Cruise 02/08

Day 1
There we are. The day has finally arrived. After a few close calls we were able to keep Michael in the dark about our destination. Until the last minute he probably thought that we were on our way to the airport. He hates surprises and this mystery was killing. But he was a good sport and apart from trying to trick me into giving him any indication that would have given him a clue, he waited for today. He got nothing from Norman either who got him even more confused by packing winter clothes along with what we would really need for our trip.

So here we are on the Dawn Princess. Actually of the four of us, I am the only one who has been on a cruise before. It is my 4th one. I think all three are a little overwhelmed but hopefully very excited at the same time. We have all been busy but Matt, Mike and Norm will benefit the most of this week off. In January, I flew more than I usually do but because of the great trips, I feel like I have been on vacations. We settle, then explore the ship. After dinner we are all tired and retire early.

Day 2
Since we all went to bed early I woke up at 3:33am; then I looked at the time every hour after that. Finally it is 7:15 and I get ready to go to the gym...I had forgotten that we changed time zone and now it is actually 8:30, time we had decided upon tu go to breakfast. So we go to breakfast. The gym is not going anywhere.

We had a good and relaxing day. Tonight we are all dressed up for dinner and enjoy a wonderful meal followed by a show.

Day3
Gym. We are entering the bay of Cabo San Lucas and the scenery is pretty. Mike saw a whale breach but all I saw were white spouts of water as at least 4 or 5 whales moved not far from the ship. We leave the ship after breakfast to go ashore.

Colors surround us. The sky is cloudless now and the sun is shinning. The cool breeze keeps the temperature down though. The water is a deeper blue but gently turns to a beautiful hue of green as you get closer to shore. The sand is a pale gold color and feels coarse under the feet. Not the soft feeling I am used to. The rock formations are different shades of brown. From soft curves to straight jagged edges, they pull you in as you look for familiar shapes.

Day 4
By the time I make it to the gym we already are inside the harbor of the port of Mazatlan. The surroundings look completely different. We went from a vacation spot with facilities that sprung up (and still do) from the tourists' needs to an old town where people live and work.
After breakfast we disembark and take a cab to go to Old Town. We visit the cathedral where they are actually performing a mass for Ash Wednesday. A quick walk around the town square and we are not sure of what else to do. The town is not particularly pretty nor interesting. People go about their business and their daily lives.
We take an open cab to go to the Golden Zone where the beach is. We have lunch there. It is rather breezy and chilly so we decide to go back to the ship.

Day 5
We are at the Blue Chairs in Puerto Vallarta. We came here after our ride to Chicos Paradise for lunch. The setting is pretty. The weather is beautiful, warm and sunny; all those chairs facing the ocean; all those beautiful bodies... parading up and down the beach. I do not know why this has no appeal to me. I know that when on vacations you need to relax, let loose a little, have some fun but this is just not my idea of vacations. I do not understand that you would actually fly to another country to lay on a beach and drink everyday. Vacations for me of course are a time of relaxation, but also a time to experience new things and new cultures. I want to discover new places and know a little bit more about the world around me. There is not enough time (and usually not enough money) to visit all the countries I want to go to.

Day 6 & 7
We spend 2 days at see on our way back to San Diego. We relax and play trivia and spend time with the friends that we made on the ship, Matt and Ryan.

Day 8
We are back home. At least I have a few more days off before I have to go back to work. That is not the case for the others.

Cruising down the coast - February 08

The pictures in the videos are in no particular order. To get to the photo albums click on the link below.
Pour acceder aux albums photos suivez le lien ci-dessous.

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