most delicious Chorizo I've ever had) and spent a few hours relaxing on the beach. A truly amazing and unique experience!
Throughout the cruise, I kept seeing women who had their hair braided during the trip. I finally decided I wanted to give it a try, so after we got back from our kayak expedition, I went back ashore to get it done. In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have tried to get it done so close to our departure time! By the time the ship had sounded its "we're leaving!" horn for the second time, there were 3 Mexican ladies and one flaming Mexican man all feverishly braiding my hair to get it finished before the boat left without me! One of them joked that that's how *they* got started braiding hair in Mexico! Thankfully, they finished just in time and I didn't have to stay in Mexico braiding hair for a living. Here I am safe on the ship with my braids!
Picture of the back.
Out on the Lido deck by the pool!
Unfortunately, my braided 'do didn't really go with any of the clothes I had brought with me. So, despite the saga of getting the braids done, by the next day (our last day onboard) I was ready to unbraid! I really liked the kinky "Euro-trash" look that resulted from the braids. Here I am striking a vampish pose for Kearson.
While on the ship, we also had a great black and white portrait taken, but, unfortunately, the paper they use on the cruise ship prevents it from being copied or scanned (I think that really sucks!!!). Guess you'll just have to come visit us if you want to see it. All in all, I think Kearson and I agree that our first cruise was a great way to achieve total relaxation!
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