I took my drink and went back into the enclosed
section of the pasta cafe on the starboard side of the ship and enjoyed the
views of Miami as we sailed out in a light misty rain. it was a grey day in
Miami, and we were headed for the sun. Reuben spotted me sitting there alone,
since Mary had left to go to inspect the ship and scout out the dining spot for
tonight. He came over and asked if there was anything that I'd like and I
thanked him for his kindness and told him that I'd possibly be back later for
the pasta cafe. He told me that he was the Maitre'D for the Pasta Cafe and that
if I'd like he'd be happy to set a table on reserve for Me. I thanked him again
for his kindness, and agreed to come back later to enjoy the pasta fresco
dining experience before the end of the cruise.
I decided to go back to the cabin, and as I did I
met Mary in the hallway also headed that way. We arrived at the cabin to find
the door to our cabin, which we had locked - standing wide open. Our belongings
that we had left in the cabin included our purses, my lap top and many various
electronics. it was another unnerving experience, and we had barely left Miami.
I called the Main Desk and spoke to one of the pursers on duty. she was
friendly and suggested that I come and get two new key cards for our room, and
take an inventory of our belongings to discover if anything was missing. I told
her that I would come for the key cards immediately, and that we'd get back to
her with a list of anything missing. We were to put it mildly Uncomfortable
with the situation since we still hadn't gotten our luggage and our room was
already broken into, and I'd already had trouble with the dining situation. We
laid on our beds and talked about what we were feeling. we took inventory and
didn't find anything immediately missing and decided to try to locate our Bon
Voyage Basket. I went to the Main Desk and was directed to the office of the
Head Purser - Lynn. a lovely and efficient English woman who ran the ship from
behind a desk with a glass wall invisible to the throngs outside in the main
deck foyer midship. Lynn called the ships receiving room, they didn't think
they had it. she then called the ships security office, and they said they
didn't have it. she then suggested that she could send someone down to ships
store and have a search run through the many packages that had been brought
onboard by the longshoremen and were still awaiting delivery. That Lynn she is
truly the one to find a needle in a haystack. I sat in her office while she
looked in the pursers office store and still it wasn't located.
Lynn suggested that she could have it located and
return it to my cabin before dinner at 8pm. I thanked her and went back to the
cabin again. I got my cell phone and went up on deck and called the Bon Voyage
Specialist in Miami, to inquire about the package, and it's delivery. I reached
the ever bubbly Shelly, who assured me that the package was onboard, and if
they didn't find it, to let her know when we returned to Miami. She is a
wonderful resource and I am so very happy that I found her in the internet
cruise forums. Folks don't normally get cell phone range up to 2 hrs outside of
Miami, especially on a Cruise Ship; but I have a great phone and was still
running on Miracles obviously. Mary was passed out, and I soon did the same
thing. we slept for about an hour. when I awoke to the sound of the phone
ringing in our cabin, it was Lynn letting me know that our Bon Voyage was en
route to our cabin. Yahoooooo !!!!!. I then called the Main Desk to inquire about
the refrigerator that we had ordered, and was told that
one of the housekeeping supervisors, Ed - was getting it ready to come up to
our cabin. fantastique. just as the Bon Voyage Arrived, so did the Fridge
and then the Luggage. it was a busy 30 minutes and when it was over, we were ready to go freestyle ourselves.
Mary and I unpacked and stored our belongings
neatly, and decided to go to the four seasons dining room for dinner before the
10pm cut-off. it was now approaching 8pm and time to get ready for dinner.
Little did I know, Mary had scooped out a free run tasting at the Duty Free, oh
yes I said Free. Mary Dressed and went to the Rum Tasting, while I got dressed,
and then came back to report on the ship's festivities and happenings. It was
all on, from what she reported, and I was ready for it. We stepped out of our
cabin, put the do not disturb sign in our door, (for what good that does) and
pulled the door shut, checking it both to make sure it was really locked. We
proceeded upstairs one flight midship to the Rum Tasting and Lo and Behold they
were selling gold for $1.00 a inch. Forget the Rum for Me, I want to get my
shop on. yes here we are at sea, and all this free liquor, food and
entertainment and I want to shop. who can tell.. anyway, we taste some rum,
then continue on down the hallway to the elevator near the Four Seasons Dining
Room. when we arrive, at the Four Seasons there is no wait and the Maitre'D is
a very friendly eastern European woman who leads us to a lovely table for two.
There are two gentlemen sitting at the table next
to us. we introduce ourselves and they in turn say that they are Scotty and
Billy. this is their first cruise on NCL and wonder if we have sailed on NCL
previously. we laugh and say that we were on this ship's inaugural season
sailing in 1988. Our Waiter a very pleasant and comical young man kept us well
served for the entire meal. as well He made a suggestion that we have dessert
in both dining rooms to see if there really is a difference. why this joke
still persists at sea is beside me, since all the food basically comes out of
one kitchen for all the restaurants, except the Gourmet Restaurant Le'Bistro.
We laugh and decided to go to the Seven Seas restaurant around the corner to
see if the dessert really is different. Scotty and Billy don't know that this
really is a joke, and follow along with us. when we arrive at the Seven Seas
the Maitre D' Christian, a handsome Austrian seats us at a large table with
several other couples.
The waiters seem to be watching us from all over
the dining room. it is then that I discover that they think that Mary and I are
traveling with the two men. we crack up, when the waiter, a pleasant fellow
from Jamaica - Uton; asks if we have adjourning cabins. We tell him that we've
only just met and that we just happened to get on well at dinner in the next
dining room. he looks puzzled and asks if we wanted to eat dinner again, I say
only dessert and Mary says that she'll have dessert as well. Scotty and Billy
have dinner again. Oh No They Didn't.. I think to myself. Mary says it out
loud. everyone at the table cracks up, including Billy and Scotty. they say
they want to see if the dessert is any different in this dining room, and had
to have dinner to truly appreciate it. These are two very sharp cards, and we know
that they will be our dinner companions again, at least once during this
cruise.
Billy and Scotty drove to the cruise from
Oklahoma, and we thought we drove a long way,, wow. they would be embarking on
another cruise ship, the Windstar when they disembark the Sea. What a Life I
thought,, Mary again said it out loud, and again Billy said, You got that right
Girl. I just Love these Guys. Billy, a 40 something white house husband has a
long pony tail that reaches his behind; and Scotty is a 50+ year old real
estate genius who's shared his life with Billy happily for the past 15 years.
how wonderful to run into two free spirits in the midst of all this pretention.
such a breath of fresh air. when the dessert tray is passed and it's the same
thing, Billy Says to Mary now how do we know its from the same kitchen, Mary
looks at me and bursts out laughing, along with everyone else at the table
including the Waiters. it was a moment that should live in cruise ship history.
they tried the other selections that they didn't have at the previous dinner,
and agreed that it must have come from the same kitchen. The Waiter - Uton,
added that they have one giant oven in the basement of the ship, where they
stuff everything on the ship leftover; and a conveyer brings it out the other
side replicated into new dished from the old dishes. Scotty coyly added,
"like the scallops which must have come from another days
recycling",, oops cooking. Yikes, the Maitre'D quickly said ' Oh NO- we
cook everything fresh". Fast Mr. Billy added, "Yeah, When.. " it
was a very entertaining first dinner to say the least.
We went back to the cabin for a nap, I napped,
and woke up around midnight. Mary didn't. I dressed and went up on deck to see
what was going on, and the ship was silent. not a bar was open outside of the
Casino and the Disco. the ship resembled an old folks home. you could hear the
snoring when you passed through the halls. When I walked around the deck, there
was a security guard who quietly watched and stood in the shadows. probably
offering me protection on this sleeping ship, from the things that creep around
all night at sea. (more on that later) I went back to my cabin, and slept like
a baby. the next day came tooo quickly, but then again let the fun begin.
- Day Two, Tuesday -
I awoke to
the picture of a bright blue sky on the tele, and immediately called out to
Mary Hey Girl, Look it’s beautiful outside. It’s warm, says it’s 80 on deck and the Sunshine is so
bright. Lets get up and go get
some breakfast. Mary looked over
at me and said, what time is it girl ?
I laughed and said 8’o clock and we need to get up or we’ll miss
breakfast in the dining room. We
Dressed and got out of our cabin around 9am, heading straight for the Seven
Seas dining room for a full sit down breakfast. When we arrive there is a short line, but we are seated
quickly and immediately offered coffee and pastries. I have Hot Chocolate and ask about the pastry’s and of
course as is my fate, there is nothing in there that I want. Prune and Cheese Danish seem to be the
only flavors that come out of the kitchen, and both are not my favorites so I
pass. The Menu is full of standard
breakfast fare, eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, even scotch kippers. But no turkey products anywhere,
why ? .I ask the waitperson Ona, who is ever pleasant and smiling if there is a
kosher alternative and she goes to check with the kitchen who suggests that I
have Lox. Oh god no, fish. Salted red fish,, raw fish. No way, that means another meal without
anything to eat. This is getting monotonous, and as well I know that they
should have been prepared because I told my travel agent to alert them to my
turkey and chicken preferences when I purchased by cruise in October. I also re-interated it to my passenger
courtesy rep when I had called two weeks ago, about the very same issue – food and
drinks. I was assured that there
wouldn’t be any problems getting anything to eat at any meal, in any
restaurant. I wasn’t ridiculous in
not eating pork, or eggs and I didn’t want to eat prune Danish, or cheese – so what
could I do.. well, maybe a fruit plate.
Ona was able
to get a plate of fresh fruit prepared for me, and a few slices of wheat toast
with strawberry jam and I was satisfied. Even simple tastes can sometime be
very difficult to satisfy. Mary ordered
an omelet and scotch kippers. She seemed
to pick through the fish so much that she barely ate any of it. I know she was not full when we left
breakfast because we went up on deck and to the Big Apple buffet where there
were lots of pastry’s and juice, cereal and fruit in abundance. Needless to
say, we ran into Scotty and Billy who were just getting up, and we enjoy a real
breakfast together. Billy and
Scotty always checked the menu at each
of the restaurants to see what would be served, to decide where they were going
to eat first, yes I said First, because invariably they ate on Deck at the 11am
Poolside buffet; then they moved in and onto the restaurant for the sit down
lunch; and then they often went to the Lido Café’s special event restaurant which
closed at 3pm. They made such good
choices at each meal that I often enjoyed just accompanying them to watch them
eat, just for the reviews, and lively banter.
This was a
sea day so there was of course more than enough activity planned on and off
deck for the sold out ship. There
were lots of pool deck activities, An Art Auction complete with free champagne;
a Wine Tasting with the Sommelier, for an additional $10.00 to cover the cost
of the wines and cheese. A Shore
Talk by Al was hosted in the Main Showroom, and was recorded for rebroadcast
later during the cruise. The shore
talk focuses primarily on Shopping in Cozumel. I was very put off by the fact that Al knows veritably
nothing about Belize, and has nothing good to say other than to quote him “When
venturing out of the tourism village in Belize to walk downtown, you will find
very little other than a few small shops, and the Radisson Hotel”. That was totally bad form for a cruise
ship to discourage it’s passengers from visiting the port of a city they visit;
and very silly to infer that the capitol of Belize had nothing to do, or
see. Well I am glad I didn’t take
the time to physically attend the shore talk, saving myself the trouble of informing
Al and the other passengers about the list of things available to do In Belize
that day; as well as the things
that I had planned to do in Belize; and as well about the Belize Tourism Booth
located in the tourism village.
* Personal Observation
*
NCL should
make it a policy to investigate thoroughly the port knowledge, and the Information
given in Shore Talks, by anyone conducting shore talks, before subjecting a
shipload of passengers to false and quite misleading negative impressions. Most of the people I spoke with on the
cruise who had sailed previously, were on the itinerary for the stop in Belize,
and not so much Cozumel, which is standard for most Caribbean cruises. The tenders to Belize City were smaller
vessels capable of carrying up to possibly 100 passengers max each. There was continuous tender ferry
service from the terminal in Belize City back and forth to the ship; This was
never mentioned in the shore talk at all.
Several passengers requiring special assistance were in fact misled into
thinking that they wouldn’t be able to visit Belize on the Tenders because of
the accommodations. I personally
watched one very intelligent and adventurous handicapped chair passenger wheel
herself to the gangway. Then her companion and another crew person and the
Tender Captain; assisted in
getting her onboard the tender and seated. Her chair was stowed easily, and
when we reached Belize City, they disembarked her “First”. Now that’s what I
call service, and btw, so did she.
Not a passenger on the tender objected and not a person rushed to
disembark before she was assisted off and into her very road worthy chariot. Btw,
I saw this woman and her mom down by the lighthouse rolling along happily
enjoying the warm lovely day that we had in Belize City.
They had been shopping at the crafts market, and also along the main street district, where we found
many great bargains on unusual and very exotic spices, sauces, Rum, Belmican
Beer, and Postcards.
I took lots
of photo’s that afternoon at sea, of fish, birds, the sky and of course folks
on board just enjoying themselves.
It was a very lively deck day, with Paella and a rush of activity. Mary went to the Paella Party, and from
all reports there was so much activity that the chefs had to stop serving to
get the passengers to line up in an orderly fashion. I’ve heard of mob scenes before but I had yet to witness one
myself the size of what I heard discussed that afternoon during lunch. Billy loves to wear thongs and to get
into the dining room he wears a sarong over them. They never tell him that he can’t come into the dining room
because they admit women wearing sarongs over their swimsuits, and to exclude
him would be obvious discrimination.
Billy caused such a commotion when he walked into the dining room in his
bright blue batik sarong and floral shirt that I could swear that most of the
women in the room went pink with envy.
The boy can wear a sarong, and that long hair is so lovely hanging
down. We were seated at a table
with Arnouldo, he was a walking comedy show. He cracked jokes for our entire lunch seating. Billy and Mary, who was also equally
fashionably attired in a gold dusted tee shirt and white Bermudas with gold
mules,, oh yes I said mules at lunch ladies. Were the stars of lunch. When they told me about the Paella Riot on deck the people a
couple tables over called out, “Oh My God, We were there, and it was
unbelievable..” I thought I was in
a movie.
The waiters
all started to gather around and as they went in and out of the kitchen, they
all passed by to hear snippets of the story, since they’d not get to hear much
about it until later at the crew bar, when they were finished working. I enjoyed
a bowl of soup, a salad and finally I was able to get something that I really
wanted, coconut ice cream. Fresh coconut
ice cream. Luxurious silky cold
crystalline treat served in a shining chrome dish, with a shortbread biscuit
stuck in for contrast. It was
probably the best desert that I had the entire time I was onboard the
ship. Btw, this Ice Cream was so
good to me because I am Lactose Intolerant and can’t have regular dairy
products like Milk, or Ice Cream. but this was made from Coconut Milk.
Mary and I
went back to our cabin to enjoy an afternoon siesta like most of the other
passengers onboard, and awoke around 5pm with a phone call from the front desk
to alert me to a message. Yes they
take messages if you are out of your cabin, and haven’t activated your
voicemail. They also don’t tell
you that you have voicemail in any of the cabin literature, and the cabin
stewards don’t have any ideas about how it works – only that you should call
the front desk for help, yeah right.
There is
free champagne in the casino tonight with the captain and everyone is requested
to attend and enjoy his hospitality. I elect not to go to the gala, but to
instead dash up to the casino to see if the crowd is lively and what’s on sale
at the duty free which is in full swing promenade sale mode. I laugh as Mary dresses finely in a
lovely tropical evening suit and gets ready for the pretentious crowds, who are
now milling about in the lobby awaiting formal photograph night. The satin, silk, velvet and lace are breathtaking
clouds of color against the glittering backdrop of the moon bathed sea pouring
in through the promenade windows wide vista. I decide instead to look into the dining rooms to see how
crowded it is and think about maybe getting in an early dinner. Oh-no, it’s packed. There are tables
open but, it’s tight and I think I better wait a while till this thins out and
everyone goes to the captains gala.
Mary goes up the stairs to the showroom and I go back to the cabin to
chill and watch TV. I spent a lot of
time in my cabin watching TV since there was very little else onboard that
interested me really. I don’t
drink much and already had my refrigerator stocked with rum and coke so I didn’t
need to go out to drink, and I could call room service or the dining room and
have all my meals sent in if I so desired, at no additional charge. I also called room service for
Ice and Juice or Ice Tea when I was up late at night and every other place
other than the Big Apple was closed.
They were fast, friendly and didn’t have too extensive of a menu, but it
had something for everyone, even me at 3am.
Mary comes
back to the cabin about 9pm toasted from the free champagne, and wakes me
up. I am so behind time now that
to get dressed for dinner is going to be hard and I’ve got to do
something. I know,, call
Christian. I pick up the phone
call the front desk and Mari Beth answers in her usual friendly and familiar
tone. I ask for the dining room
and Christian, and she transfers me immediately. The phone is answered promptly, the person goes and gets
Christian the Maitre’D. Christian
in his friendly Austrian tone answers “ Four Seasons Dining Room, Christian,
How may I Help ? “ I ask him if it’s
possible that I can come to dinner at 9:25 and still get to eat, he says “ Of
Course, take your time, I’ll set a table for you” I ask if Billy and Scotty are there, and he says that they
are, and that he will let them know that we will be along shortly. Talk about Service,, That Christian – I
couldn’t ever relay the professionalism and friendliness that he just exudes,,
see the photo so you can understand what I’m talking about. He alone is worth the price of the cruse,
and feel free to tell him that I said so.
I dress in
my normal casual style, with a pressed Khaki Skirt, and a blue and white
Nautical sweater, with pearls and simple red sandals. Classy but understated,
as Billy and Mary put it. Those clothes
horses should know. When we arrive Christian greets us with a warm handshake
and personally seats us, at his table in the corner of the dining room, near a
window onto the hallway. It’s like being on display really. Billy and Scotty join us, for dessert
only. Mary enjoys the prime rib,
and I have the baked chicken. Yes bland
and white and with only rice and mixed vegetables. Then the surprise, the waiter Locksley allows me to order
something that I’ve loved since I was a child.. Jell-O, from the kids
menu. Yes Jell-O. I can have
dessert with everyone else. They crack up when he arrives with the Jell-O on a
plate, decorated with some sliced fruit, and a cookie on the side. That Locksley,
he became my waiter at that point. I never ate with any other waiters for
dinner from that night on. Mary
and Billy ask if they can have Jell-O, and he tells them “ Sure, if you want
it, you can have anything that’s on the menu, she however can have anything
that’s on the ship..” that causes
a never ending ripple of ribbing from Billy, Mary and Scotty that will endure
through each meal that is served to us, by Locksley.
We talk
about going up to the disco, but it’s around 11pm the dining room is empty
except for us and all the waiters and staff. We are such a special bunch
already, picked up by the Maitre’D.
We know from this night on that we are in for some great times in the
dining room. Scotty and Billy as
well as Mary decide to meet at the disco around midnight, and I tell them that
I am instead going up to the Cigar Club to check out the sing-a-long and the
Humidor. We all depart for our separate missions and I end up in the cigar club
as it is getting ready to close. The
pianist Cliff, is phenomenal with show tunes and pop hits. The girls at the
next table are belting out 60’s hits and show tunes like a professional
troop. The waitress, Belva, a
lovely girl from Latvia was cordial and very well informed on Cigars. She said she didn’t smoke but that if
she did, it would have to be cigars.
I tell her that there is nothing like the taste of a great Monte’ Cristo
or a Fat Sweet Long Cohiba, with a great sipping rum. She says I sound so
convincing, and offers me the menu.
It contains both drinks, Cigars, Cognac, Martinis and Wine suggestions
from the sommelier. The Cigars are
a rather unimpressive mix of favorites mostly from the Dominican Republic and
of course No Cubans. Not a single
Cohiba, Monte’Cristo or Partegas in sight. Sacrilege I think, to have a Cigar
Bar and not have the crème’ de le crème of cigars offered. They offered lots of honey and fruit
soaked cigars, which are not really for connoisseurs like me. I decided to check out a Mango cigar
and see if it had any real taste other than the sugar that was holding it
tightly inside it’s cellophane wrapper.
I hold it and think, what should I drink when I smoke something like
this. Oh well another mystery for
another day. I ask for the cigar
book, and order a lovely Rum Gimlet and some matches for my Macanudo. Belva brings the drink and matches
quickly, and tells me that they are having last call in 10 minutes. I sign the tab and thank her for her
great service, to bad I couldn’t offer her an individual tip for her fine
service. Freestyle Tipping deprives
servers like this of the money that they really should earn. Which is why NCL looses it’s finest quickly
to many other lines, according to folks I met in port who worked formerly for
NCL.
Gatsby’s - The
Cigar and Martini Bar is lovely, well appointed and located on deck 10 near Le’Bistro
and the Movable Sushi Bar. I’d spend all my bar time in there if I wanted good
service, quiet elegant atmosphere and the quiet entertainment of acoustic piano
music. I gave Gatsby’s 4 Stars all around, but they
need to get some good cigars, and tables outside in the spring under the
moonlight would be heavenly. This should
be adjacent to the main deck dining rooms, which would undoubtedly increase
passenger use and allow for a more appropriate location.
- Day Three Wednesday, Belize -
We arrive in
Belize early in the morning, before sunrise. I get a 630am wake up call so that I can see the ship, as it’s
greeted by the many small tenders who would ferry us to Belize City’s port. The television broadcast of the sunrise
over the ship’s bow was absolutely breathtaking. I enjoyed getting showered and somewhat dressed, while
looking at the deck pics for about half an hour before I could convince Mary to
get up. I had left our tag out last night before I retired, for breakfast
delivery to our cabin, for 8am; so that we’d miss the dining room fracas that
often accompanies a day in port.
The room service attendant delivered our freshly made hot tea, hot
chocolate, fresh fruit plates, a fresh croissant and those infernal prune Danish
pastries. Since there was only one
croissant I took it, because Mary still wanted to go to the Dining room for a
hot breakfast. I ate sitting on my
bed, as she hurriedly showered and dressed for breakfast in the dining
room. When she was ready, we went
to the dining room for her breakfast. I had Hot Chocolate, and read the Xeroxed
copy port guide. The
very fact that they print one fresh which is readable for Cozumel, and give you
an almost unreadable photocopy of a guide for Belize is unbelievable. Mary and I sit with a lovely woman from
California, who is traveling alone and quite independent. We enjoy talking about our travels and
the similarity’s of being 40-Somethings.
She says that the shore excursion talk had almost dissuaded her from
going ashore in Belize, but that she was reconsidering it after listening to
what we had planned for the day. I
must admit that we had quite a laundry list of items to do while in
Belize. While we were at Breakfast
there was a ship wide announcement that anyone who was booked on a shore
excursion should report to the showroom for an immediate disembarkation ticket
in order to reach their shore excursion in time. We saw many folks rushing into the elevator who were
obviously not going to be going tubing or to the zoo, but just wanted to get
off the ship after 2 days of being confined at sea.
Many of
those quiet looking grandmother types can be lethal with their bags when
standing in line waiting to get onto the tenders, so watch who you are standing
behind, and give them a little space;
a lady who was not paying attention almost knocked another woman off the
tender platform because the woman reached for the handrail to board the tender
and her gigantic shopping bag punched the woman behind her, knocking her off
balance on the sea moored platform.
So Ladies, take care with those packages and bags when boarding those
tenders and disembarking on those sea moored platforms; Especially like this one in Belize, which pulls up
right beside the ship. Yes it is
towed out to the ship, and the ship moors and drops anchor while the tenders
pull up alongside this floating sea dock, and pick up passengers to tender to
the port. This can be a bit of an
inconvenience if you have any mobility limitations. The folks on the platform
and the captain on the tenders, take good care of the passengers and make sure
that the boats are securely anchored to the platform so that no one falls.
(You can see my photo’s of the tendering and Belize Trip in the photo album for this review)
Mary and I
get tickets in the showroom, ship stickers, and then go back up on the deck to
watch the tendering process. It is
at least noon before we are able to get on a tender and into Belize City. We eat lunch in the Lido Café while we
are waiting. There are various
salads, cold cuts, and Hand Carved Roast Beef, Turkey and Ham. All manner of
sandwich making materials, slices of various cakes, pies, and cookies are in
abundance. The entire café is full
of folks watching the tendering process out of the windows while having lunch,
a nice idea indeed. Mary spots
Scotty and Billy. They have a table in the middle and since we have a table by
the windows we invite them over. They
come over and we discuss our plans for the day in Belize. Their shore excursion
is called for disembarkation, and they leave us sitting and watching the
tenders come and go like a small fleet of water taxi’s. it’s interesting to see how NCL Gets it’s
passengers ashore in some locations, and this is one of the most innovative
that I’ve enjoyed in my many cruises with them. Finally at 12:30 they give a general shore call and we
depart for deck two. Mary and I
follow the hordes to the disembarkation point and wait our turn to get onto the
tender. The way that they take
time to help each passenger get onto the tender safely makes me wonder if they
have a special training class for this. It seems so coordinated. Finally it’s our
time to get on. We show our
boarding passes and Passports to the security officers and we are through the
portal to the platform. When we go down the gangway onto the floating platform,
it’s not exactly clear to us what is moving which way; but the moment that you
put your foot on that platform, you know.
I move quickly because I can see that the sea swells are moving both the
platform, Ship and then there’s the Tender.
When I get
to the tender from the gangplank, I get assistance from two gentleman, who
literally lift me over the steps onto the tender. How Nice. next they lift Mary. We both smile. We
make our way over to the other side of the tender and sit with our backs to the
water, on the port side. This is
prime space for a photographer, and I’ve got two empty cards ready to go. We have a seat next to a nice couple we’ve
seen onboard and spoken to several times. They are excited about going to
Belize since they’ve been to every other Caribbean port that NCL offers. They were veterans of at least 20
cruises, and had come strictly to come to Belize. They were as excited as we were. Behind Mary was a group of folks from Tennessee who Fished like Mary. They were so excited about the possibility
of getting a fast fishing charter at the port that afternoon. They said they had been slightly discouraged
by Al’s shore talk, but had already done their own research in advance so they
had a good idea of what they wanted to do in Belize. We told them that we rented a car for the day, rather than doing
a shore excursion since it seemed more logical to use to spend the money to
really see Belize instead of just the inside of a tour bus for the same money.
They said they agreed, and had made email arrangements with a fisherman who
would be meeting them at the tourist village water taxi stop to take them
fishing for a half day for less than $100.00 for four of them, including Rum punch
and Bait, the captain was throwing
in the use of his poles since they were traveling on a cruise ship. Talk about Belizean Hospitality, Yeahhh
Mon !!!
We take off
when the tender is full and we head off to Belize City, passing many smaller
cayes, and enjoying the warm ocean spray on our arms and faces. Everyone onboard was treated to a short
waterfront tour by the tender captain on entering the harbor. We all sat quietly excited as we pulled
into the bustling port of Belize
City, Belize C.A. Everyone
disembarked the tender with the assistance of the tender captain and his staff,
and NCL Port staff easily. The dock
is busy with activity from vendors, water taxi’s and visitors anxious to see
all there is to see in the tiny colonial capitol. Mary and I enter the Belize Tourist
Village and find a courtyard atmosphere complete with live musicians, tourist
board reps handing out information, and various other tour operators soliciting
for day tours, and water taxi excursions to the close-by tropical and exotic
cayes. We have a reservation for a
car rental from Crystal Car Rentals and Tours; they are located conveniently in the shopping craft park
just outside the doors of the building.
Our first stop is at the currency exchange, like lots of other
folks. The 2 for 1 exchange rate
makes it a pleasure to exchange my little cash for their hand full of brightly
colored bills and artfully cut coins.
I get a map from the lady at the tourist board,
and give her my business card. She asks if I will have time
to stop at their main offices by the swing bridge, and I tell her that we are only there for the day. She gives
us a hug, and tells us to ask anyone on the street if we are lost and we’ll be
easily directed. I ask her if the
reports of crime are true, and she tells me that they are exaggerations and
that most crime recently has been tourists getting drunk and not minding their
safety. The police presence was
clear, but not at all foreboding, as it is in Cozumel. ( more on that later ) We find Crystal easily in the lot
outside in a small log cabin, clearly marked. The lady’s in the office are pleasant when we enter the
office, and immediately ask us if we’d like a cool drink.
They have
the reservation prepared and the car is ready and waiting in the lot for us. It’s
already chilled out from the 90 degree Belizean Heat with the A.C. on low, and
the radio playing low. We go over
a few basics on the rental, exchange the necessary info and we’re off. It takes
us all of 10 minutes. If I could get such service at these computerized
locations in the us and Europe.
The lady who goes over the car with me, gives me all kinds of good tips
on parking, which is important since its scarce downtown; to where the petrol
stations are for the refill before return of the vehicle. We get a nice clean
new 2002 blue ford escort. 4 doors, ac, clean and nice. Our waiter Locksley is
in the port and spots us, we invite him along and he graciously accepts since
he says he never comes ashore in Belize.
We head out on the one way road from the tourist village and round the
corner heading for the main shopping district. It takes us all of two minutes
and we are on the main street in the middle of a bustling shopping district. It’s
complete with all the normal smell, sights, sounds and lively activity of most Caribbean
ports. There are street vendors hawking food, and drinks. Spiritualist begging
for change for their missions, higglers selling their wares out of dressed up
shacks and carts all along the many small lanes that jutted off the main
street. We were in search of
either James Brodie or Ro-Macs, the largest retail food outlets in Belize City. They were easily located on Albert Street,
the Main Business Thoroughfare. There
was no place to park, not a spot to be found on any of the close streets, and
not a lot in site. I turn into an
alley behind the Scotia bank Building and there is a car park, with open
spaces. Oh well,, how can I do
this ?? I ask Locksley if he’d
mind car sitting while we went and shopped quickly, since it was
already 1:30 and he had to be back at the pier by 4:30. He said “No Problem Mon, go shop I’ll
watch your car “
With that
Mary and I dashed away with our shopping bags in hand and purses strapped on
securely for the hunt. We went across
the street peering into the windows of various and sundry stores selling all
matter of items. Some of them
familiar to me as a child of Caribbean lineage; and some that seem indigenous
and required my firsthand investigation. I
walked up to a hand tortilla press which had an unusual looking stone plate to examine it’s
beautiful lines and unusual plate. The Indian lady behind the counter smiled and asked
me if I knew what it was, I laughed and answered in my best Jamaica patois, “Yeah
Mon, Me use this nuff at home”. I put it down and thanked her, walking out the
door at the opposite end past rows of galvanized tubs nailed to boxes stored on faded
pastel shelves, overhead on the walls. There
was Marine paint, House paint and Nail polish all in the same section – how unique
I thought. Maybe American vendors
should see this useful logic, and stop plugging up our landfills with loads of
paper from useless over packaging.
The clothes in the windows heralded the Hispanic and catholic influences
left here after colonialization of the indigenous Belizeans. We again find Brodie's and enter with gleeful
looks, knowing that we will find some great bargains here. Mary heads straight to the Liquor shop
and survey’s the prices. A lady
who manages that section engages here and tells her to go to the Red House
around the corner for the best prices on liquor. I overhear her, and return a bottle of Coconut Rum to the
brimming shelf.. the Belmican beer is in two types, so I get one bottle of
each, since I have no intentions of taking a full six pack back home on a plane
after this cruise.
I decide to
still get a bottle of Parrot Special Rum, because I hear it is hard to find,
and Anejo. I am old a fan of Anejo
Rums; and this will certainly make my holidays cheery. Even the label on the bottle is pretty with
it’s brightly colored parrot and festive lettering; besides at $5.00 us it’s a
bargain. I get it and the beer and
move out of the liquor store into the grocery store. I am tired of holding all
this glass so I get a trolley and head for the spice aisle. I find all manner of Recanto. I get 3,
two regular and 1 hot. Then I grab
some bright yellow Indian curry powder.
It’s color signifies it’s freshness in this case. The Recanto blocks were less than .75 cents each us. The Curry was about
.50 cents for more than 2oz’s, and it was so fresh.
I spot the condiments and head straight to the Marie's Sauces. I am
in Heaven. there is a gentleman standing in front of the sauces looking at them and smiling
as I walked up. He looked at me, and said in a french accent " Do you know which one is
the best ? " I smiled back and replied that I planned to buy all of Maries' sauces and
test them out for the first time. I also admitted that I was told that they were the most
flavorful hot sauces in the condiment section, in Belize. He did exactly as I did, and selected
one of each sauce from the shelf and placed them into his also burgeoning hand basket. I picked up
the Habanero Jelly and looked at it's lovely label, and he also took a jar. we both smiled at each
other, knowing that heat even with sugar can still be lethal. I spotted the Exotic Sauce and grabbed
a bottle, pointing it out to him as well, and then the Sweet Orange Hot Sauce. We were truly in Hot Sauce
Heaven. a fellow connisour to share a brief moment, in such an exotic locale as this supermarket.
He smiles as he walks away toward the front of the store, as I inspect some
caribbean canned goods, on the other side of the aisle. when I head toward the front to checkout, Mary
is no where to be found. I know she can't be far, since we often wander away from eachother without saying
a word and just somehow miraculously manage to find each other again soon there after, without a word. I placed
my trolley into the checkout line behind the other shoppers. when my turn came, I began placing the sauces
and spices onto the belt. The cashier and her bagger looked at eachother smiling, then smiling the cashier said
to me, " You really Like it Hot". I laughed too, and said " Oh Yes, don't we all..." they asked if I was staying
in town, and I admitted to being a cruiseship passenger intown for the day, and in the supermarket even while on
holiday. They got quite a laugh out of that one. I paid for the goods, all three bags including Rum, amounted to
$30.00 BZ. that's about $15.00 us, what a deal. I asked the ladies if they knew where to get cheap liquor and
they said "the Red House around the corner." Little did I know, Mary had already finished looking in the windows
of the shops that interested her on Albert St. and was enroute to help me with the packages. She came around the
corner of the doorway just as I was taking the heavy glass laden bags off of the check out stand. She asked me if
I tried to buy out the store, and of course I laughed again. we headed to the car to drop off this load. enroute
we stopped at the cart of a man selling cold coconut water, and sodas, taking one for each of us, we headed on across
the street to the car. Locksley was chilling in the car when we walked up, he jumped out to help us get the
packages into the trunk of the car. It was Mary's turn to drive, and my turn to dictate the route, as if I knew where
we were headed. We got into the car and headed back out onto Albert St, toward the Swing Bridge.
When we spotted the Bridge, we looked at it quickly, as the traffic is nonstop fast, and moving in
all directions at once. the fact that we were tourists in a rental car made little difference, it seemed. We turned
at the bridge's fork in the road heading across the canal, and into a neighborhood. it resembled most of the english
caribbean neighborhoods that I had visited, over the years. It was closely packed, one way streets, and lots of businesses
sandwiched in everywhere. We spot it, The Red House. it's is White in fact, but the sign says "The Red House Liquors".
we park across the street and go into the store, and check out a huge selection of liquors of every description on shelves
covered by wire hurricane fencing. I'm wondering why ? but then it hits me, this is their security system. In the caribbean
folks are ingenius, and this was truly neccessity at work. Mary asks for a special liquor, and they have it. she says the
price is good, so I ask for my choices and they bring them out to the counter. I must agree with her, because I got three fifths
of Rum and was very happy. they even gave us a 2003 Calendar to remember them by. the calendar has some delictible
recipes which will no doubt be prepared in my kitchen, far from the Red House in Belize City.
We again take our bagged purchases and head back to the car, this time with Locksley in tow.
he is so patient, following us around like this. We get back into the car, and head down the street looking at the
people on the lanes as we pass. many smile and wave at us, and we wave back. we see children in school uniforms crossing
the canal, and decide to stop. Mary instantly spots some Fishermen selling fish from stalls on the oposite side of the canal.
she goes over to chat with them, and Locksley and I follow. they are selling Red Snapper, Yellow Tail Snapper, and some
other beautiful local fish. Mary is not impressed. She asks them how much for a half day fishing charter, and one of them
answers $300.00. I ask him is that Belezian, or us dollars ? and he answers US. I crack up, along with Mary. Locksley lowers
his head and shakes it, laughing at the obvious joke. We tell the man that we get the joke, and we'll be back to see him
when we are ready to go fishing. He laughs too. we cross the street and talk to some Rastas standing on the corner selling
Water Coconuts, and Sugarcane in small plastic bags ready to eat. I introduce myself, Mary and also Locksley and ask to buy
the Coconut Water. the Rasta smiles back and hands me a freshly opened coconut, then he hands one to Mary and Locksley.
I ask him how much, and He says to Enjoy the bounty of Jah Rastafari. I am so thankful for this natural refreshment and
the kind greeting of the Brethren. We exchange addresses and hug goodbye. it is a wonderful experience indeed. as we walk
away Mary says that she is hungry and the dread directs us to a local restaurant, Dot's; Just across the canal, one block down. We get into the car, and wave as we drive away. we find the restaurant easily, park and go in. We enter the Clean simple homestyle establishment. the menu is in chalk on a board above the counter window, where the smiling Chef, and Cashier await our order. Mary orders the Sorrell and Snapper Stew upon the Recommendation of another smiling friendly Rasta Brethren sitting in the restaurant. I introduce myself to him, and he says he is Ras Iley.
We Hug and exchange Rasta Pleasantrys. it is lovely again to meet a nice and pleasant person just looking to share the wonderful
goodness of his city with us. Mary orders, the cook instantly serves her, and we sit down at the table with Ras Iley to chat
while Mary enjoys her lunch. a very small older indian woman enters the restaurant. she is dressed in a white embroidered peasant
top and a yellow satin skirt. she is selling baskets, small sweetgrass handwoven baskets. I take two of them from her hands
and examine them. I ask her how much for them, and she says $20.00. I reply to her $10.00 she laughs and reinterates $20.00.
I open my purse and count out the few american dollars that remain, and find just $15.00, I hand it to her, and she takes it
smiling at me. I ask her if I can take her photo, and she again asks me for some more money. I laugh and reply that she has
to know that she has all of my money. She stands next to me and allows Ras Iley to photograph us. Then she holds the baskets
while I take her picture with them. She tells us that she came from Guatamala and that she is a Mayan Indian. I am sure
that she is. she says that she came by walking, and on the bus. Ras Iley confirms that this is quite normal for the Mayans
to move about in this manner. Belize is very near Guatamala and you see many indians in Belize.
We Hug Everyone and take photos as we leave the restaurant to take Locksley back to the Pier, for his
return to the ship. We pass a billboard from the Ministry of Health, urging not to bring Aids Home. I of course have to
have a photo of that. when we drop Locksley back at the pier, Mary and I decide to go over to the Lighthouse and Pier
on the other side of the waterfront. It is lovely, and the plaque says that it's The Bliss Memorial. We park the car
beside the road and walk out onto the rocks to check out the water. it is dark and murky, not the Caribbean Blue
found out farther from the well dyked shoreline embankments. The water is warm though, and we take pictures and sit
and talk for a while; watching the tenders ferry passengers to the various ships anchored off the coastline. It's almost 5pm and we
still have to fill up the car with petrol before returning it, for our tender back at 530pm. We pile back into the car,
with me driving. we return back to the Shell petrol station nearest the tourist port. I ask the attendant to fill up
the tank, and without looking I was defrauded outright by the attendant and then the manager. Mary screamed Stop Stop.
the Attendant asked "What..?" Mary said look, the pump says $20.00 that's not possible. What ? I know this is wrong.
Mary and I both start looking at the attendant, I ask for the manager, who promptly appears from the office, bad attitude
and all. I tell him that there is no way that this car could hold that much petrol when we had only clocked 20 miles on the
odometer, which showed it clearly below the speedometer. The lady at the car rental place set it back for us, and said that
it might come in handy in a situation like this. Well when I held the money up to pay the attendant, the Manager snatched
the money out of my hand, literally tearing it in half. I refused to give him the other half, and asked him to call the
local police. He refused. He then blocked my car from moving from the pump while calling me all kinds of names. I think
he wanted a Detroit Style Beatdown. I just wasn't in the mood for this, after such a lovely day in Belize. I toss the other
half of the torn twenty out of the window and holler that I will be lodging a complaint with Shell and Belize Tourism against
his station. Therefore I am warning everyone who goes and rents a car in Belize - Do Not Patronize the Shell Station nearest
the Belize Tourism Village - lest you be Hookwinked, Bamboozled and called out of your name. This station manager deserves
a full day of hearing Al Discuss why not to go to Belize. Maybe he would understand how powerful one experience can be
to ruin a business, and end a career. I followed up after this incident with the Belize Tourism Folks and as well the
Folks at Royal Dutch Shell; I am awaiting their responses in regard to the incident. I expect that anyone who visits
the page and takes my advice in regards to this incident, Will be Properly " Forewarned and Fore Armed, against this
Crooked Manager and Shell Station".
When we arrive back at the car rental office and return the car, we tell them about the incident
and they take a report and file it with the manager of the agency; who will be advising their future customers about
this incident. We explore the shops at the tourist craftmarket after returning the car, and unloading our huge cache
of goods. I stand guard over the goods while Mary Shops and She does the same for me. We find nice teeshirts - Cheap;
and some cute little key rings, and I of course Have My Postage Stamps and Cards. we walk back around to the pier and get
in line with the others awaiting the final tender back to our ship. We spot Billy and Scotty. they look tired. They see
us and come up in line to where we are. the folks behind us say it's not a problem, thank goodness. They had a fun day
Tubing and at the beach on one of the cayes, on a shore excursion. they say it was $100. us each. Oh My God I exclaim.
Scotty says, " Well Yeah.." Billy chimes in that it wasn't worth it, and that they wished they had gone shopping with us
instead. he asks us what goodies we came back with, and the Tender begins to load. We find seats together and enjoy the
breezy sunset ride back to the ship. the sunset is absolutely breathtaking. When we arrive back at the floating pier alongside
the ship, many of the passengers required more assistance because the swells had increased since our departure. I was
assisted with my bags by Billy and Scotty. Mary, Billy Scotty and I all went through the security check and xray just
fine, with no confiscations. there was a warning somewhere posted that liquor may be confiscated upon reboarding. we
didn't hide any of the fifths that we returned with, and neither did anyone else. we saw nothing confiscated. only the
duty free purchased liquor was being held in bond at the security access point. it was in cases marked with cabin numbers
and Passenger Names. that must be the key, don't buy it at the duty free if you want to have it in your cabin.
I was tired from the port call, and decided to have dinner ensuite.
Mary met Scotty and Billy for Dinner, where I understand they enjoyed Lobster and Shrimp,
at the pasta cafe on the pool deck. I slept and watched a movie on tv. for dinner I enjoyed a Caesar
Salad and pot of Long Island Ice Teas. I needed to chill out and I was gonna do it, for at least
a few hours before tonight somehow. It was Caribbean Night on the ship and the theme included a
Caribbean Deck Party commencing around 10pm, outside under the stars on the Pool Deck.
This was absolutely the trick to getting folks out of their cabins and drinking
after dinner on this night. The featured drink - the Rum Runner was Festively Served
in a whole Pineapple - top included. It was delicious, and priced right at $5.95 each.
The trays were emptying as fast as they hit the deck. There was also a Caribbean BBQ, complete
with Shrimp, Grilled Chicken, and Steak. The ondeck music and dance party was highlighted with a
Drag Show of Men; all imitating Carmen Miranda. they were lined up in the elevator lobby when I departed
the mayhem of the party for the quiet of my cabin, at around 1030pm. I was ready for a good nights sleep
after two of those lethal pineapples. I can't tell you when Mary came in because I was knocked out happily so.
- Day Four Thursday, Cozumel Mexico -
I awake at around 8am to the sound of Mary singing, as the TV is giving the Cozumel Weather Report.
The ship's bow cam shows a beautiful clear blue sky. We dress quickly and head for the dining room,
which is emptying out. I decide to skip the breakfast drama today, and just go upstairs and have a nice
fruit plate and pastries. Mary comes too. When we look out of the windows of the ship, we see Soldiers walking
along the pier between the ships carrying Machine Guns - FLN's, I am Terrified. We both wonder Why were we not told about
this by Al the Shore Excursion Specialist ? This is apauling. The fact that NCL would knowingly negate the fact that when entering
Mexico we would be subject to being shot by Kids with Automatic Weapons. I ate slowly and so did Mary. We watched
as folks disembarked the ship, taking the mini pedicabs that waited outside the gangway, down to the entrance of
Punta Lagosta. about 11am We get off the Ship, when we see that the machine guns are gone, and we feel somewhat
calmer. when we exit the ship, we are immediately drawn to the view of the aft of the NCL Sun which is berthed
directly ahead of us. It is Humongeous. Lovely and Bright, with Balconys full of People looking across the lagoon
at Cozumel. There are no balcony's on the NCL Sea and in comparison it may be worth it to spend a few dollars
more to enjoy the view from your own balcony, when you're into chilling as much as I am. Next time I cruise,
there will be a balcony on my stateroom shopping list for sure.
We take photo's standing in the port, as we did in Belize and continue walking down
the pier toward Punta Lagosta. The water is the most perfect shade of turquoise. it is a shade that cannot
be described, and must be seen. I took pictures of some Eels swimming near the hull of the Celebrity Vessel
that was docked in the berth across from us, at the end of the pier. Mary thought the water was magical,
and so did another gentleman who was also standing just looking into the lagoon at the end of the pier, with us.
as we approach the entrance to Cozumel's waterfront shopping district, a man holding a placcard for Budget
Rent a Car jumps out at us. He is cute so I stop and listen to his speel. he has a good deal on a car so we
decide to go upstairs and rent a car and really enjoy Cozumel this visit. Mary and I had each visited Cozumel
on previous cruises and never left this waterfront area. I rent a Geo, and we get in and take it out of the lot and
onto the road. Mary is Driving so that I can take photo's as usual.
we pass through the main shopping district in the Waterfront,
and a few smaller shopping blocks before we come to the roadsign pointing to the road which leads toward the
ruins of Chichen Itza, and for us the Beach. we drive into neighborhood streets and wave at little kids and
old people who wave as we drive past. we go back out onto the main road and begin to see signs for cheap
blankets and tee shirts. voila, the booty. we stop at a small roadside souvenir shop;
where we see a woman standing out front holding a child. we look around, and she is very friendly and helpful.
we pick out several blankets and I get a carved Black Coral Dolphin Charm.
the total is less than $10.00 a piece. we get back into the car and continue
down this asphalt road filled with rental cars, pick up trucks, dune buggys and motor scooters. everyone seems
to be heading in the same direction we are, to the beach. We see a sign for silver jewelry and stop. Mary gets
a great deal on a bracelet, and I attempt to buy a Cohiba or Monte Cristo, but the prices are higher than I pay
normally across the bridge in Windsor. so No Sale for Me. we pile back into the tracker and head to the beach.
we pass several beach bars, with parking lots full. I spot a beach pull off and Mary wheels the ORV In easily.
This Beach is Heaven. the tide is wild, crashing and swelling. rolling and receding into foam; never revealing
it's true coastline. This is San Francisco Beach, one of the Most Beautiful on the Island, and also one of the most remote.
As we drive up the coast I take lots of photos; It's Hot and we're hungry,
so we decide to get some lunch. We stop at the Lovely Playa Bonita Beach;
to take more pictures. as the beach is Natural and the waves are fairly calm,
is a great place for a quick swim in the surf. A mile up the road you'll find Coconuts,
On The Bluff - a restaurant with great hilltop views of the Caribbean; Their fantastique
food, gigantic drinks and Great Friendly Service make it worth the wait to eat here.
Behind the restaurant are several small lagoons where you can see numerous native birds.
When you drive the cross-island highway you'll come to the ruins of San Gervasio.
There on the opposite side of the road is the Rasta Bar, a seaside Reggae Taqueria.
They were closed, but we couldn't resist taking pictures with Bob Marley, on the steps.
Just up the road is the Chankannab National Park. a Lovely beachfront nature preserve
with water sports, chairs for rent and some of the best sea views on the entire island.
The cruise ships offer organzied excursions to Chankannab National Park, for the day running around
$50.00 pp. if you travel independantly you can save yourself a lil bit of money
for Souveniers. The cost to enter Chankannab National Park is only $5.00 us pp.
Beachlovers can rent a beach chair for $3.00, and get roundtrip taxi fare for less than $10.00
from the Pier to Chankannab National Park. there are snacks and drinks available at the park store near
the entrance. as well there is a large Super Mercado just up the road
which stocks everything you could ever want. This store is the mexican version
of Walmart - stocked to the ceiling and priced to go;
I highly suggest you stop here for any liquor or small souvenir purchases;
as they take credit cards, and offer english speaking service with a smile.
Additionally I suggest this diversion for those less inclined to shop, and who want to
really just cool out on the beach in Cozumel. There are several bars close to the park
so you'll never be far from a Cold Cerveza and Warm Taco. the advice most people get
about not eating in Mexico, is to be taken with a grain of salt. My Advice is to be
careful what you eat and where, Always. use common sense, and eat cooked food served
only at the correct temperature - that means Warm food Warm, cold food cold - from clean restaurants.
I normally avoid mixed drinks because of the ice cubes used to chill them, in favor of
beer served in glass bottles, still capped when I receive it. I also buy bottled water
to drink when in Mexico - because I don't want to tempt Montezuma's Revenge on my holiday.
When we had enjoyed the day, we moved
back toward the pier, to take our purchases from the Super Mercado and various crafts shops
back to the ship; so that we could enjoy our last drink at Carlos and Charlies, as is our tradition.
We took a pedi cab back to the ship, and deposited our parcels in our stateroom. we took the
time to freshen up a bit, and then quickly pass back by the dining room to check the menu.
then it's back out onto the pier for our sunset picture and final fun at the waterfront Punta Lagosta.
When we return we check the car back in at Budget - and walk through the mall directly down the steps
and up the street to Carlos and Charleys. The Doorman takes our Photo's in the Cut-outs out front
and we decide to forgo the drink in favor of hitting a few more stores for last minute gifts.
I buy a brightly batiked Pareo and several good quality Tee Shirts;
I find the best Humidor on the waterfront, and and get my treasured Cohiba, and Monte Cristo's.
I know these will be the enjoyment of my visit to Gatsby's later this evening, and tomorrow when we are trapped
at sea. I bargain hard, and get two delicious non mexican embargoed cuban cigars wrapped;
carefully and enclosed in tubes for safe keeping. Mary finds a Silver Bracelet, and gifts for her God Baby.
we then decide to head to the Pier as it's approaching the time to take our sunset photo here in Cozumel.
This story will be concluded March 28, Here at this very same website.
More Photos will be added, along with a recipe book, electronic postcard rack
and a direct link to each of the items mentioned in the travelogue.
We Hope to see you, March 28, 2003
Enjoy and Bon Voyage,
Honey Chiles
~RE Ausetkmt
Realistic Journeys
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