Favorites

The onboard WiFi was barely strong enough for streaming NCAA basketball, so we shall see if it's strong enough to make a blog. Yes, T&L are headed home. Sigh. All good things must come to an end, apparently. We sure do love to travel with each other! 💗  Here are our trip favorites, which serve as a nice summary of our trip, and a tool of amusement for the two of us. PS From the editor: I see the formatting irregularities and have deemed them beyond the reaches of $8 WiFi. 

Favorite Cruise Food:

Louise: Can I just say breakfast? (When asked for more details…) There was everything I wanted right there: potatoes, frittata, bacon, sausage, croissants... Although the pizza on Coco Cay was good too. That’s cruise food, right? (BBQ chicken and guava pizza!)

Thelma: Why are those triangle hash browns so good? While I did eat my fair share of nachos, the mushroom risotto on Italian night was ridiculously delicious. Best risotto I’ve ever had. 

Favorite Drink:

Louise: Frozen watermelon margarita on Coco Cay.

Thelma: That was yummy. I had a couple good Shirley Temples, but I think my favorite was the Havanas Bananas at Margaritaville.

This was prettier before the first slurp!

Favorite Ice Cream:

Louise: Hmm. The gelato from al Bacio: coffee and coconut. 

Thelma: I’m not really an ice cream fan, but we did find a Baskin-Robbins, and my favorite is peanut butter chocolate. 

Is my phone full of ridiculous photos like this? You know it!

Favorite Non-Cruise Food:

Louise: I’m going t have to say Key Lime pie at Margaritaville. 

Thelma: How weird was it that I ordered the shrimp boil there?  My favorite though, was Chili’s. Yes, it’s a chain, and readily available, apparently, in parts of the country. But it’s not still open where we live! Old favorites are still favorites. I don’t even remember what we ate, but I loved it!

Favorite Place on the Ship:

Louise: It’s always Cafe al Bacio. ☕

Thelma: My answer is ANYWHERE when you’re not on crutches. When your mobility is a factor, a cruise is a great vacation. We’ve cruised three times recently where I have been on, or brought crutches. Walking up the ramp in Tampa on the first day was when I first felt victorious, and it just got better from there. 

Was I admiring the bend on the knees? Yup! 😆

Pieces of Unworn Clothing:

Louise: I think it’s 4. 

Thelma: 7? (Louise: that sounds right!) Are you even vacationing if you don’t over pack? 

Best purchase:

Louise: Definitely the $17.99 Aloha white sandals. (These were purchased after beloved Birkenstocks did not somehow make it into the shoe bag. Yes we have a shoe bag - you should too!)

Thelma: The mermaid purse in Key West. I don't know what the practicality of that item is, but it sure spoke to me! Oh, but wait! I rescind my earlier answer. There was the cutest shop in the Tampa airport in the A terminal. They had Rifle & Co and Ink & Alloy among other things. Pens and earrings? These are a few of my favorite things!

Favorite Random Information Gained During the Trip:

Louise:  Talking to Oyda, our stateroom attendant, and finding out that she was from Nicaragua. While she was from the Caribbean side and we were in the Peace Corps on the Pacific side, it was a fun connection for both of us to make. It’s such a small world. 

Thelma:  I LOVE anything to do with shipwrecks, so reading about the wrecking and discovery of Nuestra Señora de Atocha was pretty fascinating. Cliff notes: She sank in 1622 with an estimated $500 million worth of cargo (gold, silver, emeralds, pearls, and tobacco) on board. The Spanish searched for her for 60 years, but it was treasure hunters out of Key West that found her in 1973. Makes you want to watch Out of the Blue, right?

Lions and Tigers and Bears,  Oh My! Favorite Animal Encounter of All Time?:

Thelma: I can’t get over the mom manatee letting us swim with her and her baby; that was so special.  But my favorite of all time was when we were whale watching in Maui, and the whale came out of nowhere and swam right underneath our boat. Remember we were sitting on the netting towards the front of the catamaran and she came so close, just cutting underneath us. It was amazing. Oh! But I just remembered holding that penguin in Edmonton, and that was one of the most special things ever.  

Louise: The thing that came right to my mind was also in Maui. We were whale watching when you were little and two males breached at the same time right in front of us. I will never forget that. Also, Sting Ray city in Grand Cayman. We were bobbing in the water and the sting rays were just coming by, weaving in and out of us. However, I did decline to kiss one.

Thelma: I was just telling some of my students about this. It freaked me out how their tails just sort of wound around your ankle as they swam by, NOPE! 

Weirdest Thing You Saw in Florida:

T&L:  Does this whole blog exist so we can tell this one story? Possibly. 😉  On the way to Crystal River, we drove through an area where I was allergic to something. It came on fast, and I was instantly a mess. Couldn’t stop sneezing, even after many doses of Benadryl. That night we went to a Walgreens to shore up on Kleenex, and the person in front of us tried to check out with COUNTERFEIT MONEY! In 10s and 50s, if you want to know. It was the most bizarre exchange as the checker announced the bills were counterfeit, and the guy struggled to come up with a story about selling his car.  But he did not look confused at all. The rest of us in line were giving each other looks and thinking about calling the police. You know, dial 9-1 and wait? Being behind someone trying to push counterfeit money was bizarre enough, but then the checker just gave the money back and took a credit card.  What is happening????  Did he make a speedy getaway out of the parking lot? Um, YES HE DID! 

I took this meaning to show the million lanes of traffic, but it turned out to be a nice photo!

That's a wrap! Thanks for coming with us! 💕 ~T&L

Perfect Day

 We're not making it up - we spent today at Perfect Day on Coco Cay in the Bahamas. (The song choice for today, if you want to hum along is Perfect Day by Hoku, from Legally Blonde 😃)

Celebrity/Royal Caribbean own this little island in the Bahamas where they have created quite an exceptional beach experience. (Norwegian Cruise Lines is building something similar on Stirrup Cay "next door"). We will admit to being somewhat wary of this adventure. We've seen so many amazing things via cruising; a beach day seemed somewhat silly.  We're okay with being wrong on this one! 

The island is free to cruisers, but you can upgrade to certain experiences. There was a hot air balloon, water slides, wave pool, zip lines, and...an adult only beach! We bought the ticket for that "excursion" and had a delightful, and mostly quiet, day. There were two ships in port, but our beach was relatively empty. 

We read books (Thelma: Black Wolf by Louise Penny, Louise: Where Trees Touch the Sky by Karen Barnett), swam in the lagoon, and had a delightful lunch. I also obsessively watched an enormous pelican dive for fish. It was HUGE! And I'm pretty sure it was just messing with swimmers. There were fish in the lagoon, but he came up with very few of them, but continually came within feet of swimmers, splashing a few. I kept one eye on that guy! 

Watermelon!

Lunch at Slice of Paradise.

Checking for eyebrows post swim; you can never be too careful! lol

And that was our perfect day! Back on the ship, we sat on our veranda for a while and just soaked up the ocean. Until this guy showed up to fix an errant light on a lifeboat. You don't see that every day! ;)

Dinner and a show! 

Tomorrow is a sea day, and then we head to Tampa to fly home. We might have one more blog in us!

PS The curls came back (hallelujah!), and isn't this swimsuit just the cutest thing ever? 😁

The Last Mango in Paris

 🎶 I went down to Captain Tony's

To get out of the heat 🎶

First of all, there is absolutely no way that Captain Tony's has air conditioning.  However, it was extraordinarily dark in there, so maybe it was cooler? We'll never know, because this IS a dive bar. If you've ever used that phrase, you were wrong. This is it; everything else is a giant step up. But as the offspring of a Parrot Head, it was still worth several pictures and a little fan-girling. 

🎶 Our lives change like the weather

But a legend never dies 🎶

I mean, when in Rome, or Key West, what is one supposed to do? We headed down Duval Street, past Caroline Street (we did not see a woman goin' crazy 🎶), and had lunch at Margaritaville. I would say that it was a weird place, but after Captain Tony's it was like the Ritz-Carlton. HA! But the food was delicious, as were the frozen drinks we ordered (Havanna Banana for me!), and it was totally appropriate to sing along to the music. "🎶 I want my junior mints!" 😂😂 (And yes, we had Key Lime pie-yum!)

Key West, if you've never been, has a bit of a Lahaina feel. There are shops and restaurants, a chill vibe, and it's surrounded by beautiful scenery. We were just here for the day, but if it weren't so dang far away, it'd be a place I'd love to come back to. 

🎶 We shot the breeze for hours

As the sun fell from the sky

And like the sun he disappeared

Before my very eyes 🎶

I can't further these song lyrics any longer! 😆 Back on the boat I got my yearly haircut. Maintaining this wad of curls is so exhausting.  Cut and color and blowout, not in that order. Plus my eyebrows got a redo. There are no pictures anywhere of that disaster.  I looked like the love child of Frida Kahlo and a Romulan. We're accepting bets on how long it will take for my curls to return. 😉

Tomorrow we are off to Coco Cay, which is basically a beach day. The parent company of Celebrity owns a little island out here, and that's the destination for tomorrow. Swimming, relaxing, reading? Yes, please!

On the Road Again

Early in our Spring Break "careers" we went to Whistler to learn how to snowboard. After summersaulting down the hill all day, we woke up the next morning, neither of us able to move a muscle. This morning was similar. 😂 A couple things were in play: our backs were sore from trying to balance on the pool noodle while keeping our feet and (sometimes) faces out of the water, our arms were achy from the dog paddling we were instructed to do (less stirring up of sediment), and I was sore from sneezing from a  somewhat incredible allergy attack on the way from Tampa. (And no, we still can't snowboard!)

I feel like I was already feeling it in this picture from lunch yesterday. (I look a little cray cray!)

Yes, we ordered drinks! And no, I have no idea what was in mine. 😆 It had tropical ingredients and a fun name. It's Spring Break! ;)

The drive to Fort Lauderdale was not scenic, or short, but Louise is a champ of a driver, and we arrived right on time to return our rental car. Our plan was to Uber from the airport to the cruise terminal after turning in the car. We pulled up to Hertz right on time, with about 30 minutes to get to the ship. The guy that checked our car in asked what gate we were going to, and after we told him our plan about the Uber, he put us back in our rental car, and drove us to the port! It was such a kind gesture. If you need a car, choose Hertz!

We weren't late, but maybe we were one of the last on board? To that point, it was kind of nice to have a late check in time because we missed all the lines and waiting. We had lunch on the top deck, and watched as we pulled out of our slip, headed for open water. 

The first several hours on a cruise can be...overwhelming, as everyone is in the same place at the same time. Restaurants are crowded, elevators hard to get etc. And then it just thins out. We had a lovely dinner in a section mostly to ourselves, and soaked up one of our favorite things about cruising: cruising.  😊 The open ocean is beautiful, and it's hard to stop looking out the window. 

Tomorrow: Key West! 

Freeze & Float

In March of 2020 Thelma and Louise, like the rest of the world, had to cancel our Spring Break trip. We had planned to head to Florida to visit the Everglades National Park, snorkel at Dry Tortugas National Park, and to swim with manatees near Crystal River.  We caught the Everglades after a cruise a couple years ago, but I have still kept thinking about the manatees. Without something specific planned for this year, we thought we'd go do it!

We don't know how to come to Florida unless we fly overnight from Seattle. I'm sure it's possible, but what's travel without a little thrash? ;) It actually wasn't that bad. We had plenty of time at the airport and had a nice dinner at PF Changs (N terminal), and took the two gate changes in stride. And guess who was one of the flight attendants? Marci Nicholson! (That detail is for my SVSD friends). 

Anyway, today was the day! We swam with a company called Fun 2 Dive, which was recommended to us by one of Louise's friends. Great tour company if you're interested! Everyone was incredibly nice and knowledgeable.

The hardest part of the day was most definitely getting in and out of our wetsuits.  Except for the week I lived in one for that rafting AMP trip with Bush (who let me sign up for that?), I've spent zero time in wetsuits. The dressing rooms were tiny, and the wetsuits tinier... 😆 Luckily there is no video or audio of this portion of the trip. ;)

Ta-da! 😜

This is the end of the "winter" season in Florida, so there are still some manatees close to shore, but others have ventured further into the bay since the water is warmer and food more plentiful. Our captain and swim guide found us a spot away from other boats where there were a couple manatees hanging out, and moving slowly (as they are prone to do). 

Since it is incredibly shallow, you have to be very careful with the way you swim so you don't stir up sediment and decrease visibility. To that point, this was counter to E V E R Y T H I N G we have ever learned about snorkeling. Low visibility? Sure, let's jump right in! I'm sure there's nothing (like the huge alligator gar y'all keep talking about) right over there waiting to eat my toes! We used pool noodles to help us float, and were instructed to use very tiny movements to move around. I rammed my hands into the bottom several times. I have never felt less in control over my body! 

Here I am pointing in the exact opposite direction!

Manatees don't see very well, and use their whiskers (like a cat!) to understand their surroundings. Like turtles in Hawaii, you aren't to touch, follow, or harass them, but they are a trusting bunch and despite your best efforts just swim right up to you, or under you. In that regard they reminded me a little of sea otters; super social and a little curious. 

We swam with a mom and baby for a long while. They kept swimming under and around us, and popping up for air right in front of us. We were "swimming" in less than 3 feet of water, so when a manatee decides to swim under you, it's a tight fit! Our guide called this "freeze and float." No swimming, flapping of arms or feet, just stay real still and don't panic when it completely rubs up against you. ;)

The baby was curious and adventurous and swam out to explore, always coming back to where mom was hanging out. Mom was using her flippers to "walk" along the bottom getting food and unlike every other animal I've met with a baby nearby, was super chill.

She 100% blew a snot bubble at our guide! 😂

💚

We LOVE snorkeling, LOVE being in the water,  and LOVE seeing animals in the wild, and so this was such a special adventure. Manatees are definitely strange animals, but there is something so magical about being included in their world for just a little bit. Our hearts are super full!

Tomorrow we head south to Fort Lauderdale to take a baby cruise for the rest of the week. Last year we cruised to several ports where we saw incredible Mayan ruins that we can't stop thinking about. This year? Our cruise has no such stops, and we are looking forward to just relaxing! I wore a bathing suit cover-up all day today (including in a restaurant!!!!), so I'm warmed up for more relaxing!

Ketchup on my Bathing Suit

Is there a better sign of a good vacation than having to stain treat your bathing suit? I mean what else reeks of an amazing vacay than a condiment stain on your pool-wear? To be completely fair, I don't remember eating anything but chicken and rice in said bathing suit, but "Chicken on Bathing Suit" sounds not at all swanky. 

Of course, we have been home for a week, but vacation vibes are still lingering. This was one of the greatest vacations we have ever been on. Seeing the ruins, especially Lamanai, deep in the jungle, was so amazing. But I think the "pinch me" feeling really set in for us on the last excursion day. 

Our port stop was Cozumel, but our excursion was in Playa del Carmen. Actually, that's not true. I have no idea where excursion was! We took a ferry to Playa del Carmen, and then drove around in a van for awhile after that. We were somewhere loose in Mexico outside of Cozumel. :) 

Actually, before we got into the van, we schlepped around Playa del Carmen in our bathing suits. It was roughly 312 degrees Celsius, so it was such a lovely stroll. HA! 312, I have noticed, is my go-to round up  number for exaggeration. But it was H-O-T, hot. And you know what's true about people who live in hot climates? They are better acclimated to it. So while Carlos turned on the AC, he turned it on low. If you're not hitting the panic button, don't worry, I did! What that sounded like was me saying, "Nope" from the back of the van and pushing my delightful travel partner up the "aisle" to sit with the poor unassuming French exchange student. At the first stop the contents of the van voted for me to sit up front with the driver. The great thing about being the group problem early is that other weird things are going to happen (and they did), and so people forget about your own weirdness! In case I forget to mention it, the other weirdness that outranked my heat-panic-attack involved a mix up with dollars and pesos, and a basic self combusting bloody nose. See? I'm so normal. 

Anyway...our first stop was a cenote. A cenote is basically a sinkhole, or pit, formed in the limestone in the Yucatan peninsula. It's a source of local freshwater, and may have had importance to the Mayan people. But we got to swim in two! 

There are cenotes all over this area. We drove by quite a few with signs advertising them. The one we went to is on private land that is leased to the adventure company. You could jump or zipline in, or simply just snorkel. We chose the snorkel option. I mean the zip lining looked fun, but the chance of having a bathing suit mishap in this very public place was pretty high. Who needs that? ;) The water was so cold in relation to the outside temperature - it felt really good. 

There was a deep part where people jumped, and then a little shallower part (6-8 feet or so) that you could snorkel in. There were tiny fishes, and A LOT of moss on the rocks. Even though the water was clear, it gave a sort of swampy feel to it. One of us snorkeled and explored. The other one got spooked and fought the inflatable hose on her life preserver, and the phone case lanyard at every turn. You can't be too careful! This person also accidentally took a five minute video of her feet and bathing suit that will not be aired. 

We spent the remaining time at this stop nearly drowning while taking selfies. Most of them turned out like this.  🤣

This is our favorite, maybe of the whole trip. Please zoom in to see neither of us with our eyes open. 

Our next stop on this day was just down the road. It was another cenote, but this time in a cavern. We've been in many caves over the years, even on a boat in a cave in....who knows where that was!! But swimming in one was next level. 

The pictures aren't great. I mean, it was dark, neither of us could see up close without our glasses, and you know, we were still swimming!

The really special part was it was just our little group in here.  While there was a tiny current, otherwise, the water was still. A few catfishes skirted here and there, but otherwise there was nothing at all to see but the massive rocks beneath us.  I've ever seen anything like that before! A week later, I still can't believe we got to do that. That we got to do any of this. Every day was magical. 

And what's more magical than finding a Haagen Daz before the ferry?  We have a long history with Haagen Daz in Bellevue Square and, for me, in Waikiki. Plus, what's better than cold ice cream on a warm day?

Happy sigh. I even ate weird chicken (again) and *gasp* changed clothes at a strange little dressing room in the middle of nowhere. A surprising day all around! ;)

We're home, but I think there's probably one more blog brewing. Bingo and Whiskey? Golden Girls? Ten Hours in Tampa? It's something in there. Ha! 🩷