With the trip to New Zealand now 23 days away, all I can think about is traveling, so here’s a recap of our trip to Mexico in August 2008.
We enjoyed our first visit to Mexico (albeit short), so we decided to go back, this time staying a bit longer. Although Cancun is usually the destination for many tourists along the Mayan Riviera, I voted for the quieter Playa del Carmen, an hour to the south. We elected to also stay at an all-inclusive resort and all in all were very happy with our choice.
The Hotel Riu Palace Riviera Maya was a rather impressive facility and immediately lived up to our expectations. With a liquor dispenser in the room, regular restocking of the mini-bar, and 24 hour room service, we were in Heaven; we also probably didn’t really take advantage of the amenities. We drank non-stop the first two days, but then it got pretty old and we didn’t drink much for the rest of the trip. (Also, I kept drinking strawberry daquiris and would just get full before I got buzzed=way too watered down). The resort had several restaurants (Japanese, Mexican, French Fusion, Brazilian, American Steakhouse), and ate once at each for dinner. For breakfast and lunch, we stuffed ourselves at the buffet and for afternoon and midnight snacks, room service. 
You would think that I would have gained weight but I usually stay pretty active on my vacations…
As I’ve mentioned before, Alex prefers his vacations to be opportunities to relax; I see vacations as a time for excitement and exploring. As this particular vacation was 8 days long, we could strike a bit of a compromise with a good bit of laying around tempered with experiencing the Mexican countryside. We arrived on a Thursday and laid around until our first excursion to swim with whale sharks on Sunday. I’ve already detailed that experience here.
We slept in on Monday and awoke Tuesday to travel to Coba, which is the oldest and largest Mayan site. Most people visit Chichen Itza or Tulum (which I visited while on the Cruise in 2007), as both sites are well excavated and the buildings in rather good shape. I haven’t visited Chichen Itza, but Coba was much larger in area than Tulum, with many buildings not even excavated and mostly hidden by the encroaching jungle. It also has the tallest pyramid of the Yucatan Pennisula, Nohoch Mul. You cannot climb the large pyramids at the other two Mayan sites, and the story was while we were there in August 2008 was that Coba would soon be following suit, so we were lucky to have visited when we did.
After our tour guide had shown us around many of the excavated ruins and shared information about the Mayan civilization, we were encouraged to walk, bike, or be driven in a little rickshaw-type contraption the 2 miles to Nohoch Mul. Alex and I elected to rent bikes, and that was an adventure itself as it had probably been 10 years since I had ridden a bike (but its true, once you learn…).
We rode past several other partially excavated sites on our way, choosing to stop at some on the way there, and stopped at the rest on the way back. Alex likes to act like he couldn’t care less about this stuff, but he was rather enthralled, taking photo after photo. We arrived at the base of the pyramid and it truly was a site to behold. Photos don’t do justice to the sheer steepness of the pyramid. We began climbing up the pyramid, slowly due to scared and/or out of shape people in front of us. Arriving at the top, we had a great view of the jungle surrounding us, with only a few ruins poking out here and there. On our way down, Alex was able to step down as if he were going down modern stairs, but the shallow, uneven steps made me too nervous to be that confident and I went down the pyramid crouched (but not on my butt as some people were doing).
Arriving back at our van, we took off down the highway, on our way to a Mayan village. The tour group that we booked with pay these people to stay in their village and continue living in the tradition of their ancestors. Upon arrival, we stripped off our clothing to nothing but bathing suits and tennis shoes and began traipsing through the jungle surrounding the village. Along the way, the tour showed us the flora and fauna of the local area. At one point, he halted us and became extremely serious. He said, “Stay as far to the left through here and hurry through quickly,” giving no explanation as to why. After we had proceded along to a safe distance, this is when he shared that he had spotted a jumping pit viper.
But not to worry, if anyone had been bitten, there was medicine in the village that would preserve the victim for an hour, which was long enough to make it to nearest hospital for the medicine that would save their life.
I’m sorry, but why couldn’t you just have the LIFE saving medicine in the VILLAGE?!
Anyway, as I’m not too afraid of snakes, we carried on, first arriving at a collapsed cenote (underwater river), which had become home to crocodiles. We were to zip-line across, which was cool, but after our Honduras trip , I think Alex and I just have high expectations. Further down the path we arrived at another cenote, this one still entact. We were to rappel down into the cold, blue water below and paddle about on inner tubes. However, prior to going down, we were to be blessed by a little Mayan priest dude. The theory was that these waters are sacred to their culture. It was cool and all but being the cynical Americans that we are kinda thought it was just a big touristy act.
Look at my face!
I have never done any mountain climbing or other sport that requires ropes, so I was nervous about rappeling down into the water. It wasn’t until I saw the small boys (age 8 and 12) in our group have no trouble with it that I was prepared for my turn and I rappelled slowly down into the water. After climbing up rocks and trekking in a humid jungle, the cold water was Heaven. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to stay long at all and soon it was time to leave. We had two choices: a rope ladder or the Mayan Elevator, which were two Mayans hoisting my big butt out with ropes. Alex, being the big tough dude that he is, elected the rope ladder, but I was smart and chose the “elevator.” He remarked during the remaining days of our vacation how dumb that idea was, still sore days later.
By this point, we had been awake since 6 am with nothing to eat all day and it was already 2pm in the afternoon. We had worked up appetites and were STARVING! However, there was still canoeing to be done. Alex and I were ready to eat and literally paddled out into the middle of the lake and paddled right back, with the attitude of, “Ok, we did everything. Now can we eat?”
I don’t remember exactly what was even served, except that it was traditional Mayan cuisine and I skipped over most, being a rather picky eater (as well as nervous about contracting “Montezuma’s Revenge”). Alex mentioned only after we had left the jungle that he had seen a tarantula; I was happy to not have glimpsed it as I think I may have started running (not safe in a jungle full of jumping pit vipers). We also saw a monkey in a tree during our outing, therefore checking off Monkey and Crocodile on the #38 thing to do (I also count seeing Whale Sharks on this list).
The next day, Wednesday, was our last full day at the resort and we mostly just laid around, although we did take a moment to take a photo with the monkey they would take around the resort once a day. Alex had become obsessed with the monkey and had been begging to take a photo with it all week.
We also finally went parasailing, which was actually a hold over from my original list from high school. While it had been sunny all week, when we got on the boat, a storm, complete with lightning, came along. The storm quickly passed and we went up. It was fun to be able to see the resort and the beach from that height, but I think Alex and I have built up a tolerance to most things, seeking a bigger adreniline rush with each new encounter.
We had a great time and I would definitely go back. I’d like to go down into more cenotes and check out Chichen Itza finally. There’s also supposed to be this eco-water park near Tulum that I think would be a lot of fun to do snorkeling in. I’ve never been to the west coast of Mexico though; anyone have any suggestions about making it over Cabo or even Mexico City (I think at least going to Tenochtitlan/learn about the Aztecs).
Let’s be realistic. I’m probably not going to visit every country. I don’t even WANT to visit EVERY country (I mean, I’m cool if I never visit Chad or Uzbekistan). BUT there are certainly ones that I’d really like to visit and if I ended up just making it to every continent, I’m doing pretty well! So here they are in list of priority:
- New Zealand (obviously that’s getting ready to be checked off)
- Sweden/Norway (I desperately want to stay in a Ice Hotel and maybe check off #32 See the Northern Lights)
- Antartica (they offer cruises there and you can get off the boat and see penguins!)
- Kenya (I want to do a safari and climb Mt. Kilimanjaro)
- Greece (I was this close to going my Senior year of college. I paid my deposit on September 7, 2001. The next week changed international travel for awhile. BUT a group still goes every other January and they are always looking for chaperones…)
- Japan (My friend Heather lived there and taught English as a Second Language for 2 years and I never took advantage of having a place to crash and a person that could give me all the “must-see” places to visit)
- Peru (Machu Picchu)
- Brazil (Maybe during Carnivale? and to see Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janiero)
- United Kingdom (Deep down, I’ve always been terribly fascinated with all things British/Irish/Scottish-sorry Wales-and I think I could easily spend a month here)
- Germany (Ditto about all things German. AND I’ll get to brush off my incredibly rusty German. At least I already know how to swear-Scheisse!)
- Russia (Kremlin)
- Australia (Ayer’s Rock, Sydney Opera House, Great Barrier Reef)
- Spain (Running of the Bulls in Pamplona!)
- China (Great Wall)
- India (Taj Majal)
- Egypt (Pyramids)
- Cambodia (Angkor Wat)
- Turkey (Hagia Sophia)
I can hear it now: you mean, no France? Yeah, never really felt the need to visit France. And Canadia isn’t on the list either, but I figure I’ll visit “North Montana” eventually. And if I don’t, am I really missing anything?
So what other countries should I put on my list? These are definitely my top 18 but I’m open to adding others.
In honor of our little “snow storm” we’re experiencing here in NC (which, by the way, means 4 inches of snow and 1 inch of ice has plunged us into a State of Emergency and has effectively shut the whole state down), I’ll repost this little entry from about a year ago. Enjoy!
Ok, ok, I know there are some of you that may think this is something easily accomplished when you are six years old, but considering I am from Eastern North Carolina where 1) the average temperature in winter is 50 degrees and 2) there is mostly flat coastal plain, I have never had the opportunity.
I remember when I was younger and we had one snow storm, my father MADE a sled out of wood. We had one slight hill in my neighborhood, but it really didn’t work for sledding. I could drag my younger brother around, which was fun for him, but I soon realized I was getting the raw end of the deal. My father tried to remedy this situation and tied the sled to the back of his Ford Ranger. He plopped my brother and I down on the sled, bundled in scratchy Army blankets, and we took off behind him down our road. This worked until he stopped to check on us. When he got back in the truck to continue our ride, he took off too quickly, taking the sled and leaving my brother and I and all of our blankets sitting on the icy road.
Needless to say, I don’t count this experience as having gone sledding. I attended Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia; by attending a school in the mountains, I thought for sure I would get the chance to go sledding. Even before I began my studies there, I had heard stories of girls sledding down Tinker Beach (a large hill behind Tinker Dorm where girls would sunbathe in warmer months) on cafeteria trays. Alas, I managed to miss all of the snow storms during my tenure, either being away for the Christmas holidays or away on internships during the month-long January term.
So today when I was out and about helping cover both the winter weather and the Presidential Inauguration, I saw some kids sledding down the big hill near the Amphitheater at Neuse River in Downtown Smithfield. I pulled over to get some video footage and mentioned to one of the parents that I had never experienced it. She quickly offered up a sled and, with camera in hand, I took off down the hill.
It was almost fun enough to wish I lived in snowier areas of the country. Almost.
I love lists. They give me a sense of accomplishment. I have two different “To Do” lists at work, all prioritized from High, Medium, and Low. So I will admit that when it comes to THIS list, I sometimes get caught up in the activity of getting things checked off; I turn it into work. However, the point of even having a 101 Things to Do Before You Die list is to be encouraged to embrace life and experience all there is to offer. In that vein, there are often some random things that I encounter that while not necessarily on THE OFFICIAL LIST, I should probably still experience.
You know, like the the Krispy Kreme Challenge.
I wrote about this last year but here is the description again: The race, scheduled for Feb. 6, is the brainchild of a handful of N.C. State University students who came up with the idea several years ago to run from campus to the Krispy Kreme store on Peace Street and back, eating a dozen donut in between. Fast forward a few years, and the KKC attracts thousands of runners, and raises money for the N.C. Children’s Hospital.
The true challenge is to run the two miles from the N.C. State University Bell Tower, eat the dozen donuts, and run back in an hour, while keeping the doughnuts down. Stretches of Peace, St. Mary’s and Hillsborough streets end up getting littered with the partially-digested doughnuts by those runners who can’t quite hold on to the baked goods.
If all the runners eat their donuts, that will mean a total of 72,000 doughnuts inhaled in one morning. Probably not a fun day to be on the clean-up crew.
I know quite a number of people that have either done it before or are doing it for the first time. The limit of 6,000 runners was this past Monday, but I’m really thinking I need to add this to my 2011 goals (although probably as a “Casual Runner”). Afterall, by that time I will have ran a Marathon, so this would be easy! Would make for a good story, anyway.
You know how I’m always going on and on about how I never drink or ever party up? Well, for the most part, that’s true. However, like most everyone, I’ve got a few stories, and one of those stories is about how I spent one July night in Atlantic City back in 2004.
My good friend from Hollins, Sumner, had visited Atlantic City several times with her girlfriends in DC and she invited me and another girlfriend from Hollins, Courtney, up for a girls night in the AC. We headed up to DC Friday night to get up early and hit the road Saturday morning. Five girls in a tiny little rental car hit bumper to bumper traffic heading into the Vegas of the East Coast for its busiest night of the week.
I remember that we all stayed in one room in a hotel way off the strip (when you’re young, its nothing to think of piling 5 people into one room-now I shudder to think) and I honestly can’t remember what we ate for dinner/where we ate dinner. I DO remember very plainly that my friend Courtney had mentioned that she had missed her period and was beginning to worry if she was pregnant. Courtney had gotten married the previous October, so this wasn’t a bad thing, per se, but she had planned to enjoy herself during this weekend and if she was pregnant, she obviously wouldn’t be drinking. So before we headed out for the evening, Courtney went to a local pharmacy and bought several pregnancy tests. Four pregnancy tests later, 2 were positive and 2 were negative. So on the safe side, Courtney wasn’t drinking for the evening (btw, the following March she had her first child, Kabell)
I had never gone gambling before and when we went into our first casino, I was rather overwhelmed (as I can imagine many are) and just followed wherever everyone else went. We finally began playing some slot machines and all I had brought to play with was a roll of quarters. I played these for about an hour until I ran out of money-they kinda got boring fast and its the only time I’ve played slot machines since. We soon decided to move on from the slots (i.e. we ran out of money) and decided to go out dancing. We headed over to the Casbah at Trump Taj Majal, which was probably the coolest club I had seen at that point in my short little life. There were girls dancing in cages and every so often silvery confetti rained down on the dance floor.
Anyone who has ever drank will know what I mean in the following sentence: I began drinking and they were going down way too easily. My usual drink of choice is screwdrivers-I always say that the vitamins in Orange Juice counteract the bad stuff in alcohol, so its “healthier.” I started out drinking screwdrivers but then I began playing the game of “I really have a great buzz and I want to keep it so I need to keep drinking.” So I began to doing straight shots of vodka. It quickly became apparent to the others in my group that I was bad off and the time for heading back to the hotel had come.
All I remember was walking down a long hallway in the casino, and I kept thinking (and probably saying) that we were lost. Eventually we made it to the front of the casino, where we had to wait (seemingly) forever for a cab. Once in the cab, I quickly began to feel sick and rolled the window down to get some air. When we came to a stop at the next intersection, I opened the door with the urgency to throw up. However, I’m a big baby about throwing up-its scares me and I will do anything to not get sick. The cab driver quickly surmised what I was up to and began shouting at me in a thick accent, ”Do NOT throw up in the car! Get out of the car!” to which I yelled back, “I’m not going to throw up in your car, a$$hole.” Yeah, I get belligerent and mean and (the worst) emotional when I get drunk. I think you could believe me that I don’t normally swear at strangers, but I obviously wasn’t myself.
We made our way back to the hotel without incident and as soon as we entered the room, I made a beeline to one of the beds (we had gotten two double beds and a cot). I found out later this was in much protest as I had chosen a) a bed instead of the cot and b) the bed furthest from the bathroom. Regardless, I passed out immediately, fully clothed.
The next morning, as you can imagine, I felt like Hell. I’ve since had worse hangovers with less to drink, but that’s old age for you. When I finally made it to the shower, I realized I had the silvery confetti everywhere, even down my underwear (how the HECK did THAT happen?) Moving much more slowly than my compatriots, we gathered our belongings and hit the road back to DC. We decided to stop at a Denny’s or IHOP or something, where we had to wait forever (at which point I thought I may get sick again) but amazingly after I had food on my stomach, I felt 100% better (ah….if it was only that simple nowadays).
The trip to DC wasn’t that bad, but then I immediately had to get in my own car to drive 4 hours back to NC. I’m amazed I stayed awake; that was a lot of time in a car with a hangover.
So that is my experience with New Jersey, other than driving through several times on the way to and from New York and places beyond. I guess I could give it another try as I’m sure there is more to New Jersey other than the Turnpike and AC, but I don’t know what. Do you have a good reason for me to give NJ a second chance? AND, I know there’s got to be some good stories of nights on the town-let’s hear ‘em!
When I was in college, my roommate Heather had studied Tarot and would do our readings every now and then as something fun. Another roommate that Heather had known before college didn’t consider Tarot to be “just for fun” and began relying on the cards before she made any decision. I remember her getting ready to go out with a guy for the night and having Heather do her reading about how the date would go.
It was always interesting how you could make the cards “fit” your life and sometimes trick yourself into believing the cards were referring to a certain person or a specific event. Later in life I happened to mention this story to a colleague and when she left our company, she actually gave me a set of Tarot Cards. I sat down with them to try to memorize each card’s meaning in an effort to try to do readings, but I soon gave it up and they’ve been sitting on a shelf ever since.
This past October, I bid on a “New Year’s Reading” in a silent auction and won. I thought it would be fun because I had never had a palm reading done and this would be different because it would be a complete stranger trying to tell me my fortune.
My “New Year’s Reading” was done last Wednesday and she started out by reading my palm. Apparently I have a rather long life line and should live until my 80s (there goes completing Thing to Do #100: Live to 100). On my right hand (my dominant hand) the life line is continuous, but on my left it branches off, meaning that I will have a potential crises when I am 35 or 40. The “Mound of Venus” or the fleshy part of my palm leading to my thumb has lots of little lines, meaning I have a very healthy and robust love life, although a line under my pointer finger suggested that I have a lost love somewhere in my life (who doesn’t?). The “Mound of the Moon” or the side of my palm leading to my little finger has lots of little lines, meaning I have the potential for creativity but have not yet explored this part of my life. My right hand suggests that I will have one child, but the left says two (although she did mention that this particular “tell” was not always accurate). I will travel some in my life but it will not be a large part of my life/something that I must do regularly.
Flipping my hand over, she bent my fingers, finding that I am flexible when it comes to minor concerns, but overall I stand firm and will not give on issues that I feel strongly about. The base of my fingers suggested that I was very grounded.
So up until this point, all pretty vague stuff that I felt could be applied to anyone. I mean, what do you consider traveling? Going to the beach or to the mountains every now and then? Who doesn’t do that?
She then took my wedding ring to feel its “vibrations.” It told her that Alex and I were a good match and complimented each other well. He is more “steady” than I am, keeping the course and rarely deviating, while I sometimes go off, and that he adores me. - Ok, probably pretty true, we’re both pretty steady but between the two of us, I’m more given to “flights of fancy.” And of course he adores me 
After that we began the Tarot reading. She did a simpler reading than Heather did back in college, only laying out five cards for a 5-6 month reading into the future. The first reading was a general one; the first few months would be of growth and contemplation. However, for May I got ‘The Devil’ card, which is one of the worst you can get! It suggests being tied to the material world, having a wrong set of priorities, but then June went on to suggest a period of growth again.
The next reading was specifically for my marriage. The first card was the “Ace of Pentacles” followed by two cups cards, and then the King and Queen of Pentacles – this was all good, meaning love and happiness and growth and abundance and wealth – you know, flowers and puppy dogs. I had a reading done for my job and it suggested that things are going well on the surface but that there is an issue that will come to light in May (May again!), then it will be dealt with and in June, we will get back to work with things going well and no longer having to deal with the issue.
The next reading I had was about my brother – after laying the cards out she asked “Your brother is married with a child?” to which I think I rather exclaimed “Yes!” I was impressed that she got that right. For January they are in a period of transition, followed by a period of growth and abundance until May (May!). The Queen of Swords deals with an adult female and health, so perhaps my brother’s wife or someone in her family will have a health issue, but then June goes back to growth and abundance again.
I had individual readings about some projects I’m thinking about embarking on. I have been considering trying to make some extra money by presenting workshops about non-profit management, as well as doing grants writing for organizations. The cards said that both projects will take awhile to get off the ground, but that the grants writing will eventually prove to be very lucrative. I also asked about writing a novel and the cards said that it will be very self-satisfying and will allow me to utilize that untapped creativity my “mound of the moon” is telling me about.
I also pulled a single card for my niece Zoe and it was “The Lovers” card, which is one of the best to get – it speaks of being surrounded by love, happiness, and health, all good things.
That was it for the Tarot cards but she held my wedding ring once more to hear the vibrations. During the process, I had mentioned our trip to New Zealand and as soon as she had the ring, she said she saw sheep. I almost laughed aloud. You mean, I told you we were going to New Zealand, where there are more sheep than people, and you see sheep in my future? Wow. She did say that we would both enjoy the trip; I would fall in love with the country and Alex would also have a great time, but would be anxious. She asked if he would be anxious to get back to work and I said no, but that he is often anxious when traveling from place to place; she decided that was what the anxiety must be.
We ended with runes. The rune that I chose dealt with signals and messages. It advised me to be open to messages, signals, gifts and visitors, especially unexpected ones or from unexpected places.
So that was my New Year’s Reading. For the most part, it was rather vague and while I could make it fit my life, its easy to do that no matter what is said. There were definitely things she did say that didn’t make any sense, especially the one about being careful about an older man that will begin hanging around the Museum (?). Apparently I need to be very careful in May though!
I know some people take this very seriously. Anybody out there that has had their fortune told and it actually came true? Any freaky stories about fortune telling?
While I enjoy having goals and planning things out, some of the best things in life are unexpected and happen on the spur of the moment. Therefore, I try to keep an open mind to be ready for adventures that may lie right around the corner.
I began to consider the adventures that may await us in our upcoming travels to New Zealand and the opportunities are rather interesting…
#2 Swim with…(Dolphins, Whales, Sharks, etc.): While I have completed this thing to do, I welcome the opportunity to do it again!
#26 Bungee Jump: We’re staying in Queenstown for three days and, being known as the “adventurer’s town,” there are several opportunities to bungee jump off of cliffs and bridges.
#27 See an Erupting Volcano: Ok, I’m probably NOT going to be able to do this, but there is a lot of volcanic activity (boiling mud, geyers, etc) so it kinda counts…
#40 Get a free upgrade on a plane: Well, they’ve already changed our flight plans once. If they do it again, we can start being “unsatisfied customers” and angle for the upgrade. And believe me, I’m thinking first class on that 12 hour flight from LA to Auckland would be niiiiiiiice.
#50 Write Your Name Over a Star on the Walk of Fame: We have a seven-hour layover in Los Angeles. Do you think that’s enough time to run out to Hollywood to complete this thing to do? I could even find Ava Gardner’s star and then the trip becomes a business expense! Found this cool site about how to make it to the Walk of Fame while having a layover at LAX, but this only works if flights are on time.
#62: Join the Mile High Club: We’re married and consenting adults. We’re going to be traveling on several red-eyes. I’m just sayin’…
#67: Visit…: We’ve got a 10 hour layover in San Francisco. I think this is plenty of time to see the Golden Gate Bridge. PLUS, ThingtoDoer Miranda lives in San Fran and we’ve already discussed getting together while there. See? The list is bringing people together around the world
#83: Skinny Dip at Midnight: I’ve already completed this one but this time it would be in a foreign country.
Its not on the list and I don’t know if we’ll have time, but I VERY interested in ice climbing on the glacier. How cool would that be!?
What else should I try to do while in New Zealand?
Over the past few months I’ve recounted our experiences on a Caribbean cruise in October 2007 and with our trip to New Zealand now exactly seven weeks away, I thought I’d do a post on the fourth and last port of call, Roatan Island, Honduras.
Of all the ports, this was certainly the most impoverished area we visited. Residents listlessly rested on the stoop of cinder block structures and primitive huts. Trash littered yards and along the roads. However, because the country was not yet developed, it was also one of the most beautiful countries we visited.
We took a school bus (probably put of commission in the United States in the 1970s) up a steep, narrow dirt path up to the highest peak of the island. Of all the things that I have done in life, this was by far the most harrowing and most life-threatening.
At the top we were to zip-line from tree to tree, back and forth down the slope of the mountain, finally arriving at a pristine, private beach. Since then, we have zip lined at other places (in Mexico and in the North Carolina Mountains) and Alex and I agree that our first time was by far the best. Starting at the top of the mountain and zipping along the canopy of the rainforest, the ground 200 feet below us, was an amazing experience. The platforms that we were flying to and from were built with a wire floor and basically scrap wood, sufficient to hold maybe 5 people at a time. But the staff were incredibly efficient, catching us as we flew in, moving our harness to the next line, and handing us off to the next staff member to fly down the next line.
The beach we arrived at was the most beautiful beach we encountered during our trip. The beach was clean, the mountains that came up to the beach gave us terrific scenery, and the water was that perfect blue-green you only get in the Caribbean.
Roatan Island, while currently undeveloped, is known for its water sports (snorkeling, scuba diving, etc) and probably won’t stay undeveloped long. I’m glad we were able to visit before it becomes just another tourist destination. I guess Roatan Island doesn’t necessarily represent all of Honduras, but right now, I have a great opinion of the country as a whole!
Officially, my opinion immediately after the cruise was not the most positive, but over time I think I’ve realized why. First, I think cruises are an excellent way to “try out” a country; because of this cruise, I know I don’t want to go back to the Cayman Islands but we returned to Mexico for a longer stay. Our cruise was seven days, which is a little long to be on a boat, and it was just us two. I think I would have a better time on a shorter cruise with friends-that’s why I’m headed to the Bahamas for a 3 night/4 day cruise with my girls in April. A great benefit of this particular cruise is that it’s actually staying overnight in port, letting us experience the nightlife in the Nassau. Usually cruise ships don’t do this because they have to close their casinos while in port, cutting into their revenue, but while in Nassau, the casinos can stay open.
So have you ever been on a cruise? What did you think?
I’ve decided to alter THE List slightly (again). I updated it a few months ago, taking out items that I really didn’t care to complete with items that I would rather do. The original #97 was “Live Out of a Van”-I updated it to “Attend Mardi Gras.” Well, that was a little self-serving as I had already been to Mardi Gras. Then I read Gina’s blog post about her attending the Macy’s Day Parade and it inspired me to flesh out #97 to “Participate in… (Major Annual World Events).” To complete this ONE thing, I will have to attend several events. So far I’ve got six that I’d like to attend (although the list seems awfully American-Centric).
- Mardi Gras
- Oktoberfest
- Kentucky Derby
- Running of the Bulls
- New Year’s Eve in Times Square
- Summer Solistice at Stonehenge
What other events should I make sure I attend before I die?
