NeuroTalk Support Groups - Our cruise.....

On Saturday the 19th Chere and I left lafayette around 10 am and drove to new orleans our port of call to board our ship the carnival triumph which held 2,700 guest and 1,200 employees. WE were headed to the western Caribbean!
It is a huge ship!
It took about 8 hours to travel down the mississippi river to the gulf which surprised us. WE past many small communities along the river and watched them from our balcony. We saw a lot of oil rigs as we entered the gulf. IT was bitter cold being on the water with a stiff breeze. I did not take off my coat and jacket until we reached belize tuesday 2 days later. But I am a whimp and really sensitive to cooler temperatures. There were kids swimming in the pools and brave sun bathers on deck and I had a scarf around my neck. lol
Belize was beautiful. Our first day off the boat, after a bumpy bus ride we did a caving tour, It was called "raiders of the lost mayan cave". We traversed a wet trail thru the jungle holding onto ropes and handles that protruded from the rocks as we made our way deeper into the caves. Of course we wore helmets with lights, and wore a harness. It was very safe and they were attentive to us. Once in the caves, stalagtites and mites abound. We even crawled on all fours at one point to see an old myan bowl/artifact. And later got alittle wet in one area of the cave, repelled down a cliff, that was scarey, zip glided over the tree tops in the jungle, and crossed a rope bridge. Afterward we had a great lunch of kebobs with this terrifc hot habenero pepper sauce that chere and I both brought back. WE also brought back little christmas ornaments that looked like a cruise ship made of beautiful layed wood that said belize. I bought a brown tea shirt with a geiko on the front of the shirt, somehow it changes color when worn????the country is very poor and we saw alot of shacks along the way. Tourism is the biggest industry for the country so they depend on our dollars to survive. Many boats come to shore every day....
The next day we were at a new dock called mahogany bay which was beautiful: The Isle of roatan, belonging to Honduras. This is where we kayaked and snorkeled, where we saw tropical fish and living coral reefs. We walked along side the shore and up thru a locally owned piece of property (most of the island is owned by outsiders) and walked thru lush foliage to the fruit trees native to the island. There were many different kinds of fruit. Tried "mama" which had a pink flesh and tasted a bit like an avacado.
What a great day! We had some free time to spend on the beach at the dock and tried counch shell ceviche which is like a salad/salsa that you scoop up with chips. It was very delicious and did not taste fishy at all! and of course we had to have some margaritas!
The third day shore excursion brought us to a remote part of the island of cozemel, Mexico.
We drove 4 person beach buggies on TERRIBLE roads! I drove on the way back and that was exciting!
There we snorkeled again and traveled to a park called punta sur where we climbed towers and an old light house. we saw a small myan ruin where there were built in counch shells along the perimeter and when high winds came like a hurricane the shells would blow as loud as the ships horn! As a warning to take immediate cover. We then had lunch of authentic mexican food on the beach and chere and I had mini massages on beds right there on the beach, that was great! This trip was a once in a life time trip for me as jeff doesn't like to cruise. WE had so much fun. they even recycled there which was amazing! I bought a myan calender piece of art work from a vendor...it made it home safe and sound.
WE had the late dining service at 8:15pm so we could freshen up and relax before dinner. At 5 pm the sushi bar opened up which we ate delicious sushi almost every day. Dinners were deliscious and we ate too much! I surely have gained 5 pounds this week.
All of our meals were plentiful and we enjoyed our wait staff alot. They work so hard to please the guests, they were all foreigners due to the fact that the usa labor laws would not allow americans to work such long hours with out a days break. Most worked 12-18 hours a day, 6 months straight with 2 months off then. But make very little pay, room and board, they share a room with someone and are very small rooms.
The last night we were at dinner and our waiter Chi told us they make $76 dollars a month plus tips...what american is going to work those hours for such little pay? Many of them have been working 10-15 years doing this, china our beverage server, said that the jobs are highly competitve so they feel fortunate to work there.
She had the sweetest smile and was so kind to us, remembered our names and what we drank, we saw her several places working on the ship and she always made us feel special. At the end we tipped both these employees extra due to their excellant service. Chere happened to have some of her cards with photographs of cypress trees so we gave one to each of them. They appeciated them very much.
One of the high lights of the trip was an on board auction of art works, I bid on one that was of a group of woman in a circle dancing. I loved it immediately when I saw it. Bid on it and won it!!!
They took care of it and we were to pick it up the night before our trip home and then were to hand carry it off the boat. Unfortunately, last night when I opened up the package they had the wrong painting...I was crushed!. So I will have to contact them for arrangements...I wonder if I will ever get that piece back or if someone else got mine instead?
I must have picked up something in mexico or perhaps it was the delicious chillean sea bass that was undercooked but was fabulous our last night on the boat or just the overall over eating...I have had to stay near the bathroom since I have come home.
Just wanted to tell you a bit about our trip, it was fabulous and I am so glad that we went. The weather was beautiful, the shore excursions were exciting, informative and fun! The food was delicious and there were great shows in the evening, after dinner with dancers and singers accompanied by live musicians.
Who knows when I will ever get to do that again!
bizi