Sunday, 8 February 2015

1 Feb Tampa


1 Feb 2015: TAMPA

Well here we go again, at the end of my 2nd week on the ship and starting my 3rd.Hubby off and a beautiful day, so we walked along the Tampa River Walkway all along the waterfront. Was great to just go for a walk and spend time in a lovely hotel and drink a cappuccino. There we could do all our business but something is wrong with my computer because I still could not get one picture posted on my blog even tried to copy and paste with no success. So will be sending some via e-mails and others on Facebook. Along this waterfront it was amazing to see some of the boats that are moored along these slipways, definitely the rich and famous, huge and beautiful. Saw all these coloured beads on some of the boats and wondered what it meant, only to found out later that it has to do with the super bowl football that took place last night. Even got cookies when we got back on the ship that looked like a ball, and flags all over. Something  like a rugby final at home! I assume. Even tried to watch a while but did not have a clue of how things work, totally unknown to me .Anyway on our walkabout came across a bike station along the water way which I thought was great, you have tools that hang on cables to fix your bike and a bike pump for flat tyres. Wonder why I would think that something like that would definitely not work at home!!! This is a very clean and tidy city or in the areas where I have been, which is great, told you earlier that from the sky  the place also looks lovely. At 14h00 it was time to get back to the ship, so off we went. Can’t imagine that it is snowing and freezing cold in Boston, Chicago, New England and New York, (flight from JFK to Tampa was only 3 hours) to give you an idea of how far away it is, anyway I am not complaining for we have had a beautiful day. Watched the sail away from deck 6 and you have a beautiful view of Tampa as we leave the harbour. The seagulls seem to play in the ships wake or catch fish for every week they follow, while we leave.

2 Feb 2015: @SEA

Today we are @ sea, so I decided I should go to the gym and work off all the nice food I have been indulging. Had a good time and then it was time for the buffet on deck 11, was raining outside so sat in one of the inside seating areas. After breakfast I decided I would go to another talk on the different shore side excursions because the first talk just gives you so much information so second time round you have a better idea of what is going on and what would be a good choice, as my kids would say TMI(too much information)Was nice to watch the video clips of all the different options you have because I recognised a lot of the places. In Cozumel we actually walked past the Dolphin encounter area and place where you swim and touch the stingrays, the dune buggies passed  us and they were covered in mud so you could see, they had a good time and were still smiling!! The video clip on them looks cool, muddy, dirty, bumpy, scary, exciting, a wild ride in the jungle!! Actually I think I could compare this ride to one I had on a land drover on a ladies night on the farm Dalheim in the Karoo a few moons ago, on a full moon night!!! Lekkkkeeer gewees. Tomorrow we are back in Roatan Honduras and I am going on a walk with hubby again, or should I say boot camp, have not learnt my lesson!! Hope i survive to tell the tail!!! Until tomorrow, bye.

3 Feb 2015 Roatan Honduras

Voor ek vergeet sien dit is weer Afrikaanse dag se beurt!!!! Dink ek gaan vir my n lekker vet Mexikaanse sigaar koop en as ek tuis is n Mexikaanse aand hou, dan drink ons Tequila,eet tortillas,en salsa, vat maar n ou trek van die sigaar dan kan ek se, ek het al!! en speel kaart, dit klink vir my lekker,sluit Mexico af op n hoe noot!!! Hoe se hulle probeer alles en behou die goeie.Gelukkig kom Liefie n week na my by die huis dan kan ek dit eers uit toets,die kos bedoel ek, want ek het mos maar n geskiedenis met die kos maakery!!!  Ek het voor Liefie afgeklim vandag en op die pier vir hom gesit en wag. Die crew het n vuur drill gehad wat bitter lank gevat het en ek het gelukkig langs 2 oulike ou mense van Canada beland wat gelukkig met al ons gesels en stories toe darem die tyd omgekry het.Toe is ons twee die state van Roatan in, al langs die waterkant wat omtrent n eye-opener was. Van die skip en see lyk die plek mooi en jy sien die pragtige oerwoud,digte bosse en tropiese gevoel.Hoe verder ons gegaan het hoe erger raak dit ,plek is vuil en vervalle,vullis le orals en die see het n digte seegras uitgespoel orals langs die kant,wat na n dag in die son nie so lekker ruik nie.Tot n vark aan n ketting gekry reg langs n huis so op die waterkant.Moet bieg hulle waarsku mense op die skip om nie juwele te dra as jy buite hawe gebied inbeweeg nie en ook nie om alleen rond te loop nie, so dit se ook alles! Na n hele ent se gestap,toe se ek nee wat, het nou genoeg gehad van die depressing uitsig laat ons eerder weer terug hawe toe.Mense is arm en kry swaar eintlik hartseer want as hulle seker die geld gehad het kon die plek bitter mooi gewees het.Hier en daar is n groot huis of hotel in wording maar so tussen die vervalle dele.Daarom gaan die meeste passasiers met begeleide toere as hulle die dele besoek .So terug by die hawe gebied rustig teen die waterkant gesit en toe is dit weer skip toe.Die sonsondergang was weer pragtig met ons vertrek uit die hawe en die volmaan het ook so oor die see opgekom wat bitter mooi was,het n paar fotos van dit geneem .Dink nie sal weer so n stap tog op ons eie aandurf nie, so dis of shore excurtion of niks!!

4 Feb 2015: Belize City

Left the ship on the tender boat for Belize City just after breakfast. I always enjoy the tender boat ride, sat right at the back of the boat and love the feeling when they open all the engines and it makes this huge wake behind the boat. Then I went straight to the hotel where I was going to spend the day at the poolside and enjoy the free Wi-Fi.  Was very humid and was in and out of the pool all day long. The harbour areas where they drop you of is fine and have lots of shops but as soon as you leave the harbour area it is a bit dodgy. These 2 ports are not so great because they are not like Costa Maya, Cozumel and Tampa where you have lots to do on your own and go walking around all day long .Hubby had a busy day and had 3 passengers that had to stay behind because of their medical conditions and were not fit to travel any further. Well as he said to one guy, I have to do what is best for you and your health now, you can always come back to cruise but if I don’t get you off the ship alive you won’t be coming back!!! so that was the end of the conversation. Because of all this drama with the sick passengers we left a little later than usual but they say the captain has a heavy foot or hand and we made up time to our next port of call during the night.

5 Feb 2015 Costa Maya

Woke up and thought we were going to have bad weather but thank goodness when I went up for breakfast saw it was going to clear up and things looked good. Ver y excited because was my first day here with hubby and he was going to show me around. Good news he actually took a photograph of me with the feathery guys and with a Mexican hat on my head!!! Het mooi praat gekos!!! Then off we went on our walk to the beach area which is about 3km from the ship terminal area. Jy kan n trollie rit vat vir $3 maar van der Merwe wil stap ,so daar gaan ons al stapende wat eintlik baie lekker was want jy sien meer so stapende en kan stop vir fotos ens.Besef die plek is regtig nog aan die ontwikkel  so kan glo nog net 10 jr oud.Basiese goed reeds gedoen soos van die paaie geteer en huise nog aan die bou.Die strand gedeelte baie mooi en vreeslik baie stalletjies met allerhande goed te koop,orals hangmatte tussen die palmbome en het n rustic gevoel aan die plek aards,chilled.Duikers paradise beach bum lewe!!! No worries, wat ons nie vandag doen nie, doen ons more.Ook baie tafels onder die palmbome met masseurs, so orals le mense en word masseer,vettes,maeres,mooies,lelikes, noem maar op,moet bieg lyk lekker .Ons het toe tot aan die einde van die strand gedeelte gestap ook verby dele waar hulle nog die pad bou.Langs die pad het ons n Ma hond gekry met 1 kleintjie waarmee sy gespeel het en sommer weer besef n Ma bly n Ma was te oulik om hulle dop te hou, te pragtig .Ons het toe later ons tuis gemaak onder die palmbome reg langs n hangmat en natuurlik na n lekker swem het ek my tuis gemaak in die hangmat wat toe lekkerder is as om op die strand te le!!! Gelukkig kon ek Liefie ompraat om dit darem ook op kamera vas te le maar toe ek natuurlik vir hom wil afneem in die hangmat was dit n verlore saak,geen manier dat hy dit gaan doen nie.Na n lekker dag op die strand was dit weer tyd vir terugkeer skip toe en ons is weer te voet terug skip toe.Het natuurlik die fout gemaak en nie na hom geluister nie en met sloffies gestap so teen die tyd was my voete seer en aan die brand,kan dalk more wakker word met n blaas of twee!! Was bitter dankbaar het die fotos van die mexikaanse hoed en tradionele ouens geneem met aankom op die hawe want om na n dag in die son iemand te probeer oorreed sou seker op n baklei uitgeloop het!! Wel ons het n heerlike dag gehad en ek het dit vreeslik geniet,is maar net baie lekkerder as mens dit saam kan doen. More is ons weer in Cozumel en hy werk so ek gaan of saam met die ander op n Zeep toer om die eiland of saam met Ulrike swem met die stingrays hoor eers more watter een, altwee klink  lekker.So tot more mooi bly

6 Feb 2015 Cozumel

Die wolke begin inbeweeg en  die see is opgekrap ,lyk my we in for a rough ride all the way back to Tampa. Got of the ship to have a coffee at Starbucks while we wait for our shore excursion at 12h00 but was very disappointed when it was cancelled due to bad weather. The other guys had already left on their Zeep ride, so I missed out on that. Any way maybe next time. The Epic that was due to be in port at 9h00 and only arrived at 11h30 and battled to dock in the high and rough sea. Waves are breaking over the walls so you get a quick shower if you are not careful. Think I might try and post my blog when I get off again as soon as the Epic has docked because they close the gangway until it has docked. So off I went, first just browsed in some of the shops and saw lovely things if only I had lots of space to take all these things back with me.hangmatte ,hangstoele, hoedens,mooi pottery en borde,leer artikels,juwele,oulike strand klere,hierso dra hulle sulke visnet toppies oor hulle costuum of serpe om die heupe of om die nek.Het net by starbucks gaan sit toe Ulrike my nooi om saam met hulle in Hooters te kom sit waar hulle vir hulle middagete bestel het.Daar het ons toe vasgeval  en lank vertoef aangesien die weer nie vandag saam speel nie,gelukkig nie gereen nie maar sterk wind.Terug op die skip eers vir my n lekker warm koppie tee gaan maak en geswig voor die koekies!!!! More is dit weer gym toe om die gewete te sus.Nou ja tot more mooi bly,n rowwe nag op die see is ons voorland,baie dankbaar raak nie seesiek nie.Tot nou toe goeie weer gehad so kan nie kla nie.

7 Feb 2015 @ SEA

Well last night we were rocking and rolling and huge waves came past our porthole but once I was asleep nothing worried me!!Could not even try and think what it must be like in a very small yacht just the idea too much for me, think you will have to strap yourself to your bed or you won’t be sleeping. This morning all was forgotten and time for gym and a nice breakfast. While I was having breakfast I heard a conversation going on between passengers about traveling and was interesting to hear what people do to make traveling easier .The one guy said less clothes, small digital camera or take photographs with your smart phone, wiber, skype or facebook to communicate with home, small suitcase because in Europe the cars are small and you download maps of places/GPS and off you go!! Trip adviser had also helped them a lot with nice places to stay in. The other couple said that THINGS, sometimes keep us from living our dreams, and going places which I thought was very true or you save for one day but that day never comes, how many people have saved for their old day but before we get there, your partner dies or you get sick, so why do we not learn from other peoples mistakes. Anyway we have been friends with a couple that we met as students and I always use them as an example, they live today, not poer poer but 110%,go places small kids in tow, seen the world, nothing puts them off of following their dreams and doing things, amazing,  always up to something, both have just done the half ironman in East London, wonder what will be next!!! Tomorrow we are back in Tampa but I will be doing my walk on my own for hubby on duty. This coming week we are planning our snorkelling trip when we get to Cozumel on Friday and hold thumbs we have a perfect day for diving. So until next time cheers.

 

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