Nov 13th--in Belize City

This day actually was my birthday..but it started out a little rocky.  We had to ride these tiny tender boats to shore and the waves were so choppy!  We both felt ill and were Very happy to finally land.

The first thing we heard in getting off the boat is someone yelling, "Take your picture with the Wench!  Take our picture with the Wench!"  A little strange, but she didn't seem to mind.....and neither did he.

Our plan for the day was to go on a cave-tubing adventure in the jungle.  We met up with our great tour guides, Major Tom, and his spirited son, Tom Jr.  There were only four of us in the tour, so they were very attentive.

We had to drive for awhile to get to the jungle.  Here are some shots, including the cemetery (graves are above ground here).  

     (See our ship way out there?)

Here we are.  We have all our gear and we are ready!  First we have to walk through the jungle and up the river we will be floating on.  A lot of groups pass us, but Tom gives us a full tour of the jungle,  including tips on how to survive off nature.

Some random jungle shots including bats in a cave and our tour guide eating termites...

Jay thought it was a better idea to chew on sugar cane...just like he did when he lived in the Caribbean years ago.  It's amazing he has such great teeth!

We get to the spot and pause for instructions...

 

Then it is sail away.  We saw huge stalactites and stalagmites, and learned the ancient history of the Mayan people who used the cave system for ceremonies and stuff.  

This is actually after our big adventure...it was too dark to take pics in the caves, but it was amazing! One of our favorite things!

Back on the road again.  And what did we almost run over?  The hand belongs to a man who is 6 ft 3...so it is quite the big arachnid.

Local lunch which was mighty tasty.

And of course what Caribbean trip would be complete without a fresh coconut from a sweet talking toothless man with a machete. 

Back to the ship on the tender boats.  Some parting shots...

We were much happier this time since the winds had died.

Back on the ship and what did we find?  That sneaky husband of mine arranged for a little birthday surprise!

(nice end quotations)

It was a very happy birthday---Thank you Jay!!

And goodnight little towel swan.

Roatan, Honduras

Our first stop on our November Cruise was a small island off the coast of Honduras. Unfortunately, it was very rainy this day, but we still managed to have fun, and take a lot of photos. And I finally figured out how to upload videos (it won't work on my blogger, so this is Kjerstina under Jay's name).

We had arranged to have a tour guide with his own truck. His name was Angel, and I guess we didn't get a picture of him--except if you look carefully in the one above, he was one of the hundreds surrounding the dock looking for patrons.

We drove through the towns and country-side, and saw a strange sight of two old shipwrecks still sitting in the harbour. Angel said they were not pirates.

First on our agenda was the jungle Zip-line. We were so fast getting there, we were the first! It was nice because we had our own private guide and got to take our time taking pictures. I think the weather deterred a lot of people in getting off the ship, but the rain actually made us go faster on the lines. You can't tell from these pictures how beautiful it was, and how fun! It probably was the best thing we did.

First we had to get harnessed...kinda scary that the harness-er looked to be 8 years old. Good thing Jay knows his way around a harness.

Then we hiked down into the jungle, and received instruction from our excellent guide, Nelson. How can he not be excellent with my maiden name?

Then you climb onto a wooden plank 30 feet up a tree, and fly into the jungle!

Sorry, Jay shot side-ways...

They also had a variety of rope bridges, tightropes, and a climbing wall to add a little variety.

The last zip we got to go together. Although a great guide, Nelson is not the greatest photographer...

We next went to an iguana farm. When it is sunny, there are thousands of these guys out looking to be fed. But it was not our luck to have such nice weather, so we were happy for the 7 or 8 we saw.

They also had parrots, monkeys, an anteater, and marine pool for our viewing pleasure.

Can you see the giant lobster?

We then drove around the island. Angel was surprised when we wanted to see where he lived, but this is the real deal, not the tourist side of life. It reminded Jay of his mission...houses on stilts, laundry lines, kids playing with sticks. Amazing how much we take for granted. I think these kids were scared of us.

We stopped at a market to get some leeches--a funky fruit Jay loves.

We went to this beautiful beach were we had high hopes of snorkeling, but as you will see, it was not allowed due to high winds. So we ate lunch at a little tourist restaurant.

Yum...virgin coladas and daiquiris are the best!

We tried another beautiful beach, and this is the short-cut Angel took us on. The water puddles were actually lakes that came up to the door of the truck! But it was a nice beach (sorry no pictures) and we even went swimming in the ocean, which was so fun in the rain. I am sure Angel was thinking, "Crazy gringos."

After Angel dropped us off, we decided to walk around the little town by the port and took some various photos....

You can see in this picture of Jay that while walking on the wet streets and being heckled by sellers, a truck drove through a puddle and completely soaked us--it was so funny...
guess you had to be there.

Back on the ship and finally dry! Another Steak dinner....does this guy ever get enough red meat?

And when we returned to our room after an excellent magic show and comedy routine, our lovely towel creature was waiting.