Vacation Part 4: Freeport

So this is the last part of my vacation posts, and I hope you have enjoyed them just as much as I have writing them.  Let me get right into it then.  Our last stop was Freeport.  A lot of people say this island is not worth going to, but honestly, I like it better than Nassau.

We got on the island together as a family and took a nice taxi ride to Lucaya shopping center.  On the ride, we sat back and let the sites fly by.  Did I mention they drive crazy in the Bahamas?  I was a little scared to get in seeing as the day before I had almost been hit, but hey I was traveling and I had to experience this.  Crammed in with 10 people plus the driver in this van we go! 

We pulled in at the casino to get out  of the taxi.  We got our tickets to get back on, and hit the market.  We split up and decided to meet back up later on the ship if we didn’t see each other on the island.  Mike and I hit the shops and didn’t get harassed like in Nassau.  We got to browse just as we pleased and didn’t need to worry about getting hassled in to looking at this and looking at that and so on. 

We really didn’t stay long here, but it was a fun time.  We were burnt, but it was still a better tiime.  We got to stroll around the market, we got to spend some time looking at gifts for family and we even got a ornament for our Christmas tree there.  We started this thing last year where we will buy an ornament every year for our tree. 

Well, folks, that’s really all there is.  It was a blast all in all and I am so glad we got to go.  The ship was something new to me, and I am so glad I did not get sea sick. The islands were not what I expected all in all, but in the end it was amazing.  The whole vacation was fun and I wish I could go back.   

Vacation Part 3: Land Ho!

Nassau, what can I say?  We finally hit land and we were about to have a blast in an exotic, foreign place.  But first we had to get off the ship.  This was made difficult because of a power outage that caused a back up of people on the disembarking deck along with stair wells above.  The crowd of people caused heat, and with heat come irritation.  Not to mention I had lost Mike before the outage and he didn’t know where our group was. 

Finally the situation was handled and we were able get off the boat into the sunshine of Nassau.  I stepped off the boat and lo and behold Mike was waiting, he’s so smart sometimes that he just goes to the end of where we are supposed to be and waits.  Any way, they take your  picture everywhere on the ship and getting off no different.  “Lady!!  How ’bout a picture?”  I heard that so many times it got old, it wouldn’t have been so bad had the pictures been a decent price to where I could buy them, but they wanted way too much for these. 

I walked into the city thru customs and a lot of shops to get to our destination.  Taxi drivers, horse carriages, mopeds, and many other options of travel were available and had people yelling to get our business.  We were fine on foot and just kept walking.  I saw all the shops and just had to go in, but I didn’t know the people would be so clingy.  In America they wait for you to ask for help, but here, they jump to help.  Nice people, don’t get me wrong, but I just want to browse and look without be harassed.  The Straw Market was the worst, it took everything to get out of there.  Did I also mention, I was almost killed by a driver here?  There were no lights, or stop signs and I looked both ways and every other way possible, but still a guy decided to make a U-Turn as I was in the middle of the street and nearly hit me.  They drive like maniacs there just a heads up!!

We were done with shopping and wanted to hit a beach and the public beach was a bit down the road from us, but hey it was worth it.  The sun was beating down, the heat was going up, and the people were just non-stop.  A little cool down at the beach is what we needed. 

The water was defiantly see through.  I could see the bottom when we were neck high.  I have heard of beaches like this but never seen one, so this impressed me.  The shore was a bit rocky where we decided to plant ourselves, so walking into the water was a slow, mildly painful situation.  The water was cool and refreshing, a much-needed moment.  I must say I am a people watcher, and on the beach is probably one of the best places to watch.  I saw women wearing small suits and men with even smaller ones on.  Kids jumping off the dock into the water, and people laying out all over the beach.  Everyone was care free and read for a good day on the beach, myself and Mike included. 

I’m not really sure how long Mike and I stayed, but when we left we didn’t have a bag so we had to hunt one down.  We found a cute little shop that had just what we were looking for and it makes for a useful and handy souvenir.  With our beach attire in the bag we continued to look around a bit more, but we started to realize our skin was on fire.  I had forgotten the sun screen back in the room and while we were in the ocean, we got pretty burnt.  We were supposed to meet with the family at 3:30 in Senor Frogs, but neither of us saw that trip happening.  Sadly we retired to the ship, got something to eat with room service, and stayed in most of the night.  Solarcane, Aloe Vera, and cold showers did nothing to help. 

Overall, I liked Nassau, but it was a different place than I had pictured in my head.  The people were something else entirely, the water was amazing, the atmosphere was something new, but I just expected paradise and not just streets and walking.  I suppose had we done an excursion it would have been different, but we didn’t and we saw, I would say, the busiest part of town on a hot day.    I forgot to mention, we got a dealer pin from the Harley store there and the first store we stepped in was the Harley store.  How funny is that?  Mike on a mission for a Harley pin?  He’s so cute!

Vacation Part 2: I’m on a boat!!

You know that song by the Lonely Island, “I’m on a Boat”?  Well I just couldn’t stop singing that while we were getting on the boat.  I know, I’m a loser, but hey it fit.  Anywho, the second day of vacation started with us getting ready to board and set sail.  It was really uneventful until we got on the ship so I will skip all the boring stuff, sound good to you?

Well we all piled on and went to our rooms and were able to look around to get to know the ship we would be on for the next FIVE days.  There were so many floors to remember and so much to do, that I don’t think I ever made it all over the ship.  I’m not kidding there has to be somewhere I didn’t go.  But back to the story, The Lido Deck was where we all piled up to eat, and I mean everyone.  The pool was full of kids and young adults ready to get started.  The Windows of the Sea was full of people ready to get started on the free food!  There was so much food there I had no clue where to start, so I just got a salad, Mike came back to the table with a plate so full I didn’t think he would be able to hold it.

After lunch we started walking around on the upper decks to wait to disembark from the port.  We didn’t head out until narly 5, and the safety meeting went a bit longer than expected I think, but when we were able to get out in the ocean, you could tell the troubles on shore were left behind and the party started.  I think I had two drinks in me by the time we took off, but hey it was my first cruise, and I was wondering if I would actually get sea sick.  I didn’t!! 

On the ship you get an itenary for everyday as to what would be going on.  They have everything going at all hours of the night.  I wanted to check out some of the shows on the first night and play some games.  I actually won a trophy on the first night in a game of trivia.  It was so much fun and the people on the ship were so carefree and liquored up.  What can possibly go wrong?  The answer to that is nothing!!  We sat and watched a show, hit up some shops, and ate more than we knew was possible.

We didn’t hit the first port until the 3rd day which I will talk about in another part to this series, but we were on the ship a lot and there is so much to cover.  Formal night, which is where everyone puts on really nice clothes and takes lots of picrures.  Basically they call it the Captian’s Dinner and most people have fun with it.  Mike hated it and wishes he never has to do it again.  He hates dressing up and if he could never have to dress up again he would be happy. 

I guess I could tell you about the food too huh?  I have never ate so much good food, or new foods for that matter.  Every night I could try something I have never had, heard of, or seen.  If I didn’t like something I could tell our server, Delroy and his team we would like soemthing else.  It was that simple, and we didn’t have to worry about clean up.  I didn’t do this because I love food so much, but Missy wasn’t as brave as some of us.  Dessert came with every meal and the chocolate melting cake was to die for.  I didn’t eat it every night because there was so much I wanted to try that I just had to.  I could have ordered one of everything on the menu if I wanted to, but what is the point in wasting all of that food?  I tried cured salmon (not somthing I liked), frog legs, Neptune’s salad (full of random sea food and cavier), shark, and so much more I can’t even remember (I knew I should have taken notes). 

On the night we went to the comedy show, I decided to wear a shirt that had sequins all over it and we sat close to the stage.  There was the biscut eater (a heavy set guy), a young guy, Betty White (an older lady about a row in front of me) and myself in my disco ball shirt.  He wanted everyone to know that if I fell over, I would be found.  While here tho, I had an encounter I talked about before I left.  A zombie was on our ship and it came with a kick.  This drink called the Zany Zombie was one of the stronger, better drinks I had while on board. 

While I could talk all day about this, I don’t have the time.  I will say this about the Carnival Fantacy though, the crew was amazing, the entertainment was grand, and the trip all around was one of the best I have been on.

Vacation: Part 1 Charleston, SC

Like I promised, I am now able to blog about my vacation.  Since it took many days to unfold, I am writing it in parts.  Today is the Charleston, SC section and what a blast it was!  The ride to Charleston was a bit rocky, no one had any sleep and the trip was just begining. 

We pulled into our motel around 6 am from a long ride from Owensboro, and there were no vacancies at the time.  We were going to have to do an early check in, but seeing as there were no rooms, we had to figure out something else to do so we would’t fall asleep before we got our room.  We all needed sleep and we were all cranky and moody from the crammed in ride.  Mike and I got a little bit of sleep while on the road, but not enough to really help out the situation, the driver was getting more tired by the minute, the navigator started to close his eyes for a small nap, and the two other women were wide awake most of the trip.    I have never been to Golden Corral for breakfast and Mike’s mom suggested we go eat and then try to check into our room a little later in the day.

Walking into Golden Corral was a sensation of many.  With the lack of sleep the air conditioner, the smell of the food, and the endless buffet screamed my name.  I usually never eat more than just a plate at a buffet because I don’t keep an appitite as mych, but for some reason, I thought 3 sounded good at the time.  As we sat around the table, the conversation began to get a little crazy.  Honestly I have no cluse what we were talking about, but I do know there was a lot of mean mugging, laughing tired, people!  Driving back to chack in was a big tsk at this point.  The unknown roads, the morning traffic, and the tiredness setting in in all of us just wanting a comfortable bed to lay in for a few hours of sleep. 

With it still being early we had to find something else to do to kill time and I knew of this little place my wonderful brother and sister in law got married and wanted to check it out.  Battery Park was right on the coast, and I still don’t know if it was the ocean or a river, but I do know it was salt water and it was beautiful.  There was so much to look at, but the sun was beating down and the people were swarming in.  Kathy wanted to do a horse carriage ride around the city and it was really interesting and I was glad to take it.  The city is actually the biggest historical city, it floods, and the houses are extremely ecpensive.  The colors, the trees, the flowers, everything about this peninsula was grand!  I really liked the Daughters of the Confederacy Market place aka The Slave Market.  Surprisingly no slaves were sold there, so the name is not fitting. 

It was still a little early for us to check in, but we couldn’t just sit in the van to keep cool so Mike, his mom and dad, and I piled into to wait for our room to be ready in the lobby.  The room was ready in no time, but with Missy and Danny in the van, our luggage would have to wait.  The hotel was a nice place and the room was big enough for us all to sleep.  Mike and I were there when we got the room so naturally we claimed one of the beds, Kathy and Mike (not my Mike, it gets confusing I know) took the other, and Danny and Missy took the fold out couch. 

A nap was so refreshing and it was time to find some stuff to do.  Mike has this thing he likes to do when hes on vacation, he says its more of an addiction, where he likes to hit up the Harley Davidson stores to get a dealer pin.  I think it’s cute and to see his eyes light up like a kid in a candy store when he finds what he’s looking for.  It didn’t help that I was there too and wanting to buy a bike to take back home with us, but hey, I can hope. 

Dinner was an adventure in itself.  We went to this cute little local place called The Crab Shack.  I had been wanting a crawfish boil, but it wasn’t really the south so I had to deal with what I could get.  I got a bucket of oysters, crab legs, shrimp, potatoes and corn on the cob.  The center of the table there was a bucket so we could throw our trash away.  I gave Mike my oysters, but not before I tried one myself and decided that I hated.  Texture is a big thing with me and a slimy thing such as an oyster was not what I wanted to eat.  I can eat sushi all day, but theres just something about an oyter that turns my stomach. 

 

Back to Earth

Well hello there!! Did you miss me? I surly missed you guys. Being on the ocean with no outside communication for five days did it for me!! Since there is sooo much to write about, I figure I will do a couple parts to this blog. After all this trip was a new on to me!

We’re on the road to get home right now and we still have about a 7 hour drive/ride for some of us in the van, and I have no pictures to upload just yet, but I promise, that is all coming very soon.

I think a nap is in order soon as well, I just ate and on the ship that seemed to be the thing to do after lunch. Goodness I’ve probably put on 15 pounds as much as I ate on the trip. I didn’t keep count but I bet I ate at least 5 times a day. And I mean big buffets all the time, but dinner was practically a four course meal every night !!! If you like food, I suggest a cruise.

Well folks that’s it for me right now, but like I said I should be on to tell you of my travels soon. Really, I missed you all and am so glad to be back in communication with the world!

Vacation Bound

Well friends, it’s here, vacation!!! We left around five pm today, and it is now 12:23 am!! We’re approaching Asheville, NC in about a hour or so!! With the family in the car, we have a fighting mother and daughter, a political discussion in the front between two gentlemen, and Mike and I crammed in the back!! The van is exploding with luggage and our destination is coming closer and closer!!
This week is something I’ve been looking forward to for along time!! Working the long hours these past few weeks, the nights of preparing and packing have been a process through the past month have finally paid off!! Shawshank Redemption is playing on the portable DVD player after a nap and much needed Dramamine, while our driver steers us closer!! More updates when I can give them but I’ll lose all phone service while on boat!!! Will I survive? I think I will!!

Zombie Vacation!!

Hey friends, sorry it’s been so long, it’s been a really long couple of weeks.  I have been working a lot of over time to make up for a few things.  Mike and I were ready to start our plan and that got delayed a bit, so now he has no job and I am having to work extra to make up for it.  Our plans are still there, but on hold for a few months to see what is going to happen with some other things.  It’s been an emotional ride these past two weeks and I am ready for vacation.  Oh, I forgot to mention that didn’t I?  Well Mike and I are lucky enough to join his family on a cruise to the Bahamas and we leave this Friday to head to the port and ship out Sunday!!  I have one week left of work and have plans to have a whole lot of fun!!