This was a nice escape. Jim and I both enjoyed ourselves immensely. If you are interested, the cruise will run once a week through May 23, 2003. All the info you need can be found at: www.yucatanexpress.com. Also check out Jim's bike trip (January, 2003) to the Yucatan Peninsula with four of his TWO DOG friends. They took their bikes over on the Scotia Prince, the ferry/cruise ship, from Tampa, Fl to Progreso, Mexico with plans to tour the peninsula for at least a week, maybe even two or more weeks. Find their trip plans and log at: www.twodogsmc.net. |
Mexican Holiday January 2, 2003 Happy New Year to all!! Jim and I are back from our "holiday cruise" from Tampa, FL to Progresso, Mexico. We had a grand time. Went through south GA to visit Jim's girls and their families for a memorable Christmas, then drove on down for the cruise from Tampa, Fl to Progreso, Mexico. Our trip went something like this: |
Friday, December 27, 2002 We got to the ferry/cruise ship between 1:00 and 2:00p.m.(a little early). We found that the set up and boarding staff were a bit unorganized and every step took time. It took us a few minutes to check our luggage, take our snacks back to the car (no food or drinks were allowed to be carried onto the ship), and to move the car to the secure, overnight parking lot. Jim had spotted two bikes in the front parking area upon arrival and went back outside to look them over while we were waiting. We were able to board the ship within an hour after arrival at the docks and get settled into our cabin on Deck 5. Pulled out of Tampa Bay at about 5:00 in the afternoon. "Bout time we were settling in on the boat, we had a "practice emergency drill". Met with crew members in the casino (there was one for each deck/side of the boat); followed them up one deck and outside to the life boats; put on life jackets; and listened to brief "in case of an emergency" instructions. After the drill, we took a walk. Checked out the casino, gift shop, snack shop, restaurant, lounge, and the upper deck and hot tubs. The weather was really nice, but a bit on the cool side. Jim and I found the two bikers, John Longmore from Pennsylvania and Dave Jepperis from Florida. Talked to them for a long while out on the deck, along with Laura Starkey, from Tampa, who'd met the fellows earlier. It got chilly and the wind was blowing strongly. Jim and I decided to go back inside for supper. Since our trip cost included the cabin for four nights and the tour to Chichen Itza and NO MEALS, we found our way to the snack bar and ordered a small pizza. On the deck below the snack bar, we stopped by the restaurant to just check the menu. The manager greeted us and asked us to, "Come in." We explained that we were just checking to see what they offered and what the prices were. He kindly persuaded us to come on in, explaining, in his slightly Jamaican accent, "It tis holiday and as long as you have a foot on this boat, you can eat free." We chuckled and thought he was kidding, 'til we looked in and saw John, Dave and Laura in the buffet line, smiling from ear to ear. We'd walked into the best surprise of the trip! We said, "Hey, sure, we'll try it!" and joined the buffet line. We each helped ourselves to our first of ten free meals on our voyage. Unbelievable! The service in the dining room was excellent. A pianist played soft music on the grand piano. The ship photographer roamed from table to table, taking group and individual pictures of the passengers. Coffee was included with the meal; alcoholic beverages and soft drinks were extra. Our only expense was the suggested $1.00 tip per person for the waiters. With our three newfound friends, we enjoyed a very nice meal. Tired from our travels, we decided not to catch the 9:30 entertainment in the lounge. Went back to the cabin early, took showers, found our books and rested. Settled in to sleep at around 11:30. |
Saturday, December 28, 2002 Slept well last night. Did have a bit of rocking with the ship's movement and a bit of roaring from the engines at our location on Deck 5. The cabin was a little cool, which kept us both from sleeping soundly. Went up to the restaurant for a fine breakfast. Yogurt, lots of fruit and several choices of eggs, meats, breads and cereals were presented on the buffet. Juice and coffee came with the meal. We joined John and Dave at their table and when Laura came in, she joined us, too. Something strange happened during breakfast. The sun was up, shining brightly and was, of course, on the port side of the boat. While we were eating, the ship made a turn of 180 degrees. The sun was now shining in from the starboard side windows. We asked questions, but several members of the crew were not able to give an explanation. We felt a little weird and a little worried about making it to Progresso on schedule, but had to trust that the captain knew what he was doing. Se la vi! Headed our own ways after b'fast. Jim and I went up on the deck to check out the sun, etc. Layed out awhile, then after lunch, returned to the cabin for some rest. Jim met John, and Dave later at the café for a Spanish lesson with Antonio. I took my book, Grisham's latest, up to the deck and found Laura already settled in with her book (one from Oprah's list). Jim probably found a bit of time to go down to the Casino at some point today. We all joined each other for supper and met again in the lounge for the late evening entertainment. Before the show, Jim went up to the bar to order a beer. While he was there, a waitress came over to the table to take our orders. Laura, who has just completed her Master's degree in Linguistics with Spanish as her "second language", ordered in Spanish and was quite impressive. Dave, who'd been in Mexico many times and obviously felt pretty confident with the language, also made his ordered in Spanish. Dave and Laura nodded at each other with approval and John and I made comments on their use of the language. The young waitress, however, had a disturbed expression and even put her hands over her face to pause and try to make sense of their requests. She looked at both Laura and Dave sheepishly and admitted she didn't understand what they'd said. She then added that she was from the Philippines. We all made an attempt to control our laughter, calmed down and ordered, using the clearest English we could speak. What a hoot!!! A comic/impersonator put on an hour-long show with impersonations of Archie and Edith Bunker, Beaver Cleaver, Andy Griffith and Gomer Pile, Arnold Swartzignager, Jack Nicholson, and many more characters. Jim and I said "goodnight" shortly after the show and headed downstairs for showers and bed. Jim got smart and pulled the blankets off of the top, extra bunks. With double blankets, we both slept comfortably through the night. |
Cleared the Immigration counter quickly, as we had our DAY PASSES in hand. Took another fifteen minutes or so for the tour personnel to get in place and gather everyone together. Some folks were riding in to Progresso for the day. Jim and I were on our way to tour the Mayan Ruins. Gabriel, was a wonderful tour guide. Not only was he a good driver, his English (one of his seven languages) was very good. There were 10 of us in his group. We all fit comfortably in his company van. Took a quick drive through Progresso and went by Merida. Took the old road all the way to the Chichen Itza Center. Saw a deer at the edge of the road and also a few cattle. They are allowed to roam, with no fencing to keep them off of the roads. On our second round of the parking lot, found parking. Gabriel led us up the steps and into the Center for a quick break before our walk out to see Ruins. |
Our first stop on the tour was at the ball court, which was quite outstanding with the original goals still intact. Many of the cornerstone snakeheads and carvings, including some of the original paints, were amazingly still intact. I found the echo from one side of the court to the other to be most interesting. The echo repeated a single "clap" as seven "claps"! Gabriel had lots of interesting facts and info to share and was very good at answering our questions. We looked at several other structures before Gabriel walked with us a good distance to the large sacred cenote, one of the natural wells (sink holes) formed in the limestone. It had walls about ten stories high and we were told that the water was about ten stories deep. It was pretty huge! We followed Gabriel's quick pace back to the main grounds of the ruins, where we synchronized our watches and were instructed to meet back at the van in an hour. Jim and I walked over to the big pyramid (the Castillo or pyramid Kukulcan). I was eager to climb it; Jim decided to watch from below. The steps are deep and extremely steep. Took a brief stop now and then to pose for Jim's camera and to check out the views. Made it to the top and walked inside to see the large, original wooden beams which support the top of the structure. Wish I'd had the camera. Took me a while to make my way down the steps... pretty much went down on my bottom. Going down was much tougher physically than climbing up. My knees were shaking a bit by the time I reached the ground. Jim was very supportive and was glad I'd made the effort. |
Jim and I were the first couple back to meet Gabriel at the van. Had to wait a little while for everyone to get back with the group, especially the young couple. Gabriel was a bit impatient, but kept his cool. He smiled once they were in sight of the van. We all loaded up and got back on the road. Went back to the nearby village for lunch. We'd expected a "box lunch", but Gabriel took us to a nice restaurant, which offered a buffet style meal. Only had to pay for our beverages. The restaurant, restrooms and gift shop, which were built as one continuous structure, had a covered veranda all the way around the inside, which opened to a nicely planted garden. Many local venders were set up out front, trying their best to sell their "handmade" goods to the tourists. Gabriel left the village by a different road than we'd come in on and took the toll road back towards Merida. It was a bit faster and had less traffic than the old road. We asked many questions about local travel, motels, etc. Had some heavy traffic around Merida, with one woman driver who really tested Gabriel's patience. Got back to the parking lot, tipped Gabriel, passed back through the check-in point and got back onboard with no problem. The boat crowd was different now. Instead of the older crowd we'd found on the way to Mexico, there were more families and many small children on the trip back to Tampa. Also, the ride was much rougher. The seas were a bit high this afternoon and evening. Jim and I were both taking Dramamine to settle our systems. After supper, we went up to the lounge to get a good seat for the 9:30 show. Tonight, four performers, two guys and two girls, danced to and sang songs from the 70's. They were all very good and outstanding in their own way. When the show was over, we were ready to get back to the cabin for the night. |
Monday, December 30, 2002 Jim left for breakfast ahead of me. He was looking for some coffee! When I got to the dining room, Jim was sitting at a corner table with his coffee, talking to the couple at the table beside him. Steve Smith and Grace Kim, BMW riders from Franklin, NC (small world, 'ey), had been touring the Yucatan Peninsula with plans of going down through Belize before returning to the ship. They'd joined a couple of other bikers they'd met on the boat on the way over from Tampa. Several days into their trip, on Christmas Eve, they'd run through an oil spill in the road, which took them and their bike down. Steve's collarbone was broken and they both suffered some road rash and bruising. The other two bikers somehow avoided the oil. They were safe and able to get help for Steve and Grace. Since it was the holiday season, they had some trouble finding proper medical care. Steve and Grace went to three places before finding a surgeon and anesthesiologist they trusted to do good work and who were sober. Their "travel insurance", bought through the travel agent in Franklin, covered their expenses, his surgery (had his collar bone pinned), three days of hospitalization, and a return trip for them and the BMW to the ship. They had an uncomfortable, two day van ride back, with Steve stuck in the back behind the bike. He said the drugs they gave him were of little comfort with the vertical bouncing along the poor roads back to the dock. |
After breakfast, Jim and I went up to the deck to enjoy the sun. Took turns going back to the cabin to change to shorts and cooler shirts and coming back out to the sunshine. It was glorious. A bit later, Steve and Grace joined us. Steve asked if Jim would mind driving the BMW off the ship and onto their trailer once we got back to Tampa. Of course, Jim said he'd be glad to help. We all went to lunch together. The boat was rocking more than ever and it was difficult, kind of silly, going through the buffet line. The restaurant manager, greeter, and waiters were having a difficulty, too. But, we all managed to enjoy it. Jim and I went back to the cabin after lunch. We rested a while and read a while. We had afternoon showers, pulled out our clothes and necessary papers for tomorrow, and packed everything else. (Later tonight, our luggage would have to be put outside the cabin door to be picked up and delivered to the terminal, where we'd pick it up tomorrow morning at US Customs in Tampa.) Steve and Grace were already eating when we got to the dining room for supper. We sat near them, but had little conversation, as the room was quite crowded and the waiters were busy all around us. There was a young guest who stepped in for a few minutes to relieve the pianist. He was quite a piano player himself - probably a music student. He entertained us with concert style music instead of playing the old "sing along" tunes/elevator music the regular pianist had lined up. The boat was rocking to such any extreme degree tonight, that with one tilt, drinks and other items fell off of several tables. Two passengers, on the way to their table from the buffet, even though a waiter grabbed their plates from theit hands, were not able to keep their balance and fell to the floor. The rocking was getting to me, although Jim and I had continued our Dramamine regime. I was not very comfortable. Jim heard that the deck crew had hung out "barf bags" along the railing outside. |
It being our last night on the boat, we all went up to the lounge for tonight's show. A girl from Chicago, who'd met Steve and Grace on the route over, joined us. The black singer/dancer, from the 70's show we'd seen last night, had a solo segment. He talked about his life as a performer and even shared the fact that life on the ship was hard on him. He'd had a tough time with seasickness and was surviving with the help of Dramamine. He also said that although this was a great experience, as soon as his contract with the ship ended (this coming Spring), he's heading to New York City to continue his career. He was ready to get his land legs back! Enjoyed his show. The comic/impersonator followed with a similar, but different act than he'd put on the first night we'd seen him. The ship was still rocking and seemed to get to him a bit. As soon as the show ended Grace excused herself. She'd been feeling rotten from the swaying of the boat, too. I told Jim that I'd had as much as I could stand. The strong body odors of the white couple (with Rastafarian style hair) who'd sat just in front of me during the show were mixing with the semi-seasickness and was about to do me in!!! Steve stayed in the bar. Jim and I went back to our cabin for the night. |
Tuesday, December 31, 2002 NEW YEAR'S EVE! Watched the sun rise from our cabin port hole this morning. The moon and morning star were brilliant as the sun broke on the horizon. We were already at the bridge of Tampa Bay. The waters in the bay were calm, thank goodness. Things were looking up; this would be a good day. Breakfast was delicious, as usual. We crowded in at a small table with Steve and Grace. The boat reached the dock as we were finishing up. From our table, Steve spotted his father and cousin outside the terminal. Their being there was not expected. It seemed to be a pleasant surprise for him. We all finished breakfast and found a waiting spot for our call to leave the ship. It took longer than we'd expected. We were told to be out of our cabins and ready to disembark by 7:30AM; it was about 8:30 when they finally got things organized and let us leave. Jim went down to the bike with Steve and Kim. I walked off with my paperwork, my purse, my dop kit and our pillows and headed for US Customs where employees were getting busy and guards were walking around letting their dogs sniff the carry on bags. Was close to the front of one of the three lines, so it didn't take me long to check in and pick up our two bags which, thankfully had been organized in rows by deck numbers. When I got out to the car and put everything inside, Jim was driving out on Steve's BMW and Steve and Grace walking behind him. While they were loading the bike onto the trailer, I walked back up front to find Steve's father, Frank, and his cousin. They were happy to hear that Steve was doing well. Once we got back to the vehicles, Grace headed to the terminal for their bags. Was good to know that Steve had his family there to help get them get back home at their own pace. |
Jim and I paid for our parking ($40.00 for four days) and pulled out of the lot. We followed the roads back to I-4, exited to I-275 and followed it to I-75N. Took our time driving home. Stopped first for gas, stopped later for lunch, stopped several times to antique, and stopped again, just below Atlanta, for gas, again. We hit a long road construction area in south GA, between Valdosta and Cordele, but apparently the workers had the day off. Ran into rain after Cordele. The rain was heavy all the way past Macon and continued, a bit lighter, all the way home. Stopped for groceries in Clayton and got home by 8:30. Was a full day! Didn't really feel it 'til we were unloaded and settling in, but we both had the feeling that we were still "floating". Several folks told us that feeling may last a couple of days or more. We were both glad to get back home. Bonnie, our cat, greeted us warmly. Was she happy to see us or was she just glad to be back inside the house? |
Monday, December 23, 2002 Left home around nine this morning. Drove down to visit Jim's oldest daughter, Bobbie, and her family in Columbus, GA. Had a great time with them, including sharing Christmas gifts, supper at Applebee's, and a nice visit after supper. Waves of thunderstorms rolled in shortly after we went to bed. It rained heavily all night. Tuesday, December 24, 2002 A Christmas Eve to remember! Followed the rains down to south GA this morning. Cut off of Hwy. 27 to drop in on Mrs. Eloise, an antiquing friend in Georgetown, but missed her. She's probably at her daughter's for the holidays. Drove out of the rain and on in to Blakely and checked into the motel. While Jim showered, I called Rachael Jones, a friend I worked with at the middle school. She said that she'd heard that a tornado had gone through the Kolomoki community, but that no one was injured. She wasn't sure of the property damage in the area. Jim and I had lunch at Subway and got some details about the damages from John Moseley. He scared us, saying that several houses had been severely damaged including the Pitt's house on the corner and Kevin's, which was hit the hardest. Thought that Chet and Traci's had been hit, too. Assured us that no one in the community had been hurt. Said many homes were out of power and lots of trees were downed. Also, the Maddox's had lost many big, old oaks. We headed out toward Kolomoki by way of the old road. Saw the damage on the corner where the new owners of the old Pitt's house were busily covering the roof with a tarp. The barns had no tin on them. A collapsed silo was blown out into an empty field. The huge cotton field by Kevin's was covered with strips of twisted tin. His house had lost half of its roof. Luckily, he hadn't been at home. Several vehicles were there to help and support him. Drove on down toward Traci's and decided to check first at Mrs. Carol's to see if Traci's family had gone to her house. Chet turned into their drive across the road when he spotted us and pulled over for us to come talk to him. Everyone was okay, but the power lines were down, along with many trees, and their house and surrounding buildings had damage. We carefully followed him to the house. Traci and the girls, bedraggled, greeted us. They'd all gone up to Kevin's earlier and helped load some of his and the kid's belongings to take them to a safe place. Said there was a chance the rest of the roof on his house would collapse due to the wind and rain damage it had received. Jim got our camera and took two rolls of film of the damage at Traci's. We took it to town to be developed on our way to get Traci and the girls some late lunch and let them shower at the motel room. Picked up the film on the way back to their house. Jim rode off with Chet to get some things and to check on Chet's family. Rikki and I went later for Chinese take-out. Took Rikki by the grocery for some paper plates, colas, and a few other items. Chet went back to our room for a shower. During the evening we all shared Christmas gifts and counted our blessings -- thankful most of all for everyone's safety!!!! Jim and I went back to our room before bedtime. Thank goodness both Chet and Kevin had full insurance on their homes. |
Wednesday, December 25, 2002 It's Christmas Day. Up early. Back to Traci's to take some things they'd left behind. They'd made it through the night, the kids had gotten up early for Christmas morning, and then they'd all gone back to bed. Still had no power at their house, but the trucks were in the area and working on the lines. They had hope of a better day today. And the sun was shining! |
This was a nice escape. Jim and I both enjoyed ourselves immensely. If you are interested, the cruise will run once a week through May 23, 2003. All the info you need can be found at: www.yucatanexpress.com. Also check out Jim's bike trip (January, 2003) to the Yucatan Peninsula with four of his TWO DOG friends. They took their bikes over on the Scotia Prince, the ferry/cruise ship, from Tampa, Fl to Progreso, Mexico with plans to tour the peninsula for at least a week, maybe even two or more weeks. Find their trip plans and log at: www.twodogsmc.net. |
Sunday, December 29, 2002 We were up early this morning to join the fellows and Laura for breakfast. We all walked out on the deck to catch the "welcoming committee", a band and 6-8 Mexican dancing couples balancing beers on their heads. Jim and I were called to disembark first, as we were just leaving the ship for our day tour of Chichen Itza. (John and Dave were planning to take up to three months to tour both Mexico and Central America. Laura had plans to travel the Yucatan Peninsula for a week.) We said our goodbyes to John, Dave and Laura, got a quick photo of the threesome and headed down to the dock to the Mexican border station. |
Laura Starkey, John Longmore, and Dave Jepperis Great folks! They'd fit right in with the TWO DOGS! |
The strangest time happen while we were in Mexico at the Mayan Ruins. Him had the camera and took many photos during our tour. In fact, he had most of two rolls filled with pictures taken there. When we picked up the pictures from Wal-Mart, and looked through them, none of those pictures had turned out... Wasn't the developing; only the Chichen Itza negatives were bad. Don't think it was the camera because the other pictures on both rolls were fine. Must have been the Mayan gods. |
Jim and I headed down to Pensacola, FL. What a mistake it was to travel on Christmas Day!!! NOTHING WAS OPEN -- except Waffle House and a few gas stations. We got off of I-10 and cut down to Hwy. 98... took the slow route in to Pensacola along the coast. Found the bike shop in Pensacola so we'll be able to get there easily tomorrow morning. Rode back out along the toll road to enjoy the sun and the surf. Stopped to spend a few minutes feeding the seagulls. All we had to offer them were raw, south GA peanuts. They ate 'em up! Was very cool and windy outside. Took a very short walk on the beach, but we really weren't dressed for the weather. Looped back around to Hwy. 98 and drove back into Pensacola and up to I-10. Found a Denney's open so we went in for supper. Then we found a motel room across the street and settled in for the night. |
Thursday, December 26, 2002 Hey! Businesses were open again, but not the bike shop that was supposed to be open today. Jim was upset to say the least. Anyway, we grabbed breakfast and waited around for the shop not to open, then hit the Interstate. Was a straight shot over on I-10, so we made great time to Tallahassee, FL. Turned south on US 19 and followed it south. Caught some antique shops open in one small community before five o'clock. Turned east on Hwy. 98 and drove over to I-75 to find a motel room just as it was getting dark. Covered some miles yesterday and today. Looking forward to getting on the boat tomorrow. |
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The beaches are wonderful along the Florida panhandle. Had to take a few minutes to enjoy this beautiful day. |
From the Pyramid, we went back to the Center to walk through the museum, gift shops and crafts booths. Bought a shot glass for Skipper. |
Here are a few of those poor photos. It really hurt our feeling that they didn't turn out right. |
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Walked my rear end up the steep steps of the pyramid. Was a different story coming down. |
One of 15 large, limestone cenotes (sinkholes) in the area. This is the sacrid cenote. |
This is the Castillo or pyramid Kukulcan. |
This is the ball field... try hitting a 13 lb. solid rubber ball through the hoop with no hands. |
The carvings were magnificent! |
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Baby, Let Me Take You On A Sea Cruise! |
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The Scotia Prince normally runs from Portland, ME to Yarmouth, NS. This Winter Season it's running from Tampa, FL to Progreso, Mexico. |
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