We started discussing fall break on July 28th (yes, that is the day we got back from our 10,000 mile trip of the summer), and after much discussion, deliberation, and indecisiveness, we made a spur-of-the-moment decision to spend our fall break on a cruise to the Baja of Mexico. It was cheap, and we got what we paid for.
We left Prescott after church on Sunday, following a very apropo sermon on rest and enjoying the Sabbath. The drive to San Diego went quickly, though we, of course, played with fate again and drove on empty for many miles.
Ark's cousin, Katie, was kind enough to let us crash in her apartment for the night and even buy us pizza for dinner. On Monday, we enjoyed a lovely run in La Jolla. Running at sea level is fun and oh, so much easier that running in Prescott! Katie's roommate Anthea kindly took us to the port in the afternoon. Thank you so much for everything, Katie and Anthea.
The cruise departed right on time, and after putting our bags in our room, we found our way to the top deck to watch the San Diego skyline recede. We explored the ship for a while and then ate dinner. Ark got tricked into buying water, and we were irritated when we found out that the water cost us almost 6 dollars. But we got over that and enjoyed the dinner. We were pretty tired, so we didn't do much that night except eat and go to bed.
Tuesday was our "fun day at sea." And it sure was fun (please note sarcasm). The best word to describe our day would be "boring." Who is bored on a cruise ship? Well, we were, and I would guess that most people who don't drink, get drunk, or enjoy watching other people walk around slobbering drunk would also be bored. We were saddened by the emphasis placed on drinking on this "family friendly" cruise. Unfortunately, the weather was also quite chilly, so sun-bathing was not an option. We slept, ate, watched movies, ate, and slept most of the day.
On Wednesday, we got off the ship on Catalina Island, where we walked around the town of Avalon, and then went snorkeling. Snorkeling was definitely the highlight of the trip. We were thankful for the wetsuits in the 60 degree water. The fish, kelp, and ocean floor were beautiful, and apparently, our snorkeling guide thought we were beautiful as well, since he gave us his e-mail, his phone number, and an open invite for scuba diving lessons and back country camping on Catalina. Too bad he's 60+ years old.
After our chilly swim, we went for a run and warmed up.
Thursday was our day in Mexico. We got off in Ensenada. We walked around the town for a while. We were looking for a beach on which to lie to get a tan (one of our goals for the trip), but after walking 2 miles and not finding one, we decided to turn around and sunbathe on the ship instead. We read, slept, and sat in the sun for several hours, achieving our goal of a tan.
Friday morning found us back in San Diego, and home we drove (after a long stop in Phoenix to try on and buy running shoes...In case you haven't noticed, we're running a lot because we're trainng for a half marathon in January.).
Overall, we were rather disappointed with the cruise itself, but we did rest and have a fun time. I've been told that other cruise lines are better, but for right now, I'm content not cruising again. And now, the world has stopped spinning and rocking (it only took 3 days of being back on land to feel stable again), and we're back in the routine of school and life, praising God for His blessings, His wisdom, and His protection.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Back by Popular Demand!
Ok, so we went to Mexico last week (among other things). After a long and final week at school we were ready for a weeks vacation! Sunday we hopped in the car and drove to San Diego. The whole drive we were thinking, "wow...this isn't far, we should do this more often." We arrived at Ark's cousin's house around 8 pm and had a great time visiting and eating the best pizza ever! Since the next day was the first day of vacation, we slept quite late and then headed for the San Diego coast for a run. It is so different running at sea level. We definitely felt like we could go forever! It was fun to sit on the cliffs and watch the waves shoot up through the rocks. It's been wayyyy too long since we enjoyed the beach!
That evening after showers and a snack we boarded the Carnival Elation ship for the remainder of the week. It was quite exciting, but after watch movies like Titanic or Poseidon I couldn't help but have a doomsday feeling in the pit of my stomach. But, we boarded anyway and quickly got settled into our stateroom. It was not as small as we thought it was going to be...pleasant surprise. It didn't, however, have a window, something we were glad about later when looking outside made us seasick. We enjoyed exploring the ship, an emergency procedure meeting, and then dinner in the dining room. Adrian, from Peru, was our waiter and he cracked us up. My only problem with the first meal on the ship was the sneaky way they made you buy water...it wasn't cheap and I was annoyed, but oh well.
The next day was supposed to be the "Fun Day At Sea"...since we slept with no light in our dungeon it was tough to rouse ourselves at the crack of 10. I definitely see the benefits of waking up to sunlight! But, it was vacation so sleeping was a priority. We walked around the boat, ate a late breakfast, took a nap, ate a late lunch, took a nap, watched a movie, took another nap, and finally got dressed for our elegant evening! It was fun to dress up for dinner...and we looked GREAT! We ate dinner with another couple and enjoyed some laughter over our meal and the singing waiters. They were so cute. After that we went to our first show in the Mikado Lounge. It was ok, but the ladies showed too much skin and the dancing was on the verge of pole-dancing. Oh well, going to watch break dancers later made up for it. We laughed and laughed and oohed and ahhed over that one. The highlight was a little kid from the audience showing off his moves. We both decided we would teach our kids to have cool dance moves one day :)
It was already Wednesday and we were making our first stop at Catalina Island, CA! In order to get to the island we had to dock a bit out and take 'tenders' or small motor boats to shore. It was the first bit of seasickness we experienced, but didn't last long. We explored the little town of Avalon and then went on a snorkel tour of Lover's Cove. Snorkeling is AMAZING!!!! We learned the basics, got suited up and had the rest of the afternoon to explore the cove. The kelp farm 70 feet under us had amazing fish and plants to keep us entertained. We also had a guide who told us so many facts and dove down to bring up fish, lobster, and plants from the farm. It was definitely the highlight of our trip! Our 60 year-old guide began flirting with us and eagerly gave us his phone number and email address in case we wanted to go scuba diving or back country camping in the near future. Yeah, like we'd do that. But, it was flattering nonetheless. We got back to the ship in time to quickly change, get back on the tender and head back to the island for a quick run through the town before we set sail again that night.
So did you know there was a named tropical storm off the coast of Mexico last week? Yup! We felt it that night at dinner! Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth wasn't exactly the most comfortable experience. We were quite dizzy...all night. We attended the second show of the cruise (still racy if you ask us) and then ate a late dinner in the dining room. There wasn't much else to do for the evening so we called it an early (11:00) evening and headed to bed.
The next day we docked early in Ensenada, Mexico. We walked around the city for a few minutes to experience the Mexico thing, but found it dirty, dusty, and not so pleasing. After searching (and walking) for a long time for the beach we called it a day and sat my the pool on the ship. It was the first day of sunshine and we soaked the sun up! I love sunburns! After Mexico, we ate dinner, watched a movie, and went to see the final show on the boat. It was the best! A hypnotist who made people do funny things. This stimulated good conversation about hypnosis and what it really does for someone! Then off to bed.
Our last day was spent packing, eating breakfast (with one last cone of ice cream for the road...man, I'm really going to miss available ice cream 24/7..sigh), then off the ship we went. Then began the journey home. Let's just say, going home was not as easy as it was to get there. It took about 10 hours to get home...not sure how that happened. We missed dance class and ended up getting Chipotle instead...can't complain.
Overall, I would say that a cruise is not something I would do again. If you aren't a drinker, there isn't much to do. And it was such a picture of the world's system! However, being on vacation is always something to look forward to :) I love my suntan and am ready for the next adventure!
That evening after showers and a snack we boarded the Carnival Elation ship for the remainder of the week. It was quite exciting, but after watch movies like Titanic or Poseidon I couldn't help but have a doomsday feeling in the pit of my stomach. But, we boarded anyway and quickly got settled into our stateroom. It was not as small as we thought it was going to be...pleasant surprise. It didn't, however, have a window, something we were glad about later when looking outside made us seasick. We enjoyed exploring the ship, an emergency procedure meeting, and then dinner in the dining room. Adrian, from Peru, was our waiter and he cracked us up. My only problem with the first meal on the ship was the sneaky way they made you buy water...it wasn't cheap and I was annoyed, but oh well.
The next day was supposed to be the "Fun Day At Sea"...since we slept with no light in our dungeon it was tough to rouse ourselves at the crack of 10. I definitely see the benefits of waking up to sunlight! But, it was vacation so sleeping was a priority. We walked around the boat, ate a late breakfast, took a nap, ate a late lunch, took a nap, watched a movie, took another nap, and finally got dressed for our elegant evening! It was fun to dress up for dinner...and we looked GREAT! We ate dinner with another couple and enjoyed some laughter over our meal and the singing waiters. They were so cute. After that we went to our first show in the Mikado Lounge. It was ok, but the ladies showed too much skin and the dancing was on the verge of pole-dancing. Oh well, going to watch break dancers later made up for it. We laughed and laughed and oohed and ahhed over that one. The highlight was a little kid from the audience showing off his moves. We both decided we would teach our kids to have cool dance moves one day :)
It was already Wednesday and we were making our first stop at Catalina Island, CA! In order to get to the island we had to dock a bit out and take 'tenders' or small motor boats to shore. It was the first bit of seasickness we experienced, but didn't last long. We explored the little town of Avalon and then went on a snorkel tour of Lover's Cove. Snorkeling is AMAZING!!!! We learned the basics, got suited up and had the rest of the afternoon to explore the cove. The kelp farm 70 feet under us had amazing fish and plants to keep us entertained. We also had a guide who told us so many facts and dove down to bring up fish, lobster, and plants from the farm. It was definitely the highlight of our trip! Our 60 year-old guide began flirting with us and eagerly gave us his phone number and email address in case we wanted to go scuba diving or back country camping in the near future. Yeah, like we'd do that. But, it was flattering nonetheless. We got back to the ship in time to quickly change, get back on the tender and head back to the island for a quick run through the town before we set sail again that night.
So did you know there was a named tropical storm off the coast of Mexico last week? Yup! We felt it that night at dinner! Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth wasn't exactly the most comfortable experience. We were quite dizzy...all night. We attended the second show of the cruise (still racy if you ask us) and then ate a late dinner in the dining room. There wasn't much else to do for the evening so we called it an early (11:00) evening and headed to bed.
The next day we docked early in Ensenada, Mexico. We walked around the city for a few minutes to experience the Mexico thing, but found it dirty, dusty, and not so pleasing. After searching (and walking) for a long time for the beach we called it a day and sat my the pool on the ship. It was the first day of sunshine and we soaked the sun up! I love sunburns! After Mexico, we ate dinner, watched a movie, and went to see the final show on the boat. It was the best! A hypnotist who made people do funny things. This stimulated good conversation about hypnosis and what it really does for someone! Then off to bed.
Our last day was spent packing, eating breakfast (with one last cone of ice cream for the road...man, I'm really going to miss available ice cream 24/7..sigh), then off the ship we went. Then began the journey home. Let's just say, going home was not as easy as it was to get there. It took about 10 hours to get home...not sure how that happened. We missed dance class and ended up getting Chipotle instead...can't complain.
Overall, I would say that a cruise is not something I would do again. If you aren't a drinker, there isn't much to do. And it was such a picture of the world's system! However, being on vacation is always something to look forward to :) I love my suntan and am ready for the next adventure!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Again? What?
So you may all be saying..."Mexico? How did this come about?" Well, let's just say after traveling our 10,000 miles this summer the thought of going too long without another adventure was more than we could handle. OK OK, we started planning a vacation of some kind the week after we got home in July :) Our first thought was...backpacking across Hawaii...but if you remember our budgeting skills from previous posts you know we are pretty cheap so that wasn't going to work. Next thought was a vacation in the Dominican Republic, which was quite cheap until you factored in the plane ticket to Florida. That wasn't going to work either. Then we thought we'd book a plane ticket the day before departure and go anywhere where we could on $50. But, if you remember we are also big planners and the waiting was too intense. Japan? We both knew Australia was out of the question. Italy? Oregon? California? OK, time was running out and so were our ideas. During a texting match one evening we decided on a cruise and booked it right then and there...before we could change our minds. Ark especially is not a sporadic person and had second thoughts the next day...but what can you do? Right now we are both packing our suitcases (or thinking about getting through a week of school first) and getting ready to cruise along the west coast. No worries...you will be included in all our escapades through our trusty "Nomadic Duos" site! Once again we are excited to see how God will use and bless us as we venture to another country...that's 3 countries this year and more stamps in the passport :) We'll keep you posted!
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