Cozumel

 

Well, wish I could say I feel great today and ready to have an adventure but about 12am last night the ship started to rock and roll and wow did my motion sickness kick in…. I took my usual meds but it continued to be an issue for me most of the night.  This wasn’t anywhere as bad as I expect to to be so Im a little leary as to what the future holds for me. Anyway, Breakfast came and went and we headed out on our first excursion of the trip….San Gervasio pre-Columbian site. This is a  Rich Mayan site that was dedicated to IX CHEL, goddess of the moon and fertility.  

To get to the site we traveled by bus outside of San Miguel. The last time we were here was in 1986 and we came by jet catamaran. WOW the city has grown and grown!On our Previous visit the town was little shops and bars, car rental places and that’s it. Today it is a grown city. And Im a grown up now and can’t imagine spending my whole day here drinking margaritas.

We woke up to this next door in the dock.. Virgin”s new ship the Scarlet Lady.  It looks huge and young and hip! We are small sedate and,well, kinda only young at heart . Such a different sailing experience! It shows that today there is a ship and choices for any age and budget.

Anyway,  we walked between the ships and headed out for our adventure. The weather wasn’t great…very windy and rain. We aren’t made of sugar, so of course we headed out.  Our first tour was of the previously mentioned San Gervasio site.  

These ruins have an interesting story of their discovery and as seems to be the case when non natives find them, a sadness. In the 1970s archeologists from University of Arizona, Harvard,and University of New Mexico helped develop more site reconstruction and archeological development of the area.  There was lots of damage done when the original property owner decided to dynamite part of it.  Thankfully, he traded the property back to the Federal government of Mexico( there wasn’t any gold)and what was left of the site was preserved. It certainly isn’t the spectacular site like Chichen Itza or Telum but as it was honoring the goddess of the moon and fertility it was a very special site to the women of the Mayan world.  This was a major city and had a large population until the Spanish came and brought with them smallpox. It was a rainy visit but well worth our time I was hoping to see iguana but had no such luck today.

Heading back to our ship we were able to enjoy our guide David’s humor and the trip went fast. 

Our second trip of the day was a little more active and adventurous: Riding ATV’s through the jungle!!We were told to expect mud mud and more mud.  I looked at my wardrobe and made decisions as to what shirt I could throw out already after only 3 days!As we arrived at our room there was a letter from guest services informing us the activity had been canceled by the tour operators.. Guess the thought of having 25 seniors stuck in the jungle mud was just too much for them.  I actually was relieved as it meant I could get a quick nap in this afternoon and work on this entry.  The wind just walking back to our ship was exhausting.  The secret to successful travel is to always be flexible!

As the day winds down, I’m reminded that today is Christmas Eve. We have never been away from home or some family on Christmas and I’m feeling a little sad. However, the ship is having Christmas carols tonight  and a midnight service led by one of the guest lecturers. The decorations on the ship are beautiful and we managed to bring a few little gifts to exchange.We are so very lucky to be able to be here surrounded by other friendly explorers and with the conveniences of modern life. That is a great gift. 

Sea Day -trip day2-

 Today is a relaxing day with no port of call. Well, relaxing might be stretching the truth. On Viking there is an emphasis on enrichment both on land and sea. Today’s sea day was filled with possibilities.

These passengers are invited here by Viking to educate,entertain and enrich our lives while on board. They find ways to add depth to our travels. Todays series included “pre-Colombian civilizations”  discussing the major civilizations of the Aztec, Inca and Mayan. As someone educated in the 50s and 60s it was very interesting to relearn what I had been taught about these civilizations. I can’t wait till tomorrow to see the area in person knowing a new history (for me)

Albert spent his afternoon playing duplicate bridge and was in seventh heaven. Finally he has the option for partners since I am a no show when Bridge is involved. While he was playing cards, I attended a lecture about the color Scarlett…WOW the guest lecturer gives you information in the story form of telling and brought the information right into my mind! It didn’t hurt that the true story involved the lowly prickly pear cactus and the little bugs that grow on it.. Ive seen this in my own yard and can’t wait to check it out when I return. 

 It wasn’t all learning today.. Baggo tournaments, and christmas decorations abound

This gingerbread village put mine to shame! Although Casper the restaurant manager reminded me that there was a large staff who worked all on this together and so they had an unfair advantage, perhaps.  I mentioned that I often tried to do it with 6 children and they would eat the candy before we got to the decorating stage.. He laughed and said definitely his crew had the advantage! 

Our evening wound down with the Viking Welcome reception. We were just to tired to watch it in person so we got comfy in our jammies and laid in bed watching the event on TV with live streaming…what a great end to a relaxing tiring day!  Tomorrow we wake up in Cozumel and have adventures planned.

I can’t believe it’s finally happening!

 Day One has been officially put into the books.  We arrived at the terminal via Uber with the nicest driver. He wished us a wonderful voyage and holiday. The initial checkin was efficient and fast, however ,since this ship was new and traveling around the world,The Coast Guard conducted a very thorough inspection of the ship that took two hours longer than expected.. (At least we know we are considered in a safe ship for our travels.) this meant we had to wait in a large room with others until cleared to board. Viking ,as always were considerate and offered water and pastries to  make sure we were comfortable while waiting.

Our welcome aboard!

The view of the ship as we walked up the gangplank brought many emotions to me. After dreaming of this trip for two years the reality of it actually happening today seems almost surreal. Again I feel all the feelings of joy,fear,excitements and relief! We are actually doing this! 

The ship, the Neptune, is brand new having been built just recently. It is 47,800 gross tons and carries 930 passengers with 470 crew. And we are lucky enough to be included!!!

The rest of the day was filled with lunch, unpacking and figuring out how to fit everything into this room.

A short video trying to give you an insight into the size of the room. Viking has thought of everything. Im not a fan of minimalist design, but in this case it’s definitely a plus. The Scandinavian design features help reduce the feeling of crowdedness and encourages calm!

After a rousing sail away celebrating in the Explorer’s lounge we hade a delightful dinner in The Restaurant. Tomorrow is a sea day and will be filled with lectures, bridge for Al , trivia and of course eating!  Somewhere in there I must find time to walk around ….the pastry bar is amazing!!

The first night of being gently rocked to sleep awaits. The adventure has begun!

Fort Lauderdale - the Venice of the United States

 All I’ve ever really known about Ft.Lauderdale involved college students on spring break, swimming pools, music and a keg of beer…..Today I can add a few more descriptions to my education. Money, money and more money. 

Water taxis seem to be the best way to get around the many costal waterway areas.  Ft.Lauderdale prides itself on its participation in the Coastal Waterway that stretches from Virginia to Texas.  Today we decided to see just what was so special about the waterway and figured seeing it in an open air taxi boat was the way to go. 

My traveling companions, Albert, Susan and Steve

During the  boat ride we were shown just how much love there is for the waterway and how many dollars it takes to have a place on it.  Besides being the winter home for may gazillionares, the place also lends itself to many movie companies who want to film homes and represent them as Miami.. over 400 movies and TV shows have used houses and yachts from this area to enhance films. 

A few that I thought were interesting.

Interesting that many of these homes had large yachts docked out front. Many of the yachts were in equal or greater value of the house… or should I say mansion? Anyway, there is an unimaginable amount of wealth displayed on the intercostal waterway. If you shop at Kohl’s, Petsmart, or any of a number of businesses you help pay for one of these babies..It was mind blowing to me that these homes are often only used for a few months out of the year.

Downtown Ft Lauderdale

Iguana sunning itself on an e bank ent

When you win a trophy for big game fishing you of course put it in your front yard so the world know how good you are! Then you hire someone to take care of it !

See the small old house? One of the early homes in Fort Lauderdale. Quite a change from todays homes.

Lunch break at Shooters. Touring is hard work so we needed to take a break to replenish our bodies and minds. Tuna Poke and a Cubano sandwich did the trick.! While we ate we watched yacht after yacht go by. 

We returned to our water taxi and continued for another hour looking at all these magnificent homes then walked back to our hotel. During happy hour, we enjoyed  meeting a few other couples who are also world cruisers and spent time discussing our upcoming adventure. Everyone seems so excited and ready to head out into the world. Our evening  ended with eating leftovers, drinking some wine and playing cards by the pool. Tomorrow we leave to board the ship. Boarding begins at 11:00 am. Every minute the excitement builds….I feel like a little kid waiting to open Christmas presents …its really fun to feel that level of excitement again!

Im leaving my home for how long????

Today’s the day! In a matter of hours we will be on the airplane headed to Fort Lauderdale to catch our ship.  To say I’m flooded with mixed feelings would be an understatement.  Excitement, Joy, Fear, Trepidation ,Love, Relief,….every emotion hitting me at once! I have left my home for days or weeks at a time, in fact,I’ve made it 6 weeks recently while at the olive harvest in NorCal but for some reason the idea that I will be parted from my home for five and a half months seems unimaginable to me. And yet, here I am…standing in my yard saying goodbye to every rock and cactus!

I wont be seeing this guy for awhile and already I’m missing him! 

We have spent the last few days making the final checklists, informing neighbors of our plans,getting all services finalized and trying to fit in spontaneous family gatherings.  It has all been a blur of activity. If this journal seems disconnected there’s a good reason for it…I AM! Two years of planning and fantasizing about things I’ll see and do have led up to this moment and in a few brief seconds I will find myself traipsing through security, endless lines with strangers (me in my mask) and with the magic of air travel be whisked away across the country to Fort Lauderdale, FL . 

Our travel coins ( gifts from Bien,Beth,Bowie,Ferris & Finley) to remind us of home and family.

Traveling from Tucson International Airport via Delta was painless and easy.  One of the perks of this voyage is the first class airfare. During the flight, Al leaned over to me and whispered” I could get used to this” No Kidding! The wide seats and extra leg room is fantastic and the service was nice. Our layover in Atlanta wasn’t really a layover, more like a sprint to the finish line… but we made our next flight and soon were looking at the lights of Fort Lauderdale. A quick taxi ride got us to our hotel.

As it was 10:30 at night my photo skills were mediocre at best, but you get the idea. Its been a long day where we have gone from dry 50’s temps to a wonderful 70 degrees. (Okay, remember I’m from the desert and 50 has been cold to me) Anyway, we are here and today will check out the sights to see, rest up and get ready to meet our friends when they fly in this afternoon. 

And So It Begins

 

 

Have you ever wandered what you would take if you could only have one suitcase and you have to live away from your home for months on end?The thought had never really occurred to me. The immensity of that never really sunk in.Two years ago when we decided to travel around the world, I can’t say it really meant much to me…just how do I part with my stuff for months?  I’m certainly not a minimalist in my daily life. I like looking around and seeing mementos of the highs and lows in my life- the broken tea cup that no one broke,the fabric collection of “someday” projects,family pictures,etc. You get the idea! Anyway, today is the day. The end of the procrastination. The day of Reckoning. Commitment Day.

 I’ve had to open and close this beast of a suitcase four times. I have agonized over shorts?pants?how many undies? Sweaters?just how much toothpaste do I actually use?  Thoughts of my wardrobe has crept into every moment of my life. Those who know me realize how dramatic this is. I mean, my level of fashion culminates with having my underwear on right side out. The fashion bar for excellence is pretty low for me. Now I have had to Marie Kondo every item that found its way into the suitcase..the pressure has reached the level of a volcano exploding. 

I.Can’t.Do.It.

So today the bag is closed,locked,labeled and on its way to luggage oblivion. When the UPS man takes it from my hallway my obligation is complete. What I’ve done will most likely surprise me when on Dec 22 I find this case in my room…..until then I’ve washed my hands of it. I’m done being a fashion Diva.

Of course, there’s my carry on suitcase………………. 

Life Is Always Changing

Every day the sun rises and every evening the sun sets. Its pretty constant, the times vary, but the activity is the same day to day. Our lives also have constants to them. Highs and lows,Joys and sorrows. The above picture was taken out my car window on our way to CA to help our son Garrett and his wife Gita prepare for the unexpected early arrival of their son. This was definitely one of Life’s Joys!

This guy was waiting for us! For 6 glorious days we got to feel the unconditional love, hugs, kisses and smiles from this little man.  He reminded us of how great it is to be full of wonderment and love. Every day is a day of possibilities- good or bad-its all new and exciting. 

Mom and Dad were busy with finalizing the details for Geo’s brother’s entry into this world, so Grandma and Grandpa got busy making sure his every need was met. I'm sure those of you who are grandparents already know what fun that is! I won’t lie, we were kinda out of practice,don’t have the stamina we used to,and aren’t up to date on the latest child rearing techniques but boy did we have fun! I think there’s something true about the adage “ignorance is bliss”. Grand parenting can be fun!

                                       Grandpa found lots of cool toys to play with!

 Of course there was an end point to our visit…The birth of our seventh grandchild! I’m happy to say that after giving his parents an exciting few days, Grove Nova Wankel made his entrance into the world!

We were fortunate to be able to join their family for this moment and are happy to welcome him into our little family. He joins six already awesome cousins and has enough Uncles and a spectacular Aunt to help him through the ups and downs of life. That will be his constant in his life.  Unconditional love from those who will cherish him from this moment on. Like the sunrise and the sunset, family love is the constant in our lives. Welcome, Grove,to the party!