The Never-Ending Adventure! PART FOUR

Thursday, Jan 31, I didn’t sleep well. I actually never slept well on the ship, and I was awake early each day. Thursday I had lots of time to get ready to meet Mom and Dad for breakfast at 7. We had the buffet. I made myself a yummy croissanwich, but I should have gone easier on the bacon. They had great bacon there!

We met at 8 for the shore excursion, and the boat moored off the coast of Belize. The water is too shallow there, so the boats throw anchor and you have to “tender” on a small boat from the ship to the shore. So we sat in the theater while we waited for them to call off our names to go. The tender boats only held 100 people, and the ride to the shore was a good 20 minutes. We got to shore about 9:30, where we had to gather and wait for the bus. I took advantage of the opportunity to purchase sunglasses, which I badly needed.

The bus was a big tour bus (as were all the ones we rode on), the road however….. It was a one lane road with large, gravel shoulders. So when you encountered oncoming traffic, you didn’t slow down, you merely swerved onto the gravel shoulder, and passed within inches of the other vehicle. It was a hair-raising ride and I’m just thankful I wasn’t in the front to see what we were nearly missing! We bucked, and swayed and jostled for an exciting hour. I couldn’t nap in that! The guide was informative and interesting, and that was good. The driver was great too. He stopped to point out interesting things, like a giant iguana in a tree. We had a couple avid photographers in our group who got pictures of everything, and the guy was sensitive to that.

We stopped at the Mayan ruins of Altun Ha… Or Altuna, if you are Steve! These were way cooler that Quirigua! The guide was good and he talked a bit about the structures and let us climb up them. I think he said they were dated 700-400bc, but I can’t remember. I think they were within the Book of Mormon time period. We were suppose to have an LDS perspective on them, but the second group had Bruce Porter and our guy had gone on a different excursion, so we had no good stuff. That was disappointing, but the place was cool! The site had 2 main plazas and was quite large (although I hear it is small compared to others). I climbed up one of them, but there were a lot of steps and it was so hot. We’d been told that this was a place you wanted to wear long pants and shoes to, so I had. Some others did not, and they did get bug bites, so I felt it was worth it to be a little warmer…. And sweatier, and smellier….

Anyway, the neat thing for me was that this stuff looked like the backgrounds in some of the pictures of Christ visiting the Americas. It was awe inspiring to me to see these giant, pyramid-like structures, and think that Christ could have come here. That when he visited people here, this is the kind of place he came; it looked like this! For me, that was really neat, and I really enjoyed it all.

We even had some time to wander and shop. I enjoyed that very much too! They had the most fantastic wood carvings. They were all hand done, usually by the vendors themselves, and the talent was humbling to me. The things they could do was just amazing and so beautiful. I would have loved to have some of the larger carvings, but how would I lug it home, and where would I put it? They had a lot of different things, and I found a lovely carved shark for Dan. He likes sharks. I didn’t want to pay the $20 or so they were asking, but they wouldn’t go below $13. Mom said I was being ridiculous, and handed me her $3 so I would buy it! It is neat.

We got on the busses and had crappy sack lunches- bologna and Velveeta with wilted lettuce. I think I could have eaten it, but the lettuce did me in. So I ate the chips and the most fantastic banana I’ve ever eaten- local grown. Yum, it was worth it for that banana!

It was an hour drive back to Belize City and it was just as exciting as the way out. Our driver was great enough to drive us by the LDS chapel building there (surrounded by high chain link fence!) and the mission home. He was very good, even if he wasn’t able to give us the LDS lowdown. We got off the bus around 2:30 and we had plenty of time to wander the flea market. It was funny, all the venders would call to me “Hey sweetie, come look over here!” Mom said they called her “Momma” and Kathy was cross that they called her “Grandma!” I finally found some things for the kids: a shirt, a wooden snake, and maracas. We caught a tender back to the ship and were on board about 4ish. I was so hungry, but Mom and Dad wanted to go to the restaurant that didn’t open till 5:30. So I read and relaxed till then. We had the 2 hour, 4 course meal that ended with orange Bavarian cream and a strawberry soufflé. I got both! Can you say YUMMY!

I went back to my room and finished my book. Dad was obsessed with chocolate chip cookies and we had discovered that you could order them from room service. So I did. I got the brownies too, but they were not so tasty. I ate one of each and bagged the rest for the next day.

I want you to know that I had put on sunscreen again, and it did not hold up all day again. I had a red and white stripe on my neck where my bag strap sat. Oops. I had a bit of head ache all day, and surprisingly, it was gone by evening. I wandered up for an evening stroll on the deck. See, in the morning, they come and make your bed and tidy the room. In the evening, they come and turn down the bed and replace towels and stuff. So I had a little time to kill. Oh, they fold your towels in to fun things, and leave mints on your pillow! Talk about pampered!

As an aside here, I had made it a goal to not use the elevator at all. I did get on it once, because Dad made me. It was the huge glass one that you can see all the floors from at the top, and I only rode it for that purpose! Otherwise I ran up and down the stairs. Mom and Dad were 5 flights up, so I ran them a lot! It was odd to be walking, or running and have the ground not be stable. The ship rolled a lot that evening; I think it was extra windy outside. One other thing is that they have mirrors on the wall so you can see yourself as you come down the stairs. I don’t like that! I hope they are “fat” mirrors that make you look bigger than you are. It obviously didn’t help, since I continued to eat every tasty dessert I found!

Grand Adventure.... PART THREE

Well, I told you it was long. Read what you want and skim what you don't!

Wednesday morning I got up at 5:45. Why, you ask? Because of all those delicious things that were padding my waist! I met Dad and we went running and it was great. Maybe not so much for Dad, but I was happy to be the youngest one out there and not the slowest! I had to hurry through the shower to meet Mom and Dad for breakfast at 7:15. Then we had to meet on the 7th deck at 8 with the tour group. The ship docked at Santo Thomas, Guatamala on time and we headed off a little after 8am. The log-jam of people was much less, as we were going to be there from 8-6p. And we were not in a big rush anyway. Since we had a large group, we were split into 2- one group did the river ride first and came back on the bus, while the other took the bus out and returned by the river boat ride. We got on the bus, since Aunt Kathy was running late. It worked out fine, because the bus had to wait for the jungle boat to load up. There were 2 who didn’t fit on the boat and had to come with us on the bus. Kathy had plenty of time to get to the bus before we finally were able to leave at 9.

It was a 90 minute bus ride through Guatamala. We had a guide who pointed out things of interest, but I napped as well, which I appreciated. And I slept well enough on the bus that I drooled, too! While I was awake, I saw farms and fields with cows, jungle and shrubbery, little huts and shacks, and nifty banana farms. It was amazing. I was in Guatamala!

Our destination was the Mayan ruins and Stela of Quirigua. We saw a bunch of the cool, tall carves stones, called Stela (my spelling may be off.). While they were impressive, one would have been enough for me. However, we looked at about 6 of the glyph covered rocks and the guides displayed their impressive knowledge. Again, after 2 I was ready to move on, especially since we didn’t have much time to check out the rest of it. There were fantastic trees, a playing field where they played their winner-gets-to-sacrifice-the-loosers game, and then there were huge stone steps and on the other side of the steps was kind of a foundation and then some rubbly remains of towers and living areas around a large field. I would have liked more time to roam the stuff, but we had to head back to the bus. I did have a little time to shop though, and shop I did! I ended up buying a large, carved wooden mask, which I then had to haul around the rest of the day!

It was a 30 minute drive to the Banan Palm Restaurant, where we had lunch. I had some nice broccili and potatoes; skipped the fish. It was quite tasty and surprisingly filling. After we had lunched- at which place we had met up with the other group, we swapped. They got on our bus, and we took their boats! We got to go for a fantastic jaunt down the river. These boats held about 30 people on bench seats, an they went so fast that the front half of the thing was well out of the water! It was so fast my eyeballs were sucked dry and I had to borrow Mom’s hat to fold down and cut the wind so I could look out. It was breath-taking! Zooming down the river through the jungle sometimes. It was a 2 hour ride, and I loved it. We made 2 stops, well, 3 if you count stopping for gas.

We stopped at a school. We had to hike forever to get to it, but we met a 7th grade class who was studying tourism and agraculture and learnin how to support themselves. We didn’t have enough time to spend with them, and school ended at 4pm, so we headed back to the boat and we continued on. Our next stop was the village (… town?) of Livingston. Our guide gave us a little history lesson that was not as interesting as the alligators they kept in an area in the center of town. I did have some shopping time, and I found a perfect carved bird for Kera. It was so cute!

Unfortunately we were running really behind time. I thought it was only a 5 hour tour, but it was a lot more than that!! We were racing to make it back to the ship. This is when I learned that if you miss the boat, it leaves without you! Aack! We zipped into the dock area at 5:30 on the dot and heaved a sigh of relief. The other group was 10 minutes behind us and they were really sweating it! The ship left at 6pm.

I was so hot and sticky from it all, I washed everything I could reach before we headed to the buffet for dinner. The desserts always look wonderful there, but they never taste as good as they look. I did have to try 2 before I came to that conclusion!

After dinner, I went and sat in the hot tub for a bit with Mom and Dad and Steve and Kathy. That felt pretty good! Then I showered and relaxed till bedtime. I discovered that the sunscreen I had applied in the morning did not last the day and my face was a little toasted. Not uncomfortably so though. It was a very good day, but a rushed and exhausting one!

My Great Adventure Continues! PART TWO

Where was I....? Yes, Monday on the ship. It was an all day at sea day, as we sailed to Honduras. And now I will tell you that I did go to the 2pm lecture. Okay, I mean, I tried! Bruce Porter is brilliant, but nothing was going to keep me awake that sleepy afternoon. I decided to spare myself more embarassment and sleep in my bed in my room, rather than in the conference room. I'll get my notes out on what he said later for you. I got a lovely nap, and felt much better. I met up with Mom and Dad and we nearly blew over th side when we went to the top deck. It wouldn't have been so bad- the ship has strategically located partitions to block the wind- but we went all the way to the front of the ship, where there was nothing to stop the gusts.

We went to the 6pm dinner at the 4 course restaurant. We made friends with a neat couple. hmmm.... it was a husband and wife and their friend, so I guess that's not a couple. The 3 of them were a hoot and made dinner thoroughly enjoyable, and even at 2 hours it didn't seem that long. Ooooh! I had Beef Wellington. And I had Creme Brulee for dessert. They let me have the chocolate mousse cake too, but it was not as tasty as the Creme Brulee!

Despite all the culinary delights, dad still wanted to go try the ice cream bar. Did I go and partake? Yes, I did! Now you know why I gained 10 pounds! Now stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey, I was ready for bed. I had thought that I would have more down time to just relax and do nothing, but I didn't have much all day. I read for a bit and when Sandra came in we stayed up late talking. I felt like I was back in college again!

Tuesday I got up at 6. I was wide awake. I'm not sure why we decided to meet for breakfast at 7, but for some reason, we had. We discovered the omlette bar, where the made it in front of you and you picked what you wanted. Yummy! Once overly full (again!) we went to the 7th deck, to the "promanade". That deck circles the ship and 4 laps equals 1.4 miles. So we walked 4. It was nice. The weather was so sunny and warm, with a gorgeous, calm sea and we enjoyed walking and talking. I even made Mom play half a game of Shuffleboard with me, just to get a picture!

Oh, yeah, we got up early because at 10am Bruce Porter was imparting more nuggests of wisdom. I felt like I got one grain of digestable information off the beach of his knowledge. It was incredible. He rattles off scriptures and tidbits off the top of his head and with such familiarity. I felt like I could only grasp and understand a tiny portion of it. I took notes, and I know there was more than I got, but my brain just couldn't wrap around all ofit. It was good stuff though. He wrapped up about 11:15.

Where did we go for lunch? The buffet, of course. As we were finishing and I was topping off with yummy chocolate ice cream (with sauce and sprinkles!), Bruce Porter and his wife came in. Mom and Dad abandoned me and went to visit with im. I bolted back to my room for some quiet time. I got a little nap, and I did finish reading "Bridge to Terabithia". I'd never read it before! It made me cry.

The boat... er... ship, did dock in Roatan, Honduras at 2:30. It was initially suppose to be in a few hours earlier, but it was running short one engine, and therefore moved a little slower, and we got in later. We met on Deck 7 with the LDS Tour group and jumped into the sea of people jockying to get off the ship. Close to 2000 people all trying to get out 2 doors takes a while. They scan your card before you leave so they know who got off the ship.

Once off, we walked up the road to the busses. Since everyone else was going snorkeling, Mom had managed to get us into something more exciting. Mom, Dad, me, and Sandra (my roommate) got our own van and driver and we went off by ourselves. We met up with a man with horses and we got to go for a horseback ride tour! I had a sour dark brown horse, but we were friends after the first little bit, once we came to an agreement. They were suppose to be gaited horses, but my horse would forget that. Then I had to sit deep, urge him on, and hold him in. We go on fine. We rode through the village, and along the beach. So fun! We got to ride through the jungle too. The village was so different from what I see around me evey day. The jungle and beach were so pretty and amazing to see. I mean, I was riding down the beach! I loved it! My legs weren't so happy by the end, but it was worth a slightly sore backside! I sat there on this horse and thought, "I can't believe I am riding a horse in Honduras!" It was so great.

The horses were small and cute. Even Dad was okay on his. It was way better than snorkeling. After the ride we did go to the beach for dinner. That's where we met up with the snorkelers, at a restaurant on the beach. I was excited to have native cuisine, but I'm not sure how native it was. I got the chicken dish (rather than fish!) and it was quite tasty. I've never had rice and beans that tasted so good. We got to watch the sun set over the beach and it was lovely. There was a little native girl selling cute bracelets, so I got 2 for my girls. We had to hurry back to the dock then, and there was a maze of people selling things. Expensive things. There was a very cute chicken toy. The chickens pecked the ground.... it was cute, trust me. And it reminded me of motherhood- sometimes with the kids, I feel like I'm being pecked to death by chickens! So I had to buy it. Actually, I wanted it, but I wasn't going to spend $9 for it. I said $5 was as high as I would go. The lady held at $6. I said too bad, I wasn't going more than $5. The lady in the next stall over said, "I give it to you for $5!" So I did get it. And I love it!

We only had 4 hours in Roatan. Not nearly enough time to do much. We had to be on board 30 minutes before the ship sailed, and we were. I had to show my ID and room key 3 times, and went through the metal detector, so I felt pretty secure after all that. It would be nearly impossible to sneak onboard! After all that fun, we had to go up for dessert.... ice cream and chocolate cake! It was such a fantastic day! I thought that it was going to be the best day of the whole trip. How do you top that?!

The great Adventure Begins!!! PART ONE

Sunday January 28, I was a little teary eyed and sniffly as I left my baby with Kera and drove away. It was a quiet 4 hour drive to New Orleans, and then the instructions became vague and unhelpful. Fortunately, it was Mardi Gras season and we had to stop for a parade. Mom hopped out and asked the nice policeman how to get where we were going.

We still got lost in the maze of roads, but found the right place.... only to discover the parking lot (booked online!) was under construction. Oh, the horrible possibilites! Had we been hoodwinked by an unscrupulous con artist? We drove around and finally found someone who assured us we were okay. We parked and were shuttled to the dock.

Such an enormous sight. 13 stories (decks?) tall and larget than a football field... oh wait. We had to get through the big building first. There wer porters who took our bags as soon as we drove in and all we had to haul around was a small carry on bag. But we had to wait. Wait in a line to get into the building, wait to go through the metal detectors, and more waiting in line to get checked in. At that point, Ino longer needed my passport. I was given a plastic room key that also doubled as my ID and credit card. All ship-board charges would go to my room, and the key was all I needed (well, and another picture ID) to get back on the ship after a shore excursion.


Once on board, you couldn't go to your room till 2pm, and it was not quite 1pm. So we had a lovely leisurely lunch at the 4 course restaurant on the ship. That was neat. I felt a bit underdressed in a T shirt, and the waiters were so elegant and called me "madame", and the food was artistically presented and lovely. At 2 we went to my room to drop off my bag and check it out. I was in room 6032 and I had a window! We went up to room 11025, which was Mom and Dad's room. Then we visited Uncle Steve and Aunt Kathy in room 11008. They sprung for the room with the balcony and said it was worth it.

At 4pm the ship had an emergency drill where you had to practice putting on your life vest and finding your evacuation sopt. And I met my roommate- Sandra, a BYU student from Madagascar. Such a cool girl! I so totally lucked out! So then Mom and Dad and I explored the ship a bit. Oh, the ship was the Norwegian Spirit, by the way. At 6pm we met in the "Windows Restaurant" for dinner. All the LDS tour crowd was suppose to be there, but we didn't know them yet. There were 100 or so in the LDS Tour group. Dinner was a 2 hour, 4 course affair, and I had to hustle to change into church clothes for the 8pm Sacrament service. Just as the meeting was ending, several cell phones went off telling people that the Prophet had died. That was sad.

Monday morning I was up early to run with Dad. We thought about using the treadmill, but so bo-ring! We went ahead and ran on the 12th deck ourdoor track. It took 6 laps to make a mile, and I hate to count! It was fun to run with the roll of the ship. And going one way you had the wind blasting you along, but on the other side it was trying to push you back- lots of fun! We went to the buffet for breakfast and at 10am we met in the conference room for a lecture. Bruce Porter is this guru of ancient texts and Book of Mormon stuff. He was amazing. We also had a meet and greet that was fun. There were a lot of older people there and some of them were a bit long winded, but overall it was fun to learn about them. Even funner was when one couple got up, they mentioned that they been neighbors with another couple who'd already introduced themselves, and that couple jumped up and shrieked "We've been looking for you for years!" It was cute. And another lady discovered that someone in the group had been her German teacher. I love how the world is so small! I took more notes than I meant to with Bruce Porter, but it was such great stuff! No one seemed to want to break for lunch, but we were hungry. Bruce said he would come up with something to teach us and we could meet back at 2.

Did I mention that the buffet has an ice cream bar? I indulged (many times!) and was too tired after lunch. What did I do?!! Did I stay and learn like the self-dubbed "Bruce Porter Groupies"? Or did I slack off and nap while digesting an enormous lunch? Stay tuned for more exciting adventure when I can again keep my eyes open!

(Tell me- do you want it this detailed? More? Less? Pix of what? I took 175 of them!)

I spoke with Nephi!

Yes, I did! That was the name of our tour guide yesterday. But that's another story for another day. My delimma is: should I put all my notes from this trip in a blog, or not? Do you really care about my most fantastic time? I wrote everyday.... longhand. And I have about 25 pages of journal. If I blog it, it will take a lot of space. Of course, I have a ton of pix as well. hee hee hee. Tonight Dad and I went all around the ship looking for fun photo ops. SO much fun! Wait, that's been every day! This was the most fun thing I have ever done! I will definately blog about it later. Its just a matter of, do you want the funn details, or the overall story.

I have had a blast. The ship is fun, the shore excursions have been beyond amazing, and this has been wonderful. I have been very surprised how little I have worried about the kids! Tomorrow I'll see my baby, and it will be Monday evening before I get home.

.... details to come.... eventually!